John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons

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Geekish

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 » Need to Write 5 Million Stories a Week? Robot Reporters to the Rescue

Tuesday 1 July 23:59:09 UTC 2014

Robot_handsFeed-tw Feed-fbRobots make pretty decent writers. If you don’t believe that, consider this: you’ve probably been reading computer-generated prose for years. If you’ve ever read a Yahoo fantasy football report, a preview or recap of any NFL, MLB or NBA game, a weathercast, an insurance report or the Edmunds description of that car you wanted, you’ve likely read some of Wordsmith’s work … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Today in APIs: Databricks' Spark-Based Cloud Platform Uses a Single API

Tuesday 1 July 23:43:35 UTC 2014

Databricks launches its Spark-based cloud platform. Surviving the end of API access. Plus: Netflix's Security Monkey, and Iterus launches the ClearPath Ag Precision weather content system. Open Source Apache Sparks Creator Databricks Launches Cloud Platform Databricks' release of its cloud platform aims to ease extracting value from big data. The problem is herding the "hodgepodge of disparate tools." Databricks wants … [Link]

Slashdot » Time Warner Cable Customers Beg Regulators To Block Sale To Comcast

Tuesday 1 July 23:43:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader sends this report from Ars Technica: New York is shaping up as a major battleground for Comcast's proposed acquisition of Time Warner Cable. While the $45.2 billion merger will be scrutinized by federal officials, it also needs approval at the state level. TWC has 2.2 million cable TV, Internet, and phone customers in 1,150 New York communities, … [Link]

Mashable » Cats Explain the U.S. vs. Belgium World Cup Game

Tuesday 1 July 23:35:57 UTC 2014

Gertie-dempsey-cat-world-cupFeed-tw Feed-fbHearts broke across America Tuesday when the U.S. Men's team fell to Belgium at the World Cup And while a highlight reel might hurt too much to watch right now, boiling down the match to its most important moments, then replicating those moments with cute cats, could provide the perfect remedy for anyone suffering from the red, white and blues. See … [Link]

Mashable » 15 Celebrity Memoirs We Can't Wait to Read

Tuesday 1 July 23:30:09 UTC 2014

Nph1Feed-tw Feed-fbWhat do Joan Rivers and Ja Rule have in common? They both love to drop f-bombs on stage, sure. But now, they can add one more thing to the list: a celebrity memoir See also: 14 Satisfying Quick Reads for Short Attention Spans A-listers and Dancing With the Stars-listers alike are all scrambling to share their life stories with the world. … [Link]

Mashable » While You're Asleep, Electric Car Owners Are Guzzling Power

Tuesday 1 July 23:28:12 UTC 2014

7_1_14_andrew_teslaplugFeed-tw Feed-fbElectric vehicles are entering the mainstream, with the sporty Tesla having sold 30,000 vehicles so far, and recent moves designed to greatly expand the use of innovative battery technology However, as more of these cars hit the road, they place unique strains on the electric grid See also: 6 Major Climate Change Myths, Debunked Households with electric vehicles guzzle juice from … [Link]

Mashable » Songza CEO on Google Acquisition: 'This Is Just the Beginning'

Tuesday 1 July 23:10:30 UTC 2014

Elias-romanFeed-tw Feed-fbWhat music do you listen to when Google acquires your startup? If you're Songza CEO Elias Roman, you blast some Hillbilly Bodybuilding. Songza is a music service that offers users expertly curated playlists around mood, time of day and general theme. It offers a nice blend between human curation and algorithmic determination. The end result is a service that can offer … [Link]

Slashdot » Renewable Energy Saves Fortune 100 Companies $1.1B Annually

Tuesday 1 July 23:02:00 UTC 2014

Lucas123 writes: A new report authored by several environmental groups say data shows more than half of Fortune 100 companies collectively saved more than $1.1B annually by reducing carbon emissions and rolling out renewable energy projects. According to the report, 43% of Fortune 500 companies, or 215 in all, have also set targets in one of three categories: greenhouse gas … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Longest-running experiment gets a fast forward

Tuesday 1 July 23:01:00 UTC 2014

An updated version of the famous study seeing how long it takes for pitch to drop lets students speedily investigate the divide between solid and liquid [Link]

Mashable » Tim Howard Is an American Hero

Tuesday 1 July 22:49:48 UTC 2014

Tim-howard-world-cup-3Feed-tw Feed-fbTim Howard saved a record-setting 16 shots during Tuesday's World Cup match. During regulation time of the United States vs. Belgium match, the American goalie looked like a brick wall with arms and a beard. Howard's heroics gave the U.S. Men's team a glimmer of hope in an otherwise lopsided match. See also: 15 Pitch-Perfect World Cup Celebrity Doppelgangers The U.S. … [Link]

Mashable » FAA Has Clamped Down on Realtors Using Drones 'for Months'

Tuesday 1 July 22:40:41 UTC 2014

DronesFeed-tw Feed-fbAs part of its effort to clamp down on the commercial use of drones, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has started investigating real estate agencies that use flying robots to take aerial pictures and videos of houses and apartments Several realtors have received inquiries from the FAA regarding their use of drones, either by phone, letter or even subpoena, according to … [Link]

Mashable » The Dream Is Dead: USA Loses World Cup Heartbreaker to Belgium

Tuesday 1 July 22:36:46 UTC 2014

Usa-belgium-lossFeed-tw Feed-fbIt was an American dream that started way back in December 2013, after a brutal World Cup draw placed the USA in a deadly group few predicted they'd survive The dream was jostled by controversy in May, when USMNT coach Jurgen Klinsmann elected to cut American soccer icon Landon Donovan from the final World Cup roster before leaving for Brazil. In … [Link]

Mashable » Any Video Can Be Interactive — and Soon, They All Will Be

Tuesday 1 July 22:25:07 UTC 2014

Interactive_videosFeed-tw Feed-fbWe’re in the early days of interactive video, but it won’t be long before just about every clip you watch will include features that allow you to roll over items to buy, share or simply learn more about. You can already spot a few new examples. IMDb’s just-launched X-Ray feature lets you roll over actors to reveal their profiles, and YouTube … [Link]

Slashdot » 30% of Americans Aren't Ready For the Next Generation of Technology

Tuesday 1 July 22:22:00 UTC 2014

sciencehabit writes: "Thanks to a decade of programs geared toward giving people access to the necessary technology, by 2013 some 85% of Americans were surfing the World Wide Web. But how effectively are they using it? A new survey suggests that the digital divide has been replaced by a gap in digital readiness. It found that nearly 30% of Americans … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » This Game of Thrones Tip Jar is a Fantasy Come True [Pic]

Tuesday 1 July 21:58:13 UTC 2014

gottips [Source: Reddit | Via] [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Why Organizations Should Consider Apache Thrift RPC

Tuesday 1 July 21:45:22 UTC 2014

There are more than a few developers out there who view anything associated with making a remote procedure call (RPC) as something of an anachronism. But at the recent APIcon 2014 conference, Randy Abernethy, a managing partner with RX-M, an IT consulting firm that specializes in trading systems, made a case for an open source Apache Thrift RPC project. … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Yo Hosts Its First Hackathon

Tuesday 1 July 21:45:21 UTC 2014

Yo, perhaps the most basic mobile app on the market, attempted to prove its broader application last weekend by hosting a hackathon. The hackathon invited developers to integrate the Yo API into a third-party app. [Link]

Slashdot » FTC Says T-Mobile Made Hundreds of Millions From Bogus SMS Charges

Tuesday 1 July 21:38:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes "Today the FTC filed a complaint (PDF) against T-Mobile USA, alleging the carrier made hundreds of millions of dollars from bogus charges placed on customers' bills for unauthorized SMS services. "The FTC alleges that T-Mobile received anywhere from 35 to 40 percent of the total amount charged to consumers for subscriptions for content such as flirting … [Link]

Mashable » Hey, Howbout One More '#HeyUSA' Trailer Before Tonight's Debut

Tuesday 1 July 21:25:18 UTC 2014

Heyusa.com_Feed-tw Feed-fb The Grace Helbig and Mamrie Hart summer travel show is on the road, and just in time for the debut of #HeyUSA on YouTube comes this brand-new trailer from the duo that spent last summer making Camp Takota. Vidcon got a bit of a sneak peep before the weekend, when Helbig took a minute of her keynote to announce the … [Link]

Mashable » USA vs. Belgium World Cup Match Tests ESPN Stream

Tuesday 1 July 21:19:12 UTC 2014

Usa-belgium-4Feed-tw Feed-fbESPN’s live stream of the USA vs. Belgium match has again caused some frustration among customers who found the stream cutting out and sometimes inaccessible The first half of the match topped out at 1.5 million simultaneous streams, according to ESPN. The previous USA match against Germany saw 1.7 million concurrent streams, while Univision said it served 745,000 streams. See also: … [Link]

Mashable » Airlines Don't Need 'Happiness Blankets' to Tell When Passengers Are Miserable

Tuesday 1 July 21:05:51 UTC 2014

AirlineFeed-tw Feed-fbWhen I read about British Airways’ new high-tech blanket, called “the "happiness blanket," my first thought was that it had to be a joke. A blanket that analyzes the “meditative state” of premium cabin fliers? What a waste of money. But it's not a joke. According to Businessweek, “The wool 'happiness blanket' is embedded with tiny fiber optic LEDs that change … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » This is AMAZING: Team Recreates “GTA V” Trailer in Real Life

Tuesday 1 July 21:00:55 UTC 2014

From Zapruder Pictures: Ever wondered how a Grand Theft Auto movie would look like? A real life parody by Zapruder Pictures based on the GTA V first Trailer. [Zapruder Pictures] [Link]

Slashdot » Nathan Myhrvold's Recipe For a Better Oven

Tuesday 1 July 20:56:00 UTC 2014

Tekla Perry writes: We cook our food today using technology invented to bake bricks. We can do a lot better. Nathan Myhrvold explains what's wrong with today's ovens and challenges oven designers make them better. He says, "Oven designers could do a lot to make ovens heat more evenly by taking advantage of the different ways ovens transfer heat at … [Link]

Mashable » Deep Linking Isn't Taking Off Yet. Can Facebook Change That?

Tuesday 1 July 20:25:52 UTC 2014

Deep-linking.jpgFeed-tw Feed-fbDeep-linking, a technology that lets you use a link to launch a mobile app without going through the welcome screen, has been a hot topic in tech circles recently, but that hasn't translated into actual use. However, a new move by Facebook on Tuesday may change that. Facebook is now letting developers send users from a mobile ad to a "deep … [Link]

Mashable » Vine Debuts 'Loop Count' to Track Total Video Views

Tuesday 1 July 20:23:17 UTC 2014

Vine-update-2Feed-tw Feed-fbVine added a new metric on Tuesday so users can see just how widespread their Vine creations actually are Vine videos now include a "Loop Count," a metric comparable to the "Views" metric used on other sites like YouTube. The count updates automatically any time the video is played, even on embeds across the web See also: 35 Ways Musicians and … [Link]

Slashdot » Lawrence Lessig Answers Your Questions About His Mayday PAC, Part 2 (Video)

Tuesday 1 July 20:13:00 UTC 2014

The original Mayday PAC goal was to raise $1 million. Now Larry is working on a second — and more ambitious — goal: To raise $5 million by July 4. We called for your questions on June 23, and you sent a bunch of them. This time, instead of using email, we used Google Hangout to ask via video, with … [Link]

Mashable » Fighting Escalates in Eastern Ukraine

Tuesday 1 July 20:12:52 UTC 2014

Woman-cryingFeed-tw Feed-fbDONETSK, Ukraine -– Fighting escalated in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday after President Petro Poroshenko declared the end of a unilateral ceasefire and relaunched a military campaign to reclaim its territory from pro-Russian separatists. See also: 9 Essential Questions About Ukraine, Answered Ukrainian military forces began bombarding the rebels early on Tuesday and continued to do so throughout the day, with heavy … [Link]

Mashable » Google Acquires Music Streaming Service Songza

Tuesday 1 July 20:01:07 UTC 2014

SongzaFeed-tw Feed-fbGoogle announced Tuesday that it is acquiring the much-loved music service Songza in a bid to ramp up its Play Music offering Songza is a unique player in the streaming music space. Rather than providing users with a la carte access to songs and albums, it offers up expert-curated playlists around mood, time of day and general theme. The service is … [Link]

Mashable » USA vs. Belgium: 🙁

Tuesday 1 July 19:58:28 UTC 2014

Usa-belgium-goalFeed-tw Feed-fbWith Argentina's last-minute victory over Switzerland, Tuesday's World Cup matches have lived up to all the previous tournament hype. But despite a beautiful goal by Julian Green to give life to a struggling Team USA in their knockout match on Tuesday, the boys in red, white and blue ultimately fell to Belgium in the round of 16. For a full run … [Link]

Mashable » Watch the USA-Belgium World Cup Match Through Instagram

Tuesday 1 July 19:52:47 UTC 2014

United-states-fans-brazilFeed-tw Feed-fbFans of the U.S. Men's National Team and the Belgian national football team are packing into Arena Fonte Nova, in Salvador, Brazil, ahead of the highly-anticipated Round of 16 match between the two countries. See also: The 21 Most Dedicated World Cup Fans in Brazil Which fans are better dressed? Who has more team spirit? Take a look into the stadium … [Link]

Mashable » Adam Richman's Travel Channel Show Yanked After Instagram Flap

Tuesday 1 July 19:45:44 UTC 2014

Adamrichman2Feed-tw Feed-fbIt turns out man will not be finding food any time soon. The Travel Channel has yanked Adam Richman's upcoming show, Man Finds Food, from the schedule just days after the host stirred up controversy with some inappropriate remarks he made to commenters on Instagram. See also: 'Fat Guys in the Woods' Is an Actual Show Coming to the Weather Channel … [Link]

Mashable » NASA's Human-like Space Robot Pays Dividends on Earth

Tuesday 1 July 19:45:24 UTC 2014

Robonaut_and_astronautFeed-tw Feed-fbA humanoid robot aboard the International Space Station is inspiring technology that could be useful to both astronauts and people on Earth. NASA's Robonaut 2, which arrived at the orbiting lab in 2011, has human-like arms and hands capable of performing simple tasks such as flipping switches and grasping objects. The robot was originally designed to do work outside the station, … [Link]

Mashable » A Year After Google Reader's Death, How Do You Get Your News?

Tuesday 1 July 19:45:00 UTC 2014

Rss-keyboardFeed-tw Feed-fbWednesday marks the first anniversary of the death of Google Reader. While it is missed, we have moved on — plenty of alternatives have sprung up in its wake. But we want to know how you get your news in the post-Google Reader world. Did you migrate to alternative services like Feedly, Feedbin or FeedWrangler? Are you using Twitter and Facebook … [Link]

Mashable » Audi, Jeep, Dodge and Others Join Apple's CarPlay Rollout

Tuesday 1 July 19:43:15 UTC 2014

Carply9870Feed-tw Feed-fbApple has quietly added nine additional automobile manufacturers to its list of brands supporting CarPlay. Apple's CarPlay website now displays a larger list of major car logos, though at the time of writing, the company had made no formal announcement regarding the additions. See also: Hands On With Apple's CarPlay Integration With Volvo Included in the brand update are Jeep, Mazda, … [Link]

Mashable » Battle of the Foods: The Belgium-USA World Cup Chowdown

Tuesday 1 July 19:35:18 UTC 2014

Belgian-fries-vs.-american-friesFeed-tw Feed-fbBelgium and the USA may be facing off in a World Cup showdown on Tuesday, but it's the battle in the kitchen that truly matters Fries and ketchup vs. fries and mayo. Speculoos vs. chocolate chip cookies. Where does your allegiance lie? See also: 5 Things to Know About Belgium Before Today's World Cup Match Check out how a few of … [Link]

Slashdot » Automotive Grade Linux Released For Open Source Cars

Tuesday 1 July 19:30:00 UTC 2014

Mcusanelli writes: The Linux Foundation and its partners have released the first version of Automotive Grade Linux, the open source platform for use inside connected cars. "AGL is building the industry’s only fully open automotive platform, allowing automakers to leverage a growing software stack based on Linux while retaining the ability to create their own branded user experience. Standardizing on … [Link]

Mashable » The Social Media Day 2014 Highlight Reel (Spoiler: GIFs Ahead)

Tuesday 1 July 19:28:24 UTC 2014

Big-imageFeed-tw Feed-fbThe Mashable community flocked to the Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club in Brooklyn on Sunday to celebrate Mashable’s fifth annual Social Media Day. This year’s NYC event boasted hundreds of attendees throughout the afternoon and fostered good spirits at the funky, retro-themed venue. While there, Mashable fans played shuffleboard, snapped pictures at a GIF booth, sipped on social media-themed cocktails and socialized … [Link]

Slashdot » Lawrence Lessig Answers Your Question About His Mayday PAC, Part 2 (Video)

Tuesday 1 July 19:12:00 UTC 2014

The original Mayday PAC goal was to raise $1 million. Now Larry is working on a second — and more ambitious — goal: To raise $5 million by July 4. We called for your questions on June 23, and you sent a bunch of them. This time, instead of using email, we used Google Hangout to ask via video, with … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Honest Trailer: Planet of the Apes – The Really Bad 2001 Version [Video]

Tuesday 1 July 19:11:25 UTC 2014

One of the most hilarious episodes of “Honest Trailers” yet! With a new Planet of the Apes sequel dawning soon, we revisit the franchise’s most disastrous hour: Tim Burton’s ill-advised 2001 remake. It’s a madhouse!!!! [Screen Junkies] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Cutting Guile’s Hair [Comic]

Tuesday 1 July 19:00:52 UTC 2014

Yep, makes sense! [Source: Dragonart | Like Dragonart on Facebook] [Link]

Mashable » Smart Meters in Madrid Charge Gas Guzzlers More to Park

Tuesday 1 July 19:00:33 UTC 2014

Madrid-carsFeed-tw Feed-fbIn Madrid, parking meters are joining the fight against air pollution. Starting July 1, newly installed "smart" meters in the Spanish capital will charge higher parking fees to vehicles that guzzle fuel or emit clouds of exhaust fumes. After pulling into a parking space, drivers will be prompted to enter their license plate number on a keypad on the meter, which … [Link]

Mashable » There's Nothing More American Than Budweiser's World Cup Ad

Tuesday 1 July 18:57:51 UTC 2014

Budweiser_usabelgium_adFeed-tw Feed-fb In case you were questioning Budweiser's loyalty to USMNT during the World Cup, this ad is here to say, "We are American, please don't stop drinking our beer." Budweiser and parent company Anheuser-Busch were purchased by Belgium-based company InBev in 2008, making Tuesday's USA match against Belgium slightly awkward for all parties involved. Budweiser is also the official beer of … [Link]

Mashable » FTC: T-Mobile Bilked Customers for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars

Tuesday 1 July 18:49:15 UTC 2014

T-mobile-121Feed-tw Feed-fbThe Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday accused T-Mobile USA with bilking customers out of hundreds of millions of dollars with bogus SMS charges. The FTC claims T-Mobile received 35% to 40% of the total amount third-party scammers charged to consumers for content like celebrity gossip, flirting tips and horoscopes that cost $9.99 a month typically. In some cases, T-Mobile continued to … [Link]

Mashable » Tough Fungus Could Reboot Antibiotics to Fight Resistant Bacteria

Tuesday 1 July 18:30:19 UTC 2014

PillsFeed-tw Feed-fbOne of the hardiest fungi on the planet, a fungus known as AMA that lives in Nova Scotia, may be able to do more than survive from the Arctic to the Dead Sea: It may restore the efficacy of antibiotics, say authors of a new study in the journal Nature. "This will solve one aspect of a daunting problem. AMA rescues … [Link]

Mashable » These 2 Actors to Play 'Frozen's' Anna and Kristoff on 'Once Upon a Time'

Tuesday 1 July 18:26:10 UTC 2014

FrozenmainphotoFeed-tw Feed-fbA Greek alum and a newcomer will bring two popular Frozen characters to life on the upcoming season of Once Upon a Time. The show has cast Scott Michael Foster and Elizabeth Lail to play reindeer-loving charmer Kristoff and bubbly younger sister Anna, respectively, Mashable confirms. The casting was first reported by TVLine. See also: Top 10 TV Shows on Twitter … [Link]

Slashdot » The New 501(c)(3) and the Future of Open Source In the US

Tuesday 1 July 18:24:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes: If you're involved in the free and open-source software movement — especially in the United States — you may want to read through this, as long as it may seem. It appears that the United States' Internal Revenue Service has strongly shifted its views of free and open-source software, and to the detriment of the movement, … [Link]

Mashable » Here's Daniel Radcliffe With a Lot of Dogs, Because

Tuesday 1 July 18:04:53 UTC 2014

Danielradcliffe_dogthumbFeed-tw Feed-fbWell, we now know what really happened to Harry Potter after he left Hogwarts — he became a dog walker Daniel Radcliffe was photographed Tuesday walking a whole kennel of dogs. The pictures are (we must say it) magical See also: 'Harry Potter' Actors Reveal the Magic of Wizarding World Theme Park Celebrity Sightings In New York City - June 30, 2014 Daniel Radcliffe films Judd Appatow's "Trainwreck" on June 30, … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » How Far Can Legolas See? [Science Video]

Tuesday 1 July 18:00:38 UTC 2014

Legolas is a fraud… unless light travels differently in Middle-Earth compared to the way it does in our world. [Minute Physics] [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: Choosing a Web Language That's Long-Lived, and Not Too Buzzy?

Tuesday 1 July 17:42:00 UTC 2014

adelayde (185757) writes "In my day job, I work on a web based service with a lot of legacy code written in that older (and some may say venerable) web-scripting language, Perl. Although we use Modern Perl extensions such as Moose, the language just seems to be ossifying and we're wanting to move to a more up-to-date and used language … [Link]

Mashable » Oops, Robin Thicke's #AskThicke Session Gets Hijacked on Twitter

Tuesday 1 July 17:40:50 UTC 2014

Robin-thicke-twitterFeed-tw Feed-fbChalk it up to poor planning or a delusional PR team, but singer Robin Thicke's Twitter Q&A unsurprisingly went sour this week as critics of his music and behavior hurled 140-character-or-less jokes his way via hashtag #AskThicke. The open call for questions swiftly attracted hate tweets, which someone on Thicke's social team should have anticipated, particularly after the ugly reception his … [Link]

Mashable » The Songs Every State Will Be Listening to on July 4

Tuesday 1 July 17:28:51 UTC 2014

American-flagFeed-tw Feed-fbWith Independence Day on the horizon, folks across the country are planning Fourth of July bashes filled with enough patriotism (or at least enough beer and burgers) to carry us over until next year. That means American flags, cheeseburgers and a kickass playlist to get the party going Unsure which all-American classics to include on this year's playlist? Spotify revealed each … [Link]

Mashable » 'Lady Marmalade' Part 2? Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, Jessie J Team Up

Tuesday 1 July 17:27:53 UTC 2014

Ariana-nicki-jessieFeed-tw Feed-fbHit makers Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Jessie J are planning to release a song together on July 29, and the yet-to-be-heard collaboration is reminiscent of 2001's "Lady Marmalade" in group structure, with powerhouse vocalists and a rapper in the mix "Lady Marmalade," from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, memorably infused the talents of Christina Aguilera, Pink, Mya and Lil' Kim, resulting … [Link]

New Scientist – News » 'Flying saucer' airbag for Mars splashes down in Hawaii

Tuesday 1 July 17:19:00 UTC 2014

An inflatable landing system has been successfully tested over the Pacific, and could one day bring humans safely down to the Red Planet's surface [Link]

Slashdot » Disappointed Woz Sells His "Worthless" Galaxy Gear Watch

Tuesday 1 July 17:01:00 UTC 2014

curtwoodward (2147628) writes Apple co-founder and legendary nerd Steve Wozniak is a huge gadget enthusiast, often appearing in lines with mere mortals to purchase new Apple products. So you can bet he's tried out most of the smartwatches on the market today. The worst one? By far, the Samsung Galaxy Gear, which The Woz says he sold on eBay after … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Antibiotic Resistance Voted Biggest Science Challenge

Tuesday 1 July 17:00:38 UTC 2014

The British public (and perhaps a few other folk with creative IP addresses) have selected resistance to antibiotics as the scientific challenge at the heart of a $16 million prize fund. As we covered recently, it’s part of the Longitude prize, a modern take on an 18th century government contest to find a way to measure longitude; a contese that … [Link]

Mashable » Dazed Serena Williams Quits Wimbledon Doubles Match Due to Illness

Tuesday 1 July 16:57:13 UTC 2014

Serena-williamsFeed-tw Feed-fbLONDON — Serena Williams pulled out of her Wimbledon doubles match with sister Venus after only three games Tuesday. Serena, who lost in singles Saturday, was checked by medical staff before the doubles match even began. Sitting in her sideline chair, Serena covered her face with her hands. See also: Watch Roger Federer Play Tennis Through Google Glass Eventually, the match … [Link]

Mashable » Waffle House Is Winning the World Cup on Twitter, One Typo at a Time

Tuesday 1 July 16:53:05 UTC 2014

Waffle-house1Feed-tw Feed-fbFrom the moment the first World Cup match kicked off last month, brands have been vying for any and all opportunities to turn the soccer games into a real-time marketing moment. The news that the U.S. team would play Belgium pretty much served that opportunity to Waffle House on a platter. On Monday, the U.S. waffle chain decided to show support … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » OMG: Sharktopus is Back in “Sharktopus vs. Pteracuda” [Videos]

Tuesday 1 July 16:49:19 UTC 2014

SHARKTOPUS VS PTERACUDA, Don’t miss it! (Saturday August 2 on Syfy) [Roger Corman] [Link]

Mashable » 5 Things to Know About Belgium Before Today's World Cup Match

Tuesday 1 July 16:31:04 UTC 2014

Belgian-fanFeed-tw Feed-fbThe U.S. team meets Belgium on Tuesday for an all-important World Cup match. According to prediction algorithms done by the number-crunchers at FiveThirtyEight, the U.S. has a 42% chance of advancing. See also: USA vs. Belgium: Your Mega Preview for Tuesday's World Cup Showdown But what should the Americans know about its opponents going in? Here are five tidbits of knowledge … [Link]

Mashable » You Do You, America

Tuesday 1 July 16:30:48 UTC 2014

Reasons-to-love-usaFeed-tw Feed-fbAmerica: Land of the free, home of fried food, baseball and reality television. As Americans, we are our own worst critics. It's easy to get caught up in the negative, and forget about all the things that make the United States an amazing place to live. Where else can you eat peanut butter and jelly and wear sweatpants in public at … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Today on New Scientist

Tuesday 1 July 16:30:00 UTC 2014

All the latest on newscientist.com: brewing milk like beer, meteorite may have sparked life, journey of hope for Earth, contraception vs religion and more [Link]

Slashdot » Improv Project, Vivaldi Tablet Officially Dead

Tuesday 1 July 16:20:00 UTC 2014

sfcrazy (1542989) writes "It's a sad day for free software as one of the most ambitious free software projects, Improv, is officially dead. Along with the board also dies the promising Vivaldi tablet . The developers have sent out emails to the backers of the project that they are pulling plugs on these. The end of the Improv project … [Link]

Mashable » British Sound Artist Makes CDs Playable on a Turntable

Tuesday 1 July 16:15:52 UTC 2014

Record-playerFeed-tw Feed-fbLondon musician Aleksander Kolkowski is giving new life to a dying musical format — by turning it into an even older format. His idea: repurpose the compact disc to play like its musical predecessor, the vinyl record. “I’m taking the optical digital back to analogue,” he says. Using a modified Wilcox-Gay Recordette — a 1950s home stereo and recording device — Kolkowski cuts grooves … [Link]

Mashable » Tropical Storm Arthur, First of the Atlantic Season, Intensifies Near Florida

Tuesday 1 July 15:49:57 UTC 2014

7_1_14_andrew_rainbowtopFeed-tw Feed-fbThis story was updated most recently at 5:00 p.m. ET on July 1. Tropical Storm Arthur intensified off the coast of Florida today, with maximum sustained winds of 50 miles per hour as of 5 pm ET. The track forecast of the first storm of the North Atlantic season, while still involving a high amount of uncertainty, takes the storm northeastward … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Captain America Statistics Song [Video]

Tuesday 1 July 15:49:29 UTC 2014

To celebrate the upcoming 4th of July, our pals over at ADHD have created the Captain America Statistics song, highlighting some rather unflattering statistics related to the people and culture of “America.” [ADHD] [Link]

Mashable » Mick Jagger or Monty Python: Who Has More Wrinkles?

Tuesday 1 July 15:42:38 UTC 2014

MontypythonFeed-tw Feed-fb In a video produced to introduce Monty Python’s upcoming Septuagenarian Reunion Tour at the O2 Arena in London, Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones turn in spot-on performances as grumpy old guys At first, an aide asks about the set list for an upcoming Rolling Stones show. He then informs Jagger about the Monte Python shows, prompting … [Link]

Slashdot » Baton Bob Strikes Back Against Police That Coerced Facebook Post From Him

Tuesday 1 July 15:38:00 UTC 2014

McGruber (1417641) writes "In June 2013, Atlanta police arrested costumed street performer "Baton Bob" during the middle of a street performance after Baton Bob was allegedly involved in a verbal altercation with mall security guards. Now, a year later, Baton Bob has filed a federal lawsuit accusing Atlanta police of violating his constitutional rights, assault, discrimination, privacy violations and identify … [Link]

Mashable » 31 'OITNB' Actors Who Appeared on 'Law and Order'

Tuesday 1 July 15:30:34 UTC 2014

Kate-mulgrew-and-lorraine-toussaint-in-orange-is-the-new-blackFeed-tw Feed-fb Litchfield isn't their first run-in with the law. There are 31 familiar faces from Orange is the New Black — including Red, Pornstache and even the "Weeping Woman" — who have made an appearance on the long-running NBC franchise Law and Order See also: 9 'Orange Is the New Black' Actresses In and Out of Character With so many different … [Link]

Mashable » Standing Improves Group Collaboration, Researchers Say

Tuesday 1 July 15:30:17 UTC 2014

Standing-while-workingFeed-tw Feed-fbOver the last few years, doctors have called sitting "the new smoking." Studies have identified excessive sitting as a risk factor for obesity, cancer, and heart disease. And an infographic claiming sitting is deadly went viral. For hipsters and health nuts, sitting while you work is becoming practically taboo — but some daredevils maintain that the comfort factor offered by chairs outweighs the … [Link]

Mashable » The Only Hype Video You Need for the USA-Belgium World Cup Match

Tuesday 1 July 15:29:34 UTC 2014

Usmnt-soccerFeed-tw Feed-fb Here we go again The U.S. Men's National Team takes on Belgium on Tuesday afternoon in the round of 16 in the World Cup, and USA fans will be damned if they'll be out-spirited by those waffle-loving Belgians See also: USA vs. Belgium: Your Mega Preview for Tuesday's World Cup Showdown YouTube user Tyler Wirfs cobbled together a hype video … [Link]

Mashable » GoPro Stock Has Doubled From Its IPO Price

Tuesday 1 July 15:16:44 UTC 2014

GoproFeed-tw Feed-fbGoPro’s stock keeps going up GoPro hit $48 a share in early trading Tuesday, a gain of 18% on the day and double its IPO price from less than a week earlier. See also: 15 Terrifying GoPro Videos to Make Your Heart Skip The wearable camera maker went public on Thursday at $24 a share and ended the day up more … [Link]

Mashable » Modified Probiotics Curb Hunger in Mice, May Prevent Human Obesity

Tuesday 1 July 15:15:38 UTC 2014

Lab-mouseFeed-tw Feed-fbWeight gain can be prevented with engineered probiotics, even when paired with a high-fat diet, at least in mice, a new study shows. Researchers genetically modified probiotic bacteria to produce a hunger-suppressing compound called NAPE, which is normally released by the cells in the small intestine after a meal and signals the brain to reduce food intake. The NAPE-producing bacteria were added to … [Link]

Mashable » Fierce 'Derecho' Storms Flood Midwest, Blast Areas With Hurricane-Force Winds

Tuesday 1 July 15:14:21 UTC 2014

7_1_14_andrew_willistowerlightningFeed-tw Feed-fbWave after wave of severe thunderstorms tore across the Midwest on Monday evening, leaving at least two people dead and many areas flooded, while providing a stunning display of lightning across the Chicago metropolitan area. The storms, known as a "derecho" to meteorologists for their long-duration damaging winds of at least 80 miles per hour, swept from Iowa to Wisconsin, Illinois … [Link]

Slashdot » Happy Software Developers Solve Problems Better

Tuesday 1 July 14:56:00 UTC 2014

First time accepted submitter HagraBiscuit (2756527) writes Researchers from the Faculty of Computer Science, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy, have quantified and analysed affective mood index against objective measures of problem-solving effectiveness for a group of software developers. From the report abstract: "The results offer support for the claim that happy developers are indeed better problem solvers in terms … [Link]

Mashable » Southwest Goes International With Flights to the Caribbean

Tuesday 1 July 14:51:14 UTC 2014

ArubaFeed-tw Feed-fbLow-cost carrier Southwest Airlines began its first international flights to destinations in the Caribbean on Tuesday. The airline's first international departure, to Oranjestad, Aruba, took off from Baltimore, Maryland, on Tuesday. Southwest is adding service to three destinations including to Aruba (AUA), Montego Bay (MBJ) and Nassau (NAS). See also: Know Before You Go: All the Airline Fees by Carrier Southwest … [Link]

Mashable » Siri May Get a Whole Lot Smarter, Very Soon

Tuesday 1 July 14:47:25 UTC 2014

Siri-2Feed-tw Feed-fbApple’s voice assistant Siri isn't exactly known for accuracy, but the company is reportedly looking to make her much smarter. And soon. Apple is hiring a team of experts and researchers to ramp up Siri's next-generation software, which is said to work with neural network algorithms, according to a Wired report. This will make it much easier for the service to … [Link]

Mashable » Turkish Prime Minister's Campaign Logo Looks a Lot Like Obama's

Tuesday 1 July 14:45:27 UTC 2014

Erdogan-obama-logo-2014Feed-tw Feed-fbTurkey’s ruling party has nominated a familiar man to run in the country's first directly elected presidential race — and his campaign looks familiar, too When the Justice and Development Party announced Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as its pick for candidate in the August election, it also unveiled the official campaign logo, and we can't help but feel like we've … [Link]

Mashable » 8 Innovative Methods for Modern Storytelling

Tuesday 1 July 14:38:53 UTC 2014

Treebook-thumbnailFeed-tw Feed-fbWhen an author set out to tell a story in years past, he or she typically did so on paper, a typewriter or by typing at a computer But today, storytellers find imaginative ways to share their ideas with interactive and visual elements. On modern mediums like Twitter, Vine, YouTube and other mobile applications, storytellers are crafting tales in ways that … [Link]

Mashable » NYC Cop's Cannibalism Chatter Online Not Enough for Conviction

Tuesday 1 July 14:16:04 UTC 2014

Gilberto-valleFeed-tw Feed-fbNEW YORK — A federal judge has overturned the conviction of a former New York City police officer accused of plotting to kidnap, kill and eat young women, due to insufficient evidence A jury had concluded that Gilberto Valle wasn't just fantasizing when he conversed online with others he had never met about killing and cooking his wife and others in … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Interesting Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Facts [Pic]

Tuesday 1 July 14:09:11 UTC 2014

[Source: psychadelicace | Via Geekxgirls] [Link]

Slashdot » Western Energy Companies Under Sabotage Threat

Tuesday 1 July 14:09:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes In a post published Monday, Symantec writes that western countries including the U.S., Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and Poland are currently the victims of an ongoing cyberespionage campaign. The group behind the operation, called Dragonfly by Symantec, originally targeted aviation and defense companies as early as 2011, but in early 2013, they shifted their focus … [Link]

Mashable » Why Employers Could Now Immediately Deny You All Birth Control Coverage

Tuesday 1 July 14:06:38 UTC 2014

Supreme-court-hobby-lobbbyFeed-tw Feed-fbAnalysts say that for-profit companies might now decline to offer any type of birth control as part of their insurance coverage, after the Supreme Court ruled on Monday to protect the religious liberties of qualifying private corporations The decision was a victory for Hobby Lobby, the arts-and-crafts chain that objected to covering four types of contraception on religious grounds. The business, … [Link]

Mashable » The Slap Bracelet Makes a Comeback, as a Fitness Tracker

Tuesday 1 July 14:00:53 UTC 2014

WatchesFeed-tw Feed-fbThe slap bracelet, an accessory cherished by kids of the 1980s and 1990s, is making a modern comeback in the form of a fitness tracker for kids. Lifestyle tech company X-Doria has launched the KidFit Wristband, which snaps onto the wrist when slightly tapped and keeps track of kids' physical activity. The device is the latest from toy manufacturers looking to … [Link]

Mashable » Tinder Cofounder Suspended After Sexual Harassment Claims

Tuesday 1 July 13:58:59 UTC 2014

JustinFeed-tw Feed-fbTinder has suspended one of its cofounders who was sued by a former female employee for alleged sexual harassment Tinder's owner, IAC, has suspended Justin Mateen, who is also the company's CMO, while it carries out a probe of issues raised in the lawsuit. Whitney Wolfe, a cofounder and VP, sued Mateen, her ex-boyfriend IAC offered the following statement on the … [Link]

Mashable » Twitter Replaces CFO Amid Executive Shuffle

Tuesday 1 July 13:54:04 UTC 2014

Ascani_twitteripo-34Feed-tw Feed-fbTwitter’s executive shuffle continued Tuesday with news that the company is replacing its chief financial officer. Twitter has appointed Anthony Noto to replace Mike Gupta as CFO at the company, according to a company filing on Tuesday. Noto had most recently worked at Coatue Management, a hedge fund, and before that worked as a top tech banker at Goldman Sachs where … [Link]

Mashable » Being a YouTuber Is Now a Real Business

Tuesday 1 July 13:46:25 UTC 2014

Rhettandlink.vidconFeed-tw Feed-fbBerserking teen girls may forever be a staple of Vidcon, but the YouTube stars they worship have done a lot of growing up in the past year. And in turn, so has their industry. Being a YouTube creator is blossoming into a bona fide grown-up business right before our eyes. As young creators mature into savvy entrepreneurs, the ecosystem is maturing … [Link]

Mashable » Michelle Obama: There Is No Crack in White House Pies

Tuesday 1 July 13:36:20 UTC 2014

Obama-michelle-thumbFeed-tw Feed-fb Barack Obama clearly has quite the sweet tooth. Obama took a moment on Monday to praise retiring White House pastry chef Bill Yosses, a.k.a. the Crustmaster, for being "a man who has made life at the White House very sweet." Then he joked about the pies being baked with crack. Scroll to 4:50 in the above video to watch See … [Link]

Mashable » 15 Geometric GIFs That Will Hypnotize You for Hours

Tuesday 1 July 13:30:47 UTC 2014

GeometricFeed-tw Feed-fbBe careful. You may find yourself staring at these GIFs for hours at a time. Dublin-based GIF maker David Whyte specialized in these hypnotic and eye catching optical illusions, which he posts on his Tumblr site, Bees and Bombs. Whyte creates his geometric GIFs using a software called Processing, which is a computer programming tool for designers. See also: 21 Weird … [Link]

Slashdot » Samsung Release First SSD With 3D NAND

Tuesday 1 July 13:26:00 UTC 2014

Vigile (99919) writes "As SSD controllers continue to evolve, so does the world of flash memory. With the release of the Samsung 850 Pro SSD announced today, Samsung is the first company to introduce 3D NAND technology to the consumer. By using 30nm process technology that might seem dated in some applications, Samsung has been reliably able to stack lithography … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Russia's relentless quest for Arctic fuel treasure

Tuesday 1 July 13:00:00 UTC 2014

In The Conquest of the Russian Arctic, Paul R. Josephson tells of crazy-heroic engineering and environmental disaster in the service of fossil fuel extraction [Link]

Mashable » NASA Scrubs Climate Satellite Launch

Tuesday 1 July 12:51:10 UTC 2014

Nasa-oco-2Feed-tw Feed-fb NASA’s Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) satellite, which measures carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, was scheduled to launch early Tuesday morning, but NASA scrubbed it at the least minute due to equipment failure. The countdown was stopped 46 seconds before launch due to "a failure in the launch pad water flow,” according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory See also: 6 Major … [Link]

Slashdot » Court Allowed NSA To Spy On All But 4 Countries

Tuesday 1 July 12:45:00 UTC 2014

mrspoonsi (2955715) writes A court permitted the NSA to collect information about governments in 193 countries and foreign institutions like the World Bank, according to a secret document the Washington Post published Monday. The certification issued by a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court in 2010 shows the NSA has the authority to "intercept through U.S. companies not just the communications of … [Link]

Mashable » The Fight for Civil Rights: 15 Images From America's Past

Tuesday 1 July 12:16:59 UTC 2014

Ap701044616751dupeFeed-tw Feed-fbWednesday marks 50 years since the enactment of the Civil Rights Act on July 2, 1964. The landmark piece of legislation outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and ended segregation in public services See also: Youth Poets Raise Voices (and Instagrams) for Martin Luther King, Jr. The bill followed decades of bloody struggle by … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Science ignored in US birth control ruling

Tuesday 1 July 12:07:00 UTC 2014

The US Supreme Court has ruled that asking companies to provide free contraception is a violation of religious freedom – a decision made without looking at the science [Link]

Slashdot » Winners of First Seized Silk Road Bitcoin Auction Remain Anonymous

Tuesday 1 July 12:04:00 UTC 2014

ASDFnz (472824) writes with news that the first block of bitcoins seized from the Silk Road have been auctioned off, and for a pretty high price. The winners are unknown, and Bitcoin has bumped from trading at ~$600 to $650 (USD). From the article: …In the absence of information speculation both on the markets and on the Internet is building. … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Amazon Deal of the Day: 40% or More Off Select Nerf Blasters, Super Soakers, and Sports Toys

Tuesday 1 July 12:02:00 UTC 2014

For today’s edition of Deal of the Day, Amazon offers 40% off or more on select Nerf blasters, super soakers and various sports toys. [40% or More Off Select Nerf Blasters, Super Soakers, and Sports Toys] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Van Gogh Infinity TARDIS Scarf

Tuesday 1 July 12:01:41 UTC 2014

From Her Universe: No matter how many times we see it, this image of Van Gogh’s exploding TARDIS painting still gives us the feels! We love this Doctor Who episode and we had to take this now classic image and put in on our new infinity scarf. Doctor Who fans and non fans alike will love this beautiful piece! Super … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » A Game of Turrets: Portal Turrets Perform the GOT Theme [Video]

Tuesday 1 July 12:00:43 UTC 2014

A Portal-style homage to the Game Of Thrones theme by Youtuber Harry101UK. [Harry101UK | Via] [Link]

Mashable » Tens of Thousands in Hong Kong Rally Against Beijing

Tuesday 1 July 11:47:27 UTC 2014

Hong-kong-protestFeed-tw Feed-fbHONG KONG — Tens of thousands of Hong Kong residents marched Tuesday through the streets of the former British colony to push for greater democracy in a rally fueled by anger over Beijing's recent warning that it holds the ultimate authority over the southern Chinese financial center. See also: This Ad From Hong Kong is Just Plain Weird Organizers expected the … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Diabetes drugs may sometimes do more harm than good

Tuesday 1 July 11:35:00 UTC 2014

The side effects of some drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes can make them not worth their while, especially for older people [Link]

Mashable » Don’t Buy Into Fauxsumerism

Tuesday 1 July 11:28:35 UTC 2014

Fauxsumerism_thumbnail_playFeed-tw Feed-fb Do you constantly look for products online which you don't actually end up buying? Yeah, us too Elliott Morgan takes a hard look at the culture of “fauxsumerism,” the act of looking but never buying. Yesterday, Elliott set his eyes on the Red Planet Read more…More about Social Media, Youtube, and Mashable Minute [Link]

Mashable » Facebook Playing Your Feelings Is Legal But 'Creepy,' Say Law Experts

Tuesday 1 July 11:16:35 UTC 2014

Facebook_exp_legalityFeed-tw Feed-fbFacebook manipulated the News Feeds of hundreds of thousands of people to see if showing them mostly positive or negative posts affected their emotions. The research ignited anger among users, who accused the company of manipulation in the guise of science. But did Facebook actually break any laws? Mashable talked to law professors to separate fact from fiction. See also: How … [Link]

Mashable » 8 Things You Should Know About the New 'Super Smash Bros.'

Tuesday 1 July 11:00:49 UTC 2014

Super-smash-brosFeed-tw Feed-fbThis year's E3 was all about the Smash. Nintendo's looming E3 booth was always crowded with fans waiting to play Super Smash Bros., and one of the most popular attractions of the conference was a huge screen showing constant live four-player matches. It's been eight years between the upcoming Smash Bros. and its previous iteration the Wii. Fans of Nintendo's fighting … [Link]

New Scientist – News » A perfect negative crystal floating in space

Tuesday 1 July 11:00:00 UTC 2014

What looks like a solid octahedron is actually a void inside a chunk of spinel, a gem best known as the centrepiece of the British queen's Imperial Crown [Link]

Mashable » World Cup Day 20: USA Goes to Battle

Tuesday 1 July 10:55:41 UTC 2014

Bradley-jonesFeed-tw Feed-fbWhat is this wild World Cup? It's Brazil narrowly taking Chile to a penalty shootout — and even winning that just barely; Colombia running over Uruguay — giving rise to a soccer god in the making named James Rodriguez; and Algeria putting Germany through the 120-minute ringer It's Greece taking the tournament dark horse Costa Rica to a penalty shootout in … [Link]

Mashable » 25 Literary Classics to Binge on This Summer

Tuesday 1 July 10:30:55 UTC 2014

Books-on-a-shelfFeed-tw Feed-fbYou know that long list of classic books you've been meaning to read? Nothing gives you motivation like knowing the film adaptation is streaming on Netflix. After finishing a long classic novel, there's a certain satisfaction in watching and/or criticizing the film adaptation. The book is fresh in your mind and you can judge every single decision the movie makes. If … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 1 July 2014

Tuesday 1 July 10:28:37 UTC 2014

word2vec — This tool provides an efficient implementation of the continuous bag-of-words and skip-gram architectures for computing vector representations of words. These representations can be subsequently used in many natural language processing applications and for further research. From Google Research … [Link]

Mashable » This Machine Is Like a Keurig But For Beer

Tuesday 1 July 10:18:56 UTC 2014

Synek1Feed-tw Feed-fbJust like Keurig made brewing individual cups of coffee a workplace staple, SYNEK wants to do the same for beer. The dispenser wants to take your favorite beer selections — from local breweries and a friend's homebrew to an international favorite — and bring it all to one tap directly for the home See also: 11 Beer Vacations You're Going to … [Link]

Mashable » 5 Red Flags to Watch Out for on Airbnb

Tuesday 1 July 10:04:46 UTC 2014

Airbnb-houseFeed-tw Feed-fbAirbnb makes it easy to find affordable places to stay in cities around the world. But like any marketplace that depends on trust built over the Internet, there's a risk the product you're purchasing — or the seller itself — might not be what you thought. See also: The Beginner's Guide to Airbnb Here are five tip-offs to help you figure … [Link]

Mashable » Lonely Planet's Top 10 European Vacation Destinations

Tuesday 1 July 9:30:36 UTC 2014

EuropethumbFeed-tw Feed-fbAs the temperature rises in summer, so does the irresistible urge to escape the daily grind as far possible. For those lucky enough to travel abroad, Europe is always an attractive option, but nobody wants to spend their hard-earned money on an overpriced vacation while fighting for elbow room with fellow tourists. (Unless you scored a really amazing hostel, of course.) … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Old Scientist: 50 years of nuclear fears and fantasies

Tuesday 1 July 9:25:00 UTC 2014

From the July archives of New Scientist, how our views of a nuclear future have gone from dreams to nightmares over 50 years of worries, weapons and waste [Link]

Mashable » Samsung's Galaxy S5 mini: Familiar Look, Weaker Specs

Tuesday 1 July 9:17:01 UTC 2014

Samsung-galaxy-s5-miniFeed-tw Feed-fbSamsung has announced the Galaxy S5 mini, a smaller, 4.5-inch version of its flagship smartphone, the 5.1-inch Galaxy S5. Unfortunately for those who wanted the same specs in a smaller package, the 4.5-inch Galaxy S5 mini definitely does not pack the same power as its older brother. It has a quad-core, 1.4GHz processor, an 8-megapixel camera, a 1280×720 pixel screen, 1.5GB … [Link]

Slashdot » Grandmother Buys Old Building In Japan And Finds 55 Classic Arcade Cabinets

Tuesday 1 July 9:04:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes A grandmother agreed to purchase an old building in Chiba, which is just outside of Tokyo. When her family arrived to check out the contents of the building it was discovered that the first two floors used to be a game center in the 1980s. Whoever ran it left all the cabinets behind when it closed, … [Link]

Mashable » Petcube Lets You Play With Adoptable Animals With Your Smartphone

Tuesday 1 July 8:21:24 UTC 2014

Petcube_shelf1Feed-tw Feed-fbThe Petcube, which helps people to monitor and play with their pets remotely, is taking on a new purpose: Helping adoptable animals find homes The Kickstarter-backed Petcube ($199) is a 4 x 4 inch aluminum cube containing a wide angle camera, a microphone, speakers and a controllable laser pointer. It plugs into the wall and connects to Wi-Fi, allowing pet owners … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Vampire' Squirrel Has World's Fluffiest Tail

Tuesday 1 July 7:04:00 UTC 2014

sciencehabit (1205606) writes Few scientists have ever seen the rare tufted ground squirrel (Rheithrosciurus macrotis), which hides in the hilly forests of Borneo, but it is an odd beast. It's twice the size of most tree squirrels, and it reputedly has a taste for blood. Now, motion-controlled cameras have revealed another curious fact. The 35-centimeter-long rodent has the bushiest tail … [Link]

Mashable » Everything Wrong With Viral Videos on YouTube

Tuesday 1 July 6:00:24 UTC 2014

Youtube-complainsFeed-tw Feed-fb Frozen covers. Parodies of Lorde's "Royals." Sheepish British vloggers. "Let's play" gaming videos. If any of these YouTube tropes irk you, you may find a certain camaraderie in watching this video from YouTube channel Barely Political. See also: Here's Why These 6 Videos Went Viral The bit features a parade of fed up YouTube users who visit "YouTube HQ" to … [Link]

Mashable » World Cup Day 19: Guts But No Glory for the Underdogs

Tuesday 1 July 5:46:09 UTC 2014

451528518Feed-tw Feed-fbSpare a thought for Algeria. On Monday, after playing Germany, the country became the latest and perhaps the greatest team to go through the agonizing throes of "if only" and "we were so close." If only their super keeper Raïs M’Bolhi had saved one more German strike to add to his total of nine stunning saves, the team might have gone … [Link]

Mashable » Say 'Meow' to the Next Crop of Viral Animal Superstars

Tuesday 1 July 5:00:50 UTC 2014

Princess-kittenFeed-tw Feed-fbIn the past, the only real way to spot the next big Internet-celebrity animal was to wait patiently for it to appear on your Facebook feed. That all changes now. If Grumpy Cat is the cream of the viral crop, these are the young upstarts, waiting in the wings for their shot at meme glory. See also: The 75 Absolutely Cutest … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft Takes Down No-IP.com Domains

Tuesday 1 July 4:04:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes For some reason that escapes me, a Judge has granted Microsoft permission to hijack NoIP's DNS. This is necessary according to Microsoft to thwart a "global cybercrime epidemic" being perpetrated by infected machines running Microsoft software. No-IP is a provider of dynamic DNS services (among other things). Many legitimate users were affected by the takedown: "This … [Link]

Mashable » Latest iPhone 6 Mockups Could Offer Preview of the Real Thing

Tuesday 1 July 3:50:13 UTC 2014

Apple_store_nyc_stock-4Feed-tw Feed-fbWe’ve seen many, many mockups of the purported iPhone 6 over the past half year — tons — and even though all of these mockups are just that, as time progresses, they may actually be getting closer to what the final end product could be. As we get closer to the manufacturing start date of Apple's next smartphone, supply-chain leaks tend … [Link]

Mashable » FDA Approves First Robotic Exoskeleton for Paralyzed Users

Tuesday 1 July 3:24:56 UTC 2014

1rewlk987Feed-tw Feed-fbFor years, we've been shown research projects teasing next-generation exoskeletons designed to empower those without the use of their legs. But those desiring the devices have been forced to wait for a viable commercial solution — until now That wait finally ended last week when the United States Food and Drug Administration approved ReWalk Robotics' personal exoskeleton for marketing in the … [Link]

Mashable » Consumers Are Willing to Pay More for Sustainability

Tuesday 1 July 3:01:42 UTC 2014

SustainableFeed-tw Feed-fbIf you knew purchasing certain products and services helped save the planet, would you pay more for them? According to a recent report from Nielsen, most of the world's consumers would. A global average of 55% of respondents in Nielsen's corporate social responsibility survey said they were willing to pay extra when companies are committed to positive social and environmental impact. … [Link]

Mashable » News Bloopers Prove Live TV Is Delightfully Painful

Tuesday 1 July 2:28:40 UTC 2014

NewsbloopersFeed-tw Feed-fb Live television is dangerous, and here are the cringe-worthy bloopers to prove it From the meteorologist who can't stop hiccuping to the poor news correspondent getting a cooler of water dumped on her, these are the hardest working people in the news business. You'll laugh, cry and feel just a little bit sad for nothing going according to plan when … [Link]

Slashdot » How Often Do Economists Commit Misconduct?

Tuesday 1 July 2:07:00 UTC 2014

schwit1 (797399) writes A survey of professional academic economists finds that a large percentage are quite willing to cheat or fake data to get the results they want. From the paper's abstract: "This study reports the results of a survey of professional, mostly academic economists about their research norms and scientific misbehavior. Behavior such as data fabrication or plagiarism are … [Link]

Mashable » 11% of the #NoFilter Pics on Instagram Are Posers

Tuesday 1 July 2:03:02 UTC 2014

Sweetlife-concertFeed-tw Feed-fbYour Instagram friends may not be the photographers they're making themselves out to be. Turns out that 11% of photos using the #nofilter hashtag on Instagram actually have a filter, a percentage that adds up to roughly 8.6 million photos See also: Are Only 'Attractive' Types of Nudity OK on Instagram? The data was pulled by Spredfast, a social-media marketing company … [Link]

Mashable » Bing Just Became an Excellent Way to Search Twitter

Tuesday 1 July 1:34:00 UTC 2014

BingFeed-tw Feed-fbBing just got a lot better at searching Twitter. Microsoft added a host of new Tweet-discovery features to its search engine Monday, making it easier for users to find the tweets and accounts that interest them most. See also: 25 Twitter Accounts to Make You Laugh You can now search Bing by hashtag, look up specific Twitter handles or search for … [Link]

Mashable » Twitter 'Buy Now' Button Appears for First Time

Tuesday 1 July 1:12:34 UTC 2014

Twitter-logoFeed-tw Feed-fbIt looks like shopping within your Twitter Timeline isn't far off. A new "Buy now" button appeared on multiple tweets Monday, all of which included products that link back to a shopping site called Fancy See also: The Year in Twitter: Top Milestones of 2013 The tweets were first discovered by tech-news site Recode, and the while the buttons appear in … [Link]

Mashable » Everybody Calm Down. ‘Bubbling’ Is Not a Thing in Australia

Tuesday 1 July 0:23:21 UTC 2014

BubblingFeed-tw Feed-fbThere is a so-called trend that involves doing something pretty horrific to yourself that some say is a big thing in Australia. (Warning: Here's your chance to stop reading. It's pretty gross. You've been warned.) The trend, which involves urinating into one's own mouth, has gotten waves of media coverage and ended the career of at least one prominent rugby league … [Link]

Mashable » John Cena Is WWE 2K15's Cover Star

Tuesday 1 July 0:18:43 UTC 2014

John-cenaFeed-tw Feed-fbWrestling superstar John Cena will appear on the upcoming cover of the WWE 2K game, to be released this October for previous and next-gen consoles. The news was announced on Monday Night Raw on USA, though 2K Game won't be releasing screenshots of the game box until Tuesday morning. See also: Sometimes Game Glitches Are Just Perfect Last year, the WWE 2K14 cover … [Link]

Mashable » 25 Empowering Songs to Celebrate Pride 2014

Tuesday 1 July 0:09:10 UTC 2014

062914_pride_march_1Feed-tw Feed-fbMonday concludes LGBT Pride Month during which celebrations are held across the United States. While events may vary, their theme remains constant: pride in one's self and acceptance of others. That's why we assembled this Music Monday playlist of songs about being proud to be yourself. So throw on these empowering tunes, and keep doing you See also: 25 NYC Pride … [Link]

Slashdot » U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Religious Objections To Contraception

Tuesday 1 July 0:01:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes In a legislative first, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that for-profit companies can, in essence, hold religious views. Given the Supreme Court's earlier decisions granting corporations the right to express political support through monetary donations, this ruling is not all that surprising. Its scope does not extend beyond family-owned companies where "there's no real … [Link]

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