My Z News

8 Cute Kids Found at New York Comic Con

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8 Great Kids’ Costumes at New York Comic Con Adventure Time A young Finn with his mom as Princess Bubblegum. Bumblebee Transformer This amazing costume actually goes from Bumblebee the transformer to his car form. Cosplay Family A great family of all Marvel characters. Gangnam Kids It isn’t Comic Con without someone dancing to Gangnam Style. Link There were lots of youngsters dressed as the Hylian hero. Little Jedi The young padawan is learning. Sailor Jupiter This girl dressed as one of the characters from Sailor Moon. South Park These teenagers dressed as South Park characters. Kenny has clearly been through the ringer. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/15/ny-comic-con-kids/

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The History of Windows in Startup Sounds

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History of Windows Startup Sounds 1. Microsoft Windows 3.1 Startup Sound Back in 1992, 3.1’s startup sound was jarring and unpopular. This prompted Microsoft to create a more aurally pleasing version for its next operating system. 2. Microsoft Windows 95 Startup Sound In 1994 Microsoft asked Brian Eno to create a piece of music that was (in his words) “inspiring, universal, blah- blah, da-da-da, optimistic, futuristic, sentimental [and] emotional.” The resulting seven seconds — about twice as long as Microsoft’s initial brief requested — has made tech history as a recognizable “sonic logo.” 3. Microsoft Windows NT Startup Sound In 1996, Windows NT 4.0 revealed a fresh, futuristic sound. Legend has it that the shutdown sound played the startup sound backwards. 4. Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Sound Microsoft audio producer Ken Kato is credited with the creation of the Windows 98 sound. 5. Microsoft Windows 2000 Startup Sound Microsoft tinkled the ivories with its professional “2000” operating system. 6. Microsoft Windows ME Startup Sound The consumer-aimed “Millennium Edition” shared the same audio. 7. Microsoft Windows XP Startup Sound The startup chime (and other system sounds within XP) are based on live orchestral recordings. Composer Bill Brown worked with Emmy-award winning sound designer Tom Ozanich to create the audio. 8. Microsoft Windows Vista Startup Sound The Vista startup sound was a collaboration among progressive rock guitarist Robert Fripp, record producer, musician and composer Tucker Martine and Microsoft’s own engineer (and musician) Steve Ball. In a blog post, Microsoft described the tune as having “two parallel melodies played in an intentional ‘Win-dows Vis-ta’ rhythm,” with four chords — one for each color in the Windows flag. 9. Microsoft Windows 7 Startup Sound Finally, Windows 7’s default startup audio is the same as Vista’s. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/24/windows-startup-sounds/

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The 10 Cutest Videos of 2012

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10 Cutest Videos of 2012 1. Pandas Play on a Slide, Cuteness Ensues These sliding pandas went viral during Chengdu Panda Awareness Week. Meanwhile, our hearts melted in a gooey pile of black and white love. 2. This Adorable ‘Lip-Dub’ Marriage Proposal Is Worth Watching Now What wedding proposal is complete without Broadway dancers, a lip-dubbed version of “Marry Me” and a backwards driving car? This video gets our nod for most creative proposal of 2012. Yes, we’ll marry you. 3. Curiosity Rover Lands on Mars: Watch NASA Mission Control Go Crazy The Curiosity rover was one of the biggest celebs of 2012. While it’s only on Mars for two years, this video of Mission Control going bonkers after its successful landing will be in our hearts forever. Don’t kid yourself, we know you were crying more than that dude with the mohawk. 4. If Life Gives You Lemons, Give Them to This Beagle This beagle eats a lemon. There’s not much more to it. And yes, you will make that lemon-sucking-cringe face the entire time. 5. World’s Coolest Dad Sends Toy Train to Space Sorry dads, this guy just knocked you all out of the running for World’s Coolest Dad. He not only sent his son’s favorite toy into the stratosphere, he made an awesome video and was able to return the toy train using GPS. Don’t worry, the rest of you dads, there’s always 2013. 6. Sad French Kitty Wins ‘Best Cat Video on the Internet’ He’s French, he’s sad, he’s a cat. Watch and be amazed. Then head to the cat store for your own. 7. Presidential Campaign Makes 4-Year-Old Cry Abby, you captured the feelings of an entire nation in so few words. Abby for President 2016. 8. Caine’s Arcade: Cardboard Creation Inspires $90,000 Scholarship This nine-year-old boy just out-entrepreneur-ed the rest of America. He used cardboard to build an entire arcade — complete with business plans — and then became an instant viral hit as the star of this documentary. His story is so sweet, he should run for president in 2016 with Abby. 9. Baby the Bulldog Adopts Wild Boar Piglets Baby piglets, bulldogs and lots of love in our favorite adopted pet story of the year. 10. Aly Raisman’s Parents Mr. and Mrs. Raisman, you undeniably take home the gold medal for most supportive, anxious parents during a gymnastics competition. Ever. Way to stick that landing. BONUS: U.S. Marine Surprises His Beagle Dog The year 2012 marks the 237th anniversary of the Marines, so in honor of the troops, here’s a dog welcoming home his dad. It’s okay if you laugh and cry at the same time. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/14/cutest-videos-2012/

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Kevin Rose Reveals His Biggest Regret About Digg

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Kevin Rose on the Old Digg, the New Digg and Google Kevin Rose’s Biggest Regret About Digg Kevin Rose answered questions in an AMA (ask me anything) on Reddit, responding to some queries on YouTube. Here he talks about what happened with the troubled launch of Digg v4 in 2010, seen as the biggest mistake in the company’s history. Kevin Rose’s Thoughts on the New Digg Kevin Rose on Google Kevin Rose on Future Diggnation Episodes Kevin Rose on His Businessweek Cover Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/08/02/digg-kevin-rose-reddit/

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How We Look at Online Ads

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eyetracking-cropped Top Banner Ad Take a look at the next four slides. Which ad do you think will receive the most eyeballs? Right Above Fold Left Above Fold Right Below Fold Industry Average for Different Placements If you want eyeballs — and who doesn’t — the best ad placement is on the left side above the fold. The worst is below the fold. Ads Without Faces Now let’s take a look at side ads — seen by 84% of people on the left and 74% of people on the right. Do you notice the two side ads without faces? How Your Eyes See Ads Without Faces Ads With Faces What about the two side ads with Faces? How Your Eyes See Ads With Faces Industry Averages The most successful ads, noticed by a full 100% of people, have faces. In order to make the most of your ad dollars, include people in your ad campaigns. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/06/eye-tracking-online-ads/

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Half-Time at Comic-Con: Thursday and Friday’s Featured Films

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Films Featured at Comic Con 1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 The Twilight Saga is a Comic-Con mainstay, drawing twi-hards from near and far to line up days before the event for a glimpse of the full cast’s appearance. Attendees caught a preview of the first seven minutes of the final installment, which chronicles Bella Swan’s transformation from waify teen to blood-sucking lady vamp. 2. Oz The Great and Powerful Sam Raimi debuted the first teaser trailer for his Oz origin story at Comic-Con on Thursday. His first flick following the Spider Man trilogy, Oz stars James Franco, Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams in this whimsical and dark tale of how the West came to be so wicked. We can’t help but wonder, is there a green Kunis in store? 3. Wreck-It Ralph John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman promoted their new animated Disney movie, along with director Rich Moore in Hall H on Thursday. The flick tells the story of 8-bit arcade menace Wreck-It Ralph, who opts to quit his villainous day job in search of lighter pastures. Attendees caught a 10-minute preview of the movie, which in part revealed where villain group therapy takes place: at the center of a Pac-Man board. 4. Frankenweenie Tim Burton’s presentation of Frankenweenie drew a decked out crowd of superfans, dressed as some of the director’s most iconic characters. Burton said it felt like a visit from his family—that is, a family of 6,000. He says that this homage to horror and humor stems from personal experience. 5. The Expendables 2 Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were among the all-stars that took the stage for a Q&A about this action-packed sequel. Fans were thrilled to see the Governator going back to his apolitical roots. 6. The Batmobile Warner Bros. showed off a lengthy preview of this new documentary about the vehicle of legends. The doc takes viewers through the history of Batman’s most awe-inspiring weapon from its inception in the 1930s up to the present model in The Dark Knight Rises. The special will air on Monday, July 16 at 8:00 on the CW. 7. ParaNorman With ParaNorman, writer-director Chris Butler aimed to make a zombie movie for kids. In this freshly released interview, we learned that the flick is also something of an autobiography. Granted, we’re pretty sure a young Butler didn’t communicate with the dead. 8. Resident Evil: Retribution Michelle Rodrguez and Milla Jovovich made an appearance in Hall H to preview the fifth installment in the franchise. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/13/half-time-comic-con/

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10 Black Friday Disasters That Will Convince You to Stay Home

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Black Friday Bedlam 1. Waffle Riot We’ve heard of Bread Riots, Pussy Riots and even Quiet Riots. But this, my friends, is a Waffle Riot. Anarchy reigns as this crowd of Walmart shoppers struggles to get their hands on some $2 waffle irons. 2. Towel Tussle Which do you think was worse: the struggle to get these cheap towels or their friends’ and family members’ disappointed looks with cheap towel gifts? 3. Fightin’ Words Historical trends dictate that people who wear leather jackets tend to be much tougher and more intimidating than the rest of us (maybe). Anyway, check out how this guy goes all ad baculum on a crowd of people outside a Best Buy, when they complain about him cutting the line. 4. Pepper Spray Spree Back to Walmart, where a woman in Los Angeles used pepper spray on a crowd of people, including children, to get her hands on a new Xbox. 5. Brawl at the Mall Can we get Jerry “The King” Lawler and Jim Ross to provide some commentary on this royal rumble? The quality of this video is extremely shoddy, but it contains some pretty shocking footage. 6. Dramatization Here’s what the last clip might have looked like if the videographer had a steadier hand. 7. Bloody Grandpa This grandpa is badly bloodied after police officers tackled him. The police believed the man to be a shoplifter. This raw smartphone footage gives an even better look at the incident, but be forewarned, it includes explicit language. 8. The Peanut Gallery You won’t find shocking violence in this video, but check out the crowd of people who aren’t even there to shop, just to film. 9. Urban Outfitters Urban regions are often over-populated, but at midnight on Black Friday, this Urban Outfitters crams in so many people it looks more like a New York tenement house during the 1860s. 10. In Conclusion Here’s a mashup from Jingle All the Way in which Arnold, the great thespian that he is, manages to perfectly capture the plight of the Black Friday shopper. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/11/22/black-friday-violence/

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