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.

Slashdot » Neowin: Microsoft's Windows Phone Business 'Is Dead'

Sunday 30 April 23:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quote Neowin: If you've been expecting Microsoft to issue a press release formally announcing the end of its Windows phone business, you're probably hoping for a bit too much. But make no mistake: its phone hardware business is dead. RIP-dead. Send-flowers-dead. Worm-food-dead. Some fans, and even some in the media, have consistently refused to acknowledge this, despite … [Link]

Mashable » Yes, this Mets score is real

Sunday 30 April 23:24:30 UTC 2017

Oh, hey, Mets fans, hope you're having a good Sunday. Let's just check the score for today's game against the Washington Nationals and … Hmmm. Maybe this is just a prank? Some jerk with Photoshop having a good time? Let's just check ESPN and … yep, it's real. *goes to check Mets score* "Maybe they're turning things around this season!" pic.twitter.com/W5bTtWU2NH … [Link]

Mashable » Zoe Saldana reveals how long it takes to put on her 'Guardian of the Galaxy' face

Sunday 30 April 23:07:55 UTC 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 is already doing well internationally, but while U.S. fans are still waiting for the film's release, one of its stars, Zoe Saldana, decided to give everyone a behind-the-scenes peek. SEE ALSO: 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' is Marvel at its most emotional On Saturday, Saldana posted a timelapse video on Twitter that shows exactly … [Link]

Slashdot » Hacker Leaks 'Orange Is the New Black' Episodes After Failing To Extort Netflix

Sunday 30 April 22:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: "A hacker (or hacker group) known as The Dark Overlord (TDO) has leaked the first ten episodes of season 5 of the "Orange Is The New Black" show after two failed blackmail attempts, against Larson Studios and Netflix," reports BleepingComputer. The hacker said he stole hundreds of gigabytes of audio files from Larson Studios last December. … [Link]

Mashable » You would eat this pizza and you know it

Sunday 30 April 22:14:07 UTC 2017

We’ve all had days like this. I mean, I can't say with 100 percent certainty that this hasn't happened to me. Big night (it's 8am) pic.twitter.com/Bz3wxVSu0p — James Longman (@JamesAALongman) April 29, 2017 The tweet is from BBC reporter James Longman, who witnessed this tragic tableau on the train at 8 a.m. As some people noted, this would look absolutely beautiful … [Link]

Mashable » 'Fixer Upper' star takes to Twitter to address lawsuit

Sunday 30 April 22:13:12 UTC 2017

Chip Gaines, the charmingly goofy half of the husband-wife duo that have made Fixer Upper a huge success for HGTV, took to Twitter to address fraud charges levied at him by a couple of former partners. SEE ALSO: 'Fixer Upper' is giving fans exactly what they wanted: A new spinoff Last week, John L. Lewis and Richard L. Clark filed a … [Link]

Mashable » After the Fyre Festival disaster, maybe don't trust models like Bella Hadid when they sell you things

Sunday 30 April 21:40:30 UTC 2017

Http%3a%2f%2fcontent.jwplatform.com%2fthumbs%2fvwtn7agw Read more… {"player":{"descript~ luxury Fyre Festival for rich kids turned into total mayhem","sources":[{~ Time,US & World,chaos at fyre festival,fyre,fyre festival,insanity at fyre,instagram models nightmare,mayhem,music,music festival,real time video,real-time,real-time video,real-time-video","s~ Time,US & World,chaos at fyre festival,fyre,fyre festival,insanity at fyre,instagram models nightmare,mayhem,music,music festival,real time video,real-time,real-time video,real-time-video","v~ More about Models, Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, Fyre Festival, and Watercooler [Link]

Slashdot » Massive Tinder Photo Scrape Has Users Upset

Sunday 30 April 21:34:00 UTC 2017

Images of Tinder users "were swept up in a massive grab of some 40,000 photos from the dating app by a dataset collector who plans to use the selfies in artificial intelligence training," writes Slashdot reader Frosty Piss, sharing this summary of a report in TechCrunch. Tinder said in a statement that the photo sweeper "violated the terms of our … [Link]

Mashable » Leeches are making a slimy comeback in modern medicine

Sunday 30 April 21:24:41 UTC 2017

Medical bills are often littered with bizarre line items. If you're in Russia, those little charges might include half a dozen slimy, slithering leeches. About 10 million of the blood-sucking invertebrates are prescribed in Russia every year, offering many people an affordable alternative for blood-thinning medicines, the New York Times reported this weekend. As Russia's economy tanks — due to a … [Link]

Mashable » Isaiah Thomas gets tooth knocked out, dominates Wizards anyway

Sunday 30 April 20:34:42 UTC 2017

Boston Celtics star Isaiah Thomas is a pretty popular NBA star known for his compact-sized heroics and on Sunday he delivered again in the opening game of the Celtics second-round playoff series against the Washington Wizards, leading the Celtics to a win with 33 points despite having a tooth knocked out. SEE ALSO: ESPN killed something else with its layoffs, its … [Link]

Slashdot » Developer Hacks Together Object-Oriented HTML

Sunday 30 April 20:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: Ever since I started coding, I have always loved object-oriented design patterns. I built an HTML preprocessor that adds inheritance, polymorphism, and public methods to this venerable language. It offers more freedom than a templating engine and has a wider variety of use cases. Pull requests appreciated! Share on Google+ Read more of this story at Slashdot. [Link]

Slashdot » E-Commerce Is Clogging City Streets With Delivery Trucks

Sunday 30 April 19:34:00 UTC 2017

The Atlantic's CityLab describes "a massive surge in deliveries to residential dwellings…creating a traffic nightmare." An anonymous reader quotes their report: While truck traffic currently represents about 7% of urban traffic in American cities, it bears a disproportionate congestion cost of $28 billion, or about 17% of the total U.S. congestion costs, in wasted hours and gas. Cities, struggling to … [Link]

Mashable » The Chainsmokers crashed a prom, didn't misspell anything

Sunday 30 April 19:32:20 UTC 2017

The kids at Huntley High School got a pretty rousing surprise when internet darlings The Chainsmokers crashed their prom, causing the kind of mass teen hysteria not seen since Marty McFly lit up the guitar at the Hill Valley High "Enchanted Under the Sea" dance in 1955. SEE ALSO: The Chainsmokers and Coldplay release a boring song about being boring According … [Link]

Mashable » Call the police, Disney's 'Avatar' animatronics are alive and too real

Sunday 30 April 19:00:49 UTC 2017

What in God's name is this, Disney? This video, taken in the new Avatar-themed section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida, reveals an insanely realistic animatronic Na'vi. There's "uncanny valley" and then there's, "Oh sh*t, there's a real alien singing on this Disney ride and now I have to carry on with my day eating Mickey Ear ice cream and … [Link]

Mashable » How to protect yourself when live video of suicide spreads on social media

Sunday 30 April 19:00:00 UTC 2017

The thrill of social media is often the possibility of surprise. It's fun to log on and see which viral videos, political rants, news stories, and baby pictures your friends and family have shared. SEE ALSO: '13 Reasons Why' proves that good intentions aren't enough when it comes to portraying suicide What we don't expect is to see someone die. Watching … [Link]

Mashable » The pope is about to drop bars and the internet loves it

Sunday 30 April 18:55:24 UTC 2017

Sorry, Kendrick. The pope is the greatest rapper alive. On Saturday, His Holiness was on a flight from Cairo to Rome, where he warned about the devastating effects of a war with North Korea. A serious topic, for sure. But the internet was too distracted by the above photo to care about the message. Francis: Tell 'em how you feel. **BEAT … [Link]

Mashable » 'Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2' already crosses $100 million at the box office

Sunday 30 April 18:41:35 UTC 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 doesn't open in the United States until May 5, but international box office returns portend good times ahead for the latest Marvel space adventure. Across 37 international openings, Guardians 2 has picked up an estimated $101.2 million in ticket sales. It's on pace for a #1 box office finish in 34 of those countries, only … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft And Apple Target Schools In War With Chromebook

Sunday 30 April 18:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: "Google [is] commanding 58% of U.S. K-12 schools. Windows is in second with around 22% and the combined impact of MacOS and iOS are close behind at 19%," reports TechCrunch, citing figures from consulting firm Futuresource. But now Chromebooks are under fire from cheaper iPads and Microsoft's upcoming Windows 10 Cloud laptop with its cloud-based software. … [Link]

Mashable » This night light goes inside your toilet bowl because why not

Sunday 30 April 18:00:00 UTC 2017

You might’ve seen this on Shark Tank, but if you haven’t, it’s a handy little attachment that runs on AAA batteries and lights up your toilet bowl. Installation seems easy, but it takes a little finagling. Read more…More about Lav Lab, Bathroom Tech, Bathrooms, Bathroom, and Illumibowl [Link]

Mashable » The sad reason Donald Trump's tweets are way less popular than 3 months ago

Sunday 30 April 17:52:30 UTC 2017

People are getting tired of The Donald's tweets. According to a new report from digital agency Huge, the number of engagements (replies, retweets, likes) per tweet has dropped 66 percent in the three months since he took office. SEE ALSO: Take a wild guess what Trump's favorite hashtag was in his first 100 days The number of likes per tweet has … [Link]

Slashdot » Australia Wants ISPs To Protect Customers From Viruses

Sunday 30 April 17:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes Sopho's Naked Security blog: In a column in The West Australian, Dan Tehan, Australia's cybersecurity minister, wrote: "Just as we trust banks to hold our money, just as we trust doctors with our health, in a digital age we need to be able to trust telecommunications companies to protect our information from threats." A companion news … [Link]

Geek Culture » Real life Iron Man suit!

Sunday 30 April 17:07:29 UTC 2017

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Slashdot » How To Delete Your Data From Google's 'My Activity'

Sunday 30 April 16:34:00 UTC 2017

Last summer Google revealed personalized data dashboards for every Google account, letting users edit (or delete) items from their search history as well as their viewing history on YouTube. Now Slashdot reader Lauren Weinstein writes: Since posting "The Google Page That Google Haters Don't Want You to Know About" last week, I've received a bunch of messages from readers asking … [Link]

Mashable » Ellen celebrates 20th anniversary of her 'coming out' episode with Oprah

Sunday 30 April 16:29:56 UTC 2017

It's a big day for Ellen DeGeneres. Back in the '90s, the comedian and talk show host starred in the sitcom Ellen. Twenty years ago today, 42 million people tuned into the "The Puppy Episode," which showed her character (and herself) coming to terms with her sexuality and, eventually, coming out on air. To celebrate the historic moment, DeGeneres brought … [Link]

Mashable » Google-backed exhibit shows robots just want to be friends. They promise.

Sunday 30 April 16:26:30 UTC 2017

Http%3a%2f%2fcontent.jwplatform.com%2fthumbs%2fz9vow7t3 Read more… {"player":{"descript~ of industry and science,robotics,robots,tech",~ of industry and science,robotics,robots,tech",~ More about Boeing, Chicago, Museum Of Industry And Science, Google.Org, and Google [Link]

Mashable » Gillian Anderson shares 'X-Files' fan's hilarious Spotify playlist

Sunday 30 April 16:22:54 UTC 2017

Finally, an X-Files playlist that's more than just songs with heavy synth and alien noises. X-Files star Gillian Anderson discovered a fan-created Spotify playlist that speaks more to… er, the spirit of the fandom than the music and sound design of the show. Suffice it to say, Anderson loved it. SEE ALSO: How to dress like Scully from 'X Files' Take … [Link]

Mashable » Yes, that's Macaulay Culkin crucified as Kurt Cobain

Sunday 30 April 16:14:29 UTC 2017

Nothing to see here, just Macaulay Culkin crucified as Kurt Cobain and Ronald McDonald bursting out of someone's chest like an Alien. It's exactly the kind of satire and dark humor we've come to expect from Father John Misty, aka Josh Tillman. In the video for the song "Total Entertainment Forever," off his new album Pure Comedy, an old, uh, … [Link]

Mashable » Samantha Bee demolished Trump during her 'Not WHCD' monologue

Sunday 30 April 16:05:31 UTC 2017

Samantha Bee certainly set the stage during her opening monologue at "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner" — which was basically a live episode of her hit Comedy Central series, Full Frontal With Samantha Bee. These are the kinds of one-liners you can look forward to: "You basically get paid to stand in a cage while a geriatric orangutan and … [Link]

Slashdot » As Print Surges, Ebook Sales Plunge Nearly 20%

Sunday 30 April 15:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes CNN: Sales of consumer ebooks plunged 17% in the U.K. in 2016, according to the Publishers Association. Sales of physical books and journals went up by 7% over the same period, while children's books surged 16%. The same trend is on display in the U.S., where ebook sales declined 18.7% over the first nine months of … [Link]

Mashable » Kind strangers keep feeding Mark Zuckerberg

Sunday 30 April 15:32:37 UTC 2017

Poor Mark Zuckerberg. The Facebook CEO spent the weekend wandering America, scoring free meals from kind strangers, who no doubt took pity on a 32-year-old man unable to afford anything but gray T-shirts and hoodies. The first family to feed him were the Moores of Newton Falls, Ohio, who learned only 20 minutes beforehand who their dinner guest would be. SEE … [Link]

Mashable » Lost kitten finally found hanging out in tissue box

Sunday 30 April 15:26:08 UTC 2017

Kittens are ideal pets for anyone who loves the intense dread of having misplaced a beloved helpless animal. Small, quiet, and obsessed with tight, dark spaces — kittens are the car keys of the animal kingdom. They were built to be lost. SEE ALSO: Here are some good cats and dogs who are working their summer haircuts Twitter user @Britneydortiz can … [Link]

Mashable » 'The Godfather' fans will love watching this amazing Tribeca Film Fest panel

Sunday 30 April 15:03:00 UTC 2017

There was a moment sometime in 1971 when Al Pacino turned to Diane Keaton on the set of The Godfather and foretold doom. "We're gone. It's over. This is the worst film ever made," Pacino recalled saying to his on-screen wife. SEE ALSO: The best movie shots of all time The absurdity of Pacino's pessimistic view becomes especially sharp almost five … [Link]

Slashdot » Why Elon Musk Doesn't Like Flying Cars

Sunday 30 April 14:34:00 UTC 2017

boley1 quotes Business Insider: According to Elon Musk, the main challenges with flying cars are that they'll be noisy and generate lots of wind because of the downward force required to keep them in the air. Plus, there's an anxiety factor. "Let's just say if something is flying over your head…that is not an anxiety-reducing situation," he said. "You don't … [Link]

Mashable » Rarely seen photos record World War II in brilliant, immersive color

Sunday 30 April 14:00:00 UTC 2017

December 1942An Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) ‘spotter’ at a 3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun site.Image: Imperial War Museums (tr 453)Though color photography was invented decades before World War II, it was still a rather niche process, more complicated and expensive than black-and-white photography.The scarcity of color film was compounded by the hazards of shipping in wartime and the difficulties of reproduction and printing.Nevertheless, … [Link]

Mashable » If you want to find real love, find yourself someone who loves HGTV

Sunday 30 April 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Forget the questions you’re meant to ask about potential soulmates, “Does she have a good sense of humor?” “Does he like cats?” Who cares! The only real question you need to be asking yourself if you want to find a solid life partner is “Do they watch HGTV?” Why, you might wonder, does this help me? What about being a devoted … [Link]

Mashable » Jaime Lannister on his family: ‘If they lose the crown…they’re probably going to lose their heads’

Sunday 30 April 13:53:31 UTC 2017

Six seasons into Game of Thrones, you have to wonder: How many of these characters even care about the Iron Throne anymore? Aren’t they busy enough just trying to stay alive? Yes and no, according to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who plays Jaime Lannister. The actor, who appears in Netflix’s Small Crimes (now streaming), told Mashable that his character is only invested in … [Link]

Mashable » Get to know Finland's new feminist sports craze: hobby-horsing

Sunday 30 April 13:52:43 UTC 2017

Finland’s latest sports craze involves ballerina-like leaps, expertly executed jumps, a strong dose of athleticism — and a fake horse head. Hobby-horsing, a sport made up mostly of Finnish teen girls, mimics traditional equestrian events, such as show jumping and dressage. But rather than ride an actual horse, competitors straddle a horse head on a long stick, replete with glued-on eyes … [Link]

Mashable » 'Daily Show' correspondent was asked to not slay Trump at WHCA Dinner, did so anyway

Sunday 30 April 13:41:02 UTC 2017

"I think he's in Pennsylvania because he can't take a joke." Hasan Minhaj didn't skimp on the humor during his 25-minute address at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner. Although he was asked to avoid ribbing the new administration — since Trump broke with tradition in not attending and the rest of his royal court followed suit — the Daily … [Link]

Slashdot » Intel-Powered Broadband Modems Highly Vulnerable To DoS Attack

Sunday 30 April 13:34:00 UTC 2017

"It's being reported by users from the DSLReports forum that the Puma 6 Intel cable modem variants are highly susceptible to a very low-bandwidth denial-of-service attack," writes Slashdot reader Idisagree. The Register reports: Effectively, if there's someone you don't like, and they are one of thousands upon thousands of people using a Puma 6-powered home gateway, and you know their … [Link]

Mashable » Will Ferrell tore Trump apart in a 'Full Frontal' revival of George W. Bush

Sunday 30 April 13:06:36 UTC 2017

Will Ferrell swaggered onto the "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner" stage on Saturday night, a cigarette clutched between two fingers and an impish grin adorning his face. Stamping the butt out on the lush carpet stretched across the stage, Ferrell's pitch-perfect George W. Bush clone appealed to the cheering audience: "How do you like me now?" The 5-minute bit … [Link]

Mashable » These shoe inserts could help you reach your running goals

Sunday 30 April 13:00:00 UTC 2017

Storelli Sports created 'SpeedGrip' that can help you move faster. These insoles eliminate fraction and gives your shoes a nice snug. Your feet won't slip around, helping you run faster. Read more…More about Running Goals, Shoe Insoles, Real Time Video, Real Time Video, and Real Time [Link]

Mashable » The world is a bad reality show right now so we imagined GOP politicians as MTV's 'Next' contestants

Sunday 30 April 12:00:00 UTC 2017

2017 has been a bona fide hellscape of a year. Donald Trump is President of the United States, there's a very extremely real possibility of a nuclear war breaking out over a tweet, and there's a revolving door of Presidential Cabinet members who are constantly being forced to resign. It feels like a bad, feebly-produced reality show scripted by the world's … [Link]

Slashdot » Advertisers Are Still Boycotting YouTube Over Offensive Videos

Sunday 30 April 10:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes the Associated Press:The fallout from the YouTube boycott is likely to be felt through the rest of this year. Skittish advertisers have curtailed their spending until they are convinced Google can prevent their brands from appearing next to extremist clips promoting hate and violence… At one point, about 250 advertisers were boycotting YouTube… The list included … [Link]

Slashdot » Humans Are Already Harassing Security Robots

Sunday 30 April 7:34:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes CNN: As robots begin to appear on sidewalks and streets, they're being hazed and bullied. Last week, a drunken man allegedly tipped over a 300-pound security robot in Mountain View, California… Knightscope, which makes the robot that was targeted in Mountain View, said it's had three bullying incidents since launching its first prototype robot three years … [Link]

Slashdot » Debian Developer Imprisoned In Russia Over Alleged Role In Riots

Sunday 30 April 4:29:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: "Dmitry Bogatov, Debian developer and Tor node admin, is still being held in a Moscow jail," tweeted the EFF Saturday. IT Wire reports that the 25-year-old math teacher was arrested earlier this month "on suspicion of organizing riots," and is expected to be held in custody until June 8. "The panel investigating the protests claims Bogatov … [Link]

Mashable » Russian flags rained down in a confetti-style protest during Trump's rally

Sunday 30 April 2:42:34 UTC 2017

Trolling is mostly dumb, but sometimes it's an art. President Donald Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday and, as he was speaking, someone tossed a bunch of tiny Russian flags, confetti-style, in front of the cameras streaming his speech to news networks. SEE ALSO: Russian refugees read powerful testimonials of gay men who escaped Chechnya As far as protests … [Link]

Slashdot » Wired Founding Editor Now Challenges 'The Myth of A Superhuman AI'

Sunday 30 April 1:24:00 UTC 2017

Wired's founding executive editor Kevin Kelly wrote a 5,000-word takedown on "the myth of a superhuman AI," challenging dire warnings from Bill Gates, Stephen Hawking, and Elon Musk about the potential extinction of humanity at the hands of a superintelligent constructs. Slashdot reader mirandakatz calls it an "impeccably argued debunking of this pervasive myth." Kelly writes: Buried in this scenario … [Link]

John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons