Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “YouTube: The Newest Dog Toy”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “YouTube: The Newest Dog Toy”


YouTube: The Newest Dog Toy

Posted: 21 May 2013 04:25 AM PDT

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Did you hear that YouTube has hit the impressive milestone of one billion visitors a month? What the video-sharing site didn't reveal, however, is how many of those visitors are actually human

We have found evidence of increasingly-addicted dogs turning to YouTube to watch footage of their fellow four-legged friends

Take a look through our amusing selection of confused canines in the video gallery above. Link us in the comments section below to any other YouTube-addicted pooches you've come across

Homepage image courtesy of Flickr, Shazz Read more...

More about Video, Youtube, Viral Videos, Gallery, and Features

Google to Retire Checkout in November 2013

Posted: 21 May 2013 04:11 AM PDT

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Google will retire its payment processing service, Google Checkout, on November 20, 2013, as part of a transition to its multi-platform payment system — Google Wallet

Checkout was launched in June 2006, as an alternative to PayPal. Initially free, the service was gradually moved to a tiered cost structure, similar to PayPal's

Google explains what the retirement means for Checkout merchants, Google Play developers and users in a blog post

In a nutshell, merchants will be able to accept payments through Checkout until November 20, 2013, after which they'll have to transition to a different payment processing service. To make things easier, Google has partnered with Braintree, Shopify and Freshbooks Read more...

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'Wired' Completely Overhauls Print Magazine

Posted: 21 May 2013 03:23 AM PDT

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Wired is debuting a new look for its June issue, which hits newsstands Tuesday. The magazine has been completely made over by Scott Dadich, who before being named editor-in-chief last November worked as creative director of Wired from 2006 to 2010.

There was something about the previous version of Wired — the bright colors, bold fonts, perhaps the splashy photos and graphics — that made it feel distinctly like a magazine about science and technology for men. Not so with the new edition of Wired, which feels more like Wired meets T: The New York Times Style Magazine meets The New Yorker. With its modern, almost muted aesthetic, it feels more like a lifestyle magazine — and a rather sophisticated, thoughtful one at that. Read more...

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Former Thief Invents Theft-Proof ATMs From His Cell

Posted: 21 May 2013 02:39 AM PDT

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Who knows security better than a thief?

Romanian computer expert Valentin Boanta used to supply thieves with the skimmers they used to gather information to create fake bank cards and then steal cash from ATMs.

Boanta, 33, was caught in 2009. And now, six months into his five-year sentence, the former thief has developed a technology that would safeguard ATMs from the very attacks in which he used to participate.

"When I got caught, I became happy," Boanta told Reuters. "This liberation opened the way to working for the good side."

Skimming is the act of copying a credit or debit card by scanning the magnetic strip on the card's back. Thieves then use these cloned cards to withdraw money from the cardholder's bank account at an ATM. Read more...

More about Hacking, Security, Privacy, Theft, and Tech

5 Easy-to-Use Animation Tools for Beginners

Posted: 21 May 2013 02:31 AM PDT

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Whether you're producing a title card for your new company, or just looking to wow your co-workers with a dazzling presentation on the dangers of hydraulic fracking, a little animation is never a bad idea. Things are more interesting when there's a little flare involved, right?

Lucky for you, a handful of programs are out there to help you create your own animations. From branding to marketing to entertaining, their purposes are endless, and extremely customizable for whatever it is you're going for.

Check out these five animation tools to help you get started. Read more...

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Look How Happy Sofia Vergara Is About 'Modern Family' Reruns

Posted: 21 May 2013 01:38 AM PDT

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Sofia Vergara, whose role as the passionate and funny Gloria on ABC's Modern Family has earned her three Golden Globe nominations and three Emmy nods, wasn't lost when she appeared at a rival network's red carpet event this month. In fact, the carpet was blue and rolled out for her and other stars by USA Network executives, which had just announced they would begin airing Modern Family reruns on Sept. 24

The announcement at USA's upfront presentation to advertisers in New York City somewhat surprisingly attracted Vergara and castmates Ty Burrell and Eric Stonestreet

Networks typically tout new programming rather than rerun pickups during upfronts Read more...

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Teen Creator of 'Clouds' Viral Music Video Dies of Cancer

Posted: 21 May 2013 12:17 AM PDT

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Zach Sobiech, creator of the "Clouds" song that became a viral YouTube hit, died of cancer on Monday. He was 18.

"Zach was at home and at peace with those he loved most," the Children's Cancer Research Fund said in a statement announcing Sobiech's death. "Zach's life ended just as he lived, embraced by the love of his family, friends, grace and music."

Sobiech had been fighting osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer, for the past four years after his diagnosis at age 14. Last May, after treatment options ran out, doctors told the Minnesotan teen that he had up to a year left to live

Since his diagnosis in 2009, Sobiech had been writing farewell letters in the form of songs to his friends and family. Last year, he uploaded "Clouds" to YouTube, a pop tune that went viral and currently boasts over 3 million views. Sobiech's story struck a chord with people all over the world, including some celebrities who spread his message through a tribute video Read more...

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Facebook Group Helps Tornado Victims Get Their Belongings Back

Posted: 20 May 2013 11:42 PM PDT

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A Facebook group is helping the victims of the massive Oklahoma tornado, which killed 51 people and left many homeless, get their belongings back

On its trail of destruction, the tornado has blown debris from houses — including people's personal belongings and important documents — many miles away.

The Facebook group asks members to post photos of any items or documents that were blown into their yard, so that they can be returned to the rightful owners

SEE ALSO: Terrifying Eyewitness Videos of Oklahoma Tornado Go Viral

"I'm just trying to help. I couldn't imagine losing my kids' pictures," Leslie Hagelberg, the group's founder, told The Huffington Post. Read more...

More about Facebook, Social Media, Us, and Oklahoma Tornado

3D-Printed Sugar Sculptures Too Sweet to Eat

Posted: 20 May 2013 10:56 PM PDT

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You’ve heard of 3D-printed clothes and 3D-printed buildings, but 3D-printed food? We are truly entering sci-fi territory. The Sugar Lab takes simple white sugar as its base material to print delicate 3D structures that can be eaten on their own, or used as a decorative topper for cakes and cupcakes

The company, founded by married couple Kyle and Liz, started out when they wanted to make their friend a birthday cake but didn’t have an oven. They began to experiment with printing with sugar, until they finally discovered the secret formula to making complex geometric shapes from the sweet stuff Read more...

More about Art, 3d Printing, Pics, Lifestyle, and Travel Leisure

Teen Develops Computer Algorthim to Diagnose Leukemia

Posted: 20 May 2013 10:38 PM PDT

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Brittany Wenger isn't your average high-school senior: She taught the computer how to diagnose leukemia.

The 18-year-old student from Sarasota, Fla. built a custom, cloud-based "artificial neural network" to find patterns in genetic expression profiles to diagnose patients with an aggressive form of cancer called mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL). Simply put, this means Wenger taught the computer how to diagnose leukemia by creating a diagnostic tool for doctors to use.

Since artificial neural networks are programs that model the brain's neurons and their interconnections, Wenger told Mashable that they "can actually learn to detect things that transcend human knowledge." Read more...

More about Student, Medicine, Leukemia, Cancer, and Medical

Teach Your Kids Tech Basics With Electronic Building Blocks

Posted: 20 May 2013 10:01 PM PDT

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For parents looking for educational toys, a hardware startup developed electronic buildings blocks and a companion augmented reality app that make for an interactive learning experience.

Founded by Tarun Pondicherry and Josh Chan, LightUp magnetic building blocks that can teach anyone about how electronics work.

The interactive blocks are different electronic components, like a battery, light sensor, LED, variable resistor, button, buzzer, wire blocks and more. When snapping together the various magnetic blocks, kids and teens can build projects like a night light and dimmer switch, to more advanced projects like a remote control and a wireless (infrared) transmitter. Read more...

More about Startup, Startups, Diy, Electronics, and Learning

Bieber to Booing Crowd: 'I Think I'm Doing a Pretty Good Job'

Posted: 20 May 2013 09:29 PM PDT

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Justin Bieber won two awards at Sunday night's Billboard Music Awards, and the audience had mixed emotions about his speech

"I'm 19 years old, I think I'm doing a pretty good job [...] it should really be about the music. It should be about the craft, the craft that I'm making," Bieber said. "I'm an artist that should be taken seriously."

Image via Ethan Miller/Getty Images Read more...

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GoPro Captures How it Looks to Be Eaten By a Grizzly Bear

Posted: 20 May 2013 09:00 PM PDT

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Welp, this is about as up close and personal as you'll ever get to a grizzly bear's mouth without being eaten alive or requiring some pretty major surgery

The incredible clip embedded above comes from the GoPro camera of Alaskan naturalist Brad Josephs. While he was leading a wildlife-viewing trip, a mother bear and her three-year-old cub came across the camera, Josephs writes on his website

Josephs says the bear, whose terrifying teeth and slobbery gullet we see in such detail, "only gently mouthed the camera." Nonetheless, the wild video provides a rare and fascinating glimpse into just why grizzly bears sit firmly atop the animal food chain Read more...

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Where Would the World Be Without YouTube?

Posted: 20 May 2013 08:33 PM PDT

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YouTube recently celebrated its eighth birthday, reminding us that less than a decade ago we had no access to cute cat videos, screaming goat clips and viral trends such as the Harlem Shake

How, oh how, did we ever survive?

For YouTube's Comedy Week, the Gregory Brothers pay homage to all the addictive content that the video-sharing website has given us over the past few years. After all, we wouldn't have this awesome YouTube video about how awesome YouTube videos are without YouTube! (Ultra meta, we know.)

Before you watch though, take a moment to thank the Google Gods for ensuring that we all have an outlet for our weird how-to needs Read more...

More about Youtube, Viral Videos, Watercooler, and Videos

Terrifying Eyewitness Videos of Oklahoma Tornado Go Viral

Posted: 20 May 2013 08:12 PM PDT

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Several eyewitness videos of the massive tornado that devastated Oklahoma City suburbs Monday — killing at least 51 people — have gone viral online.

They each portray the cyclone tearing across Moore, Okla., near Oklahoma City, and kicking up debris. The half-mile-wide tornado, which had wind speeds of up to 200 mph, destroyed multiple homes, vehicles and an elementary school, according to the Associated Press

Watch the videos, posted above and below

Video courtesy of YouTube, Attila1487

Video courtesy of YouTube, Ben Holcomb Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Tornado, Tornadoes, Us World, and Us

'X Factor' Confirms New Judges After Tweet Leaks News

Posted: 20 May 2013 07:42 PM PDT

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Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland and international pop star Paulina Rubio will join The X Factor judging panel alongside Simon Cowell and Demi Lovato for season three, Fox revealed on the show's Facebook and Twitter pages Monday night

The announcement came hours after a Missouri concert venue inadvertently leaked half of the news in a tweet warning ticket buyers that Rowland's tour had been canceled

Due to X-Factor related sched. conflicts, the Kelly Rowland & The-Dream tour has been cancelled. All tix will be refunded at pt of purchase.

— The Midland (@themidland) May 20, 2013


Rowland and Rubio had been heavily rumored to be close to finalizing deals, and Fox couldn't hold off any longer, as auditions for contestants begin Tuesday Read more...

More about Entertainment, Tv, Fox, Social Tv, and The X Factor

Can Yahoo Ignore Tumblr's Dark Side?

Posted: 20 May 2013 07:11 PM PDT

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When my daughter begged me a few years ago to go on Tumblr so she could engage with Harry Potter fandom, I said no. I was worried about what else she might encounter on the vast blogging service

You know what I’m talking about. I feared she’d stumble onto porn.

Tumblr, which Yahoo is buying for $1.1 Billion is not a porn site, far from it. Spend any time on the spotlight page and you see it’s a vast sea of insightful and entertaining posts on every topic imaginable

One user aptly described it this way:

Tumblr user: Don't do it. It will consume your life.
Tumblr user: It's like having a stoner conversation with the world.
Tumblr user: It's crawling with intellectual knowledge, cats, and fandom. Read more...

More about Yahoo, Tumblr, Marissa Mayer, Tech, and Apps Software

NFL Rookie Angers Fans by Wearing Rival's Hat in Vine Video

Posted: 20 May 2013 06:55 PM PDT

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In the social-media age, even the most innocent misstep can have unintended consequences, as one NFL rookie recently found out the hard way

Keenan Allen is a talented wide receiver from Cal who was selected in the third round of last month's NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers and Oakland Raiders share one of the NFL's fiercest rivalries, which is why a random fashion choice by Allen this weekend stirred up plenty of backlash from San Diego fans

When Allen made a trip to In-N-Out, he posted a Vine video to document the occasion for his many fans. The problem? He wore a Raiders hat. He's since deleted the video, but this screenshot via the San Diego sports blog LobShots.com lives on: Read more...

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The New Flickr: What it Means for Flickr Pro Users

Posted: 20 May 2013 06:23 PM PDT

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Yahoo unveiled some big changes to Flickr on Monday, both in terms of features and overall design. One of those changes is that free users are no longer limited to a certain number of photos; instead, everyone gets 1TB of space for their full-resolution photos.

With that change comes an end to what used to be the biggest difference between free Flickr accounts and Flickr Pro. As it turns out, that's by design. In addition to lifting the previous upload and storage limits, Flickr is quietly discontinuing its Flickr Pro accounts (existing Pro users can continue to use Flickr Pro) and shifting to a different type of upgrade model. Read more...

More about Flickr, Photography, Features, 500px, and Tech

Microsoft's Next Xbox Announcement: What to Expect

Posted: 20 May 2013 05:56 PM PDT

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Microsoft will announce the highly anticipated next-generation Xbox gaming console Tuesday from its Redmond, Wa., headquarters, and the company has set a high bar, considering the success of its current model. The Xbox 360 has been a force to be reckoned with since its debut at the end of 2005. It remains at the top of sales charts even now

What can we expect from Tuesday's event? We cut through the rumor onslaught to provide you with our predictions.

What's in a Name?

The next Xbox's name has been one of the most heavily speculated details, and it seems the crowd cannot agree on a favorite. The new Xbox is codenamed "Durango," all sources agree, but it's unlikely the retail name. The slightly uncreative "Xbox 720," the rotational iteration following a 360, is probably the hottest search term related to the new Xbox. Read more...

More about Microsoft, Gaming, Xbox, Entertainment, and New Xbox

Square Lets You Send Cash Via Email

Posted: 20 May 2013 05:31 PM PDT

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A few days after Google announced the ability to send money via email, mobile payments purveyor Square has done the same.

Square Cash, which the company introduced in invite-only mode on Monday, lets consumers send money to friends by cc-ing "pay@square.com" and including the dollar amount in the email's subject line. Square takes a $0.50 cut of each transaction. The program is also open only to those who are 18 and older. Though Square had been focused on businesses, this release appears to be geared towards consumers.

At the moment, Square isn't disclosing much else about the program. The company has included a short animation illustrating how such an email might look: Read more...

More about Gmail, Square, Mobile Payments, and Business

Tumblr CEO to Users: 'Don't Worry'

Posted: 20 May 2013 04:57 PM PDT

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Loyal Tumblr users shouldn't worry about changes that could come to the site, CEO David Karp said Monday night at an event hosted by Yahoo, which acquired his social-blogging platform earlier in the day

Yahoo announced it had acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion. The move is said to be a part of an effort to attract more users in the 18-to-24 year old demographic and grow its social strategy, but many believe the deal could negatively impact the guidelines and nature of Tumblr.

"We hope the product will evolve even faster than it has before," Karp told Mashable. "That is something we have always been committed to, and the mission to build an audience and the ethos of creative expression and community guidelines — that stuff isn't changing." Read more...

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CBS Delays 'Mike & Molly' Finale in Wake of Oklahoma Tornado

Posted: 20 May 2013 04:34 PM PDT

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CBS will hold off airing the scheduled May 20 finale of comedy Mike & Molly because of the massive tornado that wreaked havoc in Oklahoma on Monday, the network told Mashable.

Mike & Molly stars Melissa McCarthy as a fourth-grade teacher and Billy Gardell as a cop. The final episode was set against the backdrop of a destructive tornado. Here's the description:

Mike and Carl get stuck working at the Renaissance Faire after their boss, Patrick, gets dumped by Mike's mother. Later, as a tornado descends on Chicago, Mike and Molly confess important news to each other, on the third season finale .. Read more...

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Chinese Hackers Found U.S. Government Data on Google Servers

Posted: 20 May 2013 04:01 PM PDT

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When Chinese hackers breached Google servers in 2010, they were not targeting the Gmail accounts of human rights activists, as the company claimed at the time

What the hackers were actually after was a database containing years of sensitive information related to U.S. surveillance. Now we have learned that the attack was successful, and the data compromised

In 2010, as part of what has been dubbed as Operation Aurora, Chinese hackers gained access to a database of data relating to thousands of surveillance orders, all judicial responses to agency requests for email monitoring

Those orders were issued under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the feds to spy on foreign communications (and American targets who communicate with foreign suspects). Read more...

More about Google, China, Cybersecurity, Chinese Hackers, and Us World

There's Not Much Tumblr Advertising for Yahoo to Screw Up

Posted: 20 May 2013 03:35 PM PDT

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In her now-famous tweet, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer promised not to "screw up" Tumblr. While it remains to be seen whether the site's users will soon be fleeing, Tumblr's advertising is a different story

Simply put, there's not much to screw up at this point.

Partially, that's because the company's ad units are so new. But Tumblr faces other obstacles as well including an ambivalence towards advertising, a lack of metrics and a platform that lets you do lots of marketing outreach for free

Tumblr introduced its ad program last May and was so conflicted about the decision that it couldn't quite bring itself to call the units "ads." (It preferred the term "sponsors.") CEO David Karp had also gone on record stating that Tumblr was "pretty opposed to advertising," a stance he later regretted Read more...

More about Yahoo, Advertising, Marketing, Tumblr, and Marissa Mayer

Watch a 3D-Printed Handgun Fire 9 Rounds

Posted: 20 May 2013 03:11 PM PDT

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Just a couple of weeks after Cody Wilson and Defense Distributed released the files for the world's first 3D-printed handgun, imitators have already replicated and improved upon it. Two gunsmiths from Wisconsin successfully fired their own Liberator nine times, without the gun showing any damage.

As first reported by Forbes, two engineers, Michael Guslick and a man who refers to himself as "Joe" — he didn't want to reveal his name — printed their version of the Liberator on a relatively cheap and unsophisticated 3D printer. Unlike Wilson, who used a $8,000 Stratasys, the Wisconsin duo used a consumer-grade $1,725 Lulzbot AO-101 Read more...

More about 3d Printing, Us World, Us, Guns, and Gun Control

The Doors Keyboardist Ray Manzarek Dies at 74

Posted: 20 May 2013 03:09 PM PDT

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After a long fight with bile duct cancer, 74-year-old keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors died Monday at RoMed Clinic in Germany, the rock band's Facebook and Twitter pages announced. His wife, Dorothy, and brothers were beside Manzarek (pictured left).

"I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today," guitarist Robby Krieger (pictured right) said in a statement. "I'm just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him."

Today's a sad day for rock 'n roll souls. We lost an exceptional talent who used to make magic with the keyboard#RipRayManzarek @thedoors

— Nury Robin (@NuryHill) May 20, 2013 Read more...

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Massive Tornado Strikes Near Oklahoma City

Posted: 20 May 2013 02:59 PM PDT

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A massive tornado struck a residential neighborhood in Moore, Okla., near Oklahoma City, Monday afternoon. The cyclone destroyed homes, schools and commercial buildings. The total cost in terms of property damage and human life remains unknown.

Photos of the Oklahoma tornado quickly spread on social media, along with livestreams of news helicopter footage and warning messages for those in the storm's path. Twitter users from around the country also sent messages of support for anybody affected by the tornado.

Image via Brett Deering/Getty Images Read more...

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Yahoo to Move Into Old 'New York Times' Building

Posted: 20 May 2013 02:38 PM PDT

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Call it a sign of the times. Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer announced at a press event Monday that Yahoo is taking over four stories of the old New York Times building in Times Square. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined Mayer at the announcement.

Yahoo's 500 New York employees are currently split across three different locations in New York City. By bringing them under one roof, Yahoo is hoping to foster culture and collaboration, Jackie Reses, chief development officer of Yahoo, said in a blog post

She added that Yahoo hopes to grow its NYC staff by up to 60% "with a special focus on expanding our engineering team." There will be room for roughly 200 additional employees in the new office, Mayer said. Read more...

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Yahoo Unveils 'Awesome' New Look for Flickr

Posted: 20 May 2013 02:30 PM PDT

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Yahoo has announced a brand new Flickr experience for the desktop and its Android users. Unveiled at a press event in New York City Monday, the new look aims to breathe new life into the once struggling brand.

It's move is so big, in fact, a terabyte of storage is coming to Flickr. This is enough room for each person take 537,731 photos and more than 2,000 in each country.

"You can take all the pictures ever taken and upload them to Flickr... and there would [still be room]," Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said.

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Mayer emphasized event had nothing to do with the Tumblr acquisition announced Monday morning Read more...

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