John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons

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Geekish

Anyone who works as a freelancer these days has to be at least a bit familiar with techie things. But it isn’t just that. When I was a kid and those vaguely SF puppet shows were on the television and all the other kids wanted to be Greg Gogetem or Steve Savetheuniverse, I wanted to be the guy in a white coat and glasses called Doc or Brains. Here are some technology-related feeds I find useful and/or entertaining.

Slashdot » Google and Facebook Dominate The List of 2016's Top Ten Apps

Saturday 31 December 23:39:00 UTC 2016

After surveying over 9,000 Android and iPhone users, Nielsen's "Electronic Mobile Measurement" has calculated the 10 most popular apps of 2016. Interestingly, the #1 and #2 most popular apps of the year were Facebook and Facebook Messenger. BrianFagioli writes: Facebook holds the first, second, and eighth spots — remember, the company owns Instagram too. Google has the most number of … [Link]

Mashable » Watch the ball drop in Times Square with this New Year's Eve livestream

Saturday 31 December 23:17:21 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333459%2f8a444574-ace7-48ae-a682-d5c0b1f86afdFeed-tw Feed-fbIt doesn't matter if you're stuck at work, at home sick, or simply don't have the means to join the global party, there's no reason for you to miss the New Year's Eve celebration in New York's Time Square.  SEE ALSO: Here's how to spend NYE if you want to ring in 2017 twice Yes, there will be a few New … [Link]

Mashable » 5 VR safety tips to stop you from destroying your home

Saturday 31 December 23:01:44 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333452%2f477e8d72-1bf3-4305-a8e5-4cb79efbd686Feed-tw Feed-fbThe new year may be upon us, but many of you are probably still playing with your holiday gifts, one of the most popular of which appears to be VR headsets.  But if you take a look around social media, you'll notice a surprisingly common story popping up: People are getting so into virtual reality, they're destroying their real-world homes.  SEE … [Link]

Mashable » No, the power grid in Vermont was not infiltrated by Russian hackers

Saturday 31 December 22:19:24 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333396%2f9cb194bc-6275-4c21-8239-cc1a56ac693eFeed-tw Feed-fbYou may have read or seen on social media a Washington Post story published Friday which claimed that Russian hackers had hacked the U.S. power system via an electrical grid in Vermont. SEE ALSO: What we do and don't know about Russia's interference in the presidential election That’s not what happened and the incident is not necessarily connected to the alleged … [Link]

Mashable » Rare nationwide cold snap to ring in the New Year across U.S.

Saturday 31 December 22:02:41 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333410%2faa76edbc-5aad-4d9b-9f5c-8fd9d756549aFeed-tw Feed-fbJanuary 2017 will start off unusually cold across the entire lower 48 states, in an unusually expansive and intense cold snap. The frigid weather, with possibly as many as 15 states seeing below-zero Fahrenheit temperatures at times, will start in the Pacific Northwest, northern Plains and Upper Midwest, and then creep eastward like a slow motion weather train wreck. Temperatures will … [Link]

Slashdot » Let's Raise A Glass To The Many Tech Pioneers Who Died In 2016

Saturday 31 December 22:01:00 UTC 2016

In technology, you're always "standing on the shoulders" of those who came before you — and together, each individual's contribution becomes part of a larger ongoing story. So as this year finally winds to a close, click through to see our list of some of the pioneers who left us in 2016. And feel free to share any memories and … [Link]

Mashable » Call ‘The Avengers’ in this arcade-style, animated retelling

Saturday 31 December 22:00:00 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f23472%2favengers_8_bit_thumbFeed-tw Feed-fbIf they have an army, but you have a Hulk, can you save the world from Loki? Find out in this 8-bit (and 16-bit) reimagining of Joss Whedon's The Avengers as an old video game, inspired by classic action games like Megaman.  Our CineFix series, 8-bit Cinema, "gamifies" your favorite Hollywood blockbusters into '80s arcade- and NES-inspired animations.  Subscribe to CineFix … [Link]

Mashable » From Bowie to Solange: Here are the top 10 albums of 2016

Saturday 31 December 21:26:11 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f30530%2f05ba846a-35c5-4ad4-b485-d1a22edf515cFeed-tw Feed-fbIf you released an album this year and thought you could slide by without bringing your A-Game, well, as Chance the Rapper would put it, "Uhahua!" 2016 was stacked with great music. Many of the world's biggest artist's put out the best work of their careers, legends blessing us with swan-songs that make saying goodbye even rougher and fresh acts achieving … [Link]

Mashable » 'Halloweentown' actors pay tribute to the great Debbie Reynolds

Saturday 31 December 21:09:44 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333393%2fd7d71f1d-0d30-4da3-9cd4-ee1f44ed361cFeed-tw Feed-fbDebbie Reynolds, who died Dec. 28 at the age of 84, will forever be remembered for her role in the 1952 classic film, "Singing in the Rain." But for younger viewers today, she is known as Aggie Cromwell, the wise and magic-loving grandmother in the Disney Halloweentown films.  The first of this series premiered on television 1998, with the fourth in … [Link]

Mashable » 16 incredible quotes from 16 incredible books that got us through 2016

Saturday 31 December 20:35:32 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333342%2ffdfb2f55-6c1a-467a-9819-20439d287d02Feed-tw Feed-fbIf there is one thing to celebrate from 2016, a year that has been very objectively and very scientifically determined to be a large, blazing garbage fire, it's all of the great books that have been published. With moving fiction, experimental short stories, heartfelt poetry collections and insightful memoirs, 2016 introduced us all to a bevy of great authors and literature. … [Link]

Slashdot » Creepy Site Claims To Reveal Torrenting Histories

Saturday 31 December 19:59:00 UTC 2016

Slashdot reader dryriver writes: The highly invasive and possibly Russian owned and operated website IKnowWhatYouDownload.com immediately shows [a] bittorent download history for your IP address when you land on it. What's more, it also [claims to] show the torrenting history of any specific IP address you enter, and also of IP addresses similar to yours, so you can see what … [Link]

Mashable » Snapchat's 10 most popular lenses of 2016

Saturday 31 December 19:24:38 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333327%2fe7ac2b4a-ad30-442b-8e25-c514117bea52Feed-tw Feed-fbSnapchat is insanely powerful. Not only has it changed Facebook (for better or worse), it has popularized the term "vomiting rainbow" and transformed selfies.  Just over a year ago, Snapchat introduced lenses, a feature that recognizes objects such as faces and overlays them with animated filters. It's one of the app's most addictive features in part because the options change daily.  … [Link]

Mashable » This VR device promises to make both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive wireless

Saturday 31 December 19:08:49 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f32191%2f66bc4496-33a9-42a7-876c-f55e8f97a3afFeed-tw Feed-fb The virtual reality smorgasbord set to hit CES is just a few days away, but standout companies are already popping up, including one with a unique HMD solution. Atlanta-based KwikVR is promising a wireless VR headset device that works perfectly with both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift.  Weighing less than one pound, the device can be attached to … [Link]

Slashdot » Pull Requests Are Accepted At About The Same Rate, Regardless of Gender

Saturday 31 December 18:57:00 UTC 2016

An anonymous reader writes: Remember that story about how women "get pull requests accepted more (except when you know they're women)." The study actually showed that men also had their code accepted more often when their gender wasn't known, according to Tech In Asia — and more importantly, the lower acceptance rates (for both men and women) applied mostly to … [Link]

Mashable » Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds to be buried together

Saturday 31 December 18:32:35 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333362%2f41a49702-01fc-4b9c-be6c-0b1e422dc73bFeed-tw Feed-fbCarrie Fisher, the world famous actress best known for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars franchise, will be buried together with her mother, the iconic actress Debbie Reynolds, according to Reynold's son Todd Fisher.  The two renowned actresses died one day apart, on Dec. 27 and 28.  A date for the funeral has not been set, but the … [Link]

Slashdot » Astronomers Detect Mysterious Radio Signals Coming From Outside Our Galaxy

Saturday 31 December 17:55:00 UTC 2016

This week the New York Post reported on "powerful radio signals which have been detected repeatedly in the same exact location in space," generating as much energy as the sun does in a whole day, in "the only known instance in which these signals have been found twice in the same location in space." Slashdot reader schwit1 quotes Science Alert: … [Link]

Mashable » Ronda Rousey lost her first fight in more than a year in just 48 seconds

Saturday 31 December 17:40:06 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333306%2fde79d0a7-117f-4371-a8ee-821d731d9275Feed-tw Feed-fbAfter more than a year of anticipation, the fate of the most famous UFC fighter to date, Ronda Rousey, was decided in just 48 seconds on Friday.  Brazilian fighter Amanda Nunes defended her women's bantamweight champion title by dispatching Rousey with a vicious flurry of strikes in the first round, leaving no doubt about the end of Rousey's long reign as … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Watership Down' Author Richard Adams Died On Christmas Eve At Age 96

Saturday 31 December 16:36:00 UTC 2016

Initially rejected by several publishers, "Watership Down" (1972) went on to become one of the best-selling fantasy books of all time. Last Saturday the book's author died peacefully at the age of 96. Long-time Slashdot reader haruchai remembers some of the author's other books: In addition to his much-beloved story about anthropomorphic rabbits, Adams penned two fantasy books set in … [Link]

Mashable » China announces a 'game-changing' step for elephant conservation

Saturday 31 December 16:19:29 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333276%2feb76aef7-1d9e-4188-9dcd-caf6f29f5407Feed-tw Feed-fbChina, the world's largest market for ivory, announced this week that it will shut down its trade in such goods by the end of 2017. This will close down the world's largest commercial ivory market, and could help elephant populations stabilize and recover in Africa. The decision to close down its domestic commercial elephant ivory trade is being hailed as a … [Link]

Mashable » From Kimye vs. Taylor to Kimye vs. Bette Midler: The best celebrity feuds of 2016

Saturday 31 December 15:43:21 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333184%2f80aad5a0-d577-4f2e-946d-ac2992b792a6Feed-tw Feed-fbFor a lot of us, famous and normals alike, 2016 was a narrative we would like to be excluded from and that we never asked to be a part of.  But if nothing else, it was a great year for celebrity gossip. Thanks to social media, egos and impulse control had a banner year — for better and most certainly for … [Link]

Slashdot » Russian Hackers Penetrated The US Electricity Grid, Say Officials

Saturday 31 December 15:34:00 UTC 2016

Slashdot reader DogDude quotes the Washington Post: A code associated with the Russian hacking operation dubbed Grizzly Steppe by the Obama administration has been detected within the system of a Vermont utility, according to U.S. officials. While the Russians did not actively use the code to disrupt operations of the utility, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity … [Link]

Mashable » How to never touch anyone ever again

Saturday 31 December 15:00:00 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fstory%2fthumbnail%2f21817%2f48bacb35153a4b77b24b8938c64c508cFeed-tw Feed-fbPhysical contact? On one hand, it's a vital form of human communication. On the other, it's terrible. Touching other people is one of humankind's greatest fallacies. We all know touching people exposes us to germs, maybe diseases and definitely weird sweat, but we do it anyway. This is f*cking ridiculous. SEE ALSO: 10 very dangerous activities you should avoid at all … [Link]

Mashable » Trump says Happy New Year in the most Trump way

Saturday 31 December 14:42:46 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333266%2f1f8d965a-3a94-49d2-a419-9921c35ae713Feed-tw Feed-fbPresident-elect Donald Trump tweeted his New Year's wishes on Saturday morning, and they do not disappoint. Choosing to steer clear of a neutral, hopeful message for the future, Trump instead sent a tauntingly boastful signal to his enemies. Presumably the tweet was also directed at his vanquished rival for the presidency, Hillary Clinton, who won the popular vote by nearly 3 … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » ProgrammableWeb's Most Interesting APIs in 2016: Finance and Banking

Saturday 31 December 14:30:01 UTC 2016

Our look at the most interesting APIs of 2016 moves to the Finance and Banking categories. The Finance sector was initially cautious to jump into the API ecosystem, but recently we've seen great strides in FinTech transformation. During the past year, over 175 APIs have been added to the ProgrammableWeb directory in the Banking and Payments categories. [Link]

Mashable » 6 tech resolutions you should make in 2017, and how to keep them

Saturday 31 December 14:00:00 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f332333%2fa5591e54-733a-48cb-8f25-89f72d389ad9Feed-tw Feed-fbEach year, our phones, social media accounts, laptops, smart assistants, fitness trackers and other tech somehow swallow up even more of our time.  For the new year, here are a handful of resolutions that aim to improve our relationship to the technology that rules our lives: Image: DUSTIN DRANKOSKI/MASHABLE1. Start taking cybersecurity seriously 2016 was the year personal cybersecurity came to … [Link]

Mashable » Can an app change human behavior? This behavioral economics professor is banking on it

Saturday 31 December 14:00:00 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333141%2f83512a7b-b447-4eee-a4cb-7f452561ad77Feed-tw Feed-fbWhether personal or professional, change is hard. And the cumulative data is not on our side.  Take something obviously detrimental, like smoking. A mere 4% to 7% of people successfully quit without the aid of medication or outside help. Even experiencing a traumatic event — like the death of a loved one or being diagnosed with cancer — only leads to … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft Patent Suggests HoloLens Could Keep Track of Your Small Items

Saturday 31 December 13:00:00 UTC 2016

A new Microsoft patent has been published that describes a system that would let its HoloLens glasses track small items like car keys, ultimately helping users find their lost belongings. What's more is that the system can "monitor the status of objects without any instructions from users, keeping tabs on anything that's important to their lives," writes Adi Robertson via … [Link]

Mashable » How livestreaming dominated 2016

Saturday 31 December 13:00:00 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333076%2f8cb67fe1-4f46-4585-bc02-494f1a8207dcFeed-tw Feed-fbIn June, House Democrats live streamed a sit-in to protest the Republican majority's inaction on gun control.  But to the general public, the House floor footage was only available on social media, with even CSPAN broadcasting Periscope feeds. That moment in itself was yet another indicator that live streaming is the future. The genre has grown in popularity over the last … [Link]

Slashdot » Foxconn and Sharp Team Up To Build $8.8 Billion LCD Plant In China

Saturday 31 December 10:00:00 UTC 2016

Foxconn was in the news recently for plans to "automate entire factories" in China, but the electronics manufacturing company has also announced plans with Sharp to build a $8.8 billion (61 million yuan) factory in China to produce liquid-crystal displays (LCDs). Reuters reports: Sakai Display Products Corp's plant will be a so-called Gen-10.5 facility specializing in large-screen LCDs and will … [Link]

Mashable » 7 ways online dating became more advanced in 2016

Saturday 31 December 9:30:00 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f328244%2f65bbf75b-1e82-4cfb-8d2a-ab8e30999b43Feed-tw Feed-fbLONDON — A lot can change in a year.  No, we're not talking about politics. We're talking about the realm of online dating.  If you've been off the dating scene for a while, things have changed a little bit since you were last swiping. Naturally, we've made you a little catch-up guide to make sure you're prepared to hit up the … [Link]

Slashdot » NASA Designs 'Ice Dome' For Astronauts On Mars

Saturday 31 December 7:00:00 UTC 2016

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Phys.Org: The "Mars Ice Home" is a large inflatable dome that is surrounded by a shell of water ice. NASA said the design is just one of many potential concepts for creating a sustainable home for future Martian explorers. The idea came from a team at NASA's Langley Research Center that started with … [Link]

Slashdot » How Russia Recruited Elite Hackers For Its Cyberwar

Saturday 31 December 3:30:00 UTC 2016

Lasrick quotes a report from The New York Times (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternate source): For more than three years, rather than rely on military officers working out of isolated bunkers, Russian government recruiters have scouted a wide range of programmers, placing prominent ads on social media sites, offering jobs to college students and professional coders, and even speaking … [Link]

Slashdot » China Says It Will Shut Down Ivory Trade By End of 2017

Saturday 31 December 1:40:00 UTC 2016

An anonymous reader quotes a report from ABC News: China says it plans to shut down its ivory trade by the end of 2017 in a move designed to curb the mass slaughter of African elephants. The Chinese government will end the processing and selling of ivory and ivory products by the end of March as it phases out the … [Link]

Mashable » 2016 is the year that just won't quit. Literally.

Saturday 31 December 1:27:43 UTC 2016

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fcard%2fimage%2f333199%2fb1a0931b-0701-4c7d-a36a-bced8c686583Feed-tw Feed-fbIn the nick of time, we're getting just what we needed: more of 2016. To keep this relentless year going, we get to enjoy an extra second, known as a leap second, on Saturday Dec. 31. The extra time is all about syncing the earth's rotation with the world's atomic clocks. Since it doesn't take a perfect 24 hours for the … [Link]

Slashdot » Apple Patent Hints At Magnetic Ear Hooks To Keep Future AirPods In Your Ears

Saturday 31 December 1:00:00 UTC 2016

Patently Apple has recently uncovered a new Apple patent that may help AirPods stay in your ears. The patent details a magnetic mechanism that wraps around the user's ear. Digital Trends reports: The magnets attract each other through the ear tissue, keeping the AirPods in place and ensuring that they don't get lost. Of course, it's not certain if Apple … [Link]

Slashdot » Self-Driving Cars Will Make Organ Shortages Even Worse

Saturday 31 December 0:20:00 UTC 2016

One of the many ways self-driving cars will impact the world is with organ shortages. It's a morbid thought, but the most reliable sources for healthy organs and tissues are the more than 35,000 people killed each year on American roads. According to the book "Driverless: Intelligent Cars and the Road Ahead," 1 in 5 organ donations comes from the … [Link]

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