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 » Crypto-Bashing Prime Minister Argues The Laws Of Mathematics Don't Apply In Australia

Sunday 16 July 23:39:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes the Independent:Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has said the laws of mathematics come second to the law of the land in a row over privacy and encryption… When challenged by a technology journalist over whether it was possible to tackle the problem of criminals using encryption — given that platform providers claim they are currently unable … [Link]

The Joy of Tech » JoT #2438: Free range eggs!

Sunday 16 July 23:14:43 UTC 2017

Don’t mess with the chickens! On a side note, we are moving our comic updates to twice a week, as we seek employment elsewhere to make ends meet. If you'd like to see us continue, or to get back to three times a week, please consider supporting our work via Patreon or the many other ways available. Thanks, Nitrozac and Snaggy … [Link]

Mashable » Ryan Gosling reveals more of 'Blade Runner 2049' on Twitter

Sunday 16 July 23:02:45 UTC 2017

Blade Runner 2049, the sequel to one of the most lauded science fiction films of all time, just leaked out a bit of new footage, and it's dystopian futurism at its best. SEE ALSO: 'Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets' launches a thousand mixed reviews The new footage was posted by the film's star, Ryan Gosling, on Twitter on … [Link]

Slashdot » Y Combinator Announces Funding For UBI-Supporting Political Candidates

Sunday 16 July 22:39:00 UTC 2017

Most people "feel like they have great potential that is being wasted," argues Y Combinator president Sam Altman — a Stanford dropout whose company's investments are now worth $65 billion, including Airbnb, Reddit, and Dropbox. Now an anonymous reader quote the Los Angeles Times: A wealthy young Silicon Valley venture capitalist hopes to recruit statewide and congressional candidates and launch … [Link]

Mashable » George A. Romero, master of zombie film genre, dead at 77

Sunday 16 July 22:11:34 UTC 2017

The man who kicked off the popularization of the modern zombie genre, director George A. Romero, has died at the age of 77.  SEE ALSO: Frank Darabont's emails to 'The Walking Dead' crew will singe your eyebrows His death was first reported on Sunday by the Los Angeles Times. Romero died in his sleep after suffering complications from lung cancer, according … [Link]

Mashable » 'Game of Thrones' Season 7 is about to kick off and these super-fans are READY

Sunday 16 July 21:52:14 UTC 2017

It feels like we've all been waiting for this day for eternity, but alas, it's finally happening and needless to say, the hype is REAL. SEE ALSO: This GIF is every 'Game of Thrones' fan right now Game of Thrones Season 7 is set to kick off in mere hours and fans are going all out when it comes to viewing … [Link]

Slashdot » Free Speech vs Billionaires: Netflix Streams A New Documentary About The Gawker Verdict

Sunday 16 July 21:34:00 UTC 2017

Speaking of Netflix, last month they began streaming "Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press" — a new documentary by Brian Knappenberger about the Gawker verdict. An anonymous reader shares this description from Business Insider: Knappenberger — who previously made the movies "The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz," on internet activist Aaron Swartz, and "We Are Legion," … [Link]

Mashable » Justin Trudeau finally meets the prime minister of Canada

Sunday 16 July 20:45:15 UTC 2017

The Canadian Prime Minister came face to face with two-month-old Justin Trudeau at the Calgary Stampede on Saturday.  SEE ALSO: Did Justin Trudeau just Google 'Canada music' to make his summer playlist? The boy, whose full name is Justin-Trudeau Adam Bilan, was born in May in Calgary—just a few months after his family fled Syria and were welcomed to Canada.  .@JustinTrudeau … [Link]

Slashdot » Tech Companies Capture A Third Of This Year's Emmy Nominations

Sunday 16 July 20:34:00 UTC 2017

"Streaming companies like Netflix, Amazon and Hulu snagged nearly 1/3 of Emmy nominations this year, the most ever awarded to tech companies," reports Axios, adding that streaming companies "are pouring billions of dollars into content…and it's paying off." An anonymous reader quotes Engadget: After passing 100 million subscribers, overtaking cable TV in customer numbers in the US and expanding to … [Link]

Mashable » Diver's trippy descent into a bait ball is like looking through nature's fishy kaleidoscope

Sunday 16 July 20:22:25 UTC 2017

Read more… {"player":{"descript~ ball awesomeness","sources&quo~ More about Watercooler, Science, Diving, Fish, and Web Culture [Link]

Mashable » Cat litters with better approval ratings than President Trump's right now

Sunday 16 July 20:20:22 UTC 2017

The latest poll numbers for President Trump are out and they're just as low as many of us always hoped they'd be. According to the latest ABC News/Washington Post poll, Trump is down to a 36 percent approval rating after his first six months in office. That's the lowest recorded approval rating of any president in the past 70 years. Is … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » How New Relic Limits API Overloading

Sunday 16 July 20:15:15 UTC 2017

Limiting API usage is a standard technique to avoid overloading your server or database at critical times. It’s not always so easy to manage without annoying API clients. Ben Weintraub over at the New Relic blog explains the techniques the analytics company developed to limit resource usage and how it dealt with a mysterious issue that threatened to overload the … [Link]

Slashdot » Facebook's AI Keeps Inventing Languages That Humans Can't Understand

Sunday 16 July 19:34:00 UTC 2017

"Researchers at Facebook realized their bots were chattering in a new language," writes Fast Company's Co.Design. "Then they stopped it." An anonymous reader summarizes their report: Facebook — as well as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Apple — said they were more interested in AI's that could talk to humans. But when two of Facebook's AI bots negotiated with each other … [Link]

Mashable » Little kid's wedding speech is better than anything you could've written, sorry

Sunday 16 July 19:28:52 UTC 2017

Take back anything nasty you've ever said about little kids at weddings — take it back right now! This little girl delivers the speech of a lifetime at a family wedding, and she's not even drunk or hyped up on mashed bananas. Watch and feel ashamed of yourself for not being this smart at this age.  Read more… More about … [Link]

Mashable » Elon Musk is so worried about the threat of AI, he wants government to regulate it

Sunday 16 July 18:56:39 UTC 2017

For years, Elon Musk has warned us about the dangers of artificial intelligence — even igniting a global discussion on the danger, calling it our greatest existential threat next to nukes. Worth reading Superintelligence by Bostrom. We need to be super careful with AI. Potentially more dangerous than nukes. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 3, 2014 In a speech at the … [Link]

Slashdot » Doctor Who's 13th Time Lord Announced: Actress Jodie Whittaker

Sunday 16 July 18:24:00 UTC 2017

Peter Capaldi, the 12th Doctor Who, had said that he wanted to see a woman replace him in the Tardis, and so did former Doctor Who stars Billie Piper and Karen Gillan. And today it's official: "the 13th incarnation of Doctor Who will be portrayed by an actress," writes Slashdot reader Coisiche — specifically Jodie Whittaker, who American viewers may … [Link]

Mashable » The next Doctor in 'Doctor Who' is a woman, and all the cool humans on the internet are thrilled

Sunday 16 July 17:26:59 UTC 2017

The next Doctor in Doctor Who is going to be played by a woman, and before we examine the reactions of the trolls, let's spend a little quality time with the nice humans first.  According to the BBC, British actress Jodie Whittaker is scheduled to be the next Doctor in the long-running science fiction series. She'll be the first woman in … [Link]

Slashdot » TechCrunch Urges Developers: Replace C Code With Rust

Sunday 16 July 17:18:00 UTC 2017

Software engineer and TechCrunch columnist Jon Evans writes that the C programming language "gives its users far too much artillery with which to shoot their feet off" and is "no longer suitable for the world which C has built." An anonymous reader shared Evans' post: Copious experience has taught us all, the hard way, that it is very difficult, verging … [Link]

Mashable » Train to be an Android developer in just 2 days

Sunday 16 July 16:33:13 UTC 2017

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. You might not know it by looking around your local coffee shop, but Android is the most popular mobile operating system in the world. Seriously, it’s huge. Everyone loves the iPhone and you still know a bunch of old school lawyers who won’t give … [Link]

Mashable » 4 private spaceflight companies you need to know about

Sunday 16 July 16:33:12 UTC 2017

Almost any space nerd will tell you that the future of the space industry hinges upon private spaceflight.  Of course, almost anyone with an interest in tech and space knows about Elon Musk's SpaceX or Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, two heavy-hitters in the commercial spaceflight industry.  SEE ALSO: SpaceX’s second launch-and-land of a used rocket was a nail-biter But what about … [Link]

Mashable » How to use Google Drive's new Backup and Sync tool

Sunday 16 July 16:33:11 UTC 2017

Google’s Backup and Sync Drive tool launched earlier this week, and it promises to make full-system cloud storage easier than ever. In essence, you can backup your entire PC by clicking just a couple of buttons. The tool, which you can download as a desktop application, will store your photos, videos, and docs automatically in the same file format you have … [Link]

Mashable » I’m George R.R. Martin’s copy editor for 'Winds of Winter' and I'm just super swamped with other stuff right now

Sunday 16 July 16:33:10 UTC 2017

Hello I am George R.R. Martin's copy editor for Winds of Winter, and let me tell you, I am just so busy with other stuff right now, I can't possibly edit this thing right now.  In all honesty the book has been done for like a year now, they're just waiting for me to look it over and edit it. And … [Link]

Mashable » 'The Idiot' is one of the best books you'll read all year

Sunday 16 July 16:14:44 UTC 2017

If there is one word to describe Elif Batuman's new novel The Idiot, it's the word "mundane." And that just might be the novel's greatest strength. The book follows the year in the life of Selin, a Turkish-American freshman at Harvard. As Selin goes through her freshman year, she must navigate getting along with her roommates, an infatuation/ relationship with an … [Link]

Slashdot » Is Homeland Security's Face-Scanning At Airports An Unreasonable Search?

Sunday 16 July 16:10:00 UTC 2017

schwit1 shares an article from MIT's Technology Review: Facial-recognition systems may indeed speed up the boarding process, as the airlines rolling them out promise. But the real reason they are cropping up in U.S. airports is that the government wants to keep better track of who is leaving the country, by scanning travelers' faces and verifying those scans against photos … [Link]

Mashable » Woman with 27 contact lenses in her eye probably set some kind of record, right?

Sunday 16 July 15:31:06 UTC 2017

As a person with nearly perfect vision (not trying to brag, I swear), the thought of a morning routine that includes touching your eyeballs sounds pretty horrifying. One woman seems to have the routine nailed down to a tee… she just happened to forget the second, and most important part: removing the contacts.  SEE ALSO: Light up the crowd with these … [Link]

Mashable » Who's she! Jodie Whittaker is the first female Doctor and it makes total sense

Sunday 16 July 15:29:14 UTC 2017

The BBC has made it official: Jodie Whittaker will be the 13th actor to play the lead role in 'Doctor Who' full-time. She'll take over the TARDIS from Peter Capaldi this December, when everyone's favorite Time Lord from Gallifrey finally undergoes his much-delayed regeneration.  Whittaker, the first woman to play the Doctor in the show's 54-year history, has already spent three … [Link]

Mashable » Someone made a Iron Throne phone charger and it's about as cool as it gets

Sunday 16 July 15:19:40 UTC 2017

Everywhere you go in life, there's bound to be someone more talented than you. And that's okay. Take YouTuber Natural Nerd, who recently designed their own Iron Throne from Game of Thrones phone charger. It's far cooler than any "hip case" you'll get from the T-mobile stand at the mall and it appears to be actually easy to build. SEE ALSO: … [Link]

Slashdot » Vintage SciFi Magazine 'Galaxy' Preserved Online – And Hopefully Also SoundCloud

Sunday 16 July 15:06:00 UTC 2017

Long-time Slashdot reader Paul Fernhout writes: Archive.org has made available 355 issues of Galaxy Magazine for free access. Galaxy Science Fiction was an American digest-size science fiction magazine, published from 1950 to 1980 with stories from many sci-fi greats [including Harlan Ellison, Ray Bradbury, and Robert Heinlein]. At its peak, Galaxy greatly influenced the science fiction field. See also Open … [Link]

Mashable » Pickpockets beware! This smart wallet will take a photo if stolen

Sunday 16 July 15:00:00 UTC 2017

The 'Volterman' wallet combines security and convenience with a built-in phone charger, Wi-Fi hotspot capabilities, a GPS tracking system, and a built-in camera to prevent theft. Read more…More about Security, Wi Fi, Camera, Wallet, and Real Time [Link]

Mashable » Australian foreign minister not so sure if Trump himself is in "good shape"

Sunday 16 July 14:14:02 UTC 2017

Let’s be honest: no one except Congress has the power to "shut President Trump down," not even J.K. Rowling. What leaders can do, however, is humiliate him — fairly and squarely, as Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop recently did.  SEE ALSO: Shiny objects foreign leaders are using to distract Trump so he doesn't destroy their world Last week, Trump told the … [Link]

Mashable » 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' posters tease a regal Leia and Jedi Rey

Sunday 16 July 14:08:55 UTC 2017

There’s no color more ominous in the Star Wars universe than red. But as revealed in these character teaser posters, our heroes don the color in spectacular fashion. SEE ALSO: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' offers a peek behind the scenes at D23 Teaser posters for #StarWars: #TheLastJedi. Arriving in our galaxy December 15pic.twitter.com/GSMKsdI2uH — Star Wars (@starwars) July 15, 2017 … [Link]

Slashdot » Are America's Non-Compete Laws Too Strict?

Sunday 16 July 14:02:00 UTC 2017

Slashdot reader cdreimer shared an article from the New York Times: Idaho achieved a notable distinction last year: It became one of the hardest places in America for someone to quit a job for a better one. The state did this by making it easier for companies to enforce noncompete agreements, which prevent employees from leaving their company for a … [Link]

Mashable » You're not alone in seeing your ex on a dating app

Sunday 16 July 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Breaking up is hard to do. Being constantly reminded of the person who broke your heart can be even harder. Back in the day, things were simpler. All you had to worry about was IRL run-ins, but now there are a thousand online minefields you have to avoid. Sure, you can block them on Facebook and Snapchat, but that won't stop … [Link]

Mashable » Honolulu wants to ban cellphone walking. Here's 8 petty laws they could pass instead.

Sunday 16 July 14:00:00 UTC 2017

If you are a human with a cell phone, odds are you've broken this law that could soon be passed in Hawaii. On Wednesday, in an extraordinarily ambitious effort to make Hawaii's streets safer, the Honolulu City Council passed a bill that prohibits pedestrians from staring down at their cell phones while crossing the street. Yes, you read that correctly. Hawaii … [Link]

Mashable » Track your important stuff for less with the Nut Mini Tracker

Sunday 16 July 13:45:43 UTC 2017

Just to let you know, if you buy something featured here, Mashable might earn an affiliate commission. We’ve all lost important things before: keys, wallets, that super confidential dream journal. And unless you hire a Sherpa to keep track of everything for you, you’re probably going to lose something important again. It’s simply human nature. Fortunately, you no longer need to … [Link]

Mashable » Carly Rae Jepsen has a perfect response to that 'hilarious' Instagram meme about her

Sunday 16 July 13:15:14 UTC 2017

Plug Carly Rae Jepsen’s name into Twitter or Instagram and you’ll be greeted with a peculiar sight: Dozens and dozens of comments narrating exactly what is literally happening in the photo, and crowning her for it.  “Queen of wearing a T-shirt under a dress!” proclaims one. “Queen of holding a glass of lemonade” declares another.  Queen, queen, queen.  “I don’t know … [Link]

Popular Science » How to choose the best digital camera for you

Sunday 16 July 12:00:00 UTC 2017

DIY Snap happy. Your complete guide to choosing a digital camera, from the terminology you probably need to the features you probably don't. [Link]

Slashdot » Elon Musk Warns Governors: Regulate AI Before It's 'Too Late'

Sunday 16 July 10:58:00 UTC 2017

turkeydance shared a new article from Recode about Elon Musk: He's been warning people about AI for years, and today called it the "biggest risk we face as a civilization" when he spoke at the National Governors Association Summer Meeting in Rhode Island. Musk then called on the government to proactively regulate artificial intelligence before things advance too far… "Normally … [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: What Software (Or Hardware) Glitch Makes You Angry?

Sunday 16 July 7:54:00 UTC 2017

This question was inspired when Slashdot reader TheRealHocusLocus found their laptop "in the throes of a Windows 10 Update," where "progress has rolled past 100% several times and started over." I pushed the re-schedule dialogue to the rear and left it waiting. But my application did not count as activity and I left for a few moments, so Windows decided … [Link]

Slashdot » EU Sides With RIAA, Says YouTube Underpays For Music Streaming

Sunday 16 July 4:50:00 UTC 2017

Profits from both CD sales and digital downloads are declining, while online streaming now accounts for the majority of the $7.7 billion U.S. music market, according to a new article. And the music industry's newest complaint is that 25% of music streaming is happening on YouTube, which they believe is paying them too little. An anonymous reader quotes the San … [Link]

Mashable » That 'Star Wars' Disney attraction that's going to take all your money has an official name now

Sunday 16 July 2:10:58 UTC 2017

Well, we can stop calling it "Star Wars Land" now. Disney has finally announced the official name for the Star Wars-themed zone that's coming to Disneyland and Disney's Hollywood Studios. It's "Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge." Yeah, I'm probably still gonna refer to it as "Star Wars Land." SEE ALSO: Pixar's next new movie will take you all the way to … [Link]

Mashable » A 'Star Wars' resort is coming to Orlando because Disney doesn't have enough of our money already

Sunday 16 July 2:08:30 UTC 2017

No, you can't actually visit that galaxy far, far away, on account of it being fictional and all. But Disney being Disney, they've cooked up the next best thing. At D23 today, Bob Chapek, chairman of Disney Parks and Resorts, announced a "100% immersive" Star Wars-themed resort to come to Walt Disney World. SEE ALSO: All the Disney princesses are coming … [Link]

Mashable » The Avengers will join the Guardians of the Galaxy at Disney California Adventure for… something

Sunday 16 July 2:05:41 UTC 2017

Avengers: Infinity War might not be the only place you'll see the Guardians rubbing shoulders with the Avengers in the near future. Following the massive success of the Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout! ride at Disney California Adventure, Disney's hinted that it's just "the beginning of an even larger superhero presence" at the park. SEE ALSO: The first photos of … [Link]

Slashdot » White House Releases Sensitive Personal Info From Voters Concerned About Privacy

Sunday 16 July 1:46:00 UTC 2017

Huge_UID shares an article from Vox: The White House just responded to concerns it would release voters' sensitive personal information by releasing a bunch of voters' sensitive personal information. Last month, the White House's "election integrity" commission sent out requests to every state asking for all voters' names, party IDs, addresses, and even the last four digits of their Social … [Link]

Mashable » Everything we just learned about 'The Last Jedi'

Sunday 16 July 0:41:44 UTC 2017

It may not be a new full-length trailer, which many fans were hoping to see. But the Last Jedi "behind the scenes" video just released at Disney's D23 fan convention still subtly dropped an awful lot of information about the upcoming chapter in the Star Wars saga. Indeed, it doesn't take too much analysis of this video, or the D23 panel … [Link]

Mashable » 'Tron' Lightcycle ride is coming to Walt Disney World

Sunday 16 July 0:33:41 UTC 2017

Greetings programs! We are sorry to report that Disney's D23 Expo has come and gone without any update on the status of Tron 3. (Boooooooooooooooo!) Yes, indeed, it is disappointing. But do not de-rez! We have good news, too: Disney is bringing Shanghai Disneyland's popular Tron Lightcycle Power Run ride to the U.S.! (Wild cheering!) SEE ALSO: Spider-Man's Spidey sense makes … [Link]

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