Sunday, September 30, 2012

Mashable: Latest 27 News Updates - including “Power Nap With This Head-Consuming Ostrich Pillow”

Mashable: Latest 27 News Updates - including “Power Nap With This Head-Consuming Ostrich Pillow”


Power Nap With This Head-Consuming Ostrich Pillow

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 09:04 PM PDT


With the hectic 24-7 pace of modern life, many people may yearn to emulate the well-worn myth of ostriches when frightened or scared: that is, bury their heads in the sand.

A new product called the "Ostrich Pillow" claims to help users do just that. While it won't transport you to Maui, the pillow's unique design offers a comfy "micro environment" for power naps, according to its Kickstarter page.

The grey pillow completely surrounds the head, and has two holes for hands. The company recommends using the Ostrich Pillow while in the office or traveling, without the trouble of leaving your desk or chair.

"Seeing as we all spend more and more time at work, in front of a computer…
Continue reading...

More About: trending


Bots Drive 16% of U.S. Web Traffic [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 08:28 PM PDT


Along with trolls and Rickrolls, bots are the scourge of the Internet.

Automated clicks on ads and other web content drive down value, diminish investments and hurt integrity. And the bot problem only seems to be getting worse as technology advances. This summer, for example, a Long Island startup gained widespread attention after claiming that 80% of the clicks it paid for in Facebook ads came from bots and not humans.

But just how bad is the bot epidemic -- and how can bots be beat?

The online advertising company Solve Media recently ran some analytics on the issue, and came up with a number of interesting results, which are presented in the following infographic.

Among Sol…
Continue reading...

More About: Advertising, bots, infographics, trending


Apple Cites Improved Working Conditions in Foreign Factories [REPORT]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 07:58 PM PDT


Apple says it's making some progress toward correcting poor working conditions and human rights abuses at its supplier plants.

More About: Foxconn, apple


Bizarre YouTube Video Removes Music From ‘Gangnam Style’

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 07:48 PM PDT


By now, you may be sick of "Gangnam Style," and all of its many parodies, remixes and covers. Will removing the music from Psy's viral video hit make it more palatable?

A new YouTube video shows the Korean singer going through all the familiar motions -- including invisible horseback riding -- but without any musical accompaniment. Somehow, it looks even sillier than the original.

YouTuber Moto2h created the video using an a cappella version of "Gangnam Style." The user later added sound effects to match the video's images, including footsteps, horses snorting in their stalls and explosions.

Since it was posted on Thursday, the video has attracted nearly 500,000 views.

What…
Continue reading...

More About: Music, Video, YouTube, gangnam style, trending


These Robots Can Help Disabled Officers, Veterans Get Back to Work [VIDEO]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 07:30 PM PDT


The 1987 science fiction film RoboCop introduced us to a brave cyborg law enforcer who was "part man, part machine" and "all cop." Today, the idea of a police officer who's part-robot no longer seems so far-fetched.

Florida International University's Discovery Lab is designing a "telebot" that can be controlled by a disabled police officer or war veteran off site, according to CNET.

The FIU Discovery Lab project is partially funded by Jeremy Robins, lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy Reserves, who is passionate about bringing thousands of disabled officers and military men and women back to work. Robins was inspired by advanced robots used by…
Continue reading...

More About: police, robocops, robots, trending


Biodegradable Medical Implants Dissolve in Water [VIDEO]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 07:07 PM PDT


Scientists from the University of Illinois, Tufts University and Northwestern University, have created a new kind of silicon, infused with magnesium and wrapped in silk, that dissolves in water.

In a report the September 28 issue of Science magazine, the research team details the potential range of applications for the silicon-based complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology.

Lead researcher John Rogers, of the University of Illinois, explained his team successfully implanted "physically transient" chips into mice. One real-life medical application that comes from the study involves building dissolvable chips that would allow docto…
Continue reading...

More About: chips, electronics, health, medical science


5 Easy Steps To Make Your Job Descriptions Go Viral

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 06:45 PM PDT


A Salesforce.com Community Manager job description recently got 57 tweets, 20 likes, and 3,979 views. How'd they do it?

First, let's back up for a second. It's no secret there are more online venues to search for jobs than ever before. According to recent research, job candidates today use an average of five resources in their job searches, most of them online.

However, recruiters haven't yet adapted to all of these options and are only using one or two means of sharing a job. So, not only are jobs too cumbersome to apply for, but they aren't being seen by the appropriate candidates.

One remedy is to make your job description viral. A viral job has similar qualities…
Continue reading...

More About: contributors, features, job search series, mashable, social


Why Social Media Makes Customer Service Better

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 06:27 PM PDT


By the end of the year, 80% of companies plan to use social media for customer service. On the consumer side, 62% of customers have already used social media for customer service issues. Gartner predicts one billion users will be on social networks by the end of 2012.

The social landscape is evolving, but one thing remains certain in all this uncertainty. Your ability to serve your customers, in the channels they wish to be served in, is critical to your business success. But social media customer service isn't a cute tool to be used by opportunistic marketing departments to big up the brand; it is an essential method of communication that needs to become part of a clearly defi…
Continue reading...

More About: Social Media, Twitter, brands, customer service, mashable, open forum


10 Essential Resources for Bootstrapping Businesses

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 06:01 PM PDT


In the Bootstrapping Business Series, Mashable talked to a ton of entrepreneurs about how they got started, what tools they live by and what they wished they had known at the beginning. The result is a deep pool of tips and tricks for aspiring business owners who are looking to raise money, start a tech startup or build their brand.

From selecting the best employees to putting together an awesome workspace, the little decisions are the ones that add up and will make you successful in the long run. Take a look at a roundup of 10 of these solid primers below. Have tips of your own? Tell us in the comments.

1. What Founders Wish They Knew Before Starting Companies

The entrepr…
Continue reading...

More About: Bootstrapping Business Series, Business, Marketing, Small Business, Startups, entrepreneurship, features


The Digerati: 7 Profiles of Successful Entrepreneurs

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 05:46 PM PDT


In the Day in the Life Series, Mashable hand-picked seven successful tech entrepreneurs to follow for a day. We wanted to know what their routine is like, what they eat for lunch, how much time they spend in meetings, who they seek out for advice and what keeps them going day after day on little sleep. What we found is that these entrepreneurs are driven by insatiable passion, and they'll let nothing stand in their way. Read on and get to know these entrepreneurs; click through for the full story, which will include either a cinematic video or a beautiful photo gallery of go-getters at work.

1. Felicia Day, YouTube Star and Founder of Geek and Sundry

Few people know YouTube stardom…
Continue reading...

More About: Codecademy, Day In The Life Series, Fab, Smule, entrepreneurship, features, felicia day, localresponse, loverly, meetup


10 Amazing Google Earth and Maps Discoveries

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 05:33 PM PDT


1. S.S. Jassim Shipwreck




In 2003, the S.S. Jassim, a Bolivian cargo ferry, hit shallow water on the Wingate Reef off the coast of Sudan. While the shipwreck itself wasn't discovered on Google Earth, the image of it was, and now it's one of the largest shipwrecks visible on the platform, as well as one of the most searched-for. Image via Google Maps.

Click here to view this gallery.


Today, it's easy to be an explorer -- all you need is a computer, access to satellite technology and a sense of adventure. Google makes it even simpler with Google Earth and Google Maps, letting you travel virtually to any place in the world with just a click of your mouse.

Even though the average person can use these services to explore the planet, researchers and other scientific professionals use Google Earth and Google Maps as preliminary tools to analyze areas around the globe, uncovering some pretty amazing things we've never seen before.

SEE ALSO: Were Two Pyramids Just Discovered in Egypt Using Google Earth?

Rebecca Moore, engineering manager of Google Earth Outreach, recent…
Continue reading...

More About: trending


Former Employee Explains Why He Was Fired From Facebook

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 04:29 PM PDT


Getting fired sucks. Now imagine how it would feel to get canned from Facebook, only to watch it become a social phenomenon and the world's largest social network.

Noah Kagan has lived through that experience. On Saturday, the AppSumo founder decided to write about his "$100 million dollar lesson" learned, detailing why he was terminated six years ago.

Kagan joined Facebook as a product manager in November 2005, and was fired eight months later in June 2006. When he left, the social network was still limited to high school and university students. Facebook started accepting anyone with a valid email address in September 2006.

He described the reasons for his dismissal like thi…
Continue reading...

More About: Facebook, trending


6 Apps You Don’t Want to Miss

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 03:43 PM PDT


Every weekend, we keep you updated on the latest and greatest apps released each week by creating a roundup of our favorites -- both new and updated.

This week, we found an app that helps you discover new places nearby, and another that helps you find a parking space after arriving at your destination.

If you're looking for a way to pass the time, a new game from Rovio is bound to do the trick. If TV is your thing, then another app will immerse you in what you're watching.

Check out the gallery above for a look at this week's app highlights.

Still looking for more? See last week's Apps You Don't Want To Miss for some more highlights. Think we left a great new app off the lis…
Continue reading...

More About: android, apps, iOS, iphone, trending, weekly app roundup


‘People Style Watch’ Sells Ads on Its Twitter Page

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 03:16 PM PDT


Though advertisers have generally been slow to adopt Twitter's latest redesign of its profile pages, media companies are leading the charge and one -- Time Inc. -- seems to have found a way to profit off of the new format.

Time's People Style Watch Twitter page last week began sporting ads from Jergens Daily Moisture. Twitter, somewhat surprisingly, is fine with the arrangement. "The space is the user's to customize, and we encourage them to be clear if they are promoting something there, for money or other consideration," a Twitter rep told Advertising Age.

At the moment none of Time's other titles seem to be putting third-party ads on their Twitter profile sites. Some of the t…
Continue reading...

More About: Advertising, Time Inc, Twitter, magazines, trending


Which Are the Most Social Colleges? [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 02:23 PM PDT


How are different colleges and universities doing in the social media world? Find out if your college is as good at social networking as you are.

More About: colleges, infographics, trending, universities


Facebook Embraces Bubbles in Messenger iPhone Upgrade

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 01:20 PM PDT


Bubbles. That's the biggest change you'll probably notice in Facebook's upgraded Messenger.

More About: Facebook Messenger, Mobile, apps


Zooka Speaker Bar Makes Any Bluetooth Device Sound Better [REVIEW]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 12:51 PM PDT


Carbon Audio Zooka Bluetooth Speaker Bar




Available in nine colors

Click here to view this gallery.


The Zooka Bluetooth Speaker Bar is a versatile stand for your iPad that also wirelessly supplements that tablet's tinny speaker. It works with any Bluetooth compatible device.

More About: Zooka, accessories, bluetooth, ipad, review, speakers, trending


Top Comments From Mashable Readers This Week

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 12:25 PM PDT


Facebook Users Say Private Messages Appear Publicly




Even if you take care to keep your Facebook messages private, privacy settings can change in an instant. Although Facebook denied any changes to its settings, our readers claimed they had private messages posted to their timeline.

Click here to view this gallery.


Here at Mashable, the week kicked off with conversations about social good with the Social Good Summit serving as the platform for a three-day global conversation. Activists, humanitarians, entrepreneurs and CEOs all discussed how social media can affect positive change on a global scale. The conversation even broke a world record: It was the largest conversation around a single topic to ever occur in one day.

As 92nd Street Y President Stuart J. Ellman pointed out, one important message from the summit was that "social media and technology are not agents of change. They are just tools. We the connected people are the agents of change." This week on Mashable we saw different examples of h…
Continue reading...

More About: Google Maps, myspace, top comments


FinderCodes Uses QR Codes to Find Lost Phones

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 12:17 PM PDT


Losing something is not a unique experience, though it happens in a variety of ways. Maybe you were out and about and being carefree when you dropped your phone, or in a hurry and left a camera behind. Whatever the situation or what you lost, it can be worrisome, frustrating and time consuming to locate your precious thing -- and there's always the chance you won't find it again.

A company called FinderCodes offers a solution in the form of QR codes on keychains and stickers, which you put on your possessions. The video for the company shows the codes on cellphones, cameras and even your dog's collar (smart thinking). FinderCodes does rely on a good Samaritan finding the object and…
Continue reading...

More About: FinderCodes, lost phone, startup


5 Games You Should Play This Weekend

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 11:41 AM PDT


God of Blades




Fans of old science fiction novels and beautiful artwork will immensely enjoy God of Blades, a hack-and-slash iOS game released by new studio White Whale Games this week. You take control of The Nameless King, a spirit who has been resurrected to save the galaxy from an evil army. You swing a variety of gigantic, super-charged swords at approaching foes, and must use a variety of swordplay techniques and timing to dispatch them. The controls are perfect for a mobile device; the king automatically runs forward, so players only have to focus on swordplay. One of the best features of this game is the artwork. The backgrounds were hand-painted and imported, and channels the pulp sci fi world perfectly. There are also Foursquare features for the title: checking in to libraries allows you to unlock cooler swords. God of Blades is compatible with almost all iOS devices, and is a steal at $2.99. [iTunes link]

Click here to view this gallery.


We looked at the best new releases and re-releases in the gaming world this week to tell you what you should play this weekend.

More About: Gaming, features, trending, video games


How Much Bandwidth Will the Vice Presidential Debate Need?

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 11:29 AM PDT


Centre College in Danville, Ky. is home to this year's vice presidential debate. With thousands of attendees, campaign staff and reporters -- and all of their smartphones, tablets, laptops and other connected gear -- descending on campus Oct. 11, it takes impressive technology and a coordinated effort to keep the data running smoothly.

To give an idea of the challenge, the college's IT crew is expecting approximately 1,500-2,000 wireless-connected devices at any given time, with an average 2.5 wireless devices per attendee -- and that doesn't count the computers and other equipment that calls for a hardline connection. It's also, the team admits, an estimation.

"Bandwidth is a big…
Continue reading...

More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Politics, US, technology


Something Is Missing, Batman [COMIC]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 10:47 AM PDT


Even Robin knows it's all about the little things.

More About: Batmobile, comic, humor, trending


Burberry Tops Fashion Brands In Social Media This Week [CHART]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 10:27 AM PDT


Burberry tops the list of the most engaged fashion brands on social media. See who else made the cut.

More About: Marketing, burberry, fashion


CruxSkunk iPad Keyboard Exposes the Mirage of Kickstarter [REVIEW]

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 09:55 AM PDT


CruxSkunk iPad Keyboard




The CruxSkunk is a Kickstarter project that's finally coming to fruition. Priced at $229, it's an iPad keyboard that aims to mirror the Apple design aesthetic.

Click here to view this gallery.


The CruxSkunk is an excellent idea: an iPad keyboard designed in the Apple aesthetic. But there's a wide gap between idea and execution.

More About: ipad, ipad accessories, keyboard, kickstarter, trending


Apple No Longer Saying Maps Are ‘Most Powerful Ever’

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 09:29 AM PDT


The schadenfreude over the Apple Maps debacle is continuing through this weekend as bloggers pick apart even the minutest details of Apple's Maps marketing communications.

The latest charges: Apple has backpedaled on the claim that Maps is "the most beautiful, most powerful mapping service ever" and the icon for the application has found to be inaccurate.

On Saturday, Amit Agarwal, a personal technology columnist for WSJ India discovered evidence that Apple had updated its description of Maps after the app's faults caused an online uproar and prompted a rare apology from CEO Tim Cook. Agarwal noted that Apple's website had originally described Maps as:

Designed by Apple from th
Continue reading...

More About: apple, ios6, maps, trending


Parking Panda App Finds and Guarantees Parking Spots

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 08:40 AM PDT


Parking Panda, which lists rentable parking spaces in a given city, hopes to lessen drivers' stress through its new mobile app, which lists local parking garages and daily rates.

More About: iOS apps, parking panda


This Week’s Top TV Moments in GIF Form

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 07:44 AM PDT


Saturday Night Live




Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt hosted this week's SNL, opening with a pretty accurate rendition of Magic Mike. JGL also portrayed the scumbag son of Dos Equis's meme-worthy "Most Interesting Man in the World," and later dressed in drag for another skit.

Click here to view this gallery.


Fall is finally here, and so is a slew of returning and brand new shows. If you're still waiting for it to get colder before you start holing up at night in the living room, we've got a recap of the best TV moments of the week for you. (WARNING: that means there could be spoilers.)

The best part about any major moment in this age is how quickly GIFs and memes will follow. Fans capture the best line, reaction or antic and sometimes, it can almost sum up the entire broadcast.

SEE ALSO: 20 TV Shows With the Most Social Media Buzz This Week

From sitcoms, to reality shows, to live broadcasting, we've gathered the top TV GIFs in the gallery above.

Is there a show or moment you'd rathe…
Continue reading...

More About: Entertainment, GIFs, TV, Watercooler, trending


Small Business Advertisers Like Facebook’s Immediacy, But Not Its Metrics

Posted: 29 Sep 2012 07:17 AM PDT


A few days before Facebook's IPO, General Motors pulled all its advertising from the platform, charging that it didn't work. At a conference in New York this week, execs from online eyewear retailer Warby Parker and luxe retailer Gilt Groupe voiced the same sentiment, charging that Facebook doesn't provide an atmosphere that's conducive to sales.

Not everyone is down on Facebook, though. Denise Sirovatka says she is pretty happy with the platform.

Since 2009, Sirovatka has been able to amass 900,000 fans for Udi's Gluten-Free Foods. Creating such a following would be impossible without Facebook, she acknowledges. "We cater to only one in 100 people," she says. "So we decided to b…
Continue reading...