Name this food?
Having this in Japan tonight. But what US state is this actually from?
Sent from my iPhoneLady Gaga hits 1 billion online video views
Embedded media -- click here to see it.
That feeling that you can't escape Gaga on the Web is now quantified. According to Visible Measures, a video analytics company, Lady Gaga's music videos have reached more than 1 billion video views, making her the first franchise to reach one billion views. At least three of her videos have attracted more than 100 million, and adding those views up pushes her past the one billion mark. "Poker Face" alone, for instance, brought in at least 374,606,128 plays.
Read the full Mashable story at CNN.com.
More on music.
Cold, rainy day. The train in Nara comes, always on time.
"The tighter you squeeze, the less you have." - Thomas Merton
I took the picture for this slide last summer near Cannon Beach, Oregon in the USA. Merton's words (he was very interested in the study of Zen although he was a Christian) are simple and true. When you let something go is when you really "have it."
Awesome computer vision smiley generator
Artist and designer Theo Watson recently created an open source computer application that runs in the background while you interact with friends via Skype, emails—basically any place you can enter text. Auto Smiley analzes your face, detects your smiles, and send the ':)' smiley emoticon like you pressed the keyboard yourself.
See how it works below:
Embedded media -- click here to see it.
While it's not exactly a time-saver, this cool app will definitely enforce honesty in your online communication. :)
Full story at Neatorama.
All the top open source news.
Giving away Jawbone blutooth headset, etre iphone gloves to my retweeters today!
11 iPhone apps I can't live without (and then there's Rhapsody)
Michael Hyatt recently did a post about the 13 iPhone apps that he actually uses. He even took the drastic step of deleting all but these 13 apps. Because I have a 6 year old who also uses my iPhone as an entertainment device from time to time, I don't think that idea would fly for me. That said, I have found that there are a small number of apps that I go to time and time again. (NOTE: I'm not including the apps that came with the device!)
- Kindle for iPhone - I discovered the Kindle for iPhone last May. I'm sure the good folks at Amazon put it out there in the hopes that iPhone people would become Kindle owners. Didn't work in my case, but not because the app wasn't any good. On the contrary, it has pretty much become my "go to" app that I use on airplanes, when standing in lines, pretty much any time I've got a spare minute. Many have commented on the small screen size leading to frequent cumbersome taps to turn virtual pages. It takes some getting used to, but it is worth it for me to literally have dozens of books (including multiple Bible translations!) in my pocket at any given time. And the highlighting / note taking feature is HUGE for me...
- Evernote - Between the desktop and iPhone versions and the automatic syncing between the two, It's one of those apps you have to use to get. Evernote has become an external brain of sorts. Anything I want to remember, from song lyrics and chords to photos of restaurants, gets thrown into Evernote and tagged for easy retrieval.
- Writeroom - I tried out the desktop version a while back, and while I liked the idea of it, I never really found myself using it on a regular basis. The iPhone version is a whole different ballgame. There's something inspiring about the simple white text on a black background. Writeroom has become my primary note taking application, and with seamless emailing, I can email the results into Evernote.
- VersebyHeart - A major 2010 goal of mine has been Scripture memorization. I have tried a few iPhone apps out and have landed on VersebyHeart. You have to import the verses yourself, but once you get them in there, it's pretty handy. VersebyHeart gives you three different review tools. It really works.
- Tweetie - I've tried several different Twitter clients, and Tweetie seems to work the best. Very clean look and feel. And it's very stable.
- Facebook - While I would consider myself more of a Twitter guy than a Facebook guy, I really like the Facebook mobile app, to the point that I probably use Facebook more when I'm on the go than I do Twitter.
- RSS Player - I rarely, if ever, sync my iPhone with my laptop. And iTunes will not allow you to download podcast files bigger than 10 MB. I discovered RSS Player a couple of months ago and have since become something of a podcast junkie.
- Guitar Toolkit - If you had told me even a couple of years ago that one day I'd be using my cell phone as a guitar tuner, I would have said you were crazy. Guitar Toolkit works very well as a tuner; I also use the metronome feature a good bit to figure out song tempos on the fly...
- Sportacular - Easy way to check sports scores without having to open Safari. They recently added a push feature to alert you of game start times, final scores, etc. Very handy.
- Goodreads - I've only been on Goodreads for about a week, but I've been spending a lot of time on it. Goodreads is kind of a social media site geared towards readers. You can run it as a Facebook plugin, but I've really found myself using the mobile app a great deal. It's so cool that I'll probably do a standalone post on it in the near future.
- Pandora - I was all about Pandora a year ago. Then Rhapsody for iPhone was released and I got that. Because Rhapsody is so buggy, I find myself going back to Pandora more often than not.
- Rhapsody - it pains me to mention this last. I want to mention it first. The idea of streaming whatever music you want on a monthly subscription basis has so much appeal for me. But sadly, Rhapsody for iPhone works doesn't work very often. To quote one of my favorite movies, "20% of the time, it works every time". I am pleased enough with the web version that I haven't canceled the service. If and when someone else releases a similar service that actually works, I'm there...
Why does orange juice taste bad after you brush your teeth?
We humans have clearly identified tastes that go great together. The combination of chocolate and peanut butter comes to mind, as does peanut butter and jelly. But anyone who has ever taken a gulp of orange juice immediately after brushing his or her teeth knows that the ensuing taste may be the worst a person can possibly experience.
Why do orange juice and toothpaste taste so awful together? Will it help if you switch to a new flavor? And why does toothpaste foam like that?
Full article at HowStuffWorks.com.
Total aggregation of HowStuffWorks.com.
Photo credit: Fotolia
Yodelice - Sunday With A Flu
Prepare to fail if you cheat in college
Young-Jin Lee, an assistant professor at the University of Kansas, spent four years studying cheating by students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, using MasteringPhysics, an online homework tutoring system. Here's what he found:
- Students who procrastinated also copied more often. Those who started their homework three days ahead of deadline copied less than 10 percent of their problems, while those who waited until the last minute were repetitive copiers.
- Students who copied frequently had about three times the chance of failing the course.
- Students are twice as likely to copy on written homework than on online homework.
Full story at Futurity.
Get smarter: research news.
Photo credit: Fotolia
What's driving the brain's internal GPS?
Using implantable electrodes and a first-person driving game, researchers have identified the brain cells that indicate travel in a clockwise or counterclockwise motion, called "path cells." By representing direction, these path cells complement other similar cells that encode location. Working together, the cells help people get to where they're going.
"Finding our way in spatial environments is an essential part of daily life," says Michael Kahana, psychology professor and director of the Computational Memory Lab at the University of Pennsylvania. "Our goal in this research was to determine how the brain comes to possess this sense."
Full story at Futurity.
Get smarter: research news.
Photo credit: University of Pennsylvania
15 phony but funny Twitter accounts
As a general rule, impersonating someone other than yourself is frowned upon (if not criminal), but in the case of fake Twitter accounts, we tend to look the other way—especially if the tweets induce giggles. Here are the top fifteen funny phony Twitter accounts. See a few below:
@CNNBreaking—Because fake news is always entertaining.
Favourite tweet: "Decepticons leader Megatron escapes from secret government facility in Colorado."
@DarthVader—For the hilarious insider's view of the Dark Side.
Favourite tweet: "The bad news is we had to let go of about 8000 clone troopers today. The good news is it really only counts as 1."
@ChuckNorris_—Because even though the Chuck Norris fact phenomenon is overused, it still makes you giggle. Admit it.
Favourite tweet: "Chuck Norris has already been to Mars; that's why there are no signs of life there."
See all fifteen at PC World.
Total Twitter coverage.
Photo credit: Fotolia
Free Twitter Background Design #11
Here is another twitter background design I just created.
Software Used: Adobe Photoshop
Size: 1900 x 1440
Download:
50% JPG - Here (652kb - Right click and Save-as)
100% JPG - Here (3.7mb - Right click and Save-as)
Photos from Haiti, 70 days later
The 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti occurred more than seventy days ago. It killed an estimated 230,000 people. The country is starting to come back to life as this Boston.com photo essay shows.
See the pictures at Boston.com.
Total aggregation of news from Haiti.
Survey: 53% of email marketers thinks social media increases ROI
Ad Week pulls up some interesting statistics that suggest that social media may work hand-in-hand with email marketing instead of replacing it. It lists a bunch of facts from an eMarketer survey of e-mail marketers about social media. For instance:
- 78% of respondents said they believe social media increases brand reputation and awareness.
- 53% said they thought social media increases the ROI of email programs.
- 81% said social media extends the reach of email content to new markets.
Read the full story at Ad Week.
More on social media.
Photo credit: Fotolia
Responding to Dr. Laura regarding God's Law
talk show host in the USA) said that homosexuality is an abomination
according to the Bible Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under
any circumstance. The following response is an open letter to Dr.
Laura, penned by James M. Kauffman, Ed. D. It's funny, as well as
informative.
_______________________Dear Dr. Laura:Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I
have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that
knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend
the homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that
Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination... end of
debate.I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other
elements of God's Laws and how to follow them.1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. A
friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not
Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair
price for her?3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in
her period of menstrual unseemliness - Lev. 15: 19-24. The problem is
how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.
4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev. 1:9. The problem is my neighbours.
They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them? 5. I have a neighbour who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus
35:2. clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated
to kill him myself, or should I ask the police to do it?6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than
homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this? Are there 'degrees'
of abomination?7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I
have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading
glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room
here?8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.
19:27. How should they die?9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes
me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?
10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing
garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester
blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really
necessary that we go to all the trouble of getting the whole town
together to stone them? Lev. 24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to
death at a private family affair, like we do with people who sleep
with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14)
I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy
considerable expertise in such matters, so I am confident you can
help.Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.
Your adoring fan,James M. Kauffman, Ed. D.
Professor Emeritus Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia
Please buy The Big Issue!
give me a break.
Hand Sign USB Drives
The IMM Living's Hand Sign USB Drives($35) include pop culture hand signs (peace, Vulcan, gun, Westside, Eastside, Fist, rocker-horn).
Unemployed man hands out $10 every day
Reed Sandridge's mom taught him a valuable lesson growing up: tough times are the moments when you most need to give back. Sandridge embraced this message recently when he lost his job and began handing out $10 every day and documenting the handouts in a small notebook. By Day 94, Reed's giving journey had cost him nearly $1,000, but paid him back ten-fold in the sense of satisfactionhe has received from helping others.
Full story at Neatorama.
More heart-warming good news.
Today's dessert was well presented
Well, the blueberry needs to move to the right just a bit :-). Icecream over brownie with chocolate sauce and cream...
Sent from my iPhone9pm supper for one/Late Foodie Tuesday: I made this beautifully simple fennel salad but forgot my camera so you'll have to take my word for it.
I hadn't had much experience with fennel before I started working at G. Mostly the chefs there braised or sauteed it, and I decided I didn't like the texture or the flavor - too stringy and unpleasant, like celery, but even tougher.
- Trim, wash, and slice one fennel bulb paper-thin
- Juice a lemon (which I got fresh from my coworker's tree)
- Make a dressing with the lemon juice, some good Spanish olive oil, salt, pepper, chopped parsley (which I grow right in my kitchen). I like to whip the dressing separately before tossing in with the salad to kind of "fluff" it up.
- Add some bright and colorful watermelon radish, sliced thinly, for contrast.
- Toss everything together with some grated parmesan cheese
75% of teenage girls use phones/texts to alert friends about sales, while 5% use Facebook
A new, unscientific study by Euro RSCG Worldwide shatters the popular vision of social media as a marketing magic bullet for teens. According to its recent findings, 75 percent of teenage girls said they would close friends about sales on their favorite brands using phone calls or texts—a contrast to the 5 percent of teenage girls who said they would spread the same news using Facebook. The same group also reported that they were more likely to buy things in shops rather than on the Internet.
Full story at the New York Times.
More on teens.
Photo credit: Fotolia
Always design visuals for the last row
Tip: All the magazine and media mobile apps in one place
Tired of smart alecs who tell you "There's an app for that" when you really just wish there were an easier way to find it in the first place? Well, the Magazine Publishers of America has created a cool site called "mapps"—a listing of all the mobile apps made by magazine and media companies, totaling some 120 applications with the links to download them.
Full story at Folio.
More on the iPhone.
Watching a presentation in Japan.
USA Today one of the first sites to run ads on iPad
It seems that some traditional media outlets see the iPad as not only a new conduit for news—but also as one for advertisements, the bread and butter of most media business models today. Gannett's USA Today, reports ClickZ, is jumping into the fray as one of the first sites to launch on the iPad with ads for the new Apple device. While the tablet doesn't support Flash, an ad firm executive on the project promises a fresh way to interact with promotions using the gadget's new technology.
Read the full story at ClickZ.
More on advertising.
Photo credit: Fotolia
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Shoes to make everyone the same height
Imagine a world where you could look anyone square in the eye and never feel too tall, too short, or too average. Berlin-based artist Hans Hemmert created just such a world at a party he threw where guests donned special shoe-extenders to make everyone the same height of two meters tall. Definitely an interesting way to look at the world with a whole new perspective.
How do you think you would feel socializing with people all the exact same height?
Full story at Core77.
Tons more design inspiration.
