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.

Slashdot » Trump's New Infrastructure Plan Calls For Selling Off Two Airports

Monday 12 February 23:20:00 UTC 2018

The Trump administration has released an infrastructure plan on Monday that proposes that the federal government considers selling off Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport. According to Trump's blueprint, the administration wants to allow federal agencies to divest assets if they "can demonstrate an increase in value from the sale would optimize the taxpayer value for … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Super-accurate atomic clock used in real world for first time

Monday 12 February 23:06:37 UTC 2018

Atomic clocks are the best timekeepers, but they usually must be kept in a lab to work. Now, they've been used to measure gravity's effect on time in the Alps [Link]

Mashable » Man builds a singing Furby organ, and the results are horrifying

Monday 12 February 23:00:17 UTC 2018

Remember Furbys, the must-have creepy, robotic toy of the 1998 holiday season? Well, they never went away, they were just resting, and now they're ready for their revival. YouTuber Sam Battle of LOOK MUM NO COMPUTER finally found a use for all of those abandoned Furbys by building his very own Furby organ. Yes, he turned 44 Furbys into a … [Link]

Slashdot » Amazon Is Cutting Hundreds of Corporate Jobs

Monday 12 February 22:40:00 UTC 2018

According to a Seattle Times report, Amazon is laying off hundreds of corporate workers in its Seattle headquarters and elsewhere. "The corporate cuts come after an eight-year hiring spree, taking the company from 5,000 in 2010 to 40,000 in its Seattle headquarters and gobbling up several retail businesses throughout the country," reports TechCrunch. From the report: However, according to the … [Link]

Mashable » Pun-filled Valentine's Day cards that will make your loved one smile

Monday 12 February 22:32:24 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. Whether it's for Valentine's Day, an anniversary, or just because, love is always best expressed with humor — even if it's an eye-rolling worthy pun. With Valentine's Day right around the corner, here are a few … [Link]

Mashable » Dad jokes are the best jokes, as proven by MoonPie's Twitter

Monday 12 February 22:25:37 UTC 2018

The MoonPie Twitter account, known for being one of the most absurd brands on Twitter, is at it again. This time with a mix of dad jokes and meta-references. SEE ALSO: 11 times brands were the greatest trolls on Twitter in 2017 Good one dad pic.twitter.com/57WbhLJXVP — MoonPie (@MoonPie) February 12, 2018 I'm not quite sure if MoonDad is real or … [Link]

Mashable » Trump wants NASA astronauts back on the moon, but it won't happen while he's in office

Monday 12 February 22:17:48 UTC 2018

The Trump administration is serious about sending robots and spacecraft back to the moon — although no NASA astronaut will set foot on the chalky lunar surface until after President Trump leaves office. The White House released its Fiscal Year 2019 NASA budget proposal on Monday, and it confirmed the administration's plans to prioritize space exploration while stepping away from supporting … [Link]

Mashable » Cybersecurity researchers say Olympics hacker aimed to embarrass

Monday 12 February 22:14:54 UTC 2018

The hot new trend in Winter Olympics fashion? Making the host country look like a chump. Following reports that Olympic organizers had their servers hacked during the opening ceremony, security researchers have dug into the malware responsible and come to an interesting conclusion: Embarrassment was the name of the game. SEE ALSO: Olympic organizers hit with hack during opening ceremony According … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Australia’s deadly 1800s storms help us predict future extremes

Monday 12 February 22:10:00 UTC 2018

Meteorologists cannot currently predict the monster storms that occasionally strike Australia, but decades of newspaper accounts suggest there may be a pattern [Link]

Mashable » Go camping anywhere with this wearable sleeping bag

Monday 12 February 22:09:59 UTC 2018

Selk’bag lets you wear your sleeping bag while you walk around. Read more…More about Tech, Wearables, Bed, Wearable Tech, and Innovations [Link]

Mashable » The latest viral challenge will have you sleeping in Ikea, and police are cracking down

Monday 12 February 22:07:40 UTC 2018

South Yorkshire police issued a warning about a new internet trend called the "24 hour challenge" after an 11-year-old boy went missing. The challenge involves staying the night in an Ikea store undetected and sneaking out in the morning. The trend took-off in 2016 when 2 YouTubers successfully stayed the night at the warehouse. Read more…More about Watercooler, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, … [Link]

Mashable » Netflix’s comedy ‘Everything Sucks’ is pure ‘90s nostalgia

Monday 12 February 22:04:31 UTC 2018

A new Netflix original comedy Everything Sucks brings fans the familiar drama of high school in the late '90s. Read more…More about Entertainment, Netflix, Mashable Video, Watching, and 90s [Link]

Slashdot » Reddit Audiophiles Test HomePod, Say It Sounds Better Than $1,000 Speaker

Monday 12 February 22:03:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Apple released its much-hyped HomePod speaker to the masses last week, and the general consensus among early reviews is that it sounds superb for a relatively small device. But most of those reviews seem to have avoided making precise measurements of the HomePod's audio output, instead relying on personal experience to … [Link]

Mashable » Patrisse Cullors says she's not a fan of 'woke'

Monday 12 February 22:02:10 UTC 2018

Patrisse Cullors, the co-founder of 'Black Lives Matter,' talks about the common misconceptions people have regarding the movement, Black History Month, and the word 'woke.' Read more…More about Black Lives Matter, Black History Month, African American, Activism, and Civil Rights [Link]

Mashable » How I cleaned up my embarrassing Twitter history

Monday 12 February 21:56:02 UTC 2018

This may be hard to imagine, but I, a now hilarious 24-year-old with impressive self-control and impeccable taste in movies, music, and celebrity crushes, have not always crafted the best tweets. Sure, my Twitter fingers are professionally trained at this point. But when I first made my debut in 2011, I was an angsty 18-year-old, obsessed with One Tree Hill, listening … [Link]

Mashable » 'The Walking Dead' mid-season teasers are for all you Olympics haters out there

Monday 12 February 21:50:41 UTC 2018

Let’s face it, the Olympics may not be for everybody, but at least there's The Walking Dead to welcome you back with open arms once the Winter Games are over. (Also: Watch the Winter Olympics, though!) SEE ALSO: 'The Walking Dead' episode that kills Carl will be extra-long AMC made a series of teasers for the return of The Walking Dead … [Link]

Mashable » Snapchat takes us inside the Olympics like never before

Monday 12 February 21:39:01 UTC 2018

The Olympics is a spectacle, a very expensive spectacle. NBC holds the exclusive TV rights very, very dearly, spending $963 million just for these Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The media giant already got that back in ad sales, but how's the audience? For TV, the viewership numbers might not look so great. If you're like 20-something millennial in NYC who works … [Link]

Mashable » New 'Game of Thrones' info hints at the bleak fate of King's Landing

Monday 12 February 21:30:17 UTC 2018

Ah: the map room. Watching Cersei arrogantly tramping over the seven kingdoms of Westeros in the Red Keep's courtyard was perhaps the most apt metaphor for her rise to power. We left Cersei in Season 7 with her armies in shambles, the imminent threat of a white walker marching closer to the city, and her golden right-handed man (pun intended) headed … [Link]

Slashdot » Consumers Prefer Security Over Convenience For the First Time Ever, IBM Security Report Finds

Monday 12 February 21:20:00 UTC 2018

A new study by IBM Security surveying 4,000 adults from a few different regions of the world found that consumers are now ranking security over convenience. For the first time ever, business users and consumers are now preferring security over convenience. From a report: TechRepublic spoke with executive security advisor at IBM Security Limor Kessem to discuss this new trend. … [Link]

Mashable » Boston Dynamics' dog robot can open up doors now and WTF we're all dead

Monday 12 February 21:11:27 UTC 2018

Almost two years ago, robotics company Boston Dynamics posted a video to its YouTube channel where the team essentially beat the crap out of its robot, Atlas. "When robots inevitably take over the world, remember this video," I jokingly wrote at the time. Well, now its robots can OPEN UP DOORS. SEE ALSO: What an AI ethics expert thinks of … [Link]

Mashable » Coming soon to US national parks: Oil and gas pipelines, thanks to Trump's new plan

Monday 12 February 20:59:37 UTC 2018

The Trump administration's big infrastructure plan, unveiled Monday, amounts to the largest rewrite of one of the nation's bedrock environmental laws in decades. It would dramatically speed up the permitting of all sorts of structures — not just roads and bridges, and even lead to the bizarre possibility that oil and gas pipelines could be swiftly approved for National Park Service … [Link]

Mashable » Amazon may be building a new brain for Alexa

Monday 12 February 20:45:34 UTC 2018

Amazon wants to give Alexa a new brain. The company is currently at work on a new processor for its Echo speakers that would make Alexa faster and smarter, according to a new report. SEE ALSO: Amazon lays off hundreds, pointing to Jeff Bezos' focus on Alexa The move, reported by The Information, would be a significant shift for the company, … [Link]

Slashdot » Unknown Language Discovered in Malaysia

Monday 12 February 20:43:00 UTC 2018

Researchers have cataloged close to 7,000 distinct human languages on Earth, per Linguistic Society of America's latest count. That may seem like a pretty exhaustive list, but it hasn't stopped anthropologists and linguists from continuing to encounter new languages, like one recently discovered in a village in the northern part of the Malay Peninsula. From a report: According to a … [Link]

Mashable » Don't be surprised when 'The Shape of Water' wins Best Picture

Monday 12 February 20:37:30 UTC 2018

Mark Ellis (@markellislive) returns to talk about Guillermo del Toro's cold war era fish-man romance. Is The Shape of Water the best movie of the year? Or is it too many genres all at once? Read more…More about Oscars, Guillermo Del Toro, Cinefix, Michael Shannon, and Doug Jones [Link]

Mashable » Please enjoy this dramatic reading of the nonsense Harry Potter book written by a bot

Monday 12 February 20:30:47 UTC 2018

In December, some truly magical minds at Botnik created a predictive keyboard versed in Harry Potter. The bot wrote an entire book chapter composed entirely of predictive text, and it was glorious. Now there's a dramatic reading – complete with delightfully deranged visuals from Jamie Loftus – to bring that story to life. SEE ALSO: A hilarious new Harry Potter … [Link]

Slashdot » The Quest To Find the Longest-Serving Programmer

Monday 12 February 20:00:00 UTC 2018

In 2014, the National Museum of Computing published a blog post in which it tried to find the person who has been programming the longest. At the time, it declared Bill Williams, a 70-year old to be one of the world's most durable programmers, who claimed to have started coding for a living in 1969 and was still doing so … [Link]

Mashable » 'The Daily Show' comic Michelle Wolf lands a weekly talk show on Netflix

Monday 12 February 19:50:09 UTC 2018

If you bailed on The Daily Show after John Stewart left, you may not be familiar with the comedic brilliance of Michelle Wolf. Netflix aims to fix that. Later this year, the streaming service will launch a half-hour talk show starring Wolf. New episodes of the series will air on a weekly basis, eschewing the binge-friendly release format Netflix typically embraces. … [Link]

Slashdot » The Flu and Airports

Monday 12 February 19:24:56 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader writes: The CDC says this year's flu season is on track to either rival or dethrone 2009's swine flu. 3,000 people across the U.S. have died as a result of the flu in the first 20 days of 2018, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and that number has likely risen. If you want to … [Link]

Slashdot » Google Autocomplete Still Makes Vile Suggestions

Monday 12 February 19:13:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader shares a report: In December of 2016, Google announced it had fixed a troubling quirk of its autocomplete feature: When users typed in the phrase, "are jews," Google automatically suggested the question, "are jews evil?" Almost a year after removing the "are jews evil?" prompt, Google search still drags up a range of awful autocomplete suggestions for … [Link]

Mashable » Someone recorded the sound of skating on thin ice and it's super creepy

Monday 12 February 19:10:17 UTC 2018

With the winter Olympics in full swing, here's a video of what skating on a frozen lake sounds like. Fresh ice sounds really spooky, it turns out. Henrik Trygg recorded the sound of someone skating on 45mm of ice on Lissma Kvarnsjö, a lake just outside of Stockholm, Sweden. As the ice in the lake expands and contracts, it makes … [Link]

Mashable » For some reason John Krasinski is like totally down to reboot 'The Office'

Monday 12 February 18:52:33 UTC 2018

Who's got two thumbs and is down for a reunion of The Office? John Krasinski. The actor stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show in some fun pants and a beard to chat about how he's gone "from geeky to gorgeous" and address those rumors about NBC rebooting the beloved sitcom, The Office. Krasinski admits he heard about the rumors on … [Link]

Mashable » Adam Rippon at the Winter Olympics has captured all of our hearts

Monday 12 February 18:45:08 UTC 2018

The Winter Olympics are well under way, but there's one athlete in particular that people can't stop talking about. Adam Rippon broke barriers by being the first openly gay American male athlete to qualify for the Winter Olympics and last night he made his debut for the figure skating U.S. team. Although the U.S. team placed third, earning them a bronze … [Link]

Mashable » Apple HomePod review: The best-sounding smart speaker yet

Monday 12 February 18:42:59 UTC 2018

Apple’s HomePod comes with a long list of fine print. If you own an iOS device, subscribe to Apple Music, can live with Siri's limited capabilities, care about music quality, and you're OK with dropping $350 on a smart speaker, you'll love HomePod. It's phenomenal.But if you don't meet these exact requirements (i.e. you use Android or prefer Spotify), you should … [Link]

Slashdot » The Trump Administration is Moving To Privatize the International Space Station: Report

Monday 12 February 18:24:56 UTC 2018

The Trump administration is planning to privatize the international space station instead of simply decommissioning the orbiting international experiment in 2024, The Washington Post reports. From a report: According to a document obtained by the Post, the current administration is mulling handing the International Space Station off to private industry instead of de-orbiting it as NASA "will expand international and … [Link]

Mashable » Neil Patrick Harris details incoming despair in 'A Series Of Unfortunate Events' Season 2 trailer

Monday 12 February 18:10:09 UTC 2018

The first full teaser trailer for A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 is full of everything you might expect: villainy, treachery, fire, despair, and unwanted elective surgeries. The second season of A Series of Unfortunate Events is coming to Netflix on March 30 and will follow the orphans and Count Olaf in their horrible series of unfortunate life events … [Link]

Mashable » The Top 10 Cinematographers of All Time

Monday 12 February 18:08:59 UTC 2018

Read more…More about Movies, Cinefix, Mashable Reels, Entertainment, and Movies Tv Shows [Link]

Mashable » Here's how you can build your Elon Musk flamethrower, if that's your, uh, 'thing'

Monday 12 February 17:59:27 UTC 2018

Why buy crap when you could build your own crap, thanks to instructional videos on YouTube? One YouTuber recently posted the most badass DIY video that shows viewers how to make an exact replica of Elon Musk's promotional flamethrowers. SEE ALSO: Elon Musk just sold $5 million worth of flamethrowers After Musk's 20,000 flamethrowers sold out in just four days, … [Link]

Slashdot » German Court Rules Facebook Use of Personal Data Illegal

Monday 12 February 17:59:00 UTC 2018

A German consumer rights group said on Monday that a court had found Facebook's use of personal data to be illegal because the U.S. social media platform did not adequately secure the informed consent of its users. From a report: The verdict, from a Berlin regional court, comes as Big Tech faces increasing scrutiny in Germany over its handling of … [Link]

Mashable » Pornhub continued to host 'deepfake' porn with millions of views, despite promise to ban [UPDATE]

Monday 12 February 17:41:04 UTC 2018

UPDATE: Feb. 12, 2018, 6:43 p.m. EST Pornhub has removed the videos in question, based on the same search term used earlier on Monday. The company has not responded to an additional request for comment. We will update if we hear back. Pornhub has promised to remove "deepfake" porn from its massive video platform. But 48 of these videos remained online … [Link]

Mashable » Amazon lays off hundreds, pointing to Jeff Bezos' focus on Alexa

Monday 12 February 17:36:50 UTC 2018

Amazon sells clothes and other fun products, but in 2018, the tech giant is doubling down on technology. The latest sign: Amazon plans to lay off hundreds of employees, primarily in the consumer retail side of the business, the Seattle Times reported Monday, citing two anonymous sources familiar with the matter. SEE ALSO: Jeff Bezos is really, really happy with Alexa … [Link]

Mashable » The sound of the iPhone alarm as a ringtone makes my skin crawl

Monday 12 February 17:35:36 UTC 2018

It always hits me when I'm least expecting it. When I'm standing in a crowded room, say. Or, when I pop out for my lunch break to grab a quick sandwich. I'm talking about the skin-crawlingly intrusive sound of the iPhone alarm clock being emitted from a stranger's phone. A sound that, to me, is akin to nails on a blackboard. … [Link]

Slashdot » Verizon is Locking Its Phones Down To Combat Theft

Monday 12 February 17:15:00 UTC 2018

Verizon is taking an extra step to protect its phones. CNET: The nation's largest wireless carrier said Monday that it would begin locking the phones it sells to consumers, which will prevent them from using a SIM card from another carrier. Initially, the phones will be unlocked as soon as a customer signs up and activates the service. But later … [Link]

Mashable » Queen of chill Chloe Kim tweets about ice cream in the middle of Winter Olympics halfpipe qualifier

Monday 12 February 16:56:30 UTC 2018

Extremely chill Olympic snowboarder Chloe Kim crushed the qualifier for the halfpipe on Monday, beating out the second-place finisher by over seven points. Is the time between Olympic qualifying runs stressful? It was stressful for me to watch, so I assume yes. But did Chloe Kim still tweet about ice cream during this high-pressure time? Absolutely. SEE ALSO: How to follow … [Link]

Mashable » 9 quick and easy Valentine's Day gifts for under $45

Monday 12 February 16:50:50 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. Let us be your unofficial cupids this year and provide some much-needed gift guidance: Valentine's Day gifts should be sweet and thoughtful, but not over the top. SEE ALSO: What's really romantic … [Link]

Mashable » The real star of the Winter Olympics is Reese Witherspoon

Monday 12 February 16:47:20 UTC 2018

You may assume the star of the 2018 Winter Olympics would be one of the many talented athletes competing for their countries, but you'd be wrong. The real star of the Olympics is none other than Hollywood's lovable actress, Reese Witherspoon. While we're all glued to our television sets cheering on athletes, the athletes themselves are busy cheering on the Home … [Link]

Mashable » Disneyland and Disney World ticket prices went up, not that we're surprised

Monday 12 February 16:37:19 UTC 2018

It’s super expensive to feel like a kid again. Disney vacations aren't exactly cheap, but this weekend they got a bit more expensive as Disney raised the prices of tickets for their Disneyland park in California and Walt Disney World in Florida. For a family of four, on a peak day, one day will cost you over $500. Single-day, single-park admission … [Link]

Slashdot » A Facebook Employee Asked a Reporter To Turn Off His Phone So Facebook Couldn't Track Its Location

Monday 12 February 16:36:00 UTC 2018

Steve Kovach, writing for BusinessInsider: To corporate giants like Facebook, leaks to rivals or the media are a cardinal sin. That notion was clear in a new Wired story about Facebook's rocky time over the last two years. The story talks about how Facebook was able to find two leakers who told a Gizmodo reporter about its news operations. But … [Link]

Mashable » Geeky winter jackets, scarves, and more to keep you warm while nerding out

Monday 12 February 16:30:08 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. Winter is no longer coming. Winter is here, and the cold might come to bite you sometime soon. That means bundling up in heavy jackets and wrapping yourself in scarves. Unfortunately, that … [Link]

Mashable » Watch the Obamas unveil their Smithsonian portraits and cry

Monday 12 February 16:26:00 UTC 2018

Looking for something to cry at today? You're in luck! The Obamas just unveiled their official portraits. On Monday the former POTUS and FLOTUS pulled the curtains off of stunning new portraits of themselves that will hang in Washington, D.C. Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery. It should go without saying, but our hearts were 100 percent not ready. SEE ALSO: Michelle Obama … [Link]

Mashable » Cyclone Gita, the strongest storm of 2018, slams tiny Pacific island nation of Tonga

Monday 12 February 16:16:37 UTC 2018

What is it with islands turning into tropical cyclone magnets lately? First there was the hellish Atlantic hurricane season, when storms wiped out Domenica, Barbuda, Puerto Rico, St. John and other islands. Now the tiny Pacific Island nation of Tonga, which juts out into the South Pacific, southwest of American Samoa, was struck on Sunday night eastern time by the strongest … [Link]

Mashable » Get a dash cam for your car on sale today for less than $50

Monday 12 February 16:08:55 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. Get an extra set of eyes on the road with this car dash cam that's on sale today for $43. SEE ALSO: Boost your Instagram likes or start a photography side hustle … [Link]

Mashable » Women are taking charge in Senegal's growing tech industry

Monday 12 February 16:06:52 UTC 2018

On a balmy evening in Dakar, seven young women were gathered in the basement of a local university, not far from the city’s Monument of African Renaissance statue. Lit by the white glow of a projector screen, they tapped eagerly at laptops as the speakers covered everything from how to market your business on Instagram, to designing a website and using … [Link]

Mashable » Cook your favorite meals anywhere with this flameless cooker

Monday 12 February 15:54:41 UTC 2018

Yakul Cook lets you cook anywhere without using fire. Read more…More about Technology, Cooking, Culinary, Steam, and Portable [Link]

Mashable » Get an Apple TV 4K for free when you sign up for DirecTV

Monday 12 February 15:52:34 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. With shows like Jessica Jones and House of Cards soon returning to Netflix, your TV binging technology deserve an upgrade, which means that a new plan and a new way to watch … [Link]

Mashable » This stranger bought a man the most heartwarming gift ever

Monday 12 February 15:51:55 UTC 2018

Christina Calvo spotted a man on the side of the road in snowy Waterbury, Connecticut, without a coat. She quickly drove to Burlington Coat Factory and returned to the man with a new coat. What a good samaritan. Read more…More about Watercooler, Christmas, Mashable Video, Snow, and Cold [Link]

Slashdot » The Insane Amount of Backward Compatibility in Google Maps

Monday 12 February 15:51:00 UTC 2018

Huan Truong, a software developer, writes in a blog post: There is always an unlikely app that consistently works on all of my devices, regardless of their OS and how old they are: Google Maps. Google Maps still works today on Android 1.0, the earliest version available (Maps actually still works with some of the beta versions before that). I … [Link]

Mashable » Tinder users are changing their locations to match with athletes at the Winter Olympics

Monday 12 February 15:49:45 UTC 2018

Apparently watching the Winter Olympics on television will no longer suffice in making people feel at the very heart of the action. These days, people are changing their Tinder locations so they can swipe on athletes at the Olympic Villages in South Korea. SEE ALSO: Cryptocurrency pickup lines will make your Tinder success surge to an all-time high According to Tinder … [Link]

Mashable » This beetle "farts" inside a toad's stomach to escape

Monday 12 February 15:47:54 UTC 2018

Researchers fed a bombardier beetle to a toad and 88 minutes later, the toad vomited it back out alive and intact. All species of bombardier beetle have a defense mechanism where they spew out noxious substances from their behinds. Read more…More about Science, Animals, Mashable Video, Gas, and Wild [Link]

Mashable » Cinephiles can now wear pieces of film history

Monday 12 February 15:40:15 UTC 2018

‘Cinematiq Eyewear' is making some pretty special glasses using recycled strips of film from vintage kung-fu movies. Read more…More about Film, Movies, Design, Mashable Video, and Cinema [Link]

Mashable » Either this is an amazing Black Panther action figure or someone shrank Chadwick Boseman

Monday 12 February 15:36:57 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. Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week. Ahead of the release of Black Panther, Hot Toys has created an insanely detailed and realistic action … [Link]

Mashable » $200 million worth of cryptocurrency goes missing from BitGrail exchange

Monday 12 February 15:33:24 UTC 2018

Another day, another high-profile cryptocurrency hack — though in this case, the details are even murkier than usual. Italian cryptocurrency exchange BitGrail announced last Thursday that it's missing 17 million Nano, a cryptocurrency worth $11.90 at the time the announcement was made. This means the total value of missing coins was around $202.3 million. (The price of Nano has since dropped … [Link]

Mashable » KitchenAid mixers are 44% off today

Monday 12 February 15:31:53 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. Calling all home bakers and wanna be Top Chefs: This KitchenAid mixer is on sale for 44% off, which means you'll never have to stir anything by hand again. SEE ALSO: Help … [Link]

Mashable » The best Black Panther comics to read if you're amped for the movie

Monday 12 February 15:19:52 UTC 2018

Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week. Long before becoming a title star in the Marvel cinematic universe, Black Panther developed a storied history in Marvel comics. SEE ALSO: 'Black Panther' builds a world you'll want to return to again and again Ahead of the release of Black Panther … [Link]

Slashdot » Why Paper Jams Persist

Monday 12 February 15:11:00 UTC 2018

A trivial problem reveals the limits of technology. Fascinating story from The New Yorker: Unsurprisingly, the engineers who specialize in paper jams see them differently. Engineers tend to work in narrow subspecialties, but solving a jam requires knowledge of physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, computer programming, and interface design. "It's the ultimate challenge," Ruiz said. "I wouldn't characterize it as annoying," … [Link]

Mashable » Amazon has great deals today on Macbooks, Amazon devices, and smart home gadgets galore

Monday 12 February 15:09:53 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're in the market to improve your life with all kinds of devices and gadgets, then Amazon daily deals are the way to go. Today's best deal includes an assortment of … [Link]

Slashdot » Google's Next Android Overhaul Will Embrace iPhone's 'Notch'

Monday 12 February 14:33:00 UTC 2018

Google is working on a "dramatic redesign" of its Android operating system, Bloomberg reported on Monday. The company has stuck with a single look for its mobile operating system (OS) for quite some time now, but it's now reportedly looking at Apple for inspiration. The new version of Android — which Bloomberg says is called "Pistachio Ice Cream" internally — … [Link]

Mashable » This guy thought he'd bought Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets and got a big surprise

Monday 12 February 14:30:22 UTC 2018

Remember kids, close proof-reading is a virtue. SEE ALSO: Scottish police called out to deal with tiger on the loose, get big surprise Twitter user Duncan Robb thought he'd found a bargain when he got Red Hot Chili Peppers tickets for £30 ($41), but as it turns out there was good reason for that. Still can’t believe we’ve flown over to … [Link]

Mashable » Check out Disney's theme park-exclusive 'Star Wars' land merchandise

Monday 12 February 14:21:09 UTC 2018

Disney's Star Wars resort lets you dress up and participate in your own space fantasy set in a galaxy far, far away. Described as a "multi-day Star Wars adventure," the resort experience begins with arriving guests "boarding a space ship "alive with characters and stories that unfold all around them during a voyage through the galaxy," according to the Disney … [Link]

Mashable » Snapchat's Snap Maps is now available online

Monday 12 February 14:00:53 UTC 2018

Snapchats from all over the world can be easily viewed online. On Monday, Snapchat released map.snapchat.com for Snap Maps that highlights Our Stories and other public snaps overlaid on a global map. SEE ALSO: Kylie Jenner and MKBHD question Snapchat's future post-redesign Just like on Snapchat's mobile version of Snap Maps, users can zoom in and tap section on the map … [Link]

Mashable » Sony apologises for making light of allergies in 'Peter Rabbit' blackberry-pelting scene

Monday 12 February 13:21:41 UTC 2018

Sony Pictures and the Peter Rabbit filmmakers have apologised for making light of allergies following calls to boycott the movie, which hit U.S. cinemas over the weekend. SEE ALSO: James Corden will get the 'Peter Rabbit' movie hopping at Sony A scene in the new adaptation of Beatrix Potter's classic shows character Tom McGregor, who's allergic to blackberries, being pelted with … [Link]

Mashable » Apple's HomePod has been torn down, but it took a hacksaw to do it

Monday 12 February 12:54:44 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. Apple's HomePod is now available for purchase and naturally, it's been promptly dissected in an iFixit teardown. It's one of the most notable teardowns in recent years, as the smart speaker is not only a new … [Link]

Mashable » This video of random Scottish people crowdsurfing in the road is simply glorious

Monday 12 February 12:50:40 UTC 2018

If you want to experience something close to the feeling of flying but are either a) scared of heights or b) don't have the money for a parachute/hang glider/airplane ticket/jetpack, your best bet is probably crowdsurfing. The best part is you don't even need to go to a festival. SEE ALSO: This man's attempt at crowdsurfing really didn't end well On … [Link]

Mashable » This kid jumping onto an icy trampoline in slow motion is actual magic

Monday 12 February 12:34:40 UTC 2018

Slow motion is already pretty fun, but throw in a frozen trampoline and you basically make art redundant. SEE ALSO: Kevin Durant dunking in extreme slow motion is a thing of beauty Footage uploaded to Youtube on Sunday shows what happens when you jump on a trampoline covered in a thin sheet of ice. It's so beautiful we're pretty sure … [Link]

Mashable » Gigi Hadid opens up about health condition after getting body shamed

Monday 12 February 12:11:41 UTC 2018

Gigi Hadid has posted a response to people claiming the model is "too skinny," stating she would no longer explain the way her body looks. SEE ALSO: Gigi Hadid on Milan grab: 'I felt I was in danger, and I had every right to react the way I did' Hadid posted a series of tweets explaining that changes to her body … [Link]

Mashable » This person's genius idea for decorating the stairs will delight all you cartophiles out there

Monday 12 February 12:08:45 UTC 2018

Tired of climbing regular old stairs? Wish you could see maps in more varied place? Then we have an idea for you! SEE ALSO: This man's ghosts, floating in mid air, are the closest thing we have to holograms On Sunday children's author Giles Paley Philips tweeted his wife's novel interior-deco idea. My wife decorated our stairs with some lovely old … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Big tech is unpopular, but we mostly have ourselves to blame

Monday 12 February 11:49:36 UTC 2018

Consumer demand and our own ignorance has done much to assist the rise of the likes of Facebook and Google, so restraint and knowledge can do much to tame it [Link]

Mashable » Man's gloriously dumb video of a salt shaker has the most hardcore dad joke ending

Monday 12 February 11:39:04 UTC 2018

This is the video equivalent of a very long, but ultimately sort of brilliant, dad joke. SEE ALSO: Happy dog launches himself through open car window at rocket speed On Sunday, presumably while bored in his kitchen, Simon Lavis from Weston-super-Mare, UK, shared a video of himself making his salt jump around the kitchen. Go on, admit it — you enjoyed … [Link]

Mashable » These AI-generated candy hearts are everything romance should be

Monday 12 February 11:07:26 UTC 2018

With Valentine's Day on the way, why not express your romantic side with unfeeling, binary logic. SEE ALSO: Why social media companies won’t kill off bots A Twitter user used a learning algorithm to generate little candy hearts and the results are just breath-taking. I trained a neural network to generate new candy heart messages – some more successful than othershttps://t.co/tPZyGV3upg … [Link]

Mashable » This futuristic luggage lock doesn't need any keys

Monday 12 February 11:00:00 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. Everyone's worst nightmare (other than being back in middle school) is losing their luggage or worse, having something stolen from a checked bag. Travel locks are more popular than ever, but not … [Link]

Mashable » Happy dog launches himself through open car window at rocket speed

Monday 12 February 10:55:08 UTC 2018

It’s a well-proven fact that there are few things in this world more cheering than the sight of a happy dog. Especially if the dog in question happens to be taking a running, gleeful jump through an open car window. SEE ALSO: Dad loves dogsitting so much he calls himself 'gramps' On Sunday, Roman Mitchell from Dallas, Texas shared the following … [Link]

Mashable » Chrissy Teigen found a creative way to get around Instagram's nudity rules

Monday 12 February 10:43:48 UTC 2018

Chrissy Teigen just wants to be a nude salad-making goddess and you should damn well let her be. SEE ALSO: Chrissy Teigen, queen of Twitter, has got women embracing their grey hair Teigen Instagrammed a pic of herself making a rather delicious-looking salad. Oh, and she happened to be partially nude. Ever creative, she found a way around Instagram's nudity guidelines, … [Link]

Slashdot » Energy Riches Fuel Bitcoin Craze For Speculation-shy Iceland

Monday 12 February 10:30:00 UTC 2018

Iceland is expected to use more energy "mining" bitcoins and other virtual currencies this year than it uses to power its homes. From a report: With massive amounts of electricity needed to run the computers that create bitcoins, large virtual currency companies have established a base in the North Atlantic island nation blessed with an abundance of renewable energy. The … [Link]

Mashable » A couple that got together over Twitter just got engaged the same way

Monday 12 February 10:23:15 UTC 2018

Apparently this is what love is now. SEE ALSO: Send messages to loved ones who are far away with the Lovebox A few years ago, a woman used Twitter to ask a man out. I want to go on a date with @BenAxelrod — Torey Stachowicz (@toreydanae) December 4, 2014 Maybe you're thinking, "isn't this exerting quite a lot of social … [Link]

Mashable » Ed Sheeran actually has a tattoo of Saoirse Ronan's handwriting on his body

Monday 12 February 10:19:18 UTC 2018

Fair play to Ed Sheeran — if he gets an idea about something, he fully commits to it. SEE ALSO: Taylor Swift expertly trolls Ed Sheeran about his height in Instagram video Saoirse Ronan, who stars in Sheeran's music video for the song "Galway Girl", appeared on The Graham Norton Show on Friday to talk about the filming process. She … [Link]

Mashable » We've finally got more deets about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding (!!!!!!)

Monday 12 February 10:14:02 UTC 2018

OK, we don't mean to alarm you this early on a Monday morning but some pretty major news about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding just dropped. SEE ALSO: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's visit to radio station shows the royals are finally tuning in to young people Kensington Palace just released a load of juicy details about Harry and Meghan's … [Link]

Slashdot » 'Razer Doesn't Care About Linux'

Monday 12 February 7:53:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader shares a blog post: Razer is a vendor that makes high-end gaming hardware, including laptops, keyboards and mice. I opened a ticket with Razor a few days ago asking them if they wanted to support the LVFS project by uploading firmware and sharing the firmware update protocol used. I offered to upstream any example code they could … [Link]

Mashable » Guy discovers cheeky easter egg on a PS2 disc 14 years after it was released

Monday 12 February 6:47:04 UTC 2018

We doubt anyone pays attention to what's on a gaming disc, unless the thing is scratched. But if you have a copy of 2004's The Bard's Tale, the rather funny RPG has an easter egg printed on the disc certain fans might be aware of. SEE ALSO: The Hidden Games of iMessage For the rest of us underlings, we've only just … [Link]

Mashable » American skater Mirai Nagasu just landed the triple axel nailed by Tonya Harding

Monday 12 February 6:22:58 UTC 2018

If you've seen I, Tonya, you'll know how important this moment is. Figure skater Mirai Nagasu just became the first U.S. woman to land a triple axel in the Winter Olympics. SEE ALSO: How to follow the Olympics on Twitter Nagasu was competing in the free skating portion of the Figure Skating Team Event on day three of the Winter Olympics … [Link]

Mashable » You have to hear this bluff about why the Dutch are good at speed skating

Monday 12 February 4:25:36 UTC 2018

It’s no secret the Dutch are quite good at speed skating. Athletes from the Netherlands have already claimed two gold medals at the Winter Olympics. In fact, all three medals in the ladies' 3,000 metre event went to Dutch competitors, and you can bet there's more winning to come. SEE ALSO: The Netherlands celebrated their Winter Olympics win by trolling Trump … [Link]

Slashdot » Games Organizers at Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Confirm Cyber Attack, Won't Reveal Source

Monday 12 February 4:22:00 UTC 2018

Pyeongchang Winter Olympics organizers confirmed on Sunday that the Games had fallen victim to a cyber attack during Friday's opening ceremony, but they refused to reveal the source. From a report: The Games' systems, including the internet and television services, were affected by the hack two days ago but organizers said it had not compromised any critical part of their … [Link]

Mashable » 7 women in science who will inspire you to get serious about STEM

Monday 12 February 3:34:25 UTC 2018

Women have long contributed to and transformed scientific knowledge, but they aren't always widely recognized for their hard, brilliant work. Now that the International Day of Women and Girls in Science (#WomenInScience) is upon us, take a moment to meet some young women just starting out in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), and women who, through their research and discoveries, … [Link]

Mashable » Fat unicorn cakes are the adorable trending dessert we're eating up

Monday 12 February 2:56:39 UTC 2018

Sure, you have eaten many cakes in your time. But just how many of them do you relate to? Probably none, except in the case of these charming fat unicorn cakes that are getting plenty of love on Instagram. SEE ALSO: Bakery has perfect response to people who thought this cake looked like a vagina The premise is simple: Put a … [Link]

Slashdot » Cryptocurrency Classes Are Coming To Campus

Monday 12 February 2:12:00 UTC 2018

While the price of Bitcoin has dropped since Christmas, the virtual currency boom has shown no signs of cooling off in the more august precincts of America's elite universities. The New York Times: Several top schools have added or are rushing to add classes about Bitcoin and the record-keeping technology that it introduced, known as the blockchain. Graduate-level classes this … [Link]

The Joy of Tech » JoT #2491: Valentines for Tech Companies!

Monday 12 February 1:39:58 UTC 2018

JoT thumb For the love of your life! [Link]

Slashdot » A Chemical Bath and a Hot-press Can Transform Wood Into a Material That is Stronger Than Steel, Researchers Find

Monday 12 February 1:11:00 UTC 2018

The process, and others like it, could make the humble material an eco-friendly alternative to using plastics and metals in the manufacture of cars and buildings, Nature reported this week. From the report: "It's a new class of materials with great potential," says Li Teng, a mechanics specialist at the University of Maryland in College Park and a co-author of … [Link]

Mashable » Harvey Weinstein's lawyer says mogul's behavior had 'no criminality'

Monday 12 February 1:08:47 UTC 2018

Disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein's attorney says there was "no criminality" in his client's behavior, according to a new statement. Issued Sunday and first published by Deadline, Weinstein's attorney Ben Brafman responded to the civil rights lawsuit now filed against Weinstein, his brother Bob, and The Weinstein Company by NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. SEE ALSO: Rose McGowan on Harvey Weinstein: 'Everybody … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Add Personalized Audio Traffic Reports to Apps with the TomTom Audio Traffic API

Monday 12 February 0:53:05 UTC 2018

TomTom, a navigation technology products company, has launched TomTom Audio Traffic, an API that provides programmatic access to personalized audio traffic reports for drivers. The bulletin-style audio traffic reports deliver traffic information such as road closures and traffic jams. The reports are based on the driver’s location and destination. [Link]

Mashable » Here's how to make super long French fries at home

Monday 12 February 0:12:52 UTC 2018

Are you less than satisfied with regular sized French fries? Make a super long version at home. YouTubers HellthyJunkFood, who often magnify regular fast foods to giant proportions (with a very vaguely healthy spin), have come up with their own recipe for a rather long French fry, which you can try at home — if you have your own deep … [Link]

Slashdot » Searching For Lithium Deposits With Satellites

Monday 12 February 0:10:00 UTC 2018

A group led by Cristian Rossi, an expert on remote sensing, is using satellites already in orbit to detect and map geological and botanical features that might betray the presence of subterranean lithium. Though satellite prospecting of this sort has been employed before, reads a new report in The Economist, to look for metals such as gold and copper, using … [Link]

John Gordon Ross

A Man for All Reasons