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 » McAfee: Big Spike In Mac OS Malware In 2016, Mostly From Adware Bunding

Sunday 9 April 15:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes Fortune: Security firm McAfee released a report this week that showed a big jump in 2016 regarding malware hitting the Mac operating system. The McAfee report said there were 460,000 malware instances affecting the Mac OS in the fourth quarter of 2016, an over 700% jump from the previous year during the same quarter. McAfee's new … [Link]

Mashable » This newscaster's terrified reaction is all of us getting caught daydreaming at work

Sunday 9 April 15:04:35 UTC 2017

Any good employee spends at least 50 percent of the work dreaming they were somewhere else, and another 30 percent trying not to get caught doing it.  One particularly Australian newscaster wasn't so lucky. While waiting to introduce a new segment on Australia's ABC24, she got interrupted while examining her nails at her desk, something all of us have done at … [Link]

Mashable » 9-year-old girl seeks clean air for her generation, sues Indian government over pollution

Sunday 9 April 14:40:50 UTC 2017

Ridhima Pandey is living proof that no one's too young to fight climate change. The nine-year-old girl recently filed a legal case against the Indian government for failing to curb greenhouse gas emissions from factories, vehicles, and agriculture. The petition accuses officials of neglecting their duty to protect Indians young and old from environmental harm. "My government has failed to take … [Link]

Slashdot » Electric Vertical Take-Off Aircraft Successfully Tested By DARPA

Sunday 9 April 14:34:00 UTC 2017

Slashdot reader drunkdrone tipped us off to some big aviation news: After several years of development DARPA has successfully completed flight-testing of one of the most novel, and odd-looking, aircraft designs we've seen in some time — the sub-scale electric X-Plane. After calling for an innovative new approach to an aircraft with vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, DARPA awarded its … [Link]

Mashable » Louis C.K.'s 'SNL' monologue rips white privilege and racist chickens

Sunday 9 April 14:21:20 UTC 2017

"Why did the chicken cross the road?" Obviously, Louis C.K. didn't deliver the expected punchline when he kicked off his April 8 Saturday Night Live monologue with the lamest joke in human history. Instead, he riffed on racist chickens, judgmental horses, and freaked-out giraffes (sadly, no April reference). The 10-minute mini-set ends with a story about a recent hotel stay, … [Link]

Mashable » Fighting Trump? Your best weapon is the one you least expect

Sunday 9 April 14:00:00 UTC 2017

The year 2017 has a surprise in store if you oppose Donald Trump and his policies.  So far you've probably been trying to manage a wild range of emotions: fear and panic about executive orders; disbelief as his most avid supporters buy his verifiable lies; shock with every revelation about Russiagate.  SEE ALSO: Chelsea Clinton shares 4 inspiring tips for young … [Link]

Mashable » Now you can play fetch with your pet even if you're stuck at work

Sunday 9 April 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Leaving your pet alone at home doesn't feel good, but now you can keep an eye on your furry friend and play fetch with them, too. The 'Pebby' is a sturdy, remote-controlled ball that you can control from your phone, anywhere in the world. It comes with great features, like a wireless charging station and a built-in camera. Read more…More about … [Link]

Mashable » Anonymous found photos explore a century of hairstyles

Sunday 9 April 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Image: Collection of Robert E. JacksonThese anonymous snapshots and found photos, acquired from a number of sources by collector Robert E. Jackson, have one subject in common: hair, in all its forms and permutations.Jackson, who in more than two decades of collecting has amassed over 12,000 pieces of photographic ephemera, often discovers similar motifs and themes popping up in disparate images, … [Link]

Mashable » Kate McKinnon slays on 'SNL' with more Cristiano Ronaldo jokes

Sunday 9 April 13:34:51 UTC 2017

That amazingly contorted and just plain weird sculpture of Portuguese star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo won't go away. Be thankful for that.  We've laughed at the memes. We've chortled at the sculptor's bizarre "Jesus" defense. Now, watch Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon have her way with one of the 21st century's finest works of art.  That sculpture is still So. Good. … [Link]

Slashdot » Tunnelled IPv6 Attacks Bypass Network Intrusion Detection Systems

Sunday 9 April 13:34:00 UTC 2017

"The transition to internet protocol version 6 has opened up a whole new range of threat vectors that allow attackers to set up undetectable communications channels across networks, researchers have found." Slashdot reader Bismillah summarizes a report from IT News. Researchers at NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and Estonia's University of Tallinn have worked out how to set … [Link]

Mashable » Louis C.K. and Kate McKinnon completely lost it on 'SNL' this week

Sunday 9 April 13:27:03 UTC 2017

Kate McKinnon's usually the one who leaves her fellow Saturday Night Live cast members in stitches. But when she appeared with host Louis C.K. in this sketch from the April 8 episode, neither one could keep a straight face. The premise casts the two as period-accurate performers re-enacting the life experience of 1913 apartment dwellers at New York City's Tenement … [Link]

Mashable » 8 ingenious innovations helping autistic children communicate

Sunday 9 April 13:00:00 UTC 2017

For autistic children, everyday interactions can be hard to decode. Socializing is often stressful, and expressing needs and emotions can be a struggle. But innovative tech solutions have come a long way to help empower the autistic community, enhancing communication through ingenuity. And we're taking time to recognize some of these impactful and creative gadgets for Autism Acceptance Month. SEE ALSO: … [Link]

Mashable » Cakes that look like succulents are the best way to eat your greens

Sunday 9 April 12:00:00 UTC 2017

Is eating cupcakes that look like plants the same as eating plants? Nope. Do we care? Not necessarily. Enter Ivenoven, a baker in Jakarta, Indonesia who makes desserts inspired by plant life — bouquets, terrariums, and even the ever-trendy succulent.  SEE ALSO: These cute little succulents look like bunnies throwing up the peace sign A post shared by ivenoven 사랑으로 베이킹 … [Link]

Slashdot » Eric S. Raymond Unveils New List Of 'Hacker Archetypes'

Sunday 9 April 10:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: Open source guru Eric S. Raymond has announced public brainstorming on a "gallery of hacker archetypes to help motivate newbies" by defining several different psychologies commonly found among programmers. He's unveiled an initial list developed with a friend, along with some interesting commentary. (Algorithmicists often have poor social skills and "a tendency to fail by excessive … [Link]

Slashdot » Server Snafu Exposes Ask.com User Search Queries Via Internal Status Page

Sunday 9 April 7:34:00 UTC 2017

"The Ask.com search engine went through some sort of technical issue late Friday night, as its servers were exposing the internal Apache server status page, revealing recently processed search queries," reports BleepingComputer. An anonymous reader writes: The issue is now fixed, but a copy of the server status page with some search queries can still be viewed in Google's search … [Link]

Mashable » Alec Baldwin plays both Donald Trump and Bill O'Reilly in searing 'SNL' skit

Sunday 9 April 5:56:15 UTC 2017

Alec Baldwin played two problematic, white American men on this week's Saturday Night Live.  He first appeared as President Donald Trump in the show's cold open and later pulled double duty, playing both Trump and Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly in a scathing sketch addressing the sexual harassment allegations against the O'Reilly Factor host. SEE ALSO: 'SNL' captures the critical … [Link]

Mashable » 'SNL' captures the critical moment before Kendall Jenner's Pepsi ad shoot

Sunday 9 April 4:52:44 UTC 2017

"And then Kendall Jenner comes up to a police officer and gives him a Pepsi, everybody celebrates, and … no? Are you sure that's tone-deaf?" Yeah. We're sure. We're all very sure. SEE ALSO: Pepsi pulls cringeworthy Kendall Jenner ad after massive backlash In a digital short at the top of Saturday Night Live, Beck Bennett plays the one person … [Link]

Mashable » Alec Baldwin's Donald Trump is like finding a 'finger in your chili' on 'SNL'

Sunday 9 April 4:37:39 UTC 2017

Saturday Night Live is back, and that means the return of Alec Baldwin as President Donald Trump. Let's just say, the parody Trump was in an ebullient mood after his "amazing" week, capped off by airstrikes in war-torn Syria.  SEE ALSO: Princess Leia will be in Star Wars Episode IX, says Carrie Fisher's brother. But how? "I met with leaders … [Link]

Slashdot » US Hacker Sets Off 156 Sirens At Midnight

Sunday 9 April 4:34:00 UTC 2017

"I had the displeasure of being awoken at midnight to the sounds of civil-defense/air-raid sirens," writes very-long-time Slashdot reader SigIO, blaming "some schmuck with a twisted sense of humor." The Dallas News reports: Rocky Vaz, director of Dallas' Office of Emergency Management, said that all 156 of the city's sirens were activated more than a dozen times… Dallas officials blame … [Link]

Mashable » These pins defend scientists and science in the Trump era

Sunday 9 April 2:58:08 UTC 2017

The couple behind the pins that said "I love you" in American Sign Language, made for the Women's March in January, are back with a new pin raising money for science and research. Ahead of the "March for Science" on April 22 in Washington, D.C. and all over the world, Kate Lind and Nate Stevens of Pincause designed a new pin … [Link]

Mashable » Sky pool in Houston lets you fly and swim at the same time

Sunday 9 April 2:43:59 UTC 2017

Real estate developers use a lot of clever techniques to sell apartments, but this is a new one: stomach-churning fear, with a splash of luxury.  SEE ALSO: This Bugatti yacht is basically a Chiron on water. With a jacuzzi. And a fire pit. Situated 40 stories above the city of Houston, with a glass bottom view of the street below, the … [Link]

Slashdot » Die-Hard Sysops Are Resurrecting BBS's From The 1980s

Sunday 9 April 2:10:00 UTC 2017

Ars Technica reports on vintage computing hobbyists "resurrecting digital communities that were once thought lost to time…some still running on original 8-bit hardware." Sometimes using modern technology like Raspberry Pi and TCPser (which emulates a Hayes modem for Telnet connections), they're reviving decades-old dial-up bulletin board systems (or BBSes) as portals "to places that have been long forgotten." An anonymous … [Link]

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