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 » Before She Was Lauren
In April 1943, still a teenager, Lauren Bacall set out for Hollywood to pursue her dreams of becoming an actress. These experimental hair and makeup looks were for her first starring role as "Slim" in the film To Have and Have Not. This role would not only begin her career but also introduce her to “the first and most electrifying love … [Link]
Slashdot » Where are the Flying Cars? (Video; Part Two of Two)
Yesterday we ran Part One of this two-part video. This is part two. To recap yesterday's text introduction: Detroit recently hosted the North American Science Fiction Convention, drawing thousands of SF fans to see and hear a variety of talks on all sorts of topics. One of the biggest panels featured a discussion on perhaps the greatest technological disappointment of … [Link]
Mashable » Beauty Products Undergo High-Tech Makeover: Gimmick or Game Changer?
When Panasonic debuted its high-tech hair dryer at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January alongside facial-recognition TVs, tablets and cameras, the audience had a strong reaction — mostly in the form of laughter and disbelief — that a major tech company would launch a beauty product at such a high-profile tech event. Panasonic makes plenty of hair … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » Today in APIs: BitAccess Launches API Connected to BTMs
BitAccess launches API and BTMs to get Bitcoin everywhere. Facebook policy change may have big political impact. Plus: Three key elements of data quality excellence, and Kimono sets out to Api-fy the entire Internet.
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Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Guinea Pig Steampunk Wings [Pic]
Some people would ask “Why?” We would ask “Why not?” 
These aren’t for sale, but makers SkyPirate Creations have plenty of other leather steampunk items for sale at sites such as Etsy and eBay. [Link]
The Joy of Tech » JoT #2034: Drone-vertising has spin-off potential!
It’s not so wacky an idea. If you enjoyed the comic, please retweet, Like, or share the URL. Thanks! [Link]
Slashdot » Hemp Fibers Make Better Supercapacitors Than Graphene
biodata (1981610) writes "BBC News is reporting findings published in the journal ACS Nano by Dr David Mitlin from Clarkson University. Dr. Mitlin's team took waste hemp stems and recycled the material into supercapacitors with performance as good, or better, than those built from graphene, at a fraction of the raw materials cost. "We're making graphene-like materials for a thousandth … [Link]
Mashable » 5 Things You Need to Know About Police Militarization in America
After a police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, on Saturday, demonstrators took to the streets to protest. Police officers, dressed in camouflage uniforms, responded to the scene, riding armored vehicles, clutching semi-automatic rifles and covering the streets with teargas See also: Who's in Charge of Ferguson Police? The display of force quickly prompted a political debate … [Link]
Mashable » Vince Young Returns to University of Texas in Diversity Outreach Role
Former NFL quarterback Vince Young will be returning to his alma mater, but not to play as the award-winning, championship-winning team leader he once was. The University of Texas hired Young as a part of its Division of Diversity and Community Engagement on Thursday. In his new role, Young will be a development officer for the program's alumni relations, focusing on … [Link]
Mashable » Mother-Daughter Lip-Sync Will Rekindle Your 'Frozen' Heart
Here to remind you how cute a parent-child Disney sing-along can be, little Taigan and her mom lip-sync Frozen's "Love is an Open Door." Of course, mom has to lip synch Hans. Kids, right? This is just the latest reminder that the Frozen soundtrack will be sticking around in minivan CD players around the world for just a little while … [Link]
Mashable » War Vets Criticize Ferguson Police Tactics
When demonstrators took to the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, on Sunday to protest the police killing of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, they were met by heavily armed police, brandishing weapons donated by the military and taking up positions as if they were snipers in combat. But don't expect U.S. military veterans to condone what has been going on in … [Link]
Mashable » Boozy Promo for Robin Williams' Last Role Is an Odd Choice
The last live-action role that Robin Williams shot was A Merry Friggin' Christmas, a holiday comedy produced by Sycamore Pictures and distributor Entertainment One, who now are faced with the delicate task of promoting the film that comes out in November. And right off the bat, the marketing team made an odd choice by releasing a clip that shows the … [Link]
Slashdot » A Thousand Kilobots Self-Assemble Into Complex Shapes
An anonymous reader writes "Researchers at Harvard's Self-Organizing Systems Research Group—describe their thousand-robot swarm in a paper published today in Science (they actually built 1024 robots). In the past, researchers have only been able to program at most a couple hundred robots to work together. Now, these researchers have programmed the biggest robot swarm yet. Alone, the simple little robot … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Animated Adventures Of Doctor Who [Video]
Sadly this is just a concept, created by artist Stephen Bryrne, but given the range of media for previous Doctor Who spinoffs, who knows? See more at Stephen’s Facebook page. [Link]
Mashable » Iraq Prime Minister al-Maliki Gives Up Post to Rival
BAGHDAD — Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister for the past eight years, says he is relinquishing the post to fellow Dawa Party member Haider al-Abadi. Al-Maliki says his decision is based on his desire to "safeguard the high interests of the country," adding that he will not be the cause of any bloodshed. See also: How Iraq's Leader Lost Everything "I … [Link]
Mashable » Would You Pay to Watch Vimeo?
Even in the digital world, cash is king Vimeo recently lured three major YouTube stars — Joey Graceffa, ComicBookGirl19 and Taryn Southern — with the promise of money for each view See also: The Beginner's Guide to YouTube Lamarr Wilson talks gives his take in the newest episode of YouTube Weekly. BONUS: Will We EVER See YouTube Music? Have something … [Link]
Mashable » Deadly E-Cigarette Explosions Add to the Health Hazards of Vaping
Electronic cigarettes can cause deadly explosions if the wrong type of charger is used, according to recent news reports. This is just one of the unforeseen risks associated with smoking e-cigs, which is also sometimes called vaping. A 62-year-old Englishman died on Aug. 8 after an incompatible charging device led an e-cigarette to blow up, and cause the explosion of a … [Link]
Slashdot » Apple's App Store Needs a Radical Revamp; How Would You Go About It?
Nerval's Lobster (2598977) writes Given the hundreds of thousands of apps currently on offer, it's hard for any one app (no matter how well designed) to stand out on Apple's App Store, much less stay atop the bestseller charts for very long. In an August 10 blog posting, former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée offered Apple CEO Tim Cook some advice: … [Link]
Slashdot » Can Our Computers Continue To Get Smaller and More Powerful?
aarondubrow (1866212) writes In a [note, paywalled] review article in this week's issue of the journal Nature (described in a National Science Foundation press release), Igor Markov of the University of Michigan/Google reviews limiting factors in the development of computing systems to help determine what is achievable, in principle and in practice, using today's and emerging technologies. "Understanding these important … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Leaked Millennium Falcon Pics Look Familiar [Pic]
A French Star Wars enthusiast site has published what it claims are leaked pictures (via an unnamed Facebook account) of the Millennium Falcon set from the filming of Episode VII. There’s not a great deal to see, but perhaps reassuringly it looks very true to the interior we know and love from the previous movies. 
[Three more pics at MintInBox.net] … [Link]
Mashable » First Wearable Device for Seniors Keeps Tabs on Their Health
Most fitness trackers monitor the habits of relatively self-aware, healthy individuals — those looking to lose weight or hit a steps goal each day — but a new device intended for seniors keeps tabs on how they're doing and alerts caregivers when something might be wrong. Tempo, by CarePredict, is a wristband tracker that doubles as a watch and logs the … [Link]
Mashable » Ferrari GTO Could Become World's Most Expensive Car
Bonhams is set to auction off this 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, and it is almost guaranteed to be the most anyone has ever paid for a car. See also: Mercedes, Ferrari and Volvo to Debut Apple In-Car System, Report Says Auction estimates put the final hammer price as high as $75 million, according to Hagerty Group, and rightfully so given that … [Link]
Mashable » Infamous Pro-Russian Rebel Commander Steps Down in Ukraine
DONETSK, Ukraine – Strelkov is out. The military commander of Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine, who ordered the executions of at least three men by firing squad and boasted on social media about shooting Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 out of the sky, resigned on Thursday, according to the news agency of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s republic (DNR) See also: Soot-Stained Documents … [Link]
ProgrammableWeb.com » BalaBit Releases syslog-ng Premium Edition
BalaBit, a log management and advanced monitoring solution provider, has released syslog-ng Premium Edition version 5F1 for general availability. Included in the host of features offered in the new release is a new API. The API allows users to access log messages from remote applications.
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Mashable » California Drought Is Worst Since at Least 1895, Data Shows
California is in deep, deep trouble when it comes to heat, drought, wildfires and water resources. The state is on track to have, by far, its warmest year on record, and the combination of heat and record dry weather has put the majority of the state in the most severe drought conditions on the scale As of Aug. 14, 82% of … [Link]
Mashable » Dancing Baby Groot Is Online. Thank You, 'Guardians of the Galaxy'
If you saw Guardians of the Galaxy, you already know that the first post-credits stinger — in which a re-growing Groot dances in his baby pot while Drax cleans his knife and the Jackson 5 sing "I Want You Back" — was the most irresistible 40 seconds of cinema this summer. If you didn't see Guardians of the Galaxy, what is … [Link]
Mashable » Pizza and Other Weird Things to Come Out of Vending Machines
Vending machines are meant to make life simpler, but most of the time they just make life weirder An Australian company has apparently decided that chips and chocolate are not hitting the spot, so they decided to shove a pizza in a vending machine to see what happens. Cooking a pizza in a vending machine sounds like a disaster waiting to … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » He Looks So Perfect [Gaming Parody Song]
We’ve all heard the complaints about the unlikely physique of Lara Croft, but there are certainly plenty of male characters with the type of body you rarely see walking down the street. That’s a topic addressed in this parody of the 5 Seconds of Summer song “She Looks So Perfect.” [Link]
New Scientist – News » Esports: Live from the world's biggest esports event
Mark Harris sees adoring crowds, fire jets and glitter bombs usher in the finalists at the world's most prestigious esports tournament 
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Mashable » Here's How to Turn Off Notifications in Facebook Messenger
So, you've given in and downloaded Facebook Messenger. But, as many users are just finding out, the notifications in Facebook Messenger work a little differently than how messages worked in the main Facebook app. See also: Don't Freak Out About the Facebook Messenger App One of users' biggest complaints with the app seems to be with the app's notifications, which are … [Link]
Slashdot » Google Expands Safe Browsing To Block Unwanted Downloads
An anonymous reader writes "Google today announced it is expanding its Safe Browsing service to protect users against malware that makes unexpected changes to your computer. Google says it will show a warning in Chrome whenever an attempt is made to trick you into downloading and installing such software. In the case of malware, PUA stands for Potentially Unwanted Application, … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Toilet to tap: Drinking water at the press of a flush
Water grids are ruinously expensive to build and maintain. Treating wastewater in the home is a practical alternative – if we can get over the yuck factor (full text available to subscribers) 
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Mashable » 5 Tweaks to Your Website That Could Increase Sales 300%
This article is part of SWOT Team, a new series on Mashable that features insights from leaders in marketing, brand-building and public relations. A company website is a must-have in today’s Internet-driven economy. But while most companies have a website, few use them to their full potential to drive sales and revenue. That’s a shame, because websites are often a major … [Link]
Mashable » Motorola Sends Out Launch Event Invites, Probably for Moto 360
Motorola will be holding a launch event — presumably for its Moto 360 smartwatch — early next month. Motorola sent out press invites teasing a "Moto Launch Experience" that will be held in Chicago on Sept. 4. Of all the Android Wear devices shown off at Google I/O, the Moto 360 is the device that has the most buzz, thanks to … [Link]
Mashable » Robin Williams Was in Early Stages of Parkinson's Disease, His Wife Says
Robin Williams was in the early stages of Parkinson's Disease — but was not ready to share that information publicly — when he took his own life, his wife said Thursday in a statement, adding that he died with his sobriety "intact." Parkinson's is a degenerative central nervous system disorder that causes tremors, stiffness and slowing of movement over time. Severe depression … [Link]
Mashable » Parrot’s New MiniDrones Are an Entertaining But Mixed Bag
Right now, I’d like to be flying and rolling the quite entertaining Parrot MiniDrones around the office, but I can’t. They’re busy getting a recharge. When you’re using the $159, Jumping Sumo or $99 Rolling Spider MiniDrones, it’s easy to forget all the time you’ll spend waiting for them to recharge. Even with a spare battery, 8 minutes of battery life … [Link]
Slashdot » DARPA Uses Preteen Gamers To Beta Test Tomorrow's Military Software
Daniel_Stuckey writes with a story about an interesting (or, you might think, creepy) institution at the University of Washington's Seattle campus. It's the Center for Game Science, a research lab that makes educational video games for children, and that received the bulk of its funding from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the wing of the U.S. Department of Defense … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Watch a swarm of 1000 mini-robots assemble into shapes
The world's largest robotic swarm can autonomously form complex 2D shapes like stars or letters of the alphabet 
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New Scientist – News » Stardust team reveals first specks of interstellar dust
The NASA spacecraft caught seven grains of dust that probably originated beyond our solar system – and now scientists have analysed them on Earth 
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Mashable » 'Godzilla' to Reawaken After a Four-Year Nap
How long does it take to recover from fighting and killing not one, but two giant, nasty M.U.T.O.s (Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organism)? Four long years And you thought your after-work nap was epic. SEE ALSO: 'Godzilla 2' Will Bring More Classic Kaiju Monsters: Mothra, Ghidora, Rodan Godzilla made $507 million for saving the world from destructive Kaiju this summer, so Warner … [Link]
Mashable » Who's in Charge of Ferguson Police?
UPDATED, 6 p.m. ET After days of violent clashes between heavily armed police and people protesting the police killing of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, Gov. Jay Nixon pulled St. Louis County police out of the city and replaced them with the Missouri highway patrol. Clay: "The gov. just called me and he's on his way to St. Louis … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Tattoo Turns Sweat Into Electricity
A Californian professor has designed a “tattoo” that can turn sweat into electricity. But there’s still a lot of work before it becomes a practical form of charger. Dr Wenzhao Jia of the University of California, San Diego, was originally working on a device to monitor lactate levels, designed for use by athletes in training. The BBC notes that she … [Link]
Mashable » 'Space Shuttle' Now Back on Top of a Boeing 747, Permanently
It’s the way many Americans first saw NASA's space shuttle Endeavor: riding on the back of a specially-equipped Boeing 747. Now they can see that pairing again — permanently — at Houston Space Center in Texas. On Thursday, a life-size shuttle replica, christened the Independence, was carefully lowered onto the back of SCA-905, the iconic space shuttle aircraft that flew the … [Link]
Mashable » Mother Finds Beautiful Way to Better Represent Disabilities in Advertising
Despite growing diversity in advertisements, Katie Driscoll noticed that people with disabilities are still widely unrepresented The message was personal for Driscoll, a mother of six from Palos Park, Illinois. Her youngest child and only daughter, Grace, has Down syndrome. "People with disabilities should have the opportunity to be represented," Driscoll told Mashable. "They and their families are consumers as well." … [Link]
Mashable » Obama: 'No Excuse for Police to Use Excessive Force Against Peaceful Protests'
President Obama on Thursday addressed the "violent turn" of events in Ferguson, Missouri, saying there was "no excuse" for violence against police or excessive use of force against protesters. His remarks came amid rising anger over the shooting of an unarmed black teenager and the police response to the ensuing demonstrations. "I know that many Americans have been deeply disturbed by … [Link]
Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: Should You Invest In Documentation, Or UX?
New submitter fpodoo writes "We are going to launch a new version of Odoo, the open source business apps suite. Once a year we release a new version and all the documentation has to be rewritten, as the software evolves a lot. It's a huge effort (~1000 pages, 250 apps) and it feels like we are building on quicksand. I … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Will death of Robin Williams herald spike in suicides?
Copycat deaths are likely in the wake of the suicide of Robin Williams. More restrained reporting could help, says Steven Stack 
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Mashable » Watch Surgery on the Oculus Rift, But Maybe Do It After Lunch
While the early prototype Oculus Rift headsets may have given some an upset stomach, a new virtual reality demo is taking queasyness to a new level. Surgeons in France filmed a hip replacement operation and then turned it into a virtual reality video experience that can be downloaded for the Rift. The experiment is eventually meant to be a teaching tool. … [Link]
Mashable » Malaysia Airlines Steward Accused of Sexually Assaulting Passenger
A woman claims she was sexually assaulted by a crew member on board a Malaysia Airlines flight. On Aug. 4, the female passenger was flying on MH20 from Kuala Lumpur to Paris when she expressed her concerns to the crew about flying with the airline due to the its involvement in two air disasters. To help calm her nerves, a steward … [Link]
Mashable » Researchers Say They Can Charge a Phone With Ambient Sound
A new smartphone prototype can be charged by ambient sound, such as cheers from a football field or chatter from a coffee shop — though don't expect to cut your charging cable anytime soon. Scientists from Queen Mary University of London and researchers at Nokia built a mobile device that can be refueled when everyday background noise, including traffic and music, … [Link]
Mashable » Submit to the Mashies Before Friday
The Mashies deadline is quickly approaching. The regular submission period will end this Friday, Aug. 15 The Mashies is Mashable’s digital marketing and advertising awards program celebrating creativity and innovation by brands and agencies. We’re accepting entries in categories like “Best Use of Twitter,” “Best Small Digital Agency,” “Best Viral Video” and more. Entries are judged by a jury of advertising … [Link]
Mashable » Whisper Steps Up Efforts to Fight Mental Illness
Anonymous social network Whisper is known for being, well, anonymous. But now the company is undertaking a new effort to reach its most troubled users. Whisper is adding user-created videos to its nonprofit arm, Your Voice, with the hope it will help inspire users who are struggling to deal with mental illness and other issues many of its young users face. … [Link]
Slashdot » Microsoft Black Tuesday Patches Bring Blue Screens of Death
snydeq (1272828) writes "Two of Microsoft's kernel-mode driver updates — which often cause problems — are triggering a BSOD error message on some Windows systems, InfoWorld reports. 'Details at this point are sparse, but it looks like three different patches from this week's Black Tuesday crop are causing Blue Screens with a Stop 0x50 error on some systems. If you're … [Link]
Mashable » Berlin Bans Uber Services, But Uber Keeps Operating
Uber just hit another speed bump on its route to global dominance. Berlin's state department for civil and regulatory affairs announced Wednesday that it has placed a prohibition order on multiple Uber services in the city, including UberBLACK and UberPOP See also: The Driverless Car Tipping Point Is Coming Soon In its statement, the organization says Uber's drivers haven't received the … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Homemade Dancing Baby Groot [Video]
Guardians of the Galaxy fan Patrick Delahanty didn’t wait for the seemingly inevitable official merchandising to get his own dancing baby Groot: I made this using a “Movin’ & Groovin’” flower I got from eBay, cut off the dumb daisy, and covered the stem on felt and twine. My fiancee sculpted the head from Model Magic. We then painted everything … [Link]
Mashable » 7 Scientific Reasons You Should Never Have Sex With a Shark
There’s a reason marine biologists don't like to talk about it: Sex is one aspect of a shark's life that cannot be sugarcoated These terrors of the deep have vicious and brutal sex lives that pale in comparison to most mammalian sexual behaviors. The scientific truth of shark sex is not pretty and even harder to stomach — yet oddly fascinating … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Today on New Scientist
All the latest on newscientist.com: mysterious magnetic monopoles, huge Chilean quake to come, Rosetta's promise, esports superstar, malaria and more 
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Mashable » Michael Dell and Robert Safian Will Speak at Social Good Summit
Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Inc., is officially joining the 2014 Social Good Summit speaker roster. As a leading entrepreneur and businessman in tech, as well as the United Nations Foundation’s global advocate for entrepreneurship, Dell will share his perspectives on the impact of information technology and what it means to run a business. Having founded Dell Inc. at … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Esports: See the greatest moment in pro gaming history
Japanese competitor Daigo Umehara pulled off an incredible series of moves in a now-legendary esports Street Fighter III match in 2004 
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Mashable » VMAs Adds New Category for Lyric Videos: MTV's 5 Inaugural Nominees
Lyrics videos will get some time to shine at the MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 24. MTV has added a new category — Best Lyric Video — and Mashable has learned which five videos are the category's inaugural nominees (see them below). See also: 10 Stunning Music Videos Ignored for MTV VMA Nominations "Lyrics are as important to music fans … [Link]
Slashdot » Interviews: Ask Bjarne Stroustrup About Programming and C++
In addition to being the creator of C++, Bjarne Stroustrup is a Managing Director in the technology division of Morgan Stanley, a Visiting Professor in Computer Science at Columbia University, and a Distinguished Research Professor in Computer Science at Texas A&M University. Bjarne has written a number of books and was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering. … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Meet LA's wildest night stalker – it wants fresh blood
This ferocious feline isn't stalking the savannah, as you might expect: it's prowling Malibu Creek State Park, a stone's throw from Los Angeles 
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Mashable » 5 Upcoming Events To Re-Engage You With Your Work
The Mashable Events Board is a great place to find leading conferences in your industry, whether it's advertising, technology, media or public relations. This week we're highlighting five events that we think can help move your career forward. If you don't find something below that's right for you, check out the dozens of event listings on our board. You can sort … [Link]
Slashdot » How to Maintain Lab Safety While Making Viruses Deadlier
Lasrick (2629253) writes "A scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison published an article in June revealing that he had taken genes from the deadly human 1918 Spanish Flu and inserted them into the H5N1 avian flu to make a new virus—one which was both far deadlier and far more capable of spreading than the original avian strain. In July it … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Fangirl In Her Natural Habitat [Narrated by David Attenborough]
Great editing here, though we can’t wait for a sequel looking at the tedious sniping of the greater spotted fanboi. [Ali Jardz] For the editing nerds among us, Ali has also put together a playlist covering the original Attenborough footage he used for the audio. [Link]
Mashable » Ew, Taylor Swift Plays 'Show and Tell' With Jimmy Fallon
A geeked-out Taylor Swift fulfilled one of her dreams and starred in Jimmy Fallon's reoccurring "Ew!" skit on The Tonight Show Wednesday. After ditching her braces and triple-pigtail-hairdo, Swift sat down with Fallon to talk about her gnarly glue gun scar, and confirmed her performance at the upcoming 2014 MTV Video Music Awards on August 24. Despite Fallon's valiant attempt, … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Smarter buildings through data tracking
Buildings, like people, can benefit from lessons built up over time. Just as Amazon.com recommends books based on purchasing patterns or doctors recommend behavior change based on what they’ve learned by tracking thousands of people, a service such as Clockworks … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Rosetta probe poised to touch and taste a comet
Now that it has finally reached comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the Rosetta spacecraft is ready to help tackle the question of how Earth got its oceans 
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Mashable » Pilot Lands Plane After Prosthetic Arm Falls Off Controls
A commercial pilot with a prosthetic arm momentarily lost control while landing his aircraft in Belfast, Ireland, when his prosthetic arm fell off the controls. The 46-year-old senior captain was making a "flare maneuver" to level the plane right before touching down at the Belfast City Airport on Feb. 12, when "his prosthetic limb became detached from the yoke clamp, depriving … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Blood test identifies people with resistant malaria
Malaria parasites are mutating to resist artemisinin, our most potent antimalarial drug. A new blood test could help build a firewall to stop its spread 
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Slashdot » Transparent Fish Lead to Stem Cell Research Breakthrough
brindafella (702231) writes Australian scientists have accidentally made one of the most significant discoveries in stem cell research, by studying the transparent embryos of Zebrafish (Danio rerio). The fish can be photographed and their development studied over time, and the movies can be played backwards, to track back from key developmental stages to find the stem cell basis for various … [Link]
Mashable » Russian Prime Minister's Twitter Account Gets Hacked
Someone hacked the Twitter account of Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday, posting a series of fake messages including a resignation announcement. "I am resigning. I am ashamed of the actions of the government. Forgive me," read the first tweet, according to The Interpreter. The tweets are now gone. But whoever hacked the account had control of the account for … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Robin Williams To Become WoW NPC
Blizzard has confirmed it will meet a request from more than 10,000 World of Warcraft players to add the late Robin Williams as a non-player character. A petition at Change.org explained the relevance of the request: Robin Williams was not only an excellent comedian but also a game enthusiast, he said that he enjoys Warcraft III very much in an … [Link]
Mashable » Reporters in Ferguson Face Arrests, Rubber Bullets and Critics
“Ryan, tweet that they’re arresting me, tweet that they’re arresting me.” Those were the words that Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery recalled telling Huffington Post reporter Ryan Reilly as police began to place handcuffs on his wrists in a McDonalds. The two reporters had stopped in the restaurant to recharge devices while covering the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday night. … [Link]
Slashdot » The Biggest iPhone Security Risk Could Be Connecting One To a Computer
angry tapir (1463043) writes Apple has done well to insulate its iOS mobile operating system from many security issues, but a forthcoming demonstration shows it's far from perfect. Next Wednesday at the Usenix Security Symposium in San Diego, researchers with the Georgia Institute of Technology will show how iOS's Achilles' heel is exposed when devices are connected over USB to … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Amazon Deal of the Day: Save BIG on SwissGear Computer Backpacks
For today’s edition of Deal of the Day, Amazon offers some great savings on various SwissGear computer backpacks. If you’re soon getting back to school or just need a backpack to carry your laptop around, be sure to check these great deals out! [Save BIG on SwissGear Computer Backpacks] [Link]
Mashable » Live Updates on Ferguson: Police Chief Says People Allowed to 'Freely Protest'
Last update: 1:51 p.m. ET The unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, has taken a dramatic turnMashable will be updating this story throughout the day. See below for the latest. 3 things you need to know now: The unrest started on Sunday after a police officer shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was unarmed. Ferguson police, who are heavily armed and excessively … [Link]
Mashable » Mark Zuckerberg and Other Tech CEOs Pour Ice Water on Their Heads
If you've ever wanted to watch Mark Zuckerberg squirm a bit, you're in luck Facebook's CEO became the latest public figure to pour a bucket of cold water on himself this week for the Ice Bucket Challenge, a movement to raise awareness and funding ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. When one person goes through with it, he or she … [Link]
Mashable » Flipboard Will Introduce Video Ads This Year
Facebook and Twitter aren't the only companies pushing forward with video ads this year. Flipboard, a popular social news reading app, is planning to introduce video advertising in September, CEO Mike McCue announced during an appearance at a ReadWrite event in San Francisco on Wednesday night. See also: 10 Startups to Watch in 2014 The first video advertiser on the platform … [Link]
Slashdot » Ryan Lackey, Marc Rogers Reveal Inexpensive Tor Router Project At Def Con
An anonymous reader writes Ryan Lackey of CloudFlare and Marc Rogers of Lookout revealed a new OPSEC device at Def Con called PORTAL (Personal Onion Router to Assure Liberty). It "provides always-on Tor routing, as well as 'pluggable' transport for Tor that can hide the service's traffic signature from some deep packet inspection systems." In essence, PORTAL is a travel … [Link]
Slashdot » Cisco To Slash Up To 6,000 Jobs — 8% of Its Workforce — In "Reorganization"
alphadogg (971356) writes Cisco Systems will cut as many as 6,000 jobs over the next 12 months, saying it needs to shift resources to growing businesses such as cloud, software and security. The move will be a reorganization rather than a net reduction, the company said. It needs to cut jobs because the product categories where it sees the strongest … [Link]
Mashable » Last Night in Ferguson
Tear gas, rubber bullets, Molotov cocktails, tanks, heavily armed forces in camouflage — and now attempts to limit media coverage. This isn't a war zone in eastern Ukraine. This was last night on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri See also: Ferguson or Iraq? Photos Unmask the Militarization of America's Police 
A man watches as police walk through a cloud of smoke … [Link]
Slashdot » Telegram Not Dead STOP Alive, Evolving In Japan STOP
itwbennett writes Japan is one of the last countries in the world where telegrams are still widely used. A combination of traditional manners, market liberalization and innovation has kept alive this age-old form of messaging. Companies affiliated with the country's three mobile carriers, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI and SoftBank, offer telegrams, which are sent via modern server networks instead of the … [Link]
Mashable » Man Builds Cyborg Arm Out Of Legos
In June, a designer built a fully functional microscope using only parts from Lego kits. Now, a man is venturing into the robotics side of the classic children's building toy. Diavo Voltaggio — who also goes by Dave — showed off his homemade cyborg arm at Lego convention BrickFair in Chantilly, Virginia last week. The final product, which he calls Mark … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Back to School T-Shirt Super Sale – THOUSANDS of Geeky Shirts for Just $14.95
Just a quick post this morning to let you guys know about the Neatoshop’s back to school t-shirt super sale, where you can get thousands of geeky t-shirts for just $14.95. Plus, get FREE worldwide shipping when you order 4 shirts or more! Edit: Just 19 hours left at time or writing this. Here are a few of our favorites: … [Link]
Mashable » 7 Events That Led to Baby Booms
Birth rates bounce around due to a bunch of different factors, but every so often, one event can spur a baby boom. While the most famous one occurred after World War II, sharp increases in birth rates have been caused by everything from soccer games to Communist decrees. Some of these booms changed the course of a nation, while others are … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Simpsons Springfield Made In Lego
When Lego announced it was launching a series of mini figures of characters from The Simpsons, enthusiast Matt De Lanoy decided they needed an authentic home. Here’s his recreation of Springfield made entirely from Lego bricks. Check out his Flickr page for close-up photos and some of his previous Lego projects. [Link]
New Scientist – News » Esports: Meet 'Grubby', a real pro gaming superstar
Manuel Schenkhuizen unpacks life as an esports athlete, from being watched constantly by online fans to the challenge of building a decent career 
[Link]
Mashable » 20 Cool Bike Accessories to Get in Gear
Pumping those pedals is only worth it when you look good doing it. Cycling enthusiasts everywhere know that there's more to your ride than just having a good bike. Now that you've got the perfect wheels, you need some clutch accessories to kick your ride into high gear See also: 8 Excellent Bike Mounts to Hold Your iPhone Car-free living can … [Link]
Mashable » Iraqi Army, Militants Clash West of Baghdad
BAGHDAD — Clashes between Iraqi troops and Sunni militants west of Baghdad killed at least four children on Thursday as the United Nations announced its highest level of emergency for the Arab country's humanitarian crisis in the wake of the onslaught by the extremist Islamic State group. Since their blitz offensive in June, the al-Qaida-breakaway group has overrun much of Iraq's … [Link]
Mashable » 16 Hilarious Confessions About Being Fired
Image: Mashable, Isar ChangThere's no doubt that getting booted out of work is humiliating to talk about. But sometimes there are "getting fired" stories that are just too hilarious to keep secret. Social media platforms like Whisper and Reddit have become a place for people to get things off their chests. These communities allow users to anonymously share their most … [Link]
Slashdot » Giant Greek Tomb Discovered
schwit1 writes Archaeologists have uncovered the largest tomb ever discovered in Greece and think it is linked to the reign of Alexander the Great. "The tomb, dating to around 300 BC, may have held the body of one of Alexander's generals or a member of his family. It was found beneath a huge burial mound near the ancient site of … [Link]
Mashable » Couple's 'Frozen'-Themed Marriage Proposal Is an Act of True Love
She said yes — to a Frozen-themed marriage proposal The Disney movie warmed the hearts of Denver natives Brian Davis and Michelle Seguin, a couple who met in college and quickly fell in love with Frozen, as they did with each other. See also: 9 Real Architectural Wonders That Inspired Disney Movies So when the time came for Davis to pop … [Link]
O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 14 August 2014
$700 Ceramic-Spitting 3D Printer (Make Magazine) — ceramic printing is super interesting, not least because it doesn’t fill the world with plastic glitchy bobbleheads. Mathematics in the Age of the Turing Machine (Arxiv) — a survey of mathematical proofs that … [Link]
Slashdot » Gartner: Internet of Things Has Reached Hype Peak
Brandon Butler writes In the annual battle of the buzzwords, the Internet of Things has won. Each year the research firm Gartner puts out a Hype Cycle of emerging technologies, a sort of report card for various trends and buzzwords. This year, IoT tops the list. On another note, somewhat surprising is that Gartner says the "cloud computing" is not … [Link]
Mashable » MakerBot's Digital Store Now Prints Sesame Street Characters
You’ll soon be able to 3D print your own Mr. Snuffleupagus figurine. Characters from Sesame Street and Uglyverse are part of an effort by 3D printing company Makerbot to let users print out their favorite licensed characters from home. See also: Your 3D-Printed Sex Toy Is Growing Bacteria So far, only one Sesame Street character — Snuffy — is available for … [Link]
Slashdot » Soccer Talent Scouting Application Teams Up With Video Game Publisher
ClockEndGooner writes Professional club football in Europe, or soccer, as it's known here in the States, is perhaps the most expensive and costly professional team sport in the world. Yesterday, Spain's traditional powerhouse, Real Madrid, fielded a starting eleven roster that cost the club over $637 Million (£382 Million Pounds Sterling) to acquire and assemble over the past six seasons … [Link]
Mashable » To Receive Your Message, This App Makes You Travel to a Real Location
Ephemeral messaging apps like Snapchat, while often fun, can sometimes make it seem as though the sender is trying to hide something (because, often, that's exactly the point) But what if there were a way to harness the same kind of fleeting messaging dynamic in way that used your location to give the message even more meaning long after the message … [Link]
New Scientist – News » Let's rush the Ebola drug out – and be ready next time
The WHO is right to use unproven drugs against Ebola. But more dangerous novel diseases are out there, and we must be better prepared to tackle them 
[Link]
Mashable » North Korea Fires Projectiles as Pope Visits South Korea
SEOUL, South Korea — Pope Francis became the first pontiff in 25 years to visit South Korea on Thursday, bringing a message of peace and reconciliation to the war-divided peninsula. Seoul's never-timid rival, North Korea, made its presence felt by firing three short-range projectiles less than an hour before he arrived and two more a short time later, officials said. Although … [Link]
Mashable » The Night Social Media Exploded Over Ferguson
Memo to Ferguson and St. Louis PD SWAT teams: If you don't want Twitter and Facebook to turn on you pretty much en masse, follow these three simple rules. 1) Calm down; 2) step off the macho military thing; 3) by the way, don't arrest reporters The discontent had been simmering for days on social media — partly because those pictures … [Link]
New Scientist – News » UK push to put warning labels on alcoholic drinks
British parliamentarians have proposed putting warnings on drinks in a manifesto of 10 measures to tackle alcohol misuse in the UK 
[Link]
Mashable » Verne Troyer Proclaims 'Everyone Fake Cares' About Shark Week
Call him Mini Shark To observe Shark Week, Mini Me actor Verne Troyer from the Austin Powers film franchise dove into a costume that would make even the ferocious Jaws giggle See also: 12 Shark-Tastic Moments from Discovery Channel's Shark Week Event "My favorite part about Shark Week is how everyone fake cares about it," the 45-year-old funny man told Mashable, … [Link]
Mashable » 105 U.S. Banks Are Offering Pot Business Accounts
For marijuana businesses, perhaps nothing more than banking symbolizes their predicament: While a growing number of states are approving the sale of pot, marijuana is still illegal under federal law. That legal limbo has forced many businesses to operate largely on a cash-only basis because banks don’t want to take on the risk they’d bring as customers. In a speech Tuesday, … [Link]
Slashdot » Historians Rediscover Einstein's Forgotten Model of the Universe
KentuckyFC writes In 1931, after a 3- month visit to the U.S., Einstein penned a little known paper that attempted to show how his theory of general relativity could account for some of the latest scientific evidence. In particular, Einstein had met Edwin Hubble during his trip and so was aware of the latter's data indicating that the universe must … [Link]
Mashable » In Pictures, Inside the Ebola Outbreak
The Ebola virus has claimed more than 1,000 lives, radically changing life in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria. Authorities are struggling to contain the epidemic and reach patients in the face of local residents' ignorance about the disease. Some affected communities have even attacked the international health workers trying to help them. See also: What Is the Ebola Virus? … [Link]
Mashable » Geckos Can Hang on to Walls by the Stickiness of Their Toe-Hairs
Geckos are famous for their ability to scale vertical walls and even hang upside down, and now scientists understand more about how the expert climbers can pull off these gravity-defying feats: Geckos can quickly turn the stickiness of their feet on and off, a new study finds. Gecko toes are well-studied, and their sticky properties have inspired some incredible technology, such … [Link]
Mashable » Benedict Cumberbatch as 'Hamlet' Sells 100,000 Tickets in Mere Minutes
Oh, that his too, too solid fanbase would melt, thaw and resolve itself into a dew, maybe some normal people would have a chance to see Benedict Cumberbatch play Hamlet. Cumberbatch’s 12-week run as Hamlet on a London stage is nearly a year away, but it sold out in mere minutes, a feat The London Evening Standard is calling the city’s … [Link]
Slashdot » Murder Suspect Asked Siri Where To Hide a Dead Body
An anonymous reader writes A Florida man currently on trial for murder reportedly attempted to use Siri to garner ideas about where to bury the body of his dead roommate. According to police allegations, a University of Florida student named Pedro Bravo murdered his roommate via strangulation in late September of 2012 over a dispute involving Bravo's ex- girlfriend. According … [Link]
Mashable » SWAT Teams Fire Tear Gas, Flash Grenades on Ferguson Protesters
UPDATED 1:33 a.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 14 Heavily-armed SWAT officers fired on protesters after arresting and reportedly assaulting two national reporters in Ferguson, Missouri, Wednesday night Based on tweeted images and live-streamed video from the scene, combat-style SWAT teams arrived in full riot gear, training sniper rifles on the crowd, and attempted to disperse what started as a peaceful protest … [Link]
Mashable » Dreamy Pit Bull Portraits Show Softer Side of a Misunderstood Breed
The pit bull has a tough reputation— one that photographer Sophie Gamand aims to soften In "Flower Power, Pit Bulls of the Revolution," Gamand shows the dogs in a gentler, dreamier light than the harsh and violent one often portrayed. See also: Which Breed Is the Top Dog in Your Country? 
Europa is currently housed at Animal Haven. According to Gammand, … [Link]
Slashdot » Student Bookstores Beware, Amazon Comes To Purdue Campus
First time accepted submitter Kilroy1218 writes After freezing tuition past their original deadline Purdue University announced a partnership with Amazon today which aside from greatly competitive book pricing "will bring staffed customer order pickup and drop-off locations to Purdue's campus, as well as expedited shipping benefits phased in over the course of the 2014-2015 academic year." “This relationship is another … [Link]
Mashable » Eyefi Cloud Review: Online Photo Storage Made (Too) Simple
Cameras have been surprisingly slow to jump on the wireless Internet bandwagon. As we noted back in April, about 46% of standalone cameras that ship this year will come Internet-ready It’s a blindspot Eyefi — the maker of Wi-Fi SD memory cards (and used to be named "Eye-Fi") — has targeted successfully, with a line of Wi-Fi-connected SD cards that bring … [Link]
Mashable » The 6 Times Sean Bean Could've Died in TNT's 'Legends' Premiere
We’re told legends never die, but Sean Bean certainly does. The English actor is known not just for his stirring gravitas, but how he ends up dying in everything he's in. As the lead of TNT's newest show, Legends, Bean's survival throughout Wednesday night's premiere bodes well. But if Game of Thrones has taught us anything, it's to be wary, especially of the … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Jason Momoa to Play Aquaman, Will Also Get Solo Film
So, in case you missed it, back in June, Variety pretty much confirmed that Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones) would portray Aquaman in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. 
The LATEST news is this: Warner Bros. has announced that they have hired two writers — Will Beall (Gangster Squad) and Kurt Johnstad (300: Rise of an Empire) — to write … [Link]
Mashable » The Outrageous Chinese Theme Park Coming To Australia
As far as proposals for Australian tourism developments go, this one is next level A $500 million "Chinese Disneyland" is planned for the New South Wales Central Coast — and it's called Chappypie China Time See also: Australian Gold Coast Gets a Sexy Makeover in Time-Lapse Video A video proposal for the theme park, below, is like "The Sims do China" … [Link]
Mashable » Broadway's 'Aladdin' Cast Honors Robin Williams With 'Friend Like Me' Singalong
After Tuesday night's performance of the Broadway musical version of Aladdin, the cast took a moment to pay tribute to the late Robin Williams, who starred in the 1992 Disney film of the same name. James Iglehart, who won a Tony in June for his performance as the Genie, led the cast and the audience in a singalong of "Friend … [Link]
Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Humans Need Not Apply [Video]
CGP Grey, who has some great YouTube clips explaining often complex subjects, has put together a new video discussing the pros and cons of automation for human society. At 15 minutes it’s longer than his usual work, but this allows him to go into more depth and it’s certainly thought-provoking. Be sure to check out the original YouTube post for … [Link]
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