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 » Houzz Launches In Australia, Home Renovators Get Excited

Thursday 28 August 23:58:02 UTC 2014

Church-dom-marieFeed-tw Feed-fbSYDNEY — Grab your hammer. Push your grubby couch to the side. Dig up the lawn. All your home renovation dreams are about to get a lot easier. American design hub Houzz has finally washed up on Australian shores. The local version is just as sexy as its American sister, with more content to suit our ridiculously relaxed and sunshine-loving culture. … [Link]

Mashable » Google Admits Secretly Testing a Drone Delivery System in Australian Outback

Thursday 28 August 23:55:10 UTC 2014

Drone2Feed-tw Feed-fbGoogle revealed that it has been developing a drone delivery system in the Australian outback, codenamed Project Wing. Nicholas Roy, founder of Project Wing, said the tech giant has been secretly working on the project for two years at Google X, a division of Google dedicated to major technological advancements. It "resulted in a reliable system that can do autonomous delivery." … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Interview: MediaMath Opens Access to the Facebook Exchange API

Thursday 28 August 23:54:47 UTC 2014

MediaMath has opened up access to an exclusive Facebook API. MediaMath's TerminalOne API now gives its clients programmatic access to the Facebook Exchange (FBX) API. [Link]

Slashdot » Canada Tops List of Most Science-Literate Countries

Thursday 28 August 23:45:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes "A recent survey of scientific education and attitudes showed the Canadian population to have the highest level of scientific literacy in the world, as well as the fewest reservations about the direction of scientific progress (full report). A key factor is a high level of scientific knowledge among the general population (despite comparatively low numbers of … [Link]

Slashdot » Brian Stevens Resigns As Red Hat CTO

Thursday 28 August 23:03:00 UTC 2014

darthcamaro (735685) writes Since November of 2001, Brian Stevens has been the CTO of Red Hat. As of August 28, that's no longer the case. Under Stevens' tenure, Red Hat transformed its business, adding Red Hat Enterprise Linux, acquiring JBoss, Qumranet, Gluster and Ceph as well as joining (and now leading) the OpenStack Foundation. So why did he leave? No … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Ferguson protests spark calls for cops to wear cameras

Thursday 28 August 22:48:15 UTC 2014

On-body cameras mean police use less force, and a range of new apps are giving citizens new ways to hold errant police officers to account [Link]

Mashable » Take a Walk Through Burning Man After Dark

Thursday 28 August 22:25:36 UTC 2014

EmbraceFeed-tw Feed-fbBLACK ROCK CITY, NEVADA — Night is approaching. You can see it in the purpling sky and blood-red mountains, sense it in the now cooling air, smell it in the combined cooking smell of a dozen camp dinners, a smell dominated, as usual, by bacon. (Which, trust me on this, tastes a thousand times better out here in the desert than … [Link]

Slashdot » Drought Inspires a Boom In Pseudoscience, From Rain Machines To 'Water Witches'

Thursday 28 August 22:22:00 UTC 2014

merbs (2708203) writes Across drought-stricken California, farmers are desperate for water. Now, many of them are calling dowsers. These "water witches," draped in dubious pseudoscience or self-assembled mythologies—or both—typically use divining rods and some sort of practiced intuition to "find" water. The professional variety do so for a fee. And business is booming. They're just part of a storied tradition … [Link]

Mashable » Hershey's New Logo Looks a Lot Like the Poo Emoji

Thursday 28 August 22:06:45 UTC 2014

HersheysFeed-tw Feed-fbHershey’s new logo has hit the fans. Introduced internally in the spring, Hershey's on Thursday introduced its latest iteration, which strips the Hershey's Kiss of its silver foil. The result, as many were quick to note, bore a striking similarity to a pile of feces: On second thought, the new Hershey Kiss logo *does* kinda look like a steaming pile of.pic.twitter.com/wI78Bz10rP … [Link]

Mashable » 'Chariot' Is a Cheery, Cooperative Adventure Game — Featuring a Dead Father

Thursday 28 August 22:00:56 UTC 2014

Chariot-frimaFeed-tw Feed-fb For once, the princess is doing the heavy lifting Chariot is a cooperative platforming game that follows a princess and her fiancé, as they embark on a journey to find a resting place for her father, the King. Unfortunately, the King's ghost is very picky about where his body will be entombed, so the princess and her suitor must travel … [Link]

Mashable » The Game Releases 'Don't Shoot' Song to Keep Mike Brown's Memory Alive

Thursday 28 August 21:58:57 UTC 2014

Dont-shoot-thumbnailFeed-tw Feed-fb“God ain't put us on the Earth to get murdered — don't point your weapons at me." Those haunting lyrics from rapper The Game's new "Don't Shoot" song, featuring an all-star lineup, are a reminder of the shooting death of unarmed black teen Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, which spawned protests in the 18-year-old's community See also: The Children of Ferguson, … [Link]

Mashable » NFL Institutes Domestic Violence Policy After Widespread Criticism

Thursday 28 August 21:55:02 UTC 2014

Nfl_now_announcement-11Feed-tw Feed-fbAfter its discipline protocol was widely derided in recent weeks, the NFL appears to have listened. On Thursday, the league announced a new protocol for punishing instances of domestic violence. First-time domestic violence offenders now face a mandatory six-game suspension, while second offenses will bring a lifetime ban Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to NFL owners laying out a new … [Link]

Mashable » Stephen Hawking Reminds Us What Ice Bucket Challenge Is All About

Thursday 28 August 21:45:59 UTC 2014

StephenthumbFeed-tw Feed-fb For Stephen Hawking, the Ice Bucket Challenge has a grander importance The renowned author and physicist was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 21, and is nearly paralyzed as a result of living with the disease. Though he wanted to participate in the challenge, he explained in the video that it would not be in his best interest to … [Link]

Slashdot » Judge Lucy Koh Rejects Apple's Quest For Anti-Samsung Injunction

Thursday 28 August 21:39:00 UTC 2014

The Associated Press, in a story carried by The Financial Express, reports that Federal Judge Lucy Koh has has rejected Apple's attempt to block the sale of several older Samsung smartphones that copied features in the iPhone. Wednesday's rebuff comes nearly four months after a jury awarded Apple Inc. $119 million in damages for Samsung's infringements on technology used in … [Link]

Mashable » Obama on Islamic State in Syria: 'We Don't Have a Strategy Yet'

Thursday 28 August 21:30:21 UTC 2014

Obama-isis-strategyFeed-tw Feed-fbPresident Barack Obama on Thursday acknowledged the difficulty facing the United States as it grapples with the growing threat of Islamic State militants in the Middle East, saying that "we don't have a strategy yet" concerning military action against the fighters in Syria. Obama was in the middle of a wide-ranging press conference that also covered the economy and the escalating … [Link]

Mashable » President Obama Rocked a Tan Suit, So Twitter Went Nuts

Thursday 28 August 21:23:15 UTC 2014

Obama-tan-suitFeed-tw Feed-fbPresident Obama, likely knowing full well that stricter fashion rules go into place following Labor Day, wore a tan suit to a press conference on Thursday. The typically navy-blue clad POTUS' fashion choice shocked Twitter, and naturally, they reacted en masse. The #tansuit hashtag quickly began trending in Washington, D.C. See also: 53 GIFs to Celebrate Barack Obama's 53rd Birthday Has … [Link]

Mashable » Watch Venus Williams Play a Game of Tennis in Hyperlapse

Thursday 28 August 21:17:49 UTC 2014

Venus-williamsFeed-tw Feed-fb Shots of bridges and ferries are cool and all — but we think the real use case for Instagram's new Hyperlapse app might just be sports. At the US Open Wednesday night, I Hyperlapsed a game between Venus Williams and Timea Bacsinszky. With a few taps, a six minute game of tennis became 30 seconds of furious back and forth … [Link]

Mashable » Tony Stewart to Race for First Time Since Hitting Driver

Thursday 28 August 20:57:45 UTC 2014

Tony-stewart1Feed-tw Feed-fbTony Stewart will return to Sprint Cup competition Sunday night at Atlanta Motor Speedway, ending a three-race hiatus after his car struck and killed a fellow driver during a dirt-track race. The three-time NASCAR champion has not raced since Aug. 9, when he hit Kevin Ward Jr. at a sprint car event in upstate New York. Stewart hastily pulled out of … [Link]

Slashdot » No, a Stolen iPod Didn't Brick Ben Eberle's Prosthetic Hand

Thursday 28 August 20:57:00 UTC 2014

New submitter willoremus writes A wounded Army vet had his $75k prosthetic hand bricked when someone stole his iPod Touch? Yeah, not so much. I'm a tech reporter for Slate.com, and a Slashdot post earlier this week prompted me to look into this story and ultimately debunk some of the key info. Sorry for self-posting, but I thought folks here … [Link]

Mashable » Recreate Your 'Friends' Fantasy by Visiting the Real-Life Central Perk

Thursday 28 August 20:42:27 UTC 2014

Central-perkFeed-tw Feed-fbIs your job a joke? You're broke? Your love life's D.O.A.? If it hasn't been your day, your week, your month or even your year, don't worry — this pop-up shop will be there for you In honor of the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Friends (we're all old), Warner Bros. is setting up a Central Perk pop-up coffee shop … [Link]

Mashable » 7 Sins of Social Media Marketing

Thursday 28 August 20:40:33 UTC 2014

Social_mediaFeed-tw Feed-fbThis article is part of SWOT Team, a new series on Mashable that features insights from leaders in marketing, brand-building and public relations. Remember when social media was a new, unchartered territory for brands? Consumers flocked to platforms like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn overnight and marketers knew that, in order to stay relevant, they had to follow suit. Fast forward to … [Link]

Mashable » Quora Launches iPad App, Hints at Growth

Thursday 28 August 20:30:36 UTC 2014

Quora-ipad-appFeed-tw Feed-fb Quora, the Q&A website where users answer everything from requests for travel tips to philosophical queries like "Why does war exist," isn't the most widely-discussed service these days. It certainly hasn't gotten the same amount of attention as, say, Biz Stone's Q&A app Jelly But Quora is more popular than ever, its CEO insists. The company rolled out its first … [Link]

Mashable » Photographer Creates Nude Portraits, But Not in the Way You Think

Thursday 28 August 20:28:18 UTC 2014

NudeportraitsthumbFeed-tw Feed-fbThe following photos are nude portraits — except the subjects are entirely clothed. If you want to see some real nudity, you'd have to look behind the camera. Utah-based photographer Trevor Christian decided to take a fresh approach to nude portraits. Instead of his subjects stripping down, Christiansen takes their photograph while he is completely naked. See also: Artist Mixes Photo … [Link]

Mashable » Instagram Back After Experiencing 'Technical Issues'

Thursday 28 August 20:26:13 UTC 2014

Instagram-6Feed-tw Feed-fbInstagram’s app and website are back up, following a two hour-outage, an Instagram spokesperson confirmed. The company did not reveal what caused the disruption, which left the service's app and website unusable for most users Thursday afternoon. See also: 12 Facebook Statuses You Need to Retire Earlier, in a tweet that has since been deleted, the company said it was aware … [Link]

Mashable » 50 States and 500 People in 1,000 Days: Entrepreneur Helps Americans Overcome Recession

Thursday 28 August 20:23:58 UTC 2014

Mgm_7793web-11Feed-tw Feed-fbOn January 5, 2011, Greg Hartle stood in the pouring rain near Pike Place Market in Seattle, drenched and alone. Though he intended to travel across the country and inspire hundreds of Americans who'd lost their jobs in the Recession to reinvent themselves, Hartle, two hours into his journey, was the one who needed some encouragement. See also: Choose Your Next … [Link]

Slashdot » State of the GitHub: Chris Kelly Does the Numbers

Thursday 28 August 20:16:00 UTC 2014

I talked with Chris Kelly of GitHub at last week's LinuxCon about GitHub. He's got interesting things to say about the demographics and language choices on what has become in short order (just six years) one of the largest repositories of code in the world, and one with an increasingly sophisticated front-end, and several million users. Not all of the … [Link]

Mashable » Prank Phone Call Captured on Twitch Results in Dramatic On-Camera Arrest

Thursday 28 August 20:10:45 UTC 2014

Swat-team-gamers-01Feed-tw Feed-fb A prank phone call to police sent SWAT teams bursting through the doors of a Colorado office Wednesday, all of which was captured in an online stream on Twitch. Those detained were not engaged in a standoff, as the caller claimed, but were instead playing Counter-Strike and streaming it online for their fans. This unfortunately common prank, called swatting, has … [Link]

New Scientist – News » 3D-printed books make pictures real for blind children

Thursday 28 August 20:00:00 UTC 2014

Children's classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar have come to life for visually impaired children thanks to 3D-printed Braille text and tactile pictures [Link]

Mashable » $1 Will Buy You Free Taco Bell for Life — If It's the Right Dollar

Thursday 28 August 19:46:37 UTC 2014

Dollar_billFeed-tw Feed-fb It’s a simple idea that is likely to make Americans double-check their pockets: Taco Bell launched a campaign this week in which anyone who finds one of 11 specific $1 bills can win a $10,000 gift card. The brand is touting it as “a lifetime of free Taco Bell," which is based on average consumption ($216 per year) for 46 … [Link]

Slashdot » PHP 5.6.0 Released

Thursday 28 August 19:34:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes The PHP team has announced the release of PHP 5.6.0. New features include constant scalar expressions, exponentiation using the ** operator, function and constant importing with the use keyword, support for file uploads larger than 2 GB, and phpdbg as an interactive integrated debugger SAPI. The team also notes important changes affecting compatibility. For example: "Array … [Link]

New Scientist – News » A to zinc: What supplements are worth taking?

Thursday 28 August 19:30:00 UTC 2014

Vitamins, minerals, fish oils… the list of nutritional supplements you can buy keeps growing. Some are worth it, some aren't. We sift the evidence for you (full text available to subscribers) [Link]

Mashable » American Teen Detained in Israel to be Released After Two Months

Thursday 28 August 19:29:22 UTC 2014

Gaza_protestFeed-tw Feed-fbAn American citizen who has been detained in an Israeli prison since his arrest nearly two months ago will be released on Monday, his lawyer told Mashable Muhamed Abu Nie, 15, was arrested on July 3 during protests that erupted in East Jerusalem after the murder of a 16-year-old Palestinian boy. The teen, who has dual American and Palestinian citizenship, was … [Link]

Mashable » Mashies Late-Entry Deadline Extended to September 5

Thursday 28 August 19:23:34 UTC 2014

Mashies-late-entryFeed-tw Feed-fbLast year's Mashies awards program saw the most creative Vine videos and GIFs to the most innovative uses of YouTube channels and branded content series. The bar was set high in 2013, but we are expecting this year's submissions to exceed expectations. We are now accepting late-entry submissions until Friday, Sept. 5. Categories for this year's awards are expansive, including “Best … [Link]

Mashable » Putin's End-Game: Expansion or Self-Destruction?

Thursday 28 August 19:16:35 UTC 2014

Russia-ukraine-strategy-01Feed-tw Feed-fb‘You think I’m not hard enough to invade? You think I care what the West does? You’re wrong. And you need to be afraid, very afraid.' That, in essence, is the message Russian President Vladimir Putin is sending to Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko by brazenly pushing Russian troops into Ukraine proper See also: Vladimir Putin's Distorted Reality Over the last months … [Link]

Mashable » Transgender Experience Sheds Unique Light on Workplace Sexism

Thursday 28 August 19:15:20 UTC 2014

Work-place-discrimination-02Feed-tw Feed-fbFifty years after The Feminine Mystique and 40 years after Title IX, the question of why women lag in the workplace dogs researchers and lay people alike. While women are entering the professions at rates equal to men, they rise more slowly, and rarely advance to the top. They’re represented in smaller numbers at the top in fields from science to … [Link]

Mashable » Slam Trunk: Basketball-Playing Elephant Throws Down at the Zoo

Thursday 28 August 19:13:50 UTC 2014

Elephant-slam-dunkFeed-tw Feed-fb He's got game, folks. Chuck, an Asian elephant from the African Lion Safari zoo in Cambridge, Ontario, has all the makings of an NBA star, evidenced by his dunking skills in a video uploaded Monday. See also: Bear in a Hammock Gets Ready to Attack the Weekend His promising basketball skills aside, Chuck has quite the pedigree. He was born … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Blizzard Entertainment Launches New Battle.net API Site and OAuth 2.0 Support

Thursday 28 August 19:12:49 UTC 2014

Blizzard Entertainment, the developer and publisher of a variety of popular online and desktop video games, has announced the launch of a Battle.net API site with new APIs featuring OAuth 2.0 support and new interactive documentation. [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Samsung's New Watch Skips Android For Tizen

Thursday 28 August 19:12:48 UTC 2014

Samsung today announced the Gear S, a new smartwatch with impressive specs and some novel features. The device may be tempting for both consumers and developers, but Samsung's smartwatch strategy is anything but sound. [Link]

Mashable » Get to Know the World's Most Connected Man

Thursday 28 August 19:00:30 UTC 2014

Chris-dancy-hangoutFeed-tw Feed-fb The future is here, and his name is Chris Dancy Dancy, who was the subject of a recent Mashable Spotlight article, describes himself as the most connected guy in the world; he uses between 300 and 700 tracking and life logging systems at all times of day and night. See also: The Most Connected Man Is You, Just a Few … [Link]

Slashdot » The American Workday, By Profession

Thursday 28 August 18:53:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes NPR has created an interesting visualization of workday data from the American Time Survey. It shows what the typical working times are for each profession. You can see some interesting trends, like which professions distribute their work throughout the day (firefighters and police), which professions take their lunch breaks the most seriously (construction), and which professions … [Link]

Mashable » Anti-Rape Nail Polish Stumbles Into Ideological Mine Field

Thursday 28 August 18:49:34 UTC 2014

Date-rape-nail-polish-01Feed-tw Feed-fbFour undergraduate students at North Carolina State University came up with a fashionable attempt at preventing violence against women, and stumbled into a broader, fiery debate about rape and how society addresses it The students, Ankesh Madan, Tyler Confrey-Maloney, Stephen Grey and Tasso Von Windheim, created a nail polish that detects chemicals commonly used to facilitate sexual assault. To use the … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Taming of the bunny rewrote rabbit genome

Thursday 28 August 18:30:00 UTC 2014

When rabbits were domesticated, around 100 regions of their genome changed to make them less fearful, but the variations are not fixed [Link]

New Scientist – News » Moving home? Your microbes will make the trip too

Thursday 28 August 18:30:00 UTC 2014

Families have identifiable collections of microbes that travel with them. It can take just 24 hours for the microbes to take over a new house [Link]

Mashable » The Market Basket Saga Is the Feel-Good Story of the Summer

Thursday 28 August 18:29:20 UTC 2014

Arthur-tFeed-tw Feed-fbIt seems the summer has been plagued by bad news, from the worst Ebola outbreak yet to the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over Ukrainian airspace to the death of Michael Brown and the subsequent protests that filled Ferguson, Missouri Which make feel-good stories all the sweeter In June, the board of Market Basket, a chain of supermarkets spanning New … [Link]

Mashable » Toughen Up, Flyers. There's No Law Against Reclining

Thursday 28 August 18:15:52 UTC 2014

Seats2Feed-tw Feed-fb“He’s in my lap!” cried the passenger in the window seat. I looked at the woman, and then at the man who was clearly not in her lap. He was close though, about a foot away, maybe? Sorry, I mouthed. I handed her a can of Diet Coke and a cup of ice and communicated to her in words I knew … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » If You’re Going to Dress Like Batgirl, Do It Right [COMIC]

Thursday 28 August 18:14:01 UTC 2014

For all you awesome dads out there! (Comic by Chris Hallbeck / Maximumble) [via Fashionably Geek] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Science Behind Balancing an Object on Its Tip [Science Video]

Thursday 28 August 18:14:00 UTC 2014

Watch as Minute Physics explains the science behind balancing an object on its tip. The math behind the whole thing is really complex. Check it out! [Minute Physics] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Hamster Wheel Desk [Video]

Thursday 28 August 18:13:59 UTC 2014

I use my fitdesk all the time, but this hamster wheel desk is a worthy alternative! [Source: robbrobb on Instagram | Via] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Nerf Star Wars: Office Jedi [Video]

Thursday 28 August 18:13:58 UTC 2014

I want to work there! 🙂 [The Warp Zone] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » You Can’t Have Your Groot and Eat it Too [Pic]

Thursday 28 August 18:13:57 UTC 2014

grootcake1 This incredibly realistic-looking Groot cake was made by Tattooed Bakers using edible bark covering a chocolate cake. Om nom nom nom. [Source: Tattooed Bakers | Via TN] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Hardest Thing About Getting Older [Comic]

Thursday 28 August 18:13:56 UTC 2014

[Source: Twisted Doodles | @Twisteddoodles on Twitter | Twisteddoodles on Facebook | Via NA] [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Cops Called Over Global Thermonuclear War Game

Thursday 28 August 18:13:55 UTC 2014

A British games developer was reported to police after a visitor to his home saw plans for a game titled “Global Thermonuclear War.” The Guardian reports that Henry Smith had used whiteboards to make crude diagrams of the game, which will be an online multiplayer experience based around Google Maps. Following a visit by a letting agent (who deals with … [Link]

Slashdot » Mozilla Rolls Out Sponsored Tiles To Firefox Nightly's New Tab Page

Thursday 28 August 18:11:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes Mozilla has rolled out directory tiles, the company's advertising experiment for its browser's new tab page, to the Firefox Nightly channel. We installed the latest browser build to give the sponsored ads a test drive. When you first launch Firefox, a message on the new tab page informs you of the following: what tiles are (with … [Link]

Mashable » Why It Matters Where Apple Launches the iPhone

Thursday 28 August 18:09:48 UTC 2014

StevejobsFeed-tw Feed-fbApple’s September event, where the company is expected to reveal the iPhone 6 and iWatch, will be held at the same venue where Steve Jobs first unveiled the Mac personal computer in 1984. Apple meticulously manages every detail when it comes to product roll outs, even down to venue choice. So the selection of the Flint Center for the Performing Arts … [Link]

Mashable » Ebola Virus Likely Entered Sierra Leone After Funeral in Guinea, Study Finds

Thursday 28 August 18:09:48 UTC 2014

Ebola-paper-deaths-01Feed-tw Feed-fbAn international team of scientists — some of whom succumbed to the virus during the course of their research — has sequenced 99 Ebola virus genomes from 78 patients in Sierra Leone, creating a valuable trove of genetic data for scientists and health care workers struggling to bring the growing outbreak under control The study increased the amount of genomic data … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Mapping the web of disease in Nairobi's invisible city

Thursday 28 August 18:05:38 UTC 2014

Peter Guest discovers how studying the way diseases jump from animals to humans sometimes means wrestling pigs in a slum that doesn't officially exist [Link]

New Scientist – News » Fossil dinosaur nursery includes babysitter's bones

Thursday 28 August 17:45:00 UTC 2014

A crèche of 30 dinosaur infants looked over by an older animal shows that even terrible lizards needed a night away from the kids [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: What Are the Best Games To Have In Your Collection?

Thursday 28 August 17:31:00 UTC 2014

SternisheFan writes: I am not a "gamer," per se. I grew up on "old school" arcade/Atari-type games. My question is: What are the very best games to own? Let's assume platform is irrelevant — any console, any computer, any operating system, any mobile device. I'd just like to know what you think are the most indispensable games to have in … [Link]

Mashable » 8 Bucket Challenges That Don't Involve Any Ice

Thursday 28 August 17:30:54 UTC 2014

Orlando-jones-bucket-challengeFeed-tw Feed-fbYou scroll through Facebook and you can't escape them. Videos of your best friend, your college roommate, your cousin crowd the page, all with the same purpose: They've accepted the Ice Bucket Challenge. Love or hate these super-soaked videos, we can't deny their effectiveness. The challenge has raised more than $80 million and counting for ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Celebrities … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Today on New Scientist

Thursday 28 August 17:30:00 UTC 2014

All the latest on newscientist.com: Death Valley's sliding stones mystery solved, forecasts with climate change blame, portrait of a quantum cat and more [Link]

Mashable » 27 People Who Can't Handle Hello Kitty Not Being a Cat

Thursday 28 August 17:20:43 UTC 2014

HellokittyFeed-tw Feed-fbBy now you've already heard the purr-turbing news that beloved character Hello Kitty is not a cat. And then you heard that she is, instead, a British schoolgirl named Kitty White, born to parents George and Mary White Then you collected the pieces of your broken childhood to learn that, while she is not a cat, she may also not be … [Link]

Mashable » Russia Invaded Ukraine, 'RT PLZ'

Thursday 28 August 17:00:17 UTC 2014

RussiainvadedukrainehashtagFeed-tw Feed-fbThis is war in the 21st century. As reports began to emerge that two columns of tanks and at least 1,000 Russian troops were rolling into southeastern Ukraine from Russia, the Ukrainians fired back Wednesday with a volley of hashtags. #UkraineUnderAttack #RussiaInvadedUkraine RT PLZ pic.twitter.com/KMM9ezqAfv — MFA of Ukraine (@MFA_Ukraine) August 27, 2014 "#UkraineUnderAttack #RussiaInvadedUkraine RT PLZ," Ukraine's foreign ministry tweeted, … [Link]

Mashable » Woman Killed By Art Car at Burning Man

Thursday 28 August 16:54:23 UTC 2014

Man1Feed-tw Feed-fbBLACK ROCK CITY, Nevada — The Burning Man festival, which attracts more than 50,000 people each year to the Nevada desert, saw its first traffic fatality in seven years early Thursday morning when a woman was struck and killed by an art car The woman's name wasn't immediately released, pending notification of her next of kin. "Black Rock rangers and emergency … [Link]

Slashdot » Russian Military Forces Have Now Invaded Ukraine

Thursday 28 August 16:49:00 UTC 2014

SpzToid (869795) writes Those plucky "Ukrainian separatist's" ambition to join Russia have now been given Russian military support, as the Russian Army with long columns of armor have invaded Ukraine and have opened up a second warring front, in a big way. The Reuters report, interestingly, quotes a member of Putin's own advisory council on human rights describing the move … [Link]

Mashable » What the World Is Doing to Fight the Islamic State

Thursday 28 August 16:47:32 UTC 2014

Islamic-state-international-effortFeed-tw Feed-fbIn recent weeks, several countries have committed to the fight against the Islamic State, the brutal militant group which has cut a bloody path through Syria and Iraq. See also: Why the Islamic State Is Scarier Than al-Qaeda in Iraq In a savage campaign, the group has executed security forces, kidnapped women and driven civilians from their homes, creating a severe … [Link]

Mashable » The Tiniest Mistake May Have Led to Nationwide Time Warner Cable Outage

Thursday 28 August 16:44:47 UTC 2014

IspFeed-tw Feed-fbAn extra zero or maybe a misplaced period — that's how small the error could be that led to a new nationwide Internet outage for Time Warner Cable customers. TWC announced on Wednesday evening that its recent issues were due to a single mistake. The company's statement is full of jargon, but take a look for yourself: See also: 9 Absolutely … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » If Characters Acted Like Their Nerdy Fans [Comic]

Thursday 28 August 16:30:16 UTC 2014

Another hilarious comic by Caldwell Tanner of College Humor. [Source: Caldwell Tanner – College Humor] [Link]

New Scientist – News » Robot frogs' sexy signals lure hungry bats to attack

Thursday 28 August 16:27:00 UTC 2014

Hunting bats don't just listen out for male frogs' mating calls: they can also use echolocation to detect when the frogs inflate their throat sacs [Link]

Mashable » Houston Astros Fan 'Dunks' the World's Worst First Pitch

Thursday 28 August 16:21:08 UTC 2014

MlbFeed-tw Feed-fbWe have a new contender for worst first pitch ever. Rapper 50 Cent has held the not-so-coveted title since his amazingly awful first pitch at a Mets game in late May. Now, an unassuming Houston Astros fan is poised to take his position. See also: Minimalist Posters of Every Major League Baseball Stadium The fan dunked the terrible first pitch at … [Link]

Mashable » Augmented Reality Is the Future of Furniture Shopping

Thursday 28 August 16:15:06 UTC 2014

Vizera-furnitureFeed-tw Feed-fbIn a darkened room in the back of a small furniture store just south of San Francisco International Airport, the couch in front of me keeps changing colors and patterns, from red to blue to beige to a gray, white, and green pattern. The couch is real — I can reach out and poke the cushions — but the psychedelic surface-shifting … [Link]

Mashable » Apple Invites Are Out: New iPhones Coming Sept. 9

Thursday 28 August 16:12:17 UTC 2014

Apple-inviteFeed-tw Feed-fbJust as expected, Apple sent out invitations on Thursday for what's presumed to be its big iPhone event of the year. The invitation, which coyly says "wish we could say more," revealed that the "exclusive event" will be held on Sept. 9 at 10 a.m. PT. It will be held at the Flint Center for the Performing Arts in Cupertino, California, … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Experiment tests whether universe is a hologram

Thursday 28 August 16:07:00 UTC 2014

A new device searching for fundamental units of space and time has officially started taking data, and could reveal new features of the nature of reality [Link]

New Scientist – News » And now the weather, featuring climate change blame

Thursday 28 August 16:00:00 UTC 2014

A new technique connecting individual weather events with the impact of greenhouse gas emissions could bring climate change into everyday weather reports [Link]

Mashable » Ice Is Coming: 'Game of Thrones' Cast Takes the Ice Bucket Challenge

Thursday 28 August 15:59:36 UTC 2014

Gameofthrones_girlsFeed-tw Feed-fbIce is coming The Game of Thrones cast has met a trend that matches their show in terms of popularity level: the ALS #IceBucketChallenge. Several cast members participated in the challenge over the past week, taking turns nominating one another and fulfilling all our Westerosi dreams See also: The 60 Best Celebrity Ice Bucket Challenge Videos Unfortunately, no one has challenged … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft Dumps 1,500 Apps From Its Windows Store

Thursday 28 August 15:58:00 UTC 2014

redletterdave writes: Microsoft announced on its Windows blog Wednesday that it's removed more than 1,500 apps from its Windows Store in a bid to clean up the store and restore trust with Windows 8 and Windows Phone users. Microsoft's new certification process, in particular, asks for clear and accurate names that "reflect the functionality of the app," more accurate categories, … [Link]

Mashable » Joan Rivers Is Hospitalized in Critical Condition

Thursday 28 August 15:38:49 UTC 2014

Joan-rivers-hospitalizedFeed-tw Feed-fbDuring a surgical procedure on her throat at a clinic, 81-year-old Joan Rivers stopped breathing and was immediately taken to a New York City hospital, TMZ reported Monday Rivers was in critical condition, Mashable confirmed with the New York Police Department at 12:30 p.m. ET, though around the same time, Rivers' TV colleague Ken Baker tweeted that the "living legend" was … [Link]

Mashable » Why Are Armed Drones Not Being Used in Iraq?

Thursday 28 August 15:32:07 UTC 2014

Armed-droneFeed-tw Feed-fbFor years, the Obama administration's favored method to combat Al Qaeda-affiliated extremists in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia has been controversial drone programs, operated by the CIA and the Pentagon But when it comes to fighting the radical Islamic State in Iraq, the administration has seemed less reliant on missile-firing drones See also: Why the Islamic State Is Scarier Than al-Qaeda in … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » Superman (Henry Cavill) and Amy Adams Take the Ice Bucket Challenge [Video]

Thursday 28 August 15:30:40 UTC 2014

Watch as Henry Cavill and Amy Adams take the ice bucket challenge. Henry’s version of the challenge is rather more extreme than Amy’s but nowhere near as hardcore as the one from DaveHax, which you can watch at the bottom of this post. [Cruel Films | DaveHax] [Link]

Lifehacker » The Lifehacker Pack for Students

Thursday 28 August 15:30:00 UTC 2014

Every year we put together a list of our Lifehacker App packs for each operating system. In the spirit of those lists we figured it was time to put together a list for students getting ready for school. Whether you’re on Windows, Mac, Android, or iPhone, we’ve got you covered.Read more… [Link]

Mashable » Russian Airline Will Give $160,000 to the Person Who Writes Its New Jingle

Thursday 28 August 15:29:23 UTC 2014

AeroflotFeed-tw Feed-fbRussia’s state-run airline Aeroflot is offering big bucks for a new English-language jingle. A request for proposals details what the airline is looking for, offering 5.8 million Russian rubles — just a bit less than $160,000 — for the winning composition. See also: 30 Songs to Fuel Your Summer Vacation The song must include the word "Aeroflot," must not include profanity, … [Link]

Mashable » NASA Is Building 'World’s Most Powerful Rocket'

Thursday 28 August 15:18:31 UTC 2014

Nasa-rocketFeed-tw Feed-fb NASA is one step closer to building its next spaceship Officials approved the Space Launch System’s transition from the formula phase to the development phase on Wednesday. See also: Humans on Mars: Who Will Be First? NASA administrator Charles Bolden called it a "journey of scientific and human exploration that leads to Mars." The Space Launch System, or SLS, is … [Link]

Mashable » Report: iPhone 6 Will Have NFC Mobile Payment Capability

Thursday 28 August 15:18:30 UTC 2014

Iphone-6-nfc-01Feed-tw Feed-fbIs it finally time for NFC mobile payments to explode? Maybe if you trust the latest report from Wired, which claims the next version of the iPhone will come with a mobile payment platform based on near field communication. The report is scarce on the details, besides claiming the payment platform will be one of the new iPhone's most important features … [Link]

Slashdot » Anita Sarkeesian, Creator of "Tropes vs. Women," Driven From Home By Trolls

Thursday 28 August 15:17:00 UTC 2014

Sonny Yatsen writes: Anita Sarkeesian, the creator of Tropes vs. Women — a video series exploring negative tropes and misogynistic depictions of women in video games — reports that she has been driven from her home after a series of extremely violent sexual threats made against her. Her videos have previously drawn criticism from many male gamers, often coupled with … [Link]

Mashable » This Little Kid Is *Not* Happy About His Mom Having a Baby

Thursday 28 August 15:16:30 UTC 2014

Baby2Feed-tw Feed-fb Some kids are happy to hear that they will soon have new siblings. Not this one "I'm pregnant," this little boy's mother tells him. The boy quickly responds, "What were you thinking? Why do you have to get another baby? You just had two!" The adorable tot puts up a pretty good fight and brings up some valid concerns: He … [Link]

Mashable » To Kiss or Not to Kiss: How Culture Affects Business in Latin America

Thursday 28 August 15:13:33 UTC 2014

GreetingsFeed-tw Feed-fbIn Latin America, kisses on the cheek are natural, cultural accompaniments to almost all salutations and farewells Cheek kissing is a way of showing familiarity and respect, even when people are not well acquainted with each other. However, each Latin American (LatAm) country has its own particular (largely unwritten) rules of conduct when it comes to this piece of etiquette, and … [Link]

Mashable » Armed Group Detains 43 Peacekeepers in Syria

Thursday 28 August 15:11:34 UTC 2014

Un-peacekeepers-syriaFeed-tw Feed-fbUNITED NATIONS — The United Nations says 43 peacekeepers have been detained by an armed group in Syria during fighting and 81 other peacekeepers are trapped. The office of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the peacekeepers were detained early Thursday on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights during a "period of increased fighting between armed elements and the Syrian Arab … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Your death microbiome could catch your killer

Thursday 28 August 15:06:00 UTC 2014

Identity, time of death, cause of death, even whether a corpse has been moved – the body's trillions of microbes could reveal it all [Link]

Slashdot » Death Valley's Sailing Stones Caught In the Act

Thursday 28 August 14:59:00 UTC 2014

Capt.Albatross (1301561) writes "The flat surface of the Racetrack Playa in Death Valley is littered with rocks, some weighing hundreds of kilograms, each at the end of a track indicating that it has somehow slid across the surface. The mechanism behind this has been the subject of much speculation but little evidence, until a trio of scientists caught them in … [Link]

Mashable » Microsoft to Update OneDrive Apps, Unifying Business and Personal Files

Thursday 28 August 14:53:43 UTC 2014

One_driveFeed-tw Feed-fbMicrosoft is making it easier for mobile users of its OneDrive cloud storage platform to access both business and personal files simultaneously. The company plans to roll out improvements to its OneDrive app on Android, iOS and Windows Phone on Thursday. See also: 8 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do With Google Drive The biggest updates will be to OneDrive's … [Link]

Mashable » Taylor Swift is Not Going to Age Well

Thursday 28 August 14:53:39 UTC 2014

Mm070_celeboldifyFeed-tw Feed-fb Not everyone's Paul Rudd — that is to say, not all of us are going to age well A new app called Oldify lets you "age" certain photos and take a disturbing glance into the future. Results are not always pretty. See also: Taylor Swift's 10 Best Dance Moves at the VMAs Elliott gives his take on it in the … [Link]

Slashdot » Research Shows RISC vs. CISC Doesn't Matter

Thursday 28 August 14:37:00 UTC 2014

fsterman writes The power advantages brought by the RISC instruction sets used in Power and ARM chips is often pitted against the X86's efficiencies of scale. It's difficult to assess how much the difference between instruction sets matter because teasing out the theoretical efficiency of an ISA from the proficiency of a chip's design team, technical expertise of its manufacturer, … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » These Star Wars: Episode 7 Fan Posters Are Insanely Good [Pics]

Thursday 28 August 14:30:15 UTC 2014

These fan-made Star Wars Episode 7 posters by Deviant art user AndrewSS7 are probably the best posters you’ll see until the official ones come out, and even when they do, these might still be superior. [Source: AndrewSS7 | Via IO9] [Link]

Mashable » Leap Motion Dives Into Virtual Reality

Thursday 28 August 14:30:03 UTC 2014

LeapFeed-tw Feed-fbLeap Motion has continued to improve the software on its gesture-based controller, which allows you to interact with computers purely through hand motions, by adding more accurate and responsive hand tracking. Now, the company is using those improvements to propel itself into a new category: virtual reality Leap Motion unveiled new hardware and software updates Thursday that allow the motion controller … [Link]

Slashdot » Google Wins $1.3 Million From Patent Troll

Thursday 28 August 13:55:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes Earlier this year, Google sued Beneficial Innovations for breach of contract, ostensibly in defense of its Doubleclick ad technology clients against whom Beneficial Innovations had filed suits despite Google having already paid licensing fees for the technology. Following Google's jury trial win, the company was originally awarded only 'nominal damages of $1 and a judicial order … [Link]

Mashable » Jimmy Kimmel Got the 'Friends' Gang Back Together

Thursday 28 August 13:24:24 UTC 2014

Friendsreunion_thumbFeed-tw Feed-fb Jimmy Kimmel — like the majority of the world — is a major Friends fan Apparently, he has spent the past 10 years since the show went off the air writing fan fiction about Rachel, Phoebe and Monica. And on Wednesday's show, he got to perform it alongside the actual Friends cast After roping Jennifer Aniston into a scene about … [Link]

Mashable » Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Wed in Secret Ceremony

Thursday 28 August 13:15:29 UTC 2014

Pitt-jolieFeed-tw Feed-fbAngelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were married Saturday, in Chateau Miraval in France, a spokesman for the couple said Thursday They wed in a small, nondenominational ceremony attended just by friends and family. Jolie and Pitt obtained a marriage license from a California judge, who also presided over the ceremony in France, the AP reports See also: Angelina Jolie Hilariously Legbombs … [Link]

Slashdot » FBI Investigates 'Sophisticated' Cyber Attack On JP Morgan, 4 More US Banks

Thursday 28 August 13:14:00 UTC 2014

Bruce66423 writes with news of an electronic attack believed to affect at least five U.S. banking institutions this month, including JP Morgan, now being investigated by the FBI. According to the Independent, The attack on JP Morgan reportedly resulted in the loss of “gigabytes of sensitive data” that could have involved customer and employee information. It is said to have … [Link]

Mashable » 19 Ways the Sushi Obsession Has Gone Too Far

Thursday 28 August 13:00:37 UTC 2014

SushiFeed-tw Feed-fbListen people, this is an intervention. Your addiction to sushi is out of control. We know, the Japanese dish is delicious. With countless varieties and combinations, it's hard to put the chopsticks and ginger down. See also: Creative Mom Turns Bento Boxes Into Geography Lessons But sushi enthusiasts have taken their passion to the extreme, adapting all types of foods and … [Link]

Slashdot » Indiana University Researchers Get $1 Million Grant To Study Memes

Thursday 28 August 12:35:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes with news that the NSF has just awarded a group of researchers a grant to study the life cycle of memes. "Indiana University is receiving nearly $1 million in federal grant money to investigate the genesis, spread, and demise of Internet memes. The grant from the National Science Foundation awards four Indiana researchers $919,917 to for … [Link]

Mashable » The 10 Most Valuable 'Antiques Roadshow' Items

Thursday 28 August 12:31:31 UTC 2014

Appraisal2_2Feed-tw Feed-fbDigging up forgotten treasure in grandma's dusty attic sounds like a tale too good to be true But for some, that dream has become a reality. The popular PBS television series Antiques Roadshow has earned some local antique owners a small fortune. From art to toys to clothes, people bring in all sorts of goodies to be professionally appraised by experts. … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » Four short links: 28 August 2014

Thursday 28 August 12:29:27 UTC 2014

PlotDevice — A Python-based graphics language for designers, developers, and tinkerers. More in the easy-to-get-started + visual realm, like Processing. (via Andy Baio) Scumblr and Sketchy Search — Netflix open sourcing some scraping, screenshot, and workflow tools their security team … [Link]

Mashable » When to Say No (or Yes) to Additional Responsibilities at Work

Thursday 28 August 12:15:15 UTC 2014

Taking-on-new-tasks-01Feed-tw Feed-fbThink about your average work week: How many of your daily tasks fit into the original job description you were hired to do? Chances are that, over time, out of an eagerness to prove yourself, you’ve taken on a number of responsibilities that fall well outside the realm of your core role. But how much of this newfound accountability is contributing … [Link]

Mashable » 21 DIY Ideas for Decorating Your Classroom

Thursday 28 August 12:00:57 UTC 2014

CrayonsFeed-tw Feed-fbIt’s that time of year again, teachers. The close of summer means it's time to swap the sunshine for fluorescent lights to teach our youths See also: 19 Creative Teachers Who Deserve Extra Credit Unfortunately, your classroom might be a small disaster zone right now, and that's not a fun place to teach or learn. But there's nothing a little bit … [Link]

Mashable » Ukraine's President: 'Russian Forces Have Entered Ukraine'

Thursday 28 August 11:49:39 UTC 2014

Ukraine1Feed-tw Feed-fb“Russian forces have entered Ukraine," President Petro Poroshenko said on Thursday. Ukraine security spokesman later said two columns of tanks from Russia have entered a strategic town in the southeast. Poroshenko canceled a trip to Turkey and called an emergency meeting with the nation's security council as the strategic southeastern Ukraine town of Novoazovsk now appears firmly under the control of … [Link]

Mashable » 13 Static Site Generators to Help You Build Your Ultimate Website

Thursday 28 August 11:45:22 UTC 2014

Computer_generatorsFeed-tw Feed-fbWebsites are becoming leaner, faster and more agile, as users demand quick, seamless experiences. The solution is to utilize a lightweight, static website generator, which can make building and maintaining websites incredibly simple, as there is no database to slow requests down, and web servers automatically cache headers, reducing bandwidth usage Static sites also offer greater security, as they do not … [Link]

Mashable » Ebola Outbreak 'Could Exceed 20,000 Cases,' World Health Organization Says

Thursday 28 August 11:02:29 UTC 2014

Bruce-aylward-who-01Feed-tw Feed-fbGENEVA — The Ebola outbreak in West Africa eventually could exceed 20,000 cases, more than six times as many as are now known, the World Health Organization said Thursday. A new plan by the U.N. health agency to stop Ebola also assumes that the actual number of cases in many hard-hit areas may be two to four times higher than currently … [Link]

Mashable » Artist's Clever Life Advice Needs No Filter on Instagram

Thursday 28 August 11:00:03 UTC 2014

InstagramlifeadviceFeed-tw Feed-fbTake a break from your friends' selfies and pictures of last night's dinner Artist Amber Ibarreche uses her Instagram account to write out puns, witty sayings and sometimes a doodle or two. Her inspirational photos will not only put a smile on anyone's face, but also lend solid life advice for when you're feeling down. See also: Illustrations Show the Pun-derful … [Link]

Mashable » Microsoft Removes 1,500 Fake Apps From Windows Store

Thursday 28 August 10:45:43 UTC 2014

MicrosoftFeed-tw Feed-fbMicrosoft has announced it has revised its policies regarding "misleading" apps in Windows Store, resulting in the removal of 1,500 fake apps from the store The company modified the Windows Store app certification requirements with three key changes. First, apps need to be named in such a way to "clearly and accurately reflect the functionality of the app." Furthermore, apps need … [Link]

Mashable » David Fincher's Gap Ads Are Black and White and Enigmatic All Over

Thursday 28 August 10:30:50 UTC 2014

GapFeed-tw Feed-fbDavid Fincher, best known for his obsessive and meticulous direction of The Social Network, Zodiac and Fight Club, has helmed the latest round of ads for Gap, which are shot in black and white and strive to be enigmatic. The four ads, which roll out next week, complement a print campaign the retailer launched in mid-August themed "Dress Normal" that features … [Link]

Mashable » Qantas Airways Announces Worst Loss in History of $2.8 Billion

Thursday 28 August 10:09:50 UTC 2014

Qantas1Feed-tw Feed-fbSYDNEY — Australia's national airline, Qantas Airways Limited, has posted a devastating loss of 2.8 billion Australian dollars ($2.6 billion), reflecting a profit-draining battle with its smaller rival Virgin Australia and aircraft write downs. The loss for the financial year ended June 30 is the largest the former state-owned airline has posted in its 94-year history. It made an AU$1 million … [Link]

Mashable » Follow Peaches from Farm to Market in New York

Thursday 28 August 10:09:49 UTC 2014

Thumb-peach-sarahfisher-1Feed-tw Feed-fbEating locally and seasonally has been an ever growing idea as food has entered the cultural spotlight. Although it’s easy not to think about how your grocery store gets strawberries to sell in the middle of the winter, the trend is moving toward more conscious and concerned eaters. An hour and a half north of New York City lies Fishkill Farms. The 100-year-old family-owned … [Link]

Slashdot » Euro Bank Santander Commissions Study On Bitcoin's Impact On Banking

Thursday 28 August 10:02:00 UTC 2014

First time accepted submitter Nikkos (544004) writes Digital currency news website HashReport broke the news Monday that European megabank Santander has commissioned a study to "Analyze the impact of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies on banks and devise a strategic course of action." The study is being facilitated as a challenge through Yegii, an 'Insight Network' founded by Trond Undheim. Undheim … [Link]

Mashable » The 7 Most Worthless Things at Your Garage Sale

Thursday 28 August 9:03:31 UTC 2014

GaragesaleFeed-tw Feed-fbWhen it comes to garage sales, one person's trash is…still another person's trash Garage sales are a popular way to clean the house of unwanted items. However, because most items are used, they have to sell for incredibly cheap Lynda Hammond, the Garage Sale Gal, is a secondhand expert, selling and buying items all across the country See also: 9 Valuable … [Link]

Mashable » The Deadly Mountains: Why More Inexperienced Climbers Are Dying

Thursday 28 August 9:00:34 UTC 2014

Mont_blancFeed-tw Feed-fbTwo climbers and their guide were killed near the Aiguille du Midi peak of Mont Blanc last week, after falling an estimated 2,600 feet to their deaths on Europe's highest mountain. It was just the latest tragedy on Mount Blanc. Earlier this month, six others died when they were caught in bad weather. The number of climbers who have died or … [Link]

Slashdot » African States Aim To Improve Internet Interconnections

Thursday 28 August 8:44:00 UTC 2014

jfruh writes A rapidly growing percentage of Africans have access to the Internet — and yet most of the content they access, even things aimed specifically at an African audience, is hosted on servers elsewhere. The reason is a bewildering array of laws in different nations that make cross-border cooperation a headache, a marked contrast to places like Europe with … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Europe launches two satellites into wrong orbit

Thursday 28 August 8:05:09 UTC 2014

Two satellites destined for the Galileo global positioning network may have to burn most of their fuel to get back into formation, or be replaced [Link]

Slashdot » Fake NVIDIA Graphics Cards Show Up In Germany

Thursday 28 August 7:37:00 UTC 2014

An anonymous reader writes "Several fake NVIDIA cards — probably GeForce GT 440 — have had their BIOS reflashed to report themselves as GeForce GTX 660. They were sold under the brand "GTX660 4096MB Nvidia Bulk" but only deliver 1/4 of the speed of a real GTX 660. Investigations are ongoing into who did the reflashing, but several hundred of … [Link]

Mashable » Picdeck Is Like TweetDeck for Your Instagram Feed

Thursday 28 August 6:00:20 UTC 2014

PicdeckFeed-tw Feed-fbOne of the great things about Twitter is that there are dozens of third-party apps, such as Tweetdeck, which enable you to organize and sort your timeline into multiple feeds. This way, you can keep a close eye on specific users, groups or topics in real-time. Instagram's power users, however, haven't had the same ecosystem of tools available, particularly on the … [Link]

Mashable » 7 Totally Canadian Things About Tim Hortons (But That May Change)

Thursday 28 August 5:37:48 UTC 2014

Tim-hortonsFeed-tw Feed-fbTORONTO — Canadians are upset about the Tim Hortons-Burger King merger. Very upset. After the American fast-food giant confirmed a deal to buy the Canadian coffee chain for $11 billon on Tuesday, some Canucks took to Twitter to express their anguish. I don't agree with Tim Hortons merging with Burger King noooo. Its ours!! Its canadian — stephanie (@damniamm) August 25, … [Link]

Mashable » GPS Data Helped Scientists Study Sheepdogs in Action

Thursday 28 August 5:00:50 UTC 2014

SheepFeed-tw Feed-fb There’s a recipe to herding sheep, according to a new study focused on sheepdogs and their behaviors. A team of UK-based researchers used GPS devices to track the movements of working sheepdogs and their flock. They found the dogs don’t just chase after their charges, the BBC reports See also: Commerical GPS Turns 25: How the Unwanted Military Tech Found … [Link]

Slashdot » $33 Firefox Phone Launched In India

Thursday 28 August 4:39:01 UTC 2014

davidshenba writes Intex and Mozilla have launched Cloud FX, a smartphone powered by Mozilla's Firefox OS. The phone has a 1 GHz processor, 2 Megapixel camera, dual SIM, 3.5 inch capacitive touchscreen. Though the phone has limited features, initial reviews say that the build quality is good for the price range. With a price tag of $33 (2000 INR), and … [Link]

Slashdot » New NRC Rule Supports Indefinite Storage of Nuclear Waste

Thursday 28 August 4:39:00 UTC 2014

mdsolar writes in with news about a NRC rule on how long nuclear waste can be stored on-site after a reactor has shut down. The five-member board that oversees the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday voted to end a two-year moratorium on issuing new power plant licenses. The moratorium was in response to a June 2012 decision issued by the … [Link]

Slashdot » Slashdot Talks WIth IBM Power Systems GM Doug Balog (Video)

Thursday 28 August 4:38:56 UTC 2014

Yesterday we had a story titled 'IBM Gearing Up Mega Power 8 Servers For October Launch.' In the intro Timothy wrote, '…watch for a video interview with Balog on how he's helping spend the billion dollars that IBM pledged last year on open source development.' This is that video, and in it Balog tells us how much IBM loves Linux … [Link]

Slashdot » NASA Telescopes Uncover Early Construction of Giant Galaxy

Thursday 28 August 4:30:00 UTC 2014

littlesparkvt (2707383) writes "Astronomers have uncovered for the first time the earliest stages of a massive galaxy forming in the young Universe. The discovery was made possible through combining observations from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, and the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The growing galaxy core is blazing with the light … [Link]

Mashable » Amish Beard-Cutting Not a Hate Crime, Federal Court Says

Thursday 28 August 3:58:07 UTC 2014

MulletFeed-tw Feed-fbA string of unusual beard- and hair-cutting attacks on Amish people were not properly determined to be hate crimes, a federal appeals court panel ruled Wednesday The decision reverses previous hate-crime convictions entered against 16 members of an Amish community in Jefferson County, Ohio who were found guilty of carrying out multiple hair-cutting assaults in 2011. The attacks were motivated by … [Link]

Mashable » Samsung Debuts Gear S Smartwatch With 3G, No Smartphone Needed

Thursday 28 August 3:12:19 UTC 2014

Samsung-gear-sFeed-tw Feed-fbSamsung is at it again. Just six months after it announced its second-generation smartwatch — and just two since it launched its first Android Wear model — the company has a new wrist wearable: the Gear S This time there's an extra twist, though: It's the first Samsung smartwatch with built-in 3G connectivity. The Samsung Gear S has the ability to … [Link]

Mashable » Hampton Creek's Plan to Reimagine the Future of Food

Thursday 28 August 2:59:10 UTC 2014

Hampton-creekFeed-tw Feed-fbThe Launchpad is a series that introduces Mashable readers to compelling startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Name: Hampton Creek One-Liner Pitch: Indexing the world's plants to make healthier, more affordable and more sustainable foods. You know you're onto something good when you're backed by Bill Gates, the world's wealthiest … [Link]

Mashable » 'My Passenger Is Trying to Take Over': Dramatic Audio of Pilot in Hijacking Attempt

Thursday 28 August 2:52:23 UTC 2014

James-chandler9Feed-tw Feed-fbSYDNEY — An 82-year-old missionary has been charged with trying to hijack a plane, after he tried to take over the controls of the light plane on which he was travelling Monday. The pilot, 23-year-old James Chandler, had to wrestle the plane's controls back from passenger Les Nixon, and make an emergency landing. See also: Malaysia Airlines Is Burning $2 Million … [Link]

Mashable » Going Shopping in Australia Is About to Get Easier, Faster and More Exciting

Thursday 28 August 2:35:14 UTC 2014

CafeFeed-tw Feed-fbSYDNEY — No more queuing for coffee, waiting for a different-sized top in the change room or only shopping until 5 p.m The future of retail is on display in Melbourne, Australia, at the Gen2 Retail Evolution Lab by AOPEN, and it looks very bright. See also: The Australian Workplace of The Future Is Here and It's a Bit Blurry The … [Link]

Geeks are Sexy Technology News » The Names of Pokemon in Other Languages [Comic]

Thursday 28 August 2:11:26 UTC 2014

Did you know that Pokemon can only say their own names, even in different languages? [Source: James Chapman] [Link]

Slashdot » Fish Raised On Land Give Clues To How Early Animals Left the Seas

Thursday 28 August 2:04:00 UTC 2014

sciencehabit writes When raised on land, a primitive, air-breathing fish walks much better than its water-raised comrades, according to a new study. The landlubbers even undergo skeletal changes that improve their locomotion. The work may provide clues to how the first swimmers adapted to terrestrial life. The study suggests that the ability of a developing organism to adjust to new … [Link]

Mashable » LG Gives Early Look at Its Circular Smartwatch

Thursday 28 August 1:57:03 UTC 2014

LggwatchFeed-tw Feed-fbLG will launch a second Android Wear-powered smartwatch at the IFA 2014 tech conference in Berlin, a round device called the LG G Watch R. The device is one of the products LG is teasing ahead of next week's festivities. Earlier this week, it confirmed the arrival of its including the G3 Stylus smartphone and also posted a video to YouTube … [Link]

Slashdot » Netflix Open Sources Internal Threat Monitoring Tools

Thursday 28 August 1:40:00 UTC 2014

alphadogg (971356) writes Netflix has released three internal tools it uses to catch hints on the Web that hackers might target its services. "Many security teams need to stay on the lookout for Internet-based discussions, posts and other bits that may be of impact to the organizations they are protecting," wrote Andy Hoernecke and Scott Behrens of Netflix's Cloud Security … [Link]

Mashable » After 9-Year-Old Kills Instructor With Uzi, Gun Debate Ensues

Thursday 28 August 1:29:01 UTC 2014

LasstopFeed-tw Feed-fbThe shooting range in a small Arizona ghost town where a 9-year-old killed her instructor when she lost control of a fully-automatic Uzi this week has changed its age limits, as the accident has stirred yet another national gun debate This time, it centers on how old youths should be when they learn to fire a weapon. See also: 9-Year-Old Accidentally … [Link]

Mashable » Diane Sawyer Signs Off From 'World News'

Thursday 28 August 1:03:55 UTC 2014

DianesawyerFeed-tw Feed-fbDiane Sawyer has officially handed over the reins of ABC's World News to David Muir The anchor, who has sat at the desk for five years, signed off Wednesday with a speech in which she expressed gratitude "It has been wonderful to be the home port for the brave and brilliant forces of ABC News around the world, and to feel … [Link]

Mashable » The NFL, Where Smoking Pot Is 8 Times Worse Than Beating a Woman

Thursday 28 August 0:45:42 UTC 2014

JoshgordonFeed-tw Feed-fbOutraged swelled in July when star Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was suspended just two games by the National Football League for allegedly knocking his fiancée out cold in a casino elevator. Compared to the one-year ban Browns receiver Josh Gordon faced for multiple positive drug tests, many saw an imbalance in punishment But when Gordon appealed his suspension on … [Link]

Mashable » LMFAO Singer Redfoo 'Glassed' in Australian Nightspot

Thursday 28 August 0:33:12 UTC 2014

RedfooFeed-tw Feed-fbSYDNEY — LMFAO singer Redfoo has described his shock at being "glassed" in a Sydney nightspot early on Thursday morning. The 39-year-old American entertainer, who is a judge of Australia's version of the reality show The X-Factor, was at the Golden Sheaf Hotel in Sydney at 12:30 a.m. when a man allegedly threw a glass at the star's face. The 21-year-old … [Link]

Mashable » 8 Not-So-Magical Secrets From a Former Disney Princess

Thursday 28 August 0:30:20 UTC 2014

CinderellaFeed-tw Feed-fbBeing a Disney princess seems like a dream job: You're worshipped by countless strangers all day, you get free admission to Disney parks and you can explore the secret cavernous underground Disney dungeons that definitely exist But a recent Reddit AMA might have you questioning everything that you think you know about happily ever after. See also: 52 Disney Animated Movie … [Link]

Mashable » New 'Survivor' Contestants Include Controversial Former Ball Player John Rocker

Thursday 28 August 0:22:40 UTC 2014

Survivor-gallery-mainFeed-tw Feed-fbLovers will turn against each other, families will be torn apart and a former baseball player will likely be the first person who makes you groan in horror on this season of Survivor. CBS announced Wednesday the 18-person lineup for its upcoming season, set in Nicaragua, and it includes exactly what you'd expect from a Blood vs. Water season, in which … [Link]

Slashdot » Old Doesn't Have To Mean Ugly: Squeezing Better Graphics From Classic Consoles

Thursday 28 August 0:21:00 UTC 2014

MojoKid writes If you're a classic gamer, you've probably had the unhappy experience of firing up a beloved older title you haven't played in a decade or two, squinting at the screen, and thinking: "Wow. I didn't realize it looked this bad." The reasons why games can wind up looking dramatically worse than you remember isn't just the influence of … [Link]

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