A devastating 2004 hurricane that wiped out a Caribbean lizard population offered an unprecedented opportunity to put an evolutionary theory known as the “founder effect” to the test. The founder effect describes the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. “Founder effects are very hard to study,” says Thomas Schoener, a professor of evolution and ecology at University of California, Davis and a co-author of the study. “One must be in exactly the right place at the…
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Most Topular Stories
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Lizard shortage offers rare evolution test
Holy Kaw!8 Feb 2012 | 1:01 pm -
Sheikha Al Mayassa: Globalizing the local, localizing the global
Uploads by username: "TEDtalksDirector"8 Feb 2012 | 8:40 amSheikha Al Mayassa: Globalizing the local, localizing the global www.ted.com Sheikha Al Mayassa, a patron of artists, storytellers and filmmakers in Qatar, talks about how art and culture create a country's identity -- and allow every country to share its unique identity with the wider world. As she says "We don't want to be all the same, but we do want to understand each other."TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured… -
The Civil War, Part 1: The Places
In Focus8 Feb 2012 | 5:22 amLast year marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, a milestone commemorated by The Atlantic in a special issue (now available online). Although photography was still in its infancy, war correspondents produced thousands of images, bringing the harsh realities of the frontlines to those on the home front in a new and visceral way. As brother fought brother and the nation's future grew uncertain, the public appetite for information was fed by these images from the trenches, rivers, farms, and cities that became fields of battle. Today's collection is part 1 of 3,… -
Syria fighting continues
The Big Picture8 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pmA European Union official said today harsher sanctions may be imposed on Syria as the 11-month-old uprising against the country’s regime led by President Bashar al-Assad continues even as Russia now tries to promote talks between the two sides. The United Nations has reported that more than 5,000 people have been killed since the conflict began. Hundreds have been reported killed since this past weekend in the city of Homs alone. Collected here are images from the last few days from inside the country. -- Lloyd Young (Editor’s note: Due to the exclusion of news organizations, which limits… -
Daily App Deals: Get ProCamera for iOS for Only 99¢ in Today's App Deals [Deals]
Lifehacker8 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pm
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Holy Kaw!
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Lizard shortage offers rare evolution test
8 Feb 2012 | 1:01 pmA devastating 2004 hurricane that wiped out a Caribbean lizard population offered an unprecedented opportunity to put an evolutionary theory known as the “founder effect” to the test. The founder effect describes the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. “Founder effects are very hard to study,” says Thomas Schoener, a professor of evolution and ecology at University of California, Davis and a co-author of the study. “One must be in exactly the right place at the… -
Petty controversy: The Oscars diss the Muppets
8 Feb 2012 | 12:48 pmAcademy Awards producers outrage Kermit lovers with a proposal to shorten the telecast by scrapping Best Original Song performances It's an odd year for the Oscars' Best Original Song category. Thanks to the Academy's ever-changing and increasingly labyrinthine rules, only two songs earned nominations. At first, critics weren't too troubled by the abbreviated list, since it included the comically existential Muppets ballad "Man or Muppet," written by Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie and performed by Jason Segel and Walter the Muppet. But alas, producers are planning to scrap the Best… -
Punctuation makes all the difference
8 Feb 2012 | 12:29 pmThink. Punctuate. A lesson in grammar. Permalink | Leave a comment » -
Fasting slows the spread of cancer
8 Feb 2012 | 12:27 pmCancer in animals appears less resilient, judging by a study that found chemotherapy drugs work better when combined with cycles of short, severe fasting. Even fasting on its own effectively treated a majority of cancers tested in animals, including cancers from human cells. The study shows five out of eight cancer types in mice responded to fasting alone: Just as with chemotherapy, fasting slowed the growth and spread of tumors. Without exception, “the combination of fasting cycles plus chemotherapy was either more or much more effective than chemo alone,” says senior author… -
How much time should you spend on social media?
8 Feb 2012 | 12:10 pmEverybody's social media needs are a little different, so there's no use in fretting over whether you're spending too much time or not enough time on social networks, writes Jeremy Victor. Instead, focus on ways you can make the time you spend on social media more efficient, he argues in SmartBrief's SmartBlog on Social Media. Full story at SmartBlog on Social Media by SmartBrief. More SmartBrief stories. Permalink | Leave a comment »
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Uploads by username: "TEDtalksDirector"
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Sheikha Al Mayassa: Globalizing the local, localizing the global
8 Feb 2012 | 8:40 amSheikha Al Mayassa: Globalizing the local, localizing the global www.ted.com Sheikha Al Mayassa, a patron of artists, storytellers and filmmakers in Qatar, talks about how art and culture create a country's identity -- and allow every country to share its unique identity with the wider world. As she says "We don't want to be all the same, but we do want to understand each other."TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured… -
Stephen Coleman: The moral dangers of non-lethal weapons
7 Feb 2012 | 8:40 amStephen Coleman: The moral dangers of non-lethal weapons www.ted.com Pepper spray and tasers are in increasing use by both police and military, and more exotic non-lethal weapons such as heat rays are in the works. At TEDxCanberra, ethicist Stephen Coleman explores the unexpected consequences of their introduction and asks some challenging questions.TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change,… -
Neil Burgess: How your brain tells you where you are
6 Feb 2012 | 8:08 amNeil Burgess: How your brain tells you where you are www.ted.com How do you remember where you parked your car? How do you know if you're moving in the right direction? Neuroscientist Neil Burgess studies the neural mechanisms that map the space around us, and how they link to memory and imagination.TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on… -
Danny Hillis: Back to the future (of 1994)
3 Feb 2012 | 8:22 amDanny Hillis: Back to the future (of 1994) www.ted.com From deep in the TED archive, Danny Hillis outlines an intriguing theory of how and why technological change seems to be accelerating, by linking it to the very evolution of life itself. The presentation techniques he uses may look dated, but the ideas are as relevant as ever.TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on… -
Erica Frenkel: The universal anesthesia machine
2 Feb 2012 | 9:29 amErica Frenkel: The universal anesthesia machine www.ted.com What if you're in surgery and the power goes out? No lights, no oxygen -- and your anesthesia stops flowing. It happens constantly in hospitals throughout the world, turning routine procedures into tragedies. Erica Frenkel demos one solution the universal anesthesia machine.TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe…
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In Focus
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The Civil War, Part 1: The Places
8 Feb 2012 | 5:22 amLast year marked the 150th anniversary of the start of the American Civil War, a milestone commemorated by The Atlantic in a special issue (now available online). Although photography was still in its infancy, war correspondents produced thousands of images, bringing the harsh realities of the frontlines to those on the home front in a new and visceral way. As brother fought brother and the nation's future grew uncertain, the public appetite for information was fed by these images from the trenches, rivers, farms, and cities that became fields of battle. Today's collection is part 1 of 3,… -
Chinese Lantern Festival 2012
7 Feb 2012 | 6:13 amThe Chinese Lantern Festival takes place on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year. As they mark the end of the Spring Festival, celebrants create colorful lanterns, set off fireworks, and hold parades. In one village, residents hurl molten metal against a wall to create an impressive display of sparks in a 300-year-old tradition. Gathered below are some vibrant images from this year's Chinese Lantern Festival. [29 photos] A blacksmith throws molten metal against a cold wall to create sparks, as he and others celebrate the Lantern Festival which traditionally marks the end of the Lunar New Year… -
Deep Freeze Spreads Across Europe
6 Feb 2012 | 8:09 amThe frigid weather that plagued Eastern Europe much of last week spread westward over the weekend, grounding flights, snarling traffic, and causing hundreds of deaths. While the subzero temperatures and heavy snowfalls have brought hardship, residents of some areas were able to take advantage of the conditions for skating, sledding, kite surfing, and other winter pastimes. Meteorologists warn that more blizzards may be hitting the region, and state officials, shelters, and aid organizations are preparing to help even more people in need. Gathered here are images of frozen Europe from the past… -
Afghanistan: January 2012
3 Feb 2012 | 7:02 amEarlier this week, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta indicated that American forces in Afghanistan would be accelerating their withdrawal. "Hopefully by the mid-to-latter part of 2013," Panetta said, "we'll be able to make a transition from a combat role to a training, advice, and assist role." This announcement came shortly after the Taliban declared its plans to open a political office in Qatar, allowing for direct peace negotiations. At the moment, the U.S. still has 90,000 troops stationed in Afghanistan, with 22,000 scheduled to return home later this year. Gathered here are images of… -
Kim Jong Un Looking at Things
1 Feb 2012 | 7:31 amLike father, like son. Since the recent death of Kim Jong Il, North Korean state-run media has been releasing a series of images of the "Great Successor," Kim Jong Un, visiting schools, factories, and military facilities. These visits, which were frequently publicized by his father and his grandfather Kim Il Sung, are called "field guidance" trips -- opportunities for the supreme leader to give on-the-spot advice. For decades, the North Korean myth-making machine endowed Kim Jong Il with amazing wisdom, prowess, and intelligence, and it continues that tradition now with his son, touting him…
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The Big Picture
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Syria fighting continues
8 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pmA European Union official said today harsher sanctions may be imposed on Syria as the 11-month-old uprising against the country’s regime led by President Bashar al-Assad continues even as Russia now tries to promote talks between the two sides. The United Nations has reported that more than 5,000 people have been killed since the conflict began. Hundreds have been reported killed since this past weekend in the city of Homs alone. Collected here are images from the last few days from inside the country. -- Lloyd Young (Editor’s note: Due to the exclusion of news organizations, which limits… -
Egypt: protests over Port Said soccer deaths
6 Feb 2012 | 12:20 pmViolence at a soccer match triggered intensified political protests in Egypt raging now into their fifth day. A match on February 1, 2012 in Port Said, Egypt between rival clubs Al-Masry of Port Said and visiting Al-Ahly of Cairo ended with home supporters charging onto the pitch and chasing visiting fans. That confrontation turned bloody when the visiting fans were unable to get out of the stadium, and 74 died from attacks and from injuries sustained in a panicked stampede. Al-Ahly's fans had played a prominent role in defending protests in Cairo's Tahrir Square that eventually toppled… -
Extreme cold weather hits Europe
3 Feb 2012 | 9:26 amFrigid temperatures have gripped Europe in the last week, with the mercury reaching as low as 35 degrees Celsius below zero. After what had been a relatively mild winter, the sudden cold caught many unprepared. Eastern Europe is hardest hit, with over 100 deaths in Ukraine, and with over 11,000 people in remote villages cut off by snow in Serbia. Most of the fatalities recorded have been homeless people found frozen to death outside, and emergency tents with hot meals have been set up to help them in several affected countries. Russia and Poland are mobilizing help for the homeless. Travel in… -
Afghanistan, January 2012
1 Feb 2012 | 9:27 amThe New Year began violently in Afghanistan, with three bombings killing 13 people in one day in Kandahar. In addition, the French Defense minister told soldiers he backed US efforts to open peace talks with the Taliban, and President Obama was in talks about defense priorites as the US military readied for challenges from China and Iran while downplaying any future counterinsurgency efforts like the ones in Afghanistan or Iraq. Meanwhile, the foreign troop withdrawal process continued, as more responsibility was transferred to Afghan security forces. The goal is a complete withdrawal by the… -
Coal
30 Jan 2012 | 9:35 amCoal occupies a central position in modern human endeavors. Last year over 7000 megatons were mined worldwide. Powerful, yet dirty and dangerous, use of coal is expanding every year, with 2010 witnessing a production increase of 6.8%. Around 70 countries have recoverable reserves, which some estimates claim will last for over a hundred years at current production levels. Mining for coal is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. While deadliest in China, where thousands of miners die annually, the profession is still hazardous in the West and other regions as well. Our mining and use of coal…
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Lifehacker
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Daily App Deals: Get ProCamera for iOS for Only 99¢ in Today's App Deals [Deals]
8 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pm -
Pro Tips for Regular People: Five Photography Tricks Anyone Who Owns a Camera Should Know [Video]
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmMore » -
Turn a Magazine Holder into a Corner Shelf [Ikea Hacks]
8 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pmMore » -
Set Gmail as Your Browser's Default Email Client with a Simple Hack [Gmail]
8 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pmMore » -
Make Your Own Screen Protector Quickly and Cheaply with Adhesive Vinyl and an Xacto Knife [Video]
8 Feb 2012 | 12:30 pmWe've previously mentioned that you can make your own screen protector on the cheap with adhesive vinyl. Although it's a simple process to understand in theory, it helps to actually see it in practice. This video from Household Hacker demonstrates how to make a vinyl screen protector and apply it to your device in just a few minutes. More »
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The Conversation
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Green cars? Electric vehicles are marketing a myth
8 Feb 2012 | 11:38 am“What is the value of zero?” asks the seductive commercial for the new Nissan Leaf (due to launch in Australia in April). Set against a montage of natural and man-made images of “0”, the Leaf advert asks its audience to: “Imagine zero dependency on foreign oil, zero pollutants in our environment, zero depletion of the ozone … zero gas and 100% electric Nissan Leaf, innovation for the planet and innovation for all”. Despite its name, is the Leaf really that great for the environment? Electric vehicles and low-emission cars like the VW Bluemotion or the hybrid Toyota Prius are… -
Back off, fatists – obesity blame games don't help anyone
8 Feb 2012 | 11:37 amFor anyone having doubts about overweight or obese people feeling blamed and shamed, the comments on a recent article about a positive image library should settle the matter. They clearly illustrate the assumption that obesity and associated conditions are the fault of the individual, the result of a personal failure to be fit and healthy – they are not. Eating healthy food and being physically active are important habits, but emphasising only the causal role of individual behaviour for preventing and managing obesity is overly simplistic and misleading. The underlying assumption here is… -
Military-backed research is being cut back - but will this affect science?
8 Feb 2012 | 11:36 amAs the Pentagon announced cuts to their Defence budget and similar steps have already been taken in the UK, some are calling for military research projects to go untouched. Military research has transformed our lives in a profound way. Throughout the 20th century, the Defence budget for science research has steadily increased. World-wide conflicts during that period have resulted in massive boosts to military-sponsored research. World War I is often referred to as the “chemist’s war” for the advances made in gases and explosives; World War II brought us radars, atomic technology and jet… -
For love not money: interns and the modern workplace
8 Feb 2012 | 11:36 amLast week Reuters reported a former intern at Harper’s Bazaar is suing the magazine’s publisher, Hearst Corporation, saying her internship violated US labour laws because it was unpaid. The intern, who worked 40-hour weeks between August and December last year, is seeking minimum-wage pay and overtime pay in damages. For US college students, unpaid internships are increasingly sought after, especially “glamour” internships in media, fashion or in Washington DC. These internships are usually secured by those who already have family connections they can call upon. If unpaid work reeks… -
Contador, doping and the need for speed
8 Feb 2012 | 11:34 amOn the day the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) handed down its decision on the Alberto Contador doping case, Cadel Evans – Australian Tour de France champion – was quoted in the cycling press repeating two of the institutional mantras of professional cycling. The first mantra was one often employed by cycling’s governing body, the UCI, and by others such as Lance Armstrong, seven-time Tour de France winner: “Cycling has done more than enough to show it’s doing the right things when it comes to the fight against drugs … “Now it’s time for other sports to look to cycling…
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News
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Home Of Noted Beijing Architect Reduced To Rubble
8 Feb 2012 | 2:05 pmHistoric buildings in Beijing are being demolished in the pursuit of quick profit. Even the home of the architect who urged Mao Zedong to preserve Beijing's old city has fallen to the wreckers' ball, sparking considerable outrage. And the epidemic of destruction is spreading to new buildings, too.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
'Amasia': The Next Supercontinent?
8 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pmMore than 100 million years from now, the Americas and Asia might fuse together, squishing the Arctic Ocean shut in the process. That's according to a new model that predicts where the next supercontinent may form. But don't worry: Humans will likely be long gone by then.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Conservatives Worry Romney's Vision Is Cloudy
8 Feb 2012 | 1:59 pmRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's losses on Tuesday have raised questions once again about his ability to inspire passion from his party's base. There has been a daily drumbeat begging Romney to put some meat on the bones of his policy agenda and set out his vision for the country.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Detroit Schools' No. 1 Mission: Getting Kids To Class
8 Feb 2012 | 1:53 pmDismal attendance rates have put Detroit Public Schools at risk of losing vital state funding, so the city has launched an assault on truancy. Attendance agent George Eason says, "If we see that the parent is willfully ... not sending the child to school then we will take every means necessary to enforce the law."» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Counting The GOP Delegates, But Not Before They're Official
8 Feb 2012 | 1:34 pmThe NPR Delegate Tracker credits a candidate with delegates only when party rule or state law unambiguously awards those delegates to that candidate.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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Uploads by username: "PBS"
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Independent Lens | If Angela Davis Had Twitter, Way Back When... | PBS
8 Feb 2012 | 11:28 amIndependent Lens | If Angela Davis Had Twitter, Way Back When... | PBS www.pbs.org Dr. Angela Davis reflects on how social media may have aided her activist pursuits in the 1960s. She is featured in The Black Power Mixtape, which airs this Thursday on Independent Lens. The clip is part of a larger interview conducted by PBS NEWSHOUR's Hari Sreenivasan and produced by ITVS. The documentary is the product of Swedish journalists, who came to the US to document the anti-war and Black Power movements of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film combines music, original 16mm footage, and… -
NATURE | Raccoon Nation | Living For the City | PBS
8 Feb 2012 | 6:28 amNATURE | Raccoon Nation | Living For the City | PBS The raccoon's intelligence, adaptable nature, and omnivorous diet all help the species thrive in urban landscapes. When the lights go down in cities across North America, another world is revealed, populated by shady little characters that live alongside us, but exist in the margins. These pint-size problem solvers are smart, adaptable and omnivorous, and they love a good challenge. Welcome to the world of urban raccoons. With their busy little hands, they can do what other would-be urban animals can't — open doors, get into… -
TAVIS SMILEY | Wael Ghonim | PBS
7 Feb 2012 | 2:33 pmTAVIS SMILEY | Wael Ghonim | PBS Egyptian revolutionary Wael Ghonim discusses the current state of democracy in Egypt. To see this entire interview when it becomes available, go to:video.pbs.org For more information on Wael Ghonim, visit www.pbs.org From: PBS Views: 138 7 ratings Time: 02:57 More in News & Politics -
TAVIS SMILEY | Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer | PBS
7 Feb 2012 | 12:42 pmTAVIS SMILEY | Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer | PBS Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer have a spirited and thoughtful conversation with Tavis about the ambivalence that some African Americans have about their Oscar nominations for playing maids in "The Help." To see this entire interview when it becomes available, go to:video.pbs.org For more information on Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, visit www.pbs.org From: PBS Views: 32 0 ratings Time: 02:10 More in Film & Animation -
Washington Week | From the Vault: Same-Sex Marriage
7 Feb 2012 | 10:39 amWashington Week | From the Vault: Same-Sex Marriage A Federal Appeals Court in California has ruled today that California's ban on Same-Sex Marriage is unconstitutional. Take a look back into Washington Week's Vault to August of 2010 at the original court case. From: PBS Views: 617 11 ratings Time: 06:36 More in News & Politics
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Futurity.org
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Safety violations led to Mexico daycare deaths
8 Feb 2012 | 1:57 pmUC DAVIS (US) — Researchers have documented the safety and building code violations that played a role in the deaths of 49 young children at a daycare center in Mexico in 2009.The disastrous fire joins the ranks of other infamous blazes and should stimulate changes that might prevent future disasters from occurring, and particularly impel greater safety efforts at schools and daycare centers, say researchers. -
Lizard’s evolution keeps ancestors close
8 Feb 2012 | 12:46 pmUC DAVIS / DUKE (US) — A devastating 2004 hurricane that wiped out a Caribbean lizard population offered an unprecedented opportunity to put an evolutionary theory known as the “founder effect” to the test.The founder effect describes the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. The extent to which it contributes to evolution has been up for debate since the early 1940s, when German evolutionary biologist Ernst Mayr first outlined it. -
Alzheimer’s types may not share genes
8 Feb 2012 | 12:38 pmCARDIFF U. (UK) — The genes that cause a rare type of Alzheimer’s disease are unlikely to cause the more common, late-onset form, say researchers.A team of scientists from Cardiff University examined three genes APP, PSEN1, and PSEN2 known to cause uncommon early onset forms of Alzheimer’s. -
Fasting slows spread of cancer
8 Feb 2012 | 12:13 pmUSC (US) — Cancer in animals appears less resilient, judging by a study that found chemotherapy drugs work better when combined with cycles of short, severe fasting.Even fasting on its own effectively treated a majority of cancers tested in animals, including cancers from human cells. -
Glaciers shed billions of tons, satellites show
8 Feb 2012 | 11:47 amU. COLORADO-BOULDER (US) — Ice caps and glaciers outside the regions of Greenland and Antarctica are shedding roughly 150 billion tons of ice annually.The finding by scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder is from the first comprehensive satellite study of the contribution of the world’s melting glaciers and ice caps to global sea level rise.
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Amusing Planet
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Cauliflower Explosions by Brock Davis
8 Feb 2012 | 12:27 amBrock Davis is a Minneapolis-based artist and musician who works on primarily self-initiated projects in a variety of mediums. Humor is a constant in his work, transforming objects in unexpected ways to surprise the viewer. His Broccoli House and Exhibitionist Coffee Cup were viral hits over the Internet. His latest addition to the ongoing Food Stuff series consist of famous explosions created with cauliflower heads. Above is the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion of 1986 created with cauliflower, and below is the actual photograph.Read more » © Amusing Planet, 2012. -
Stunning Glasswork by Shayna Leib
6 Feb 2012 | 11:24 pmShayna Leib was only seven years old when she saw glassblowing for the first time at a local university, an experience that changed her life forever. While completing her Bachelors of Art degree in Philosophy at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California, Shayna also studied literature, glass, and concert piano. Accepted to pursue a Doctorate in Philosophy, she chose instead to enter the University of Wisconsin-Madison for graduate studies in glass and metal. Her glass interests at UW-Madison led to an equal focus on functional and sculptural works, where she… -
Kizhi Pogost: 300 Years Old Multi-Dome Church Built Without Nails
6 Feb 2012 | 3:04 amKizhi is a narrow strip of island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia, Russia. The island is popular for dozens of historical wooden buildings that were moved to the island from various parts of Karelia for preservation purposes during the 1950s. Today, the entire island and the nearby area form a national open-air museum with more than 80 historical wooden structures. The most famous among them is the Kizhi Pogost. The Kizhi Pogost enclosure holds two wooden churches and an octagonal bell tower built during the 18th-century. The jewel of its architecture is the 22-domed Transfiguration… -
Fortune Telling Robots in India
5 Feb 2012 | 11:41 pmFortune Telling is a cultural phenomenon at all levels in the Indian society. Various types of fortune telling are popular with the urban and even the highly educated, and over the years it has taken a number of different forms – horoscopes, palm reading, parrots, tarot cards and recently robots. Scattered across fairs, markets and streets, mostly in southern India, are fortune-telling robots. They come in a range of shapes and sizes. These plastic and fiberglass fortune-tellers are studded with garish LEDs, usually an analog clock embedded in their crotch, and sometimes a pair of… -
Olympics for Rabbit: The Grand National in Harrogate
2 Feb 2012 | 9:45 amAn unusual sporting spectacle took place in Harrogate, Yorkshire, last weekend. More than 3000 rabbits as well as guinea pigs, hamsters, mice and rats took part in showjumping events in UK’s second Rabbit Grand National. The show is part of the Burgess Premier Small Animal Show which has been running for the past 90 years. The Rabbit Grand National is a new addition to the event. The Rabbit Grand National, the entertainment centerpiece of the show saw Sweden’s finest rabbit jumpers return. Particpants are required to hop over twelve hurdles up to one meter in height during a timed display…
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Toxel.com
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Electric Camper Car
7 Feb 2012 | 8:00 pmSan Francisco based designer Jay Nelson created electric camper out of plywood, fiberglass, and bicycle parts. Powered by electric motor, the vehicle has a top speed if 20 mph and can drive 10 miles on a single charge. It is equipped with comfortable bed, kitchen, toilet, and integrated storage compartments. Controls are on the steering wheel [...] -
Book of Life
6 Feb 2012 | 8:01 pmBeautiful sculpture created by David Kracov in honor of Rabbi Yossi Raichik, the beloved director of Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl organization. Pages of the book transform into colorful butterflies, each representing thousands of children that were saved from the devastated region of Chernobyl and given new lives. The sculpture was crafted out of metal. For more inspiration, [...] -
Yoga Cats
5 Feb 2012 | 8:00 pmDan Borris, creator of Yoga Dogs, is back with another series of fun and uplifting photo manipulations that will bring a smile to your face. This time, talented artist created wonderful images of adorable cats and kittens in classic yoga poses. [Yoga Cats and Kittens calendar] For more inspiration, check out: Baby Animals and Cats in Wigs -
Rocking Chair Cradle
4 Feb 2012 | 5:48 pmModern rocking chair with integrated baby cradle designed by Ontwerpduo. Brilliant and useful design allows one of the parents to sit in the chair and gently rock the baby to sleep. When the baby outgrows the cradle, it is possible to convert “rockid” into an ordinary rocking chair. Also check out: Bicycle Transforms into a Baby Stroller -
Grass Flip Flops
3 Feb 2012 | 7:10 pmAustralian footwear company KUSA makes creative sandals for people who love the feeling of walking barefoot on freshly mowed grass. Created out of high quality synthetic turf, the inside of these cool flip flops looks and feels just like real grass. For more cool shoes, check out: 12 Creative and Unusual Shoes
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BBC News - Home
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News Corp profits swing to growth
8 Feb 2012 | 2:37 pmMedia giant News Corporation sees its net profits rise 65% in the three months to the end of December 2011 compared to 2010. -
Groupon reports unexpected loss
8 Feb 2012 | 2:32 pmIn its first set of results as a public company, Groupon reports an unexpected loss of $42.7m (£27.0m), when a small profit had been expected. -
VIDEO: One-minute World News
8 Feb 2012 | 1:34 pmWatch the latest news summary from BBC World News. International news updated 24 hours a day. -
Homs suffers 'heaviest' shelling
8 Feb 2012 | 1:29 pmSyrian opposition groups say the city of Homs has come under the heaviest shelling in days, despite the president's pledge to engage in dialogue. -
Rumours over top China policeman
8 Feb 2012 | 12:49 pmA top Chinese policeman in charge of a major crackdown on organised crime goes on leave, amid rumours of an investigation and a bid for asylum.
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Fresh Air from WHYY
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Finding 'Life, Death And Hope' In A Mumbai Slum
8 Feb 2012 | 9:01 amPulitzer Prize-winning journalist Katherine Boo spent more than three years in Mumbai's Annawadi slum. In her new book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, she profiles people living in extreme poverty — right in the shadow of luxury hotels.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Donald Hall: A Poet's View 'Out The Window'
8 Feb 2012 | 8:30 amThe 83-year-old former poet laureate reflects on how life has changed as he's grown older. "My body causes me trouble when I cross the room, but when I am sitting down writing, I am in my heaven — my old heaven," he says.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Chuck Prophet's 'Beautiful' Homage To San Francisco
8 Feb 2012 | 8:28 amProphet has described his new album, Temple Beautiful, as a "love letter to San Francisco." Rock critic Ken Tucker says you don't have to be a Bay Area native to enjoy Prophet's melodies.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Two Rowdy Talk Shows Showcase Vintage Humor
8 Feb 2012 | 7:31 amBoth The David Susskind Show and The Sid Caesar Show featured large, unwieldy guest rosters and entertaining, timely jokes. A vintage episode of Susskind's show and a reunion of Caesar's writers are now available on DVD. TV critic David Bianculli says both offerings are laugh-out-loud funny.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
The Risks And Rewards Of Practicing Yoga
7 Feb 2012 | 8:34 amYoga can be extremely beneficial, but it also can be quite dangerous. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist William Broad examines the pleasures and pitfalls of the practice in his latest book, The Science of Yoga.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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xkcd.com
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Car Problems
7 Feb 2012 | 9:00 pm -
Wake Up Sheeple
5 Feb 2012 | 9:00 pm -
Wrong Superhero
2 Feb 2012 | 9:00 pm -
Baby Names
31 Jan 2012 | 9:00 pm
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Salon.com
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Preet Bharara’s toothless bite of Wall Street
8 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amRead this story at http://www.salon.com/2012/02/08/preet_bhararas_toothless_bite_of_wall_street/Continue Reading... -
The making of gay marriage’s top foe
8 Feb 2012 | 5:00 amRead this story at http://www.salon.com/2012/02/08/the_making_of_gay_marriages_top_foe/Continue Reading... -
Mitt Romney’s night from hell
7 Feb 2012 | 11:03 pmRead this story at http://www.salon.com/2012/02/08/mitt_romneys_night_from_hell/Continue Reading... -
The “lighter side” of the Vietnam War
7 Feb 2012 | 5:00 pmRead this story at http://www.salon.com/2012/02/08/vietnam_comics_imprint/Continue Reading... -
Is work worth it?
7 Feb 2012 | 5:00 pmRead this story at http://www.salon.com/2012/02/08/is_work_worth_it/Continue Reading...
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Uncrate
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Logitech M600 Touch Mouse
8 Feb 2012 | 11:04 amAre you a Windows user that's secretly wished for a PC-centric Magic Mouse to help you through the day? The Logitech M600 Touch Mouse ($70) might just be what you're...Visit Uncrate for the full post. -
Tumi Tegra-Lite Luggage
8 Feb 2012 | 10:27 amSay hello to the latest hard-sided travel collection from the best four-lettered luggage maker around. Tumi Tegra-Lite Luggage ($600-$800) is made from Tegris, a unique polypropylene thermoplastic composite material that...Visit Uncrate for the full post. -
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Camera
8 Feb 2012 | 9:01 am'70s style lines meet modern capabilities in the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Camera ($1,000). Arriving with a rather stealthy black or silver body, the E-M5 packs a 16 megapixel Micro Four...Visit Uncrate for the full post. -
iCade Jr.
8 Feb 2012 | 7:30 amRemember the iCade, the arcade cabinet for your iPad? Well, it's now got a little sibling, and if you guessed it was for the iPhone and iPod touch, you'd be...Visit Uncrate for the full post. -
Speakeasy Lace Locks
8 Feb 2012 | 7:25 amAdd some Run-DMC style flair to your favorite pair of sneaks with these Speakeasy Lace Locks ($20). Made from high-quality lacquered wood, each set includes two locks in either light...Visit Uncrate for the full post.
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Core77
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IxDA Interaction12: Storytelling in the Emerald Isle
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmTour Guide at the Leprechaun Museum Storytelling is a concept that we are all familiar with, regardless of our background. As designers, it is often utilized as a tool during the design process. In Ireland it has been part of their culture for centuries. During Interaction12, IxDA organizers did a great job of incorporating Irish culture into the conference through different activities and performances at the venue. In between talks, I found myself attending an interactive storytelling experience called "Storytelling a la carte" with professional bard Coilín "The" Oh-Aissiex and Claire… -
The Long Road from Terrorist Attack to Bombproof Trash Cans
8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmThe nice thing about design school projects is that most are meant to be conceived of and completed within the same semester. In the absence of manufacturing problems and political issues, you're presented with a problem and expected to solve it with design in a matter of months. In the real world, of course, the process of going from problem presentation to design solution can seem interminably long. After the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, cities like New York and London began removing trash cans from certain public spaces. In 2005 London suffered their own terrorist attack on… -
Cooper-Hewitt Brings Design to K-12
8 Feb 2012 | 10:30 amIf you counted design as one of the subjects you were taught at some point between kindergarten and your senior year of high school, consider yourself very lucky. Like most people, I didn't receive a design education until I got to college. But thanks to a generous sponsorship from Target, the Cooper-Hewitt is bringing hands-on design to NYC students in grades K-12. The program gets kids to think about design as an active part of their daily lives, to understand that design is all around them, that their shoes, their binders and their Metro cards have all been designed. There are design… -
World Design Capital Gets Some World Design Capital
8 Feb 2012 | 8:15 amTo celebrate Helsinki's selection as World Design Capital for 2012, the Mint of Finland has launched a commemorative 50-Euro coin made from both gold and silver, seen above. They're also releasing a 5-Euro version, below, made from less-expensive aluminum and bronze. Of course, the face value of the coin doesn't correspond with what it costs; collectors and design geeks will need to pony up 430 Euros for the 50 and 75 Euros for the 5. That's kind of a disheartening metaphor for the affordability of good design. Longtime Core77 readers may remember that we wrote an entry years ago showing you… -
Arkitypo: A 3D History of Typography
8 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amLondon-based Johnson Banks is an identity and branding company that delves into print and even 3D work on occasion. Their latest 3D experiment resulted in Arkitypo, a 3D alphabet that tells the history of typography. "Each letterform is different, each in turn interprets its own alphabet." For example, "A" is for Aksidenz Grotesk, a forerunner of Helvetica. It was "part of a family of early sans-serifs called 'grotesques'...for this design a condensed weight is 'fractalized,' turning a grotesque into a thing of beauty." Each letter is methodically researched and many of the resulting forms…
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Wired: Wired Science
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Black Hole Eats Asteroids, Burps Out X-Rays
8 Feb 2012 | 2:31 pmThe supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy may be constantly snacking on asteroids. A new study finds that asteroids at least 12 miles wide falling into the black hole would account for the regular bright x-ray flares seen through telescopes. Though nothing, including light, can escape a black hole, most are ringed by a disk of gas and dust. As it falls in, this material heats up to incredible temperatures, generating energy. For several years, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has spotted daily fluctuations in the emissions coming from the Milky Way’s central black… -
European Cave Spiders Produce Super-Stretchy Silk
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmScientists have discovered some of the most stretchable spider silk ever, which can elongate up to 7.5 times its initial length. European cave spiders produce the silk to build egg sacs that protect their developing young. Spider silk is a remarkable material known for its strength and toughness. Most species secrete seven or eight types of silk for different purposes. Dragline silk, for instance, anchors spiders to a surface and is used as the backbone of most webs while other silks are used for web scaffolding or to wrap captured prey. Female European cave spiders (Meta menardi), which live… -
Asia and Americas on Course for Arctic Collision
8 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pmIt’ll be a geological showdown for the ages, with North America, South America, Europe and Asia colliding head-on over the North Pole to create a supercontinent called Amasia. Unfortunately, nobody we know will be around to watch the collision, which won’t happen for another at 50 million years or more. But it’s still fun to imagine. “The snapshot that is the present is smack-dab in the middle of what we call the supercontinent cycles,” said geologist Ross Mitchell of Yale University, lead author of a Feb. 8 Nature prediction of supercontinental trajectories. -
The Unusual Physics of Floating Pyramids
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amBy Kate McAlpine, ScienceNOW Think floating pyramids are more metaphysics than physics? Think again. Results just in from an experiment that levitated open-bottomed paper pyramids on gusts of air reveal a curious phenomenon: When it comes to drifting through the air, top-heavy designs are more stable than bottom-heavy ones. The finding may lead to robots that fly not like insects or birds but like jellyfish. Physicist Jun Zhang and his colleagues at New York University wanted to better understand how flying bugs control the orientations of their bodies. Do they have to work at it, or are they… -
Tiny Tarsiers Talk in High-Pitched Code
8 Feb 2012 | 7:04 amBy Mark Brown, Wired UK The Philippine tarsier is a tiny primate with a seriously high voice. The saucer-eyed mammal can let out (and listen to) squeaks and squeals at such a high frequency that it effectively gives the mammal a private communication channel. A team of researchers, led by Marissa Ramsier of Humboldt State University in California, found that the tiny tarsier can hear and emit sounds in the ultrasound range — that’s above 20 kHz. Most humans can’t hear in that range, and a dog whistle is pitched to be just inside ultrasound, somewhere between 22 and 23 kHz. A…
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Yanko Design
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A’Design Awards – Your Claim To Fame!
8 Feb 2012 | 5:06 amSteve Jobs said “Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, everything else is secondary.” Finding the correct channels to promote our creativity or even get them recognized are very limited. Design Competitions are a good medium, but is recognition from peers and prize money the only push you need? The A’Design Award and Competition fills the void by highlighting, advertising and advocating good design, designers and design oriented companies. They have the knack of grabbing the attention of press, interactive medias, design critics, distributers and buyers for… -
Fingerframes
8 Feb 2012 | 3:43 amFramer Concept Camera is an easy to use digital camera that makes picture-take a less stressful job. Forefingers and thumbs have often been used as an intuitive benchmark for focusing and clicking photos; Chun uses this same principle in making his device more user-centric. We are a photography-inclined generation and innovations that focus on not overwhelming us by simplifying tech advancements are always welcome.Designer: Jeiyong Chun of SADI- Yanko Design Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world! Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See… -
Life-Proof Calling
8 Feb 2012 | 2:12 amFor all you know SpareOne may go onto become an iconic phone with its simple approach of being the ideal spare phone that works on a single AA battery. A shelf life of 15 years, simple demeanor and intuitive UI, makes it a coveted gadget to carry on hikes, travels and emergency situations.Rodney explains, “ When we were approached to strategize this spare phone idea, we knew immediately that it has to be simple and “life-proof”. The archetype of a screen was logically used to showcase and glorify this simple but iconic long-lasting AA battery.”Designers: Rodney Loh & Thomas… -
12 Inspirational and Exclusive Interviews on Yanko Design – Scott Wilson
8 Feb 2012 | 12:01 amThere is more to Scott Wilson than being the Kickstarter man. His boyish charm belies his wisdom and learning experiences. Listening to him tell me his story, makes me wonder…just how did he do it! Maybe it’s the Nike influence! A former Global Creative Director at Nike, Wilson has lead design organizations such as IDEO, Thomson Consumer Electronics, Fortune Brands, and Motorola and created some of the most recognized consumer design icons.Without further ado, let’s ‘kickstart’ February with Scott Wilson…If you are looking for the TikTok+LunaTik story, then I am afraid I am going… -
A’Design Award and Competition Roundup
7 Feb 2012 | 1:26 amA wise man once said that design competitions are like insurance for the consumers, as they provide incentive to progress. A fair enough assessment if you ask me, which is why we participate and go through the motions of innovating and progressing. Here is a look at the recent A’Design Award and Competition; a round up of the five best designs we liked.1) Usb Speaker and Mic by Yen LauThe speaker and mic work like a speakerphone and connect to the computer via USB. Whenever a call comes in, simply tell the computer to answer it, and use it as a hands-free device.2) Vanilla by Sahar…
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Mashable!
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7 Pinterest Clones: Can You Tell the Difference?
8 Feb 2012 | 7:11 am“It’s like Pinterest, but…” Welcome to my inbox for the last several months. Just as the world now has a Groupon and a Birchbox for everything, so too is Pinterest creating a wake of copy-cat sites. We’re not talking about sites that merely incorporate Pinterest’s design elements. There are sites that have copied Pinterest’s style, functionality and even portions of its name. Pinterest hasn’t released user numbers, but one study found it drives more traffic to websites than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined. Copy-cat sites are another… -
Brazil Sues Twitter Over Speed Trap, Roadblock Tweets
8 Feb 2012 | 6:55 amIn what may be the first test of Twitter‘s new international censorship strategy, Brazil is suing the company over tweets that warn drivers of police roadblocks and speed traps. The suit, filed in a federal court in Goias by the attorney general’s office, is also going after users who compose the tweets. Brazil’s government is levying fines of $290,000 until Twitter changes course. The government charges that such tweets break the law and directly endanger “life, safety and property,” CNN reports. The roadblocks, the suit contends, may thwart purveyors of other… -
Sprint Reports Strong iPhone Sales in Q4 2011
8 Feb 2012 | 6:39 amSprint‘s Q4 2011 earnings report is out, and the results aren’t stellar, but strong iPhone sales are among the highlights. The company reported a $1.3 billion net loss on a $8.72 billion revenue, with much of the losses attributed to iPhone subsidizing costs. Sprint said its iPhone sales in the quarter were 1.8 million, 40% of which were to new customers. However, one has to keep in mind that if Sprint sold more iPhones, its loss would be even bigger. Overall, Sprint now has 55 million net subscribers — 1.6 million more than in Q3 2011; 33 million of those subscribers are… -
8 Legal Steps for Starting Your Business
8 Feb 2012 | 6:23 amThis post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business. With each new year, budding entrepreneurs look to turn their vision into a business. These startups are often overflowing with tremendous ideas, energy and optimism — but don’t always have a roadmap for the legal aspects involved in starting a business. In the flurry of drumming up new customers, getting ready for a website launch and building the first prototype, it’s all too easy to put off some of the less… -
Paul McCartney’s Next Performance Is Coming to You Live, and for Free, on iTunes
8 Feb 2012 | 5:48 amEver since The Beatles and Apple kissed and made up in 2007, Apple products and its fans can’t seem to get enough of the fab four and its surviving members. The service already has the legendary group’s 13 studio albums (added to iTunes in 2010) and now Apple is helping former Beatle Paul McCartney promote his latest album with a free live stream of his performance from Capitol Studios in Hollywood, Calif., on Feb. 9. The album, Kisses on the Bottom, is not a Beatles retrospective. Instead, McCartney is treading the well-worn path of countless other aging rockers and singing songs…
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Top 10 Lists
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The Top 10 Most Important Paintings of All Time
7 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmIt’s a well known fact that paintings and art, in general, are inherently subjective things. Sure, we can talk about “famous” art, but fame does not equal quality; at the end of the day, all talks about the best or worst art of any kind come down to one basic question: what IS art anyway? [...] -
Top 10 International Beauties Of 2012
6 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmIn American English, the word “international” is commonly used as a euphemism for “foreign national.” According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, a foreign national is “an individual who is a citizen of any country other than the United States.” On the contrary, in the European Union a foreign national is someone who is [...] -
Top 10 Not Well Known Documentaries
5 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmThe documentary gets no love, but it’s a key part of our filmic culture. Too often, it’s lumped in with dull depictions of science topics on PBS, but documentaries fit in genres too, from comedy to horror. Here are ten you may not have seen. 10. “The Emperor’s Naked Army Marches On” A Japanese documentary, [...] -
Top 10 Songs That Get Stuck In Your Head
2 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmAs time has progressed, we’ve seen music become much more sleeker and refined, designed for mass appeal from the get-go. Songs have become polished products like trinkets you can fit in your breast pocket and admire from the palm of your hand. It used to be that music had splinters and rough edges and a [...] -
Top 10 Most Convoluted Videogame Storylines
1 Feb 2012 | 9:01 pmOne of the most difficult skills to master when telling a story is knowing when to stop telling it. The temptation to go on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on until somebody points a gun to your head and tells you to shut up or [...]
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Discovery News - Top Stories
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Twin Cyclones Pummel Coral Sea Islands
8 Feb 2012 | 2:18 pmSevere tropical cyclone Jasmine is causing problems for Vanuatu's southern islands. -
Dogs Really Do Understand Us Best
8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pmOur canine friends get us in ways that no other animals do. -
Mysterious Sounds Reported Around the World
8 Feb 2012 | 1:20 pmMysterious sounds heard and recorded around the world have fueled conspiracy theories. -
How To Spot Airbrushed Wikipedia Entries
8 Feb 2012 | 1:13 pmWikipedia also provides tools to spot mischief; learn how to use them. -
Fatal Shark Attacks Spike in 2011
8 Feb 2012 | 11:56 amWhile 2011 continued the downward trend in shark attacks in the United States, other countries weren't so lucky.
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NYT > Home Page
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After Delay, Greek Leaders Meet on Austerity Plan
8 Feb 2012 | 2:36 pmAfter three days, Prime Minister Lucas Papademos finally met with other leaders as evidence mounted that they were close to agreeing to measures required for a bailout. -
In Grip of Cold, Afghan Family Buries 8th Child
8 Feb 2012 | 2:24 pmEven by the standards of destitution in Afghan refugee camps, the story of Sayid Mohammad is a hard-luck one. -
Drilling Reaches Lake Vostok, Long Trapped Under Antarctic Ice Sheet
8 Feb 2012 | 2:15 pmScientists said Wednesday they had reached the waters of a lake that has been sealed off for millions of years. -
Lens Blog: Maldives and More - Pictures of the Day
8 Feb 2012 | 1:27 pmPhotographs from the Maldives, Afghanistan, India and Texas. -
Boehner Vows to Fight Contraception Rule
8 Feb 2012 | 1:09 pmThe speaker said House Republicans would push to change the administration’s rule that religious institutions must offer insurance plans that cover birth control.
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ReadWriteWeb
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Valentine's Day Gift Guide for the Developer in Your Life
8 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pmChristmas is long gone and the Superbowl is over, which can only mean one thing - Valentine's day is almost here. If you are anything like the CloudSpokes team, you struggle to find a great gift for the love (or "like") in your life by February 14. It's not a secret that we're in love with developers, but we know as well as anyone that the developers in our life have their own unique likes. Given that there is only one week left until Valentine's Day, we wanted to make shopping for the special developer in your life a little easier. Here is a list of gift ideas for the developer love (or… -
For Many Artists, Spotify and Rdio Just Aren't Cutting It
8 Feb 2012 | 1:59 pmFor music fans, all-you-can-stream music services like Spotify, Rhapsody, MOG and Rdio are kind of dream come true. Signing up gives you instant access to a library of millions of songs from major label and indie acts from around the world. Most services are now free, with some limitations on usage. For paying users, as long as you keep your subscription, there's really no need to pay for most individual tracks or albums (unless you're an audiophile). In the case of Spotify, you can even merge your local music collection with the service's cloud-based selection of music. Awesome. For artists,… -
[Video] An IT Security Guy Walks Into the Room...
8 Feb 2012 | 1:35 pmThe biggest geeks in all of technology work in IT security. Sorry front-end mobile developers, cloud gurus, data center managers and do-it-yourself robot builders. Enterprise IT security is run by geeks who love to play cat and mouse with a good botnet, argue over the merits of Blue Coat versus AnchorFree and have a panic button programmed on their highly encrypted smartphones that goes straight to Symantec's headquarters. These are the geek's geeks. In honor of yesterday's Safer Internet Day, we present a tribute to the IT security folks that keep most of us running during the day and from… -
[STUDY] 59% of Customers Don't Know About Their Banks' Social Media Presence
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pmIn ComScore's report on The State of Online and Mobile Banking, it cites social networks as a space where banks are creating a presence, and improving their capabilities. But do any of the banks' customers even know about this? Apparently not. Even though financial institutes have increased social networking activity, ComScore says that only 18% of customers knew that their financial institutions had a presence on social networks. A total 59% had no idea, and 24% were unsure of what their financial institutions were doing on social media sites. Sponsor The data shows that customer visits to… -
Path Apologizes For Privacy Mistake. Do You Accept?
8 Feb 2012 | 12:48 pmAfter an enterprising hacker discovered a privacy problem in beloved new social app Path yesterday, its creators have issued an update and an apology. "We commit to you that we will continue to be transparent and always serve you our users, first," CEO Dave Morin writes. Path was uploading iPhone users' address books to its servers without asking. Today's update, version 2.0.6, now prompts users to opt-in to the "Add Friends" feature, which is not mandatory. Path has deleted all the existing contact info from its servers. Sponsor This apology is full of refreshing self-consciousness. "As we…
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WSJ.com: Today's Most Popular
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ObamaCare's Great Awakening
8 Feb 2012 | 1:11 pmHHS tells religious believers to go to hell. The public notices. -
Fun With Studying
8 Feb 2012 | 11:07 amThe iBooks 2 app offers educational textbooks on the iPad that are, for now, focused on high-school students, writes Katherine Boehret. -
Robert Reilly: Romney's Businessman Pitch Won't Work
8 Feb 2012 | 9:53 amIf you can't articulate the cause for which you are fighting in moral terms, you will lose. -
Energy Boom Lifts Economy
8 Feb 2012 | 8:50 amThe benefits of the newest energy boom are extending far beyond the traditional oil patch. It's revving up the U.S. economy. -
Duke, North Carolina Top Basketball's Alumni Loot Index
8 Feb 2012 | 8:24 amWhat if you tried to measure the success of every college basketball team by a more practical measure: how much money its alumni have earned by playing the sport professionally?
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Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now
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Video: Creepiest Mirror Ever Displays Ghostly Animal Heads Mimicking Your Facial Expression
8 Feb 2012 | 2:07 pmSurprise! Karolina Sobecka Augmented reality can do some really creepy things to mirrors. This new concept displays a 3-D animal avatar as your reflection, mimicking your facial expressions in a horrifying, mocking way. New York artist Karolina Sobecka calls the system "All the Universe is Full of the Lives of Perfect Creatures," and says it is meant to evoke inquiry into self-awareness, empathy and non-verbal communication. She built it using the FaceTracker library from Jason Saragih, a FaceTracker add-on, and Unity3d and Blender3d. Other face-morphing apps we have seen just change a human… -
The EU is Considering Using Drones to Police Farm Subsidies, Enforce Environmental Rules
8 Feb 2012 | 1:39 pmWhen European farmers turn their eyes skyward, they soon may have more than the weather to worry about. The more progressive aviation framework in Europe means that government monitors potentially have a new weapon in their arsenals--unmanned aerial drones--to enforce regulations, and they're starting with agriculture. EU regulators are exploring potential aerial systems that can help them spot farm subsidy cheats and violators of Common Agricultural Policy rules. Farm subsidies in the EU cost taxpayers billions of euros each year, and so it's naturally in the best interests of regulators to… -
Video: DARPA's Legged Squad Support System (a.k.a. Big Dog) Goes Outside to Play
8 Feb 2012 | 12:40 pmHere at PopSci, we've been fascinated by Boston Dynamics' Big Dog ever since it was an adorable robotic puppy that couldn't even open its eyes. Now that the technology is all grown up, repackaged, and rechristened the Legged Squad Support System (or LS3), its eyes are very much open--and fixed firmly on the soldier in front of it. The new LS3 prototype has just undergone its first outdoor exercise, demonstrating the ability to "see" its surroundings and distinguish between objects and humans. Over the next year-and-a-half, DARPA plans to prove out LS3's technology and get it ready to support… -
An Oral History of Extreme Sports
8 Feb 2012 | 11:41 amBungie Randy Lincks/Getty Images"Gravity has always been a major part of my life." In the waning decades of the 20th century, men from New Zealand began inventing new ways to injure themselves. They jumped from bridges with elastic bands attached to their ankles, ran class-five rapids without boats, and fixed themselves to large kites to achieve great speed. Soon enough, a culture had emerged-one that paired backyard engineering with the pursuit of adrenaline. Today, thanks to these pioneers, brave souls the world over may hurtle through the air, down mountains and up rivers and live to brag… -
Videogame Designers Envision The Future of Fun
8 Feb 2012 | 10:30 amPredictions, opinions, and hopes from the creators of Gears of War, Mass Effect 3, Halo 4, and more This month, Popular Science explores the future of fun. Here on PopSci.com, we've teamed up with the game experts at Kill Screen. We speak to top video game designers about their visions of the future of fun; take a look at the resurgence in making your own fun, and bring you a playable online arcade. In 1907, Hungarian explorer Sir Marc Aurel Stein discovered the Diamond Sutra in north-west China, a Buddhist holy text believed to be the oldest printed book. Dated 868 A.D., the faded paper,…
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All Things Considered
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Home Of Noted Beijing Architect Reduced To Rubble
8 Feb 2012 | 2:05 pmHistoric buildings in Beijing are being demolished in the pursuit of quick profit. Even the home of the architect who urged Mao Zedong to preserve Beijing's old city has fallen to the wreckers' ball, sparking considerable outrage. And the epidemic of destruction is spreading to new buildings, too.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
'Amasia': The Next Supercontinent?
8 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pmMore than 100 million years from now, the Americas and Asia might fuse together, squishing the Arctic Ocean shut in the process. That's according to a new model that predicts where the next supercontinent may form. But don't worry: Humans will likely be long gone by then.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Conservatives Worry Romney's Vision Is Cloudy
8 Feb 2012 | 1:59 pmRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's losses on Tuesday have raised questions once again about his ability to inspire passion from his party's base. There has been a daily drumbeat begging Romney to put some meat on the bones of his policy agenda and set out his vision for the country.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
Detroit Schools' No. 1 Mission: Getting Kids To Class
8 Feb 2012 | 1:53 pmDismal attendance rates have put Detroit Public Schools at risk of losing vital state funding, so the city has launched an assault on truancy. Attendance agent George Eason says, "If we see that the parent is willfully ... not sending the child to school then we will take every means necessary to enforce the law."» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us -
On 'Karimba,' Peruvian Band Melds World Sounds
8 Feb 2012 | 1:46 pmThe band Novalima is undeniably Peruvian, but the music on their new album Karimba is infused with sounds from around the world including dub, salsa and club music.» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
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Scientific American
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Land and See: Infrared and 3-D Vision Systems Combine to Help Pilots Avoid Crash Landings [Video]
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pmWhen large airliners approach an airport for a landing, a combination of radio signals and high-intensity lighting shows the pilot exactly where the runway is, even at night or in fog. But millions of people a year fly on smaller commercial planes, many private, that do not have such technology. The pilots of those craft must rely on less sophisticated instruments, along with their cockpit window view during landing, a situation that can be fatal in bad weather. In 2011 alone four such commercial jets crashed into terrain or an obstacle, killing 140 passengers and crew, according to… -
Fasting Might Boost Chemo's Cancer-Busting Properties
8 Feb 2012 | 11:30 amCancer treatment can be brutal for patients. Many of the tools we have-- chemotherapy , radiation--are big, blunt weapons that deal punishing blows to healthy tissues along with cancerous ones. So the hunt has been on for more and more finely targeted therapies that will attack malignant cells yet minimize damage to patients' bodies. [More] -
The Crisis of Antibiotic Resistance
8 Feb 2012 | 11:15 amBacteria are finally overrunning our last defenses. Can we stop them? [More] -
Sight Seen: Gene Therapy Restores Vision in Both Eyes
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amGene therapy has markedly improved vision in both eyes in three women who were born virtually blind. The patients can now avoid obstacles even in dim light, read large print and recognize people's faces. The operation, researchers predict, should work even better in children and adolescents blinded by the same condition. [More] -
Success Is Official: Russian Team Breaches Buried Antarctic Lake
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amIt's official. Russian scientists announced today that they have reached Antarctica's Lake Vostok, an ancient, liquid lake the size of Lake Ontario buried beneath more than 2 miles (3 kilometers) of ice for at least 14 million years. [More]
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Uploads by username: "stanforduniversity"
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Pan-Asian Music Festival at Stanford
1 Feb 2012 | 4:09 pmPan-Asian Music Festival at Stanford The eighth annual Pan-Asian Music Festival at Stanford, which runs Feb. 5-11, will focus on music from China, Japan and Korea. Here, Jindong Cai, founder and artistic director of the festival, talks about the program that he hopes will highlight the cultural connections between the countries. Related article: news.stanford.edu Stanford University: www.stanford.edu Stanford News: news.stanford.edu Stanford University Channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com From: StanfordUniversity Views: 2442 49 ratings Time: 01:21 More in Education -
Wirelessly Charging Electrical Vehicles
31 Jan 2012 | 10:45 amWirelessly Charging Electrical Vehicles A Stanford University research team has designed a high-efficiency charging system that uses magnetic fields to wirelessly transmit large electric currents between metal coils placed several feet apart. The long-term goal of the research is to develop an all-electric highway that wirelessly charges cars and trucks as they cruise down the road. Related article: news.stanford.edu Stanford University: www.stanford.edu Stanford News: news.stanford.edu Stanford University Channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com From: StanfordUniversity Views: 17738 106 ratings… -
Gloria Steinem at Stanford: The Feminist Struggle Continues
27 Jan 2012 | 1:18 amGloria Steinem at Stanford: The Feminist Struggle Continues Author and activist Gloria Steinem challenged a Stanford audience on Jan. 26 to continue the fight for equality, focusing on issues such as the treatment of caregivers, violence against women, reproductive freedom and motivating women to vote. Steinem spoke to a capacity crowd as part of a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Ms. magazine, which she co-founded. Related article: news.stanford.edu Stanford University: www.stanford.edu Stanford News: news.stanford.edu Stanford University Channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com From:… -
Clifford Nass on Tweenage Girls and Multitasking
25 Jan 2012 | 6:01 pmClifford Nass on Tweenage Girls and Multitasking Tweenage girls who spend endless hours watching videos and media multitasking with digital devices tend to be less successful with social and emotional development, according Stanford researchers, including Clifford Nass, professor of communication. But these unwanted effects might be warded off with something as simple as face-to-face conversations with other people. Here Nass talks about the research, which included a survey asking 3461 girls, ages 8 to 12, about their electronic diversions and their social and emotional lives. "The… -
Multitasking and Tweenage Girls
24 Jan 2012 | 7:40 pmMultitasking and Tweenage Girls Tweenage girls who spend endless hours watching videos and media multitasking with digital devices tend to be less successful with social and emotional development, according to Stanford researchers. But these unwanted effects might be warded off with something as simple as face-to-face conversations with other people. Related article: news.stanford.edu Stanford University: www.stanford.edu Stanford News: news.stanford.edu Stanford University Channel on YouTube: www.youtube.com From: StanfordUniversity Views: 4990 45 ratings Time: 02:24 More in Education
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TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
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Siri may speak and understand Chinese, Japanese, and Russian by March
8 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pmAccording to Chinese tech site DoNews (sketchy English translation here), Apple plans on bringing support for Mandarin Chinese to Siri as early as March of this year. Other dialects of Chinese, such as Cantonese, will remain unsupported for the time being. Support for Japanese and Russian is supposedly coming at the same time. Although the source may sound somewhat suspicious -- a Chinese tech site that claims to have inside information from an Apple engineer working on Siri -- this information does align with Apple's own promise to increase Siri's linguistic acumen in 2012. Apple has also… -
TUAW TV Live: Looking at what's new in the Appleverse
8 Feb 2012 | 1:55 pmToday on TUAW TV Live I have a lot of hot new products to demonstrate, both in terms of hardware and software. Most of these items haven't been reviewed yet on TUAW, so you'll be getting a first glimpse at what's coming up soon. Below, you'll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments. If you're driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you're stuck in traffic, please don't -- keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone… -
Apple stock gains nearly $100 since Steve's passing
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pmApple 2.0 editor Philip Elmer-DeWitt is back today with another fascinating Apple statistic: "[Apple] has gained nearly one Facebook in value since Steve Jobs died." Elmer-DeWitt remarks that the share price of AAPL on October 4, 2011, the day before Jobs passed away, was US$372.50 and that the market capitalization of the company was about $347 billion. Now, just four short months later, the stock price is (as of this morning) $472.66, over $100 greater than before Jobs died. That puts the market capitalization of Apple, Inc. at about $440 billion -- over $90 billion of growth in just four… -
Daily Update for February 8, 2012
8 Feb 2012 | 12:45 pmIt's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.Daily Update for February 8, 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of… -
Protests against iPhone factory conditions planned at Apple Stores
8 Feb 2012 | 12:15 pmStories about troubling factory conditions at Foxconn are all too familiar, unfortunately, but hearing that protestors are planning to do something about it is new. GigaOM reports that this Thursday, representatives from Change.org and Sumofus.org are planning to bring petitions to Apple Stores in major cities around the US, asking the company from Cupertino to put together "a worker protection strategy" for the factories overseas that it contracts to make all of its products. The organizations will arrive at stores in Washington, DC, New York City, San Francisco, London, Sydney and…
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MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - Front Page
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Apple Determines iTunes Match Royalties By Counting How Many Times A Song is Accessed
8 Feb 2012 | 1:56 pmTuneCore president Jeff Price today wrote a blog post praising Apple's iTunes Match service for creating money "out of thin air" for copyright holders. iTunes Match launched with all the major record labels on board, but some small labels refused to participate over concerns the service was legitimizing music pirates. Price disagrees: A person has a song on her computer hard drive. She clicks on the song and plays it. No one is getting paid. The same person pays iTunes $25 for iMatch. She now clicks on the same song and plays it through her iMatch service. Copyright holders get paid. -
Photo of iPad 3 Rear Shell Suggests Minor Physical Changes, Larger Battery
8 Feb 2012 | 12:52 pm(Click here for larger version) RepairLabs reports that it has received a photo of what is claimed to the inside of the rear shell of the iPad 3, comparing the part to the corresponding version found on the iPad 2. The iPad 3 version demonstrates a few minor changes compared to the iPad 2, with one of the most notable being an apparently narrower logic board that could make room for an expanded battery.A. You can see here that the mounts for the logic board are very different, which means the logic board shape will be different allowing for . . . . B. More battery. The width of where the… -
Siri Support for Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, and Russian Languages Coming Next Month?
8 Feb 2012 | 10:42 amTech in Asia reports on an article [Google translation] from Chinese information technology website DoNews claiming that Apple is preparing to bring support for the Chinese language to Siri on the iPhone 4S next month. According to the report, Apple is also preparing to launch support for Japanese and Russian, but the initial Chinese support will only include Mandarin, with Cantonese and other dialects being left out for the time being.The Chinese tech site DoNews claims to have heard from an Apple engineer who’s working on the Chinese-language version of Siri, the clever voice assistant on… -
Apple Pushes for Clarification on Licensing of FRAND Patents
8 Feb 2012 | 8:33 amDow Jones Newswires reports that Apple filed a letter with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) last November pushing for clarification on how standards-essential patents are intended to be licensed. These standards-essential patents are currently required to be licensed under fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms in order to promote competition in the marketplace, but Apple claims that there is too much confusion in the industry about how such licensing should be handled.Apple said in its letter--which was dated Nov. 11, but not previously… -
Sprint Sells 1.8 Million iPhones in 4Q 2011, 40% to New Subscribers
8 Feb 2012 | 6:55 amSprint today became the last of the three major U.S. iPhone carriers to report earnings for the fourth quarter of 2011, disclosing that it sold a total of 1.8 million iPhones during the quarter. While well below the 7.6 million activations reported by AT&T and the 4.3 million activations reported by Verizon, Sprint's iPhone surge helped it achieve a new record high subscriber base of 55 million customers. Notably, 40% of Sprint's iPhone purchasers were new to the carrier, highlighting the device's ability to attract customers from other carriers. That percentage is on par with AT&T's…
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MacNN | The Macintosh News Network
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Alleged iPad 3 case may suggest new camera, battery parts
8 Feb 2012 | 2:20 pmHousing for the iPad 3 suggests a few differences with the frame for the iPad 2, according to RepairLabs. Sources in China have allegedly gained access to the newer part, which, for instance, is said to show different mounts for the logic board. This should allow more space for a battery, potentially increasing battery life, or at least keeping it the same.... -
Google Chrome 17 live with prerendering, download screening
8 Feb 2012 | 2:05 pmGoogle wrapped up and posted the finished version of Chrome 17 for the desktop on Wednesday. The new browser update takes site prerendering beyond just search results to include autocompletion. If the autocompletion in the address bar is headed towards a likely web address, the browser will start loading content in the background to speed up the perceived load time. It can give the impression that favorite sites load almost immediately, Google suggested.... -
Sigma drops price of SD1, adds two 46MP DP compacts
8 Feb 2012 | 1:35 pmSigma on Wednesday both remade and added to its camera lineup. First off, the company's new CEO, Kazuto Yamaki, revealed that the high-end SD1 DSLR will be renamed to SD1 Merrill and get a very significant price drop, from $9,700 to $3,300. Yamaki said the reduction is due to the lower production costs of the 46-megapixel APS-C sensor, though no performance compromises have been made.... -
Tweetbot reaches iPad, gets 2.0 iPhone upgrade
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pmTapbots revamped its signature Twitter apps in large form on Wednesday, starting with the surprise release of Tweetbot for iPad ($3, App Store). The new version both adapts to the bigger canvas of the tablet and shares its support for creating multiple timelines from one account and gestures to save time. Likewise, it can save content for later through Cloudapp, Instapaper, and Read it Later.... -
USAF may buy up to 18,000 iPads for cargo plane crews
8 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pmThe US Air Force is looking to buy as many as 18,000 more tablets, likely iPads, reports say. On the US government's Federal Business Opportunities website, a notice indicates that the Air Force's Air Mobility Command wants "a minimum of 63 and a maximum of 18,000, iPad 2, Brand Name or Equal devices" for use by the crews of cargo planes. The tablets would replace the paper charts and manuals crews currently take with them, which can be bulky, weightier and less convenient....
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CNN.com - Video
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Joshi: Syria now engaged in a civil war
8 Feb 2012 | 2:12 pmShashank Joshi, Royal United Services Institute, talks about his belief that the Syrian conflict is now a Civil War. -
Abuse survivor fights to save others
8 Feb 2012 | 2:08 pmCNN's Brooke Baldwin speaks with child abuse activist and author Erin Merryn about her quest to help other abuse victims. -
Can Beyonce avoid baby photo chaos?
8 Feb 2012 | 2:07 pmCelebrity mom Camila Alves has some advice for Beyonce on releasing Blue Ivy's first photo. Showbiz Tonight has more. -
Homs residents: Strikes come from a afar
8 Feb 2012 | 1:50 pmCNN's Ivan Watson reports on the latest violence out of Syria and the fallout from the Syrian meetings with Russia. -
Romney picks up pieces after GOP shakeup
8 Feb 2012 | 1:49 pmIt's a new ballgame for Mitt Romney following Rick Santorum's sweep of three states on February 7. Jim Acosta reports.
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Psychology Today Features
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Seeking Solitude
7 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmThe necessary art of alone time. -
Would You Be Your Own Friend?
6 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmWe're often blind to the not-so-wonderful traits we possess—but quick to point them out in others. -
Noise, Noise, Noise!
5 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmHow to turn down the volume in an increasingly loud world—and why you should. -
Brand: Me
4 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmAre you a Mac or a PC? And just what does that say about you? -
Is It a Disorder?
2 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pmDrawing the line between quirkiness and illness.
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Scientific American - Mind & Brain
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Sight Seen: Gene Therapy Restores Vision in Both Eyes
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 amGene therapy has markedly improved vision in both eyes in three women who were born virtually blind. The patients can now avoid obstacles even in dim light, read large print and recognize people's faces. The operation, researchers predict, should work even better in children and adolescents blinded by the same condition. [More] -
Can't fool me, I know you aren't you at all
8 Feb 2012 | 7:00 amOne commenter didn’t like my take on Cotard’s last week. I ran it past a couple of friends who said they had no problems with it and I’m not an expert, just an interested researcher. Its a good chance to say if I’m wrong or you disagree please let me know. If I need to change anything I will and if you want to argue then I might, depending on my free time Following on from Cotard s Syndrome last week I wanted to talk a little about a related condition that is equally interesting, Capgras Delusion. Where Cotard s involved the patient doubting their own existence,… -
What You Need to Succeed and How to Find Out If You Have It
8 Feb 2012 | 6:13 amCourtesy of wovox via Flickr. Whether you succeed at work may depend on many factors intelligence, empathy, self-control, talent and persistence, to name a few. But one determinant may outweigh many of these: how you perceive those around you. New research suggests that your own ability to get things done not to mention your success in non-work relationships is highly correlated with how you see others. Are your coworkers capable and kind, or are they, dare I say, incompetent jerks? [More] -
This is your brain on psilocybin...
7 Feb 2012 | 9:52 pm…and this is a paper which is not quite what it’s cracked up to be. Because while it does, indeed, have great pictures of your brain on drugs, it doesn’t really go any further than that. It doesn’t explore why these changes are occurring or what they say about the functions of psilocybin. So while it provides some nice correlations, the causation is still lacking. [More] -
#SciAmBlogs Tuesday - fake fossils, science fashion, snakes, sticky bacteria, spider photography, parades, and more.
7 Feb 2012 | 8:13 pm- S.E. Gould – Sticky bacteria and the benefits of staying still [More]
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PsyBlog
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Multiple-Choice Tests: Why Sticking With Your First Answer is (Probably) Wrong
7 Feb 2012 | 6:34 amWhat's the best strategy for taking a multiple-choice test? The standard advice for multiple-choice tests is: if in doubt, stick with your first answer. College students believe it: about 75% agree that changing your first choice will lower your score overall (Kruger et al., 2005). Instructors believe it as well: in one study 55% believed it would lower students' scores while only 16% believed it would improve them. And yet this is wrong. One survey of 33 different studies conducted over 70 years found that, on average, people who change their answers do better than those who don't (Benjamin… -
Duck/Rabbit Illusion Provides a Simple Test of Creativity
31 Jan 2012 | 10:06 amAre you creative? Try this simple test... The well-known known illusion above can be seen in two ways: as both a duck and a rabbit. Which do you see first? And if you see one, can you also see the other? Most people see the duck first and can flip between the two representations, but the question is: how easy is it for you to flip between them? Does it require real mental strain, or can you do it at will? Wiseman et al. (2011) had a hunch that the ability to flip between representations is related to creativity. To test this participants were given a simple test of creativity which involves… -
Powerful People Feel Taller Than They Really Are
24 Jan 2012 | 9:05 amExperiment demonstrates how a powerful feeling feeds back into self-perception of height. Language can reveal all kinds of truths about our psychology. Take these expressions: He's the big man on this project. We look up to her. Lady Gaga is huge. He puts her on a pedestal. It's not hard to see the strong association here between size and power that's embedded in the way we talk about the relations between people. The reason why is almost too obvious to bother stating: larger people quite often do have more power. As children our parents, teachers and all our authority figures are taller than… -
Why Stories Sell: Transportation Leads to Persuasion
18 Jan 2012 | 10:10 amPsychological research on persuasion suggests that stories which transport people are more likely to be persuasive. Marketers have known for years that stories are a powerful tool for persuading people. That's partly because stories (unlike statistics) are easy to understand. That's why politicians try to persuade us by telling stories about their vision of the world. They do spout statistics as well, but normally only in support of some kind of grand narrative. We instinctively understand that people resist being told what to do, but will respond to the moral of a story. So we try to… -
The Amazing Power of Regret to Shape Our Future
12 Jan 2012 | 8:41 amWhy people are reluctant to exchange lottery tickets, but will happily exchange pens. Regret might not make a list of the most powerful emotions. It would probably include things like anger, happiness, jealousy, sadness and especially for us English, embarrassment. We tend to think of regret as essentially a backward-looking emotion. We regret things in the past, like not trying hard enough in school, how we treated a friend or the things we said to our partner in the heat of an argument. In this sense you might argue that it's useless: why regret something you can't change? But regret isn't…
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Fast Company
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3 Ways To Deal With A No-Win Situation
8 Feb 2012 | 12:41 pmIf you're a Star Trek aficionado, then not only have you heard of the "Kobayashi Maru Scenario" but you can recount it easily to others. For those of you who may not be familiar with it, the Kobayashi Maru Scenario is a no-win situation cadets encounter at the series' Starfleet Academy. In it, the cadet is in command of the Federation ship, responsible for rescuing another Federation vessel (the Kobayashi Maru) from attacking Klingon Warbirds. If the cadet chooses not to save the ship in distress, it will be destroyed with all hands. However, if he goes to the ship's aid, he will precipitate… -
Amazon Inks Deal With Viacom, Sprint Announces iPhone-led Q4 Highs And Lows, Japan Targets 30% Cut In Rare Earth Use
8 Feb 2012 | 12:41 pmBreaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day.Amazon Inks Deal With Viacom For Video Streaming. Amazon has plumped up its Prime Instant video streaming catalog with a pile new TV shows, courtesy of its new agreement with entertainment hub Viacom. The deal brings up its video count to over 15,000, putting it in a stronger position to compete against the recently formed Redbox/Verizon double act and traditional TV destroyer Netflix. --NS --Updated 9:50 a.m. ESTSprint's Q4 Sees iPhone Led Highs And Lows. Sprint is announcing results coming off its first… -
How To Find Your Next $140 Million
8 Feb 2012 | 11:26 amI recently spent the day with author Andrea Kates, who was challenged to connect the relevance of the working philosophy found in her best-selling book, Find Your Next, with real solutions that can help move businesses forward. Working with the executive team of a national restaurant chain on this particular day, Kates asked herself, "Which single metric could they focus on to yield the most growth for the company?" Her conclusion was that of all the metrics and contributing factors, it all boiled down to a dogged pursuit of increasing guest frequency. She learned that an increase of one… -
New Details On Redbox-Verizon Streaming Service, Netflix Competitor
8 Feb 2012 | 8:33 amYesterday Coinstar, the parent company of Redbox, the 35,400-kiosk-strong movie-rental service, announced a joint venture with Verizon to provide a subscription-based streaming video service, thus positioning the companies in direct competition with Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. Coinstar also announced that it would acquire NCR's entertainment business, which includes its former rival Blockbuster Express, adding more than 9,000 kiosks to Redbox's roster around the country. Now new details about the combined companies' plans have emerged. First, it's clear the companies are adamant about bringing… -
Why Facebook's Daily Active Users Is Not The Number That Matters
8 Feb 2012 | 7:25 amA fracas emerges over the fact that not all daily Facebook users visit the company's website. Advertisers tell us why that's missing the point. More Facebook Coverage Be sure to read about the Facebook investors poised to make billions from the social network's impending IPO. And take a deep dive into our earlier profile of Mark Zuckerberg: Hacker. Dropout. CEO. Then compare the Zuck of yesterday with the Zuck who just penned a letter to investors. Plus, dig into all of the revenues and user numbers. Check back here for more to come in the days ahead. In the new world, however, brand…
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SmartBrief on Entrepreneurs
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Why strong communities are the backbones of successful businesses
8 Feb 2012 | 6:05 amIt is worth it the effort for business owners to improve the communities in which they operate, Thursday Bram writes. -More- -
Is San Francisco set against startups?
8 Feb 2012 | 6:05 amJuliet Pries said she spent two years navigating San Francisco's web of regulations and permits to get her ice cream parlor o -More- -
How the rise of women is changing the world of leadership
8 Feb 2012 | 6:05 amThe traditional societal model, in which men go to work and women stay home to raise the kids, is dead, John McKee writes. -More- -
Focus on engagement to keep large projects from failing
8 Feb 2012 | 6:05 amOne reason many large projects aren't successful is that business leaders focus exclusively on processes and not on the emoti -More- -
Not all customers are good for business
8 Feb 2012 | 6:05 amOne credit card processing company didn't realize some of its customers weren't adding value to the business -- and in fact w -More-
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CNN.com
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N.Y. school aide accused of child porn
8 Feb 2012 | 2:20 pmA New York teacher's aide previously accused of distributing child pornography has been arrested again, this time on a charge of making such pornography, possibly on school grounds. -
UF suspends frat for 'serious' hazing
8 Feb 2012 | 1:51 pmThe University of Florida has temporarily suspended its chapter of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity after learning about a hazing incident involving fraternity members, a university spokeswoman said Tuesday. -
Romney vows to get more aggressive
8 Feb 2012 | 1:35 pmSuddenly facing new questions about the strength of his candidacy, GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney indicated Wednesday he's prepared to wage a more aggressive campaign against Rick Santorum, the surprise winner of all three of Tuesday's Republican contests. -
Terrified 911 callers detail Powell blast
8 Feb 2012 | 12:58 pmChilling 911 tapes detail the moments surrounding the home explosion and blaze that killed Josh Powell and his two sons. -
Mixing porn and politics in India?
8 Feb 2012 | 12:36 pmIt isn't everyday that video from inside a routine legislative session causes an uproar big enough to force three politicians to resign all at once but that is just what happened in South India after video surfaced of Indian ministers watching what appeared to be video of a sex act on a cell phone during a debate in the house assembly.
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WSJ.com: What's News US
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Caesars Shares Surge on Debut
8 Feb 2012 | 2:38 pmShares of Caesars Entertainment zoomed higher on their first day of trading, up 70% in the afternoon. -
Facebook Executives Set for Large Bonuses
8 Feb 2012 | 2:38 pmMark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's top two executives, are in line for target bonuses of 45% of their salary plus other base wages, according to a federal filing. -
Barneys Hires Advisers
8 Feb 2012 | 2:22 pmBarneys New York Inc. has hired bankruptcy and restructuring counsel, as the swanky retailer grapples with debts coming due later this year. -
Goldman Buys $6.2 Billion in Mortgage Bonds
8 Feb 2012 | 2:22 pmThe Federal Reserve Bank of New York sold $6.2 billion in risky residential mortgage securities to Goldman Sachs. -
One News Corp. Hack Case Set to Go to Trial
8 Feb 2012 | 2:18 pmNews Corp.'s U.K. tabloid-newspaper unit has settled 54 of the 60 civil phone-hacking claims that victims had filed in the first round of legal actions to be considered. A suit by singer Charlotte Church is the only one set to go to trial.
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TechCrunch
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Gumroad Gets $1.1 Million From Chris Sacca, Max Levchin And Others To Turn Any Link Into A Payment System
8 Feb 2012 | 2:43 pmGumroad, the buzzy one-man startup launched by Pinterest and Turntable app designer (and 19-year-old college dropout) Sahil Lavingia, officially launches today with over $1.1 million in seed funding from investors Accel Partners, Chris Sacca, Max Levchin, SV Angel, Josh Kopelman, Seth Goldstein, Naval Ravikrant, Collaborative Fund and Danny Rimer. To use the Gumroad, sign in with Facebook or Twitter Auth and submit any link in the entry form, whether it be to a blogpost, Spotify playlist, Instagram, invite for an iPhone app, research paper or whatever you can come up with you crazy character! -
Nokia Cuts 4000 European Jobs; Phone Assembly Moves To Asia
8 Feb 2012 | 2:35 pmIt’s a sign of the times, though not a particularly surprising one: Nokia has finally eliminated its European phone assembly infrastructure and will be moving those 4000 jobs to Asia, according to a Reuters report. The factories are not being shuttered altogether, and localizing and finishing work will still be done there, but the primary assembly work is being relocated. The news and layoffs were expected, as the company has slashed many more thousands of jobs over the last year, but this particular cut is symbolic: the intensely European company has been battered into submission, and… -
Foursquare Rolls Out New Version Of “Explore” On Mobile With Filters & Improved Search
8 Feb 2012 | 2:25 pmThis morning, Foursquare launched an updated version of its “Explore” feature for both its iPhone and Android applications. The new version brings over several of the features already available through Foursquare on the web, including filters, photos in search results and the ability to change your location. After updating your mobile app, you’ll see the improvements in the “Explore,” section, Foursquare’s local guide which is augmented by your friends’ recommendations and visits as well as other Foursquare users’ tips and comments. Like a mini… -
Facebook’s Amended S-1 Exhibits Zynga Agreement Filed Last Year
8 Feb 2012 | 2:05 pmFacebook has just filed an amendment to its S-1 that exhibits the agreements between it and Zynga. These 2 developer agreement documents are the same as those filed in Zynga’s own S-1 amendment from last year and don’t include significant new information. The exhibits do spell out how Facebook has promised to help Zynga with advertising on Zynga sites such as FarmVille.com, and share revenue from such a partnership. This should not be confused to mean sharing ad revenue from Zynga’s games on Facebook.com. Facebook also included its 2005 stock plan, and employment letters to… -
Nest Labs Responds To Honeywell Lawsuit, Says It Has The Resources To Defend Itself
8 Feb 2012 | 1:55 pmNest is ready to fight. The Palo Alto company just issued a followup statement regarding Honeywell’s recent patent infringement suit. In short they’re not going to roll over. They’re going to stand tall. The plan is to “vigorously defend itself” from what they call an attempt to stifle “thoughtful competition.” Nice. Go get ‘em, boys. From Nest Labs: We at Nest are proud of creating products that bring true innovation to home efficiency and we are continuing to innovate and bring products to market. The Nest Learning Thermostat is already making…
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12 Most
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12 Most Classic Romantic Songs for Valentine’s Day By Bruce Sallan
8 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmBy Bruce Sallan I love classic pop music from Sinatra to Mathis. I think the Rat Pack was beyond cool, especially in the context of the times. To me, contemporary music doesn’t have the same lush, romantic sounds and feel of the classics. And, to me, it’s the classic love songs that seem to feel [...] -
12 Most Embarrassing Moments in a Salesperson’s Career By Jeannine Morber
8 Feb 2012 | 9:00 amBy Jeannine Morber Most people don’t choose a career in sales, a sales career chooses them. No wonder it’s one of the most difficult career paths there is. It takes years of training, practicing, failing, and flailing to feel even slightly confident that you have a firm grasp of what it takes to be tops [...] -
12 Most Wipe-it-Out Tips I Learned on the Way to Inbox Zero By Mark Pack
8 Feb 2012 | 8:00 amBy Mark Pack Email Inbox Zero. At times it can feel like the El Dorado of digital organization — everyone thinks it will bring them organizational bounty, but it proves horribly elusive. However, it can be done. I’ve been there, more than once. You too can get there — with the help of the dozen [...] -
12 Most Elementary Tips for Top Search Engine Ranking By Bethany Winston
8 Feb 2012 | 6:00 amBy Bethany Winston Featuring your website within the top pages of any search engine is virtually a dream for every user who has ever opened a website on the World Wide Web. Popularly known as Search Engine Optimization, SEO is the most important tool to feature your site among the top players and gives you [...] -
12 Most Compelling Reasons to Homeschool Your Children By Lisa Nielsen
7 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pmBy Lisa Nielsen I’ve been a public school educator and administrator for more than a decade, so you may be surprised that when parents ask for my advice about education, I often suggest they allow their children to leave school. Education reform is happening today, but it’s slow and often ineffective. Parents need to do [...]
