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.

Mashable » This language learning app lets you practice with native speakers, and it works offline

Thursday 21 December 23:28:00 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. How many times have you included "Learn A New Language" on your New Year's resolutions list but never got around to actually doing it? Make 2018 the year that you finally pick … [Link]

Mashable » This levitating cup will literally lift your spirits

Thursday 21 December 23:21:32 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. If you ask Hermione Granger to make her cup of butterbeer levitate, she would have to bring out her wand and utter the words "Wingardium Leviosa." But if a muggle like you, … [Link]

Slashdot » Amazon Files For 'AmazonTube' and 'OpenTube' Trademarks As Fight With YouTube Gets Pettier

Thursday 21 December 23:20:00 UTC 2017

"Amazon applied for an 'AmazonTube' trademark earlier this week, according to a filing found by TV Answer Man, as the company's public feud with Google over accessing YouTube content on Amazon's devices continues to escalate," reports The Verge. "While there's not a lot of information about what AmazonTube might be, based on the trademark application's description of 'providing non-downloadable pre-recorded … [Link]

Mashable » CarWink is a Kickstarter project that basically lets you send emojis to other drivers

Thursday 21 December 23:16:36 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. CarWink is a solar-powered LED device that sticks right onto the back of your car. Similar to Alexa, you can ask CarWink to send messages to the driver behind you, which can … [Link]

Mashable » Help your KitchenAid mixer live up to its full potential with these attachments

Thursday 21 December 23:06:00 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. KitchenAid mixers are the Beyoncé of the appliance world — they're gorgeous, powerful, and multi-talented. Whether you prefer tilt-head or bowl-lift, matte or glossy, every single look is fabulous. SEE ALSO: Star Wars … [Link]

Mashable » Gift ideas for people in long-distance relationships

Thursday 21 December 22:56:34 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Long distance relationships are the definition of bittersweet: Being away from your boo is basically torture, but the corny "absence makes the heart grow fonder" stuff is too true, and it's probably … [Link]

Mashable » Here's the lucky Redditor who got Secret Santa gifts from Bill Gates this year

Thursday 21 December 22:46:39 UTC 2017

Bill Gates participates in Reddit's Secret Santa event every year … and every year he outdoes himself. This year's lucky Redditor was user VietteLLC, who posted the delightful gifts Gates sent her to RedditGifts on Wednesday. Viette, who hopes to operate her own no-kill cat shelter one day, received — among other things — donations to three of her favorite cat … [Link]

Slashdot » Apple's iPhone Throttling Will Reinvigorate the Push for Right To Repair Laws

Thursday 21 December 22:40:00 UTC 2017

Jason Koebler, writing for Motherboard: The news that Apple throttles iPhones that have old batteries will reinvigorate the right to repair debate as the movement enters a crucial year. Third party repair shops say they've already seen an uptick in customers asking for battery replacements to speed up their slow phones, and right to repair activists who are pushing for … [Link]

Mashable » Nordstrom, Macy's, and other retailers are having massive end-of-season sales

Thursday 21 December 22:36:58 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. End of season sales, or the season of treating yo'self, is here, and our spirits are very high. If you went nuts over Nordstrom's Black Friday sales, you might want to keep … [Link]

Slashdot » Eric Schmidt Is Stepping Down As Executive Chairman of Alphabet

Thursday 21 December 22:20:00 UTC 2017

Eric Schmidt will be stepping down as the executive chairman of Alphabet's board of directors and transitioning to a technical adviser, the company announced. He will continue to serve on the company's board. CNBC reports: Schmidt first joined Google as CEO in 2001, back when the company only had several hundred employees, and become its executive chairman 10 years later. … [Link]

Mashable » Eric Schmidt steps down as chairman of Alphabet

Thursday 21 December 22:19:19 UTC 2017

One of Google's longest-running executives is stepping away from the tech giant's parent company Alphabet. Eric Schmidt, who joined Google in 2001 as its CEO and chairman, is stepping away from his current role as executive chairman of Alphabet. Schmidt became executive chairman of Google's board in 2010 and maintained the position when the company restructured in 2015 to become Alphabet. … [Link]

Mashable » 13 geeky gifts for the comic book fans in your life (including yourself)

Thursday 21 December 22:16:55 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Whether you love drowning in the pages of a graphic novel or just enjoy keeping up with your favorite universe on-screen, we all have heroes and villains that we just can't get … [Link]

Mashable » Star Wars crew insists there was an ACTUAL REASON Kylo Ren was shirtless for a hot sec in 'Last Jedi'

Thursday 21 December 22:01:45 UTC 2017

Star Wars: The Last Jedi spoilers follow. If for some reason you haven't seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi yet: 1. What are you waiting for? 2. Here's a major spoiler: Kylo Ren was shirtless. Yes, Adam Driver pulled a page from his Girls character's playbook and took his damn shirt off. Why? No one knew. For many it felt … [Link]

Mashable » NYC bar really wants to teach people how to throw axes

Thursday 21 December 22:00:41 UTC 2017

Throwing darts at the bar is so 2017. Kick Axe is a new bar in Brooklyn that offers throwing axe lessons whether you're alone or with a group of your adventurous friends. The bar and lounge say they can teach you in under 10 minutes with an expert helping you perfect your throwing skills. Move over, Paul Bunyan, there's a new … [Link]

Slashdot » Kids In 'Netflix Only' Homes Are Being Saved From 230 Hours of Commercials a Year, Says Report

Thursday 21 December 22:00:00 UTC 2017

With more kids than ever using streaming services like Netflix for their entertainment, Exstreamist wanted to see what this means for the advertising industry. They were able to determine that kids in "Netflix Only" homes are saved from just over 230 hours of commercials a year when compared to traditional television viewership homes. From the report: We pulled numbers from … [Link]

Mashable » This build-it-yourself Bluetooth speaker is technically for kids, but we know you totally want one too

Thursday 21 December 21:48:45 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Bluetooth speakers and STEM toys: two items that we can almost guarantee are on every kid's holiday list this year. The BOSEbuild Speaker Cube is a DIY Bluetooth speaker for kids, because … [Link]

Mashable » 22 gifts under $25 for your kid's teacher

Thursday 21 December 21:29:43 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Ok, so you probably can't bribe your kids' teachers to give them better grades, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't show appreciation to the people responsible for educating the next generation of … [Link]

Mashable » Kit Harington is emotional about the end of 'Game of Thrones,' just like you

Thursday 21 December 21:26:34 UTC 2017

Game of Thrones is coming to an end and it sounds like Kit Harington may be having a harder time letting go than most fans. Harington, who of course plays broody Jon Snow in HBO's Game of Thrones, reflected on years of working on the series in an interview with Deadline, where he expressed how emotional he is about the impending … [Link]

Slashdot » Slashdot Asks: Should Tech Companies End the One-Year Software Update Cycle?

Thursday 21 December 21:20:00 UTC 2017

Software giants Google, Microsoft, Apple and others release a major software update to their desktop and mobile operating system (and OS for other platforms they have) each year. This model seemed viable — to a consumer — until a few years ago — the days when shiny new features were exciting — but of late the number of bugs that … [Link]

Mashable » Apple's latest iPhone battery fiasco is a betrayal inside of a betrayal

Thursday 21 December 21:18:17 UTC 2017

Conspiracy theorists, rejoice: For once, you were rightApple confessed this week that, yes, it slows down old iPhones to mitigate battery concerns, practically confirming a long-running suspicion: that a tech giant has messed with an old device to encourage people to buy a new device. SEE ALSO: Yes, Apple sometimes slows down old iPhones to prevent unexpected shutdowns And yet: Apple's … [Link]

Mashable » Olivia Munn on Hollywood harassment: 'This is not a 'women's issue''

Thursday 21 December 21:02:29 UTC 2017

After coming forward about director Brett Ratner's alleged sexual misconduct, actress Olivia Munn has written an open letter about Hollywood's constant subjugation of women and the systems that keep problematic men in power. "The system that lets men like Ratner and Allen back in, is the same system that creates disparity," Munn wrote for Entertainment Weekly. "It’s tilted to roll back into their … [Link]

Mashable » Help your kid build their own Bose Bluetooth speaker

Thursday 21 December 20:54:11 UTC 2017

Https%3a%2f%2fblueprint api production.s3.amazonaws.com%2fuploads%2fvideo uploaders%2fdistribution thumb%2fimage%2f83907%2fd5a9ef42 28d5 4b50 9265 473f8e312766 Read more… {"player":{"descript~ your kid build their own Bose Bluetooth speaker","sources":[~ More about Diy, Gift Ideas, Bose, Gift Guides, and Gifting [Link]

Slashdot » How Facebook's Political Unit Enables the Dark Art of Digital Propaganda

Thursday 21 December 20:40:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: Under fire for Facebook Inc.'s role as a platform for political propaganda, co-founder Mark Zuckerberg has punched back, saying his mission is above partisanship. "We hope to give all people a voice and create a platform for all ideas," Zuckerberg wrote in September after President Donald Trump accused Facebook of bias. Zuckerberg's … [Link]

Mashable » Hollywood accusers named 'Entertainer of the Year' by the Associated Press

Thursday 21 December 20:38:05 UTC 2017

The biggest story in entertainment this year wasn't just one story. It was hundreds, thousands, millions of different stories connected by a single horrifying thread. It seems only appropriate, then, that the Associated Press' Entertainer of the Year honor should go to all the brave souls behind all those stories. SEE ALSO: Team behind Time's Person of the Year issue was … [Link]

Mashable » It looks like North Korea just stole even more bitcoins

Thursday 21 December 20:25:26 UTC 2017

Because ransomware and playing a game of nuclear chicken aren't enough for Kim Jong-un, it now looks like North Korea is behind a recent bitcoin theft as the cryptocurrency's value continues to skyrocket. SEE ALSO: People are not buying Trump's reassurance on North Korea's latest, most powerful missile yet On Tuesday, someone hacked South Korean bitcoin exchange Youbit, reported the Wall … [Link]

Mashable » Trump's Irish golf course gets approval to build that wall, thanks to climate change

Thursday 21 December 20:12:34 UTC 2017

President Trump got the go-ahead to build that wall. No, not that one — the one on the coast of his County Clare golf course in Ireland. The "wall" is actually two walls along the country's Western coast, running more than 2,000 feet on one side and 550 feet on the otherThe council approved construction Thursday as "coastal erosion management" in … [Link]

Slashdot » FCC Hits Sinclair With $13 Million Fine Over Ads

Thursday 21 December 20:06:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares a report: The FCC plans to fine Sinclair Broadcasting group more than $13 million for failing to make the required disclosures related to programming sponsored by a third party. It's the largest fine the FCC has ever proposed for violation of its ad disclosure rules, which require broadcasters to disclose who is paying for sponsored programming. … [Link]

Mashable » Elon Musk might be the only person who still loves Twitter

Thursday 21 December 19:59:26 UTC 2017

Congratulations to Elon Musk, who apparently is having a much better time online than the rest of us plebeians. The Tesla CEO took to—you guessed it—Twitter Thursday to share his love of, drumroll please, Twitter. SEE ALSO: Elon Musk confirms Tesla will use its own self-driving AI chips How did he do so? By stating his personal truth in less than … [Link]

Mashable » The 10 best new TV shows of 2017

Thursday 21 December 19:48:03 UTC 2017

There’s enough new TV to make a longtime fan want to curl up and hide out until they renew The Office, but most of us choose to soldier on and explore these plentiful new frontiers. 2017 was a year of much-buzzed new television – can these shows maintain their promise in the new year and their second seasons? We'll have to … [Link]

Slashdot » Ice Tea Company Rebrands as 'Long Blockchain' and Stock Price Triples

Thursday 21 December 19:25:00 UTC 2017

The Long Island Ice Tea Corporation is exactly what it sounds like: a company that sells people bottled iced tea and lemonade. But today the company announced a significant change of strategy that would start with changing its name to "Long Blockchain Corporation." From a report: The company was "shifting its primary corporate focus towards the exploration of and investment … [Link]

Mashable » Global warming could cause surge in European asylum seekers in coming decades

Thursday 21 December 19:02:01 UTC 2017

Europe is currently struggling to absorb an influx of refugees from war-torn Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq, and parts of Africa. Germany alone has taken in more than a million people since 2015, many of whom have sought asylum status. This wave of immigration has led to political upheaval, with the rise of right-wing political parties in Germany, Poland, Austria, and Hungary, among … [Link]

Mashable » Instagram has a cool new feature that only appears after you wait 5 seconds

Thursday 21 December 18:42:48 UTC 2017

Instagram loves to secretly test new features on some of its users and get feedback before deciding on whether it should roll them out for everyone. But over the last few weeks, the company added a new commenting feature that you won't see unless you look at a post for more than five seconds. SEE ALSO: 12 awesome Instagram features you're … [Link]

Mashable » Tesla had a rocky year, but owners are still extremely satisfied with their cars

Thursday 21 December 18:34:08 UTC 2017

Tesla is currently mired in "production hell," but owners are still extremely satisfied with their brand new all-electric vehicles. In Consumer Reports' 2017 Annual Owner Satisfaction Survey, the popular review publication found Tesla topped the vehicle satisfaction survey — for the third straight year. SEE ALSO: Tesla's giant battery bailed out a coal power station nearly 620 miles away Consumer Reports … [Link]

Mashable » 50 best tweets that helped us cope throughout 2017

Thursday 21 December 18:07:54 UTC 2017

Let’s be honest here, 2017 has had nothing but disappointments and mediocrity. This tumultuous year has taken such a toll on us that the only thing that made us smile, even a little bit, was our dear old friend and the best place for great memes: Twitter. Sure it can be a terrible toilet at times, but at its best, it's … [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: When Is the Right Time To Discuss Retirement With Your Employer?

Thursday 21 December 18:00:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader writes: As I am sliding down the far side of 60, retirement is something coming up in two or three years. The usual notice time is two weeks, but I'm one of two people (maybe three if they pull one back in off other projects he's done the past four years) who do what I do, and … [Link]

Mashable » Walmart continues to gird itself for the battle against Amazon

Thursday 21 December 17:23:31 UTC 2017

As Amazon's plan for world domination has swallowed Whole Foods, competing supermegachain Walmart is rolling out more plans to fight back in an ongoing battle of David Goliath versus Goliath. SEE ALSO: Kindles and quinoa: Amazon to sell more gadgets in Whole Foods stores The latest examples of Walmart's plan to keep up with Amazon? Personal shoppers and a cashier-less store, … [Link]

Slashdot » Amazon Music Ending Cloud MP3 Storage, Streaming Option

Thursday 21 December 17:20:00 UTC 2017

Amazon is planning to retire its Music storage subscription service, the plan that enabled Amazon customers to upload their own music to the company's servers. From a report: Amazon Music Storage subscription plans, which let users upload music from their Mac or PC and stream them alongside the in-app on-demand and radio options, will be accepted until Jan. 15, 2018. … [Link]

Mashable » What Cardi B's mega success tells us about the power of social media in 2017

Thursday 21 December 17:04:04 UTC 2017

The way we receive content has obviously changed over the last few years, and Cardi B has benefited from it. Previously, we'd watch TV and read magazines and newspapers to find out what is going on in the world. Today, we have the world in the palm of our hands. That's the consumer's end of the spectrum, but for the producer, … [Link]

Mashable » 10 gift ideas for that friend who loves to travel

Thursday 21 December 16:59:26 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. We all have that friend: Their Instagram feed is littered with gorgeous photos of faraway locales on the regular, they always seem to be jet-setting to someplace new, and every time you … [Link]

Mashable » 2017 was a good year for LGBTQ cinema – if you knew where to look

Thursday 21 December 16:51:22 UTC 2017

2017’s great year of LGBTQ filmmaking doesn’t start and end with Call Me By Your Name, Luca Guadagnino’s dreamy, sun-dappled tale of summer romance. If laden glances between Oliver and Elio have whetted your appetite for queer stories on the big screen, the last 12 months have had a lot to offer. You just needed to venture outside the multiplex to … [Link]

Mashable » 9 Surprising Facts About Uber

Thursday 21 December 16:47:37 UTC 2017

Read more…More about Uber, Mashable Reels, Business, and Big Tech Companies [Link]

Mashable » Facebook signs first-ever music deal with a record label

Thursday 21 December 16:40:15 UTC 2017

Facebook is getting more musical. In what's been quite the long-time coming for the social network, Facebook has signed its first-ever deal for music rights with a record label. Universal Music Group and Facebook agreed on a multi-year deal that lets Facebook host content with the label's licensed music across its network, including the main app, Instagram, and Oculus. That could … [Link]

Slashdot » Facial Scans at US Airports Violate Americans' Privacy, Report Says

Thursday 21 December 16:40:00 UTC 2017

Ron Nixon, writing for The New York Times: A new report concludes that a Department of Homeland Security pilot program improperly gathers data on Americans when it requires passengers embarking on foreign flights to undergo facial recognition scans to ensure they haven't overstayed visas. The report, released on Thursday by researchers at the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown … [Link]

Mashable » 'Civ VI' arrives on iPad today with quite the discount

Thursday 21 December 16:35:30 UTC 2017

The extremely addictive real-time strategy game Civilization VI is now available on iPad, and it's free to download with a reduced price to fully unlock. The iPad release of Civ VI allows players to try out the game for 60 turns (which is quite a lot and could probably last a few hours), with the option to unlock the full … [Link]

Mashable » Everyone thinks the Magic Leap One headset is ugly as sin

Thursday 21 December 16:33:44 UTC 2017

Magic Leap's first mixed reality headset, the Leap One, is coming in early 2018. It looks pretty damn neat, assuming it delivers on everything it's promising — and as long as you can get over its weird design. Reactions to the headset have been split down the middle with some people digging the steampunk-inspired design and others mocking its ugliness. SEE … [Link]

Mashable » Get your pet (or your favorite pet owner) something nice for the holidays

Thursday 21 December 16:26:01 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. We all know and love that one person that treats their dog like it's their baby or calls their cat their "best friend." (Disclaimer: I am that person.) SEE ALSO: Clean up … [Link]

Mashable » The Whoop is pro sports' favorite wearable. After training with it, I can see why.

Thursday 21 December 16:18:50 UTC 2017

The wrist-worn fitness tracker, as a category, is well past its zenith. Even in 2017, fitness trackers are still little more than overwrought pedometers for disinterested users who'll probably ditch them after a few months. Many of these devices, which don't run apps or have most of the capabilities of a smartwatch, have proved capable of basic activity monitoring among casual … [Link]

Mashable » 9 gift ideas for the science geek in your life

Thursday 21 December 16:15:42 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. If you're gifting to a Bill Nye protégé this holiday season, check out these gifts that will cause any science geek's neurotransmitter dopamine levels to rise. (That's geek talk for "love.") SEE … [Link]

Mashable » Watch with joy as Cardi B leaves Jimmy Fallon speechless

Thursday 21 December 16:04:24 UTC 2017

Is Jimmy Fallon worthy of interviewing Cardi B? Unclear! But interview Cardi B he did. Unsurprisingly, though, she made the moment her own. Sure, Fallon cycled through his usual roster of interview beats — the congrats, the engagement questions, the "what a year!" accolades — but Cardi, as we've learned, talks about what she wants when she wants to. And … [Link]

Slashdot » Wearables Still Slow To Catch On in the United States

Thursday 21 December 16:00:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares a report: The use of wearable technology devices — like watches, glasses and fitness tracking bracelets — will grow 11.9 percent next year, eMarketer predicts, with the growth rate continuing to slow compared to previous years. Smartwatches will drive the bulk of wearables growth, but the number of people who use wearable technology will still be … [Link]

Mashable » Video games on sale at GameStop that'll make great last-minute gifts

Thursday 21 December 15:54:19 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. If you're shopping around for a new gaming console, then you'll obviously need some new games too. GameStop has a wide selection of deals on some of the hottest games out there, … [Link]

Mashable » 'Nintendo Power' returns in the form of an official podcast

Thursday 21 December 15:47:23 UTC 2017

Nintendo’s decades-spanning magazine Nintendo Power is back after a five-year hiatus, this time in the form of a podcast. Nintendo debuted the first episode of its new Nintendo Power podcast Wednesday night, featuring the former editor-in-chief of the magazine Chris Slate, who now works at Nintendo of America. Although it doesn't have physical pages, it still manages to capture the insidery … [Link]

Mashable » LG has an ultra-wide monster monitor coming out, and I want it so badly

Thursday 21 December 15:45:43 UTC 2017

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work. There are plenty of ultrawide monitors on the market, and there's a fair choice of 5K and 4K ones as well, but having both in one package is a rarity — usually a very expensive one. … [Link]

Mashable » 2017 was supposed to be Snapchat's year, but nothing went as planned

Thursday 21 December 15:44:31 UTC 2017

Snap Inc. had a lot to prove in 2017. Following months of speculation, the company finally went public, as onlookers wondered whether this would be the year the company finally moved out from under Facebook's shadow. That, and so much more, didn't quite go as planned. SEE ALSO: Why smartphone cameras were the most important tech of 2017 At the close … [Link]

Mashable » Cockatiel is 100% over the viral video that made him famous

Thursday 21 December 15:37:05 UTC 2017

Lucky, the iPhone mimicking cockatiel, is a savage. YouTuber and Vimeo user, Ben Plumier, posted a video of the internet famous bird being completely done with the sound of his own singing voice imitating the iPhone default ringtone. He's so annoyed that he struts over to Plumier's laptop, listens intently, and finally rips out the computer's "escape" button in an … [Link]

Mashable » Facebook abandons an attempt to curb fake news. Here's why

Thursday 21 December 15:34:01 UTC 2017

Facebook is throwing away "disputed flags," one of its several attempts to curb the spread of fake news across the social network. SEE ALSO: Facebook doesn't scan Messenger for fake news. But it definitely should About a year ago, Facebook launched the feature, where red flag icons were put next to articles that were identified to be false by a team … [Link]

Mashable » Give your Sonos speakers an upgrade with these mix-and-match covers

Thursday 21 December 15:30:00 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Leave it to the Dutch to put a sweater on everything. Netherlands-based designers at Studio Truly Truly are partnering with the award-winning TextielMuseum and interior design distributor VANMOKUM on a Kickstarter campaign … [Link]

Mashable » Of course Trump's Christmas card is obnoxiously large

Thursday 21 December 15:29:12 UTC 2017

Donald Trump is obsessed with size and saying "Merry Christmas," so it's only fitting he'd combine his two loves to send out a stupidly large Christmas card. To celebrate the holiday season, Trump sent Congress a card — which seems like a normal, friendly thing to do — but it's Trump so obviously things were a bit off. How so? Well, … [Link]

Mashable » Finally, a way to get actual sexual pleasure from your Bitcoin investments

Thursday 21 December 15:25:32 UTC 2017

Are you ready to take the thrill of cryptocurrencies to the next level? Camsoda, the adult entertainment platform, has just unveiled BitCast, which allows you to pair an interactive sex toy with your investments in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin. Yowza. Image: giphyYou can choose to pair it with a variety of penile, vaginal, and anal toys. Then, as the value of … [Link]

Slashdot » Security Firm Keeper Sues News Reporter Over Vulnerability Story

Thursday 21 December 15:20:00 UTC 2017

Zack Whittaker, writing for ZDNet: Keeper, a password manager software maker, has filed a lawsuit against a news reporter and its publication after a story was posted reporting a vulnerability disclosure. Dan Goodin, security editor at Ars Technica, was named defendant in a suit filed Tuesday by Chicago-based Keeper Security, which accused Goodin of "false and misleading statements" about the … [Link]

Mashable » Netflix's 'El Camino Christmas' is a holiday film for no one

Thursday 21 December 15:14:45 UTC 2017

I can get down with some terrible Christmas movies. I've willingly watched Melissa Joan Hart and Mario Lopez have no chemistry in Holiday in Handcuffs. I was raised on Earnest Saves Christmas. And I'll watch Love Actually any day of the week. So you know you can believe me when I say Netflix's new El Camino Christmas, starring Tim Allen, Dax … [Link]

Mashable » Grammarly finds all those annoying grammatical errors so you don't have to

Thursday 21 December 15:13:15 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Whether you're sending out a work email or writing a blog post, grammar errors can make you seem unprofessional or, worse, incompetent. Even if you write for a living, like we do, … [Link]

Mashable » Youtuber uses only his voice to perform the whole 'Home Alone' soundtrack

Thursday 21 December 15:12:11 UTC 2017

No screaming Kevin McCallister here… Youtuber and music producer Mike Tompkins performed the Home Alone theme song with over 50 versions of himself in a new video released Wednesday. He showed off his instrumental skills and singing talent with only his voice as the tool. Pitch Perfect who? Sometimes you just have to depend on yourself to bring in the … [Link]

Mashable » What's coming to Netflix in January

Thursday 21 December 14:44:24 UTC 2017

How best do you start 2018? What will be the first show or movie you watch? Surely, the first streaming act of the year sets the tone for the 12 months to follow, so we must be careful. SEE ALSO: Here's which Netflix original Christmas movie you should watch Luckily, Netflix has a ripe new offering in the new year and … [Link]

Slashdot » Where in the World is Mars' Water?

Thursday 21 December 14:40:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares an Axios report: In the beginning, Mars was a water world. But at some point in Mars' distant past, much of that water disappeared, leaving behind polar ice caps and a complex geology. Figuring out just where it went has been a major priority for scientists — life as we know it can't exist without water, … [Link]

Slashdot » Windows 10 Facial Recognition Feature Can Be Bypassed with a Photo

Thursday 21 December 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Windows Hello, the face scanning security feature in Windows 10, has been defeated with the use of a printed out picture. From a report: In a report published yesterday, German pen-testing company SySS GmbH says it discovered that Windows Hello is vulnerable to the simplest and most common attack against facial recognition biometrics software — the doomsday scenario of using … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Booby-trapped obstacle course trains older people not to fall

Thursday 21 December 13:59:31 UTC 2017

A quarter of older adults who break their hip die within a year. Alice Klein went to try out an obstacle course designed to help them stay on their feet [Link]

New Scientist – News » NASA plans a launch to Titan or a return to comet 67P in 2025

Thursday 21 December 13:59:28 UTC 2017

In 2025 NASA will either launch a probe to bring back samples from comet 67P, previously visited by Rosetta, or send a drone-like craft to Saturn's moon Titan [Link]

New Scientist – News » Mars rocks may have drunk up all the water and doomed life there

Thursday 21 December 13:59:27 UTC 2017

We used to think Mars lost most of its water to space when its atmosphere blew away. Instead, the water may have been sucked up by rocks that sunk underground [Link]

New Scientist – News » One-off CRISPR treatment slows genetic hearing loss in mice

Thursday 21 December 13:59:26 UTC 2017

An inherited form of progressive deafness has been slowed in mice using CRISPR. The approach might lead to treatments for inherited deafness in people [Link]

New Scientist – News » Why complex life could prove remarkably common in the universe

Thursday 21 December 13:59:25 UTC 2017

Two missions to other solar systems are on the table. If they find life chances are it will be sophisticated, say Dirk Schulze-Makuch and William Bains [Link]

Mashable » 'Mamma Mia 2' trailer is here to remind you we still have things to look forward to

Thursday 21 December 13:38:28 UTC 2017

Need something to temporarily distract you from oh, I don't know, everything? The trailer for next summer's sequel Mamma Mia Here We Go Again has arrived, and there is singing and dancing and Cher! The sequel will take place both in current day — with all the main cast from the original returning — as well as in the past, … [Link]

Mashable » Here comes the Museum of Selfies to stoke your Instagram-art obsession

Thursday 21 December 13:00:00 UTC 2017

Your sister's friend's duckface selfie might not compare to the Mona Lisa on first glance (or at all), but a new experiential museum is challenging that notion. The Museum of Selfies, opening in January in a Los Angeles suburb, purports to raise — if not answer — lofty questions like "is the selfie art?" or "why do we disdain selfies?" SEE … [Link]

Slashdot » Dozens of Companies Are Using Facebook To Exclude Older Workers From Job Ads

Thursday 21 December 13:00:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from ProPublica: Verizon is among dozens of the nation's leading employers — including Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Target and Facebook itself — that placed recruitment ads limited to particular age groups, an investigation by ProPublica and The New York Times has found. The ability of advertisers to deliver their message to the precise audience most … [Link]

Mashable » This ongoing Reddit treasure hunt is proof humans can be nice sometimes

Thursday 21 December 12:47:47 UTC 2017

The world may be a terrible place full of awful, yawning misery, but the good news is it's not all bad all the time. Every now and then you see something on the internet that's just… well, just quite nice. The recent daily treasure hunt that's started over on the subreddit r/CasualUK is the perfect example of this. SEE ALSO: These … [Link]

Mashable » Prince Harry and Meghan Markle release swoon-worthy engagement photos

Thursday 21 December 12:31:46 UTC 2017

THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle just released their official engagement photos and they look every inch the Hollywood couple. Kensington Palace released the stunning photos on Instagram, which were shot by fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski at Frogmore House in Windsor. SEE ALSO: 6 things you need to know about Meghan Markle now that she's about to … [Link]

Mashable » 'The Last Jedi'-inspired electric shavers are here, proving there's almost no limit to Star Wars merchandise

Thursday 21 December 12:25:45 UTC 2017

Heads up: All products featured here are selected by Mashable's commerce team and meet our rigorous standards for awesomeness. If you buy something, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission. Thanks to the recent release of The Last Jedi, Star Wars merchandise is everywhere. From waffle makers, coffee presses, and phone chargers to power adapters, holiday sweaters, and even robot vacuums, it … [Link]

Mashable » There's a problem with the way bipolar disorder is represented in stock images

Thursday 21 December 12:05:09 UTC 2017

A Twitter user living with bipolar disorder has pointed out a major problem with stock imagery depicting the condition. SEE ALSO: Before and after: Women finally get their due in STEM stock photos In a tweet thread, @Chrystran posted a series of problematic stock images which claimed to illustrate bipolar disorder. "I made this thread *as* someone with bipolar who finds … [Link]

Mashable » Rome spent $57,000 on the world's saddest excuse for a Christmas tree

Thursday 21 December 11:44:34 UTC 2017

Christmas trees come in all different shapes and sizes. SEE ALSO: RIP: The country's most tragic Christmas tree has died There are tall, bushy ones. Miniature ones that sit on your table top. Fake ones. Real ones. Then there's this 65ft one in Rome's Piazza Venezia, which cost a solid €48,000 ($57,000) in transport fees and pretty much has more baubles … [Link]

Slashdot » FDA Approves First-Ever Gene Therapy For Inherited Form of Blindness

Thursday 21 December 11:30:00 UTC 2017

schwit1 shares a report from ScienceAlert: In a historic move, the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved a pioneering gene therapy for a rare form of childhood blindness, the first such treatment cleared in the United States for an inherited disease. The approval signals a new era for gene therapy, a field that struggled for decades to overcome devastating … [Link]

Mashable » Little girl draws message in the snow urging Santa to take her brother away

Thursday 21 December 10:34:26 UTC 2017

This little girl's plight is one shared by nigh-on everyone with a sibling. Because, let's be real, brothers and sisters, while kind, loving and good fun at best, can also be mightily annoying. SEE ALSO: 10-year-old girl interviews her cat, cat turns out to be a diva 9-year-old Jennifer Murphy from St. John's, Newfoundland, came up with a plan while out … [Link]

Mashable » Mark Hamill is really not happy with Luke Skywalker's portrayal in 'The Last Jedi'

Thursday 21 December 10:14:13 UTC 2017

If you're feeling conflicted about the portrayal of Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi, you're not alone. Mark Hamill clearly feels conflicted too. SEE ALSO: Mark Hamill's tweet about 'Star Wars' reviews is peak Mark Hamill In the junket interview above, Hamill explains that the Luke Skywalker portrayed in The Last Jedi is "not my Luke Skywalker". "I said to … [Link]

Slashdot » Walmart Is Planning a Store Without Cashiers

Thursday 21 December 10:00:00 UTC 2017

According to Recode, Walmart's startup incubator is experimenting with a cashier-less store concept called Project Kepler, which "aims to reimagine the in-store shopping experience with the help of technologies like computer vision." The goal is reportedly the "creation of physical stores that would operate without checkout lines or cashiers — in a similar fashion to Amazon's futuristic Amazon Go store." … [Link]

Mashable » Cryptocurrency exchange EtherDelta gets hacked and replaced by a fake site that steals your money

Thursday 21 December 9:48:16 UTC 2017

Popular cryptocurrency exchange EtherDelta got hacked in spectacular fashion Wednesday, with many users unknowingly sending their tokens to the hacker instead of the exchange. At least 308 ETH ($266,789) were stolen, as well as a large number of tokens potentially worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. SEE ALSO: Ethereum's price surpasses $700 in another astonishing crypto-rally EtherDelta is a decentralized exchange … [Link]

Slashdot » Amazon Tries To Figure Out the Packaging Box Problem It Created

Thursday 21 December 7:01:00 UTC 2017

Have you noticed that your tiniest ecommerce items, which used to be shipped in a box, are now arriving in a padded envelope? WSJ reports: Amazon is trying to ship each order in one correctly sized package instead of multiple boxes, responding to rising shipping costs and consumers' concern about the environmental impact (Editor's note: the link may be paywalled) … [Link]

Mashable » Lost submarine from World War I found after 103-year search

Thursday 21 December 6:58:22 UTC 2017

One of World War I's biggest mysteries has finally been solved after a 103-year search. On Sep. 14, 1914, Australia's first submarine, the HMAS AE1, disappeared off the coast of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. SEE ALSO: Discovery of World War II shipwreck ends a 74-year mystery It followed a successful mission to help capture what was then known as German New … [Link]

Mashable » People sure like watching 'The Boss Baby' while flying

Thursday 21 December 5:20:11 UTC 2017

Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work. Losing yourself in a movie is part and parcel of long distance plane travel in these days. It's also an experience that's turned into a highly personal one, as opposed to the bad old days where … [Link]

Mashable » Seth Meyers takes down the Republican tax plan

Thursday 21 December 4:57:14 UTC 2017

Welp, the Republicans passed their tax plan through Congress on Wednesday, which includes huge tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations. The middle class? In a decade, they'll actually see higher taxes. All that's left is for President Donald Trump to sign the bill. If you're still confused as to why this is a bad thing, watch Late Night with … [Link]

Slashdot » A Federal Ban On Making Lethal Viruses Is Lifted

Thursday 21 December 3:30:00 UTC 2017

schwit1 shares a report from The New York Times (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source): Federal officials on Tuesday ended a moratorium imposed three years ago on funding research that alters germs to make them more lethal. Such work can now proceed, said Dr. Francis S. Collins, the head of the National Institutes of Health, but only if a … [Link]

Mashable » Khloé Kardashian finally confirms she's pregnant

Thursday 21 December 2:36:56 UTC 2017

The day we all knew was coming is here: Khloé Kardashian confirmed that she's pregnant in an Instagram post shared Wednesday. Kardashian is expecting her first child with her boyfriend, basketball player Tristan Thompson. My greatest dream realized! We are having a baby! I had been waiting and wondering but God had a plan all along. He knew what He was … [Link]

Mashable » ‘Sesame Street’ awarded $100 million grant to bring interactive education to refugee children

Thursday 21 December 2:17:42 UTC 2017

Sesame Street just won a hefty award to bring educational programming and a humanitarian response to children displaced by war and conflict in the Middle East. Sesame Street and the International Rescue Committee were awarded a $100 million MacArthur Foundation grant on Wednesday to build an early-childhood education program for kids dealing with "toxic stress" in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and … [Link]

Slashdot » NASA Advances Missions To Land a Flying Robot on Titan or Snatch a Piece of a Comet

Thursday 21 December 2:05:00 UTC 2017

Sarah Kaplan, writing for the Washington Post: NASA's newest mission will either land a quadcopter-like spacecraft on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan or collect a sample from the nucleus of a comet. (Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source.) The two proposals were selected from a group of 12 submitted to the New Frontiers program, which supports … [Link]

Mashable » Tesla's giant battery bailed out a coal power station nearly 620 miles away

Thursday 21 December 1:47:48 UTC 2017

Tesla’s giant battery is already proving its worth, bailing out a coal power station nearly 620 miles (1,000 kilometres) away. The world's largest lithium ion battery, installed to alleviate South Australia's severe energy issues, was put to the test when it supplied emergency power to one of Australia's biggest coal units, reports Renew Economy. SEE ALSO: Tesla switches on the world's … [Link]

Mashable » Money can buy you anything, including an ugly shirt line

Thursday 21 December 1:40:26 UTC 2017

Money can buy you lots of things, but it doesn't buy taste. As again evidenced in an unashamedly garish shirt range released by Wyatt Koch — the son of billionaire Bill Koch, of the oil-rich Koch brothers. SEE ALSO: How to be the most insufferable person at your ugly Christmas sweater party The label is called Wyatt Ingraham, and you're constantly … [Link]

Mashable » 'Last Jedi' gets thumbs up from 89% of viewers, says new poll

Thursday 21 December 1:31:21 UTC 2017

Get ready for a shock, internet veterans: the folks loudly complaining about the latest Star Wars movie represent a tiny vocal minority. That's according to a data from SurveyMonkey, revealed here exclusively to Mashable. An audience poll of 4,441 U.S. adults found that of people who've seen Star Wars: The Last Jedi, a whopping 89 percent either loved or liked it. … [Link]

Slashdot » Youbit Shuts Down Cryptocurrency Exchange After Second Hack, Files For Bankruptcy

Thursday 21 December 1:25:00 UTC 2017

phalse phace writes: After experiencing another hack, South Korean crypto-currency exchange Youbit has closed their doors and is filing for bankruptcy. BBC reports: "Youbit, which lets people buy and sell bitcoins and other virtual currencies, has filed for bankruptcy after losing 17% of its assets in the cyber-attack. It did not disclose how much the assets were worth at the … [Link]

Mashable » Facebook defends targeted ads that only show job openings to young people

Thursday 21 December 1:24:54 UTC 2017

Over 36 years old and looking for a job? Sorry, grandpa! A new report from ProPublica and the New York Times found that dozens of large corporations — including Verizon, Amazon, Target, Goldman Sachs, and Facebook itself — were using Facebook's targeted ads to only show job opportunities to younger people. SEE ALSO: The top 10 tech stories of 2017 For … [Link]

Slashdot » The People Who Read Your Airline Tweets

Thursday 21 December 0:45:00 UTC 2017

From a piece on The Atlantic: At first, the idea of a company directly tweeting at its customers was very strange. Nowadays, people have gotten used to having back-and-forths with customer service representatives. In any given hour, JetBlue makes public contact with 10, 15, 20 different people. American Airlines receives 4500 mentions an hour, 70 to 80 percent of them … [Link]

Slashdot » Magic Leap Finally Unveils Mixed-Reality Goggles

Thursday 21 December 0:03:00 UTC 2017

Joosy writes: After raising $1.9 billion dollars, Magic Leap finally shows off it's "mixed-reality" goggles. Was the wait worth it? Rolling Stone gets a look: "The revelation, the first real look at what the secretive, multi-billion dollar company has been working on all these years is the first step toward the 2018 release of the company's first consumer product. It … [Link]

John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons