Alessi’s new Sushi lighter is at home both in your pocket and your kitchen. Design is a search to perfectly integrate form, function, and meaning. A single design can take years of iterations and refinements and still may never embody that ideal. But if it becomes iconic--think the Coca-Cola bottle or, for our purposes, the Zippo pocket lighter--it ceases to be in flux and moves beyond time and style. But, and sooner or later, change needs to be introduced--either directly injected into the design itself, or at the very least, by admitting alternative forms into the cycle. As every…
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Can This Sleek Lighter Challenge The Zippo?
Fast Company23 May 2013 | 2:30 pm -
To be perfect, practice isn’t enough
Holy Kaw!23 May 2013 | 1:39 pmThere may be more to perfection than a lot of practice, according to a small study of chess players and musicians. A new study shows that even copious amount of practice is not enough to explain why people differ in level of skill in two widely studied activities: chess and music. In other words, it [...] -
Remains of the Day: Don't panic
Macworld23 May 2013 | 4:30 pmIf you were worried Apple might not have a keynote at WWDC this year, you can finally relax. But don’t get too relaxed: Comixology’s pulling controversial comics again, and iPhone repair costs are up, up, up. The remainders for Thursday, May 23, 2013 are powered by the Infinite Improbability Drive. Apple’s WWDC Keynote Scheduled for Monday, June 10 (AllThingsD) Phew. For a minute, I was really worried that they might decide to hold it a week later, just to mess with people. ComiXology pulls 56 digital comics from iOS app [Updated] (ComicBookResources) To read this article in full or to… -
Wind-harnessing skyscraper sure to give environmentalists warm fuzzies
Holy Kaw!23 May 2013 | 5:19 pmSkyscrapers and city-scapes aren’t known for giving the green movement warm, fuzzy feelings, but a new generation of architects and engineers have been hard at work to change that nitty-gritty image and no idea inspires cuddling up to the concept of close cohabitation like the Strawscraper. Designed by Swedish firm Belatchew Arkitekter, Strawscraper would harness wind [...] -
3D-Printed 'Bionic' Ear Can Hear Beyond Human Ability
Mashable23 May 2013 | 11:38 pmScientists at Princeton University have designed a bionic ear that can hear better than human ears. And get this: It was printed using an off-the-shelf 3D printer. We've heard of 3D printers someday building human organs before, but what's noteworthy about this project is this printed ear intertwines embedded electronics. These Princeton researchers basically 3D-printed cells and nanoparticles, and then combined a small coil antenna with cartilage to create this "bionic" ear, according to the university. The result was a fully-functional organ that can hear radio frequencies a million times…
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Holy Kaw!
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Wind-harnessing skyscraper sure to give environmentalists warm fuzzies
23 May 2013 | 5:19 pmSkyscrapers and city-scapes aren’t known for giving the green movement warm, fuzzy feelings, but a new generation of architects and engineers have been hard at work to change that nitty-gritty image and no idea inspires cuddling up to the concept of close cohabitation like the Strawscraper. Designed by Swedish firm Belatchew Arkitekter, Strawscraper would harness wind [...] -
Who can’t use a helping hand opening the door?
23 May 2013 | 5:08 pmDo certain rooms of your house have an unwelcome feel to them? Perhaps you’ve just been greeting it all wrong. With the Hand-le doorknob, every opening provides a new beginning or at least the opportunity to lose that dead fish handshake. Seriously, that’s never impressive. Time to get a grip. Full story at Dutch By [...] -
Fire ants could teach tunneling robots a few tricks
23 May 2013 | 1:54 pmResearchers find fire ants tightly regulate the diameter of their tunnels to insure ideal mobility and traction—but when they slip, antennae take grip. “Our hypothesis is that the ants are creating their environment in just the right way to allow them to move up and down rapidly with a minimal amount of neural control,” says [...] -
To be perfect, practice isn’t enough
23 May 2013 | 1:39 pmThere may be more to perfection than a lot of practice, according to a small study of chess players and musicians. A new study shows that even copious amount of practice is not enough to explain why people differ in level of skill in two widely studied activities: chess and music. In other words, it [...] -
Citizen scientists tag bug collections online
23 May 2013 | 1:28 pmThe public can help scientists by deciphering and recording the hand-written field notes that accompany a million insect specimens, many dating back more than 100 years. Along the way, participants in the project, called Calbug, are getting a peek into history and the treasures held in museum collections. Among the many scientifically valuable objects in [...]
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Mashable
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3D-Printed 'Bionic' Ear Can Hear Beyond Human Ability
23 May 2013 | 11:38 pmScientists at Princeton University have designed a bionic ear that can hear better than human ears. And get this: It was printed using an off-the-shelf 3D printer. We've heard of 3D printers someday building human organs before, but what's noteworthy about this project is this printed ear intertwines embedded electronics. These Princeton researchers basically 3D-printed cells and nanoparticles, and then combined a small coil antenna with cartilage to create this "bionic" ear, according to the university. The result was a fully-functional organ that can hear radio frequencies a million times… -
Apple Ad: iPhone is Most-Used Phone for Listening to Music
23 May 2013 | 7:37 pmSamsung may sell more smartphones, but a new Apple ad claims that more people listen to music on their iPhones than any other phone The 60-second ad, which broke Thursday night, is a bit of a stylistic departure for the brand. The music is downbeat — even somber — the visuals are grainy, even a bit gritty. Images show people grooving to music on their iPhones while practicing their dance moves, studying and even coming out of the shower It's not clear where Apple got its stat. The company recently claimed that 25 billion songs have been sold through its iTunes music store. -
Bikes Made From Trash Power Film Festival
23 May 2013 | 6:57 pmA group of students in France crafted wooden, energy-producing stationary bicycles from trash. These novel bikes were recently used to power a film festival screening in St. Étienne. The whole thing started last year when a group of green-minded engineering students at the School of Mines in Saint-Étienne started an “eco-projections” initiative to show documentary films powered by electricity-generating bikes. They formed a collective called Open Sources and developed several plastic bike prototypes in collaboration with a local design firm. SEE ALSO: Watch: Shocked by 1… -
Lost Apollo 11 Moon Dust Found in Storage
23 May 2013 | 6:41 pmVials of moon dust brought back to Earth by the first men on the moon have been found inside a lab warehouse in California after sitting in storage unnoticed for more than 40 years The samples — collected by Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin — were rediscovered last month by an archivist who was going over artifacts tucked away at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. "We don't know how or when they ended up in storage," Karen Nelson, who made the surprising discovery, said in a statement from the lab. Nelson came across about 20 vials with handwritten… -
Prepare for the Cicada Invasion With This Creepy-Crawly Time-Lapse
23 May 2013 | 6:16 pmThe cicada swarms are coming, and there is nothing you can do to stop it You will step on a cicada shell, one will fall in your hair and that buzzing drone will haunt your entire summer. But instead of fearing the creepy crawlers, appreciate this miraculous act of mother nature with a time-lapse by filmmaker Samuel Orr Orr is determined to change the bad rep these bugs have gotten with this video he's been producing since 2007. He says he became interested in the insects as a child when he found them "scary and mysterious," but changed his perspective after learning more about their lives…
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Fast Company
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The Boy Scouts Vote To Allow Gay Youth
23 May 2013 | 3:30 pmBut adult gay scouts are still banned. With a vote this afternoon, the Boy Scouts of America made official a policy that’s been in the work for months: gay youth will no longer be excluded from the troop. As for gay adults, they’ll still have to sit on the sideline. This, of course, causes a problem for all those gay youth who will one day grow up and become gay adults. Reuters reports that:Read Full Story -
Tracking: Drones And The Law
23 May 2013 | 2:39 pmArmed drones abroad and autonomous commercial and law enforcement aircraft at home are entangled in ever-changing legal issues. Here is Fast Company's look at the evolving legal aspects, and what they mean for the future. 6:15 p.m., 05/23/2013 Obama's Drone Policy Speech In a historic sea change, President Barack Obama redefined the United States' military drone policy and set new parameters for the use of unmanned armed aircraft abroad. Bluntly put, limits were placed on the country's sprawling drone warfare program. Responsibility for most drone attacks will shift from the C.I.A. to the… -
Can This Sleek Lighter Challenge The Zippo?
23 May 2013 | 2:30 pmAlessi’s new Sushi lighter is at home both in your pocket and your kitchen. Design is a search to perfectly integrate form, function, and meaning. A single design can take years of iterations and refinements and still may never embody that ideal. But if it becomes iconic--think the Coca-Cola bottle or, for our purposes, the Zippo pocket lighter--it ceases to be in flux and moves beyond time and style. But, and sooner or later, change needs to be introduced--either directly injected into the design itself, or at the very least, by admitting alternative forms into the cycle. As every… -
Hop On Prague’s New Love Train To Find A Date
23 May 2013 | 2:00 pmThe city is planning to introduce cars for single people, in an attempt to get their young people having babies. Prague has one of the most heavily used public transport systems on the planet; most local commuters use the system four times a day. At the same time, fewer women in the Czech Republic are having children, and the marriage rate in the country has dropped dramatically since 1970. Clearly, a love train is needed to make things right. Ropid, a local transport company in Prague, is launching a real-life "love train" where single commuters can have awkward conversations away from the… -
Farewell, It’s Been A Privilege
23 May 2013 | 1:45 pmCo.Design’s founding editor bids adieu. After three-and-a-half years as founding editor of Co.Design, I’m departing to pursue another opportunity. But it’s just me leaving. Co.Design’s talented staff, which has made this site what it is day after day, is ready to take it to the next level. From the outset, Co.Design was built upon a two-part strategy: To provide cutting-edge thinking, ideas, and inspirations to a talented audience of designers shaping the future, but also--and perhaps more importantly--to raise design’s profile in the broader conversation about…
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TechCrunch
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Cubic Telecom Secures $5.2M To Create Devices That Roam Mobile Networks Cheaply
23 May 2013 | 11:00 pmWe’re all familiar with the bill shock associated with roaming abroad with our cellphones. There are plenty of players that allow you to swap out your SIM card and use cheaper traffic, including Cubic Telecom. However, that process is tedious. So Cubic has secured new funding to enable a range of tablets and notebooks to have their technology built into partner devices. To do this they’ve raised a further $5.2 million in funding from Enterprise Ireland, Qualcomm Incorporated, ACT Venture Capital and TPS Investments. The money will be used to expand globally, and invest in the… -
AngelPad's Sixth Batch Of Startups Includes Companies Working On Drones, Storage, And More
23 May 2013 | 7:23 pmAngelPad, the San Francisco-based accelerator founded by former Googler Thomas Korte, held its sixth demo day yesterday. I wasn’t there (I know, it’s super-embarrassing), but I did get to meet with Korte and partner Carine Magescas today to talk about the newest batch of companies. Magescas said that in the three years since AngelPad was founded, “the premise of what we had in the beginning has been validated.” That premise breaks down to three main ideas, she said. First, she and Korte “push [the startups] really hard.” That’s particularly important… -
Online Video-Ad Network Tremor Video Files For Its IPO
23 May 2013 | 7:01 pmVideo ad network Tremor Video has filed for its long-awaited public offering. The company’s shares will trade on the NYSE at TRMR and it wants to raise at least $86 million. Tremor Video, which runs ads on more than 500 Web sites and mobile apps, disclosed in its S-1 filing that from 2011 to 2012 its revenue increased from $90.3 million to $105.2 million. During that period, its gross margin improved from 35.2% to 41.7%, due in part to the adoption of its performance-based pricing models, while its net loss decreased from $21 million to $16.6 million. Since its founding in 2005,… -
Adly Raises $2M More As It Expands Tools For Social Media Celebrity Endorsements
23 May 2013 | 5:43 pmAdly, a startup that connects advertisers with celebrities willing to post promoted messages on social networks, recently raised $2 million in additional funding. The new funding came from previous backer GRP Partners and new investor Siemer Ventures. Adly has now raised a total of $7.5 million. The company also launched a new product this week. It’s the first thing you’ll see if you go to the Adly website — a button that says “Match Me Up!” which allows Adly to analyze a business’ existing content and followers, then find publishers who are a good match to… -
A Vibrator Called Limon
23 May 2013 | 5:04 pmNo longer just an oddly flavored potato chip, the Limon is also a new sexy-time vibrator from a startup called Minna. The company is looking for backers for its “couples’ vibrator”, which just so happens to look like a pink lime-lemon hybrid. However, the Limon is no lemon or lime. It’s an ultra-powerful bullet vibrator that is controlled by how hard you squeeze it. That is, the harder you squeeze the lime part of the Limon, the harder the lemon-style tip will vibrate. Minna claims that it’s the strongest vibrator of its type in the world, thanks to the fact that…
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Seth's Blog
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Thoughts on education and the burgeoning trophy shortage
23 May 2013 | 2:00 amIt's graduation season, so a few relevant links about school, students and our future: Here's the audio of an interview I did with PlayBuffet My TEDx talk about education And a reminder about Stop Stealing Dreams, a free manifesto that asks, "what is school for?" I hope we can ask this question more and more often... Feel free to share with your favorite graduate. Or her parents. Bonus: 20 video minutes at Creative Mornings. -
Let's start with "sorry"
22 May 2013 | 2:43 amBy the time the phone rings, there's already trouble. When that manager is called or this department is reached, it's because someone is disappointed, angry or stuck. Illness, broken promises or a real urgency have led to this new conversation even taking place. So don't start with, "[Name of company] mumble mumble" as if there's a blank slate just waiting to be written on. There's already a lot of writing on that slate. Don't demand to know the record number or begin with doubt and an edge of dismissal. Be on our team. "It sounds like we've got a situation on our hands..." is a fine way to… -
Levels of marketing magic, the placebo effects of desire
21 May 2013 | 2:45 amANTICIPATION: Before the product is released, the true fans are buzzing and speculating and waiting in line. The anticipation is self-reinforcing, a placebo effect of desire. UTILITY: The album is good, the software is useful, the book changes things. It works better than we hoped. Exceeding expectations pays significant dividends. REMARK: It's purple. Remarkable. Worth talking about. The word spreads. Ten people tell ten people and suddenly, it's abuzz. Not because of PR or hype, but because the remarkability is built right into the product or service itself. And more people enjoy things… -
You should buy the book
20 May 2013 | 8:33 amMitch Joel is a generous and perceptive blogger. Well worth the daily read. He has a new book. You should buy it. David Meerman Scott writes an essential blog, daily. His book is a classic. You should buy it. Tom Asacker writes a very thoughtful blog about marketing. Worth the read. He has a new book. You should buy it, too. Every day, Mark Frauenfelder and Corey Doctorow blog tons of goodness at Boingboing. They each have books. You should buy them and share them. Bernadette Jiwa's blog keeps getting better and better and you are probably already reading it. She has a new book on the way. -
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 outlets, but noise isn't signal. It's…
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NYT > Home Page
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Interstate Bridge Collapses in Washington State
23 May 2013 | 11:05 pmThree people were injured after the failure of an Interstate 5 bridge north of Seattle dumped vehicles into the Skagit River, the authorities said. -
Game 4: Rangers 4, Bruins 3 (OT): Lucky Bounce Helps Keep Brooms Away for Rangers
23 May 2013 | 9:40 pmThe Rangers nudged the Boston Bruins on a nifty goal by Chris Kreider at 7 minutes 3 seconds of overtime — but only after rebounding from holes of 2-0 and 3-2. -
Interstate Bridge Collapses in Washington State
23 May 2013 | 9:27 pmThe failure of an Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River north of Seattle dumped vehicles and people into the water, the Washington State Patrol said. -
USA Swimming Officials’ Ouster Sought by Victim of Coach’s Abuse
23 May 2013 | 8:38 pmKelly Davies Currin, whose former swimming coach Rick Curl was sentenced to prison Thursday for child sex abuse, sought the resignation of national leaders of the sport. -
Syrian Opposition Coalition Meets in Turkey
23 May 2013 | 7:27 pmMembers of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces met in Istanbul to elect a new leader and prepare for an expected international conference in Geneva.
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Wired Top Stories
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'Kindle Worlds' Lets Authors Publish Fan Fiction — At Dubious Cost
23 May 2013 | 2:51 pmYesterday, Amazon announced the launch of Kindle Worlds — a way for fanfic writers to publish. But does the fine print make it more trouble than its worth? -
Exclusive: Congressman Preps Bill to End Terror War Authority
23 May 2013 | 2:35 pmA prominent legislator thinks it's time for the broad post-9/11 law authorizing the war on terrorism to expire. And he's going to introduce a bill to repeal it. -
There's a Movie in the Works About the Bra Designers Behind the Apollo Spacesuits
23 May 2013 | 2:25 pmWarner Bros. has tapped a new writer to pen a screenplay based on the book Spacesuit: Fashioning Apollo, which chronicles the Playtex designers behind the NASA program's spacesuits. -
No Longer Dominating Its Market, TiVo Plots a Software Comeback
23 May 2013 | 1:46 pmTiVo has become the Kleenex of the TV world -- a once dominant brand that's become a generic commodity. Yes, we still call recording a TV show "TiVoing." But as cable and satellite companies started offering their own DVRs and cheap streaming boxes from Roku, Apple and others flooded the market, TiVO has been increasingly marginalized and risks irrelevancy. That's changing, though, as the company moves beyond hardware to the far more lucrative world of software and licensing. -
Solar-Powered Plane Breaks World Record for Distance
23 May 2013 | 1:40 pmSolar Impulse pilot Andr? Borschberg completed a record-setting flight in the wee hours this morning after flying more than 950 miles on solar power alone, even if he was, strictly speaking, going backward for part of the trip. His impressive flight from Phoenix to Dallas completed the second leg of the Solar Impulse team's "Across America" ...
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@ProBlogger
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How to Create a Blog Purpose Statement in 3 Simple Steps
23 May 2013 | 8:54 amYesterday, I shared a series of questions to help those bloggers seeking a little clarity when it comes to what their blog could be about. Today, I wanted to share 3 more questions – these are not so much focused upon YOU as a blogger but upon your readers. Hopefully they’ll also help you achieve a little clarity. Who are your readers? What do they need? How will they change as a result of reading your blog? Answer these 3 questions and you will actually have a pretty good purpose statement for your blog. You could certainly go into some real depth on each question but even doing… -
7 Questions to Ask Yourself to Bring Clarity to Your Blogging
22 May 2013 | 8:28 amDo you feel like you’ve lost clarity around what it is that you’re trying to do with your blog? I’ve recently bumped into a few bloggers grappling with this idea. Some were new, even ‘Pre’ Bloggers, while a couple had been blogging for a while but had lost some direction. Out of these conversations, I put together a set of questions to help them think it through. The questions revolve around asking: What are YOU About? While I won’t guarantee you instant clarity on answering these questions I hope that putting a little time aside to work through them… -
7 Steps to Proofreading Like a Pro
21 May 2013 | 9:37 amThis is a guest contribution by Charles Cuninghame, website copywriter and owner of Text-Centric. I’m sure we can all agree that proofreading is the least fun part of blogging. But while it may be tedious, it’s well worth the effort. Typos are not only embarrassing, they can also cost you money. In a widely reported study in 2011, British entrepreneur Charles Duncombe found a single spelling mistake can cut online sales in half! If you don’t have a product, then you could be missing out a blog subscriber or repeat visitor! Here’s a tried and tested proofreading process that I’ve… -
Are You Balancing Emerging Technology with Effective Strategy?
20 May 2013 | 8:21 amLast week I was asked at a conference to reflect upon the future of digital and among other things I made a reflection that seemed to resonate with those gathered. It was: Don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. As online publishers we see a steady stream of articles being written about new and future technologies, companies and trends in the online publishing space. It is certainly an exciting time to be doing what we’re doing with such amazing development happening all around us and some amazing projections being made about what is ahead of us – however in the midst… -
How to Blog Like a Pro: Workshop on the Gold Coast Australia – Next Week
19 May 2013 | 7:56 pmNext week (29th May) I’m running a special workshop at the Internet Conference on the Gold Coast here in Australia. The workshop is titled – How to Blog Like a Pro – and you’ll get 4 solid hours of teaching in it – all delivered by me in a workshop limited to 40 people only. The workshop has only previously been available to those signing up to the full 3 day conferences as an add-on but there are a few tickets still available and so I asked the organisers if we could sell them as a stand-alone ticket (i.e. you don’t have to come to the full 3 day event).
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Entrepreneur
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Still Waiting for Obama's SBA Chief Nominee
23 May 2013 | 1:06 pmThe White House has yet to select a replacement for Karen Mills, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration. -
4 Lessons From the Nightmarish Amy's Baking Company
23 May 2013 | 11:00 amThink the customer is always wrong? Here are a few lessons in entrepreneurship from the latest Kitchen Nightmares' season finale. -
NHL Playoffs: Lessons in Building a Winning Sales Team
23 May 2013 | 10:00 amLike a successful hockey team, empower your employees and play to their strengths. -
6 Ways to Track Your Competition's Marketing Strategy
23 May 2013 | 9:30 amStaying on top of your competitor's marketing tactics is key if you want to be ahead of the game. But you don't need a big budget to do it. Here are six easy ways to stay in the know. -
Startup Weekend and Startup America Partner to Jumpstart Global Entrepreneurship
23 May 2013 | 8:55 amWith the support of AOL Co-Founder Steve Case, new organization UP Global aims to accelerate startup communities around the world.
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Lifehacker
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Google, Google, and More Google!
23 May 2013 | 5:00 pmThis week on the podcast we're talking about Google, Google, and more Google. Also, your questions about keeping to a budget, cold-emailing your dream job's company, and freeing up space on your iPhone.Read more... -
GText Syncs Your Android's Text Messages Directly with Gmail
23 May 2013 | 4:00 pmChrome: Although Gmail can already send and receive text messages, it doesn't sync with your Android smartphone. Gtext, an extension from previously mentioned MightyText, sends and receives texts directly in Gmail using your mobile phone number. Since DeskSMS might not be taking new users, this is a great alternative just in time.Read more... -
Will getting an advanced degree limit your career options?
23 May 2013 | 3:00 pmGreat discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!Read more... -
Deadspin Bicycle Pumps Are The Worst | Lifehacker Nine Things You Should and Shouldn't Do If You Los
23 May 2013 | 2:35 pmDeadspin Bicycle Pumps Are The Worst | Lifehacker Nine Things You Should and Shouldn't Do If You Lose Your Job | io9 12 Underrated or Overlooked TV Shows to Marathon This Weekend | Jalopnik This Is Why People Think Ford Truck Drivers Are Asshats | Valleywag Sean Parker's Wizard Wedding Escapes Government CrackdownRead more... -
Best External Battery Pack/Phone Charger?
23 May 2013 | 2:30 pmIf you've ever watched your phone's battery die before you could charge it again, you know a good, portable battery pack is a lifesaver. However, they're not all made equally—some are definitely more useful (and more functional) than others. This week, we want to know which ones you think make the grade. Read more...
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MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors
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AT&T's GoPhone Prepaid Brand to Gain iPhone and LTE/HSPA+ Support Tomorrow
23 May 2013 | 7:33 pmMacRumors has learned that AT&T's GoPhone prepaid wireless brand will be undertaking a significant expansion of its services starting tomorrow, offering support for the 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,… -
Apple Posts New iPhone TV Ad 'Music Every Day'
23 May 2013 | 7:12 pmApple started running a new iPhone ad this evening called 'Music Every Day', the second in a series that launched last month with a spot entitled 'Photos Every Day'. Both ads in the campaign focus on people actually using the phone, rather than just the phone itself. Every day, more people enjoy their music on the iPhone than any other phoneIn a series of colorful clips, the iPhone is used by owners to listen to music at school, in the shower, at the gym, at a club, at a swim meet and more. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Letter to Brazilian Apple Repair Centers Suggests June 2013… -
Microsoft Inaccurately Depicts Windows Tablet as Larger than iPad in New Comparison Ad
23 May 2013 | 2:32 pmTo go along with two previously released anti-iPad Windows 8 tablet ads, Microsoft has released a side-by-side comparison of the iPad and various Windows 8 tablets, such as the ASUS VivoTab Smart, the same tablet that was used in the aforementioned ad. In the comparison, Microsoft points out the many reasons why the VivoTab is superior, noting its thinner size and lighter weight. Microsoft also includes a diagram of the 9.7-inch iPad next to a 10.1-inch widescreen tablet that looks visibly larger. That image is not to scale, however, as Elliot Temple of Curi.us (via Daring Fireball) details… -
New Colors Rumored for iPhone 5S and Lower-Cost iPhone, Dual LED Flash for iPhone 5S?
23 May 2013 | 1:18 pmMacotakara 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,… -
Apple Confirms WWDC Keynote Presentation Will Be Monday June 10th
23 May 2013 | 9:54 amIn an unsurprising announcement, Apple has confirmed that the keynote address for the Worldwide Developers Conference will be at the Moscone Center on June 10, the first day of the conference. The company did not disclose any speakers or agenda, but Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to take the stage with other Apple executives to present new versions of both OS X and the iOS operating systems. Prior WWDC keynotes have started at 10 AM Pacific time. Tickets for the 2013 WWDC sold out in two minutes this year, an all-time record for the event. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Evernote Adds…
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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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30 Quick Editing Tips Every Content Creator Needs to Know
23 May 2013 | 4:00 amInbox 0: in a bad way. Has your brilliant content still not scored you that dream writing position, lucrative business partnership, or sweet recognition among your peers and target audience? If you think your articles are top-notch, but there’s a lonely tumbleweed blowing through your barren website, it may be because you’re just a writer. You heard me, Gloria. If everybody wants you, why isn’t anybody calling? Once you create a blog or email newsletter, you need to also actively take part in its evolution. While keeping diligent focus on your content production, you must also review… -
How to Nail the Opening of Your Blog Post
22 May 2013 | 5:00 amThe opening four notes to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony are the most popular notes in Western music. Dun dun dun dum … They are stormy. Heroic. Disorienting. Short enough to be remembered. Portentous enough to be memorable. Today you’ll find those notes everywhere. In movies, commercials, and songs when the dramatic and foreboding are needed … And we hardly bat an eye. We recognize them, we know them, and we love those first four notes. Not so for Beethoven’s opening night at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1808. One contemporary composer of Beethoven —… -
5 Things Every Copywriter Needs to Know About Their Prospects
21 May 2013 | 4:00 amWhat do you really know about your prospect? Their age range perhaps? Where they live? What they do for a living? Useful definitely, but not enough to create copy that rouses emotion and compels action. For that we need to take a journey much deeper into the dark recesses of our customers’ minds … Want to join me? Today’s article is inspired by someone who understood that in writing, how well you knew your ‘characters’ made the difference between captivating an audience, or boring them. In 1946 The Art of Dramatic Writing, (now regarded as one of the best works… -
14 Free Ebooks and an Updated 20-Part Internet Marketing Course
20 May 2013 | 5:00 amCan’t see the video? Click here. Free Registration About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media. Get more from Brian on Google+. Related StoriesWhy We Still Need to Write, Even When We’re Scared5 Ways to Bond with Your Blog’s Audience11 Compound Word Errors that Might Make You Look like a Numbskull -
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…
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Macworld
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Remains of the Day: Don't panic
23 May 2013 | 4:30 pmIf you were worried Apple might not have a keynote at WWDC this year, you can finally relax. But don’t get too relaxed: Comixology’s pulling controversial comics again, and iPhone repair costs are up, up, up. The remainders for Thursday, May 23, 2013 are powered by the Infinite Improbability Drive. Apple’s WWDC Keynote Scheduled for Monday, June 10 (AllThingsD) Phew. For a minute, I was really worried that they might decide to hold it a week later, just to mess with people. ComiXology pulls 56 digital comics from iOS app [Updated] (ComicBookResources) To read this article in full or to… -
On Android, market share, and watermelons
23 May 2013 | 11:11 amJohn Kirk nicely deconstructs the argument that market share is what matters, showing that Apple is playing a very different game than the one its critics seem to be watching.(techpinions.com) -
The Macalope: Bigger is better just because
23 May 2013 | 11:00 amWriting for the clown show that is Forbes, Darcy Travlos asks the Betteridge’s Law-challenging question “Apple And Google: The New ‘Old’ Reality?” (No link but tip o’ the antlers to the Jony Ive parody account on Twitter yet again.) Uh … no? Huh. IDC’s smartphone operating system rankings released last week showed acceleration in the Google Android platform against the Apple iOS platform in terms of smartphone unit shipments. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here -
Review: Attractive Locus Workstation standing desk an excellent choice
23 May 2013 | 11:00 amFocal Upright’s Locus Workstation is the company’s flagship product. Martin Keen, the man who founded the Keen shoe company, designed this upright desk. After he sold his shoe company, Keen started Focal Upright, and the Locus Workstation began shipping last year. The Locus Workstation is something of a hybrid between an adjustable height desk and a standing desk. The desk is fully adjustable for height and pitch—it can accommodate anyone at a height between 4-feet 1-inch and 6-feet 8-inches—and features a large hand crank that changes the pitch of the desk surface from completely… -
Researchers find more versions of digitally signed Mac OS X spyware
23 May 2013 | 9:47 amSecurity researchers have identified multiple samples of the recently discovered “KitM” spyware for Mac OS X, including one dating back to December 2012 and targeting German-speaking users. KitM (Kumar in the Mac), also known as HackBack, is a backdoor-type program that takes unauthorized screen shots and uploads them to a remote command-and-control (C&C) server. It also opens a reverse shell that allows attackers to execute commands on the infected computers. The malware was initially discovered last week on the Mac laptop of an Angolan activist at the Oslo Freedom Forum, a human…
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ReadWrite
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Nintendo's Epic Fail — Grabbing Copyright From Its YouTube Fans
23 May 2013 | 3:52 pmYou might think that Nintendo, beleaguered by falling revenues, minuscule profit and the almost-but-not-quite-failed launch of the Wii U, already has enough problems to worry about. And you would be wrong, as Nintendo itself set out to demonstrate last week by going out of its way to alienate a bunch of its fans on YouTube. The fans in question make YouTube "playthrough" videos about, well, video games — features that combine elements of commentary, review, tutorial and walk-through. Some of these commentators reach millions of subscribers, and many support themselves in full or in part by… -
Geek Pride Day Is May 25: Here's How To Celebrate
23 May 2013 | 12:54 pmReady to embrace another arbitrary holiday - or just looking for an excuse to slack off and eat cake? Who isn’t? This Saturday, May 25, is internationally known as Geek Pride Day. “But, Pi Day and Star Wars Day already happened,” you might be thinking. Which leads me to retort, “Do you want this holiday or not?” In actuality, Geek Pride Day is the only one of the bunch that works overtime as a general celebration of all types of geekery. 3 Reasons To Geek Out In fact, there is a trifecta of different reasons May 25 is considered the geekiest day in the year. It’s… -
News Flash! Tablets Are Not Smartphones
23 May 2013 | 9:33 amYou probably already knew this, but a new report from Forrester wants to emphasize this seemingly obvious point: Tablets are not simply larger touchscreen smartphones. There are significant difference in where people use them, how they use them and for how long - all of which have big implications for app developers, marketers, tablet makers and a lot of other folks. As the table market continues its white-hot growth - nearly 50 million tablets were sold last quarter alone - these differences will force both innovation and disruption in publishing, advertising, retail, gaming and… -
Shazam's New iPad App Is Designed For Watching TV With A Tablet, Too
23 May 2013 | 8:37 amShazam, an app best known for identifying songs playing around you, is making a big move into identifying all kinds of media playing around you. That promises to move Shazam from our pockets, where its smartphone apps mostly identify songs, to our living rooms—and hence to the tablets we typically keep near our TVs. Those tablets are becoming known as "second screens"—and Shazam wants to have a big presence on them. The most intriguing aspect of Shazam's latest version is its added capability to tag events on live TV in the U.S., a clear sign that Shazam wants to be the gateway app for… -
Google App Engine Cuts Prices By One-Quarter
23 May 2013 | 8:15 amGoogle is reducing Datastore prices by up to 25%, according to an announcement on their Cloud Platform Blog. This price change impacts both App Engines HRD and the new Cloud Datastore introduced last week at I/O. The price decrease is sure to capture the attention of Amazon Web Services, perhaps even to the point of a small cloud price war. (Also read How Amazon's Rising Headwaters Could Threaten Google.)
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Smashing Magazine Feed
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Building The New Financial Times Web App: A Case Study
23 May 2013 | 2:52 amWhen the mockups for the new Financial Times application hit our desks in mid-2012, we knew we had a real challenge on our hands. Many of us on the team (including me) swore that parts of interface would not be possible in HTML5. Given the product team’s passion for the new UI, we rolled up our sleeves and gave it our best shot. We were tasked with implementing a far more challenging product, without compromising the reliable, performant experience that made the first app so successful. We didn’t just want to build a product that fulfilled its current requirements; we… -
Designing CSS Layouts With Flexbox Is As Easy As Pie
22 May 2013 | 5:31 amFlexible box layout (or flexbox) is a new box model optimized for UI layout. As one of the first CSS modules designed for actual layout (floats were really meant mostly for things such as wrapping text around images), it makes a lot of tasks much easier, or even possible at all. Flexbox’s repertoire includes the simple centering of elements (both horizontally and vertically), the expansion and contraction of elements to fill available space, and source-code independent layout, among others abilities. Flexbox has lived a storied existence. It started as a feature of Mozilla’s… -
Mobile UX Research: Exploring Ten Fundamental Aspects Of M-Commerce Usability
21 May 2013 | 6:30 amEveryone is talking about mobile. Some e-commerce websites are venturing into it. Mobile commerce (also known as “m-commerce”) has immense potential, exhibiting a 86% growth rate and hitting $25 billion in 2012 (set to reach $86 billion by 2016, according to eMarketer). It’s also a whole new platform, with new interaction methods and usage contexts that introduce a host of limitations and pitfalls to watch out for when designing and running an m-commerce website. With few best practices yet established, m-commerce is, to a large degree, unchartered territory when it… -
Case Study: Typographic Design Patterns And Current Practices (2013 Edition)
16 May 2013 | 7:25 pmGood typography has always been a defining aspect of effective Web design, and this holds true especially for websites in which the emphasis is on presenting a large amount of content — specifically, articles, news and stories. Whether for a magazine or international newspaper, the designer of any website that distributes a lot of content has always had to consider typographic details as seriously and thoroughly as a print designer would. In 2009, we conducted a survey of then current typographic practices. Since then, responsive design techniques have clearly gained… -
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…
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CNN.com - Top Stories
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911 calls unanswered in Oregon areas
23 May 2013 | 11:27 pmOregon Gov. John Kitzhaber is considering legislation that would declare a public safety emergency in some Oregon counties where residents often have been left to try to fend for themselves. -
Lawyer: Trayvon evidence 'irrelevant'
23 May 2013 | 11:20 pmItems taken from Trayvon Martin's cell phone are among new details released by attorneys for George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer accused of killing Martin without provocation 14 months ago. FULL STORY -
With mom in labor, twister hit hospital
23 May 2013 | 11:18 pmTears flowed and hugs were traded on Thursday in an Oklahoma maternity ward as four nurses saw for the first time the baby whose birth they helped safeguard during a direct hit by Monday's tornado. FULL STORY -
Cars, drivers in water
23 May 2013 | 10:45 pmAn Interstate 5 bridge over the Skagit River in Washington has collapsed, police authorities said. -
Oklahoma tornado
23 May 2013 | 10:41 pmPounding rain soaked tornado-ravaged Moore, Oklahoma, on Thursday morning, hindering recovery efforts. And heavy winds were expected, bringing a slight possibility of an isolated twister.
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Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider
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Today Triple Scoop Music is launching my Signature Music Collection for Landscape & Travel
23 May 2013 | 9:01 pmI’ve been a fan of Triple Scoop Music even since I heard some of the instructors at Photoshop World using their royalty-free music tracks in their photo slideshow presentations. As a musician myself, I am just so impressed with the quality of their tracks — their stuff is “the real deal.” That’s why I was so psyched when they asked me to put together a Signature Collection of their music tracks that I thought would be perfect for landscape and travel photography slideshows and videos.The “Scott Kelby Signature Series Vol 1 – Landscape and Travel… -
It’s Free Stuff Thursday!
22 May 2013 | 10:13 pmThe Digital Photography Book Part 1 – Second Edition Okay, Scott already announced the release of the new version of his best-selling book, The Digital Photography Book Part 1 – Second Edition. But since today is Free Stuff Thursday, I figured we would give away FIVE FREE copies to some lucky commenters! Whether you already have the first edition and just want the latest version, or if you want to give a copy to a friend, or if you just don’t have any version of this book and want it, leave a comment for your chance to win! Or, you can head over to KelbyTraining.com, Amazon,… -
It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Vincent Versace!
21 May 2013 | 9:01 pmPhoto by Douglas DublerA Tale of Two PhotosOnce a year, on the anniversary of Guest Blog Wednesday, Scott affords me the opportunity to share some thoughts. All I can say is that it is a good thing that he gives me a year between these guest blog posts. Once again, thank you, Scott, for your gracious generosity.Tale 1Of all of the images I have or will take in my life, I suspect “Paris in Snow” will be by far my most iconic. It is the cover of my book From Oz to Kansas, and Epson uses it as the image on their worldwide packaging of Cold Press Natural paper. So the image has received some… -
Motorcycle Shoot (behind-the-scenes)
21 May 2013 | 4:22 am(Above) Here’s a behind-the-scene shot from Friday’s shoot. This is a three-light shoot: Two 4-foot strip banks above (with Elinchrom strobes), and there’s one additional softbox in front (you can see the light-stand right behind my laptop) that’s putting some extra light on the engine — it was a little dark in there with just the two strobe directly above the bike.I asked my Creative Director Felix Nelson if I could shoot his Harley, but he was doing some serious tinkering with it at home and it wouldn’t be ready for days, so he suggested calling our… -
The 2nd Edition “Refresh” of my “Digital Photography Book, Part One” is here
19 May 2013 | 9:01 pmOK, if you already have the first edition of the book, DON’T BUY THIS ONE!!!! That’s because it’s a “refresh” and not a “rewrite.”The original book was published back in 2006, so I brought the book up-to-date with a pretty significant refresh using today’s latest cameras, updates and changes in gear; plus I added a short chapter with some advice I’ve learned since then; I went through and updated all the photos (man, it’s excruciating to look back at the images you were taking seven years ago), and techniques where needed…
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Digital Photography School
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The Sony RX100 at Dublin Zoo [USER REVIEW]
23 May 2013 | 1:16 pmby Sarah Hipwell It’s been about four years since my last visit to the zoo. Last week my two girls had a break from school so I decided to take them along with my Mum for a day out to visit the animals at Dublin Zoo. I brought my trusty new Sony RX100 and as a backup I brought my Nikon D300 DSLR. In the end the D300 camera didn’t come out of my bag! I really wanted to test out the RX100 and see how well this compact camera performed in the wild! Actually, I had been interested in purchasing a compact camera for a while now. My husband has taken some great shots with his Retina iPhone. But… -
3 Tips for Taking Portraits that Reflect the Character and Spirit of your Subject
23 May 2013 | 7:57 amA Guest contribution by Hailey Bartholomew from You Can’t Be Serious. 1. Do Something Who are you photographing? If you don’t know them well, find out what they love to do and where they relax the most. Maybe they love to row boats or take picnics at their favourite park every Sunday. Maybe you are photographing your grandmother who loves to be out in her garden. Go and do that with them. Whatever they love to do to relax, tag along with your camera. But don’t sit back on the sidelines hoping to catch a moment from far away – get down and into whatever they are doing. -
Learn How to Use the Sharpening Tools in Lightroom
22 May 2013 | 12:23 pmThere’s no question that Lightroom is a powerful piece of photo processing software, but due to that power sometimes it’s not as easy to wrap our heads around everything it has to offer, that’s in part why I started my Let’s Edit YouTube series a weekly segment in which I share my own editing workflow for viewers to learn from. After starting this series one of the most commonly asked questions was to go into more detail on how the sharpening tools in Lightroom work. Sharpening in Lightroom is broken down into four different sliders – Amount, Radius, Detail and… -
Discover the Secrets to These 11 Special Effects Images: New eBook
22 May 2013 | 9:33 amToday we’re launching a new dPS eBook that I suspect is going to give a lot of our readers hours of fun while playing with their digital cameras. It’s called Photo Magic: Special Effects Photography Made Easy – an eBook by Neil Creek. As an Early Bird special you can grab it today at 25% off (just $15 USD). Over the years we’ve published thousands of tutorials here on dPS – many of which are on topics like Portraiture, Landscapes, Macro and Street Photography. However some of our most popular tutorials over the last few years have been when our authors have… -
Canadian Travelogue – Newfoundland – Cape St. Mary’s
21 May 2013 | 12:57 pmCape 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
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Reality Absorption Field: iPod's trail of tears, part 1
23 May 2013 | 10:00 pmThe 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
23 May 2013 | 7:00 pmFrozen 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… -
Ultima Forever spotted on the Canadian App Store
23 May 2013 | 6:00 pmIf you've been waiting for Ultima Forever, the new iOS version of Ultima from EA, then it's here for you (kind of). The app has been spotted over on the Canadian App Store, and if you have an account over there, you can go and download it right now. The Canadian App Store is often used as a beta testing ground for iOS apps, especially by EA, so the company is likely testing out the game and its services before releasing it worldwide soon (probably in the next few weeks). So it's not completely done yet, but if you want to go get it, you can. To switch your iTunes install over to Canada, you… -
DevJuice: Don't forget to order your WWDC business cards
23 May 2013 | 5:30 pmWith WWDC just around the corner, time is running low. Have you ordered new business cards for the event? If you're looking for something a little more interesting than a plain white rectangle, there are lots of options out there. Moo is well-known for their rounded-corner high-quality cardstock business card line. I know several TUAWians swear by them. Want something with a little more texture? How about wooden business cards? Vendor Cards of Wood sells 100 cards from US$35, with discounts at higher quantities. Maybe you want to break out of the box with custom shapes? Taste of Ink studios… -
Skycore uses MMS to send Passbook passes
23 May 2013 | 5:00 pmPassbook users rejoice, as life is about to get a little easier. Skycore has announced support for cross-carrier delivery of Passbook passes via MMS. That means in the near future you will be able to send friends and family tickets, coupons and gift cards via a simple text message, and have them installed in Passbook on their phones. The MMS message arrives showing an image, which the receiver simply has to tap on to install the pass. Services for pass creators include the ability to monitor MMS delivery receipts and to confirm that passes have been installed. If the recipient of the MMS…
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Strobist
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Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters is Now Available on DVD, and Netflix Streaming
22 May 2013 | 9:00 pm©Gregory Crewdson Netflix have acquired the rights to stream Ben Shapiro's excellent 77-minute documentary, Gregory Crewdson: Brief Encounters. You can also buy it outright on DVD for $24. Sadly, the Netflix access this is US-only (maybe Canada? nope!) and only for Netflix streaming subscribers. But this is still far and away the biggest audience to have had access to the film. There's no telling how long it will be up to stream. Netflix is notorious for having, then not having, the rights to a movie. So just in case, don't wait too long. You can stream it here. (Many thanks to reader Tim… -
On Assignment: Back to the Well
21 May 2013 | 9:00 pmTian Lu (left) and Yuri Shadrin are both accomplished pianists in their own right. But when they play as a duet (on the same piano) they produce an intuitive mix of music and banter that could only come from the married couple that they are. He is Russian, she is Chinese. Which made them the perfect choice to perform in China later this month in commemoration of an upcoming regional trade partnership between China and Russia. So I shot their publicity portraits in one of my favorite little environmental portrait nooks in Howard County—under the fountain downtown at the lakefront. I have… -
Q&A: Photek Softlighter II or Paul Buff PLM?
17 May 2013 | 3:00 amSydney, Australia-based photo assistant Diego asks: You seem to use the Photek Softlighter a lot. How would this compare to the Paul Buff PML Soft-Silver with the White Diffuser? While they are similar (both sub-$100 Octa killers) they are pretty different under the skin, So which model you'll prefer depends on how you'll use it… Read more » -
Readers Shoot Back: Vivian Chung
13 May 2013 | 8:11 amDontcha hate it when your bride-and-groom portrait gets photo-bombed? Okay, maybe not if it's by a Beluga whale. And for Vancouver wedding photographer (and Strobist reader) Vivian Chung, this well-planned cameo was no accident. Complicating things, she only had a little time—and a key technical restriction—to make this shot. Read more » -
Lighting In Layers on Lynda.com
13 May 2013 | 8:00 amI am happy to announce that Strobist's video series, Lighting in Layers, has by special arrangement been adapted for the video tutorial site Lynda.com. Those of you who are Lynda subscribers can now view the videos there. (This includes Lynda's many corporate subs, so check with your company.) Last week saw the launch of the first segments, which are primarily aimed at beginners. Additional sessions will be released each week. So even if you are not a newb, stick around. It'll get more complex soon enough… -30-
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News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Canon still pursuing Foveon-style multi-layer sensor design
23 May 2013 | 11:32 amCanon has patented a color-sensitive multi-layered sensor design, showing the company is still pursuing the technology. Like Sigma's Foveon chips, the multi-layered design allows each of the sensor's pixels to capture color information without the need for colored filters. The patent, discovered by the Japanese Engineering Accomplishment blog, suggests a system to promote resonance within the sensor, in an attempt to make the lower layers of the sensor more sensitive. (from Egami blog) -
Photographer captures concert with DSLR-mounted GoPro
23 May 2013 | 11:20 amIf you've never had the chance to stand in the front row and shoot a live concert, Montreal-based photographer Pierre Bourgault has the next best thing. He attached a GoPro camera to the top of his Canon DSLR and recorded a seven-minute video of his shooting experience at a Dead to Me concert. He then overlaid the actual photos taken at the show, which you can view after the break. -
Leica teases 'Mini M' for 11th June release
23 May 2013 | 9:32 amLeica has placed a teaser on its Facebook page for a new 'Mini M' camera to be launched on June 11th, that apparently will slot into its range between the M rangefinder and the X2 fixed-lens compact. It's given no other details, but we think it could make sense for the company to produce a full-time live view version of the M Typ 240, using the same sensor but with the expensive rangefinder assembly removed. This would result in a 24MP full frame mirrorless camera that would be able to use almost any manual focus SLR or rangefinder lens ever made, without a field-of-view crop. -
Fujifilm updates X-Pro1 and X-E1 to improve AF with 55-200mm lens
22 May 2013 | 10:00 pmFujifilm has updated the firmware for its X-Pro1 and X-E1 mirrorless cameras, to improve the autofocus speed with the recently-launched XF 55-200mm F3.5-4.8 R LM OIS telephoto zoom lens. Versions 1.05 for the X-E1 and 2.04 for the X-Pro1 are available to download from the Fujifilm website. Click through for the links. -
DxOMark Mobile Report: Samsung Galaxy S4
22 May 2013 | 3:19 pmWe just published the DxOMark Mobile Report for Samsung's new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4 on connect.dpreview.com. DxO's imaging experts have analyzed 14 aspects of mobile imaging including detailed image quality assessment, flash performance, autofocus reliability and more to calculate a final score. This report will be integrated into our full review once it is finished but for now click through to find out how the Samsung Galaxy S4's camera performed in the DxOMark lab tests.
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Lightroom Killer Tips
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Should You Create Multiple Catalogs In Lightroom?
20 May 2013 | 11:01 pmFor years, catalog questions tend to be the most popular questions I get at my Lightroom seminars. One of those questions is whether or not to create multiple catalogs in Lightroom. See, back in Lightroom 1, it became fairly common knowledge that when your catalog grew to a certain size in photos (say 20,000) that it would slow down and you should create a new catalog so Lightroom would keep running quickly. But that’s not the case anymore. Lightroom doesn’t have a photo limit that anyone has hit. Adobe doesn’t even recommend creating multiple catalogs anymore. So the first… -
Lightroom And WPPI Coming Your Way (Chicago, Atlantic City, Vegas and LA)
15 May 2013 | 9:00 amIf you live in Chicago, Atlantic City, LA or Las Vegas then you’ve got a WPPI “On the Road” stop coming your way. NAPP and WPPI are teaming up to provide you with some killer Photoshop and Lightroom training at each event. RC Concepcion, Pete Collins and I will be teaching along side plenty of other great instructors in each city. Here’s the link to WPPI’s website if you want to find out more and below is the list of cities and dates. Hope to see you there! • Chicago: May 21-22 • Atlantic City: June 3-4 • Los Angeles: July 15-16 • Las Vegas: August… -
A Super Quick Way To Convert Your Photo To Black And White
9 May 2013 | 11:01 pmHey everyone. Here’s a great little tip for you if you want to see quickly see what your photo looks like as a black and white, without going to a different panel and messing with sliders. Ready… just go to the Develop module and press the V key. Yup… that’s it. It does the default black and white conversion, and gives you a good idea of whether you’d want to process the photo any further as a B&W. If you like it, then head down to the B&W panel and make some more adjustments. If not, just press the V key again and it’ll take you back to the color… -
What Photoshop CC (Creative Cloud) Means For Lightroom Users?
6 May 2013 | 11:01 pmThere’s obviously lots of feedback, buzz, interest, and excitement, from Adobe’s announcement yesterday. If you missed it, in a nutshell, Photoshop as we know it is going totally subscription based. So basically, you can’t buy a stand alone boxed or download copy of it anymore. You have to subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud to get Photoshop CC (CC means Creative Cloud). However, for now you’ll still be able to buy Lightroom standalone without subscribing (even though it’s also included in the CC). By the way, if you hadn’t noticed Photoshop CS is no… -
Lightroom Tip: Hiding Panels
2 May 2013 | 11:01 pmDid you know that you can hide specific panels in Lightroom? You probably knew that you can collapse a panel just by clicking the tiny arrow next to the name of the panel. But you can also hide them so they simply don’t show up. For example, personally I don’t use the Split Toning panel, so why even have it show up there anymore? To hide it (or any other panel) right click under the Histogram in the dark gray empty area in the Develop module (just to the left of the word Basic in the Basic panel). The panels that are visible will be checked. To hide one or more just click on it.
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MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - iOS Blog
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Letter to Brazilian Apple Repair Centers Suggests June 2013 Policy Changes?
23 May 2013 | 4:18 pmAppleInsider has obtained a letter supposedly sent to Brazilian Apple Authorized Service Providers suggesting that new policies regarding iPhone and iPad repairs will begin soon. Though the letter is taken out of context and has been roughly translated via Google Translate, it suggests that AASP's in Brazil will soon begin repairing broken iPad glass panels and performing more in-depth repairs on iPhones with details of that plan being sent in June 2013. 2. iPad Repair - We will soon begin to repair iPad glass. Further details will be sent next week. 3. iPhone Repair - The Changing Patterns… -
Angry Birds Space Named App of the Week, Available for Free
23 May 2013 | 10:03 amRovio's Angry Birds Space has been named Apple's App of the Week, and as a result, both the full iPhone and the iPad version of the game can be downloaded for free for the first time ever. Angry Birds Space features the same bird flinging gameplay found in other Rovio titles, but it incorporates new zero gravity game mechanics and space-themed level design.Angry Birds Space features over 160 interstellar levels on planets and in zero gravity, resulting in spectacular gameplay ranging from slow-motion puzzles to lightspeed destruction. With regular free updates, new in-app purchases, brand new… -
Shazam for iPad Rebuilt as Universal App With Background Auto-Tagging and More
23 May 2013 | 6:35 amShazam was one of the early App Store success stories, offering users the ability to easily identify music by capturing a snippet of the song and matching it against a database to provide title and artist information. The service has since expanded to integrate with the iTunes Store, YouTube, lyrics, and more, with TV shows and ads even adopting Shazam to allow users to easily learn more about the show or product. Shazam has offered separate apps for the iPhone and iPad since 2010, but the company today unveiled a universal version of the iPhone app that includes a completely rebuilt… -
Gmail Management App 'Mailbox' Gains iPad Compatibility
23 May 2013 | 6:07 amPopular email app Mailbox, which launched for iPhone in early February with a reservation system that saw well over one million users sign up before the company eliminated reservations last month, has now gone universal with a native interface for the iPad. ReadWrite has more on the development, including a brief interview with Mailbox founder Gentry Underwood about how designing for the larger tablet screen was actually more difficult than for the iPhone."[Tablets] are these weird hybrid devices that sit in between," said Underwood. "They're part luxury mobile phone, and they're part… -
Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Tablet Ad Highlighting iPad's Flaws, High Price [Updated]
22 May 2013 | 5:42 pmAs 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
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The cat that saved a Japanese train station
23 May 2013 | 7:00 pmMeet Tama, Japan's cutest stationmaster, and her adorable cat-shaped station homeSome 30 minutes from central Wakayama City in southeast Japan is the quiet, rural neighborhood of Kinokawa. Despite the area's un-remarkableness, its train station attracts no shortage of visitors, most under the age of 12. Tama, the hero of Kishi Station. These tourists may not know what there is to see or do in wider Kinokawa, nor do they seem particularly interested -- all they want to do is visit Kishi train station, which serves Kinokawa. They come seeking time, and hopefully a photo, with Kishi's… -
Healthy Beijing: A wellness guide to the city
23 May 2013 | 3:00 pmDespite legendary pollution, Beijing offers access to nature, healthy restaurants and eco-friendly retreatsBeijing has historic attractions, a vibrant culture and, of course, delicious Chinese food. But with its notorious pollution and regular food scandals, it's not a city one equates with health and wellness. But maintaining a healthy lifestyle while visiting Beijing isn't as challenging as you might think. Here's an insider list of nature-friendly spots, wholesome restaurants, organic stores and green escapes in and around Beijing. iReport assignment: What are your favorite spots in… -
Barcelona officials: 'Space hotel' a concept far, far away
23 May 2013 | 7:00 amWe’ll believe it when we see it, but we kind of want to see itGiant ray gun or futuristic hotel? In terms of new architecture, some cities embrace the shiny, the bold, the outrageous. Dubai, for instance, or Shanghai, or even Seoul these days. One city, however, is turning up its nose at one in-your-face building. Plans for a massive man-made island off the coast of Barcelona featuring a 2,000-suite “space hotel,” a covered marina, “zero-gravity” spa and 24-hour mall have been met with something less than enthusiasm from city officials. More on CNN: Insider Guide: What to do in… -
Opinion: Why I hate the beverage cart
22 May 2013 | 7:51 pmResponsible for more crushed knees than MMA, it’s time to protect ourselves from the airline drinks trolley Unless they’ve signed up for a gym membership, people don’t typically pay for experiences that come with a high probability of physical trauma. That’s why it’s odd to me that when you book an aisle seat on an airplane, there’s no disclaimer mentioning there’s about a 30% chance that you’re going to get hit with a moving filing cabinet. Because, basically, that’s an accurate description of an airplane’s beverage cart (galley cart, drinks trolley, mobile foot smasher,… -
Beijing hotels: 9 fantastic new places to crash
22 May 2013 | 3:00 pmFive years after the 2008 Olympics construction boom, new Beijing hotels keep right on comingLeading up to the 2008 Olympics, Beijing went on a hotel building frenzy. Unlike in other Olympic cities, however, long after the medal winners moved on the tourists kept coming. The newest hotels to hit China's capital are seen as ambassadors of the new Beijing. The nine properties listed below have each launched in the last 18 months. Rates are based on a stay in August -- the fifth anniversary of the Olympics' opening ceremony -- and are the lowest offered by the each hotel, based on double…
