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 » This 1902 phrenology handbook is bonkers
Image: Library of CongressThe purpose of this book is to acquaint all with the elements of human nature and enable them to read these elements in all men, women and children in all countries.Preface, Vaught's Practical Character ReaderPhrenology — the pseudoscientific field of study premised on the theory that a person’s intellect, personality and character can be determined by the shape … [Link]
Slashdot » The FBI Spent Two Years Investigating An Online Cult That Didn't Exist
A two-year FBI investigation apparently centered on the satirical web site "GodHatesGoths". Long-time Slashdot reader v3rgEz writes: In 2005, the FBI launched an investigation into the "Church of the Hammer," a fundamentalist Christian sect which called for the wholesale slaughter of practitioners of the goth subculture. Two years later, the investigation was closed, on grounds that the Church didn't exist. … [Link]
Mashable » Pavel wins the 2016 'Hearthstone' World Championship
LOS ANGELES — The 2016 Hearthstone World Championship series was down to two Europeans, and after an exciting 4-2 match, Pavel "Pavel" Beltukov defeated Artem "DrHippi" Kravets in Saturday's BlizzCon grand finals. Pavel, 18, walked away with the $250,000 first place prize after working his way through the playoffs, knocking out powerhouse players Amnesiac and Jasonzhou. DrHippi took $150,000 of the … [Link]
Mashable » The 2016 MLB season was a series of hellos and goodbyes
With the Chicago Cubs' World Series victory parade on Friday, it's official: Baseball season is over. This year brought baseball fans highs and lows, as each season does. But in 2016, it felt like we said goodbye more often than usual, whether it was premature or a long time coming. With every goodbye came an equally potent hello. Here's the story … [Link]
Slashdot » First Color Images Produced By an Electron Microscope
Slashdot reader sciencehabit quotes Science magazine: Imagine spending your whole life seeing the world in black and white, and then seeing a vase of roses in full color for the first time. That's kind of what it was like for the scientists who have taken the first multicolor images of cells using an electron microscope. Electron microscopes can magnify an … [Link]
Mashable » A 3-step plan for new grads with student debt
You’re a new grad, maybe in a new city with a new job, apartment and friends. But not all the new things about postgrad life are fun and sparkly; you likely have a new debt to deal with, too.If you graduated in May, your first student loan payment will probably come due next month. And if you’re like a lot of recent … [Link]
Mashable » Pittsburgh Steelers win NFL social media with epic Mannequin Challenge
The 2016 Pittsburgh Steelers so far have a decent 4-3 NFL record. But when it comes to the team's social media game, it may have already won the Super Bowl. On Friday, the team's Twitter account posted the players' version of the incredibly popular #MannequinChallenge, a phenomenon that started in high schools and is now, apparently, sweeping up adults as … [Link]
Mashable » Watch 100 people demonstrate their preferred kissing methods
Kissing is one of those things everyone does a little differently. Here is the evidence. Cut Video somehow convinced 100 people to smooch plexiglass for a new video called "100 People Show Us How They Kiss." The results are mostly uncomfortable to watch, but hey! We can all take away a few tips, too. And yes, everyone kissed the same … [Link]
Slashdot » Will The New 'Starship Troopers' Reboot Stay Faithful To The Book?
HughPickens.com shares news from the Hollywood Reporter: "Columbia Pictures is rebooting Starship Troopers, the 1997 sci-fi film directed by Paul Verhoeven… The studio is not remaking the film but is said to be going back to the original Heinlein novel for an all-new take." The original movie, considered a mixed success at the time of its release, went on to … [Link]
Mashable » Samsung says 85 percent of U.S. Note7 devices have been replaced
The raging dumpster fire that is the Samsung Galaxy Note7 has been, for the most part, extinguished. But the company is so worried about stubborn users who won't return the device that it continues to deliver public status updates on the situation. The latest came this Friday in a note on the Samsung U.S. website, where the company claimed that, "85 … [Link]
Mashable » See ‘Forrest Gump’ as an 8-bit game with lots of running
When life's not like a box of chocolates, it's sometimes like an old-school video game. Okay, not really—but this 8-bit retelling of Forrest Gump will make you wish it was. Our CineFix series, 8-Bit Cinema, "gamifies" your favorite movies and TV shows into '80s arcade- and NES-inspired action. Subscribe to CineFix for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/cinefix Read more…More about Mashable Video, Tom … [Link]
Mashable » The internet is reeling after battle between a penguin and its mate's side penguin
Tensions are high in the world of penguin relationships this week. In a very graphic new video from National Geographic, a male penguin returns home to his mate only to find her with another male penguin. Then, a battle ensues and, well, let's just say the hero doesn't always come out on top. SEE ALSO: This illustrator is turning sad facts … [Link]
Mashable » Elon Musk thinks universal income is answer to automation taking human jobs
Tech innovators in the self-driving car and AI industries talk a lot about how many human jobs will be innovated out of existence, but they rarely explain what will happen to all those newly jobless humans. As usual, Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk responds to an obvious question with an answer that may surprise some. In an interview with CNBC … [Link]
Mashable » John Lithgow dad-jokes that Netflix 'sold the crown jewels' to make 'The Crown'
LOS ANGELES — When The Crown creator Peter Morgan looked to American actors in search of their Winston Churchill, many had their doubts. After all, Churchill is one of England's most iconic political figures — and the series is all about the rise of Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy). But turns out the right actor — and a stellar fat suit … [Link]
Slashdot » A Powerful New Android Spyware Targets Business Executives
Orome1 quotes HelpNetSecurity: "Researchers from mobile security outfit Skycure have recently analyzed a malicious app they found on an Android 6.0.1 device owned by a vice president at a global technology company. The name of the malicious package is 'com.android.protect', and it comes disguised as a Google Play Services app. It disables Samsung's SPCM service in order to keep running, … [Link]
Mashable » A 'puppuccino' changed this adorable pup's life
Dogs deserve the joy of a secret menu, too. Starbucks has a special drink for dogs that isn't commercially advertised, and one adorable puppy named Leopold just discovered it. An espresso cup with a dollop of whipped cream, the 'puppuccino' was an instant hit with the 4 1/2-month-old German Shepherd, who had it for the first time on Wednesday. SEE ALSO: … [Link]
Slashdot » The NES Classic is a $60 Single Board Computer Running Linux
"Nintendo's accurate NES emulator apparently needs no less than a quad-core CPU," joked Ars Technica. "The next step, of course, is unscrewing of the nostalgic little box to see how it ticks — and whether its limited functionality might ever be expanded, either officially or by hackers." Slashdot reader romiz summarizes what's inside Nintendo's new miniature emulator for classic games: … [Link]
Mashable » The underrated presidency of George H.W. Bush
Editor’s note: This is the 41st entry in the writer's project to read one book about each of the U.S. Presidents in the year prior to Election Day 2016. Follow Marcus' progress at the @44in52 Twitter account and the 44 in 52 Spreadsheet. One of the better parts of this project has been to see clearly how a president's legacy evolves … [Link]
Mashable » Samantha Bee's 'Trump Thesaurus' is a colorful way to remember election cycle
As the election cycle comes to a close, we know there's one phrase you're dying to remember forever: "screaming carrot demon." Fortunately, Samantha Bee has immortalized that epithet — alongside every other phrase she's used to describe Donald Trump — in a very thorough supercut called the "official Trump Thesaurus." This will make for great reference material the next time … [Link]
Slashdot » A New Process Turns Sewage Into Crude Oil
Big Hairy Ian shares this report from New Atlas: The U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has found a way to potentially produce 30 million barrels of biocrude oil per year from the 34 billion gallons of raw sewage that Americans create every day… [T]he raw sewage is placed in a reactor that's basically a tube pressurized to … [Link]
Mashable » From headbands to pantsuits, this Instagram tracks Hillary Clinton's most famous looks
Hillary Clinton's decades-long political career has also spawned some pretty memorable fashion. Luckily, we have @hillarylooks — a very comprehensive Instagram dedicated to Hillary Clinton's threads throughout the ages. Because no matter how you feel about Clinton, we can always count on a hot pair of statement earrings to bring us together. SEE ALSO: Will America join these 16 countries with … [Link]
Mashable » Girl beautifully trolls dude asking for nude photos
You never know when your trusty umbrella hat will come in handy. Sixteen-year-old Reese Hebert was at home minding her own business earlier this month when she received a text. And not just any text — one of those texts. SEE ALSO: Girl has perfectly appropriate response for boy who cancelled date night "Wassup," said the texter, who was, according to … [Link]
Mashable » Sharing economy for the rich now includes horses
What use do the super-wealthy have for the sharing economy? Well, they need somewhere to store their horses. A new company is promising to solve that age-old problem as the "Airbnb for horses." "Now this might not seem like a very big problem, but there are 9.2 million horses in the United States that compete in show jumping, polo, dressage, barrel … [Link]
Mashable » Ex-Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on why he laughed at the iPhone
Roughly three years into his retirement from Microsoft, the company's colorful former CEO, Steve Ballmer is beginning to open up a bit more about his past mistakes and his relationship with Bill Gates. Now the owner of the Clippers in Los Angeles, where he can be seen cavorting on the sidelines as his team faces off against NBA competitors, Ballmer remains … [Link]
Slashdot » New Software Remembers Everything Your Computer Has Ever Displayed
A Napster co-founder launched a new software this week which lets you search for anything you've ever looked at on your computer. schwit1 shared this report from CNNMoney: Atlas Informatics Founder and CEO Jordan Ritter calls the software "a photographic memory for your digital life"… This includes web pages, emails, Slack chats, Netflix films, Spotify songs, or anything else that's … [Link]
Mashable » Magnificent color postcards tout the glaciers and fjords of 1890s Norway
Svolvaer, Lofoten.Image: Library of CongressThese postcards of the mountains, fjords, glaciers and towns of late 19th Century Norway were created by the Detroit Publishing Company using the Photochrom process.Invented in the 1880s by an employee of a Swiss printing company, Photochrom was a painstaking and time-consuming technique for applying color to black-and-white imagesThe process involved coating a tablet of lithographic limestone … [Link]
Mashable » Virtual reality should stop trying to imitate traditional gaming
At PAX Australia on Friday, broadcaster and panel host Nic Healey went and asked the question: "When am I going to get my virtual reality Skyrim?" Five leading local voices in VR development were in Melbourne to discuss the VR "hype train," and some of the day's biggest themes were existential. Most of all, how much should the emergent industry take … [Link]
Mashable » Take your lobes to the Jurassic era with these plastic dinosaur earrings
There’s aren't too many childhood toys you can wear in your earlobes, so consider this a (pre)historic opportunity. Hong Kong-based Etsy shop OOOWORKSHOP is currently selling earrings upcycled from tiny plastic dinosaurs: including the Ankylosaurus, Ceratosaurus, Brontosaurus and even a fierce little Velociraptor. While the earrings look bulky — you know, because dinosaurs were bulky — they only require the wearer … [Link]
Geek Culture » Jobs on Dragon's Den…
[Link]
Mashable » Uber and Lyft are finally legal in Philadelphia
Never fear, Philly. Uber is here to stay. On Friday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed a bill allowing ride-sharing services to operate legally in Philadelphia. The services had operated in Philadelphia long before this bill was signed, however, a temporary framework to legalize the practice expired in late September, leaving Uber and Lyft in limbo. SEE ALSO: Uber's new app will … [Link]
Mashable » Watch local news anchors 'report' the stories we all wish were real
In these final days before the big vote, election fatigue is more real than ever. Luckily, The Tonight Show has given us a sweet, sweet respite in "I've Got Good News and Good News." Watch as a few local NBC news anchors report the feel-good stories we wish were true — that baby has stopped crying on your flight, you … [Link]
Slashdot » Two Critical MySQL Bugs Discovered
An anonymous reader quotes InfoWorld: Two critical privilege escalation vulnerabilities in MySQL, MariaDB, and PerconaDB can help take control of the whole server, which is very bad for shared environments… Administrators need to check their database versions, as attackers can chain two critical vulnerabilities and completely take over the server hosting the database… The first vulnerability, a privilege escalation/race condition … [Link]
Slashdot » Teenagers In Macedonia Launch Fake Pro-Trump Sites To Earn Money
"In Macedonia the economy is very weak and teenagers are not allowed to work, so we need to find creative ways to make some money," one 17-year-old told BuzzFeed News, which reports on a "strange hub" of over 140 political sites, all being run in the same small town in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. These sites have American-sounding … [Link]
Mashable » Kelly Bishop on Emily's emotional journey and the joys and struggles of a 'Gilmore Girls' revival
When Kelly Bishop sat down with a group of reporters a Netflix junket in October the day after that perfect Gilmore Girls trailer dropped, the first question was the most important: What is with Emily Gilmore’s jeans in the Gilmore Girls trailer? “The jeans were great fun, they were really ugly jeans,” Bishop said, beaming impishly like her character does when … [Link]
Slashdot » Aaron Swartz Remembered With Annual Hackathon In San Francisco
"This weekend you have the chance to add to Aaron Swartz's legacy by boosting tools for whistleblowers," the EFF writes. An anonymous reader quotes their report. The 2016 Aaron Swartz International Hackathon — held in honor of the late Internet and political activist — will take place during the day Saturday and Sunday at the Internet Archive in San Francisco. … [Link]
Mashable » The technology that may finally make ‘clean’ cookstoves a reality
Billions of people around the world still cook inside over open fires. They burn dung, wood and charcoal to fuel the flames, clouding their homes with toxic fumes. For activists and entrepreneurs, this has seemed like an easy fix: Design a cleaner cookstove, get it in the hands of the people who need them, and harmful emissions of "black carbon," or … [Link]
Mashable » Please stop defriending Trump supporters from your Facebook
While some Clinton voters picked up the phone and knocked on doors this election, others chose to display their support in more glamorous ways: by deleting their Trump-supporting friends on Facebook. It's a familiar trend, heightened in the past few weeks as the election draws to a close and as Trump's insults and allegations have magically grown even more hysterical and … [Link]
Mashable » 5 best free apps for sexting
Snapchat may be most folks' ephemeral messaging app of choice, but it's by no means the only one, or even the best. We've taken a look at five Snapchat alternatives for both iPhone and Android that offer a different way to send disappearing messages and vanishing photos. Get your flirt on — safely — with these five disappearing-message services: 1. … [Link]
Slashdot » Face Electrodes Let You Taste and Chew In Virtual Reality
walterbyrd quotes a report from New Scientist: Experiments with "virtual food" use electronics to emulate the taste and feel of the real thing, even when there's nothing in your mouth. This tech could add new sensory inputs to virtual reality or augment real-world dining experiences, especially for people with restricted diets or health issues that affect their ability to eat. … [Link]
Mashable » Reporting from the front lines with mobile journalism
The modern newsroom is facing growing challenges for how to cover conflicts around the world. With word of a new coup or unrest, news bureaus often have to scramble to send their field reporters to cover the action—and in some cases, by the time they get boots on the ground the presiding government may have shut down the communications infrastructure, making … [Link]
Mashable » Cooling off in the vast and overflowing public pools of New York City
Aug. 20, 1936Swimming contest, Astoria Park Pool, Hell Gate Bridge in background.Image: NYC Parks Photo ArchiveIn 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt began to introduce the New Deal, a series of economic and social programs designed to pull the United States out of the Great Depression.The New Deal era saw an explosion of federally sponsored public works projects. After the construction of … [Link]
Mashable » Russian artists' book bags let you wear your favorite novel as a purse
Bookbags are not just Jansports anymore. Moscow-based art studio Krukrustudio is redefining the term with their Book Bags – gorgeous wool felt, leather and faux leather purses that are designed around a variety of different book covers. SEE ALSO: Bookworms: your dream home has arrived "The idea just came from above. We just finally decided to work together on something creative … [Link]
Slashdot » Google's DeepMind AI Plans To Take On StarCraft II
An anonymous reader quotes a report from VentureBeat: Google and Blizzard are opening up StarCraft II to anyone who wants to teach artificial intelligence systems how to conduct warfare. Researchers can now use Google's DeepMind A.I. to test various theories for ways that machines can learn to make sense of complicated systems, in this case Blizzard's beloved real-time strategy game. … [Link]
Slashdot » A Naked Black Hole Is Screaming Through the Universe
New submitter PongoX11 writes: Millions of years ago, B3 1715+425 was just an ordinary supermassive black hole. It had a comfortable life, of devouring stars and belching deadly x-rays, at the center of its distant galaxy. Now, starless and alone, it's screaming through space at 2,000 kilometers per second — and it may never stop. BC 1715+425's troubles began when … [Link]
Slashdot » Why a Theoretical Physicist Wants All State Bills To Be Online Before Final Vote
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Among a slew on ballot propositions that Californians will be asked to consider on Election Day (Nov. 8) is Proposition 54, a proposed constitutional amendment that seems like a no-brainer. If passed, the law would require that the final text of all proposed legislation be published on the Internet for 72 … [Link]
Mashable » Remembering Ronald Reagan, the Charmer-In-Chief
Editor’s note: This is the 40th entry in the writer's project to read one book about each of the U.S. Presidents in the year prior to Election Day 2016. Follow Marcus' progress at the @44in52 Twitter account and the 44 in 52 Spreadsheet. I am a child of the 1980s. Therefore, I am a child of the Reagan presidency. Finally, my … [Link]
Mashable » Bey is bringing it home for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland
Four days away from deciding its new president, the U.S. finally saw a presidential endorsement from Queen Bey herself. Appearing at a Jay-Z concert supporting Hillary Clinton in Cleveland, Ohio, Beyoncé performed her song Formation before giving a moving speech and dropping a selection of other hits — including "Run The World (Girls)." The celebrity endorsement could be an incredible boost … [Link]
Slashdot » Health Anxiety May Increase Risk of Heart Disease, Research Finds
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: Fit and healthy people who worry about developing an illness may be increasing their risk of heart disease by unnecessarily fretting over their health, research suggests. A study of more than 7,000 people over 12 years found that those with health anxiety at the start of the study were about 70% … [Link]
Mashable » Rachel Bloom wants you to vote so badly she wrote a song about it
Rachel Bloom really, really wants you to vote. The Crazy Ex-Girlfriend creator joined a slew of celebrity friends — including Moby, Elizabeth Banks, Patti LuPone and Mayim Bialik — to encourage America's last ambivalent citizens to vote in a new Funny or Die music video. Aptly, the song is titled "Holy Shit, You've Got to Vote." SEE ALSO: Watch Katy Perry … [Link]
Mashable » Glamour Brasil slammed after staff pose with 'slanty eyes' on Instagram
Despite decades of pushback, it takes a long time for racist caricatures to die. At Glamour Brasil recently staff members shared a photo to the company's Instagram that featured a group of employees bowing and making "slanty eyes," a gesture widely interpreted to be mocking of Asian cultures. SEE ALSO: GOP senator attacks his opponent, a war hero, for her Asian … [Link]
Slashdot » Tesla Adds An All-Glass Roof Option For Its Model S
Elon Musk has had roofs on his mind lately. Last week, Musk unveiled the residential "solar roof," consisting of glass roof tiles with integrated solar panels. Today, he announced that customers will be able to add a glass roof to the Model S sedan for an extra $1,500. Tesla said that the glass roof can give passengers the feeling of … [Link]
Slashdot » Turkey Doubles Down On Censorship With Block On VPNs, Tor
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: In what's a significant escalation in its censorship efforts, the Turkish government now wants to block the very same tools that tech-savvy citizens use to get around the government-imposed social media blocks. On Friday, the Turkish information technologies and communications authority, or BTK, ordered internet providers in the country to block Tor … [Link]
Mashable » 8 countries battle it out for the Overwatch World Cup
There is no higher honor than playing Overwatch for one's country. Read more…More about Mashable Video, Overwatch, Overwatch World Cup, Blizzcon 2016, and Esports [Link]
Mashable » Fast food by phone: McDonald's is finally catching up with mobile pay
The crown jewel of fast food is finally joining other restaurants in offering pay-by-phone ordering. McDonald's will be the latest chain to offer the option of ordering burgers and more from the touch of a smartphone. Starbucks, Wendy's, Chipotle and Taco Bell are some of the many chains that have already jumped on the mobile pay bandwagon. SEE ALSO: McDonalds … [Link]
Mashable » Chicago partied like it was 1908 during the Cubs victory parade
The Chicago Cubs' historic ride to World Series glory culminated in Friday's victory parade. Millions of fans hit the streets of Chicago to catch a glimpse of their team, which hadn't won a World Series since 1908. Luckily for the herds of kids in the crowd, Chicago public schools had the day off for a teachers' development day. The players paraded … [Link]
Mashable » Watch 'Overwatch' hero Sombra shoot, teleport and sow chaos
Sombra is a badass. The newly announced Overwatch hero brings a defensive skillset to the offense tier of heroes. Her machine pistols carve up the opposition, but her abilities shut them down. Sombra can hack either enemies to temporarily shut down their powers or first aid kits to prevent them from healing. She also has the ability so cloak herself … [Link]
Mashable » Kevin Durant and the humbling of Russell Westbrook
SAN FRANCISCO — Russell Westbrook swaggered into Oakland's Oracle Arena wearing an orange photographer's vest Thursday night. The curious bit of attire was understandably interpreted by most as a passive-aggressive dig at Kevin Durant. Durant, of course, is the former Oklahoma City teammate who spurned Westbrook and the Thunder for the Golden State Warriors as a free agent last season. … [Link]
Slashdot » Intel Wants To Replace Fireworks With Drones
Intel has announced a drone called the "Shooting Star" that has the potential to augment or replace fireworks. The drone weighs about as much as a volleyball and can light up in 4 billion color combinations for commercial entertainment light shows. MarketWatch reports: Whether drone-focused light shows will prove to be more cost-efficient is a bigger question. The devices would … [Link]
Mashable » Rami Malek to play Freddie Mercury in Bryan Singer's Queen movie
LOS ANGELES — Hot off his Emmy win for Mr. Robot, Rami Malek has signed on to play Freddie Mercury in the long-gestating Queen movie Bohemian Rhapsody, which will now be directed by X-Men maestro Bryan Singer, Mashable has confirmed. 20th Century Fox and New Regency will co-finance the project, which will be produced by Graham King of GK Films, who … [Link]
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