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.

Mashable » Ruth Bader Ginsburg finally shares what she thinks of Kate McKinnon's SNL impersonations

Sunday 21 January 23:39:04 UTC 2018

Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn't one to ignore a good meme or joke, especially if it's about her.  The Supreme Court justice revealed her thoughts about the "Notorious RGB" memes long ago. But now, while in conversation with NPR's Nina Totenberg at Sundance Film Festival to promote her documentary RGB, Ginsburg shared a few thoughts on Kate McKinnon's hilarious SNL impersonations and … [Link]

Slashdot » Can A New Open Photo File Format Replace JPEGs?

Sunday 21 January 23:37:39 UTC 2018

Got lossless compression? An anonymous reader quotes CNET: Google, Mozilla and others in a group called the Alliance for Open Media are working on a rival photo technology. In testing so far, the images are 15 percent smaller than Apple's HEIC photo format, said Tim Terriberry, a Mozilla principal research engineer working on the project. But smaller sizes are just … [Link]

Slashdot » Church Elder/'Jeopardy' Champion Charged With Computer Crimes

Sunday 21 January 23:04:00 UTC 2018

Stephanie Jass, a record-setting, seven-time winner on Jeopardy, has been charged with two felonies for accessing the email accounts of two executives at the college where she worked as an assistant professor. An anonymous reader quotes MLive: Jass was able to access the accounts because of an April 24 issue with the college email system, hosted by Google. Frank Hribar, … [Link]

Mashable » HQ Trivia finally makes its UK debut

Sunday 21 January 22:32:44 UTC 2018

This is anything but trivial: the popular app-based game show HQ Trivia has made it to the UK.  Now, Brits can compete for $11 winnings with regular games geared toward UK audiences. One of the game's hosts Sharon Carpenter, who is from England, will be the popular online show's host for across the pond. SEE ALSO: Download this: An app to … [Link]

Mashable » It looks like audiobooks are finally coming to the Google Play store

Sunday 21 January 22:04:43 UTC 2018

A glimmer of a shadow of a possibility that Google Play will soon be offering audiobooks has the bibliophiles of the internet buzzing. When a tech blog spotted a banner ad for audiobooks directly through Google's online store, Google Play, everyone jumped on their seemingly imminent arrival. There's only one issue: The link that was apparently from the ad last week … [Link]

Slashdot » Microsoft Fights Search Warrants for Overseas Emails in the Supreme Court

Sunday 21 January 22:04:00 UTC 2018

Microsoft's Chief Legal Officer writes about "the landmark Microsoft case that will decide whether the U.S. government can use a search warrant to force a company to seize a customer's private emails stored in Ireland and import them to the United States." On Thursday, 289 different groups and individuals from 37 countries signed 23 different legal briefs supporting Microsoft's position … [Link]

Mashable » John Malkovich is here to hype the Jaguars-Patriots AFC showdown

Sunday 21 January 21:55:04 UTC 2018

The best football ads are the weird football ads. So it was with Electronic Arts' Madden Season debut back in 2014, and so it is now with CBS Sports' "teaser" video for Sunday's AFC Championship match-up between the Jacksonville Jaguars and New England Patriots. SEE ALSO: Chrissy Teigen and the rest of the internet bewildered by Philadelphia's #CriscoCops No explanation needed, … [Link]

Mashable » The UK's new Minister of Loneliness to battle 'a poison to humans'

Sunday 21 January 21:50:54 UTC 2018

Last week, British Prime Minister Theresa May appointed an official "minister of loneliness" to the government.  It's not as bizarre as one might think at first. In fact, experts who study the health effects of chronic loneliness are cheering the move.  Combating a disease whose cause isn't so outwardly pernicious — like cigarette use or alcoholism — is expected to be … [Link]

Mashable » Making GIFs just got way easier thanks to Google's keyboard app

Sunday 21 January 21:17:55 UTC 2018

Finding and sending GIFs has never been easier, but GBoard's latest update has taken things one step further.  If you're an iOS user, the Google keyboard app now has a simplified way to create your own GIFs because the more looped images the world has, the better.   SEE ALSO: Google wants your phone screen to double as a speaker According … [Link]

Mashable » Women running for political office dominate 'Time' magazine cover

Sunday 21 January 21:12:11 UTC 2018

It’s not just a few pink pussyhats, a handful of marchers, #MeToo posts, or women launching political campaigns — a huge surge of women is getting involved in politics. A movement is here. SEE ALSO: Trump was a disaster for women in 2017. It may be his undoing. After the one-year anniversary of the inaugural Women's March on Washington, Time magazine's … [Link]

Mashable » Photo of Donald Trump at his desk inspires epic Twitter thread of past presidents at work

Sunday 21 January 21:04:45 UTC 2018

The White House press team might want to ask for a mulligan on this one. One day into the U.S. government's first shutdown since 2013, the White House sent out a press blast featuring photos of Donald Trump at work. The message was simple: Look at our president working so hard to end this shutdown. SEE ALSO: Here's what kids think … [Link]

Slashdot » Amazon Opens 'Surveillance-Powered, No-Checkout Convenience Store'

Sunday 21 January 21:04:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes GeekWire: The first Amazon Go grocery and convenience store will open to the public Monday in Seattle — letting any person with an Amazon account, the Amazon Go app and a willingness to give up more of their personal privacy than usual simply grab anything they want and walk out, without going through a checkout line… … [Link]

Mashable » Jeanette Epps is not the only astronaut NASA has removed from their planned flights

Sunday 21 January 20:59:03 UTC 2018

On Jan. 18, NASA announced that astronaut Jeanette Epps would not fly, as expected, to the International Space Station in June. The mission would have been historic, since she would have become the first African-American crewmember on the orbiting outpost.  The space agency hasn't released any information about why Epps was benched from her planned mission, saying only that "these decisions … [Link]

Slashdot » Challenging Tesla, Ferrari Will Build An Electric Sportscar — and an SUV

Sunday 21 January 19:59:00 UTC 2018

Long-time Slashdot reader Kant shared an article from The Verge: Ferrari will build a battery-electric supercar in a bid to challenge Tesla for a piece of the high-end, eco-conscious luxury market. CEO Sergio Marchionne, who also heads Fiat Chrysler, said that the Italian racecar company would also make a Ferrari SUV — after previously dismissing the idea as ridiculous. Speaking … [Link]

Slashdot » Pentagon Document Confirms Existence of Russian Doomsday Torpedo

Sunday 21 January 19:58:59 UTC 2018

Popular Mechanics reports that "a key U.S. nuclear weapons document confirms that the Russian government is developing the most powerful nuclear weapon in more than a half century…a 'new intercontinental, nuclear-armed undersea autonomous torpedo'" with a range of 6,200 miles. But what really makes "Kanyon" nightmare fuel is the drone torpedo's payload: a 100-megaton thermonuclear weapon. By way of comparison, … [Link]

Slashdot » Ask Slashdot: What's the Fastest Linux Distro for an Old Macbook 7,1?

Sunday 21 January 19:58:58 UTC 2018

Long-time Slashdot reader gr8gatzby writes: I have an old beautiful mint condition white Macbook 7,1 with a 2.4Ghz Core 2 Duo and 5GB RAM. Apple cut off the upgrade path of this model at 10.6.8, while a modern-day version of any browser requires at least 10.9 these days, and as a result my browsing is limited to Chrome version 49.0.2623.112. … [Link]

Slashdot » Apple and Google Are Rerouting Their Employee Buses as Attacks Resume

Sunday 21 January 19:58:57 UTC 2018

Slashdot reader sqorbit writes: Apple runs shuttle buses for it's employees in San Francisco. It seems someone who is not happy with Apple has decided to take out their anger on these buses. In an email obtained by Mashable, Apple states "Due to recent incidents of broken windows along the commute route, specifically on highway 280, we're re-routing coaches for … [Link]

Slashdot » Donald Knuth Turns 80, Seeks Problem-Solvers For TAOCP

Sunday 21 January 19:34:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader writes: When 24-year-old Donald Knuth began writing The Art of Computer Programming, he had no idea that he'd still be working on it 56 years later. This month he also celebrated his 80th birthday in Sweden with the world premier of Knuth's Fantasia Apocalyptica, a multimedia work for pipe organ and video based on the bible's Book … [Link]

Slashdot » iPhone X Purchase Leads To Police, Battering Ram, and Handcuffs

Sunday 21 January 18:34:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes CBS SFBayArea: On one recent morning, Rick Garcia and his wife Shannon Knuth woke up to a posse of San Francisco police officers at their front door. "I peered through the peephole and I saw a police officer and a battering ram," Garcia said. "We heard 'SFPD' and 'warrant,' and I was like 'what's going on?'" … [Link]

Mashable » Chrissy Teigen and the rest of the internet bewildered by Philadelphia's #CriscoCops

Sunday 21 January 18:15:06 UTC 2018

Football fandom is a helluva thing. Philadelphia officials are so concerned over the possibility of rioting on Sunday night, after the city's Eagles face off against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game, that they're resorting to extreme measures: Crews are greasing up light poles to stop people from climbing them. SEE ALSO: The rest of the NFL playoffs will … [Link]

Mashable » Scarlett Johansson brilliantly called out James Franco during her Women's March speech

Sunday 21 January 17:36:11 UTC 2018

As one of the many women who began Time's Up, the initiative advocating for women in all industries financially and otherwise, Scarlett Johansson was invited to speak at Los Angeles' Women's March—and she used her moment on stage to call out a number of issues, and one person in particular. “How could a person publicly stand by an organization that helps … [Link]

Slashdot » Can Machine Learning Guess True Emotions From Facial Microexpressions?

Sunday 21 January 17:34:00 UTC 2018

jbmartin6 writes: Microexpressions are fast, involuntary facial expressions which other people may not consciously recognize, but arise from our real emotions instead of the face we wish to present to the world. Carnegie Mellon University released an interesting blog entry about new approaches to using computers to recognize these microexpressions with a focus on the security and military applications. If … [Link]

Slashdot » Has the Decades-Old Floating Point Error Problem Been Solved?

Sunday 21 January 16:34:00 UTC 2018

overheardinpdx quotes HPCwire: Wednesday a company called Bounded Floating Point announced a "breakthrough patent in processor design, which allows representation of real numbers accurate to the last digit for the first time in computer history. This bounded floating point system is a game changer for the computing industry, particularly for computationally intensive functions such as weather prediction, GPS, and autonomous … [Link]

Mashable » All the fiercest signs from the Time's Up rally in London

Sunday 21 January 16:28:55 UTC 2018

A chorus of women and girls of all generations shouted the words "Time's Up" outside Downing Street, the epicentre of UK government. Through the rain, sleet and, snow, thousands gathered next to the UK's corridors of power to mark the one-year anniversary of the Women's March in London. SEE ALSO: All the best signs from round 2 of the Women's March … [Link]

Mashable » Peter Dinklage is ready for 'Game of Thrones' to be over

Sunday 21 January 15:58:45 UTC 2018

Peter Dinklage is out in Utah to rep his new movie I Think We're Alone Now at the annual Sundance Film Festival and — of course — he's fielding questions about Game of Thrones. HBO's hit series is set to conclude with its eighth season in 2019, Dinklage seems like he's ready to bid farewell to Tyrion Lannister in an … [Link]

Mashable » Reporter has a major fan moment about Ricky Martin in front of Ricky Martin

Sunday 21 January 15:27:40 UTC 2018

It’s not every day you accidentally spill your celebrity crush secrets to that very celebrity crush.  Chicago's WGN reporter Ana Belaval experienced just that last week when she found herself on-air via satellite with none other than Ricky Martin, who has been promoting his latest project, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.  SEE ALSO: San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín … [Link]

Mashable » 17 Instagram accounts showcase how important feminism is in 2018

Sunday 21 January 15:00:00 UTC 2018

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's no surprise that feminism was the word of the year in 2017. After 2016's political rollercoaster, people began using their voices, platforms, and actions to demand change.  However, the overwhelming demand to stay in touch … [Link]

Mashable » 'Saturday Night Live' took 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' to dark and weird places this week

Sunday 21 January 14:55:07 UTC 2018

The internet loves Fresh Prince of Bel-Air nostalgia, so it seems pretty clear Saturday Night Live created this parody just for us. In the sketch's redone and significantly expanded Fresh Prince opening credits, Chris Redd-as-Will Smith weaves a suspenseful tale. The west Philadelphia troubles that sent him packing to sunny Bel-Air came with a side of vengeance from the local … [Link]

Mashable » Stormy Daniels and Robert Mueller held a mirror up to America on 'SNL' Weekend Update

Sunday 21 January 14:15:22 UTC 2018

It's time to face facts, fellow Americans. Many of us are now in a place where we're actively rooting for an investigation to uncover acts of treason by the United States president. We're riveted by a 5,000-word interview with porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleged that the same president engaged in an extramarital affair with her. Cecily Strong, appearing as … [Link]

Mashable » Help your kids get through flu season with these thermal stuffed animals

Sunday 21 January 14:00:00 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. Remember when you were a kid and accidentally hurt yourself playing, but your frugal parents didn't want to waste money on actual ice packs? They would just give you a little plastic … [Link]

Mashable » Learn life hacks from some of the world's most successful people

Sunday 21 January 14:00:00 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. New year, new goals: some of them lofty, some a little more approachable. Whenever the slate is wiped clean with the promise of a fresh start, most people start thinking of ways … [Link]

Mashable » Learn how to make money on Instagram by taking this online course

Sunday 21 January 14:00:00 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. If you can't walk down the sidewalk without running into someone with their head buried in their phone, there's a 95% chance it's because they're scrolling through their Instagram feed. It's probably … [Link]

Mashable » 'Saturday Night Live' assures us President Trump is in peak physical condition in briefing room cold open

Sunday 21 January 13:06:36 UTC 2018

One of the easiest ways for Saturday Night Live to cover a week of news out of the Oval Office – when you don't have Alec Baldwin at your disposal – is to toss Aidy Bryant as Sarah Huckabee Sanders in front of the White House Press Briefing podium.  On a day that marks one year in office for President … [Link]

Mashable » Why I deleted the Instagram app — and you should think about it too

Sunday 21 January 13:00:00 UTC 2018

Instagram has never been my favorite app, perhaps because I love reading words more than staring at photos. But beyond that core element, it's continued to be the bane of my existence — at least while writing about the tech industry, chatting with friends, and watching the world around me strain to be more "Instagrammable."  SEE ALSO: 2017's most memorable Instagram … [Link]

Mashable » Jessica Chastain breaks character in nihilistic SNL game show sketch

Sunday 21 January 12:57:15 UTC 2018

In a surreal – yet too real – moment on Saturday Night Live tonight, Jessica Chastain deliberately broke character as a talk show host to lament, what even matters anymore? Chastain ostensibly plays host Veronica Elders, quizzing contestants played by Cecily Strong, Kate McKinnon, and Kenan Thompson on whether newsworthy things President Trump has said or done recently even rate … [Link]

Mashable » Jessica Chastain declares 'You Don't Own Me' in powerful 'SNL' monologue

Sunday 21 January 12:45:06 UTC 2018

Jessica Chastain, lamenting both her dearth of fun, flighty girl roles and her absence from this weekend's Women's Marches, gave a singing, dancing monologue to kick off tonight's Saturday Night Live hosting duties – all to the tune of Lesley Gore's female empowerment anthem, "You Don't Own Me." Flanked by SNL mainstays Kate McKinnon and Cecily Strong, Chastain belted out … [Link]

Slashdot » Rocket Lab Successfully Reaches Orbit and Deploys Its First Satellites

Sunday 21 January 4:24:00 UTC 2018

Long-time Slashdot reader ClarkMills writes: Rocket Lab has successfully launched its second Electron rocket from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula, with the rocket reaching orbit for the first time… This follows the company's first launch last May, in which the rocket got to space but did not make it to orbit after range safety officials had to kill the flight. Just … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Is It Time For Open Processors?'

Sunday 21 January 2:19:00 UTC 2018

Linux kernel developer (and LWN.net co-founder) Jonathan Corbet recently posted an essay with a tantalizing title: "Is it time for open processors?" He cited several "serious initiatives", including the OpenPOWER effort, OpenSPARC, and OpenRISC, adding that "much of the momentum" appears to be with the RISC-V architecture. An anonymous reader quotes LWN.net: The [RISC-V] project is primarily focused on the … [Link]

Slashdot » Flat Earther Plans New Rocket Launch, Predicts Super Bowl-Sized Ratings

Sunday 21 January 0:14:00 UTC 2018

Self-taught rocket scientist/daredevil "Mad" Mike Hughes will finally launch his homemade rocket in two weeks — despite "anonymous online haters questioning his every move." An anonymous reader quotes PhillyVoice: He's found some private land in the "ghost town" of Amboy, California — complete with a brand-spanking-new road that'll enable him to get his motor home and rocket gear to the … [Link]

Archive

23 Apr 2024  22 Apr 2024  21 Apr 2024  20 Apr 2024  19 Apr 2024  18 Apr 2024  17 Apr 2024  16 Apr 2024  15 Apr 2024  14 Apr 2024  13 Apr 2024  12 Apr 2024  11 Apr 2024  10 Apr 2024  09 Apr 2024  08 Apr 2024  07 Apr 2024  06 Apr 2024  05 Apr 2024  04 Apr 2024  03 Apr 2024  02 Apr 2024  01 Apr 2024  31 Mar 2024  30 Mar 2024  29 Mar 2024  28 Mar 2024  27 Mar 2024  26 Mar 2024  25 Mar 2024  24 Mar 2024  23 Mar 2024