The African clawed frog, a species used around the world for biomedical research, is spreading an amphibian-killing fungus when they are released into the wild. Researchers provide the first evidence that the frogs in California harbor a fungal infection that is decimating amphibian populations across the globe. Among 23 samples tested, the researchers identified three frogs, one found in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, that were carriers of the pathogen that has led to the decline or extinction of some 200 amphibian species worldwide. The African clawed frog was first brought to the…
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Clawed frogs spread deadly amphibian fungus
Holy Kaw!20 May 2013 | 6:03 am -
Yahoo Acquires Tumblr, Promises 'Not to Screw It Up'
Mashable20 May 2013 | 5:24 amFollowing the recent onslaught of reports saying Yahoo has acquired Tumblr, an official press release has now confirmed the acquisition has indeed happened In a somewhat odd press release, Yahoo promises it will not "screw up" the popular microblogging service "Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business. David Karp will remain CEO. The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators," says Yahoo in the release The… -
How Google Wins Over Users By Giving Them Less
Fast Company20 May 2013 | 4:20 amUser research may indicate that consumers want more choices. Google doesn’t listen--and has rated highest among any other brand out there. Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity by Alan Siegel and Irene Etzkorn. “Focusing is about saying no. You’ve got to say no, no, no. The result of that focus is going to be some really great products where the total is much greater than the sum of the parts.” --Steve JobsRead Full Story -
It's Official: Yahoo Is Buying Tumblr For $1.1B, Vows To Keep It Independent
TechCrunch20 May 2013 | 5:18 amYahoo has now officially confirmed that it is buying blogging platform Tumblr for $1.1 billion, confirming speculation that started last week. It says it will keep it as an independent company, with founder David Karp at the helm as CEO. “The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators,” it writes. With a lot of negative comments coming in from Tumblr users in lead-up to the deal, and some competitors claiming that they’re witnessing a kind of exodus from Tumblr as a… -
No Signal
Seth's Blog20 May 2013 | 2:00 amAt a party the other day, I saw a dead TV monitor. On the screen it said something like, "No signal... check power, cable and source selection..." It doesn't matter at all how hard the DVD player was trying to put on a show. It is irrelevant how good the show on cable was. If it's not getting through, no one sees it. All of us own our own media companies now. We each have the ability to speak up, to tell our stories, and if we're good and if we're lucky, to be heard. Too often, though, there's no signal. You may be pumping noise through your social media…
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Holy Kaw!
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Clawed frogs spread deadly amphibian fungus
20 May 2013 | 6:03 amThe African clawed frog, a species used around the world for biomedical research, is spreading an amphibian-killing fungus when they are released into the wild. Researchers provide the first evidence that the frogs in California harbor a fungal infection that is decimating amphibian populations across the globe. Among 23 samples tested, the researchers identified three frogs, one found in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, that were carriers of the pathogen that has led to the decline or extinction of some 200 amphibian species worldwide. The African clawed frog was first brought to the… -
Cyber crime statistics and trends [infographic]
20 May 2013 | 4:44 amWorried about cyber crime? As GI Joe always said, “Knowing is half the battle…” and Go-Gulf.com is here to help with this infographic on cyber crime stats. Via Go-Gulf.com. Like infographics? So do we. -
Struggling high school robotics team makes final eight in the nation
20 May 2013 | 4:36 amNeed a feel good story to kick off your week? Not long ago, we brought you the story of the Clairton High School Robotics team, who were struggling to raise the $4000 they needed to go to the national competition in Indianapolis. We’re thrilled to say they met their goal and made it into the elite eight teams of the fifty-two that attended and raised an amazing $58,000 from donations! The leftover funds will go to continued funding of the team and expansion to the middle school level to make Clairton a robotics threat for years to come. The team’s sponsor, Dennis Beard, wants… -
One high school’s epic ending to the school year [video]
19 May 2013 | 7:24 pmYou don’t have to be an alumni of Illinois’ Wheaton North High School to feel nostalgic about this school’s excitement for the end of the school year or the urge to end it on a high note. The best part is that, for us old folks, they use the exact same songs we would have including Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer,” and Spice Girls’ “Wannabe.” Here’s to the end of the year and the Class of 2013! Full story at YouTube. Time to celebrate. -
A kind of serious guide to surviving wild animal attacks
19 May 2013 | 5:37 pmQuick, how do you avoid being killed by a jellyfish? In the time it took you to answer, you could have become the victim of a shark attack, too, but not with this handy-dandy survival guide by Liam Gooley, who covers major threats on land, sea and the netherworld certain major world religions call Hell but the rest of us call Arizona. Full story at HellaWella via Neatorama. Laughing at death.
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Mashable
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Yahoo Acquires Tumblr, Promises 'Not to Screw It Up'
20 May 2013 | 5:24 amFollowing the recent onslaught of reports saying Yahoo has acquired Tumblr, an official press release has now confirmed the acquisition has indeed happened In a somewhat odd press release, Yahoo promises it will not "screw up" the popular microblogging service "Per the agreement and our promise not to screw it up, Tumblr will be independently operated as a separate business. David Karp will remain CEO. The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators," says Yahoo in the release The… -
5 Money-Saving Tools for the Cheap Traveler
20 May 2013 | 5:06 amSummer isn't just the season of love — it's also the season of travel. If you're planning a getaway in the next few months, either large-scale or small, you most likely have a budget to abide by (if not, you might want to look into drafting one.) We did some research and in-staff sourcing to track down the best digital resources to help you, the traveler, save money during your upcoming summer journeys. SEE ALSO: The 20 Most-Clichéd Tourist Photos Granted, they do depend in part on the type of travel you're planning. Some are great if you're looking to crash for free or find… -
Samsung's New 13-Inch Display Has a Crazy 3,200 x 1,800 Pixel Resolution
20 May 2013 | 4:45 amSamsung will be displaying some of its latest and greatest notebook and tablet screens at the Society for Information Display's Display Week 2013. Among them, one stands out: a 13.3-inch notebook display with a 3,200x1,800 (WQXGA+) pixel resolution For those keeping count, that's quite a bit better than Apple's 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, which has a maximum 2,560x1,600 pixel resolution. To make things even better, Samsung claims that LCD can deliver "30 percent" greater power savings than existing LCD displays Of course, we're not quite sure what we'd do with such a high resolution on a… -
5 Mobile Marketing Tools to Reach Customers on the Go
20 May 2013 | 2:15 amThis post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. Looking to up your mobile marketing game? Here are five vendors that can help. 1. MailChimp Email marketing is one of the most popular ways to stay in touch with customers, and there are now many tools that can help you mobile-enable these programs For example, MailChimp has added a number of mobile features that allow you to view your email campaign stats, see who is tweeting about you and manage your lists and… -
YouTube: 100 Hours of Video Are Uploaded to the Site Every Minute
19 May 2013 | 11:21 pmYouTube has just turned eight, and the company is marking the occasion by sharing a couple of cool stats about the service Users of the world's most popular video sharing service upload 100 hours of video to the site every minute. That's 6,000 hours of video every hour and a whopping 144,000 hours of video every day. YouTube also repeated a recently revealed number of one billion visitors to the site per month YouTube, which was founded in February 2005 and first launched in May 2005, was acquired by Google in October 2006 for $1.65 billion Though the site's growth to one billion users was…
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Fast Company
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How Google Wins Over Users By Giving Them Less
20 May 2013 | 4:20 amUser research may indicate that consumers want more choices. Google doesn’t listen--and has rated highest among any other brand out there. Editor’s note: The following is an excerpt from Simple: Conquering the Crisis of Complexity by Alan Siegel and Irene Etzkorn. “Focusing is about saying no. You’ve got to say no, no, no. The result of that focus is going to be some really great products where the total is much greater than the sum of the parts.” --Steve JobsRead Full Story -
What I've Learned By Leading A Startup--And Taking On Google
20 May 2013 | 3:00 amJumping into a fight with Google is something most companies would avoid. Chartbeat CEO Tony Haile explains how his company cleverly carved out a slice of the analytics pie (graph), and why your team and culture trump almost everything else. 1. Do the opposite.I am not the founder of Chartbeat. I inherited it from the brilliant Billy Chasen and preternaturally sage John Borthwick days before we released a beta. And to be honest, I was a little unsure of what the hell to do with it. Chartbeat was an analytics service in a world where Google Analytics was not only dominant but had one serious… -
Tracking: Hulu's Next Act
18 May 2013 | 7:14 amWill Hulu finally be sold? Things are certainly looking that way. Over the last few weeks everyone from Yahoo to TimeWarner has been kicking the tires of the TV and movie streaming service that’s owned by a trio of Hollywood studios--Disney, Fox, and NBCUniversal. And with increasing dissent among those studios as to what to do with Hulu, it seems like only a matter of time before a deal is worked out. Although a number of strategic options are being considered, one source told Fast Company that “Someone will buy them. The partners are motivated to be done with it.” That… -
A Furniture Collection Made Entirely By Wind Power
17 May 2013 | 2:30 pmMerel Karhof has a knack for harnessing breezes and turning them into fun, sustainable goods we can use. Merel Karhof has been using the breeze as muse for years, finding new ways to spin airflow into creative gold. Most notable, perhaps, is the London-based designer’s Wind Knitting Machine, which united a metal mill and loom to make one-of-a-kind scarves. Her ongoing Energy Harvesters series (I, II, III, and IV) underscores her continued fascination with the invisible force. And her latest project, a furniture collection, is not only ingenious but it’s the most ambitious yet. -
Watch: Rich Brilliant Willing Talk About Their Hands-On Design Process
17 May 2013 | 1:15 pmThe trio behind the Brooklyn-based design-and-manufacturing studio talk shop and share their approach to making. Rich Brilliant Willing was formed in 2007 with the goal of uniting the oft disparate worlds of design and manufacturing from a fully equipped, Brooklyn-based studio and workshop. In the following six years, RBW’s founding trio of RISD grads--Charles Brill, Theo Richardson, and Alex Williams--have produced thoughtful lighting and furniture that have established their reputation as a design force. “A design is a concept,” Brill explains in the first of our Making It…
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TechCrunch
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It's Official: Yahoo Is Buying Tumblr For $1.1B, Vows To Keep It Independent
20 May 2013 | 5:18 amYahoo has now officially confirmed that it is buying blogging platform Tumblr for $1.1 billion, confirming speculation that started last week. It says it will keep it as an independent company, with founder David Karp at the helm as CEO. “The product, service and brand will continue to be defined and developed separately with the same Tumblr irreverence, wit, and commitment to empower creators,” it writes. With a lot of negative comments coming in from Tumblr users in lead-up to the deal, and some competitors claiming that they’re witnessing a kind of exodus from Tumblr as a… -
Mobile Payment Startup Payvia Buys Mogreet To Add Messaging-Based Marketing To Its Payment Platform
20 May 2013 | 4:55 amSome more consolidation afoot in the worlds of mobile marketing and mobile payments: Payvia, one of the many startups working in the area of carrier-based mobile billing, is buying Mogreet, a mobile marketing company that delivers campaigns via text, video and picture messaging services. Terms of the deal were not disclosed — although we have contacted the company to ask. Payvia says that the whole of the Mogreet team will be coming over, including Mogreet founder and CEO James Citron, who will become Payvia’s Chief Marketing Officer. The move is an interesting one, in that it signals… -
Yet Another TechCity Report Confuses Tech Companies With Web Agencies And Consultants
20 May 2013 | 4:49 amA new report commissioned by research giant GfK claims that the growth of the high density cluster of technology companies in East London (dubbed Tech City by the UK government) is being “stunted” by a talent shortage and lack of access to capital. The ‘Tech Futures Report’ – commissioned by publishing company TechCityInsider and sponsored by accountant Grant Thornton, recruitment firm Vitamin T, City University London and Digital Shoreditch is based on 141 interviews of ‘tech’ company senior management. In fact, only less than half of these admitted to… -
Alteryx Raises $12M For Data Analytics Platform That Shapes Data Into Apps
20 May 2013 | 4:30 amAlteryx has raised $12 million for its business intelligence service designed for data analysts to build tools out of their own internal data and that from third parties. The investment comes from SAP Ventures and Toba Capital, a new firm founded by former Quest Founder and CEO Vinny Smith. Quest sold to Dell last year for $2.4 billion. Total funding for Alteryx is now $18 million. SAP also participated in the first round. The Alteryx platform streams data into a data engine. The analyst then packages apps and publishes to the cloud. The analyst works with data behind the firewall, pulling in… -
Mobile Ad Startup Adelphic Hires WPP's Michael Collins As CEO
20 May 2013 | 4:00 amAdelphic is announcing that Michael Collins (pictured), previously global CEO at WPP-owned mobile marketing agency Joule, has joined the mobile ad startup as its new chief executive. The current CEO Changfeng Wang will remain on-board as CTO. Wang and his co-founder Jennifer Lum both worked at Apple-acquired mobile ad network Quattro, and they announced last year that they had launched a new company. Adelphic says it helps mobile advertisers find the most desirable audiences for their ads, addressing the lack of a persistent ID for mobile users by analyzing different signals that allow it to…
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Seth's Blog
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No Signal
20 May 2013 | 2:00 amAt a party the other day, I saw a dead TV monitor. On the screen it said something like, "No signal... check power, cable and source selection..." It doesn't matter at all how hard the DVD player was trying to put on a show. It is irrelevant how good the show on cable was. If it's not getting through, no one sees it. All of us own our own media companies now. We each have the ability to speak up, to tell our stories, and if we're good and if we're lucky, to be heard. Too often, though, there's no signal. You may be pumping noise through your social media… -
Learning by analogy
19 May 2013 | 2:36 amThe story of Hansel and Gretel is not actually about Hansel or Gretel. You are surrounded by examples and lessons and case studies that clearly aren't exactly about your project. There's never been a book written precisely about the situation you are facing right now, either. Perhaps one day they will publish, "Marketing Low-Cost Coaching Services to Small Businesses Specializing in Graphic Design in the Upper Peninsula for Dummies" but don't hold your breath. Marketing, like all forms of art, requires us to learn to see. To see what's working and to transplant it,… -
It's Thomas Midgley day
18 May 2013 | 2:00 amToday would be his 124th birthday. A fine occasion to think about the effects of industrialization, and what happens when short-term profit-taking meets marketing. Midgley is responsible for millions of deaths. Not directly, of course, but by, "just doing his job," and then pushing hard to market ideas he knew weren't true—so he and his bosses could turn a profit. His first mistake began when he figured out that adding lead to gasoline appeared to make cars perform better. At the time, two things were widely known by chemists: 1. Adding grain alcohol to gasoline dramatically… -
Every day is an investment
17 May 2013 | 2:07 amYou're not lucky to have this job, they're lucky to have you. Every day, you invest a little bit of yourself into your work, and one of the biggest choices available to you is where you'll be making that investment. That project that you're working on, or that boss you report to... worth it? Investing in the wrong place for a week or a month won't kill you. But spending ten years contributing to something that you don't care about, or working with someone who doesn't care about you... you can do better. -
The river guide and the rapids
16 May 2013 | 2:11 amIt's probably not an accident that rapid (as in rapid change) shares a root with rapids (as in Lava Falls in the Grand Canyon). The river guide, piloting his wooden dory, has but one strategy. Get the boat to the end of the river, safely. And he has countless tactics, an understanding of how water and rocks work, and, if you're lucky, experience on this particular river. The thing is, the captain changes his tactics constantly. He never whines. He doesn't stop the boat and say, "wait, no fair, yesterday this rock wasn't like this!" No, the practice of being great…
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NYT > Home Page
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Battle for Strategic Syrian City Rages On
20 May 2013 | 5:31 amThe Syrian government unleashed new airstrikes in the city of Qusayr on Monday as rebels fought to hold ground amid mounting injuries, opposition activists said. -
DealBook: JPMorgan Vote Tests Stockholders’ Power
20 May 2013 | 5:01 amIf shareholders separate the jobs of chairman and chief executive — positions that Jamie Dimon has held since 2008 — it would signal a shift in the balance of power in corporate America. -
Wave of Bombings Kills Scores in Iraq
20 May 2013 | 3:14 amA series of car bombs in Baghdad and Basra deepened worries that Iraq is spiraling toward levels of violence not seen since 2006. -
Car Bombs in Baghdad, South Iraq Kill at Least 40
20 May 2013 | 3:02 amA wave of car bombings across Baghdad's Shiite neighborhoods and in the southern city of Basra killed at least 40 people on Monday, striking at market places and crowded bus stops during the busy morning hours, officials said. -
DealBook: Cohen Gets Subpoena in SAC Capital Trading Inquiry
20 May 2013 | 2:57 amSteven A. Cohen, rather than be subject to broad questions from prosecutors, is expected to assert his constitutional right against self-incrimination.
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Wired Top Stories
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At Google I/O, Glass and Android Get All the Love, if Not All the Money
20 May 2013 | 3:30 amGoogle was built on services and software, but the stars of Google I/O this year had close connections to hardware. Developers could not get enough of Android and Glass. -
Computer Brain Escapes Google's X Lab to Supercharge Search
20 May 2013 | 3:30 amAndrew Ng built models for processing the human voice and Google StreetView images. The company quickly recognized its potential and shuffled it out of X Labs and into the Google Knowledge Team. And now this type of machine learning could shake up everything from Google Glass, to Google Image Search to the company's flagship search engine. -
Beyond Surveillance: Envisioning the Future Drone Workforce
20 May 2013 | 3:30 amJonathan Downey is the kind of guy you want flying you around. The 29-year-old MIT-educated engineer not only has a commercial pilot?s license, but he also helped set the record for longest unmanned helicopter flight (18.7 hours) and pulled off among the highest hovers out of ground-effect (20,000 feet). -
Robot Guns, Combat Facebook: The Tech of the Army's 'Last' Afghanistan Brigade
20 May 2013 | 3:30 amThe last full-up Army brigade in Afghanistan has all the latest tech. -
Sin-Filled Confessionals Harbor the Burdened's Deepest Secrets
20 May 2013 | 3:30 amFor Billie Mandle, Catholic confessionals are not just dimly lit boxes where people go to confess their sins. They're archives that collect and preserve deeply personal moments left behind by parishioners.
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@ProBlogger
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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). -
How To Use Auto Responder Emails to Boost Your Blogging Efforts
17 May 2013 | 8:22 amThis is a guest contribution by Asher Elran of Dynamic Search. I thought emails were a waste of time and that they are ignored, but then I learned how to do it right and watched the numbers flip. After you published a great post and pushed it through your social network, the third step is to leverage your email list too. This is where the auto-responders can help you gain new subscribers while you’re busy writing your next blog post. The majority of email marketing services are the same. I prefer Constant Contact or Mobilizemail’s new email feature. Following the steps below… -
How Much Content Should I Have Ready to Go When I Launch a Blog?
16 May 2013 | 8:23 amI recently had the opportunity to sit with a small group of Pre-Bloggers – people about to start their first blogs. One of the questions I was about how much content should be written before launching a new blog. My answer came in two parts: The Ideal Scenario What I actually have done The reality is that what I ‘preach’ isn’t always what I ‘do’ – so let me tell you about both! Note: we give a lot of teaching and some great exercises on this topic in ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging. The Ideal Scenario OK – here’s… -
Blog This! Sometimes Going Back to Basics Leads to the Best Posts
15 May 2013 | 8:47 amToday, I’m preparing some slides for a keynote I’m doing tomorrow. I included this diagram – something that Chris Garrett came up with years ago as a way to show new bloggers what they should blog about. The idea – obviously – is to find the connecting point between what YOU know (lessons you’ve learned, problems you’ve overcome, experiences that you’ve had etc) and what your readers (or potential readers) want (or need) to know. The intersecting point is GOLD! The problem with this diagram is when I show it to people they sometimes respond… -
Why Interlinking Your Blogs Posts is a Must (and Not Just For SEO)
14 May 2013 | 8:15 amThis is a guest contribution by Daniel Vassiliou of Endurance SEO. Everybody loves (LOVES) to talk about link building and find the latest and greatest technique for building backlinks to your blog. While this gets you more traffic and better rankings in the search engines, it can draw away from an equally important aspect of your blog – internal (or onsite) SEO. Not only does a good internal SEO practice help boost your rankings by making it easier for Google’s crawlers to access your pages, but it also allows real people (yeah, they’re still on the internet) to navigate your site…
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Entrepreneur
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Accepting Bitcoin Payments: The Risks and Benefits
20 May 2013 | 4:00 amWhat business owners need to know about receiving the progressive digital currency. -
The Experimental Nature of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh
20 May 2013 | 3:00 amIn the first of a four-part series, a look at how the serial entrepreneur is betting on startups to revitalize Las Vegas with his $350 million Downtown Project. -
9 Leadership Traits of Successful Entrepreneurs
19 May 2013 | 11:00 amThe most successful leaders know what they're good at and exploit it to the reach their fullest potential. Here's how to identify and reveal your hidden potential. -
How Groupon Thinks It Can Become a $100 Billion Company
19 May 2013 | 9:00 amInstead of just pumping out daily deals, the company wants to become a mobile, local commerce powerhouse. -
Tips for Overcoming Early HR Hurdles
18 May 2013 | 11:00 amOf all the struggles you'll face as an entrepreneur, hiring, training and managing employees is one of the biggest. Here are some tips for clearing your startup's way of HR obstacles.
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Lifehacker
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Avoid Dealer Advertising and Delivery Fees to Save Big Buying a Car
20 May 2013 | 5:00 amYou already know that dealers will try to hit you with thousands of dollars in fees when you negotiate the price of a new car. What you may not know is that some fees are completely optional, and can be removed if you push back. the "Dealer Prep," "Advertising," and "Delivery" fees, to name a few, are all prime examples.Read more... -
Get SwiftKey, Our Favorite Android Keyboard, On Sale for 50% Off
20 May 2013 | 4:30 amAndroid: SwiftKey, our favorite keyboard for Android, is on sale now at Google Play for $1.99. That's 50% off its $4 regular price, and for your money you get all of SwiftKey's features, from accurate predictive text to gesture typing.Read more... -
How to Uninstall Windows or Linux After Dual-Booting
20 May 2013 | 4:00 amWe've talked a lot about running multiple operating systems on the same computer—whether it's Windows and Linux, Windows and OS X, or something else—but what happens when it's time to get rid of one? Here's how to delete Windows or Linux from your system after you've dual-booted them.Read more... -
Invert Your Phone's Colors For Nighttime Navigation
19 May 2013 | 4:00 pmMost standalone GPS units have a night mode that draws the map with dark colors so the glare doesn't distract you while driving, but a lot of smartphone GPS apps lack this critical feature. However, you can give any GPS app a reasonable stand-in for a real night mode by inverting your phone's screen.Read more... -
Imgur Extension by Metronomik Rehosts Images Instantly
19 May 2013 | 3:00 pmChrome: Imgur took the crown as our favorite image host for it's speed and ease of use, and imgur Extension by Metronomik takes a few extra steps out of the process for Chrome users.Read more...
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MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors
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Apple and Sony 'iRadio' Negotiations Stalling Over Skipped Songs
17 May 2013 | 1:58 pmEarlier today a report suggested that the launch of Apple's upcoming streaming music service deemed "iRadio" may be delayed due to difficult negotiations with Sony Music and Warner Music Group. CNET is offering some additional information on Apple's trouble with Sony Music, explaining that the fees to be paid for skipped songs have become a point of contention between the companies.Apple and Sony Music, the world's second largest music label, are still trying to hammer out details over how much Apple would pay for songs that people listen to a fraction of and then skip, according to people… -
Tightening MacBook Air Supplies at Resellers Hint at Upcoming Refresh
17 May 2013 | 10:31 amAs noted by AppleInsider, MacBook Air supplies are beginning to dry up as Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference approaches. Currently, the 13.3-inch 256GB 1.8Ghz MacBook Air is out of stock at Amazon.com, with a listed one to two month waiting period. While the low end 13.3-inch MacBook Air is in stock, the 11.6-inch MacBook Air is in short supply. Amazon lists an inventory of just ten 1.7Ghz 128GB 11.6-inch MacBook Airs and just one lower end 64GB 11.6-inch MacBook Air available through a third party. Several other authorized Apple resellers, such as MacConnection, MacMall, and… -
Difficult Negotiations May Prevent 'iRadio' Launch at WWDC
17 May 2013 | 9:05 amLast week, we noted that Apple was still struggling to convince the major music labels to sign on to its planned streaming service, informally dubbed "iRadio", with Sony and Warner reportedly holding out even after market leader Universal had agreed to Apple's revised terms. In a new article highlighting how Google was able to announce its own music service ahead of Apple, The Verge notes that Apple's desire to provide a hybrid listener experience has meant more work at the negotiating table.For starters, Google chose to offer a standard subscription music service very similar to those built… -
U.S. Department of Defense Approves iOS 6 Devices for Military Networks
17 May 2013 | 7:56 amFollowing a report from earlier this month indicating that the U.S. Department of Defense was preparing to approve Apple devices running iOS 6 for use on military networks, Bloomberg now reports that the department has officially issued the authorization, opening the door for greater use of Apple's products.The Defense Department said in a statement today that it has approved the use of Cupertino, California-based Apple’s products running a version of the iOS 6 mobile platform. The decision eventually may spur a three-way fight for a market long dominated by Waterloo, Ontario-based… -
Corning Announces 'Lotus XT' Substrate Glass for Brighter, Cheaper Mobile Displays
17 May 2013 | 7:18 amCorning yesterday announced (via Engadget) the launch of its latest glass substrate for LCD and OLED displays, Lotus XT Glass. While Corning is famous for its Gorilla Glass used by Apple and other device manufacturers to provide durable covers for their displays, substrate glass like Lotus Glass is used within the displays themselves to support the transistors and other components necessary for the displays to function. The Corning Lotus Glass platform enables organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays and liquid crystal displays (LCD) that use either low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) or…
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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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MyCopyblogger: 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 -
5 Writing and Productivity Links You Can Use
18 May 2013 | 5:00 amThis week on The Lede … How A Copywriter Evaluates A Great Website The Unexpected Antidote to Procrastination The Daily Rituals of the World’s Most Creative People 4 Things That Lead to Success (or Failure) with Email Signup Forms How to Do More By Planning Less: The Power of the Anti-Plan Want to grab even more useful links (beyond those that make The Lede)? Follow @copyblogger on Twitter. // The Unexpected Antidote to Procrastination Procrastination: that merciless thief of our time, creative output, and potential reward. Mr. Bergman delivers a unique — but convincing… -
How to Become a Content Marketing Expert
17 May 2013 | 9:00 amYou hear everyone talking about online content marketing, because with today’s Internet-empowered prospect, content marketing is what works. And yet, you may be struggling with creating content that works for your business or your clients. Or maybe you’re just trying to take your game to the next level. There’s a lot to learn, and even then you’re left asking potentially expensive and time-consuming questions: How do I apply this particular strategy for my business? Is this a solid idea, and how should I execute it? Has anyone taken this approach before, and what were the… -
Why We Still Need to Write, Even When We’re Scared
17 May 2013 | 8:00 amWriting is scary. Sometimes when we publish something, it makes us feel like our insides are hanging out, for all the world to see. We feel vulnerable. We feel naked. We feel … terrified. But here’s the thing — we have to keep writing, in spite of the fear. If we let fear stop us, our content will have no spark, no life. And everything we write will be completely unremarkable. Right now, I’m working on a blog post (on a different topic) that scares the living heck out of me. I am afraid of the strong opinions and passion that are rising from some long-buried place inside me. -
5 Ways to Bond with Your Blog’s Audience
16 May 2013 | 5:00 amYou’re smart. You know you need to be helpful on your blog in order to grow your audience. You share useful tips. You give away free tutorials. But somehow you’re not connecting with your readers. Your blog seems a little quiet. Sure, you’re getting some traffic. But a certain spark is missing. It’s not the enjoyable party you’d imagined it to be. Is it getting you down? Today I’m sharing five tips to engage with your readers, make them feel at home, and to turn your blog into a nice and warm get-together. Sound good? 1. Write conversationally Nobody…
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Macworld
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Clearing up Mac App Store confusion
20 May 2013 | 4:00 amReader Jack Sanford is being lied to by the Mac App Store and would like to do something about it. He writes: When I checked for Mac App Store updates on my MacBook Air, it said there were no updates available. But when I clicked the Purchases tab, the button next to iMovie showed Update. I clicked that and got a dialog telling me “You have updates available for other accounts.” But I have only one Apple ID that I use for purchases. How do I fix it? Developer and all-around-smart-guy Brett Terpstra as the answer you seek. In his Quick Tip: Fixing the “Other Account” Mac App Store… -
How to sync an Android phone to your Mac
20 May 2013 | 3:00 amThanks to iCloud, syncing an iPhone with a Mac is a piece of cake. But Mac users who don’t buy into the whole “one vendor to rule them all” thing will find that syncing an Android phone with OS X isn’t quite as easy. That said, it isn’t terribly difficult, either, thanks to Google’s own cloud services. Contacts First, you must set up your phone to sync with your Google account. To make sure that this syncing is enabled, go to Settings > Accounts > Google, and tap your email address (it will be at the top of the screen, under the Accounts heading). Then confirm that the Sync… -
The Macalope Weekly: Missed connections
18 May 2013 | 7:00 amYou can almost see the “missed connection” personal ads these pundits would write: “You: gullible reader, looking for more information about the technology industry. Me: technology pundit willfully ignoring implicit costs, pushing really bad ideas, and misrepresenting survey results to generate page views.” Will they get together?! Read on! No such thing as a free lunch Writing for The Motley Fool, Steve Heller has some fun with language! “Apple Has a Siri-ous Problem.” Ahhhh, the Macalope sees what you did there! To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click… -
The Week in iPad Cases: Just keep swimming
18 May 2013 | 6:00 amIf you enjoyed this week's roundup of iPhone cases, check out last week’s edition, Opposites Attract. -
Remains of the Day: Shape up, ship out
17 May 2013 | 4:30 pmiOS devices are in the army now, Intel’s former CEO recounts his Apple misstep, and Apple’s got its work cut out for its WWDC keynote. The remainders for Friday, May 17, 2013 lead the way. Apple Mobile Devices Approved for Use on U.S. Military Networks (Bloomberg) The Pentagon has given thumbs up to iOS 6 devices on military networks, though the Defense Department is still waiting for Apple’s much anticipated “Find My Enemies” app. Paul Otellini’s Intel: Can the Company That Built the Future Survive It? (The Atlantic) To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please…
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ReadWrite
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Dropbox vs. Google Drive vs. Amazon vs. Skydrive: Which One Is Fastest?
20 May 2013 | 5:05 amAs cloud computing services become ever more popular, you might begin to wonder how much you can really trust them to perform when you need them? I decided to find out - by testing the top file-transfer/file-storage/file-backup services. In many ways, getting a file from one computer to multiple computers is the most challenging task for the cloud. And because I like to use multiple computers running multiple operating systems, including Linux, Windows and the Mac, that function is particularly important to me. Cloud Services Can Lag I am pretty agnostic when it comes to cloud providers - as… -
Can Enterprise Tech Avoid The Fate Of The Automobile Industry?
20 May 2013 | 4:04 am“Only the paranoid survive” – Former Intel CEO Andy Grove Things seem so good in the enterprise technology universe right now it is a little scary. The IT transition to cloud/mobile/social has entrepreneurs and investors salivating, with three significant forces at work: Real, not PowerPoint, multi-billion dollar opportunities are emerging for new entrants IT buyers have new productivity options for workers and better values for their operating and capital spending Incumbents are getting needed wake up calls on their technologies and business models. So why am I nervous? The… -
Buying Tumblr Will Leave Yahoo With The Same Old Identity Crisis
19 May 2013 | 9:06 pmYahoo is expected to announce the acquisition of blogging site Tumblr for $1.1 billion on Monday, with both companies' boards having agreed to the deal, according to reports in AllThingsD, which first broke the news of sale talks, as well as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. If it goes through as planned, buying Tumblr would be a signature deal for new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer in her effort to transform the aging Web-media company into a producer of habit-forming online experiences. Tumblr has some 100 million monthly visitors, and its users publish 90 million posts a day. -
Please Don't 'Like' This Post (And I Really Mean It This Time)
19 May 2013 | 9:01 amEditor's Note: This is the last installment of a 3-part series covering Len Kendall’s abstinence from the “Like” button for a month. If you haven't been following along, in April I decided to commit myself to a simple behavioral experiment. I pledged to not "like" anything on or off of Facebook for a month, no matter how tempted I was (and believe me, I was tempted often). My hypothesis was that at the end of this 30 day cycle I would be free of likes and that my detox period would be over. That isn't the case. I still actively have to stop myself often from hitting that button, and it… -
Google's Flirtation With Being A Hardware Company Is Over
17 May 2013 | 2:03 pmA year ago, I left Google's annual I/O developers conference convinced it was making a major strategic shift into being a hardware company. As this year's I/O wraps up, I'm left questioning that conclusion. The message Google is putting forward in 2013 is very different: It's all about what developers can do with the software tools it provides, whether that means broad digital platforms like the Chrome Web browser and the Android mobile operating system, or fungible, ubiquitous services like Google+, YouTube and Google Maps. A Retreat From Hardware In 2012, the keynote offered a drumbeat of…
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Smashing Magazine Feed
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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… -
A Beginner's Guide: Migrating A Website To WordPress Is Easier Than You Think
15 May 2013 | 1:33 amNow powering over 17% of the Web, WordPress is increasingly becoming the content management system (CMS) of choice for the average user. But what about websites built with an outdated CMS or without a CMS at all? Does moving to WordPress mean starting over and losing all the time, energy and money put into the current website? Nope! Migrating a website (including the design) over to WordPress is actually easier than you might think. In this guide, we’ll outline the migration process and work through the steps with a sample project. We’ll also cover some of the challenges you… -
A Client- And Server-Side Approach: Providing The Best Mobile User Experience Possible
14 May 2013 | 5:53 amNow and again, I hit the swimming pool. It’s a good way to exercise, but also to relax after a long day in front of my PC. I can do quite a few laps in my front crawl, but only because I don’t use my legs much. I kick steadily to ensure that my legs stay lifted and don’t slow me down. I don’t use my legs much for forward propulsion. An instructor once explained to me that legs can definitely help with propulsion in the front crawl, but only at the cost of much higher energy consumption. He also explained that champions use their legs a lot. Their hearts are powerful, and… -
Fables, Myths And Narratives: Converting Our Stories Into Multi-Screen Experiences
13 May 2013 | 5:24 amStorytelling takes many forms. In the past, stories were told orally, with people telling and retelling myths, fables and even histories. As writing technology became more prevalent, we began to record our stories, and we told them in the pages of books. Now, our society is awash in different devices and technologies, and those traditions of spoken stories and printed stories are blurring. Multi-screen narratives are being told across all kinds of platforms, pages and devices, making for truly immersive experiences. We are watching them, tapping them and learning from them. They… -
Keeping The Big Small: How To Avoid Duplicate Downloads In Responsive Images
10 May 2013 | 6:52 amThe <picture> element is a new addition to HTML5 that’s being championed by the W3C’s Responsive Images Community Group (RICG). It is intended to provide a declarative, markup-based solution to enable responsive images without the need of JavaScript libraries or complicated server-side detection. The <picture> element supports a number of different types of fallback content, but the current implementation of these fallbacks is problematic. In this article, we’ll explore how the fallbacks work, how they fail and what can be done about it. The <picture>…
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CNN.com - Top Stories
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Miguel's jump fail
20 May 2013 | 5:01 amR&B singer Miguel misses the stage and jumps on a woman's head during his performance. -
A Bangladesh factory that obeys the rules
20 May 2013 | 4:54 amSet aside what you think you know about garment factories in Bangladesh. -
Hot air balloons collide in mid-air
20 May 2013 | 4:52 amOne person was killed and at least 18 were injured when hot air balloons collided in mid-air in Turkey. -
Hot air balloons collide, 1 killed
20 May 2013 | 4:51 am -
Photos: 2013 Billboard Awards
20 May 2013 | 4:47 am
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Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider
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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… -
Please join me in welcoming our new Photoshop User TV co-host, the awesome Jessica Maldonado (AKA “Photoshop Girl”)
16 May 2013 | 9:01 pmThis week we kicked off the new season of Photoshop User TV (the weekly Photoshop show) and I got the honor of introducing our viewers to our new co-host of Photoshop User TV, and the latest addition to “The Photoshop Guys”, it’s Jessica Maldonado, our own “Photoshop Girl.” (wild cheers ensue!).I know what you’re thinking. About #$&% time! (I totally agree) I also know what some of you are thinking, and just so you know, Jessica chose the nickname “Photoshop Girl” herself (though some suggested “Photoshop Gal” cause they… -
It’s Free Stuff Thursday!
15 May 2013 | 9:01 pmFree 24-Hour Trial for National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP)! Want to know what you’re missing out on by not being a NAPP member? Try it out for FREE for 24 hours right here! Check out the full-length classes and quick tutorials from the top Photoshop instructors in the world for a full 24 hours. Whether you’re a photographer looking for Camera Raw, Lightroom, and Photoshop tips or a designer looking for new techniques and getting in-depth with layers, blend modes, and type, you can find it at NAPP.Straight From My Camera with Zack Arias The newest addition to The… -
It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Donna Dotan!
14 May 2013 | 9:01 pmHow to Create an Architectural Photo: Manhattan StyleI’d first like to thank Scott and Brad for inviting me to be a guest blogger! When I was asked to write a post, I was very excited and immediately began thinking about what to share. I love when photographers show how they created one of their favorite images from start to finish, so that’s what I’m going to do for you.Although architecture is a relatively small niche of photography, there are many architectural photographers out there; each with their own style of shooting and retouching. Some do very minimal retouching, if… -
Behind-The-Scenes Video of my Audi R8 Shoot Using the New Priolite Strobes
13 May 2013 | 10:08 pmWhen I recently got the chance to shoot the Audi R8, I only had an hour from start to finish, so I figured I’d give the new Priolites a try because of their “run and gun” wireless capabilities for on-location shooting, and they worked amazingly well. Check out the video to see ‘em in action (and to see one amazing car)!
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Digital Photography School
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6 Winning Ways to Work Wide
19 May 2013 | 12:01 pmToday Joe Decker shares some tips on wide angle photography. One of the first lens purchases aspiring landscape photographers typically made is a wide or super-wide lens, anything (in full-frame 35mm terms) from 24mm on down, and with good reason, wides offer photographers the ability to capture the sweeping vistas of the natural landscape. But they can also be a challenge to use effectively, it’s all to easy to end up with a wide-angle shot that lacks the power and grandeur we felt when we were shooting. In this article, I’ll explain why that’s so often the case, and… -
Make your Photos Sparkle with GIMP
19 May 2013 | 9:28 amA Guest Contribution by Anotherphotograpbynoob.com. What this tutorial will show you In short: how I made the photo on the right become the photo on the left. In this tutorial, we will cover basic tools of the free photo editing software GIMP. Here is a quick rundown of the features covered in this tutorial: Crop a photo in GIMP Increase contrast with the Levels panel Make the colors pop with the Hue & Saturation panel Adjust colors with the Color Balance panel Add a color filter to boost the warm colors in your photo. Sound hard? Don’t worry. I’ll guide you through the whole… -
How to Create a “Standard Import” Preset in Lightroom 4
18 May 2013 | 12:59 pmIntroduction The following is an excerpt from the SLR Lounge Lightroom Workflow System Workshop on DVD, a system designed to increase your post production speed by 5 to 10 times! Click here to learn more. In this article, we are going to talk about creating a develop preset that you would like to apply to all of your images when they are first imported into Lightroom. Although Adobe’s RAW image processing is extremely powerful, one common complaint is that your images may look flat and colorless at first. Often photographers will lament how beautiful their colors looked on the back… -
My First Concert: Lighting Craziness
18 May 2013 | 9:46 amI had noticed this lighting scheme earlier in the song and missed it, focusing elsewhere. But when guitarist Brendt Allman went into his solo, I waited to see if it would happen again. Sure enough, it did. EOS-1D Mark IV, EF 70-200 f/2.8L IS II. ISO 3200, 1/200 f/2.8. A few years ago, I managed to start working with one of my favorite groups of musicians, a progressive heavy metal band from Pennsylvania called Shadow Gallery. This has led to me collaborating with them in a number of ways. I did some publicity photos for them, shot a music video (in another first for me) that ended up… -
Curves: Weekly Photography Challenge
17 May 2013 | 12:37 pmThis week – as a follow up to our article Composing with Curves – your challenge is to take and share an image on the theme of ‘Curves’. Read Composing with Curves, choose one of the types of curves mentioned (‘C Curves’, ‘Arches’, ‘S Curves’, ‘Circles’ or ‘Implied Curves’) and go out and try to capture some of them. Once you’ve taken your ‘Curves’ Photos – choose your best 1-2, upload them to your favourite photo sharing site either share a link to them even better – embed them…
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TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
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Video Flashback: Steve Jobs explains why Macs don't sport "Intel Inside" stickers
20 May 2013 | 6:00 amIn a recent interview, outgoing Intel CEO Paul Otellini explained how he passed up on an opportunity to get Intel chips inside the original iPhone. According to Otellini, Apple and Intel couldn't come to terms regarding cost. Further, Otellini explained that he simply had no way of knowing how successful and ubiquitous the iPhone would go on to become. While there's no way to know for sure just how seriously Apple was considering Intel as a partner for the iPhone, I couldn't help but laugh at the notion of an iPhone sporting an "Intel Inside" sticker on the back. Of course, Apple would have… -
Talkcast tonight, 7pm PST/10pm EST: Beard Edition!
19 May 2013 | 5:00 pmOnce more we come to that point in the week where we practice a time-honored tradition, the Sunday Talkcast. Tonight's show is a special one, as we are going to be joined by The Man, The Myth, The Legend: Jim Dalrymple, of Loop Insight. We'll be talking about The Magazine, among other things. I have heard tell The Beard may be joining us as well, so if you join us, do be on your best behavior. When The Beard is frightened, it doesn't end well. As usual, the Kelly Show means Aftershow, so you should come by for that as well. Since it's really all about you, the community, do see if you can… -
Share between devices painlessly with Instashare
18 May 2013 | 3:00 pmThere will come a time when you would like to simply transfer a file from one iOS device to another or to a Mac; it's inevitable. When the time arises, you will discover as most of us already have that the process is not as straightforward as one would think, considering how powerful these devices are. The most common methods used up to this point have been emailing oneself, cloud services like iCloud or Dropbox, file sync with the USB cable and iTunes or pleading with the always capricious Camera Connection Kit. Thankfully the developers at TwoManShow have developed a wonderful app to take… -
Caturday: Mac mini is Biru's pillow
18 May 2013 | 1:00 pmWhat can be more comfortable to a cat than a pillow that blows warm air out of an optical media slot and vibrates ever so gently? That appears to be why Biru (Indonesian for Blue) loves to rest on a Mac mini owned by reader Peter Stagg and his wife. Peter says, "Biru is my wife's British Short-haired and constant companion, especially when she is working in her study or on her laptop. He has claimed the lives of two laptops so far and is working on the Mac mini, very slowly. When he's not enjoying the warm air expelled from the optical media slot he lies across the front of the keyboard and… -
DevJuice: Spark Inspector offers real time iOS interface inpection
18 May 2013 | 8:00 amSpark Inspector (US$39.99 single-license) offers an exciting new development tool. Targeting devs looking to refine their user interfaces, it enables you to interactively tweak view properties like frames and layers. The app centers around an Interface Builder-like experience, with familiar-looking attribute and size inspectors. If you're comfortable in Xcode 4, you'll easily find your way around this tool. In addition, it provides a custom layer inspector -- one that could (and, honestly should) inspire Apple. It enables you to update layer attributes like shadows and transforms, while…
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Strobist
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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- -
HCAC: Soprano Rebecca Hargrove
8 May 2013 | 12:00 amIt's May. Which always means two things for me: dealing with heavy allergies and beginning my next batch of portraits for the Howard County Arts Council. The drudgery of allergies is offset by the pure pleasure that is getting to work with a group of insanely talented young people. Doing the portraiture for the Rising Stars program is one of my favorite projects of the year. One of the first this year was soprano Rebecca Hargrove, who we photographed in the venerable Garaj Mahal Studios… Read more » -
What Really Happens When a Fuji X100s "Syncs" at 1/4000th of a Sec
5 May 2013 | 7:35 pmFor leaf-shutter flash geeks only: high-speed Phantom v1610 video of a Fuji X100s shutter not-quite-really syncing at 1/4000th of a sec. Sorry, I know many of you will be bored to tears by this. But the full technical article photographer Kevin Housen developed around this video (and others, at different shutter speeds) will really peel the onion for you if you want to know about the demonstrable quirkiness of this camera and ultra-high speed sync. -30-
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News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Introducing... What The Duck on dpreview.com
17 May 2013 | 4:29 pmWe've been fans of Aaron Johnson's comic strip 'What the Duck' for years. 'WTD' is one of the best satirical comic strips in the world, and we're pleased to announce that we'll be publishing it weekly on dpreview.com, starting today. Click through for the first in what we hope will be a long series! -
10 Photo Editing Programs (that aren't Photoshop)
17 May 2013 | 2:30 pmAdobe Photoshop has become ubiquitous since its introduction more than 20 years ago, but it isn't the only game in town. In this article, we've selected 10 photo editing programs that aren't all as well-known as Photoshop, but which are well worth investigating if you're looking for other options. Click through for a link to the full article. -
In-depth look at Google+ Photo Update with the Team that Designed it
17 May 2013 | 2:20 pmAt its I/O developers conference a couple of days ago Google introduced various updates to its Google+ social networking platform, many of which will be of interest to photographers. As well as changes to layout, images can be 'auto-enhanced', made into panoramas and animations, and the system can also select the best facial expressions in group shots. Click through for more details on connect.dpreview.com. -
XiStera smartphone tool offers 8 functions in one device
16 May 2013 | 2:55 pmThe XiStera smartphone tool is one of the more interesting Kickstarter projects we've seen lately. It is an all-in-one device that promises to do just about everything the mobile photographer on the go might require. XiStera serves as a lens adapter, phone stand, tripod mount, headphone wrap and stylus for your iPhone 5. It also works as a bottle opener and key chain, and can attach an optional LED light to your phone. Click through to Connect for more details. -
Just posted: Nikon D5200 in-depth review
16 May 2013 | 1:56 pmWe've just posted our 20-page review of the Nikon D5200. Nikon's 'advanced beginner' APS-C DSLR offers several features that should also appeal to enthusiasts, such as a 24MP CMOS sensor, a 39-point AF system inherited from the D7000 and an Auto ISO system linked to the focal length of the lens. Add an articulated rear LCD and the ability to output uncompressed video and you've got the makings of a very promising camera. Does the D5200 live up to its potential in real-world use? Click through to read our in-depth review.
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Lightroom Killer Tips
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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. -
The Secret To Getting Photoshop Elements To Work With Lightroom
30 Apr 2013 | 11:00 pmI hear more and more that photographers who use Lightroom are now using Elements as well (as opposed to Element’s big brother, the full version of Photoshop). With Elements at an insanely cheap price ($59 at Amazon for example), I honestly can’t blame ‘em. Elements is a hugely powerful program and I think for a lot of photographers out there, that just want basic cloning/healing/layers/selections/retouching, it’ll take care of most of your needs. There is a trick, however, if you’re setting up Elements as an external editor with Lightroom (on the Mac that is).
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MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - iOS Blog
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Turkish Prime Minister Visits Apple Ahead of Major Tablet Purchase
19 May 2013 | 1:13 pmAnatolia News Agency reports that Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Apple yesterday as part of a tour of Silicon Valley companies ahead of the country's move to purchase 10.6 million tablets for its schoolchildren. Erdoğan also visited Microsoft's Bay Area outpost and Google during his trip. Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (left) visits Apple The meeting at Apple was just the latest of numerous interactions between Apple executives and Turkish government officials as Apple seeks to win the massive tablet contract. A number of Apple executives including vice… -
Gameloft's 'N.O.V.A. 3' and 'Gangstar Rio: City of Saints' Are Free for the Weekend
17 May 2013 | 11:09 amGameloft is offering up two of its most popular games for free this weekend. Both N.O.V.A. 3 - Near Orbit Vanguard Alliance and Gangstar Rio: City of Saints can be downloaded at no cost for the first time ever. Originally released last year, N.O.V.A. 3 is a first person shooter with impressive graphics and a science fiction theme. Like many of Gameloft’s games, it includes a multiplayer mode that supports 12-player battles and voice chat to communicate with friends in real time. Our sister site TouchArcade has a review of both the single player portion of the game and the multiplayer… -
'Haunting Melissa' App Brings Episodic Movie Exclusively to iPhone and iPad
16 May 2013 | 5:16 pmHaunting Melissa, from Hooked Media Digital and "The Ring" producer Neil Edelstein, is an app that aims to deliver movies on mobile devices in an entirely new way. Much like a TV show on iTunes, the film is broken up into segments that can be unlocked by sharing a user's viewing experience on Facebook, purchasing each episode within the app for $1.99 or paying $6.99 to $14.99 for the entire film. In an interview with Bloomberg, Edelstein declined to comment on how many episodes would be available. Edelstein also said that Hooked Media Digital wanted to find a way to present movies… -
FTC Begins Sending COPPA Letters to App Developers Ahead of July Rule Change
16 May 2013 | 4:27 pmThe U.S. Federal Trade Commission has begun sending educational letters to app developers to make them aware of upcoming changes to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) that was updated back in December. The two letters [PDF, PDF] inform developers that the restricted collection of personal information of kids 13-and-under has been expanded to include photographs and video and audio with a child's image, among other things. Previously, only identifying information such as the child's name, address, and telephone number was restricted. Please note that we have not yet evaluated… -
eBay for iOS Updated with Multiple Item Checkout, Driver's License Scanning
16 May 2013 | 11:43 ameBay today released updates to its iPhone and iPad apps, offering a redesigned user interface that includes multiple search views, an improved bidding process for ending auctions, and new shopping cart functionality. With the new shopping cart, users can add multiple items to the cart and purchase them at the same time with a single payment. The app also features larger photos and better search results, with the iPad version of the app sporting new photo editing tools. The iPhone app has also gained an interesting new function, allowing users to scan in their drivers licenses with the…
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CNN Travel
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Think your flip-flops have been through hell? Try a pair of Gandys
19 May 2013 | 11:00 pmCreated by orphans of the 2004 Asian tsunami, Gandys flip-flops aim to do more than sit around on the beachIf there’s a single iconic travel fashion accessory, it’s flip-flops. The universal footwear is worn the world over by backpackers, package tourists, beach bums and wealthy vacationers alike. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry. For British brothers Rob and Paul Forkan, flip-flops also represent a memory, a legacy, a way of life and the avenue toward a dream of establishing a successful business, as well as a network of orphanages. In 2012, the entrepreneurial pair launched… -
10 Tumblr sites that make travel more interesting
19 May 2013 | 7:45 pmTumblr isn't as big as Twitter, but some are using it to make some great travel blogsReports this weekend from AllThingsD point to Tumblr being acquired by Yahoo for nearly $1.1 billion. Although popular, Tumblr has yet to become a necessary part of any brand’s content strategy, the way way Pinterest or Twitter have. But that doesn’t mean people aren’t doing interesting things on the platform. We looked at sites that are adding something new to the Web or, if they’re curating something else they found, at least adding their own distinctive twist. It’s often used by bloggers… -
Beijing travel: 72 hours in the Chinese capital
19 May 2013 | 3:00 pmSome travelers can now visit the city visa-free for up to 72 hours. Here's how to cram the best of Beijing into three daysTravelers looking to visit Beijing without the hassle of obtaining a visa are in luck: at the beginning of 2013, the Chinese government lifted visa requirements for tourists laying over in Beijing or Shanghai for up to 72 hours. Are three days enough to take in the best of Beijing? It's a tight squeeze, but here’s how to make the most of a 72-hour trip to one of the world’s most vibrant cities. More on CNN: Visas waived for Beijing transit travelers Day 1 Lama… -
Rising from the revolution: Life in Benghazi
17 May 2013 | 3:00 amThere may be a little too much gunfire to make Benghazi a top 10 holiday destination, but this hopeful Libyan city makes for one fascinating tourCurrently, few visitors to Benghazi arrive on leisure trips. The murder of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three colleagues profoundly shook confidence in “Free Libya.” The United States advises against all travel to the city while hearings continue over the American response to last September's attack. The backlash against Islamist militias, however, has seen their presence and influence much reduced. Although the prevalence of private… -
Crazy addictive travel game of the week
16 May 2013 | 7:00 pmDamnit we have work to do … but not before we have another go on this annoyingly difficult web-based gameYou see a picture, and have to guess where it was taken. A simple premise for a surprisingly difficult-but-not-impossible game, that threatens to destroy productivity levels in the CNN Travel office for the next week. GeoGuessr.com throws up five random images from Google Street View and asks you to pinpoint them on a map. You get scored depending on how far away you are -- the closer your guess, the more points you rack up. It’s a bit like “Man Vs Wild” for mouse clickers. You get…
