Companies are continuing to reap the benefits of 3D printing, a decades-old technology that has increased in popularity over the past few years as the prices of printing machines and materials have come down.

The Wall Street Journal recently took a look at how three major U.S. manufacturers — Ford, GE and Mattel — are using 3D printing to cut costs and production times during the prototyping phase.

Ford uses the technology to print cylinder heads, brake rotors and rear axels for test vehicles. Thanks to 3D printing, production time for one type of cylinder head, used in its fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines, is cut down from four to five months to three, shaving 25% to 40% off production time. Earlier casting methods required that the mold be cut from sand; 3D printing allows Ford to skip the cutting process and pour the metal directly into the molds. Read more...

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Everyone has felt the frustration that comes with trying to get the perfect 360-degree image. Between keeping your hand steady and trying to ensure random passersby don't ruin the shot, capturing a panorama can be exhausting

The BubblePod, a turntable-esque accessory that users attach to their smartphones to take 360-degree photos, aims to solve this problem. Creators BubbleScope just launched a Kickstarter campaign, and are looking to raise £30,000. Early backers can get a discount, and pick up a BubblePod for as little as £15.

The BubblePod consists of a clamp to hold your smartphone, a button that starts the 360-degree spin, a rubberized base for stability and a standard tripod mount. Read more...

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When we have a question, our smartphones are there for us. They are the revolutionary personal assistants that tend to all our planning and searching needs

But one tech developer wants to push mobile gadgets one step further to help us even more.

Benki, which launched its Kickstarter campaign Tuesday, promises to combine our home devices into one well-designed interface with three components: a smart outlet, a battery-powered camera and an open-and-close sensor for doors and windows

Kickstarter has hosted similar smart-device projects before, but Benki's creators want your phones to turn appliances on and off, rather than just gather data and monitor usage. Benki, which is essentially a service for connecting your devices, is controlled with an app for iOS and Android, so you know what your devices are doing wherever you are. Read more...

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We all know that feeling. When something awesome happens and you wish you had a video camera attached to your life that could have captured the moments. That problem could be solved with ParaShoot.

ParaShoot is an HD camera which is small enough to wear, letting it capture moments from your life. The camera can be set to record video automatically using a 720p camera. The parachute-like battery hangs on the back of a wearer’s neck, while the camera hangs like a pendant.

So what's stopping you from just using your smartphone to record video? Creator Matt Sandy says, “One of the nice things about ParaShoot is that you don’t have to stop what you’re doing and take it out of your pocket like a smartphone camera. You don’t have to put it on your head, or in eyewear.” Read more...

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What we have here, folks, is a highly advanced lesson in YOLOing.

Most people who hit 102 years of age are happy just to talk a stroll. But not Dorothy Custer. No ma'am, no way

Custer celebrated her 102nd birthday recently by completing a tandem BASE jump. Sean Chuma, the instructor who jumped with the fearless centenarian and uploaded the video evidence to YouTube, said Custer is the oldest woman to ever complete a BASE jump

We haven't yet verified that claim but, record or not, this is a pretty inspirational example of how to live life with vigor no matter what your age Read more...

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Peace. Quiet. Then — the buzz of your phone sending a reminder that @SoAndSo tweeted at you about Mad Men. Sigh.

Twitter has the ability to shatter moments of peace and quiet, 140 characters at a time.

In this comic, Krishna Sadasivam of PC Weenies shows another way that tweeting prevents alone time.

Comic illustration by Krishna Sadasivam, PC Weenies. Published with permission; all rights reserved. Read more...

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Pinterest can fill your screen with a never-ending stream of food porn

Scrolling through the seven-layer rainbow cakes and sugar-crusted apple pies can give you dangerous ideas, like trying to create one of the culinary masterpieces yourself. As PinterestFail has taught us, in the real world, your Cookie Monster cupcakes will frighten children, and your bunny rolls will bloat and burn

SEE ALSO: Famous Works of Art Beautifully Recreated With Breakfast Food

For the all non-chefs out there — the people using their ovens for extra storage who wouldn't make it a week without a microwave — there are a few easier ways to get close to the Pinterest dishes you covet. They won't be pretty or gourmet, but they'll be quick. And when you've spent the last three hours drooling over food blogs, that's what you're really looking for. Read more...

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The NSA has a tool that records and analyzes all the flow of data that the spy agency collects around the world. Think of it as a global data-mining software that details exactly how much intelligence, and of what type, has been collected from every country in the world. It's aptly called "Boundless Informant."

The tool's existence was revealed on Saturday by The Guardian, which obtained a series of top-secret documents that explain what Boundless Informant is and does

"The tool allows users to select a country on a map and view the metadata volume and select details about the collections against that country," according to an NSA factsheet on the program. Read more...

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It was an exciting week for the technology world. If you missed the biggest techno-stories of the week, never fear — we're here with our weekly Top 10 tech roundup.

The big story of the week was Vine coming to Android. After being jealous of iOS users for months, Android users can now flaunt their six-second videos across the web. And the Android version has a zoom feature that's lacking in the iOS version

Google stayed in the headlines with the inevitable launch of the first porn app on Glass. Google reacted to that quickly, changing its Google Glass Platform Developer Policies to ban "adult content" apps. Read more...

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Sunday’s shocking "Red Wedding" on Game of Thrones left fans with so many emotions they had nowhere else to properly express them but on the Internet.

The web was abuzz with fanatic GOT chatter, from funny and angry fan reactions, to Thrones actress Maisie Williams' "best" reaction via Vine, and NFL's Aaron Rodgers receiving hate-tweets for tweeting spoilers.

SEE ALSO: 'Red Wedding' Is the Most Social Episode of Any HBO Show Ever

Readers mostly scoffed at those who hadn't read the books and boasted being the biggest GOT nerds. One even feigned (we hope) severe emotional distress over Sunday's massacre of an episode. And you don't have to watch the show to enjoy some overly invested fans' dramatic reactions. Read more...

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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 new and updated apps.

This week, a new drawing app attempted to take on Draw Something, and a video app was dramatically updated for iPad.

A exceptionally popular iOS app finally made its way to Android, and an Android-only app saw a huge update.

Still looking for more? Take a look at last week's Apps You Don't Want to Miss for more great apps worth downloading

Think we left one off the list? Let us know in the comments below about your own app highlights from this week. Read more...

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U.S. retailers, already the heaviest spenders in digital advertising by category, are forecast to increase their spending by another 14% to $9.4 billion this year. By next year, that figure will surpass $10.4 billion, reaching $13.3 billion by 2017.

According to estimates from eMarketer, retailers already account for 22.3% of all digital ad spending, the most of any industry. About two-thirds of their investments are in direct response ads (i.e., those designed to lead to a sale, rather than promote a brand). Direct response formats include search, mobile messaging and classifieds.

Other industries, including financial services, consumer packaged goods and travel, are also forecast to increase their investments in digital advertising over the next five years. Like retailers, firms in the financial services and travel industries are investing the majority of their digital ad dollars in direct-response formats. Consumer packaged good companies, however, are dedicating over half of their digital ad dollars to branding opportunities, such as banner ads and rich media. Read more...

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Take a look at the priceless reactions of these people who are secretly photographed while waiting for a bus, and then Photoshopped into amusing positions and implied relationships. It's part of a "street retouch" stunt by Adobe, featuring quick-draw Photoshop master Erik Johansson.

We especially liked the way people's "street faces" turned to soft smiles and delight as soon as they realized what was going on.

This Photoshop trick, reminding us of both Candid Camera and Mission: Impossible, took place in Finland as part of a promotion for Adobe Creative Days, to be presented live online beginning June 11 Read more...

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Confusion surrounding the secret NSA surveillance program PRISM continues. Can the NSA really access Internet companies' user data directly, like the initial reports about PRISM suggested?

On Friday, both Google's Larry Page and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg strongly denied that, using almost identical wording

"Facebook is not and has never been part of any program to give the U.S. or any other government direct access to our servers," Zuckerberg wrote. Page, in his statement, wrote that Google has not "joined any program that would give the U.S. government — or any other government — direct access to our servers." Read more...

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Remember that time you did a Facebook search of your partner's ex? And before that, when you had a huge crush on your sweetie, you'd check his or her profile page slightly too often. Oh, and recall that other time when you had a leeettle too much wine and looked up The One That Got Away?

Facebook does

The social network stores every single term you enter in the search box. Although the privacy setting for this data is set to "only you," you may feel uncomfortable having that info hanging around. If so, it's a simple process to delete it and clear your creeper Facebook search history

Read more...

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OK, we're sure you've heard all about 3D printers — and how they're totally not affordable.

Before you go off on a rant, take a second and scope out this Kickstarter campaign from Palo Alto-based Pirate 3D. These swashbuckling innovators are attempting to bring the 3D revolution into everyone's home with The Buccaneer, a sleek-looking, self-contained, cloud-based printer.

"It just gets really frustrating when you want to use a 3D printer as a 3D printer," explained Chief Art and Design Pirate You Jun, who notes complications behind many printing kits' assembly, setup and calibration. "We know your pain, and that's why we built The Buccaneer to be as intuitive and accessible to the everyday consumer as possible." Read more...

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Guys, we totally get itAnimals, specifically when they're babies, are fun and adorable

But for all their cuteness, they also have some serious boundary issues. Like eat-the-pizza-off-your-plate boundary issues.

Don't they know it's rude to lick your face after you've just taken a shower? Or that standing on your keyboard can really mess with your Excel spreadsheets? Someone should really teach these guys some manners.

1. This zebra, who's bringing your daughter to tears

Image courtesy of Reddit, psychomar Read more...

2. This tiny doe, who's cramping your office style

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We understand; it's been a busy week. Summer Fridays are starting, you had to put your AC unit back in the window, and you're ready to catch some rays. So for those of you who just had to call your therapist for an emergency session after a certain Red Wedding last weekend, don't worry. We've got you covered.

We at Mashable have rounded up the most important news of the week to keep you informed. Read below for 25 digital media resources, including a list of apps to help you renovate your freshly spring-cleaned apartment and a trick to up your LinkedIn networking game.

Editor's Picks

• Can Drones Save African Wildlife From Poachers?
  A Kenyan nature conservancy plans to use an unarmed drone to monitor the area for illegal hunters.

• The Last of Us Is Raw, Real and Awesome
  The Last of Us is a superb third-person survival game for PlayStation 3 that goes far beyond traditional games by making each choice important.

• How One Instagram Hashtag Fights Pollution
  Jeff Kirschner started the Litterati Digitial Landfill with an Instagram hashtag. Now that hashtag is helping bring awareness to pollution around the world.

• This Is the NSA's Legal Basis for Tapping Into Facebook and Google
  The NSA's legal basis for the PRISM surveillance program is rooted in a section of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Read more...

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Deciding whether to stick it out or leave your job and explore new opportunities can be one of the most stressful decisions you ever make. How many reasons do you need to take the leap and pursue something different? Well, we've rounded up eight scenarios to help you make this difficult life decision a little easier

1. Your relationship with your boss changed. For years you've had a fabulous working and personal relationship with your boss, but you begin to sense a shift in the organization's culture and your boss's leadership. You are being asked to take on more responsibility and do more with fewer resources. The relationship is deteriorating, and you feel like you are losing your support system within the organization. Read more...

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The Procrastination Troll knows you'd rather peruse cute animal videos on the Internet than do the laundry. No matter what you do to trap and dispose of him, you still end up browsing Facebook when work deadlines loom

In this comic, Josh Mecouch of Formal Sweatpants reveals that the Procrastination Troll is totally BFFs with Game of Thrones. Good luck getting anything done!

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

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Apple's biggest announcement at WWDC 2013 will almost certainly be iOS 7

The debut of iOS 7 is an important milestone for Apple in many ways. Six years into the iPhone and five years into the App Store, the smartphone landscape has changed.

Now, perhaps for the first time, Apple faces real competition in brand mindshare from Samsung and its domination of Android, and users are intrigued by the look of other platforms, including Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10.

Although I'm primarily an iOS user, I'm fortunate enough to get to test and review basically every major device on the marketplace. As a result, I've had a chance to see what other options are available to iOS users. Read more...

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