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.

Slashdot » California's Bullet Train Hurtles Towards a Multibillion-Dollar Overrun

Saturday 14 January 23:09:00 UTC 2017

schwit1 quotes the Los Angeles Times: California's bullet train could cost taxpayers 50% more than estimated — as much as $3.6 billion more. And that's just for the first 118 miles through the Central Valley, which was supposed to be the easiest part of the route between Los Angeles and San Francisco. A confidential Federal Railroad Administration risk analysis, obtained … [Link]

Mashable » Zoe Saldana feels Hollywood has bullied Donald Trump

Saturday 14 January 23:01:26 UTC 2017

Donald Trump has made countless racist, misogynistic and downright reprehensible remarks throughout the course of his life, but perhaps Donald Trump is the one who has truly been bullied. This appears to be the mindset of Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar star Zoe Saldana, who, though not personally a supporter of the Republican president-elect, feels his victory is due to … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Superbug' Resistant To 26 Antibiotics Kills A Patient In Nevada

Saturday 14 January 22:04:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes UPI: A Nevada woman in her 70s who'd recently returned from India died in September from a "superbug" infection that resisted all antibiotics, according to a report released Friday… The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "basically reported that there was nothing in our medicine cabinet to treat this lady," report co-author Dr. Randall Todd … [Link]

Mashable » Mark Hamill turns Trump's Meryl Streep tweets into a psychotic Joker monologue

Saturday 14 January 21:52:49 UTC 2017

Well, Donald Trump's tweets sound completely fitting as monologues from the Joker, so… that's not comforting. Mark Hamill, the voice of the Joker in several different Batman projects, has lately been reading the president-elect's tweets as the murdering clown antagonist of Batman. On Jan. 14, he tackled Trump's post Golden Globes tweets to Meryl Streep. SEE ALSO: Fill out this job … [Link]

Slashdot » Amateur Scientists Find New Clue In D.B. Cooper Case, Crowdsource Their Investigation

Saturday 14 January 20:59:00 UTC 2017

Six months after the FBI closed the only unsolved air piracy in American aviation history — after a 45-year investigation — there's a new clue. An anonymous reader quotes Seattle news station KING: A band of amateur scientists selected by the Seattle FBI to look for clues in the world's most infamous skyjacking may have found new evidence in the … [Link]

Mashable » Yes, Jude Law knows about your 'Young Pope' memes

Saturday 14 January 20:45:13 UTC 2017

Good news, meme-makers, The Young Pope's Jude Law is well aware of the exquisite internet mockery surrounding his new HBO drama.  In fact, much like a benevolent pontiff might offer benediction for your sins, Law has blessed our creative exploits.  "Having spent the last week in New York and here doing lots of press, I’ve become very aware," Law told reporters … [Link]

Mashable » Dancer busts gravity-defying moves in Apple's first AirPods ad

Saturday 14 January 20:24:08 UTC 2017

Whether you're walking up walls or dancing in reverse gravity, Apple's wireless AirPods won't slip out of your ears. At least that seems to be the message of the company's first TV ad for the devices set to replace earbuds.  SEE ALSO: Beats By Dre gets Nicki Minaj and other A-list stars to push its new wireless headphones In it, the … [Link]

Mashable » New Obama/Biden memes are here to help you survive inauguration week

Saturday 14 January 20:20:51 UTC 2017

You can take Barack and Joe out of the White House, but you can never take Barack and Joe out of the memes. Over the past eight years, President Obama and VP Biden have formed a lasting bromance, and with every great bromance comes some beautifully creative memes. Having been inspired by the first round of beloved "Biden plotting against Trump" … [Link]

Mashable » Here's why fans hate Fox broadcaster Joe Buck so much

Saturday 14 January 20:03:42 UTC 2017

With the football world's eyes on Arlington, Texas this weekend for a premier NFL playoff matchup between Green Bay and Dallas, much of the pre-game conversation is on the man set to announce it — Joe Buck, who remains one of the most hated sports broadcasters on television.   Fans loathe the Fox play-by-play man so much, in fact, that they … [Link]

Slashdot » D-Wave Open Sources Its Quantum Computing Tool

Saturday 14 January 19:54:00 UTC 2017

Long-time Slashdot reader haruchai writes: Canadian company D-Wave has released their qbsolv tool on GitHub to help bolster interest and familiarity with quantum computing. "qbsolv is a metaheuristic or partitioning solver that solves a potentially large QUBO problem by splitting it into pieces that are solved either on a D-Wave system or via a classical tabu solver," they write on … [Link]

Mashable » SpaceX's breathtaking bullseye rocket landing in gifs

Saturday 14 January 19:49:20 UTC 2017

Elon Musk's SpaceX just proved that they're still one of the best in the rocket launching game. On Saturday, after a more than four month hiatus, SpaceX successfully launched its first Falcon 9 rocket since an explosion in September forced them to ground all flights.  SEE ALSO: SpaceX returns to flight in style, launching satellites and landing another rocket Not only … [Link]

Mashable » Inauguration, and the Women's March, will give Airbnb its biggest-ever weekend in DC

Saturday 14 January 19:44:35 UTC 2017

Next weekend, 15,000 visitors are set to stay at Airbnbs in Washington, D.C.  That will be the most guests to use Airbnb in the District since the home-rental company's launch. In a blog post, Airbnb outlined the demand surrounding inauguration weekend.  Much of that demand — although Airbnb didn't say how much — is also for the Women's March on Washington … [Link]

Mashable » Snow won't stop the animals in Oregon Zoo from having fun

Saturday 14 January 19:00:00 UTC 2017

Portland, Oregon called in their first snow day of 2017 but that did not stop the animals at the Oregon Zoo from playing in the snow. Read more…More about Mashable Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, Snow, and Bears [Link]

Slashdot » Student Hacker Faces 10 Years in Prison For Spyware That Hit 16,000 Computers

Saturday 14 January 18:49:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes Motherboard: A 21-year-old from Virginia plead guilty on Friday to writing and selling custom spyware designed to monitor a victim's keystrokes. Zachary Shames, from Great Falls, Virginia, wrote a keylogger, malware designed to record every keystroke on a computer, and sold it to more than 3,000 people who infected more than 16,000 victims with it, according … [Link]

Mashable » Chevy reveals Lego Batmobile at Detroit auto show

Saturday 14 January 18:40:09 UTC 2017

The Lego Batman Movie is just weeks away, and to add hype to what already looks like an epic movie, a life-sized Lego Batmobile has been unveiled.   Chevrolet revealed the creation on Saturday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. SEE ALSO: Lego Boost is robot building for the rest of us At roughly 17 feet long, the … [Link]

Mashable » SpaceX returns to flight in style, launching satellites and landing another rocket

Saturday 14 January 18:23:39 UTC 2017

SpaceX is back.  Elon Musk's private space company just successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket to space following an explosion in Sept. that had halted its launch operations.  The company returned to flight in style, too, by landing its seventh rocket stage back on Earth after delivering a payload to space. The landing was a secondary objective for the mission, but … [Link]

Mashable » Arsonist pet tortoise starts fire that burns neighbor's home and causes $150,000 in damage

Saturday 14 January 18:21:02 UTC 2017

A tortoise in San Antonio is being blamed for a fire that spread to a neighboring home, causing an estimated $150,000 in damage. The tortoise's motives remain unclear. SEE ALSO: For the love of charity, look at these dog bellies According to Fox 29 San Antonio the reptilian suspect is 15 years old, his name is Bits and he weighs about … [Link]

Mashable » Jennifer Holliday cancels Trump inauguration performance, apologizes to LGBT community

Saturday 14 January 17:58:22 UTC 2017

The drama surrounding Donald Trump's inauguration is not letting up. Things looked as hopeful as possible (relatively speaking) for the president-elect on Friday, after it was announced that country star Toby Keith, rock band 3 Doors Down and singer Jennifer Holliday were set to perform at his Jan. 19 concert. However, on Saturday morning, after receiving serious backlash — especially from … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Why IBM's Watson Speech API Might be Right for Your App

Saturday 14 January 17:51:19 UTC 2017

In recent history we have seen tech giants put out speech recognition APIs, allowing developers to integrate speech-to-text technology into their applications. Developer Daniel Janus puts three of the popular contenders through their paces over at Rebased. [Link]

Mashable » Barack Obama emotionally reflects on highs and lows of his presidency

Saturday 14 January 17:50:26 UTC 2017

With less than a week left before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, emotions are running high for the Obama family. As President Barack Obama lives out the final days of his second term, he's reflecting on the highs and lows, the groundbreaking accomplishments and the unbearable disappointments he faced during his time in office. Grab your tissues, everyone. And prepare to … [Link]

Slashdot » Tor Onion Browser's Creator Explains Free Version For iOS

Saturday 14 January 17:44:00 UTC 2017

The free iOS version of the Tor browser "sparked a tidal wave of interest" after its release in December, according to Silicon.co. Mickeycaskill writes: The cost has been scrapped due to developer Mike Tigas' worries that the price was limiting access to anonymous browsing for those who need it most. "Given recent events, many believe it's more important than ever … [Link]

Mashable » In World War I, British military industry was dominated by women

Saturday 14 January 17:00:00 UTC 2017

c. 1917Women and men work amid rows of artillery shells at the National Filling Factory in Chilwell.Image: Imperial War MuseumsWhen Britain entered World War I in 1914, thousands of women joined the workforce to fill jobs left by men sent overseas.In addition to taking over as transit workers, police, bank tellers and firefighters, women dominated the manufacturing industry which sprang up to … [Link]

Slashdot » Hamas 'Honey Trap' Dupes Israeli Soldiers

Saturday 14 January 16:39:00 UTC 2017

wiredmikey quotes Security Week: The smartphones of dozens of Israeli soldiers were hacked by Hamas militants pretending to be attractive young women online, an Israeli military official said Wednesday. Using fake profiles on Facebook with alluring photos, Hamas members contacted the soldiers via groups on the social network, luring them into long chats, the official told journalists on condition of … [Link]

Mashable » People are fuming over Donald Trump's comments about John Lewis

Saturday 14 January 16:17:59 UTC 2017

If there's one thing Donald Trump has taught us since his presidential campaign began, it's think before you tweet. On Saturday morning, Trump's latest controversial social media actions came in the form of two tweets targeting Civil Rights icon and U.S. Representative for Georgia John Lewis, claiming the man is "all talk and no action or results." SEE ALSO: Trump's inaugural … [Link]

Mashable » Barack Obama and Joe Biden get the 'Shawshank' ending they deserve

Saturday 14 January 15:35:42 UTC 2017

There's been much speculation about what Barack Obama and Joe Biden will do after leaving office next week. Obama, for one, has stated that he plans to stay active in politics during Trump's presidency. Biden has reportedly expressed a desire to stay involved in the search for a cancer cure. While neither has stated any plans to move to Zihuatanejo, … [Link]

Slashdot » Node.js's npm Is Now The Largest Package Registry in the World

Saturday 14 January 15:34:00 UTC 2017

Linux.com highlights some interesting statistics about npm, the package manager for Node.js. "At over 350,000 packages, the npm registry contains more than double the next most populated package registry (which is the Apache Maven repository). In fact, it is currently the largest package registry in the world."In the preceding four weeks, users installed 18 billion packages.This translates into 6 billion … [Link]

Mashable » Single mom builds a house from the ground up using YouTube tutorials

Saturday 14 January 15:10:39 UTC 2017

Your dream home is apparently only a year's worth of physical labor, cost of supplies, and a work crew of children away— if you want it badly enough. In 2008, single mother of four Cara Brookins felt trapped: she was simultaneously living with a violent and abusive husband and being stalked by a mentally ill ex. She knew that even if … [Link]

Mashable » SpaceX's Saturday rocket launch is a big freaking deal

Saturday 14 January 15:09:02 UTC 2017

It’s make or break time for SpaceX. The Elon Musk-founded spaceflight company is planning to launch a clutch of communications satellites to orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket on Saturday. This is the company's first launch since a Falcon 9 blew up on its pad during what should have been a routine test five months ago. SEE ALSO: Elon Musk's SpaceX … [Link]

Mashable » Could these new rideable rings replace your skates?

Saturday 14 January 15:00:00 UTC 2017

These futuristic new hollow rings may change the way we skate. 'OrbitWheels' have raised the bar for recreational transportation. Read more…More about Mashable Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, Transportation, and Riding [Link]

Mashable » Experience the first ever skydive captured on Google Street View

Saturday 14 January 14:40:41 UTC 2017

Google Street View decided to jump out of a plane over a coastal New Zealand national park. And lucky for us, we get to experience the skydiving trip without having to sign any waivers. In late December, a certified Google Street View photographer teamed up with New Zealand skydive operator Skydive Abel Tasman. Together, they captured the mountainous region of the … [Link]

Mashable » When engineers shut down Niagara Falls' water flow and found surprisingly few corpses

Saturday 14 January 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Image: Russ Glasson/Barcroft/Getty ImagesFor several months in 1969, the torrent of water rushing over American Falls, one of three waterfalls that makes up Niagara Falls, was reduced to little more than a trickle.American Falls is recognizable for the immense rock pile, or talus, at its base, the result of a series of natural rockslides over the years. In the late 1960s, … [Link]

Mashable » What a teen's recent livestreamed suicide reveals about mental health and social media

Saturday 14 January 13:03:00 UTC 2017

On Dec. 30, Katelyn Nicole Davis turned on the livestreaming app Live.me at her home in Cedartown, Georgia, and broadcast her own suicide. As that video spread across the internet and social media, it demonstrated how quickly technology can turn casual spectators into traumatized witnesses. The video also left those who encountered it online or through news reports wondering what would … [Link]

Slashdot » Petition With Over 1 Million Signatures Urges President Obama To Pardon Snowden

Saturday 14 January 13:00:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from CNET: More than 1 million people signed onto a petition asking President Barack Obama to pardon Edward Snowden, proponents of the pardon said Friday. The campaign began in September, when Snowden, his attorney Ben Wizner from the ACLU, and other privacy activists announced they would formally petition Obama for a pardon. Snowden leaked … [Link]

Slashdot » Moon Express Raises $20 Million In Series B-1, Fully Funds Trip To The Moon

Saturday 14 January 10:00:00 UTC 2017

The company competing in the Google Lunar X-Prize, Moon Express, has raised $20 million in funding and announced that they have now fully financed their mission to the moon. The company made history last year as it became the first private company to receive permission to travel to the moon. Moon Express plans to launch their MX-1E spacecraft to the … [Link]

Slashdot » Someone Is Trying to Sell Those Stolen Three-Screen Razer Laptops in China

Saturday 14 January 7:30:00 UTC 2017

Just a few days ago, Razer's awesome Project Valerie laptops — the one with three 4K displays — were stolen. Now it looks like whoever stole them is trying to sell them. From a report: It turns out that the thief (or thieves) didn't just nab one Project Valerie prototype. They actually got ahold of a pair. Razer CEO Min-Liang … [Link]

Slashdot » SpaceX Accident Cost it Hundreds of Millions

Saturday 14 January 5:30:00 UTC 2017

Elon Musk's SpaceX lost more than a quarter of a billion dollars in 2015 after a botched cargo run to the International Space Station and the subsequent grounding of its Falcon 9 rocket fleet, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. From a report: The accident derailed SpaceX's expectations of $1.8 billion in launch revenue in 2016, an analysis of … [Link]

Slashdot » Congress Will Consider Proposal To Raise H-1B Minimum Wage To $100,000

Saturday 14 January 3:30:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: President-elect Donald Trump is just a week away from taking office. From the start of his campaign, he has promised big changes to the US immigration system. For both Trump's advisers and members of Congress, the H-1B visa program, which allows many foreign workers to fill technology jobs, is a particular … [Link]

Mashable » The internet just can't believe what this Mississippi city calls MLK Day

Saturday 14 January 3:28:54 UTC 2017

A Mississippi city was at the center of Twitter rage Friday after calling Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by another name.  While announcing municipal offices would be closed Monday, the city of Biloxi's official Twitter and Facebook accounts said the absence was due to "Great Americans Day." Non-emergency municipal offices in Biloxi will be closed on Monday in observance of Great … [Link]

Mashable » Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde's son had a Beyoncé-themed birthday AND she got him a present

Saturday 14 January 2:28:24 UTC 2017

Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde's toddler is a proud member of the Beyhive: For his second birthday, he wanted a Beyoncé-themed party. But he didn't just get the party of his dreams. According to a new interview with Sudeikis, the Queen also gave him a gift.  SEE ALSO: Jason Sudeikis and Joe Jonas play something called 'Tandem Sculptionary' with Jimmy Fallon … [Link]

Mashable » A private space company you probably don't know has enough money to land on the moon

Saturday 14 January 1:37:15 UTC 2017

A private company you probably haven't heard of just announced that it has the money it needs to shoot for the moon, literally. Moon Express — one of the teams competing to win the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize — says that it has now raised enough money to build, test and launch its uncrewed MX-1E spacecraft to the lunar … [Link]

Slashdot » Millennials Earn 20 Percent Less Than Boomers Did At Same Stage of Life

Saturday 14 January 1:25:00 UTC 2017

According to a new analysis of Federal Reserve data by the advocacy group Young Invincibles, millennials earn 20 percent less than boomers did at the same stage of life, even though they are better educated. Their median household income is $40,581, and their home ownership rate is lower, while their student debt is drastically higher. USA Today reports: The analysis … [Link]

Slashdot » Headphone Users Rejoice: Samsung Reportedly Not Killing the Galaxy S8's Headphone Jack

Saturday 14 January 0:45:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: Contrary to previous reports, Samsung's upcoming flagship Galaxy S8 smartphone will come with a headphone jack, unlike the new iPhone 7 and 7 Plus and several other Android smartphones. The news comes from both Sammobile and Android Police. The Next Web reports: "Both Sammobile and Android Police are today reporting that Samsung is not actually killing … [Link]

Mashable » Meet the new adult at Snap: Sony exec Michael Lynton moves full time to Snapchat

Saturday 14 January 0:17:13 UTC 2017

A big media executive is stepping down at Sony to help Snapchat on its quest to redefine the camera — and television.  Michael Lynton, chief executive of Sony’s entertainment division, announced Friday he is leaving his role at Sony to focus on Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat where he is chairman on the board.  SEE ALSO: Snapchat is quietly … [Link]

Mashable » Americans still love bringing guns to the airport, and 2016 was a record year

Saturday 14 January 0:11:46 UTC 2017

When packing up to get on the plane, you might want to leave that loaded gun at home.  That might sound obvious, but 2016 actually saw the highest number of guns seized at airport security checkpoints — almost 3,400 firearms and 83 percent of them loaded — since the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was founded in 2001, the government agency announced … [Link]

Slashdot » Drone Maker Lily Robotics Faked Promotional Video, Gets Sued For False Advertising and Misleading Business Practices

Saturday 14 January 0:05:00 UTC 2017

Dotnaught quotes a report from The Register: Lily Robotics says its decision on Thursday to shut down and return pre-order payments for a never-delivered drone, which came on the same day that San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon charged the company with false advertising and misleading business practices, was purely coincidental. According to a source familiar with the complaint filed … [Link]

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