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Most Topular Stories
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A brand guide to choosing the right social media platform
Holy Kaw!24 May 2013 | 8:00 am -
Apple Rumored to Go Black, White and Flat for iOS 7
Mashable24 May 2013 | 9:25 amRumors that Apple is preparing major design changes with iOS 7 continue to heat up, with new reports suggesting a more muted and flat design aesthetic. Last October, Jonathan Ive became responsible not only for the look and feel of Apple hardware, but also its software. By most accounts, Ive is not a fan of the skeuomorphic heavy design cues that currently dominate iOS. While we previously heard rumors that Ive was planning a broad UI overhaul with iOS 7, we didn't have many specific details. Now, 9to5 Mac is reporting that Ive's look for iOS 7 will be "black, white and flat all over."… -
There Are As Many Reasons As The Population of New York For Using “Dictionary of Numbers”
Fast Company24 May 2013 | 8:26 amThe Google Chrome extension "Dictionary of Numbers" allows users to translate large numbers into human terms. It should make your writing at least three Bob Rosses more understandable. Author and cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter famously talked about the idea of "number numbness"--the inability to get our heads around gigantic figures and to be able to estimate quantities within an order of magnitude or two. Dictionary of Numbers is a Chrome extension that mitigates this condition by allowing users to insert equivalences in real-world terms. It would be one thing to just mention that a… -
Unface.me Is A Gossip Girl-Style Social Service For Anonymously Trolling Your Friends
TechCrunch24 May 2013 | 9:12 amA Russian startup called Unface.me has created a new social network inspired by the Gossip Girl TV series which lets users create an alter ego to — let’s face it — troll their friends, or even post even worst types of gossip entirely anonymously. The site connects with Facebook and Russian social network VKontakte so it can pull in users’ genuine friend networks, then furnishes them with a series of tools to poke fun, dish salacious gossip or vote on who of their friends is coolest and therefore who is not. Y’know, teen stuff. Teens powered the rise of social… -
Overcoming the impossibility of amazing
Seth's Blog24 May 2013 | 2:00 amIf 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…
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Holy Kaw!
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A brand guide to choosing the right social media platform
24 May 2013 | 8:00 amCourtesy of: Infographics.SG -
Early bilinguals pick up two ‘sound systems’
24 May 2013 | 7:42 amPeople who learn two languages early in life can switch back and forth between separate sound codes for each language. While “pa” and “ba” sounds exist in both English and Spanish, how those sounds are produced and perceived in the two languages varies subtly. In the case of “ba”, for example, English speakers typically begin [...] -
Daily calcium linked to longer life in women
24 May 2013 | 7:35 amWomen who consume 1,000 mg of calcium a day—regardless if consumed in food or supplements—may live longer, new research suggests. “We found that daily use of calcium supplements in women was associated with a lower risk of death, irrespective of cause,” says the study’s lead author, David Goltzman, director of the Calcium Research Laboratory at [...] -
8 crucial elements for developing corporate strategy
24 May 2013 | 7:18 amAlan Kennedy, along with his son Thomas, has written a book called: The Alpha Strategies. Not only for corporations, but also for public agencies and marketing firms, he wrote this because he saw a need for a book on developing corporate strategies after years of experience as a deal-maker for some major corporations in Canada. [...] -
Going to Disney? Here are some useful apps
24 May 2013 | 7:01 amGeoffrey Goetz, writing at Gigaom, has come up with a list of must-have (iOS) apps and guides if you’re headed to negotiate the throngs at Disney(World) anytime soon. He says that he writes from personal experience and if you’ve been to DisneyWorld, you know what that is! Here’s how to make it easier: See if [...]
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Mashable
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Apple Rumored to Go Black, White and Flat for iOS 7
24 May 2013 | 9:25 amRumors that Apple is preparing major design changes with iOS 7 continue to heat up, with new reports suggesting a more muted and flat design aesthetic. Last October, Jonathan Ive became responsible not only for the look and feel of Apple hardware, but also its software. By most accounts, Ive is not a fan of the skeuomorphic heavy design cues that currently dominate iOS. While we previously heard rumors that Ive was planning a broad UI overhaul with iOS 7, we didn't have many specific details. Now, 9to5 Mac is reporting that Ive's look for iOS 7 will be "black, white and flat all over."… -
One Upped: Kate Upton Loses Prom Date to Another Supermodel
24 May 2013 | 8:54 amDon't feel too bad for high school student Jake Davidson, whose viral prom proposal to Kate Upton was ultimately turned down. Instead, he walked into the dance last weekend with supermodel Nina Agdal on his arm. In March, Davidson posted a YouTube video called "Kate Upton, Will You Go To Prom With Me?", which attracted nationwide attention. Upton, who couldn't make it, told Mashable she was starting to feel the pressure to make a decision: "I have to rearrange some things, but I hope it will work out." Davidson said Agdal approached him about going to prom "I actually did not invite her and… -
Bullets Join the 3D-Printed Arsenal
24 May 2013 | 8:38 amIt's been a big week for 3D-printed weaponry. On Monday, a Wisconsin man announced that he had built a largely plastic gun for just $25. Now, a Tennessee man has designed and printed bullets using the same technology. In a video posted to YouTube on Sunday, Jeff Heeszel — he goes by taofledermaus on the site and his clips have more than 43 million views — announces that a friend of his sent him several 3D-printed bullets. A shooter then loads one into a Mossberg 590 shotgun and fires at a dartboard. Amazingly, the plastic slug does some serious damage. But then, the same goes for… -
Volkswagen App Stops Video When You Turn Away
24 May 2013 | 8:27 amIn a neat gimmick to illustrate its stop-start technology, which turns the car off when stopped, Volkswagen launched a Chrome plugin that pauses a video when you look away from the screen. The app uses your computer's camera and some facial recognition technology to achieve the feat. In a quick test, it worked well enough, but seemed to require exaggerated movement properly — like turning your head all the way to the side. It's also hard to think of a practical use for the app, unless you're training yourself to be less distractible. It performs well as a marketing tool, though. SEE… -
Sally Ride to Receive Medal of Freedom
24 May 2013 | 7:58 amSally Ride, the United States' first woman in space, will be posthumously honored with the country's highest civilian commendation and the renaming of a high-flying camera. President Barack Obama announced on Monday that Ride will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House later this year. NASA further paid tribute to the late astronaut by creating a new internship program in her name and renaming a science instrument on board the International Space Station. Ride, who after flying in space twice went on to become a leading advocate for science education, died on July 23,…
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Fast Company
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There Are As Many Reasons As The Population of New York For Using “Dictionary of Numbers”
24 May 2013 | 8:26 amThe Google Chrome extension "Dictionary of Numbers" allows users to translate large numbers into human terms. It should make your writing at least three Bob Rosses more understandable. Author and cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter famously talked about the idea of "number numbness"--the inability to get our heads around gigantic figures and to be able to estimate quantities within an order of magnitude or two. Dictionary of Numbers is a Chrome extension that mitigates this condition by allowing users to insert equivalences in real-world terms. It would be one thing to just mention that a… -
JELL-O Turns An Internet Profanity Into Twitter Fun
24 May 2013 | 8:00 amRather than curse life’s darkness, Jell-o lights a candle of fun. If you’re seriously in need of a pick-me-up, Jell-O has come to the rescue. The next time something doesn’t go your way, don’t think, #FML, that profane exclamation/meme that roughly translates to: Gee, what an unfortunate place I’ve come to at this particular point in my life." Instead, think "Fun My Life." Via a new campaign from CP+B, the dessert brand is asking the confounded to tweet @Jello about exactly what kind of fun you need. You could be one of the lucky number selected to receive a… -
Where Gay Marriage is Banned, Couples Say Their Vows on Google Hangout
24 May 2013 | 8:00 amHanging out in the name of equality. In this amazing video, a gay French couple who have been together for 40 years, decide to take a stand against prejudice in their country: they get married on Google Hangout. Same sex marriage only became legal in France a few days ago (though the issue is still generating heat), but before that, gay couples would have to find a mayor in Belgium to perform the ceremony online--which many people did. The campaign was created by Ogilvy France for the non-profit, Tous Unis Pour L’Egalite. The creators are hoping Google Hangout can help gay couples in… -
Gender Equality Bears Its Chest For A Topless Summer
24 May 2013 | 8:00 amFor years, it’s been legal for women to go au natural (from the waist up) in New York. But the NYPD’s level of tolerance for this court-protected behavior has been less than stellar. This year, they’ve pledged to step up their efforts to not enforce a non-existent code of decency. Climate change will make for increasingly toasty (and deadly) summers in New York City (especially since carbon dioxide is entering the atmosphere faster than ever.) But there’s good news for half of the population who may have once felt concered about their rights to go topless in the… -
Swedish House Mafia Bids Adieu with Music Video for Volvo
24 May 2013 | 7:00 amThe dance music trio hits the road with Volvo. EDM trio Swedish House Mafia disbanded earlier this year, and they’re bidding a final farewell in this music video for Volvo. The video features their song Leave the World Behind You, featuring French singer Lune, and follows the three band members, DJs Axwell, Steve Angello, and Sebastian Ingrosso, as they each go their separate ways in a Volvo XC 60. The brand content campaign from Swedish agency Forsman & Bodenfors and director Adam Berg is the swan song for the band, which announced it would split after a final appearance in Miami…
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TechCrunch
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Unface.me Is A Gossip Girl-Style Social Service For Anonymously Trolling Your Friends
24 May 2013 | 9:12 amA Russian startup called Unface.me has created a new social network inspired by the Gossip Girl TV series which lets users create an alter ego to — let’s face it — troll their friends, or even post even worst types of gossip entirely anonymously. The site connects with Facebook and Russian social network VKontakte so it can pull in users’ genuine friend networks, then furnishes them with a series of tools to poke fun, dish salacious gossip or vote on who of their friends is coolest and therefore who is not. Y’know, teen stuff. Teens powered the rise of social… -
Facebook's Head Of Brand Design Paul Adams Joins Customer Outreach Startup Intercom
24 May 2013 | 9:00 amPaul Adams, who was previously Facebook’s global head of brand design, has joined a startup called Intercom, where he will be serving as head of product design. Adams told me earlier that he wasn’t looking to leave Facebook, but he had also been advising Intercom and became excited about the opportunity. The startup, which is backed by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, 500 Startups, and others, offers tools for online businesses to track every interaction with a customer and to use that data to deliver personalized messages and offers. When I suggested that this sounds like a shift… -
WordPress.com Maker Automattic Sells $50 Million Of Stock In Secondary Offering To Tiger Global
24 May 2013 | 8:58 amAutomattic, the company behind publishing platform WordPress.com, has sold $50 million in a secondary offering led by investment management firm Tiger Global. The sale will allow some early investors and employees to get cash in exchange for their shares, while adding another stakeholder in the company. The share offering wasn’t necessary to raise funds for the company, according to Automattic founder Matt Mullenweg. In a blog post, he wrote that the company is “healthy, generating cash, and already growing as fast as it can so there’s no need for the company to raise money… -
More VMware Departures With Two Executives Joining Redpoint Ventures As Entrepreneurs In Residence
24 May 2013 | 8:32 amTwo VMware executives have left to join Redpoint Ventures to help the firm extend its reach into the enterprise and mobile markets. Their leaving marks a string of recent VMware departures, following the Pivotal spinout of several of the two companies’ product groups. Both executives joining Redpoint had important roles at VMware. Javier Soltero was responsible for driving advanced development and strategy for application level cloud services. Soltero joined VMware after the acquisition of SpringSource in 2009. Three months prior, SpringSource, a Java framework, had acquired Hyperic,… -
CommonKey Brings Password Management To Small Teams
24 May 2013 | 8:14 amThere are a number of password management solutions on the market today, but CommonKey, a new browser extension out this week, has a different take. Instead of focusing only on the needs of the individual user or offering a complex solution for the enterprise, it provides a password management system which allows small businesses the ability to share passwords securely across a team. The bootstrapped, Baltimore-based startup was co-founded this October by Andrew Stroup, a civilian engineer who currently works at the Department of Defense, and Michael Cohen, whose programming background is in…
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Seth's Blog
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Overcoming the impossibility of amazing
24 May 2013 | 2:00 amIf 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
23 May 2013 | 2:00 amIt'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"
22 May 2013 | 2:43 amBy 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
21 May 2013 | 2:45 amANTICIPATION: 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… -
You should buy the book
20 May 2013 | 8:33 amMitch Joel is a generous and perceptive blogger. Well worth the daily read. He has a new book. You should buy it. David Meerman Scott writes an essential blog, daily. His book is a classic. You should buy it. Tom Asacker writes a very thoughtful blog about marketing. Worth the read. He has a new book. You should buy it, too. Every day, Mark Frauenfelder and Corey Doctorow blog tons of goodness at Boingboing. They each have books. You should buy them and share them. Bernadette Jiwa's blog keeps getting better and better and you are probably already reading it. She has a new book on the way.
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NYT > Home Page
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Boy Scouts to Admit Openly Gay Youths as Members
24 May 2013 | 9:29 amThe Boy Scouts of America voted to allow openly gay youths as members, while continuing its policy of excluding openly gay adult leaders. -
Queens Man Convicted of Murder in Robbery That Led to a Death
24 May 2013 | 9:28 amThe conviction of Nelson Morales was the third to result from the shooting death of Officer Peter J. Figoski in 2011. -
Lens Blog: Luke Sharrett's Photographs of Arlington National Cemetery Gravestones
24 May 2013 | 9:10 amDuring assignments at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, Luke Sharrett, whose cousin was killed in Iraq, began to notice the mementos left by friends and family. -
DealBook: Banks’ Lobbyists Help in Drafting Financial Bills
24 May 2013 | 9:09 amIn a sign of Wall Street’s resurgent influence in Washington, bank lobbyists are aiding lawmakers in preparing legislation that softens financial regulations. -
Russia Says Syria Will Attend Geneva Peace Talks
24 May 2013 | 8:43 amThe United States and Russia agreed earlier this month to pull together the peace conference, with Russia responsible for bringing the government of Bashar al-Assad to the table.
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Wired Top Stories
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Silicon Swagger: Tech Titans Embrace Big Architecture in Staggering New HQs
24 May 2013 | 6:30 amNo longer satisfied with hiding in standard-issue tech-company hives, Apple, Facebook, and Google have embraced Architecture with a capital A. -
DIY Market Slows Dramatically as 3-D Printing Hits Its Industrial Stride
24 May 2013 | 6:30 amBuyers hit the brakes on purchasing hobbyist 3-D printers in the past year, even as industrial-grade printers are playing a larger role in manufacturing finished parts rather than prototypes. -
The App Can Wait: Nextdoor's Big Bet on Slow iGrowth
24 May 2013 | 3:30 amWhen it came to developing a mobile app, Nextdoor took it slow - an approach that looks like it will pay off. -
The $99 Ouya Is No PlayStation or Xbox, and That's Just Fine
24 May 2013 | 3:30 amAll this time, I've been thinking about Ouya the wrong way. -
This Week's Weirdest Wild Animal Incidents
24 May 2013 | 3:30 amA roundup of odd ways humans and wild animals crossed paths this week compiled by Jon Mooallem, author of the upcoming book Wild Ones: A Sometimes Dismaying, Weirdly Reassuring Story About Looking at People Looking at Animals in America.
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@ProBlogger
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How to Create a Blog Purpose Statement in 3 Simple Steps
23 May 2013 | 8:54 amYesterday, 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
22 May 2013 | 8:28 amDo 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
21 May 2013 | 9:37 amThis 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?
20 May 2013 | 8:21 amLast 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
19 May 2013 | 7:56 pmNext 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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Entrepreneur
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9 Ways to Build Your Pinterest Audience
24 May 2013 | 9:30 amBeing strategic about how you use Pinterest will help you grow your following considerably. Here are nine easy tactics to help you gain an audience. -
How to Create a Sustainability Program for Your Restaurant
24 May 2013 | 9:00 amThree tips on how to source ingredients responsibly from the experts at the National Restaurant Association Show. -
5 Ways to Lose Investors in Under 3 Minutes
24 May 2013 | 8:30 amThe opening of your investor pitch is critical. Flounder and you might lose a venture capitalist's attention from the start. Here are five missteps VCs look out for when sitting down with entrepreneurs. -
Why You Should Get an 'Idea Editor' and 4 More Business Tips From the Week
24 May 2013 | 8:15 amFrom grounding yourself with down-to-earth colleagues to marketing to millennials, here's a look at this week's best business advice. -
Leadership Basics: What to Do When You Don't Have All the Answers
24 May 2013 | 8:00 amYou're in charge, but that doesn't mean you're expected to always know what to do. Here are four ways to approach a challenge when you don't have the solution.
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Lifehacker
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Defuse Temper Tantrums with Empathy
24 May 2013 | 9:00 amChildren—and even adults—can have short fuses. Whether the person is 5 or 45, Real Simple offers advice for how to quickly deal with meltdowns and fits of rage.Read more... -
When (and If) You Should Ever Work For Free
24 May 2013 | 8:00 amI lose count of my “jobs” these days: my literary writing (that theoretically pays, or had better one day or else), a nonprofit board on which I serve as president, and the magazine I started last summer. While I certainly put the same intensity into everything, I can definitely say that I work more hours for free than I do for pay.Read more... -
"When Life Gets Messy, Shine Your Sink"
24 May 2013 | 7:30 amWhen life gets hectic or crazy (and we've all been there), take some of the stress off by finding comfort in the mundane—even in routine chores like shining your kitchen sink.Read more... -
The Farm Table Workspace
24 May 2013 | 7:00 amA long desk made with cedar planks and recycled wood. A sun-filled window. And plenty of plants. Today's featured workspace is warm, rustic, and unique.Read more... -
The Best Ways to Avoid Scars
24 May 2013 | 6:30 amNobody likes getting cut up and dealing with a potential scar. While you'll find countless supposed remedies out there to avoid scars, The Wall Street Journal takes a look at which of these treatments really work. Read more...
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MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors
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Apple Slashes Prices on Refurbished iPad Mini and iPad 4 Models
24 May 2013 | 8:14 amApple 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
24 May 2013 | 6:30 am9to5Mac 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… -
AT&T's GoPhone Prepaid Brand to Gain iPhone and LTE/HSPA+ Support Tomorrow
23 May 2013 | 7:33 pmMacRumors has learned that AT&T's GoPhone prepaid wireless brand will be undertaking a significant expansion of its services starting tomorrow, offering support for AT&T's fastest LTE and HSPA+ data networks for the first time and also adding official support for the iPhone. Until now, GoPhone has allowed iPhone users to sign up for service, but without cellular data access. With the changes coming tomorrow, the iPhone will have access to the full range of AT&T services through GoPhone, including LTE data and Visual Voicemail. GoPhone will support three service plans for the iPhone, including… -
Apple Posts New iPhone TV Ad 'Music Every Day'
23 May 2013 | 7:12 pmApple started running a new iPhone ad this evening called 'Music Every Day', the second in a series that launched last month with a spot entitled 'Photos Every Day'. Both ads in the campaign focus on people actually using the phone, rather than just the phone itself. Every day, more people enjoy their music on the iPhone than any other phoneIn a series of colorful clips, the iPhone is used by owners to listen to music at school, in the shower, at the gym, at a club, at a swim meet and more. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Letter to Brazilian Apple Repair Centers Suggests June 2013… -
Microsoft Inaccurately Depicts Windows Tablet as Larger than iPad in New Comparison Ad
23 May 2013 | 2:32 pmTo go along with two previously released anti-iPad Windows 8 tablet ads, Microsoft has released a side-by-side comparison of the iPad and various Windows 8 tablets, such as the ASUS VivoTab Smart, the same tablet that was used in the aforementioned ad. In the comparison, Microsoft points out the many reasons why the VivoTab is superior, noting its thinner size and lighter weight. Microsoft also includes a diagram of the 9.7-inch iPad next to a 10.1-inch widescreen tablet that looks visibly larger. That image is not to scale, however, as Elliot Temple of Curi.us (via Daring Fireball) details…
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chrisbrogan.com
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Be Open to Inspiration
10 May 2013 | 8:41 amI’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?
7 May 2013 | 1:38 pmI 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?
30 Apr 2013 | 4:21 pmWhy 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?
29 Apr 2013 | 7:03 amFear 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
24 Apr 2013 | 4:53 amCan 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
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Here’s How Austin Kleon Writes
24 May 2013 | 5:00 amSteve 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
23 May 2013 | 4:00 amInbox 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
22 May 2013 | 5:00 amThe 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
21 May 2013 | 4:00 amWhat 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… -
14 Free Ebooks and an Updated 20-Part Internet Marketing Course
20 May 2013 | 5:00 amCan’t see the video? Click here. Free Registration About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media. Get more from Brian on Google+. Related StoriesWhy We Still Need to Write, Even When We’re Scared5 Ways to Bond with Your Blog’s Audience11 Compound Word Errors that Might Make You Look like a Numbskull
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Macworld
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The Week in iOS Apps: Music all around you!
24 May 2013 | 9:30 amLike 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 amThe 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 amAlong 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 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. The… -
Review: Battle with comic legends in Injustice: Gods Among Us for iOS
24 May 2013 | 5:30 amComic book characters have so far struggled to score a smash hit on a mobile platform, with few titles proving worthy of the Marvel and DC Comics' names. But Injustice: Gods Among Us for iOS hopes to change all that with a huge cast of iconic characters, a savvy trading card game mechanic, and an enticing price of free. While Injustice still feels like a cheapened version of the console game it's based off of, Warner Brothers has at least produced an addictive and fun title that will appeal to its younger fan base. The game is billed as a collectable card game first and a fighting game… -
Mac Gems: Eye-Friendly is a handy resolution switcher for Retina MacBooks
24 May 2013 | 4:05 amJörg Jacobsen’s $5 Eye-Friendly (Mac App Store link) is the third resolution-switching utility for the Retina MacBook Pro that I’ve looked at, after Pupil () and QuickRes (). In my quest to find the ideal resolution-switching app for my Retina MacBook Pro, is the third app the charm? Eye-Friendly’s menu on a 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro Like the other two apps, Eye-Friendly appears only in the menu bar. When you want to change your display’s resolution, you click the Eye-Friendly icon and mouse over your display (the menu lists your laptop’s built-in display, as well as any external…
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ReadWrite
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3 Reasons Why Digital Detox Is So Enticing
24 May 2013 | 9:08 amGuest author Sam Hailes is a freelance journalist from the UK. "What does this button do?" That was the cryptic yet clever final tweet from John Mayer in 2010 when he abandoned his 3.7 million followers. 5% off your food bill. That was the offer that LA restaurant Eva gave to customers who surrendered access to their mobile phone for the duration of their meal. "Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage." That is the error message that frustrates, angers and infuriates millions of people across the world. What has happened to us? 15 years ago nobody banked online, updated… -
Geek Film Review: Iron Man 3 Reveals It's A Tech World After All
24 May 2013 | 8:05 amIron Man 3 is a great - nearly classic - summer blockbuster, filled with awesome special effects, stellar performances, fewer plot holes than explosions and a heartfelt geek message at its core: technology drives and inspires us, enables us to save the world - and how we control our tech ultimately determines our humanity. Iron Man is the role that Robert Downey, Jr. was born to play, though Ben Kingsley nearly steals the show, deliciously playing the dual roles of evil terrorist and drunken British footie fan. The film's entire lead cast is spot on, in fact, with each character able to… -
Hulu On The Auction Block
24 May 2013 | 7:12 amFour companies are reportedly making bids for online video service Hulu, which has apparently put on the auction block after a disagreement between owners News Corporation and Walt Disney Company on how to operate the TV steaming service. Former News Corp president Peter Chernin, private-equity fund Guggenheim Digital Media, DirecTV and Time Warner Cable have all put in bids for Hulu, Reuters is reporting. If one of the latter two companies manages to pick up Hulu, it will be interesting to see how a satellite or a cable company (respectively) treat a service that's been at direct… -
Making Android Pay: 5 Tips To Topping The Charts On Google Play
24 May 2013 | 7:08 amThis post is the third in the ReadWrite series Making Android Pay, focusing on the opportunities and challenges that mobile developers face trying to make money from Android Apps. In the waning hours of the Google I/O developers conference last week, an Android developer stood at a microphone to ask a very pertinent question: “If I am in the top 2% of Android apps on Google Play, how much money am I really making? $30 a month? $3,000? $300,000?” The two poor Google product managers on stage couldn't or wouldn't give him an answer. They declined to cite revenue of other Android… -
A Modest Proposal To Stop The iPhone Crime Wave
24 May 2013 | 6:06 amIf you haven't heard, we're in the midst of a rampant and sometimes violent iPhone crime wave. In San Francisco, smartphone theft accounts for nearly half of all robberies in the city. Most of these are iPhones. In New York City, there were more than 11,000 thefts of Apple products - mostly iPhones - in just the first eight months of last year. This represented a 40% rise over 2011, far higher than the rise in other crimes. Blow Up Your iPhone Fortunately, I have a modest proposal for a simple and definitive solution to this…
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Smashing Magazine Feed
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Beyond The Button: Embracing The Gesture-Driven Interface
24 May 2013 | 2:09 amAs 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)
23 May 2013 | 2:52 amWhen 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
22 May 2013 | 5:31 amFlexible 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
21 May 2013 | 6:30 amEveryone 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)
16 May 2013 | 7:25 pmGood 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
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Bull's-eye: One block, 2 tornadoes
24 May 2013 | 9:27 amNancy E. Davis crouched alone in her white barn as a tornado tossed off the roof and peeled back the walls. -
Binge eater gains 100 pounds, loses 70
24 May 2013 | 9:04 amThe letter Jacki Monaco wrote was fraught with emotion. "Dear food," it began. "You have been my dearest friend and my most painful enemy." -
Two held after Pakistan flight diverted
24 May 2013 | 8:54 amA UK fighter jet was scrambled to escort a Pakistan International Airlines flight as it was diverted Friday from northwestern England's Manchester Airport to London's Stansted Airport. -
Review: Not enough bling in Liberace film
24 May 2013 | 8:34 amNo one wants a Liberace biopic to be subtle. -
Who owns Jolie's genes?
24 May 2013 | 8:17 amAngelina Jolie, when writing about her preventive double mastectomy, did not discuss how much her surgeries cost, but she did mention that many women would not be able to afford the $3,000 to $4,000 test that led her to make the decision. What she failed to say was why the test costs so much.
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Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider
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Today Triple Scoop Music is launching my Signature Music Collection for Landscape & Travel
23 May 2013 | 9:01 pmI’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!
22 May 2013 | 10:13 pmThe 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!
21 May 2013 | 9:01 pmPhoto 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)
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
19 May 2013 | 9:01 pmOK, 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
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Home Is Where The Heart Is: How To Take Portraits In It
24 May 2013 | 8:52 amby 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]
23 May 2013 | 1:16 pmby 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
23 May 2013 | 7:57 amA 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. -
Learn How to Use the Sharpening Tools in Lightroom
22 May 2013 | 12:23 pmThere’s no question that Lightroom is a powerful piece of photo processing software, but due to that power sometimes it’s not as easy to wrap our heads around everything it has to offer, that’s in part why I started my Let’s Edit YouTube series a weekly segment in which I share my own editing workflow for viewers to learn from. After starting this series one of the most commonly asked questions was to go into more detail on how the sharpening tools in Lightroom work. Sharpening in Lightroom is broken down into four different sliders – Amount, Radius, Detail and… -
Discover the Secrets to These 11 Special Effects Images: New eBook
22 May 2013 | 9:33 amToday we’re launching a new dPS eBook that I suspect is going to give a lot of our readers hours of fun while playing with their digital cameras. It’s called Photo Magic: Special Effects Photography Made Easy – an eBook by Neil Creek. As an Early Bird special you can grab it today at 25% off (just $15 USD). Over the years we’ve published thousands of tutorials here on dPS – many of which are on topics like Portraiture, Landscapes, Macro and Street Photography. However some of our most popular tutorials over the last few years have been when our authors have…
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TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
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AltWWDC announces AltLabs dedicated lab space
24 May 2013 | 10:30 amNo WWDC tickets? No matter. AltWWDC is a free, five-day event that will be held in San Francisco June 10-14, 2013. Today, the group has announced AltLabs, which will serve as dedicated lab space for attendees. Each lab will be staffed by helpful folks who are there to answer your questions or just act as a sounding board. In addition, several special labs have been announced, including one on connectivity and web services, hosted by Matt Thompson of Heroku and AFNetworking; Isaiah Carew of Kiwi and Kirby Turner. You'll find the full run-down here. Keep an eye out for familiar faces while… -
Best Buy to begin month-long iPhone sale on Sunday
24 May 2013 | 10:00 amAllThingsD is reporting that Best Buy plans to begin a monthlong iPhone sale on Sunday. iPhone prices will drop by US$50 when bought in conjunction with a two-year contract from AT&T, Sprint or Verizon. All current models of the iPhone -- iPhone 4, iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 -- are included. This coming Monday in the United States is Memorial Day, and the weekend prior is a big shoppers' weekend. Best Buy is also offering discounts on several popular Android handsets, but those discounts are expected to expire on June 1. There's no word on why Best Buy's iPhone sale will carry on for an… -
Smule users record 1 billion songs
24 May 2013 | 9:00 amSmule may be only 5 years old, but the California development firm started in part by Jeff Smith and Stanford Assistant Professor Dr. Ge Wang has had an amazing impact on the world. The company shared some stats with Evolver.fm that are incredible -- Smule's apps have been downloaded over 100 million times, are used by 15 million people a month and that audience has recorded over 1 billion songs. Sure, those songs may be amateur auto-tuned, auto-rapped or karaoke trash, but the statistics -- and Smule's bottom line -- prove that the company is on to something. While such venerable music… -
Apple expands iOS Maps' 3D Flyover coverage in California, including Disneyland
24 May 2013 | 9:00 amApple is continuing to roll out increased Maps 3D Flyover coverage. The latest update was first spotted by AppleInsider and appears to include large parts of California. Specifically, the latest update includes the cities of San Bernardino, Riverside, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, Moreno Valley and more. This update covers Anaheim as well, so users can now view a 3D Flyover of Disneyland in Apple Maps. It seems like Apple is continuing to roll out aggressive server-side updates to Apple Maps. Only a little more than two weeks ago Apple added 3D Flyover coverage in Paris.Apple expands iOS Maps'… -
Verizon Cloud comes to iOS devices
24 May 2013 | 8:00 amFollowing up on an announcement made at the end of April, Verizon has begun rolling out its Verizon Cloud storage solution to iOS devices today. Verizon Cloud offers Verizon users a free 500 MB of cloud storage to backup their photos, videos, contacts, music, call logs and text messages. Users who want more storage can buy it at a monthly fee of US$2.99/month for 25 GB, $5.99/month for 75 GB and $9.99/month for 125 GB. The Verizon Cloud service lets users stream music and sync data between devices, including photos, videos and documents. Users can also access their files via the web and…
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Strobist
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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 pmTian 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 amSydney, 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 amDontcha 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 amI 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)
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Sigma announces availability of 35mm F1.4 DG HSM for Sony and Pentax
24 May 2013 | 3:00 amIn 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. -
Canon still pursuing Foveon-style multi-layer sensor design
23 May 2013 | 11:32 amCanon has patented a color-sensitive multi-layered sensor design, showing the company is still pursuing the technology. Like Sigma's Foveon chips, the multi-layered design allows each of the sensor's pixels to capture color information without the need for colored filters. The patent, discovered by the Japanese Engineering Accomplishment blog, suggests a system to promote resonance within the sensor, in an attempt to make the lower layers of the sensor more sensitive. (from Egami blog) -
Photographer captures concert with DSLR-mounted GoPro
23 May 2013 | 11:20 amIf you've never had the chance to stand in the front row and shoot a live concert, Montreal-based photographer Pierre Bourgault has the next best thing. He attached a GoPro camera to the top of his Canon DSLR and recorded a seven-minute video of his shooting experience at a Dead to Me concert. He then overlaid the actual photos taken at the show, which you can view after the break. -
Leica teases 'Mini M' for 11th June release
23 May 2013 | 9:32 amLeica has placed a teaser on its Facebook page for a new 'Mini M' camera to be launched on June 11th, that apparently will slot into its range between the M rangefinder and the X2 fixed-lens compact. It's given no other details, but we think it could make sense for the company to produce a full-time live view version of the M Typ 240, using the same sensor but with the expensive rangefinder assembly removed. This would result in a 24MP full frame mirrorless camera that would be able to use almost any manual focus SLR or rangefinder lens ever made, without a field-of-view crop. -
Fujifilm updates X-Pro1 and X-E1 to improve AF with 55-200mm lens
22 May 2013 | 10:00 pmFujifilm has updated the firmware for its X-Pro1 and X-E1 mirrorless cameras, to improve the autofocus speed with the recently-launched XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS telephoto zoom lens. Versions 1.05 for the X-E1 and 2.04 for the X-Pro1 are available to download from the Fujifilm website. Click through for the links.
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Lightroom Killer Tips
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Should You Create Multiple Catalogs In Lightroom?
20 May 2013 | 11:01 pmFor 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)
15 May 2013 | 9:00 amIf 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
9 May 2013 | 11:01 pmHey 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?
6 May 2013 | 11:01 pmThere’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
2 May 2013 | 11:01 pmDid 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
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Skycore Creates Platform for Passbook Delivery Via MMS
24 May 2013 | 9:03 amSkycore, 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?
23 May 2013 | 4:18 pmAppleInsider 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
23 May 2013 | 10:03 amRovio'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… -
Shazam for iPad Rebuilt as Universal App With Background Auto-Tagging and More
23 May 2013 | 6:35 amShazam was one of the early App Store success stories, offering users the ability to easily identify music by capturing a snippet of the song and matching it against a database to provide title and artist information. The service has since expanded to integrate with the iTunes Store, YouTube, lyrics, and more, with TV shows and ads even adopting Shazam to allow users to easily learn more about the show or product. Shazam has offered separate apps for the iPhone and iPad since 2010, but the company today unveiled a universal version of the iPhone app that includes a completely rebuilt… -
Gmail Management App 'Mailbox' Gains iPad Compatibility
23 May 2013 | 6:07 amPopular email app Mailbox, which launched for iPhone in early February with a reservation system that saw well over one million users sign up before the company eliminated reservations last month, has now gone universal with a native interface for the iPad. ReadWrite has more on the development, including a brief interview with Mailbox founder Gentry Underwood about how designing for the larger tablet screen was actually more difficult than for the iPhone."[Tablets] are these weird hybrid devices that sit in between," said Underwood. "They're part luxury mobile phone, and they're part…
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The cat that saved a Japanese train station
23 May 2013 | 7:00 pmMeet 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
23 May 2013 | 3:00 pmDespite 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
23 May 2013 | 7:00 amWe’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… -
Opinion: Why I hate the beverage cart
22 May 2013 | 7:51 pmResponsible for more crushed knees than MMA, it’s time to protect ourselves from the airline drinks trolley Unless they’ve signed up for a gym membership, people don’t typically pay for experiences that come with a high probability of physical trauma. That’s why it’s odd to me that when you book an aisle seat on an airplane, there’s no disclaimer mentioning there’s about a 30% chance that you’re going to get hit with a moving filing cabinet. Because, basically, that’s an accurate description of an airplane’s beverage cart (galley cart, drinks trolley, mobile foot smasher,… -
Beijing hotels: 9 fantastic new places to crash
22 May 2013 | 3:00 pmFive years after the 2008 Olympics construction boom, new Beijing hotels keep right on comingLeading up to the 2008 Olympics, Beijing went on a hotel building frenzy. Unlike in other Olympic cities, however, long after the medal winners moved on the tourists kept coming. The newest hotels to hit China's capital are seen as ambassadors of the new Beijing. The nine properties listed below have each launched in the last 18 months. Rates are based on a stay in August -- the fifth anniversary of the Olympics' opening ceremony -- and are the lowest offered by the each hotel, based on double…
