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If you only have six weeks of a seventeen year life to live above ground, there's no better way to go out than on a high note — or at least a very, very loud one. That's only a tiny segment of this stunning short film about the life of the cicada by Samuel Orr, [...]
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Appreciate cicadas as never before with "Return of the Cicadas" [video]
Holy Kaw!19 Jun 2013 | 5:27 pm -
Cultivate Your Creativity With These 4 Fair Use Libraries
Mashable20 Jun 2013 | 3:21 amLooking for creative content that is also free can be taxing. And when overused, Creative Commons becomes a bore of stock photos and MIDI jingles. Especially when it comes to fair use music, sometimes you just want something more refined and less 8-bit. In comes Moby, who announced Monday the relaunch of mobygratis.com, a fair use site stuffed to the brim with over 150 tracks from Moby's own discography. Geared toward independent filmmakers, the entire collection is available to license free for non-commercial use, through a simple application processOriginally launched in 2007, the updated… -
How To Broadcast Your Plan to #Unplug
Fast Company20 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amWhen you're ready for your digital detox, here's how to send friends and colleagues "smoke signals" letting them know you're taking a break from connected life. And that you haven't died. For his 25-day digital detox, Baratunde Thurston went to great lengths to alert his friends and colleagues he'd be going offline. This was, he discovered, harder than it sounds, particularly when it comes to social media connections. "As much as we all gripe about email, it is designed to be turned off. Email comes with the vacation-message feature that alerts senders to the fact that we are not available… -
AP Takes A Stake In Bambuser, The Real-Time Mobile Video Service That Helps Eyewitnesses Tell Their Stories
TechCrunch20 Jun 2013 | 1:30 amBambuser, the upstart mobile video service that has carved out a name for itself as a crucial tool for eyewitnesses to record and transmit footage of major events — be they political uprisings, bombings or a star sighting — is today announcing another step along the route to becoming a part and parcel of the traditional media world. It's taking an investment from the Associated Press, the storied news organization that works with dozens of newspapers, websites and broadcasters to source and report on the news of the world. The exact amount has not been disclosed but Sandy… -
Adopting the post-obedient mindset
Seth Godin's Blog on marketing, tribes and respect20 Jun 2013 | 2:46 amIt's not uncommon for teenagers to whine that there's nothing to do in this town. Or for college students to talk about the limits of their institution, about the paucity of opportunities at the placement office or the lack of campus activities. And of course, those that complain that the boss won't let me. All three complaints are based on a view of the world that requires permission and easy access. In the connection economy, the valuable asset is the ability to convene. When we are able to initiate, to make something happen and to be trusted, we not only create value, we create a life. So…
Holy Kaw!
Appreciate cicadas as never before with "Return of the Cicadas" [video]
19 Jun 2013 | 5:27 pmIf you only have six weeks of a seventeen year life to live above ground, there's no better way to go out than on a high note — or at least a very, very loud one. That's only a tiny segment of this stunning short film about the life of the cicada by Samuel Orr, [...] -
How intellectual is your property? [infographic]
19 Jun 2013 | 5:07 pmIf your looking to invest in property, it appears intellectual property is the place to be considering that an incredible forty percent of the U.S.'s economic gain is in this area. So, how much is your brainchild worth and how does one go about protecting it…or finding out if it's even yours in the first [...] -
A literal map of the United States
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 pmTell someone that you hail from the Land of the Flowland People and you're bound to get a few strange looks, whereas identifying yourself as a Hoosier doesn't leave a question in anyone's mind (that you're a huge basketball fan, right?). Turns out, all those names for places between Navel of the Moon (Mexico) and [...] -
Steve Jobs' pessimistic view of his legacy from 1994 [video]
19 Jun 2013 | 2:38 pmIt's hard to imagine a world where Steve Jobs wasn't a much-loved and much-missed innovation star, but his own prediction of his legacy wasn't so rosy back in 1994. During his time at NeXT, with his bright return to Apple still in the future, he explains that technological innovations have nothing on the Renaissance masters [...] -
After lung transplant, diabetes ups death risk
19 Jun 2013 | 12:37 pmLung transplant patients without diabetes live twice as long as those with the disease, according to new research. "Only 30 percent of lung transplant recipients survive beyond ten years. It was thought that the effects of diabetes, which manifest in the longer term, would not be significant to the health of these patients. However, our [...]
Cultivate Your Creativity With These 4 Fair Use Libraries
20 Jun 2013 | 3:21 amLooking for creative content that is also free can be taxing. And when overused, Creative Commons becomes a bore of stock photos and MIDI jingles. Especially when it comes to fair use music, sometimes you just want something more refined and less 8-bit. In comes Moby, who announced Monday the relaunch of mobygratis.com, a fair use site stuffed to the brim with over 150 tracks from Moby's own discography. Geared toward independent filmmakers, the entire collection is available to license free for non-commercial use, through a simple application processOriginally launched in 2007, the updated… -
Vine Videos Give Sneak Peek at New Features
20 Jun 2013 | 1:07 amOne day before rival Facebook is rumored to announce a Vine competitor, employees of Twitter's video-sharing service teased several of its new features. Co-founders Dom Hofmann and Rus Yusupov tweeted out Vine videos on Wednesday that gave an early look at the app's upcoming design changes. From each six-second clip, viewers can catch glimpses of full-screen videos, private messaging between users and possible curated categories (e.g. cats, science and technology). There also appears to be the ability to save drafts and create multiple Vine posts at one time. Check them all out, below. Bleep… -
Watch Right Now: Andrew W.K. Playing Drums for 24 Hours Straight
20 Jun 2013 | 12:22 amAndrew W.K., the man known for his music but also for his crazy affinity for partying, is playing drums right now. He's been doing it for the last 8 hours or so, and he plans to continue doing it for the next 16 hours Can he pull it off? Well, staying up all night is no problem for Andrew, but playing the drums for an entire day, that's a wee bit more difficult Get More: O Music Awards Andrew is not alone in his endeavor, though — he's got a bunch of special guests to help him out, including Marky Ramone, Liberty DeVitto, Chad Smith, Nick Jonas and Zac Hanson. Right now, everything… -
LinkedIn Recovering From Outage Due to Possible DNS Hijack
20 Jun 2013 | 12:08 amLinkedIn is recovering from a DNS issue that sent visitors to a different web site for an hour Wednesday night The issue, which is now resolved for most users, rerouted the traffic to a domain sales page. LinkedIn, a popular professional social network, acknowledged the issue in a tweet, but did not elaborate Our site is now recovering for some members. We determined it was a DNS issue, we're continuing to work on it. Thanks for your patience. — LinkedIn (@LinkedIn) June 20, 2013 However, App.net co-founder Bryan Berg claims there's more to the issue. "LinkedIn just got DNS hijacked,… -
1,556 Instagrams Make 1 Incredible Stop-Motion Video
19 Jun 2013 | 11:57 pmRumors are floating around that Instagram intends to jump into the world of video-sharing, but the creative duo FriendsInFaux have made their own video from Instagram photos — 1,556 of them, to be exact While the short film's plot follows a casual beach-goer's trials and tribulations, the animation is more than just a straight-forward compilation of Instagrams (which still would have been an impressive undertaking). SEE ALSO: Around the World in 80 Instagrams In a behind-the-scenes video, Paul B. Cummings and Eriq Wities explain that they were addressing the question, "What are all the…
Fast Company
How To Broadcast Your Plan to #Unplug
20 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amWhen you're ready for your digital detox, here's how to send friends and colleagues "smoke signals" letting them know you're taking a break from connected life. And that you haven't died. For his 25-day digital detox, Baratunde Thurston went to great lengths to alert his friends and colleagues he'd be going offline. This was, he discovered, harder than it sounds, particularly when it comes to social media connections. "As much as we all gripe about email, it is designed to be turned off. Email comes with the vacation-message feature that alerts senders to the fact that we are not available… -
James Gandolfini, Dead At 51. Long Live Tony Soprano
19 Jun 2013 | 5:07 pmJames Gandolfini left an indelible impression on the television landscape by finding the human side of an amoral man. But that man was indeed a murderer. In tribute to Gandolfini, here are Tony Soprano's greatest hits. James Gandolfini died today at age 51 of a heart attack, an HBO rep confirmed to Variety. He was an actor who played many roles, but it's impossible to value any of those above his Tony Soprano. In a show so thoroughly fraught with symbolism, one visual metaphor seemed particularly apt: James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano was a bear. He was a big lumbering menace… -
The Bouroullecs Reinvent The Chandelier As Hanging Fruit
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmThe Bouroullec brothers' Lianes lamps, now called Aim, upend our expectations about lighting design. If you had never seen a lamp or a chandelier and someone asked you to create one, you might end up with a design similar to Aim--formerly known as Lianes--from the prolific Bouroullec brothers. As evidenced by a recent look at hundreds of the design duo's sketches, the Bouroullecs have a childlike propensity to experiment with different shapes and dimensions--as if they lack any preconception of the history of whatever it is they're designing. The French brothers unveiled the… -
Where The Money Is Flowing In Emerging Markets
19 Jun 2013 | 2:00 pmThis dashboard tracks how investors are moving money around the world, so you can figure out that the next big thing is happening in Mali (Shhhh, don't tell). Even if you're not in the financial industry, you can probably sense it: there is a lot of money flowing into certain developing countries--China and India are the most obvious examples. But finding specifics can be difficult; private investments don't leave a data trail. SAP and the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association (EMPEA) have teamed up to create an online dashboard that lays it all out: where private… -
Weird USB Drives Designed To Make Digital Data More Meaningful
19 Jun 2013 | 1:30 pmVanessa Redondo's USB drives aren't the inconspicuous little sticks we've come to know--and that's the point. With each passing year, our memories become increasingly intertwined with digital data. Snapshots get saved instantly as pixels rather than Polaroids; mementos get stuffed into file folders instead of shoeboxes. Our technological moment has given us the ability to stockpile more of these memories than ever before, in higher quality and without the risk of dust or decay. But it raises a pressing question: what good are all those memories if we never actually…
AP Takes A Stake In Bambuser, The Real-Time Mobile Video Service That Helps Eyewitnesses Tell Their Stories
20 Jun 2013 | 1:30 amBambuser, the upstart mobile video service that has carved out a name for itself as a crucial tool for eyewitnesses to record and transmit footage of major events — be they political uprisings, bombings or a star sighting — is today announcing another step along the route to becoming a part and parcel of the traditional media world. It's taking an investment from the Associated Press, the storied news organization that works with dozens of newspapers, websites and broadcasters to source and report on the news of the world. The exact amount has not been disclosed but Sandy… -
Zuckerberg Replies To His Facebook Commenters' Questions On Immigration
20 Jun 2013 | 1:26 am"If it's just about tech wanting to hire more people, not as impressive" commented one of Mark Zuckerberg's 18 million Facebook followers. "It's definitely not just about tech immigration" Zuckerberg shot back in the comment thread for a video he'd posted from his political advocacy group FWD.us. Replying to average joes and reporters alike, Zuckerberg took a step towards clearing up confusion about his recent lobbying efforts. "The bigger problem we're trying to address is ensuring the 11 million undocumented folks living in this… -
Live From Facebook's 'New Product' Mystery Announcement
20 Jun 2013 | 12:52 amJust last week, a small chunk of the tech press was surprised to find invitations for a Facebook announcement waiting in their mailbox. "A small team has been working on a big idea," it read. The only other thing Facebook would say about the announcement is that they'd be showing a "new product". No comment on what it might be, or which team it would come from. With that said, we think we've got a pretty good idea of what to expect. We'll be live at Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, CA. where the announcement is scheduled to begin at 10 AM… -
Rad, A Parisian Hipster Fashion Portal, Gets $3.3M Led By Index To Go International
20 Jun 2013 | 12:14 amBecause fashion never goes out of style, fashion portals continue to bring in the money not just from consumers looking for the next big thing — be it style or bargain, and ideally both — but also investors keen to ride the wave. The latest example is Rad, a Paris-based startup that focuses on hipster clothes and accessories and likens itself to the online equivalent of Urban Outfitters. Today, Rad is announcing €2.5 million ($3.3 million) in funding. Rad is just under one year old, but on its own steam and through viral marketing it's already picked up 1 million users. -
LinkedIn Outage Due To Possible DNS Hijacking [Update: Fidelity.com Also Affected]
19 Jun 2013 | 10:24 pmLinkedIn confirmed via Twitter that its site suffered an outage due to "a DNS issue." Our site is now recovering for some members. We determined it was a DNS issue, and we're continuing to work on it. Thanks for your patience. — LinkedIn Help (@LinkedInHelp) June 20, 2013 According to Downrightnow.com, LinkedIn's service outage began around 6PM PST yesterday and is still continuing, though service has gradually resumed for some users. Shortly after the outage began, App.net co-founder Bryan Berg wrote on his blog that the site's DNS may have been…
Seth Godin's Blog on marketing, tribes and respect
Adopting the post-obedient mindset
20 Jun 2013 | 2:46 amIt's not uncommon for teenagers to whine that there's nothing to do in this town. Or for college students to talk about the limits of their institution, about the paucity of opportunities at the placement office or the lack of campus activities. And of course, those that complain that the boss won't let me. All three complaints are based on a view of the world that requires permission and easy access. In the connection economy, the valuable asset is the ability to convene. When we are able to initiate, to make something happen and to be trusted, we not only create value, we create a life. So… -
Quid pro quo (you can't play ping pong by yourself)
19 Jun 2013 | 2:56 amThe irony of "getting in return for giving" is that it doesn't work nearly as well as merely giving. Giving because you care, because you have something to say and because it feels right. No Tat. Bloggers who measure the return on investment of every word, twitterers who view the platform as a self-promotional tool instead of a help-others tool, and those that won't contribute to Wikipedia and other projects because there's no upside... these folks are all missing the point. It's not that difficult to figure out who's part of the online community for the right reasons. We can see it in your… -
The confrontation waiting to happen
18 Jun 2013 | 2:00 amIt's not between you and your boss, your critics, your editor, your competition, your spouse or some other outsider. The essential confrontation, of course, is with yourself. You are your own biggest critic. And your own biggest competitor. Now that it's easier than ever to pick yourself, the question is, "why haven't you?" And now that it's easier to ignore the competition and become a category of one, the question is the same. Our instinct is to externalize the forces that are holding us back, but in fact, that's not the problem, is it? -
The thermostat and the frying pan
17 Jun 2013 | 2:45 amIf you want to cool your house to 68 degrees fahrenheit quickly, setting the thermostat to 62 degrees isn't going to get it temperate any faster than if you set it to 68. It blows full cold until it hits the number, then it stops. (For those down under where it is winter, the opposite is also true--extreme thermostat settings won't warm you up any faster). Frying pans don't work that way. Turning the temperature on the burner all the way up will certainly heat up that pan faster. Ah, an analogy! There is significant pressure on marketers to get it done fast. And so the inclination to spend a… -
"I get it"
16 Jun 2013 | 2:28 amNo need to read the whole book, I can just glance over the Cliffs Notes... I get it. I don't need to hear your whole pitch, just show me the summary slide... got it. No, I already heard about your vacation... remember, I saw the Instagram feed. Him, why would I go out with him? I read his match.com profile. You're probably smart enough to 'get it' merely by reading the 140 character summary of just about anything. But of course, that doesn't mean you understand it, or that it changed you. All it means is that you were quickly able to sort it into an appropriate category, to make a decision…
NYT > Home Page
DealBook: British Banks to Raise an Extra $21 Billion in Capital
20 Jun 2013 | 3:32 amBritish authorities want five of the country's largest banks, including Barclays and Royal Bank of Scotland, to raise a combined $20.7 billion in extra capital by the end of the year to protect against future financial shocks. -
Fed Signals Rattle World Markets
20 Jun 2013 | 2:37 amThe U.S. Federal Reserve's explicit signal it will stop pumping money into the world economy swept across financial markets on Thursday, sinking bonds, shares and commodities alike. -
On Soccer: Altidore's Scoring Spree Energizes U.S. Team
19 Jun 2013 | 8:18 pmJozy Altidore finally seems to be fulfilling his potential for the national soccer team, scoring four goals in the last four games after not scoring internationally since 2011. -
Jury Selection Reaches Final Stages in Trayvon Martin Murder Case
19 Jun 2013 | 8:17 pmAfter eight days in which 40 potential jurors have been culled from a sea of hundreds, a jury of six people is close to being seated in the trial of George Zimmerman. -
Silicon Valley and Spy Agency Bound by Strengthening Web
19 Jun 2013 | 8:16 pmTechnology experts and former intelligence officials say the rise of data mining, both as an industry and as a crucial intelligence tool, has created a complex reality.
Wired Top Stories
Inside Digg's Race to Build the New Google Reader
20 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amWhen in April, Google announced it planned to shut down Google Reader on July 1, it was almost not even surprising that on the very same day Digg replied: Don't sweat it. We've got this. This is the story of Digg and how a tiny team took 90 days to pull off the impossible so that you can have something new, something interesting. -
Take Me to the River: 12 Essentials for Your Next Rafting Trip
20 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amHitting the rapids this summer? Consider taking this stuff along with you. We tested suits, shoes, shades -- and of course, some waterproof protection to keep your gadgets safe. -
Mutant Silkworms Spin Fluorescent Silk in 3 Colors
20 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amSilkworms in a Japanese lab are busy spinning silks with a colorful glow. But these silkworms, unlike others that have been fed rainbow-colored dyes, don't need any dietary intervention to spin in color: They've been genetically engineered to produce fluorescent skeins in shades of red, orange, and green. -
Twitter Can't Control Rapid Growth of Its Vine
20 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amTwitter's app for sharing short videos, Vine, has seen web traffic grow more than 46-fold, while the App has more than doubled its share of U.S. iPhone users -- all in less than six months. This explains rumors that Facebook will launch a Vine clone. -
A Designer's Moving Tattoo Tribute to His Dad
20 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amKirk Wallace designed a living tribute to his father, the man that taught him to draw in the first place.
Content Creation vs Content Promotion: Where is the Balance?
18 Jun 2013 | 9:08 amA few days ago we published a post on ProBlogger titled 'Forget about Marketing: Concentrate on Blogging', which led to some interesting discussion on Twitter and in the comments. I love the points author Nicholas Whitmore made in the post but I wanted to give a few thoughts, based on my own experience, on developing great content and promoting your blog. Nicholas wrote some great arguments for focusing your energy on writing great content as the central way of growing your blog. He writes: "When you write and publish awesome content on your blog, good things will come your… -
Don't Be Lazy: 9 Ways to Blog Smarter and Harder
17 Jun 2013 | 8:37 amThis is a guest contribution from Eric Cummings who writes about art and philosophy for On Violence. I've been writing this post for three years. What can I say? I'm lazy. Or I should say, I used to be lazy. That's not the case anymore. Four years ago, my brother and I started taking our writing career seriously. I now write. A lot. On my days off from work, I regularly put in over ten hour days, just writing, editing and re-writing. I've learned how to work, both smarter and harder. You can too. (Finally, an admission: though I wrote down an outline for this post three years… -
Forget about Marketing: Concentrate on Blogging
14 Jun 2013 | 8:24 amThis is a guest contribution by Nicholas Whitmore. The title: What on earth does it mean? Well, recently it seems like a lot of bloggers fancy themselves as marketers. You can't read a post on a blog without seeing a load of other bloggers commenting at the bottom, with a link back to their own site. Of course other bloggers use black hat SEO tricks and other shady tactics in order to drive traffic to their blog. Each to their own you might say, but at the end of the day life can be much, much easier. If you publish blog content that's truly awesome, everyone else will market your blog… -
Why Your Blog Posts Are Falling Short of Greatness and What To Do About It
13 Jun 2013 | 9:15 amThis is a guest contribution by Belinda Weaver, marketing copywriter behind The Copy Detective. You've finished your latest blog post and it's pretty good isn't it, isn't it? Are you sure? Some bloggers think that coming up with ideas is the hardest part of blogging. Maybe you agree. Personally, I think it's harder to turn an idea into blogging GOLD. I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Writing a really great blog post isn't simply down to your writing. Sure, you need to use language that will appeal to your reader, and all your verbs need to be the right way up… -
How to Make Your Blogging Dreams Come True
12 Jun 2013 | 8:42 am"ONE DAY I'll be a full time blogger!" 'V' – my wife – must have heard that statement 100 or more times in 2003-2004. Me posing for my first ever press photo in 2003. Out of shot all my neighbours were watching on and wondering why I was videoing a guy taking a photo of me while sitting in my front yard. It would usually be accompanied by a spread sheet and/or chart in which I showed her how the earnings from my blog had grown from $9 per month to $11 per month and me excitedly talking about how if things kept growing like that I'd be full…
Twitter's Jack Dorsey on How Entrepreneurs Should Use Twitter
20 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amAs part of National Small Business Week, Dorsey will join SBA Chief Karen Mills for a discussion of best practices. -
Yelp Helps Small Businesses Turn Visitors Into Buyers, for a Fee
19 Jun 2013 | 1:00 pmThe popular review site introduces a new service that enables users to make transactions through their pages. -
Will You Be the Next Grumpy Cat or Gangnam Style? 3 Keys to Creating Viral Marketing Content
19 Jun 2013 | 12:41 pmThought leader Jonah Berger shares his best strategies for how to create wildly popular online content. -
Men's Wearhouse Mysteriously Dismisses Founder George Zimmer
19 Jun 2013 | 11:03 amIn a bizarre move, the men's apparel company ousts the man who founded it 40 years ago, providing few details. -
Billionaire Carlos Slim: Why 60 Is the New 30
19 Jun 2013 | 11:00 amThe mega-rich telecom entrepreneur says knowledge workers enter their prime in their 60s.
Blurry Android Photos, Windows 8 Gestures, and Jedi Parenting Tricks
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 pmReaders offer their best tips for fixing blurry shots from your Android camera, turning off annoying Windows 8 gestures, and tricking your kids with Jedi mind techniques.Read more... -
"A Smooth Sea Never Made a Skillful Sailor"
19 Jun 2013 | 4:00 pmWhether everyone's on your case, you aren't feeling motivated, or you just feel like you suck at something, we all feel a little discouraged from time to time. This English proverb reminds us that discouragement isn't for naught.Read more... -
How do you keep track of your reading list?
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmGreat discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!Read more... -
Ad-Blocker Ghostery Actually Helps Advertisers, If You "Support" It
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmIf you've read our features on how to protect your privacy and stop everyone from tracking you on the web, you've heard us mention Ghostery. It's a solid privacy tool, but Mashable reports that you should stay away from its opt-in "GhostRank" feature, which sells data on the ads you block to the ad companies themselves.Read more... -
Kotaku Microsoft Is Removing Xbox One DRM | Gawker Paula Deen Says 'Of Course' She Uses the N-Word |
19 Jun 2013 | 2:45 pmKotaku Microsoft Is Removing Xbox One DRM | Gawker Paula Deen Says 'Of Course' She Uses the N-Word | Jezebel This Week in Tabloids: Kanye Didn't Give Kim a Blingy Push Present | Lifehacker Why You're Not a Morning Person (and How to Become One) | Valleywag Jenn Allen Not Backing Down on Michael Arrington Rape ClaimsRead more...
MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors
Apple's New Mac Pro Begins Showing Up in Benchmarks
19 Jun 2013 | 5:56 pmWhile Apple offered a sneak peek at its dramatically redesigned Mac Pro at its Worldwide Developers Conference, the new machine is not scheduled to launch until "later this year" and the company has yet to reveal detailed specs and pricing information. But if a new Geekbench result is authentic, it appears that the new machine is already starting to show up in public benchmarking databases. Rather than showing up as a "MacPro6,1" as would be expected for Apple's next-generation Mac Pro, the new machine is dubbed "AAPLJ90,1", perhaps a reference to a J90 code name following Apple's usual… -
Apple Testing Expanded iPhone Repair Options Through Authorized Service Providers in Canada
19 Jun 2013 | 5:23 pmApple has launched an iPhone repair pilot program for Apple Certified Service Providers in Canada that will allow certain certified centers to offer iPhone repairs after store technicians have completed Apple-required iOS Certification. According to a tipster, the third party service sites will be able to offer repairs for the battery, camera, speaker, and more, after the program launches in the next few weeks. In addition to passing an iOS Qualification exam, Service Provider technicians have also been required to attend several training sessions to learn how to disassemble the iPhone. While… -
Analyst Flip-Flops Again: Thinner iPad Mini in Late 2013, Retina Display in Early 2014
19 Jun 2013 | 12:25 pmDisplaySearch analyst Richard Shim is going back on statements he made back in May, when he said the next model of the iPad mini -- expected this fall -- would come equipped with a Retina display and an updated processor. In an added twist, before he made that statement, Shim said the Retina iPad mini would not ship before 2014. Now, Shim writes that Apple will refresh its iPad mini line later this year, but the Retina display will not make an appearance before 2014. Apple is expected to refresh its iPad mini in the second half of the year. The new iPad mini will continue to use a 7.9-inch… -
Apple Scores $30 Million iPad Contract from L.A. Unified School District [Updated]
19 Jun 2013 | 9:16 amThough Microsoft has been making a strong push to disrupt Apple's foothold in the education market by offering K–12 schools its Surface tablets at the low price of $199, its pricing incentives didn't have an effect on the Los Angeles Unified School District, reports AllThingsD. On Tuesday night, the school board voted to spend $30 million dollars on Apple iPads, which will see the company equipping every student in 47 of the district's schools with a tablet.The deal, which was approved in a 6–0 vote by the district's school board, will see Apple supplying about 35,000 iPads to 47… -
Apple's Director of Patent Licensing & Strategy Departs for French Firm
19 Jun 2013 | 9:03 amBoris Teksler, Apple's former director of Patent Licensing & Strategy, has left the company for a high-level position with French technology firm Technicolor. Teksler has been head of Apple's patent licensing department through nearly constant licensing negotiations and patent lawsuits with numerous technology companies, including a broad licensing deal with Microsoft that included an 'anti cloning' agreement. He was with Apple for four years, after spending 16 years at HP. Technicolor, a worldwide technology leader in the media and entertainment sector, announces that it has appointed Boris…
The Business of Simple
19 Jun 2013 | 2:04 pmI read recently that the very simple act of walking barefoot on grass is a powerful and natural stress reliever. In the last year alone, the US paid over $42 million in losses related to stress and anxiety (lost time, medication, etc). It's big business. And yet, taking off your shoes and putting your feet in the grass is one way to relieve stress (at least a little). All around us, the opportunity to ratchet up and feel a lot of stress and to try and overcomplicate everything abounds. At the moment I am typing this sentence, 325 NEW books on diet have been published over the last 30… -
Not Getting My Podcast?
13 Jun 2013 | 6:35 amWhat? You're not getting my podcast? Get it HERE. You can: Subscribe via Stitcher Radio (my favorite!) Subscribe via iTunes Subscribe on the Blackberry Network and you can subscribe to me via the Zune part of the XBOX Live store, but there are no direct links (sorry about that)! Want a simple RSS link? I have that too. Also, if you're not yet subscribed to my free newsletter, it's highly recommended. : ) Want the most recent episode? Make Your Own Damned Show I'd LOVE to see you there. Already Subscribed? May I BEG you for an iTunes Review? That link goes to the SIMPLE… -
Marketing Vs Owning Relationships
12 Jun 2013 | 4:28 amThe reason most companies and people have a challenge with their marketing efforts is that they're trying to market and not own a relationship. I found myself wandering through Boston's Faneuil Hall the other day and happened upon the band, the Ballroom Thieves playing for a crowd. I love watching musicians in street situations, because I learn a lot about pure business from them. They need to get someone's attention, wow them enough to motivate that person to put a hand into their pocket, and earn some money. It's pure marketing and pure sales at its best. And when… -
Ownership Starts From Within
7 Jun 2013 | 1:30 amI wanted to share a thought with you about ownership. Ownership starts from within. You start by realizing one day that you can own your choices. It grows. You accept that you can choose your goals. Then, you realize you can create a kingdom or a world or whatever you want to call it (your domain). And from there, your ownership becomes an obsession. Ownership Starts from Within People always seem to ask about a specific moment where everything changed. I don't believe in them. I believe there are dozens of moments, hundreds. We think there's only one shot, like that Eminem song. -
Shift Your Social Media Usage to Fabric Mode
4 Jun 2013 | 4:18 amWhen social media came out and for the next many years, people have treated it like a main course. Ultimately, it's more like a condiment, or a texture. It's time to move it to the "fabric" mindset. I was talking with Jacq about our upcoming talk at State of Now about how one starts a health reboot. In brainstorming, we both realized that we use social media and social networking tools to help with various aspects of our fitness and health. But we don't make a "thing" out of it. We just do it. The tools just get us to the information and the people.
The Evolution of Permission Marketing: What You Need to Succeed in 2013
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amAre you familiar with the phrase Permission Marketing? If you're trying to sell anything online (including your ideas), you should be. In 1999, a certain smart marketer made some observations about what kinds of persuasive communication worked well as we moved into the 21st century … and what kinds didn't. Permission marketing is the privilege (not the right) of delivering anticipated, personal and relevant messages to people who actually want to get them. ~Seth Godin The 20th century was the era of interruption. Your favorite television shows were "brought to you… -
How To Leverage the Science of Relationships to Gain True Influence
18 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amIf you define influence by the size of your Klout score, you can stop reading this right now. If you believe influence is driven by the creation of a relationship between two parties, where one sees the other as truly knowledgeable about a particular product or service, then let's talk about the science behind that influence. Establishing influence is a multi-step process that moves the influenced through four key stages. They move from awareness of the influencer, to knowing the influencer, to liking the influencer and finally finishing with preference for the influencer's advice and… -
How to Build a Massive Email List (Without Being Annoying)
17 Jun 2013 | 7:00 amFact: Email is still (by far) the most profitable online sales channel. That means an essential aspect of your audience is the segment that trusts you with their primary email address. So, it seems fair to say that enticing your prospective customers and clients onto an email list is crucial. Once you start building that list, you always want more. It's like crack, really. Email subscriber count crack, to be exact. And like any addiction, you start considering desperate measures to get more. Things like annoying the majority of your site visitors in order to increase your daily sign-up… -
"Content" Isn't a Buzzword, It's the Future of Your Business
14 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amContent Marketing is a hot topic, no doubt. What you may not know, however, is that it's been around for a long time, and that it's finding itself in the midst of yet another "Golden Age" with the rise of the Internet. This is very good news if you're a content creator. It's even better news if you're building authority online. But, are you actually getting the job done? Whether you have no idea what I'm talking about, or you do, and you'd like to take your content marketing skills much further online, we've got your back. We've… -
5 Writing Links That Will Help You Get Better … Stronger … Faster
13 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amThis week on The Lede … How a 40,000 Word PDF Earned a Massive Audience The Overwhelming Force of "Gradual" How to Write a Good Blog Post, Fast On Finding Real Pleasure in Our Work Twitter's First Bona Fide Star Want to grab even more useful links, beyond those that make The Lede, plus additional obscure references to The Six Million Dollar Man, adjusted for inflation? You only have to follow @copyblogger on Twitter. // How a 40,000 Word Guide Earned 361,494 Site Visitors and 8421 Email Opt-ins Mr. Patel is a master of taking action on real data. Through this…
What's hot about OS X's Hot Corners
20 Jun 2013 | 3:30 amWhen I want to step away from my desk, I move my pointer to the top-left corner of my display. My screensaver activates and my screen locks. When I want to see if I have any messages in Notification Center, I move my cursor to the top-right corner and Notification Center appears. Dashboard? Who needs a keyboard shortcut? I just slip my pointer to the bottom-right. And to see all my apps in Mission Control, the bottom-left corner of my screen does the trick. OS X's Hot Corners come alive after you set a not-so-easy-to-spot preference. This lets you determine what actions will trigger when… -
Exploring Safari's preferences
20 Jun 2013 | 3:00 amLast week, for the sake of completeness, I took you on a tour of Safari—an application that you likely used to read the lesson. This week we'll dig deeper and explore some of Safari's most important preferences. To begin, choose Safari > Preferences. General The General tab is your gateway to choosing a default browser, selecting a search engine, and choosing what you see when you first launch Safari, and creating new windows and tabs. Here are the settings you'll see: Default web browser: Much as Apple would prefer that Safari launches whenever you click a link outside the… -
Remains of the Day: This belongs in a museum
19 Jun 2013 | 4:30 pmHow do Mac pros feel about the Mac Pro? As strongly as Apple apparently feels about Linked In? And Steve Jobs thought his work would be lost and forgotten. The remainders for Wednesday, June 19, 2013 will spin you right round, baby, right round. New Mac Pro reaction: Video pros speak about GPU and storage concerns (Macworld UK) Who better to ask about the new Mac Pro than professional Mac users? That's right, they do still exist, and their reactions are mixed. Some worry about all the expansion options being external, while others look forward to the opportunities for new Thunderbolt… -
HBO Go on Apple TV a no-go for DirecTV customers
19 Jun 2013 | 12:30 pmUpdate: Shortly before 8 PM Pacific Time, the DIRECTVService Twitter account tweeted "DirecTV customers will soon be able to access HBO Go content through Apple TV." This comes after a day where the satellite service received numerous complaints over Twitter. On Wedneday Apple announced that HBO Go and WatchESPN (and a few other content providers) had made their way to the Apple TV. This is exactly the kind of content I've been praying Apple would acquire for its diminutive $99 set-top box. My dreams of finally catching up on The Wire, The Sopranos, and The Newsroom from the comfort of my… -
Apple will roll out iPads to Los Angeles public school students this fall
19 Jun 2013 | 11:20 amIn my earliest school years, the Apple IIgs was cutting edge, because it could run Number Munchers like nobody's business. But just to remind me how very, very advanced in age I am, Apple said on Wednesday that the Los Angeles School Board of Education had given its approval to deploy iPads to students across the district, beginning this fall. The deal, worth $30 million, will see an iPad distributed to every student on 47 campuses for the coming school year—and that's just the beginning. Jaime Aquino, the Los Angeles Unified School District's Deputy Superintendent of Instruction,…
Xbox One Eighty: Microsoft Finds It Still Needs Gamers To Sell Gaming Consoles
19 Jun 2013 | 4:42 pmApparently, Microsoft has just remembered that it needs gamers to sell a gaming console. In a complete and humbling reversal, Microsoft's next-gen console just dropped some of the contentious bits that had formerly loyal gamers shouldering pitchforks and heading to Redmond. And thank goodness — now we've got a fairer fight on our hands. See also: 5 Games That Make The Sony-Microsoft Console War Meaningless So what's out? Microsoft brought the axe down on its requirement that the Xbox One would need to connect to the Internet once every 24 hours, and also rolled back its most user unfriendly… -
Microsoft Nearly Bought Nokia - WSJ
19 Jun 2013 | 1:47 pmTechnology pundits have long speculated that, one day, Microsoft would buy its way into manufacturing of its own mobile phones. Apparently that day came a lot closer to fruition than people had thought. According to the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft was in "advanced talks" to acquire Finnish smartphone manufacturer Nokia before talks recently broke down. Nokia, which has a market valuation of $14 billion, would be a fairly easy pill for the cash-loaded Microsoft to swallow. The WSJ reports that Microsoft could have used some of its $66 billion in offshore accounts to acquire Nokia before… -
Qvivo Might Just Be The Cloud Media Service You've Been Waiting For
19 Jun 2013 | 11:18 amEditor's note: This post was originally published by our partners at Gear Patrol. The early years of the digital media revolution promised an unprecedented era of media freedom. Consumers had the power to play vast libraries of video and music on an armada of different devices. Someone just had to make syncing it all easy. Apple realized the opportunity early, and its foresight soon transformed into a billion dollar business. Few remember that the original iTunes was essentially a re-engineered version of SoundJam MP, a music software company Apple acquired in 2000. Most also forget that… -
Ouya Is A Tiny Box Open To Many Game Possibilities
19 Jun 2013 | 9:07 amA few weeks before our Ouya arrived in the mail, my husband was having second thoughts. Like 63,416 others, he'd eagerly parted with his cash (in his case, a cool $225 for the limited edition color and name plate etching), during the throes of Kickstarter hype around the open source Android-based gaming platform. Months later and still no Ouya, he was wondering if he'd made the right choice. He wondered why I, the usually-trusty voice of reason against BioShock Infinite Collector's Edition pre-orders and Magic: The Gathering rares, hadn't spoken up. "Now, I kind of wish… -
5 Games That Make The Sony-Microsoft Console War Meaningless
19 Jun 2013 | 6:57 amAfter last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo, the console war drums are now beginning to beat in a frenzy. Microsoft and Sony have unveiled details of their next-generation video-game consoles, the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. Which one should you buy? We have a radical proposal: neither. Gamers can save themselves both money and mental anguish by taking note: The leading current-generation consoles, the Xbox 360 and PS3, are going to stick around for a while, and they're still getting nearly every huge game release for this year and next. How long? Well, consider this: Sony…
Smashing Magazine Feed
Making Sense Of Type Classification (Part 2)
19 Jun 2013 | 7:09 amIn the first installment of this two-part series on type classification, we covered the basics of type classification — the various methods people have used, why they are helpful, and a brief survey of type history, classifying and identifying typefaces along the way. Unfortunately, we only got as far as Roman (traditional serif) typefaces and the early-19th century. Now we're back for part 2! Part 2 will primarily cover sans typefaces, with a nod to display typefaces and other less common categories, as well as address a few of the questions people have about whether… -
The Smashing Magazine 2013 Photo Contest: Winners And Best Entries
19 Jun 2013 | 2:47 amThree weeks ago we launched a photo contest and asked everyone to submit a creative picture of the object that fuels their creativity and inspiration. For all of you who have participated, thank you so much for taking the time and thought to interpret your object in a creative way. We did not only enjoy the brilliant photography that you sent us, it was also inspiring to read your thoughts on the story behind all these objects. We received around 350 entries from all over the world and only 70 could make it onto the poster we've created exclusively for our dear fans. As… -
Adapting To A Responsive Design (Case Study)
18 Jun 2013 | 6:48 amThis is the story of what we learned during a redesign for our most demanding client — ourselves! In this article, I will explain, from our own experience of refreshing our agency website, why we abandoned a separate mobile website and will review our process of creating a new responsive design. At Cyber-Duck, we have been designing both responsive websites and adaptive mobile websites for several years now. Both options, of course, have their pros and cons. With a separate mobile website, you have the opportunity to tailor content and even interactions to the context of your… -
Five Ways To Prevent Bad Microcopy
17 Jun 2013 | 10:13 amYou've just created the best user experience ever. You had the idea. You sketched it out. You started to build it. Except you're already in trouble, because you've forgotten something: the copy. Specifically, the microcopy. Microcopy is the text we don't talk about very often. It's the label on a form field, a tiny piece of instructional text, or the words on a button. It's the little text that can make or break your user experience. If you think you've built the best user experience but didn't make sure the microcopy was spot on, then you haven't built the best… -
200 Foodie Pack: A Free Set Of Food Icons
17 Jun 2013 | 8:14 amToday we are pleased to feature a set of 200 useful and beautiful foodie icons. This freebie was created by the team behind Freepik, and at the time of writing it's the largest set of food icons available on the web in one pack. The 200 Foodie Pack includes 200 customized icons available in PNGs (32×32px, 64×64px, 128×128px), as well as in AI, EPS and vector format. Perfect for any projects around gourmet, food, restaurant, gastronomy and the like. Enjoy! Large preview Download The Freebie! You may freely use it for both your private and commercial projects without any…
CNN.com - Top Stories
James Gandolfini
20 Jun 2013 | 3:39 amJames Gandolfini, who played mob boss Tony Soprano, has died in Italy, HBO and his managers said Wednesday. FULL STORY -
Meet 'New Day'
20 Jun 2013 | 3:19 amKate teaches Chris and Michaela skeet shooting. -
Autopsy on Gandolfini today
20 Jun 2013 | 2:19 amThe body of actor James Gandolfini was transferred to a hospital morgue in Rome early Thursday. FULL STORY -
LeBron, headband reunite for Game 7
20 Jun 2013 | 1:41 amGame 7 of the NBA Finals will be all about heart, Miami Heat superstar LeBron James said. -
FBI: 2 men created lethal X-ray system
20 Jun 2013 | 1:27 amTwo New York state men have been charged in a bizarre plan to develop a mobile X-ray system that would be used from afar to silently kill people that they deemed "undesirable," federal officials said.
Scott Kelby's Photoshop Insider
Guest Blog- RC Concepcion: To Thine Own Self Be True
18 Jun 2013 | 9:04 pmLast year I got a call from photographer Joe McNally asking to talk to me about a project that he wanted me to work on. I have the absolute pleasure of being able to call Joe a friend , but its never really lost on me the fact that when we are working, this is Joe "Frigging" McNally we are talking about. Joe is one of the three most influential and inspiring photographers for me – a long studied idol. To be asked to do a project with him filled me with anticipation.As it turned out, Joe wanted me to work as a guest instructor with him on an annual class that he does: The Advanced Flash… -
Behind-the-Scenes at the B&H Photo Lightroom 5 Summit Yesterday in NYC
17 Jun 2013 | 10:26 pmWhat an amazing day!!!! Over 1,500 photographers (capacity) at the B&H Photo event in person — literally thousands more watching the live stream from literally all over the world — Adobe was there, including the new Lightroom Product manager Sharad Mangalick, who was answering questions all day, one-on-one from attendees at the event — and I'm training alongside Adobe Evangelist Julieanne Kost and The Photoshop Diva herself, Katrin Eismann. What a blast! :)Lots of learning. Lots of laughs. Lots of Lighting. Lots of Lightroom. Canon was there. Sony was there. -
Greetings From New York City
17 Jun 2013 | 5:30 amSorry for the late post, but I was up REALLY late prepping for my sessions today at the B&H Photo Lightroom 5 Digital Photography Summit at the Javtis Center (it kicks off at 10:00 am this morning). I took the shot above (the view from my hotel room at the Hilton Garden Inn on 8th) with my iPhone last night when I got in, and I processed it in Camera+ on my phone (Oppa Kalebra Style). I did get to meet up with my buddy, NYC-based photographer Jason Joseph (shown above) at one of my favorite New York restaurants, the incredible Keen's Steakhouse. Mmmmm. Keen's. We were hoping… -
It's Free Stuff Thursday!
12 Jun 2013 | 9:01 pmLive Action Horse Racing Photography with Dave Black In the latest addition to KelbyTraining.com, Live Action Horse Racing Photography, join Dave Black on location at Tampa Downs and learn how to photograph horse racing from one of the top sports photographers in the world. Dave gets up early to document everything that happens in the course of a day at a working racetrack, while sharing tips and tricks he's learned over a career that spans 30 years. You'll learn about all the gear he uses, how to set up a remote camera, the importance of choosing the background in each of your shots, why… -
It's Guest Blog Wednesday featuring Brian Hirschy!
11 Jun 2013 | 9:01 pmI want to thank Scott and Brad for sharing the space with so many great photographers. You guys are good people, and it's an honor to be here among such amazing photographers, creatives, and story tellers. Again, much thanks!I spent the better part of the last 8 years living and working in far western China, running a photography tourism agency. Just last year I returned to the States to continue a career in the commercial photography market.I mention western China only because where I predominantly photographed was far enough from the hyper-developed east coast that my life resembled…
Digital Photography School
Get 31% Off Neil Creek's Night Photography Course
19 Jun 2013 | 12:27 pmOne of the most popular deals in last years '12 Deals of Christmas' promotion that we ran here on dPS was a discount on Neil Creek's 'Night Photography Unlocked' video course. This week I'm excited to say that we've brought the deal back and you can now pick up this fun course at 31% off the normal price over at our sister site – SnapnDeals. Neil is the author behind our best selling Photo Nuts series of eBooks and is a great teacher. His beginners course will help you open up a whole new world of photographic possibilities as you learn to shoot… -
How to Create a "Soft Portrait" Preset in Lightroom 4
19 Jun 2013 | 9:18 amIntroduction The following is an excerpt from the SLR Lounge Lightroom Workflow System Workshop on DVD, a system designed to increase your post production speed by 5 to 10 times! Click here to learn more. A portrait image includes a subject (Usually their faces) as the primary focus. When we edit portraits, we do not want to sharpen fine details too much as this will of course enhance pores and blemishes on the skin. Instead, we want a soft, gentle look for our portrait images. In this tutorial, we will show you how to create a "Soft Portrait" preset in Lightroom 4. This preset will make… -
Life With A Rangefinder, Plus Street Photography Tips.
18 Jun 2013 | 12:37 pmThese days you are most likely to find me wandering the streets of London with a Leica M Monochrom hanging from my neck. Street photography and Leica have been inextricably linked for decades and this is solely down to Leica's M system camera and its rangefinder focus mechanism. This is not to say that you cannot be a street photographer without a rangefinder camera or, transversely, that you cannot shoot anything but the streets with a Leica. It is simply that this style of camera is the preferred tool of the serious street photographer. If you're unfamiliar with Rangefinders, the name… -
Master These Five Lightroom Sliders and Your Photos Will Pop
18 Jun 2013 | 9:30 ama Guest Contribution by John Davenport from Phogropathy Have you ever opened up Lightroom (or any other professional level editing program) and said, "Oh my – where do I start?" If so then this post is probably right up your alley. Today I'm going to show you how to take the process out of processing photos and how you can get some great results simply by learning how a handful of sliders work. After you learn these basics you can start to dig deeper into the program and learn how to bring out even more of the hidden details in your photographs. The FIVE Lightroom… -
77% of dPS Readers Take A Camera Everywhere [POLL Results]
17 Jun 2013 | 12:56 pmLast month we asked readers whether they took their camera with them everywhere in a poll. The results are in! If you include the camera in your phone… 77% of the almost 20,000 people who responded take a camera with them everywhere. What I find interesting is that we ran this exact same poll in January 2009 so we can track how things have changed over the last 4 years among our readers. Here are the 2009 results (the results were from around 18,000 readers at that time). While the changes have only been subtle there are a few interesting observations to make. Firstly – more people…
TUAW - The Unofficial Apple Weblog
Hazel 3.1 update adds powerful date-matching feature
19 Jun 2013 | 6:00 pmNoodlesoft's Hazel is a file-organization tool for Mac OS X that uses a set of customizable rules to automatically move and sort your information. It can be set to automatically move your new music or movies to your Music and Movies folders, or sort files by name, email address, the website they came from and much more. For people who'd rather keep working than sort files, it can be a great time-saving tool for keeping your desktop and downloads folder clear. Today Hazel released version 3.1, which adds a powerful new date-matching feature to the software. The feature allows you to search the… -
ProCollage is an easy and powerful photo utility for iOS
19 Jun 2013 | 5:00 pmProCollage (US$1.99) is a very nicely done app for creating photo collages on any iOS device. After you grant access to your camera roll, PhotoCollage lets you select multiple images and use pre-defined templates. Don't care for those templates? No problem, it lets you use a free-form approach as well. Images can be moved within a frame, resized or rotated. Frame colors are almost unlimited, and there is a selection of multiple backgrounds for your images. Happily, the app doesn't make you purchase anything else to make it all work. This latest version adds the ability to apply text to a… -
Lytro announces iOS app, unlocks hidden WiFi feature in camera
19 Jun 2013 | 4:30 pmToday's news brings a pleasant surprise for Lytro camera owners. It turns out the that each one of the small light-field cameras has had a hidden WiFi chip inside, waiting to be turned on. Well, the time for activation has come with the release of a new firmware update which activates the WiFi. And just in time for the release of Lytro's new iOS app. The app, called Lytro Mobile, connects to your iPhone via the WiFi transmitter and allows you to view camera images from your iOS device. Once you activate the app simply click the Camera feature and you will be told to select WiFi from the… -
Antec PowerUp 6000 offers iPad-capable portable power
19 Jun 2013 | 4:00 pmMid-June is an odd time of year. Apple's hardware refresh cycle isn't really due until October -- likely six full months away -- so you might consider picking up an external battery pack to use with your current iOS device to tide you over until then. Internal batteries drop in efficiency as devices age, and replacement prices can be a little steep. An out-of-warranty iPhone or iPad battery replacement can cost upwards of US$85 or $105 with shipping. If you're a developer, this goes double. With iOS beta season under way, mobile devices are eating up batteries in new and curious ways. This… -
Daily Deals for June 19, 2013
19 Jun 2013 | 3:30 pmIt's time to save some of that hard-earned cash with our Daily Deals, featuring a handy list from Dealnews and our own hand-picked selections that include some sweet deals on iOS and OS X software (all prices are USD). Prices are subject to change. Deals from Dealnews StackSocial: [Mac Software] The Name Your Own Price Double Down Mac Bundle for $4 MacUpdate Promo: [Mac Software] Flavours for Mac downloads for $10 REI: [Notebook Carrying Case] Merrell Travel All 15" Laptop Bag for $74 + free shipping Adorama: [Camera Accessories] LumiQuest Event Shooting Kit for $35 + free shipping…
In Camera Veritas
19 Jun 2013 | 4:30 amShow of hands, who knew that the cameras we use every day are named after a room? The latin word for room is camera, which makes sense when you realize the first objects for recording light were cameras obscura. And in this case instead of the room being the camera, the camera is in fact the light modifier. Read more » -
How to Keep Your Old Flash from Exploding
14 Jun 2013 | 6:00 amHave a flash that's been sitting, unused, for a long time? Or did you buy a used flash with an unknown history? Turn it on the wrong way and you may be in for a bit of a surprise. Doesn't matter if it is a speedlight, an Alien Bee mono, a Profoto pack-and-head or whatever. Keep reading for a nifty little tidbit of info that may help you avoid seeing that "magic smoke" escape from your babies. Read more » -
On Assignment: Dahlia Flute Duo
10 Jun 2013 | 5:00 amWhenever possible, I scout not only location but also time of day when planning an outdoor shoot. Especially if that shoot is in the evening. When does the sun set? Where does the sun set? When is golden light? Where will it come from? So in this case, the I knew the ideal pop of tree-filtered backlight would happen at about 7:22pm. And at that time we were ready and in place, waiting for the light. Shame about the sun not showing up. Read more » -
Quick Hands-On: $100 "Polaroid" PL135 Bare-Bulb Flash
5 Jun 2013 | 9:30 amUPDATE: The Polaroid PL-135 (AKA the rebranded "Triopo TR120") has been unceremoniously pulled from the market just a week or so after it launched. Has the venerable Sunpak 120J bare bulb flash been reincarnated? By a world-famous company, no less? Well, no. Not exactly. It's no Sunpak 120J (doesn't have the extra stop of power) and, strictly speaking, it's not really a Polaroid flash per se. Keep reading for the bare facts (rimshot!) on the Polaroid PL-135. Read more » -
In-Depth QA: Martin Prihoda Photographs Priyanka Chopra for GQ India
3 Jun 2013 | 11:11 amLong-time readers will remember photographer Martin Prihoda, who was originally based in Vancouver before packing up and relocating to Mumbai. Or as he still often thinks of it, Bombay. (Martin, on the distinction: "You do business in Mumbai. You party in Bombay.") His recent cover shoot of Indian actress Priyanka Chopra for GQ India represents a major departure from his previous use of color and light. So I contacted him for a QA. My questions (and his generous answers) follow, along with more images form the shoot. To see any image bigger (and other images from the shoot not seen…
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Leica announces $1300 special edition 'G-Star RAW' D-Lux 6
19 Jun 2013 | 3:11 pmLeica has announced a special edition of its D-lux 6 high-end compact camera, in collaboration with clothing manufacturer G-Star RAW. The special D-Lux 6 (itself arguably a 'special edition' Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX7) will be available from Leica Stores and Boutiques worldwide, and is expected to cost around $1300. What do you get for your money? Well, 'a new dot structure on the leather body trim' and a leather case with 'exclusive carrying strap'. Excited? Click through for more details. -
Lytro unlocks Wi-Fi with firmware update, introduces iOS app
19 Jun 2013 | 2:37 pmLytro has released a firmware update that enables the Wi-Fi chips inside its 8GB and 16GB light field cameras. The San Fransisco-based company has also announced a new iOS companion app called Lytro Mobile, which allows you to browse images from the camera on an iOS smartphone or iPod Touch. Replicating some of the functionality of Lytro's existing desktop app, the mobile app allows you to refocus and change the perspective of your images and share the 'living pictures' via social media. Click through for more details. -
Just posted: Our Canon PowerShot D20 underwater camera review
18 Jun 2013 | 4:17 pmWe've posted the first in a series of six reviews of rugged/waterproof compact cameras. First up is the Canon PowerShot D20, whose fish-inspired design can go for swim, get dropped on the floor, and shoot in freezing temperatures. Once we've completed our reviews of all six cameras, we'll put together a comparison, so you can find out which is best-in-class. Follow the link to see how the PowerShot D20 performed in our tests. -
Awards celebrate the best of iPhone photography
18 Jun 2013 | 11:46 amThe 6th Annual iPhone Photography Awards has announced its winners, celebrating smartphone images across 16 categories of mobile photography. The top three winners of the Photographer of the Year category each received an iPad Mini while the top entry from each category won a gold bar. We take a look at the award winners on connect.dpreview.com. -
Olympus UK serves up free Pancakes with PEN Lite and Mini
18 Jun 2013 | 6:48 amOlympus UK is offering a free M. Zuiko Digital 17mm 1:2.8 Pancake lens to anyone who buys a PEN E-PL5 or PEN E-PM2 from an authorised UK stockist. The lens can be claimed though the the company's website, and the promotion runs until 15th September 2013.
Lightroom Killer Tips
The Top Q&A's About The Lightroom 5 Upgrade
18 Jun 2013 | 11:01 pmI've seen a bunch of questions about the release of Lightroom 5 and what it means to existing Lightroom users. So I wanted to write a quick post to answer some of the most common questions about upgrading. Here goes: Q. Can I upgrade from Lightroom version 3 (or 2 or even 1)? A. Yes. The Lightroom 5 upgrade will work for any version of Lightroom (1 thru 4). As long as you own a previous version of Lightroom the upgrade costs $79. Q. What happens to my old Lightroom catalog? A. When you first install and launch Lightroom 5, you should get a message telling you that you need to upgrade… -
Tip: How To Turn Off The Annoying Photo Info Overlay
9 Jun 2013 | 11:01 pmI think Lightroom is all about showcasing your photos and making them look great. To me, nothing ruins that more than that annoying photo info overlay that appears in the top left of the photo in the Library and Develop module (see image below). I'm in Colfax, Washington right now teaching a workshop along side of Bill Fortney and friends. While in the classroom today, I noticed that overlay on several of the screens from people in the class and you'd be amazed at the sigh of relief when I showed them that you just have to press the I key to turn it off. Yup… that's… -
Issue #5 Of Lightroom Magazine Is Out!
28 May 2013 | 5:25 amI just got word that the latest issue of Lightroom Magazine (issue #5) is up on the App Store. If you've got an iPad, here's the link to the free app where you can download the first issue for free. Each issue after that is $4.99. I've also included a few screen captures from the app (Cover and Table of Contents). I'm really happy with the way this one turned out and I think our team put out a great issue. It's got everything from the new features in Lightroom 5 to new Lightroom 5 presets, portrait retouching in Lightroom and how to use your Wacom tablet to get… -
Should You Create Multiple Catalogs In Lightroom?
20 May 2013 | 11:01 pmFor years, catalog questions tend to be the most popular questions I get at my Lightroom seminars. One of those questions is whether or not to create multiple catalogs in Lightroom. See, back in Lightroom 1, it became fairly common knowledge that when your catalog grew to a certain size in photos (say 20,000) that it would slow down and you should create a new catalog so Lightroom would keep running quickly. But that's not the case anymore. Lightroom doesn't have a photo limit that anyone has hit. Adobe doesn't even recommend creating multiple catalogs anymore. So the first… -
Lightroom And WPPI Coming Your Way (Chicago, Atlantic City, Vegas and LA)
15 May 2013 | 9:00 amIf you live in Chicago, Atlantic City, LA or Las Vegas then you've got a WPPI "On the Road" stop coming your way. NAPP and WPPI are teaming up to provide you with some killer Photoshop and Lightroom training at each event. RC Concepcion, Pete Collins and I will be teaching along side plenty of other great instructors in each city. Here's the link to WPPI's website if you want to find out more and below is the list of cities and dates. Hope to see you there! • Chicago: May 21-22 • Atlantic City: June 3-4 • Los Angeles: July 15-16 • Las Vegas: August…
MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - iOS Blog
XCOM: Enemy Unknown Available in the App Store Tonight
19 Jun 2013 | 12:50 pmFiraxis and 2K Games' XCOM: Enemy Unknown is already available in several App Stores around the world and will hit the U.S. App Store later tonight. The game, which was first released for the Mac in April, is a re-imagined version of the classic 1994 title X-Com: UFO Defense. The iOS version of XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a port of the full game that was originally designed for consoles and computers, with a few minor interface tweaks to make it suitable for a touchscreen. Essentially, it's a complete console game at fraction of the price. Our sister site TouchArcade has posted a full review… -
Lytro Camera Gets WiFi Capabilities, New Lytro Mobile App
19 Jun 2013 | 12:30 pmThe Lytro Light Field Camera, which was released in late 2011, is designed to capture refocusable images, allowing the perspective of the picture to be changed at will. Today Lytro announced that it has turned on a hidden WiFi feature in the camera to go alongside the release of a new Lytro app. Pssst. We're letting you in on a little secret. That Lytro camera you own has a little wireless chip inside. And, as of today, we are turning it on for the first time to give you a great new capability – wireless uploading and sharing! Introducing the Lytro Mobile app. If you own an iPhone, iPad or… -
Feedly Launches New Cloud Platform to Replace Google Reader Ahead of July Shutdown
19 Jun 2013 | 9:48 amGoogle Reader is set to shut down on July 1, and while several companies have stepped in to fill the void, Feedly has been one of the most successful replacements with more than 12 million users, up from four million before Google announced the end of Google Reader. Feedly has transitioned from a simple RSS application to an RSS platform with the launch of a new web interface and a cloud platform that supports multiple third-party applications. Feedly Cloud supports one-click migration from Google Reader, which should make it easy for users to switch over without a hassle, and Feedly also… -
Apple Planning LinkedIn Integration for iOS 7
18 Jun 2013 | 4:31 pmApple appears to be building LinkedIn integration into iOS 7, though the feature is not active in the beta of iOS 7 that was released to developers last week. It is said to look similar to the social network integration that iOS currently sports for Facebook and Twitter. Apple supposedly included Facebook integration in an early build of iOS 5, but it didn't make it into the final build because of failed negotiations between the two companies. Facebook integration was built into iOS 6. 9to5Mac, which originally reported the story, says iOS 7 users will be able to post content directly to… -
Facebook for iOS Adds Status Update Icons, New Sharing Controls
18 Jun 2013 | 1:51 pmFacebook has updated its iOS app to version 6.2, adding mobile support for status update icons. The icons, which were originally introduced to the desktop edition of Facebook in April, allow users to add details about their actions to status updates. The icons link to relevant Facebook pages and give details on what a user is feeling, watching, reading, listening to, drinking, eating, or playing. Icons join other recently introduced Facebook features including Chat Heads and Stickers, which are emoji-style images that can be sent to friends. Facebook's newest update also includes quick access…
CNN Travel
Beyond Prague: 8 undiscovered Eastern European cities
19 Jun 2013 | 11:00 pmBudapest, Kiev, Prague? Been there, got the burger. These lesser-known cities still offer frontier thrillsOnce frontier travel territory, Eastern Europe has officially been discovered. Or so you'd think if you visited only places such as Prague, Budapest and Kiev. Thankfully, much of Eastern Europe remains way off the tourist radar -- including a lot of cities you'd actually want to visit. Visiting these 10 lesser-traveled Eastern centers can still make you feel like you've stepped into a John le Carré novel, mid-winter. Poznan, Poland Poznan is one of the best places to try hearty… -
The rise of the big, unnecessary, crazy, travel adventure
19 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmFor some, a trip to India isn't enough anymore, it seemsBragging of your travels has become difficult. Spending three months in an Indian ashram no longer qualifies for several years' worth of conversation. The girl who has been to so many countries she could probably write a guidebook -- no wait, she has -- can be found hanging around every other budget hostel. With international travel being cheap, easy and fairly common, a new and more epic trend is emerging: the big, unnecessary, crazy, travel adventure. Almost every week we're bombarded with requests to… -
China's ancient 'donut-like' homes: Where to see the tulou
18 Jun 2013 | 3:00 pmNear Xiamen, UNESCO-listed houses built by the Hakka people were once mistaken for a nuke baseTulou once served as home, fortress and marketplace for China's Hakka people. Southern China's Fujian province is never going to get as much attention as its urban neighbors to the north and west, regions that are home to internationally known cities like Shanghai and Guangzhou. But the coastal province offers a fascinating glimpse of traditional Chinese heritage, a growing rarity in this rapidly developing country. Among the more intriguing pieces of history in Fujian are the tulou -- large, round,… -
Adorable kid, exotic Bolivia star in magical 'travel' video
17 Jun 2013 | 11:01 pmNaughty Boy's "La La La" has hit No. 1 in the U.K. Here's the story behind the coolest "travel" video since Coldplay's "Paradise"La La La Naughty BoyNaughty Boy 'La La La' video courtesy of Virgin Records Limited. The minute we saw the video for "La La La" by Naughty Boy, we had questions that went far beyond how the catchy tune got us singing "la la la" so fast. Where was this thing shot? Who's the adorable kid? Could that incredible pooch steal Boo's crown as world's cutest dog? Now that British artist Naughty Boy's "La La La"… -
Best of Penang rolled up in one big festival
17 Jun 2013 | 3:01 pmGeorge Town is a UNESCO heritage city. Organizers of the annual George Town Festival aren't letting you forget whyEven on the average day, George Town is a cultural overload for visitors -- the city is rightly famed for its food, history and diversity. Clearly, UNESCO knew what it was doing when it listed the Malaysian city located on the island of Penang as a World Heritage Site back in 2008. To mark the five-year anniversary of that designation, organizers of the annual George Town Festival have amped up the island's cultural offerings, stuffing a huge amount of art, film, music,…


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In partnership with the Village of Mackinaw City, the Mackinaw Area Historical Society is well underway in their development of the Heritage Village. On approximately 43 acres of land just west of Mackinaw City, visitors can enjoy discovery trails, historic buildings, a covered pavilion, a restored log home, a sawmill and much more.
This year's Historic Festival will be held at Heritage Village on August 2nd and 3rd. One of the highlights of the festival will be the Second Annual Pepper Footraces, which benefits both the Mackinaw Area Historical Society and the Mackinaw City Public Schools Athletic Department.
Heritage Village's period is from 1880 through 1917, a time of unparalleled changes in lighting, transportation, communication, housing, health care and nearly every other aspect of Straits-area living. It also reflects an era from which a precious few buildings are still standing, and stories told by parents, grandparents and great grandparents abound.
During the summer you may visit the village any day. But for tours conducted by docents we are open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 1pm to 5pm. The most common response we receive when visitors find out how short a time we have been in existence and when the Village started is "WOW"! We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished and our members' determination to move ahead.
For more information on our buildings and attractions use our Audio Tour by phoning 231-486-0003 and keying in stops 201 - 213. We are continuing to add stops.
The Mackinaw Area Historical Society offers lively local monthly programs featuring informative presentations on historically significant topics. For a narrative and photos of the Festival, go to EVENTS, where you can also find information on monthly speakers. To learn more about the society or Heritage Village go to ABOUT MAHS or visit us on Twitter (@HeritageVillag2) or Facebook (Heritage Village @ Mackinaw).
Click on IMAGINE to enjoy a digital publication on Living In Emmet County featuring an article on Past President Bill Marvin and his wife Danna spotlighting Heritage Village.
We're proudly located in Pure Michigan

subset: commoncrawl


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Turkey Fryer Safety Tips
The Prince George's County Fire Department offers these tips to reduce the risk of fire and injury when frying a turkey.
Thinking of going a less traditional route this Thanksgiving and deep frying your bird instead of roasting it?
According to the Prince George's County Fire Department (PGFD), the growing popularity of turkey fryers is cause for concern as they have the potential to cause fires and injuries if not used correctly.
If you are deep frying your turkey this Thanksgiving, the PGFD asks that you follow these federal government recommended steps to maximize safety and minimize the risk of fire and injuries:
- Use turkey fryers outdoors a safe distance from buildings and any other combustible materials.
- Always follow manufacturers instructions on the set-up and use of the fryer.
- Inspect the propane tank and all associated tubes and connections to ensure there are no leaks of the flammable gas.
- Never use turkey fryers in a garage or on a wooden deck.
- Make sure fryers are used on a flat surface to reduce accidental tipping.
- Never leave the fryer unattended. Most units do not have thermostat controls. If you do not watch the fryer carefully, the oil will continue to heat until it catches fire.
- Never let children or pets near the fryer even if it is not in use. The oil inside the cooking pot can remain dangerously hot hours after use.
- To avoid oil spillover, do not overfill the fryer.
- Use well-insulated potholders or oven mitts when touching pot or lid handles. If possible, wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from oil splatter.
- Make sure the turkey is completely thawed and be careful with marinades. Oil and water do not mix; water causes oil to spill over causing a fire or even an explosion hazard.
- The National Turkey Federation recommends thawing the turkey in the refrigerator approximately 24 hours for every five pounds in weight.
- Keep an all-purpose fire extinguisher nearby. Never use water to extinguish a grease fire. If the fire is manageable, use your all-purpose fire extinguisher. If the fire increases, immediately call the fire department for help.
Jenni Pompi
7:29 am on Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Has anyone ever had fried turkey? My uncle made one for Thanksgiving down in South Carolina several years ago. I was skeptical of a giant, fried bird, but it really was delicious (and, as a former fire fighter, he was very safety conscious.)
Red White and Blue
11:14 am on Wednesday, November 21, 2012
I made the mistake of telling family one year I was doing it, I ended up cooking 10 that year, it is simple as long as you follow directions, do not leave it unattended, watch temperature of the oil, have a fire extinguisher on hand at all times of course, and keep anyone who has been drinking away too, make sure your pets are not able to get close either, i have cooked about 30 of them now and have had no problems, love the Cajun rub and injector kit available from Bass ProShops
11:32 am on Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Jenni and Shaka; sounds like the people in your family use plain old-fashioned common sense when cooking their fried turkeys! (I'm sure the turkeys were great, too!)
1:29 pm on Friday, February 1, 2013
why is it that nobody ever suggests turning the fire off before placing a turkey in hot oil


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Board of Trustees
The Board of Trustees is composed of seven members appointed by the Governor and approved by the Arkansas Senate. Board members may be appointed from any part of the state. They serve seven-year terms with one member's term expiring January 15 of each year.
The Board meets quarterly. Special meetings may be called as needed.
Members of the University of Central Arkansas Board of Trustees and term expiration are shown below:
Index of Board Minutes - (Action Items) Beginning 1964
Upcoming Meetings - Note: All meetings will be held in the Board Room in Wingo Hall unless otherwise announced.
Deadlines for 2013 Board Meetings
Agenda will be posted one week prior to meeting
Board Meetings 2013
February 22, 2013
April 5
May 3
August 16
October 11
December 13
Comments and suggestions about Administrative Policies are appreciated.
Administrative Policy contents comments to Susan Lilly


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Division of Developmental Medicine
Who we are
The Division of Developmental Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital seeks to enhance the lives of children and families by:
Clinical Practice: Advance care through early diagnosis and evidence-based protocols geared to specific disorders in order to maximize the quality of children's lives.
Conducting Research: Advance research in the causes, diagnosis and ultimately, treatment of developmental disorders through multi-disciplinary collaborations and a focus on translational research.
Training: Through a program that combines cutting edge clinical and research components train future leaders and clinicians in the field of developmental medicine.
Community Outreach: Leveraging the resources of the division to expand the capacity of pediatricians, teachers, and parents as they serve developmentally challenged children within the community.
In the spotlight
New Autism Test Available at Children's
A new test for Chromosome 16 deletion/duplication abnormality in children with autism is now available through the Boston Children's Hospital Division of Developmental Medicine, Division of Genetics and Department of Neurology.
Featured research: Functional MRI
Learn about Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Nadine Gaab, PhD
One research method used in the Division of Developmental Medicine's Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a non-invasive research tools that allows the investigation of brain correlates of behavior in children with and without developmental disorders.
We are currently investigating whether this technique may be useful for the early detection of children at risk for developmental dyslexia.
Learn more about this work.
Learn more about Developmental Medicine research at Children's.
Down Syndrome Program Speaker Series
Looking for answers on autism
Charles Nelson, PhD, research director of Children's Developmental Medicine Center, discusses early intervention and autism on NBC's THE TODAY SHOW.
Chance to dance
Children with Down syndrome have been laughed at, discriminated against and discounted by society. Now it's their time to shine. [read more]
Discover: Developmental Medicine
Your baby's brain on drugs (and alcohol and tobacco)
Although behavioral studies clearly indicate that exposure to drugs, alcohol and tobacco in utero is bad for a baby's developing brain, specific anatomic brain effects have been hard to tease out in humans. Often users don't limit themselves to one substance, and demographic factors like poverty can also influence brain development.


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Outdoor Adventure On The NC Coast
If your idea of the perfect getaway means feeling the wind in your face and the surf on your feet, consider North Carolina's beaches your oasis. From kayaking near Beaufort to kiteboarding on the Outer Banks to scuba diving off of Wrightsville Beach, the coast holds many paths to adventure.
Combining windsurfing, wakeboarding and kite flying, kiteboarding entails maneuvering a kite in the wind to glide the board over waves, wakes and currents. All skill levels can enjoy the sport and craft their experience by choosing among various kites and boards. Even first timers are often able to catch up to 20-40 feet of air.
Hang Gliding
The Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding Training Center is the world's largest hang gliding school, teaching more than 10,000 students every year. There are a number of ways to learn to fly. First, there is the solo dune hang gliding method taught at Jockey's Ridge State Park. This involves running into the wind off a sand dune. Or, you can learn the tandem method. Strapped to a certified instructor, you are launched from a boat or towed behind an ultra-light aircraft. You'll reach altitudes of 2,000 feet or more before being released and soaring unfettered over the Outer Banks.
Outdoor activities such as surfing are huge draws to North Carolina's beaches. A unique combination of swells, wind and wave patterns, particularly along the northern Outer Banks, creates terrific surf conditions. The original site of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is a favorite of North Carolina surfers, but you can find good surfing spots all along the coast. Many popular surf camps and clinics for all ages and skill levels are based out of Wrightsville Beach.
Scuba Diving
Scuba divers from around the world visit North Carolina's coast solely for the abundant shipwrecks. The Crystal Coast area, which includes Atlantic Beach, Beaufort, Emerald Isle and Morehead City, is one of the prime diving destinations in North America. One of the most popular dives is at the U-352, a vintage German U-boat. Off Wrightsville Beach, you'll find a number of Civil War–era wrecks. Near Hatteras is the Tarpon, a US submarine built in 1936 that sank in 1957 on its way to the salvage yard. Wherever you are on the coast, you'll find dive instructors available to train beginners and a number of dive companies that offer dive tours and charter services.
Piers, beaches and inland waterways offer prime fishing conditions along the coast all year; however, a change in the Gulf Stream makes it especially abundant in the fall. Beaches and inlets offer flounder, bluefish, pompano and Spanish mackerel. Head offshore and you'll bring up Wahoo, grouper, marlin, yellow fin tuna and sailfish. The Neuse River, which runs alongside New Bern, is full of speckled trout and puppy drum. Twenty piers are scattered along the coast and are favorite spots to cast a line.
Climbing Lighthouses
North Carolina is home to seven coastal lighthouses waiting to be discovered. If you're up for the climb, there are wonderful rewards for you at the top – beautiful views that stretch on for miles. Opened in 1875, Currituck Beach Light Station's red brick exterior differs from the black and white patterned and whitewashed lighthouses to the south. From Easter to Thanksgiving weekend you can climb its 214 steps. Visit Old Baldy, which has served Bald Head Island for 141 years, and you're only 112 steps to great views.
Paddle through marshy canals, under canopies of oaks and maples, and in calm creeks. Coastal outfitters offer many tours to choose from, each focusing on a unique aspect of the beautiful and storied areas. Learn about the abundant wildlife, discover the history of flight and pirates, enjoy stunning sunsets or paddle after dark in search of bioluminescence and fireflies. Sea kayaking, where you can watch coastal birds and marine life, including bottlenose dolphins, is also very popular.
Jockey's Ridge State Park, the tallest natural sand dune system in the Eastern United States, is the perfect place to try your hand at sand-boarding, a sport that has taken the snow out of snowboarding. Only allowed in a designated area of the park between October 1 and March 31, sand-boarding will definitely quench your need for adrenaline.
If your idea of outdoor adventure involves less adrenaline and more relaxation, we've got you covered there too. Sandcastle building, crabbing, kite flying, swimming in the ocean and body surfing are all great ways to enjoy North Carolina's beautiful beaches. Of course, reading a book in the sun on a comfy lounge chair counts too.
added: May 3, 2010
updated: June 30, 2012
Ideas & What To Do
Favorite Year-Round Piedmont Escapes
It's that central portion of the state between the mountains and…
Favorite Year-Round Mountain Escapes
Majestic snow capped peaks, rugged trails winding through forests with…
Favorite Year-Round Coastal Escapes
There's no escaping it. With beautiful sunshiny days and just a…
NC's Coolest Summer Vacation Spots
As summer temperatures continue to rise, escape the heat wave to the…
Outdoor Adventure On The NC Coast
If your idea of the perfect getaway means feeling the wind in your face…


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4. | benny | ||
An amphetamine tablet taken as a stimulant. (Kerouac on writing)...and after all what do I really know about it except you've got to stick to it with the energy of a benny addict.
1. | benny | ||
A tourist who visits the Jersey shore from Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, or New York (or anywhere near these places.) These tourists pollute the beaches and are rude to the local. Go home bennies. Locals only.
2. | benny | ||
a tourist that comes to New Jersey in the summer and they wreck our beaches with their trash. :( That benny really pisses me off, he messes up the beach every summer.
3. | benny | ||
Acronym used to describe people who visit the jersey shore only in the summer time. Stands for Bayonne, Elizabeth, Newark, and New York, which are the places bennys come from. The typical benny is usually pretty easy to spot. White or orange from fake tan in a can, jeans in the 110 degree weather. Chains, sneakers, socks, even heels at the beach; annoying people who take up locals parking beach and living spaces. Go Home Bennys..locals only.
5. | benny | ||
a term used to describe the pariah New Yorkers and obnoxious city folk who day-trip to the Jersey shore, clogging the streets, and cramping our beaches. how to spot a benny:
Men: NYY cutoff t-shirt, backwards NYY cap, tweezed eyebrows, polished fingernails, boombox cranked all the way up, cooler, large gold jewlery, Adidas's flipflops Women: big and long hair with obnoxious gucci shades and other cranium accessories, polished French manicure with matching pedicure, globbed makeup, animal print handbag, platform flipflops our people are not safe here... in the presence of these goddamn benny people
-see bennies |
6. | benny | ||
Short for 'Bender', meaning 'gay'. "It's times like this Gareth, I really wish you weren't such a benny."
"Stop being a benny all your life and go find a girlfriend." "What do you mean 'Let's go to Jumpin' Jak's? Why do you have to be such a benny?" |
7. | benny | ||
Shortened slang term for the amphetamine "benzedrine," specifically used primarily in literature of the Beat generation.
The plural form is "bennies." "Or take two strips of benny and two goof balls. They get down there and have a fight. It's a good drive." (Direct quote from William S. Burroughs "Junky")


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We were on some photo opp rampage, snap here snap there non stop. It's also prolly cause I was really diggin my new Zara coat in the photo below ;)
There's plenty of Indo-Chine cuisine around Europe, seeing that a lot of the immigrants were from countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia.
oohhh and one thing I love about French hotels? They always have the cutest set of toiletries EVER!
If you're planning to visit Nice, here are the Top 10 attractions Nice has to offer.
Next blog post - Cannes and Monte Carlo ;)


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About four-fifths the size of Alaska, Niger sits in West Africa's Sahara region. Niger's climate is mostly hot, dry, and dusty, with sand dunes in the north and the desert plains in the south. The Niger River basin in the south has fertile grassland with a tropical climate.
15,512,000 -
Land mass
489,191 -
Life Expectancy
54 years
Literacy Rate
29% -
Access to Safe Water
48% -
Under Age 5 Mortality Rate
School Enrollment
54% -
Average Annual Income
360 -
View US
comparison chart >
US Comparison to Niger
Niger United States |
Population15,512,000307,000,000 |
Land Mass489,1913,794,083 sq miles |
Life Expectancy54 years78 years |
Infant Mortality143/10007/1000 |
Literacy Rate29%97% |
School Enrollment54%92% |
Access to Safe Water48%100% |
Average Annual Income$360$41,400 |
World Vision in Niger Today
World Vision is committed to partnering with the people of Niger to improve their lives today and to help enact sustainable solutions for the future of their children, families, and communities. World Vision's child sponsorship program plays a vital role in this partnership, with donors from the United States sponsoring more than 7,700 girls and boys. In addition to sponsorship, World Vision operates other programs that benefit communities in Niger. Highlights include:
- Providing school children with much-needed school supplies and better classroom facilities.
- Improving access to clean, safe water that will help prevent the spread of waterborne diseases.
- Improving the lives of women and their families through microloans and business coaching.
- Distributing food and seeds to families suffering from hunger and malnutrition.
World Vision History in Niger
World Vision's work in Niger began with drought relief efforts in August 1973. Since then, some of World Vision's major accomplishments have included:
- Providing sponsorship to thousands of children since the late 1990s.
- Building a multi-functional health center for families in northern Niger in 2002.
- Improving Nigeriens' health by raising awareness about HIV and AIDS and providing many villages with access to clean water since 2004.
- Distributing 350 tons of cereal and seed stock after the 2005 locust infestation.
Geography & People
Geography and people
About four-fifths the size of Alaska, Niger sits in West Africa's Sahara region. Niger's climate is mostly hot, dry, and dusty, with sand dunes in the north and the desert plains in the south. The Niger River basin in the south has fertile grassland with a tropical climate.
Natural resources include coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates, gold, gypsum, salt, and petroleum. Niger is the world's sixth largest producer of uranium.
The two largest ethnic groups in Niger—the Hausa and the Djerma-Sonnghai—make up more than 75 percent of the population. While French is Niger's official language, Nigeriens use several other native languages.
The majority of Niger's labor force works in agriculture by growing peas, cotton, peanuts, rice, and other crops.
Families are important in the Nigerien culture. Children are expected to respect their parents as well as obey older people.
Niger fell under French influence in 1896 and was colonized in 1922. In 1960, Nigeriens proclaimed independence from France and established a republic.
During the 1970s, the country enjoyed rapid economic growth, mostly from its uranium production. Niger's brief period of prosperity ended, however, when uranium prices fell a decade later. The drought of 1968-1975 devastated the country, leaving an estimated 2 million starving people.
Since then, Niger has experienced political and tribal unrest, a severe famine, and a locust infestation in 2005. The northern Tuareg rebels, feeling marginalized by the faraway southern government, formed the Niger Movement for Justice and attacked several government facilities in the Sahara region in 2007.
In September 2009, heavy rainfall in Niger flooded thousands of homes and hundreds of acres of cropland, affecting more than 79,000 people. Nigeriens faced one of the worst food shortages in years in 2010, with over 1.5 million children suffering from malnutrition.
Prayer Requests for Niger
Please pray for:
Food shortages to end so families can feed their children.
Economic growth and political stability within the country.
Niger Facts
- Niger is one of the most impoverished countries in the world. In 2009, it ranked last of 182 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index, which measures the general well-being of a population.
- Although less than 12 percent of the land is arable, 90 percent of the workforce works in agriculture. The country's economy largely depends on agriculture and uranium exports, but frequent droughts and the declining uranium demand have severely hurt the economy.
- Nigeriens, particularly children, struggle with health concerns, with child mortality rates the fourth worst in the world.
- Only an extremely limited percent of the population has access to proper sanitation, leaving them with a high risk for disease.
- Only 30 percent of the population can read and write, the majority of them males. School attendance among children is low, and few of those who do attend actually finish. Many children, especially girls, stay home to take care of ailing family members or to work in the fields.
- Over 600,000 people are living with HIV and AIDS, and there are over 25,000 children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
Child Sponsorship
Through sponsorship, World Vision is partnering with families and communities to help meet immediate needs and promote lasting changes that will strengthen communities and move families toward self-reliance.
Each year sponsors receive updates about their sponsored child and their community. Sponsors also learn about the child's continuing activities and new accomplishments so when they correspond with their child, they can encourage them in their education, hobbies and endeavors.
The commitment of World Vision sponsors helps provide children with love, hope, and opportunities for a healthy, productive future. May God bless sponsors as they make a lasting difference in the life of a special child.
Progress in Niger
Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, World Vision was able
to work alongside communities to accomplish the
following in 2012.
Food and Agriculture
- Helped families establish vegetable gardens and provided them with livestock, increasing access to nutritious food.
Water and Sanitation
- Drilled borehole wells, improving access to water and freeing children to pursue their studies instead of fetching water.
- Constructed and furnished classrooms, increasing school capacity.
- Strengthened the quality of education by providing development courses for teachers.
Emergency Response
- Mitigated the effects of severe flooding by distributing food, soap, mosquito nets, and medical kits.
- Helped families struggling during a food shortage by distributing grain to cereal banks.
Child Rights
- Established children's clubs, giving children opportunities to exchange ideas and discuss issues that affect their lives.
- Distributed food to clinics that treat malnutrition, helping children regain their health.
- Trained teachers and community volunteers in age-appropriate HIV and AIDS education for children.
- Worked with local health agencies to immunize children against deadly diseases.
- Distributed treated bed nets to help control the spread of malaria.