Netflix is down due to an outage in Amazon's AWS infrastructure, but only on some devices.

That's quite a bummer for Netflix users, especially on Christmas Eve, but the company has acknowledged the problem and is working on a fix.

We're sorry for the Christmas Eve outage. Terrible timing! Engineers are working on it now. Stay tuned to @netflixhelps for updates.— Netflix US (@netflix) December 25, 2012

Netflix Cloud Architect Adrian Cockroft has been explaining the issue in detail on Twitter. According to his latest tweets, Netflix is now working on most devices, including the iPhone, iPad and Android, but "a few device types" aren't "quite back yet."

More About: amazon, AWS, netflix

Some funny, some weird -- all nostalgic. Check out these awesome now-and-then photo pairs.

More About: pictures, Watercooler

Infomatic - Facebook and Twitter statistics ($1.99) [iTunes link] by Saturized is a beautiful way to get the stats on your social media profile right on your iPhone, consolidated in a single app.

I'm not really the type of person to obsess over every aspect of my social media (think of those Klout people), but it is nice to get an analysis of what my online presence consists of. And with Infomatic, I get all of these details presented to me in a gorgeous package.

The first thing you will have to do when launching the app is add your Twitter and Facebook accounts. Infomatic makes use of the native iOS Twitter and Facebook integration, so it was as easy as selecting the account (for mu…
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More About: Facebook, iOS apps, social, Twitter

1. Dog Playing Keyboard Piano

What this dog lacks in finesse, it makes up for in enthusiasm.

Click here to view this gallery.

Forget Keyboard Cat, piano-playing dogs are the new black. We have scoured YouTube to find the 10 best canines tickling the ivories -- we think you'll just love our selection.

SEE ALSO: 10 Adorable Animals Feeding Other Animals

Take a look through our slightly out-of-tune video gallery above. Link us in the comments below to any other musical animals you've seen online that make you smile.

Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr, Yoga Mama

More About: animals, features, gallery, Video, viral videos, Watercooler, YouTube

Earlier this month, Tracy Morgan was a guest on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon for an unconventional reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.

The 30 Rock star, predictably, had his own colorful commentary to add to Clement C. Moore's holiday classic.

In Tracy Morgan's world, the reindeer go by their nicknames: Pork Chop, Captain Freak and Joe Frazier. And don't get him started on that mouse: "Always hear him walkin' around with his little nails scratching against my kitchen floor," he complains. "I got brand new floors, Jim. From France!"

SEE ALSO: The 12 Memes of Christmas

In case you missed it when if first aired, we hope you enjoy Late Night's stylings this evening, on…
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More About: christmas eve, Holidays, tracy morgan, Watercooler

The holidays are here, and you're probably exhausted from all the frantic shopping, ready to kick back, relax and maybe take a break from the relatives. With these five free apps you can have a good time on the house. (We mean free, not sitting on the roof like Santa.)

"You Don't Know Jack" (Jellyvision Games) The clever trivia game features hundreds of humorous questions (all read by the wise-cracking host Cookie Masterson), as well as bonus rounds like Jack Attack, where you tap the screen when the right answer appears to get bonus cash.

Connecting your Facebook account lets you play online against friends at least once a day for free — or more if you buy "tokens" from within…
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More About: Android apps, holidays 2012, iOS apps

Flickr has a Christmas gift for all of you disgruntled Instagram users: three free months of its Pro service.

While each month of Pro is worth just over $2 (or $24.95 per year), the offer still has its perks. You don't need to enter your credit card information to enroll, so it's a commitment-free trial.

Flickr Pro lets you store images of up to 50 MB each, download high-resolution images, and upload and play HD videos.

SEE ALSO: Instagram Slammed With Class Action Lawsuit

Positioning itself as an Instagram alternative, Flickr has already launched photo filters for its mobile app.

Have you forgiven Instagram or will you jump ship to a different platform such as Flickr Pro? Le…
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More About: flickr, instagram, photography

Launching a startup is tough, but moving past start-up and into phase two can be even tougher.

More About: features, mashable, open forum, startup growth

A Toronto hospital has pulled its obstetrics-themed parody video of "Gangnam Style" after a birthing group complained it was "offensive."

Initially uploaded to Sunnybrook Hospital's YouTube channel on Dec. 14, it features medical residents horse-dancing through hospital hallways, flying plastic babies, and a doctor said to be covered in "five bodily fluids."

"OB/GYNE Style" (disclaimer: the video may be offensive to some viewers) was removed on Dec. 19 amid criticisms from Humanize Birth, but was later reposted by another YouTube user on Dec. 22. The group, which aims to reduce "traumatic birth experiences" for women, is demanding a public apology from the hospital and the University o…
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When the world's best companies are looking to fill open positions, they post them on the Mashable Job Board. New jobs are added every day....

More About: Jobs, Mashable Job Board, weekly jobs roundup

One week from tonight, Dec. 31, the world will begin celebrating the start of 2013. To watch the new year begin in different locations around the world, consider the EarthCam's New Year's Live [iTunes link] app for the iPhone/iPod touch and iPad.

Available for $2.99, the app features exclusive webcams of locations in New York City, plus elsewhere in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Come New Year's Eve, the app will broadcast live from Times Square and show off the New Year's Ball as it comes down, and the spectacular fireworks display that follows.

Other locations featured include New Orleans, Los Angeles, the famous Abbey Road crossing in the U.K., Prague, and many more.

…
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More About: apps, iOS apps, iphone apps, new years eve

A class action lawsuit was filed against Instagram in San Francisco federal court Friday, following user outrage regarding the mobile photo sharing app's changed Terms of Service.

This appears to be the first civil lawsuit filed as a result of Instagram's service term changes, Reuters reports.

Lucy Funes, a California Instagram user, claimed breach of contract, among other things, on behalf of herself and others similarly affected. The lawsuit was filed despite Instagram reverting some of the clauses it had announced it would change.

"In short, Instagram declares that 'possession is nine-tenths of the law and if you don't like it, you can't stop us,'" the lawsuit says.

Mashable…
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More About: court, Facebook, instagram, lawsuit

Since NASA retired its space shuttle program, there has been a big, rocket-sized hole in our hearts. Several private companies like Virgin Galactic are trying to fill that void, but Elon Musk's Space X is really leading the way right now. Back in May of this year, Space X docked their Dragon spacecraft with the International Space Station, and over the weekend Musk tweeted photos and videos of a test flight of the new Grasshopper, their reusable rocket engine.

This is not the first test flight of the Grasshopper, but to date it is the highest, and therefore most awesome, flight. Its initial flight took it a mere six feet off the ground before landing safely — that barely qualifi…
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More About: NASA, SpaceX

It's tough to find speakers that blend with the decor in every room of a house, but one sound system aims to do just that.

The Transparent Speaker, designed by Swedish-based company People People, is a see-through glass box that highlights its black drivers -- one 6.5-inch subwoofer and two 3-inch drivers. To adjust bass, treble and volume, simply turn the knobs on an aluminum control panel.

SEE ALSO: Gadgets Make Cameos in Britney Spears and Will.I.Am's New Video

The speaker also includes a powered USB socket, so you can play music wirelessly via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Watch the video, above, to see it in action.

For a more sustainable option, you can also build your own Transpare…
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More About: design, home design, speakers

Earlier this month, Mashable readers named HuffPost Live the most innovative media product to emerge in 2012. The web-only video news service beat out five other contenders nominated by Sree Sreenivasan, chief digital officer of Columbia University, including Dark Sky, Flipboard, Timehop and RebelMouse.

HuffPost Live launched in mid-August, and immediately began serving up 12 hours of live video, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST, every weekday. Most of the programming is done in a daytime talk show format. Guests -- a mix of Huffington Post writers, third-party experts and viewers -- are brought into HuffPost Live's studios in New York and Los Angeles, but more often are welcomed via Google Ha…
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More About: features, huffpost live, Innovation Index, Media, The Huffington Post, The Huffington Post Media group, TV, Video

The holiday spirit is contagious, so it's no surprise tech companies, non-profits and other organizations have embraced giving back this winter.

While volunteering time and donating money have long been holiday staples, digital tools and online communities have opened up new doors for social good. We've rounded up the best uses of social media to help you help others this holiday season.

Here are eight phenomenal campaigns sharing the love for the holidays. How are you giving back? Let us know in the comments.

Stand Up To Cancer's Ugly Sweater Campaign: Wearing an ugly holiday sweater can get you more than holiday chuckles this year. Stand Up To Cancer wants you to get your frien…
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More About: holiday season, Social Good, volunteering

Ever try to plug in your phone for the evening, but the cord just won't reach the nightstand? We may soon have a cure to one of tech's most common problems. Researchers at North Carolina State University developed wires that can stretch up to eight times their original length, while still maintaining functionality.

The creators filled the elastic polymer tubes with a liquid metal alloy of gallium and indium -- an efficient conductor of electricity.

"Our approach keeps the materials separate, so you have maximum conductivity without impairing elasticity," says Michael Dickey, assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper on the rese…
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More About: chargers, Liquidmetal, Science, Wire

Mashable's Anita Li contributed to this report from Toronto.

Research in Motion, maker of the once-treasured but now beleaguered BlackBerry, is in trouble. RIM cut 5,000 jobs -- 30% of its workforce -- this past summer. Its most recent earnings report beat expectations but still isn't much to celebrate, as subscriber numbers are down and the report shows nearly a 50% drop off in sales since the same quarter last year.

RIM's only hope -- its Luke Skywalker -- lies in BlackBerry 10, which may or may not succeed against the mobile OS behemoths that are Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms.

But even if BlackBerry 10 fails and RIM goes the way of the dinosaur, there's a silver lin…
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More About: blackberry, Business, Canada, RIM, Small Business, Startups, World

While most other Christmas trees sit placidly in a corner, the evergreen decorated by Olivier St. Martin Cormier will blow your Santa hat off.

It features 404 LED lights synchronized to flash in time to festive music (in this instance, Mykola Leontovych's epic "Carol of the Bells"). Cormier controls the lights using an STM32 microcontroller, and connects them via Bluetooth to his computer, which manages the music.

SEE ALSO: Watch This Epic Christmas Light Show Synced to Dubstep [VIDEO]

If you're celebrating Christmas, how does your tree compare to this one? Tell us in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Flickr, brendan-c

More About: Christmas, christmas lights

Apple is preparing to launch a new iPad in March 2013, claims Japanese blog Macotakara, citing an "inside source".

This new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the current one, with iPad mini design elements, the report claims.

The upcoming iPad will reportedly trim 4mm in height, 17mm in width and 2mm in depth from the current one.

In comparison, the fourth-gen iPad's dimensions are 241.2 x 185.7 x 9.4mm. The iPad mini's dimensions, on the other hand, are 200 x 134.7 x 7.2mm.

The report doesn't reveal any other technical specifications of the upcoming device. Though a thinner, lighter iPad sounds appealing, we're taking this one with a big grain of salt. Apple did speed up…
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More About: apple, ipad, ipad mini

1. Get Cooking and Crafting

A handmade gift is thoughtful. Make jewelry, dessert, scarves, artwork, a video -- whatever it is that you know how to do. Even if you don't know how, there are tutorials all over the web. Find a helpful how-to video on YouTube, or inspiration on Pinterest. Image courtesy of Flickr, chanelcoc872

Click here to view this gallery.

It's down to the final days for holiday shopping -- are you sweating yet? If you've dragged your feet or lost track of time, don't worry. There are still plenty of options for quick (and quality) gift-giving.

Most online shopping is past its final days to ship before Christmas. But that doesn't mean you're totally screwed. You might not even have to go to the mall.

Here are 13 last-minute gift ideas to save the holidays. Do you have more tips? Leave them in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Flickr, kennymatic

More About: Christmas, features, gift ideas, Holiday Gift Guide, mashable, online shopping