Sunday 31 March 2013

Mashable: Latest 23 News Updates - including “David Tennant and Billie Piper to Return for 'Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary”

Mashable: Latest 23 News Updates - including “David Tennant and Billie Piper to Return for 'Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary”


David Tennant and Billie Piper to Return for 'Doctor Who' 50th Anniversary

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 10:28 PM PDT

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Whovians, rejoice: Doctor Who fan favorites David Tennant and Billie Piper are returning for the science-fiction show's fiftieth anniversary special.

The announcement came hours before part 2 of Doctor Who's seventh season premiered on Saturday. Tennant played the Tenth Doctor — that is, the tenth incarnation of the alien protagonist on BBC's popular series. Last seen as the Doctor on Jan. 1, 2010, this will be the first time Tennant reprises his role, the broadcaster said in a blog post. He played the Doctor from 2005 to 2010, acting in three series and several specials.

This will also be Piper's first appearance on Doctor Who since Tennant's last episode in 2010. She played the Doctor's loyal companion and love interest, Rose Tyler, for two series since 2005. Read more...

More about Doctor Who, Entertainment, and Tv

Play Starcraft Using Your Eyes With This Eye-Tracker

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 08:56 PM PDT

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Those who find two-handed gaming too taxing, and would prefer a free hand for Hot-Pocket or Mountain Dew consumption, can now rejoice

Eye-tracking technology by Swedish company Tobii makes it possible for computers to know exactly where users are looking on the screen; that way, PC gamers can use their eyes to defeat Zerglings and Dark Templars with greater efficiency and accuracy

A demo, seen in the above video, shows how Tobii controls Starcraft II using the following features: "gaze navigation," "gaze scroll" and "gaze direction." For example, instead of clicking the arrow keys with one hand to navigate the map while controlling units with the other, Tobii allows users to scroll with their eyes. Read more...

More about Starcraft, Starcraft 2, Gaming, Tech, and Gadgets

CollegeHumor's Glorious 'Adventures of Kim Jong-Un' Video Trends Online

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 08:09 PM PDT

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Story Updated 3/30/13 11:44PM

Ever wonder what the glorious leader of North KoreaKim Jong-Un — does in his spare time?

You mean, aside from fighting the evil duo of U.S. President Barack Obama and Bruce Willis, morphing into a fighter jet that rides a Pegasus flying a rocket-propelled magic carpet and saving the world from Internet nerds? Practising his sweet dance moves, of course.

Comedy site CollegeHumor imagines an anime-style video reeking of (hilarious) propaganda that's directed, written and produced by Kim. While it was published last May, "The Adventures of Kim Jong-Un" has sparked renewed interest online following North Korea's recent "state of war" threats Read more...

More about Collegehumor, North Korea, World, Kim Jong Un, and Watercooler

25 'F*ck Yeah' Tumblrs You Aren't Following Yet

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 07:09 PM PDT

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Tumblr practically houses a Library of Congress-sized inventory of Fuck Yeah blogs. After one of its first (Fuck Yeah Sharks) went viral, hundreds more have spilled onto the web, celebrating everything from veggie burritos to men in plaid with an enthusiastic "Fuck Yeah!"

Here are 25 hilarious, cute, touching or downright confusing Fuck Yeah Tumblrs. We've made sure most of them post relatively frequently, so follow your favorites for updates. Others (like Fuck Yeah Cilantro) have since slowed their roll, but were too epic to pass up

Be sure to share your own Fuck Yeah picks in the comments below Read more...

More about Social Media, Tumblr, Features, and Megalists

Why Steven Moffat Rules Tumblr Fandom

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 05:58 PM PDT

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If Joss Whedon is king of the nerds, then Steven Moffat is fandom’s evil overlord. He may not be a household name in the U.S. (yet), but in the world of Tumblr, things are a little different.

Along with MTV’s cult hit Teen Wolf, Tumblr fandom is ruled by Superwholock, the catchall tag for Supernatural, Doctor Who and Sherlock

Teen Wolf and Supernatural both rely on the ever-popular topic of hot guys battling the undead, but Sherlock and Doctor Who have longevity on their sideSherlock brings with it more than a century’s worth of Sherlock Holmes fandom history, and Doctor Who is the world’s longest-running sci-fi show. And both are helmed by Steven Moffat. Read more...

More about Fan, Tumblr, Science Fiction, Doctor Who, and Tv

Touchscreen Gestures Reimagined as Sculptures

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 05:01 PM PDT

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Touchscreen gestures on gadgets have become second nature to many of us — so much so that even babies have tried to swipe physical magazines and books, before realizing they don't work that way.

In an era when kids become intimately familiar with tablet and smartphone devices at a young age, designer Gabriele Meldaikyte captured today's touchscreen gestures in analog form.

As shown in the video above, Meldaikyte's mixed-media exhibit reimagines the language of smartphone communication as sculptures; there's pinching, tapping, scrolling, flicking and swiping. Meldaikyte is currently completing her MA in Design Products at London’s Royal College of Art. Read more...

More about Touchscreen, Touchscreens, Tech, Dev Design, and Analog

NASA Trailer Will Play Before New 'Star Trek' Movie

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 03:57 PM PDT

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Before you watch Star Trek Into Darkness in theaters this May, you may see some scenes from space that weren't made in Hollywood.

In just six days, a space industry lobbying group has successfully raised enough money on Indiegogo to get a 30-second ad trailer about NASA played on the silver screen. The trailer will be played before the latest Star Trek movie starts on 59 screens in major U.S. cities

The Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), which represents 350 U.S. aerospace and defense companies, has beat its $33,000 Indiegogo campaign goal and will create a 30-second spot about the nation's space program from a longer "We are the Explorers" video about NASA. Read more...

More about Space, Nasa, National Aeronautics And Space Administration, Budget, and Star Trek

20 WTF Headlines You Won't Believe Are Real

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 03:03 PM PDT

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If you're an avid reader of the news, there's a chance you may have fallen for a headline from satirical news site The Onion at one point or another. There's no shame — it happens to everyone

But sometimes, headlines — real headlines — are so ridiculous they make it tough to decipher between the real and parody realms

The subreddit page /nottheonion compiles the best, most Can't-Believe-It's-Not-Satire headlines published. See our list of our top 20 below

Keep in mind: these are only a few of our favorites. You can stay up to date with more on the r/nottheonion page. Do you have any good ones that should be included? Let us know in the comments below. Read more...

More about Humor, Us, Watercooler, and Conversations

If Tech Companies Made Easter Candy

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 02:21 PM PDT

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If Facebook made chocolate, would you share it with your friends? Would Google Goodies last as long as you'd want? Would the new flavor of BlackBerry's jujubes be enough to make the company popular again?

In this comic, our friends Nitrozac and Snaggy at The Joy of Tech imagine what it would be like if tech companies made their own Easter candyApple always has to be different, doesn't it?

If Tech Companies Made Easter Candy, Joy of Tech

Comic illustration provided by The Joy of Tech. Published with permission; all rights reserved. Read more...

More about Comic, Comics, Humor, Easter, and Joy Of Tech

Throwdown Between Official and Fake Twitter Accounts of the Famous

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 02:06 PM PDT

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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been dethroned from her top spot — at least on Twitter.

A new infographic from the Shorty Awards compares fake Twitter accounts of famous peoplea and brands with their actual accounts.

The fake Queen Elizabeth on Twitter was found to have more than double the amount of followers than the official British Monarchy account. However across the pond, the real Barack Obama and Homer Simpson have dramatically larger followings than their false counterparts.

The Shorty Awards' analysis of Unmetric data also found that parody accounts for media giants CNN and ESPN tweeted more than the actual companies during the month-long analysis period. Read more...

More about Twitter, Parody, Infographic, Shorty Awards, and Infographics

7 Apps You Don't Want To Miss

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 01:48 PM PDT

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It can be tough to keep up with all the new apps released every week. But you're in luck — Mashable takes care of that for you, creating a roundup each weekend of our favorite 7 apps that are new or updated.

This week a popular reading app made its way to BlackBerry 10, and another popular app designed for reading news released version 2.0.

A new iOS app turns the words you say into a song, and a new mobile-gaming favorite finally made its way to Windows Phone.

Check out the gallery above for a look at this week's highlights.

Still looking for more? Check out last week's Apps You Don't Want To Miss for more great apps worth a look Read more...

More about Iphone, Android, App, Windows Phone, and Ios

Real-Time Demo Showcases Unreal 4 Game Engine's Power

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 01:33 PM PDT

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The gaming world is about to profoundly change, thanks to the Unreal 4 game engine. Epic Games showcased the advanced gaming platform, which can be used to develop nearly photorealistic games, at the Game Developers Conference 2013 (GDC 2013)

In this technology demonstration, you can plainly see the Unreal 4 game engine is up to the task of rendering all kinds of reflections, a multitude of particles and enough lens flares to impress Star Trek and Star Wars director JJ Abrams. And the kicker? It does all this number-crunching in real time.

One of the goals of this new engine is to bring gaming graphics up to the same level as the latest powerful graphics cards, such as Nvidia's GTX line. From the looks of this video, it's clearly up to the task. Read more...

More about Gaming, Developers, Tech, Dev Design, and Bc Video Lead

Scary Monsters in Your Wi-Fi! 'Doctor Who' Is Back

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 01:08 PM PDT

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Once upon a Time Lord, this guy from the planet Gallifrey stole a blue box. It took him, rather randomly, everywhere in time and space. He found some friends and a lot more monsters, and sometimes got killed. He's about 1,000 years old and has had to change his entire body 11 times — not a bad batting average

There — that's all the backstory you need to dive in to the storied sci-fi legend that is Doctor Who, returning Saturday night on BBC America. And at 50 years old, the show has never been more sprightly, quirky or up-to-the-minute

SEE ALSO: Doctor Who Explained in 25 GIFs

Case in point: Tonight's episode, "The Bells of St. John's," delivers another original techno-thriller plot (what if you joined a mysterious Wi-Fi network and had your consciousness sucked out of you?), a creepy villain (the Spoonheads — they're scarier than they sound) and a new mode of transport (motorbike, with the Doctor and his new pal Clara kitted out like the dorkiest kind of '60s Mods) Read more...

More about Doctor Who, Entertainment, Tv, Bbc America, and No Lead Image

Google Keep Fails to Impress and Other Top Comments

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PDT

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What does the next-generation condom look like? The Bill & Melinda Gates foundation is offering an initial $100,000 of funding (with up to $1 million of possible continued funding) to whoever can answer that question. Our commenters weighed in on what the winning submission would have to include, from sundae-flavored lubricant to twitter-capabilities.

Have you tried using Google's new Google Keep? The search-engine-giant re-launched its newest note-taking service on March 20, after briefly releasing the app two days earlier and then pulling itMashable's Christina Warren compared Google Keep with Evernote, and our commenters offered their own note-taking app suggestions Read more...

More about Ford, Advertising, Gallery, Top Comments, and Work Play

59 Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:46 PM PDT

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It has been another busy week as March comes to an end, and everyone preps their April Fools' jokes for Monday. If you've been too preoccupied planning for the Easter holiday to check out the news, don't worry — we've got you covered.

We at Mashable have rounded up the most important updates in tech and social media to keep you informed. So read below for tons of digital media resources, including a bunch of different apps to help you through your day and Facebook's decision to open their news feed to brand posts

Editor's Picks

More about Social Media, Business, Tech, Feature, and Media

'Doctor Who' Explained in 25 GIFs

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:22 PM PDT

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Die-hard Whovians have been looking forward to the season 7 part 2 premiere of Doctor Who since December

But let's assume that you've never heard of a time-traveling alien in a blue telephone booth and have no idea what TARDIS stands for. You don't fear the Daleks, and couldn't care less about Cybermen. That's OK! The Doctor has been around since 1963, and he's always looking for new companions

Before you join the Whovian fleet, you must first understand the Time Lord who started it all Read more...

"Classic" Doctor Who started in the '60s and ended in 1996.

More about Bbc, Doctor Who, Entertainment, Tv, and Gifs

Huge Jellyfish Robot Is an Underwater Spy

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 12:01 PM PDT

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Engineers at Virginia Tech have created a five-and-a-half-foot jellyfish robot that could one day be used for ocean surveillance

Dubbed "Cyro," the robot has eight robotic arms, and its skeleton is wrapped in a silicon covering similar to the soft exterior of a jellyfish. Weighing 170 pounds, Cyro was modeled after an earlier prototype nicknamed RoboJelly, which was about the size of a human hand.

Cyro has a battery pack that allows it to swim for up to four hours, however researchers hope to extend this time to weeks or even months.

Part of a $5 million U.S. Navy-funded project, Cyro may one day be used for aquatic naval operations. But if the Navy passes on the jellyfish, engineers say environmental groups could also use the Cyro for underwater research and ocean conservation Read more...

More about Robots, Science, Oceans, Navy, and Us Military

Apple Patent Shows Sleek iPhone With Wraparound Display

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 10:52 AM PDT

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A new patent application from Apple hints at an iPhone with a flexible, wraparound display.

While the design looks similar to the fourth- and fifth-generation iPod nano, the filing says the content could be displayed on one or both screens. For example, two people could watch a videos or view photos on both sides in a continuous loop. This same type of design could also be applied to Apple's rumored iWatch

According to Patently Apple, which first uncovered the patent filing, this design doesn't include physical buttons. Instead, the buttons will be virtual, meaning you could simply wave your hand over the display to adjust the audio, for example Read more...

More about Iphone, Apple, Patent, Patents, and Tech

Drones Could Rescue Drowning Victims

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 10:38 AM PDT

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If you have any fear of being lost at sea, I beseech you, steer clear of the movie Open Water. On the other hand, if you do find yourself struggling to stay afloat on the high seas, know that a rescue drone could be on its way with a flotation device.

Meet Pars, the seafaring Savior Arial Robot, a quadrotor concept designed to fly to the relief of people drowning near coastlines

Developed by RTS Lab in Iran, Pars is equipped with three life preservers, artificial intelligence, sound and image processing, autopilot search and rescue and a wide array of sensor technologies.

Fall overboard or swim out too far at night? No problem. Read more...

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11 Famous Rabbits Not Suitable for Easter

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 09:59 AM PDT

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There are all kinds of rabbits that are symbolic around Easter time. Children wait for the Easter bunny, and maybe even sing the old 1950 Easter song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." Cadbury works magic, making a small white rabbit cluck out caramel eggs

But there are also plenty of bunnies that work year-round in pop culture. So why didn't they make the cut for head hare of Easter? Did Bugs get snubbed?

SEE ALSO: 8 Reasons Easter and Children Don't Mix

We investigate this very important mystery.

Image via STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images Read more...

More about Pics, Humor, Easter, Pop Culture, and Gallery

'Anonymous Korea' Attacks North Korean State Websites

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 09:39 AM PDT

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"Anonymous Korea" claimed to take down several North Korean state websites Saturday, just hours after North Korea said it has entered into a "state of war" with South Korea.

North Korea's main official state website was back up and running, as of 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday. But Mashable was still unable to access three of the five listed websites that Anonymous Korea claimed to have attacked

The attacks appear to be as part of an online hacking effort dubbed "#OpNorthKorea."

#OpnorthKorea #Tangodownairkoryo.com.kp naenara.com.kpkorea-dpr.comfriend.com.kpuriminzokkiri.com

— Anonymous_Korea (@Anonsj) March 30, 2013 Read more...

More about Korea, Anonymous, North Korea, Cyberattack, and Us World

The Truth About Inspirational Quotes

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 09:10 AM PDT

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Everyone has seen inspirational quotes pop up in their Facebook newsfeed or Twitter stream — sometimes accompanied by a photo of a sunset or cute kitten. Those words of wisdom can trigger a flash moment of motivation to change the world.

Josh Mecouch of Formal Sweatpants knows the truth about the effect of inspirational quotes.

Inspirational Quotes, Formal Sweatpants

Comic illustration by Josh Mecouch, Formal Sweatpants. Published with permission; all rights reserved. Read more...

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5 Part-Time Virtual Jobs for Dads

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 08:13 AM PDT

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Chelsea P. Gladden is the Director of Marketing & PR for FlexJobs, an award-winning service that helps job seekers find professional opportunities that also offer work flexibility, such as telecommuting, freelance, part-time or alternative schedules. To learn more about Chelsea, visit FlexJobs.com or tweet her @FlexJobsChelsea

What’s that noise you hear? It’s the dads of America doing their part to “lean in,” per Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg’s well-publicized initiative to encourage parenting to be 50/50. The good news is, the Facebook chief operating officer is preaching what many families have been doing for years: sharing responsibility. For dads who hope to continue with their careers and have more time in the day with the kids, here are five part-time job options that can be done anywhere — and are hiring now. Read more...

More about Job Search Series, Business, Contributor, Jobs, and Edit Jobsearchseries

Why Did This Smartphone Explode?

Posted: 30 Mar 2013 07:17 AM PDT

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Kirsten Zastrow was nearly killed by her smartphone.

On the evening of March 19, Zastrow had plugged in her Nexus S phone for the night and laid it down on her end table, the alarm set, before turning in on the couch. She had moved to the couch from her bed because she had just adopted two cats, and they had decided to turn the bedroom into their nocturnal playground.

About two hours later, Zastrow was jarred awake by a loud crack. She could smell something burning.

She sat up and saw a small fire on the floor, just inches from where her head was moments earlier. The flames were already about a foot high. Read more...

More about Batteries, Nexus S, Lithium Ion, Tech, and Gadgets

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