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 » 'Netflix Cheaterz' is the most relatable made-up reality show ever

Monday 20 February 23:43:04 UTC 2017

Who doesn't love the occasional dose of ultra trashy television? Of course, long-running hidden camera series Cheaters is right up there with the finest. Now Netflix have paid tribute with their own parody version: Netflix Cheaterz (with a 'Z' for trademark reasons) in a bid to raise further awareness of the social epidemic that is Netflix cheating.  Original Cheaters host … [Link]

Mashable » Milo Yiannopoulos had a pretty rough Presidents Day

Monday 20 February 23:30:47 UTC 2017

Presidents’ Day was pretty bad for Milo Yiannopoulos.  The alt-right troll and Breitbart editor — banished from Twitter for inciting harassment against Leslie Jones, known for "provocative" attacks against trans people, feminism and "P.C. culture" — finally saw it all come crashing down.  Over the weekend, a video showing Yiannopoulos defending and advocating for sexual relationships between 13-year-olds and adults began … [Link]

Mashable » Give a dollar to Peaches Monroee on GoFundMe for every time you've said 'on fleek'

Monday 20 February 22:19:12 UTC 2017

If anyone deserves your GoFundMe contribution, it's Peaches Monroee.  The internet sensation — real name Kayla Lewis — coined the phrase "eyebrows on fleek." And even though the entire world has used it, Lewis hasn't received much credit.  That's why she launched a GoFundMe campaign, in the hopes that her linguistic contribution to the world might inspire some to help her … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » 6 Errors That API Providers Should Look Out For

Monday 20 February 22:12:49 UTC 2017

It’s never been easier to create an API. With Web frameworks like Flask and Express and app engines like Heroku, you can get an API up and running in hours if not minutes. The downside to this is that the easier it is to build an API, the more badly designed APIs there are going to be. And of course … [Link]

Mashable » 'Rick and Morty' trolls fans with an 'exclusive' look at Season 3

Monday 20 February 22:11:32 UTC 2017

Rick and Morty fans have been waiting for new episodes for over a year now, with nary a premiere date in sight. So it's understandable that the words "Exclusive! Season 3 Opening Scene" would elicit some fast and frantic clicks. Unfortunately, Adult Swim Australia wins this round. It's a Rickroll. Or, you know, a Rick-and-Morty roll. And this one even … [Link]

Mashable » Robotic finger monkeys are cute and not weird at all

Monday 20 February 21:56:07 UTC 2017

We’re now so desperate for distraction and companionship that some of us will even wear tiny robo-monkeys on our fingers. At least WowWee's Fingerlings Baby Monkey Toys, unveiled this week at New York Toy Fair, are adorable.  SEE ALSO: Making friendship bracelets will suck way less with this new gadget As the name implies, these palm-sized monkeys slip onto your finger … [Link]

Mashable » The 5 best Star Wars Lego sets coming this spring

Monday 20 February 21:17:41 UTC 2017

These are Star Wars Lego sets you're looking for.  Lego may be keeping upcoming Star Wars Episode VIII Lego sets under wraps — they literally had nothing to show for the upcoming film at New York Toy Fair —  but that doesn't mean there aren't a whole bunch of new Star Wars sets on the horizon. Lego has dozens of new … [Link]

Slashdot » Amazon Quietly Lowered Its Free Shipping Minimum to $35

Monday 20 February 21:05:00 UTC 2017

Retailers have been busy over the weekend with Presidents Day promotions and sales, but Amazon had a significant surprise discount of its own. From a report: In a blink-and-miss-it move, the online retail giant quietly reduced its free shipping minimum rate to $35. The change was picked up and reported by a number of news outlets over the weekend, and … [Link]

Mashable » Holiday takes an anti-Trump turn with #NotMyPresidentsDay protests

Monday 20 February 21:03:58 UTC 2017

The annual President's Day holiday had a distinct Donald Trump touch in 2017 thanks to a series of protests around the country where participants transformed the anti-Trump #NotMyPresident hashtag into a #NotMyPresidentsDay rallying call. SEE ALSO: 6 ways to push your online activism into the real world in the Trump era Trump himself got the holiday off to a rousing start … [Link]

Mashable » Secrets from the sets of 'Donnie Brasco'

Monday 20 February 20:30:00 UTC 2017

Donnie Brasco celebrates its 20th anniversary next week, so let's celebrate an underappreciated movie classic with some things you probably didn't know about it! Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content.  Read more…More about 20th Anniversary, Mike Newell, Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, and Donnie Brasco [Link]

New Scientist – News » ‘Meditating mice’ reveal secrets of mindfulness training

Monday 20 February 20:30:00 UTC 2017

Mice are less on edge if their brainwaves are coaxed to resemble those patterns that meditation boosts in humans [Link]

Mashable » This flying motorcycle is straight out of Star Wars

Monday 20 February 20:14:25 UTC 2017

We’ve been obsessed with making the Star Wars speeder bikes come true, and now, a Russian startup has finally made it happen.  'HoverSurf' have released a video of their concept hoverbike, 'Scorpion-3.' It's the first fully-manned hoverbike in the world. Read more…More about Jedi, Hoverboard, Real Time Video, Hoversurf, and Flying Cars [Link]

Mashable » 10 error messages that prove my computer knows too much about my personal life

Monday 20 February 20:11:51 UTC 2017

Like many of us, I spend a lot of my time working on my computer. And when I'm not working, I'm watching Netflix or writing my original fantasy novel about a wizard school for children.  But lately, I've noticed that whenever my computer sends me an error message, it almost seems to know a lot about my personal life.  SEE ALSO: … [Link]

Mashable » 10 famous quotes that you probably misattributed

Monday 20 February 19:59:47 UTC 2017

Through the years, we have all had many inspirational or witty quotes from role models, movies or actors plastered all over our Tumblr or Myspace pages to seem super cool, sophisticated and smart. These quotes just spoke to our souls and captured the middle school/teenage angst we were all feeling as one collective, moody unit. SEE ALSO: Girl convinces a dude … [Link]

Mashable » This smart bike helmet has built-in indicator lights

Monday 20 February 19:52:36 UTC 2017

Cars have indicator lights for better safety so why shouldn't bicycles have them too? The Lumos helmet is a smart helmet for cyclists with a prominent red brake light, as well as yellow left and right turn signals just like motorized vehicles. Read more…More about Real Time Video, Transportation, Lights, Technology, and Tech [Link]

Mashable » Wearing socks to bed is fine, you monsters

Monday 20 February 19:32:06 UTC 2017

There are certain things that humans — or enough loud people, anyway — respect as universal truths. Pizza is good. Nickelback? Bad. Wearing socks to bed is terrible and should be a crime. The first two are absolutely inarguable, but, friends … sometimes wearing socks to bed is nice. If you suffer from dry skin or are constantly cold, it can … [Link]

Slashdot »  Of Course Facebook Is Putting a Snapchat Clone Inside WhatsApp

Monday 20 February 19:10:00 UTC 2017

Karissa Bell, writing for Mashable: Facebook is about to start pushing its next Snapchat clone on a new set of 1 billion+ users. WhatsApp is now starting to roll out its own version of Stories with an update to its Status feature. Launching now in the Netherlands and France, the feature will eventually be live in all the countries where … [Link]

Mashable » Amazon takes aim at Walmart with an even lower minimum for free shipping

Monday 20 February 18:52:37 UTC 2017

If you're excited about easier-to-get free shipping on Amazon, you have Walmart to thank.  Amazon just lowered its free shipping minimum back to $35 from $49. The lowered minimum, spotted by The Verge, came about three weeks after Walmart introduced free two-day shipping for $35 online orders.  Walmart's move signaled an aggressive play against Amazon in e-commerce — especially since Walmart … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Teacher body cams are not the answer to bad classroom behaviour

Monday 20 February 18:29:00 UTC 2017

There is precious little evidence that equipping school staff with body-mounted video kit will help tackle disruptive students, says teacher Tom Bennett [Link]

Slashdot » The Death of the Click

Monday 20 February 18:10:00 UTC 2017

Sara Fischer, writing for Axios: For the past 10 years, we've operated on the premise that the most important digital metric is the click that refers a person to a website. That click usually comes from a social distribution channel, like Facebook or Twitter, or a search engine, like Google or Bing. But according to industry experts, the click referral … [Link]

Mashable » Frances Bean Cobain shares note to commemorate Kurt Cobain's 50th birthday

Monday 20 February 18:02:23 UTC 2017

Artist and model Frances Bean Cobain shared a note on Instagram Monday, honoring her father, Kurt Cobain, on what would have been his 50th birthday. "You are loved and you are missed," she wrote. "Thank you for giving me the gift of life." SEE ALSO: The trailer for 'Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck' will beautifully crush your soul A post shared … [Link]

Mashable » Making friendship bracelets will suck way less with this new gadget

Monday 20 February 18:00:15 UTC 2017

Aren’t friendship bracelet's awesome? Handcrafted by your bestie to prove that you'll be BFFs forever. Of course laced in among the multi-colored threads are all the tears shed while trying to make the thing. Consider it binding material. SEE ALSO: Talking Trump mask appears at New York Toy Fair even without winning the popular vote Being friends and making these bracelets … [Link]

Mashable » Lana Del Rey goes intergalactic in new video for 'Love'

Monday 20 February 17:30:21 UTC 2017

If you attend a Lana Del Rey concert, you get to go on a date to space. At least, that's the case in the singer's interplanetary new video for "Love," the single she released last week. And even if you're a Lana Del Rey skeptic, you have to admit: floating across the cosmos with a stylish lover sounds pretty great. … [Link]

Mashable » We can't forget about 'Donnie Brasco' on its 20th anniversary

Monday 20 February 17:30:00 UTC 2017

Donnie Brasco celebrates its 20th anniversary next week, so let's celebrate this underappreciated movie classic with some things you probably didn't know. Visit CineFix for more episodes and movie-related content.  Read more… More about 20th Anniversary, Al Pacino, Johnny Depp, Donnie Brasco, and Things You Didn T Know [Link]

Mashable » Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti explain why ‘Billions’ Season 2 is more relevant than ever

Monday 20 February 17:25:16 UTC 2017

When Billions first aired on TV in January 2016, the main takeaway was that in the hunt for power and money, you sometimes have to break a few rules. It was a Machiavellian world set on the stage of a more familiar Wall Street. But that was way back when that world was just good TV. But fast forward to January … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft Has Cancelled the Second-Gen HoloLens, Working on Third-Gen For 2019 Launch

Monday 20 February 17:10:00 UTC 2017

Citing several unnamed sources, long-time blogger Brad Sams is reporting that Microsoft has canceled the second iteration of the HoloLens in an attempt to focus on even more advanced HoloLens. The company, he says, now plans to launch that third iteration of HoloLens in 2019. From the report: Back when the first version of HoloLens came out, Microsoft created a … [Link]

Mashable » Of course Facebook is putting a Snapchat clone inside WhatsApp

Monday 20 February 17:00:00 UTC 2017

Facebook is about to start pushing its next Snapchat clone on a new set of 1 billion+ users. WhatsApp is now starting to roll out its own version of Stories with an update to its Status feature. Launching now in the Netherlands and France, the feature will eventually be live in all the countries where the messaging app is available. SEE … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Big builder ants and tiny guard ants live together in one nest

Monday 20 February 16:55:51 UTC 2017

Two completely different ant species live together in a single society in which a fierce dwarf species seems to protect its giant nest mates from invaders [Link]

Mashable » Josh Gad brings some serious star power for his latest grilling of Daisy Ridley

Monday 20 February 16:50:52 UTC 2017

Poor Daisy Ridley.  While filming a remake of Murder on the Orient Express, she's been subjected to constant grilling from co-star Josh Gad about what secrets she knows about the new Star Wars films.  SEE ALSO: Revealed: What really happened to Star Wars' most hated character After she refused to tell Gad if her character from the current Star Wars saga … [Link]

Mashable » This egg inside another egg is a perfect YouTube specimen

Monday 20 February 16:42:11 UTC 2017

Which came first: the chicken, the egg or the second egg? Okay, we don't know, but we do know this: amid all the late-night clips and VEVO spam, there occasionally emerges a popular YouTube video that is just weird and cool. Behold: the stunning 2017 film "Egg Inside an Egg." SEE ALSO: Curious kestrel videobombs a traffic camera for some adorable … [Link]

New Scientist – News » The upstart asteroid who showed rings are for everybody

Monday 20 February 16:40:00 UTC 2017

Rings were thought to belong only to an exclusive celestial club including flashy giants like Saturn – but then Chariklo crashed the party [Link]

Mashable » Talking Trump mask appears at New York Toy Fair even without winning the popular vote

Monday 20 February 16:35:27 UTC 2017

No one can predict what President Donald Trump will say (or tweet) on any given day, but there is a mask that will help you make a best guess. SEE ALSO: The newest Barbie is a smart doll you can't touch Unveiled at the New York Toy Fair, Trumpism is a randomizer President Donald Trump mask that can generate a Trump-like … [Link]

Geek Culture » The latest Space X launch and landing

Monday 20 February 16:28:49 UTC 2017

Incredible video from Space X, be sure to go full screen on this. Launch at 14:30. Very nice! At 21:00, the booster starts a re-entry burn to prepare for landing. Check out the cool guidance fins and small jets used to steer the booster. Love that grid design! At 22:00 the landing burn begins and the booster stage drops down … [Link]

Slashdot » Google and Microsoft To Crackdown On Piracy Sites In Search Results

Monday 20 February 16:10:00 UTC 2017

Google and Microsoft pledged on Monday to crack down on sites hosting pirated content that show up on their search engines. In what is being called a first of its kind agreement, Google and Microsoft's Bing will demote U.K. search results of copyright infringing websites. From a report on The Telegraph: The search engine operators have signed up to a … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Family tree of stars helps reconstruct Milky Way’s formation

Monday 20 February 15:56:00 UTC 2017

Using an array of chemical elements detected in stars as proxies for their “DNA”, stellar histories can be tracked around the galaxy, mapping a family tree [Link]

Mashable » Google and Microsoft's Bing have joined forces to fight piracy

Monday 20 February 15:46:03 UTC 2017

Google and Microsoft's Bing have teamed up to make it harder for people in the UK to find pirated films and music and illegally stream sport events.  SEE ALSO: Google's self-driving car engineers made so much money that they quit The tech giants have signed up to a voluntary code of practice with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Motion Picture … [Link]

Mashable » Please enjoy the many faces of Beyoncé, Jay Z and Blue Ivy at the NBA All-Star Game

Monday 20 February 15:30:17 UTC 2017

Sunday night was the NBA All-Star Game. It was also the night that Beyoncé, Jay Z, Blue Ivy and Beyoncé's Gucci fan attended the NBA All-Star Game. The jury's still out on whether Blue Ivy enjoys watching organized sports, but she does appear to enjoy cotton candy. This is great news, as cotton candy is delicious. SEE ALSO: Adele wins Album … [Link]

New Scientist – News » New advice is use fewer passwords – why the change of tack?

Monday 20 February 15:23:00 UTC 2017

Unique, strong passwords, changed frequently, has been the mantra for all the websites we log into. Why is that advice under attack, wonders Paul Marks [Link]

New Scientist – News » Fish recorded singing dawn chorus on reefs just like birds

Monday 20 February 15:15:00 UTC 2017

Underwater recordings of vocal fish off the Australian coast reveal an ocean choir composed of at least seven distinct choruses [Link]

Slashdot » NASA Is Studying A Manned Trip Around The Moon On A $23 Billion Rocket

Monday 20 February 15:10:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares a report on NASA's ongoing work on a manned trip to the moon. From the report: Without a new administrator even nominated yet, NASA's acting head Robert Lightfoot on Wednesday requested a study of whether next year's first flight of the Space Launch System rocket, billed as the most powerful NASA has built, could have a … [Link]

Mashable » Surprise: John Oliver is pretty suspicious about Trump and Putin's relationship

Monday 20 February 14:19:09 UTC 2017

Rumors and accusations have swirled for months around Donald Trump's curious relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. And though John Oliver has mentioned it throughout the campaign and the beginning of Trump's presidency, he has yet to really dive into it on Last Week Tonight Until last night. For the show's main topic, Oliver explains who Putin is, why Russia … [Link]

Slashdot » Former Engineer Says Uber Is a Nightmare of Sexism; CEO Orders Urgent Investigation

Monday 20 February 14:10:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares a report on The Verge: A former Uber engineer has published an explosive account of sexism and power struggles in the workplace, with allegations beginning from her very first official day with the company. The engineer, Susan Fowler (who left Uber in December and now works for Stripe), posted the account to her blog on Sunday, … [Link]

Mashable » This machine knows how to sort your Skittles by color

Monday 20 February 13:57:47 UTC 2017

This machine, made by Willem Pennings, can sort two pieces of candy every second, thanks to its color sensor.  Read more…More about Real Time Video, Real Time, Rainbow, Color Image, and Rgb [Link]

Mashable » Elderly woman finds £5 note worth £50,000, donates the money to young people

Monday 20 February 13:05:43 UTC 2017

Finding out that the fiver in your wallet is worth thousands of pounds is a dream-come-true for some — but not everyone. A Northern Irish woman who discovered a rare £5 note worth £50,000 ($62,317) has given the note to charity because she says she has no use for the money.  SEE ALSO: Some lucky duck got a £5 note 'worth … [Link]

Mashable » Snap is now selling Snapchat Spectacles online — but there's a catch

Monday 20 February 13:00:00 UTC 2017

Finally, Spectacles are going online. Snap's video-camera sunglasses can now be purchased on Spectacles.com.  The e-commerce launch comes after 102 days of watching the same website for a countdown clock that revealed secret locations to access the Spectacles. The one semi-permanent location, which opened Nov. 21 in New York City, closed Sunday.  SEE ALSO: What's different about Snapchat's next new original … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Alarm as climate sceptic named head of US environment agency

Monday 20 February 12:57:00 UTC 2017

Scientists within the EPA say work continues as usual for now, but they worry about potential changes when Scott Pruitt – a climate change sceptic – takes charge [Link]

Mashable » Twitter can't get over this English cricketer who was sold for $2 million at the IPL auctions

Monday 20 February 12:53:59 UTC 2017

The Indian Premier League (IPL) auctions were held in Bangalore on Monday. For the uninitiated, IPL is a Twenty20 cricket tournament held in India in April-May and draws players from across the globe in a month-long extravaganza.  This is its tenth year and the English Premier League replica is now one of the richest and buzziest sporting events of the world.  … [Link]

Popular Science » I spent a week exploring how we'll have to live in post-water America

Monday 20 February 12:30:20 UTC 2017

Environment Cutting water consumption requires more consideration than you'd think One Saturday morning in December, I walked to a hardware store to purchase the 18-gallon ­storage container I would use to take showers for the next seven days. [Link]

Mashable » Xiaomi finally enters Pakistan

Monday 20 February 12:22:27 UTC 2017

Pakistan has become the newest oversea market for Xiaomi as Chinese smartphone manufacturer aggressively moves beyond its home boundaries and hopes to replicate its success in foreign markets.  SEE ALSO: Xiaomi India's Manu Kumar Jain promoted as global VP For its launch in Pakistan, Xiaomi has partnered with local Smart Link Technologies for distribution and after-sales service, it said today. Rocket … [Link]

Mashable » Microsoft CEO says artificial intelligence is the 'ultimate breakthrough'

Monday 20 February 11:46:10 UTC 2017

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella spoke at a public event in India on Monday, stressing upon the immense potential of artificial intelligence (AI), calling it the "ultimate breakthrough" in technology. SEE ALSO: Here's why those tech billionaires are throwing millions at ethical AI "Because for all the advances in computer interface, there is nothing to beat language [the ability to do human-level … [Link]

Mashable » This is possibly the most hilariously brilliant sports interview of all time

Monday 20 February 11:45:23 UTC 2017

Japanese pool player Naoyuki Oi doesn't speak English fluently but that didn't stop him from giving an impressive performance in a post-match interview:  Oi beat Cheng Yu Hsuan 8-6 at the World Pool Master tournament in Gibraltar on Saturday and was being interviewed by Sky Sports presenter Tony Wrighton.  "My name is Naoyuki Oi and I am very, very lucky," he said. … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Smart meter tracks when the kettle’s on to check grandpa’s OK

Monday 20 February 11:39:00 UTC 2017

A monitoring system, tested in hundreds of UK homes, builds profiles of energy use and sends alerts if someone’s routine changes in a worrying way [Link]

Slashdot » NASA Scientist Revive 10,000-Year-Old Microorganisms

Monday 20 February 11:30:00 UTC 2017

"Scientists have extracted long-dormant microbes from inside the famous giant crystals of the Naica mountain caves in Mexico — and revived them," reports the BBC. An anonymous reader writes: "The organisms were likely to have been encased in the striking shafts of gypsum at least 10,000 years ago, and possibly up to 50,000 years ago," according to the BBC, which … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Putting cancer patients in hibernation could help tackle tumours

Monday 20 February 11:08:00 UTC 2017

Tumour growth would slow right down or cease while healthy cells in the body become more resistant to radiation [Link]

Mashable » Swedish newspaper trolls Trump in the most epic way

Monday 20 February 10:53:12 UTC 2017

So many people are trolling President Trump after he alluded to a terrorism attack in Sweden that never happened.  SEE ALSO: Sweden's deputy PM is trolling Trump so hard with this picture "You look at what's happening in Germany, you look at what's happening last night in Sweden. Sweden, who would believe this," Trump said.  He later clarified that his statement … [Link]

Mashable » Duvet ponchos are the cosy fashion trend for people who really, really love their bed

Monday 20 February 10:52:13 UTC 2017

Getting out of your warm, cosy bed on those freezing, frosty mornings is truly agonising. And once you're out of bed, it's nigh-on impossible to recreate that toasty feeling — save wearing every item of clothing you own. British fashion house Mulberry has created a solution that could actually mimic the effect of staying in bed all day: a duvet poncho. … [Link]

Mashable » China's latest robot police officer can recognise faces

Monday 20 February 10:50:45 UTC 2017

It’s no RoboCop, but it'll come when it senses trouble. China's new robot police officers have started patrolling streets. The E-Patrol Robot Sheriff (E巡机器警&~ is able to track and follow potential criminals or suspicious people via facial recognition, according to the Economic Daily. SEE ALSO: Introducing the little robot arm that can recreate anything you draw Besides fighting crime, the robot … [Link]

Mashable » India wants to make credit and debit cards obsolete for payments

Monday 20 February 10:21:47 UTC 2017

Ever since India invalidated much of its cash, it has been encouraging its citizens to switch to mobile wallets and other epayment solutions. Today, it took another step in pushing its citizens to embark on the cashless payment solutions — but early boomers aren't going to like it.  SEE ALSO: BHIM app will replace all cash transactions in India: PM Modi … [Link]

New Scientist – News » US scientists voice fears over how science will fare under Trump

Monday 20 February 10:20:00 UTC 2017

Concerns over the impact of President Trump’s policies on science have been raised at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Boston [Link]

Mashable » Apple has reportedly bought the Israeli tech firm RealFace

Monday 20 February 10:04:45 UTC 2017

On the heels of recent rumors that the upcoming iPhone will have a means of biometric authentication (other than fingerprint scanning) comes the news that Apple has acquired RealFace, an Israeli tech firm specializing in facial recognition.  The report comes from Israeli site Calcalist (via MacRumors) which claims Apple bought the Tel Aviv-based company for "several million dollars." SEE ALSO: Apple's … [Link]

Mashable » Ofo, one of China's most aggressive bike-sharing firms, expands globally

Monday 20 February 10:04:39 UTC 2017

The island of Singapore is getting a whole lot more pedal power. One of China's most aggressive bike-sharing companies, ofo, has launched 1,000 bikes in Singapore over the weekend, the Straits Times reported. SEE ALSO: People are dumping shared bikes in horrible piles With this, it's joined another recent entrant into Singapore, fellow Chinese bike startup, oBike, which plans to bring … [Link]

Mashable » Sir David Attenborough is back and 2017 is finally starting to look up

Monday 20 February 10:03:40 UTC 2017

If Planet Earth II was the best thing that happened to you in 2016 and you even purchased a 4K Ultra HD TV on Black Friday to fully appreciate the texture of a lion's mane (true story, as the writer of this article can confirm), we have good news for you.  SEE ALSO: Tom Hiddleston voiced a 'Planet Earth II' trailer … [Link]

New Scientist – News » We need slow science to sow the seeds of future prosperity

Monday 20 February 10:00:00 UTC 2017

It's tempting to invest in rapid development at the cost of slow and steady research – but good things come to those who wait [Link]

Mashable » Here's a bunch of politicians 'dancing' to Daft Punk, and you're welcome

Monday 20 February 9:44:46 UTC 2017

When Daft Punk shook up the music world with their brand of French house music in the '90s, they were a revelation.  Two decades on, they're one of the most popular electronic dance music acts on the globe. That means their music is prone to being danced to by people who shouldn't dance. In public at least. SEE ALSO: Ladies, here … [Link]

Mashable » We asked complete strangers to design their own unique emoji

Monday 20 February 9:30:00 UTC 2017

😇🐥👄` 👻🌵 😂 💙🐟 👑 🐢 🐵✌️🐶 🐍🍑 🍒🎁🍋&#128111~ 💗 💔 😜 👀 💃🍔🍭&#128680~ ⛄️😷  💜😡 😱 🔥🍓👠&#128302~ 🐼When words fail us, emoji are always there to fill in the blanksBut there are times when finding that perfect emoji for a situation or story is almost impossible.  To scope out people's emoji requirements, Mashable took to the streets of London during … [Link]

Mashable » Guy sets new world record for most finger snaps in a minute

Monday 20 February 9:18:39 UTC 2017

We can't even begin to imagine how much practice this guy had to do. A Japanese student has just broken the Guinness World Record for the most finger snaps in a minute.  SEE ALSO: Coffee butter is here to save mornings in Japan Satoyuki Fujimara snapped his fingers 296 times in one minute, on Tantei! Knightscoop, a Japanese TV show, in … [Link]

Mashable » Sweden's embassy in the U.S. is looking forward to schooling Trump

Monday 20 February 8:58:13 UTC 2017

So as President Donald Trump has already figured out, there were a few things that happened in Sweden on Friday.  There was the car chase of a drunk driver, a major road closure, and a technical problem in the rehearsal of the country's annual singing competition "Melodifestivalen." But terror related? Certainly not. SEE ALSO: How Donald Trump's own tweets could be … [Link]

Mashable » The US wants to check Chinese visitors' social media profiles

Monday 20 February 8:50:08 UTC 2017

The U.S. border control is seeking to check Chinese visitors' social media profiles. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) plans to publish a proposal asking travellers from China to disclose what social media platforms they use, and what their handles are, according to Politico. SEE ALSO: U.S.-born NASA scientist says border agents made him turn over his phone Holders of business … [Link]

Mashable » LG G6 will have dual 13-megapixel cameras on the back

Monday 20 February 8:34:48 UTC 2017

LG is feeding us a steady diet of leaks and specs for its upcoming G6 flagship, scheduled to launch Feb. 26, a day ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.  The company already told us about the phone's elongated screen and UI, and now, in a blog post on the company's Korean site, we've learned that the G6 will have … [Link]

Slashdot »  'Counter-Strike' Gets Invaded By An Unblockable Chat-Bot

Monday 20 February 8:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: "At least one intruder is taking advantage of a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive exploit to flood lobbies (even private ones) with text from chat bots that can't be kicked," writes Engadget. The attack "allegedly comes from one person," according to Kotaku, which reports that "It's a similar exploit to one found a few weeks ago, where typing … [Link]

Mashable » Oppo promises to launch new smartphone camera tech next week

Monday 20 February 8:11:15 UTC 2017

China’s Oppo has a teaser ahead of this year's Mobile World Congress: The company plans to wow the world with a new smartphone camera technology called "5X." There aren't many details in the press release we've gotten, and an actual device isn't even mentioned, but there's a lot of vague superlatives that describe it.  SEE ALSO: Oppo is China's top-selling smartphone … [Link]

Mashable » You have to play 'Horizon: Zero Dawn' if you own a PS4

Monday 20 February 8:01:00 UTC 2017

I’m going to die beneath the metal claws of a rampaging Thunderjaw. The mechanical T-Rex charges across the desert landscape as I pepper it with a hailstorm of seemingly ineffectual fire arrows. Human-sized pieces of machinery litter the dusty plateau where our deadly dance has played out, but even after all the damage I've inflicted… the great beast hasn't slowed. SEE … [Link]

Mashable » Chinese companies are torching trash off power lines with flame-throwing drones

Monday 20 February 7:54:40 UTC 2017

That’s got to be the most metal way to clean a power line. Chinese companies have engineered an alarming-looking way of eliminating trash hanging on power lines — by torching them with flame-throwing drones: That's right. People are reporting seeing these drones burning off items such as kites or balloons tangled in the wires, that are too far for staff to … [Link]

Mashable » App warns you when you enter an area where sex crimes have been committed

Monday 20 February 7:16:49 UTC 2017

You’re about to take a shortcut through a back alley when suddenly your phone beeps — a notification pops up warning you that a sex crime has been committed there. That's what one prefecture in Japan is doing with its new "Mimamotchi" app. SEE ALSO: This app is asking women to report areas where they feel unsafe The app, which uses … [Link]

Mashable » India's only active volcano is back from the dead after 150 years

Monday 20 February 7:15:48 UTC 2017

Barren Islands volcano, India's only active volcano, is reportedly spewing lava and ash after a gap of 150 years. It erupted for about four hours in January, scientists from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) claimed. SEE ALSO: India is remeasuring Mount Everest to find out if it shrunk after earthquake The volcano is situated in Barren Islands in the Andaman … [Link]

Slashdot » Kim Dotcom Can Be Extradited, Rules A New Zealand Court

Monday 20 February 5:34:00 UTC 2017

Kim Dotcom — and Megaupload's programmers Mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk, as well as its advertising manager Finn Batato — could soon be in a U.S. courtroom. A New Zealand judge just ruled they can all be extradited to the U.S. An anonymous reader quotes Reuters: The Auckland High Court upheld the decision by a lower court in … [Link]

Mashable » 'Homeland' recap: Quinn has a no good, very bad day

Monday 20 February 5:10:55 UTC 2017

This recap contains spoilers for Homeland Season 6, episode 5, "Casus Belli." Refresh your memory with our recap of episode 604. After a slow start, the Homeland we know and love is back with Season 6's fifth episode, "Casus Belli," which means "an act or situation provoking or justifying war." The act in question is the bomb in Sekou's (J. … [Link]

Mashable » An English version of China's biggest taxi app is coming, but there's a small problem

Monday 20 February 4:58:01 UTC 2017

China’s top (and pretty much monopolist) taxi app, Didi Chuxing, is quietly trialing an English version. The app, which doesn't even have an English listing in the App Store yet, started showing English translations to some users, according to Shanghai resident, Mathieu Bouchara. SEE ALSO: You can track someone's live location and where they live for just a couple of dollars … [Link]

The Joy of Tech » JoT #2385: Zuckerberg's Manifesto!

Monday 20 February 4:52:22 UTC 2017

Klaatu Barada Zuckerberg [Link]

Mashable » Frugal person escapes burning bus, then returns to 'tap off' travel card, and fair enough

Monday 20 February 4:26:43 UTC 2017

Public transport systems around the world require people to "tap off" their travel cards when exiting a bus or train, and forgetting to do so is a big (and expensive) headache. But public transport investigators in Australia's Sydney were stunned to find that one of 22 passengers escaping a bus fire last September, went back to the flaming bus try and … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Coding Dojo Highlights the 9 Most In-Demand Programming Languages of 2017

Monday 20 February 3:42:49 UTC 2017

There are more programming languages these days in production environments than you could learn in a lifetime. So which should you choose to make sure you’ll always be an in-demand developer? Jay Patel at Coding Dojo gives you the low-down on the top 9 programming languages to learn in 2017. [Link]

Mashable » 'Walking Dead' goes beyond Thunderdome in episode 10

Monday 20 February 3:32:52 UTC 2017

This review contains spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 7, episode 10, titled "New Best Friends." To refresh your memory of where we left off, check out our recap of episode 9. At last: Daryl and Carol are reunited, and it feels so good. Even if "New Best Friends" had been a terrible episode (which it wasn't — it was … [Link]

Slashdot » ZDNet: Linux 'Takes The World' While Windows Dominates The Desktop

Monday 20 February 2:34:00 UTC 2017

ZDNet editor-in-chief Steve Ranger writes that desktop dominance is less important with today's cloud-based apps running independent of operating system, arguing that the desktop is now "just one computing platform among many." An anonymous reader quotes his report: Linux on the desktop has about a 2% market share today and is viewed by many as complicated and obscure. Meanwhile, Windows … [Link]

Mashable » This wearable can turn your dance moves into music

Monday 20 February 2:15:21 UTC 2017

Making music you can dance to is so 2017.  But dancing to make music is, potentially, the future. SEE ALSO: The newest Barbie is a smart doll you can't touch That’s clearly the perspective of Daigo Kusunoki, an engineer who loves to dance. The twin wristbands he’s showing off this week at the New York Toy Fair, called BeatMoovz by Dmet … [Link]

Mashable » Yep, the U.S. gave a 'Make Somalia Great Again' hat to the country's president

Monday 20 February 2:04:18 UTC 2017

Somalia is one of the seven countries President Trump placed under a U.S. immigration ban recently. So just imagine the grimaces when the newly-appointed President of Somalia, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo, received a "Make Somalia Great Again" hat from the U.S. Ambassador to Somalia, Stephen Schwartz.  SEE ALSO: How Donald Trump's own tweets could be his undoing The hat gifted to the … [Link]

Mashable » Horrific harassment story is giving the internet a new reason to #DeleteUber

Monday 20 February 1:53:12 UTC 2017

It’s been less than a month since ride-share company Uber faced a heavy wave of backlash that led to the "#DeleteUber" hashtag and now, after the publication of an employee's allegations of sexual harassment and HR bumbling, the hashtag is burbling back up.  On Sunday, Susan J. Fowler posted about her experiences while at Uber and alleged a long list of … [Link]

Mashable » That Britney Spears biopic is a travesty, and Twitter wants its 2 hours back

Monday 20 February 1:15:04 UTC 2017

Britney Spears deserves better than this. While no one expected Britney Ever After to be anything other than The Room of biopics, it seems the unauthorised Lifetime movie that aired Saturday night was so bad it shocked even the most unshockable viewers with its hilarious inaccuracies. In short, it was a shit show. But just as every cloud has a silver … [Link]

Mashable » Ex-Uber employee shares harrowing tale of sexism at the company

Monday 20 February 0:48:32 UTC 2017

According to an essay by a former Uber engineer, the company has a big problem with sexism in the workplace. Susan J. Fowler, now an engineer at Stripe, joined the ride-hailing company in 2015, but her experience quickly became "strange, fascinating, and slightly horrifying." In her account, posted Sunday, she alleged a clown car-worth of institutional sexism, HR incompetence and organizational … [Link]

Mashable » Watch a clever comedy duo imagine what fighting Trump IRL might be like

Monday 20 February 0:39:38 UTC 2017

The Umbilical Brothers are a pair of physical comedians, who've been performing live on television (in their homeland of Australia and beyond) for 20 odd years.  Well, they just made their debut appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert Friday night. And they didn't mess around. Essentially, they staged an imaginary, cartoonish bunch-up between President Trump and Australia's Prime … [Link]

Slashdot » Linux Kernel 4.10 Officially Released With Virtual GPU Support

Monday 20 February 0:34:00 UTC 2017

"Linus Torvalds announced today the general availability of the Linux 4.10 kernel series, which add a great number of improvements, new security features, and support for the newest hardware components," writes Softpedia. prisoninmate quotes their report: Linux kernel 4.10 has been in development for the past seven weeks, during which it received a total of seven Release Candidate snapshots that … [Link]

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