Michigan passed a bill on Friday that prohibits employers and schools from asking employees and students for login information to their personal social media accounts.

House Bill 5523, signed by Governor Rick Snyder and introduced by state Rep. Aric Nesbitt, "prohibit[s] employers and educational institutions from requiring certain individuals to grant access to, allow observation of, or disclose information that allows access to or observation of personal internet accounts."

This means an employer or institution cannot require that you provide them with your username or passwords for sites like Facebook and Twitter. The bill is known as the "internet privacy protection act."

"Pot…
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More About: privacy acts, social laws, Social Media

NASA has completed a 43,000 hour stress test -- a record for ion thrusters -- on a new rocket propulsion system that could extend future space travel to farther reaches of the solar system.

Developed by NASA's Evolutionary Xenon Thruster Project, the 7-kilowatt ion thruster can burn 10-12 times longer than the conventional chemical thrusters used today. Though not practical for manned-spaceflight, the system could power exploratory rockets that reach outer planets and their moons.

To find out more, watch the video above and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Photo courtesy of NASA

BONUS: 15 Twitter Accounts Every Space Lover Should Follow

More About: NASA, Rockets, space exploration

While the rest of us are trying to shed the pounds from our holiday feasts, Jamie McDonald had a feast of his own.

The professional eater downs the entire 11-piece Hobbit menu at Denny's in less than 20 minutes.

Comprised of dishes such as Frodo's Pot Roast, The Ring Burger and Bilbo's Berry Smoothie, the egregious 8610-calorie menu is a truck load of gluttony. All plates total: 9.75 pounds.

McDonald's finishes every plate in 19 minutes and 25 seconds, though he started the timer a little late. We bet he won't be hankering for second breakfast anytime soon.

Watch the video above to witness the feat and leave us your thoughts in the comments.

Image courtesy of Denny's

More About: Denny's, Eating competition, the-hobbit

The Problem with Windows 8

In the op-ed "The Problem with Windows 8" Mashable editor Pete Pachal elaborated on the problems he has with Windows 8. Reader Xuanlong pointed out that Windows 8 had a tough act to follow in Windows 7, and that Windows 8 represents a necessary risk for Microsoft.

Click here to view this gallery.

As the holiday season and the year itself drew to a close this week, Mashable readers were reflective about the innovations and complications we've seen in the tech world in 2012. The top comments this week showcase the excitement and frustration that surround top products and services like Microsoft, Apple and Facebook.

The most commented upon story this week was was the op-ed "The Problem with Windows 8," in which Mashable editor Pete Pachal elaborated on the problems he has with the new OS. Our readers largely agreed with Pachal's assessment of Windows 8's shortcomings, though several readers provided well-reasoned rebuttals of some of his points. The second-hottest story was about th…
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More About: apple, community, Facebook, top comments, Windows 8

The Most Interesting Man in the World had better watch his back.

Renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson is, apparently, quite the dancer. The video above, uploaded to Vimeo about a week ago by imjustanape shows the scientist tearing it up at a party, as the rest of the guests crowd around and cheer.

He doesn't dance often, but when he does, it's amazing.

Thumbnail image via Bloomberg via Getty Images

SEE ALSO: Internet Falls for Fake Neil deGrasse Tyson Quote

Basking in the successful relaunch of Google Maps for iOS, the search company has debuted ads promoting its apps for Apple's mobile operating system.

The ad, captured in the YouTube video above, aims to recruit developers by encouraging them to "reshape Google for iOS." It then goes on to list several of its iOS apps, including Google Search, YouTube, Chrome and Gmail.

In a Q&A, Google Search engineer Ken Bongort says most people don't know that the company has iOS mobile-apps teams.

"People think Android is the only mobile platform that we support. But we actually have a ton of in-house iOS teams, building apps for everything from Search to YouTube to Chrome to Maps."

With…
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More About: Google, iOS

1. Pocket

Use Pocket when you see an interesting article, video or recipe but don't currently have time to read or view it. Simply press Pocket's convenient bookmarklet and, voilà, the content saves on your computer, tablet and smartphone. Easily revisit it anytime. It works with browsers and more than 300 other apps. Price: FREE

Click here to view this gallery.

An iPhone without apps would be like a zebra without its stripes — plain and boring. As we all know by now, the ability to download and run third-party apps is the x-factor for mobile devices, particularly smartphones.

SEE ALSO: 5 Best iPad Apps of 2012

Getting great new apps, many of which are free, makes your phone feel new and exciting. Scroll through the gallery above to view our picks for the top six iPhone apps of 2012.

Share your picks for the year's top apps in the comments below.

Image via Flickr, yum9me

More About: apple, apps, features, iphone, Tech, Year End 2012

Making our dreams of traveling via hoverboard a less-distant reality, Japanese researchers have developed a way to move magnetically levitated graphite discs with nothing but light.

Depending on where the light (in the form of a laser beam) is focused, it controls the direction that the disc travels, according to a study by scientists at Aoyama Gakuin University. The laser changes the temperature of the graphite, which alters how the disc interacts with its magnetic field, resulting in movement.

Check out the video, above, to see the disc in action. Whether this discovery is a precursor to Marty McFly-esque hoverboards, however, remains to be seen.

How soon do you think we'll be f…
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More About: research, scientists

It's a plane. No, it's a Superman! Wait, it's both.

This life-sized Superman was seen zooming around the Pacific Coast Highway. It's actually a custom bodied RC airplane, but it's still pretty stunning. We'd imagine if we saw one zoom past our New York City office, we would immediately stop what we were doing and head over to the Daily Planet.

Watch the video above to see Superman in action and let us know what crazy custom RC airplanes you've seen zoom overhead.

Photo courtesy of Flickr, josephleenovak

More About: RC, superman

We've arrived at the end of yet another week and nearly the end of yet another year. We survived the apocalypse and the holidays.

Through all that, you might not have had time to keep up with the latest in the digital world. If that's the case, you'll want to go through some of our stories from the past week so you don't fall too far behind.

To make it easy for you, we've rounded up all of our usable features into this one post. As always, you'll find editor's picks, social media tidbits, digital business advice, along with the latest in tech and lifestyles. This week, we also have a special section dedicated to our recent year-in-review stories.

The future is coming. Here's what y…
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More About: Business, features, Features Week In Review, Lifestyles, Social Media, Tech

As the year draws to a close, Apple has withdrawn its patent claims against one of Samsung's allegedly infringing products. According to Reuters, Apple has dropped its infringement case against the Samsung Galaxy S III Mini.

The Galaxy S III Mini is an Android smartphone that is equipped with, most notably, a high-end Super AMOLED display.

Released just last month, the Galaxy S III Mini was not included in the landmark $1 billion lawsuit that concluded earlier this year in favor of Apple. However, the device was added last month by Apple to its ongoing patent case against Samsung on account of its availability in the U.S. through Amazon.com.

But Samsung maintained that it is not "ma…
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More About: apple, Galaxy S III mini, samsung

Finding top-notch technical talent can be hard. But are we experiencing a shortage of qualified candidates, or are brilliant minds simply being overlooked?

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