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  • A brand guide to choosing the right social media platform

    Holy Kaw!
    Peg Fitzpatrick
    24 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    Courtesy of: Infographics.SG

  • Google Looking to Buy Waze and Other News You Need to Know

    Mashable
    Stan Schroeder
    24 May 2013 | 7:39 am
    Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting storiesGoogle could be looking to snap up crowdsourced driving directions app Waze, according to a report from Bloomberg ThursdayAT&T has added a tiny fee — which could have a big impact — to its cellular plans. Finally, some more info on Digg reader, the RSS reader offered as a replacement for the soon-to-be-deprecated Google Reader. Check out the video above for more on these stories.

  • Swedish House Mafia Bids Adieu with Music Video for Volvo

    Fast Company
    Jennifer Miller
    24 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    The 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…

  • The Austin TC Meetup + Pitch-Off Is Less Than A Week Away! Get Tickets Now!

    TechCrunch
    Jordan Crook
    24 May 2013 | 7:20 am
    We’re less than a week out from our Austin TC Meetup + Pitch-Off, and I can already smell the barbeque in the air. Austin, are you ready to rumble? The Austin Meetup + Pitch-Off is going down on Thursday, May 30, at The Stage On Sixth. The event begins promptly at 6pm and runs until 10pm. Tickets are $5 each, and include booze. But, you ask, what exactly is this fabled TC Meetup + Pitch-off that I’m pushing? Well, at its core its a gathering of your city’s local VC, entrepreneurial, startup and general tech crowd. Attendees can socialize, drink booze (21 and up please) and…

  • Overcoming the impossibility of amazing

    Seth's Blog
    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…
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    Holy Kaw!

  • A brand guide to choosing the right social media platform

    Peg Fitzpatrick
    24 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    Courtesy of: Infographics.SG

  • Early bilinguals pick up two ‘sound systems’

    Futurity
    24 May 2013 | 7:42 am
    People 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

    Futurity
    24 May 2013 | 7:35 am
    Women 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

    Deanne Mayall
    24 May 2013 | 7:18 am
    Alan 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

    Deanne Mayall
    24 May 2013 | 7:01 am
    Geoffrey 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

  • Google Looking to Buy Waze and Other News You Need to Know

    Stan Schroeder
    24 May 2013 | 7:39 am
    Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting storiesGoogle could be looking to snap up crowdsourced driving directions app Waze, according to a report from Bloomberg ThursdayAT&T has added a tiny fee — which could have a big impact — to its cellular plans. Finally, some more info on Digg reader, the RSS reader offered as a replacement for the soon-to-be-deprecated Google Reader. Check out the video above for more on these stories.

  • 8 Tips for Successful Business Development

    Eric Grafstrom
    24 May 2013 | 7:32 am
    This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. Many founders and CEOs come asking, “we need to hire a biz dev person, do you know anyone?” Few roles have more varied job descriptions than business development. It’s no wonder why it is hard to figure out who to hire, what this person should do and how to measure success. Read below for tips on successful business development for startups, including how to avoid many of the typical frustrations with…

  • Listen to Daft Punk's New Album in 8-bit

    Christine Erickson
    24 May 2013 | 7:28 am
    If you haven't stopped listening to Daft Punk's new album Random Access Memories since its release, consider switching it up a bit. Musician Joe Jeremiah released this amazing 8-bit arrangement, featuring every song from the highly anticipated new album. The video is part of his "A-bit of..." series. The keyboardist previously performed synth and chiptune tributes to Nyan Cat and Adventure Time in the series Give it a listen — and be sure to check out his sweet tie. BONUS: 8-Bit Music Videos: 8 Pixel-Perfect Examples Image via SHANNA WHAN/AFP/Getty Images Read more...More about Music,…

  • Report: Google May Try to Outbid Facebook to Buy Waze

    Seth Fiegerman
    24 May 2013 | 7:14 am
    Tumblr isn't the only sought-after billion-dollar startup in town Waze, a popular mobile mapping app, has reportedly been in talks with Facebook for several weeks about a possible acquisition for as much as $1 billion. Now, Bloomberg reports that other large tech companies, including Google, are considering a bid for the startup Citing sources familiar with the situation, Bloomberg reports that Google approached Waze about a possible bid after the details of Facebook's interest in the startup became public. Waze is reportedly looking for an acquisition price of more than $1 billion. Neither…

  • Collapsed Washington Bridge Already Removed From Google Maps

    Alex Fitzpatrick
    24 May 2013 | 6:44 am
    Google wastes little time updating its maps: The four-lane bridge in Washington state that partially collapsed on Thursday has been removed from Google Maps 12 hours after falling into the Skagit River. An empty placeholder now fills the bridge's location: Image courtesy Google The bridge gave way with little warning, sending two cars and their occupants into the freezing water below. Authorities rescued three people, and two were hospitalized for hypothermia, according to the Chicago Tribune. Authorities have not confirmed the reason for the collapse. Local media reported an oversized truck…
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    Fast Company

  • Swedish House Mafia Bids Adieu with Music Video for Volvo

    Jennifer Miller
    24 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    The 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…

  • How An Age-Old Chart Is Redefining Health Care

    Mark Wilson
    24 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    It’s “just” an electronic growth chart. But lurking inside is a disruptive new approach to medicine. In a world where organ transplants and MRIs are commonplace, pediatric growth charts don’t sound very exciting. But after spending 30 illuminating minutes on the phone with Harvard researcher Dr. Isaac Kohane, a passionate intellectual who speaks with an infectious urgency, I’m a convert. “For everything from a rare brain tumor to common garden variety obesity, the growth chart is probably the single-most useful tool to monitor the growth of kids,”…

  • This Map Shines A Light On Every U.S. Single Drone Attack

    Zak Stone
    24 May 2013 | 6:30 am
    Obama is making changes to how the U.S. drone program operates, but the past of the program is still shrouded in secrecy. This map helps clarify exactly what our killer technology is doing overseas. On May 24, President Obama addressed the U.S. military’s use of drone strikes to target suspected terrorists in Pakistan, Somalaia, and Yemen--and pledged to continue to wind down those operations. Fittingly, Bloomberg Businessweek created this map to serve as a reminder of the scope of that program., calling it the first ever "comprehensive compilation of all known lethal U.S. drone…

  • This Strange Looking Funnel May Be The Future Of Wind Power (Or Not)

    Ben Schiller
    24 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    The people behind the Invelox turbine claim that it can take a small gust of wind and make it much bigger. If they’re right, it could change the equation of renewable power. Daryoush Allaei thinks the wind power industry has it all wrong. Rather than turbines high in the sky, he says, it should bring wind to the ground, in concentrated form. "This is the right track. The industry has been on the wrong track." Allaei’s Invelox "wind delivery system" is a big funnel that captures air at the top, and squeezes it through a turbine at the bottom. Wind entering at 10 MPH ends up as fast…

  • See a Music Channel Challenge Shazam In A Different Kind Of Epic Rap Battle

    Joe Berkowitz
    24 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    French music channel Trace apparently subscribes to the idea that in order to be the man, you’ve got to beat the man. And by man we mean machine. The game of Name That Tune got a whole lot easier in the aughts when Shazam came on the scene. The music knowledge app made it simple to settle arguments about exactly what song is playing at this bar at this moment. Recently, however, Shazam got caught in a little dispute of its own. French music channel Trace TV prides itself on its staff’s encyclopedic hip-hop and R&B; so much so that the crew was willing to face off against…
 
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    TechCrunch

  • The Austin TC Meetup + Pitch-Off Is Less Than A Week Away! Get Tickets Now!

    Jordan Crook
    24 May 2013 | 7:20 am
    We’re less than a week out from our Austin TC Meetup + Pitch-Off, and I can already smell the barbeque in the air. Austin, are you ready to rumble? The Austin Meetup + Pitch-Off is going down on Thursday, May 30, at The Stage On Sixth. The event begins promptly at 6pm and runs until 10pm. Tickets are $5 each, and include booze. But, you ask, what exactly is this fabled TC Meetup + Pitch-off that I’m pushing? Well, at its core its a gathering of your city’s local VC, entrepreneurial, startup and general tech crowd. Attendees can socialize, drink booze (21 and up please) and…

  • Jony Ive's iOS 7 Flat Design Overhaul Reportedly Features A Lot Of Black And White

    Darrell Etherington
    24 May 2013 | 6:09 am
    A new report from 9to5Mac and its usually well-connected sources today adds a little more color to what we’ll be seeing from the big iOS 7 redesign rumored to be making an appearance at WWDC this year in June – and what we’ll apparently be seeing is a lot less color. The visual overhaul not only emphasizes so-called “flat design” (avoiding complicated textures in favor of bold, solid tones), but also features the use of many black and white elements across the UI. The new report reiterates what we’ve already heard – that Ive is heading up a pretty extensive…

  • The Fairphone, World's First Ethically Sourced Smartphone, Opens Pre-Sales To General Public

    Darrell Etherington
    24 May 2013 | 5:24 am
    Netherlands-based hardware initiative Fairphone began around three years ago as a project designed to highlight the use of conflict minerals in the construction of consumer electronics, and then evolved three years later into a full-fledged hardware startup, with the aim of turning its knowledge into action with the building of an ethically sourced, built and distributed smartphone. Now, it’s opening up pre-orders to the general public, beginning with customers in Europe. The Fairphone needs 5,000 pre-orders in order to begin production, and retails for a total of €325 ($436). That…

  • Report: Waze Could Be In Play Again, With Google The Latest Suitor. Or Not Actually

    Natasha Lomas
    24 May 2013 | 3:09 am
    Google is the latest suitor to be reportedly circling around social sat-nav smartphone app Waze. Bloomberg reports ‘people familiar with the matter’ who say Mountain View is considering an acquisition, and that Waze is “fielding expressions of interest from multiple parties and is seeking more than $1 billion”. However sources contacted by TechCrunch have poured cold water on the Google rumour. We’ve reached out to Google and Waze but at the time of writing neither company could be reached for comment. Update: A spokeswoman for Waze said: “We don’t…

  • Flickr Suffers Outage Four Days After Major Revamp

    Victoria Ho
    24 May 2013 | 1:38 am
    Just four days after Yahoo-owned Flickr unveiled a brand-new upgrade, the site is experiencing major downtime for some—but not all—users. Flickr tweeted its acknowledgement of the site going down, about two hours ago. Experiencing slowness or having trouble accessing the site? We’re on it, and are working to fix the issue as quickly as possible. #badpanda — Flickr (@Flickr) May 24, 2013 While it appears that some users are not seeing any problems, there are others who have not been able to access the site for hours. TNW spotted a tweet from @danielbowen complaining about the…
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    Seth's Blog

  • 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…

  • You should buy the book

    Seth Godin
    20 May 2013 | 8:33 am
    Mitch 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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    @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

  • The Farm Table Workspace

    Melanie Pinola
    24 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    A 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

    Thorin Klosowski
    24 May 2013 | 6:30 am
    Nobody 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...    

  • Pidora Is a Fedora-Based Operating System for the Raspberry Pi

    Thorin Klosowski
    24 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    For the most part, Raspberry Pi users have only had one or two really strong operating systems to work with. If you're looking to try something different, Pidora is an OS built on the Linux system Fedora. Read more...    

  • Infuse Beer with Flavor Using a French Press

    Alan Henry
    24 May 2013 | 5:30 am
    A good beer is a good beer, but if you're interested in pushing the envelope a little bit and expanding your beer's flavor, it turns out you don't have to do a complicated soak or extract a bunch of oils. All you need is a French press, that little gadget most of us use to make coffee.Read more...    

  • Build an All-In-One Arcade Stick that Works on Multiple Consoles

    Thorin Klosowski
    24 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    Arcade sticks are a great way to play games, but swapping out different sticks for systems is a pain. To solve this problem, DIYer Dave Nunez made a single arcade stick that works on NES, SNES, and an Atari 2600. Read more...    
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    MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors

  • 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…

  • AT&T's GoPhone Prepaid Brand to Gain iPhone and LTE/HSPA+ Support Tomorrow

    Eric Slivka
    23 May 2013 | 7:33 pm
    MacRumors 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'

    Jordan Golson
    23 May 2013 | 7:12 pm
    Apple 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

    Juli Clover
    23 May 2013 | 2:32 pm
    To 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…

  • New Colors Rumored for iPhone 5S and Lower-Cost iPhone, Dual LED Flash for iPhone 5S?

    Juli Clover
    23 May 2013 | 1:18 pm
    Macotakara has released a report with new details on a number of upcoming products, including the rumored low cost iPhone, the iPhone 5S, and the iPad 5. Citing information from several different sources, the site suggests that the low cost iPhone may ship in a number of different colors and that it will begin trial production soon. Color choices for the low cost iPhone remain murky, as the site has heard rumors from two different sources. The first source said that the low cost iPhone will come in colors that include navy, gold orange, white, and gray, while a second source named white,…
 
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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

  • 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…

  • 14 Free Ebooks and an Updated 20-Part Internet Marketing Course

    Brian Clark
    20 May 2013 | 5:00 am
    Can’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

  • 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 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 am
    Comic 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 am
    Jörg 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 QuickRes () and Pupil (). 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…

  • How fast is USB 3.0 really?

    24 May 2013 | 3:30 am
    As a Mac user, I’ve never been a big fan of USB for storage. Keyboards, mice, sure. But a hard drive connected via USB has always been slow compared to those using Apple’s FireWire, FireWire 800, and (most recently) Thunderbolt interfaces. And booting from a USB drive on the Mac was a no-no for a long time. Times have changed, however. And thanks to USB 3.0’s availability on almost all shipping Macs (and, in the case of the Mac Pro, something you can add via a PCI card), its bootability (since late 2005—but what can I say, I can hold a grudge), its improved performance, and its…
 
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    ReadWrite

  • Hulu On The Auction Block

    24 May 2013 | 7:12 am
    Four 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 am
    This 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 am
    If 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…

  • Hadoop 2.0 & YARN: Get Ready For This Summer's Big Data Breakthrough

    24 May 2013 | 5:05 am
    Lately, it seems like Hadoop, the open source data platform seemingly so integral to the rise of Big Data, can't catch a break. Instead of relying on Hadoop as a key Big Data storage and analysis tool, vendors and observers are increasingly positioning it as "just" a storage tool. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. Using Hadoop for cheap and efficient storage is a perfect starting point for the next phase of Hadoop's evolution. With this summer's expected debut of Hadoop 2.0, changes are afoot that will make information found within data warehouses and unstructured "data lakes"…

  • Waze Mapped As The Billion-Dollar Treasure

    24 May 2013 | 4:59 am
    Reports are coming out today that Israeli mapping company Waze is now being eyed as an acquisition target by Google, for the tune of $1 billion. This, just days after similar reports that Facebook was looking at picking up Waze for a similar price tag, and reports earlier this spring that Apple was in the hunt too, definitely puts Waze in the cat-bird seat. Why the sudden interest? For Google, it could be a simple absorb-the-competition play, or a chance to acquire Waze's social media features for it's own Google Maps. Whatever the reason, Waze is going to be on everyone's map now. (See…
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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

  • Two held after Pakistan flight diverted

    24 May 2013 | 7:38 am
    A 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.

  • ‪'Life sucks sometimes' -- Love, Joplin

    24 May 2013 | 7:29 am
    For most of us, it's hard to relate to the images of destruction we see on the television screen. It's nearly impossible to imaging losing it all.

  • New viral ad promises WHAT??!

    24 May 2013 | 7:07 am
    Kmart releases a sequel to their viral "ship my pants" ad that promotes the store's "big gas discounts."

  • What a shark's really doing when it bites

    24 May 2013 | 7:04 am
    Philippe Cousteau explains why sharks bite humans and why "shark attacks" aren't as common as you might think.

  • Actress Amanda Bynes arrested

    24 May 2013 | 7:03 am
    Adding to what's becoming a lengthy list of run-ins with the law, New York police arrested actress Amanda Bynes on Thursday night after she allegedly tossed drug paraphernalia out the window of her 36th floor Manhattan apartment.
 
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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

  • 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.

  • Learn How to Use the Sharpening Tools in Lightroom

    Guest Contributor
    22 May 2013 | 12:23 pm
    There’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

    Darren Rowse
    22 May 2013 | 9:33 am
    Today 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…

  • Canadian Travelogue – Newfoundland – Cape St. Mary’s

    Dale Wilson
    21 May 2013 | 12:57 pm
    Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve is about a one hour drive south on Highway 100 from the Marine Atlantic ferry terminus of Argentia. The drive to the reserve itself is fascinating and provides many opportunities for images of the rugged maritime coastline, particularly around Ship Cove and Gooseberry Cove. Should your departure point be the international airport at St. John’s, the drive will take about three hours as you travel inland via Salmonier Line, and south across the Avalon Peninsula to St. Bride’s.  Should you want the most scenic drive from St. John’s, take the 350Km…
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    TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog

  • Verizon Cloud comes to iOS devices

    Michael Grothaus
    24 May 2013 | 8:00 am
    Following 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…

  • iPhone repair costs are soaring

    Yoni Heisler
    24 May 2013 | 7:00 am
    Marketwatch recently took a look at the rising price of iPhone 5 screen repairs, pointing out that the $229 Apple sometimes charges to repair a broken iPhone 5 screen is often more than the cost of the device itself, with a two-year contract of course. At the root of rising iPhone repair costs are more expensive components coupled with a lower supply of said components. The replacement components for the iPhone 5 are much more expensive than similar parts for prior models - so expensive in fact that many independent repair services cannot compete. "Due to the high cost of replacement parts,…

  • Apple runs new iPhone ad, dubbed "Music Every Day"

    Yoni Heisler
    24 May 2013 | 6:00 am
    Apple on Thursday evening began running a new iPhone 5 ad titled "Music Every Day." The ad shows iPhone users in a variety of environments using music on the iPhone for inspiration, fun, work, and as a means to bond with friends. "Every day," the narration reads, "more people enjoy their music on the iPhone than any other phone." The ad is a cousin of sorts to Apple's most recent ad, appropriately dubbed "Photos Every Day."Apple runs new iPhone ad, dubbed "Music Every Day" originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Fri, 24 May 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use…

  • Reality Absorption Field: iPod's trail of tears, part 1

    Ross Rubin
    23 May 2013 | 10:00 pm
    The recent celebration of iTunes tenth anniversary provided an opportunity to remember that it debuted before the iPod and was initially positioned as a way to get Macs to play well with the CD burners that had come to the iMac as well as to early MP3 players from rivals. Before and (mostly) after the iPod, it's surprising to see not only how many different companies sought success in the portable media player category, but the diversity and depth of their approaches. While some achieved a degree of success and implemented a few things that were ahead of Apple, none came close to matching…

  • Daily iPad App: Frozen Synapse simulates some very impressive turn-based strategy

    Mike Schramm
    23 May 2013 | 7:00 pm
    Frozen Synapse has been a successful title on Steam for a while now -- it's a turn-based strategy game, with the twist being that you're a sort of tactical AI, running these battles on simulations and hardware rather than in real life. As a result, the big draw of Frozen Synapse is that while, like many other tactical strategy games, you are guiding a series of soldiers around turn by turn, these turns are actually simulated, and you can test them out and repeat them as many times as you like before playing out the "prime" sequence, and running the real thing. The pacing of the game is pretty…
 
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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)

  • 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.

  • Canon still pursuing Foveon-style multi-layer sensor design

    23 May 2013 | 11:32 am
    Canon 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 am
    If 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 am
    Leica 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 pm
    Fujifilm 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

  • 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

  • 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…

  • Shazam for iPad Rebuilt as Universal App With Background Auto-Tagging and More

    Eric Slivka
    23 May 2013 | 6:35 am
    Shazam 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

    Eric Slivka
    23 May 2013 | 6:07 am
    Popular 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…

  • Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Tablet Ad Highlighting iPad's Flaws, High Price [Updated]

    Juli Clover
    22 May 2013 | 5:42 pm
    As noted by The Verge, Microsoft has released a new Windows 8 tablet ad that uses Siri to highlight a few of the iPad's shortcomings, depicting the ASUS VivoTab Smart tablet as a robust productivity machine while implying that the iPad is more suited to entertainment. In the ad, which is entitled "Less Talking, More Doing," an iPad is depicted next to the aforementioned VivoTab Smart, showing off the system's multitasking capabilities and its built-in office apps. A Siri voiceover points out that the iPad does not support multiple windows at once and does not offer Microsoft Office apps. "I'm…
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    CNN Travel

  • 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…

  • Opinion: Why I hate the beverage cart

    francescha
    22 May 2013 | 7:51 pm
    Responsible 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

    karlac1
    22 May 2013 | 3:00 pm
    Five 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…
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