Tech Boys

I was expecting to see an explosive worst-case scenario, a can-opener at 30,000 feet. But this simulation of a less explosive leak has a nightmare quality all of its own. from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2r9LwRW via IFTTT

Here's yet another reason to install a dashcam. Joshua was rolling through Brooklyn around midnight when an undercover cop car ran a red light as he was turning left from the opposite direction. He's then treated to a lot of lip by the officers as he protests his innocence while pulled over. (more…) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2r9oZFn via IFTTT

Loki the Sphynx is eight years old, but he looks like a grumpy old man. His resting grump face is quite possibly grumpier than his furrier and more famous rival Grumpy Cat. (more…) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2I3CVui via IFTTT

Apparently in China people can get discounts on their health insurance (and avoid punishment ) if their phone hits 10K steps a day. That's nearly five miles of exercise they're expected to get every day. Well, if there's a way to cheat something, someone will figure it out. And someone did. Canadian-born Mark Rowswell, aka Chinese comedian Dashan , tweeted that a restaurant in China is offering a "swinging cradle" for its patrons to hit their daily steps quota while dining, drinking, and smoking. https://twitter.com/akaDashan/status/990054109855141888 I dug around a bit. It seems these clever devices (called " 摇步器 ") have been around since at least 2016, as evidenced by this video: https://youtu.be/gNAIUzN7PJI Previously: Is China's social credit system becoming a Black Mirror episode? ( Super Punch ) from Boing Boing https://ift.tt/2HB2LX7 via IFTTT

Virgin Hyperloop One and DP World have announced the launch of a new company that will push the technology into the cargo industry. DP World Cargospeed is a new project that will see the pair look to build Hyperloop-enabled cargo systems to transport... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2vYAcOd via IFTTT

A man who has run the France.com website since 1994 is suing after it was given to the French government. from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2HDvEhr via Technology

Apple may have lost up to half its market share in Greater China. Analysts are calling the company's performance there "weak." Most Chinese may be too poor to buy an iPhone. Although the company now has a large installed base in China, a "supercycle" of upgrades keeps not happening. Competition from domestic Android makers like Huawei and Oppo has been much stronger than expected. Apple's revenues in Greater China increased 11% to $18 billion last quarter, and CEO Tim Cook told analysts "everywhere I look, I feel really good about how we're doing in China." But researchers with sources in China aren't so bullish. They believe the iPhone X may be hemmed in by its excessive price (which places it far out of reach of the vast majority of consumers in China) and by the aggressiveness of local manufacturers such as Huawei. They forecast Apple's sales — which cycle wildly from quarter to quarter — declining in the near future. And

Warning: mild spoilers for 'Silicon Valley' season 5. From the fertile mind of Bertram Gilfoyle comes yet another pearl of innovation. SEE ALSO: YouTube accused of violating child privacy law that killed 'Silicon Valley' chat app Silicon Valley has been known to foray into the real world with its inventions (see Jian-Yang's Not-Hotdog app ).  In a recent episode it was revealed that Satanist coder Gilfoyle mines Bitcoin, but only when it exceeds a certain value. To keep track of when the value of Bitcoin dips below or above this value, Gilfoyle has an alert set up which plays a snippet of “You Suffer” by Napalm Death, a death metal band. Read more... More about Bitcoin , Silicon Valley Season 5 , Culture , Consumer Tech , and Movies Tv Shows from Mashable https://ift.tt/2HZZHU1 via IFTTT

We're back! T-Mobile and Sprint might well become one big phone network. It's the mobile industry's long-running equivalent of the Ross and Rachel will-they-won't-they, just with more references to 5G spectrum. Oh and LG is promising a stupidly loud... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2HFQEYT via IFTTT

Good news for people planning on hosting viewing parties for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding—you won't have to pay a licence fee to screen it.  The BBC announced it will be waiving its fee for communities screening the wedding live, so people hosting street parties and other events on the day won't need to worry about buying a licence.  SEE ALSO: The super sweet detail in Harry and Meghan's wedding invitations that you might have missed In the UK, premises need to buy a TV licence in order to view or stream TV programmes on any device. But, the BBC sometimes issues a "dispensation" for broadcasts it deems to be "of national importance." In a statement, Pipa Doubtfire, the BBC's Head of Revenue Management, said the BBC considers the royal wedding to be such an occasion.  Read more... More about Uk , Bbc , Prince Harry , Royal Wedding , and Meghan Markle from Mashable https://ift.tt/2FufFAi via IFTTT

Multiple nations, including China and the US, have pursued offshore or floating nuclear reactors, but neither will be first to christen one. Russia has launched the world's first floating nuclear power plant, the 70-megawatt Academik Lomonosov, on th... from Engadget RSS Feed https://ift.tt/2Hz9TmS via IFTTT

WARNING: Spoilers for 'Avengers: Infinity War' ahead . Fans were worried following Valkyrie's absence in Avengers: Infinity War . SEE ALSO: Jeff Goldblum picks his Avengers champion (and it's not Thor) She was last seen accompanying Thor and his rag-tag band of Asgardian refugees aboard a spaceship at the end of Thor: Ragnarok . However, she was nowhere to be seen when we saw the wreckage of said ship at the beginning of Infinity War , nor did Thor mention her fate (although to be fair, he already had a lot on, what with stopping Thanos and whatnot). Tessa Thompson, the actress who plays Valkyrie, decided to put her fans' minds at rest with a tweet explaining her role in the movie. Read more... More about Avengers Infinity War , Valkyrie , Tessa Thompson , Culture , and Movies Tv Shows from Mashable https://ift.tt/2JAOpmo via IFTTT

Celebrities are people too, and capable of entirely meaningless, mundane encounters. SEE ALSO: Celebrities are tweeting their old headshots, and wow Podcaster and writer John Moe posed a question on Twitter on Sunday. Your most boring, mundane, inconsequential celebrity encounter. Go! — John Moe (@johnmoe) April 27, 2018 The answers were plentiful and gloriously yawn-worthy. I asked Winona Ryder where the bathroom was, and she very kindly said it was “down the hall.” https://t.co/1eHsOP9Pgx — Meaghan (@meaghang) April 29, 2018 When I was working at the Mobil station in Woodstock, NY, Ethan Hawke came in and bought a pack of Juicy Fruit. “.75 cents” i said. He gave me a 5 dollar bill. I gave him four dollars and 25 cents. He said “Thanks.” https://t.co/LIgbNPrfI1 — josh ruben (@joshruben) April 29, 2018 Read more... More about Celebrities , Boring , Culture , and Celebrities from Mashable https://ift.tt/2r9OgyC via IFTTT

Miley Cyrus just proved it's never too late to admit that your apology didn't come from the heart. The singer has retracted an apology she issued over a semi-nude photograph taken by Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair 10 years ago.  SEE ALSO: Miley Cyrus encourages fans to support new charity single by Parkland survivors The singer tweeted a photo of the front cover of the New York Post —dated April 26 2008—emblazoned with the headline: "MILEY'S SHAME." On the bottom right of the front page reads an apology from Cyrus at the time: "I feel so embarrassed. I never intended for any of this to happen."  Read more... More about Photography , Vanity Fair , Miley Cyrus , Hannah Montana , and Culture from Mashable https://ift.tt/2HClwcZ via IFTTT

Like...or dislike? The possibility of Facebook adding downvoting — the opposite of "liking" — for posts and comments on its network has tickled the fancy of many users. It could be great for getting rid of those pesky fake news posts, but it could also be used for trolling and it could turn Facebook into something more similar to Reddit , which is not everyone's cup of tea.  The rumors aren't entirely unfounded: Facebook tested the feature for a small group of users earlier this year, and now it appears to be rolling it out to more users, primarily in Australia and New Zealand.  SEE ALSO: Facebook's richer than ever, despite data privacy scandals Read more... More about Facebook , Social Network , Dislike , Downvote , and Tech from Mashable https://ift.tt/2Fv0Ygi via IFTTT

The merc with a mouth has jumped on the Avengers hype train. SEE ALSO: Jeff Goldblum picks his Avengers champion (and it's not Thor) Acclaimed actor and accomplished giggle-merchant Ryan Reynolds tweeted to congratulate the Avengers on Sunday. The tweet was accompanied by his own Marvel character Deadpool's letter of rejection from genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. From a guy who never knows when to quit, I’m glad you guys never did. Congrats #Avengers pic.twitter.com/voJshTKx5E — Ryan Reynolds (@VancityReynolds) April 29, 2018 The Avengers would be a very different team with Deadpool as a member. For one thing, they wouldn't be suitable for children. Read more... More about Deadpool , Ryan Reynolds , Avengers Infinity War , Culture , and Celebrities from Mashable https://ift.tt/2r9ZXVT via IFTTT

Boom, boom, boom! We’re announcing another big name for  our upcoming blockchain event in Zug, Switzerland, on July 6 after Coinbase CTO Balaji Srinivasan joined the line-up. The event — TC: Sessions Blockchain — will be TechCrunch’s first show dedicated to blockchain, it takes place in the world’s “Crypto Valley” and we’ll be joined by a host of top names. Some of those include Ethereum creator Vitalik Buterin ,  Roham Gharegozlou, the founder of smash-hit blockchain game CryptoKitties ,  Brian Behlendorf, executive director of the Hyperledger Project , and OmiseGo CEO Jun Hasegawa . Don’t miss it! Tickets are priced at 495 Swiss Francs — or around $500 — and they’re available from the event website here . Fresh from announcing Buterin’s participation , we’re excited to host Srinivasan, who is another massively-respected thinker and visionary in the blockchain space. Srinivasan became the first-ever CEO at Coinbase, the U.S. crypto giant that is now reportedly valued as high as

Chinese businesses and the military are monitoring employees' brain activity and emotions. The "emotional surveillance technology" helps employers identify mood shifts so they can change break times, an employee's task, or even send them home. The technology reportedly increases productivity and profitability, with one company claiming its profits jumped by $315 million. Emotional surveillance adds to a wide surveillance network of facial recognition and internet censorship across China. Employees' brain waves are reportedly being monitored in factories, state-owned enterprises, and the military across China. The technology works by placing wireless sensors in employees' caps or hats which, combined with artificial intelligence algorithms, spot incidents of workplace rage, anxiety, or sadness. Employers use this "emotional surveillance technology" by then tweaking workflows, including employee placement and breaks, to increase productivity