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 » New Evidence of a Decline In Electricity Use By U.S. Households

Saturday 20 May 23:09:00 UTC 2017

There's some surprising news from the Energy Institute at the University of California's business school. America's households are using less electricity than they did five years ago. So what is different? Energy-efficient lighting. Over 450 million LEDs have been installed to date in the United States, up from less than half a million in 2009, and nearly 70% of Americans … [Link]

Mashable » Schwarzenegger says he'll be back for 'Terminator' sequel with James Cameron

Saturday 20 May 22:15:45 UTC 2017

Heeeeeeeeee’s back. Maybe. Arnold Schwarzenegger is expecting to return to play a role in yet another Terminator movie, according to a report coming from the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. SEE ALSO: Russia adds gun slinging to its humanoid space robot's list of helpful skills With the mixed reactions to the latest Terminator film, some wondered if the franchise might … [Link]

Slashdot » New SMB Worm Uses Seven NSA Hacking Tools. WannaCry Used Just Two

Saturday 20 May 21:59:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: Researchers have detected a new worm that is spreading via SMB, but unlike the worm component of the WannaCry ransomware, this one is using seven NSA tools instead of two. Named EternalRocks, the worm seems to be in a phase where it is infecting victims and building its botnet, but not delivering any malware payload. EternalRocks … [Link]

Mashable » Microsoft Research shows off its augmented reality glasses

Saturday 20 May 21:43:21 UTC 2017

Because we're spoiled and don't appreciate amazing technology unless it's immediately convenient, some tech pundits are dismissing VR in favor of AR, but the fact is that we're still years away from easy to use AR glasses. For now, mainstream AR is limited to your smartphone, like most other apps. However, a team at Microsoft Research is looking to speed up … [Link]

Mashable » This 25-second trailer of two boys falling in love is going to make you cry

Saturday 20 May 21:21:24 UTC 2017

Get ready to feel a lot of warm and fuzzy feelings. A 25-second trailer for the animated short film In A Heartbeat has social media users buzzing, particularly for its brief but beautiful portrayal of young love between two boys. SEE ALSO: How LGBTQ youth took over prom, one dance at a time In the trailer, no words are spoken. … [Link]

Mashable » Inside the haunting, too-surreal-for-words premiere of 'Twin Peaks'

Saturday 20 May 20:54:40 UTC 2017

It is happening again. A tiny snippet of dialogue from a long-ago Twin Peaks episode has become the tagline for Showtime's series revival from David Lynch, which world premiered Friday night at the Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, followed by a damn fine party at Clifton's Republic. Diane, every little detail was eerily familiar, disorienting, dreamy, deeply unsettling. In other … [Link]

Slashdot » EU Passes 'Content Portability' Rules Banning Geofencing

Saturday 20 May 20:54:00 UTC 2017

Long-time Slashdot reader AmiMoJo writes: The European Parliament has passed draft rules mandating 'content portability', i.e. the ability to take your purchased content and services across borders within the EU. Freedom of movement rules, which allow EU citizens to live and work anywhere in the EU, require that the individual is able to take their life with them — family, … [Link]

Mashable » There is truly no justification for this latte served inside an avocado

Saturday 20 May 20:46:58 UTC 2017

Let’s be real: a lot of novelty foods are unnecessary, but kind of cool anywayGalaxy cakes, for example, are aesthetically stunningSushi shoes reflect time, vision, and painstaking attention to detail. And the spaghetti doughnut is just awesome. But this latte served inside an avocado? There is no reason for it to exist. SEE ALSO: 'Avocado hand' is real and can turn … [Link]

Slashdot » Groups War Over Resources For DDoS Attacks

Saturday 20 May 19:49:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes CSO: As more groups get into the denial-of-service attack business they're starting to get in each other's way, according to a report released Thursday… There are only so many devices around that have the kind of vulnerabilities that make them potential targets for a botnet. That translates into a smaller average attack size, said Martin McKeay, … [Link]

Mashable » A badass safer sex advocate is spray painting condoms on graffiti penises

Saturday 20 May 19:42:47 UTC 2017

Graffiti penises are "outdoor decor" you probably think you'd rather not encounter. But a safer sex advocate from the UK might just change your mind on that. An anonymous 28-year-old Londoner is raising awareness of sexually transmitted infections and the importance of protection by spray painting condoms on graffiti penises. Yes, you heard that right. And it's damn genius. SEE ALSO: … [Link]

Mashable » Vanessa Bayer departs 'SNL' after 7 seasons

Saturday 20 May 19:19:17 UTC 2017

Farewell, child actress Laura Parsons: Vanessa Bayer will exit Saturday Night Live after seven seasons with the show. Bayer joined the cast as a featured player in 2010 and was promoted to the repertory cast two years later. She is the longest-serving current female cast member on SNL, and, per Deadline, this year's season finale will mark the end of her … [Link]

Mashable » Drone law goes down, and now hobbyists don't have to register

Saturday 20 May 19:04:13 UTC 2017

Buying a drone for fun just got a little less complicated. A court ruling has declared that civilians c no longer need to register their non-commercial drones with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). SEE ALSO: Drone owners will now have to register with the government in China On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled … [Link]

Slashdot » Stealing Windows Credentials Using Google Chrome

Saturday 20 May 18:44:00 UTC 2017

Orome1 writes: A default setting in Google Chrome, which allows it to download files that it deems safe without prompting the user for a download location, can be exploited by attackers to mount a Windows credential theft attack using specially-crafted SCF shortcut files, DefenseCode researchers have found. What's more, for the attack to work, the victim does not even have … [Link]

Mashable » Twitter is incorrectly guessing the gender of trans users — and they aren't having it

Saturday 20 May 18:18:24 UTC 2017

Transgender Twitter users aren't here for the platform's gendered assumptions. And they sure aren't hesitating to make that known. Here's the deal: Twitter released a new set of tools on May 17 which allow users to see and control the data advertisers use to target ads on the social media platform. While the move was a clear effort to increase transparency … [Link]

Mashable » Drop the scissors because this barber is so lit, he cuts hair with fire

Saturday 20 May 18:00:00 UTC 2017

Mohamed Hanafy is famous for his fiery haircuts. He says using flames can straighten hair, while also making it stronger. And people just can't seem to get enough, lining up for some fire. Kids, don't try this at home. Read more…More about Egypt, Style, Hairdressing, Real Time, and Flamethrower [Link]

Slashdot » Is Russia Conducting A Social Media War On America?

Saturday 20 May 17:39:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: Time magazine ran a cover story about "a dangerous new route for antidemocratic forces" — social media. "Using these technologies, it is possible to undermine democratic government, and it's becoming easier every day," says Rand Waltzman of the Rand Corp., who ran a major Pentagon research program to understand the propaganda threats posed by social media … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Why Following the Robustness Principle with Your APIs Might Be a Good Idea

Saturday 20 May 17:30:39 UTC 2017

When you break your monolith up into microservices connected by exposed APIs, you expect these services to be decoupled and independently releasable. But too often they still aren’t. Jose Luis Ordiales Coscia over at the Klarna blog explains how to fix this problem with the robustness principle. [Link]

Mashable » This designer uses Pantone swatches in the coolest way

Saturday 20 May 17:00:00 UTC 2017

If you've only gathered Pantone swatches to test out paints, you might want to take things up a notch and learn a thing or two about the versatility of the swatch from Andrea Antoni. The Italian designer's Instagram is filled with beautiful photographs in which he cleverly uses Pantone swatches to match the colors in his images, creating a soothing and … [Link]

Mashable » Spooky illusion video appears to show man walking through mirror

Saturday 20 May 16:57:45 UTC 2017

Quick q: how the hell is this video happening? Kevin Parry, a stop-motion animator who's worked on films like Kubo and The Boxtrolls, has confounded Instagrammers with his most recent optical illusion video, "Walk in the Woods." SEE ALSO: Couple sitting on a boat created a very NSFW optical illusion In the clip, Parry approaches a mirror, then suddenly appears to … [Link]

Mashable » The humiliation of the Boston Celtics, by the bully LeBron James

Saturday 20 May 16:35:46 UTC 2017

Bruh. There are beatdowns, and then are epic humiliations that will live on for the rest of sports history. That's what we witnessed on Friday night as LeBron James and the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers handed the Boston Celtics an old school, backyard woodshed ass whuppin' that seems simultaneously effortless yet packed with the unrelenting intensity of someone taking out all their … [Link]

Slashdot » Aftermath From The Net Neutrality Vote: A Mass Movement To Protect The Open Internet?

Saturday 20 May 16:34:00 UTC 2017

After Thursday's net neutrality vote, two security guards pinned a reporter against a wall until FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly had left the room, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Writers Guild of America calls the FCC's 2-to-1 vote to initiate a repeal of net neutrality rules a "war on the open internet," according to The Guardian. But the newspaper now … [Link]

Mashable » Twitter's co-founder is totally sorry for helping Trump get elected

Saturday 20 May 16:23:32 UTC 2017

Twitter co-founder Evan Williams wants you to know he's super sorry for any role the social media platform played in the election of President Donald Trump. The sort-of apology was made in an interview with The New York Times published on Saturday. Williams' remorse for possibly helping to create a political monster comes after Trump's claims that Twitter was key in … [Link]

Mashable » 5 Game of Thrones spinoff ideas we had in case HBO is interested

Saturday 20 May 16:05:00 UTC 2017

Well, Game of Thrones fans, it's official: there are FIVE spinoffs currently in development at HBO. George R.R. Martin confirmed this the other day on his blog, but sadly none of them will cover the most popular spinoff idea, Robert's Rebellion. "By the time I finish writing A SONG OF ICE & FIRE, you will know every important thing that happened … [Link]

Mashable » These bearded cultists were old baseball's answer to the Harlem Globetrotters

Saturday 20 May 16:00:00 UTC 2017

Image: Mark Rucker/Transcendental Graphics, Getty ImagesIn 1903, Benjamin and Mary Purnell founded the Israelite House of David, a religious society in Benton Harbor, MichiganThe House of David had many of the characteristics of a typical cult: a charismatic leader, apocalyptic beliefs, communal living, and strict prohibitions on sex, alcohol, and cutting one’s hair.But they also allowed women members to vote and … [Link]

Mashable » Can you find the hidden and scared government official?

Saturday 20 May 16:00:00 UTC 2017

Washington in the middle of a crisis of historic proportions, and our brave leaders are responding the best way they know how: by hiding in the bushes. The past few months have produced story after story of elected officials trying to run from the people they're supposed to have relationships with. Constituents can't find their senators, senators can't find other senators, … [Link]

Slashdot » Delta Airlines Tests Facial Recognition To Speed Up Baggage Check-In

Saturday 20 May 15:34:00 UTC 2017

Would you let Delta airlines scan your face if it meant you could skip the line to check-in your baggage? An anonymous reader quotes CNN: Delta is testing a face-scanning kiosk for baggage check… It uses facial recognition technology to match your identity to your passport photo. You tag your own bags, pay the fee and drop your luggage on … [Link]

Mashable » Harry Styles and Stevie Nicks perform the emotional 'Landslide' duet of your dreams

Saturday 20 May 15:25:00 UTC 2017

Harry Styles, who once gave Stevie Nicks a personalized carrot cake at a Fleetwood Mac concert, had "the best night of [his] life" performing with her at his small Los Angeles show on Saturday. Styles first welcomed Nicks as a surprise guest on his new song "Two Ghosts." The two then teamed up for the Fleetwood Mac classic "Landslide" as … [Link]

Mashable » Fat girls dance. This beautiful Dove video shows why that's so radical

Saturday 20 May 15:15:29 UTC 2017

Fat girls dance. That three word statement may seem simple and declarative. Yet, the assertion that fat girls do dance challenges a ton of assumptions and stigma around what plus-size people can and can't do. Cathleen Meredith, a self-proclaimed "fat girl," knows the importance of dancing while people are watching. Meredith is the subject of the first video in an … [Link]

Mashable » These wedding dresses are made of toilet paper and look fabulous

Saturday 20 May 15:00:00 UTC 2017

The Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest in New York City showcases gorgeous homemade gowns made primarily of bath tissue. Read more…More about Fashion, Art, Design, Style, and Wedding [Link]

Slashdot » New OS/2 Warp Operating System 'ArcaOS' 5.0 Released

Saturday 20 May 14:34:00 UTC 2017

The long-awaited modern OS/2 distribution from Arca Noae was released Monday. martiniturbide writes: ArcaOS 5.0 is an OEM distribution of IBM's discontinued OS/2 Warp operating system. ArcaOS offers a new set of drivers for ACPI, network, USB, video and mouse to run OS/2 in newer hardware. It also includes a new OS installer and open source software like Samba, Libc … [Link]

Mashable » Apple’s lack of daycare isn’t an oversight, it’s a feature

Saturday 20 May 14:30:00 UTC 2017

After WIRED offered us all a peek into Apple’s new headquarters, one notable fact emerged: there’s no daycare center. Whooooopsie. Except this was no mistake. It was a big fat message to anyone who might be contemplating trying to balance family life with their obsessive devotion to their job. And that message reads, in the sleekest font imaginable, “nope.” The 150-acre … [Link]

Mashable » All the best family photos from Pippa Middleton's decadent wedding

Saturday 20 May 14:24:58 UTC 2017

On Saturday, Pippa Middleton married hedge fund manager James Matthews. Now, of course, the internet is thirsty for photos of the lovely affair. Some fast facts: The wedding took place at St. Mark's Church in Englefield, Berkshire. Pippa's dress was made by British designer Giles Deacon. And yes, yes, Prince George and Princess Charlotte were in attendance. Now let's get to … [Link]

Mashable » The haunting images that Diane Arbus captured while roaming the parks of NYC

Saturday 20 May 14:00:00 UTC 2017

“Teenage boy on a bench in Central Park, N.Y.C. 1962"Image: © The Estate of Diane ArbusDiane Arbus received her first camera as a honeymoon gift from her husband, with whom she ran a successful fashion photography business for almost a decade.In 1956, restless and unfulfilled, she fled the confines of the commercial studio and took to the streets, first with a … [Link]

Mashable » 10 new Android O features that will make your phone better

Saturday 20 May 13:55:39 UTC 2017

Though we got out first peek at Android O back in March, Google finally revealed more details this week at its I/O developers conference about the soon-to-drop version of Android. Though we're still quite a ways away from the official release, we now a lot more about the update. At first glance, many of the new changes are subtle, building on … [Link]

Mashable » Well-done steak and other items on Donald Trump's tour rider

Saturday 20 May 13:25:03 UTC 2017

President Donald Trump is traveling abroad for the first time in his presidency for an international tour with stops in Saudi Ararbia, Israel, Italy, and Belgium, where I'm sure absolutely nothing at all will go wrong. But something about Donald's first stop on this tour struck me as odd. According to a report, Saudi Arabia is preparing to welcome Donald Trump … [Link]

Mashable » This week in apps: Instagram face filters, Medium audio stories, Google Assistant on iOS and more

Saturday 20 May 13:08:54 UTC 2017

Reading all the news from Google I/O may have kept you too busy to keep up with this week's app news. We've kept up for you. SEE ALSO: Google imagines an app-less future with Android Instant Apps Each week we round up the most important app news along with some of the coolest new and updated apps to help you stay … [Link]

Slashdot » Arctic Stronghold of World's Seeds Flooded After Permafrost Melts

Saturday 20 May 13:00:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: It was designed as an impregnable deep-freeze to protect the world's most precious seeds from any global disaster and ensure humanity's food supply forever. But the Global Seed Vault, buried in a mountain deep inside the Arctic circle, has been breached after global warming produced extraordinary temperatures over the winter, sending … [Link]

Mashable » Tips for dealing with Donald Trump that also work with a toddler

Saturday 20 May 13:00:00 UTC 2017

Donald Trump is a man whose behavior follows the whim of his impulses and tantrums, much like a toddler, and the world is scrambling to accommodate it. Officials in the White House and from governments around the globe have tailored aspects of governance to the new president to fit his notoriously short attention span and need for praise. SEE ALSO: Trump's … [Link]

Mashable » Uber vs Google: And now, the self-driving car war gets nasty

Saturday 20 May 12:54:30 UTC 2017

Even the biggest, most powerful companies in the world are at the mercy of a grade-school concept: supply and demand. That's how a person like Anthony Levandowski can get paid $120 million by Google, leave to start his own company, watch that company get acquired by Uber just months later, and then find himself barred from working on self-driving car technology … [Link]

Mashable » Stunning photo series celebrates the complex identity of LGBTQ Africans

Saturday 20 May 12:33:00 UTC 2017

An ongoing photo series tells the complex stories of LGBTQ Africans, encouraging the celebration of two identities too many believe are at odds with each other. Queer Nigerian-American photographer Mikael Owunna created Limit(less) to debunk the myth that it's "un-African" to be LGBTQ. The photographs also highlight queer African style, an essential point of self-expression for the community, according to Owunna. … [Link]

Slashdot » Chemists May Be Zeroing In On Chemical Reactions That Sparked the First Life

Saturday 20 May 10:00:00 UTC 2017

sciencehabit quotes a report from Scientific Magazine: DNA is better known, but many researchers today believe that life on Earth got started with its cousin RNA, since that nucleic acid can act as both a repository of genetic information and a catalyst to speed up biochemical reactions. But those favoring this "RNA world" hypothesis have struggled for decades to explain … [Link]

Mashable » 13 of the best Stephen King short stories you've never read

Saturday 20 May 8:30:00 UTC 2017

I haven't managed to read all of Stephen King's novels yet — I'm still working on that — but I have read all of his short stories. All of the published ones, anyway. While many authors release a collection or two early on and then switch their focus to novels, King has written short fiction throughout his epic 50-year career. SEE … [Link]

Slashdot » Scientists Claim 'Cold Spot' In Space Could Offer Evidence of a Parallel Universe

Saturday 20 May 7:00:00 UTC 2017

New submitter LCooke writes: A international research team led by the University of Durham thinks a mysterious cold spot in the universe could offer evidence of a parallel universe. The cold spot could have resulted after our universe collided with another. Physicist Tom Shanks said, […] "the cold spot might be taken as the first evidence for the multiverse — … [Link]

Slashdot » Robots Could Wipe Out Another 6 Million Retail Jobs

Saturday 20 May 3:30:00 UTC 2017

According to a new study this week from financial services firm Cornerstone Capital Group, between 6 million and 7.5 million retail jobs are at risk of being replaced over the course of the next 10 years by some form of automation. "That represents at least 38% of the current retail work force, which consists of 16 million workers," reports CNN. … [Link]

Mashable » Joe Biden's Clinton 'diss' wasn't so bad

Saturday 20 May 2:35:15 UTC 2017

Headlines everywhere popped up Friday morning proclaiming that former Vice President Joe Biden had called out Hillary Clinton at a conference Thursday night. Image: Washington PostTwitter certainly noticed. "'I never thought she was the correct candidate,' Biden said at the SALT conference"Fitting, Biden got salty at the SALT conference. — Dave Dinoff (@ddinoff) May 19, 2017 This was pointless. No one … [Link]

Mashable » Anderson Cooper DGAF, literally talks about Trump taking a dump on his desk

Saturday 20 May 1:48:38 UTC 2017

We’ve all marveled at Anderson Cooper's brutal eye roll. But now he's slinging some serious … well, you'll see. On Friday, the Coop was talking with conservative commentator Jeffrey Lord. The topic, naturally, was the news that Donald Trump told Russian officials at the Oval Office that firing that "nut job" James Comey took pressure off the FBI's investigation. SEE ALSO: … [Link]

Slashdot » Uber Starts Charging What It Thinks You're Willing To Pay

Saturday 20 May 1:25:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: Uber drivers have been complaining that the gap between the fare a rider pays and what the driver receives is getting wider. After months of unsatisfying answers, Uber is providing an explanation: It's charging some passengers more because it needs the extra cash. The company detailed for the first time in an … [Link]

Slashdot » UK Conservatives Pledge To Create Government-Controlled Internet

Saturday 20 May 0:45:00 UTC 2017

Martin S. writes: Theresa May, the leader of the UK Conservative Party has pledged to create new internet that would be controlled and regulated by government on re-election. An early lead in the polls appears to be slipping but not slowly enough to change the result. Social Media has rapidly become an intense political battlefield. Known as #Mayhem in some … [Link]

Mashable » AI is absolutely horrible at naming paint colors

Saturday 20 May 0:40:05 UTC 2017

Tired of your boring eggshell walls? A new AI experiment recommends colors like "Sink" or "Bank Butt." SEE ALSO: We're not saying you're obsolete, but Google is making music humans can't Researcher Janelle Shane trained a neural network to come up with paint names, and it resulted in gems like "Stoner Blue" and "Turdly," she wrote in a blog post. She … [Link]

Slashdot » BlackBerry Working With Automakers On Antivirus Tool For Your Car

Saturday 20 May 0:05:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: BlackBerry is working with at least two automakers to develop a security service that would remotely scan vehicles for computer viruses and tell drivers to pull over if they were in critical danger, according to a financial analyst. The service, which would also be able to install security patches to an idle … [Link]

John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons