You’ve read all about the perils of sexting and the etiquette of whether and when you should change your relationship status on Facebook. But really, what are the rules? With all the new terminology, online dating apps and digital protocols, what’s happening as the worlds of love and technology collide? Mashable will begin airing a new video series called Love in the Time of Robots that explores these areas. Mondays at 10 p.m. ET the hosts and expert guests will identify trends and answer questions on the week’s topic. You can join the interactive dating advice show by submitting questions via email, Facebook or Twitter. The show’s topics will run the gamut from online dating dilemmas to how to plan the perfect YouTube marriage proposal. I mean, really, what are you supposed to do when your date looks nothing like the profile picture you saw online? The theme for the first episode is about a phenomenon called “Cyber-celibacy.” To find out more, watch the Ustream video here at 10 p.m. The show will be available exclusively on Mashable, Ustream.tv and HowAboutwe. To get a sneak peek at LITTOR, check out the exclusive Mashable trailer above, and ask us your dating etiquette questions, in the comments below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/29/love-in-the-digital-age/
Apparently the bacon shortage was hogwash, but that doesn’t make a difference to Ron Swanson — he’s prepared. Very prepared. According to the much-beloved Parks and Recreation character, the best way to prepare for the shortage is to “Procure as much bacon as humanly possible and hide it in as many locations as you can.” SEE MORE: Ron Swanson Does a Reddit AMA How many places is Swanson hiding his bacon? 38. Just in his office. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/12/ron-swanson-bacon-shortage/
These 10 Cats Hate Toasters, Popcorn and Treadmills 1. Kitten vs. Two Scary Things Someone needs to tell this kitten apples aren’t harbingers of doom. Then again, why spoil the fun? 2. Cat vs. Toaster Wait for it… 3. Cats Try to Understand Treadmill These cats tag-team a treadmill. 4. Robocop vs. the Washing Machine Thank goodness there are cats like Robocop patrolling kitchens across the country. 5. Cat Terrorized by Popcorn Popcorn is evil. 6. Kitten vs. Watermelon We don’t know what this watermelon ever did to this cat, but it must have been really, really bad. 7. Snooky and the Metronome Cats defeat abominable ticking thing. 8. Bad Fur Day The hair dryer is bad and needs to be punished. 9. Cat vs. Printer This classic clip still makes us smile. You might want to also check out the translation. 10. Two Days of Cat vs. Automatic Feeder Finally, this cat isn’t actually angry; he’s very cleverly bashing his automatic pet feeder to get bonus food. But we loved this montage so much we thought we’d share it. Enjoy! Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/09/cats-versus-videos/
In the age of Photoshop, it’s almost impossible to say with absolute certainty whether any given image is real, but one former Photoshop employee hopes to change that. Fourandsix Technologies, a startup founded by a former Adobe Photoshop executive and a digital forensics expert, unveiled its first piece of software this week, which promises to help law enforcement determine whether a photo is authentic or not. The software, called FourMatch, analyzes the meta data in picture files to quickly determine if a photo has been modified. FourMatch relies on a comprehensive database of more than 70,000 “signatures” that are left on a file from each piece of hardware and software that goes into creating it. As the company explains in a description of the product, “Once an image has been edited and resaved from a software product, this signature is changed to match the software rather than the original capture device.” FourMatch is primarily intended for police and lawyers who need to determine whether a photograph has been tampered with in any way between the time it was first captured and submitted as evidence. However, the software won’t tell you exactly how the image has been altered — if it has been at all — because it only analyzes the file data rather than the image itself. For this reason, it can just tell you if a file has been touched by another application. “This first product we’ve put out is not a magic bullet that will tell you everything you need to know about an image,” Kevin Connor, the company’s president and co-founder who worked at Adobe for 15 years, told Mashable. “This is sort of a first step and there are certain scenarios when it will be very valuable, particularly in the law enforcement space.” Indeed, the software currently retails for $890 so it’s clearly not intended for the average consumer. In the future, though, the startup plans to release other tools to determine the authenticity of pictures that should have broader use. In particular, Connor sees a growing need for technology that can detect photo fraud in medical research, help media companies assess whether their photographers have been too liberal editing their photos and sift through pictures going viral on social media to figure out whether they’re real. Likewise, he thinks tools like this could help banks verify the authenticity of pictures of checks and other payments taken by customers. “People are using images more and more to communicate and facilitate transactions,” Connor said. “There will be more situations when you might want to be able to verify that it’s true.” Image courtesy of Fourandsix Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/21/fourandsix-fourmatc/
Nokia expanded its apology over faked video and photos used to publicize the company’s newest flagship phone. Unveiled on Wednesday, the Lumia 920 features the “PureView” camera, which has a “floating lens” optical image stabilization (OIS) technology that Nokia claims lets users take sharp photos and video. Earlier this week, Nokia admitted a video that purportedly demonstrates the benefits of the 920’s OIS capabilities was “a simulation” and not shot using its PureView camera. It later revealed on Saturday that promotional photos were also faked. “The video was produced while the Nokia Lumia 920 was in early prototype and still not ready to show the full benefits of the amazing innovation it contains,” spokesman Brett Young told Mashable in an emailed statement. “While there was no intention to mislead, the failure to add a disclaimer to the video was obviously a mistake.” Nokia also apologized for misleading photos that were taken from the video. Set in Helsinki, Finland, they show the same actress in three different scenarios: riding a bike, sitting on a carousel and standing in the street at night. A photo posted to Hacker News on Thursday reveals sophisticated camera and lighting equipment at a photo shoot for the Lumia 920. In both cases, independent bloggers denounced Nokia for false advertising. The Finnish telecom giant issued an apology on its “Conversations” blog Thursday. “We should have posted a disclaimer stating this was a representation of OIS only,” wrote spokeswoman Heidi Lemmetyinen. The video is now marked with a “Simulation of OIS technology” disclaimer, which you can see above. Nokia said it posted genuine images of the Lumia 920 being used in low light conditions, alongside similar photos taken by a competitor’s smartphone, on Wednesday. They use a Lumia 920 prototype and “no artificial lighting or stands,” the company told Mashable on Thursday. Check out what Nokia claims to be the 920’s photo, followed by its competitor’s photo, below. An industry report suggests Nokia will start selling the Lumia 920, which features a 4.5-inch 720p curved-glass display, this November. Are you less likely to buy the Lumia 920 in light of this controversy? Does it change your perception of Nokia? Discuss in the comments below. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/08/nokia-lumia-920-misleading/
Despite nearly 8% unemployment, a tepid economy and millions of dollars in negative advertising, President Obama managed to pull off a sizable Electoral College win on Tuesday. While Obama’s 2008 campaign is now seen as a real-world demonstration of the power of social media, his operation four years later was much more complex. The ’08 campaign is the stuff of textbooks, but the lessons of ’12 are brand new. Marketers of all types studied Obama’s ’08 campaign and they would do well to take a look at his subsequent mobilization effort. Here are some of the obvious lesson of Obama’s triumph this time around: 1. It’s the Big Data, Stupid Big Data may have its flaws, but this election shows that it’s indispensable. New York Times columnist Nate Silver showed how crunching numbers can render most pundits’ gut instincts irrelevant. The Obama campaign proved the same for the marketer’s gut. As Time chronicled, the O campaign relied on a team of dozens of number crunchers who made predictive calls on exactly the right type of pitch to right the right type of voter. After consolidating its database into one megafile, the team relentlessly tested pitches based on the targeting and learned from its testing. As the article states: A large portion of the cash raised online came through an intricate, metric-driven e-mail campaign in which dozens of fundraising appeals went out each day. Here again, data collection and analysis were paramount. Many of the e-mails sent to supporters were just tests, with different subject lines, senders and messages. Inside the campaign, there were office pools on which combination would raise the most money, and often the pools got it wrong. 2. Facebook Advertising Works There are lots of reasons to doubt Facebook’s assertion that ad units like Sponsored Stories are effective. For instance, the recommendation you see may be from a Facebook “friend” you actually barely know. You may find it creepy to see advertising intrude upon friendships as well. But in Obama’s ’12 campaign, Facebook worked. As Time detailed, the O campaign used Facebook to “replicate the door-knocking efforts of field organizers” on a mass scale. During the final weeks of the campaign, Obama’s supporters received pictures of their friends in swing states. They were then urged to click a button asking the swing state voters to register to vote, vote early or get to the polls. The campaign found that the tactic worked 20% of the time “in large part because the message came from someone they knew.” 3. All the Money in the World Can’t Overcome Bad Advertising Super PACs supporting Mitt Romney poured millions into swing states to convince voters that voting for Obama and other Democrats would be against their self interest. However, as Slate points out, many of these ads were crude and insulted the intelligence of targeted voters. For instance, a Super PAC attack ad against Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown “portrayed Brown as a demented cartoon, sitting at a desk with an […]
Detroit Tigers pitcher Doug Fister was hit square in the head with a line drive off the bat of San Francisco Giant Gregor Blanco in the second inning of Thursday night’s World Series matchup. He did not appear to be seriously injured, however, and continued pitching. The GIF here, which comes to us via the sports blog The Big Lead, shows the scary play. We don’t yet know how fast the ball was traveling, but similar drives have been clocked in the region of 130 miles per hour. Have you ever seen a ball player continue with a major game after an accident like this? Let us know in the comments. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/10/25/world-series-pitcher-hit-line-drive/
While many traditional media companies continue to struggle, business is booming for the social media industry. With millions of users updating statuses, posting photos and sharing articles, these networks have become massive content hubs. But how do you harness the best content and use it to engage the larger user base? How can useful news and information be created — or curated — from these communities? These are questions social networks are now working to answer by hiring editorial teams and, in effect, becoming the publishers of the future. Today we’ll discuss how social networks are evolving their content strategies with Jessica Bennett, editorial director at Tumblr, and Daniel Roth, executive editor at LinkedIn, in a live Q&A on Google+. Tune in at 3 p.m. ET by viewing the video above. Have questions or comments for Jessica and Dan? Join us in the Hangout on Mashable‘s Google+ page or tell us in the comments below. Get Your Tickets to Mashable Media Summit The Mashable Media Summit 2012 will explore the impact that technology is having on media, and how digital media is affecting our lives and changing the world. This one-day conference will bring together the brightest minds in media, including content creators, technology leaders, entrepreneurs, social media executives and journalists. Date: Friday, Nov. 2, 2012 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Location: The TimesCenter, 242 West 41st Street, New York, NY 10036 Tickets: Purchase tickets on Eventbrite. A Look Back at Last Year’s Mashable Media Summit Mashable Media Summit 2011 Media Summit 2011 The Mashable Media Summit on Nov. 4 at the Times Center in New York City attracted professionals in digital, tech, advertising, sales, marketing, mobile and publishing from all over the world. Media Summit 2011 We had a packed house in attendance for this year’s Media Summit. The Future of Social Media Pete Cashmore, founder and CEO of Mashable, speaks on the future of social media, its current landscape and what trends to expect for 2012. Media Summit 2011 This year’s Media Summit was located at the Times Center in New York City. Social Media Grows Up: The Evolving Role of Social Media in News Organizations Mashable‘s community manager Meghan Peters chats with Katie Rogers, social media manager at The Washington Post; Anthony De Rosa, social media editor at Reuters; and Drake Martinet, social media editor at AllThingsD. Teaching – and Learning From – The Old Grey Lady Brian Stelter, a media reporter and blogger at The New York Times speaks at the Media Summit. The Filter Bubble: How to Fix Content Curation Eli Pariser, author and chairman of the board at MoveOn.org, discusses how human editors and algorithms can work together to get users clicking on content that matters. What Facebook’s New Features Mean For Journalism Adam Ostrow, executive editor and senior vice president of content, Mashable speaks with Vadim Lavrusik, journalist program manager of Facebook, about how the social network’s new features can help journalists. The Evolution of Sports Illustrated Sports Illustrated Group editor, Terry […]
10 Epic Trick Shot Stunts on YouTube 1. Bow and Arrow Trick Shots This dude is awesome. 2. Billy’s Balls 2 Who knew you could have so much fun with a ping pong ball? 3. Hey, Pass Me A Beer! This recent viral hit elevates the simple act of passing a beer to Olympic levels. 4. Mini Golf Trick Shots Fact: You have never seen mini golf played like this. 5. Trick Shot Basketball – Dude Perfect – Summer Camp Edition The Dude Perfect crew is master of the basketball trick shot. 6. Vinyl Throw: MusicBunk This viral marketing stunt is brilliantly done. 7. Waboba Trick Shots (Part 1) The How Ridiculous guys show off their Waboba skills in fine style. 8. Ice Cold Bowling Trick Shots The cold weather just adds to the cool in this fun video. 9. Frisbee Trick Shots – Brodie Smith Brodie Smith sure can throw a mean Frisbee. 10. Epic Trick Shots – The Football Edition These cute kids are the future of the trick shot video genre. BONUS: Guys Backflip Into Jeans Finally, we’re adding this viral hit to our list. Though there’s technically no ball sport action, it has all the elements of a trick shot classic. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/14/best-trick-shot-videos/
Let’s cut to the chase here: Standing just five feet five inches, Porter Mayberry is closer in height to Peter Dinklage than to the average NBA star. But that doesn’t stop the 22-year-old from throwing down some pro-quality slam dunks. One-handed, two-handed, forward, backward, off the bounce — Mayberry’s dunks have to be seen to be believed. Luckily the video above, freshly uploaded to YouTube Tuesday afternoon, lets you do just that. And if this doesn’t satisfy your basketball jones, check out our recent post on Lilliputian high school sensation Aquille Carr, whose latest highlight reel has gone viral online with more than 1.5 million views in about a month. Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/25/whats-gravity-slam-dunks/
