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Tech NewsFakes
2016’s Supposed ‘Photo of the Year’ Is a Big Fat Fake
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water … it totally was. While certainly dramatic, an image of a breaching great white shark currently making the rounds on Twitter as National Geographic’s “Photo of the Year” has nothing to do with the magazine. In fact, it isn’t even a photo. … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
The Future of Tech Is Sideways Headphones
For better or for worse, Silicon Valley is always on the hunt for The Next Big Thing. But while tech giants like Apple and Google have bet big on developing the latest wearable technology, the real future of smart devices may have been sitting right under our noses (or is it on top our heads???) … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Wait and Bleed: Theranos Drains Henry Kissinger and Others From Leadership
Two months after sketchy blood-testing startup Theranos revealed it was closing all of its labs and firing hundreds of employees, the company announced a new round of bloodletting on Thursday with the “retirement” of its board of counselors made up of former high-ranking government officials. https://gizmodo.com/theranos-is-raining-blood-1787468387 In a press release titled “Theranos Adds Silicon Valley … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Subway Expansion Uncovers Mastodon Remains at Least 10,000 Years Old
Last week, a construction project for the Los Angeles subway turned into a scientific excavation after workers uncovered fossilized skull, tooth and tusk fragments from ancient elephant relatives that have been extinct for 10,000 years. According to L.A. transit officials, remains belonging to an adult mastodon were discovered shortly before Thanksgiving, promoting officials to bring in … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
The FBI Just Got Disturbing New Hacking Powers
At midnight, the U.S. government quietly gained expansive new surveillance abilities after a last-ditch effort to stop changes to the federal code of criminal procedure died on the Senate floor. Senator Ron Wyden tried three times on Wednesday to stall the rule changes, which let judges give federal agents the authority to hack multiple computers … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Bitcoin Exchange Ordered to Give IRS Years of Data on Millions of Users
On Wednesday, a federal judge authorized a summons requiring Coinbase, America’s largest Bitcoin service, to provide the IRS with the records of every user who traded on the site between 2014 and 2015. Covering the identities and transaction histories of millions of costumers, the request is believed to be the largest single attempt to identify … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Widow of Hunter S. Thompson Plans to Clone Late Husband’s Legendary Weed
Over a decade after the death of famed author and psychonaut Hunter S. Thompson, a small part of his legacy might find new life—and a spot in a dispensary near you. On Sunday, Anita Thompson announced that she was partnering with a cannabis company to clone her deceased husband’s favorite strains and sell them to … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsAmazon
Alexa, Who’s on First?
At this point, preprogrammed jokes have become a staple of digital assistant software, but most attempts at humor by Siri and the like have skewed closer to “cute” than “funny.” One possible explanation is that these assistants work better as comedy duos than solo acts, a possibility strongly supported by a new video starring Amazon … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Donald Trump Taps Lucky Teen to Own CNN Reporter Online
In one of his first acts of charity as President-elect, Donald Trump manually retweeted a teenager in California on Monday to shame CNN’s Jeff Zeleny for questioning his baseless allegations of extensive voter fraud. https://jezebel.com/trump-a-sore-winner-baselessly-attributes-popular-vot-1789408942 “Pathetic – you have no sufficient evidence that Donald Trump did not suffer from voter fraud, shame!” wrote 16-year-old “Seth” … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
ScienceHealth
Unknown Illness Kills Three Who Ate at Thanksgiving for the Poor
Health officials in California have opened an investigation into an incident that left three people dead and another five hospitalized after eating at a community Thanksgiving for “senior citizens, homeless, and people who would have otherwise been alone,” KTVU reports. Authorities said it was currently unclear what sickened eight of the 835 people who ate … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
ScienceBiology
Stolen Australian Marmoset Named ‘Gomez’ Still Missing
Three days after burglars stole a family of pygmy marmosets from Symbio Wildlife Park near Sydney, Australia, the eldest marmoset, a 10-year-old male named Gomez, remained missing, Buzzfeed reports. Authorities say they located the first of the three stolen monkeys, an unnamed 4-week-old, during a traffic stop on Sunday after receiving an anonymous tip. “Police … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsSploid
Watch Werner Herzog Narrate the Savage Lava Death of Chef Boyardee
“The sun dimmeth, the land sinketh, gusheth forth steam and gutting fire.” Quoting Norse poetry, celebrated documentarian Werner Herzog uses these words to describe our planet’s ancient forces in his recent film Into the Inferno. These same lines, it turns out, serve as a fitting eulogy for an unfortunate can of Chef Boyardee. By combining … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Commuters Get Free Rides After Hackers Target San Francisco Public Transit
A cyber attack oddly gave San Franciscans something to be thankful for this weekend when officials responded to a hack of the city’s transit system by giving away free rides. Friday night, the message “You Hacked, ALL Data Encrypted” began appearing on Muni station computer screens across San Francisco. Unable to charge customers for fare, … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Suspended on Twitter
Tuesday evening, the Twitter account of company co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey was briefly suspended on the site. It was not immediately clear why. By 9:15 P.M. Eastern time, Dorsey’s account was back online with a reset follower account. Last week, Twitter simultaneously banned a number of figures from the so-called “alt-right,” an action white … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Morrissey to GM CEO: Vegan Cars
Speaking on behalf of floppy-haired environmentalists everywhere, casually racist angst man Morrissey urged General Motors to offer vegan-friendly versions of its hybrid and electric vehicles on Monday. “I’m writing to ask GM to make Chevy’s Volt and Bolt more eco-friendly by giving buyers the option to choose vegan leather interiors—including steering wheels and gear shifts,” … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsFacebook
Former Trending News Writer Slams Facebook: ‘They Treated Us Like Garbage’
On Monday, a woman identifying herself as a former writer for Facebook’s trending section took to Twitter to criticize the social media giant, saying the solution to the site’s current fake news problem is the editorial team it fired with “no grace, no notice, no care” earlier this year. https://gizmodo.com/facebooks-fight-against-fake-news-was-undercut-by-fear-1788808204 “As a former Facebook Trending … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Hedgehog-Based Authentication Is the Only Way to Be Truly Secure
Come up with a password, they’ll crack it. Program a key card, they’ll hack it. Tie your identity to a DNA sequence and Russian black hats will break into your bedroom while you’re sleeping and steal all your blood. In the end, there’s only one truly unbreakable security measure: Atelerix albiventris, the humble hedgehog. Using … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
Report: Peter Thiel Quietly Building Silicon Valley ‘Brain Trust’ to Help Trump
According to a new Washington Post report, PayPal cofounder and Donald Trump transition team member Peter Thiel has been privately approaching other Silicon Valley entrepreneurs in recent days, asking them to advise the President-elect and possibly join his administration. Citing unnamed sources familiar with the situation, the Post reports that Thiel has been “carrying around … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
Tech News
100 Million Goddamn Trees Are Dead
California drought update: It’s still bad. How bad? According to the U.S. Forest Service, 102 million goddamn trees have now died in the state since 2010, including 62 million trees in this year alone. “The scale of die-off in California is unprecedented in our modern history,” one Forest Service official told the L.A. Times. “[Trees … Continued
By Hudson Hongo -
io9Movies
Suicide Squad: The Extended Cut Is the Movie 2016 Deserves
Suicide Squad: The Extended Cut is the cinematic equivalent of a train wreck. Suicide Squad: The Extended Cut is the physical equivalent of a train wreck. Suicide Squad: The Extended Cut is 2016 in movie form. https://gizmodo.com/suicide-squads-getting-an-extended-edition-but-whats-b-1787444148 Suicide Squad: The Extended Cut is long. It is 13 minutes longer than the original. Suicide Squad: The Extended … Continued
By Hudson Hongo