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 » Facebook Admits SMS Notifications Sent Using Two-Factor Number Was Caused by Bug

Saturday 17 February 23:00:00 UTC 2018

Facebook has clarified the situation around SMS notifications sent using the company's two-factor authentication (2FA) system, admitting that the messages were indeed caused by a bug. From a report: In a blog post penned by Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos, the company says the error led it to "send non-security-related SMS notifications to these phone numbers." Facebook uses the … [Link]

Mashable » Watch Lupita Nyong'o and Letitia Wright freestyle a 'Black Panther' inspired rap

Saturday 17 February 22:44:00 UTC 2018

The best freestyle rapper in Wakanda is clearly Letitia Wright. Celebrating the release of the already-smash-hit Marvel superhero movie Black Panther, co-stars  Lupita Nyong'o and Letitia Wright decided to share a few impromptu bars.  SEE ALSO: 5 reasons why ‘Black Panther’ scored big with fans and critics The Black Panther lives… and so does Troublemaker! Introducing MC Underbite (@LetitiaWright), best freestyler … [Link]

Mashable » Elon Musk gets permission to do a little digging for his Hyperloop

Saturday 17 February 22:37:45 UTC 2018

It’s been far easier for Elon Musk to send a rocket to the Mars than move a pebble in Washington, D.C. That could be changing, according to The Washington Post. The SpaceX entrepreneur's tunnel digging company, The Boring Company, recently received vague permission to do some exploratory digging at 53 New York Avenue NE. SEE ALSO: Watch: Even Elon Musk was … [Link]

Slashdot » Most Cities Would Welcome a Tech Billionaire, But Peter Thiel?

Saturday 17 February 22:00:00 UTC 2018

Sarah McBride, writing for Bloomberg: Tech billionaire Peter Thiel is moving to Los Angeles from San Francisco, adding another dose of legitimacy to a burgeoning startup scene in Southern California — along with some controversy. The co-founder of PayPal and an early investor in Facebook, Thiel runs Founders Fund, one of the more-respected venture capital firms in Silicon Valley. He … [Link]

ProgrammableWeb.com » Daily API RoundUp: Po.et, TeloInterview, U.S. Census Bureau

Saturday 17 February 21:30:15 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]

Mashable » Models rocked 'vagina mohawks' so hard at New York Fashion Week

Saturday 17 February 21:19:14 UTC 2018

Pubic hair is making a beautifully punk comeback, and it's long overdue. The last time the fashion world did anything of significance with women's pubic hair was in 2015 with vajazzling. Thankfully, fashion designer KAIMIN broke the dry spell at the latest New York Fashion Week with a runway show featuring a diverse array of … vagina wigs. SEE ALSO: Bakery … [Link]

Slashdot » How Does Chinese Tech Stack Up Against American Tech?

Saturday 17 February 21:00:00 UTC 2018

The Economist: China's tech leaders love visiting California, and invest there, but are no longer awed by it [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled]. By market value the Middle Kingdom's giants, Alibaba and Tencent, are in the same league as Alphabet and Facebook. New stars may float their shares in 2018-19, including Didi Chuxing (taxi rides), Ant Financial (payments) … [Link]

Mashable » Google's firing of James Damore was legal, according to a federal labor agency

Saturday 17 February 20:51:45 UTC 2018

A federal agency has found that Google was well within its legal rights to fire James Damore in 2017. The company dismissed its former engineer after he wrote a paper arguing that woman aren't as biologically equipped for leadership roles as men. Damore filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board after his firing, but a newly released January memo … [Link]

New Scientist – News » Quantum computer could have predicted Trump’s surprise election

Saturday 17 February 20:49:01 UTC 2018

Quantum computers can improve election forecasts by taking into account how states affect one another, allowing one to predict Trump's slim 2016 election win [Link]

New Scientist – News » Facebook may guess millions of people’s sexuality to sell ads

Saturday 17 February 20:49:00 UTC 2018

Three-quarters of all EU users may have had sensitive data inferred about them by Facebook, including things like sexual orientation, religion and political leanings [Link]

New Scientist – News » Will a new wave of smart glasses make us ‘glassholes’ again?

Saturday 17 February 20:48:58 UTC 2018

A second round of mass-market facial computers looks less likely to inspire public anger than Google's Glass but it will be a fragile truce, says Jamais Cascio [Link]

Mashable » Very embarrassing mom Sally Field tries to set her son up with Adam Rippon on Twitter

Saturday 17 February 20:27:51 UTC 2018

Actor Sally Field is not shy about landing her son a date, even if it involves completely revealing his Olympic crush to the entire world.  "Find a way," Field told her son Sam Greisman after he revealed to her that his Olympic crush was USA figure skater and internet heartthrob Adam Rippon. But when Griesman's way wasn't enough for Field, she … [Link]

Slashdot » LinkedIn Users Will Soon Know What Jobs Pay Before Applying for Them

Saturday 17 February 20:00:00 UTC 2018

LinkedIn just introduced a way to help its members avoid going through the interview process for jobs with salaries that do not meet their expectations. From a report: The professional network announced the rollout of Salary Insights, which will add estimated or expected salary ranges to open roles, getting the numbers either through salary ranges provided by employers or estimated … [Link]

Slashdot » YouTube Red is Having an Identity Crisis

Saturday 17 February 19:00:00 UTC 2018

During an onstage conversation at Recode's Code Media this week, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki called YouTube Red a music streaming service — first time any executive from the company has referred to YouTube Red as foremost a music service. From a report: This differs from comments that other YouTube executives have made in the past, including YouTube's head of global … [Link]

Mashable » Twitter is finally ending support for its unpopular Mac desktop app

Saturday 17 February 18:42:57 UTC 2018

On Friday, Twitter announced that it would be shutting down work on its Mac desktop app, to the dismay of, err, no one. Users have 30 days, starting on Feb. 16, before the app will no longer be supported, Twitter said. SEE ALSO: How I cleaned up my embarrassing Twitter history "We're focusing our efforts on a great Twitter experience that's … [Link]

Mashable » This dog's heartwarming rescue from a New York subway tunnel will bring you happy tears

Saturday 17 February 18:39:07 UTC 2018

One lucky pup found compassiom in a most unlikely place: The New York City subway. Dakota, aka Loppy the dog, was playing with her dog walker at a park in Brooklyn on Friday when the pooch managed to escape. Frightened, the poor pup ran to a place that she knew — the Jay St. station — and ended up inside the … [Link]

Mashable » There's a striking difference between Obama and Trump's responses to school shootings

Saturday 17 February 18:05:50 UTC 2018

On Friday, President Donald Trump visited Parkland, Florida in the wake of a school shooting in a high school that left 17 people dead. But Trump has faced criticism over the way he carried himself during that visit. After an awkward meeting with first responders, the president and first lady Melania Trump stood together for a friendly photo op, which in … [Link]

Slashdot » Learning To Program Is Getting Harder

Saturday 17 February 18:00:00 UTC 2018

theodp writes: While Google suggests that parents and educators are to blame for why kids can't code, Allen Downey, Professor at Olin College argues that learning to program is getting harder . Downey writes: The fundamental problem is that the barrier between using a computer and programming a computer is getting higher. When I got a Commodore 64 (in 1982, … [Link]

Mashable » Activists are registering voters at 'Black Panther' screenings for #WakandaTheVote

Saturday 17 February 17:01:29 UTC 2018

It’s rare that blockbuster movies do anything to move culture forward besides make people really annoying on Twitter. Ben Shapiro rants aside, Black Panther is a lovely exception. Activists Kayla Reed, Jessica Byrd and Rukia Lumumba from the Movement for Black Lives' Electoral Justice Project recently launched #WakandaTheVote to help register voters at Black Panther screenings across the country.  SEE ALSO: … [Link]

Slashdot » New Scanning Technique Reveals Secrets Behind Great Paintings

Saturday 17 February 17:00:00 UTC 2018

Researchers in the US have used a new scanning technique to discover a painting underneath one of Pablo Picasso's great works of art, the Crouching Woman (La Misereuse Accroupie). From a report: Underneath the oil painting is a landscape of Barcelona which, it turns out, Picasso used as the basis of his masterpiece. The new x-ray fluorescence system is cheaper … [Link]

Mashable » Shuri from 'Black Panther' may be a princess, but she's queen of our hearts

Saturday 17 February 17:00:00 UTC 2018

It’s hard to say who among the incredible cast of characters in Black Panther reigns supreme. But if you ask this writer, there's be no question: Shuri, T'Challa's 16-year-old sister and badass princess of Wakanda, deserves to be crowned queen of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe. Aside from her sheer show-stealing cool factor, Shuri is the brilliant inventor ensuring Wakanda remains … [Link]

Mashable » LeBron fires back at Laura Ingraham after she told him to 'Shut up and dribble'

Saturday 17 February 16:34:11 UTC 2018

As America veers toward a Constitutional crisis, Fox News host Laura Ingraham is placing the blame not on Donald Trump but on … LeBron James? On Thursday, Ingraham dedicated a whole segment of her show to James, enjoining the player to "shut up and dribble" on the grounds that he wasn't "educated" enough to speak about politics. Last night, LeBron finally … [Link]

Slashdot » Pirates Crack Microsoft's UWP Protection, Five Layers of DRM Defeated

Saturday 17 February 16:00:00 UTC 2018

A piracy scene group has managed to get past the five layers of DRM in Microsoft's Unified Windows Platform UWP — which enables software developers to create applications that can run across many devices. From a report: This week it became clear that the UWP system, previously believed to be uncrackable, had fallen to pirates. After being released on October … [Link]

Mashable » Olympic figure skater performs 'Game of Thrones' routine and people loved it

Saturday 17 February 15:57:11 UTC 2018

There are plenty of ways to impress the judges at the Winter Olympics, but using a popular TV show is pretty genius. Channeling his best Jamie Lannister, German figure skater Paul Fentz completed his free skate routine Saturday morning during the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games to some inspiring music from Game of Thrones.  SEE ALSO: This 'Game of Thrones' fan theory … [Link]

Mashable » Download this: Microsoft's new app makes photo transfers much easier

Saturday 17 February 15:48:53 UTC 2018

If you use a PC, then you know that transferring files between your phone and your computer can be a huge pain. Well, Microsoft finally has a solution. A new app called Photos Companion lets you move photos between your phone and PC using a wireless connection. Think of it as a bit like Microsoft's answer to Apple's AirDrop, except it … [Link]

Mashable » There's a 360-degree wearable camera that is absolutely demolishing its Kickstarter goal

Saturday 17 February 15:48:48 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. We live our lives from Instagram story to Instagram story, and we have the ability to capture some truly stunning imagery to garner those sweet, sweet likes. With 360-technology where it is … [Link]

Mashable » 'Black Panther' fans have so much thirst for breakout star Winston Duke

Saturday 17 February 15:33:46 UTC 2018

Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week.  It takes something extra to stand out in a Black Panther cast filled with achingly beautiful humans. Whatever it is, Winston Duke has got it. The actor behind M'Baku, leader of the movie's Jabari Tribe, steals just about every scene he appears … [Link]

Mashable » These are the best VPNs for your Android device

Saturday 17 February 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. I resisted the urge to get a decent VPN for my Android phone for years. Why bother with an extra app just to get online, now that internet connections are ubiquitous?  Over time, however, the scenarios … [Link]

Mashable » We regret to inform you that dogs named 'Bitcoin' exist

Saturday 17 February 15:00:00 UTC 2018

Every day we stray further from God's light. Case in point: it appears that, on this cursed Earth, there are more than zero dogs named Bitcoin. Yes, for some reason, real humans have looked into a dog's beautiful, loving eyes and thought, "This dog should be named Bitcoin." We don't know why and we certainly can't stop it — all we … [Link]

Mashable » Black imaginary worlds are inherently political. That's why we need 'Black Panther' and Wakanda

Saturday 17 February 15:00:00 UTC 2018

Excited for Black Panther? So are we. Which is why we're rolling out obsessive coverage with Black Panther Week. As Black Panther has broken records ahead of its wide release, with critics and fans applauding everything from the casting and performances to the story and visuals, the very concept of Wakanda itself has also been elevated to its own status of … [Link]

Slashdot » FreeBSD's New Code of Conduct

Saturday 17 February 15:00:00 UTC 2018

FreeBSD has a new code of conduct, which is making several people angry. From the blog post: This code of conduct applies to all spaces used by the FreeBSD Project, including our mailing lists, IRC channels, and social media, both online and off. Anyone who is found to violate this code of conduct may be sanctioned or expelled from FreeBSD … [Link]

Mashable » Has tech given us a dark future?

Saturday 17 February 14:40:21 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. Is the future broken? Maybe not, but by many measures the present is. Over the past couple of years, the networks and devices that we've come to rely on for our information, consumption, and social interactions … [Link]

Slashdot » Twitter Kills Its Mac App

Saturday 17 February 14:00:00 UTC 2018

BrianFagioli writes: Twitter has announced that it is killing its Mac app. Without warning, the company pulled the app from the Mac App Store and issued the following tweet. "We're focusing our efforts on a great Twitter experience that's consistent across platforms. So, starting today the Twitter for Mac app will no longer be available for download, and in 30 … [Link]

Mashable » After Florida shooting, gun control becomes a global conversation

Saturday 17 February 13:30:00 UTC 2018

When you move to America from a country with more effective gun control laws, one of the first things you learn is how hard it is to talk to Americans — even on the sympathetic side of the political divide — about the gun issue.  It was particularly difficult when I arrived on these shores in 1996, direct from living in … [Link]

Slashdot » NBC Publishes 200,000 Tweets Tied To Russian Trolls

Saturday 17 February 13:00:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NBC News: NBC News is publishing its database of more than 200,000 tweets that Twitter has tied to "malicious activity" from Russia-linked accounts during the 2016 U.S. presidential election. These accounts, working in concert as part of large networks, pushed hundreds of thousands of inflammatory tweets, from fictitious tales of Democrats practicing witchcraft … [Link]

Mashable » Data science jobs make the big bucks, and these tools can help you get one

Saturday 17 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. If you work in the digital space, you know how important data is.  We live in a world with unprecedented amounts of stats, facts, and figures, and it's slightly overwhelming. And in … [Link]

Slashdot » 73 Percent of Fish In the Northwestern Atlantic Have Microplastics In Their Guts

Saturday 17 February 10:00:00 UTC 2018

According to a new study published today in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science, microplastics have been found in the stomachs of nearly three out of every four mesopelagic fish caught in the Northwest Atlantic. "These findings are worrying, as the affected fish could spread microplastics throughout the ocean," reports Phys.Org. "The fish are also prey for fish eaten by … [Link]

Slashdot » Would You Fear Alien Life or Welcome It?

Saturday 17 February 7:00:00 UTC 2018

If you've ever watched a science fiction movie about aliens, you'll know that humans tend to freak out and destroy everything when faced with incontrovertible proof of the existence of alien life. But a new analysis from Arizona State University psychology professor Michael Varnum and his colleagues suggests that humans might actually remain pretty calm and collected when that big … [Link]

Slashdot » Distracted Driving: Everyone Hates It, But Most of Us Do It, Study Finds

Saturday 17 February 3:30:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Insurance company Esurance has a new study out on distracted driving, and it makes for interesting reading. Almost everyone agrees distracted driving is bad, yet it's still remarkably prevalent. Even drivers who report rarely driving distracted also report that they engage in distracting behaviors. The study also raises some questions about … [Link]

Slashdot » Coffee Beans Are Good For Birds, Fancy Brew Or Not

Saturday 17 February 2:03:00 UTC 2018

Zorro shares a report from The New York Times (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source ): Birds are not as picky about their coffee as people are. Although coffee snobs prefer arabica beans to robusta, a new study in India found that growing coffee does not interfere with biodiversity — no matter which bean the farmer chooses. In the … [Link]

Slashdot » Phishing Attack Scores Credentials For More Than 50,000 Snapchat Users

Saturday 17 February 1:25:00 UTC 2018

An anonymous reader quotes an exclusive report from The Verge: In late July, Snap's director of engineering emailed the company's team in response to an unfolding privacy threat. A government official from Dorset in the United Kingdom had provided Snap with information about a recent attack on the company's users: a publicly available list, embedded in a phishing website named … [Link]

Mashable » Colorado Girl Scouts can sell their cookies in front of marijuana dispensaries now

Saturday 17 February 1:24:13 UTC 2018

There’s good news for Colorado residents prone to munchies: as of Friday, you only need to make one stop to get both Girl Scout Cookies and weed.  Girl Scouts of Colorado updated its cookie sales policy to allow Girl Scouts to sell their boxes outside of cannabis dispensaries.  SEE ALSO: Girl Scout sells 300 boxes of cookies outside a California marijuana … [Link]

Slashdot » The Future of Free and Open-Source Maps

Saturday 17 February 0:45:00 UTC 2018

Grady Martin writes: Former OpenStreetMap contributor and Google Summer of Code mentor Serge Wroclawski has outlined why OpenStreetMap is in serious trouble, citing unclear usage policies, poor geocoding (address-to-coordinate conversion), and a lack of a review model as reasons for the project's decline in quality. Perhaps more interesting, however, are the problems purported to stem from OpenStreetMap's power structure. Wroclawski … [Link]

Slashdot » The Slow Demise of Barnes & Noble

Saturday 17 February 0:03:00 UTC 2018

John Biggs via TechCrunch reports of the slow demise of Barnes & Noble, which he has been chronicling for several years now. There have been many signs of trouble for the bookseller chain over the years, but none have been more apparent than the recent layoffs made earlier this week. From the report: On Monday the company laid off 1,800 … [Link]

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