John Gordon Ross

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

Slashdot » Comcast Launches New 24/7 Workplace Surveillance Service

Saturday 25 March 23:34:00 UTC 2017

America's largest ISP just rolled out a new service that allows small and medium-sized business owners "to oversee their organization" with continuous video surveillance footage that's stored in the cloud — allowing them to "improve efficiency." An anonymous reader quotes the Philadelphia Inquirer: Inventory is disappearing. Workplace productivity is off. He said/she said office politics are driving people crazy. Who … [Link]

Mashable » Possibly evil mass death of zoo snakes leads to investigation

Saturday 25 March 23:02:52 UTC 2017

Nobody gives you the Harambe treatment when you have scales instead of fur.  That's what we're learning after Zoo Knoxville officials in Tennessee revealed that 33 snakes and a lizard were mysteriously found dead on Wednesday morning. No crime scene clues of note and no message from the killer, just a bunch of dead snakes.  SEE ALSO: Extremely excited dog adorably … [Link]

Mashable » Um why is there a teddy bear emoji on these leaked Samsung Galaxy S8 camera photos?

Saturday 25 March 22:47:40 UTC 2017

Okay, now the Samsung Galaxy S8 leaks are just getting ridiculous. We're just days away from Samsung's big reveal, so, naturally, we've pretty much seen the entire phone at this point. Now, thanks to another intrepid leaker, we have a new batch of high-resolution photos to obsess over, but the only part we care about with this current batch is:  Why … [Link]

Slashdot »  Ubuntu Linux 17.04 'Zesty Zapus' Final Beta Now Available For Download

Saturday 25 March 22:34:00 UTC 2017

BrianFagioli writes: The final beta of Ubuntu 17.04 'Zesty Zapus' became available for download Thursday. While it is never a good idea to run pre-release software on production machines, Canonical is claiming that it should be largely bug free at this point. In other words, if you understand the risks, it should be a fairly safe. Home users aside, this … [Link]

Mashable » Chance the Rapper sat in on a third grade math class and it looked really fun, TBH

Saturday 25 March 22:15:39 UTC 2017

The verdict is in: Yes, math can, in fact, be fun. 'Know this might seem controversial, but hear it out: Chance the Rapper sat in on a third-grade math class during a surprise Career Day appearance at a Chicago elementary school this week, and it looked extremely enjoyable. SEE ALSO: Chance the Rapper drops #ThankUObama merch line for a nation grieving … [Link]

Slashdot » Apache Hadoop Has Failed Us, Tech Experts Say

Saturday 25 March 21:34:00 UTC 2017

It was the first widely-adopted open source distributed computing platform. But some geeks running it are telling Datanami that Hadoop "is great if you're a data scientist who knows how to code in MapReduce or Pig…but as you go higher up the stack, the abstraction layers have mostly failed to deliver on the promise of enabling business analysts to get … [Link]

Mashable » Hey, Future: Please hire this badass flute player immediately

Saturday 25 March 21:30:28 UTC 2017

Flute samples in rap music are having a moment, so here's your next big star. The internet is currently smitten with a flautist from Dallas, who goes by @BonafideTye on Twitter. On Thursday, she tweeted videos of herself playing along to Future's "Mask Off" and Migos' "Get Right Witcha." SEE ALSO: Nicki Minaj makes history on the Billboard Hot 100 chart … [Link]

Mashable » Yes, the 'Game of Thrones' showrunners hated HBO's stupid melting ice stunt as much as you did

Saturday 25 March 20:44:18 UTC 2017

If you care about that which is best in life, or if you're (somehow) out of TV to catch up on or binge, then you're probably anxiously anticipating the new season of Game of Thrones like the rest of us.  But now one of the show's lead actors, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (a.k.a. Jaime Lannister) revealed that the people behind the show's ice melting … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Why The US Senate's Vote To Throw Out ISP Privacy Laws Isn't All Bad'

Saturday 25 March 20:34:00 UTC 2017

"Nobody wants their data spread far and wide," write two associate editors at MIT Technology Review, "but the FCC's rules were an inconsistent solution to a much larger problem." An anonymous reader writes: They point out the rules passed in October "weren't even yet in effect," but more importantly — they only would've applied to ISPs. "[T]he reality is that … [Link]

Mashable » Feast your eyes on NASA's stunning 'farewell to Pluto' photo

Saturday 25 March 19:42:06 UTC 2017

NASA just released a new photo of everyone's favorite dwarf planet, and it's something to behold. Taken from 120,000 miles behind Pluto by NASA's New Horizons, the shot perfectly captures Pluto's blue haze. SEE ALSO: NASA may put astronauts on the first flight of its new mega-rocket The photo's the result of six black-and-white photos stitched together, with color added from … [Link]

Slashdot » Uber Halts Self-Driving Car Tests in Arizona After Friday Night Collision

Saturday 25 March 19:34:00 UTC 2017

"Given that the Uber vehicle has flipped onto its side it looks to be a high speed crash," writes TechCrunch, though Business Insider reports that no one was seriously injured. An anonymous reader quotes their report: A self-driving Uber car was involved in an accident on Friday night in Tempe, Arizona, in one of the most serious incidents to date … [Link]

Mashable » Alex Jones apologized for stoking the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, but all these protesters don't care

Saturday 25 March 19:29:50 UTC 2017

Conspiracy theory peddling InfoWars host Alex Jones apologized on Friday for spreading the unfounded conspiracy theory that a D.C. pizza restaurant was at the center of a child sex-abuse ring run by Hillary Clinton.  But outside the White House on Saturday, the theoretical audience for InfoWars and all matters of PizzaGate conspiracy news didn't seem to care much. A small group … [Link]

Mashable » Dangerous, explosive hoverboards are still lurking, and here's another recall to remind you of it

Saturday 25 March 19:05:25 UTC 2017

Here we go again.  Following the tragic deaths of two children in Pennsylvania caused by a hoverboard fire earlier this month, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced the recall of yet another hoverboard brand.  SEE ALSO: The rise and fall of the hoverboard The brand is Los Angeles-based Vecaro LifeStyle and the reason for the recall is the … [Link]

Mashable » 10 things to look out for in the brand new 'Justice League' trailer

Saturday 25 March 18:55:59 UTC 2017

The first Justice League trailer has exploded onto the internet, and it's a lot to take in. There are new characters, new lines, new moves, new reasons to cheer, and new reasons to be worried. SEE ALSO: The new 'Justice League' trailer is here, omg, omg, breathe, please everyone just breathe, akjsdhfgkas; So, let's get into it. Here are the trailer's … [Link]

Slashdot » Anti-Virus Vendors Scramble To Patch Hijacking Exploit Involving Microsoft Tool

Saturday 25 March 18:34:00 UTC 2017

"A zero-day attack called Double Agent can take over antivirus software on Windows machines," Network World reported Wednesday. wiredmikey writes: The attack involves the Microsoft Application Verifier, a runtime verification tool for unmanaged code that helps developers find subtle programming errors in their applications… [The exploit] allows a piece of malware executed by a privileged user to register a malicious … [Link]

Mashable » Here's what it's like waiting in line with fans at Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds' memorial

Saturday 25 March 18:07:52 UTC 2017

LOS ANGELES—For Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds fans, getting a wristband to the stars' public memorial was of a galactic proportion: A rare, once-in-a-lifetime event. It meant they were guaranteed a seat in the Hall of Freedom at the Forest Lawn Cemetery, where the memorial is taking place later today—a guaranteed goodbye to Star Wars queen and her legendary Singin' in … [Link]

Mashable » Robots are plotting to make your salads

Saturday 25 March 18:00:00 UTC 2017

‘Casabots’ creates robots to help restaurants with food prep. Their first robot, "Sally," makes salads. Read more…More about Real Time Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, Real Time Video, and Small Business [Link]

Mashable » 15 great excuses to not go out tonight

Saturday 25 March 18:00:00 UTC 2017

It’s a tale as old as time: you'll make plans at 10 a.m., bright-eyed and fresh from your first cup of coffee. "Yes," you'll say to your friends. "I would love to do that thing tonight." Around 3, though, you'll start to have doubts — scary doubts. Do you really have enough energy for a whole thing?  And at 5:30, you're … [Link]

Slashdot » After Healthcare Defeat, Can The Trump Administration Fix America's H-1B Visa Program?

Saturday 25 March 17:34:00 UTC 2017

Friday the Trump administration suffered a political setback when divisions in the president's party halted a move to repeal healthcare policies passed in 2010. But if Trump hopes to turn his attention to how America's H-1B visa program is affecting technology workers, "time is running out," writes Slashdot reader pteddy. Bloomberg reports: [T]he application deadline for the most controversial visa … [Link]

Mashable » Please forgive Ed Sheeran for forgetting the words to his own song in front of the entire world

Saturday 25 March 17:33:36 UTC 2017

During his Red Nose Day telethon performance on Friday, pop star and baby doppelganger Ed Sheeran briefly forgot the words to his song "What Do I Know." Okay, let's just get this joke outWhat does he know? Not the words! Boom. Roasted. SEE ALSO: Ed Sheeran's new music video has a very bizarre twist ending Here's what went down: Let's assess … [Link]

Mashable » In 1939, evicted sharecroppers held a roadside protest that captivated the nation

Saturday 25 March 17:00:00 UTC 2017

Image: Library of CongressIn January 1939, motorists on highways in the “Bootheel” of southeastern Missouri began reporting a strange sight: thousands of sharecropper families were camped out on the roadside, their meager possessions piled around them, exposed to the wintry cold.The families, almost all African-American, had been evicted by the owners of the farms where they had lived. Because sharecroppers were … [Link]

Mashable » That awkward moment when Republicans failed to kill Obamacare but they bought boastful TV ads anyway and now they're airing, LOL

Saturday 25 March 16:37:11 UTC 2017

Opponents of Donald Trump's failed healthcare bill got a big, meme-filled laugh yesterday. But fans of both basketball and the Affordable Care Act? Well, they got perhaps the biggest laugh of all. According to a report from Deadspin, a PAC called American Action Network purchased a series of ads thanking several Republican members of Congress for "keeping [their] promise" to repeal … [Link]

Slashdot » Researchers Teach Self-Driving Cars To 'See' Better At Night

Saturday 25 March 16:34:00 UTC 2017

Researchers may have developed a way for self-driving cars to continue navigating at night (or on rainy days) by performing an AI analysis to identify traffic signs by their relative reflectiveness. Slashdot reader sciencehabit shares an article from Science: Their approach requires autonomous cars to continuously capture images of their surroundings. Each image is evaluated by a machine learning algorithm…looking … [Link]

Mashable » The surprising origins of your f*cking favorite swear words

Saturday 25 March 16:00:00 UTC 2017

As a society, we like to swear. Swear words have a strange power over us. It starts when we are young, when they are deliciously taboo. Then, as we age, our dependence on swear words increases to the point where as an adult, we find that the magnitude of our emotions can only be captured by cursing. Yes, many of us … [Link]

Mashable » The internet is arguing about pulp in your orange juice and now you have to pick a side

Saturday 25 March 15:47:16 UTC 2017

You need only to Google "pineapple pizza" to know the internet loves itself a good (if not: dumb, hilarious) food fight. The latest debate tearing friends, families, and lovers apart?  Pulp vsno-pulp.  Our personal opinion? Pulp's delicious. It's juice, and then some. But we're just the documentarian, not the dictator, so here's what those online have to say/scream about it: SEE … [Link]

Slashdot » Stack Overflow Reveals Results From 'Largest Developer Survey Ever Conducted'

Saturday 25 March 15:34:00 UTC 2017

More than 64,000 developers from 213 countries participated in this year's annual survey by Stack Overflow — the largest number ever — giving a glimpse into the collective psyche of programmers around the world. An anonymous reader quotes their announcement: A majority of developers — 56.5% — said they were underpaid. Developers who work in government and non-profits feel the … [Link]

Mashable » Uber's self-driving car crashes in Arizona

Saturday 25 March 15:27:01 UTC 2017

Uber’s very bad, not-at-all-great 2017 just got a whole hell of a lot worse. But this time, somehow, the problem isn't human interactions in the workplace, but self-driving cars on the road.  On Friday, photos posted to Twitter revealed an Uber self-driving car flipped over on its side after being involved in a car crash in Tempe, Arizona.  SEE ALSO: The … [Link]

Mashable » 'Feud' star Alfred Molina reveals whether he's ever seen an on-set rivalry like Bette and Joan's

Saturday 25 March 15:20:13 UTC 2017

Alfred Molina may have nabbed one of his finest roles yet, thanks to a filmmaker that’s been dead nearly as long as the actor’s been working. That’s because director Robert Aldrich didin’t give Molina the part – he is the part. With a movie and TV career that spans nearly four decades – including vivid and memorable appearances as Indiana Jones’ … [Link]

Mashable » It's official: Uber's Travis Kalanick and Emil Michael are actually the worst

Saturday 25 March 15:10:19 UTC 2017

In case there was still any doubt, Uber's top executives are really terrible.  A report in The Information out Friday night alleges that CEO Travis Kalanick and Senior Vice President of Business Emil Michael took Uber staffers to—wait for it—an escort-karaoke bar in Seoul, where male Uber managers picked women working at the bar out of a lineup. Again: Where Uber … [Link]

Mashable » The new 'Justice League' trailer is here, omg, omg, breathe, please everyone just breathe, akjsdhfgkas;

Saturday 25 March 15:02:06 UTC 2017

The Justice League is ready to report for duty. Warner Bros. has dropped the latest trailer for their DC superhero extravaganza, which brings together Batman (Ben Affleck), Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), Aquaman (Jason Momoa), the Flash (Ezra Miller) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) in the name of fighting evil. All the core members first appeared in Batman v Superman: Dawn of … [Link]

Mashable » 2016 Election: Where are they now?

Saturday 25 March 15:00:00 UTC 2017

The 2016 election felt like it lasted an entire lifetime. It also feels like it's been an entire lifetime since it ended.  It has truly felt like years since we were able to wake up and not worry if our president had started a nuclear war via Twitter while we were sleeping. It's hard to remember a time before we had … [Link]

Mashable » Get rich slow: The new wave of savings apps

Saturday 25 March 14:56:45 UTC 2017

The past few years have seen an explosion in startups aimed at helping you save, invest and spend in a cheaper and wiser way.It's mostly a good thing. For too long, the financial industry hasn't had much competition from the technology industry—and it's made it all too easy to take advantage of consumers as a result. But that's not the case anymore. The … [Link]

Slashdot » Steve Wozniak Invests In Robot-Powered Paper-Digitizing Startup

Saturday 25 March 14:34:00 UTC 2017

Steve Wozniak — along with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer — have invested in an automated paper-digitization company named Ripcord, which formally launched on Thursday. An anonymous reader quotes VentureBeat: Based in Hayward, California, Ripcord has machines that can scan, index, and categorize paper records to make them searchable through companies' existing systems, via the cloud… Upon receipt, Ripcord unboxes … [Link]

Mashable » This robot maid could revolutionize the hospitality business

Saturday 25 March 14:00:00 UTC 2017

‘Rosie’ by Maidbot is an autonomous floor cleaner that provides safe and cost-efficient automated solutions to the hospitality industry.  Read more…More about Bathroom, Hotel Room, Carpet, Automation, and Vacuum [Link]

Mashable » The badass bomber jackets of WWII airmen

Saturday 25 March 14:00:00 UTC 2017

The Type A-2 leather flight jacket — commonly called the “bomber jacket” — was standardized in 1931 as the jacket issued to U.S. Army Air Forces officers upon completion of basic flight training.The distinctive jacket represented an airman’s elite status, and was worn and decorated with pride.Airmen emblazoned their A-2s with rank insignia, squadron patches and even elaborate embroidery or painted-on … [Link]

Mashable » You use this word to help you through hard times without even knowing it

Saturday 25 March 14:00:00 UTC 2017

We all deal with heartbreak in somewhat predictable ways.  You might eagerly re-top that glass of wine, add a few extra miles to your daily run or binge-watch your favorite childhood TV show.  SEE ALSO: AI figured out the word people text when their suicide risk is high But, without even realizing it, there's something else you do all the time … [Link]

Slashdot » Indiana's Inmates Could Soon Have Access To Tablets

Saturday 25 March 13:30:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from ABC57 News in South Bend, Indiana: Indiana is looking to help offenders who are behind bars. Soon, each inmate in the Hoosier state could have their own tablet. The Indiana Department of Correction says the tablet will help inmates stay connected with their families and improve their education. Offenders will be able to … [Link]

Popular Science » 20 ways to organize all your stuff

Saturday 25 March 12:30:00 UTC 2017

Gadgets The sweet satisfaction of having everything in its place. For those of us yearning for the sweet satisfaction of having everything in its place. Read on. [Link]

Mashable » 9 secret apps to hide your sexts

Saturday 25 March 12:00:00 UTC 2017

Since the dawn of time, solitary lovers (more accurately, lusters) have kept the erotic spark alive by sexting. Trading flirty notes and then much more explicit pics makes loneliness a little more manageable and much more steamy. Smartphones have made sexting easier than ever — just get to the dirty talking via text, then snap a suggestive pic or eight and … [Link]

Slashdot » Scientists Name 11 New Cloud Types

Saturday 25 March 10:00:00 UTC 2017

The increased use of technology capable of photographing and sharing images has prompted the World Meteorological Organization to add 11 new cloud classifications to their International Cloud Atlas. "A far cry from simple white puffs, these 11 new cloud types roll, dip, and menace their way across the skies," reports National Geographic. From the report: These 11 additions are the … [Link]

Mashable » 13 feminists who play the Twitter game to win

Saturday 25 March 8:30:00 UTC 2017

While Twitter can be a platform for dialogue and community, it has gained a reputation for being a space where misogynistic trolls roam free — tweeting their hatred at will.  SEE ALSO: 11 times Emma Watson was the hero we all needed In a time where feminist discourse has never been greater or more important, Twitter has become a new battleground … [Link]

Slashdot » Supermassive Black Hole Rocketing Out of Distant Galaxy At 5 Million MPH

Saturday 25 March 7:00:00 UTC 2017

The Bad Astronomer writes: Astronomers have found a supermassive black hole barreling out of its home galaxy at 5 million miles per hour. The 3 billion solar mass behemoth formed from the merger of two slightly smaller black holes after two galaxies collided and themselves merged. The resulting blast of gravitational waves is thought to have been asymmetric, causing a … [Link]

Slashdot » Why You Should Care About the Supreme Court Case On Toner Cartridges

Saturday 25 March 3:30:00 UTC 2017

rmdingler quotes a report from Consumerist: A corporate squabble over printer toner cartridges doesn't sound particularly glamorous, and the phrase "patent exhaustion" is probably already causing your eyes to glaze over. However, these otherwise boring topics are the crux of a Supreme Court case that will answer a question with far-reaching impact for all consumers: Can a company that sold … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Moore's Law' For Carbon Would Defeat Global Warming

Saturday 25 March 2:05:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from MIT Technology Review: A streamlined set of goals for reducing carbon emissions could simplify the way nations approach the quest to reduce human impact on the planet. A group of European researchers have a refreshingly straightforward solution that they call a carbon law — or, as the Guardian has coined it, a "Moore's … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft Delivers Secure China-Only Cut of Windows 10

Saturday 25 March 1:25:00 UTC 2017

Earlier this week, CEO of Microsoft Greater China, Alain Crozier, told China Daily that the company is ready to roll out a version of Windows 10 with extra security features demanded by China's government. "We have already developed the first version of the Windows 10 government secure system. It has been tested by three large enterprise customers," Crozier said. The … [Link]

Slashdot » US Scientists Launch World's Biggest Solar Geoengineering Study

Saturday 25 March 0:45:00 UTC 2017

In what will be the world's biggest solar geoengineering program to date, U.S. scientists part of the $20 million Harvard University project are going to send aerosol injections 20km (~12.4 miles) into the earth's stratosphere "to establish whether the technology can safely simulate the atmospheric cooling effects of a volcanic eruption," The Guardian reports. From the report: Scientists hope to … [Link]

Mashable » This resistance group is sending Trump notes on toilet paper

Saturday 25 March 0:16:52 UTC 2017

If Trump toilet paper isn't enough for you, sending the new president a pertinent message on TP and other bathroom items might do the trick. A group of activist friends based out of New York City frustrated with the results of November's election are facilitating a sh*tshow of sorts straight to Donald Trump's mailbox at the White House. If you write … [Link]

Mashable » This app is absolutely exploding right now and it's all because of Snapchat

Saturday 25 March 0:05:38 UTC 2017

Quick: if you had to pick one app that had the-best-year-ever in 2016 what would you pick? Pokémon Go? Super Mario Run? Instagram?  How about Bitmoji? That's right, the Snapchat-owned app for making customizable emoji is, by at least one measure, besting all the competition. The two-and-a-half-year-old app has seen explosive growth over the last year to become one of the … [Link]

Slashdot » Venezuelan Developers Are Using Bitcoin, Rare Pepe Trading Cards To Fight Against a Dismal Economy

Saturday 25 March 0:05:00 UTC 2017

According to Crypto Insider, Venezuelan developers have been selling "rare pepes" — trading cards that contain unique illustrations and photoshops of the character Pepe the Frog. While the trading cards started out as nothing more than a joke, many of them have been traded for thousands of dollars on the Counterparty platform, which is built on top of Bitcoin, and … [Link]

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