Saturday 8 December 2012

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Interactive Map Shows Each Bomb Dropped During London Blitz”

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Interactive Map Shows Each Bomb Dropped During London Blitz”


Interactive Map Shows Each Bomb Dropped During London Blitz

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 08:04 PM PST


The Bomb Sight Project lets you explore 1940s London and see where each bomb struck during the Blitz.

More About: Newsy, apps, interactive map, videos, world war 2

3D-Printed Ornament Is Made From Your Social Data

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 07:27 PM PST


This 3D-printed ornament's points and their lengths indicate how many Facebook friends the person has in different places around the world.

More About: 3D printers, Christmas

Holiday Shoppers: Beware of “Grey Charges”

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:46 PM PST


You've heard all the warnings about being on the lookout for fake websites when shopping online, and you know you should have an antivirus program running on your computer. You probably know about not shopping on public computers and how to spot a phishing scam. But what about Grey Charges?

"Grey charges" is a new term for when you buy something and then wind up purchasing something else you didn't want, or didn't ask for. BillGuard, a company that provides transaction monitoring and resolution services, says these charges are often the result of companies counting on the fact that people don't read fine print or verify their transactions as carefully as they should.

For example, my s…
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More About: online shopping, scams

Temporary Tattoo Attaches Health Sensor to Your Body

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 06:09 PM PST


This type of tattoo won't disappoint your mom. A health-monitoring sensor can be attached to your arm with a temporary tattoo. The blue smiley-face "tattoo" hides medical sensors that monitor your skin's pH levels. The sensors can detect and relay information about metabolic stress from exertion to your doctor.

The temporary tattoos are made just like the ones little kids get in grocery store vending machines, except these contain ion-selective electrodes (ISE). The eyes of the smiley face are working electrodes, while the ears are where doctor's measurement devices can be attached to extract the data.

Researchers at University of Toronto Scarborough invented the sensor tattoo,…
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More About: athletes, health, tattoo

How LoJack for Laptops Recovers Your Stolen Device

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 05:33 PM PST


laptop stolen

If you're giving or receiving a new laptop for the holidays, you may want to consider an added layer of protection.

Laptop theft peaks during the holiday season, according to theft-prevention company Absolute Software. There are plenty of laptop-tracking apps and gadgets that can track your stolen computer. But, in most cases, that's the easy part. It's not guaranteed local law enforcement will help you retrieve the laptop after you've tracked it down.

LoJack for Laptops, however, is a service that helps laptop owners physically recover stolen devices. Absolute Software is one of the only Internet-security companies nearly guaranteeing your stolen laptop's safe return. The compan…
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More About: LoJack For Laptops, laptop, security, stolen laptops

Battle of the ‘Call Me Maybe’ Christmas Lights

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:59 PM PST


We thought "Call Me Maybe" was supposed to die after the summer.

But nope, Carly Rae is back and this time she's bringing her mind-numbingly catchy tune to the holidays via a few extra spirited folks with large electricity bills.

Prepare for some dizzy carolers stumbling across your yard due to visual transfixation caused by the incessant, rapid blinking and twirling of hundreds of bulbs.

SEE ALSO: Oppa, Christmas Style! Watch This Incredible 'Gangnam Style' Light Show

The owner of the second home, Jim Kurtz, from Bel Air, Md., told The Baltimore Sun that he has been synching music to pop songs for the past three years in order to "attract a younger audience to his hom…
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More About: Carly Rae Jepsen, Christmas-themed, holiday 2012

New and Old Media Keep Billy Eichner on the Streets

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:37 PM PST


Comedian Billy Eichner has found the perfect medium, somewhere between traditional and digital media. As host of Funny or Die's Billy on the Street, Eichner reports man-on-the-street style on-the-air, ambushing unsuspecting New Yorkers and giving his two cents about pop culture.

The comedian told Mashable he'd also ambush people on social media if he could. Instead, Eichner remains hyper-engaged with his growing fanbase.

Billy on the Street debuts its second season Friday night. The show features Eichner running around the city, throwing his microphone in people's faces and forcing them to do crazy things like choose between Meryl Streep and Glenn Close on the spot.

The show i…
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More About: celebrities, funny or die, social media marketing

Your Social Media Marketing Checklist for 2013

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 04:13 PM PST


As you prepare your goals for 2013, don't forget these important social media strategies for your business.

More About: corporate social media, social media marketing, tips

Vote Now for the Top Tech Innovations of 2012

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:37 PM PST


Vote now for the best innovations of 2012 in Mashable's Innovation Index!




Help us celebrate the best products, apps and gadgets of 2012, in 15 categories. A special thanks to our curators, industry leaders who picked five nominations for their respective categories. Voting closes Dec. 10, when Mashable will announce the winners of the 2012 Innovation Index.

Click here to view this gallery.


Check out the top gadgets, apps and tools of 2012, as selected by our Innovation Index Curators.

More About: Innovation Index, Innovation Index 2012, features, mashable

How to Make a Chocolate iPhone

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:26 PM PST


how to make chocolate iphone

Looking for a tasty holiday treat you can make for your tech-loving sweet-tooth friends? How about a chocolate iPhone?

This recipe -- developed by Brit Morin of Brit + Co and featured in the just-released charitable cookbook The Startup Chef -- walks you through how to create an edible iPhone from chocolate melts and Airheads.

SEE ALSO: 'Startup Chef' Shares Recipes From Zuckerberg, Crowley, Ek Kitchens

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

- black or white chocolate melts
- Silicone iPhone case
- Airheads (variety pack)
- Aluminum foil
- 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil or Crisco

Following the pictures in the image above, wash your iPhone case and wrap it with tin foil. T…
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More About: Lifestyle, Lifestyle DIY, cooking, iphone

This Is My Brain on YouTube

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 03:01 PM PST


Mashable OP-ED

Each month, the world watches 4 billion hours of YouTube video. And many people catch those clips during work breaks, while commuting or sneaking them in at the office.

Before I started working at Mashable, I was probably still a significant contributor to this number. I don't sneak videos in between breaks at work, because I'm too busy sleeping, breathing and eating. (Plus, I think about YouTube videos for a living.) This is normally the part when someone jokes that I get paid to watch cat videos all day, but that is a myth that seriously needs to be debunked.

Let's say I spent 2.5 hours per work day watching YouTube videos. (It's a conservative number, believe it o…
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More About: Video, Year End 2012, YouTube, features, op-ed, viral videos

Twitter Reacts to Supreme Court Decision to Tackle Gay Marriage

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 02:48 PM PST


The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday that it will rule on the issue of same-sex marriage, reviewing both California's Proposition 8 law as well as a case from New York that challenges the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

DOMA was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, and stated that the word "marriage" referred only to a legal union "between one man and one woman as husband and wife." Because of the provision, the the federal government cannot officially recognize a same-sex marriage (they are only considered married under state law) and therefore must deny benefits to gay couples married in those states where it is legal.

The Supreme Court will also consider challenges to C…
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More About: LGBT, Supreme Court, Twitter, gay marriage, gay rights

Brain Pacemaker May Treat Alzheimer’s

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 02:30 PM PST


In an experimental trial, surgeons have implanted deep-brain stimulators into U.S. and Canadian Alzheimer's patients.

More About: Science, health, medical science

White House Deletes Petition Amid Psy’s Anti-American Rap Controversy

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 02:06 PM PST


A petition, asking Obama to rescind his "Christmas in Washington" invite to "Gangnam Style" rapper Psy, has been removed from the White House's petitions website.

More About: US, White House, World, gangnam style, psy

OCDock Makes Your Workspace a Zen Apple Oasis

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 01:51 PM PST


Steve Jobs would probably approve of this iPhone dock's elegant design simplicity and logical functionality.

More About: apple, kickstarter

Local Newspaper Uses Pinterest to Find Wanted Criminals

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 01:40 PM PST


A Pennsylvania newspaper is using Pinterest to post mug shots and find people wanted by police officials.

More About: crime, pinterest

Microsoft Surface May Be Coming to Major Retailers

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 01:30 PM PST


Microsoft's Surface tablet is currently for sale only via the company's website and brick-and-mortar Microsoft Stores. But the Surface may soon be available in many more places -- and in time for Christmas.

According to Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott, Microsoft is accelerating its plans to get its Surface RT tablet on the store shelves of major retailers. Citing no sources, Thurrott says the Surface could be landing at some of those stores within the next few days. The company had originally planned to expand retail distribution of Surface in early 2013, but Thurrott says it's decided to "ramp up" that schedule for unknown reasons.

The post goes on to say Surface sales are performing…
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More About: Microsoft Surafce Tablet, Microsoft Surface, Windows 8, microsoft

These Are the People Who Make Your Toys

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 01:20 PM PST





Click here to view this gallery.


Most of us know that the toys we give to kids during the holidays tend to be made in China. However, this is a fairly abstract concept; we don't really know the people on the assembly line.

German-born photographer Michael Wolf is looking to change that with his latest photo essay. The pics highlight the jarring contrast between the often grim factory workers and the cheery toys they create. (Not all workers are downcast; a few are smiling.)

Wolf heightened the dissonance with an exhibit in California that framed the worker's faces within a mosaic of colorful toys.

In his online gallery, Wolf dropped some troubling stats about Chinese factory workers. For instance, their average m…
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More About: china, holiday season, toys

Irish Footballer Quits Twitter After Whining About Massive Salary

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 01:12 PM PST


Irish soccer star Jamie O'Hara has quit Twitter after fans attacked him over asinine tweets whining about his huge salary and charitable obligations.

More About: Sports, soccer

‘Oblivion’ Sci-Fi Movie Poster Shows Grim Future Earth

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 01:01 PM PST


In the first poster for "Oblivion," Tom Cruise's character stands beside a futuristic aircraft in an uninhabitable city, looking at a waterfall between skyscrapers.

More About: Entertainment, Film, Movies, Oblivion, Universal Pictures, imax

A Stop-Motion History of the GIF

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:50 PM PST


The Internet's favorite file format is an old friend at this point, having just celebrated its 25th birthday. The GIF -- an acronym from Graphics Interchange Format -- lived it up this year, even scoring the coveted honor of word of the year.

Though no one can deny the success of the GIF's career, people often don't know its humble beginnings as a dancing baby or the format known as 87A.

SEE ALSO: The History of GIFs

So take a walk down GIF memory lane with this delightful stop-motion video directed by Sean Pecknold (LEGS Production), presented in association with Moving the Still: A GIF Festival.

And celebrate the proud life of this powerful and whimsical Internet being b…
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More About: GIF, GIFs

Twitter Reducing Some Tweets to Just 117 Characters

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:41 PM PST


Think 140 characters isn't enough to say what you want in a tweet? Get ready for 117.

Starting in February, tweets that contain URLs will be reduced to 118 characters, 117 for https links. While that may seem like a huge drop, the change represents a two-character drop per tweet from what you are currently able to send when a hyperlink is involved.

Announced Thursday on Twitter's developer blog, the adjustment is due to some upcoming changes in Twitter's t.co link wrapper. The revision extends the maximum length of t.co wrapped links from 20 to 22 characters for non-https URLs and from 21 to 23 characters for https URLs.

SEE ALSO: How to Email Tweets Directly From Twitter's Web
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More About: Twitter

Cellhelmet Repairs iPhones You Break While Using Its Case

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:27 PM PST


Cellhelmet will replace your iPhone 4 or 4S if it breaks while using their cases.

More About: Newsy, cases, iphone, videos

Satisfy Your Hunger With Four Seasons Global Food Website

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:17 PM PST


Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts' latest web project, TASTE, will make your mouth water — and perhaps get you into the kitchen.

The international luxury hotel's interactive website, which launched Friday, features easy-to-follow recipes from its executive chefs based around the world.

The hospitality brand, known for its global hotel network and posh restaurants led by decorated chefs, launched TASTE to reach the food-loving community online. The interactive website targets gourmands who enjoy eating burgers off the trucks as much as indulging in (or reading about) exotic entrees at Michelin-starred restaurants.

In a section called "Chef Moments & Epic Dining," visitors are treat…
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More About: Four Seasons, food apps, foodie

5 Tech Innovations Improving the Travel Experience

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 12:03 PM PST


Rafat Ali describes his picks for Mashable's Innovation Index.

More About: Innovation Index, features, mashable, travel

Most Mobile Browsers Are Unsafe to Use

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:45 AM PST


None of the leading mobile browsers have security that's up to snuff, according to researchers at Georgia Tech.

More About: browser, mobile phones, security

Finally, Funny Ladies Get Science Promotion Right

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:33 AM PST


A group of hilarious women scientists successfully parody the European Commission's disastrous "Science: It's a Girl Thing" promotional video.

More About: Science, parody, women

Man Asks White House to Formalize His ‘Micronation’ in Nevada

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:17 AM PST


Kevin Baugh, president of Molossia -- technically located in Nevada -- is petitioning the White House to formally recognize his micronation.

More About: online petition, session, we the people

Sulia: The Hottest Social Network You’ve Never Heard Of

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 11:03 AM PST


1. Sulia




Sulia is "a subject-based social network that connects you to the top social sources on subjects you care about." You can sign up to the service by connecting either your Twitter or Facebook accounts.

Click here to view this gallery.


Social services that promise to aggregate online content neatly into easily digestible digital piles are nothing original, so where does new site Sulia fit into the mix?

Sulia, evolved from Twitter list firm TLists, offers a subject-based social service that lets you follow topics you are passionate about, from your local football team to television shows to topical political issues.

Ten million unique users have signed up in less than a year, and several big-name investors have contributed some pretty hefty funding. It seems Sulia's mix of crowdsourcing, machine learning and human supervision is making its 1,000+ channels of content a success.

SEE ALSO: 9 Essential Viddy Tips a
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More About: How-To, Social Media, features, sulia

How to Tell Someone You’re Job-Hunting

Posted: 07 Dec 2012 10:47 AM PST


Here are a few tips to tell your contacts that you're job-hunting without killing the conversation.

More About: Jobs, job hunting


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