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  • Tool gives hi-def origin of Syrian artifacts

    Holy Kaw!
    Futurity
    25 May 2013 | 12:26 pm
    Magnetic analysis lets archaeologists match obsidian artifacts from Syria to the specific quarry—not just the volcano—of origin. “Our magnetic tests were chosen in part for their simplicity so that most rock magnetism laboratories could take the necessary measurements and apply this new approach worldwide. We did not want to develop a technique that could only [...]

  • Top 10 Tech This Week

    Mashable
    Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
    25 May 2013 | 2:26 pm
    As we enjoy Memorial Weekend, we look back to another great week in the world of technology. And if you're wondering what happened in the last seven days, worry not — Top 10 Tech brings you a list of the most important techno-stories of the week. Undoubtedly, the biggest news of all was the much-anticipated unveiling and launch of the Microsoft Xbox One. It has the potential to be much more than just a gaming console. SEE ALSO: Previous editions of Top 10 Tech This Week Other than the big Xbox One launch, perhaps the biggest "other" announcement was the confirmation that Yahoo acquired…

  • Artists Turn A Craft Fair Into A Laboratory For New Materials

    Fast Company
    Margaret Rhodes
    24 May 2013 | 2:30 pm
    At this year’s COLLECT: The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects, in London, few things are what they seem. Translating an artist’s vision into logic, or even plain English, is difficult. Modes of self-expression work in mysterious ways. So it would follow that the recent Crafts Council’s COLLECT: The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects show would be a house of riddles. Instead, it was a veritable greenhouse of experiments with new materials. The show comprised of 32 international galleries, hailing from nearby, in the U.K., Scandinavia, Belgium,…

  • Misfit Wearables Drops Android Support For Its Shine Activity Tracker Ahead Of Summer Launch

    TechCrunch
    Chris Velazco
    25 May 2013 | 2:27 pm
    Heads up, Android fans. If you took the plunge and backed the rather sleek Shine wearable activity tracker from Misfit Wearables, you may want to get your money back. According to a recent update posted to the project’s Indiegogo listing, the Founders Fund-backed company has decided to drop Android support from the final version in a bid to better focus on polishing the experience for iOS users. Seriously, that’s the only reason they gave, which is likely little consolation to the backers who were originally told that the Shine would support certain devices running Android 4.1 and…

  • On adding a zero

    Seth's Blog
    Seth Godin
    25 May 2013 | 2:27 am
    What happens if, instead of one sales call a day, you make ten? Or if instead of 3 freelancers working on scaling your work, you have thirty? What happens if you add a zero in places where it feels impossible to handle... what then? Scale isn't always the answer, but if it is, then scale. Build the systems necessary to dramatically change your impact. Halfway gets you nowhere.
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    Holy Kaw!

  • Tool gives hi-def origin of Syrian artifacts

    Futurity
    25 May 2013 | 12:26 pm
    Magnetic analysis lets archaeologists match obsidian artifacts from Syria to the specific quarry—not just the volcano—of origin. “Our magnetic tests were chosen in part for their simplicity so that most rock magnetism laboratories could take the necessary measurements and apply this new approach worldwide. We did not want to develop a technique that could only [...]

  • My Little Geek expanding its amazing universe for kids [video]

    Kate Rinsema
    25 May 2013 | 10:39 am
    Last year, we brought you geeky parents out there the exciting news that there was finally an alphabet book on the market for you and your high IQ offspring, so we’re now thrilled to announce that educational universe is expanding! Andrew and Sarah Spear, authors of My Little Geek ABC, are back in action with [...]

  • 8-bit Iron Man [video]

    Kate Rinsema
    25 May 2013 | 10:14 am
    Sure, you could have blown twenty bucks at the theater catching the 2008 movie Iron Man, but why bother when CineFix has an 8-bit version that’ll only take a minute of your time? It’s like having your popcorn and eating it, too…for free. Full story at YouTube via Laughing Squid. Mini movies.

  • Summer is coming! The art and science of s’mores

    Peg Fitzpatrick
    25 May 2013 | 9:00 am
    The Art & Science of Smores infographic Nothing says summer like a campfire and s’mores. The origin of the s’more is unclear but the first time it was mentioned in print was by the Girl Scouts in 1927. More about the great big outdoors here.

  • Google’s social evolution [infographic]

    Peg Fitzpatrick
    25 May 2013 | 9:00 am
    Source: CPC Strategy Blog Google is growing by leaps and bounds. The stats are showing that the Google+ and YouTube prove to be a very powerful combination. Interested in reading more about Google?
 
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    Mashable

  • Top 10 Tech This Week

    Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai
    25 May 2013 | 2:26 pm
    As we enjoy Memorial Weekend, we look back to another great week in the world of technology. And if you're wondering what happened in the last seven days, worry not — Top 10 Tech brings you a list of the most important techno-stories of the week. Undoubtedly, the biggest news of all was the much-anticipated unveiling and launch of the Microsoft Xbox One. It has the potential to be much more than just a gaming console. SEE ALSO: Previous editions of Top 10 Tech This Week Other than the big Xbox One launch, perhaps the biggest "other" announcement was the confirmation that Yahoo acquired…

  • How Hackers Stole $45 Million in Two Days

    Eric Larson
    25 May 2013 | 2:01 pm
    It was a bank heist for the digital era: No masks, no weapons, no standoffs with police — just a few keyboards and an elaborate hacking plan. In two sprightly operations, on December 12, 2012, and February 19, 2013, an international team of hackers and thieves stole a collective $45 million from more than 5,000 ATMs across the world. Eight suspects were charged in connection with the crimes on May 9 — still, the complex operation is one that should be understood, if only to better prevent future attacks. This infographic, from fraud detection and prevention firm 41st Parameter,…

  • How the Facebook Developer Platform Has Changed How We Use the Web

    Emily Price
    25 May 2013 | 1:46 pm
    To say the Facebook Developer Platform changed the web as we know it would be a dramatic understatement. Originally launching in 2007 as a tool for developers to build apps for the social network, six years later it has evolved into a whole lot more. Facebook has grown outside of the confines of Facebook.com and is not only a presence on many of the websites we visit — either through a Facebook log-in, or Share or Like capability. It's also a growing mainstay in the mobile world, allowing us stay connected and play games with our friends while we're on the go. Friday, the Facebook…

  • Google Buzz Is About to Finally Buzz Off

    Christina Warren
    25 May 2013 | 1:11 pm
    More than 18 months after announcing that it was shutting down Google Buzz, Google is taking the final steps in snuffing out the platform. According to an email sent to Buzz users, as of July 17, 2013, Google will remove the posts from its public servers and archive them to users Google Drive acounts. Google Buzz — for those of you who don't remember — was Google's first attempt at a broader social strategy. In many ways, the network can be viewed as a precursor to Google+ It took elements from Twitter and Facebook, but was focused on existing within a special tab in Gmail. The…

  • 12 Cicadas Totally Trapped in 1996

    Annie Colbert
    25 May 2013 | 12:42 pm
    The East Coast cicadas, currently emerging by the billions, have spent the last 17 years underground, making today's world a bit of a shock for them In 1996, Alanis Morissette was just a "Jagged Little Pill" and only 20 million Americans dialed up to the Internet. Clearly, Swarmageddon 2013 is making the bug population feel nostalgic for the '90s SEE ALSO: Prepare for the Cicada Invasion With This Creepy-Crawly Time-Lapse Humans, please try to make the cicadas feel welcome by explaining iPhones and The Real Housewives of New Jersey 1. So much for AOL screen names. Sorry, "Cicaduh6969." Read…
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    Fast Company

  • Artists Turn A Craft Fair Into A Laboratory For New Materials

    Margaret Rhodes
    24 May 2013 | 2:30 pm
    At this year’s COLLECT: The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects, in London, few things are what they seem. Translating an artist’s vision into logic, or even plain English, is difficult. Modes of self-expression work in mysterious ways. So it would follow that the recent Crafts Council’s COLLECT: The International Art Fair for Contemporary Objects show would be a house of riddles. Instead, it was a veritable greenhouse of experiments with new materials. The show comprised of 32 international galleries, hailing from nearby, in the U.K., Scandinavia, Belgium,…

  • Take A Secret Look Inside The Cocoon As A Caterpillar Transforms To A Butterfly

    Zak Stone
    24 May 2013 | 2:00 pm
    Using three dimensional X-ray imaging, we can now see the magical process of metamorphosis up close. Happy summer! The transformation of a lowly caterpillar into a graceful butterfly is the kind of shocking fact of nature that’s used to get children excited about science, so visible is the transformation, so tangible are the lessons. But what’s actually going on inside the cocoon? Typically, scientists have had to dissect them to find out, killing the organism inside as a result, a casualty of scientific inquiry. Another problem with cutting the cocoon to see what’s inside:…

  • Students Design 22 Playful Wooden Toys For Kids

    Jordan Kushins
    24 May 2013 | 1:15 pm
    Twenty-two seniors in the Rochester Institute of Technology’s Metaproject03 created products that would fit in with Areaware’s fun-loving collection. Though it seems counterintuitive, limitations can be the best thing to happen to the creative process. Narrowing down parameters--think form, function, color, size--often brings focus to an otherwise overwhelming chaos of opportunities around what to do and where to begin. The Rochester Institute of Technology established the Metaproject Initiative to give students a chance to get to know the properties of a particular material, in…

  • Dear Abbys: A New Esquire Column Sources Life Advice From 100,000 People

    Christina Chaey
    24 May 2013 | 12:06 pm
    "Dear Abby" comes into the Internet age with a new Esquire column chock-full of advice from 100,000 of the author's closest friends. Who do you turn to for life advice? In "My Huddled Masses," a new weekly Esquire column, editor-at-large A.J. Jacobs is turning to 100,000 of his closest Facebook friends. The experiment in life advice for the masses puts Jacobs at the helm of an open-sourced pool to which anyone can contribute. Jacobs describes his role as a kind of Nate Silver of columnists, "curating and collating and commenting on the mass’s responses." Each week, he'll print the best…

  • A New Model To Pay For Infrastructure in Chicago

    Stan Alcorn
    24 May 2013 | 12:00 pm
    The Chicago Infrastructure Trust creates a new way to pay for things like improvements to bridges and roads that won’t destroy the city’s already stretched budget. The next big thing is funding urban infrastructure is now coming online in Chicago, and Tim Logan has done a deep dive on what that means at Next American City. The core idea is simple: Governments across Europe, Canada and Australia have long turned to the private sector to help finance public assets, and even in the U.S., more places are dabbling in it. But it’s still rare for cities to take the lead. And no…
 
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    TechCrunch

  • Misfit Wearables Drops Android Support For Its Shine Activity Tracker Ahead Of Summer Launch

    Chris Velazco
    25 May 2013 | 2:27 pm
    Heads up, Android fans. If you took the plunge and backed the rather sleek Shine wearable activity tracker from Misfit Wearables, you may want to get your money back. According to a recent update posted to the project’s Indiegogo listing, the Founders Fund-backed company has decided to drop Android support from the final version in a bid to better focus on polishing the experience for iOS users. Seriously, that’s the only reason they gave, which is likely little consolation to the backers who were originally told that the Shine would support certain devices running Android 4.1 and…

  • Will The Xbox One Rule The Living Room? Price Will Determine The Size Of Its Kingdom

    Darrell Etherington
    25 May 2013 | 1:30 pm
    The Xbox One is more or less a known quantity now, but its price has yet to be revealed by Microsoft. Price and ship date are always the biggest concerns when new gadgets or hardware hits the market, but in the case of the Xbox One, it’s likely to help determine whether the “home entertainment system,” as Microsoft is characterizing it, becomes the category-busting, revolutionary multi-purpose living room command center it’s being billed as, or ends up just another console with niche appeal that makes it a target of lust for core gamers, but few outside that circle.

  • What Games Are: Xbox One Is Microsoft's Spruce Goose

    Tadhg Kelly
    25 May 2013 | 12:14 pm
    Editor’s note: Tadhg Kelly is a veteran game designer, creator of leading game design blog What Games Are and creative director of Jawfish Games. You can follow him on Twitter here. During the 1940s Howard Hughes spent millions developing and building a plane with the largest wingspan in history and a huge carrying capacity. The Spruce Goose was meant to solve a problem of moving troops and material for the second world war effort, but by the time it was tested, the war was already over and the plane’s engine technology was being superseded by jets. Even with more money at his…

  • Gillmor Gang: Parlor Games & Metaphones

    Steve Gillmor
    25 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    The Gillmor Gang — Robert Scoble, Kevin Marks, Keith Teare, John Taschek, and Steve Gillmor — neatly sidestepped the Yahoo Tumblr acquisition and segued into the wonderful world of messaging. As Facebook Home settles into a cot at the homeless shelter, Google is revving up for an all-out assault on the service suite. Google Glass is just the tip of the iceberg; below the waterline, the search giant is sucking image, location, traffic, and advertising data in realtime. It may seem like the Gang is tilting over into Google love, but scratch the surface (no pun intended) and you’ll…

  • Reminder: Google Buzz Is Still Dead, Your Data Will Be Moved To Drive, And They Thank You For Using It

    Drew Olanoff
    25 May 2013 | 9:38 am
    Google Buzz, the social service that Google launched way back in 2010 and then killed in 2011, reminded former users that their data still lives in and will be moved over to your Google Drive accounts in July. That’s lovely. The email describes exactly what will happen with your data, which won’t count against your Drive storage limits, thankfully. If you don’t delete the data and let Google move your stuff to Drive, it says that the public Buzz posts you shared in the past “may appear in search results and on your Google Profile.” OK, then. Here’s the…
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    Seth's Blog

  • On adding a zero

    Seth Godin
    25 May 2013 | 2:27 am
    What happens if, instead of one sales call a day, you make ten? Or if instead of 3 freelancers working on scaling your work, you have thirty? What happens if you add a zero in places where it feels impossible to handle... what then? Scale isn't always the answer, but if it is, then scale. Build the systems necessary to dramatically change your impact. Halfway gets you nowhere.

  • Overcoming the impossibility of amazing

    Seth Godin
    24 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    If you set your bar at "amazing," it's awfully difficult to start. Your first paragraph, sketch, formula, sample or concept isn't going to be amazing. Your tenth one might not be either. Confronted with the gap between your vision of perfect and the reality of what you've created, the easiest path is no path. Shrug. Admit defeat. Hit delete. One more reason to follow someone else and wait for instructions. Of course, the only path to amazing runs directly through not-yet-amazing. But not-yet-amazing is a great place to start, because that's where you are. For now. There's a big difference…

  • Thoughts on education and the burgeoning trophy shortage

    Seth Godin
    23 May 2013 | 2:00 am
    It's graduation season, so a few relevant links about school, students and our future: Here's the audio of an interview I did with PlayBuffet My TEDx talk about education And a reminder about Stop Stealing Dreams, a free manifesto that asks, "what is school for?" I hope we can ask this question more and more often... Feel free to share with your favorite graduate. Or her parents. Bonus: 20 video minutes at Creative Mornings.

  • Let's start with "sorry"

    Seth Godin
    22 May 2013 | 2:43 am
    By the time the phone rings, there's already trouble. When that manager is called or this department is reached, it's because someone is disappointed, angry or stuck. Illness, broken promises or a real urgency have led to this new conversation even taking place. So don't start with, "[Name of company] mumble mumble" as if there's a blank slate just waiting to be written on. There's already a lot of writing on that slate. Don't demand to know the record number or begin with doubt and an edge of dismissal. Be on our team. "It sounds like we've got a situation on our hands..." is a fine way to…

  • Levels of marketing magic, the placebo effects of desire

    Seth Godin
    21 May 2013 | 2:45 am
    ANTICIPATION: Before the product is released, the true fans are buzzing and speculating and waiting in line. The anticipation is self-reinforcing, a placebo effect of desire. UTILITY: The album is good, the software is useful, the book changes things. It works better than we hoped. Exceeding expectations pays significant dividends. REMARK: It's purple. Remarkable. Worth talking about. The word spreads. Ten people tell ten people and suddenly, it's abuzz. Not because of PR or hype, but because the remarkability is built right into the product or service itself. And more people enjoy things…
 
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    Wired Top Stories

  • Wired Space Photo of the Day: Supermassive Black Hole Jets

    Wired Science Staff
    25 May 2013 | 3:30 am
    This composite image of a galaxy illustrates how the intense gravity of a supermassive black hole can be tapped to generate immense power. The image contains X-ray data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory (blue), optical light obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope (gold) and radio waves from the NSF's Very Large Array (pink).

  • From Arrested Development to Dr. Who, How Binge Watching Is Changing Our Culture

    Grant McCracken
    24 May 2013 | 3:30 pm
    Why do we binge watch? One way to answer this question is to say, well, we binge on TV for the same reason we binge on food. And these psychological factors are no doubt apt. But the anthropological ones are perhaps just as useful and a little less obvious because culture is a thing of surfaces and secrets, and the anthropologist is obliged to record the first and penetrate the second to figure out what?s really going on.

  • The Xbox One Misses the Perfect Set-Top Box Target

    Roberto Baldwin
    24 May 2013 | 2:55 pm
    The Xbox One could have been the true center of your TV universe that let you throw all those other boxes away.

  • Better Place Runs Out of Juice, Reportedly Plans Bankruptcy

    Damon Lavrinc
    24 May 2013 | 2:51 pm
    Better Place's plan to create a world full of electric vehicles that swap their batteries when they run out of juice is reportedly dead.

  • BMW Fires a Legendary Motorcycle Into the 21st Century

    Damon Lavrinc
    24 May 2013 | 1:44 pm
    BMW's bikes have always been an amalgamation of form and function, which makes them more purposeful than pretty. The Concept Ninety finally manages to balance the two.
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    @ProBlogger

  • How to Create a Blog Purpose Statement in 3 Simple Steps

    Darren Rowse
    23 May 2013 | 8:54 am
    Yesterday, I shared a series of questions to help those bloggers seeking a little clarity when it comes to what their blog could be about. Today, I wanted to share 3 more questions – these are not so much focused upon YOU as a blogger but upon your readers. Hopefully they’ll also help you achieve a little clarity. Who are your readers? What do they need? How will they change as a result of reading your blog? Answer these 3 questions and you will actually have a pretty good purpose statement for your blog. You could certainly go into some real depth on each question but even doing…

  • 7 Questions to Ask Yourself to Bring Clarity to Your Blogging

    Darren Rowse
    22 May 2013 | 8:28 am
    Do you feel like you’ve lost clarity around what it is that you’re trying to do with your blog? I’ve recently bumped into a few bloggers grappling with this idea. Some were new,  even ‘Pre’ Bloggers, while a couple had been blogging for a while but had lost some direction. Out of these conversations, I put together a set of questions to help them think it through. The questions revolve around asking: What are YOU About? While I won’t guarantee you instant clarity on answering these questions I hope that putting a little time aside to work through them…

  • 7 Steps to Proofreading Like a Pro

    Guest Blogger
    21 May 2013 | 9:37 am
    This is a guest contribution by Charles Cuninghame, website copywriter and owner of Text-Centric. I’m sure we can all agree that proofreading is the least fun part of blogging. But while it may be tedious, it’s well worth the effort. Typos are not only embarrassing, they can also cost you money. In a widely reported study in 2011, British entrepreneur Charles Duncombe found a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half! If you don’t have a product, then you could be missing out a blog subscriber or repeat visitor! Here’s a tried and tested proofreading process that I’ve…

  • Are You Balancing Emerging Technology with Effective Strategy?

    Darren Rowse
    20 May 2013 | 8:21 am
    Last week I was asked at a conference to reflect upon the future of digital and among other things I made a reflection that seemed to resonate with those gathered. It was: Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. As online publishers we see a steady stream of articles being written about new and future technologies, companies and trends in the online publishing space. It is certainly an exciting time to be doing what we’re doing with such amazing development happening all around us and some amazing projections being made about what is ahead of us – however in the midst…

  • How to Blog Like a Pro: Workshop on the Gold Coast Australia – Next Week

    Darren Rowse
    19 May 2013 | 7:56 pm
    Next week (29th May) I’m running a special workshop at the Internet Conference on the Gold Coast here in Australia. The workshop is titled – How to Blog Like a Pro – and you’ll get 4 solid hours of teaching in it – all delivered by me in a workshop limited to 40 people only. The workshop has only previously been available to those signing up to the full 3 day conferences as an add-on but there are a few tickets still available and so I asked the organisers if we could sell them as a stand-alone ticket (i.e. you don’t have to come to the full 3 day event).
 
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    Lifehacker

  • Thicken Up Your Smoothies with Chia Seeds

    Shep McAllister
    25 May 2013 | 2:00 pm
    Bananas are usually the go-to ingredient to for thickening up a smoothie, but chia seeds are a great alternative if you don't have any bananas handy, or just don't like how they taste.Read more...    

  • Organize Laundry with Kitchen Cabinets

    Shep McAllister
    25 May 2013 | 1:00 pm
    It you're having trouble keeping your laundry room organized, you can repurpose an old wall-mounted kitchen cabinet into a great laundry organizer.Read more...    

  • Fold Shirts Military Style for Efficient Packing

    Shep McAllister
    25 May 2013 | 12:00 pm
    Most people know that rolling t-shirts is the most efficient way to pack them into a suitcase, but not all shirt rolls are created equal. For a truly tight suitcase, you should master the military-style roll.Read more...    

  • Listacular Creates Flexible To-Dos, Is Packed with Gestures

    Shep McAllister
    25 May 2013 | 11:00 am
    iPhone: There's already a glut of to-do list apps available on iOS, but Listacular is a new entrant into the fold that brings a beautiful interface, Dropbox syncing, and collaborative list editing to the table, and it's definitely worth a look.Read more...    

  • Top 10 Paid Apps That Are Well Worth Their Price

    Whitson Gordon
    25 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    Don't get us wrong: free apps are amazing, and we're awfully thankful for them. But sometimes, you get what you pay for, and a few bucks can get you a much better app that'll make your life so much easier. Here are 10 paid apps we think are well worth the price.Read more...    
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    MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors

  • Working Apple 1 Computer Sells for Record Auction Price of $671,400

    Eric Slivka
    25 May 2013 | 7:42 am
    The New York Times reports that a working Apple 1 computer has sold at auction in Germany for a record $671,400, breaking the previous mark of $640,000 set last November at the same auction house. That November record has eclipsed an earlier record of $375,000 set less than six months earlier. The high prices paid for the machines seem to be explained by the combination of scarcity, a fascination with the early history of the computer age, and the mystique of Apple and its founders, Steven P. Jobs and Stephen G. Wozniak. And some irrational exuberance in the prices, for a machine…

  • Apple Removes Download Options From Quicktime Trailers Website

    Juli Clover
    24 May 2013 | 4:09 pm
    It appears that Apple has begun quietly phasing out its trailer download options from the trailers.apple.com website, effectively eliminating 1080p trailer availability. Previously, the site gave users the ability to stream trailers in 480p or 720p, along with providing download options for 480p, 720p, and 1080p. Trailers uploaded to the site after an approximate date of May 22 no longer have any download options and can only be streamed in-browser at 480p or 720p. Trailer options before 5/22 Trailer options after 5/22 While trailers uploaded before May 22 can still be downloaded, Apple…

  • iPhone Urinalysis App Draws U.S. Government Scrutiny

    Jordan Golson
    24 May 2013 | 11:33 am
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has sent a letter to BioSense Technologies over its iPhone uChek urinalysis system, asking why its medical app hasn't been cleared by the agency. The app is one of the first that turns the iPhone into a medical device, designed to read urinalysis test strips that are normally examined by users and compared to a color-coded chart. With the uChek system, patients can take a picture of the strip with the iPhone's camera and then receive an automated readout of parameters like glucose, urobilinogen, pH, ketone and more. The app also stores results which then…

  • Apple Slashes Prices on Refurbished iPad Mini and iPad 4 Models

    Eric Slivka
    24 May 2013 | 8:14 am
    Apple today significantly reduced prices on refurbished models of the iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad, with all models now carrying approximately 15% discounts relative to brand-new units. iPad mini - 16 GB Wi-Fi: $279, down from $299 previously and $329 brand-new - 32 GB Wi-Fi: $359, down from $389 previously and $429 brand-new - 64 GB Wi-Fi: $439, down from $489 previously and $529 brand-new - 16 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $389, down from $429 previously and $459 brand-new - 32 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular: $469, down from $519 previously and…

  • More Details on Jony Ive's Flat iOS 7 Design: Heavier on Black and White

    Eric Slivka
    24 May 2013 | 6:30 am
    9to5Mac shares more details on Jony Ive's redesign for iOS 7, noting that not only will it bring a flatter look to the operating system but also more emphasis on black and white design elements.Sources have described iOS 7 as “black, white, and flat all over.” This refers to the dropping of heavy textures and the addition of several new black and white user interface elements. [...] For the upcoming operating system, which Apple says will be unveiled at its June Worldwide Developers Conference, Ive has not simply picked areas of the software design to tweak. He has essentially made his…
 
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    chrisbrogan.com

  • Be Open to Inspiration

    ceb
    10 May 2013 | 8:41 am
    I’ve been in a bit of a fog the last week or so. Nothing worth talking about, really. Depression stuff. But then it lifted. What’s interesting to me is how I found my footing and how I got back on track, and so there are two items I want to share with you from this: the actual learning, and more importantly, the realization of what got me there. Be Open to Inspiration Humans have this way they deal with too much information. They discard tons of inputs and keep what they feel is important. This is necessary, by the way. Can you imagine how busy your brain would be if you thought…

  • Do Local Businesses Deserve Your Money?

    ceb
    7 May 2013 | 1:38 pm
    I sat at the counter at my local restaurant the other day and waited for over 7 minutes without anyone bothering to acknowledge that I was there. And then I walked out. And so did my money. For good. In fact, I drove to McDonalds, got some scrambled eggs and an iced coffee, and was in and out of the system within the same 7 minutes. (You can save your comments with disdain for McDonalds. If you’re a parent, you go there, unless you don’t. Either way. It’s not the point.) Now, before you try to defend this other place, no, it wasn’t busy. Yes, at least two employees had seen me, and…

  • Why Use These Outlier Social Media Tools?

    ceb
    30 Apr 2013 | 4:21 pm
    Why should you bother using tools like Vine and Instagram, and the like? That question was asked to me by Pam Vitaz, and she asked it somewhat in this context (my words not hers): Vine’s interesting, but you basically just shot a funny video. Why do that? Here’s the video she meant: Can’t see the video? Click Here. Can’t hear sound? Hover over it and click the little sound thingy. On the surface, it’s the kind of question you can answer with “why not?” But that’s not good enough. Why Use These Outlier Social Media Tools? First, it’s your…

  • Can You Work at Being Fearless?

    ceb
    29 Apr 2013 | 7:03 am
    Fear is at the heart of most of our worst choices. I read this facebook post by James Altucher and it really punched me in the stomach. But that’s just one punch in a series, because every time I question how I ended up somewhere, the real answer (underneath all the bull answers) is fear. It’s why most stupid things happen, why all bad things happen (when humans are involved), and is even worse than you think. I’m afraid of a weird collection of things. I’m afraid of sharks (ever since seeing Jaws at a very young age – because I pestered my parents tirelessly til…

  • Sponsored Post – Mobile Productivity and the Future

    ceb
    24 Apr 2013 | 4:53 am
    Can you be productive while on the road? I say yes. In fact, I’m writing this from a hotel room before heading off to a meeting with a client. The following is sponsored by Cloud Powered Work, which is a project with IDG, LinkedIn, and Microsoft’s Office365. Everything in this post is mine, and my opinions are my own. I just produced an episode of my radio show from my hotel room, because I realized that an episode was due and I hadn’t done the work before I took off for the day. Last night, while I waited for my slightly delayed airplane, I cracked open SkyDrive pulled down…
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    Copyblogger

  • 5 Must Read Writing Links

    Robert Bruce
    25 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    This week on The Lede … Why Rituals Work 90 Free Online Philosophy Courses 7 Steps to Finding Focus for Writing A Cheat Sheet of 24 Coffee Drinks We’re All Media Companies Now Want to grab even more useful links (beyond those that make The Lede)? Follow @copyblogger on Twitter. // Why Rituals Work Writers, like baseball players, are some of the most superstitious people on earth. I’d list a few of my own pre-game rituals here, but I’d rather not invite the Men in White Coats to my front door. Do rituals work? Ms. Gina seems to think so. If she didn’t, I’d…

  • Here’s How Austin Kleon Writes

    Kelton Reid
    24 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    Steve Jobs famously misquoted Picasso when he said, “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” What Picasso really said was, “Art is theft.” T.S. Eliot said something far closer, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.” I learned all of this from Austin Kleon, bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist, a guide I recommend to all writers seeking insights for tapping into your endless reserves of creativity and innovation. As a noted speaker, and prolific blogger, Mr. Kleon offers timeless wisdom on the secrets of borrowing inspiration from your heroes…

  • 30 Quick Editing Tips Every Content Creator Needs to Know

    Stefanie Flaxman
    23 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    Inbox 0: in a bad way. Has your brilliant content still not scored you that dream writing position, lucrative business partnership, or sweet recognition among your peers and target audience? If you think your articles are top-notch, but there’s a lonely tumbleweed blowing through your barren website, it may be because you’re just a writer. You heard me, Gloria. If everybody wants you, why isn’t anybody calling? Once you create a blog or email newsletter, you need to also actively take part in its evolution. While keeping diligent focus on your content production, you must also review…

  • How to Nail the Opening of Your Blog Post

    Demian Farnworth
    22 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    The opening four notes to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony are the most popular notes in Western music. Dun dun dun dum … They are stormy. Heroic. Disorienting. Short enough to be remembered. Portentous enough to be memorable. Today you’ll find those notes everywhere. In movies, commercials, and songs when the dramatic and foreboding are needed … And we hardly bat an eye. We recognize them, we know them, and we love those first four notes. Not so for Beethoven’s opening night at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1808. One contemporary composer of Beethoven —…

  • 5 Things Every Copywriter Needs to Know About Their Prospects

    Amy Harrison
    21 May 2013 | 4:00 am
    What do you really know about your prospect? Their age range perhaps? Where they live? What they do for a living? Useful definitely, but not enough to create copy that rouses emotion and compels action. For that we need to take a journey much deeper into the dark recesses of our customers’ minds … Want to join me? Today’s article is inspired by someone who understood that in writing, how well you knew your ‘characters’ made the difference between captivating an audience, or boring them. In 1946 The Art of Dramatic Writing, (now regarded as one of the best works…
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    Macworld

  • The Macalope Weekly: Business time

    25 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    That’s right, it’s business time! And by that the Macalope sadly means trying to figure out why business folks never get Apple. Sorry for any confusion. Hope you weren’t thinking of something else. Any-hoo, we’ll first look at a consultant with a surprising motivation in talking about Apple (note: not that surprising). Then the brain trust at Business Insider takes it to the max, and, finally, the folks from Bloomberg are back! And they’ve learned nothing. Attention grabbing disorder Throw this piece by Steve Colquhoun on the bonfire of the vanities of people still asking questions…

  • The Week in iPad Cases: Golden slumbers

    25 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    If you enjoyed this week's roundup of iPad cases, check out last week's edition, Just Keep Swimming.

  • The Week in iOS Apps: Music all around you!

    24 May 2013 | 9:30 am
    Like music? Like making it? Discovering new artists? Figuring out who the heck is singing that song on the TV commercial? We’ve got you covered in this week’s roundup of new and updated iOS apps. The Doors Father! Yes son? I want to buy the $5 The Doors app for iPad, which features more than 700 images and over 100 music and sound clips featuring Oliver Stone’s favorite band. There are also a half-dozen short films—we call them videos now—featuring some of the band’s most beloved songs. C’mon baby, take a chance with us. Guitar! by Smule To read this article in full or to leave…

  • Horace Dediu's four questions for Tim Cook

    24 May 2013 | 7:38 am
    The ever sharp tech analyst has four incisive questions for the Apple CEO ahead of Cook's appearance at next week's D11 conference. (asymco.com)

  • Bugs & Fixes: iTunes 11.0.3 update improves app updating

    24 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    Along with the usual bug fixes and performance improvements, the recently updated iTunes 11.0.3 introduces several interface tweaks. For my money, the most welcome addition is one that Apple doesn’t even mention on its “About iTunes 11.0.3” page: a redesigned interface for checking on and downloading updated iOS apps. On the downside, if you’re among the unlucky minority, the new iTunes version may crash on a regular basis. Updating apps gets a welcome makeover Back in 2010, I detailed several problems with how the app update process worked in iTunes — and how it could be improved.
 
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    ReadWrite

  • Marissa Mayer Has Already Made One Big Mistake With Tumblr

    24 May 2013 | 2:30 pm
    Yahoo's $1.1 billion acquisition of Tumblr is already being hailed as a brilliant move, securing a younger Internet demographic and a fertile field for native advertising, an innovative business model where content from brands lives side by side with users' contributions. In buying Tumblr, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer made a nod to the company's past missteps in promising to "not screw it up." But in one crucial way, she already has. That $1.1 billion is a lot of shareholder cash. And so Yahoo is promising investors that Tumblr will contribute to the bottom line next year. An understandable…

  • Google Planning Wireless Networks To Connect The Next 1B People - WSJ

    24 May 2013 | 1:25 pm
    If Google had its way, everyone in the world would be on the Internet, using Google services. To bring that goal to fruition, Google is reportedly working to build cellular networks in Africa and Southeast Asia to help bring hundreds of millions of people online for the first time. According to The Wall Street Journal, Google is in talks with countries like Kenya and South Africa to fund and deploy cellular networks in those countries, using wireless spectrum reserved for television broadcasts.  Bone deep in Google’s business strategy is that the more people that use the Web, the more…

  • Microsoft And Google Declare A Truce In Their YouTube Fight

    24 May 2013 | 1:03 pm
    Google and Microsoft are finally shaking hands and agreeing to work together over Microsoft's controversial YouTube app for Windows Phone devices. "Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube’s API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks. Microsoft will replace the existing YouTube app in Windows Phone Store with the previous version during this time," Microsoft and YouTube said in a joint statement sent to ReadWrite.  Microsoft will take down the current YouTube app from the Windows…

  • iOS 7 Rumor Watch: 'Black, White and Flat All Over'

    24 May 2013 | 12:11 pm
    It's widely rumored that Apple's new iOS 7, to be unveiled at WWDC next month, will ditch the company's ill-fated love affair with "heavy textures," also known as skeuomorphic design, for a more flattened take on the user interface. A new report from 9to5mac on Friday suggests that this new flat design will also incorporate lots of black and white, though it's unclear just how far this simplified color scheme will permeate the new OS. (See also: iOS Users Beg Apple: Set Our iPhones & iPads Free!) Other updates will reportedly include changes to the longstanding lock screen, new…

  • Google Has A Trojan Horse To Disrupt TV: Really, Really Big Data

    24 May 2013 | 10:08 am
    It's a huge year for TV's future. Yet for all the excitement about Web-first soap operas, data-driven programming and the disruption of broadcast, the Internet TV "inflection point" that 2013 has become is just the beginning. A Trojan horse is slowly rolling into town, and it's bursting at the seams with data. Wheeling it along is none other than Google.  Indeed, if the data-fueled success of Netflix's House of Cards is as crucial to TV's future as many believe, what Google is most likely planning will make the transformation we've witnessed so far look like early innings in a very long…
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    Smashing Magazine Feed

  • Beyond The Button: Embracing The Gesture-Driven Interface

    Thomas Joos
    24 May 2013 | 2:09 am
       As a mobile UI or UX designer, you probably remember the launch of Apple’s first iPhone as if it was yesterday. Among other things, it introduced a completely touchscreen-centered interaction to a individual’s most private and personal device. It was a game-changer. Today, kids grow up with touchscreen experiences like it’s the most natural thing. Parents are amazed by how fast their children understand how a tablet or smartphone works. This shows that touch and gesture interactions have a lot of potential to make mobile experiences easier and more fun to use. Challenging…

  • Building The New Financial Times Web App (A Case Study)

    Wilson Page
    23 May 2013 | 2:52 am
       When the mockups for the new Financial Times application hit our desks in mid-2012, we knew we had a real challenge on our hands. Many of us on the team (including me) swore that parts of interface would not be possible in HTML5. Given the product team’s passion for the new UI, we rolled up our sleeves and gave it our best shot. We were tasked with implementing a far more challenging product, without compromising the reliable, performant experience that made the first app so successful. We didn’t just want to build a product that fulfilled its current requirements; we…

  • Designing CSS Layouts With Flexbox Is As Easy As Pie

    David Storey
    22 May 2013 | 5:31 am
       Flexible box layout (or flexbox) is a new box model optimized for UI layout. As one of the first CSS modules designed for actual layout (floats were really meant mostly for things such as wrapping text around images), it makes a lot of tasks much easier, or even possible at all. Flexbox’s repertoire includes the simple centering of elements (both horizontally and vertically), the expansion and contraction of elements to fill available space, and source-code independent layout, among others abilities. Flexbox has lived a storied existence. It started as a feature of Mozilla’s…

  • Mobile UX Research: Exploring Ten Fundamental Aspects Of M-Commerce Usability

    Christian Holst
    21 May 2013 | 6:30 am
       Everyone is talking about mobile. Some e-commerce websites are venturing into it. Mobile commerce (also known as “m-commerce”) has immense potential, exhibiting a 86% growth rate and hitting $25 billion in 2012 (set to reach $86 billion by 2016, according to eMarketer). It’s also a whole new platform, with new interaction methods and usage contexts that introduce a host of limitations and pitfalls to watch out for when designing and running an m-commerce website. With few best practices yet established, m-commerce is, to a large degree, unchartered territory when it…

  • Case Study: Typographic Design Patterns And Current Practices (2013 Edition)

    Jan Constantin
    16 May 2013 | 7:25 pm
       Good typography has always been a defining aspect of effective Web design, and this holds true especially for websites in which the emphasis is on presenting a large amount of content — specifically, articles, news and stories. Whether for a magazine or international newspaper, the designer of any website that distributes a lot of content has always had to consider typographic details as seriously and thoroughly as a print designer would. In 2009, we conducted a survey of then current typographic practices. Since then, responsive design techniques have clearly gained…
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    CNN.com - Top Stories

  • Oklahoma tornado

    25 May 2013 | 2:44 pm
    Five days ago, Miranda Mann huddled in a science classroom at Southmoore High School. She should have been filed with pride, relief and excitement about her upcoming graduation. Instead, she was filled with fear as a devastating tornado powered through her central Oklahoma city.

  • Mount Everest

    25 May 2013 | 2:42 pm
    Nadav Ben Yehuda's right hand can't grasp a pencil. No longer can he sit on the side of a mountain scrawling poetry in his climbing notebook. The nerve damage causes him to drop things without warning.

  • Texas flooding

    25 May 2013 | 2:39 pm
    Flooding left one person dead and another missing in San Antonio, Texas, authorities said Saturday.

  • London attack

    25 May 2013 | 2:38 pm
    Metropolitan Police say the men are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder in the brutal killing of a British soldier.

  • Blog: Late goal lifts Bayern

    25 May 2013 | 2:31 pm
 
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    Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider

  • Today Triple Scoop Music is launching my Signature Music Collection for Landscape & Travel

    Scott Kelby
    23 May 2013 | 9:01 pm
    I’ve been a fan of Triple Scoop Music even since I heard some of the instructors at Photoshop World using their royalty-free music tracks in their photo slideshow presentations. As a musician myself, I am just so impressed with the quality of their  tracks — their stuff is “the real deal.” That’s why I was so psyched when they asked me to put together a Signature Collection of  their music tracks that I thought would be perfect for landscape and travel photography slideshows and videos.The “Scott Kelby Signature Series Vol 1 – Landscape and Travel…

  • It’s Free Stuff Thursday!

    Brad Moore
    22 May 2013 | 10:13 pm
    The Digital Photography Book Part 1 – Second Edition Okay, Scott already announced the release of the new version of his best-selling book, The Digital Photography Book Part 1 – Second Edition. But since today is Free Stuff Thursday, I figured we would give away FIVE FREE copies to some lucky commenters! Whether you already have the first edition and just want the latest version, or if you want to give a copy to a friend, or if you just don’t have any version of this book and want it, leave a comment for your chance to win! Or, you can head over to KelbyTraining.com, Amazon,…

  • It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Vincent Versace!

    Brad Moore
    21 May 2013 | 9:01 pm
    Photo by Douglas DublerA Tale of Two PhotosOnce a year, on the anniversary of Guest Blog Wednesday, Scott affords me the opportunity to share some thoughts. All I can say is that it is a good thing that he gives me a year between these guest blog posts. Once again, thank you, Scott, for your gracious generosity.Tale 1Of all of the images I have or will take in my life, I suspect “Paris in Snow” will be by far my most iconic. It is the cover of my book From Oz to Kansas, and Epson uses it as the image on their worldwide packaging of Cold Press Natural paper. So the image has received some…

  • Motorcycle Shoot (behind-the-scenes)

    Scott Kelby
    21 May 2013 | 4:22 am
    (Above) Here’s a behind-the-scene shot from Friday’s shoot.  This is a three-light shoot: Two 4-foot strip banks above (with Elinchrom strobes), and there’s one additional softbox in front (you can see the light-stand right behind my laptop) that’s putting some extra light on the engine — it was a little dark in there with just the two strobe directly above the bike.I asked my Creative Director Felix Nelson if I could shoot his Harley, but he was doing some serious tinkering with it at home and it wouldn’t be ready for days, so he suggested calling our…

  • The 2nd Edition “Refresh” of my “Digital Photography Book, Part One” is here

    Scott Kelby
    19 May 2013 | 9:01 pm
    OK, if you already have the first edition of the book, DON’T BUY THIS ONE!!!! That’s because it’s a “refresh” and not a “rewrite.”The original book was published back in 2006, so I brought the book up-to-date with a pretty significant refresh using today’s latest cameras, updates and changes in gear; plus I added a short chapter with some advice I’ve learned since then; I went through and updated all the photos  (man, it’s excruciating to look back at the images you were taking seven years ago), and techniques where needed…
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    Digital Photography School

  • An Introduction to Photoshop Compositing for Beginners

    Guest Contributor
    25 May 2013 | 9:06 am
    by Sarah Hipwell What is compositing? Simply, it means to combine two or more images to make a single picture. As a photographer, I’m constantly coming up with different concepts that I feel might make a good photo. But it is not always possible to get the perfect shot in one session. There have been numerous occasions while on a shoot where the light was not bright enough for the particular shot that I had in mind. On other occasions the background was too distracting. This is where the ability to create composite imagery in Photoshop is a huge advantage. To produce a composite image in…

  • Spirit: Weekly Photography Challenge

    Darren Rowse
    24 May 2013 | 12:31 pm
    Yesterday we published a post from Hailey Bartholomew with Tips for Taking Portraits that Reflect the Character and Spirit of Your Subject that gave me the theme of this weeks challenge. Your challenge is to take and share an image on the theme of ‘Spirit’. Feel free to approach the theme in any way that you wish – you might want to take a portrait that shows someones true spirit or you could photograph something that is ‘Spiritual’ or even photograph something that represents your spirit. Be as creative as you’d like! Once you’ve taken your…

  • Home Is Where The Heart Is: How To Take Portraits In It

    Guest Contributor
    24 May 2013 | 8:52 am
    by Lynsey Peterson. I hate nature. There. I said it. It’s like glitter—it seems like such a fun idea but no matter how careful you are, it gets all over you and 7 showers later you still find it in your hair. This is further complicated by the fact that I live in what is known around the planet as one of the most beautiful places in the world. As a photographer, it’s dreamy situation; I could photograph a family in a parking lot (and I have) and the surroundings are more beautiful than many conventional parks in the world. So most of the time I have to suck it up and schedule an…

  • The Sony RX100 at Dublin Zoo [USER REVIEW]

    Guest Contributor
    23 May 2013 | 1:16 pm
    by Sarah Hipwell It’s been about four years since my last visit to the zoo. Last week my two girls had a break from school so I decided to take them along with my Mum for a day out to visit the animals at Dublin Zoo. I brought my trusty new Sony RX100 and as a backup I brought my Nikon D300 DSLR. In the end the D300 camera didn’t come out of my bag! I really wanted to test out the RX100 and see how well this compact camera performed in the wild! Actually, I had been interested in purchasing a compact camera for a while now. My husband has taken some great shots with his Retina iPhone. But…

  • 3 Tips for Taking Portraits that Reflect the Character and Spirit of your Subject

    Guest Contributor
    23 May 2013 | 7:57 am
    A Guest contribution by Hailey Bartholomew from You Can’t Be Serious. 1. Do Something Who are you photographing? If you don’t know them well, find out what they love to do and where they relax the most. Maybe they love to row boats or take picnics at their favourite park every Sunday. Maybe you are photographing your grandmother who loves to be out in her garden. Go and do that with them. Whatever they love to do to relax, tag along with your camera. But don’t sit back on the sidelines hoping to catch a moment from far away – get down and into whatever they are doing.
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    TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

  • Farensius adds weather to your Mac menu bar

    Erica Sadun
    25 May 2013 | 2:00 pm
    For only US$0.99, the OS X Farensius app is just adorable. It adds a current weather indicator to your menu bar, and offers an optional 5-day forecast in its drop-down. It's exactly what I've been missing on my desktop. I have it set to update every five minutes, and with a tiny glance up and to the right, I can keep track of the current temperature. Farensius is one of two related apps. Its big brother, Farensius Desktop ($1.99) adds the forecast to your desktop wallpaper. For me, my bland white desktop background is a necessity -- so I'm sticking with the basic app for now. Those looking…

  • Hands-on with the Kensington USB 3.0 Docking Station with Dual DVI/HDMI/VGA Video (Giveaway!)

    Steven Sande
    25 May 2013 | 10:00 am
    The popularity of Apple's MacBook Pro and Air laptops is one of the reasons that Mac sales have increased while PC sales are waning. But if there's one thing that the laptop experience is lacking, it's a plethora of USB 3.0 and video ports. Kensington's USB 3.0 Docking Station with DVI/HDMI/VGA Video (Model sd3500v, US$199.99) has been around for a while to help out PC laptop users; the recent availability for OS X drivers for the DisplayLink hardware inside the unit now gives MacBook owners a piece of the action. Design The Docking Station is a slim vertical black tower that's unobtrusive on…

  • Caturday: Me-WoW!

    Steven Sande
    25 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    We don't have a name for this week's Caturday model, but owner Baz Francis of Adelaide, South Australia says that "he's a two month old ginger kitten who loves watching my partner play World of Warcraft on my 15" MacBook Pro. When he's not intently staring at the screen with his head tilted or clawing at the weird characters, he's lying on his back dreaming that he's a Mac superman." This looks like just the cat for our very own gamer extraordinaire, Mike Schramm! If you've got a Caturday nominee to share, let us know via our feedback page. For security reasons we can't accept inbound…

  • iOS-only OnTrees hopes to be the Mint.com of the UK

    Michael Grothaus
    25 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    I've been attending a lot of meetings with various London-based startups in the last few months to learn their stories on what it takes to launch a successful new product. I'm particularly interested in ones that have a heavy slant towards mobile -- and iOS. This interest is magnified when I find a startup that is making a product that truly makes my life easier. One such startup is OnTrees and I think the process of bringing their idea to market is one other iOS developers can learn from. OnTrees wants to be the Mint.com of the UK. Financial data aggregation can be big business. Just ask…

  • PureShot is a full featured iOS camera app

    Mel Martin
    24 May 2013 | 5:00 pm
    PureShot, a US$1.99 universal app, takes a very shooting-oriented approach to photography on iOS. You don't process your images here, or add filters. Instead, you just use the tools provided to take the very best picture you can, then process it on your iOS device, or get it onto your Mac or PC and use a dedicated image editor. I like that approach, because most do-it-all apps aren't strong in every feature. PureShot is dedicated to taking good pictures, and I think it succeeds at that goal. The app features 2 quality levels for JPEG images, and even something called dRAW TIFF output, which…
 
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    Strobist

  • Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters is Now Available on DVD, and Netflix Streaming

    22 May 2013 | 9:00 pm
    ©Gregory Crewdson Netflix have acquired the rights to stream Ben Shapiro's excellent 77-minute documentary, Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters. You can also buy it outright on DVD for $24. Sadly, the Netflix access this is US-only (maybe Canada? nope!) and only for Netflix streaming subscribers. But this is still far and away the biggest audience to have had access to the film. There's no telling how long it will be up to stream. Netflix is notorious for having, then not having, the rights to a movie. So just in case, don't wait too long. You can stream it here. (Many thanks to reader Tim…

  • On Assignment: Back to the Well

    21 May 2013 | 9:00 pm
    Tian Lu (left) and Yuri Shadrin are both accomplished pianists in their own right. But when they play as a duet (on the same piano) they produce an intuitive mix of music and banter that could only come from the married couple that they are. He is Russian, she is Chinese. Which made them the perfect choice to perform in China later this month in commemoration of an upcoming regional trade partnership between China and Russia. So I shot their publicity portraits in one of my favorite little environmental portrait nooks in Howard County—under the fountain downtown at the lakefront. I have…

  • Q&A: Photek Softlighter II or Paul Buff PLM?

    17 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    Sydney, Australia-based photo assistant Diego asks: You seem to use the Photek Softlighter a lot. How would this compare to the Paul Buff PML Soft-Silver with the White Diffuser? While they are similar (both sub-$100 Octa killers) they are pretty different under the skin, So which model you'll prefer depends on how you'll use it… Read more »

  • Readers Shoot Back: Vivian Chung

    13 May 2013 | 8:11 am
    Dontcha hate it when your bride-and-groom portrait gets photo-bombed? Okay, maybe not if it's by a Beluga whale. And for Vancouver wedding photographer (and Strobist reader) Vivian Chung, this well-planned cameo was no accident. Complicating things, she only had a little time—and a key technical restriction—to make this shot. Read more »

  • Lighting In Layers on Lynda.com

    13 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    I am happy to announce that Strobist's video series, Lighting in Layers, has by special arrangement been adapted for the video tutorial site Lynda.com. Those of you who are Lynda subscribers can now view the videos there. (This includes Lynda's many corporate subs, so check with your company.) Last week saw the launch of the first segments, which are primarily aimed at beginners. Additional sessions will be released each week. So even if you are not a newb, stick around. It'll get more complex soon enough… -30-
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    News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

  • What The Duck #1390

    24 May 2013 | 5:56 pm
    We've been fans of Aaron Johnson's comic strip 'What the Duck' for years. 'WTD' is one of the best satirical comic strips in the world, and it's published here every week, as well as being included in our weekly newsletter. Barbed, topical and always amusing, we hope you enjoy WTD as much as we do. Click through for this week's strip.

  • Accessory Review: Phottix BG-5D III Battery Grip for Canon 5D Mark III

    24 May 2013 | 5:16 pm
    The Phottix BG-5DIII battery grip is a budget-friendly alternative to Canon's BG-E11 battery grip for the EOS 5D Mark III, allowing you to double the battery life and enhance handling when shooting vertical format images. Can it do the same job for less cash, or should you save up for the Canon-branded accessory? Find out in our review. 

  • Sign up for the DPReview newsletter today!

    24 May 2013 | 1:08 pm
    Just a reminder - you can get a weekly update of all that's new in the digital photography world by subscribing to the Digital Photography Review Newsletter! As well as updates on what we've published, we'll also be sharing sneak peeks at what we've got in the pipeline, as well as a weekly cartoon strip, and occasionally also readers' polls, (bad) jokes, suggestions for photo projects and more. Click through for more details. 

  • Vine enthusiast Jethro Ames explains the art of 6-second storytelling

    24 May 2013 | 11:54 am
    Video sharing service Vine has generated a lot of buzz in recent months. Vine allows you to share videos of up to six seconds in length as either a single continuous take or as a 'collage' of short duration clips. Art Director Jethro Ames saw Vine as a challenge and decided to push his limits to see what he could do with the app. The result is a series of imaginative timelapse videos that are perfectly executed down to the last detail. Click through to see his work, and our interview on connect.dpreview.com.

  • Sigma announces availability of 35mm F1.4 DG HSM for Sony and Pentax

    24 May 2013 | 3:00 am
    In a brief note on its Japanese website, Sigma has announced that the Sony and Pentax mount versions of its highly-regarded 35mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' lens will go on sale on 31st May. It's also announced that the Nikon-mount version of its 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM 'Sports' telephoto zoom will be available at the same time. We gave the 35mm F1.4 our Gold Award when we reviewed it back in December, for its combination of exceptionally good optics and solid build at a price rather lower than the camera manufacturers' equivalents.
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    Lightroom Killer Tips

  • Should You Create Multiple Catalogs In Lightroom?

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    20 May 2013 | 11:01 pm
    For years, catalog questions tend to be the most popular questions I get at my Lightroom seminars. One of those questions is whether or not to create multiple catalogs in Lightroom. See, back in Lightroom 1, it became fairly common knowledge that when your catalog grew to a certain size in photos (say 20,000) that it would slow down and you should create a new catalog so Lightroom would keep running quickly. But that’s not the case anymore. Lightroom doesn’t have a photo limit that anyone has hit. Adobe doesn’t even recommend creating multiple catalogs anymore. So the first…

  • Lightroom And WPPI Coming Your Way (Chicago, Atlantic City, Vegas and LA)

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    15 May 2013 | 9:00 am
    If you live in Chicago, Atlantic City, LA or Las Vegas then you’ve got a WPPI “On the Road” stop coming your way. NAPP and WPPI are teaming up to provide you with some killer Photoshop and Lightroom training at each event. RC Concepcion, Pete Collins and I will be teaching along side plenty of other great instructors in each city. Here’s the link to WPPI’s website if you want to find out more and below is the list of cities and dates. Hope to see you there! • Chicago: May 21-22 • Atlantic City: June 3-4 • Los Angeles: July 15-16 • Las Vegas: August…

  • A Super Quick Way To Convert Your Photo To Black And White

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    9 May 2013 | 11:01 pm
    Hey everyone. Here’s a great little tip for you if you want to see quickly see what your photo looks like as a black and white, without going to a different panel and messing with sliders. Ready… just go to the Develop module and press the V key. Yup… that’s it. It does the default black and white conversion, and gives you a good idea of whether you’d want to process the photo any further as a B&W. If you like it, then head down to the B&W panel and make some more adjustments. If not, just press the V key again and it’ll take you back to the color…

  • What Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud) Means For Lightroom Users?

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    6 May 2013 | 11:01 pm
    There’s obviously lots of feedback, buzz, interest, and excitement, from Adobe’s announcement yesterday. If you missed it, in a nutshell, Photoshop as we know it is going totally subscription based. So basically, you can’t buy a stand alone boxed or download copy of it anymore. You have to subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud to get Photoshop CC (CC means Creative Cloud). However, for now you’ll still be able to buy Lightroom standalone without subscribing (even though it’s also included in the CC). By the way, if you hadn’t noticed Photoshop CS is no…

  • Lightroom Tip: Hiding Panels

    jgilbert@photoshopuser.com (Matt Kloskowski)
    2 May 2013 | 11:01 pm
    Did you know that you can hide specific panels in Lightroom? You probably knew that you can collapse a panel just by clicking the tiny arrow next to the name of the panel. But you can also hide them so they simply don’t show up. For example, personally I don’t use the Split Toning panel, so why even have it show up there anymore? To hide it (or any other panel) right click under the Histogram in the dark gray empty area in the Develop module (just to the left of the word Basic in the Basic panel). The panels that are visible will be checked. To hide one or more just click on it.
 
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    MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - iOS Blog

  • Automatic Connected Car System Delayed Until August

    Juli Clover
    24 May 2013 | 2:52 pm
    Automatic introduced its Automatic Link connected car system in March of this year, promising to ship out the app and the Bluetooth adapter beginning in May. The system includes a plug-in adapter that is designed to read data from a car's onboard diagnostics, turning nearly any car manufactured after 1996 into a connected car. The adapter utilizes an accompanying iPhone app to provide detailed information on driving habits and car health. Unfortunately, Automatic has experienced some problems with the aforementioned iPhone app and as a result, it has decided to delay (via Engadget) the final…

  • Best Buy to Discount iPhone by $50 Beginning Sunday

    Juli Clover
    24 May 2013 | 9:47 am
    Best Buy is launching a new four week promotion that will drop the price of new iPhone purchases by $50. According to AllThingsD, the sale will apply to the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S, and the iPhone 5, when purchased with a two-year contract from Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint. An iPhone with two-year contract typically costs $200 for the 16GB entry level phone, so with the sale, the price will drop to $150. The discount applies to all phone models. Best Buy has offered similar sales in the past, most recently discounting the iPhone 5 by $50 during the holiday season. Other retailers…

  • Skycore Creates Platform for Passbook Delivery Via MMS

    Jordan Golson
    24 May 2013 | 9:03 am
    Skycore, a marketing and developer support firm, has introduced a new feature to its services platform to allow developers to send Passbook passes to users via MMS. The feature should allow more companies to use Passbook because they won't need users to download a dedicated iOS app. Passbook was a new feature in iOS 6 that allows users to store frequently used items like gift cards or frequent shopper cards, as well as single use items like movie and airline tickets. Developers can have those cards appear right on the lock screen, targeted by time or location. "As with SMS, the recipient of…

  • Letter to Brazilian Apple Repair Centers Suggests June 2013 Policy Changes?

    Jordan Golson
    23 May 2013 | 4:18 pm
    AppleInsider has obtained a letter supposedly sent to Brazilian Apple Authorized Service Providers suggesting that new policies regarding iPhone and iPad repairs will begin soon. Though the letter is taken out of context and has been roughly translated via Google Translate, it suggests that AASP's in Brazil will soon begin repairing broken iPad glass panels and performing more in-depth repairs on iPhones with details of that plan being sent in June 2013. 2. iPad Repair - We will soon begin to repair iPad glass. Further details will be sent next week. 3. iPhone Repair - The Changing Patterns…

  • Angry Birds Space Named App of the Week, Available for Free

    Juli Clover
    23 May 2013 | 10:03 am
    Rovio's Angry Birds Space has been named Apple's App of the Week, and as a result, both the full iPhone and the iPad version of the game can be downloaded for free for the first time ever. Angry Birds Space features the same bird flinging gameplay found in other Rovio titles, but it incorporates new zero gravity game mechanics and space-themed level design.Angry Birds Space features over 160 interstellar levels on planets and in zero gravity, resulting in spectacular gameplay ranging from slow-motion puzzles to lightspeed destruction. With regular free updates, new in-app purchases, brand new…
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    CNN Travel

  • Beyond the duck: 20 best Beijing restaurants

    reniforever
    24 May 2013 | 9:57 am
    In food-mad Beijing, the problem is too many choices, not too few. We narrow the fieldNo longer outshone by Shanghai or Hong Kong, Beijing is growing in gastronomic stature. From high-end international dining to hole-in-the-walls showcasing China’s myriad regional cooking styles, there’s an outstanding eatery for every budget. Expensive More than RMB 250  (US$30) per person, excluding drinks. Temple Restaurant Beijing (TRB) The welcome bar at Temple Restaurant Beijing. In the shadow of Zhizhusi, a hitherto forgotten Tibetan temple, this 120-seat restaurant is Beijing's hottest address…

  • Ultimate guide to Chinese dumplings

    24 May 2013 | 9:30 am
    Need a bite? Try this roundup of the tasty, fun-sized "firecrackers" that fuel 1.3 billion (and counting) stomachsRice is nice, noodles are great, but if an online poll were to solicit votes for China's most rational national food, dumplings would come out way ahead. Dumplings great and small enjoy unique names, traditions and areas where they're scarfed by the bucket-load. Here's a thoughtfully chosen buffet of the most iconic dumplings China has to offer. Chinese dumplings, pure and simple. Shui jiao (水饺) Shui jiao, or boiled dumpling, is a staple food, especially in northern…

  • The cat that saved a Japanese train station

    hiufu
    23 May 2013 | 7:00 pm
    Meet Tama, Japan's cutest stationmaster, and her adorable cat-shaped station homeSome 30 minutes from central Wakayama City in southeast Japan is the quiet, rural neighborhood of Kinokawa. Despite the area's un-remarkableness, its train station attracts no shortage of visitors, most under the age of 12. Tama, the hero of Kishi Station. These tourists may not know what there is to see or do in wider Kinokawa, nor do they seem particularly interested -- all they want to do is visit Kishi train station, which serves Kinokawa. They come seeking time, and hopefully a photo, with Kishi's…

  • Healthy Beijing: A wellness guide to the city

    karlac1
    23 May 2013 | 3:00 pm
    Despite legendary pollution, Beijing offers access to nature, healthy restaurants and eco-friendly retreatsBeijing has historic attractions, a vibrant culture and, of course, delicious Chinese food. But with its notorious pollution and regular food scandals, it's not a city one equates with health and wellness. But maintaining a healthy lifestyle while visiting Beijing isn't as challenging as you might think. Here's an insider list of nature-friendly spots, wholesome restaurants, organic stores and green escapes in and around Beijing.  iReport assignment: What are your favorite spots in…

  • Barcelona officials: 'Space hotel' a concept far, far away

    francescha
    23 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    We’ll believe it when we see it, but we kind of want to see itGiant ray gun or futuristic hotel? In terms of new architecture, some cities embrace the shiny, the bold, the outrageous. Dubai, for instance, or Shanghai, or even Seoul these days. One city, however, is turning up its nose at one in-your-face building. Plans for a massive man-made island off the coast of Barcelona featuring a 2,000-suite “space hotel,” a covered marina, “zero-gravity” spa and 24-hour mall have been met with something less than enthusiasm from city officials.  More on CNN: Insider Guide: What to do in…
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