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 » Some Sonos and Bose Speakers Are Being Hijacked To Play Ghostly Sounds

Wednesday 27 December 23:30:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Researchers at Trend Micro have found that certain models of Sonos and Bose speakers have vulnerabilities that leave them open to hijacking, as reported by Wired. The accessible speakers are being exploited by hackers that are using them to play spooky sounds, Alexa commands, and Rick Astley tracks. Only a small … [Link]

Mashable » Here's how (and why) people are suing Apple for slowing down older iPhones

Wednesday 27 December 23:09:40 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. You may have heard: iPhone customers around the U.S. are suing Apple for slowing down their older phones.  Class-action lawsuits have been filed in at least three states — California, Illinois, and New York.  Whether or … [Link]

Slashdot » Russia Is Accusing the US of 'Direct Interference' In Its Elections

Wednesday 27 December 22:50:00 UTC 2017

schwit1 shares a report from Business Insider (alternative source): Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Tuesday accused the U.S. of a "direct interference in our electoral process and internal affairs" following the State Department's criticism of Russia's decision to bar opposition leader Alexey Navalny from running in the upcoming presidential election against Vladimir Putin. "This State Department statement, which … [Link]

Mashable » Meet the animals that probably went extinct in 2017

Wednesday 27 December 22:12:11 UTC 2017

At the end of each year, wildlife ecologist David Steen compiles a list of critters that have likely gone extinct. The 2017 list includes a bat, cat, and multiple lizards, although other creatures may be gone for good — we just don't know it yet. Steen, an ecologist at Auburn University, started the annual extinction list in 2012 to establish a … [Link]

Slashdot » Human Go Champion Backtracks On Vow To Never Face An AI Opponent Again

Wednesday 27 December 22:10:00 UTC 2017

Back in May, Google's AlphaGo AI defeated the human world champion Ke Jie in a three-part match. After it was over, Jie vowed never to play a computer again. But apparently something has changed his mind because Chinese news sources report that Jie will once again play an artificial intelligence at an AI tournament to be held in China in … [Link]

Mashable » A mysterious white truck coincidentally blocked the media's view of Trump's golf game

Wednesday 27 December 22:00:35 UTC 2017

While Donald Trump relaxes at the end of a year in which nothing interesting happened at all, he's spent some (more) time golfing down at his Mar-A-Lago resort. But it seems he's trying his best to get a little privacy from the prying eyes of the media. SEE ALSO: Here is a photo of a giant Trump-like dog because how else … [Link]

Mashable » Library of Congress admits defeat, accepts the futility of trying to archive all of Twitter

Wednesday 27 December 21:57:50 UTC 2017

At least you tried. Starting Jan. 1, the Library of Congress will curtail what's been a seven-year effort to collect and archive every single utterance on Twitter. A Tuesday missive from the federal institution notes that, come 2018, "the Library will acquire tweets on a selective basis." SEE ALSO: Twitter's most popular tweets, accounts, and hashtags of 2017 In 2010, Twitter … [Link]

Mashable » Snap's 2018 includes 'Stories Everywhere' — not just in Snapchat

Wednesday 27 December 21:49:22 UTC 2017

Snapchat is focused on taking snaps beyond the app as it tries to fend off the rise of Facebook's Stories knock-offs and Discover competitor, Watch. The latest Snapchat effort? A new initiative called "Stories Everywhere." SEE ALSO: Snapchat just did the most anti-Snapchat thing ever This month, Snap hired Rahul Chopra, former CEO of Storyful, an agency that sources and verifies … [Link]

Mashable » Welcome to the best week of the damn year and it's all thanks to podcasts

Wednesday 27 December 21:41:52 UTC 2017

It’s that blessed time of year again, and don't think for a second I'm talking about the holidays.  I'm talking about the torrential downpour of podcast content that will rain down on my grateful ears this week. For this is the time of year when so many of my favorite podcasts put out enormous year-end packages where they look back and … [Link]

Slashdot » 56,000 Layoffs and Counting: India's IT Bloodbath This Year May Just Be the Start

Wednesday 27 December 21:30:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Quartz: For Indian techies, 2017 was the stuff of nightmares. One of the top employment generators until a few years ago, India's $160 billion IT industry laid off more than 56,000 employees this year. Some analysts believe this spree was worse than the one during the 2008 financial crisis. Meanwhile, hiring plummeted, with … [Link]

Mashable » Someone made a bad lip reading Trump Christmas song and it's annoyingly catchy

Wednesday 27 December 21:23:12 UTC 2017

Bad lip readings are mostly unrealistic, which makes them a hoot to watch. Their latest video, however, is all about Christmas and the Trump. It doesn't ask you to stretch your imagination too much, except imaging the president singing with a reasonable pitch.  The Donald sings and dances his way through a holiday song we didn't really need in our … [Link]

Mashable » Bono thinks music got 'very girly' and it's been great knowing you dude

Wednesday 27 December 20:34:26 UTC 2017

Today in Excellent Opinions From Men, Bono has declared today's music is too "girly." In an interview with Rolling Stone published on Wednesday, the U2 frontman was asked whether or not he believes a "rock and roll revolution" is around the corner, to which he replied "I think music has gotten very girly." Hmmmmmmmmmm … you don't say? What's that? Oh, … [Link]

Mashable » Here is a photo of a giant Trump-like dog because how else did you expect to end a year as surreal as 2017

Wednesday 27 December 20:28:54 UTC 2017

While campaigning for president, Donald Trump took plenty of pleasure in taking potshots at world power China (even as he's walked back some of those statements a little). China, in turn, has responded by portraying Trump as giant animals. SEE ALSO: Of course Trump's Christmas card is obnoxiously large A mall in the city of Taiyuan in China's Shanxi province gave … [Link]

Mashable » Snapchat just did the most anti-Snapchat thing ever

Wednesday 27 December 20:17:40 UTC 2017

Once upon a time, Snapchat was about ephemerality. The origin of Snapchat came from a desire to send nudes and have them disappear. Of course, sexting wasn't its only use case. Middle schoolers also wanted to pass notes in class without getting caught by their teachers, for example.  Well, it's 2017, and apparently nothing is sacred anymore. Snapchat now wants to … [Link]

Mashable » Trans and non-binary fitness trainers are building tiny empires — on Instagram

Wednesday 27 December 20:15:33 UTC 2017

Before Ilya Parker could start his gender transition and begin the next, long-awaited phase of his life, his doctor gave him a miserable prescription.  Parker would have to "loose at least 50 pounds" before he could even think about hormone replacement therapy, which would help him transition to a more masculine physique. Fifty pounds is high bar for anyone to meet, … [Link]

Mashable » The best part about Chrissy Teigen's peculiar LAX flight is this insane conspiracy theory

Wednesday 27 December 20:15:19 UTC 2017

When Chrissy Teigen and John Legend (and a bunch of other people) boarded a plane to Tokyo from LA, they probably didn't think they would get a bizarre flight pattern—and one not-so-convincing fugative theory. Their plane made an unexpected return to Los Angeles Airport on Thursday night and naturally, Teigen live-tweeted the events. But someone out there somehow managed to take … [Link]

Slashdot » That '70s Show: the Conference That Predicted the Future of Work

Wednesday 27 December 20:00:00 UTC 2017

theodp writes: Over at Wired, Leslie Berlin writes about Futures Day at the 1977 Xerox World Conference, an invitation-only demonstration of the Alto personal computer system developed at Xerox PARC. It's an excerpt from Troublemakers: How a Generation of Silicon Valley Upstarts Invented the Future. Both Berlin's book and Brian Dear's recent The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of … [Link]

Mashable » Dustin Hoffman's accusers thank John Oliver for grilling Dustin Hoffman

Wednesday 27 December 19:58:46 UTC 2017

Dustin Hoffman has made it very clear that he did not appreciate John Oliver's line of questioning about the the sexual misconduct allegations against him.  Not surprisingly, however, Hoffman's victims feel otherwise. SEE ALSO: John Oliver grills Dustin Hoffman over sexual misconduct allegations Seven of Hoffman's accusers – Anna Graham Hunter, Wendy Riss Gatsiounis, Kathryn Rossetter, Melissa Kester, Cori Thomas, and … [Link]

Slashdot » If Dogs Can Smell Cancer, Why Don't They Screen People?

Wednesday 27 December 19:20:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from a Scientific American report: Dogs can be trained to be cancer-sniffing wizards, using their sensitive noses to detect cancerous fumes wafting from diseased cells. This sniffing is noninvasive and could help diagnose countless people, which begs the question: If these pups are so olfactorily astute, why aren't they screening people for cancer right … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » ProgrammableWeb's Most Interesting APIs in 2017: Entertainment, Lifestyle, and Education

Wednesday 27 December 19:02:07 UTC 2017

We continue our look at some of 2017's most interesting APIs by looking at those from Education, Music, News Services, Movies, eSports, TV, "> [Link]

Mashable » The long-lost 'Destiny' symphony is finally out in the wild

Wednesday 27 December 19:00:56 UTC 2017

Music of the Spheres, a long sought-after relic among Destiny fans, is finally available for anyone to hear. The 48-minute concept album predates even the original game's 2014 release, though it's been kept out of public view until now as a result of legal obstacles and indecipherable business machinations. None of that has changed, but on Monday, Dec. 25, the … [Link]

Mashable » Time-lapse videos show off SpaceX's alien-looking rocket launch from the West Coast

Wednesday 27 December 18:42:17 UTC 2017

People across California had a pretty spooky start to their Christmas weekend, when a SpaceX rocket created a bright, jellyfish looking plume in the twilight sky on Friday. Time-lapse videos show the incredible, alien sight from the ground, revealing exactly what it looked like to residents on the ground, even those far from Vandenberg Air Force Base, where the Falcon … [Link]

Slashdot » The Last Man on Earth To Speak His Language

Wednesday 27 December 18:01:00 UTC 2017

From a report: An elderly man in Peru named Amadeo Garcia Garcia is the last person on earth to speak his native language, Taushiro, the NY Times' Nicholas Casey reports in a remarkable long-read. A combination of disease and exploitation have led the Taushiro, a tribe of hunter-gatherers in the Amazon, to the verge of extinction. In the last century, … [Link]

Mashable » Mysterious Pineapple Fund dishes out $1 million to Internet Archive

Wednesday 27 December 17:44:46 UTC 2017

‘Tis the season of giving and extensive web vault The Internet Archive is the latest recipient of cash from an anonymous bitcoin benefactor. A few weeks ago, we talked about the Pineapple Fund, a project established by an anonymous bitcoin millionaire who wanted to give away nearly $86 million of his or her bitcoin fortune. And they're making good on their … [Link]

Mashable » Male stars will also wear black to the Golden Globes to highlight sexual misconduct problems in Hollywood

Wednesday 27 December 17:44:42 UTC 2017

The red carpet will go black at this year's Golden Globes – and it's not stopping with the women. Weeks ago, we learned that many actresses planned to wear black to this year's ceremony, as a sign of protest against the industry's sexual abuse epidemic. As it turns out, though, men will be making a statement as well.  SEE ALSO: Actresses … [Link]

Mashable » A Japanese game developer is making an app to turn your head invisible

Wednesday 27 December 17:34:47 UTC 2017

If you've ever found yourself just wanting to disappear for a while, there may soon be an app for that.  A Japanese developer has announced that he is working on an app that will make your head disappear in photos and videos, in a tweet first spotted by DesignTAXI.  The developer, Kazuya Noshiro, CEO of game development company ViRD, shared a … [Link]

Mashable » Stop reading what Facebook tells you to read

Wednesday 27 December 17:31:37 UTC 2017

An open memo, to all marginally-smart people/consumers of internet "content":  Hi.  Some questions. Do you… Want the internet to be better in 2018?  Want your favorite media outlets to survive 2018?  Want the proliferation of "fake news" (both the now-meaningless phrase and actual bullshit news) to stop? Actually care about deep, true reporting? Actually care about local writing and reporting? Actually … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Well-being will suffer if we don’t trump the anti-science trend

Wednesday 27 December 17:26:41 UTC 2017

The White House’s clampdown on the term “evidence-based” is but one example of the anti-science movement. Unstopped, it will prevent advances in health [Link]

Slashdot » Piracy Notices Can Mess With Your Thermostat, ISP Warns

Wednesday 27 December 17:22:00 UTC 2017

U.S. Internet provider Armstrong has warned persistent pirates on its network of limiting their access to the thermostats if they didn't play by its rules. From a report: Our attention was caught by a recent letter the company sent to one of its users. The ISP points out that it received multiple copyright infringement notices, urging the customer to stop, … [Link]

Mashable » See heartbreaking fan tributes to Carrie Fisher, one year after her death

Wednesday 27 December 16:54:10 UTC 2017

The year since Carrie Fisher's untimely death has passed with indecent speed, but fans remember her as strongly as ever. Before and after Mark Hamill's heartbreaking tweet Wednesday morning, Fisher's fans have shared an outpouring of affection on social media that still bears the keen sting of grief. See some of their tributes below from the hashtag #CarrieOnForever. SEE ALSO: Carrie … [Link]

Mashable » The smart home is officially here, as proven by popular holiday gifts

Wednesday 27 December 16:53:59 UTC 2017

Read more… {"player":{"descript~ boy. ","image":"http~ Home review: Smaller, cheaper and smarter than the Amazon Echo","sources":[{&q~ time,real time video","sec0":null,&~ time,real time video","videoSeriesName&q~ More about Gadgets, Amazon, Smart Home, Echo, and Echo Dot [Link]

Mashable » Nintendo reportedly delays 64GB game cartridges and it might affect the Switch's popularity

Wednesday 27 December 16:47:57 UTC 2017

2017 was a big year for Nintendo's Switch, but a pretty big delay might slow things way down.  According to a Wall Street Journal report Wednesday, Nintendo has told outside developers that it is delaying 64-gig game cartridges for the Switch until 2019.  With its newest flagship console, Nintendo decided to bring back cartridges in place of disc-based games that ran … [Link]

Slashdot » Vietnam Deploys 10,000 Cyber Warriors to Fight 'Wrongful Views'

Wednesday 27 December 16:44:00 UTC 2017

Vietnam is deploying a 10,000-member military cyber warfare unit to combat what the government sees as a growing threat of "wrongful views" proliferating on the internet, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, citing local media reports. From the report: Force 47 has worked pro-actively against distorted information, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported, citing Nguyen Trong Nghia, deputy head of the general politics department … [Link]

Mashable » After getting crushed by Google's AlphaGo, humanity's top Go player will try to beat Chinese AI

Wednesday 27 December 16:34:45 UTC 2017

Google’s AI program AlphaGo whipped the world's top human Go player, Ke Jie, so resoundingly this spring that he said he wouldn't ever play a machine again.  Now, he's coming back for more.  SEE ALSO: AI in 2017 can't nearly match the smarts of 'Star Wars' droids — it barely understands us Except this time, Jie won't be facing any smart … [Link]

Mashable » Facebook just banned Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in compliance with U.S. sanctions

Wednesday 27 December 16:21:58 UTC 2017

Facebook obeys U.S. sanctions. This rule was made abundantly clear after a Russian internet watchdog demanded an explanation for why Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov's Facebook and Instagram accounts had been blocked.  SEE ALSO: 'Misinformer of the Year' award goes to Mark Zuckerberg The controversial leader said his accounts were blocked without an explanation on Saturday, according to The Guardian. The decision … [Link]

Slashdot » Acoustic Attacks on HDDs Can Sabotage PCs, CCTV Systems, ATMs, More

Wednesday 27 December 16:00:00 UTC 2017

Catalin Cimpanu, writing for BleepingComputer: Attackers can use sound waves to interfere with a hard drive's normal mode of operation, creating a temporary or permanent denial of state (DoS) that could be used to prevent CCTV systems from recording video footage or freeze computers dealing with critical operations. The basic principle behind this attack is that sound waves introduce mechanical … [Link]

Mashable » This dreamy hammock works in every occasion

Wednesday 27 December 15:49:37 UTC 2017

TiiPii Bed is a luxury hammock that is shaped like a teepee. Read more…More about Luxury, Furniture, Innovation, Indiegogo, and Sleep Products [Link]

Mashable » The Most Popular iOS Apps of 2017

Wednesday 27 December 15:39:07 UTC 2017

Read more…More about Apps, Mashable Reels, Sn Reels, Tech, and Iphone [Link]

Mashable » True wireless charging is about to become a thing

Wednesday 27 December 15:31:02 UTC 2017

Ever wish you could charge your gadgets wirelessly — and we mean truly wirelessly, not by placing them on a charging surface? That day may come quite soon, as the Federal Communications Commission has recently approved the first-ever "power-at-a-distance" wireless charger.  SEE ALSO: This dirt cheap Qi smartphone charger costs less than a standard charger Built by Energous — a company … [Link]

Mashable » Why Boxed Brownies Are Better Than the 'Real' Thing

Wednesday 27 December 15:25:44 UTC 2017

Read more…More about Desserts, Mashable Reels, Culture, and Food [Link]

Mashable » So, uh, Vin Diesel is 2017's top-grossing actor

Wednesday 27 December 15:23:52 UTC 2017

All jokes aside, people aren't sick of the Fast and Furious franchise yet. Just ask Vin Diesel, star of 2017's Fate of the Furious and this year's top-grossing actor.  On Tuesday Forbes reported that Diesel earned an impressive $1.6 billion in global ticketing receipts in 2017, no doubt thanks to the eighth installment of the action franchise, which topped $1.2 billion … [Link]

Mashable » Twitter accuses Vanity Fair of sexism after New Year's resolution video for Hillary Clinton

Wednesday 27 December 15:21:14 UTC 2017

A word of advice: Be very, very, very careful when making New Year's resolutions for other people, lest you come off as rude. Vanity Fair's The Hive learned this lesson the hard way after they published what was meant to be a humorous video about New Year's resolution suggestions for Hillary Clinton. Maybe it's time for Hillary Clinton to take up … [Link]

Slashdot » The Link Between Polygamy and War

Wednesday 27 December 15:20:00 UTC 2017

Is there a link between polygamy and war? The Economist explores (might be paywalled): Men in South Sudan typically marry as often as their wealth — often measured in cattle — will allow. Perhaps 40 percent of marriages are polygamous. "In [our] culture, the more family you have, the more people respect you," says William, a young IT specialist in … [Link]

Mashable » Mark Hamill has regrets about 'The Last Jedi' (but not the ones you think)

Wednesday 27 December 15:17:55 UTC 2017

Mark Hamill has some regrets about Luke Skywalker's fate in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. But maybe not the ones you think. SEE ALSO: Mark Hamill's tweet about 'Star Wars' reviews is peak Mark Hamill Recently, Hamill said in an interview with SensaCine that the Luke Skywalker in The Last Jedi – dark, brooding, pessimistic – was "not my Luke Skywalker." … [Link]

Mashable » 5 great comfort TV shows for 2017

Wednesday 27 December 15:11:55 UTC 2017

Hey, so, this year was rough. It's sort of no wonder, then, that it seemed people were turning to lighter fare when it came to fictional escapism. (Hulu said as much, noting comedy viewing was way up in 2017 compared to 2016) Don't misunderstand: I'm not advocating to tune out. But if you're like me, reality television has never really cut … [Link]

Mashable » Liz will start from scratch in 'Blacklist' winter premiere

Wednesday 27 December 15:02:50 UTC 2017

In the aftermath of Tom's (Ryan Eggold) death on The Blacklist, Liz (Megan Boone) has plans for his killers. A new clip from the show's winter premiere  shows Liz talking to Raymond (James Spader) about grieving – something which she has no intention of doing. SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones' star says final season won't premiere until 2019 The episode … [Link]

Mashable » 18-year-old daughter asks stepdad to adopt her in the best Christmas gift ever

Wednesday 27 December 14:49:33 UTC 2017

Some gifts are totally priceless. Makayla Dabney, an 18-year-old from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, gave her dad the best Christmas present anyone could hope to receive. SEE ALSO: At Christmas, these UNESCO protected botanical gardens turn into a living fairytale She wraps it really, REALLY well. (In the video, it takes him about five minutes to get through all the boxes … [Link]

Slashdot » Obama Warns Against Irresponsible Social Media Use

Wednesday 27 December 14:40:00 UTC 2017

In his first interview since leaving the White House in January, former President Barack Obama spoke about the dangers of irresponsible use of social media. From a report on BBC: He warned that such actions were distorting people's understanding of complex issues, and spreading misinformation. "All of us in leadership have to find ways in which we can recreate a … [Link]

Slashdot » Mozilla Patches Critical Bug in Thunderbird

Wednesday 27 December 14:00:00 UTC 2017

Mozilla has issued a critical security update to its popular open-source Thunderbird email client. From a report The patch was part of a December release of five fixes that included two bugs rated high and one rated moderate and another low. Mozilla said Thunderbird, which is also serves as a news, RSS and chat client, the latest Thunderbird 52.5.2 version … [Link]

Mashable » 10 video games we can't wait to get our hands on in 2018

Wednesday 27 December 13:29:56 UTC 2017

This past year was possibly the greatest year in video games ever, but it looks like 2018 could be giving 2017 a run for it's money with its amazing-looking lineup. With long-awaited sequels to beloved games, new takes on classic characters, and brand new entries in the video game world, 2018 is lining up to be another really great year for … [Link]

Mashable » Lewis Hamilton seeks forgiveness after mocking his nephew for wearing a dress

Wednesday 27 December 13:18:46 UTC 2017

Lewis Hamilton has apologised after posting a video to social media where he mocked his nephew for wearing a dress.  SEE ALSO: Lewis Hamilton sprayed Vladimir Putin with champagne after F1 race victory In the Instagram video, which has since been deleted, the Formula 1 driver is reported to have pointed the camera to his nephew who was wearing a pink … [Link]

Slashdot » Google's Voice-Generating AI Is Now Indistinguishable From Humans

Wednesday 27 December 13:00:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Quartz: A research paper published by Google this month — which has not been peer reviewed — details a text-to-speech system called Tacotron 2, which claims near-human accuracy at imitating audio of a person speaking from text. The system is Google's second official generation of the technology, which consists of two deep neural … [Link]

Mashable » Get these everyday wireless earbuds on super sale

Wednesday 27 December 13:00:00 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. If you're a human being, you probably have a love/hate relationship with Bluetooth earbuds. They're so incredibly convenient, but you're not quite sure how long they'll last for or when they'll let … [Link]

Mashable » Learn essential digital marketing skills with this best-selling online course

Wednesday 27 December 13:00:00 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. Any business owner who wants to be successful — and news flash, that's all of them — needs to have a solid digital marketing strategy in place. We use the internet more … [Link]

Mashable » Mark Hamill's tribute to Carrie Fisher will make you cry all over again

Wednesday 27 December 12:38:15 UTC 2017

It’s been exactly one year since the legend Carrie Fisher left us, and her on-screen brother Mark Hamill will never forget her. SEE ALSO: Carrie Fisher wrote some of her own lines in 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' The actor who plays Luke Skywalker tweeted a sweet and totally fitting tribute to the actress who played Princess Leia, and people responded … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Our lust for tastier chocolate has transformed the cocoa tree

Wednesday 27 December 10:46:36 UTC 2017

Ever since we domesticated the cocoa tree over 3000 years ago, we have been breeding them to make tastier chocolate – but in the process we have made them vulnerable [Link]

New Scientist – News » Love at first sight is really just lust or even false memory

Wednesday 27 December 10:46:35 UTC 2017

One in three people say they’ve felt love at first sight, but experiments suggest the phenomenon is actually just physical attraction or distorted memories [Link]

Mashable » Prince Harry expertly fields question on whether he's inviting Obama to his wedding

Wednesday 27 December 10:45:05 UTC 2017

Prince Harry definitely knows how to handle a difficult question. The prince bagged former U.S. President Barack Obama's first interview since leaving office, during his stint as guest editor of BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday. The two definitely had the banter, and you can tell that they're close. SEE ALSO: Barack Obama and Prince Harry want activists to get … [Link]

Mashable » Barack Obama and Prince Harry want activists to get off their hashtags and into the real world

Wednesday 27 December 10:11:51 UTC 2017

Former U.S. President Barack Obama says young people wanting to make change need to look up from their phones and get out into their community, in what he says is his first interview since he left office in January. He also warned that social media was causing people to have entirely different realities, and said leaders need to do more to … [Link]

Slashdot » FCC Approves First Wireless 'Power-At-A-Distance' Charging System

Wednesday 27 December 10:00:00 UTC 2017

The FCC has approved the first wireless charger that works from up to three feet away. Engadget reports: San Jose-based startup, Energous, announced on Tuesday that it has received the first such FCC certification for power-at-a-distance wireless charging with its WattUp Mid Field transmitter. The transmitter converts electricity into radio frequencies, then beams the energy to nearby devices outfitted with … [Link]

Mashable » Israel is looking to launch a national cryptocurrency

Wednesday 27 December 9:43:07 UTC 2017

Israel might be launching its own private Bitcoin in a few years.  The Bank of Israel is looking to issue a digital currency to create a faster payments system as well as reduce the country's reliance on cash, according to an anonymous source that spoke to Reuters. However, the project has not been finalized yet.  If the central bank gives the … [Link]

Mashable » 11 of the most hilariously awkward live British TV moments of 2017

Wednesday 27 December 9:30:00 UTC 2017

Television has given us many things over the past year. The second Season of Stranger Things. A fresh Twin Peaks chapter. The sweet, dulcet tones of David Attenborough, gently narrating a bunch of new Blue Planet episodes. SEE ALSO: 10 of the most incredible moments from 'Blue Planet II' But forget about all of that for the moment, because television has … [Link]

Mashable » Chrissy Teigen live tweets bizarre flight turnaround, featuring John Legend

Wednesday 27 December 7:24:28 UTC 2017

Yep, even celebrities have to go through travel nightmares. Chrissy Teigen experienced the pain on Tuesday, when the ANA 175 flight which departed Los Angeles for Tokyo was turned back after an "unauthorized person" was found on board, according to KTLA. SEE ALSO: 10 gift ideas for that friend who loves to travel LAX airport police told the news outlet that … [Link]

Slashdot » WeChat To Become China's Official Electronic ID System

Wednesday 27 December 7:00:00 UTC 2017

The popular mobile application WeChat is poised to become China's official electronic personal identification system. "The government of Guangzhou, capital of the southern coastal province of Guangdong, started on Monday a pilot program that creates a virtual ID card, which serves the same purpose as the traditional state-issued ID cards, through the WeChat accounts of registered users in the city's … [Link]

Mashable » Why Google's new Doodle is dedicated to Marlene Dietrich

Wednesday 27 December 6:36:31 UTC 2017

One of Hollywood's Golden Age legends has been glorified in a Google Doodle. The Doodle depicts Marlene Dietrich, famous for her breakout 1930 role as cabaret singer Lola-Lola in Germany’s first talking picture, Der Blaue Engel, and who was born on this day in 1901 — that's 116 years ago. SEE ALSO: Smart Google Doodle puts coding in everyone's hands Illustrated … [Link]

Mashable » Lego is helping physics students stay in school, 'cos it's the best

Wednesday 27 December 5:23:00 UTC 2017

Lego is great for kids, but it turns out it could do wonders for adult students too. Teachers at Flinders University in Australia are using Lego cars to help introductory physics students understand concepts like measurement error and variability, as well as improving their lab reporting skills and confidence.  SEE ALSO: This artist is breathing life into his Lego toys, turning … [Link]

Slashdot » Consumers In Germany Were Paid To Use Electricity This Holiday Season

Wednesday 27 December 3:30:00 UTC 2017

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Inhabitat: The cost of electricity in Germany has decreased so dramatically in the past few days that major consumers have actually been paid to use power from the grid. While "negative pricing" is not an everyday occurrence in the country, it does occur from time to time, as it did this holiday weekend. … [Link]

Mashable » Uber is selling off its auto-leasing business

Wednesday 27 December 2:53:55 UTC 2017

After confirming the closure of its auto-leasing business, Xchange Leasing, Uber is now reportedly selling it, according to The Wall Street Journal. The buyer? Car ownership startup Fair.com. SEE ALSO: Taxify launches in another country to challenge Uber's ride-sharing dominance Uber announced in September that it would be shutting down Xchange Leasing, its Delaware-based subsidiary which partners with auto dealerships to … [Link]

Mashable » Crowd has the best response after security tells fan to put his shoes back on

Wednesday 27 December 1:24:09 UTC 2017

Guess security can't kick them all out. A fan watching a cricket match between Australia and England on Tuesday was apparently told by security to put his shoes back on. SEE ALSO: This 72-year-old just completed his 2,000th marathon In case if you're not familiar with the game of cricket, matches can last over multiple days (players stop for lunch and … [Link]

Mashable » Crocodile turns up at house for Christmas and no one knows who it belongs to

Wednesday 27 December 0:45:28 UTC 2017

Here’s an absolute croc of a story. A one-metre-long freshwater crocodile was found "sitting quietly" by two residents in the front yard of a house on Christmas Day in Melbourne, Australia. They initially thought it was a large lizard. SEE ALSO: 13 times nature was scary AF in 2017 A snake catcher, Mark Pelley, was called by police to capture the … [Link]

Slashdot » Elon Musk Confirms Tesla Pickup Truck Coming 'After Model Y'

Wednesday 27 December 0:45:00 UTC 2017

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that a Tesla pickup truck is coming "right after Model Y." He said that he already has "the core design/engineering elements" in his mind and wants to bring it to market right after Model Y. Musk later added that the Tesla pickup will be "similar in size" or "slightly bigger" than a Ford F150 … [Link]

Slashdot » Beware: 'Digmine' Cryptocurrency Bot Is Spreading Via Facebook Messenger

Wednesday 27 December 0:03:00 UTC 2017

Cybersecurity firm Trend Micro has discovered a cryptocurrency bot that is being spread through Facebook Messenger. The bot, dubbed Digmine, was discovered in South Korea and has since been found in Vietnam, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Venezuela. TechSpot explains: Victims receive a file named "video_xxxx.zip" from one of their Facebook Messenger contacts. Opening it will load Chrome along … [Link]

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