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.

Mashable » WikiLeaks reveals someone at the CIA really, really likes 'Doctor Who'

Thursday 23 March 23:22:33 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWith the latest dump of WikiLeaks data called "Dark Matter" we get to see how (allegedly) deep the CIA's affection for British TV goes.  The documents, released Thursday, contain  more details from the "Vault 7" leak.  SEE ALSO: WikiLeaks document dump alleges the CIA can hack almost everything One of the big hacks was supposedly named "Sonic Screwdriver," which is a … [Link]

Slashdot » Canada To Tax Ride-Sharing Providers Like Uber

Thursday 23 March 23:20:00 UTC 2017

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government announced plans to tax ride-sharing providers like Uber for the first time. According to CBC, the latest consumer tax changes included in Wednesday's federal budget "will add to the cost of Uber rides while ending a public-transit credit." The idea behind the decision is to "help level the playing field and create … [Link]

Slashdot » SixXS IPv6 Tunnel Provider Is Shutting Down

Thursday 23 March 23:00:00 UTC 2017

yakatz writes: SixXS started providing IPv6 tunnels in 1999 to try to break the "chicken-and-egg" problem of IPv6 adoption. After 18 years, the service is shutting down. The cited reasons are: 1) growth has been stagnant 2) many ISPs offer IPv6 3) some ISPs have told customers that they don't need to provide IPv6 connectivity because the customer can just … [Link]

Mashable » Scorching heat from this 'artificial sun' could help fight climate change

Thursday 23 March 22:56:27 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookGerman scientists have just switched on the world's largest "artificial sun," an instrument they say could be a game-changing technology in the fight against climate change. With 149 high-powered lamps, the Synlight system produces light about 10,000 times the intensity of natural sunlight on the Earth's surface. When concentrated on a single spot, the lamps can generate scorching temperatures of around … [Link]

Slashdot » The Compulsive Patent Hoarding Disorder

Thursday 23 March 22:40:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares an article: It takes money to make money. CSIR-Tech, the commercialisation arm of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), realised this the hard way when it had to shut down its operations for lack of funds. CSIR has filed more than 13,000 patents — 4,500 in India and 8,800 abroad — at a cost … [Link]

Mashable » Trump driving a truck becomes the internet's new favorite metaphor for America

Thursday 23 March 22:38:27 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookToday, House Republicans postponed the vote on their health care bill. Donald Trump, on the other hand, welcomed truck drivers and executives to the White House in the Trump-iest way possible: by pretending to drive an 18-wheeler semi truck for a truly wild photo op. SEE ALSO: Jared Kushner is building a skyscraper and, well, it looks like a dick Witness … [Link]

Mashable » Porsche's cash bonanza for every employee will make you wish you worked there

Thursday 23 March 22:27:51 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIn the United States, working full-time does not always mean earning even just a living wage. But in Germany, things are pretty different. And there, Porsche is providing a whole new level of comfortably paid employment — every single one of the company's 21,000 employees is set to receive a massive €9,111 bonus, as The Drive reports. That's around $9,825. Why? … [Link]

Mashable » A bunch of 5-star reviews of WhatsApp's Snapchat update sure look fake

Thursday 23 March 22:16:28 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookJust like everything else owned by Facebook, WhatsApp is becoming more like Snapchat.  Whether that's a good or bad thing depends on your own preferences and loyalty to the actual Snapchat. But it looked like a lot of people were thrilled by the update — until the influx of positive reviews got suspicious.  Bad ratings for WhatsApp in Google Play were … [Link]

Mashable » Yep, John Mayer is still writing songs about his breakup with Katy Perry

Thursday 23 March 22:12:49 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookA new New York Times profile on John Mayer details how the singer is still struggling to recover from the worst thing that has ever happened to him — his life was too great so he decided tell Playboy his penis is racist to shake things up.  Yes, poor, rich John Mayer.  Another terrible, no good thing for Mayer was, apparently, … [Link]

Slashdot » Massive Ukraine Munitions Blasts May Have Been Caused By a Drone

Thursday 23 March 22:00:00 UTC 2017

dryriver writes: The BBC reports that 20,000 people are being evacuated from the immediate area around a munition dump in Ukraine that has gone up in flames. The 350 hectare munition dump near Kharkiv is around 100km (60 miles) from fighting against Russian-backed separatists and was used to supply military units in the conflict zone in nearby Luhansk and Donetsk. … [Link]

Mashable » Everyone on Twitch can't stop watching this new survival shooter

Thursday 23 March 21:41:56 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is tearing up the charts on Twitch today, placing at no. 1 with over 145,000 viewers across just 20 different streamers. This may be the first time you're hearing about Battlegrounds. The game just released on Steam Early Access and was created by the same modder who made Arma 3's "Battle Royale" and consulted on the super-popular H1Z1: … [Link]

Popular Science » Two thirds of cancer mutations result from completely random DNA mistakes

Thursday 23 March 21:39:12 UTC 2017

Health An increased focus on early detection will be needed to effectively treat the disease About two thirds of all cancer mutations happen not because of factors in our environments or what we inherit from our parents, but rather as a direct result of how… [Link]

Mashable » People can't get over this photo of Republican dudes who want to cut maternity care

Thursday 23 March 21:33:16 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookRepublicans like to insist the war on women is nothing more than hysterical liberal outrage.  Sure, the left uses the phrase to occasionally score political points, but sometimes Republicans make it so easy. Like when they appear to be casting aside women's needs without a second thought or even purposely targeting rights and policies that many women consider fundamental to their … [Link]

Mashable » This nature-inspired wind turbine is shaped like a tree

Thursday 23 March 21:32:24 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookNewWind has designed a generator with 63 micro wind turbines that look like leaves on a tree. The company wants to encourage sustainable living in urban environments with its quiet, aesthetically pleasing product. Read more…More about Standalone Featured, Real Time Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, and Real Time Video [Link]

Mashable » The Galaxy Note7 was an explosive failure. Here's how Samsung could follow it.

Thursday 23 March 21:31:02 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookSamsung is poised to finally reveal the long-awaited Galaxy S8 next week But we’re more excited to see how Samsung will follow up the spectacular failure of last year's Galaxy Note7 — you know, the phone that kept exploding. The only thing we've heard so far is that there's new Note in development and its working codename is—get this—literally "Great."   … [Link]

Mashable » 'Fixer Upper' is giving fans exactly what they wanted: A new spinoff

Thursday 23 March 21:23:37 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookAll this talk about Beauty and the Beast has taken away from the true fairytale of our time: Chip and Joanna Gaines.  HGTV's redesign darlings have become relationship goals, family goals and house goals over and over again across four seasons of their hit show Fixer Upper. SEE ALSO: Single mom builds a house from the ground up using YouTube tutorials … [Link]

Slashdot » Feds: We're Pulling Data From 100 Phones Seized During Trump Inauguration

Thursday 23 March 21:20:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: In new filings, prosecutors told a court in Washington, DC that within the coming weeks, they expect to extract all data from the seized cellphones of more than 100 allegedly violent protesters arrested during the inauguration of President Donald Trump. Prosecutors also said that this search is validated by recently issued … [Link]

Popular Science » How to make sewage drinkable

Thursday 23 March 21:18:57 UTC 2017

The wastewater cycle Technology The water (re)cycle Some U.S. cities, like the perpetually parched San Diego, are beginning to combat drought by reclaiming millions of gallons of would-be waste daily. [Link]

Mashable » 'Business and politics are inseparable' says our favorite Silicon Valley tweeter

Thursday 23 March 21:16:33 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookBox CEO Aaron Levie isn't one to keep his mouth shut, providing often witty commentary on Twitter, at conferences and on television about Silicon Valley and the state of the industry. SEE ALSO: What CEOs are saying about the Muslim ban, and what they actually mean In the last two years, it's been a lot of talk on Trump and politics. … [Link]

Mashable » WikiLeaks dump shows how CIA compromised iPhones and Macs

Thursday 23 March 21:12:24 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWikiLeaks’ latest document dump allegedly shows the CIA has devoted a lot of time to going after Apple products.  The leaking organization released another dose of documents on Thursday that detail "several CIA projects that infect Apple Mac firmware … developed by the CIA's Embedded Development Branch," according to the press release announcing the publication. SEE ALSO: WikiLeaks document dump alleges … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Daily API RoundUp: Meditrics, Art Beat, World Air Quality

Thursday 23 March 21:05:40 UTC 2017

Every day, the ProgrammableWeb team is busy, updating its three primary directories for APIs, clients (language-specific libraries or SDKs for consuming or providing APIs), and source code samples. [Link]

Mashable » Turns out, that viral website where kittens attack Trump may have trolled us all

Thursday 23 March 21:04:45 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe internet may have been duped once again, us included. Earlier this week, a supposed 17-year-old named Lucy made headlines across multiple news sites (including Mashable) when she claimed that President Trump's lawyers were pressuring her to shut down her website Kittenfeed.com (formerly TrumpScratch), where you can 'scratch' Trump's face with digital kitten paws. SEE ALSO: Facebook and Google join forces … [Link]

Mashable » Well, what do you know: 'Power Rangers' is surprisingly OK

Thursday 23 March 20:51:29 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook We're all a little tapped out on '90s nostalgia for a moment, so much so that Lionsgate's Power Rangers reboot sneak attacked us with its spring release. The movie looks like guiltless Transformers visuals meets formative teen movie (you'll hear one particular example referenced a lot), but how is it? From unbridled enjoyment to pure loathing, reviewers have a lot … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft's OneDrive Web App Crippled With Performance Issues On Linux and Chrome OS

Thursday 23 March 20:40:00 UTC 2017

Iain Thomson, reporting for The Register: Plenty of Linux users are up in arms about the performance of the OneDrive web app. They say that when accessing Microsoft's cloudy storage system in a browser on a non-Windows system — such as on Linux or ChromeOS — the service grinds to a barely usable crawl. But when they use a Windows … [Link]

Popular Science » There’s a whole new species of cloud

Thursday 23 March 20:39:00 UTC 2017

Science Celebrate with some amazing photos of the fluffy stuff. With 31 species to chose from, there are plenty of spectacular images to choose from—we curated the best of the best. [Link]

Mashable » Uber will totally narc on teens

Thursday 23 March 20:38:56 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookKids are not to be trusted. And now, thanks to Uber for teens, they don't have to be. The scandal-plagued ride-hail company announced Thursday a new program allowing parents to add teenagers to a "family profile," thus allowing plucky youngsters aged 13 to 17 the ability to hail a car all by their grownup selves. No adults required. "We all wish … [Link]

Mashable » Trump's latest poll: Do you like Trump? Yes or yes?

Thursday 23 March 20:33:42 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookHey friends, it's time for another riveting poll from President Trump's campaign. Woo hoo! On Thursday, Trump Headquarters sent out another one of its middle school-esque email polls, but rather than solely throwing shade at the media, this poll simply inquired whether the recipients stand with President Trump.  Sounds like a simple choice, right? Well, wait until you have a look … [Link]

Popular Science » Save hundreds on an expert education in full-stack development

Thursday 23 March 20:30:00 UTC 2017

Stack Sponsored Post Name your price for over 122 hours of premium instruction Save hundreds on an expert education in full-stack development. Read on. [Link]

Mashable » Forget needles, you can now jet-spray the vaccines in your mouth instead

Thursday 23 March 20:23:11 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook‘MucoJet’ was created by researchers at UC Berkeley for a painless, portable way to self-administer vaccines and other medicine. Read more…More about Mucojet, Needle Free, Real Time Video, Doctors, and Inventions [Link]

Mashable » Pizza guy rescues lost dog during cutest food delivery ever

Thursday 23 March 20:12:49 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookA pizza delivery man picked up an unexpected companion while dropping off pies this week.  While out on delivery, Steve Donovan says he spotted Mr. Snickers, a lost dog, running across a busy four-lane road and in need of a ride back home.  SEE ALSO: This smart collar will make pet care a walk in the park Donovan shared his story … [Link]

Mashable » Deloitte's CEO gave her 15-year-old son some great advice on job-stealing robots

Thursday 23 March 20:11:37 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookYou don't need to have a full-time job yet to be worried about robots taking it.  The 15-year-old son of  Cathy Engelbert, CEO of consulting firm Deloitte, is already thinking about automation. He asked his mom if robots were going to take his job someday, Engelbert wrote in a blog post on LinkedIn.  "I told him: 'Don’t worry—I’ve never met a … [Link]

Mashable » Gorillaz take the dance party to a haunted house and outer space in the 'Saturnz Barz' video

Thursday 23 March 20:09:02 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook Gorillaz are officiall back, and they've brought floating pizza with them.  Today they announced their first album in six years, Humanz, and released the first single, "Satunz Barz" featuring Popcaan.  The 360 degree video (directed by Jamie Hewlett) takes you on a journey through a haunted house that just happens to be somewhere in outer space.  Read more… More about … [Link]

Mashable » Teen makes a terrible, terrible mistake in letting friend choose her first tattoo

Thursday 23 March 20:07:52 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookFriends don't let friends make tattoo decisions. Elle Mills, a YouTuber and student, wanted to make a series of "first time" videos for her channel. Her friend, Tavian Palacios, had recently gotten a tattoo and suggested Mills get one for the first video of the series. SEE ALSO: Say goodbye to YouTube's long, unskippable ads starting next year "[I] felt like … [Link]

Mashable » You can re-write the Red Wedding in this 'Game of Thrones' board game

Thursday 23 March 20:06:29 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWhen you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. Or you just reset the game board and play again. A Song of Ice and Fire: Tabletop Miniatures Game adapts George R.R. Martin's enormously popular series of novels into a game you can play at home. Using the books as a springboard, players participate in their own bloody struggles … [Link]

Mashable » Guess which other 'Star Wars' movie had wild alternate endings? 'Star Wars'

Thursday 23 March 20:06:12 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookHad enough of alternate endings to Rogue One? Then you may want to check out the far superior alternate endings for its sequel — a little movie now known as Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.  The Rogue One endings have been arriving thick and fast over the last week or so, thanks largely to the release of the Star … [Link]

Mashable » This man's epic quest for a rainbow bagel makes a crucial point about accessibility

Thursday 23 March 20:04:51 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook If you're in New York City, you could get your hands on a coveted rainbow bagel pretty easily. Only a MetroCard fare and a few subway stops are between you and the copious amounts of dyed dough. But if you have a mobility-related disability, public transportation — and navigating a city overall — isn't exactly bagel quest-friendly. Just ask Zach … [Link]

Slashdot » Intel Creates AI Group, Aims For More Focus

Thursday 23 March 20:00:00 UTC 2017

Intel's artificial intelligence efforts have been scattered over many different units but are now being united into a single operating group. The Artificial Intelligence Products Group will focus on the development of chips and software products tied to machine learning, algorithms, and deep learning. From a report: The company has been repositioning via acquisitions to focus on Internet of Things … [Link]

Mashable » India's controversial biometric ID card system could become the only one

Thursday 23 March 19:49:21 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIf you were waiting for the Indian government to slow down (or completely stop) with its push to bring Aadhaar biometric identity system into your lives, don’t hold your breath. SEE ALSO: India's database with biometric details of its billion citizens ignites privacy debate Started as an optional program, in the recent years, the government has upped the ante and has … [Link]

Slashdot » Boy, 4, Uses Siri To Help Save Mum's Life

Thursday 23 March 19:40:00 UTC 2017

A four-year-old boy saved his mother's life by using her thumb to unlock her iPhone and then asking it to call 999. From a report: Roman, who lives in Kenley, Croydon, south London, used the phone's voice control — Siri — to call emergency services. Police and paramedics were sent to the home and were able to give live-saving first … [Link]

Mashable » Disney boss drops hot new details on Han Solo, Luke Skywalker

Thursday 23 March 19:38:36 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookDetails on upcoming Star Wars films are usually harder to find than Death Star plans. But Disney CEO Bob Iger just dropped a few key details about The Last Jedi and the untitled young Han Solo movie in an on-stage interview Thursday. Iger was being interviewed by the dean of USC's Annenberg journalism school, Willow Bay — who also happens to … [Link]

Mashable » Apple patents a way to transform your iPhone or iPad into a MacBook

Thursday 23 March 19:34:39 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookForget the iPhone 8 (or "X" or "Edition" or whatever it'll be called) that's coming later this year. As tech obsessors, we want to know what Apple's cooking up in its secret Cupertino labs for the future. A new patent made public on Thursday (via AppleInsider) suggests Apple is exploring the idea of turning your iPhone into a "brain" that powers … [Link]

Mashable » Give your useless DVDs new life with this new digital conversion app

Thursday 23 March 19:32:43 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWhen was the last time you actually watched a movie on DVD? Maybe like, 2014?  You probably still have a dusty stack of plastic boxes sitting on a shelf somewhere, though, doing little more than taking up space as you flip through multiple streaming services for your TV time.   Walmart-owned Vudu has offered disc-rich movie fans the ability to convert … [Link]

Mashable » 'Game of Thrones' script reveals the truth about Stannis Baratheon's fate

Thursday 23 March 19:30:55 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookDeath isn't always permanent on Game of Thrones (just ask Jon Snow), which sometimes leads to conspiracy theories whenever a character is seemingly killed off without showing us the fatal blow onscreen. Such is the case with Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane), who died at the vengeful hands of Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) in the Season 5 finaleOr did he? (Yes, … [Link]

Popular Science » Why we say "you" even when we mean "I"

Thursday 23 March 19:24:00 UTC 2017

lizard word you on wall Science People choose the "general you" when trying to distance themselves from things with a negative things. Why we sometimes use the word you to refer to our own experiences. [Link]

Slashdot » 'New' Clouds Earn Atlas Recognition

Thursday 23 March 19:20:00 UTC 2017

Twelve "new" types of cloud — including the rare, wave-like asperitas cloud — have been recognized for the first time by the International Cloud Atlas. From a report: The atlas, which dates back to the 19th Century, is the global reference book for observing and identifying clouds. Last revised in 1987, its new fully-digital edition includes the asperitas after campaigns … [Link]

Mashable » Earliest dinosaurs may have originally come from Britain, new study says

Thursday 23 March 18:59:34 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookDinosaurs just can't get a break. First, a comet slams into the Earth and renders them extinct. Now a group of scientists wants to dramatically shake-up the dino family tree.  A new study, published this week in the journal Nature, proposes a major reordering of dinosaurs' evolutionary history.  The revised tree swaps around large subfamilies and adds a new branch for … [Link]

Mashable » A new 'Justice League' trailer is right around the corner

Thursday 23 March 18:52:53 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookOnly the biggest of movies get the privilege of teasing the teaser and making us pay attention.  For better or worse, Justice League, you certainly qualify. SEE ALSO: 'Wonder Woman' gets an origin story in new trailer Warner Bros. on Thursday revealed that "IN 2 DAYS" (that's Saturday, if you do the math) a new Justice League trailer will arrive, and … [Link]

Mashable » Emirates offers ingenious workaround to the laptop ban

Thursday 23 March 18:40:41 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookAirlines are getting creative following the new ban on electronic devices on flights into the U.S. from certain Middle Eastern and African airports. Emirates, one of those affected with flights coming in from Dubai, announced Thursday a service for laptop-using travelers who want to use their banned device to actually get some work done. SEE ALSO: Emirates already tweeted a joke … [Link]

Slashdot » 71 Percent of Android Phones On Major US Carriers Have Out of Date Security Patches

Thursday 23 March 18:40:00 UTC 2017

Ian Barker, writing for BetaNews: Slow patching of security flaws is leaving many US mobile users at risk of falling victim to data breaches according to the findings of a new report. The study from mobile defense specialist Skycure analyzed patch updates among the five leading wireless carriers in the US and finds that 71 percent of mobile devices still … [Link]

Mashable » Potter Puppet Pals' 'Mysterious Ticking Noise' is 10 years old, so you're basically dying

Thursday 23 March 18:37:21 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook If you're part of the Harry Potter generation, you probably remember the hit 2007 club banger "The Mysterious Ticking Noise" from Potter Puppet Pals. That video is exactly 10 years old now, so we're going to go drown in wizard angst over the passage of time. SEE ALSO: Harry Potter and Voldemort were in love and we have proof In … [Link]

Mashable » Facebook is still trying to get people to use it for shopping

Thursday 23 March 18:36:03 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookFacebook still wants to turn your News Feed into an online shopping tool. Its latest effort to turn into an ecommerce giant is a new ad format that lets brands pair their commercials with collections of images and product listings in the same post. When clicked, the images lead to a catalog of a given retailers' items hosted within Facebook. But … [Link]

Mashable » Maxine Waters tweets Trump impeachment joke, gets best response

Thursday 23 March 18:26:30 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookHoly crap. Every time you think President Trump and his administration can't possibly get any worse at using Twitter … they do. It's just — it's truly unbelievable, and on Wednesday afternoon, things escalated when the official Twitter account of Trump's very own Secretary of Transportation, Elaine Chao, tweeted something so phenomenal, so absurd, so utterly LOL-worthy that, though it's been … [Link]

Mashable » Instagram will soon censor sensitive content in your feed

Thursday 23 March 18:26:01 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookInstagram just announced a major change to how it deals with posts that contain sensitive content.  The app will soon begin to blur out photos and videos that have been deemed "sensitive." Users will still be able to view the images but will need to take the additional step of tapping on the post in order to see them. SEE ALSO: … [Link]

Mashable » It only took us five minutes to find a big brand advertising on a hate group's YouTube

Thursday 23 March 18:24:29 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookGoogle’s facing an advertiser revolt this week after it came to light that several big brands' ads were served on YouTube videos promoting terrorism, extremism, and other violent forms of hate. More than 250 brands have split from YouTube after various investigations in the Times of London outed the ad placements. Needless to say, brands don't want their ads being served … [Link]

Mashable » Director with bad Rotten Tomatoes ratings slams Rotten Tomatoes

Thursday 23 March 18:23:00 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookAre loving movie reviews and reading their Rotten Tomatoes ratings mutually exclusive? Apparently, according to Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, who recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about his hatred of the latter. “The worst thing that we have in today’s movie culture is Rotten Tomatoes,” said Ratner, whose company helped finance the famously panned Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (he … [Link]

Mashable » 'Overwatch' player uses bongos and a Nerf gun to play Orisa

Thursday 23 March 18:22:35 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookPeople keep using weird objects to play Overwatch, but this is the first time anyone has used the bongo controller from 2003's Donkey Konga. Twitch streamer and YouTuber ATwerkingYoshi busted out the bongos, a Nerf gun, a yard sign on a stick and a Dance Dance Revolution dance pad to play the newest Overwatch hero Orisa, who has an automatic weapon … [Link]

Mashable » Gorillaz announce a new album with a bonkers list of collaborators

Thursday 23 March 18:14:26 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookHere’s some sunshine in a bag to help you get through the day — after a few months of teasing, Gorillaz have officially announced their first album in six years.  Humanz will be released on April 28, and the list of collaborators revealed via Instagram is pretty incredible. Grace Jones, Carly Simon, Pusha T, Mavis Staples, Danny Brown and D.R.A.M. are … [Link]

New Scientist – News » How free speech can become censorship – and how to solve it

Thursday 23 March 18:12:00 UTC 2017

The more free speech, the better – or so we thought. But in a world of bots and misinformation, the online free-for-all is ruining debate [Link]

Mashable » Deadpool butts in where he doesn't belong in this NSFW 'Beauty and the Beast' parody

Thursday 23 March 17:55:17 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook We didn't see this parody coming, but now that it's here it seems like a very obvious mashup that needed to happen. Of course, we could easily see Deadpool being the star of his own musical. And of course, the song "Gaston" from Beauty and the Beast is a perfect fit for Deadpool to proclaim his own Deadpool-ness. Yet another … [Link]

Mashable » Did you know you shouldn't feed ducks bread? These people didn't.

Thursday 23 March 17:42:36 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIf your fond childhood memories include tossing bread crusts to ducks in the park, congratulations: you f*cked up. Yes, reader, it's true. Ducks are not supposed to eat bread. Not only is it low in nutritional value, but it can also pile up on the ground and become tainted, accelerating the spread of disease. Now, this is not new information. But … [Link]

Mashable » 'Assassin's Creed' is coming to TV — and that might actually work

Thursday 23 March 17:40:21 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThis sure would be a new "Leap of Faith" for the Assassin's Creed series. First, the news. Aymar Azaizia, Ubisoft's "Head of Content" for the popular series, outed the existence of a made-for-TV project set in the Assassin's universe.  SEE ALSO: Nintendo just reinvented 'Zelda' in the best damn way The revelation came from a Reddit AMA session, in response to … [Link]

Slashdot » Senate Votes To Kill FCC's Broadband Privacy Rules

Thursday 23 March 17:40:00 UTC 2017

The Senate voted 50-48 along party lines Thursday to repeal an Obama-era law that requires internet service providers to obtain permission before tracking what customers look at online and selling that information to other companies. PCWorld adds: The Senate's 50-48 vote Thursday on a resolution of disapproval would roll back Federal Communications Commission rules requiring broadband providers to receive opt-in … [Link]

Mashable » Millennials can't shut up about sex, blame the internet

Thursday 23 March 17:39:39 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookI’m a millennial and I can't stop oversharing about my sex life. And, while I hate to point the finger, I blame social mediaI first realised I was a sexual oversharer during a pretty uncomfortable moment with a new housemate — someone I barely knew, but was trying to get to know. As I sipped my first coffee of the day, … [Link]

Mashable » Ellen DeGeneres gets 'The Bachelorette' started early with a group date on her show

Thursday 23 March 17:38:06 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookNick and Vanessa who? After not receiving a rose last season on The Bachelor, it's finally Rachel Lindsay's turn to hand them out as the latest The Bachelorette.  Her journey of love hasn't quite started, but thanks to a recent group date that took place at The Ellen DeGeneres Show, we have a glimpse of what to expect.  SEE ALSO: Trump … [Link]

Mashable » Lawmaker wants discrimination protection for climate deniers

Thursday 23 March 17:31:27 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWell, this is a new one: A state lawmaker in Maine wants you to believe that climate change deniers deserve protection under anti-discrimination laws.  Maine Republican Rep. Larry Lockman says climate deniers are in danger of seeing their free speech threatened and need legal protections from anti-discrimination laws. Yes, the same laws that protect the rights of racial and religious minorities … [Link]

Slashdot » Australia Shelves Copyright Safe Harbor For Google, Facebook

Thursday 23 March 17:20:00 UTC 2017

In a surprise setback for companies such as Google and Facebook that leverage user-generated content, Australia has dropped plans to extend its copyright safe harbor provisions. From a report: In a blow to Google, Facebook and others, the government dropped the amendments before they were due to be introduced to parliament yesterday. That came as a big surprise, particularly as … [Link]

Popular Science » 22 products to make spring cleaning a whole lot easier

Thursday 23 March 17:18:00 UTC 2017

clean desk area Gadgets Put on a good podcast and get to work. Spring cleaning products to make your house shine. Read on. [Link]

Mashable » Adobe Summit 2017: Bad habits in marketing that need to end immediately

Thursday 23 March 17:16:36 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIt’s day two of the Adobe Summit in Las Vegas and it's time to reflect upon everything we’ve learned in the past 24 hours. The opening song used to introduce John Mellor, Vice President of Strategy, Alliances & Marketing at Adobe, had some very fitting lyrics that fit the subject matter at hand: "the world won't change if you stay the … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » EquipmentWatch Announces an API for the Heavy Equipment Industry

Thursday 23 March 17:13:48 UTC 2017

EquipmentWatch, a data and software provider to the heavy equipment industry, recently announced its new EquipmentWatch API. EquipmentWatch describes the API as "the only API serving the content needs of the construction equipment, lift/access and agricultural equipment markets." The API gives users the ability to integrate the functionality of the popular EquipmentWatch Web app into third party applications. … [Link]

Mashable » U.S. Senate to America: Yeah, we’ll let internet providers pimp out your personal data

Thursday 23 March 17:09:54 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookHowever much you hate your cable company, know that they love you—and all the money you give them. Now, they've got another reason to love you, courtesy of the U.S. Senate, and the vote they just finished: Whoever provides your internet access will now be free to track what you look at online, and then, sell that information to other companies. … [Link]

Mashable » Hulu drops another chilling trailer for 'The Handmaid’s Tale'

Thursday 23 March 17:02:33 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook "Better never means better for everyone." It's a chilling line, one of many that are featured in the latest trailer for The Handmaid's Tale, based on Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel of the same name. The 10-episode series, which debuts on Hulu on April 26, takes place in a dystopia called Gilead — a totalitarian society, once the U.S., rooted in … [Link]

Mashable » Oh hell yes: Tom Hardy has been spotted filming 'Peaky Blinders' Season 4

Thursday 23 March 16:55:07 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe hype surrounding Peaky Blinders Season 4 is quickly picking up steam. SEE ALSO: 'Peaky Blinders' is the best TV show you're not watching Following on from the behind-the-scenes photos that did the rounds on Twitter earlier in the week, there have now been even more pictures of the new Season being filmed — and they may be the sweetest of … [Link]

Popular Science » NASA observatory captures a rare stretch of our sun without spots

Thursday 23 March 16:53:05 UTC 2017

Space Like a giant egg yolk in the sky How often does the sun show itself without a spot to be seen? Read on. [Link]

Mashable » British teen is so cool that he corrected NASA on their own data

Thursday 23 March 16:50:50 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookMiles Soloman is a 17-year-old taking part in a very cool project that gives students across the UK the chance to work on data taken directly from the space station.  SEE ALSO: Ask This Astronaut Anything — As He Flies in Space One day, as he was looking at radiation levels on the space station, the A-level student noticed an anomaly.  … [Link]

Slashdot » Studios Flirt With Offering Movies Early in Home for $30

Thursday 23 March 16:40:00 UTC 2017

It looks like Hollywood studios are not kidding around the concept of making the movies available in the home mere weeks after their theatrical debuts. Variety has a new report this week that claims that six out of seven Hollywood studios are in discussions. From the report: However, the companies, particularly Fox and Warner Bros., are showing greater flexibility about … [Link]

Mashable » Pro tip: Master the new 'Counter-Strike' map with these grenade throws

Thursday 23 March 16:37:29 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook Being a pro gamer isn't easy. Mastering top competitive games takes hundreds of hours of practice — but also knowledge. Each week, we'll share the most useful tips and tricks to improve your play. It's time to get good. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive released a brand new map last week called Canals, which brings a whole bunch of new tactics and … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Edited live vaccine could stop harmful polio outbreaks

Thursday 23 March 16:30:00 UTC 2017

We’re on the brink of eradicating polio, but the virus used as a vaccine can evolve to become dangerous. Now a team has figured out how, and plan to stop it [Link]

New Scientist – News » Chronic pain and depression are linked by brain gene changes

Thursday 23 March 16:19:00 UTC 2017

At least 40 per cent of people with severe chronic pain develop depression. A mouse study has found changes in brain gene activity that may explain the link [Link]

Mashable » Memes don't just look good on the internet, they also look good on your eyelids

Thursday 23 March 16:04:17 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWhile some of us struggle to apply eyeliner in a way that won't make it look like our eye is topped with the Rocky Mountains, others out there are busy making makeup masterpieces. And by masterpieces, we mean memes. Makeup artists are painting the internet memes we all know and use onto eyelids. Do memes actually make for flattering makeup? We … [Link]

Slashdot » WikiLeaks' New Dump Shows How The CIA Allegedly Hacked Macs and iPhones Almost a Decade Ago

Thursday 23 March 16:00:00 UTC 2017

WikiLeaks said on Thursday morning it will release new documents it claims are from the Central Intelligence Agency which show the CIA had the capability to bug iPhones and Macs even if their operating systems have been deleted and replaced. From a report on Motherboard: "These documents explain the techniques used by CIA to gain 'persistenc'' on Apple Mac devices, … [Link]

Mashable » This 'Time' cover will give you a reality check about Trump's America

Thursday 23 March 15:55:46 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookA lot has changed over the past five decades, but Time's latest cover? Not so much. For the magazine's upcoming April 3 issue, President Donald Trump was interviewed about "truth and falsehood in his career," which, as we can guess from his first few controversial months as president, is bound to be interesting (to say the least). Time revealed the issue's … [Link]

Mashable » Drake's new album has inspired a whole lot of Google searches

Thursday 23 March 15:54:15 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIt’s a learning ting, eh. Drake has had a very busy week. He released his 22-track 'playlist' More Life last Saturday night and shattered records for both Apple Music and Spotify after its release.  SEE ALSO: The reunion that shocked Nicki Minaj fans on Instagram But Drizzy's new album is doing more than getting fans moving to his beats, it also … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Phone learns to send app notifications only when you want them

Thursday 23 March 15:52:00 UTC 2017

Knowing when you don’t want to be interrupted will help systems manage the deluge of smartphone notifications and wait for a good time [Link]

Mashable » Royal Jordanian Airlines just trolled America's 'laptop ban'

Thursday 23 March 15:50:38 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWhat to do on a flight with no laptops? One of the affected airlines has, um, a few ideas. Via the Department of Homeland Security, the Trump White House just banned electronic devices bigger than a phone on specific flights originating from specific airports in eight (very specifically) Muslim-majority nations.  SEE ALSO: HP recalls 101,000 laptop batteries that could catch fire … [Link]

Mashable » Lindsay Lohan's prank show sounds terrifying in the best way

Thursday 23 March 15:50:15 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook“I’m back, bitches," says Lindsay Lohan before introducing her new reality prank show The Anti-Social Network. On the show, Lohan will take over someone else's social media for 24 hours and watch the results unfold through hidden cameras. SEE ALSO: Lindsey Lohan claims she was profiled in an airport while wearing a headscarf Former teen star Lohan has been laying low … [Link]

Mashable » Think your groceries are expensive? Japan has $27,000 melons.

Thursday 23 March 15:40:09 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookImagine going into a high-end luxury store filled with sparkling display cases, security at every turn and an attentive staff and finding not expensive jewelry but…fruit encased in the glass. In Sembikiya, Japan's oldest fruit shop, fruit is treated and sold like an elaborate gift. And this is no ordinary fruit. Sembikiya sells anything from heart-shaped watermelons to ping-pong ball sized … [Link]

Mashable » 9 quotes from Trump's 'Time' interview that will make you want to sleep under a rock forever

Thursday 23 March 15:38:52 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe first full paragraph of President Donald Trump's Time interview contains enough falsehoods to make fact-checkers around the world groan in unison. The interview, published on Thursday, is full of eye-popping, jaw-through-the-floor, totally-normal-for-this-presidency quotes, hitting on popular topics like Brexit, wire tapping and his burgeoning bromance with Ted Cruz. SEE ALSO: An orange alligator exists and people are calling it 'Trumpigator' … [Link]

Popular Science » 5 ways to use AI in your own home

Thursday 23 March 15:31:25 UTC 2017

Asus Zenbo DIY The revolution is already here While you may not have access to a supercomputer or a deep neural network, basic artificial intelligence (AI) systems are built into many of the gadgets and apps you use… [Link]

Slashdot » Let There Be Light: Germans Switch on 'Largest Artificial Sun'

Thursday 23 March 15:20:00 UTC 2017

German scientists are switching on "the world's largest artificial sun" in the hope that intense light sources can be used to generate climate-friendly fuel. From a report: The Synlight experiment in Julich, about 19 miles west of Cologne, consists 149 souped-up film projector spotlights and produces light about 10,000 times the intensity of natural sunlight on Earth. When all the … [Link]

Mashable » 'The People's Campaign' uses storytelling and social media to fight injustice

Thursday 23 March 15:04:30 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe people are coming together, and they're using creativity and social media to be heard. A new initiative called The People's Campaign is raising money on GoFundMe to travel to 15 states across the U.S. that are "overcoming injustice, but are no longer in the national spotlight." The campaign hopes to combine digital storytelling and social justice activism to support and … [Link]

Mashable » Iguana, who answers to no man, wreaks havoc at the Miami Open tennis tournament

Thursday 23 March 15:02:39 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookFor tennis fans, the sport is a thrill. For everyone else, it's a lot of grunting and running in a confined space. To each their own.  Throw a very excitable iguana in the mix, though, and literally everyone is on board. Tennis is the new national past time. SEE ALSO: Once and for all, people: Stop bringing snakes on planes, because … [Link]

Mashable » Rotating dome-shaped homes lets you change the scenery anytime you wish

Thursday 23 March 15:01:22 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookA Japanese company is using prefabricated plastic to assemble rotating dome houses in just days. The entire structure rotates to either have the windows face or oppose the sun depending on the weather conditions.  The structures are energy efficient and resistant to extreme weather. They present a possible, if distant, chance to build durable, cheap and sustainable shelter for people around … [Link]

Mashable » Facebook Messenger is basically Slack now

Thursday 23 March 15:00:00 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookFacebook Messenger just got two new features that might look a little familiar. And no, it's not because Snapchat had them first.  Instead, the company is taking two features straight out of Slack's playbook with the addition emoji-laden reactions and mentions. SEE ALSO: This guy spent 8 years making an emoji snake, and it was totally worth it Reactions, which were … [Link]

Mashable » Drake has some new tattoos and, well, it's best if you just see for yourself

Thursday 23 March 14:56:31 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookDrake might have countless of chart topping songs, but if we're being honest, he doesn't have the best track record when it comes to his tattoos.  This week, the 6 god added three more inked illustrations to his body thanks to Swedish tattoo artist Niki Norberg, and don't worry, they all surpass your Drake tattoo expectations.  SEE ALSO: Drake unleashed a … [Link]

Mashable » Alleged 'Destiny 2' posters leak, suggest September release

Thursday 23 March 14:56:15 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookI’m disappointed. Why wouldn't you go with Des2ny, Bungie? Allegedly leaked marketing posters for Destiny 2 point to both a beta test and a Sept. 8 release for the as-yet-unannounced sequel. There's also talk that the formal reveal could be coming as soon as today, March 23. SEE ALSO: Looks like the best 'Destiny' raid is making a comeback soon It's … [Link]

Mashable » Orisa's professional debut in 'Overwatch' goes hilariously awry

Thursday 23 March 14:49:11 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWhen the going gets rough in Overwatch, sometimes you gotta try throwing an alternative hero into the fray. Just make sure you pick a hero that you actually know how to play. The newest Overwatch hero Orisa — who just released Tuesday — was picked for the first time in a pro-level match Wednesday and her professional debut could not have … [Link]

Mashable » Youngest Ed Sheeran fan immediately stops crying at sound of 'Shape of You'

Thursday 23 March 14:43:22 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookEd Sheeran's popularity knows no bounds. His music resonates with people of all ages, even the young as is evident in the case of baby Gracie. SEE ALSO: Ed Sheeran celebrated the 7-year anniversary of his career with a sweet throwback Gareth Nye took to Twitter to share a video of his infant daughter crying in her bouncer. As soon as … [Link]

Slashdot » 18 To 24-Year-Olds Are Hitting the Big Screen at Lower Rates

Thursday 23 March 14:40:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares a report: For data and movie geeks, the MPAA's latest "Theatrical Market Statistics" report is a wealth of information about the health of the movie business. The big picture: 246 million people went to the movies in the United States and Canada last year, a 2% increase from the year before. But dig into the trends … [Link]

Mashable » Kendrick Lamar teases new album and now we're so excited

Thursday 23 March 14:38:35 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIt’s been almost exactly a couple years since Kendrick Lamar dropped To Pimp A Butterfly, the Compton rapper's world-stopping third studio album.   So to prep for his next album, he did what only makes sense: wiped his Instagram clean and began the merciless teasing of what is to come next.  SEE ALSO: Apple Music's live radio channel finally comes to … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Shock mass coral die-off in Asia sounds alarm for world’s reefs

Thursday 23 March 14:30:00 UTC 2017

An unexpected coral bleaching event in the South China Sea shows that reefs can heat up substantially more than the surrounding ocean [Link]

Mashable » India has 100 Forbes list billionaires for the first time

Thursday 23 March 14:23:25 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookFor the first time in three decades of the Forbes World's Billionaires List, there are over 100 Indian billionaires. Only three countries, U.S., China and Germany, have more.  India's rise in the global wealth list is aligned to the country's burgeoning economy that recently surpassed Britain to become the fifth largest in the world. SEE ALSO: 9 Tech Millionaires Under Age … [Link]

Mashable » New shiny Pokémon have started appearing in 'Pokémon Go'

Thursday 23 March 14:22:23 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookYou know what's better than having a badass Gyarados? Having a badass red Gyarados. SEE ALSO: 7 things 'Pokémon Go' badly needs in 2017 Code for "shiny" Pokémon has been gradually appearing in Pokémon Go for awhile now, but the latest update — and the resulting data mine — made it seem closer than ever. Well, it turns out it was … [Link]

Mashable » Apple buys automation app Workflow and makes it free

Thursday 23 March 14:09:04 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookApple has acquired Workflow, a popular productivity app that lets you automate tasks on your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.  The terms of the acquisition, which was first reported on by TechCrunch, were not made public, but Apple has confirmed the deal.  SEE ALSO: This is the real reason Apple's senior leadership lacks diversity On the business end of things, Apple … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Robots are stronger, faster, more durable… and hackable

Thursday 23 March 14:05:00 UTC 2017

Some of today's best known robots turn out to be easily hijacked, a sign that this burgeoning tech industry must make security a top priority, says Paul Marks [Link]

Mashable » Fossil unveils two Q smartwatches to give Android Wear 2.0 some fashion cred

Thursday 23 March 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookAndroid Wear 2.0 is really starting to make its mark on the fashion world.  Fossil, which has carved out a space in the wearable market with its fashion-first Q line of smart and connected watches, is unveiling two new devices for Android Wear 2.0 at the Baselworld Watch and Jewelry show in Switzerland on Thursday.     The new smartwatches, the Q … [Link]

Slashdot » The Gig Economy Celebrates Working Yourself to Death

Thursday 23 March 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Writing for The New Yorker, Jia Tolentino documents stories of several people — a nine-month pregnant Lyft driver, for instance — who contribute to companies that work on the model of gig economy. Through these tales, Tolentino underscores an increasingly growing pattern in the Silicon Valley (and elsewhere) where companies offer hard-labor contracts to people, pay them peanuts (with little … [Link]

Mashable » Woody Harrelson reveals his 'Star Wars' character name

Thursday 23 March 13:56:56 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook It doesn't get much more serious than Star Wars secrecy, but Woody Harrelson doesn't seem to mind. The actor appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday and teased a little bit about his role in the upcoming Han Solo film. "I play a guy named Beckett who's kind of a criminal and a mentor to Han," Harrelson … [Link]

Mashable » Samantha Bee: Trump's budget reveals he 'has no f*cking clue'

Thursday 23 March 13:45:33 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook Samantha Bee opened her show on Wednesday with a massive eye-roll at Donald Trump's proposed federal budget cuts. The "hard power budget" guts energy, the EPA, education, etc.  "Our President doesn't give a shit," Bee said.  SEE ALSO: John Oliver lists the biggest 'f*ck you' funding cuts in Trump's budget Bee pointed out that Trump is falling out of favor … [Link]

Mashable » Beyoncé made a cancer patient's dream come true with the power of FaceTime

Thursday 23 March 13:42:48 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookQueen Bey is no stranger to surprising fans at places where they least expect it.  Just last week she surprised a group of young girls backstage at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in Los Angeles where she was supporting her mother. But it seems as if Beyoncé has really outdone herself this week. She FaceTime'd with Ebony Banks, a senior … [Link]

Mashable » James Corden shows his true colors in a hilarious behind the scenes mockumentary

Thursday 23 March 13:41:02 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook The friendly, upbeat late night host James Corden doesn't seem difficult to work with, but this video of life behind the scenes of the Late Late Show would suggest otherwise. SEE ALSO: James Corden makes a stunning Belle in a 'Beauty and the Beast' crosswalk musical In the video above, Corden takes us through a Hugh Grant pitch meeting and … [Link]

Mashable » Josh Gad crashed the 'Late Late Show' with his own take on the 'Beauty and the Beast' soundtrack

Thursday 23 March 13:29:28 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook Josh Gad, otherwise known as LeFou from the new Beauty and the Beast movie, made an appearance on James Corden's Late Late Show on Wednesday. But he didn't just want to be a guest on the show. He wanted to be a co-host. Of course, James Corden wasn't too happy about that idea. But Gad came prepared to plead his … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Best evidence yet that hypnotised people aren’t faking it

Thursday 23 March 13:12:00 UTC 2017

It’s hard to tell whether hypnotism is real. Now researchers have used a trick of the mind to show that hypnotised people’s actions really do feel involuntary [Link]

Popular Science » How California is saving rainwater for a sunny day

Thursday 23 March 13:02:00 UTC 2017

Environment Meet Helen Dahlke, a water banker Outside Helen Dahlke’s office, at the University of California at Davis, the clouds hang low, their edges seeming to brush against the building. Read on. [Link]

Mashable » Mashable House 2017: For the superfan in all of us

Thursday 23 March 13:00:00 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookSXSW is more than a conference or festival. It’s a celebration of community.Ever since Mashable stepped onto the SXSW Interactive scene, we’ve been honoring the culture, collaboration and creativity that makes this community special. And for the past 6 years, this celebration has manifested itself into the Mashable House — a SXSW destination filled with awesome things to do, specialty drinks … [Link]

Slashdot » Researchers Develop App That Accurately Determines Sperm Quality

Thursday 23 March 13:00:00 UTC 2017

New submitter omaha393 writes: A team of researchers at Harvard Medical School have developed a point-of-care microfluidic detector capable of determining sperm quality using the simple device and a standard smartphone. Typical male fertility screens require a team of trained laboratory professionals and a screening process taking days to weeks and incurring high costs. The alternative home sperm measuring kits … [Link]

Mashable » 'Shots Fired' is the most vital show on TV right now

Thursday 23 March 12:57:39 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe first episode of Shots Fired opens with a now painfully familiar scenario: A small-town cop has shot an unarmed teenager. One major difference? The cop is black, and the dead teen is white. But before the small North Carolina town has a chance to grapple with the incident, the neglected murder of an African-American teen is brought to light, opening … [Link]

Mashable » Michael Kors' new smartwatches let you make custom watch faces using your Instagram pics

Thursday 23 March 12:41:31 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookContrary to popular belief, smartwatches — especially ones running Android Wear — aren't really totally dead. While the majority of phone makers have taken a break from releasing new AW smartwatches and are focusing more efforts on releasing sportier, cellular-connected smartwatches that work independent of phones, the fashion world has basically swooped in to fill the void. Case in point: Michael … [Link]

Mashable » Here's where that viral defiant meme about the London attack came from

Thursday 23 March 12:34:51 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookPeople are reacting to the Westminster terror attack by sharing memes of hope and defiance.  SEE ALSO: Donald Trump Jr. tweeted about the London attack — and got instantly dragged One image that is doing the rounds is a London Underground sign bearing the words "We are not afraid."  What is coming of this world 😪 #Westminster #Westminsterbridge #London pic.twitter.com/Y3lr01S8nx — … [Link]

Mashable » Stephen Colbert rips Republicans' new 'three-bucket' healthcare strategy

Thursday 23 March 12:18:07 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook According to Stephen Colbert, the "Trumpcare" bill, which would leave 24 million people without insurance, "has a preexisting condition. Everyone hates it." So, the GOP is attempting to salvage the bill's reputation by insisting it's just one part of a "three-bucket strategy" to overhaul American healthcare. Ah, yes. Buckets. Three mysterious buckets. Colbert made a salient point, though, one that … [Link]

Mashable » This mum's well-meaning WhatsApp fail may be the greatest of all time

Thursday 23 March 12:04:11 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWhen you're getting to grips with new technology or testing out a freshly downloaded app, mistakes can happen. No one knows this better than anyone who's ever received a bungled attempt at communication from a parent or a grandparent. And if there's one thing communities such as r/oldpeoplefacebook have taught us, it's that these glorious moments need to be documented and … [Link]

Mashable » Boiled eggs – yes, eggs – are the latest beauty trick

Thursday 23 March 12:04:07 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookLately we've seen just about every household object turned into a makeshift beauty blender, from condoms to kitchen sponges. But, one beauty blogger has taken things to a whole new level by bringing food into the equation by using a hard boiled egg.  SEE ALSO: Beauty vlogger wants you to apply your makeup with a condom Esther Gbudje from London posted … [Link]

Mashable » Google adds audio calling to Duo and file sharing to Allo

Thursday 23 March 11:28:22 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookGoogle’s video calling app Duo and messaging app Allo will soon get some oft-requested features.  Google announced the changes to its communication apps, as well as some upgrades of other apps in services, at an event in São Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday.  SEE ALSO: Google's Tilt Brush VR art tool comes to the Oculus Rift When Duo originally launched, it had … [Link]

Mashable » That Underground sign everyone is sharing is fake

Thursday 23 March 11:22:33 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookTube stations in London have been using their notice boards to send messages of hope to commuters, following Wednesday's terror attack.  SEE ALSO: These powerful London Underground signs are going viral Many of these images have been posted on social media and retweeted hundreds of times.  However, one image doing the rounds is not quite what it seems.  This is Londonpic.twitter.com/sBNuFUSFOP … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Oddball star could be home to long-sought superheavy elements

Thursday 23 March 11:12:15 UTC 2017

One of the most chemically strange stars we know could chart a path to the so-called "island of stability", where massive yet relatively stable atoms exist [Link]

Mashable » These powerful London Underground signs are going viral

Thursday 23 March 11:02:44 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookOn the morning after the attack that left four dead and many injured in Britain's capital, Londoners were met with messages of hope on their morning commute. SEE ALSO: J.K. Rowling tweets heartwarming message in the wake of the London terror attack At many Tube stations across the city, it's tradition to write a "thought of the day" on whiteboards inside … [Link]

O'Reilly News and Commentary » #Ebook Deal/Day: Coding for Penetration Testers – $24.98 (Save 50%) Use code DEAL

Thursday 23 March 10:57:10 UTC 2017

Get "Coding for Penetration Testers" today using code DEAL and save 50%!This sale ends at 2:00 AM 2017-03-24 (PDT, GMT-8:00). [Link]

Mashable » India gives legal human status to two of its oldest rivers

Thursday 23 March 10:50:25 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThis is a rarity. And it has happened twice within a week.  After New Zealand granted Whanganui River the status of a human being, India's done it for two of its oldest, longest and most iconic rivers: Ganga and Yamuna. SEE ALSO: River receives the same rights as a human in 'world first' settlement In a landmark ruling by the Uttarakhand … [Link]

Mashable » James Corden shares a heartfelt message of solidarity with London after terror attack

Thursday 23 March 10:35:09 UTC 2017

Twitter Facebook James Corden had a heartfelt message of love and solidarity for his hometown of London last night. SEE ALSO: Trump-May special relationship gets special treatment in the streets of London In the video above, the London native took a few moments out of the Late Late Show program to record a message for his British viewers. The message was recorded … [Link]

Mashable » J.K. Rowling tweets heartwarming message in the wake of the London terror attack

Thursday 23 March 10:29:09 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIn the aftermath of the London terror attack which has left four people dead and many more injured, people have been sharing messages of hope and defiance on Twitter. J.K. Rowling is no exception. On Wednesday evening, the author responded to a tweet from radio presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer with a message of resistance. Here's Hartley-Brewer's original tweet. ONE man armed with … [Link]

Mashable » Donald Trump Jr. tweeted about the London attack — and got instantly dragged

Thursday 23 March 10:28:05 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookPoliticians are often accused of trying to capitalise on terror attacks for their own agenda.  So when Donald Trump Jr. sent a contemptuous tweet criticising London Mayor Sadiq Khan in the aftermath of the Westminster terror attack that left three dead, Britons weren't happy.  SEE ALSO: The Trump kids are in Aspen and it's ruining everyone else's hygge The U.S. president's … [Link]

Mashable » How dealers are using Instagram to sell cannabis to travelers in India

Thursday 23 March 10:09:07 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookDealers in India's hill state of Himachal Pradesh have discovered a new way to sell their 'stuff' — the famed Himachali charas (cannabis). They hunt down travelers through geo-tagged photos and hashtags on Instagram and turn them into potential buyers, Hindustan Times reports.   SEE ALSO: The American History of Marijuana, Man The charas is then delivered to customers either in … [Link]

Mashable » Gamer frustrated with his team smashes his head through his monitor

Thursday 23 March 10:02:54 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookEver get so angry you wanted to smash something? A gamer in China who lost a League of Legends match was so mad with his teammates, he smashed his head through his computer monitor. That's right, through. SEE ALSO: Twitch will let streamers sell games, raising loads of ethical questions The gamer was playing at an internet cafe in the city … [Link]

Slashdot » SpaceX Disappointed In Lack of NASA Mars Funding; Starts Looking For Landing Sites For Its Own Mars Missions

Thursday 23 March 10:00:00 UTC 2017

frank249 writes: Elon Musk says that the new NASA authorization legislation "changes almost nothing about what NASA is doing. Existing programs stay in place and there is no added funding for Mars." From a report via Ars Technica: "Musk is absolutely correct on two counts. First, an 'authorization' bill does not provide funding. That comes from appropriations committees. Secondly, while … [Link]

Mashable » This game is teaching particle physics to five-year-olds

Thursday 23 March 9:32:21 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookFive-year-olds and particle physics don't usually go in the same sentence together. But the guys that made Angry Birds is trying to change that with the launch of Big Bang Legends, its new game that introduces particle physics concepts to kids. SEE ALSO: Large Hadron Collider Achieves 7 TeV Proton Collisions “Five years ago we'd joke that one day we’ll teach … [Link]

Mashable » Funny or Die takes on the absurdity of rape kit testing in '80s spoof

Thursday 23 March 9:01:24 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookGenerally speaking, it's a terrible idea to joke about rape kits.  But Funny or Die, natch, has found a way to make satirical comedy out of the way police departments handle the DNA evidence collected after a sexual assault. SEE ALSO: What men say about women in secret is why we can't have gender equality In the 1980s spoof unveiled Thursday, … [Link]

Mashable » People are making fun of Airbnb's new Chinese name

Thursday 23 March 7:47:18 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe ink has barely dried on Airbnb's new Chinese name, but the jokes have come fast. To launch Trips in China, U.S. home-rental company showed off a new name to match, Aibiying. SEE ALSO: Airbnb is going all out to woo China, and even has a new Chinese name It says Aibiying (爱彼迎) means to "welcome each other with love." But … [Link]

Slashdot » Mars Rover Spots Clouds Shaped By Gravity Waves

Thursday 23 March 7:00:00 UTC 2017

sciencehabit writes from a report via Science Magazine: NASA's Curiosity rover has shot more than 500 movies of the clouds above Mars, including the first ground-based view of martian clouds shaped by gravity waves, researchers reported this week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference. The shots are the best record made so far of a mysterious recurring belt of … [Link]

Mashable » India says no to most of Apple's demands

Thursday 23 March 6:50:31 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookApple is not getting any special treatment from the Indian government.  Despite the company’s imminent plans to begin manufacturing iPhones in the country, the Indian government remains committed to not folding to the Cupertino giant’s demands.  SEE ALSO: Apple had its best year ever in world's fastest growing smartphone market When asked if the government has accepted the iPhone maker’s demands, … [Link]

Mashable » Geez, this forearm-sized shrimp will take up most of your barbie

Thursday 23 March 6:43:55 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookHere’s a shrimp that'll require a pretty big barbie on which to throw it. More accurately, it's a giant leader prawn. And it just so happens to be as large as a human forearm and weighs 300 grams (10 oz).  SEE ALSO: Koalas don't like water but they're being 'driven to drink' by climate change The crustacean was captured in Australia's … [Link]

Mashable » A whole state in India is giving all college students free internet access

Thursday 23 March 6:32:40 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIndian state governments are joining technology giants and central government in pushing internet connectivity to more people.  The latest instance of this comes from the eastern Indian state of Bihar, where the government has announced free Wi-Fi access to college and university students.  SEE ALSO: Fumed Indians continue to troll NYT over 2-year-old cartoon mocking their space agency The chief minister … [Link]

Mashable » People are heartbroken over Alaska Airlines' decision to retire Virgin America

Thursday 23 March 6:00:04 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookIt might be time to book yourself onto a Virgin America flight before the brand goes away forever. Late on Wednesday, Alaska Airlines announced that Virgin America's will disappear in 2019. After buying Virgin last year in a $2.6 billion merger, Alaska has promised to retain the "flair" that fans associate with Virgin, such as free in-flight entertainment, colourful mood lighting … [Link]

Mashable » Ryan Gosling finally explains why he giggled his way through the Oscars mix-up

Thursday 23 March 4:33:38 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookMany of the questions surrounding that Oscars "Best Picture" blunder have been answered, except this one: Why was Ryan Gosling giggling to himself during the fracas? While those watching were aghast, and the cast and crew of La La Land looked shocked, there was Gosling — ever-so-slightly amused by the moment. Well, we finally have some answers from the man himself. … [Link]

Mashable » Adele fans are bidding on a bag of air from her concert

Thursday 23 March 3:31:38 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWe love Adele. Everyone loves Adele, it's a given. But even the world's most adorable Brit herself would call this loving yet entrepreneurial gesture a bit, you know, much.  After infiltrating every aspect of Australian media with her whirlwind presence recently, Adele has also distributed her fair share of carbon dioxide to the land Down Under, via breathing. And so it … [Link]

Slashdot » A Lithuanian Phisher Tricked Two Big US Tech Companies Into Wiring Him $100 Million

Thursday 23 March 3:30:00 UTC 2017

According to a recent indictment from the U.S. Department of Justice, a 48-year-old Lithuanian scammer named Evaldas Rimasauskas managed to trick two American technology companies into wiring him $100 million. He was able to perform this feat "by masquerading as a prominent Asian hardware manufacturer," reports The Verge, citing court documents, "and tricking employees into depositing tens of millions of … [Link]

Mashable » This formula explains why NYC is great for ride-sharing and Sydney is terrible

Thursday 23 March 3:24:08 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe ebb and flow of a city may feel entirely unique, but it turns out there are universal laws that may govern the chaos of your commute. A team from the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have created what they call a law of "shareability." Using inputs like traffic speed and urban density, they think they can … [Link]

Mashable » UberEATS is delivering alcohol now, but probably not in the way you were hoping

Thursday 23 March 3:12:17 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookUberEATS is finally doing what many of us have been thinking: They're beginning to bring booze straight to our door. But only if you live in this city. Uber's food delivery service will now ply you with alcohol in Melbourne, Australia, from this Friday.  SEE ALSO: One brewery's latest beer took the trip from the toilet to the tap Alcohol orders … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Moderate drinking may be ‘heart healthy’ but exercise is safer

Thursday 23 March 2:41:24 UTC 2017

Another study has found that drinking 14 units or less a week is linked to better cardiovascular health. But drinking alcohol for health is a risky strategy [Link]

Mashable » 3 reasons to worry about the FBI's facial recognition program

Thursday 23 March 2:15:45 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe FBI quietly developed a facial recognition network that allows law enforcement to identify people in the United States without their knowledge. Now lawmakers want to know why the agency didn't tell people about it.  SEE ALSO: This creepy Facebook stalking app was a hoax—but it should still scare the hell out of you "Why did the FBI not fulfill the … [Link]

Mashable » Facebook struggles to prevent violence on Facebook Live

Thursday 23 March 1:46:18 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookMark Zuckerberg has repeatedly said that live video is the future of Facebook, but what if that future is terrifying and full of violence? What happens when one of the largest proponents of live video struggles to manage its darker side? Reports that the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl was broadcast on Facebook Live and watched by upwards of 40 … [Link]

Mashable » This startup wants to send electric planes from London to Paris within 10 years

Thursday 23 March 1:42:22 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookOne ambitious startup is aiming to put passenger planes powered by electricity in the air within the next decade. Or, perhaps more realistically, in the next 20 years — depending on battery technology advancements. Wright Electric, an aircraft manufacturer startup based out of Massachusetts, debuted its idea for a no gas 150-seat plane at Tuesday's Y Combinator Demo Day in Silicon … [Link]

Mashable » Koalas don't like water but they're being 'driven to drink' by climate change

Thursday 23 March 1:30:52 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookKoalas have what some would consider the dream life: Eating and sleeping all day. When they're awake they eat leaves, which is their complete source of nourishment. But fun fact: Koalas don't drink water. At least, they didn't used to, except in extreme cases. But thanks to climate change, our marsupial friends are being driven to drink more water than ever … [Link]

Slashdot » Japanese Company Develops a Solar Cell With Record-Breaking 26%+ Efficiency

Thursday 23 March 1:25:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The silicon-based cells that make up a solar panel have a theoretical efficiency limit of 29 percent, but so far that number has proven elusive. Practical efficiency rates in the low-20-percent range have been considered very good for commercial solar panels. But researchers with Japanese chemical manufacturer Kaneka Corporation have built … [Link]

Slashdot » LastPass Bugs Allow Malicious Websites To Steal Passwords

Thursday 23 March 0:45:00 UTC 2017

Earlier this month, a Slashdot reader asked fellow Slashdotters what they recommended regarding the use of password managers. In their post, they voiced their uncertainty with password managers as they have been hacked in the past, citing an incident in early 2016 where LastPass was hacked due to a bug that allowed users to extract passwords stored in the autofill … [Link]

Mashable » What's Apple's tax bill in New Zealand? Why it's zero, niet, nada.

Thursday 23 March 0:23:15 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookWhy is Silicon Valley so cruel to New Zealand? First we discover PayPal founder and Trump acolyte Peter Thiel is a secret citizen, now it's emerged Apple pays the country absolutely nothing in taxes.  Apparently the tech giant paid no income tax on local profits to Inland Revenue over the past 10 years, because its local operations are owned and run … [Link]

Mashable » That 'secret' female superhero film at Sony has finally been revealed

Thursday 23 March 0:18:50 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookThe female superhero movie that Sony hinted at way back in 2014 — where does all that time go? — turns out to be centered on Silver Sable and Black Cat, a pair of Marvel characters in the Spider-Man universe, Mashable has confirmed.  And according to The Hollywood Reporter, which first reported the news Wednesday, the latest treatment (based on a … [Link]

Mashable » NBA road teams are winning more because of dating apps. No, really.

Thursday 23 March 0:17:24 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookBack in the late 80s, the home team in a given NBA game beat its visiting opponent 68 percent of the time, according to ESPN. That number has declined since, and this season it's at an all-time low: Despite the controversy of star players sometimes resting during road games, home NBA teams now beat their visiting opponents just 57 percent of … [Link]

Mashable » LinkedIn tries to make a smarter news feed with 'trending storylines'

Thursday 23 March 0:17:23 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookLinkedIn is trying to make its home feed more useful. The professional network introduced a new feature Wednesday called "trending storylines," which surfaces a personalized feed of news stories based on topics you're likely to be interested in.  SEE ALSO: 4 small things successful people do to see big results Rolling out across LinkedIn's apps and website in the U.S now, … [Link]

Mashable » YouTube really wants you to watch this stop-motion film featuring a stranger's butt

Thursday 23 March 0:12:00 UTC 2017

Twitter FacebookYouTube has 67.3 million followers on Twitter — and I'm one of them. For years, I've followed the account to get updates on featured videos, YouTube Red originals and news items. But on Wednesday, I was shocked to find YouTube's Twitter account promoting the butt of a "perfect stranger." Pale and weird, but oddly … comforting? Meet a perfect stranger → … [Link]

Slashdot » W3C Erects DRM As Web Standard

Thursday 23 March 0:05:00 UTC 2017

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has formally put forward highly controversial digital rights management as a new web standard. "Dubbed Encrypted Media Extensions (EME), this anti-piracy mechanism was crafted by engineers from Google, Microsoft, and Netflix, and has been in development for some time," reports The Register. "The DRM is supposed to thwart copyright infringement by stopping people from … [Link]

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