Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “ACTA Rejected in European Parliament”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “ACTA Rejected in European Parliament”


ACTA Rejected in European Parliament

Posted: 04 Jul 2012 04:47 AM PDT




The European Parliament has rejected ACTA in a 478 to 39 vote, making the controversial trade agreement effectively dead and gone -- at least in its current state.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which has been called "more dangerous than SOPA," at one point had support from many governments around the world, including the U.S. and Japan.

A strong public movement against ACTA raised the awareness of its dangers, ultimately convincing many governments -- and now the European Parliament as well -- that the agreement should be discarded.

#EP has rejected #ACTA agreement— European Parliament (@Europarl_EN) July 4, 2012

SEE ALSO: What is ACTA? Why Should You Care
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More About: ACTA, eu


Higgs Boson Discovery and Two Other Stories You Need to Know

Posted: 04 Jul 2012 04:42 AM PDT




Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories.

CERN Discovers New Particle Consistent With Higgs Boson

At a press conference in Melbourne today CERN's scientists have revealed the results of a long search for the mysterious Higgs boson, a subatomic particle said to give shape and size to the universe.

CERN confirmed its scientists have found an entirely new particle with 99.999% certainty. The new particle is consistent with the Higgs boson, but it will take time to make sure that the newly found particle is indeed the…
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More About: ACTA, CERN, features, first to know series, Higgs boson, ipad, mashable


Mormon Church Uses Facebook, Apps to Increase Political Outreach

Posted: 04 Jul 2012 02:05 AM PDT




Members of Jesus Christ's Church of Latter Day Saints have begun leveraging their evangelizing networks through smartphone apps to help draw support for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. By employing specialized apps like LDS Tools to gather phone numbers and addresses of Mormon church members, political supporters can cross-check the contact info with voter registration data to contact other Romney backers.

However, Mormon church rules forbid the use of LDS resources for political purposes. Dave Isbell, a Nevada Mormon, tells CNN, the apps are being used despite official church policy.

"The church makes it really easy for you to get a hold of anyone in your ward," Isbell says. "I…
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More About: Facebook, Mitt Romney, mormon, religion, US politics


CERN Confirms Existence of a Particle Consistent With Higgs Boson

Posted: 04 Jul 2012 12:59 AM PDT




CERN's scientists have found a new boson within five standard deviations of accuracy. The new particle is the heaviest boson ever found and it's "consistent" with the Higgs boson.

At a press conference in Melbourne Wednesday morning, CERN's experts said the evidence for the particle's existence was observed in the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland.

The ATLAS experiment, also on the lookout for the elusive particle that is said to give all universe size and shape, will be announcing its experiments later today.

By combining data sets from both experiments, the researchers are able to confirm the existence of the particle with even bigger certainty…
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More About: Higgs boson, trending


Women Win Facebook, Twitter, Zynga; Men Get LinkedIn, Reddit [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 04 Jul 2012 12:43 AM PDT




When it comes to the sexes on social media, there are a few places where the battle lines seem settled. It probably won't surprise you to learn, for example, that men are from Google+ and women are from Pinterest.

But when it comes to the two dominant social networks -- Facebook and Twitter -- you may be shocked to discover that women are now in the majority on both services. Not only that, but they're posting far more frequently on Facebook than their slowpoke male counterparts can manage.

Online gaming, once a bastion of men, has fallen to the females as well. Zynga is by far the largest online gaming network, with 250 million players logging on every month; 60% of those players are…
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More About: battle of the sexes, Facebook, linkedin, reddit, Twitter


Google Maps Head Indoors in the UK

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 09:00 PM PDT




If you're traveling in the UK, now you can not only find directions to your destination using Google Maps -- you can also find directions to things you're looking for once you're inside a number of locations.

Available at some locations in the US since last year, Google is launching indoor maps for Android devices for locations in the UK beginning Tuesday. A part of the standard Google Maps app, indoor maps will appear when you zoom in on a specific portion of a map.

Once you're zoomed in to a floor plan you can then search for what you're looking for within that plan. For instance, you might zoom in on a train station to get an indoor map of the station and help finding th…
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More About: Google, Google Maps, Indoor Maps, uk


16 Photos From Our Readers’ Commutes

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 08:34 PM PDT




From a Manhattan-bound ferry ride to a dirt-road journey on a bike, we all get to work in different ways. Many of us at Mashable HQ in New York City take the subway to work, which is a stark contrast to one reader's commute through the snowy roads of Alaska.

For this week's Mashable Photo Challenge, we asked you to snap a photo from your commute.

One great aspect of social media is its ability to unite people from different regions of the world. As we saw in previous weeks of the Photo Challenge, the everyday lives of our readers are diverse and unique. Whether you show us your backyard or the weather where you are, we love seeing your many different perspectives from across the…
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More About: instagram, Mashable Photo Challenge, photography


How to Take Photos of Fireworks With Your Phone

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 08:12 PM PDT





The best part about the Fourth of July is the fireworks. Whether you're five or 50, they have the ability to mesmerize, entertain and amaze.

Cellphone cameras make it possible for everyone to take photos of fireworks - but as is often the case with nighttime and motion photos, this can be tricky. However, with these cameras being more powerful than ever before, a few simple tips can make your photos last a lifetime.
SEE ALSO: 5 iPhone Apps for Better Photos and Videos
Check out our tips and let us know in the comments if you have any other recommendations for taking the best fireworks photos with your cellphone camera.

More About: android, apps, iphone, photography


The iPad Mini, Apple’s Tablet Trump Card, Is Coming This Year [REPORT]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 07:36 PM PDT




Apple is preparing to release a smaller version of the iPad in time for the 2012 holiday season, according to a report just weeks after competitors Google and Microsoft announced their own tablet offerings.

The newest iPad would feature a screen measuring between seven and eight inches -- down from the standard 9.7-inch screen of the previous three versions, Bloomberg reports. It would not, however, feature the retina display introduced with the most recent iPad in March.

Bloomberg cites "two people with knowledge of the plans" in its Tuesday report, and says the new device could be officially announced as early as October.

Some type of "iPad Mini" has been speculated about for a…
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More About: apple, Google, ipad, microsoft, Nexus 7


Spotify For BlackBerry Is Here. Does It Matter?

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 06:54 PM PDT




Already available for the iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, Symbian devices and even the ill-fated Palm series, Spotify officially arrived in the BlackBerry App World Tuesday.

As with versions of the app on other mobile operating systems, you'll need to have a premium subscription to Spotify in order to be able to stream tunes.

With that premium subscription you'll be able to play music on-demand from your music catalog within the app, as well as play specific playlists you've created. You can search for different tracks, artists, and albums on the service, star songs you enjoy, browse what's new and hot on the service, and send and receive tracks form friends.

When you're…
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More About: blackberry, RIM, spotify


Euro 2012: Who Won on Twitter? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 06:20 PM PDT




Euro 2012 is history, with Spain taking home its third straight major international tournament.

Europe's once-every-four-years spectacle was full of memorable moments on the pitch -- brilliance from Cristiano Ronaldo, the stellar play of Italian wildcard Mario Balotelli and the passion of his Azzurri teammate Gianluigi Buffon, just to scratch the surface.

But who won Euro 2012 in the Twittersphere?

Spain totaled 873,000 mentions during the tournament, England totaled 849,000 and Italy was third at 716,000. Portugal star Ronaldo was tops among players, with nearly 270,000 mentions despite his squad not reaching the final game. Balotelli and Spain's Fernando Torres -- two players w…
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More About: Euro 2012, sports, Twitter


‘Seventeen’ Agrees to Feature ‘Real Girls’ Following Online Petition

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 06:07 PM PDT




Seventeen magazine has pledged to always feature "real girls" in its pages following a popular online petition from 14-year-old Julia Bluhm (pictured center).

Bluhm's petition, which was posted to Change.org on April 19, asked Seventeen to commit to print one unaltered photo spread per month.

"For the sake of all the struggling girls all over America, who read Seventeen and think these fake images are what they should be, I'm stepping up. I know how hurtful these photoshopped images can be," Bluhm wrote, citing the overly weight-conscious girls in her ballet class.

The petition amassed nearly 85,000 signatures in just four days. Seventeen Editor-in-Chief Ann Shoket quickly invited…
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More About: change.org, magazines, Media, Photoshop, seventeen, teens


Mermaid Myth: Government Blog Debunks ‘Aquatic Humanoids’

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:48 PM PDT




Get ready for a shock: mermaids don't exist, according to the U.S. government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The revelation came in an "Ocean Facts" blog post on June 27, although the news is only now going viral on Facebook.

The entry did take its sweet time about clarifying that fact. After a couple of paragraphs talking about the history of mermaid myths, the NOAA post offered this: "But are mermaids real? No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found.

"Why, then, do they occupy the collective unconscious of nearly all seafaring peoples? That's a question best left to historians, philosophers, and anthropologists."

Some news accounts have sug…
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More About: Facebook, ocean exploration, US Government


Cartoon Explains Higgs Boson [VIDEO]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:38 PM PDT




So what is this Higgs boson thing all about again?

The NASA-approved cartoon above tries to explain. Created by PHD Comics, the video features two scientists giving an overview of the so-called "God particle" as an illustrator attempts to visualize the concepts.

The gist is that there are untold numbers of particles, but scientists only know of 12. With the CERN supercollider, scientists can annihilate particles and then reconstruct them in a new way to see what's going on at that subatomic level. Using CERN's $10 billion Large Hadron Collider, scientists either were or weren't able to find Higgs boson, a particle predicted by the Standard Model that gives other particles mass. We…
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More About: Higgs boson, large hadron collider, particle physics, Science


Delaware Law to Give Students Increased Online Privacy

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 05:18 PM PDT




Delaware has become the first state to passed a law banning public and private schools from requiring students to give administration access to social media accounts.

The bill forbids institutions from requesting students to provide passwords or account information, asking students to log onto a social media site in the presence of a government agent, requiring the installation of a monitoring device that gives the institution access, or requiring students to add an agent to their online contacts.

The bill -- which still needs the governor's signature to be fully enacted -- is a significant move in the long-standing fight for digital privacy, say its advocates.

"Since school…
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More About: online privacy, Social Media, social media in schools, social media privacy, state laws


6 Clever Ways to Charge Your Devices in a Pinch

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:59 PM PDT


1. Drive




If you have a car charger, plug in your device during your next drive to the supermarket. You can find very inexpensive versions compatible with most portable devices on retail sites like Amazon. But try to preserve the environment — don't cruise your car just to charge your phone. Kill two birds with one stone and make an errand out of it. Image courtesy of Flickr, e_walk

Click here to view this gallery.




Millions of people in the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. found themselves without power over the weekend when a force of warm, violent storms swept across the area. But rather than unplug completely, residents of the crippled power grid found creative ways to charge up their devices.

We've gathered some of those tips to keep you juiced up for the future. Some require actual gadgets that function on solar or kinetic energy; others will help you find power in unlikely places.

SEE ALSO: How Social Media Is Changing Disaster Response

Have you ever used creative tactics to power your smartphones, e-readers and other devices? Please share your advice in the comments below so others can…
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More About: emergency, features, Gadgets, lifestyle, Mobile, Tech


Chad Ochocinco Invites Widowed Twitter Follower to Wedding

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:36 PM PDT




NFL athlete and social butterfly Chad Ochocinco won our hearts on Tuesday by inviting a recently widowed fan to his July 4th wedding on Twitter. Ochocinco will be marrying his reality star fiancee Evelyn Lozada.

When Cheryl Minton from Franklin, Ohio, tweeted @Ochocinco about losing her husband of 30 years, two weeks ago, the football player immediately extended an invitation to the complete stranger.

You have a passport? RT @cheryl2958: I'm feeling pretty low today. Lost my hubby 2 weeks ago. Together 30 years. Very hard.— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) July 3, 2012

Can you pack and come to the wedding? RT @cheryl2958: @ochocincoYes I do.— Chad Johnson (@ochocinco) July
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More About: ochocinco, Twitter


Google’s ‘Do a Barrel Roll’ Easter Egg Comes to Android [VIDEO]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 04:16 PM PDT




Eager to take Android 4.1 Jelly Bean for a spin? Phones equipped with the next generation OS can do a Barrel Roll, spinning search results 360 degrees around your screen as if they were a barrel rolling down a hill.

If you have a phone currently running Android 4.1, you can activate the Easter egg by going into Google Now and asking Google to "Do a Barrel Roll."

As you may remember, a similar easter egg is available in Google's traditional search. Typing "Do a Barrel Roll" into the browser -- or searching for Z or R twice -- will cause your search results to roll across the screen.

Both phrases are references to the classic 1997 Nin…
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More About: android, Barrel Roll, easter egg, Google


Gap Between PC and Mac Sales Narrowing [CHART]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 03:13 PM PDT




There's no questioning the dominance of Microsoft Windows among the world's computers. Recent statistics show Windows is the OS on more than 78% of all personal computers sold, while Apple's Macs have to settle for 3.7%. However, Microsoft's perch isn't as high as it used to be.

According to data from Asymco, the ratio of PCs sold to Macs sold has been declining for most of the past decade, and it's now at a level that hasn't been seen since the mid '90s (summarized in this chart). The gap was at its widest in 2004, when there were more than 50x as many Windows machines sold than Macs, but in 2011 the ratio was down to about 20x.

That's obviously still a huge difference, but it not…
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More About: apple, ipad, microsoft, pc, PCs, Windows, Windows 8


Robots Solve Dispute With Dubstep [VIDEO]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:45 PM PDT




How do robots resolve problems? These four animated machines do so with dubstep.

Produced by Fluxel Media with beats from musician Andrew "Nostalgia" Hill, the "Dubstep Dispute" video is beautifully constructed eye candy. Complementing the visuals is a remix of Muse's "Knights of Cydonia."

Fluxel used 3D technology from Luxology, After Effects, Optical Flares and Adobe Audition to match the sights with the sounds.

SEE ALSO: Seinfeld's Kramer Reacts to Hearing Skrillex [VIDEOS]

"Rigging the characters and environment was not overly complex but there was a fair amount of channel linking to keep all of the lights, material luminence and robot animations in sync with the mus…
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More About: Droids, dubstep, humor, Music, robots, Tech, viral, viral videos


@Sweden Welcomes @Netherlanders to Twitter

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 02:23 PM PDT




The latest international Twitter trend? So-called Rotation Curation accounts which represent a given country, and are hosted by a different individual each week. These curators aim to influence the perception of their country abroad.

The @Sweden account gave the idea currency; now the Netherlands has joined the game with the handle @Netherlanders.

The rotation will officially start the week of July 16th, but @Netherlanders is up and tweeting already. Dutch citizens and ex-pats can apply to run the account for a week at Netherlanders.eu.

The current Netherlander, @Elmeraculous, has tweeted via @Netherlanders less than a dozen times at time of writing. His seventh tweet was to ask…
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More About: Twitter


Satirical Post About Santorum and Grindr Fools the Web [UPDATED]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:57 PM PDT




Did Rick Santorum really claim that he thought Grindr, a gay dating app for the iPhone, was instead an app for finding the nearest coffee shop? Absolutely not.

The confusion stemmed from an article titled "Santorum Claims He Thought Grindr Was a Coffee App," which was published by The Daily Currant on Tuesday.

The Daily Currant, however, is a fake and satirical news site, akin to The Onion. It covers politics, business, technology and a handful of other verticals, using well-written humor to make social commentary.

Check out some other recent headlines: "Hedge Funds Thinking About Collapsing Denmark's Economy Next Year," "Matt Drudge Wins Web Design's Highest Honor" and "Veget…
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More About: grindr, Politics, Rick Santorum, Social Media, Twitter, US, viral


Fans React to J.K. Rowling Book Cover: What Do You Think? [POLL]

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:56 PM PDT




Little, Brown and Company has released the final book cover for J.K. Rowling's upcoming novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy.

The 512-paged tome is headed for book stores on Sep. 27, 2012 as a hardback, ebook and unabridged audio download and audio CD.

While Rowling fans are excited about a book aimed at adults, the reception to the new book cover isn't winning quite as many rave reviews.

On Twitter and the Little, Brown and Company's Facebook page, fans are reacting with displeasure at the cover design -- with some calling it too bland and one Facebook user even likening the design to "fan art."

Ouch.

We want your take. Take a look at the book cover and let us know in our pol…
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More About: J.K. Rowling, polls, the casual vacancy


10 Amazing Spider-Man Parodies

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:38 PM PDT


1. Wes Anderson's Spider-Man


Imagine what Wes Anderson would turn the Marvel comic into if he rebooted the Spider-Man franchise.

Click here to view this gallery.




The Amazing Spider-Man hit theaters Tuesday and, so far, reviews have been positive.

People have created some hysterical videos based on the Spider-Man franchise -- whether in response to the '60s cartoon, the early '00s films or the most recent cinematic addition.

SEE ALSO: 'Amazing Spider-Man' Trailer Hits the Web [VIDEO]

To get your spidey senses tingling, we've gathered 10 hilarious parodies from YouTube. But there are plenty more Spider-Man video tributes -- which is your favorite?

More About: Entertainment, features, Film, Spiderman, Video, viral, watercooler, YouTube


What the Gaming Industry Knows About Digital Intelligence

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:21 PM PDT




Analytics have been around for more than 20 years now, and yet the demand for analytics has never been greater. The problem is the traditional analytics approach was not designed or intended to handle the breadth of channels, devices, volume, and speed that fuel today's digital interactions.

That's why the industry must take an evolutionary step forward. At our firm we believe the answer may be digital intelligence. Digital intelligence essentially supports the collection and management of digital marketing and business data across all channels, and makes that data available to analytics applications.

SEE ALSO: The Game Mechanics of Customer Loyalty

Digital intelligence is a…
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More About: contributor, features, Gaming, social gaming, Web analytics


Are Tailored Trends Ruining Twitter?

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 01:03 PM PDT




Mashable OP-ED: This post reflects the opinions of the author and not necessarily those of Mashable as a publication."Snape" and "Serverus" are trending, my Harry Potter obsessed daughter told me. "On Twitter?" I asked. Yes and the theory she had was that it had something to do with a push for a National Harry Potter Day or that Potter's fictional birthday is on July 31. She was excited that the Tweeting world shared her obsession -- except it didn't.

She was a victim of Twitter's new Tailored Trends.

Later that same week, a co-worker excitedly told me how a Mashable Story was trending globally on Twitter. "The whole headline!" she cried. Except that wasn't so.

She, too, was a victim of Twitter's Tailored Trends.

It's been almost a month since Twitter unveiled Tailored Trends, a recalibration o…
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More About: Twitter


Bill Clinton Jams Out Sax Solo in M83′s ‘Midnight City’

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 12:47 PM PDT




Bill Clinton's well known for his prowess on the tenor saxophone, but it's been a while since the former president dusted the musical cobwebs off. Fans of Slick Willie's music can rejoice -- he's back, jamming out the sax solo on the hit Midnight City by indie electronica band M83.

Okay, so it's not really Clinton playing the solo in the above video, but we're big fans of this overdubbed track that uses the president's famous 1992 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show. We've already got Texts From Hillary, so why not Ringtones From Bill? Rock on, prez!

SEE ALSO: Yes, Secretary Clinton Submitted Her Own 'Text From Hillary'

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, EdStock

More About: Bill Clinton, m83, Music, Politics, US, Video, viral, watercooler, YouTube


‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Has a Not-So-Amazing Bing Product Placement

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 12:29 PM PDT




Peter Parker -- also known as "The Amazing Spider-Man" -- is many things: a science-loving nerd, social outcast and secret superhero. But is he a Bing user as well?

A scene in the new movie that shows Parker doing a Bing search is already being called out online as a challenge for viewers trying to suspend their disbelief. A Reddit post highlighting the placement hit the front page on Tuesday as many commenters evoked a similar scene in Hawaii Five-0. (See below.)

Some bloggers have called attention to the placement.

"The ubiquitous product placement was disgusting and absurd," wrote Nigel Floyd on Letterboxcd. "Peter Parker, a science-loving nerd, uses Bing as his default se…
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More About: Amazing Spider-Man, bing, product placement


It’s Easy Going Green: These 5 Apps Can Help

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 12:29 PM PDT




Even if you're not able or ready to fully adopt an environmentally-friendly lifestyle, there are a number of ways to contribute to the well-being of the planet and environment. Anything from unplugging appliances and cell phone chargers to riding the bus instead of driving to work are excellent places to start. Hopefully you employ some of these tactics in your daily life already. But for those who are unsure of where to go from here, the answer may be in mobile apps.

Our mobile phones are already revolutionizing the way we complete regular tasks. In fact, there are a number of apps available to help you lead a green lifestyle without much hassle. Here are five great ones.

1.…
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More About: Android apps, contributor, features, iphone apps, mobile apps


Film Follows Man Living Off Craigslist Ads

Posted: 03 Jul 2012 11:45 AM PDT




What will having no money and no contact with anyone you know get you for a month? If you have access Craigslist, a lifetime supply of crazy stories.

A new documentary called "Craigslist Joe" -- from executive producer Zach Galifianakis -- follows 29-year-old Joe Garner as he travels nationwide, taking strangers he met on Craigslist up on offers for lodging and transportation.

"If you take a snap shot of America today, what would it look like?" Garner says in the film's new trailer. "Some say we lost the sense of community that used to carry us through tough times. Some say technology and social media fuel this isolation. Have we become so caught up in our own lives that we don't…
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More About: craigslist, Entertainment


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