My friend Alberta Chu is an incredible documentary filmmaker, who focuses her work on the blending of technology and culture. She recently finished a short film called ELECTRUM, about a fantastically wealthy weirdo rancher in New Zealand who commissions the erection of a gargantuan Tesla Coil next to his house. The artist enlists the help of a gang of meticulous engineers and subterranean gearhead culture jammers in San Francisco to build it. You can find out more about the video, and the other stuff Alberta is interested in at her site, Future Culture.
My friend Alberta Chu is
John Deere jailbreak shows it's all "built on outdated, unpatched" hardware
John Deere uses DRM to prevent its own customers from repairing their own vehicles, pushing them to use the company's own overpriced service options. A new jailbreak for the systems announced this weekend at DEFCON by Sick Codes restores a measure of ownership to the owners. Moreover, it shows that John Deere's implementation is as… READ THE REST
Elderly woman hit with recurring subscription after asking voice assistant to say the Hail Mary
An old lady in England got a voice assistant as a gift. A devout Catholic, she asked it to say the Hail Mary. Delighted when it did so, she made it a daily habit. And Amazon was charging her for it, writes Patrick Collinson, her son. She had "unwittingly ordered" a subscription for an app… READ THE REST
California's net neutrality law survives courtroom challenge
As Ars Technica puts it, "ISPs can't find any judges who will block California's Net Neutrality law", and it's not like they haven't been shopping hard. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel, who voted for federal net neutrality rules in 2015 and opposed their repeal in 2017, applauded yesterday's court decision."This is big. Because when the FCC… READ THE REST
This alternative to coffee offers all the pick-me-up but none of the crash
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Did you know the webcam is a thing because of coffee? Yep, smart guys at Cambridge were the first to put a video camera feed online so they'd know precisely when… READ THE REST
Save over 60% off this nifty phone mount while supporting kids in need
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Whether you're commuting to class or visiting a sports center, learning a new skill could have your mind racing in a million places at once, and that might prompt you to… READ THE REST
These super affordable online courses prove it's easy to learn something new
Going through the same monotonous tasks every day can really do a number on your spirit. That's why many adults of all ages take the time to learn something new, whether to a bit of spice to the day or make a complete career pivot. And with fantastic e-learning programs like the five listed below,… READ THE REST
