BladeKey aims to silence the jingle-jangle of your keychain

The organization tool tucks away keys Swiss Army knife-style, eliminating the need for a keyring and saving your leg from painful pokesBladeKey is currently collecting funds on Kickstarter with a campaign that has exceeded its initial goal more than six times over with four days left.

Prototyping for the product was done on a 3D printer and BladeKey has made the source code for the original design available on Thingiverse.

Image via iStockphoto, Guillermo Perales Read more...

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If you're running out of space on your Android smartphone or tablet and want a quick fix, two Northern California brothers may have a solution.

Bay Area-based Andy and Rich (no last names identified) were initially frustrated that their Nexus tablet didn't have a built-in SD card reader to expand storage. So they developed a mini MicroSD card reader for Android devices, which plugs into the phone or tablet via micro-USB, as explained in the video above.

While the reader can fit on any Android device with mini-USB, the brothers have only confirmed that it works with certain phone and tablet models they've tested with. But to mount a Class 2 card on your device, they suggest using third party software, like StickMount. Read more...

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Did you know that constructing massive LEGO projects can celebrate "spirituality, peaceful ET contact and fantastical worlds?" Now you do.

Artist and master LEGO craftsman Mike Doyle spent 600 hours and used more than 200,000 plastic bricks to create Contact 1, the first in a series of mega LEGO builds. In a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the project, Doyle explains that the series "was designed to promote the beauty of all intelligent life forms as extensions of our family."

Even if the words explaining the project confuse you, appreciating the massive scale and workmanship should be easy. The impressive work rises nearly five feet high and measures six feet wide. Read more...

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An Apple patent filing indicates that the Cupertino tech giant is building a Street View product of its own

Posted to the US Patent and Trademark Office website on Thursday, Apple's filing describes a "3D Position Tracking for Panoramic Imagery Navigation" — in other words, a way to view a lifelike map of the world around you via smartphone or tablet

Sounds familiar, no? Google Maps' popular Street View option has been around since 2007

But Apple's patent filing says its product will do things the Google version can't. Current street-level imaging tech requires users to navigate though, most commonly, their touchscreen or trackpad. This involves jumping from intersection to intersection before navigating further Read more...

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Nothing shatters that moment of being in the zone like the buzz of your cellphone. Productivity, torpedoed.

A new app aims to keep you squarely in the zone by monitoring your brain waves to determine the optimal time for you to receive a phone call. Good Times tracks your noggin activity and directs calls straight to voicemail when levels are high. The app was inspired by and created from the Necomimi Cat Ears, a pair of feline-like ears that move based on your brain activity and heart rate.

The app's creator, Ruggero Scorcioni, took home the $30,000 first prize at a recent AT&T hackathon. Now Scorcioni just needs to work on an app that sends mom an "I'm sorry" text for directing all her calls straight to voicemail. Read more...

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Pittsburgh Pirates fans may not have high hopes for their team on the field this season, but the MLB franchise is taking sports fan gluttony to a whole new level

It's called the Brunch Burger, and it's available to fans who attend games at PNC Park. Here's the deal: Beef patty, bacon, cheddar cheese and a fried egg sandwiched between a bun made from a sprinkled-glazed doughnut

MLB's Cut4 content arm shared a photo of the burger in this Thursday night tweet:

Donuts ... mhmmm. @pirates have created a bacon-cheddar burger with glazed donuts for buns: atmlb.com/14S0RHm twitter.com/Cut4/status/32…

— Cut4 (@Cut4) April 5, 2013 Read more...

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"You had to be there." It's usually the expression you use when you're trying to tell your friend about last night's dream, in which you climbed Mount Everest, won the lottery and became president of the world. But now Japanese researchers have developed an algorithm that can actually help "see" people's dreams.

Dream reading may sound like something from the distant future, but the Kyoto, Japan-based researchers' findings were published Thursday in Science, the Smithsonian reported. The team concluded that visual experiences during sleep can be uncovered to a certain extent by using a learning algorithm. Read more...

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Would Mad Men be such a hit without that classy 1960s charm? After all, what's the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce agency without a little sexism, smokes and mid-day drinks? (Boring, is what it is.)

But it is interesting to imagine Don Draper and co. in the Madison Avenue of 2013. Their lives would be far from the scandal and intrigue that surrounded them decades ago (we hope), but so would their tech

Shutterstock took a dabble into upgrading the characters' personal belongings to reflect a more 21st century lifestyle. Their predictions had the characters swapping pens for cellphones and bad habits like smoking for modern day crazes like yoga Read more...

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Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert both loved the movies, but that was where the pair's similarities ended.

For 13 years, Siskel and Ebert exchanged banter and thumb-ratings. The duo's entertaining sparring paired with an undeniable passion for films made their television show a must-watch for movie lovers. The passing of Roger Ebert on Thursday — 14 years after Siskel's death — has the Internet feeling nostalgic for vintage clips of the opinionated duo

A YouTube clip first posted in 2008 shows some classic behind-the-scenes bickering between the film critics. Prepare for a flashback to the early days of Siskel and Ebert by pushing play above. Read more...

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Vine hopes to make exploring content easier with the launch of trending hashtags.

The new feature allows users to easily see what the community is Vining about. The hashtags featured are those rising the fastest in popularity, rather than just the most popular overall. Vine cofounder and CTO Colin Kroll announced the addition on the company's blog.

Kroll noted that great six-second content doesn't always get its deserved time in the spotlight because it may not fall into any of the app's popular sections. The expansion into hashtags — which is not surprising, considering Vine's Twitter roots — should bring focus to a greater variety of Vine content and users. Read more...

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Have your dog's legs been feeling chilly during this extended winter? Have your pup's stems been feeling a little exposed in those mini-skirts? Don't worry, just throw a pair of pantyhose on them. Fashion meets function, people.

The trend has taken off after gaming site Kotaku realized several people on the Chinese social networking site Sina Weibo began uploading photos of their pooch in hosiery. This image seems to have been the first of the meme (note the heels, as well):

Image courtesy of Kotaku

Others quickly followed suit Read more...

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If seasonal allergies have you avoiding the great outdoors this spring, you can actually enjoy a bike ride through New York City without stepping outside.

Dutch startup Cyclodeo mashes together biking and video to create a digital resource for cycling enthusiasts and casual travelers alike. The startup has captured video of actual bike rides and synchronized it with GPS data for close to 150 kilometers (or about 93 miles) through New York City. On Cyclodeo's site, you can take a "ride" through Central Park or along the Hudson River Greenway.

While you could visit Cyclodeo solely for a virtual bike ride, it's certainly a nifty resource if you're planning a real bike ride through any of the covered cities. In addition to New York, the site currently covers Copenhagen and parts of the southern Netherlands. The videos are all plotted out on Google Maps, meaning you can pinpoint an exact location to see what it might be like to bike there (think Street View, but from a cyclist's perspective). Read more...

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For years, the world has seen Barbie all dolled up. Whether she was in a prom dress, lab coat or astronaut suit, the chick had every hair in place and a fresh coat of lipstick on

No one could deny that Barbie was quite the looker — until now. Artist Eddi Aguirre Cendejaz wondered what Barbie would look like if she didn't have blush and fake eyelashes at her disposal

Pretty much, he's the first to see Barbie au naturale. (We're guessing Ken is the only other person who knows what this side of Barbie looks like.) But it is refreshing to know even this girl needs some cosmetic touch ups every now and then Read more...

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Climate change and global warming may cause sea levels to rise and flood coastal cities across the world. Over the past century, the Global Mean Sea Level has risen by 4 to 8 inches. And according to estimates by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (PDF), it will keep rising between 8 inches and 6.6 feet by 2100.

How will the world look if that happens? In November of 2012, The New York Times published interactive maps displaying the effects of the sea level rising, in a series titled "What Could Disappear?" The maps show how much land the sea will claim in the future, if it rises by 5, 12, and 25 feet Read more...

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Dogs like TV too. That's the conclusion we've come to after viewing compelling video evidence over on YouTube.

Whether it's Boxers addicted to Family Guy or Golden Retrievers with a penchant for the Air Bud franchise, we have collected some convincing clips that prove just how much our four-legged friends like the goggle box

Take a look through our cute video gallery above. Is your dog a telly addict? What's their favorite show? Let us know in the comments below.

Image courtesy of Flickr, Bill Mill Read more...

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Memorable video game characters are known for inspiring creations in loyal fans, but not often is a story's monster turned into something so cute.

Inspired by BioShock Infinite, crafter Anna the Red created an adorable plush version of Songbird, the mechanical jailer responsible for keeping Elizabeth in her cell.

In her blog, Anna said she has always been a fan of the BioShock games — she even created a bento box based on one of the franchise's most recognizable figures: the hulking Big Daddy. So Anna said when she first saw more details of Songbird online, before the game was released, she couldn't help but recreate it in plush. Read more...

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Trending topics hit Twitter every day. In this recurring series, "Behind the Hashtag," we take a look at the most intriguing ones — of any nature — being tweeted across the web

One of today's most popular hashtags, #BackIn7thGrade, is all about nostalgia. For some, myself included, 7th grade was the time when kids from different schools from across the city merged into one, stress-inducing jail cell called "middle school." It was a nerve-wracking, make-the-wrong-move-and-you're-socially-dead kind of pressure that a full set of braces and paralyzing fear of the opposite sex only made worse

The insecurity, the dances, the growth spurts and the hormones ... oh, God, the hormones Read more...

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It's been 20 years since Jurassic Park hit theaters. The first film in the franchise has just been revived for a 3D experience, and you can now relive the nightmares of your youth in HD.

If you were around the first time Jurassic Park released, you might be feeling pretty prehistoric yourself right now. The good news is you're not nearly as old as the stars of this film. (No, not Sam Neill, the dinosaurs!)

SEE ALSO: 'Jurassic Park 3D' Trailer Will Leave You Feeling Rapturous

What have these giant monsters been up to all of these years? A whole lot of nothing. The dinosaurs may have won the battle, but the joke's on them. We even survived a meteor! Read more...

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Billionaire bad boy Tony Stark melts down in front of paparazzi — exposing his home address and destroying a journalist's phone before speeding off inside a spiffy ride — in this fresh Iron Man 3 video released Friday

The man behind the Iron Man armor wants "good old-fashioned revenge" against the villain the Mandarin, who is hellbent on ruining Stark's personal life.

"I'm not afraid of you," Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., warns the Mandarin. "I know you're a coward. So I decided you just die, pal. I'm going to come get the body."

Read more...

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A shocking video of coaching abuse that went viral on the sports web then leaked into the national mainstream news cycle this week has claimed its second high profile professional casualty — but this may not be the last

Rutgers athletic director Tim Pernetti resigned on Friday, two days after the university fired head basketball coach Mike Rice

Rice became a source of national outrage and scorn after ESPN's Outside the Lines broadcast a video of him shoving players, throwing basketballs at them and denigrating them with homophobic slurs during practices this season. Here's the video:

Pernetti became a secondary villain in the story when it was revealed that he had actually seen the footage months ago. Rice was suspended for three games and fined $50,000 in November for reasons cryptically defined as violations of athletic department policy Read more...

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North Korea on Friday reportedly moved two mobile missiles believed to be of intermediate range to the country's east coast, potentially putting them within striking distance of Japan and American bases in Guam. If the reports are accurate, it's the latest escalation in an increasingly tense situation which may result in a military conflict.

North Korea's threatening language towards South Korea and the United States is becoming increasingly bellicose, going so far as to approve the use of nuclear weapons should a military conflict break out on the Korean peninsula. Propaganda videos from North Korea have claimed the country could turn Seoul, Washington and other cities into a "sea of flames" — but North Korea is notorious for outlandish provocations that simply aren't supported by reality. Read more...

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We weren't all born with green thumbs. For those of us that need a little help, technology can be our saving grace when it comes to gardening

Whether you've never picked up a shovel or have a blooming back yard, we've rounded up a collection of great apps and gadgets to help you grow a garden. Some apps serve as a digital catalog for your favorite flowers, while others recommend seeds and equipment for beginners

For those who prefer virtual greenery, you can tend to your plants on screen, or have tech do all the work for you with smart flower pots like Click & Grow or Wi-Fi sensors that monitor your soil stats Read more...

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Facebook took a big step on Thursday towards increasing its presence on mobile with the announcement of Facebook Home — a new home screen and app launcher for Android — and the release of the first-ever Facebook phone manufactured by HTC

Mark Zuckerberg, the company's CEO and co-founder, spent most of his time discussing his vision for reorienting the smartphone user experience around people rather than apps, but as with most Facebook events, he stayed vague on one big point: how Facebook plans to make money off these new products.

"There are no ads in this yet," Zuckerberg said of Facebook Home during a Q&A with reporters after the launch event. "I'm sure at some point there will be." Read more...

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Large format photography is often associated with heavy metal box studio cameras that, put simply, aren't ideal for lugging around

Chicago-based camera company Wanderlust is hoping to lighten the load. Last week, the duo — Ben Syverson and Justin Lundquist — started a Kickstarter campaign for a portable and ultralight 4x5 film camera called Travelwide

Emphasis here on the word film. In an age of all-things-digital, the idea might seem a bit dated. But, Syverson told Mashable, the raw quality you get from film cameras — like this stunning shot he captured from Pão de Açúcar in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — is incomparable to what you might see on a standard DSLR. Read more...

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There's a little secret about connecting to the Internet from your car: You usually must use your smartphone to do so, running up potentially shocking data charges along the way. T-Mobile and Audi want to make that cheaper for you with its new in-car data plan by offering wireless connectivity for $15 per month.

Audi Connect services are already sophisticated, creating a Wi-Fi network inside the vehicle that can be accessed by up to eight devices at the same time. Launched in 2011, it was the first of its kind, letting drivers access special versions of Google Voice Local Search, "My Audi Destination," which works with Google Earth to display up to 50 destinations on the car's screen. That gives you a look at your surroundings from Google Street View, a welcome sight to a lost and weary traveler. Read more...

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The Internet loves a good kitten and puppy cam, but isn't that so, like, five years ago? Okay, not really. We'll gladly watch 24/7 live footage of adorable creatures crawling on top of each other

But what about all the misunderstood species in the animal kingdom? Are they not worthy of live webcams?

Now, thanks to Animal Planet, we'll be able to watch all-day video streams of more than 11 species, from cutesy kittens and calves to ants... and oh yeah, cockroaches. That's right, the network is going rogue with its latest digital initiative, giving us an unfiltered peek into the versatile worlds of animals and insects. Read more...

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Google Glass is just being released to a relative handful of people right now, but app developers are wasting no time dreaming up possible uses.

One such developer, Vectorform, has shared a few such concepts with Mashable. The Detroit-based company has dreamed up some uses for athletes, DIYers and students, among others. Some of the ideas are outlined above. Kevin Foreman, director of product development at Vectorform, says the company expects to get a pair of Google Glasses in a few weeks. After that, designers hope to get to work putting the ideas into action

Read more...

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Luddites are just the worst. Sure, the ever-growing tech industry can be difficult to follow, but that doesn't mean you should give up on new technology entirely.

In these comics, Drew at Toothpaste For Dinner shows how to deal with these increasingly frustrating tech-haters. Do you know anyone like this? Tell us in the comments, not via carrier pigeon.

Comic illustrations by Toothpaste For Dinner. Published with permission; all rights reserved. Read more...

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Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has led a $5 million investment round in Business Insider, the six-year-old online media outfit run by former Wall Street analyst Henry Blodget.

The investment came about after a dinner Bezos and Blodget had some months ago. "We had dinner a while back," Blodget wrote in an e-mail to Mashable. "A few months later he expressed interest in investing. I said, 'Hell, yeah!'"

Previous investors RRE Ventures and Institutional Venture Partners also participated in the $5 million Series E round. The investment, Bezos' first in the company, brings total investment to more than $18.3 million, Blodget confirmed. He declined to state the company's valuation, writing, "That's double super-secret info. (I could tell you, but then they'd have to kill me.)" The exact amount of Bezos' contribution is unknown. Read more...

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Facebook announced their "phone" Thursday and it turns out the much-anticipated product was more of a psuedo-operating system called "Home."

Mark Zuckerberg presented to the world the result of years of prototypes and trial periods (we assume). So, what was on the drafting table pre-Home?

Dartanion London has the scoop — it's the first "leaked" promo of what he says was originally called the "FacePhone" or the "PhoneBook." Features of this parody phone included filtered messages to only show sponsored texts, a constantly changing keypad so you were never sure of how to dial, and absolutely free calling (only if the other person also had a Facebook phone). Read more...

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