Online security isn't just a good idea anymore — it's an essential safety measure for anyone using the web

In 2012, Wired senior tech reporter Mat Honan lost more than a year's worth of pictures of his newborn daughter after his Google and Amazon accounts were hacked. Earlier in 2013, the Syrian Electronic Army allegedly hacked the Twitter accounts of The Financial Times, E! Online and The Associated Press.

In response to such attacks, Internet companies are increasingly moving toward two-step verification policies. This feature, also known as "two-factor authentication," requires a user to enter a security code in addition to her password when logging in from an unrecognized device. The security code is usually sent via text to her mobile device. Read more...

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Japan has a reputation for producing some downright weird stuff

In fact, the word "chindogu" even refers to inventions that are technically practical, but utterly eccentric in their execution. These products are so bizarre, they're not actually meant to be produced

But many questionably useful Japanese products actually exist in circulation, and we're defending some of the "strange" ones. Sure, they may be a bit excessive — but useless? Not quite

1. Banana Keeper

Image courtesy of Daiso

Have you ever experienced a squished banana at the bottom of your bag? Not fun. Not fun at all. Read more...

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Your wedding day is whatever you want it to be. Pick a weird theme. Make friends wear an ugly dress so you look prettier. Wear a gown so impractical you can barely move. Go for it, this is your day.

When it comes to technology, though, wedding etiquette gets hazy

However, it's possible to tastefully incorporate technology. We've rounded up the best and worst uses of technology when it comes to tying the knot. Let us know the worst tech wedding fails or best social media wedding ideas you've seen in the comments section below Read more...

1. DON'T: Vent on social media.

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A YouTube video has captured the fireworks accident in Simi Valley, Calif., which reportedly left at least 28 people injured, four of them seriously

According to ABC News, the "unintended" detonation ended up shooting fireworks into a crowd during the Fourth of July celebration

YouTube user Tim Pietrolungo has captured the entire incident from a high vantage point. The video clearly shows some of the fireworks shooting horizontally and exploding at ground level

A police investigation is ongoing. "We're still in the process of sorting out exactly what happened and treating the injured and evacuating them to area hospitals," said John Parks, the watch commander at the Simi Valley police department. Read more...

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During yesterday's 4th of July celebration, NYC's Empire State Building had another chance to show off its new lighting system.

The LED lights, first showcased in November 2012, were created by Philips Color Kinetics. The system can display 16 million colors, and is capable of showing effects such as ripples, cross-fades, sparkles, chasers, sweeps, strobes and bursts.

As you can see, nearly all effects and a lot of colors were on display on 4th of July. The video above uses a different song than the one that accompanied the light show, but it captured the visuals rather nicely. Check it out (above) and tell us how you liked the light show in the comments! Read more...

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Meat, sweets and fireworks dominated your photo submissions for the Fourth of July.

Many Mashable readers — who spent the holiday basking in the sun's glow, captured images of their Independence Day — and sent them our way via Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Vine, along with the hashtag #Social4th.

Relive the United States' 237th birthday by flipping through the gallery, above. Then feel free to add your contributions in the comments

Homepage image courtesy of Flickr, Cristian_RH7 Read more...

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David Tennant, Matt Smith, Tom Baker — these are the famous names that have become synonymous with BBC's popular sci-fi series, Doctor Who. Improbably, another well-known figure could have been added to this list: Michael Jackson.

In the late 1980s, the King of Pop was Paramount Pictures' top pick for the lead role in a Doctor Who movie. What's more, if Jackson wasn't available, Bill Cosby was the studio's second pick to play the alien time traveler

While both casting choices may seem odd now, they were not actually that outlandish, as Jackson was at the height of his fame, and just coming off the success of American anthology film, Moonwalker. For his part, Cosby was dominating television with The Cosby Show. Read more...

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Social Media Day is a global event that celebrates the technologies that connect us across the world. This year, events took place on six continents, all in the spirit of the ways social media changes our lives and empowers us to do good.

Each year, the Social Media Day celebrations get increasingly creative. This year, many cities found ways to take advantage of the day's growing popularity by taking unique approaches to their events. Below, we assembled a Storify with photos from some of these events across the globe. From a scavenger hunt in Cork, Ireland to a massive sidewalk chalk drawing in Windsor, Ontario, we loved seeing how people came together Read more...

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For ladies and gents looking to spruce up their wardrobe, a new social ecommerce platform lets users upload photos of a specific item of clothing, and then provides a results page that includes matches for that specific outfit

Called O'Share, the fashion platform is a partnership between ecommerce company Rakuten, visual search engine ViSenze and Asian fashion social network Clozette, The Next Web reported.

In addition to the reverse image-search feature, O'Share users can create lists of clothing and accessories, and they can like, share and comment on those items. (Check out the video, above, for more details.) Once the site is fully functional, users will reportedly be able to browse and buy products from Rakuten's online store. Read more...

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If you can't go outside to see fireworks in person, are based in a town with a fire ban or live abroad, major Fourth of July fireworks shows from around the U.S. are being streamed online Thursday night.

• New York City, Macy's 4th of July Fireworks Spectacular: NBC is broadcasting its huge 37th annual display at 8 p.m. ET. It takes place on the Hudson River in New York. Check out this online Ustream of the fireworks.

• Washington, D.C., A Capitol Fourth: Watch fireworks light up the United States' capital city in "A Capitol Fourth" at 8 p.m. ET on PBS. Also, check out the live entertainment and displays at the White House.

• Boston, July 4th Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular: WBZ-TV will be live-streaming audio of the Boston Pops orchestra performance at 7:30 p.m. ET. Video streaming of the fireworks show is at 9:30 p.m. ET. Read more...

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Ron Burgundy is still in a glass case of emotion, but now that case is made in 8-bit

In a new video, YouTuber CineFix gives Anchorman the old-school gaming treatment, which perfectly matches the cult film's retro world

It manages to recap the film's entire plot in only three minutes, so fans can easily catch up on all of Burgundy's antics before Anchorman 2 debuts this December

And don't forget: You can "stay classy" in 8-bit, too

BONUS: 8-Bit Music Videos: 8 Pixel-Perfect Examples

Image courtesy of YouTube, CineFix Read more...

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Breaking a bone is unpleasant all around — and having to wear a smelly, clunky plaster cast is like getting kicked when you're down. At least, that's how Jake Evill felt after breaking his hand. He told Wired that his plaster cast felt "archaic."

Evill, a recent graduate of Victoria University in New Zealand, wants to update the process of healing of broken limbs with something a little more modern: 3D printing

Evill created the Cortex cast, a breathable, lightweight, recyclable and washable exoskeleton that mimics the body's trabecular, the small honeycomb-like structure that makes up your inner bone structure Read more...

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Billboards. Radio ads. Pop-up banners. You see and hear advertising everywhere these days, and a new concept literally bring ads into your skull.

Sleepy commuters in Germany, who rest their heads on public train windows, have recently gotten a surprise when they heard an ad that no one else can, as explained in the video above. They're not dreaming: a transmitter on trains in Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia sends high-frequency vibrations to the windowpane, which a person can hear through bone conduction.

This ad campaign by agency BBDO in Dusseldorf, Germany, was launched with prototypes on behalf of broadcasting company Sky Deutschland, back in January. The ad that plays to a person's inner ear is about Sky’s new mobile app. Read more...

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It's pretty much a universal truth that Johnny Depp has a beautiful face. But he can certainly contort it into some seriously goofy (and frightening) guises

This ScreenJunkies supercut highlights the best of Depp's kooky faces, highlighting everything from his early flicks like Edward Scissorhands to blockbusters like Pirates of the Caribbean and Oscar contenders like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

So grab some popcorn and reminiscence over the dozens of awkward expressions Depp has graced the silver screen with Read more...

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Members of Iceland's Pirate Party have introduced a bill that would grant Edward Snowden Icelandic citizenship. This would protect him from extradition to the United States should he make it to the North Atlantic country and receive asylum there.

Snowden is currently stuck in a legal limbo at the transit center in Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport. The U.S. has revoked his American passport, making him largely unable to enter Russia or fly elsewhere. Snowden has made asylum requests to 21 countries, including Iceland, though none of his requests have been granted so far. Most countries require an asylum applicant to be in the country before asylum can be given. Read more...

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The shops of Diagon Alley from Harry Potter are now on Google Maps' Street View.

It's no Marauder's Map, but Google now lets you explore the set of Diagon Alley from the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in London. In Street View mode, you can see 360-degree images of Ollivanders Wand Shop, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes joke shop and Mr. Mulpepper’s Apothecary.

The Diagon Alley set brings to life the shop setting from J.K. Rowling's legendary Harry Potter series of seven best-selling books, which grew into a successful eight-movie franchise. Warner Bros. Studio Tour says the Diagon Alley set took more than three months to build, and it took six months to create over 20,000 products to put on the shops' shelves. Read more...

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Approximately 300 protestors demonstrating against the National Security Administration's surveillance programs marched three miles from New York City's Union Square south to Federal Hall onThursday. The march was one of 50 such protests organized in cities across the country

The Restore the Fourth protests originated on Reddit less than a month ago. The name is a reference to the Fourth Amendment, which protects American citizens against unreasonable searches and seizures. Many of the protestors said the NSA's surveillance programs violate that amendment.

Read more...

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Dell is considering a move into wearable computing, a potential growth area that might offset sinking PC sales.

The company is "exploring ideas in that space," Sam Burd, Dell's global vice president of personal computing, told The Guardian. "Looking ahead five years, we expect devices and form factors to continue to change. There will still be a need for 'static' computing on desktops, but there will be a real need for mobile devices. There's a lot of discussion about how that fits into wearable devices like we've seen with Google Glass and watches. We're looking at a world of lots of connected devices." Read more...

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You could call competitive eating a sport — or you could call it gross. Either way, Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest has become an American tradition on the Fourth of July.

The annual eating competition challenges participants to eat as many hot dogs as possible in a 10-minute time period, in front of millions of ESPN viewers and a live audience on Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.

On Thursday afternoon, Joey Chestnut, 29, was crowned the winner of the men's competition for the seventh year in a row. The San Jose, Calif., native ate an impressive 69 hot dogs in 10 minutes. Earlier in the women's competition, Sonya Thomas, of Alexandria, Va., won with 36.75 hot dogs. Read more...

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Those who grew up with brothers and sisters know it's all about fairness. Who got the larger slice of cake? Who took the car on Saturday night? Who picked the TV show everyone watched?

In most of these instances, one sibling triumphed. We've compiled 12 instances that will make you feel better about your own sibling quibbles — or perhaps dredge up bad memories.

1.

Image courtesy of Imgur, dielorn

2.

Image courtesy of Imgur, Mepikuphevythngsgud

3.

Image courtesy of Imgur, chopthebass

4.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Roswitha Siedelberg Read more...

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If we're focusing on the positive then let's just say that there are a lot of very patriotic people on Twitter

But if we're being a tad bit critical (as all Americans should be), there are also a lot of people on Twitter who are unaware about U.S. history, the general calendar system and all things reality. Those people have sponsored today's post with their witless tweets proclaiming a "happy 2013th birthday" to America

Sorry birthday celebrators, America only turned a cool 237 today (2,013 minus 1776 — the year Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence). But a few enthusiastic patriots got a little confused, leading to an all out Twitter fail this holiday Read more...

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It's the land of the free and the home of the brave. From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters, this land was made for you and me.

So, you know the lyrics to "This Land is Your Land" — but how much do you really know about the states we call home sweet home? This Independence Day, brush up on your U.S. history with 50 facts about the grand ol' United States from list-maker extrodinaire Mental Floss

Afterward, we promise you'll have a greater appreciation for each state's quirks — including the National Hobo Convention in Iowa Read more...

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Vine released an update to its iOS app on Wednesday, its biggest refresh since the app’s launch earlier this year.

Among other enhancements, a number of Twitter features are now available within the app, as well as a few new features — including a dramatic update to the app's camera — which, in many ways, make Vine feel like a totally new app.

I took the new version of Vine out for a spin and walked away impressed with many of the new features.

New Camera Tools

If you’ve been using Vine for a while, especially to create stop-motion videos, the new camera features will wow you. Read more...

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What do fireworks look like when they're filmed at 240 frames per second? Glad you asked

Jeremiah Warren used a GoPro Hero3 camera attached to a ceiling fan to simulate a famous scene in The Matrix in which Neo (Keanu Reeves) dodges a series of bullets. The result is a fireworks show like you've never seen before

SEE ALSO: Independence Day Google Doodle Takes You on a Fourth of July Road Trip

Best of all, as Warren details in his blog, his experiment only cost around $50. For a full explanation, watch the video below.

Happy Fourth of July!

Image courtesy of YouTube, Jeremiah Warren Read more...

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Which president enjoyed skinny-dipping in the Potomac River? Who let their alligators run rampant through the White House? Who whipped out his — well, let's just say you probably didn't learn these facts in history class.

In honor of Independence Day, we've gathered a star-spangled list of facts about all 44 Presidents of the United States.

Scroll through the list to find out more about those who make us proud to be Americans, and then share your favorite fun fact in the comments below.

1. George Washington

Mashable composite. Images via Flickr, Joye~; Flickr, Don Graham; Flickr, Bart Speelman Read more...

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Your favorite TV characters from shows like Homeland, Mad Men, Game of Thrones and True Blood have striking similarities to key Revolutionary War figures

Don't believe us? Just ask The Connectivist, a site that delivers a potent dose of pop culture history comparisons just in time for the Fourth of July in the gallery above.

"Some of [the matches] were pretty easy," The Connectivist's Benjamin Plackett told Mashable. "Molly Pitcher was easy because there was only really Khaleesi [a.k.a. Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones] who matches up to that, the idea that her husband died and then she took up her husband's cause." Read more...

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French newspaper Le Monde accused France's government of illegally monitoring citizens' internal and external communications in a report Thursday

Le Monde immediately compared the French program to the recently revealed PRISM surveillance program in the United States. The report says France's Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE) collects metadata from citizens' phone calls and emails — but not the content of the messages — to visualize communications inside and outside the country.

In its report, Le Monde cited a mixture of anonymous internal sources and public reports. DGSE officials said the surveillance practices are legal, which the newspaper disputes. Read more...

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Douglas Engelbart, the inventor of the computer mouse who died on Wednesday at the age of 88, had tremendous influence over many of the computing technologies we now take for granted. There aren't many people with similar esteem, but Vint Cerf, often called the "father of the Internet" (along with his colleague, Bob Kahn) for his pioneering work on computer networks, is one of them.

Cerf worked directly with Engelbart in developing the ARPANET, the predecessor to the Internet that established many of its basic technologies. He sent Mashable his thoughts on the passing of his friend and colleague: Read more...

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Follow whomever you like on Twitter — friends, family, coworkers, celebrities or squirrels.

When it comes to politicians, we don't always love what they have to tweet about — but it's a pretty direct way of obtaining information straight from their offices. Below, find 15 politicians with the highest follower counts (POTUS dominates the lead by almost 30 million).

1Barack Obama

Position: President of the United States
Followers: 33.6 million

Don't let the House fail to fix our broken #immigration system#TimeIsNow, add your name: http://t.co/sadiRMlSGM

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 3, 2013 Read more...

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Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world.

Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories. A group called Restore the Fourth is organizing street demonstrations across the country to rally against recently revealed NSA surveillance programsTwitter is revamping its ads to bring users more relevant promoted tweets. And Yahoo acquired San Francisco-based email management startup Xobni ("inbox" spelled backward) for upward of $30 million.

Check out the video above for more on these stories. Read more...

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