John Gordon Ross

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 the Kardashians, Zsa Zsa Gabor was the ultimate socialite

Sunday 18 December 23:46:49 UTC 2016

Before the world was keeping up with the Kardashians, they were captivated by Zsa Zsa Gabor, whose death was announced on Sunday. She was 99.  Born in Hungary, she set the stage for socialites like Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton by being more famous for her glamorous lifestyle than her acting career. (She even married Conrad Hilton, who founded the Hilton … [Link]

Mashable » Merry Christmas, from hell: Santa army fights penguin empire in epic virtual war

Sunday 18 December 23:46:27 UTC 2016

We know that Santa Claus is a magical figure, but apparently when it comes to nature, he is powerless. At least that's the case in this epic virtual battle for Christmas supremacy pitting a clone army of 4,000 Santas against the collected might 11,000 penguins. And yes, there are forlorn "ho, ho, ho's," sounds of murderous bird squawking and even … [Link]

Slashdot » Ubuntu Survey Discovers 'Consumers Are Terrible' About Updating Their IoT Devices

Sunday 18 December 23:34:00 UTC 2016

Core evangelist Thibaut Rouffineau writes about the results of Ubuntu's survey of 2000 consumers about their Internet of Things devices: This survey revealed that, worryingly, only 31% of consumers that own connected devices perform updates as soon as they become available. A further 40% of consumers have never consciously performed updates on their devices… Of those polled, nearly two thirds … [Link]

The Joy of Tech » JoT #2363: Putin's ultimate weapon

Sunday 18 December 23:08:51 UTC 2016

Packing pixel power! [Link]

The Joy of Tech » JoT #2362: T'was a Factual Night before Christmas…

Sunday 18 December 23:06:31 UTC 2016

Not a creature was stirring, due to fact that they didn't have spoons. [Link]

Slashdot » The Linux Foundation Offers 50% Discounts On Training

Sunday 18 December 22:44:00 UTC 2016

An anonymous reader writes: The non-profit association that sponsors Linus Torvalds' work on Linux also offers self-paced online training and certification programs. And now through December 22, they're available at a 50% discount. "Make learning Linux and other open source technologies your New Year's Resolution this holiday season," reads a special page at LinuxFoundation.org. There's training in Linux security, networking, … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » PayPal Introduces Braintree JavaScript SDK v3

Sunday 18 December 22:41:03 UTC 2016

PayPal recently announced a new version (v3) of its Braintree JavaScript SDK. Braintree remains a core building block for PayPal users looking to accept Web payments through credit cards, 3D Secure, Apple Pay, Android Pay, PayPal accounts, and more. [Link]

Mashable » Kelly Clarkson helped a super fan get engaged at her concert

Sunday 18 December 22:18:06 UTC 2016

At at VIP event for Kelly Clarkson's Miracle on Broadway charity concert on Friday, the songstress helped a lucky fan propose to her girlfriend of two years. Clarkson invited Kiana Clark to the stage, along with Clark's girlfriend Amanda. A Clarkson fan for many years, Clark spoke about the 13 years she spent following the singer's tour stops. "I never … [Link]

Mashable » LA County email hack exposes data of 750,000 people

Sunday 18 December 22:08:34 UTC 2016

Los Angeles County appears to be the latest victim of a wide-reaching email hack. Around 756,000 people who had business with county departments may have had their personal information or confidential health data exposed through the breach, officials said. The L.A. County District Attorney has filed criminal charges against a Nigerian national accused of launching the phishing attack on county employees, … [Link]

Slashdot » The FBI Is Arresting People Who Rent DDoS Botnets

Sunday 18 December 21:44:00 UTC 2016

This week the FBI arrested a 26-year-old southern California man for launching a DDoS attack against online chat service Chatango at the end of 2014 and in early 2015 — part of a new crackdown on the customers of "DDoS-for-hire" services. An anonymous reader writes: Sean Krishanmakoto Sharma, a computer science graduate student at USC, is now facing up to … [Link]

Mashable » It was Hoth-level cold for the NFL in Kansas City and Chicago

Sunday 18 December 21:36:10 UTC 2016

As the polar vortex brought frigid conditions down into the middle of America, so, too, did it bring extremely cold temperatures to a pair of NFL games that had players and fans alike bundled up.  SEE ALSO: The NFL is basically the Grinch for penalizing a snow angel In Kansas City, Missouri, where the Chiefs were hosting the Tennessee Titans, the … [Link]

Mashable » In the wake of terrible violence, children's book authors raise money for Aleppo

Sunday 18 December 21:26:44 UTC 2016

There is no simple children's story that can explain away this terror. But as the violence continues, a group of children's and young adult authors are hoping to do what they can to help those suffering in the Syrian city of Aleppo by starting a social media campaign to raise money.   SEE ALSO: Followers await news after Syrian girl's Twitter … [Link]

Mashable » Frozen Michigan lighthouse is straight out of Narnia

Sunday 18 December 20:52:04 UTC 2016

It's been really, really cold in some parts of the country this week (don't say we didn't warn you) but one side effect has been some incredible images like this lighthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan, along the southwest shores of Lake Michigan.  Another terrific video, captured by photographer Joshua Nowicki gives you an even closer look at the frozen castle … [Link]

Slashdot » 3D Freeciv-Web (Beta) Released

Sunday 18 December 20:34:00 UTC 2016

It's the open source web version of the classic Linux strategy game, and now Slashdot reader Andreas(R) — one of its developers — has an announcement. Now the developers are working on bringing the game to the modern era with 3D WebGL graphics [and] a beta of the 3D WebGL version of Freeciv has been released today. The game will … [Link]

Slashdot » LinkedIn Warns 9.5 Million Lynda Users About Database Breach

Sunday 18 December 19:34:00 UTC 2016

Less than four weeks after Microsoft formally acquired LinkedIn for $26 billion, there's been a database breach. An anonymous reader writes: LinkedIn is sending emails to 9.5 million users of Lynda.com, its online learning subsidiary, warning the users of a database breach by "an unauthorized third party". The affected database included contact information for at least some of the users. … [Link]

Mashable » Chance the Rapper and 'SNL' go all out for Barack Obama's final Christmas in the White House

Sunday 18 December 19:31:45 UTC 2016

In honor of President Barack Obama's final Christmas in the White House, Chance the Rapper, Run-D.M.C.'s Darryl McDaniels and the cast of Saturday Night Live came together for "Jingle Barack," an '80s hip-hop-inspired tribute to America's first black president and a reminder of what's likely to come in 2017. Sample lyrics include: Happy holidays? Nicole Kidman's early modelling photos are spectacularly … [Link]

Geek Culture » Ghost shark!

Sunday 18 December 19:11:56 UTC 2016

[Link]

Mashable » Video of elusive ghost shark is both majestic and creepy

Sunday 18 December 18:59:46 UTC 2016

A team of scientists made some unexpected friends while exploring the deep Pacific Ocean. The marine biologists came across extremely rare chimaeras — also called ghost sharks — on the rocky seafloor near the Hawaiian Islands and off the coast of central California. The pointy-nosed blue chimaera is known to live in deep waters near Australia, New Zealand and the … [Link]

Slashdot » Are Psychiatric Medications Hurting More Patients Than They Help?

Sunday 18 December 18:34:00 UTC 2016

An anonymous reader quotes Scientific American's Cross-Check blog: Two new posts on this website have me contemplating, once again, the terrible possibility that psychiatry is hurting more people than it helps. Reporter Sarah G. Miller notes in "1 in 6 Americans Takes a Psychiatric Drug" that prescriptions for mental illness keep surging. As of 2013, almost 17 percent of Americans … [Link]

Mashable » A guide to Trump's alarming cabinet full of climate deniers

Sunday 18 December 18:27:39 UTC 2016

In an outcome that would have been unthinkable just a year ago, the most notorious climate deniers in the country are about to take over the U.S. government.  Never before have people who reject the mainstream scientific evidence that the world is warming due to human activities occupied so many positions of power, from the White House to federal agencies and … [Link]

Mashable » Rob Kardashian shares the messy details of his breakup with Blac Chyna

Sunday 18 December 17:40:38 UTC 2016

Over in Kardashian land, trouble is brewing for Rob and Blac Chyna. On Saturday, Rob Kardashian posted a series of videos to Snapchat and Instagram detailing a messy breakup with Chyna, his fiancé and the mother of their child Dream. According to Rob's posts, Chyna cleared out the nursery in their shared home and left him, taking Dream and her son … [Link]

Slashdot » Apple Loses In Court, Owes $2 Million For Not Giving Workers Meal Breaks

Sunday 18 December 17:34:00 UTC 2016

An anonymous reader writes: Apple has been ordered to cut a $2 million check for denying some of its retail workers meal breaks. The lawsuit was first filed in 2011 by four Apple employees in San Diego. They alleged that the company failed to give them meal and rest breaks [as required by California law], and didn't pay them in … [Link]

Mashable » Climate scientist who got death threats says he fears more attacks under Trump

Sunday 18 December 17:14:27 UTC 2016

U.S. climate scientists say they worry the incoming Trump administration might do more than cut off their research funding. Some also fear they could receive personal attacks and death threats simply for doing their jobs. Michael Mann, a climate researcher at Penn State University, said he knows exactly what that's like. Over the last decade, Mann has been singled out by … [Link]

Mashable » 'Rogue One' steals away with $155 million at the domestic box office

Sunday 18 December 16:42:29 UTC 2016

LOS ANGELES — The Force Awakens, it was not — but Rogue One got away clean with $155 million at the North American box office this weekend, a robust start that guarantees the first Star Wars "story" will not be the last. The $155 million figure makes Rogue One the third highest grossing domestic weekend opener of 2016, behind Captain America: … [Link]

Slashdot » EFF Begins Investigating Surveillance Technology Rumors At Standing Rock

Sunday 18 December 16:34:00 UTC 2016

Electronic Frontier Foundation has dispatched a team of technologists and lawyers to a protest site in Standing Rock, North Dakota, to investigate "several reports of potentially unlawful surveillance." An anonymous reader writes: The EFF has "collected anecdotal evidence from water protectors about suspicious cell phone behavior, including uncharacteristically fast battery drainage, applications freezing, and phones crashing completely," according to a … [Link]

Mashable » Exclusive: Denzel Washington and Viola Davis are a magnificent match in 'Fences' clip

Sunday 18 December 16:02:51 UTC 2016

Already in early Oscar discussions, Viola Davis and Denzil Washington demonstrate their chemistry and charisma in a Mashable exclusive clip from the upcoming Fences. They play Troy and Rose Maxson, a married couple living with Troy's brother and two sons (one by Rose and one from a previous marriage). In this short scene, from the very beginning of the story, … [Link]

Mashable » Brangelina fight as ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ with a cappella gunfights and cardboard props

Sunday 18 December 16:00:00 UTC 2016

In hindsight, Mr. and Mrs. Smith wasn't just a spy thriller—it was also a completely accurate prediction of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's divorce. Our CineFix series, Homemade Movies, captures the movie's famous fight scene (and the end of "Brangelina") in a shot-for-shot remake with absolutely no visual effects. Subscribe to CineFix for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/cinefix Read more…More about Mashable Video, … [Link]

Mashable » 1959: Marilyn Monroe practices ukulele for 'Some Like It Hot'

Sunday 18 December 16:00:00 UTC 2016

Image: Mondadori Portfolio by Getty ImagesIn 1959, near the end of her extraordinary career, Marilyn Monroe starred in Some Like It Hot, widely considered one of the greatest film comedies of all timeMonroe played the role of Sugar Kane, the singer and ukulele player for Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators and the object of romantic pursuit by Tony Curtis and … [Link]

Mashable » Here's how the White House staff pranked President Obama for the holidays

Sunday 18 December 15:54:10 UTC 2016

In the final days of President Barack Obama's presidency, his staffers had a bit of fun with the official White House holiday decorations. On Friday, White House Photographer Pete Souza shared a staffer's attempt to prank Obama with a set of decorative snowmen currently on display in the Rose Garden. SEE ALSO: The Obamas sent out their final White House Christmas … [Link]

Mashable » Want to enroll in Lamborghini's intensive driving school? All you need $12,000.

Sunday 18 December 15:41:33 UTC 2016

There are plenty of ways to blow your money in Vegas. You could order a $10,000 Ono champagne cocktail at the XO club in the Wynn Encore. In the same club, you can pay Canadian DJ Deadmau5 $200,000 to play a Bon Jovi song. Or you can fly 50 of your friends in a private jet to Drai's in the Cromwell … [Link]

Slashdot » US Scientists Scramble To Protect Research On Climate Change

Sunday 18 December 15:34:00 UTC 2016

Long-time Slashdot reader ClickOnThis quotes CNN: Some scientists and academics are embarking on a frenzied mission to archive reams of scientific data on climate change, energized by a concern that a Trump administration could seek to wipe government websites of hard-earned research… The chief concern: publicly available climate change data and research found on government websites would be wiped clean … [Link]

Mashable » 'Saturday Night Live's' Hillary Clinton goes full 'Love Actually' on Trump elector

Sunday 18 December 15:14:35 UTC 2016

At Christmas, according to Love Actually, you tell people how you feel. And how Hillary Clinton feels is, well, that electors should really vote for her — or anyone! — over Donald Trump Dec. 19th. Saturday Night Live took on the famous Love Actually card scene, this time with Hillary Rodham Clinton standing outside the door of an anonymous elector … [Link]

Mashable » An appreciation of the criminally underrated 'Shameless'

Sunday 18 December 15:00:00 UTC 2016

There’s an old, schlocky TV writers’ term called the “Hey, Myrna.” It means they’ve concocted a scene specifically to make some boob tube aficionado in his stained undershirt stand up from his Lay-Z-Boy, kick over his TV dinner tray and scream to his wife, “Hey, Myrna get in here … the hot redhead just took off her necklace.”    Shameless is … [Link]

Mashable » This MIT robot shape-shifts into various gadgets in seconds

Sunday 18 December 15:00:00 UTC 2016

MIT’s 'LineFORM' is a prototype robot snake, designed to rearrange itself into various objects, like a phone, lamp and data cable. Read more…More about Future Tech, Mit, Tech Utility, Technology, and Mashable Video [Link]

Slashdot » Human Zika Antibodies Prevent Infection in Mice

Sunday 18 December 14:34:00 UTC 2016

An anonymous reader quotes VOA News: Chinese researchers have identified broadly neutralizing human antibodies from a Zika patient that protected mice against infection with the mosquito-borne illness. The substances are part of a growing arsenal of antibody-related treatments to fight the disease, which causes severe birth defects in babies… Unlike other Zika-neutralizing antibodies that have been isolated from human patients, … [Link]

Mashable » That time Wilt Chamberlain went to the Parthenon with a badass sword

Sunday 18 December 14:00:00 UTC 2016

Image: Max B. Miller/Fotos International/Getty ImagesWilt Chamberlain is often considered to be in the pantheon of legendary NBA players, and in 1969 he paid a visit to a place of legend.The 7’1” center had become the highest paid player in the NBA when he finished college and joined the Philadelphia Warriors in 1959He was a dominant force on the court, smashing … [Link]

Mashable » 21 incredible innovations that improved the world in 2016

Sunday 18 December 13:03:00 UTC 2016

2016 may have been a terrible year in many ways, but there was still some undeniable good to come out of the past 12 months. For proof, look no further than the year's most impactful innovations, offering solutions to some of the world's most pressing problems. SEE ALSO: 16 brilliant innovations tackling poverty around the world From a futuristic bus that … [Link]

Slashdot » Does Amazon's Clickworker Platform Exploit Its Workers?

Sunday 18 December 12:34:00 UTC 2016

500,000 people signed up for Amazon's Mechanical Turk, one of several online microjobs platforms that "let companies break jobs into smaller tasks and offer them to people across the globe," reports TechRepublic. But though these workers have trouble communicating directly with Amazon, in any given month about 20,000 of them may be active, "part of an invisible, online workforce — … [Link]

Slashdot » Oracle Begins Aggressively Pursuing Java Licensing Fees

Sunday 18 December 8:34:00 UTC 2016

Java SE is free, but Java SE Suite and various flavors of Java SE Advanced are not, and now Oracle "is massively ramping up audits of Java customers it claims are in breach of its licenses," reports the Register. Oracle bought Java with Sun Microsystems in 2010 but only now is its License Management Services division chasing down people for … [Link]

Mashable » Why are these Tinder's most popular names of 2016? Only Google knows.

Sunday 18 December 6:53:24 UTC 2016

It’s the end of the year, so we must have listsMost-Googled lists, sad Facebook lists, lists of lists. Kids, today we have Tinder's most swiped names list. The company has been so kind as to let us know which names were most popular on the dating app in Australia in 2016.  SEE ALSO: Tinder on TV is your new favourite party … [Link]

Mashable » 'SNL' imagines a scary holiday meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin

Sunday 18 December 5:08:31 UTC 2016

Hereeeee’s Vladimir! Saturday Night Live's last cold open of 2016 went out in holiday style, with Alec Baldwin returning as Donald Trump.  This time the president-elect was dealing with some last-minute cabinet appointments before the Christmas holiday. Everything was going just fine (Yup, SNL got in their "unpresidented" joke right away), and then shirtless Vladimir Putin (Beck Bennett) came down the … [Link]

Slashdot » Are Remote Offices Becoming The New Normal?

Sunday 18 December 4:34:00 UTC 2016

"As companies tighten their purse strings, they're spreading out their hires — this year, and for years to come," reports Backchannel, citing interviews with executives and other workplace analysts. mirandakatz writes: Once a cost-cutting strategy, remote offices are becoming the new normal: from GitHub to Mozilla and WordPress, more and more companies are eschewing the physical office in favor of … [Link]

Mashable » Tesla will charge drivers who hog its Superchargers

Sunday 18 December 3:59:15 UTC 2016

Tesla is sick of ya'll hogging their Supercharger stations. You've already got a Tesla, don't be greedy. The electric car company announced in a blog post Friday that owners who use Telsla's power stations will face charges if they don't move on fast enough. Drivers who fail to remove their car within five minutes of completing charge will pay a penalty … [Link]

Slashdot » The UN Will Consider Banning Killer Robots

Sunday 18 December 2:34:00 UTC 2016

Friday the United Nations agreed to discuss a ban on "killer robots" in 2017. The 123 signatories to a long-standing conventional weapons pact "agreed to formalize their efforts next year to deal with the challenges raised by weapons systems that would select and attack targets without meaningful human control," according to Human Rights Watch. "The governments meeting in Geneva took … [Link]

Mashable » You need this: Adorable baby animals romping in the wild

Sunday 18 December 2:21:59 UTC 2016

Nothing warms the heart like the sweet face of a baby animal. With the New Year on the horizon, we asked wildlife photographers to share a few of their favorite baby animal pics in celebration of new beginnings.  If these images make you smile, consider adopting an animal from a shelter or donating to a wildlife protection fund this holiday season. With … [Link]

Mashable » This man's family kept their promise to make his obituary hilarious

Sunday 18 December 1:16:26 UTC 2016

After Chris Connors died earlier this month, his family made sure to get the last laugh. In their local Maine newspaper, Connors, 64, was remembered in his obituary as a "Ladies man, game slayer, and outlaw." Even the headline poked fun at the husband and dad who was apparently joking until the end, "Irishman Dies from Stubbornness, Whiskey" (all jokes aside, … [Link]

Mashable » 'Ellen' interview with pint-sized surfer girl will melt your cold, dead heart

Sunday 18 December 1:11:08 UTC 2016

In 2017, let us all have the bonkers energy of this 11-year-old girl. Sabre Norris was the youngest surfer to compete in the Sydney International Women's Pro competition event in November, but it was her hilarious interview with the breakfast show Today that really charmed. Norris' personality, and her deep affinity for doughnuts, have now taken her all the way … [Link]

Slashdot » Does Code Reuse Endanger Secure Software Development?

Sunday 18 December 0:34:00 UTC 2016

msm1267 quotes ThreatPost: The amount of insecure software tied to reused third-party libraries and lingering in applications long after patches have been deployed is staggering. It's a habitual problem perpetuated by developers failing to vet third-party code for vulnerabilities, and some repositories taking a hands-off approach with the code they host. This scenario allows attackers to target one overlooked component … [Link]

Mashable » 'Forgive me ya'll': CeeLo (kinda) explains that weird exploding phone video

Sunday 18 December 0:33:26 UTC 2016

UPDATE: Dec. 18, 2016, 1:57 p.m. AEDT So, that was CeeLo, but we still don't have answers. At around 9:30 p.m. ET, CeeLo showed up on Facebook and broadcast a live video to confirm that the person in the video was indeed him, and that he's fine.  CeeLo's frustratingly vague explanation is that the video is part of something he's shooting … [Link]

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