LibreOffice Updates, Doesn’t Look Like Crap Anymore

Windows/Mac/Linux: LibreOffice, has always been powerful enough to stand up against Microsoft Office , but it’s also been a bit ugly and clunky to use. Today, they rolled out an update the overhauls the UI and makes it a lot more useable. Read more…

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LibreOffice Updates, Doesn’t Look Like Crap Anymore

Mainichi Teaches You Japanese with Every New Chrome Tab

Chrome/Web: Learning another language can be difficult if you don’t immerse yourself in it every day. Mainichi is a Chrome new tab replacement and webapp that teaches you (and reminds you of) everyday Japanese words. Read more…

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Mainichi Teaches You Japanese with Every New Chrome Tab

New Linux Bug Could Cause "a Lot of Collateral Damage on the Internet"

Linux users around the world are scrambling to update their operating systems, as a new flaw known as GHOST has been shown to have the potential to cause “a lot of collateral damage on the Internet.” Read more…

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New Linux Bug Could Cause "a Lot of Collateral Damage on the Internet"

Terrifying Medical Instruments Found on Blackbeard’s Sunken Ship

The jolly good life of a pirate was not a jolly healthy one, what with the syphilis and scurvy and ship-raiding. Archeologists excavating Blackbeard’s flagship off the coast of North Carolina have unveiled their latest findings: a cache of medical instruments that include this rather horrifying urethral syringe. Read more…

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Terrifying Medical Instruments Found on Blackbeard’s Sunken Ship

New Google Fiber Cities Announced

New submitter plate_o_shrimp sends word that Google has announced the next group of cities set to receive gigabit fiber infrastructure. They’re concentrating on cities around four metro areas: Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, and Raleigh-Durham. “We’ve been working closely with city leaders over the past year on a joint planning process to get their communities ready for Google Fiber—and now the really hard work begins. Our next step is to work with cities to create a detailed map of where we can put our thousands of miles of fiber, using existing infrastructure such as utility poles and underground conduit, and making sure to avoid things like gas and water lines. Then a team of surveyors and engineers will hit the streets to fill in missing details. Once we’re done designing the network (which we expect to wrap up in a few months), we’ll start construction.” Google also said they’re currently looking into Phoenix, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, and San Jose. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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New Google Fiber Cities Announced

YouTube Ditches Flash For HTML5 Video By Default

An anonymous reader writes: YouTube today announced it has finally stopped using Adobe Flash by default. The site now uses its HTML5 video player by default in Google’s Chrome, Microsoft’s IE11, Apple’s Safari 8, and in beta versions of Mozilla’s Firefox browser. At the same time, YouTube is now also defaulting to its HTML5 player on the web. In fact, the company is deprecating the “old style” Flash object embeds and its Flash API, pointing users to the iFrame API instead, since the latter can adapt depending on the device and browser you’re using. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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YouTube Ditches Flash For HTML5 Video By Default

Watch This Reflected Laser Pulse’s Entire Flight Path at 20bn FPS

The technology available to image light as it moves through space continues to advance. Recently, we saw a new high-speed camera capture a small pulse reflected from a mirror ; now, it’s possible to image the entire flight path of a laser as it bounces around a laboratory. Read more…

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Watch This Reflected Laser Pulse’s Entire Flight Path at 20bn FPS

uBlock, the Memory-Friendly Ad-Blocker, Is Now Available for Firefox

Firefox: The last time we highlighted uBlock, a fast and lightweight alternative to AdBlock Plus , it was Chrome only. Now the add-on is available for Firefox as well, and it works well, even though it’s still in beta. Read more…

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uBlock, the Memory-Friendly Ad-Blocker, Is Now Available for Firefox

Inside Ford’s New Silicon Valley Lab

An anonymous reader writes Engadget takes a look at Ford’s new Research and Innovation Center located in Palo Alto. The company hopes to use the new facility to speed the development of projects such as autonomous cars and better natural voice recognition. From the article: “This isn’t Ford’s first dance with the Valley — it actually started its courtship several years ago when it opened its inaugural Silicon Valley office in 2012. The new center, however, is a much bigger effort, with someone new at the helm. That person is Dragos Maciuca, a former Apple engineer with significant experience in consumer electronics, semiconductors, aerospace and automotive tech. Ford also hopes to build a team of 125 professionals under Maciuca, which would make the company one of the largest dedicated automotive research teams in the Valley.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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Inside Ford’s New Silicon Valley Lab

Cuba’s Illegal Underground Internet Is Thriving

In Old Havana’s last remaining internet cafe, an hour online costs about almost a quarter of an average monthly salary. But armed with some piecemeal networking equipment and rebellious sensibilities, some Cuban youths have taken connectivity into their own hands . Read more…

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Cuba’s Illegal Underground Internet Is Thriving