You can do anything with emojis. Revisit your favorite TV shows or condense great works of literature. Like hashtags and GIFs, emoji is a language unto itself. But we’ve noticed this language is lacking some key phrases and ideas. The emoji library is vast, but it still has a way to go. There’s no emoji for hot dogs yet? Get on it! You know what? We’re tired of waiting. Mashable decided to create emojis to fill the gaps. After all, you’d be surprised how often we bring up robots in daily conversation. What new emojis would you want to see? Let us know in the comments. Mashable graphic. Design by Emil Lendof, Illustrations by Bob Al-Greene Homepage image courtesy of Flickr, bobaliciouslondon BONUS: 5 Emoji Meanings That Might Surprise You Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/06/26/missing-emojis/
When it comes to engaging consumers online, the bar has never been higher. A recent study revealed that 82% of Americans completely ignore most online advertising. And it makes sense — faced with endless amounts of media online, we’ve all developed an eye-glaze setting reserved for pre-roll, banner and social media ads. Simply put, they don’t work anymore. Luckily, there’s an antidote to this interruptive, beat-you-over-the-head type of advertising — it just requires a very different approach. In order to cut through the noise, brands must create content — stuff that consumers actually care about and want to engage with — instead of inert, product-centric advertisements. It may seem like an easy shift, until you realize that it’s not the way the advertising industry has been oriented for the past 100 years. So where do brands go to release content that is richer, deeper and more tailored to the customer? I’d like to introduce you to a small video site called YouTube. With a billion unique users flocking to the site every month, YouTube has become the place where great content, regardless of its origin, can find a huge audience. It’s also the place where brands can make their mark as creators. When 8 million people tuned in to watch Felix Baumgartner’s insanely epic space jump, they did so because it was can’t-miss entertainment — the fact that it was a Red Bull ad was secondary. The same goes for First Kiss, a spot for clothing line Wren, which has now been viewed over 77 million times. (For a little perspective, the Game of Thrones premiere received 8.2 million viewers on its opening night.) But not all brands are created equal on YouTube. Depressingly enough, the average brand channels are still a cluttered mess of re-purposed TV spots, corporate “infotainment” and half-baked viral video concepts. Shudder. The following five companies are proof that the “content, not ads” mantra works. If a brand invests the time and energy in creating entertainment that’s focused around the customer, it has the opportunity to gain a massive fan base who will happily do the work of bringing its message out into the world. It may feel like a leap today, but it’s a leap every brand will have to make if they want anyone to pay attention. 1. GoPro Any brand who wants a quick primer on how to act like a creator need look no further than GoPro’s pulsing YouTube channel, a true action sports network told through the lens of their device. Granted, it’s easier to market a DIY camera through video content than just about anything else, but GoPro leverages YouTube best practices to cement their place as a product by and for the people. The channel page draws you in with an unmissable welcome video and then leads towards a wide variety of content – from the painfully adorable to the painfully painful, perfectly categorized and organized for your browsing pleasure. 2. Fiat Fiat’s YouTube channel is a lot like […]
You might not know the name David Hahn, but back in 1995, his fascination with nuclear power nearly triggered a radiological disaster in his Michigan hometown. As a teen, Hahn became fixated with the idea of building a nuclear reactor in his mother’s backyard shed — and he actually got pretty darn close to accomplishing it. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘VN_PG_DCBP_ATF’); }); To amass the power needed for a nuclear reactor, Hahn took to scraping radioactive materials from common household items like smoke detectors. With his tools in hand, the kid began construction of his reactor. However, things did not go as planned (of course) and Hahn quickly tried to disassemble the reactor before it blew. Despite not creating the reactor, Hahn still managed to contaminate his mother’s yard with radiation. It was so bad, the EPA had to come clear it up. Here’s a mini-documentary looking at Hahn’s bizarre accomplishment. That is absolutely insane. Sadly, after his brush with nuclear greatness, life hasn’t been great for Hahn. Following a stint in the Navy and Marines, he was arrested in 2007. Police caught him trying to steal the smoke detectors in an apartment complex to amass more radioactive material for an unknown purpose. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me… Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/diy-nuclear-reactor/
Thank goodness these elephants acted quickly in order to save their young calf. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/brilliant-elephants-jump-into-action-to-save-calf/
Larry Osborne and Anouk Patel were enjoying a hike through the mountains of Colorado with their 14-year-old dog Chloe when Chloe managed to get loose and run away. Searching high and low, Osborne and Patel were determined to find their lost pup no matter the cost. After six weeks of searching and countless posts on social media, these pet owners had finally started to lose faith that their beloved pet would ever come home. Having read about Chloe and her owners on a Facebook forum, total strangers Sean Nicols and Trinity Smith made the decision to join the rescue efforts. Over the course of two days Smith and Nicols patrolled the mountains looking and listening for any signs of the pup. Youtube / Inside Edition Eventually, Smith heard a whimpering noise that she believed to be Chloe. That said, the noise was coming from somewhere that was really hard to access. Youtube / Inside Edition The two prepared for what turned out to be a pretty serious climb that night and returned the next morning to retrieve the pup in need. Youtube / Inside Edition <div class="llcust" data-lltype="video" id="ll_59dc2b6c6ce75" data-source=" Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/lost-hiker-pup/
All it takes are a few squirrels to turn these dolphins into dogs. Read more: http://www.wimp.com/dolphins-are-infatuated-with-squirrels-running-around-outside-their-tank/
New York Yankees’ Derek Jeter smiles at Yankee Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2014 in New York. Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press Perhaps it’s that misty-eyed “America’s pastime” trope. Maybe it’s that the game lacks a clock’s anxiety-inducing march toward 0:00. Or maybe it’s childhood memories of post-game orange slices for everyone. Whatever the reason, baseball seems to lend itself to treacly nostalgia more than any other U.S. sport. But do you know what you get if you take all of baseball’s latent, maudlin sentimentality, then infuse that with some good old fashioned NYC-centrism and — most of all — a ton of cold, hard cash? You get the longest goodbye in the history of goodbyes — or, in other words, Derek Jeter‘s months-long retirement ceremony. Ah, Derek Sanderson Jeter, the unassuming kid from Kalamazoo, Michigan, who broke into the bigs at age 20 in 1995 then spent the next two decades becoming a baseball icon before playing his final home game at Yankee Stadium this Thursday (a weekend series in Boston ends his career for good). Ah, Derek Jeter, otherwise known simply — and regally — as The Captain, a superstar on the diamond and the smoothest of operators off it. Ah, Derek Jeter, perhaps the most marketable baseball star of all time, the player whose pinstriped number 2 shirt is the best-selling baseball jersey in history. And now we’re finally getting somewhere. When Gatorade released a breathless Jeter tribute last Thursday, it wasn’t even the first hashtag-brand to put out a lengthy, glossy YouTube spot full of soft lighting and cliched NYC imagery in honor of Jeter. Nope, Nike beat Gatorade to that punch way back in July, before Jeter’s final All-Star Game. (Final season, final All-Star Game — we can only assume some enterprising ball-boy will frame the newspaper Jeter reads during his Final Yankee Stadium B.M., but haven’t fact-checked this to be sure.) To correspond with its Jeter tribute, Nike tried to shove the hashtag #RE2PECT down our throats. Because he wears the number two, get it? And that uh, kind of looks like an “S”? Do you get it? Mutilating the very word “respect” as a sign of #RE2PECT for one as famously #CLA22Y as Jeter could strike some as baldly cynical, of course — a bit #DI2RE2PECTFUL even. But then again, this is about re$pect more than it’s about #RE2PECT. (Nike even has a “Re2pect Collection;” T-shirts are $35.) Re2pect @jumpman23 pic.twitter.com/OYemkDXIzC — Mark Wahlberg (@mark_wahlberg) September 2, 2014 Nike and Gatorade aren’t alone here — oh no, not by a long-shot. You could see this all coming way back in February, when Jeter first announced the 2014 season would be his last. Derek Jeter smiles at a news conference after being named American League Rookie of the Year in 1996. Image: Ron Frehm/Associated Press Now here we are. Average ticket prices for Jeter’s final home game exceed $800. Toys — toys! — are reenacting his top 10 career highlights. Tickets for a “Farewell Derek Jeter […]
David Blaine’s magic is so good, it’s a little unsettling. He’s been frozen in a block of ice, buried alive, and has somehow managed to escape from impossible situations, all without explanation. Recently, Blaine stopped by “The Tonight Show” to share some magic tricks with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots. At first, it appears that he’s going to stick to simple card tricks, but the audience is in for a huge (and kind of gross) surprise. With every trick, things get a little bit crazier. Just when you think the performance is coming to an end, Blaine pulls off an illusion that no one saw coming. Read More: This Kid’s Amazing Coin Magic Trick Will Have You Questioning Reality I can’t decide if I’m more entertained or creeped out. Hopefully, he won’t make “aquarium stomach” part of his normal routine. Read more: http://www.viralnova.com/david-blaine/
Say what you will, Taylor Swift is just going to shake it off. Swift debuted debuted her new music video on Monday via Yahoo Live Stream. The pop star announced an upcoming pop album, titled 1989, and then further surprised fans with a full music video of one of her new songs, “Shake It Off.” While the video was not about a breakup, it did feature twerking, ballerinas dancing, cheerleaders flinging Swift in the air, and striking similarities to those musical Gap commercial. The song is basically about not caring what people say, because she’s Taylor Swift and she does what she wants. Still, haters gonna hate (hate, hate, hate, hate) — on Twitter at least. Taylor Swift Reactions As if today’s news couldn’t get worse, now Taylor Swift REALLY wants to get in on the appropriation game — Sama’an Ashrawi (@SamaanAshrawi) August 18, 2014 ICYMI: Taylor Swift unveiled a new Taylor Swift product in her keynote address at the biannual Taylor Swift Conference — Adam Markovitz (@amrkvtz) August 18, 2014 My Black Swan nightmares have been fully realized. #TaylorSwift http://t.co/mv9W0Z0eGy — Andrea Romano (@theandrearomano) August 18, 2014 o u h8? pic.twitter.com/AfIEJxeMrT — Jeff Petriello (¬‿¬) (@thebeff) August 18, 2014 Theory: Taylor Swift is a very elaborate performance artist. — Kari Paul (@kari_paul) August 18, 2014 Oh @taylorswift13, you shouldn’t have: https://t.co/zwQzGP6exC — SHAKE SHACK (@shakeshack) August 18, 2014 wait taylor swift i thought you weren’t a cheerleader wtf is with these conflicting narratives — pilot?????? (@pilotbacon) August 18, 2014 Taylor Swift needs to relax her eyebrows. — Marvelous Sugar Baby (@DiovanniFrazier) August 18, 2014 The Taylor Swift-Skrillex hybrid is going to kill us all one bad song at a time. http://t.co/yIcoJGvdNQ — Annie Colbert (@anniecolbert) August 18, 2014 I like how you learn everything you need to know about Taylor swift from her album titles ahah — baby donut (@ALEXTVRNR) August 18, 2014 So, according to Taylor Swift’s new music video, she’s going through a mid-life crisis and has no grasp of country anymore. — Rob Ciambra (@RobTheFreshman) August 18, 2014 that Taylor Swift video is a few pairs of khakis away from a Gap commercial. — Jesse David Fox (@JesseDavidFox) August 18, 2014 Taylor Swift is the Frozen of whatever category Taylor Swift falls into. — Michael O’Connell (@mikeylikestv) August 18, 2014 What if Beyonce dropped a new album in the middle of Taylor Swift’s livestream? — Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) August 18, 2014 I will, along with the rest of Twitter, now tweet my feelings on Taylor Swift’s new song — Greg Seals (@GregSeals) August 18, 2014 What many don’t realize is that Taylor Swift makes a cameo in the Nine Inch Nails “Closer” video as a Madagascar roach flailing on its back. — Christian (@csweda) August 18, 2014 Pretty crazy that Taylor Swift dropped a Weird Al style parody video today — Mark Popham (@markpopham) August 18, 2014 I love Taylor Swift’s new version of Happy. — Barb (@BarberaLoyd) August 18, 2014 Read more: http://mashable.com/2014/08/18/taylor-swift-musc-video-twitter-reactions/
