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Family support prevents LGBT teen suicide
Holy Kaw!
15 Feb 2012 | 2:36 pm
Family and friends’ support helps counteract bullying and prevent suicide among sexual minority teenagers. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths are at least twice as likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youths, a statistic that inspired the national “It Gets Better Project” with encouraging video messages from such public figures as Lady Gaga and President Barack Obama. Previous studies of LGBT adolescents looked at their risk of making suicide attempts, not predictors that make them vulnerable to it or protect them from it. “Our research shows how…
Samsung’s Anti-Apple Ad Wins Twitter’s First Ad Scrimmage
Mashable!
15 Feb 2012 | 2:38 pm
The 2012 Twitter Ad Scrimmage pitted Marvel superheroes against David Beckham, M&M characters and supermodel Adriana Lima. But Samsung’s “Thing Called Love” ad, featuring the upcoming Galaxy Note, was this year’s Twitter favorite, taking home the title of 2012′s favorite Super Bowl ad. The commercial, which aired during the fourth quarter of SuperBowl XLVI made fun of Apple fans who wait on long lines outside stores on product release days — without ever actually naming their product. In the ad, the fans kick down metal fences to play with the Note to…
4 Branding Tips For When The Bloom Is Off The Rose
Fast Company
15 Feb 2012 | 2:18 pm
Americans spent an estimated $17.6 billion this year on Valentine's Day dinners, flowers, chocolates, and other seductive gifts. But in this era when brands struggle to cozy up to their customers 365 days year, it seems like the perfect time to give brands some advice about creating love that lasts year round.1. Stop telling and telling and telling consumers how much you love them.Yesterday I got an email that said "Spotify Loves You." I barely know them, so how can they be so enraptured with me? Even--or especially--in the era of "friends" and "likes," love isn't to be…
Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK
How to Change the World
20 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm
Over the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are…
TCTV Interview: Jim Gaffigan On His Upcoming Download-Only Comedy Special
TechCrunch
15 Feb 2012 | 2:41 pm
If you’re not familiar with Jim Gaffigan, you should be. He’s one of the funniest comics standing and he’s a kind, gentle soul with a mid-westerner’s sensibility and a hilarious bit about Hot Pockets. Like Louis CK before him, Gaffigan just announced that he’s filming a comedy special in DC next month and will make it available for a $5 download – with one dollar going to The Bob Woodruff Foundation, an association to help wounded veterans and their families. Gaffigan weighed a number of options before going with a direct download model. He writes: I know I…
Holy Kaw!
Family support prevents LGBT teen suicide
15 Feb 2012 | 2:36 pm
Family and friends’ support helps counteract bullying and prevent suicide among sexual minority teenagers. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youths are at least twice as likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual youths, a statistic that inspired the national “It Gets Better Project” with encouraging video messages from such public figures as Lady Gaga and President Barack Obama. Previous studies of LGBT adolescents looked at their risk of making suicide attempts, not predictors that make them vulnerable to it or protect them from it. “Our research shows how…
25 great quotes from TED
15 Feb 2012 | 2:07 pm
Once upon a time, you had to wait in line for hours and keep your fingers crossed to land the class with the professor who could inspire you to greater heights or open up new worlds of possibilities, but today, we have a seemingly endless array of wonderful lectures at our fingertips thanks to TED. HubSpot has collected twenty-five great quotes from these talks in areas from Technology to Management to get you through hump day and on to bigger and better things. Roger Ebert: Because of the rush of human knowledge, because of the digital revolution, I have a voice, and I do not need to scream.
Standard deductions vs. personal exemptions [infographic]
15 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm
(Click on the infographic below to learn more.) Via Column Five for TurboTax Like infographics? So do we. Permalink | Leave a comment »
iPad technology that mimics feel of a book [video]
15 Feb 2012 | 1:59 pm
Old-fashion page thumbing makes a comeback with the Smart eBook Interface that makes flipping the pages of an ebook feel more like the real thing. Via Dooby Brain. All things iPad. Permalink | Leave a comment »
Guantanamo Bay legalities: How does it exist? [infographic]
15 Feb 2012 | 1:55 pm
Via total injury. (H/T @Britt_Klontz) All the top law news and views. Permalink | Leave a comment »
Mashable!
Samsung’s Anti-Apple Ad Wins Twitter’s First Ad Scrimmage
15 Feb 2012 | 2:38 pm
The 2012 Twitter Ad Scrimmage pitted Marvel superheroes against David Beckham, M&M characters and supermodel Adriana Lima. But Samsung’s “Thing Called Love” ad, featuring the upcoming Galaxy Note, was this year’s Twitter favorite, taking home the title of 2012′s favorite Super Bowl ad. The commercial, which aired during the fourth quarter of SuperBowl XLVI made fun of Apple fans who wait on long lines outside stores on product release days — without ever actually naming their product. In the ad, the fans kick down metal fences to play with the Note to…
Apple: Access to Contacts Will Require Explicit Permission
15 Feb 2012 | 2:10 pm
Apple said Wednesday that iOS apps accessing users’ contact lists will require explicit permission, following a week of accusations that a number of iPhone apps were storing data on their servers. “Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines,†Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD. “We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with location services, any app wishing to access contact data will require explicit user approval in a future software release.†The…
The Future of Sharing on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ [INFOGRAPHIC]
15 Feb 2012 | 1:55 pm
Users of social networks are getting tired of sharing — but that doesn’t mean sharing is on the decline. A new study analyzes sharing behaviors on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ and makes predictions for the future of sharing. Digital agency Beyond released the study for Social Media Week, along with the below infographic. Beyond makes six predictions about where sharing is headed based on the responses of 2,000 social media users in the U.S. and UK, between ages 16 and 40, who are active on either Twitter, Facebook or Google+. Among those users, 98% were active on Facebook, 60% of…
iPad Owners Rush to Sell Devices Ahead of iPad 3 Announcement [VIDEO]
15 Feb 2012 | 1:40 pm
Apple hasn’t yet officially announced the launch date of the iPad 3, or even confirmed its existence. But owners of the first and second generations of Apple’s tablet are already rushing to sell their devices based on reports that the iPad 3 will debut in March. According to the Boston Herald, Gazelle, an online service that buys used electronics and resells them through retail outlets, saw a 500% increase in iPad resale orders last Thursday, a number that grew steadily stronger over the weekend. A similar service, NextWorth, saw a 400% traffic increase to the iPad section of its…
Google+ Most Popular With Male Users, Students [INFOGRAPHIC]
15 Feb 2012 | 1:17 pm
The stereotypical Google+ user is a male engineer, but that’s only half right. According to new research, Google+ is still definitely male-skewing, but students outnumber software engineers by a wide margin. That’s one of the most compelling bits of data compiled by Website-Monitoring. A little more than a half year after launch, Website-Monitoring took a look at the demographics behind Google+. One surprise is the number of students on the network — 20%. That compares to the next most-popular profession on the list, software engineers (2.65%). Consultants and managers are…
Fast Company
4 Branding Tips For When The Bloom Is Off The Rose
15 Feb 2012 | 2:18 pm
Americans spent an estimated $17.6 billion this year on Valentine's Day dinners, flowers, chocolates, and other seductive gifts. But in this era when brands struggle to cozy up to their customers 365 days year, it seems like the perfect time to give brands some advice about creating love that lasts year round.1. Stop telling and telling and telling consumers how much you love them.Yesterday I got an email that said "Spotify Loves You." I barely know them, so how can they be so enraptured with me? Even--or especially--in the era of "friends" and "likes," love isn't to be…
What Tim Cook Said At Goldman Sachs
15 Feb 2012 | 1:10 pm
Tim Cook is a very different chap than his predecessor, in many ways from his business know-how to his education and manner of speech. We got more insight into all of these during his address at Goldman Sachs yesterday--including a long spiel and a Q&A session that gave us many more public Cook words to analyze.So what did he say? The most common (non-flller) word was "we" with 85 uses, a handful more if you include "we're" and "we've"--a sign that Cook is very much steeped in the Apple team spirit, as other reports have hinted. "I" got 74 uses, since the speech was all about Cook's own…
How To Pivot Faster Than Your Competition
15 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pm
I am sitting in a bakery minutes from my house, steps away from the train station, watching still-sleepy counter workers shuffling brioches and muffins to a rising flow of customers. I shouldn’t be here. I should be on that train now leaving the station, heading into New York City. But a midnight Skype session with a client in China followed by an all-night wrestling match with three young kids kicking and rolling completely disrupted my morning schedule. I missed my train.In the car speeding to the station, I finally came to terms with the fact that I was not going to make it. I passed…
NPR Launches An Answer To Spotify On The iPad With Streaming, Concerts, Offline Playlists
15 Feb 2012 | 11:16 am
Today, NPR launched the NPR Music app for the iPad, a new platform that gives listeners access to streaming content, first-listen albums, and live concerts. But why should a nonprofit care about this kind of innovation? So much for relying on your FM dial and antenna's reception. Today, NPR launched the NPR Music app for the iPad, a new platform that gives listeners access to streaming content, first-listen albums, and live concerts. Oh, and hear this Spotify: The (free) app also features the ability to cache playlists for offline listening. The NPR Music app represents yet another push for…
Congress Quizzes Apple On Path, Google Updates Wallet With Partial Fix, Zynga Posts Q4 Loss, Apple May Cuts iAd Prices
15 Feb 2012 | 11:10 am
Breaking news from your editors at Fast Company, with updates all day.Congress Quizzes Apple On Path's Contact Privacy Matters. While the tech world bickers and sometimes misunderstands the tech of the Path contact-upload debacle, Congress has decided to intervene and has sent a letter to Apple's CEO because of "questions about whether Apple’s iOS app developer policies and practices may fall short when it comes to protecting the information of iPhone users and their contacts." Congress has the tech questions right here, and we'll see what Apple says. --KE--Updated 12:05 p.m.
How to Change the World
Raising Money: What Not to Say and What Not to Believe #OfficeandGuyK
20 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm
Over the past two weeks via my partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve provided templates of models for you to create enchanting PowerPoint pitches, Word business plans, and Excel financial models. They are all available for you to download from my SkyDrive account. I hope these documents and blog posts help you save a boatload of time and increase the quality of your efforts.I leave you with two sets of top ten lies: one of entrepreneurs and one of investors so that you know what not to say and what not to believe. Top Ten Lies of Entrepreneurs “Our projections are…
Design a Sam Adams beer
20 Jan 2012 | 10:24 am
Now this is a fun project. I’m helping Sam Adams “tap†the knowledge of beer drinkers and crowd source its next brew. Join the party by getting the app and designing your beer: The final brew will be released in Austin in the first week of March. #sponsored
How to Create an Enchanting Financial Forecast #OfficeandGuyK
17 Jan 2012 | 3:52 pm
This is the third post in my Microsoft partnership, and it’s all about numbers. The topic is crafting your financial forecast to include in your pitch. Bill Reichert, my partner at Garage Technology Ventures, created an Excel model and wrote this blog post. There’s a lesson in this too: Get the best person for the job. His grasp of financial models and how to present them exceeds mine by two orders of magnitude. The Purpose of Financial Projections When it comes to financial projections, there are two types of entrepreneurs: first, the “visionary entrepreneur” who…
How to Create an Enchanting Business Plan #OfficeandGuyK
12 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am
Here is the second post in my series about planning, pitching, and launching a new business venture. In partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps, I’ve created a Word document that outlines a good business plan. It’s saved to my SkyDrive folder here. Feel free to download it and use it as inspiration. And if you’re working with a partner, you can use the free Word Web App to stay in sync. I provided the PowerPoint document before the Word document because a good business plan is an elaboration of a good pitch as opposed to a good pitch being a distillation of good business plan.
How to Create an Enchanting Pitch #OfficeandGuyK
9 Jan 2012 | 10:01 am
Welcome to the first in a series of blog posts I’ll be doing as part of a partnership with Microsoft and Office Web Apps. Over the next two weeks, I’ll cover everything a budding entrepreneur needs to turn an idea into an enchanting investment opportunity—from the perfect pitch to a killer business plan to financial forecasts. I’m going to start with a little dissertation on creating effective PowerPoint pitches for your company. I embedded the sample deck for you to click through by using the PowerPoint Web App. When you’re ready to get started, you can download the…
TechCrunch
TCTV Interview: Jim Gaffigan On His Upcoming Download-Only Comedy Special
15 Feb 2012 | 2:41 pm
If you’re not familiar with Jim Gaffigan, you should be. He’s one of the funniest comics standing and he’s a kind, gentle soul with a mid-westerner’s sensibility and a hilarious bit about Hot Pockets. Like Louis CK before him, Gaffigan just announced that he’s filming a comedy special in DC next month and will make it available for a $5 download – with one dollar going to The Bob Woodruff Foundation, an association to help wounded veterans and their families. Gaffigan weighed a number of options before going with a direct download model. He writes: I know I…
Greenstart Tightens Focus, Goes After “Sexy†Cleantech Startups
15 Feb 2012 | 2:06 pm
Greenstart, the San Francisco-based startup accelerator dedicated to the cleantech industry – and more importantly, to making it “sexy” enough to attract investors – announced its second cadre of of companies this week. This time around, the organization is tightening its focus to concentrate solely on the intersection of I.T. and cleantech, specifically in areas of smart grid, the built environment, consumer services and transportation. It’s also being highly selective in terms of the startups accepted into the program. Of the 152 applicants, only five companies…
Frank & Oak Helps Twentysomething Men Dress Themselves
15 Feb 2012 | 1:57 pm
A new site called Frank & Oak wants to take the headache out of clothes shopping for men between 20 and 35. The site is a new product from men’s clothing company Modasuite (a startup based in Canada and backed by Real Ventures). With Frank & Oak, CEO Ethan Song says the company is aiming at a younger audience (Modasuite’s customer base is more in the 30-45 range), so the clothing is more affordable and the process is simpler. Subscribers just go to the Frank & Oak site and enter their clothing preferences. Then, once a month you get an email newsletter with a list of…
Cisco’s Mood Message: Not Happy With Microsoft/Skype Deal; Appealing To EU
15 Feb 2012 | 1:11 pm
As one big tech merger gets approved by the EU, another might get kicked back into play. Today, Cisco launched an appeal against the purchase of Skype by Microsoft, a deal that was originally unconditionally approved by the regulators back in October 2011. The appeal hinges on Cisco’s contention that Microsoft and Skype will limit how users of different video calling systems will be able to speak to each other. Cisco is being joined in its appeal by Messagenet, another video conferencing provider that stands to lose out if a dominant Microsoft/Skype team begin to roll out video calling…
Keen On… Bram Cohen: Has BitTorrent Killed The Music Industry? (TCTV)
15 Feb 2012 | 12:30 pm
I’ve been waiting for this one. Bram Cohen is the Chief Scientist and co-founder of the P2P file sharing service BitTorrent. And he may also be one of the guys most responsible for the decline in the music industry. So I asked Bram, when we sat down together earlier this week at SFMusicTech, whether he did indeed have any responsibility for killing the music business. His denial was categorical. Not only did Bram deny any role in shrinking the sale of recorded music, but he actually disputed that the music industry is in decline, claiming “data” showed it to be in a quite…
Seth's Blog
Time doesn't scale
15 Feb 2012 | 4:25 am
But bravery does. The challenge of work-life balance is a relatively new one, and it is an artifact of a world where you get paid for showing up, paid for hours spent, paid for working. In that world, it's clearly an advantage to have a team that spends more time than the competition. One way to get ahead as a freelancer or a factory worker of any kind (even a consultant at Deloitte) was simply to put in more hours. After all, that made you more productive, if we define productivity as output per dollar spent. But people have discovered that after hour 24, there are no more hours left.
Meeting vs. making
14 Feb 2012 | 4:48 am
As I was scurrying to meet someone coming in on the 11 am train, I realized that there's a huge difference between meeting a train and making one. If you're rushing to make a train, you have to be there before the last moment. Five seconds too late is too late. The cost of error is absolute. If you're hurrying to meet a train, though, there's a soft deadline. Five seconds is no big deal. Thirty seconds might be annoying, particularly for someone returning from a long journey. And five minutes is really rude. Too often, we treat our obligations as meet, not make. We impose a sliding scale, a…
Spout and scout
13 Feb 2012 | 4:43 am
Social media has amplified two basic human needs so much that they have been transformed into entirely new behaviors. Sites have encouraged and rewarded us to spout, to talk about what we're up to and what we care about. And they've mirrored that by making it easy to scout, to see what others are spouting about. Please understand that just a decade ago, both were private, non-commercial activities. Now, they represent the future of media, and thus the future of what we do all day. You're probably doing one, the other or both. Are you making it easy for your peers and customers to do it about…
The sad irony of selfishness
12 Feb 2012 | 4:30 am
More often than not, the selfish person is insecure, fearful and filled with doubt. The selfishness springs from his belief that this is his only good idea, his last dollar, his one and only chance to avoid failure. "I need this, not you," he says, because he truly believes he's got nothing else going on, no other chance, no hope. The irony, of course, is that selflessness (not selfishness, its opposite) is precisely the posture that leads to more success. The person with the confidence to support others and to share is repaid by getting more in return than his selfish counterpart. The…
People who know what they're talking about...
11 Feb 2012 | 4:39 am
Almost always talk like they know what they're talking about. That's why it pays to invest more time than you might imagine on the vocabulary, history and concepts of your industry. Insider language, terms of art, the ability to use technical concepts... it matters. On the other hand, sounding like you're smart doesn't mean you are. Necessary but not sufficient.
NYT > Home Page
Critic’s Notebook: ‘Leonardo Live’ Puts London Exhibition on Screen
15 Feb 2012 | 2:40 pm
For fans of Leonardo da Vinci who did not get to see the blockbuster show of his work at the National Gallery London, there’s a film. Roberta Smith considers.
Romney-Santorum Ad Wars Intensify in Michigan
15 Feb 2012 | 2:36 pm
The attacks began when a “Super PAC†backing Mitt Romney released an ad alleging big government spending by Rick Santorum while he served as a senator.
In China, Knicks’ Lin Emerges as a Star and a Symbol
15 Feb 2012 | 2:20 pm
Jeremy Lin’s stunning success with the Knicks over the last week and a half has captured the imagination of China, from Communist Party bosses to the often-persecuted Christian minority.
Iran Issues Threat to Oil Buyers in Europe
15 Feb 2012 | 2:20 pm
Besieged by sanctions over its nuclear program, Iran warned its six largest European buyers that they risked immediate cutoffs in their Iranian oil imports.
Prison Fire in Honduras Leaves High Death Toll
15 Feb 2012 | 2:20 pm
A fire at a prison killed more than 300 people and many victims burned to death in their cells, officials said.
Wired Top Stories
Brilliant Video Star App Shoots a Music Video for Any Song on Your iPhone
15 Feb 2012 | 2:38 pm
Video: Robotic Arm Shoots Hoops, Darts
15 Feb 2012 | 2:15 pm
Cornell University's "universal jamming gripper" has better aim than we do.
Pentagon: Future of Homemade Bombs Is High-Tech
15 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pm
The homemade bombs that insurgents use in Iraq and Afghanistan are low-tech efforts, making them hard to find and stop, and cheap enough to spread world wide. But the Pentagon's bomb squad doesn't see that lasting. Its four-year plan envisions fighting improvised explosive devices that are much more sophisticated, using "flexible electronics," "microbial fuel cells," and "highly energetic and molecular materials."
Zynga Gives Amazon Cloud the Slip
15 Feb 2012 | 1:29 pm
The web game giant Zynga, which revealed in an earnings call this week it reached 240 million active users, also let slip it has shifted dramatically away from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to its in-house Z Cloud to deliver its popular -Ville games and others.
Food Project Proposes Matrix-Style Vertical Chicken Farms
15 Feb 2012 | 1:08 pm
Architecture student Andr? Ford has proposed a new system for the mass production of chicken that removes the birds? cerebral cortex so that they don?t experience the horrors of being packed together tightly in vertical farms.
@ProBlogger
How Gordon Ramsay Can Increase Your “Expert†Value by 23,900%
15 Feb 2012 | 8:02 am
This guest post is by Amy Harrison of Harrisonamy.com. To the public, not all experts are created equal. What’s more, this division exists in all industries, and in every blogging niche. And it’s not just about working harder, or longer than other people. It’s about knowing how to rise through the ranks of the expert “hierarchy.†To illustrate, consider for a moment the difference between a chef in a restaurant, a head chef in a five-star restaurant, and then Gordon Ramsay. In reality, they could have the exact same cooking abilities, but in terms of perceived value, you’re…
Cash In by Paying for Guest Posts
14 Feb 2012 | 8:06 am
This guest post is by Carol Tice of Make a Living Writing. If you’re looking for a way to grab attention for your blog and grow your income, I’ve had great success with this one: I pay writers. Since May 2011, I’ve been paying $50 for guest posts on my blog. I started paying because my mission is to help writers earn more, and I needed to walk my talk. I usually buy two or three posts a month. I thought it would just be a cost I’d have to cover every month. But paying for guest posts has turned out to be one of the most powerful strategies I’ve found for building…
Why My Blog’s Doing Okay: 3 Unexpected Answers
13 Feb 2012 | 2:07 pm
Yesterday we were talking about how benchmarking your blog and your performance against those of others only goes so far to give ou an idea of “how your blog’s going.” As I said then, looking at others—other people, other blogs—even subconsciously for an indication of where you and your blog sit isn’t usually very helpful. I said then that today I’d give you some examples of areas where I think my blogging’s doing okay—things that have less to do with stats and revenues than they do with how blogging fits into my life. Here are a few of those things.
How to Systematically Build a Mountain of Links
13 Feb 2012 | 8:00 am
This guest post is by Neil Patel of Quick Sprout. We’ve all been taught to create high-quality content to attract links. This argument is usually stated in the context of a blog that basically becomes an authority where you start to build a following around consistent, fresh content—think big sites like Problogger or Boing Boing. This is not the technique I’m talking about. Today, I’m talking about a link-building technique that’s bigger, better and quite possibly able to put you on the map faster than you would ever imagine. I’m talking about building a linkable…
Is Your Blog Doing Okay?
12 Feb 2012 | 2:03 pm
Last week, I told the story of how I achieved my best month ever on DPS. While I used that post as a case study to present some ideas that I hoped you may be able to use on your own blogs, there’s a hidden hitch with that kind of post: it can give you the impression that you should be aiming to triple your revenue each time you hone a promotion on your site. We could take that a step or two further—a post like that could give you the expectation that you should be selling products, or even that you should be monetizing your blog. Neither of those ideas is necessarily appropriate for…
Entrepreneur Update
Could Your Business Survive Without You?
15 Feb 2012 | 10:00 am
Seventy-five percent of small-business owners have no real succession plan -- a potential recipe for disaster. This entrepreneur's accidental fate tells a cautionary tale.
Seven Business Goals of Social Media - and How to Get Started (Video)
15 Feb 2012 | 9:00 am
Jason Falls, CEO of Social Media Explorer, explains how business owners can take a strategic approach to social media marketing.
How to Avoid One of the Biggest Email Hacking Threats
15 Feb 2012 | 8:00 am
Consider this advice to identify and avoid 'spear phishing' email -- cons designed specifically to target you and your business.
An Entrepreneur's Top Leadership Challenges -- and How to Meet Them
15 Feb 2012 | 7:01 am
As their companies expand, business owners aren't always ready to deal with new management issues.
Do You Know What's In Your Business Credit File?
14 Feb 2012 | 3:31 pm
Why managing your business credit score is more important than you may think.
Lifehacker
"An Ounce of Action Is Worth a Ton of Theory" [Quotables]
15 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pm
More »
What We Use: Thorin’s Favorite Gear and Productivity Tips [What We Use]
15 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm
More »
Ask and Answer Questions About Getting the Most Out of Notes Apps [Help Yourself]
15 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pm
Set Your Desktop to These Lifehacker Original Wallpapers [Wallpaper Wednesday]
15 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm
More »
The Best Address Book App for iPhone [Iphone App Directory]
15 Feb 2012 | 12:30 pm
More »
MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors
Apple to Require Explicit Permission for iOS Apps Accessing Address Book Data
15 Feb 2012 | 1:04 pm
Just hours after a pair of U.S. Congressmen sent a letter to Apple requesting information on privacy practices, specifically as they relate to address book data being collected and stored by the apps' developers, Apple has issued a statement to AllThingsD indicating that the issue will be addressed in a forthcoming iOS software update.“Apps that collect or transmit a user’s contact data without their prior permission are in violation of our guidelines,†Apple spokesman Tom Neumayr told AllThingsD. “We’re working to make this even better for our customers, and as we have done with…
Apple Seeks Bankruptcy Court's Blessing to Sue Kodak over Patents
15 Feb 2012 | 12:50 pm
With Kodak having filed last-minute patent lawsuits against Apple and HTC as it was heading into bankruptcy last month, Bloomberg reports that Apple is looking to assert itself against the pioneering photography company with a new lawsuit alleging infringement of Apple-held patents. While Apple says in its filing with the bankruptcy court overseeing Kodak's case that it is not required to seek approval for a lawsuit, Apple notes that it is requesting the court's blessing "out of an abundance of caution".Apple Inc. asked a bankruptcy judge for permission to sue Eastman Kodak Co. over…
Congress Weighs in on iOS Apps Collecting Address Book and Other Personal Data
15 Feb 2012 | 11:13 am
Last week, controversy erupted when it was discovered that the popular iOS app Path was uploading users' entire address books to the company's servers without alerting users or asking for authorization. While Path quickly deleted all address book data on its servers and updated its app to make the data collection an opt-in service, the issue has cast a fresh light on user privacy issues on iOS. As noted by The Next Web, U.S. Congressmen Henry Waxman and G.K. Butterfield have now weighed on in the issue, sending a letter to Apple requesting information on the company's data collection policies…
Fair Labor Association Offers Initial Impressions on Foxconn Audit as iPads Used to Collect Survey Data
15 Feb 2012 | 10:24 am
With the Fair Labor Association's independent audit of Foxconn's manufacturing facilities for Apple products having been underway for several days now, Reuters reports on the association's initial impressions as it works to collect and analyze data on working conditions. According to Fair Labor Association president Auret van Heerden, Foxconn's facilities appear to be "first-class" in comparison to the garment factories the association has typically monitored, with van Heerden suggesting that monotony and boredom associated with repetitive assembly tasks may be among the most significant…
Apple Pulls Online iPad Sales from Amazon China for Unknown Reasons
15 Feb 2012 | 9:21 am
Just as Chinese authorities have indicated that it would be difficult to impose a ban on Apple's iPad over a trademark dispute, Tech in Asia notes that the popular tablet has gone missing from online stores at Amazon China and Suning.com. The removal is apparently not, however, the result of a request from Proview Technology, which is laying claim to the iPad trademark and which has been seeking to halt both imports and exports of the device in China. The company's efforts earlier this week resulted in local Chinese authorities seizing a small number of iPads from retailers as others removed…
chrisbrogan.com
Access Is An Asset
15 Feb 2012 | 2:26 am
I was fortunate to have dinner last night with some brilliant leaders and professionals. I won’t name names, but some were friends from great companies, and others were new friends with amazing ideas. I’ll also divulge that I got to ask a question that interested me to Marc Ragan, CEO of Ragan Communications, that gave me some new perspective. This comes coupled with a line I blathered out in a speech yesterday that suddenly stuck to me like glue. The experience of enjoying dinner conversations about business and pursuits with smart people, plus talking about some of my past…
Happy Birthday to Love
14 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm
Ten years ago today, Tim Sanders launched his book, Love is the Killer App. It is a book I love written by a person I love. I’m not just saying this. Tim is lovable. He’s smart. He’s ultra passionate, and he’s been preaching a secret that people just refuse to accept is as important as it is. With love, I tell you to check out Tim’s post about his groundbreaking work turning 10. Happy Birthday to love!
Three Minutes On Social Media
12 Feb 2012 | 10:30 am
I had the pleasure of talking to deputy editor Teri Evans at Entrepreneur Magazine after keynoting their Growth Conference in Long Beach. This ends up being a few tips about small business and social media. Hopefully there’s something useful in here. (Oh, and for a behind-the-scenes detail, check out what I shared with people on Google+ about the day we shot this.) Can’t see the video? CLICK HERE To see more from the series, click here.
The Connection Will Carry You – or What Skrillex Taught Me About Platform
11 Feb 2012 | 7:09 am
I’m currently a little too obsessed with the musician/DJ Skrillex, as he’s known (real name Sonny Moore). He’s become the “from out of nowhere” face of a movement. Interestingly, he’s not the face of dubstep itself, exactly, but instead, I’d offer that he’s the face of “the mainstream’s introduction to dubstep.” The distinction is huge. ( If you want even more on dubstep, Spin produced this primer.) It also means that Sonny Moore has a lot in common with Tony Robbins, Run DMC, Banksy, and Sir Richard Branson. And, quite…
Throw Away the Maps
6 Feb 2012 | 3:30 am
People judge us by the path they’ve seen us walk before. They can’t anticipate our future steps. We, ourselves, look to how things have been, what seems to be the lay of the land, without realizing that the maps are not the territory. Want to succeed at work? Then don’t try to do your job. Instead, work towards something larger, more meaningful, and something that blends your convictions internally with your best ability to help others externally. Want to create something new? Then throw away the old, or maybe join two disparate old things together into something new. The…
Copyblogger
How to Create Smarter Content Using Semantic Keyword Research
15 Feb 2012 | 5:00 am
Ever hear two people arguing and then someone dismisses their differences like this: “Well, that’s just semantics”? What the person means by that is the difference boils down to “just” a difference in the meaning of the words. In other words, the meaning of a word isn’t all that important. Really? For serious SEO professionals (and marketers), the specific shades of meaning of a word can make a world of difference. That’s why modern search engine optimization has gone beyond basic keyword research into synonym creation, semantic search optimization,…
56 Ways to Market Your Business on Pinterest
14 Feb 2012 | 5:00 am
In case you’ve been living in a mountain cave in Bhutan for the past couple of months, Pinterest is a relatively new social networking site that allows users to create online image collages, then quickly and easily share those collages — called “pinboards” — with other Pinterest users. It’s fun, easy, and catching on like wildfire right now. Part of Pinterest’s appeal is that it’s beautiful. Enter the lovely world of Pinterest, and all the troubles of your day-to-day life just seem to slip away in a stream of perfect little black dresses, baby…
7 Essential Tips for WordPress Beginners
13 Feb 2012 | 5:00 am
Raise your hand if this sounds familiar … You meet someone and they say all the right things. They’re full of compliments and accolades. Except, something bugs you about them. Their words don’t quite match their actions. They can be forgetful, and even mean. Eventually, the glow wears off, and you see them for who they really are. It’s not what people say, it’s what they do that makes a relationship work. And that’s how it is with your WordPress website, especially if you’re just getting started. That’s because you can’t just talk about how great WordPress is and…
7 Worthwhile Content Marketing Links
11 Feb 2012 | 5:00 am
This week on The Lede … How George Lucas Would Write a Blog Post Mark Zuckerberg’s 6 Ingredients of Success How to Make Your Content Go Viral The Difference Between Good and Great Content Marketing If you want more links you can use than the seven we highlight here every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter. // The Difference Between Good Content Marketing and Great Content Marketing Mr. Pulizzi offers a compelling short history of content marketing, as well as a digestible list of six characteristics that will determine whether your content is great, or merely good. And…
Why Not Sell Physical Stuff With Digital Media?
10 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am
We know that online marketing works when selling digital products. When’s the last time you thought about selling physical products online? Of course, the business of physical widgets is booming, even though Internet types tend to shy away from it. Online marketing doesn’t necessarily mean an exclusively online business. Ben Settle jumped on the line with me this week to talk about his old school physical information product business. Give it a listen to find how he gets it done, and how he gets his stuff into the hands of buyers … In this episode, Ben Settle and I discuss:…
Macworld
Apple: iOS update to require user permission for apps to access contacts
15 Feb 2012 | 1:56 pm
After folks discovered numerous apps were uploading address book data without permission, Apple tells Macworld that a forthcoming iOS update will require such apps seek explicit user approval before accessing such data.
App Guide: iOS tax apps
15 Feb 2012 | 12:20 pm
With the deadline to file your income tax looming, it's time to start thinking about preparing your returns. These apps can help you get the job done on your iOS device.
Missing apps, missing Safari warnings, and more
15 Feb 2012 | 11:45 am
Chris Breen gets a lot of questions but those questions don't always merit a long answer. In this edition of Mac 911 he makes a dent in the mailbag by answer questions about missing iOS apps, how to restore Safari warnings, using a "PC" hard drive with a Mac, and redownloading the Lion installer.
The Week in iOS Accessories: Retro-gaming
15 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am
We admit it: We're suckers for iOS accessories that take us back to a time before iPhones and iPads, when you had to hook up an expensive console to a television set in order to play games like Pac-Man. Luckily, this week's roundup includes just such an item, as well as a few other new products that caught our eye.
Gartner: Apple has stunning quarter, Android loses ground
15 Feb 2012 | 10:15 am
Android lost smartphone market share for the first time, as Apple had a great fourth quarter buoyed by the launch of the iPhone 4S, according to Gartner.
ReadWriteWeb
Spending Valentine's Day with the Internet Birds
15 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pm
The word "love" elicits reactions from everyone, and some of those feelings are not pretty. Except when they're absolutely beautiful. On Valentine's Day, Internet users' emotions were plentiful and mixed. Twitter trends like #CandyHeartRejects and #FedValentines popped up, illuminating the thoughts of quite a few bitter birds. Facebook also celebrated Valentine's Day with some birdlike activity. News leaked last month that the Angry Birds would crash onto Facebook on Valentine's Day. It's the perfect game for pissed off single users to play on the heart of hearts day. But for all the…
Chrome Team Releases Field Guide to Web Applications
15 Feb 2012 | 2:01 pm
The Chrome folks have put together a Field Guide for Web Applications that is almost as notable for its design as the content itself. The field guide is a short resource with four chapters on Web apps, and one devoted to "Bert Appward" – the fictitious author of the guide. The guide is laid out as a book, and works as an offline application. For example, you can give the app permission to store itself on your mobile device and read it even if you're away from a data connection. Sponsor Google's Pete LaPage says that the guide uses AppCache for offline use and the HTML5 History API…
BookType Lets You Self-Publish Books for Kindle or Any Other Platform (Including Print)
15 Feb 2012 | 12:45 pm
In case you hadn't heard, there's a bit of revolution underway in the way books are published. Whether they're printed or laid out in pixels and read on screens, authors are increasingly able to publish them on their own, using a growing selection of self-publishing software and websites. Early excitement over Apple's new iBooks Author app quickly gave way to concerns over its restrictive licensing agreement, which Apple then clarified. For those disappointed in the current selection of self-publishing tools, there's a new option. BookType is a self-hosted, open source and collaborative…
Researchers Allege Defect in RSA Public Keys, Findings Questioned
15 Feb 2012 | 12:40 pm
It's only a few weeks now before the annual security conference that bears the initials of the first commercial implementers of cryptographic security outside the government security sector. Just in time for RSA, a team of researchers based in Switzerland say they have uncovered evidence of a new flaw in the way public keys are generated using the RSA algorithm. Those researchers include a certain, notable Dutch professor who used to make hacker headlines of his own back in the day. Although the Swiss team's conclusions are being questioned by some respected names, their data indicates one…
Engag.io Is the 1 Inbox to Rule Them All
15 Feb 2012 | 11:59 am
Engag.io launches to the public today. Imagine a Gmail inbox (in a good way), but for all your online conversations. That's Engag.io. But on top of that simple idea, Engag.io has features no one else provides for finding, following and expanding online conversations. If you're active in lots of places on the social Web, Engag.io will keep you sane. A Gmail inbox for the whole social Web is what Fred Wilson, one of founder William Mougayar's first backers, asked him to build. It was a basic need conceived in conversation on AVC, Wilson's indispensable site. Now that Engag.io is built, Mougayar…
Smashing Magazine Feed
Designer Myopia: How To Stop Designing For Ourselves
14 Feb 2012 | 7:09 am
Have you ever looked at a bizarre building design and wondered, “What were the architects thinking?†Or have you simply felt frustrated by a building that made you uncomfortable, or felt anger when a beautiful old building was razed and replaced with a contemporary eyesore? You might be forgiven for thinking “these architects must be blind!†New research shows that in a real sense, you might actually be right. That’s Michael Mehaffy and Nikos A. Salingaros describing a phenomenon we’re all familiar with, in their article “Architectural Myopia: Designing for…
Progressive And Responsive Navigation
13 Feb 2012 | 5:53 am
Developing for the Web can be a difficult yet rewarding job. Given the number of browsers across the number of platforms, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. But if we start coding with a little forethought and apply the principles of progressive enhancement from the beginning and apply some responsive practices at the end, we can easily accommodate for less-capable browsers and reward those with modern browsers in both desktop and mobile environments. A Common Structure Below is the HTML structure of a navigation menu created by WordPress. This unordered list is pretty…
Upcoming Web Design And Development Conferences For 2012
10 Feb 2012 | 10:58 am
We’re well into 2012, and many designers and developers around the world are planning their travels for the year, which may include attending one of the many Web design and development conferences that will be held in the upcoming months. To help you out with your plans, we’ve once again put together a list of conferences and events that you might want to consider. As always, this post covers events taking place in about a seven month timeframe that ends in early September. In August, we’ll post another article like this that will cover events for the six or…
A Beginner’s Guide To jQuery-Based JSON API Clients
10 Feb 2012 | 4:37 am
Are you fascinated by dynamic data? Do you go green with envy when you see tweets pulled magically into websites? Trust me, I’ve been there. The goal of today’s tutorial is to create a simple Web app for grabbing movie posters from TMDb. We’ll use jQuery and the user’s input to query a JSON-based API and deal with the returned data appropriately. I hope to convince you that APIs aren’t scary and that most of the time they can be a developer’s best friend. APIs Are The Future But, More Importantly, The Present JSON-based APIs are a hot property on the Web right now. I…
Smashing Special: WordPress Theme Trends For 2012
9 Feb 2012 | 7:25 am
This special is the first in our series of Smashing Specials — extended articles and studies dedicated to a specific topic. The special features current WordPress theme trends for 2012, covering past trends, new developments in theme design and trends in the theme development. 2011 was a great year for WordPress, with some excellent new updates that saw the introduction of a drag-and-drop uploader, distraction-free writing, the HTML5 Twenty Eleven theme, and movement towards a fully responsive dashboard. As well as changes to WordPress core, theme development continued to…
CNN.com
Nearly 300 dead in Honduras prison fire
15 Feb 2012 | 2:32 pm
Families rushed to the scene of the fire in Comayagua to learn if loved ones were alive. The blaze killed at least 272 prisoners, and the fate of 105 inmates is unknown.
Iran shows off nuclear program
15 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pm
President Ahmadinejad, clad in a white lab coat, watched technicians load Iran's first homemade fuel rods into a reactor core.
Boehner defends payroll tax deal
15 Feb 2012 | 1:47 pm
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, defended Wednesday the decision to move forward with a roughly $100 billion payroll tax cut extension that is not paid for, arguing that it was the only way to prevent a tax hike.
Coroner: Where did Whitney get meds?
15 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pm
Authorities are trying to determine the source of pop superstar Whitney Houston's prescription medication found in the hotel room where she died, officials said.
China's heir apparent visits Congress
15 Feb 2012 | 9:48 am
China's presumptive leader, Xi Jinping, is expected to meet with U.S. congressional leaders Wednesday on the third day of a visit that could influence relations between the two world powers for years to come.
Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider
It’s Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Peter Hurley!
14 Feb 2012 | 11:01 pm
How important is it to accentuate your subject’s jawline in a portrait? For me it’s major, and more often than not the first direction that comes out of my mouth toward anyone in front of my camera. I believe it’s our job to pull the best out of our clients, so we need to be feeding them constant direction in order to do that.As photographers, we all use direct direction in order to get a client into a position that makes them physically look better. So since this one area means so much to me, I thought I’d share some tips on it in this little video. In it you’ll see how…
HP Releases the Z1 Workstation
14 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm
Hey gang, Brad Moore here with a quick announcement.HP just announced their brand new Z1 Workstation, a 27″ all-in-one workstation that opens to allow for hardware upgrades! This system features the quad-core Intel Xeon processor, an NVIDIA Quadro graphics card, and options for USB 3.0, Blu-Ray Writer, SSD hard drive, and more for top performance.Check out all the details over at HP.com!
Happy Valentine’s Day
14 Feb 2012 | 9:34 am
Howdy folks. Sorry for the late post, but I took today off to spend with my sweetie (we actually snuck away last night and headed to our favorite getaway place, and now we’re spending the day shopping and just hanging out, which I understand may include a stop at a guitar store). :) Â By the way: the photo above, taken at Vegas Photoshop World, is by my buddy Mike “Hollywood” Kubeisy”Today we’re celebrating our 25th Valentine’s Day together (and this year we’ll be married 23 years!). As all my friends are quick to remind me — I am the luckiest…
I went with Nikon D800 with the Anti-Aliasing Filter
12 Feb 2012 | 11:02 pm
I’ve had a lot of people asking which model I ordered; the regular D800 or the 800e where Nikon has removed the anti-aliasing filter (it’s supposed to create a little sharper images but without the filter you run the risk of certain photos having a moire pattern).Well, I went with the model WITH the filter (the regular Nikon D800). I talked with a few friends that have shot the camera, and they suggested for the range of photos I take (from people, to sports, to fashion to travel), that I just stick with the regular D800 (which saved me a few hundred bucks to boot).I’ve had…
It’s FREE Photoshop World Ticket Monday
12 Feb 2012 | 11:01 pm
I’m going to be giving away a FREE full-conference pass to next month’s Photoshop World Conference & Expo in Washington DC to some lucky commenter here today, but before you rush down and enter (just leave a comment here of any sort, and you’re entered), watch this short video (only 1 min: 31 seconds), to get psyched up for it. It pretty much shows you why you gotta be there (and why you should enter today to see if you win the free ticket!).We’re going to have an all-time record-breaking attendance for our East Coast show, and you’re invited to be there when…
Digital Photography School
Photographers: The one thing you need before opening for business
15 Feb 2012 | 12:35 pm
There are lots of obvious things you need before you can start a photography business. And as much as this seems like a hobby that you can make money through as you learn, it’s not really that simple if you want to establish an honest-to-goodness business. I mean, how many people open restaurants before they can actually cook everything on the menu? Would you expect a meal the chef was practicing for the first time? So before I tell you the number one thing you need before you should start charging for your services, let’s get something out of the way: it’s obvious that you…
6 Ways to Add Drama and Mystery to Your Images
15 Feb 2012 | 7:55 am
Recently at a get together with 6 photography friends we started chatting about the idea of adding Drama and Mystery to images. Don’t ask me how we got to the topic but the conversation was so good that I decided to ask each photographer for their favourite technique for creating Dramatic and Mysterious Shots. Here’s their responses (paraphrased): 1. Motion Blur While keeping your shots tack sharp is something that many of us aim for – slowing down your shutter speed a little and allowing moving objects in your frame to blur a little (or a lot) can certainly add a new…
5 things to Love [and 5 things to Hate] about Canon G1 X
14 Feb 2012 | 12:29 pm
This week, I got my greedy little hands on a Canon G1 X and I have to say, I was {and still am} absolutely giddy over this camera. Bear in mind, it’s been about 6 years since I even owned a point + shoot so getting this camera was like going from VHS to blue ray. There were 5 things that struck me as amazing about this little camera as well as 5 things that made me say “what on earth?”. 5 things to love The sensor is gigantic for a compact digital camera. It’s only 20% smaller than the sensor in Canon’s 7D! Response time is phenomenal. From the time I press…
Return To The Scene Of The Crime: Shooting Mundane Scenes In Different Light To Improve Your Photography
14 Feb 2012 | 7:33 am
We all have parts of our life that are mundane. Even the most seasoned traveler has mundane tasks or habits that seem anything less than glamorous. While there is certainly something to be touted and enjoyed from the exotic images we all love, there is also some thing to be appreciated in the mundane. First, the mundane is often not always that. While a scene may be commonplace, unless the light never changes, ever, there is always something different about it day to day. My challenge to you is to find beauty, not so much in the objects you see every day, but in the light hitting them. By way…
3 Minutes with Photographer Steven Bumgardner
13 Feb 2012 | 12:29 pm
Photography has always been a powerful medium to share images, but it has consistently been most powerful when used to share stories. As digital SLRs increasingly include video functionality new opportunities are emerging for photographers to enhance their storytelling with video and videographers to return to their roots with still photography. Steven Bumgardner (AKA YosemiteSteve on Twitter) has a gift for storytelling as it relates to our natural world and might just have the ultimate dream job getting to work in Yosemite valley. Steven was kind enough to share a little bit about his video…
TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Daily Mac App: Gemini finds and removes duplicate files
15 Feb 2012 | 2:30 pm
After years of buying hard drives and moving files around, digital hoarders like myself eventually wind up with duplicate files all over the place. A few gigabytes here and there can add up, so Gemini aims to help you find and delete duplicate files across devices. It's a beautifully designed app, and if you're doing basic directory comparisons, is fast as lightning. To start, you just drag a few folders onto Gemini. It'll start scanning with a big circular progress bar moving around. One of the awesome features I've not seen elsewhere is the ability to see the results of a scan and do…
Apple pulls iPad from Amazon China
15 Feb 2012 | 2:15 pm
The iPad has apparently been pulled from sale on the Chinese version of Amazon, but apparently the reason wasn't because of some Amazon competition overseas, or even that recent lawsuit against Apple trying to stop the iPad from selling in that country. Nope -- apparently, it was Apple. Amazon's China management says Apple was the company that requested the iPad be taken down from online sales in China. Proview Technology Shenzen, the group leading the charge against the iPad's Chinese sales, hasn't even contacted them or mentioned online sales in the lawsuit. So what's the deal? TechCrunch…
US Congress sends letter to Apple about Path, data access, Apple responds
15 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm
The latest "-gate" suffixed controversy, the so-called "Address Bookgate," has surrounded the popular social networking app Path. After Path was found to collect data on users' contacts without prompting users for permission, CEO Dave Morin apologized and the app was updated to change the behavior. That revelation, and the backlash that followed, has sent ripples throughout the iOS developer community. Path's update sets its app to explicitly request user permission to store contacts; Instagram and several other iOS apps followed suit. In what's becoming a predictable trend any time the words…
Proview halts iPad sales in second Chinese city, says nationwide iPad ban would be "difficult"
15 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pm
The recent Chinese court ruling that Proview owns a trademark on the word iPad may prove to be a problem for Apple. Recently, officials in the Chinese province of Shijiazhuang began seizing iPads at one reseller. Now, these seizures are happening in a second province. According to the New York Times, the iPad is under temporary impoundment in the city of Xuzhou, located in Jiangsu province. Ma Dongxiao, a lawyer for Proview talked to the New York Times about these seizures and state-owned CCTV confirmed that officials are removing iPads from resellers. Ma also said Proview asked authorities…
Daily Update for February 15, 2012
15 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pm
It'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 15, 2012 originally appeared on TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of…
Strobist
B2B: One Big Top Light
13 Feb 2012 | 8:00 am
We're back to basics today -- looking at working with a single, large source and how to tweak it. Five years ago, I mostly thought of large sources in a "45-degrees-up-and-over" kind of way. Safe? Yes. But now, that kind of stuff all looks the same to me. So I almost never use them that way. Read more »
How the Other Half Lives: George Holz' Beyoncé for Spin
8 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pm
Photo © George HolzYou know how people on the Strobist Flickr group like to talk about how it is technically possible to shoot blow-away white with just one flash?Yeah, this is not exactly that.Hit the jump for a walk-thru vid for the (ahem, eight-light) shoot, including a key light combo that you're prolly gonna want to rent rather than buy next time you are assigned to shoot Beyoncé. Read more »
Lighting Inside the Box
6 Feb 2012 | 8:30 am
After 15 years of long-term planning (and saving) Susan and I finally took the plunge with a full kitchen remodel. We were really pleased with the results, and at some point I had promised the contractor a nice photo of the final product.In a room like this you are basically illuminating the inside of a box by using hidden lights, which turned out to be an interesting exercise. And it's something I would recommend for just about any photographer. Read more »
Core Knowledge: Working With Remotes
2 Feb 2012 | 8:00 am
There are two things you should always remember about radio remotes:One, radio can be fickle. This is true whether you are using your time-honored PocketWizards or a brand new Chinese offering.Two, radio waves -- and success with your remotes -- are all about the physics. So a little knowledge can go a long way toward ensuring good range and reliability. Some basics that every lighting photographer should know, inside. Read more »
Tyler Stableford: Dispatches From the Underground
30 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
Aspen, Colorado-based photographer Tyler Stableford generally shoots action and adventure, most of it aboveground. But this shoot for Timberland PRO would send him a half-mile deep into the earth. That far down, before adding light it is absolutely pitch black. As in, you cannot see your hand in front of your face. And the lights the miners use while extracting coal there aren't much friendlier -- low-level, and a mix of tungsten and fluorescents. So Stableford shot the entire campaign working on the edge of the quality envelope, and lighting with only a few speedlights. Read more »
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Article: Depth of Field in Macro Photography
15 Feb 2012 | 1:50 pm
Controlling depth of field is of great importance when photographing subjects at a close distance. Nature photographer Erez Marom continues his series on macro photography with a discussion of the challenges this presents when shooting at extreme magnifications. He examines problems common to both beginners and experienced macro photographers and shares two approaches that allow you to overcome shallow depth of field.
CIPA starts to report growing mirrorless sales
14 Feb 2012 | 6:06 pm
CIPA has started publishing sales and shipment figures for mirrorless cameras, giving a clear picture for their take-up around the world. The Japanese trade body will issue separate figures for 'Non-reflex' cameras and Single Lens Reflex cameras, rather than a combined 'interchangeable lens camera' category. The first batch of figures show mirrorless cameras are becoming increasingly popular in all major markets.
Scalado's Remove technology takes distractions out of photos
14 Feb 2012 | 4:57 pm
Mobile imaging company Scalado has created a multi-shot technology that identifies differences to allow unwanted objects to be removed. The 'Remove' technology, currently being shown-off in the form of an Android app, is the first object removal software on a mobile device, it says. The technology allows passers-by to be selected or automatically removed, or cars to be simply edited out of the scene you're trying to capture, without the need for Photoshop.
Just Posted: Lensbaby Edge 80 Quick Review
14 Feb 2012 | 8:08 am
Lensbaby's products have always rather swum against the tide, but the company's latest optic offers something a little different from its existing range. The Edge 80, as its name might suggest, is an 80mm optic that behaves almost - but not quite - like a conventional tilt lens. It's designed for selective focus applications, and its short telephoto focal length makes it ideally suited for subjects such as portraits and abstracts. In our quick review we have look at how the lens works, and what it can bring to your photography.
Lensbaby introduces Edge 80 telephoto optic
14 Feb 2012 | 8:00 am
Lensbaby has announced an addition to its unique range of selective-focus lenses, in the shape of the Edge 80. It's an 80mm F2.8 short telephoto that, unlike the company's existing products, is conventionally optically-corrected, and designed to be used as a tilt lens to produce 'slices' of sharp focus across the frame. It has a 12-blade circular aperture diaphragm for attractive out-of-focus blur, and a built-in extension tube for close focusing down to about 19". It's available to order now from the company's website for $300.
Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Killer Tips
Lightroom Video – Making Selective White Balance Changes
15 Feb 2012 | 1:27 pm
I always like it when new features come out in Photoshop or Lightroom and I end up using them in ways that I didn’t originally think I would. Take for example the addition of Temperature and Tint to the Adjustment Brush and Graduated Filter in Lightroom 4 Beta. When I heard about this feature, I thought of specific examples where I’d use it. But none of those examples actually fit what I just noticed this past weekend on a recent trip. I realized I’m going to use them for a problem that I’ve usually gone to Photoshop to fix. But now since those adjustments are in…
Nikon School – My First HD SLR Workshop
13 Feb 2012 | 8:41 am
I’m on my way back to Tampa this morning after a really cool weekend with the guys from the Nikon School HD-SLR Video Workshop. I had planned on attending one at the end of last year but I couldn’t make it. While talking to a friend at Nikon a few weeks ago, I realized they had one in Santa Monica and it just happened to coincide with a trip I had out west so I jumped at the chance to go. I’ve got to say, these guys put on a fantastic weekend for everyone. The workshop was actually taught by 3 guys from NPS (Nikon Professional Services): Scott Diussa, Mark Suban, and Mark…
Lightroom Before/After Video – Eiffel Tower and Plug-ins
9 Feb 2012 | 10:05 am
I haven’t done one of those Before/After videos in a while so I thought it was time for another. The photo I’m using here was a photo I took in Paris last year. It was a rainy day which I actually find can help sometimes. I’d always seen a lot of the same photos of the Eiffel Tower, so I went looking for a different view. I remember seeing the movie, Inception, and noticed this really cool bridge (You know, the one that twisted on top of itself in the movie). It was the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, a bridge that crosses the Seine River in Paris. So I kinda set my sites on that being…
Why I Don’t Backup My Photos Using Lightroom
7 Feb 2012 | 7:39 am
If you’ve used the Import dialog in Lightroom, you’ve probably noticed an area under File Handing called “Make a Second Copy To:”. This is Lightroom’s way of letting you make a backup of your photos as you import them. That way you can get your import and your backup all done at once. A while back, some one pointed out that when you use this feature, you don’t have much control over how the backup drive stores the photos. Basically, it just stores them in a folder named “Imported on….”. For me this is a big problem because it’s not…
Lightroom Worth-a-click
3 Feb 2012 | 8:26 am
Happy Friday! Here’s a few Lightroom/Photography related things that are worth a quick click if you’re surfing around. • A friend of mine from Paris (who I shot with while I visited last year and was a HUGE help!), Serge Ramelli has a Lightroom app on the iTunes store. Here’s the link if you want to check it out. • It’s not exactly brand new news but I had a new class go up on Kelby Training last month that’s all about Lightroom presets and how I create them. If you’re looking for a peak inside the mind of the preset creator (and some cool ideas for…
MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - iOS Blog
'Clear' To Do App Launches on the App Store
14 Feb 2012 | 10:00 pm
Realmac Software and Impending have just released Clear to the App Store. Clear is a simplified list making application that was announced at Macworld. The App's claim to fame is the extremely minimal interface that uses natural touch gestures for all functions. Some of these include: - Pull down on a list to add an item - Swipe an item right to complete it - Swipe an item or list left to delete it - Pinch apart two items to insert a new one between them - Pinch vertically together to close the current list and show all the lists The app is meant to be quick to launch and use. Lists are color…
Apple Reportedly Planning Orders for 65-70 Million iPad 3 Displays in 2012
14 Feb 2012 | 9:46 am
Electronista reports on a new article [Google translation] from Taiwan's Commercial Times claiming that Apple is planning for production of 65-70 million iPad 3 displays in 2012, paving the way for a significant boost to Apple's tablet sales.Shipments for the new LCD panel, believed designed by Sharp but being manufactured by LG Display and Samsung, were said by the Commercial Times to be already booked to the order of 65 million to 75 [70] million units for the year. Versus production of about 40.5 million in 2011, it would represent 60 to 73 percent higher shipments than last year.That…
iCade Creators Announce Nintendo-Like Wireless Controller for iOS
13 Feb 2012 | 12:03 pm
ThinkGeek, the creators of the iCade iPad gaming cabinet have upped the ante with a new Bluetooth enabled controller called the iCade 8-Bitty. The controller is roughly the size and layout of a classic NES controller, with an extra pair of A/B buttons on the right side and two shoulder buttons. The 8-Bitty offers the same compatibility as the larger iCade cabinet, supporting all iCade-compatible titles and the iCade open development platform. It runs on two AAA batteries. At the moment, this just an announcement of the 8-Bitty. Interested parties can join a mailing list to be notified when…
iOS Surpasses OS X in Share of U.S. Web Traffic
10 Feb 2012 | 10:36 am
Analytics firm Chitika today released a report showing that by its metrics iOS has now surpassed OS X in overall web traffic share in the United States. Chitika's methodology involves an analysis of browser user agents for hundreds of millions of ad impressions across its expansive network.To quantify this study, Chitika Insights analyzed several data sets composed of a series of US traffic taken from August 2011 to February 2012 out of the Chitika Ad Network (covering hundreds of millions of ad impressions). The user agents of individual impressions were then aggregated to determine relative…
LifeProof iPhone Case Offers Protection Against Water and Shock Damage
9 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm
One of the most frequent reasons for an iPhone to go on a trip to the Apple Store's Genius Bar is because of water damage. Typically, a water damaged iPhone can be replaced for a flat $199 fee, though with the recently launched AppleCare+, that price can be reduced to $49. Most ultra-durable iPhone cases, like Otterbox's Defender or Case Mate's TANK, are merely water-resistant -- not actually water proof. They might protect an iPhone during a rainstorm, but they can't handle a dunk in the pool or -- perhaps more likely -- a drop in the toilet. LifeProof's iPhone case, however,…
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World's best airports announced -- Asia dominates
15 Feb 2012 | 12:36 am
by CNNGo staff Korea’s Incheon International Airport has maintained its streak with a seventh consecutive win in the annual Airport Service Quality Awards from Airports Council International (ACI). Incheon Airport took the title of “Best Airport Worldwide†of 2011 by ACI on Tuesday, February 14, 2012, for the seventh year in a row. Singapore's Changi Airport came in second and Beijing Capital International Airport took third in a top five that was filled entirely by Asian airports. Full results are below. “For Incheon International Airport to dominate in this category for seven…
iReport: After dark at the Sapporo Snow Festival
14 Feb 2012 | 11:35 pm
by Allan CookIn a CNNGo iReport assignment at the end of January, we asked readers to share their images of their favorite Asian nighttime travel destinations, as well as the reasons they picked them. Alan Cook, living in Funabashi, near Tokyo, sent us his photos along with a word or two on what made him pull out his camera at one of Japan’s most popular after-dark festivals last week. There's no escaping the mouse, even in Japan's frozen north. iReporter Cook has lived in Japan for 10 years and he finally made it to the annual Snow Festival in Sapporo, Hokkaido, this year on the 63rd…
Bangkok travel warnings follow Valentine's Day blasts
14 Feb 2012 | 8:34 pm
by CNNGo staffDue to a series of bombings in Bangkok on Tuesday, the United States and United Kingdom are among several countries urging citizens to be cautious when visiting the Thai capital. In a statement posted on its website, the U.S. Embassy said: "This message alerts U.S. citizens in Thailand that a series of explosions occurred in the vicinity of Sukhumvit Soi 71 in Bangkok on the afternoon of February 14. "As a reminder we encourage U.S. citizens to maintain a heightened awareness when in public. Be alert for unattended packages/bags in public and report any…
Movie theaters: 10 of the world's best
14 Feb 2012 | 4:00 pm
by Hoishan ChanThe best movie theaters always make the movie better. You could be watching the third re-run of your own birth, but if you're snuggled into a soft seat with buttery popcorn in your lap and a sound system that feels like its channeled directly into your temporal lobe, somehow you'll come out feeling like you had a good time. For the global jet-setting movie junkie, these are some movie theaters that take a good experience and make it great. Also on CNNGo: 15 city hotel rooms with amazing views 1. Cine Thisio, Athens, Greece Movie magic as close to Mount Olympus as…
Braving Shanghai's snake hot pot restaurant
14 Feb 2012 | 3:57 pm
by John Coughlan, Sean HanrattyFrom nose to tail, Chinese cuisine has long featured dishes that use all parts of all types of creatures. The southern province of Guangdong is especially known for its peculiar food culture. Extreme cases are monkey brains and a recent report of braised koala. In Shanghai, a visit to hot pot restaurant Jin Long She (金龙蛇) confirms that China’s most sophisticated city is no slouch when it comes to adventurous eating. Snake hot pot in Shanghai Jin Long She’s draw is snake hot pot. In some parts of China, consumption of the slithering reptile is…
