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 » C Programming Language 'Has Completed a Comeback'

Sunday 7 January 23:34:00 UTC 2018

InfoWorld reports that "the once-declining C language" has "completed a comeback" — citing its rise to second place in the Tiobe Index of language popularity, the biggest rise of any language in 2017. An anonymous reader quotes their report: Although the language only grew 1.69 percentage points in its rating year over year in the January index, that was enough … [Link]

Mashable » Two Apple investors want the company to study limiting children's iPhone use

Sunday 7 January 22:47:55 UTC 2018

Kids and smartphones has always been a sensitive topic, but now a two Apple investors are calling on the tech giant to actually do something about it.  SEE ALSO: The iPhone is once again the best-selling tech product of the year According to a story from the Wall Street Journal, Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System sent … [Link]

Slashdot » Can You Install Linux On a 1993 PC?

Sunday 7 January 22:34:00 UTC 2018

The oldest x86 CPU that the Linux kernel supports today is theoretically the 486. However is this theory actually true in practice? I decided to put this theory to the test in my project. His site describes installing Gentoo Linux on an "ancient" IBM PS/1 Consultant 2133 19C (released in 1993), with 64MB SIMM-72 RAM. (Though to speed things up, … [Link]

Mashable » Hollywood stars will bring activists to the Golden Globes

Sunday 7 January 22:32:20 UTC 2018

Going beyond protest pins and black outfits, several Hollywood A-listers are bringing activists to the Golden Globes' red carpet on Sunday to show support for survivors of sexual harassment and assault. Actors Laura Dern, Amy Poehler, Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Emma Watson, Michelle Williams and Shailene Woodley have special guests joining them for the TV and film awards, according … [Link]

Slashdot » Pentagon Seeks Laser-Powered Bat Drones

Sunday 7 January 21:34:00 UTC 2018

Zorro quotes DefenseOne: A new contest seeks flight systems inspired by Mother Nature and powered by directed-energy beams. Tired: multi-rotor copters and fixed-wing drones. Wired: flying robots that move like living animals, are crafted of next-generation materials, and draw their power not from batteries but energy beamed from nearby aircraft… "The biological study of agile organisms such as bats and … [Link]

Mashable » Radiohead is reportedly suing Lana Del Rey over 'Creep' claim

Sunday 7 January 21:00:43 UTC 2018

There’s a new feud in the music industry: Singer Lana Del Rey confirmed on Saturday that alt-rock giant Radiohead has filed a copyright infringement suit, claiming one of Del Rey's song is too close to the band's breakout early-'90s hit, "Creep." What started as a tabloid rumor was seemingly confirmed by Del Rey's tweet on Sunday afternoon. It’s true about the … [Link]

Mashable » Disney shares a new look at 'A Wrinkle in Time' for the Golden Globes

Sunday 7 January 20:48:37 UTC 2018

Hey, look! A new peek at A Wrinkle in Time, Disney's Ava DuVernay-directed adaptation of the literary classic by Madeleine L'Engle! This Golden Globes TV spot isn't very long, but it's yet another look at one of the year's most highly anticipated movies. Featuring an all-star cast that includes Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, and Mindy Kaling and — as you … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Daily API RoundUp: SparrowOne, DeepAI, 3play Media, Kobiton

Sunday 7 January 20:43:17 UTC 2018

Every day, the ProgrammableWeb team is busy, updating its three primary directories for APIs, clients (language-specific libraries or SDKs for consuming or providing APIs), and source code samples. [Link]

Slashdot » After Intel ME, Researchers Find Security Bug In AMD's SPS Secret Chip-on-Chip

Sunday 7 January 20:34:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader writes: AMD has fixed, but not yet released BIOS/UEFI/firmware updates for the general public for a security flaw affecting the AMD Secure Processor. This component, formerly known as AMD PSP (Platform Security Processor), is a chip-on-chip security system, similar to Intel's much-hated Management Engine (ME). Just like Intel ME, the AMD Secure Processor is an integrated coprocessor … [Link]

Mashable » Amy Schumer calls out 'E! News' for pay disparity ahead of Golden Globes

Sunday 7 January 20:20:17 UTC 2018

Comedian Amy Schumer put E! News on blast and is encouraging others walking the red carpet at Sunday's Golden Globes television and movie award show to do the same to promote pay equality. Schumer said in an Instagram post she'll be letting the entertainment network and audiences know she stands with Catt Sadler and equal pay for women in the entertainment … [Link]

Mashable » New York's JFK Airport turns into a mob scene as disasters pile on

Sunday 7 January 19:47:13 UTC 2018

It’s rare for a single airport to make headlines, but that's what happens when a cascading series of events shuts down one of the world's biggest transit hubs. John F. Kennedy International Airport is in a state of disarray on Sunday as nasty weather, blistering cold, and human error conspired to create a logjam that's left travelers stranded and planes grounded … [Link]

Slashdot » John Young, Legendary Astronaut, Dies at Age 87

Sunday 7 January 19:34:00 UTC 2018

Legendary astronaut John Young — who walked on the moon and piloted the first space shuttle — died Friday at the age of 87. schwit1 shares a nice profile from CBS News: A naval aviator and test pilot, Young logged more than 15,275 hours flying time in a variety of aircraft, including 9,200 hours in T-38 jets. He spent 835 … [Link]

Mashable » Poor Brad Pitt outbid for chance to watch 'Game of Thrones' with Emilia Clarke

Sunday 7 January 19:00:00 UTC 2018

Stars: they're just like us! They really love Game of Thrones and they're super stoked at the opportunity to watch the show with its stars and ask a lot of questions, like, "No, really, what's the deal with the ice dragon?" or "Is Bran really the Night King?" But, as a famous band once sang, you can't always get what you … [Link]

Mashable » Tense CNN showdown with Trump staffer leaves supporters of both sides feeling like they won

Sunday 7 January 18:47:26 UTC 2018

2018 is already off to a surreal, hot fire start thanks, in part, to a lot of fire and fury over Michael Wolff's new book on the first year of the Trump administration and the debate over what's true and what's not. SEE ALSO: The 14 most mind-blowing items from Michael Wolff's tell-all Trump book excerpt Enter CNN's Jake Tapper, one … [Link]

Slashdot » Google Sold 6.75 Million 'Google Home' Devices In the Last 80 Days

Sunday 7 January 18:34:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes TechCrunch: Google today announced that it sold "tens of millions of Google devices for the home" over the course of the last year and that it sold "more than one Google Home device every second since Google Home Mini started shipping in October," with roughly 6.75 million seconds since October 19 (the day the Home Mini … [Link]

Geek Culture » RIP to a Legend. John Young

Sunday 7 January 18:07:19 UTC 2018

What a life! [Link]

Slashdot » Researchers Create 'Psychedelic' Stickers That Confuse AI Image Recognition

Sunday 7 January 17:34:00 UTC 2018

"Researchers at Google were able to create little stickers with 'psychedelic'-looking patterns on them that could trick computer AI image-classifying algorithms into mis-classifying images of objects that it would normally be able to recognize," writes amxcoder: The patterned stickers work by tricking the image recognition algorithm into focusing on, and studying, the little pattern on the small sticker — and … [Link]

Mashable » An ode to Will Smith's perfect Instagram account

Sunday 7 January 17:00:00 UTC 2018

If you ask me, there was only one good thing to come out of social media in 2017 and it came with three weeks to spare.  It wasn't the tide pod craze, it wasn't Chrissy Teigen and John Legend's strange flight, and it wasn't the drama involving the royal wedding's guest list either — it was Willard Carroll "Will" Smith Jr. … [Link]

Mashable » Cleveland Browns fans commiserate winless season with a parade of protest

Sunday 7 January 16:52:09 UTC 2018

As the NFL playoffs prepared to kickoff on Saturday in Kansas City and Los Angeles, a few thousands fans gathered on the shores of a frozen Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio to toast a different milestone altogether: a winless season by the Cleveland Browns. SEE ALSO: Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and the Cavs took a subway ride like it was no … [Link]

Slashdot » NASA Tests a Drone To Explore Jupiter's Moon in Antarctica

Sunday 7 January 16:34:00 UTC 2018

Three months of research in Antarctica is just the beginning for one Georgia Tech researcher, according to an article shared by schwit1: The waters beneath our planet's ice sheet are fascinating, turning up species few people have ever laid eyes on. But they are not the final target of this chase. Icefin [a 10-foot-long subsea drone] is meant to search … [Link]

Slashdot » A Popular Sugar Additive May Have Fueled the Spread of Two Superbugs

Sunday 7 January 15:34:00 UTC 2018

Zorro (Slashdot reader #15,797) quotes the Los Angeles Times: Two bacterial strains that have plagued hospitals around the country may have been at least partly fueled by a sugar additive in our food products, scientists say. Trehalose, a sugar that is added to a wide range of food products, could have allowed certain strains of Clostridium difficile to become far … [Link]

Mashable » 2018 needs to be the year of private spaceflight companies fulfilling their past promises

Sunday 7 January 15:01:18 UTC 2018

It’s time for private spaceflight to start making good on its promises. And in 2018, hopefully it will do just that. From SpaceX's long-promised first flight of the Falcon Heavy rocket to NASA's plan to contract private companies to deliver astronauts to the International Space Station, 2018 should be the year when spaceflight companies start meeting many of their long-touted goals.  … [Link]

Mashable » 'Call Me By Your Name' is the rare case where you should watch the movie before reading the book

Sunday 7 January 15:00:00 UTC 2018

It's officially Hollywood awards season, which means anxious moviegoers around the world can finally watch and compare the movies we've been hearing about for ages.  Perhaps the most elusive is Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name. The film is currently only playing in New York and Los Angeles and awaiting a wider release, which means that you have time … [Link]

Mashable » It's not just 'mansplaining': Here are some more words to describe things men do wrong

Sunday 7 January 15:00:00 UTC 2018

Men do bad things with shocking consistency — that's why we have words like manspreading, mansplaining, and hepeating.  But there's an endless list of other male flaws out there that are as yet unlabeled … until now. Sort of.  The list below should help better prepare you for the next time you have to interact with a man. Use these words … [Link]

Slashdot » Nvidia Wants To Prohibit Consumer GPU Use In Datacenters

Sunday 7 January 14:34:00 UTC 2018

The Register reports: Nvidia has banned the use of its GeForce and Titan gaming graphics cards in data centers — forcing organizations to fork out for more expensive gear, like its latest Tesla V100 chips. The chip-design giant updated its GeForce and Titan software licensing in the past few days, adding a new clause that reads: "No Datacenter Deployment. The … [Link]

Mashable » Buttonless Bluetooth earbuds can seriously improve gym life, and they're 50% off

Sunday 7 January 13:00:00 UTC 2018

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. Headphones serve a strictly utilitarian purpose, so you'd think shopping for them would be a breeze. But in reality? It's a total nightmare. With tons of brands, styles, and price points to … [Link]

Mashable » Beat dead zone boredom with the help of bookmarking service EmailThis

Sunday 7 January 13:00:00 UTC 2018

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 often have you gotten stuck in an area with terrible Wi-Fi or a spotty signal and no entertainment options? You resort to using your smartphone, but you can only play Candy … [Link]

Mashable » Project emojis into your toilet bowl with this device because who says you don't know how to have fun

Sunday 7 January 13:00:00 UTC 2018

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. There aren't many ways to make the bathroom exceptionally exciting or glamorous. Sure, you can read a book or catch up on your Instagram stories, but when it comes down to it, … [Link]

Slashdot » Would You Use a Smartphone-Style Laptop With a Three-Day Battery Life?

Sunday 7 January 11:34:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes USA Today: "Always connected personal computers" — or ACPCs — refer to a new breed of Windows laptops with three key features: a battery that can last multiple days; instant-on access when you open the lid or touch a key; and an optional high-speed cellular connection, to avoid hunting for a Wi-Fi hotspot to get online. … [Link]

Slashdot » Google Loses Up to 250 Bikes a Week

Sunday 7 January 8:34:00 UTC 2018

What's happening to Google's 1,100 Gbikes? The Mercury News reports: Last summer, it emerged that some of the company's bikes — intended to help Googlers move quickly and in environmentally friendly fashion around the company's sprawling campus and surrounding areas — were sleeping with the fishes in Stevens Creek. And now, a new report has revealed that 100 to 250 … [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: What's the Best Media Streaming Device?

Sunday 7 January 5:24:00 UTC 2018

The network card died on Thelasko's smart TV — and rather than spend $65 on a new one, they're considering buying a nice, simple streaming box. I am running a Rygel server on my PC, but rarely use it… I primarily only watch Amazon Prime, Netflix, and YouTube for streaming, and am wondering what Slashdot users have found to be … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Fight continues over whether sex addiction is a real thing

Sunday 7 January 4:02:41 UTC 2018

Guidelines from the World Health Organization are being drawn up that may recognise sexual compulsivity as a mental disorder [Link]

Slashdot » Your Car May Soon Start Serving You Ads

Sunday 7 January 2:19:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes SiliconBeat: Santa Clara auto-tech firm Telenav has just announced an "in-car advertising platform" for cars that connect to the internet. Telenav wants to sell the system to major auto manufacturers. And although it's probably the last thing many consumers want, vehicle owners will pay more for connected-car services if they decline the ads. "This approach helps … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » What Airport and API Security Have in Common

Sunday 7 January 1:47:10 UTC 2018

Just like airport security, a system hosting a public API has to deal with heavy loads of incoming traffic every day. Most of that traffic, most of the time, is legitimate but sometimes some of it is not. David Andrzejek over at Helpnetsecurity explains to you how, by taking a leaf out of the airport security book, you can keep … [Link]

Slashdot » Can We Replace Intel x86 With an Open Source Chip?

Sunday 7 January 0:14:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes, Jason Perlow, the senior technology editor at ZDNet: Perhaps the Meltdown and Spectre bugs are the impetus for making long-overdue changes to the core DNA of the semiconductor industry and how chip architectures are designed… Linux (and other related FOSS tech that forms the overall stack) is now a mainstream operating system that forms the basis … [Link]

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