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 Depending on your surfing habits, chances are you’ve come across a warning in Chrome that tells you that it’s probably safer not to proceed to whatever site you wanted to look at. That’s Google’s Safe Browsing technology at work, and over the next few weeks, the company plans to roll out a number of improvements to this service. Read More

Eledoremassis02's "manipulated photo" series Life After Disney is a series of gorgeously decayed visions for what Walt Disney World will look like long after humans have disappeared from the scene. Read the rest

Cooperative of Photography released a great video with 8 DIY tips to improve your smartphone shots, ranging from super-simple and cheap to fairly simple and maybe cheap. Read the rest

Is it being sweet? Or is it fattening them up? For later.

David Cameron repeatedly promised to protect "our NHS" but now the world's most beloved healthcare system is on the chopping block, thanks to a quiet inquiry in the unelected House of Lords. Read the rest

 By some estimates as many as 1 in 4 people claim to have had one of their online accounts hacked, something that Israeli startup LogDog is on a mission to help stop. It offers a mobile app (currently Android, with iOS to follow soon) that promises to monitor an array of online accounts for suspicious login or attempted login activity. Read More

There's a new flagship Android smartphone coming, but it's not like all the others. Oh no, this one comes from Marshall Headphones, and it's all about music. Called the London, it has two front-facing speakers, not unusual, and two audio outputs, which is far less common, plus a dedicated M button at the top of the handset for instant access to your tunes. A gold-accented scroll wheel on the left side serves as the volume control. Marshall is also touting the high-quality audio processing inside the London and is bundling a set of its Marshall Mode in-ear headphones to complete the package.

The Marshall London is otherwise a very conventional Android smartphone. It has a 4.7-inch, 720p display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, and an...

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The Anna Karenina principle of biking is this: Everyone who learned how to ride a bicycle did so in roughly the same boring way; anyone who made it to adulthood without learning required a unique series of roadblocks, failures, negligence, and procrastination. If you fall into the latter group, congratulations! Your inability to do something most children have mastered makes a great conversation-starter. But your tale of finally having tamed the wild, geared stallion will make an even better one.

There’s no sexy trauma in my past that kept me from learning: no 10-speed mowing down my parents in front of my eyes, no bike-mounted bullies menacing me for my lunch money. It just never happened for me. I grew up in an apartment with a lack of storage space in a bike-unfriendly neighborhood in a bike-unfriendly city, so tottering on training wheels down my block wasn’t an option. My parents knew how to ride, but rarely did, and they either never got around to teaching me or gave up on me when I was too young to remember. In college, where my deficiency made me an object of curiosity, attempts by friends to teach me were made under less-than-ideal conditions, i.e. while we were all very drunk. Those attempts went poorly. By the time I reached my mid-twenties, I just kind of assumed that if it hadn’t happened, it wasn’t going to.

Even when I turned 31 earlier this year, I couldn’t ride a bike with any level of confidence, couldn’t stay on that bastard for more than a few feet without wobbling, with visions of veering into oncoming traffic flashing before my eyes. “Killed Trying to Learn to Bicycle,” the headlines would read, “Like a Pathetic Incompetent Baby.” I was ashamed of my inadequacy, but you shouldn’t be. It’s just a non-vital skill that most people have learned but others haven’t. Just because the minority is a particularly small one doesn’t make it a failure of character.

But it’s worth learning. For one, it’s really fun. If you learned to ride decades ago maybe you’ve forgotten how it first felt, but it’s an incredible sensation to race through the park or down a busy road, the air whooshing in your face and the world flying by. You are free to go wherever you want and capable of getting there without having to resort to shutting yourself off from the world in a car or train. You feel excellent in body and mind; it is a workout, and it is a joy.

For another—and this is an actual, semi-serious justification I have used on myself—what if you’re being chased by an ax murderer with good foot speed, and you come across a bike? Do you or do you not want to be able to get away from the ax murderer?

Here’s the secret to learning to ride a bike: Just keep trying it, you’ll get it soon.

Wait, don’t leave! I know that sounds like terrible, useless advice, but it’s the only advice that matters. I ignored everyone who gave it to me during my failed attempts, but they were 100 percent correct, the know-it-alls. No one can tell you how to ride, because it’s a muscle-memory thing and an experience thing. You really do just have to get on a bike, screw up for a while, and you will, incredibly, start to screw up less. It’s not magic, even though it’ll feel like it.

But there are ways to give yourself the greatest chance of getting it. First: Find a bike. When I made the tentative decision to do this, I obviously didn’t own a bike, and didn’t have space to keep one. So I researched where I could rent them by the hour. And really, an hour here and an hour there is all you need. The very first time I rented a bike, out on Governor’s Island in New York harbor, I felt myself starting to figure out my balance in about 45 minutes. Yes, that meant 45 minutes of clumsy, halting, 10-foot rides, and endlessly bashing my shins on the pedals, but that was a small price to pay for tangible proof that I was capable of getting better at this.

And here’s the extra-great part: When I got on a bike again a couple months later out in Flushing Meadows (another hourly rental), I picked up almost exactly where I had left off. Your brain will remember everything from the first session, and from every subsequent session! You don’t have to do any work; your muscle memory is better than you think. By the second hour, I was doing something that you wouldn’t be laughed out of the room for identifying as, technically, a man riding a bicycle:

Find a good place to bike. If I had simply bought a bike and tried to roll out into traffic, I would have either died or been so scarred by the experience that I would never have tried it again. Biking in the city is a whole different thing. Instead, I went to secluded areas: parks, mainly, but also parking lots or near-deserted side streets in the outer boroughs. It meant no traffic to worry about, but it also meant no witnesses and no judgment. Not that passersby would have actually been judging the grown-ass man who clearly didn’t know how to ride a bike, but my own fear of that would have been crippling enough to keep me from focusing on the task at hand.

Depending on your preference, an adult bike-riding class will cover both the wheels and the location. Here in New York, they’re offered by a nonprofit partnered with the city; wherever you are, there’s sure to be at least a private offering. I haven’t done one myself, but taking a class with a group of supportive people in the same boat as me would have been the safest space imaginable.http://adequateman.deadspin.com/how-to-ride-a-...

As you get better, bike where you can. At a friend’s house? Ask if you can hop on their bike and take a ride around the block. On vacation? Look up bike tours, or just rent one and toddle around the back streets. Not only will you get more comfortable with riding in varying locations, and get a little more skilled each time, but your confidence will grow from knowing you can make biking be a secondary or tertiary activity to enhance an already-fun time.

Accept that you’re going to eat it. Repeatedly. I’ve torn my shins to shreds from stopping short. I’ve gone over the handlebars on a quiet park path in Berlin. I’ve skidded out on a cardboard box in Red Hook. Even this past weekend, I wiped out on the bridge to Rockaway, and nearly wiped out again on the way back. It’s terrifying each time. It’s terrifying thinking about it now. But it’s going to happen, because it happens to even the best riders. If you’re safe and smart, the odds are very, very small that any of your crashes will do serious damage.

Oh, hey, be safe, obviously. Do I even need to say it? Wear a helmet. Use lights. Go as fast as you’re comfortable. Be aware of cars, pedestrians, and other bikes. Don’t go the wrong way down the street. Err on the side of absolute caution at lights and intersections.

If you’re still a tentative rider, be even safer. Keep your seat low enough that you can put your feet solidly on the ground if you need to. Get a heavier bike with thicker tires for better stability—I’ve got a hybrid, but no one’s going to say a thing if you go full mountain bike, even for urban riding. (When you get better, you can always trade up to a road bike. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m considering it.) Pick your rides very carefully: When I first starting biking on my own, I went out early in the morning, when I knew the streets would be emptier. Even now I’m most comfortable when I’ve planned out my route to make sure that much of it will be on roads with dedicated bike lanes.

Find a bike friend. This is unequivocally what put me over the top as a bona fide “guy who can ride a bike.” I began hanging out with someone whose favorite thing in the world is biking, and I knew I would get to hang out with her more if I could bike too. I’m worlds better now—I’m still way behind her, which is OK—and I know I would never have made it this far without being encouraged to do something I might not have pursued on my own. Sometimes we’ve all got to be pushed into doing enjoyable things that scare us. And we almost always end up grateful and better for it. If you can’t push yourself, I bet you’ve got friends who’ll be more than happy to push you. Really, they’ll relish the opportunity to teach you, and to share something they love with you. And they’ll be almost as delighted in your progress as you are. Almost.

Five years ago, I literally could not ride a bicycle. Five months ago, I could barely ride a bike without terrifying myself and those around me. Three days ago, I rode to the beach and back, 35 miles. That’s not a huge deal to a real cyclist, but I felt especially good because it was something I never thought I’d be able to sniff. I’m proud and want to tell everyone I know; heck, that’s probably the biggest reason I’m writing this guide. So go give it a shot. I promise it’ll be worth bragging about.

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Adequate Man is Deadspin’s new self-improvement blog, dedicated to making you just good enough at everything. Suggestions for future topics are welcome below.

Illustration by Sam Woolley.

Twitter released a new data dashboard tool today that allows you to see login activity to help ensure no extra devices are connected to your account.

When you head to the Twitter data dashboard, you’ll now see a list of login activity. If there’s something there that shouldn’t be, you can revoke access to specific apps. If there is activity that shouldn’t be there, be sure to change your password and enable two-factor authentication to prevent further issues.

A new dashboard to help you monitor and manage your Twitter account | Twitter

I want to make this delicious looking ice cream (but with much less sugar). No ice cream maker needed!

Microsoft has now finalized Windows 10, ready for its release later this month. Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the software giant has selected build 10240 as the final release to manufacturing (RTM) copy, allowing PC makers to start loading the software onto new machines ready for release. We understand that Microsoft is signing off on the build internally today, and may announce the RTM publicly by the end of the week or choose to ignore the milestone and focus on the launch. While Microsoft is planning to launch Windows 10 on July 29th, new PCs with the software won’t be available until some weeks later. Microsoft is now pushing for existing and new device owners to upgrade to Windows 10 as part of a new...

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When Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing came out in the summer of 2013, few had seen anything like it. In 2002, Oppenheimer set out to chronicle the victims of Indonesia’s brutal regime change, which took place in 1965 and 1966. The coup threw a pro-Communist regime out of power and installed the US-backed President Suharto in its place. Suharto spearheaded a national campaign to purge itself of Communists that resulted in one of the grizzliest genocides of the 20th century: suspected sympathizers were gutted, beheaded, and sexually mutilated. Perpetrators drank their blood by the glassful in a superstitious attempt to ward off insanity, and victims’ bodies were left in the streets or dumped in mass graves. When it was all over,...

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For the first time, researchers have identified two genetic variants that predispose humans to major depressive disorder, according to a study published in Nature today. The finding is specific to Han Chinese women, so this isn't a universally relevant piece of information. Still, this discovery could help researchers get a handle on the biology of depression — in addition to enabling the identification of new drug targets.

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Last month researcher Zammis Clark (known online as ‘Slipstream’) discovered a security flaw in Impero Education Pro (IEP), a not insignificant find given the software’s application.

IEP is widely used in UK schools to monitor and restrict students’ Internet activities. According to Slipstream, the flaw had the potential to expose the personal details of thousands of users’ to hackers.

Early last month the researcher announced his find on Twitter while noting that it would allow for remote code execution on all Windows clients. Within the tweet he posted a link to his proof-of-concept code.

“[Impero] had a booth at BETT back in January. They gave out donuts. Those were nice,” Slipstream wrote

“Unfortunately, when I asked about their security, nobody answered me. Some reversing later, looks like Impero is completely pwned amirite.”

While Slipstream ultimately advised against using Impero’s product, he says he didn’t immediately inform the company of the vulnerability.

“Not being a customer, I wouldn’t have known where to send it, or whether they’d even reply to me,” the researcher told TF. “And, given the severity of the issue, I figured that full disclosure would cause some sort of fix pretty quickly.”

In fact, that prediction proved correct, with Impero issuing a temporary security patch to fix the flaw.

“We immediately released a hot fix, as a short-term measure, to address the issue and since then we have been working closely with our customers and penetration testers to develop a solid long-term solution,” the company said.

“All schools will have the new version, including the long-term fix, installed in time for the new school term.”

However, Slipstream claims the patch wasn’t effective.

“Of course, their fix turned out to be inadequate. After speaking to Impero users on a forum who advised me to email Impero support, I did just that, responsibly disclosing to them exactly how their fix was inadequate and that I had an updated PoC that worked against it,” he told us.

At this point it appears that relations between Slipstream and Impero had already taken a turn for the worse. After disclosing the issues with the patch almost a week ago, this week he received a legal threat from the company.

“In breach of the license terms, you have modified the software without our client’s authority, you have decompiled the software for purposes otherwise than to achieve interoperability and you have published confidential information about our client’s software,” Impero’s legal team state.

“By publicising the encryption key on the internet and on social media and other confidential information, you have enabled anyone to breach the security of our client’s software program and write destructive files to disrupt numerous software systems throughout the UK.”

Impero’s lawyers say that Slipstream’s actions have caused “direct loss and damage” in addition to “reputational damage” and “potential damage” to numerous IT systems used by schools throughout the UK.

“The loss and damage to our clients caused by your activities is significant and will in any legal action taken in the civil courts be the subject of applications to the court for restraining orders to restrict you from further copyright infringement and breach of confidence as well as court orders for monetary compensation,” the letter adds.

After advising Slipstream to seek legal advice and setting a deadline of July 17, Impero’s lawyers suggest that the damage to their clients could be mitigated if the Github posting and all associated Tweets are taken down. That has not yet happened.

Slipstream is disappointed by the threats and informs TF that taking action against researchers like himself could even prove counter-productive.

“Legal threats here would just be ‘shooting the messenger’ so to speak, and would discourage security researchers from actively reporting any issues,” he explains.

“Such legal threats to security researchers would certainly not prevent any malicious individuals from finding issues themselves, and using them for malicious purposes.”

Indeed, this last point is particularly relevant. Slipstream says that he knows someone who has found two other security issues in Impero’s software. Whether they will be tempted to speak to the company considering its aggressive legal response will remain to be seen.

Source: TorrentFreak, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and the best VPN services.

 Google today announced a new feature called Purchases on Google, which will make it easier for consumers to buy products directly from mobile search ads. The Wall Street Journal first reported that this was in the works back in May, with Google confirming the broad strokes of the news later that month. Read More

 Video has been one of the fastest-growing content categories on Facebook of late, with 4 billion daily video views on the site as of last quarter. Now, the social network wants to expand that even more. Facebook has confirmed that it has quietly started to test a “Watch Later” button for videos on the desktop — a little tab that appears as an overlay in the upper… Read More

It is exactly what it says it is. It is $6. [h/t Heather] (more…)

On March 14, 2005 "William O" received an anesthetic for root canal surgery. The next morning when William woke up, he thought it was still March 14 and that he had a dentist appointment.

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It's been scarcely two weeks since Pushbullet had its last big update, and here we are again. A new version is rolling out in the Play Store that fully integrates SMS into the website, browser extension, and desktop apps. You could reply to SMS before, but this update syncs all your conversations to the computer.

What's particularly cool about this update is that you don't need to do anything to make it work.

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Pushbullet Update Brings Full SMS Messaging Support To Your Desktop was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

The Oscar-winning documentarian, who directed Citizenfour, was detained and searched over 50 times, but the breaking-point was when the US Government refused to respond to her Freedom of Information Act request for the reasons for her harassment. Read the rest

• Update 1: 2015/07/15 9:50am PDT
  Thanks to one of our commenters, we've discovered that the Commdore PET is almost certainly a trademark-stamped version of the Orgtec WaPhone, as shown in the

This morning, a story on Wired was published, and it might have you believe some sort of zombie Commodore is building a Commodore-inspired smartphone called the PET, which sounds kind of cool (I guess?).

Well, here's the thing: I'm not going to say Wired got duped - but they also seem to have missed some pretty glaring red flags about this device that should probably make anyone think twice before getting excited.

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[Update: Chinese Original Found] Company Slaps Commodore Brand On Back Of Generic Smartphone, Gets Attention was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Reddit has been having a rough couple of weeks, and things show no signs of letting up. Two weeks ago its moderators went into revolt after the firing of Victoria Taylor, a popular staffer who helped run the site's Ask Me Anything section. Around 1AM today, the news broke that its chief engineer, Bethanye Blount, was stepping down. She told our sister site, Recode, that in her opinion Reddit could not "deliver on promises being made to the community" and that former CEO Ellen Pao, who resigned last week, was basically set up to fail, or in Blount's words, pushed off a "glass cliff."

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Quolls are marsupials native to Tasmania and Australia, though very few live in the wild in Australia due to decimation by foxes and feral cats. Perhaps the cutest pics are from Craig Borrow of the Herald Sun: Read the rest

With the "right to be forgotten" now firmly established in European law, hundreds of millions of people can now ask to be delisted by Google, effectively erasing themselves from Google Search. A new report from The Guardian digs into who has been using the new feature, using information accidentally revealed in the source code of Google's recent transparency report. The new data covers the 218,320 requests that were made between May 2014 and March 2015, roughly three-quarters of the total requests, slightly less than half of which (101,461) resulted in a successful delisting.

Google breaks the requests into five categories: private personal information, child protection, political requests, public figures, or serious crimes. The vast...

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9201iu1KC7I

It's been uploaded on youtube by Flicks And The City, Enjoy!

Let’s face it: most of us spend money on things that are entirely unnecessary. We buy gadgets we don’t use, books we don’t read, and experiences we don’t even remember. If you won’t remember something in a week, don’t bother spending money on it.

As personal finance blog The Simple Dollar explains, if you won’t remember something you paid money for after a week, that’s probably a good indicator that it was a waste of money. Buying books is great, but if you’ve already bought twelve this week, you’re probably going to forget the thirteenth. Add it to a list if you don’t want to forget, but don’t buy it until you know you won’t forget it:

This is perhaps the biggest lesson I’ve ever learned about personal finance. If it’s an item or an experience you won’t remember in a few days, you shouldn’t be spending any money on it. If it’s completely forgettable, then any money you spent on it is basically just lost.

The only completely forgettable things you should be spending money on are your most basic life needs – basic food, basic clothing, and shelter.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can never spend money on something you’re not sure you’ll remember. I regularly watch movies I’m not sure I’ll enjoy because I may like them. However, when you know that you don’t have time to use an item, or you don’t care about a particular experience, that’s as good a filter as any to determine whether you should really be spending money on it.

How to Live a Rich Modern Life Without Debt | The Simple Dollar via Rockstar Finance

Photo by peddhapati.