Last minute geek

1. Jane McGonigal and Institute for the Future: Free online course "How To Think Like a Futurist"
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... and applied for the past 50 years by the Institute for the Future, a Silicon-Valley-based research and learning group founded in 1968. In this course, you’ll build your understanding of what futures thinking ...

2. Andy Rubin quietly left the venture company he founded
(English/engadget)

Disgraced former Google exec Andy Rubin has lost another one of his ties to Silicon Valley earlier in 2019. BuzzFeed News has obtained documents indicating that Playground Global, the venture company ...

3. Warren trolls Facebook by running campaign ads that lie about Mark Zuckerberg
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... and public affairs at George Washington University, told CNN. "It's a smart tactical move." From CNN: Warren has become one of Facebook's key antagonists after first calling for it and other Silicon Valley ...

4. Mysterious rash of cattle mutilations in Oregon
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... Who or what did this and why remains a mystery. (Insert "I'm not saying it's aliens..." joke here.) Silvies Valley Ranch has offered a $25,000 reward for information that could lead to answers. From National ...

5. GOP-led Senate panel agrees Russia infowar campaign helped Trump
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... White House, and Silicon Valley to prevent the same thing from happening in 2020. The group of Democratic and Republican senators delivered a sobering assessment of weaknesses that Russian operatives ...

6. Via's on-demand van service comes to Apple's backyard
(English/engadget)

Via's on-demand vans have been available in a handful of cities, but now the company is aiming for a particularly obvious market: Silicon Valley commuters. The city of Cupertino and Via are launching ...

7. San Franciscans happily house Oregonian searching for his lost dog 'Yippy'
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... I have ever been with anybody,” Lopez said. In June, the Apple Valley native was only passing through San Francisco on his journey to begin a new life in Oregon. Then everything changed. “I’d take him ...

8. $5 million gold toilet stolen from Britain's Blenheim Palace
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... some time before 5 a.m. (0400 GMT), Thames Valley Police said. One 66-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the theft, say police, but the artwork is still missing. Blenheim Palace says it ...

9. Trump visits Silicon Valley for fundraiser, location a mystery even to donors
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It's Donald's first time visiting Silicon Valley since 2016. Who's going? Read all  ...

10. Thieves steal golden toilet
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... BST and stole the artwork, Thames Valley Police said. The working toilet - entitled America, which visitors had been invited to use - has not been found but a 66-year-old man has been arrested. The burglary ...

11. The creators of 'Silicon Valley' are making a Match.com origin series
(English/engadget)

The co-creators of Silicon Valley are developing a series on the origins of Match.com, according to Variety. John Altschuler and David Krinsky are reportedly adapting a book entitled The Players Ball: ...

12. What should become of the MIT Media Lab?
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... existence? After all, elite academia is rotted through with corporate sponsorship these days, particularly from Silicon Valley; a 2017 Wall Street Journal report revealed that Google had funded “hundreds” ...

13. Apple and Google ordered by U.S. to provide names, phone, other data on 10,000+ users of this gun scope app
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... the feds have asked the Silicon Valley giants for info on so many thousands of people in one go.” From Forbes: According to a court order filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on September 5, investigators ...

14. Take a trip with the Family Acid
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... ancient redwoods of Big Sur and the wilds of Death Valley. Along the way, they’d rendezvous with likeminded freaks, artists, musicians, and writers, from Bob Marley and Timothy Leary to actor John Ritter ...

15. The first ever black hole image lands scientists $3 million prize
(English/engadget)

The scientists that captured the first image of a black hole are being rewarded with a $3 million prize. The Breakthrough prize, known as the "Oscars of Science," is sponsored by Silicon Valley ...

16. These engineers and tech execs want to create a peaceful lunar settlement
(English/engadget)

A group of Silicon Valley tech executives and engineers want to create a peaceful, multinational lunar settlement. According to Bloomberg, the San Francisco-based Open Lunar Foundation plans to invest ...

17. The Best Times For Makers To Visit Shenzhen in 2019
(English/makezine)

Whenever people mention Shenzhen, names like “Silicon Valley of Hardware”, “Tech City” “Innovation Hub” are one of the first things that will come to mind. While dreams may be born in San Francisco, many ...

18. Tool analyzes your personality type based on your Tweets
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... valley girl. Read the rest Read all  ...

19. 'El Hijo' is a Spaghetti Western stealth game with heart
(English/engadget)

The art at the top of El Hijo's website says it all. A young boy in a red poncho stands at the edge of a cliff, overlooking a sun-bleached desert valley with a stuffed bear dangling from his fingertips. ...

20. A fan's fantastic deepfake improvements to the Lion King
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

@jonty_pressinger was unhappy that the live action/CGI remake of The Lion King was set in the Uncanny Valley so he "attempted to fix (it) by doing an AI style-transfer using @ellejart amazing fan art."  ...

21. The Irishman trailer depicts de-aged DeNiro
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

It's so close to perfect, especially given the rich, detailed, warts-and-all photography. But the funny thing about the so-called Uncanny Valley is the deeper you get, the more's left to climb. Read ...

22. Ustwo confirms there will be a ‘Monument Valley 3’
(English/engadget)

Fans of the meditative, mobile puzzle game Monument Valley will soon have more obstacles to tackle. British game developer Ustwo confirmed on Twitter today [via a job posting] that there will be a Monument ...

23. Kamala Harris policy generator
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... a toy store that operates for 15 days in Silicon Valley. Yesterday, I announced that, as president, I'll establish a school prayer program for single fathers who open a market that operates for 7 years ...

24. Vast majority of porn sites use Google Analytics and Facebook embeds that track you, even in incognito mode
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... worst privacy offenders in Silicon Valley, like Oracle. The data extracted by these trackers (browser config, IP address, unique advertising IDs assigned by your phone vendor) can be used to link your ...

25. This bundle teaches you how to market on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, & more
(English/BoingBoing ibag)

... get traction on another. Enter the Silicon Valley Digital Marketers Bundle, a master class for online advertisers that truly covers all the bases. This comprehensive series of 11 courses cover the principles ...