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.

Slashdot » Industrial Control System Firms In Dragonfly Attack Identified

Saturday 5 July 23:39:00 UTC 2014

chicksdaddy (814965) writes Two of the three industrial control system (ICS) software companies that were victims of the so-called "Dragonfly" malware have been identified. … Dale Peterson of the firm Digitalbond identified the vendors as MB Connect Line, a German maker of industrial routers and remote access appliances and eWon, a Belgian firm that makes virtual private network (VPN) software … [Link]

Mashable » 'Seinfeld' At 25: 14 Moments About Nothing

Saturday 5 July 22:59:05 UTC 2014

Senfeld-cast-25Feed-tw Feed-fbOn July 5, 1989, NBC aired the first episode of Seinfeld (then known as The Seinfeld Chronicles), a television sitcom that hadn't been picked up for the fall season and seemed unlikely to make any sort of dent on history. Twenty-five years after that broadcast, Seinfeld has become one of the most celebrated TV shows in TV history. Like I Love … [Link]

Slashdot » The View From Inside A Fireworks Show

Saturday 5 July 22:45:00 UTC 2014

kdataman (1687444) writes "There is a breathtaking video on Youtube of someone flying a quadcopter around and through a professional fireworks display. Of course, it was an illegal and dangerous thing to do. It also may inspire someone else to do something even more dangerous. But even so, I have watched it 4 times and get goosebumps every time. An … [Link]

Slashdot » 3D Printed PiGRRL – Raspberry Pi Gameboy

Saturday 5 July 21:44:00 UTC 2014

coop0030 (263345) writes "Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the classic gaming device, Game Boy, by building your own with 3d printing and DIY electronics. This project uses a Raspberry Pi and TFT touch screen to make an epic DIY Game Girl. The 3d printed enclosure houses all of the components and can be printed in your favorite color. It's controlled … [Link]

Mashable » David Beckham Doesn't Age in Three Photos With Neymar Over the Years

Saturday 5 July 21:15:47 UTC 2014

Neymar-david-beckhamFeed-tw Feed-fbNeymar is dominating World Cup headlines this weekend because the star Brazilian player broke his third vertebra Friday when Colombia's Juan Camilo Zuniga kneed him in the back, forcing a doctor to remove Neymar from playing in any matches during this World Cup Photos of Neymar writhing in pain and on a stretcher have been circulated widely since the injury, but … [Link]

Mashable » YouTube: Slow Buffering Is Totally Your ISP's Fault

Saturday 5 July 21:02:15 UTC 2014

Ytba8970dafsFeed-tw Feed-fbYouTube wants you to know that if you're experiencing playback issues, blurring video or excessive buffering, it's probably your Internet service provider's fault. Taking a cue from Netflix, YouTube has initiated its own Video Quality Report to let users know what type of performance they get from their ISP. See also: 14 Google Tools You Didn't Know Existed YouTube initially rolled … [Link]

Slashdot » Rightscorp Pushing ISPs To Disconnect Repeat Infringers

Saturday 5 July 20:43:00 UTC 2014

Torrentfreak acquired slides from the Anti-Piracy and Content Protection Summit indicating that Rightscorp wants ISPs to disconnect repeat copyright infringers, and that 140 small ISPs are already doing so. From the article: Christopher Sabec, CEO of Rightscorp, says that they have been in talks with various Internet providers urging them to step up their game. Thus far a total of … [Link]

Slashdot » IEEE Spectrum Ranks the Top Programming Languages

Saturday 5 July 19:49:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes Working with computational journalist Nick Diakopoulos, we at IEEE Spectrum have published an app that ranks the popularity of dozens of programming languages. Because different fields have different interests (what's popular with programmers writing embedded code versus what's hot with web developers isn't going to be identical) we tried to make the ranking system as transparent … [Link]

Mashable » Creepy 'Doctor Who' Teaser Hints at the Return of an Old Villain

Saturday 5 July 19:37:36 UTC 2014

Doctor-who-teaser-villainFeed-tw Feed-fb New Doctor, old villain? If the new teaser for the eighth season in the revived Doctor Who series is any indication of what 12th Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi) will be up against when the show returns Aug. 23, then we may be seeing a familiar archenemy very soon "I see into your soul Doctor — I see beauty, divinity, … [Link]

Slashdot » Amazon Fighting FTC Over In-App Purchases Fine

Saturday 5 July 18:46:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes One of the common problems of the smartphone generation has been parents who given their phones to children, who then rack up hundreds of dollars of in-app purchases without the parents' knowledge. The FTC smacked Apple with a fine for this, and Google is facing a lawsuit as well. Now, Amazon is the latest target, having … [Link]

Mashable » 15 Phenomenal Photos of July 4 Fireworks Shows

Saturday 5 July 18:43:32 UTC 2014

Fireworks-thumbnailFeed-tw Feed-fbPeople across the United States tilted their heads up toward the night sky on Friday to catch the nearest Fourth of July fireworks show, while many other Americans watched one of these spectacles on TV. See also: Flying Drones Capture Fireworks Better Than Any View You Will Ever See No matter where they were, though, people were treated to dazzling displays … [Link]

Slashdot » Algorithm-Generated Articles Won't Kill the Journalism Star

Saturday 5 July 18:02:47 UTC 2014

theodp writes: The AP's announcement that software will write the majority of its earnings reports, argues The Atlantic's Joe Pinsker, doesn't foretell the end of journalism — such reports hardly require humans anyway. Pinsker writes, "While, yes, it's true that algorithms can cram stories about vastly different subjects into the same uncanny monotone — they can cover Little League like … [Link]

Mashable » James Kerr: The Renaissance Man of the GIF World

Saturday 5 July 17:30:28 UTC 2014

James-final-thumbFeed-tw Feed-fbImagine plopping Adam and Eve in the year 2014, with electricity the Internet and social media. Except Adam and Eve are still the only two people on Earth, so when Adam scrolls through his Instagram feed, obviously he's going to hit on Eve like no one's watching (because no one is). See also: Artist's Tranquil GIFs Will Calm and Mesmerize You … [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: How Often Should You Change Jobs?

Saturday 5 July 17:15:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes "We all know somebody who changes jobs like changing clothes. In software development and IT, it's getting increasingly hard to find people who have been at their job for more than a few years. That's partly because of tech companies' bias for a young work force, and partly because talented people can write their own ticket … [Link]

Mashable » A World Cup Without Neymar: Brazilians React to Losing Star to Injury

Saturday 5 July 16:42:04 UTC 2014

Neymar-injured-stretcherFeed-tw Feed-fb The World Cup lost one of its star players to a nasty injury on Friday when Brazil's striker Neymar broke his third vertebra after being kneed in his back by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga. A doctor ruled Neymar will not play in any more World Cup matches The reactions to Neymar's unfortunate exit were swift and intense on social … [Link]

Mashable » Apple Snags Luxury Watchmaker Exec Ahead of Rumored iWatch Launch

Saturday 5 July 16:21:06 UTC 2014

Iwtc98070Feed-tw Feed-fbApple has dropped just about all pretense as to whether or not it's working on a smartwatch by hiring one of the most high-profile executives in the luxury watch industry. "Our sales director left yesterday because he took a contract from Apple to launch the iWatch," Jean-Claude Biver, head of LVMH's luxury-watch division, which includes Swiss brands TAG Heuer and Hublot, … [Link]

Slashdot » Gov't Censorship Pushing Users To More Private Messaging In China

Saturday 5 July 16:10:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes What happens when the Chinese government drastically restricts the type of speech that can be used in their country's most popular public forum? Users start migrating to more private options, naturally. Microblogging service Sina Weibo is bleeding users, while the semiprivate WeChat is growing expansively. It's growing so quickly that the government is stepping up its … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Don’t You Just Love Watching Movies With Friends and Family? [Comic]

Saturday 5 July 16:04:40 UTC 2014

I hate it when that happens. *Nerd rage* [Source: Deathbulge Comics | Like Deathbulge on Facebook | Follow Deathbulge on Twitter] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Movie Character Selfies [Video]

Saturday 5 July 16:03:11 UTC 2014

This is fantastic! [TNTRussia] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » What Would Earth Be Like Without a Moon? [Science Video]

Saturday 5 July 16:02:38 UTC 2014

SciShow Space takes to you a world where the night is always dark, the tides are paltry — and the days are only 8 hours long. See how different Earth would be if there were no moon! [SciShow] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » To Be Takei Official Trailer #1 (A George Takei Documentary) [Video]

Saturday 5 July 16:01:37 UTC 2014

Oh My: A hilarious and moving look at legendary actor, activist and pop culture icon George Takei, who has conquered new frontiers from outer space to Capitol Hill with his trademark grin. Oh, my! [To Be Takei | Via] [Link]

Mashable » This Is Why Your Earbuds Are Always Tangled

Saturday 5 July 16:00:29 UTC 2014

EarbudsFeed-tw Feed-fbThere’s a secret chemistry brewing in your backpack — and it's not the drippings of your diet coke bottle mixing with stray aspirin pills Your earbuds are wrapped up in a torrid love affair, tangling together only to be ripped apart at your whim. See also: 7 Best Earbuds for Jamming On-the-Go In this comic, artist Maria Scrivan imagines a quiet … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Testosterone-Infused “BATMETAL” Music Video

Saturday 5 July 16:00:10 UTC 2014

Warning: Language. Best metal band ever. Band: Children of Batman Song: BATFACE Original song: Dethklok – Face Fisted [ArhyBES] [Link]

Mashable » Flying Drones Capture Fireworks Better Than Any View You Will Ever See

Saturday 5 July 15:36:54 UTC 2014

Drone-fireoworksFeed-tw Feed-fb Your ground-level view of exploding fireworks on July 4 is nothing compared to the stunning airborne spectacle one Florida man captured using a flying drone Equipped with a GoPro Hero 3 Silver camera mounted on a DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter drone, Jos Stiglingh filmed an eye-level view of a fireworks show in West Palm Beach, Florida, and paired the footage … [Link]

Mashable » Map of July 4 Tweets Shows Twitter Had Its Own Fireworks Show

Saturday 5 July 15:11:11 UTC 2014

July-4-fireworks-twitter-mapFeed-tw Feed-fbIt looks like Twitter had its own version of a fireworks show on July 4 Mashable teamed up with Twitter and cloud-based mapping platform CartoDB to show how Americans celebrated Independence Day — while they watched fireworks, naturally — as the sun went down across the United States. See also: America Was Founded by a Bunch of Drunks, and Other Fun … [Link]

Slashdot » Autonomous Trucking

Saturday 5 July 15:07:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes We've heard about all the effort going into self-driving cars, but what about the massive fleet of trucks we use to deliver goods around the country? Well, Mercedes is trying to tackle that problem. They have just demonstrated an autonomous 18-wheeler on the German Autobahn. It's clearly a long-term project; they named it "Future Truck 2025," … [Link]

Mashable » 20 Dream Backyards to Make You Green With Envy

Saturday 5 July 14:30:45 UTC 2014

ChoochooFeed-tw Feed-fbForget the front porch, white picket fence and curb appeal, the backyard is all that matters in exterior space. You may think that your backyard has some nice features. Maybe you have a pool, grill, or a nice patio to entertain your friends — but does your backyard have a lazy river, observatory or a roller coaster? We didn't think so. … [Link]

Slashdot » Oklahoma's Earthquakes Linked To Fracking

Saturday 5 July 14:05:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes Oklahoma has already experienced about 240 minor earthquakes this year, roughly double the rate at which California has had them. A recent study (abstract) has now tied those earthquakes to fracking. From the article: "Fracking itself doesn't seem to be causing many earthquakes at all. However, after the well is fracked, all that wastewater needs to … [Link]

Mashable » 10 Brain-Freezing Treats From Around the World

Saturday 5 July 13:30:27 UTC 2014

DessertFeed-tw Feed-fbSummer sweets should have one requirement: cold. In the United States, ice cream is king. It's delivered to the citizens in funny-looking trucks that blast a horrible tune, sure to echo through your brain for hours to come See also: 10 Sriracha Cocktails to Get You Drunk in Spicy Love Though ice cream is popular throughout the rest of the world, … [Link]

Mashable » Pro-Kremlin Rebels Flee Stronghold as Ukraine Military Campaign Escalates

Saturday 5 July 13:29:33 UTC 2014

SlovianskFeed-tw Feed-fbKIEV, Ukraine – Ukraine won a decisive victory in its war-torn east on Saturday, when pro-Russia rebels fled their stronghold of Sloviansk after a week of heavy bombardment by government forces. As news of the rebel’s retreat made its way to Kiev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered the country’s flag to be raised above the ravaged separatist bastion, which has been … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Amazon Deal of the Day: Amazing Kindle Book Deals + Regular Book Deals

Saturday 5 July 13:05:24 UTC 2014

For today’s edition of Deal of the Day, here are a series of amazing Kindle and regular book deals: Kindle Books: -$0.99 Kindle Comics: Nightwing (Over 100 Issues!) -$0.99 Kindle Comics: G.I. Joe -Monthly Kindle Book Deals – $3.99 or Less -50 Kindle Books for $2 Each Regular Books: -50 Books for $5 Each -50 Mysteries & Thrillers for 50% … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » AWKWARD! [Pic]

Saturday 5 July 13:04:37 UTC 2014

[Via Memebase] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Man Performs The Tetris “A” Theme on Wine Glasses [Video]

Saturday 5 July 13:03:05 UTC 2014

Here is the original Tetris “A” theme played on wine glasses by Youtuber Dan Newbie. [Dan Newbie | Via LS] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Dice Shaming [Pic]

Saturday 5 July 13:02:04 UTC 2014

die Scumbag D20. [Via] [Link]

Slashdot » NASA Approves Production of Most Powerful Rocket Ever

Saturday 5 July 13:02:00 UTC 2014

As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald, NASA has given a green light to the production of a new motor, dubbed the Space Launch System, intended to enable deep space exploration. Boeing, prime contractor on the rocket, announced on Wednesday that it had completed a critical design review and finalized a $US2.8-billion contract with NASA. The last time the space … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » This “AKIRA” Music Performance is All Sorts of Epic and Awesome [Video]

Saturday 5 July 13:01:38 UTC 2014

From Player Piano: Award winning Composer & Pianist Sonya Belousova and Director Tom Grey bring the classic Japanese anime, Akira, to life in the premiere episode of Player Piano on the Geek & Sundry Network. Featuring Cellist Eru Matsumoto. Tetsuo! Kaneda! Teeeeetttttssuuuuuuuooooooooo! Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee~ [Player Piano] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The “Rude” Goldberg Machine [Video]

Saturday 5 July 13:00:47 UTC 2014

So rude! [LazyPillow | Via TA] [Link]

Mashable » Soccer Needs to Embrace Its Female Fans

Saturday 5 July 12:40:32 UTC 2014

Usa-soccer-female-fansFeed-tw Feed-fbLast week, Helena Costa resigned from her job as the head coach of second-division French club Clermont Foot. In the midst of World Cup fever, the news slipped under the radar, but it was momentous. The first woman ever appointed to lead a professional men's club just quit her groundbreaking job — before the first ball was even kicked. Costa, who … [Link]

Mashable » Rat Liver 'Supercooling' Increases Window for Organ Transplants

Saturday 5 July 12:10:02 UTC 2014

Donor-organFeed-tw Feed-fbA new technique could more than triple the amount of time livers can be stored before an organ transplant, a study in rats suggests. Greatly extending the amount of time organs can be stored could help address the critical shortage of donor organs the world faces, researchers said. The new strategy involves "supercooling" organs, to below freezing temperatures, but without freezing … [Link]

Mashable » World Cup Weekend: Young Blood and Old Guard Brawl in Quarterfinals

Saturday 5 July 12:00:55 UTC 2014

World-cup-quarterfinals1Feed-tw Feed-fbAfter Saturday's matches, we move on to the epic glory and heartbreak of the World Cup semi-finals. But before we get ahead of ourselves, there's still a lot more drama and potential upsets to be had, especially with two old guard teams, Argentina and the Netherlands, facing some plucky newcomers in Belgium and Costa Rica. This is Belgium's first World Cup … [Link]

Mashable » 'Bone-House Wasp' Builds Ant Carcasses Into Nest Walls

Saturday 5 July 11:40:23 UTC 2014

WaspFeed-tw Feed-fbA newly discovered wasp has been keeping a gruesome secret: It stuffs ant corpses into the walls of its home. As far as scientists know, the behavior is unique in the animal kingdom. The new creature has been named Deuteragenia ossarium, or the "bone-house wasp," after the historical ossuaries piled high with human skeletons found in monasteries or graveyards. "It was a totally unexpected … [Link]

Slashdot » Google Reader: One Year Later

Saturday 5 July 11:33:15 UTC 2014

Nate the greatest (2261802) writes "Just over a year has passed since Google closed Google Reader; have your reading habits changed? When Google announced in March 2013 that Google Reader would close, a number of pundits saw it as a sign of the imminent death of RSS feeds as redundant tech. But 15 months has gone by and I can't … [Link]

Mashable » Heat Index: Find the Right Dating Site or App for You

Saturday 5 July 11:11:36 UTC 2014

HeartsFeed-tw Feed-fbThere are 103 million unmarried adults in the U.S. How many of them do you think are single? The popularity of online dating sites suggests that figure is in the millions. According to Pew Research, one in five adults ages 25-34 have used online dating sites, while 17% of those ages 35-44 and 8% of those ages 45-54 have also tried … [Link]

Slashdot » What Came First, Black Holes Or Galaxies?

Saturday 5 July 8:52:00 UTC 2014

StartsWithABang (3485481) writes "It was one of the most hotly contested questions for decades: we first expected and then found supermassive black holes at the centers of practically all large galaxies. But how did they get there? In particular, you could imagine it happening either way: either there was this top-down scenario, where large-scale structures formed first and fragmented into … [Link]

Slashdot » In Düsseldorf, A Robot Valet Will Park Your Car

Saturday 5 July 6:08:48 UTC 2014

stephendavion (2872091) writes In Germany, high tech has come to airport parking. Last week, Düsseldorf airport (DUS) introduced robot valets to take the hassle out of parking for travelers. Travelers can leave their cars at the arrival level of the ParkingPLUS structure. As they leave, they confirm on a touch-screen that no one is in the car. The robot valet, … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » 30 Seconds of Happiness [Video]

Saturday 5 July 3:45:16 UTC 2014

A quick animation that should put you in a good mood, but don’t daydream for too long else your imagination might start playing tricks on you. Cthulhu awaits.. [ADHD] [Link]

Slashdot » Train Derailment Dumps Two 737 Fuselages Into Clark Fork River

Saturday 5 July 3:09:48 UTC 2014

McGruber (1417641) writes "Boeing builds its 737 airplane fuselages in a Wichita, Kansas factory. The fuselages are then shipped on top of railroad flatcars (as shown in this photograph) to Boeing's Renton, Washington plant, where assembly is completed. Unfortunately, a train carrying two fuselages to Renton derailed approximately 18 miles east of Superior, Montana. The 737s slid down a steep … [Link]

Slashdot » New Russian Law To Forbid Storing Russians' Data Outside the Country

Saturday 5 July 2:46:00 UTC 2014

TechWeek Europe reports that on Friday Russia's parliament passed a law "which bans online businesses from storing personal data of Russian citizens on servers located abroad[.] … According to ITAR-TAAS, the changes to existing legislation will come into effect in September 2016, and apply to email services, social networks and search engines, including the likes of Facebook and Google. Domain … [Link]

Mashable » Neymar Will Miss Rest of World Cup Due to Injury

Saturday 5 July 0:02:50 UTC 2014

NeymarFeed-tw Feed-fbFORTALEZA, Brazil — Brazil's team doctor said superstar striker Neymar will miss the rest of the World Cup after breaking a vertebrae during the team's quarterfinal win over Colombia. Neymar was kneed in the back by Colombia defender Juan Camilo Zuniga in the second half of Brazil's 2-1 quarterfinal win over Colombia on Friday. He was in tears, as he was … [Link]

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