Thursday, March 21, 2013

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “New Star Trek Trailer is 2 Minutes of Total Destruction”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “New Star Trek Trailer is 2 Minutes of Total Destruction”


New Star Trek Trailer is 2 Minutes of Total Destruction

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 04:32 AM PDT

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Star Trek fans, take notice: A third trailer for the upcoming "Star Trek Into Darkness" movie has been released, and it's the longest one yet

While the first two trailers for the movie have been about one minute long, the new trailer is a full-on assault on all senses, all 2:18 minutes filled with action: Big explosions, hand-to-hand combat and space battles

The central theme of the movie seems to be safety or lack thereof, as the protagonists seem powerless to stop the destruction of all they hold dear. Yes, even the iconic Starship Enterprise is seen plunging into water at one point

The movie, which hits theaters on May 17, 2013, is directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci. Chris Pine plays James T. Kirk, Zachary Quinto returns as Spock, Karl Urban as Bones, Simon Pegg as Scotty and John Cho as Hikaru Sulu, among others.

Windows Phone Ad Disses Galaxy S III With Camera Comparison

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 02:59 AM PDT

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As part of its "Windows Phone Challenge," Microsoft compares the camera capabilities of Nokia's Lumia 920 and Samsung's Galaxy S III in a new video ad.

Naturally, the Lumia — a Windows Phone — is portrayed as reigning supreme. The ad's "real people" who own the Galaxy S III toss it aside for the Lumia after seeing that the latter produces photos "like a professional camera."

But some YouTube viewers took issue with the fairness of the video's comparison shot, which features a dazzlingly bright Lumia pic versus a dark and blurry Galaxy one

"No one thought that the brightness of the [Galaxy] phone [was] turned all the way down? Also, the screen is dim because if it wasn't then the soft keys would be lit up just like the Nokia," said YouTuber Kenny Hudman

Happy 7th Birthday, Twitter

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 02:33 AM PDT

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Twitter is celebrating its 7th birthday with a video showing a short history of the service, from its humble beginnings and co-founder Jack Dorsey's first tweet, to the present day, when it boasts 200 million users

Launched on March 21, 2006, Twitter has grown from a promising little service with a lot of server issues to one of the world's largest social networks, with "well over" 200 million active users which send 400 million tweets each day

just setting up my twttr

— Jack Dorsey (@jack) March 21, 2006

"As we’ve grown, Twitter has become a true global town square — a public place to hear the latest news, exchange ideas and connect with people all in real time. This is where you come to connect with the world at large," wrote Twitter's Editorial Director Karen Wickre in a blog post

YouTube Now Has One Billion Monthly Users

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 01:38 AM PDT

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We all know YouTube is the biggest video sharing site around, but how big is it, exactly, when compared to sites such as Facebook or Twitter? Here's a hint: YouTube has just hit one billion monthly unique users

For comparison, Facebook hit that milestone in October 2012. It took the social network eight years to reach one billion active users — almost the exact amount of time as YouTube, which was founded in February 2005. Twitter, which has been around since March 2006, has more than 200 million monthly active users

The YouTube team gives us a few more comparisons for good measure: "Nearly one out of every two people on the Internet visits YouTube. Our monthly viewership is the equivalent of roughly ten Super Bowl audiences. If YouTube were a country, we’d be the third largest in the world after China and India," says YouTube on its official blog

More Twitter Chatter Correlates to Higher TV Ratings, Study Reveals

Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:17 AM PDT

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A new study reveals that more Twitter chatter correlates to higher television ratings.

By analyzing tweets about live TV, Nielsen and SocialGuide found that Twitter is one of three "statistically significant variables" to influence ratings. The other two factors are a show's ratings from the previous year and advertising spending

"While prior-year rating accounts for the lion's share of the variability in TV ratings, Twitter's presence as a top three influencer tells us that tweeting about live TV may affect program engagement," said Andrew Somosi, CEO of SocialGuide, an analytics service that co-led the study with Neilsen. "We expected to see a correlation between Twitter and TV ratings, but this study quantifies the strength of that relationship."

New 3D Display Lets Phones and Tablets Make Holograms

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 10:56 PM PDT

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A new kind of three-dimensional display developed at HP Labs plays hologram-like videos without the need for any moving parts or glasses. Videos displayed on the HP system hover above the screen, and viewers can walk around them and experience an image or video from as many 200 different viewpoints—like walking around a real object.

The screen is made by modifying a conventional liquid-crystal display (LCD), the same kind of display found in most phones, laptops, tablets, and televisions. Researchers hope these 3D systems will enable new kinds of user interfaces for portable electronics, gaming, and data visualization. The work, carried out at HP Labs in Palo Alto, Calif., relies on complex physics to make 3D displays that are as thin as half a millimeter.

The Science of Snoozing

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 10:05 PM PDT

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Feeling a little groggy? Droopy? Dopey? Sleepy? Another 'Seven Dwarfs' syndrome?

It may not be because you didn't get enough sleep, but perhaps because you opted for a few extra minutes of itASAP Science explains that alarm clocks are really the enemy in the bedroom, because they disrupt your body's natural rhythms and attempts at rousing you awake

But some of us don't have the luxury to wait for the sun to wake us (nor would our bosses appreciate it), so they explain which methods would help us catch more Zs with fewer snooze-button temptations

AE Outfitters Trolls the Internet With 'Skinny Skinny' Jeans Ad

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 09:10 PM PDT

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U.S. clothing retailer American Eagle Outfitters released a new video ad Wednesday that has gone viral for its daring take on the derriere.

The 30-second spot, above, advertises American Eagle's supposed new line of jeans called AEO Skinny Skinny ("It's our skinniest fit yet and is so comfortable you'll feel like you're wearing nothing at all," boasts the YouTube description)

It starts off like any other ad targeted to teens, featuring young people emphasizing their individuality and doing various cool-kid activities. But 15 seconds in, viewers will notice that something's amiss

A shot of one boy "wearing" the Skinny Skinny jeans shows they're so tight that the denim looks painted-on. Around the 20-second mark, a close-up of one girl's backside verifies suspicions that the ad and product are most likely fake — a result of American Eagle's successful trolling.

Tiny Implant Chip Could Detect Heart Attacks Before They Happen

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 08:16 PM PDT

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Swiss researchers say they've come up with a tiny implant that can analyze blood from within our bodies and send test results directly to a doctor.

The device would be implanted just below the skin and can basically look at the concentration of substances in the blood to help determine the status of a patient's health. There are five sensors, a radio transmitter and a power system to make it all work, as explained in the video above. The chip, which is only about 14mm (or about a half-inch), was developed by a team at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland (EPFL).

iPhone GPS App Scout Offers Personalized Directions

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 07:30 PM PDT

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As Apple works on improving its built-in Maps app, the Cupertino, Calif. company has left room for several mapping apps to win a place in iPhone owner’s hearts.

One mobile GPS app called Scout recently skyrocketed to number two in the App Store, and provides users with turn-by-turn directions to their next location, as well as a few other features.

SEE ALSO: Top Transit Map Replacement Apps for iOS 6

Similar in many ways to social-GPS app Waze, Scout includes traffic information, and helps route users around potential roadblocks. The app also detects nearby amenities — such as gas, food and entertainment -– in areas with which users may not be completely familiar. What's more, it lets users share their ETA with friends and coworkers. The entire app can be controlled by voice.

Send Us Your Greatest 'Angry Birds' Creation and Win

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:45 PM PDT

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Angry Birds started out as a simple mobile game and has evolved into an entire bird-filled universe. The birds and pigs of Angry Birds have also sparked fan creativity — from fan art to stop motion videos.

For this contest, we want to see your best Angry Bird-inspired creations. Did you bake cupcakes that look like the Bad Piggies? Draw an awesome scene featuring the Angry Birds Star Wars characters or Slashbird? Paint your nails to look like Red Bird? As an example, take a look at the candy Angry Birds model we made (pictured above).

You can submit your entry in a variety of ways. Snap a photo, shoot a Vine or create a blog — it's up to you to be creative!

These Pics Didn't Exist Before Digital Cameras

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:59 PM PDT

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Back when Polaroids and disposable cameras were popular, we didn't have the luxury of deleting dozens of pictures to make space for more. We simply had to make 24 exposures or 10 squares of instant film last entire vacations and special occasions (or actually pay for more film).

Now with DSLRs, memory cards and smartphones, we can capture anything without a second thought. But does that ability come at a price of lousier photo subjects?

In this comic, Angela Liao of 20px reminds us that we couldn't take pics of our lunches or snapshots of our feet back in the day. Makes you kind of nostalgic, doesn't it?

'God of War: Ascension' Is a Bloody Yet Beautiful Prequel

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:46 PM PDT

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How do you top a game that ends with you killing the King of the Gods?

That's the query that faced Santa Monica Studios as it built the next console adventure of Spartan warrior Kratos, a longtime PlayStation standard bearer whose labors reached their gruesome end in 2010’s God of War III.

That game, the fifth in the franchise, chronicled Kratos’ final assault against Mount Olympus. Set in a fictionalized Ancient Greece populated by all the gods and monsters you can imagine (and some you wouldn’t want to), Kratos’ story is an engine of vengeance that runs on bloodGod of War III, the last PlayStation 3 release, saw the surly anti-hero tear through Hercules, Poseidon, Hades and eventually Zeus like a bunch of deli meat

Conference Threatens to Fine Bloggers for Not Writing Posts

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:31 PM PDT

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If you register for next month's Conscious Capitalism conference in San Francisco as a blogger, be prepared to dole out a few posts on the topic, or you'll have to pay a fine.

That's the message Conscious Capitalism sent to bloggers who registered for press access to its two-day event. Concious Capitalism is a non-profit that operates a range of programs and events for business leaders. John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of Whole Foods, and Kip Tindell, co-founder and CEO of The Container Store, are among its better-known directors — indeed, Mackey is one of the more outspoken supporters of the organization.

Pentagon Dumps BlackBerry for iPhone, iPads: Report

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 05:06 PM PDT

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With BlackBerry about to launch the Z10 at the end of this week — the flagship of its BlackBerry 10 line — this isn't the best time for one of the company's largest customers to bow out. Especially not when that customer is the U.S. military.

But that's about to happen, according to a report from Electronista. The site has "well-placed sources" inside the Department of Defense's mobile device testing program, currently underway. Those sources say the Pentagon is about to place a massive order for 650,000 iOS devices to replace aging BlackBerry phones.

As soon as the government's sequester is over, then, the DoD looks set to order 210,000 iPhones, 200,000 iPods, 120,000 iPads and 100,000 iPad minis. These would replace the 470,000 BlackBerry devices currently in use — half of them at the Pentagon itself, half at field offices around the world.

Reddit Is Becoming an Imageboard — Here's Proof

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:46 PM PDT

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After President Obama’s historic campaign stop on Reddit, the Daily Dot claimed the social news site is “becoming the world’s largest image forum, where famous people occasionally come to promote themselves.”

Now there’s a study that backs up that assertion.

On March 12, Michigan State University graduate research assistant Randy Olson, with help from longtime redditor Chad Birch, revealed a series of graphs that documented the history of the Internet's self-proclaimed front page.

The graphs detailed the rise—and decline—of the site’s many nooks and crannies as proven by user submissions. By 2009, content-specific subreddits, which increased on an annual basis, managed to eclipse the content posted to r/reddit.com, the site's longtime miscellany subreddit. In 2011, r/reddit.com was permanently closed.

Facebook Like a Ninja With These Keyboard Shortcuts

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:16 PM PDT

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Did you know Facebook offers an entire range of keyboard shortcuts, designed for keyboard-only users?

You can easily navigate the social network like a ninja once you've learned a few simple commands

Take a look through our quick and easy guide to get you started. Please share in the comments below any other time-saving Facebook shortcuts you know

Pick Your Browser

The shortcuts are browser-specific, so you'll need to memorize the relevant key sequence for the browser you use from the list below.

Tribeca Film Festival Wants Your Best 6-Second Vines

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:30 PM PDT

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There's no denying you can squeeze a lot creativity into a six-second Vine, Twitter's new video-recording app. Now, the Tribeca Film Festival is challenging budding filmmakers to come up with their best short film within the confines of the Vine platform.

"When the Vine app launched in January, we got excited about it immediately," the company said in a statement. "The mobile app that lets anyone make six-second looping films felt fresh and challenging, and we were thrilled when some of our favorite artists started using Vine in creative ways."

This inspired the Tribeca Film Festival — which kicks off its festival on April 17 in New York City — to launch a new competition called #6SECFILMS

'MeanMadMen' Gives Don Draper a Regina George Makeover

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:01 PM PDT

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When you think of a ruling Queen Bee, two people might come to mind: Don Draper and Regina George. Both command a crew of sexy minions and intimidate the pants off their enemies

And while Mad Men and Mean Girls may come from wildly different times and settings (a '60s Manhattan ad agency versus a suburban high school), the same guidelines apply — backstabbing, stealing each other's dates and climbing the social/career ladder

So no wonder the Internet's latest Tumblr, MeanMadMen, is so fetch — it makes perfect sense for middle-aged, suit-clad men to be fugly skanks to each other.

Google Keep Launches ... For Real This Time

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:24 PM PDT

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Days after the product's early leak, Google officially rolled out its new Evernote-like service, Google Keep.

On its blog, Google describes Google Keep as a way to "quickly jot ideas down when you think of them and even include checklists and photos to keep track of what's important to you."

With Google Keep, you can create notes, checklists, photos and voice memos — and all the content syncs across your devices.

With Google Keep, you can create notes, checklists, photos and voice memos — and all the content syncs across your devices. If that sounds like Evernote, well, that's because it's almost the same thing

March Madness Teams Disappoint on Social Media

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:15 PM PDT

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It might sound hard to believe, but 29 out of 64 basketball teams in this year's NCAA "March Madness" competition have both a Facebook and Twitter presence

But round a of applause goes out to teams such as Notre Dame University, Indiana University, Georgetown, Ohio State and the University of Miami — these schools are rocking both platforms

According to SportStream, which provides a social second-screen experience for sports fans and teams, about 45% of tourney teams have team-specific accounts on both Twitter and Facebook. As for those that don't, we're looking at you, Syracuse Orange. (And the Arizona Wildcats, New Mexico Lobos, Kansas St. Wildcats, VCU Rams and so on).

Facebook Tests iOS Notification That Nags You to Post an Update

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:50 PM PDT

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Facebook's modus operandi is that it tests all kinds of things all the time just to see what sticks. So, don't be too alarmed about this notification feature which Bijan Sabet, a general partner at Spark Capital, tweeted about this week:

A Facebook rep says that the feature is in a "small test we're running." As Sabet's reaction illustrates, the feature has the potential to irk users. Facebook has attempted to toe the line between prompting engagement and becoming too intrusive before by asking users to check in with friends they haven't communicated with in a while. More recently, the company has drawn complaints for nagging Android users to download the latest update of its app

NASA: Voyager 1 Has Not Left Our Solar System — Yet

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:42 PM PDT

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A new study suggests that Voyager 1 has left our solar system, but NASA denied this claim today, saying the far-flung spacecraft has not yet reached interstellar space.

After the report spread throughout the science community, Voyager project scientist Edward Stone released an official statement:

"The Voyager team is aware of reports today that NASA's Voyager 1 has left the solar system. It is the consensus of the Voyager science team that Voyager 1 has not yet left the solar system or reached interstellar space. In December 2012, the Voyager science team reported that Voyager 1 is within a new region called 'the magnetic highway' where energetic particles changed dramatically. A change in the direction of the magnetic field is the last critical indicator of reaching interstellar space and that change of direction has not yet been observed."

Is This the Greatest Vine of All Time?

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:34 PM PDT

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I think it's obvious what you are Harry..vine.co/v/bpj7Km0T3d5

— Jackson Holland (@_jacsun_) March 20, 2013

Hogwarts has a strict policy against Vining on campus, but one wayward wizard has found a way to share his six seconds of magic.

Jackson Holland showed off his broom riding skills in what might be the greatest Vine ever created. The dude really flies, people.

Pro tip: Play the Vine with the sound on to hear what's either wizardly yelps or a flock of hungry seagulls.

What's the best Vine you've seen? Share it in the comments.

If Facebook Buzz Determined March Madness...

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:07 PM PDT

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Just in time for the round-of-64's start on Thursday morning, this infographic straight from Facebook shows who March Madness's winners and losers would be if buzz on the world's biggest social network determined which teams advanced and which were sent home

The bracket projects results based on which teams had the most Facebook mentions in the two weeks prior to Selection Sunday. Duke comes out on top, with a Final Four also including Notre Dame, Michigan and Indiana. Aside from Notre Dame, that's actually a pretty plausible group in real life

Which leads to the main takeaway from the Facebook data — better teams get more buzz. Twelve-seed Oregon makes the Sweet Sixteen here and there are a few relatively minor upsets in the first and second rounds, but that's about it as far as surprises go. A bracket that actually played out like this would, aside from Notre Dame's Final Four run, be considered quite light on the Cinderella stories.

Lego 'Star Trek Into Darkness' Trailer Is Mashup Genius

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:04 PM PDT

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If you're a trekkie that can't wait to plunge "into darkness" alongside Captain Kirk and Spock this May, let this Lego stop-motion trailer be your savior

The trailer is a shot-by-shot recreation of the trailer released for J.J. Abrams' second installment of the Star Trek series — except the Lego movie directors have appropriately renamed their feature film Into Brickness.

The new trailer still manages to capture the action, drama and adventure of the movie, but just on a much smaller scale. Even the Lego-inspired special effects prove menacing

Backpack Charger Revives 3 Mobile Devices On The Go

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:33 PM PDT

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Nobody likes running out of smartphone or laptop power while traveling or commuting to work. That's why a Southern California company designed a backpack charger that keeps your mobile devices juiced up when you're on the move.

TYLT's Energi Backpack is a combo backpack and charging station that houses a 10,400 mAh lithium-ion battery. It can charge three devices at once via USB ports. Its maker, TYLT, claims the backpack charger stores enough power to charge a smartphone four times and a typical tablet once, before it has to be recharged itself.

This TSA-approved backpack has plenty of pockets to accommodate everything you need, as explained in the video above. Cables can be routed throughout the backpack and even to the outside (so you could walk and talk with your charging smartphone)

Klout for Business Aims to Help Brands Reach Social Influencers

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:14 PM PDT

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At long last, Klout is making the data it has collected through its social-scoring service available to businesses.

The company announced on Wednesday it would be launching Klout for Business, allowing large-scale brands the opportunity to better understand how people influence each other on social networks.

Klout gives individual registered users a Klout score (from one to 100, higher the better) based on their ability to spread messages across social networks including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. The company also identifies topics users are "influential" about, such as technology or fashion. Through the Business platform, brands can use the service to identify individuals who may be able to amplify messages about their products or services.

Watch Kid President Make His Adorable March Madness Bracket Picks

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:03 PM PDT

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President Obama recently made his annual March Madness picks, but the hoops-crazed head of state's predictions aren't nearly as important as what another respected leader thinks

We speak, of course, about Kid President, the august young man who became a viral sensation after his inspiring YouTube pep talk galvanized the nation back in January

KP filled out his March Madness bracket picks with ESPN's Robert Flores in a Wednesday morning YouTube video, which is posted above. As usual, he's looking dapper in a suit and tie, and is a machine for adorable one-liners. His Final Four? Gonzaga, Duke, Michigan and Indiana, with Gonzaga taking out Michigan for the national title.

Steve Jobs Bubble Wrap Art Really Pops

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 11:52 AM PDT

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Image courtesy of Bradley Hart

Artist Bradley Hart doesn't draw or paint — he injects

Hart uses syringes to inject acrylic paints into bubble wrap to create beautifully pixelated portraits. One of Hart's most interesting injection series subjects is Steve Jobs (pictured above). The artist started with a photo of the late Apple co-founder and allowed the playful shipping staple to act as his canvas.

Art critic and Ph.D. Deborah Zafman offered her take on Hart's work in a press release for his New York show:

The bubble wrap-as-canvas proposition seems to poke fun at the modernist grid which has been the emblem of modernity. While the modernist grid traditionally implies flatness, Hart subverts this through his use of a three-dimensional grid ... bubble wrap! But it is more serious than a subversive joke. The round bubbles represent “pixels” and this relates directly to our age of digital photography

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