From thermostats to televisions, modern smartphones can control a variety of home appliances. Now, you can add toilet to that list.

Created by Japanese company Lixil under its INAX brand of products, the Satis is a Bluetooth-capable commode that users can command via an Android app. The super-toilet enables hands-free flushing and toilet-seat lifting, among other actions, according to website Japan Trends.

Called "My Satis," the app also lets users play music through the toilet's speakers, and set up a "toilet diary" to monitor their regular washroom sessions. For more on the Satis, check out the video above.

Would you use a smartphone-controlled toilet? Tell us in the comments belo…
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More About: Toilet, apps, smartphone, speakers

1. A Christmas Rock Medley

This mind-blowing video comes from South Dakota. Its creator uses the show's publicity to help raise money for the Make-a-Wish Foundation.

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The winter celebration of the evergreen tree is not a modern tradition -- it extends back to pre-Christian times and to cultures all over the world.

Maybe your holiday tradition involves stringing thousands of lights across your property for a majestic arrangement. Or perhaps your family just tours the neighborhood to see everyone else's exhibits. Either way, YouTube is here to provide some sensational seasonal light shows for your viewing and listening pleasure, from festive homes all across the country.

SEE ALSO: 10 Festive Free E-Cards for the Holidays

Enjoy these creative displays, and maybe draw a little inspiration for next year's decorations. If you're worried about complex…
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More About: Entertainment, Video, features, holidays 2012

Anytime a volleyball shot smacks not one, not two, but three opponents right in the face, you've got to consider that a pretty epic win.

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Teen pop sensation Justin Bieber edged out Lady Gaga to take the title of reigning social-media king this week.

With nearly 31.5 million Twitter followers, close to 49 million Facebook fans, and 3.2 billion views on his YouTube channel, Bieber tops the list of most popular celebrities on social media, according to data aggregator Starcount.

Over the last week, the singer gained 300,000 Twitter followers, 600,000 Facebook fans and 24,000 YouTube views, compared with Gaga's 193,000 followers, 170,000 fans and 5,000 views. Bieber is also trending "much more" than Gaga, Starcount reported.

"Bieber consistently gets more retweets and engagement than any other major star," it said.

Wh…
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More About: Social Media

CNN TV host Piers Morgan dedicated a Rest in Peace tweet to each of the 20 children killed in the Newtown shooting and one tweet for the six adult victims.

More About: Connecticut, Twitter, US, newtown, shooting

Worried the end of the world is coming on Friday? This new NASA video will calm your fears.

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Some individuals relegate their job search to nothing more than the web. This current hiring climate calls for a job search that is far more involved.

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

Ever want to play cards and don't have a deck? A new app called Bold Poker turns your mobile devices into playing cards.

More About: Newsy, poker

Feeling overworked? You're not alone. In fact, according to a vast majority of a recent survey's 1,915 U.S. respondents, overworking has become the norm in today's workplace.

The survey, conducted by social project management software provider Wrike, found that 87% of workers, from business owners to freelancers, say they overwork on a regular basis. Perhaps the most surprising result of the survey is that even though that large percentage feels overworked, 42% of all the respondents still feel satisfied with their work/life balance.

As you can see in the infographic below, one apparent stress reducer is being a team member, where 50.8% of those describing themselves as such feel more…
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More About: Overworking, Wrike, infographics

Last year, eight in ten shoppers planned to give gift cards for the holidays. We bet the numbers will be even higher this year, and wonder if that changes how big a bag Santa will need.

Comic by Mashable, Lance Ulanoff

More About: comics, holiday season, holiday shopping, humor, santa claus

Tumblr Is Down

When Tumblr went down Wednesday evening, users flocked to Mashable to express their rage and disbelief.

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Where were you the day that Tumblr went down? Whether you were at home, at work or on the move, it's possible that you somehow ended up on Mashable. That was the case for thousands of Tumblr users, who, desperate for their GIF fix after a Tumblr outage on Wednesday, found themselves commenting on a Mashable story about the glitch.

Frustrated Tumblr frequenters left without a blogging platform transformed the comment thread on Mashable's story into a makeshift Tumblr dashboard. Users gathered to commiserate, voice their anger and post GIFs to express their feelings. The micro-community that sprung up in the post made these the top comments on Mashable this week.

We recently renovated o…
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More About: top comments, tumblr

In the past, schools and cellphones didn't mix. Teachers saw them as a distraction, and many schools banned their use in the classroom. But in the wake of school shootings over the past 13 years, school districts are beginning to change their policies as a part of school emergency plans.

Since the 1999 killings at Columbine High School in Colorado, school districts and law enforcement authorities have worked together on strategies to respond to violence in schools. Plans include how to protect students inside buildings, evacuate them and notify parents. Students and teachers practice lockdown drills, steps to secure the school so that no one can enter or exit.

Technology is a big part…
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More About: cellphones, newtown, shooting

The U.K. is now a global leader in the mobile market, with its residents who consume more data on their phones or tablets than any other country, according to an Ofcom report on mobile use.

The U.K. uses 424 megabytes of data each month -- a 60% hike from last year. Second-runner-up Japan uses 392 megabytes per month, and the U.S. places sixth using 319 megabytes of data, The Guardian reports.

Ofcom also found that U.K. Internet users spend, on average, 728 minutes a week online, a slight drop from last year's average of 746 minutes.

SEE ALSO: Texting Overtakes Talking in the UK [STUDY]

The increase in data usage could stem from U.K. users accessing television via Internet in…
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More About: Mobile, UK-based, United Kingdom

Fresh off the Samsung commercial featuring a wife beaming a suggestive video to her husband before a business trip, the manufacturer has rolled out another ad with a bit of a suggestive theme. But this time, it's Mrs. Claus getting herself on naughty list.

The cute commercial aims to promote the Samsung Galaxy S III smartphone, which allows users to beam videos to another device by touching them together.

SEE ALSO: 10 Most Innovative Viral Video Ads of 2012

The commercial begins as Santa's elves say they made him a video to watch while on his sleigh. The Samsung Galaxy S III smartphones touch, and the video is transferred. Mrs. Claus then says she made her husband a video too,…
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More About: Advertising, Business, Commercial, Marketing, Samsung Galaxy S III, samsung, smartphone

No, you're not going crazy. There really are thousands of Santa Clauses riding the subway, crowding the bars and landmark-hopping all around your city today.

In fact, the annual SantaCon event is happening in 37 countries across 275 locations on Saturday, from New York City and San Francisco to London, Hong Kong, Syndey and Hong Kong. (Other U.S. cities include Miami, Austin and Milwaukee).

For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon, participants dress up as Santa -- or other seasonal costumes such as an elf or candy cane -- for a massive bar crawl. This means, of course, swarms of people are traveling in packs ... and drinking. Hello, visual stimulation.

The Santas are encouraged to…
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With 10 days until Christmas, for many this is the final stretch of the gift-buying season. As the stakes get higher for you, Mashable has focused our coverage to bring you all the best gift ideas from around the Internet.

During the past week, we've found and written about gifts for your boyfriend or girlfriend, gifts for your mom, gifts for techies, gifts from

More About: Business, Features Week In Review, Lifestyles, Social Media, Tech, features

What does a beloved 8-bit rainbow kitty do when it's won the whole Internet's heart? Time to start charming the real world.

Nyan Cat and creator Chris Torres have launched an entire line of merchandise, including plush toys, apparel and games. The Internet meme is the inspiration behind NYANCATCITY, a four-day event in New York City that celebrates creativity and the influence of web culture. Of course, at the heart of it all is cats.

The event, produced by New York Art Department, is taking place this weekend at the Hole Shop. The store has brought the spirit of Nyan Cat to life in the form of a pop-up shop -- including a wall completely covered in plushy Nyans. Some of the activitie…
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More About: memes, nyan-cat, videos

If you're a fan of Seinfeld, type "Festivus" into Google for a search results surprise "for the rest of us."

Google is known for hiding visual messages in its search when certain keywords are used, such as "Christmas," "Hanukkah," "Kwanzaa" and "let it snow." This year it's embracing the spirit of made-up holiday Festivus.

SEE ALSO: Seinfeld Twitter Account Shows Hilarious Modern-Day Plot Lines

Created by the father of Seinfeld character George Costanza, Festivus falls on Dec. 23. It became a running joke throughout the show and is still referenced by fans. The holiday is celebrated with an aluminum pole, instead of a Christmas tree, and includes traditions such as "airing of grieva…
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More About: Festivus, Google, Seinfeld

Forty years and one day ago, December 14 at 5:54:37 p.m. EST, humans left the moon for the last time. But how did the two men who made that departure -- taking their last small steps, their last great leaps from the lunar surface -- mark that occasion? What parting words did they leave to the moon, and to their fellow humans, and to history?

As Miles O'Brien notes in his tribute to yesterday's bittersweet anniversary, the commander of the Apollo 17 mission, Gene Cernan, had prepared a speech to mark his crew's lunar departure. It was appropriately lengthy and lofty. He delivered it like this:

As I take man's last step from the surface, back home for some time to come (but we believe no…
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More About: NASA, astronauts, moonwalk

This just in: People really like using social media to interact. Oh wait, you probably already knew that. In fact, you're probably one of those people.

To put it in perspective, there are about 7 billion people on the planet. Facebook signed up one billion users in slightly more than eight years of existence.

Have you ever wondered why these sites are so popular? As with any observable global phenomenon, scientists and researchers have been furiously trying to answer that very question. At first glance, some of the results seem shocking.

SEE ALSO: 8 Dumb Criminals Caught Through Facebook

For instance, a survey conducted by the University of Chicago Booth School of Business concl…
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More About: Science, Social Media, features, infographics