Anyone who works as a freelancer these days has to be at least a bit familiar with techie things. But it isn’t just that. When I was a kid and those vaguely SF puppet shows were on the television and all the other kids wanted to be Greg Gogetem or Steve Savetheuniverse, I wanted to be the guy in a white coat and glasses called Doc or Brains. Here are some technology-related feeds I find useful and/or entertaining.
Mashable » Miracle Baby Goat Ditches His Wheelchair and Learns to Walk
The most inspiring baby goat of all time just took it to the next level. Frostie, the baby goat who re-learned to move about with the help of a wheelchair after a near-fatal illness, has ditched his wheels and is walking and hopping around on his own. See also: Inspiring Goat in a Wheelchair Is All You Need Right Now When … [Link]
Mashable » How to Deal With an Owl in Your House
An owl is in your house. Don't panic! Well, maybe panic a little, because owls are terrifying. Coming into close contact with an owl would scare even the most hardy of homeowners — especially if that owl won't stop giving you the creepiest of death stares See also: 15 Perfectly Looped Animal GIFs Stuck in Eternal Cuteness However, Colton Wright … [Link]
Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: Best Way to Learn C# For Game Programming?
An anonymous reader writes So I, like many people, want to make my own game. Outside of MATLAB, Visual Basic, and LabVIEW I have no real programming experience. I initially started with Ruby, but after doing my homework decided that if I ever wanted to progress to a game that required some power, I would basically need to learn some … [Link]
Mashable » The World Cup According to Rihanna
Rihanna: Pop star by day, sports expert by night The singer, apparently a diehard World Cup fan, has taken her keen and critical analysis to Twitter, live blogging several games. Her commentary is, shall we say, accessible. It's sports commentary for the common folk — basically what Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski were to the Winter Olympics See also: The 21 … [Link]
Mashable » Sexy Mugshot Guy Speaks From Jail: He's Married and 'Not a Kingpin'
The sexy mugshot guy is taken. Sorry, ladies with questionable taste in men Jeremy Meeks, sporting a not-so-sexy orange jumpsuit, spoke about his viral fame with ABC News. The alleged gang member, who became the Internet's most popular jailbird on Friday after his mugshot collected more than 70,000 Likes on the Facebook Page for the police department in Stockton, California, told … [Link]
Slashdot » The EPA Carbon Plan: Coal Loses, But Who Wins?
Lasrick writes: Mark Cooper with one of the best explanations of some of the most pressing details on the new EPA rule change: 'The claims and counterclaims about EPA's proposed carbon pollution standards have filled the air: It will boost nuclear. It will expand renewables. It promotes energy efficiency. It will kill coal. It changes everything. It accomplishes almost nothing.' … [Link]
Mashable » Barack Obama Is First President to Be 3D Printed
Barack Obama can add this to his list of firsts: Being the first U.S. president to have himself scanned and 3D printed. Obama's 3D-printed bust and mold of his face were on display June 18 at the first-ever White House Maker Faire, a celebration of students and entrepreneurs who are using technology to create new products and businesses, according to the … [Link]
Mashable » Puff? Pass. New York to Legalize Smoke-Free Medical Marijuana Only
New York legislators agreed to legalize some forms of medical marijuana on Thursday — but still won't allow patients to take a puff Doctors — and only doctors — will be allowed to prescribe New Yorkers with vaporized and oil-based marijuana as well as marijuana pills to calm pain that can be associated with diseases such as AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Do You Want to Kill Some Rebels? – A Star Wars-Themed “Frozen” Parody [Video]
Frozen meets Star Wars for this “Do you want to build a snowman” parody. In this alternate Star Wars universe music video, the Storm Trooper asks Darth Vader in song “Do you want to kill some rebels?” [Randy Turnbow | Via Laughing Squid] [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Honest Video Game Titles – Part II [Picture Gallery]
[Source: Honest Video Game Box Art] [Link]
Slashdot » The Supreme Court Doesn't Understand Software
An anonymous reader writes We had some good news yesterday when the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a software patent for failing to turn an idea into an invention. Unfortunately, the justices weren't willing to make any broader statements about the patentability of basic software tools, so the patent fights will continue. Timothy B. Lee at Vox argues that this is … [Link]
Mashable » 7 Entrepreneurs Reflect on the Ups and Downs of Year One
Year One is the hardest 365 days for any business owner. Sales projections are based on models, not real data, and you have to work hard to create a niche for yourself and find customers in a crowded marketplace. See also: 17 Business Models Shaking Up the Marketplace We spoke with the purveyors of seven successful businesses in a variety of … [Link]
Mashable » Buckle Your Seatbelt for This Cheeky Flight Attendant
Every flight is a joyride when you have this flight attendant. A flight to Chicago was considerably spiced up when a flight attendant decided to have a little fun with his safety speech, continuing a stream of Southwest Airlines attendants just generally being awesome See also: 5 Travel Apps to Help You Get the Most Out of Summer Vacation The … [Link]
Mashable » Flight Attendants in China Are Learning Kung Fu to Protect the Skies
Flight attendants in China may soon have a new tool in their arsenal for fighting terrorism. Attendant trainees at Sichuan Southwest Vocational College of Civil Aviation, in the city of Chengdu in China's Sichuan province, are learning kung fu in addition to the more typical in-flight duties, according to China Daily. See also: More Travelers Are Behaving Badly on Flights — … [Link]
Mashable » Hackers Build Spy Tools From Leaked NSA Designs
The NSA doesn't just have powerful Internet surveillance technologies, it also has old-school spying tools like bugs and gadgets that give the spies a wide array of ways to hack into a target's computer or cellphone Some of these James Bond-like tools were revealed last year when Der Spiegel published a 48-page catalog, created in 2008 by the NSA and later … [Link]
Mashable » Possible Proof That the iPhone's 'Kill Switch' Stops Thieves
Apple’s iPhone "kill switch" is apparently making would-be thieves think twice. The switch locks up iPhones running iOS 7 unless the authorized user is there to unlock it — preventing thieves from being able to wipe over or repurpose stolen phones by doing a factory reset. And a new report makes the case that the kill switch has dramatically reduced iPhone-related … [Link]
Slashdot » Scientists Successfully Grow Full Head of Hair On Bald Man
realized writes: "A man with almost no hair on his body has grown a full head of it after a novel treatment by doctors at Yale University. The patient had previously been diagnosed with both alopecia universalis, a disease that results in loss of all body hair, and plaque psoriasis, a condition characterized by scaly red areas of skin. The … [Link]
Mashable » Those GIFs on Twitter Aren't Actually GIFs
When Twitter added support for animated GIFs earlier this week, there was no shortage of excitement and criticism from its user base. Brands led the charge in the hours that followed, posting GIFs on GIFs (on GIFs). Others criticized Twitter for taking too long to roll out support for GIFs, a format that has been around since the 1980s — practically … [Link]
Mashable » Did the NBA Just Make Its Biggest Move Yet to Put Ads on Jerseys?
Soccer jerseys have sponsors front and center; NASCAR vehicles are essentially rolling billboards Soon, the NBA could join them in giving advertisements a prominent position next to their athletes. See also: The 21 Most Dedicated World Cup Fans in Brazil The NBA logo will appear on the back of players' jerseys next season, a move that has caused speculation that ads … [Link]
Mashable » Google Is Putting $50 Million Toward Getting Girls to Code
Mindy Kaling and Chelsea Clinton want high school girls to embrace computer science. The two women were on hand at a Google event in New York City on Thursday called Made With Code. See also: 10 Excellent Platforms for Building Mobile Apps Made With Code is a new Google initiative to motivate future female programmersOnly 18% of computer science degrees are … [Link]
Mashable » Southwest Wants to Shed Its Late-Flight Reputation by Year's End
People like Southwest Airlines for many things: free checked bags, friendly flight attendants and competitive fares. But being on-time when you take a Southwest flight, well, that’s become a questionable proposition. The airline has ranked near the bottom of the Department of Transportation’s monthly tally of airline on-time performance for much of the past year, with only 72.9% of its flights arriving on … [Link]
Mashable » Robert Pattinson Feels Very Sad in This Clip From 'The Rover'
It's been a hard road for Robert Pattinson's movie characters, but no amount of dying (Harry Potter) or undying (Twilight) could measure up to what he's going through in The Rover, out in theaters this weekend. Director David Michôd's edgy drama focuses on a ruthless ex-soldier (Guy Pearce) and his damaged, unwitting accomplice (Pattinson) who are traveling through the lawless … [Link]
Slashdot » Overeager Compilers Can Open Security Holes In Your Code
jfruh writes: "Creators of compilers are in an arms race to improve performance. But according to a presentation at this week's annual USENIX conference, those performance boosts can undermine your code's security. For instance, a compiler might find a subroutine that checks a huge bound of memory beyond what's allocated to the program, decide it's an error, and eliminate it … [Link]
Mashable » A $24 Million Yacht Went Up in Flames and a Drone Filmed It All
A yacht in San Diego, California, went up in flames on Thursday, and a drone caught the dramatic scene on video. According to local ABC affiliate 10News, a fire was reported before 9:20 a.m. local time at shipyard Marine Group Boat Works. The $24 million yacht named “Polar Bear” was engulfed in flames, sending dark smoke into the air that … [Link]
Mashable » Valar Morghulis: Every Death in 'Game of Thrones' Season 4
This video and post contain spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 4. Our watch has ended. Well, at least for this season Season 4 of Game of Thrones came to a bloody close (what else?) on Sunday, sending a slew of characters to the Seven Hells. To honor the fallen, Digg assembled a compilation of this season's messy deaths See … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » A Look At Future Batman Movies: From 2016 to 2027 [Video]
A fun glimpse at some potential Batmen of the future by our pals over at ADHD… because I’m Batman. [ADHD] [Link]
Mashable » Six Flags Unveils Tallest, Fastest and Steepest Wooden Roller Coaster
After much anticipation from thrill seekers and coaster enthusiasts, Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois has finally unveiled its newest roller coaster: Goliath. The wooden coaster officially opened its terrifying tracks to the public Thursday morning, breaking three world records in the process. Goliath is now the tallest, fastest and steepest wooden roller coaster in the world. See also: Inside … [Link]
Mashable » Computers Learn How Time Travels
A century ago, film comedian Charlie Chaplin was using movie trickery to convince viewers he had almost uncanny timing. In his short comedies, he’d catch a brick without seeing it or miss getting hit in the head by a hammer even though he had no idea it was hidden on the other side of a door Decades later, historians discovered his … [Link]
Mashable » 19 Dogs That Don't Care About Society's View of Beauty
Purebred dog owners spend thousands each year maintaining the most beautiful pets in the world, in hopes for a moment in the spotlight at the Westminster Dog Show The Ugly Dog Contest is kind of like that too, in a way — except way less expensive. See also: 17 Reasons a Shelter Dog Could Be Your Best Friend "Homely hounds," known … [Link]
Slashdot » Modular Science is Building Hardware and Software for Lab Automation (Video)
Modular Science is something Tim Lord spotted at last month's O'Reilly Solid Conference in San Francisco. Its founder, Peter Sand, has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from MIT. He's scheduled to speak at this year's OSCON, and his speaker blurb for that conference says, "He is the founder of ManyLabs, a nonprofit focused on teaching math and science using sensors … [Link]
Mashable » Rosario Dawson Joins Netflix's 'Daredevil' for 'Critical' Role
Rosario Dawson is joining the Marvel family. The Sin City actress has just hopped on board Marvel's Daredevil, the 13-episode series coming to Netflix. Dawson will play a character "whose quest to heal the wounds of Hell's Kitchen brings Matt Murdock unexpectedly crashing into her life, while her own journey forever alters the course of his battle against the injustices of … [Link]
Mashable » 'Looper' Director Rian Johnson to Take on 'Star Wars: Episode VIII'
Star Wars fans — go ahead and have a good feeling about this. Disney and Lucasfilm have lined up up Rian Johnson — who wrote and directed the whip-smart sci-fi adventure Looper and some great episodes of Breaking Bad — to direct the next main chapter in the Star Wars franchise, Episode VIII, according to multiple reports Depending on which report you … [Link]
Mashable » Supreme Court Limits (But Doesn't End) Software Patents
A unanimous Supreme Court narrowed the reach of software patents June 19. The Court ruled that simply involving a computer in an idea doesn't mean it's patentable. The justices tossed out several patents belonging to Alice, an Australian financial services company, and the ruling could invalidate other similar patents. But the Court didn't go as far as many patent critics had hoped, declining … [Link]
Mashable » French Air Traffic Controllers Vote to Strike, Again
Traveling to France next week? You may want to switch your plans. Two French air traffic controller unions have voted for a six-day strike beginning Tuesday. The two unions, SNCTA and Unsa-ICNA, predict "a large number of cancellations and major disruption" from June 24 to 29. See also: 10 Crazy Vacation Ideas for Thrillseekers The strike, which could affect millions of … [Link]
Mashable » Crowdsourced Eco-Volunteers Team Up Online to Save Hawaii's Forests
A new digital initiative is harnessing the power of the crowd to track invasive species and preserve the delicate ecosystem of Hawaii’s rainforests The Nature Conservancy and DigitalGlobe launched the Hawaii Challenge Tuesday, in which volunteers on the Tomnod crowdsourcing platform comb through aerial imagery of 30,000 acres of forest on the island of Kauai. As they go, they tag the … [Link]
Slashdot » Continuous System For Converting Waste Plastics Into Crude Oil
rtoz writes: A MIT spinout company aims to end the landfilling of plastic with a cost-effective system that breaks down nonrecycled plastics into oil, while reusing some of the gas it produces to operate. To convert the plastics into oil, this new system first shreds them. The shreds are then entered into a reactor — which runs at about 400 … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » How To Choose Between Native and Hybrid to Build Mobile Apps
This article was prepared by a guest contributor to ProgrammableWeb. The opinions expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the view of ProgrammableWeb or its editorial staff.
[Link]
Mashable » Costa Rica Trounce Italy, Kill England's World Cup Hopes
In what is easily the biggest surprise of the 2014 World Cup so far, the tiny Central American nation of Costa Rica has defeated mighty Italy 1-0, and will advance to the round of 16 for the first time. By beating both Italy and Uruguay, Costa Rica not only guaranteed its place in the knockout stage — it killed any chance … [Link]
Mashable » Health and Fitness Apps Are Growing 87% Faster Than Any Other Apps
Either people are sticking to their New Year's resolutions, or interest in fitness has found new life through technology. Health and fitness app usage is up 62% in the past six months. According to Flurry Insights, health and fitness tracking apps are growing 87% faster than any other app category. See also: 14 Hot Fitness Gadgets to Make You Sweat While … [Link]
Slashdot » Supermicro Fails At IPMI, Leaks Admin Passwords
drinkypoo writes: Zachary Wikholm of Security Incident Response Team (CARISIRT) has publicly announced a serious failure in IPMI BMC (management controller) security on at least 31,964 public-facing systems with motherboards made by SuperMicro: "Supermicro had created the password file PSBlock in plain text and left it open to the world on port 49152." These BMCs are running Linux 2.6.17 on … [Link]
Mashable » Kids' Weezer Talent Show Performance Goes Terribly Wrong
A middle school talent show is probably one of the most nerve-racking experiences in any kid's life, and this is exactly why. Anything can go wrong at any time, and for this intrepid foursome tragedy struck very early. They decided to perform Weezer's "Undone" (also known as The Sweater Song), a typical song for a young musical group to attempt. … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Sunbathing may have similar effects to drug addiction
A study in mice suggests exposure to UV light might be addictive, which could explain some people's compulsion to tan despite the health risks 
[Link]
Lifehacker » The Best App Launcher for Mac
Over the years, Macs have had a ton of options for excellent app launchers. Alfred is our pick because it manages to balance features with usability. Anyone can pick it up and start using it, but if you want to dig deeper into automation there's plenty of room for expansion.Read more… [Link]
New Scientist – News » Twinkling Sirius spins its spectrum into a rainbow
The brightest star in the sky creates a rainbow smear as its light is refracted through our atmosphere in this long-exposure portrait 
[Link]
Slashdot » NASA Funds Projects For Asteroid-Capture Plan
An anonymous reader writes: NASA has announced funding for 18 different projects aimed at developing an asteroid retrieval mission. "The agency is working on two concepts for the mission. The first concept would fully capture a very small asteroid in free space and the other would retrieve a boulder off of a much larger asteroid. Both concepts would redirect an … [Link]
New Scientist – News » A film homage to a brain-damaged friend
Toby Amies has made a documentary about a friend with no short-term memory. The Man Whose Head Exploded shakes up our ideas of "normal"
[Link]
New Scientist – News » Today on New Scientist
All the latest on newscientist.com: cop skills track nature's killers, big bang back-pedalling, hearing aids go iPhone, quantum computers and more 
[Link]
New Scientist – News » Buzzing glove teaches Braille through good vibrations
The glove has vibrating motors at the knuckle of each finger which pulse whenever you need to press a key on the Braille keyboard 
[Link]
Mashable » If You Give Elders Google Glass, They May Ask for a Pen
For millennials, the words "Google Glass" can elicit a wild range of emotions. But if you were to ask a group who has never heard of the technology — a group of, say, "elders" — to try their hand at Glass for the first time, their reactions would inevitably be filled with charm, sass and occasional hilarity. See also: Google … [Link]
Mashable » Starbucks' College Plan: Not as Good as We Thought, But Still Pretty Good
Starbucks is known as something of an aberration in the service industry, providing benefits like health care and stock options to even its part-time employees. So when a New York Times report that the company was also going to begin covering its baristas' tuition for online classes at Arizona State University broke, it was believable. A variety of media outlets, including … [Link]
Mashable » More Than 50 Million Refugees Worldwide, Half of Them Children
The United Nations’ refugee agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is out with a dismal new report that shows global refugee numbers are their highest level since World War II, with more than 50 million people on the run. In some conflicts, as many as half the refugees are children 
Image: UNHCRMany of the displaced children travel alone … [Link]
Mashable » Microsoft Inadvertently Confirms the Surface Mini
When Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 3 in May, most people were expecting a Surface Mini — a small-screen Windows tablet aimed to go head-to-head with competitors like the iPad mini and Nexus 7. Now it appears this is what Microsoft was planning, too. See also: Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Is the Best Everything Device Ever Made A user manual for … [Link]
Slashdot » Steve Wozniak Endorses Lessig's Mayday Super PAC
Funksaw writes: Steve Wozniak, co-found of Apple Computer, has come out to endorse Lawrence Lessig's MAYDAY PAC in an animated audio recording. Mayday.US, (formerly MayOne.US) is Lessig's crowd-funded (citizen-funded!), kick-started Super PAC to end all Super PACs. In the video, Wozniak points out that we're never going to get anywhere on issues important to the Internet community and technology advocates … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Stone Age worm egg hints at origins of modern scourge
At a 6000-year-old site where locals irrigated crops, archaeologists have found the oldest parasitic egg of a flatworm that infects 210 million people today 
[Link]
Mashable » 'Sexy' Mugshot of Alleged Felon Steals Hearts
Internet, meet the Brad Pitt of alleged felons Jeremy Meeks, 30, was arrested on five weapons charges and one gang charge in Stockton, California, on Tuesday, according to police. The Stockton Police Department posted his mugshot on its Facebook page on Wednesday alongside those of three other alleged felons, but Meeks' mugshot got Liked. And Liked. And Liked again Meeks' image … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » What Does Sound Look Like? [Science Video]
Seeing sound waves as it’s travelling through the air is actually possible thanks to a clever technique called Schlieren flow visualization. Schlieren flow visualization is based on the deflection of light by a refractive index gradient The index gradient is directly related to flow density gradient. The deflected light is compared to undeflected light at a viewing screen. The undisturbed … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Optimus Prime Describes Hubble Telescope’s Successor [Video]
[VideoFromSpace] [Link]
Mashable » Stephen Colbert's First Reaction to Yo App: 'Y?'
Yo got the Colbert bump last night Stephen Colbert dedicated an entire segment of his show Thursday night to Yo, a new app that received a tremendous amount of press coverage this week after it reportedly received $1 million in funding just to let users send the word "yo" to each other See also: An App That Only Lets You Say … [Link]
Mashable » Pope Francis Is Not a Fan of Legalizing Marijuana
Pope Francis condemned the legalization of recreational drugs on Friday, calling drug use “the most serious and complex problem of our time.” The Pope made the remarks at an International Drug Enforcement Conference in Rome, saying "drug addiction is an evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise.” See also: The American History of Marijuana, Man “Attempts, however … [Link]
Slashdot » Judge: $324M Settlement In Silicon Valley Tech Worker Case Not Enough
itwbennett writes: "A proposed $324.5 million settlement of claims that Silicon Valley companies (Adobe, Apple, Google, and Intel) suppressed worker wages by agreeing not to hire each others' employees may not be high enough, a judge signaled on Thursday. Judge Lucy Koh didn't say whether she would approve the settlement, but she did say in court that she was worried … [Link]
Mashable » Why You Can't Blame El Niño for Extreme Weather (Yet)
Over the past several months, there has been a lot of hype about an upcoming El Niño event in the tropical Pacific Ocean, which would upend global weather patterns in ways that might squelch the California drought and lead to a record warm year worldwide El Niño conditions are characterized by above average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » iPhone Killswitch Cuts Crime, NY Legal Chief Claims
Figures from the New York Attorney General show a sharp fall in iPhone thefts correlating with Apple introducing a “kill switch” feature. The news comes as both Microsoft and Google say they’ll put such a feature into their operating systems. Several manufacturers and carriers had already committed to releasing or supporting software to remotely disable stolen phones. This week Microsoft … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Sending Wolverine Back in Time [Pic]
[Source: Texts from Superheroes] [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Scientific Way to Cut a Cake
Here is the mathematically perfect way to cut a round cake according to polymath Sir Francis Galton. You’re welcome. [Numberphile] [Link]
New Scientist – News » Next-generation hearing aids get some iPhone cool
The first iPhone-compatible hearing aids allow music streaming and boast location-aware fine-tuning – one day everyone will want one 
[Link]
Mashable » RadioShack Trading for Under $1, Could Be Delisted From NYSE
RadioShack’s stock has passed a milestone — a bad one The company's stock price dipped below $1 on Friday. In late morning trading, the stock was trading at $0.93. RadioShack's market cap is now $92.7 million, compared with $9.9 billion for rival Best Buy. See also: RadioShack May Soon Be Over and Out The $1 mark is more than just a … [Link]
Mashable » U.S. House Votes to Limit NSA Spying
The road to NSA reform took another unexpected turn In a surprise vote late Thursday night, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly sided in favor of an amendment that would stop two key NSA surveillance activities: searching government databases for information on U.S. citizens without a warrant — the so-called "backdoor searches" — and ask hardware and software makers to build … [Link]
Mashable » Dog Regains Vision and Couldn't Be More Excited to See His Family Again
Get your tissues ready for today's dose of "aww." Duffy, a cute Irish Terrier rescue dog has had many problems over the years with his health, including losing his eyesight after suffering from diabetes. See also: Hank Is the Most Badass Bulldog With a Custom Stair Lift Fortunately, doctors at at the Veterinary Referral Center in Malvern, Pennsylvania were able … [Link]
Mashable » Path Joins the Messaging Wars With a New App
Path is taking a run at the most popular consumer space in town: mobile messaging The social network announced a new messaging app on Friday called Path Talk, which completely removes messaging from the existing app and offers it instead as a standalone service See also: Messaging Wars: Vine vs. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat Current Path users wishing to message will … [Link]
Mashable » Netflix's Chelsea Handler Deal Is About Much More Than Chelsea Handler
Something about Chelsea Handler's deal for a Netflix show doesn't add up. Either she's going to be severely hobbled by the streaming service's technological limitations — it simply can't upload content fast enough to deliver subscribers a topical, same-day "late night" show — or else Netflix has a seriously scary-disruptive trick up its sleeve. Here's to betting it's the latter. See … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Realistic Mario Super Mushrooms [Video]
The true nature of the mushrooms from the Super Mario world. [Pete Holmes] [Link]
New Scientist – News » Anthrax escape raises worries about lab-grown super-flu
The anthrax scare at a US lab is unlikely to make anyone ill, but it suggests we should be very careful about scientists creating highly dangerous pathogens 
[Link]
Slashdot » Will 7nm and 5nm CPU Process Tech Really Happen?
An anonymous reader writes "This article provides a technical look at the challenges in scaling chip production ever downward in the semiconductor industry. Chips based on a 22nm process are running in consumer devices around the world, and 14nm development is well underway. But as we approach 10nm, 7nm, and 5nm, the low-hanging fruit disappears, and several fundamental components need … [Link]
Mashable » Want to Learn to Code? There's a Board Game for That.
Raj Sidhu had one of the most coveted design jobs in New York City — and then he left it all to play board games The 23-year-old's first project, Code Monkey Island, teaches kids the logic of computer programming through the playful dynamic of monkeys competing over bananas. The game teaches you all of the logic of basic programming under … [Link]
Mashable » Pitbull and Jimmy Fallon Play a Giant Game of Beer Pong in Tight Pants
Pitbull is apparently the official mascot-slash-singer of the World Cup, so he stopped by The Tonight Show on Thursday to prove he could work a soccer ball like the best of them But it wasn't the World Cup Jimmy Fallon was interested in. It was beer cups See also: 10 Unusual Uses for Your Flat Beer The duo played a … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Mountain top exploded to make way for ghost telescope
The telescope that will live on the now-flat summit of Cerro Amazones in the Atacama desert will be the largest of its kind in the world – and a ghost 
[Link]
Mashable » Who's Who in the Iraq Crisis
Understanding the conflict in Iraq begins with the knowledge that—in a very general sense—the three main population groups are Shiites, Sunni Arabs and Kurds. Although no reliable census exists, surveys suggest that Shiites make up the biggest part of the population. Shiites control the national government and the security forces, and are mostly located in the south. Sunni Arabs reside predominantly … [Link]
Slashdot » Girls Take All In $50 Million Google Learn-to-Code Initiative
theodp writes: On Thursday, Google announced a $50 million initiative to inspire girls to code called Made with Code. As part of the initiative, Google said it will also be "rewarding teachers who support girls who take CS courses on Codecademy or Khan Academy." The rewards are similar to earlier coding and STEM programs run by Code.org and Google that … [Link]
Mashable » Wikipedia's New Rules: Editors Must Disclose If They Are Paid
Wikipedia has changed its terms of service in a move that now requires editors to disclose whether or not they are getting paid — a change meant to prevent contributions from non-objective sources. The new terms of service requires that any editor specifically paid to write or edit a Wikipedia entry disclose his affiliation on his edit summary and user page. … [Link]
Mashable » Get Ready to Pay More for Airport Security
Starting in mid-July, airline passengers will be paying more fees for security at the airport. Following orders from Congress, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is poised to raise the security screening fee to $5.60 each way. This fee, which is included in your ticket price, is up from $2.50 each way for a nonstop flight and $5 for a trip including … [Link]
Slashdot » Public Interest In Great White Shark Devours Research Site's Servers
Lucas123 writes: Katherine, a 14-foot, 2,300lb. Great White Shark, has become so popular with visitors to a research site tracking her daily movements that the site's servers have crashed and remained down for hours. The shark, one of dozens tagged for research by the non-profit global shark tracking project OCEARCH, typically cruises very close to shore up and down the … [Link]
Mashable » 13 Robots Who Don't Know How to Robot
Not all robots are created equal The past few decades have been quite progressive for the robot world. They've come to life, took our jobs, and may have even tried to kill us. But, luckily for us humans, some robots are flat out bad at their jobs See also: 10 Signs Your Robot Is Planning to Kill You So before you … [Link]
Mashable » Yo Gets Hacked
This story was updated most recently at 10:40 a.m. ET on June 20. Not good, Yo. Yo, a messaging app for iPhone and Android that simply lets users send the word "yo," has been hacked just days after it first gained mainstream attention See also: An App That Only Lets You Say 'Yo' Just Topped Facebook's Slingshot on iOS Or Arbel, … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Amazon Deal of the Day: 66% Off Being Human Complete Seasons 1-5 Bundle (Original UK Version) – $74.99 + FREE Shipping
For today’s edition of Deal of the Day, Amazon has the Being Human Complete Seasons 1-5 Bundle (Original UK Version) for just $74.99 + free shipping. That’s 66% off on the bundle’s regular list price of $219.91. The Being Human Complete Seasons 1-5 Bundle includes all five individual DVD releases of the original UK series. Being Human is a witty … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » My OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) [Music Video]
From Rhett & Link: When a picture frame is crooked, a bowl of m&ms isn’t color coordinated, or hoodie strings are different lengths – does it bother you? Our new video “My OCD” explores a long list of typical and not-so-typical organizational annoyances that people with or without OCD can relate to. Important note from Shawn Lewis’s comment below: Please … [Link]
Mashable » Report: Apple Planning to Launch More Than One Smartwatch
Apple is planning to launch a smartwatch in several sizes, according to a new report The report from The Wall Street Journal, which cites people familiar with Apple's production plans, doesn’t contradict earlier rumors, which indicated the watch would have a 2.5-inch touchscreen. It just means there could be larger or smaller versions in the works, too. See also: 10 … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Zoologger: Old magpies get wise to freeloading cuckoos
Eurasian magpies often have their nests parasitised by cuckoos, but as they get older they learn to reject the intruders' eggs 
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Mashable » Hey, Gamers: Non-Player Characters Have Feelings Too
When was the last time you considered a NPC's feelings in a video game? Have you ever? Whether we're running them over in Grand Theft Auto V or using them as dragon-bait in Skyrim, it's a rare occurrence that we, as gamers, actually stop to think about how our actions affect the non-player characters in our game world. See also: The … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » A Dog Dressed as Captain America is the Cosplay You Didn’t Know You Wanted [PIC]
This furry guy — or gal — donned SPANDEX and a customized I-hope-that’s-a-Frisbee at last weekend’s Special Edition NYC comic convention! 
[Source: Corinna Bechko on Twitter | via Comics Beat] [Link]
Mashable » World Cup Day 9 Preview: Will Italy and France Take Their Groups?
As the dust of the World Cup group stages begins to settle, the intensity of the round of 16 begins to loom over Brazil. Group B is all but settled. Australia are heading home, as are the reigning champs Spain. The Netherlands and Chile move into the tournament's round of 16, though their order has yet to be determined. Group C … [Link]
Slashdot » US House of Representatives Votes To Cut Funding To NSA
An anonymous reader writes: The U.S. House of Representatives voted late Thursday night, 293 to 123, to approve an amendment to the NSA's appropriations bill that cuts all funding for warrantless surveillance and for programs that force companies to create backdoors in their products. The success of this vote in the House is attributed to the fact that the amendment … [Link]
Mashable » 12 People Who Love the Internet More Than You
The Internet is quicksilver — churning out viral sensations, then just as quickly sucking them back into a deep, dark abyss Sometimes you just have to pause and take a minute to truly process and enjoy a particular Internet thing before it disappears into the ether. Maybe you'll suspend this process even more by getting a tattoo of that Internet thing … [Link]
Mashable » Can BuzzFeed's Ad Guru Bring Listicle Magic to the Daily Mail?
The man who helped BuzzFeed usher in the era of native advertising on the Internet is ready to awaken the quiet giant of U.S. online media. Jon Steinberg, 37, took the position of CEO at MailOnline earlier this week, having left BuzzFeed in May. He believes he can do for MailOnline what he did for BuzzFeed — make money off the … [Link]
Slashdot » Mozilla Working On a New Website Comment System
sfcrazy writes Mozilla is working on developing a content and commenting platform in collaboration with The New York Times and The Washington Post. The platform aims to be the next-generation commenting and content creation platform which will give more control to readers. Mozilla says in a blog post, “The community platform will allow news organizations to connect with audiences beyond … [Link]
Mashable » Sloth Week Is Here: Prepare for Adorable Slowness
Prepare yourself for seven days of … well, very little happeningSloth Week is here and Elliott is excited to share his love for all things slothy. Yesterday, Elliott looked at some of the biggest failures in tech Read more…More about Social Media and Youtube [Link]
New Scientist – News » Spot-the-difference software maps city's mean streets
Crowdsourced voters have taught a computer to recognise when a street looks safe – its automated maps could help homebuyers or even track inequality 
[Link]
New Scientist – News » Sound sieve lets you choose what to levitate
An acoustic device for lifting and sorting small objects might one day find uses in nano-manufacturing or cell therapies 
[Link]
Mashable » Violent Protest Darkens World Cup Celebrations in Brazil
SAO PAULO, Brazil -– Violent protesters wreaked havoc in the streets of Brazil's biggest city, São Paulo, on Thursday with damages totaling more than one million U.S. dollars. See also: The 21 Most Dedicated World Cup Fans in Brazil The rally was a celebration of the one-year anniversary of protests that led to the overturn of a proposed 10-cent hike … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 20 June 2014
Dynamo and BigTable — good preso overview of two approaches to solving availability and consistency in the event of server failure or network partition. Goals Gone Wild (PDF) — In this article, we argue that the beneficial effects of goal … [Link]
Mashable » 16 Ridiculous World Cup Confessions From Ballsy Fans
For sports fans, World Cup madness means three glorious weeks of nonstop soccer talk. And for haters, it's three weeks that'd be better spent in hibernation Whatever your preferences, rest assured that your friends and family will discuss every goal, analyze every win and criticize every bad call. See also: 15 Pitch-Perfect World Cup Celebrity Doppelgangers But for the thoughts about … [Link]
Mashable » What Life Is Like for the People of Baghdad
Editor’s Note: Farhad Jaff, 34, works in a government ministry in central Baghdad. He lives with his wife, son and mother near Palestine Street. As radical fighters from an al-Qaeda offshoot known as ISIL swiftly advance toward the capital, people are preparing for the onslaught. This is how Jaff, who's Kurdish, described current life in Baghdad. BAGHDAD — People in Baghdad … [Link]
Mashable » YouTube Natives Next to Crash Emmy's TV Party — Is 2014 the Year?
YouTube creators the Fine Bros. aren’t sweating the 66th Primetime Emmys, despite that they're on the nomination ballots, which are due back Friday. Too busy cranking out three videos a week to think about much else. But if the makers of popular shows like Kids React sneak in, they'll make history. SEE ALSO: The Path From YouTube to Movie Star Just Got … [Link]
Mashable » The Lessons Learned After Spending 13 Years Making One Game
What happens when you spend literally half your life working on one game? This burden was carried by one developer as he spent 13 years trying to develop "the game he had always wanted to make." Adam Butcher started working on his game Tobias and the Dark Sceptres when he was 14 years old. He was using Multimedia Fusion when … [Link]
Mashable » U.S. Employees: Work-Life Balance Is Non-Existent in Connected Age
If you're having trouble finding that perfect work-life balance, you aren't alone. U.S. employees continue to struggle with the nuances of working as hard as they can, while also ensuring they're taking a enough time for themselves, according to a new study from Randstad. This is especially true when it comes to taking full advantage of vacation days and remaining connected … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Feedback: All dogs go to gate 97, please
The canine jet set, phone not a friend, fear, uncertainty and doubt among the economists, and more (full text available to subscribers) 
[Link]
Mashable » Surface Pro 3 Now Available: Here's What You Need to Know
Microsoft’s latest tablet/laptop hybrid, the Surface Pro 3, today becomes available in the U.S. and Canada The Windows 8.1 machine has a 12-inch, 2,160×1,440 pixel touchscreen screen powered by an Intel graphics chip, and two (front and rear) 5-megapixel cameras See also: There Was No Surface Mini Because Microsoft Already Lost on Tablets It comes with three processor flavors, all of … [Link]
Mashable » 11 Creepiest Things You Can Do on Instagram
Creepers gonna creep — and like allllllll of your pics. Instagram is an amazing picture-sharing platform where users can share photos, experiences and ideas with people from around the world. Unfortunately, a few creepy moves can make people think twice before posting a photo. See also: A Man Added Himself to Every Frame of a Britney Spears Music Video Liking photos … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 20 June 2014
Dynamo and BigTable — good preso overview of two approaches to solving availability and consistency in the event of server failure or network partition. Goals Gone Wild (PDF) — In this article, we argue that the beneficial effects of goal … [Link]
Mashable » 8 Chill Innovations to Keep You Cool While You're Sleeping
Image: MashableSometimes flipping the pillow just doesn't cut it With the summer heat rolling in, you need to find ways to stay cool while you sleep. Sure, you could crank up the air conditioning, but there are plenty of other neat devices you can buy to chill your slumber See also: 10 Sleeping Tips for a Dream-Worthy Snooze From a … [Link]
Mashable » 8 Lesser-Known Strategies to Get More Out of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a great platform for finding capable employees, but that's only the beginning of its value. Chances are, you are probably not using it to its fullest potential in areas like content marketing and event preparation — yet, anyway. To find out more, I asked eight entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) to share some lesser-known LinkedIn tips. Here's what they … [Link]
Mashable » 3 Unexpected Benefits of Training a New Employee
You did it — you convinced upper management to approve a new hire for your team, you interviewed countless candidates, and you offered the job to the perfect person with that "special sauce." While none of that was probably very easy — unfortunately, the hiring process pales in comparison to task of on-boarding your new employee. Training a new employee can … [Link]
Mashable » 10 Beautiful Moto 360 Smartwatch Concepts
There’s still a lot we don't know about the Moto 360 smartwatch that was first unveiled in March. We know the watch will be one of the first devices to run Android Wear— Google's special version of Android optimized for smartwatches and other wearables. But while we know about certain design elements— the watch won't have any visible charging points, for … [Link]
Slashdot » Smartphones To Monitor Schizophrenics
the_newsbeagle writes Psychiatrists have realized that they can collect vast amounts of data about their patients using smartphone apps that passively monitor the patients as they go about their daily business. A prototype for schizophrenia patients is being tested out now on Long Island. The Crosscheck trial will look at behavior patterns (tracking movement, sleep, and conversations) and correlate them … [Link]
Mashable » 'Banned' Grey Poupon Ad Asks 'What Do You Poupon?'
Toilet humor never gets old. Or does it? Apparently not in the case of a “banned” ad for Grey Poupon mustard that takes the low road for its laughs. The parody commercial, closing in on 2 million views on YouTube, poses the question, “What do you Poupon?” That’s a setup any grade-school kid in the world could love. The answers, … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Break electricity addiction to win the power struggle
Electricity suppliers are struggling to supply cheap, clean and reliable power – managing our demand more actively will help 
[Link]
Slashdot » German Intel Agency Helped NSA Tap Fiber Optic Cables In Germany
An anonymous reader writes Der Spiegel has written a piece on the extent of collaboration between Germany's intelligence agency, Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND), and the U.S.'s National Security Agency (NSA). The sources cited in the piece do reveal BND's enthusiastic collusion in enabling the NSA to tap fiber optic cables in Germany, but they seem inconclusive as to how much information from … [Link]
Slashdot » Researchers Find "Achilles Heel" of Drug Resistant Bacteria
Rambo Tribble writes Researchers in Britain are reporting that they have found a way to prevent bacteria from forming the "wall" that prevents antibiotics from attacking them. “It is a very significant breakthrough,” said Professor Changjiang Dong, from the University of East Anglia's (UAE) Norwich Medical School. “This is really important because drug-resistant bacteria is a global health problem. Many … [Link]
Mashable » World Cup Day 8: I, For One, Welcome Our Superhuman Striker Overlords
There’s no shame in conceding defeat to an opponent with skills that make your jaw drop. And so it was with England vs. Luis Suarez — sorry, I mean England vs. Uruguay — in the Arena Corinthians in São Paulo Thursday. Suarez's fitness has been touch and go up until this point in the tournament, and he's still not judged to … [Link]
Mashable » In an MMMBop, They're (Not) Gone: Hanson Brothers Talk Longevity
Welcome to Throwback Tunesday, where Mashable amplifies the echoes of music past. With genre trends and throwbacks, we synthesize music and nostalgia. When Hanson's massively addictive "MMMBop" became a staple on radio in 1997, none of the three brothers in the band were old enough to drink alcohol. Flash-forward 17 years later and the trio has its own beer fittingly named … [Link]
Slashdot » Draper Labs Develops Low Cost Probe To Orbit, Land On Europa For NASA
MarkWhittington writes Ever since the House passed a NASA spending bill that allocated $100 million for a probe to Jupiter's moon Europa, the space agency has been attempting to find a way to do such a mission on the cheap. The trick is that the mission has to cost less than $1 billion, a tall order for anything headed to … [Link]
Mashable » How FIFA Gives World Cup Fans Their Digital Soccer Fix
RIO DE JANEIRO — Far from the board rooms and voting sessions that have besmirched the reputation of FIFA, world soccer's governing body, in the eyes of many fans lately, a group of men and women carry out a monumental task that has nothing to do with awarding World Cups or massive infrastructure profits — but cuts right to the soul … [Link]
The Joy of Tech » JoT #2013: The don't-buy-stuff phone!
The feature you need the most is Jeff Bezo's worst nightmare. If you enjoyed the comic, please retweet, Like, or share the URL. Thanks! [Link]
Mashable » 'Fargo,' 'Orange Is the New Black' Win Big at Critics' Choice Awards
Fargo and Orange Is the New Black were the two major winners at Thursday's 4th Annual Critics' Choice Awards Fargo, which closed out its freshman season on Tuesday, walked away with three awards — for Best Miniseries, as well as individual awards for Billy Bob Thornton, who played murderous Lorne Malvo, and Allison Tolman, who played good-natured police officer Molly Orange … [Link]
Mashable » This Device Measures Your Breathing to See If You're Stressed Out
Is that big interview stressing you out? A new wearable may be able to tell you how to fix that. Spire is a device that measures your breathing rhythms to deduce stress levels, its website says. It then provides suggestions on how to combat those stress symptoms, such as taking deep breaths. Spire clips onto a belt or shirt and … [Link]
Slashdot » Harley-Davidson Unveils Their First Electric Motorcycle
Major Blud writes Harley-Davidson has unveiled their first electric motorcycle called "Project LiveWire." The bike is currently not for sale and detailed specifications are scarce. Harley plans on taking it on a demonstration tour of the U.S. for the next year to gather customer feedback. "The new LiveWire won’t make the distinctive 'potato-potato-potato' chug that Harley once tried to patent. … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » Today in APIs: Oanda Opens Trading Platform with API
Oanda releases an API for it Forex trading platform. Bottlenose offers an API for its trending tools. Plus: Rackspace launches OnMetal cloud servers, and Maplight releases election 2014 database. Oanda API Accesses its Forex Trading Platform Forex broker Oanda has released an API to provide access to its proprietary trading platform.
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Mashable » Amazon Fire Phone's Free Unlimited Photo Storage: Open to Abuse?
In smartphones, there are features, and there's flash. The Amazon Fire phone has its share of both: The quasi-3D display is pretty compelling, but the jury is still out on how much of a novelty it is. An undoubtedly important Fire phone feature for everyday users, however, is the fact that you get unlimited cloud storage for all the photos you … [Link]
Mashable » U.S. No Longer One of World's 100 Most Peaceful Countries, Report Says
An organization that tracks the state of peace around the world says the United States is not one of the world’s 100 most peaceful countries. The U.S. briefly held spot #97 in the annual Global Peace Index, which is produced by Vision of Humanity, but an ever-increasing incarceration rate combined with the Boston Bombing contributed to a drop to sub-100 levels. … [Link]
Slashdot » Test: Quantum Or Not, Controversial Computer No Faster Than Normal
sciencehabit writes The D-Wave computer, marketed as a groundbreaking quantum machine that runs circles around conventional computers, solves problems no faster than an ordinary rival, a new test shows. Some researchers call the test of the controversial device, described in Science, the fairest comparison yet. "…to test D-Wave’s machine, Matthias Troyer, a physicist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, … [Link]
Mashable » See 'Clueless' Conan O'Brien Embarrass Himself at E3
It wasn't enough for Conan O'Brien to be a clueless gamer from his own studio. He had to take his act on the road to E3. Conan spent time checking out games on the floor of the annual trade show as part of his "Clueless Gamer" routine. He bumbled his way through Sunset Overdrive, Forza Horizon 2, Hyrule Warriors and … [Link]
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