Microsoft is planning to release a new version of Windows Phone for the holiday season, according to a job listing posted by the company.

In the listing, Microsoft is looking for a software development engineer which would work on Windows Phone software. Specifically, the listing claims that "this is a great time to join as we're completing our current release are getting ready for our next release targeting the holiday of this year."

"Next release" does not give us much in terms of features or any other details, but we'd expect the update to be a major one, since Windows Phone 8 was launched in October 2012, and the previous major update, Windows Phone 7.5, was released in Septembe…
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It's never cool to be unprepared for the weather. If getting caught in the rain without an umbrella or wearing a sweater on a hot day makes you feel like a square, you need a good weather app. Solution: Download Weathercube, free for a limited time.

The iOS app is a virtual six-sided cube covered with weather information. The initial screen shows today's weather with six specific details -- temperature, cloudiness, windiness, humidity, percent cloud coverage and accumulated precipitation -- on Windows 8-esque tiles. Tapping any of those tiles will give you details of what to expect throughout the day.

Swipe right up to three times to see similarly detailed summaries of the next three d…
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More About: apps, mobile apps, Tech, Video, Weather

Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" has joined a very special club: it is now among the 15 movies in history that have earned more than one billion dollars worldwide.

According to Box Office Mojo, the movie has earned $301,134,992 domestically and $700,000,000 in foreign movie theaters, for a total of $1,001,134,992. It earned an amazing $84,6 million in its opening weekend, and it took 77 days for it to cross the one billion mark.

"The Hobbit" is likely to climb even higher on the all-time box office earners list, as the movies directly above it -- "The Dark Knight," and "Alice in Wonderland" are quite a bit older, while Peter Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's famous…
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Designed in the style of Nintendo's popular Super Smash Brothers video game, a YouTube video called "Super Smash Kittens" shows three furry felines as they compete in a no-holds-barred battle for supremacy.

Ron, Abby and Archie all make a valiant effort to bash and thrash each other, but only one kitty emerges victorious. Tell us who you're rooting for in the comments; then, watch the above video (complete with visual and sound effects), to find out who wins.

Screenshot image courtesy of YouTube, TyVerteLive

More About: cats, Nintendo, Super Smash Bros

Bacon and Eggs

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By now, Instagram is a well-known purveyor of food porn, subjecting social-network users to endless streams of filtered fare. But one artist is taking a unique approach to foodstagram by pairing your favorite food combinations in the same way a home decorator would match paint chips.

There's milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, and bread and butter, among other duos. You can see them all in the gallery, above.

Minneapolis-based designer David Schwen posted the images on his Instagram account with the hashtag, #pantonepairings, referencing a company best known for its color standardization system, the Pantone Matching System.

SEE ALSO: 10 Instagram Foodie Accounts to Make Your …
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What's going to happen to Hulu?

Since founding chief executive officer, Jason Kilar, and chief technology officer, Tom Rich, announced in early January their plans to step down in the first quarter of this year, neither Hulu's current leadership nor its owners (Comcast, News Corp and Disney) have discussed publicly their plans for the video-streaming service.

According to a report published by The Wall Street Journal on Friday, News Corp and Disney have begun discussing possible next steps for Hulu and their own stakes in the company. The Journal reported that both companies -- which each own between a quarter and a third of the video service -- have suggested purchasing the other's st…
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More About: comcast, disney, hulu, hulu plus, News Corp

'Dancing With the Stars' announced the new cast members for its upcoming season last week, but maybe Wynona Judd, D.L. Hughly and Andy Dick would be better off boosting their celebrity online.

More About: comic, comics, Entertainment, humor, Jerry King, Sunday Comic, Sunday Comics, Watercooler

For the first time, a child born with HIV has been "functionally cured" of the infection.

The two-year-old toddler, who was treated with antiretroviral drugs early in his life, no longer has "detectable levels" of HIV, even though he has not taken medication to treat the virus for 10 months.

Deborah Persaud, associate professor of infectious diseases at the John Hopkins Children's Center, and Katherine Luzuriaga, professor of pediatrics and molecular medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, presented this groundbreaking case study at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Atlanta on Sunday.

SEE ALSO: Can UNAIDS Crowdsource a Strategy to Co…
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There is now a second YouTube video of an Oreo separator on the Internet.

This is apparently a thing now, and you know what? That's fine. These videos are surprisingly cool for a thinly veiled marketing campaign. It might be because they combine a lot of things I love: science, fine video production, facial hair, and junk food. This second machine doesn't make use of a hatchet like the first one, but it does spray hot creme in your face, so there's that.

The first Oreo separator we saw had one primary purpose -- to eliminate the creme because David Neevel doesn't like it. This new machine from Barry Kudrowitz and Bill Fienup, two toy scientists in Minnesota, tries to make better use o…
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More About: oreo, Oreo Separator, viral videos

1. Women Attend Marine Boot Camp at Parris Island, S.C.

Male and female Marine recruits haul backpacks while swimming in their uniforms as they are tested on their swimming skills during boot camp at MCRD Parris Island, S.C. on Feb. 25. (Image via Scott Olson/Getty Images)

2. Egypt Protests the Harlem Shake

An Egyptian activist ignites fireworks after local activists and youth perform the Internet video craze, "Harlem Shake," in front of the Muslim Brotherhood headquarters in Cairo on Feb. 28. (Gianjuigi Guercia/AFP/Getty Images)

3. Bullfight Practice

Eugenio Perucha and Raul Felices practice bullfighting in a city park in Santa Perpetua de la Mogoda, Barcelona, Spain on Marc…
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Kids deserve more credit than they get. They're observant, incredibly intuitive and can sometimes figure out what the world needs faster than adults can. With rapid advancements in technology...

More About: apps, features, innovation, Lifestyle, Tech

1. Barefoot World Atlas

Ages 8-up Overall rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars Why we like it: Combining a swipeable 3D spinning globe with real-time statistics and 400+ global tourist attractions, this app presents a lot to explore for kids of all ages. Want to know the current CO2 emissions for Korea? Just touch the flag. You'll also see the current time, weather, currency or distance from where you are, because this app also knows your location. The latest update includes a Japanese language option. Need to know: You'll need an active Internet connection in order to access some of the information. This is a gargantuan download, at 1.67 GB that can take up to an hour to install and update. Ease of use: 9/10 Educational: 9/10 Entertaining: 8/10 $7.99

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Get your adventure caps on -- it's exploring time. This week's app collection for kids is all about taking the road less traveled.

More About: contributors, features, kids apps, mobile apps, photo gallery

1. Happens to the Best of Us

"Got back to the car and it wasnt there! #towed" Photo stats: 51,726 retweets Image courtesy of Niall Horan

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More than 34 million -- with an 'M' -- photos were shared across Twitter this past week. Check out our gallery of the top 10.

More About: One Direction, photo gallery, Twitter

Ladies and gentlemen, Khalil Edney has arrived. With everything on the line, the high-school basketball player from New Rochelle made one of the most unlikely and dramatic game-winning shots of all time on Sunday.

Just a few seconds remained in the New York Section 1 Class AA Boys Basketball Championship, ninth-seeded New Rochelle trailed third-seeded Mount Vernon by two points. New Rochelle had possession, with Edney inbounding from under the basket New Rochelle was defending.

He tosses a prayer pass to half court. The pass is stolen, but for some reason the Mount Vernon player tries to pass the ball to a teammate. Edney, who hadn't given up on the play, intercepts the pass and hurls…
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There are lots of petitions flying around the Internet these days, but none quite so ambitious as that of Ranga B. Myneni. His petition has a single sentence that he hopes will be endorsed by a billion humans by the time Earth Day rolls around in 2014. Yeah, that's no typo: One Billion people. Here's what the petition says:

Dear Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon,

We, the People of the Earth, request You to act judiciously and expeditiously to protect the Earth from anthropogenic climate change.

Respectfully,
People of the Earth

Start Date: March 1st;, 2013
End Date: April 22nd;, 2014 (Earth Day)

When I first saw the link posted by a third party on the…
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Here are the nominees for best viral video of the week: Jack Nicholson pulling a "here's Johnny" on a Jennifer Lawrence post-Oscars interview, a deer pulling a "here's Johnny" on an unsuspecting biker, and a woman flying over the cuckoo's nest after her boyfriend pushes her off a cliff.

Let's not forget this brilliant remix that involves screaming goats interloping during Taylor Swift's song "I Knew You Were Trouble."

SEE ALSO: Viral Video Shows the Extent of U.S. Wealth Inequality

Lawrence may trip over herself worse than she tripped over her dress when Nicholson crashes her interview, but it is the biker who takes the hardest spill after being leveled by deer at full speed.

Ev…
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More About: Video, Viral Video Recap, Watercooler

Several excellent new apps launched this week.

Disney launched a new Toy Story game featuring Buzz Lightyear, and YouTube updated its iOS app, enabling you to play videos on your television using your iPhone.

A new to-do list app named Carrot launched for iOS, and the Twitter app for Windows Phone saw a significant update, adding support for Live Tiles among other new features.

Curious what all these new apps look like? Check out the video above for a hands-on look at some of our favorite apps from the past week.

Have you tried any of this week's apps? Tell us about your favorites in the comments.

Photo via iStockphoto, Pictafolio

More About: android, apps, iphone, windows phone

Learn how four different publishers are adapting and transforming their current and upcoming digital subscription strategies.

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"Shyness is nice and shyness can stop you from doing all the things in life you'd like to." -- The Smiths

This song (penned by a lovely Englishman named Morrissey) appeared on many a mix tape in my high school days -- and no music was sweeter to my little ol' adolescent ears.
As I lay and listened (in overly-dramatic repose) and stared up at the stucco ceiling in my room, I could replay countless sweaty-palmed, heart-pounding moments of acute awkwardness (usually involving shaking hands with strangers or standing behind a podium speaking publicly). Mr. Steven Patrick Morrissey was, indeed, speaking my language.

Yes, despite my brash online braggadocio -- it's true. I am shy. And,…
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Google's Project Glass -- the tech giant's effort to create augmented reality glasses -- should be available to regular consumers by the end of this year. The prototype has a long way to go, though -- even Google co-founder Sergey Brin

More About: comic, comics, Google, Google Glass, Google glasses, humor, Sunday Comic, Sunday Comics, Watercooler

A new company called Socialmatic announced a branding deal with Polaroid to create a Instagram-esque camera that instantly prints photos.

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Meditation Screens

Watch the animation on this screen, and it shows you how relaxed you are. Every few seconds, it adds another bar to this clock-like interface. The object is to get into the green zone.

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HeartMath, maker of Inner Balance, claims this iOS-based system can help you relax and get your heart, mind and emotions "in sync." We put it to the test.

More About: apps, ipad, iphone, iPod Touch, meditation

The unmanned SpaceX Dragon commercial space capsule packed with precious cargo successfully linked up with the International Space Station early Sunday (March 3), arriving one day late due to a temporary thruster glitch.

The Dragon cargo capsule, built by the private spaceflight company SpaceX, docked with the space station at 8:56 a.m. EST (1356) as the two spacecraft soared 253 miles (407 kilometers) over the Arabian Sea. NASA flight controllers performed the docking remotely by commanding the space station's Canadian-built robotic arm, which had latched onto the Dragon capsule three hours earlier, to attach the capsule to a docking port.

"The Dragon is ours! Maneuvering it now on Ca…
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More About: Dragon, International Space Station, space, SpaceX

Last month, you lost your legal right to unlock your cellphone without your wireless carrier's permission. Sina Khanifar and Derek Khanna, two up-and-coming technology policy advocates from vastly different backgrounds, have come together to demand that cellphone unlocking right be returned.

Why Is Unlocking Illegal?

Cellphone unlocking was legally allowed as an exemption under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) from 2007 through Jan. 26 of this year. Following the change, customers must get their carriers' permission to unlock their phones (some carriers offer some phones unlocked, as is the case with Verizon Wireless' iPhone 5, but that's an exception to the rule). Some exper…
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More About: copyright, dmca, Politics, US

What's a trillion dollar budget cut deal without a few laughs? Check out last night's 'SNL' parody of the sequester.

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Superman's powers of flight and super-speed can't impress everyone.

More About: comic, comics, Cyanide & Happiness, humor, Sunday Comic, Sunday Comics, Watercooler

1. M-Edge Incline 360

The microfiber leather Incline 360 gives you 360-degree rotation for three landscape or two portrait stand positions. Cost: $39.99 Image courtesy of M-Edge

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Are you a proud owner of a Nook HD? Then you'll want to protect -- and personalize it -- with a cool case. We have found 10 awesome options for owners of the 7-inch tablet.

SEE ALSO: Ebooks or Printed Books: Which Are Better for You?

Take a look through our cases and covers in the gallery above. Let us know in the comments below which designs you like.

Image courtesy of Barnes & Noble

More About: barnes and noble, cases, ereaders, features, Gadgets, Lifestyle, Tech, work and play

Lauren Smith is co-founder & VP Marketing of Ascendify , a social talent acquisition platform helping connect employers with the right talent. Connect with her and Ascendify on Facebook and Twitter.

Every company, no matter the size, wants to hire great people while spending less time and money. This isn't a controversial statement, since most companies would agree their hiring process could use a diet and a makeover. Perhaps now is the best time to make streamlining your recruitment process a top resolution.

Looking critically at your recruitment process might be just what you need to save time and money in the new year. Despite living in an analytics-obsessed universe, many compa…
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More About: contributor, Feature, hiring, job search series, mashable