Genealogy company Ancestry.com has been acquired by an investor group led by European private equity firm Permira for about $1.6 billion, the Wall Street Journal reports citing sources familiar with the matter.

Ancestry.com is a profitable company which operates a network of genealogical and historical record websites in the U.S. and abroad, including Genealogy.com, MyFamily.com, ProGenealogists, and Rootsweb.com.

The company has had over 2,000,000 paying subscribers as of June 2012; it expects a 2012 revenue of $473.0 to $480.0 million.

Recently, Ancestry.com has had a couple of acquisitions of its own, having acquired Archives.com in August and 1000memories in October 2012.…
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Most companies don't plan to switch to Windows 8 immediately after its release, and some may never make the switch, Reuters reports.

The new operating system from Microsoft, which hits the market on Oct. 26, has numerous touch-friendly features which should make it equally as interesting to tablet owners as it is to PC owners. Many business owners, however, think Windows 8 is a consumer-oriented product which offers few new features to businesses.

"Windows 8 is, frankly, more of a consumer platform than it is a business platform, so it's not something that makes any sense from a business perspective at this juncture. There is really no additional business functionality that Windo…
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Just when you thought it was over, another "Gangnam Style" parody has surfaced online -- this time using Minecraft blocks.

Uploaded to YouTube on Sunday, "Minecraft Style" imitates Psy's original music video virtually frame-for-frame, save for a few details (there's pigs in place of horses). Its lyrics are also adapted for lovers of the sandbox building game.

To wit: "Digging a hole just one more time until I score this. Strike rich on diamonds, iron, gold and build our decked-out fortress."

SEE ALSO: Play Minecraft in Real Life [VIDEO]

So far, the video has attracted more than 83,000 views. Check it above; then, tell us what you think in the comments.

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Musician Peter Gabriel wants people to recreate scenes from "Sledgehammer," his popular 1986 stop-motion music video, via an interactive Facebook tab.

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Lexus has unveiled a new eco-friendly hybrid concept car that looks like it was just pulled out of a James Bond movie.

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Errrrr

Via Flickr, gaudiramone

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Once a year, seemingly regular looking people transform into vampires, zombies and other hair-raising creatures of Halloween. Applied correctly and with just the right dash of gore, makeup goes a long way in adding a scary element to your costume.

SEE ALSO: 15 Unbelievable Halloween Makeup Tutorials on YouTube

Whether you'll be celebrating the ghoulish holiday at a zombie walk, parade or going door-to-door with friends, here are some of the characters you might encounter. But more importantly, these are the getups you'll be competing against.

Have an even better makeup job? Show us in the comments.

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For better or for worse, dodging speeding tickets just got a little easier with noPhoto, a smart license frame that prevents traffic enforcement cameras from taking photos of your license plate.

How does it work? The Cincinnati-based company behind noPhoto says it makes the license plate portion of the image "too bright for the camera's sensor to handle." First, a sensor detects a flash from a red light or speeding camera; it then triggers two flashes that jam the traffic camera, according to noPhoto's Indiegogo page.

While it sounds a tad sketchy, noPhoto claims that the process is completely legal.

"Since there is nothing physically covering…
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1) ... A Pigeon?

Yep. Apparently, when a pop star takes a photo of a pigeon, it gets shared on Twitter, like, 44,000 times. "Quiteliked (sic) this pigeon." - Liam from One Direction Photo stats: 44,023 retweets.

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In case you missed it, an Austrian skydiver named Felix Baumgartner jumped from 24 miles high last Sunday, becoming the first person to break the sound barrier outside of an aircraft. He also broke the record for highest free fall. It was awesome.

A few of the amazing photos from his journey were among the most shared on Twitter this week. Our friends over at Skylines went through 35,073,543 photos from the week to compile the most re-tweeted and talked about ones -- including Baumgartner's.

SEE ALSO: Felix Baumgartner's GIF From Space

Take a look through the gallery to check them out. Any ones you think should have been included? Let us know in the comments below.

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This year's Mashable Media Summit is set for Nov. 2, 2012 at The TimesCenter in New York City. You'll hear directly from the people who are reshaping media today and redefining it for the future. There will be powerful interviews, inspiring presentations, great networking opportunities and, of course, some Mashable surprises. You don't want to miss this one-day event, so get your tickets now before they sell out!

Here are five sessions you can't miss:

The Delicate Balance: How to Monetize Without Hurting Your Community
Alexis Ohanian, Co-Founder, Reddit
Matt Silverman, Features Editor, Mashable

NPR & Mashable Get On the Media Together
Brooke Gladstone, Managing Edi…
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A U.S. Census report released this month shows that the number of people who work from has soared by 41% in the past decade. These findings demonstrate that there is hope for moms (and dads!) who prefer the flexibility to work from home while raising children.

Which leads to this question: What kinds of professional job opportunities are there for telecommuting parents? Generally, parents want a job with little to no travel keeps them closer to home in time for after school pick up, and preferably a position that doesn't involve risking one's life by jumping from a capsule to break the sound barrier … there have to be easier ways.

SEE ALSO: The Perks of Working From Hom…
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A teaser trailer for Iron Man 3 surfaced online Sunday, whipping fanboys and girls into a frenzy.

Uploaded to Marvel Comics' YouTube channel, the mere 17-second video shows brief clips of Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man) and Pepper Potts in some pulse-racing situations.

It teases the full-length trailer, which is set to debut Tuesday, Oct. 23.

SEE ALSO: Batman Is a Cheapskate: 'Iron Man' Get-Up Costs $1.6 Billion [INFOGRAPHIC]

While some YouTube users expressed excitement at the third installment of the Iron Man franchise, others pointed to the meta-ness of viewing a trailer for a trailer.

What do you think of the teaser? Tell us in the comments below.

Image courtesy of…
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1. Giraffe Dog

Image courtesy of Etsy, hatz4brats

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Whether your pet is suffering from an identity crisis or just practicing for the witness protection program, Halloween gives Fido the opportunity to transform into a completely different species. Give Fluffy a trunk and big, floppy ears, and she'll fit right in while trampling through the African bush.

SEE ALSO: 25 Crazy Pet Costumes That Put Yours to Shame

Find inspiration for your pet's Halloween alter ego -- or costum-uflage, if you will -- by scampering through the above gallery, which features 25 animals dressed like other animals.

Happy Halloweening, dogs and cats...and lizards, guinea pigs and hamsters!

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Dish Network's 14 million TV subscribers, who were no longer receiving AMC shows because of a legal battle, can stop groaning as loudly as zombies now. AMC Networks and Cablevision settled their dispute with Dish on Sunday, just in time for a new episode of AMC's zombie drama The Walking Dead.

Dish had stopped broadcasting AMC programming on July 1 after public and heated carriage negotiations.

Sunday's settlement reveals Dish will pay $700 million in cash for the distribution deal.

"We are glad to have settled the case and re-established our long-term relationships with AMC Networks and Cablevision," Dave Shull, Dish's senior vice president of programming, said in a statement.…
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Do Apple lovers really "think different" because of the company's reality distortion field? Serious research gets to the bottom of this.

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If it's been a busy week and you may have missed one of this week's hottest viral videos, fear not. We're here to help.

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Update (5:10 ET): Now police say three people have died as a result of this mass shooting in Milwaukee today.

Wisconsin experienced another mass shooting on Sunday, this time at the Brookfield Square Mall just outside Milwaukee. According to local TV stations, the assailant is still at large. Local residents and police are communicating with each other via Twitter in efforts to locate the alleged murderer.

Early reports say four people have been brought to the hospital so far -- none with life-threatening injuries -- and three more victims are currently being transported. No fatalities have been reported so far.

The incident reportedly happene…
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The other day I got a text on my iPhone while I was sitting in a meeting at work. Not an unusual occurrence for me, but the recipient was. It was from my car. Thanks, SmartStart.

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Our friends Nitrozac and Snaggy at The Joy of Tech have detected distinct ways tech corporations treat their customers.

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Google will unveil several new devices and a software update at its scheduled Oct. 29 press event, according to a company video filmed from a meeting.

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1. Emily from The Corpse Bride

Make sure you walk around with your eyes closed, or this costume will become even more creepy.

Click here to view this gallery.

If you're planning an elaborate Halloween costume or looking for a last-minute idea, consider adding a swipe of makeup to your fright night festivities.

Embrace your inner zombie or scary character for the holiday, thanks to face paint and a little creativity.

SEE ALSO: This Is How Your Cat Spends Halloween [ME-BOO-W]

We tracked down the best Halloween makeup tutorials on YouTube to take your costume to the next level.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Vancouver Film School

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Microsoft added a new Internet Explorer 9 app to its Xbox 360 interface earlier this week but killed off its Facebook and Twitter apps in the process.

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Apple is expected to unveil a smaller-screen iPad on Tuesday. Here's what the so-called iPad Mini will probably look like.

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This week, we highlight apps that let your kids take a journey through the solar system and the pyramids of Egypt -- plus, some other great learning tools.

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