Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “British Intelligence Agency Recruits via Twitter and Facebook” |
- British Intelligence Agency Recruits via Twitter and Facebook
- Want to Find If Your Phone Has Carrier IQ? There’s an App for That
- Nanotechnology Puts a Medical Lab in Your Hand
- Why 2011 Will Be Defined by Social Media Democracy
- Build a Private Social Network for Your College With Student Life Network
- Scientist Dissects the ‘Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop’ Meme [VIDEO]
- Infinity Blade II Rules as #1 App in App Store
- How Much Do Americans Spend on Electronics? [INFOGRAPHIC]
- Twitter’s Top 10 Remarkable Tweet Stories of the Year
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Tips and Tricks [VIDEO]
- Conscious Contraception Fights for Sexual Health With One for One Condoms
- Lady Gaga ‘Marry the Night’ Music Video Leaked
- Carrier IQ and Your Phone: Everything You Need to Know
- South Park Getting Its Own Role Playing Game [VIDEO]
- Black Friday Shoppers Ask for Inane Items, Hilarity Ensues [VIDEO]
- Google in Talks with Retailers to Take on Amazon [REPORT]
- Google and NORAD Track Santa Across Maps, Social Media and Mobile [VIDEO]
- Groupon Stock Bounces Back as Company Emerges From IPO Quiet Period
- Siri Hack Opens Your Car Door and Starts the Engine [VIDEO]
- Ebook Sales Expected to Reach $9.7 Billion by 2016 [STUDY]
- YouTube Gets Its Biggest Makeover Ever, Becomes More Google-Like
- Google+ Hangouts Now Offer Free Voice Calls
- Sprint Hopes to Resolve iPhone 4S Growing Pains Soon
- Twitter Account Will Post a Bible Verse Every Day for 86 Years
- What Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Asking For Help [VIDEO]
- Top 20 Online Home Delivery Subscriptions
- How Bose Headphones Sparked the Noise-Cancellation Revolution
- Steve Case Launches $450 Million East Coast Venture Fund
- Audi’s Digital Interactive Roadway Concept Is Futuristic Street Art
- 15 Photoshopped Transformations of Celebs and Models
| British Intelligence Agency Recruits via Twitter and Facebook Posted: 02 Dec 2011 05:24 AM PST     It’s not the first time that GCHQ, the British intelligence agency, has appealed to talent via the gaming world. In 2009, it placed content in video games like Assassin’s Creed and Call of Duty. In 2007, digital posters appeared in online games such as Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Vegas and Splinter Cell Double Agent. This time, however, the intelligence agency is being more selective with its audience. Rather than target video games, GCHQ has circulated an online game via Twitter and Facebook, as well as other blogs and social media sites in order to reach an otherwise elusive group. The motivation, according to GCHQ, is that they need to reach the code-crackers out there with incredible skills that are not being utilized because they area uncertain of how to translate their skills to a professional environment. The British government is eager to recruit help for fighting cyber threats from terrorists, criminals and others. Once individuals solve the code, they are brought to a screen where they can apply for a position. Several people have already solved it, and the competition remains open until Dec.12. More About: Facebook, Gaming, intelligence, Twitter
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| Want to Find If Your Phone Has Carrier IQ? There’s an App for That Posted: 02 Dec 2011 01:13 AM PST   The Carrier IQ controversy is raging on, with many users flabbergasted by the fact that an app they cannot control or uninstall may be recording their keystrokes and accessing their messages and other data. It’s hard to even find out if your phone has Carrier IQ installed, but now an Android developer created an app that does exactly that. Voodoo Carrier IQ detector is an Android app, and it’s currently available for free on the Android Market. The app’s goal is to make Carrier IQ detection “as easy as possible,” but it is at this time unfinished. The author, supercurio, claims the results are “not reliable yet,” but promises updates in the very near future, so stay tuned. Furthermore, the app is open source, which means other developers might be looking at the code and creating their versions of the app soon. More About: android, Carrier IQ, trending For more Mobile coverage:
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| Nanotechnology Puts a Medical Lab in Your Hand Posted: 01 Dec 2011 09:00 PM PST   All the frills in life are shrinking in size. Laptops, cellphones and even big-screen televisions have been getting thinner and thinner. So why shouldn’t necessary technology like medical labs and scientific tools get the same slimming treatment? Now they are: advances in nanotechnology have made it possible to put an entire medical lab into one high-powered chip, which not only fits in the palm of your hand, but also performs diagnostic tests in a matter of minutes. Researchers are gradually finding ways to create reliable, nano-sized labs that are able to perform a variety of diagnostic tests, which used to require teams of people and weeks of waiting. The tiny wafers of glass or plastic work by compressing a series of tests. For example, the Guardian reports Professor Tom Duke at the London Center for Nanotechnology is working on a “lab-on-a-chip” to test for HIV. In Duke’s chip, a drop of blood is separated by nanometer-sized pillars, which then trap larger elements such as blood cells and proteins. Virus particles pass through this trap (which acts like a nano-sieve) where they hit a series of levers coated with antibodies that bend when they are hit. The more they bend, the more virus is present.
These tiny labs hold a lot of promise. Not only do they deliver results quickly, but they require very little input (just a drop of blood, for example, instead of a proper blood test). This is enormously useful for helping test and cure people in under-developed countries, which may not have access to full labs. Right now, the chips are expensive to make and accordingly have not been integrated into many hospitals. As the price and size drop, expect to hear more about these micro-labs. Making things smaller is difficult. As the actual size of a device — say, a phone — decreases, its components need to become smaller while improving functionality and speed. This disproportionate relationship can put a lot of stress on your favorite gadgets. While consumer gadgets can be released with fixable flaws (for example, the iPhone 4 “antennagate” ), the same luxury cannot be afforded to medical technology. We all witnessed the Apple-induced anger of antennagate, so imagine if a similar design flaw resulted in an incorrect diagnosis or a false-negative? Image courtesy of Flickr, AlishaV, chip image courtesy of micronit More About: Gadgets, medicine, nanotechnology, Tech, technology
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| Why 2011 Will Be Defined by Social Media Democracy Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:33 PM PST   Ekaterina Walter is a social media strategist at Intel. She is a part of Intel's Social Media Center of Excellence and is responsible for company-wide social media enablement and corporate social networking strategy. She was recently elected to serve on the board of directors of WOMMA. On Jan. 25, 2011 pictures and videos flooded out of Egypt as tens of thousands of anti-government protestors took to the streets in a "Day of Rage" protest over President Mubarak’s 30-year rule. Pro-democracy sympathizers across the world retweeted and shared the updates, even as the Egyptian government disabled cellphone towers and blocked Twitter in an attempt to censor the material. Reports indicated that households and businesses opened up their Wi-Fi networks to support the protesters and to allow the dissemination of information. The pictures and videos that continued to appear across YouTube and Facebook trended on Twitter worldwide, both inspiring and shocking international onlookers. 2011: The Year of Social Media DemocracyBesides bank defaults and credit downgrades, 2011 will be remembered for the rise of social media democracy in countries traditionally ruled by autocratic governments — most notably, the Arab Spring. The wave of protests that began in Tunisia in December 2010 spread first to Egypt, then to Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Yeman, with protests of varying sizes across many more middle-Eastern countries. In regions where official media has been heavily censored for years, the rise of personal access to the Internet and social networks has meant that populist movements now have a voice that can reach the outside world. Social Media as a Tool of ChangeBefore 2011, ad-hoc events organized by social media had largely been entertaining and quirky, often put together by arts groups such as Improv Everywhere, which staged flash mobs in Grand Central Station. And let's not forget the social media craze planking. Soon, however, Twitter hashtags, Facebook groups, YouTube videos and Flickr streams would be employed by the masses in countries where censorship had traditionally blocked anti-government voices. Representatives of populist discontent were able to adopt and adapt new methods of communication to reach each other and outside sympathizers, often at terrible risk to their own lives and the safety of their families. Social media democracy began to take on a new meaning; a collective voice was now able to document its struggle for the first time. After opposition to Libyan leader Colonel Gaddafi turned bloody, NATO intervened to lend rebels military support in the escalating civil war, and to help to protect civilians. On both sides of the struggle, the control of information became a major tool for encouraging or intimidating civilian uprisings. After Colonel Gadaffi's death, photographs flooded social media, a further triumph for social democracy and the fall of a despotic, censorious regime. Mob Rule: The Darker Side of Social MediaYet Western issues of people-power and censorship would soon be tested, in what some viewed as the darker side of "mob rule." In Aug. 2011, London was rocked by four days of rioting. What started as a peaceful protest against the fatal police shooting of Mark Duggan escalated into violence, arson and looting, mainly against the rioters' own communities, as well as against police. The violence soon detached itself from the original cause, and became an outlet for the tensions of an underclass hit hard by high unemployment and recent austerity measures. Rioting quickly spread to other towns. Social media not only played a role in riot organization, but also in the prosecution of hundreds of participants who either incited violence via social media, or who were photographed and videoed taking part in such violence. Some in the UK government and press claimed social media had enabled the riots. However, people used the same tools to organize clean-up operations and to contribute community support. Human Spirit TriumphsAs demonstrated by the countries affected by the Arab Spring and London riots, social media has been one of many important tools used by people to affect change. As with any strategy, social media lends itself to both moral and amoral uses – it is the intention behind it that matters. Social media cannot substitute for the incredible bravery and resilience of the people who stood up to oppressive regimes, at the risk and cost of their own lives. It was the passionate desire for change and human determination that drove the spirit of the uprisings, and what ultimately achieved success in overthrowing powerful military dictatorships. In the case of the Arab Spring, the rebels' adoption of new technologies such as social media gave voice to a powerful movement, despite the censorship of the official media. Ultimately, however, it was their courage and self-sacrifice that forced the change. Images courtesy of Flickr, marcelaxavier, Mosa’aberising, Beacon Radio More About: Arab Spring, contributor, features, london riots, Politics, Social Media
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| Build a Private Social Network for Your College With Student Life Network Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:06 PM PST   The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Quick Pitch: Student Life Network is a private student social network. Genius Idea: Builds a private student social network for colleges and universities to build and grow an active online community. Remember when Facebook was only for college students? Ever since the social network opened its doors to the public, college students have no longer had a private network to call their own. That’s why TJ Donnelly started Student Life Network, a free private student social network for colleges and universities across North America. The site is endorsed and managed by student governments and associations to engage their students and improve communication in an active online community. Student Life Network offers a private place for students to interact and communicate with other students from their college or university. Students can engage in a variety of services, including selling and buying in their own marketplace, uploading videos and photos, and posting campus events, discounts and special offers.  Sell anything from books to cars on the campus marketplace. TJ Donnelly, president and CEO of Student Life Network, owned two of the largest student travel companies in North America — Breakaway Tours and Impact Educational Tours. For more than 20 years, he worked directly with schools and studied how student governments and associations were connecting with their students. He decided to sell his companies and in January, built Student Life Network to create a private place for college and university students. “I realized a lot of students were using Facebook as their social network, but I wanted to create a platform for students to have their own brand, their own content and control over their own site,” says Donnelly. To build a private network, student governments have to provide the Student Life Network team with their school’s branding material — colors, logos, mascot, etc. Once the school’s private site is developed within a week, the students governments control and operate the site. Students are required to log in with their school email address and create individual profiles that can include any information from hometown, graduation year, major and interests. Signing in with a school email address ensures safety and privacy, prevents spam and blocks strangers on the school networks. The student governments can easily link any inappropriate content back to a student’s email and either warn or remove the user from the site. The Student Life Network team provides hands-on support to the student governments and associations to ensure success on their private networks. They help drive students to the sites, engage the school communities and keep the site focused on everything campus life has to offer. Notification emails highlighting the college’s new activities (new events, pictures, etc.) are sent to students each week.  Weekly notification email example. Student Life Network is also operated on a point system — the more active students are on the site, the more points they will earn. The top users will receive discounts and gift certificates that can be used at places on campus, such as restaurants and clothing stores. “Unfortunately a lot of students don’t realize how much goes on on their campus and what clubs are offered,” says Donnelly. “Student Life Network provides students with a private place that is all about their own students and campus life.” Student Life Network began in Canada and is now available to colleges and universities in the United States. Today, 30,000 students on 60 college campuses across North America use the network. The campus with the highest number of students using the site is Mohawk College in Canada with 4,955 users. The site’s business model is based on advertisements from brands that are meaningful to students, such as job networks, institutions, food, electronics and telecommunication. These brands can participate in the colleges and universities by sponsoring on-campus activities and attending orientations and events. Although Student Life Network is a free platform, student governments can choose to upgrade to supported or premium versions for a monthly fee. Image courtesy of Student Life Network, Student Life Network Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark  The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today. More About: bizspark, Student Life Network For more Business coverage:
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| Scientist Dissects the ‘Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop’ Meme [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 07:38 PM PST The “Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop” meme takes center stage in Know Your Meme‘s latest episode. In the video, Internet scientist Forest Gibson unravels the short but eventful history of the meme, which caught fire in November and attracted substantial attention thanks to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Gibson’s 165-second breakdown begins with the Nov. 18 incident in which a campus police officer doused students with pepper spray at the University of California, Davis, during a local Occupy protest. The video then highlights some of the moment’s media attention, viral spinoffs and parodies (see the gallery below for more examples). Gibson signs off with a poignant question: “Does the quick spread of these images serve to raise awareness of the alleged police brutality or do they turn the situation into a joke, lessening its impact?” We pose that same question to you, does the meme help or hurt the cause? Sound off in the comments after watching the video and flipping through the gallery. Mario   Photo from KnowYourMeme Click here to view this gallery. More About: know-your-meme, Meme, Occupy Wall Street, trending, Video For more Social Media coverage:
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| Infinity Blade II Rules as #1 App in App Store Posted: 01 Dec 2011 07:14 PM PST Infinity Blade II is shooting to the top of Apple’s app store best sellers list faster than you can chop a giant, medieval-themed dragon-beast in twain. The sword-swinging iOS game became the number one app in the app store on Dec.1, the same day it launched. Infinity Blade II stands out from other iOS games for it’s mature themes (there is blood and death) and for its stunning visuals which pull from the Unreal Engine 3. The original Infinity Blade received positive reviews and was heralded as one of the first hard-core mobile games thanks, in large part, to its aesthetic similarity to other top-tier console games. The game is so advanced, that many reviewers and enthusiasts eagerly awaited the launch just to see how far they could push their iOS gadgets. We’re pleased to say that the game, despite being gorgeous to look at, is also a blast to play. Once you get over the visuals, the game follows a relatively rote path. The game picks up from Infinity Blade with you now in possession of the eponymous blade only to lose it. You then have to fight your way through a group of successively difficult opponents before reaching the final boss and … well, we won’t ruin the ending for you but the focus here is clearly the visuals and combat. It’s not uncommon for highly anticipated games such as Infinity Blade II to shoot to the top of the app store, especially if there’s little competition within its genre. Even though the games top-ranking is impressive, the real challenge will be if it can keep the ranking in the weeks to come. The game is available for all iOS devices for $6.99. Is Infinity Blade II on your must-own list? Does a game need more than good graphics to succeed? Sound off in the comments. BONUS: Screenshots from Infinity Blade II |
| How Much Do Americans Spend on Electronics? [INFOGRAPHIC] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 06:36 PM PST Think you’ve got bad gadget spending habits? If you’re a single male between the ages of 50 and 65 living in San Jose, Calif. your tech splurges might be par for the course, according to research by Bundle.com. By aggregating anonymous data from the U.S. government, banks and other third-parties, Bundle has broken down Americans’ gadget spending by city, age, household type and income level. While some of the findings are expected (monthly tech spending increases as the household gets larger), some are less so. For example, Madison, Wis. beats Seattle, Wash. in monthly spending, and 50 to 65-year-olds outspend their younger counterparts, on average. Check out all the stats in the infographic below, and let us know if you’re surprised to see any of the findings.   More About: electronics, Gadgets, inforgraphics, money, spending, Tech
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| Twitter’s Top 10 Remarkable Tweet Stories of the Year Posted: 01 Dec 2011 06:11 PM PST As search engines such as Bing and Yahoo reveal their top-searched lists of 2011, Twitter is looking back on the most “remarkable” stories that surfaced this year involving a single Tweet and how it affected the lives of its users. The December edition of Stories.twitter.com – which debuted in November and is updated once a month – features a collection of the company's top ten favorite Twitter stories of the year. From a NBA player inviting his Twitter followers to play flag football to the man who live-tweeted the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, here is a look at the site's "Year in Stories" tribute. @Ghonim   Online activist and Google executive Wael Ghonim became a hero for Egypt's anti-government movement after he sent a tweet that would forever change his life: "I said one year ago that the Internet will change the political scene in Egypt and some friends made fun of me." Ghonim was later blindfolded and detained for 12 days for organizing protests against the Mubarak government. His disappearance became a main focus of the protests in Cairo. After he was released he said, "If you want to liberate a government, give them the Internet." Click here to view this gallery. Images courtesy of Twitter Stories. More About: Twitter, twitter stories For more Media coverage:
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| Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich Tips and Tricks [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:44 PM PST Android 4.0 is significantly different from past versions of Android: Some settings have been moved, multitasking is changed, the launcher is overhauled, and more. While most of these changes add a lot of polish to the operating system, what if you’re the kind of user who wants your phone to feel as fast as possible? In this video, using a Galaxy Nexus, we demonstrate several methods for making your phone feel more snappy in Android Ice Cream Sandwich. We cover the following: 1. Using a third party launcher will allow you to fit more icons on your homescreen, and to more easily navigate in your app drawer 2. You can specify the degree of screen animations with a setting in Developer Options 3. In Android 4.0 you can remove the lockscreen completely, allowing you to jump right into your phone without having to slide to unlock 4. The “swipe to remove” paradigm works not only in the browser to close tabs, but also in the multitask UI to remove programs from memory 5. Settings for your Phone are hiding: they’ve been moved into the phone app Do you have any Android 4.0 tips to share? Drop a comment! If you want to see more of Ice Cream Sandwich, be sure to check out Joe’s Android 4.0 highlights video.   More About: Android 4.0, ice cream sandwich, ICS, smartphones
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| Conscious Contraception Fights for Sexual Health With One for One Condoms Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:20 PM PST   Conscious Condoms wants to make sure that you — and someone in need in the developing world — are covered when it comes to safe sex. The service operates on a one for one model, much like TOMS Shoes but for prophylactics. For every contraceptive or related product purchased through its online store, Conscious Condoms will put money towards purchasing the equivalent, local product for an under-served community abroad. The company launched on Dec. 1, coinciding with World AIDS Day. Rather than send products from the States, purchasing contraceptives in-country cuts down on cost and builds trust: “Our donations can go a lot further when we transport them over there,” says Conscious Contraceptive founder Cory Capoccia. “Local brands are preferred over internationally manufactured brands and benefit the local commerce.” The company also helps you avoid getting all red-faced at checkout. Users can set up a recurring — and discreet — delivery service at whatever frequency they prefer. When it comes to costs, Conscious Contraceptives is not strictly one for one, as only 10% of each purchase goes towards the donated products. However, these contraceptives usually cost significantly less than their American counterparts. It should be noted that providing contraceptives alone will not end the transmission of STIs. Many communities stigmatize the use of condoms or lack the education to understand their benefits. While Conscious Contraceptives is aware of these challenges (it posted an article Wednesday to its Facebook Page saying 40% of Indians are embarrassed to ask for condoms), more than just contraceptive products will be needed to solve the world’s many challenging sexual health problems. The company is, however, partnering with organizations that promote sexual health education in the countries in which they work. Do you think purchasing condoms is helpful or should all funds go towards education efforts? Let us know how you think we should best tackle sexual health problems.  More About: Social Good, toms shoes, world aids day For more Social Good coverage:
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| Lady Gaga ‘Marry the Night’ Music Video Leaked Posted: 01 Dec 2011 04:37 PM PST  There’s been no shortage of previews and teases of Lady Gaga’s much-anticipated epic music video, but now “Marry the Night” has been leaked — a mini movie that’s just shy of 14 minutes long. Directed by Gaga herself with choreography by Richard Jackson, Gaga told E! News it’s her most personal video yet, an autobiographical tale showing what she calls “one of the worst days of my life.” Watch it now, and you’ll have a 20-minute jump on its premiere at 8 p.m. ET on the E! Network. [via Perez Hilton] More About: Lady Gaga, Marry the Night, music video, Video For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Carrier IQ and Your Phone: Everything You Need to Know Posted: 01 Dec 2011 03:51 PM PST  There’s a storm of controversy flaring up over Carrier IQ, cellphone software that logs user activity and relays at least some of that information to wireless carriers. The carriers say they’ll use that data to improve their networks. But anything that’s peeking in on what you’re doing on a phone raises a host of privacy concerns, and many users are suspicious. Carrier IQ is so controversial for a few reasons:
Here are the most important things you should know about this previously little-known piece of software: What is Carrier IQ? Wait a second… so the carriers are watching everything I do on my phone? The man who first pointed out the issue, Trevor Eckhart, demonstrated that Carrier IQ indeed was logging keystrokes on his HTC EVO 3D smartphone, among other activity. When Carrier IQ sent him a cease-and-desist letter for saying the software was acting as a keylogger, the Electronic Frontier Federation (EFF) came to his defense. Carrier IQ backed off, issuing an apology. This all sounds, uh, bad. Is this legal? Senator Al Franken, who raised privacy concerns over location tracking on cellphones earlier this year, also had a strong message for Carrier IQ, saying, "The revelation that the locations and other sensitive data of millions of Americans are being secretly recorded and possibly transmitted is deeply troubling. This news underscores the need for Congress to act swiftly to protect the location information and private, sensitive information of consumers. But right now, Carrier IQ has a lot of questions to answer." Is the software only on smartphones? Is it on my phone? On the manufacturer side, both RIM and Nokia made statements that said it doesn’t install or authorize its carrier partners to install Carrier IQ on phones. Nokia similarly denied installing Carrier IQ on its products. If you’re an iPhone owner, Apple told AllThingsD that it removed Carrier IQ “in most of its products” when it released iOS 5, with plans to remove it completely in a future software update. How do I get rid of Carrier IQ? On an iPhone, it may already be absent from your iOS 5 device, according to Apple, but if you want to be 100% safe, TechCrunch says you should open your settings, go to “Diagnostics & Usage,” and select “Don’t Send.” How likely is it that data collected by Carrier IQ could be accessed by a third party? It’s unclear how secure the data stored on the phone itself is, however. Eckhart managed to access it, albeit on his own phone. It’s all hypothetical, but if you take into account the recent emergence of Android malware that’s able to “root” a phone, it’s impossible to rule out the idea that someone could design a piece of malware that could root the phone and access the data. In theory, it’s possible, but again, there are no reports that anyone’s done it. More About: android, apple, Carrier IQ, Google, htc, iphone, Nokia, privacy, RIM, security, spyware For more Mobile coverage:
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| South Park Getting Its Own Role Playing Game [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 03:37 PM PST The creators of South Park have teamed up with THQ to launch a new role playing game for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PCs. Called simply “South Park: The Game,” it’s expected to debut in the second half of 2012. As noted in the video above, however, this isn’t South Park’s first foray into gaming. More About: Gaming, mashable video, rpg, South Park, video games For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Black Friday Shoppers Ask for Inane Items, Hilarity Ensues [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 02:57 PM PST
You think you had a tough time with your Black Friday shopping this year? Well, imagine if you were trying to track down some non-alcoholic whiskey or a Ron Paul workout video. That was the task that Greg Benson and Ryan Smith of Mediocre Films set for themselves in the prank video above. Each wrote a list of nonsensical items on a notepad and then gave it to the other. The two then harassed Target employees with the requests. Whoever got through the most items with an employee won. (Benson was the victor here.) Some of the imaginary products — like “Daddy Butter” and “Fancy Boy Lip Glitter” are indeed pretty funny, but at least one of the employees was not a native English speaker and looked tired and weary rather than amused. Still, I’d rather see Black Friday humor than Black Friday violence any day, especially if it’s served with a caramel yak. More About: black friday, Holidays 2011, Mediocre Films, youtube video of the day For more Entertainment coverage:
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| Google in Talks with Retailers to Take on Amazon [REPORT] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 02:14 PM PST   Google is talking to major retailers about a new plan to undermine Amazon by giving consumers who shop on the web an option to receive their orders within 24 hours for a low fee, according to a report. Google has pitched the idea to Macy’s, Gap and OfficeMax, among others, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited “people familiar with the matter.” A Macy’s rep told WSJ that Google “approached us with the idea, but we haven’t made any decisions.” The plan would add a quick shipping service to Google’s current product search feature. Google would oversee the shipping feature, which would show whether stores have a product in stock and can deliver it within a day. The program might involve the United Parcel Service and local courier services, according to the WSJ. Google plans to test the service in the San Francisco area sometime next year, according to the report. Image courtesy of Flickr, esakakohei More About: amazon, Google, macys, shipping, UPS For more Business coverage:
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| Google and NORAD Track Santa Across Maps, Social Media and Mobile [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 02:13 PM PST NORAD’s Santa Tracker is back, allowing users to follow Santa’s journey on Christmas Eve across Google Maps, Google Earth and various social media channels (including for the first time Google+). This year also sees the introduction of iOS and Android apps for tracking Saint Nick. Check out the video above to learn about everything NORAD has in store. More About: Google, google earth, Google Maps, Holidays 2011, norad, Santa For more Mobile coverage:
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| Groupon Stock Bounces Back as Company Emerges From IPO Quiet Period Posted: 01 Dec 2011 01:49 PM PST   Emerging from its post-IPO quiet period on Wednesday, Groupon trumpeted holiday sales success and expressed defiance at a flurry of recent negative press coverage as its stock continued a partial comeback Thursday from last week’s steep decline. The daily deals site reported in a blog post that it sold more than 650,000 holiday deals between Black Friday and Cyber Monday for a 500% increase over last year, “saving consumers millions of dollars, and delivering tons of business to our merchant partners.” Groupon stock rose accordingly with shares closing at $17.50 on Wednesday for a 9.3 percent increase. Its stock continued to climb on Thursday with shares trading at almost $19 that afternoon — still below the company’s $20 IPO price. Groupon enjoyed the largest tech IPO of its kind since Google on Nov. 4, only to come crashing down to Earth last week when shares fell below $17. Analysts struggled to pinpoint exactly why. Meanwhile, stories of small merchants overwhelmed by Groupon deals — most notably an English baker who lost some $20,000 after being forced to sell more than 100,000 cupcakes at a huge discout — spread through the media. But during an appearance Wednesday at the Credit Suisse Technology Conference, Groupon CEO Andrew Mason blamed the negative coverage on a disaster-happy news industry. “The anecdotes that get picked up in the press are examples of ‘plane crashes’ just being more interesting and more media-worthy stories than the safe landing,” Mason said. Mason did admit, however, that the company is still in some ways learning what types of deals are most appropriate for different merchants. Mason also argued that Groupon has a significant lead in accomplishment and stability over an army of competitors led by Google and LivingSocial. “We feel like we’ve reached this point now where really our greatest competition is ourselves,” Mason said. “Groupon is focused on a long-term goal to be the most effective, trusted marketing partner for local businesses,” company spokesperson Julie Mossler told Mashable Thursday in an email statement. “We’re overly conscious that every minute of the day is another opportunity to improve our merchant services or develop cool products for consumers, and we can’t let them go to waste.” What do you think? Will Groupon’s stock continue its comeback? Was last week’s negative media coverage overblown or appropriate? Groupon Offers One Local Deal Per Day, Nov. 2008 The social buying website Groupon provides one remarkable deal every day for each city they support - Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, and Washington DC. Users can also subscribe to the Groupon mailing list to make sure they have the daily deals emailed to them. Image courtesy of Flickr, Jason Rosenberg Click here to view this gallery. More About: Andrew Mason, black friday, groupon, ipo, LivingSocial, stocks For more Business coverage:
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| Siri Hack Opens Your Car Door and Starts the Engine [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 01:40 PM PST A simple Siri hack essentially allows users to control their vehicles with their voices. Using the Viper Control plugin and Siri Proxy, Brandon Fiquett uploaded a video on YouTube demonstrating the capabilities of Apple’s voice-activated technology when it’s been connected to a Cobra remote starter. The video above shows Fiquett starting and stopping the ignition of his Acura TL car by simply speaking these commands into his iPhone using the Siri app. Fiquett explains that the “command is sent from Siri to a Viper server, then relayed via cellular connection to the car. The car then broadcasts an update via RF to the key chain remote.” The hack can also lock and unlock the car and also pop open the trunk. For more Mobile coverage:
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| Ebook Sales Expected to Reach $9.7 Billion by 2016 [STUDY] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 01:38 PM PST   Ebook sales are expected to generate $9.7 billion worldwide in 2016, more than three times the $3.2 billion the category is expected to generate this year, according to one forecaster. Strong demand for tablets will drive the growth, UK-based Juniper Research said in a report published Thursday. Nearly 30% of all ebooks in 2016 will be downloaded to tablets. Other devices will also play a part. Dedicated ereaders and ebookstores from existing brick-and-mortar chains such as Barnes & Noble will help fuel the transition from print to digital. The availability of ebookstore apps across an increasing number of devices, including Amazon’s Kindle app, will also play a role. Currently, most ebooks are downloaded onto mobile handsets and most are Japanese manga books. Juniper does not, however, predict that smartphones will become primary reading devices, based on trends from other regions. Lately, Amazon — which dominates the ebook market in the U.S. — has been setting its sites on the growing global market, rolling out dedicated ereaders and stores for French, Spanish and Italian readers. More About: amazon, ebooks, Kindle, nook For more Business coverage:
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| YouTube Gets Its Biggest Makeover Ever, Becomes More Google-Like Posted: 01 Dec 2011 01:29 PM PST   We already knew about YouTube’s redesign, which tech-savvy readers have been enabling for the past 10 days. As of now, however, the new YouTube is available to everyone. Unlike parent company Google, which tends to roll out redesigns over a period of days, YouTube pressed the button and switched the homepage for every user worldwide at 4:30 p.m. ET Thursday. So what’s the change all about? One word: channels. The world’s most popular online video service now sees itself as a descendent of cable TV, with millions of channels rather than hundreds — and it’s doing its darndest to encourage you to use it that way. The first new thing you’ll see is an “add channels” button in the top left-hand corner of the page. Under that you’ll find your top 10 favorite channels, which you can “pin” to the top of the page. “The future of the YouTube experience has channels at the center of it,” says Margaret Stewart, director of User Experience at YouTube’s headquarters in San Bruno, Calif. “It’s a container for all the world’s video, and it needs to be the best home for that.” YouTube is also tweaking the colors of its logo and adding a soft gray background to the videos. In a sign that the service is becoming more integrated with its parent company — and that more employees are going back and forth between San Bruno and the Googleplex in Mountain View — Stewart says the redesign includes “subtle alignments with Google’s visual style.” Part of that process, naturally, includes integration with the Google+ social network. But YouTube is also making it easier to post videos on Facebook and Twitter, too. And the channel change also came to YouTube apps on platforms other than the web. For example, it just became a lot easier to access YouTube channels on your Xbox. There are four new channel templates that content creators can use, including one template designed for networks (with prominent featured content) and one for bloggers (with the most recent content first). Executives and designers at the company emphasize that this just the beginning of the redesign; more channel-focused changes and channel templates are coming soon. Check out the YouTube video below, which introduces the channel redesign, and read up on the new YouTube user manual. And let us know in the comments: Has the strategy worked? Will this make you use YouTube channels more? Image courtesy of Flickr, Rego – d4u.hu More About: Google, Video, YouTube For more Tech coverage:
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| Google+ Hangouts Now Offer Free Voice Calls Posted: 01 Dec 2011 01:20 PM PST  Google+ is rolling out a feature that allows its users to make free conference calls within Hangouts. Google staffer Jarkko Oikarinen – also the inventor of Internet Relay Chat, the first-ever Internet chat function – used his Google+ page on Thursday to announce that outside phone calls can be placed from inside a Hangout. A Hangout is a virtual room that allows you to video chat with others. That said, you no longer need a Google account or even a computer to join the conversation. A Hangout group can now call in anyone with a phone to listen in. This could not only lure more people to Google+ and grow its user base, but also has potential to revolutionize the way both party lines and conference calls are conducted — from holding meetings to making plans with friends and family. "We are constantly listening to feedback so that we can make Hangouts even better for Google+ users, and we’re excited by the really cool ways people are using the product," Oikarinen said. Adding a call to a Hangout room is easy. First, click “Invite” at the top of the Hangouts with Extras window, and then select the “Phone” tab on the left of the window. After entering the phone number you want to call, choose "Call now." The feature currently supports free calls to the U.S. and Canada, and is now available on the Hangouts with Extras page. More About: Google, Google Hangouts, Google Hangouts voice calls, trending
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| Sprint Hopes to Resolve iPhone 4S Growing Pains Soon Posted: 01 Dec 2011 12:52 PM PST   When the iPhone 4S arrived last month, some Sprint customers began complaining about slow or inconsistent connection speeds with their new handsets. Now, the nation's third largest carrier hopes to clear up the issue by initiating some much-needed network "enhancements," according to CNET. Using a combination of its own checks and feedback from customers, Sprint says it has determined where network upgrades are necessary and making the required adjustments. Fared Adib, vice president of product development for Sprint, said:
Through its own tests, CNET concludes that some customers are still having problems, although these issues aren't universal. In fact, in some areas, Sprint customers are experiencing better download speeds than customers using Verizon Wireless.
The iPhone 4S is the first Apple handset available through Sprint. As such, it's important for the company to correct these problems quickly. After all, if the problems linger, customers will have no reason to switch to Sprint, which is the only national iPhone carrier that offers unlimited data plans. If you're a Sprint customer, we'd like to hear from you. Have you experienced any network problems with your iPhone 4S? Please let us know by using the comments below. More About: apple, iPhone 4S, sprint For more Mobile coverage:
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| Twitter Account Will Post a Bible Verse Every Day for 86 Years Posted: 01 Dec 2011 12:40 PM PST In the beginning, Twitter created tweets and … Bible-related Twitter accounts? Yup, and the latest religious handle, @TweetTheBible86, plans to take its sweet time retelling the Christian Bible, tweeting one verse per day for more than eight decades. Three friends launched the 86-year #TweetTheBible project on Nov. 11 with Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Every tweet from the account includes a partial verse as well as a shortened link that leads to the rest of the verse and an audio recording of the verse. Still in its infancy, @TweetTheBible86 has only 96 followers. But with more than 31,000 verses left to tweet, the account has plenty of time to build a larger following. Similar projects have cropped up in the past. For example, a man in the UK began tweeting chapter summaries of the Bible in August 2010. That account — @BibleSummary, has since 20,000-plus followers. Twitter also spawned @VersesFromBible, @Daily_Bible and @BiblePromises. Not entirely sold on following Tweet the Bible? Maybe the project’s fancy promo video created by Igniter Media will entice you. What do you think of religion-propelled Twitter accounts or apps? Will Twitter be around long enough for @TweetTheBible86 to complete its task? More About: religion, Social Media, trending, Twitter For more Social Media coverage:
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| What Every Entrepreneur Should Know About Asking For Help [VIDEO] Posted: 01 Dec 2011 12:11 PM PST Marissa Evans created her company, Go Try It On, as a means of answering that age-old question, “What should I wear?” Along the way, she recruited a technical team, launched her product at South By Southwest and was able to land $3 million in funding. Check out Marissa’s interview to hear what she has to say about some of the challenges she’s experienced, how she relies on friends in tough times and what every entrepreneur should know about the power of asking for help. Follow Venture Studio, in association with Mashable, which is brought to you by Square1 Bank. The show is hosted by Dave Lerner, a 3x entrepreneur and angel investor. You can follow him on Twitter here. More Recent Episodes of Venture Studio:
More About: fashion, Go Try it On, mashable video, venture studio For more Business coverage:
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| Top 20 Online Home Delivery Subscriptions Posted: 01 Dec 2011 11:46 AM PST   Ari Meisel is co-founder at Less Doing, where he works on making every task in life and business more efficient. He used self-tracking to overcome Crohn’s Disease and compete in Ironman France. You can follow him on Twitter @liontex and read his blog at arimeisel.com. You know that counter top rotisserie infomercial, with the catchphrase "Set it, and forget it?" Well, it's time to apply that kind of mentality to other areas of your life. For instance, stop running errands. They are, by nature, incredibly inefficient. Not only do you run out of things at different times, but you also forget items you need when shopping. To make matters worse, we all struggle when it comes to choosing (or remembering to buy) gifts for people. Most of these first world problems can be solved with the help of a well-chosen subscription service. Subscription memberships are a booming business right now, and a new service crops up every week. These services let you subscribe to curated lists of clothing, food, artisanal crafts or even men's handkerchiefs. Here is a collection of 20 convenient and fun subscription services. There are a ton more, but this should give you a nice place to start. 1. Amazon Subscribe & Save The mother lode of subscription services, Amazon Subscribe and Save, lets you "subscribe" to household items like toilet paper, dishwashing detergent, diapers, toothbrushes, dog food, and more. You get an across the board 15% discount, the ability to cancel any time, and the choice to skip shipments or request additional shipments. I haven't shopped for toilet paper in two years -- that's a lot of time saved. Click here to view this gallery. More About: contributor, features, productivity, shopping, Subscription service, trending, web For more Business coverage:
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| How Bose Headphones Sparked the Noise-Cancellation Revolution Posted: 01 Dec 2011 11:30 AM PST
On a flight home from Zurich in 1978, Dr. Amar Bose tried an early set of electronic headphones that were newly onboard for passenger entertainment; “try” because he could barely hear anything with the overwhelming cabin noise. This experience sent Bose on a path that would redefine audio performance and comfort over the next few decades. He returned to Boston and set up a research program at Bose Corporation, which he founded years earlier in 1964, to investigate how ambient noise could be reduced with active noise cancellation. The Noise Reduction Technology Group (NRTG) grew out of that program, and in 1989, Bose introduced the first noise-reduction headset, which was appropriately designed for the aviation industry. These days, Bose faces competition from Sennheiser, Sony and even Dr. Dre in the noise-cancellation market, but its position as pioneer of the industry makes it a strong competitor in the high-end headphones market. Bose focuses on three primary areas: noise cancellation, audio performance and long-term comfort. “When judging those three areas together, that's where we excel," says Product Manager Brian Maguire. Mashable interviewed Roman Sapiejewski — an innovative engineer who spearheads Bose’s active noise cancellation technology — about how the technology was developed and how the headphones are continually improved upon. How It Works Simply put, noise cancellation does just that — it cancels out unwanted noise, as illustrated in the handy graphic above, from How Stuff Works. The ambient noise is “measured” by small microphones that send a signal to the cancellation circuitry, effectively telling the headphones to produce an antinoise signal that’s equal but opposite to the noise you want to cancel. “It’s not a complete cancellation that eliminates noise, but it significantly and dramatically reduces the amount of unwanted noise,” says Sapiejewski. By blocking the environmental noise, the headphones enable you to hear intricacies in the music and to listen to music at lower volumes, which is better for your long-term hearing. Sapiejewski says it’s not a complete cancellation because high frequencies are more difficult to attenuate — their waves are much shorter than low frequency sounds, so the antinoise must be near-perfectly executed. So part of his mission over the years has been developing technology to effectively reduce the high frequency waves and improve the overall degree of cancellation. History and Development Since 1964, the company has led tech innovation in all things audio, including televisions, theater systems, speakers and of course, headphones. Though the first set of Bose noise-cancelling headphones — put to market in 1989 — were too big for consumer application, they were widely used in the aviation industry. But decades of innovation have yielded headphones with improved design and performance, which have found a comfortable home in the consumer market. Sapiejewski joined Bose two months after Dr. Bose’s fateful flight in 1978, and has worked on noise reduction since then. “What was exciting about working in counteractive noise technology was the fact that nobody had a product on the market like it, so we had to come up with all the necessary components and figure out the most effective way to produce the noise cancellation,” he says. So the company leveraged its research in military and commercial headphone noise reduction to develop its proprietary technology. In 1995, it released the Acoustic Noise Cancelling headset Series II, which the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association named "Product of the Year." In 1998, the Bose Aviation Headset X was introduced, offering better audio performance with Bose’s “TriPort” headphone structure. In 2000, Bose introduced the QuietComfort Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones, the first in the consumer QuietComfort series that’s on shelves today. An improved version was released in 2002, the Bose QuietComfort 2, and in 2006, Bose released the QuietComfort 3, with new features that suppress the pressure some consumers report feeling while wearing the headphones. The newest jewel in the Bose crown is the $299 QuietComfort 15, which was introduced in 2009 and offers improved attenuation, thanks to microphones both inside and outside of the earcup. This system has a more keen sense of the sound in louder environments and is able to more effectively measure and react to ambient noise. Because noise reduction can vary from person to person depending on factors such head shape and even one’s haircut, the exterior microphone helps to nullify the differences in cancellation from user to user — and a more consistent product is obviously a better one. The proprietary ear cushion offers noise attenuation for higher frequencies (which, as discussed above, are harder to cancel), and the materials used were chosen for their ability to block unwanted noise. The State of the Market and What’s NextBose is the gold standard on the market, and though it’s privately held and doesn’t release financials, it’s estimated to have yearly revenues of $2 billion. Bose reinvests a “significant” portion of profits into the company for research and development, and Sapiejewski says it’s this commitment to innovation that “makes me excited about work.”
And so the company will continue to tweak its headphones. Sapiejewski says Bose might even add a much-requested “pass-through audio” option, which would allow the headphones to play music like regular headphones, without noise cancellation. “In order to make the system work properly, we have only one mode — an active noise cancellation mode — in which you can also listen to audio signals,” Sapiejewski says. “But we've considered the option of making pass-through audio possible, especially in the future.” What kind of headphones do you use? What features would you like to see on future iterations? Let us know in the comments below. Series Supported by Lenovo  Image courtesy of HowStuffWorks More About: Bose, features, frederic lardinois, Headphones, mashable, noise, Tech Innovators Series
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| Steve Case Launches $450 Million East Coast Venture Fund Posted: 01 Dec 2011 11:28 AM PST   AOL co-founder and former CEO Steve Case announced on Thursday that he and two former AOL colleagues, Ted Leonsis and Donn Davis, have raised a $450 million venture capital fund that will focus on startups outside of Silicon Valley. “While our visibility and reach is national, we will generally focus on investments in the Eastern United States,” they wrote in a blog post. “We believe there are great entrepreneurs building great companies all over the country, so we will focus our attention outside of Silicon Valley. ” The Revolution Growth fund will operate under Case’s private holding company, Revolution, which is an investor in LivingSocial and Zipcar, among others. The fund will make just 10 or 12 investments over the next five years, and it expects each investment to be in the $25 million to $50 million range. Case described what he looks for when making investments in an interview with Mashable last year: “Our focus is, how do you build on what's already out there on the Internet and not just focus on so-called ‘Internet businesses?’ [It's about] using the Internet as a way to have a broader impact on the things that affect people's everyday life,” he said. At that point, Revolution made investments mostly with Case’s money. Adding 24 institutional limited partners is a big change. "We concluded earlier this year that we wanted to take the next step and really institutionalize the firm, and make it like a Kleiner Perkins," Case told The New York Times. "We want to be a leading investment firm, on the East Coast." Photo courtesy of Revolution More About: Donn Davis, Revolution, steve case, Ted Leonsis For more Business coverage:
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| Audi’s Digital Interactive Roadway Concept Is Futuristic Street Art Posted: 01 Dec 2011 11:11 AM PST   Audi chose to explore how digital technology might radically alter and improve safety of future streets. “Urban Future” was a special exhibition at the 2011 edition of Design Miami/ created by Copenhagen-based architect firm BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group. The project is intended to show how streets of the future could communicate with drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. The concept was originally developed by BIG for the Audi Urban Future Award last year. The installation at Design Miami/ features a section of interactive roadway made from strips of LED lights. The lights change color and generate graphics that can highlight pedestrians and show a clear lane for vehicles. BIG founder Bjarke Ingels sees much more potential in implementing digital roads in the future.
Click here to view this gallery. Also part of the exhibit is Audi’s A2 electric concept car which debuted a few months ago at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The compact A2 concept includes in-car networking capabilities which could naturally interface with Urban Future roadway sharing location, traffic and navigation information. Here’s a short video showing how people interact with the road and how the car’s path can adapt to obstacles. Walking on the surface was pretty hypnotic. Constructing entire roads using this method might be a stretch but certainly intersections where people and vehicles mingle could benefit from this technology to improve safety.
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| 15 Photoshopped Transformations of Celebs and Models Posted: 01 Dec 2011 10:50 AM PST If you’ve ever wondered what people really look like before being Photoshopped, a new software tool developed by researchers at Dartmouth College reveals the answer. The tool rates photographs based on how much they have been digitally altered — in an effort to shed light on the truth to advertising. This slideshow of before-and-after photos will show you 15 digital transformations. Fergie  
Click here to view this gallery. More About: celebrities, Photoshop
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This is just one application for the lab-on-a-chip. Many different viruses and diseases can be tested using a similar process including genetic mutations, cancer and even biological contaminants from the battlefield. The Guardian also reports that the Simbas chip, designed by a team from the University of California, Berkeley, which can detect a biological component in blood at a concentration of approximately one part per 40 billion.
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We’ve all been on a crowded plane with screaming babies. What’s the solution? Some might slip on Bose noise-cancelling headphones to put the world around them on mute. While the headphones offer a nice way to escape the chaos and immerse oneself in hi-fidelity audio, that’s not the reason they were invented. But it did start with airplanes.| You are subscribed to email updates from Mashable! To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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