As reported on LifeHacker. by Melanie Pinola It’s that time of year again: Time to send someone a personalized holiday call from Santa Claus. The jovial St. Nick (or, well, Google) asks you a few questions then creates a customized message you can send by phone, email, or Google+. It’s a fun little holiday tool that you can send to anyone, seeing as some choices for your recipient’s occupation include “accountant,” “IT guy,” and “Sith master.”…
As reported on LifeHacker. by Thorin Klosowski I have so many options to stream movies online now (Netflix, Amazon, etc) that it’s hard for me to figure out if a movie is available. How do you recommend I find a movie I want to watch that I can stream online? Sincerely, Where’s Die Hard? Dear WDH, We understand the plight of finding a movie online. Worse still, some movie might be available for rental, but not streaming,…
As reported on Wired. BY SPENCER ACKERMAN A diplomatic security agent, right, ushers U.S. diplomats from a helicopter in Afghanistan, 2011. Photo: Department of State U.S. embassy security in the post-Benghazi era is shaping up to be a financial bonanza for security contractors. It’s not necessarily going to look like the ‘roided-out era in which the firm formerly known as Blackwater and its ilk paraded diplomats through dangerous thoroughfares with specialty rifles in tow. But any company that…
As reported on Wired. BY PETE BROOK View as gallery Christmas means a lot of different things to a lot of different people – religion, family, charity, presents. For photographer Jesse Rieser, Christmas is a time to cast an almost anthropological eye over the “monuments to merriness” assembled by Americans in full holiday spirit. “I’m celebrating people celebrating,” says Rieser. “They have the stage this one time a year to show their feathers, even if it is…
As reported on Wired. BY DAMON LAVRINC Winter is here, which for many of us means snow. And slush. And sleet. Driving under such conditions can be, shall we say, challenging, without the proper hardware. Some people are content to tackle the snow in any old heap, but that doesn’t mean you need to endure yet another year in your clapped-out Subaru Forester. It’s time for an upgrade, and there’s no shortage of machinery perfectly suited to…
As reported on The Verge. By Ben Kersey NASA has released a stunning new photo of Saturn, showing a backlit view of the planet along with its rings. The space agency placed the Cassini spacecraft in Saturn’s shadow on October 17th in order to capture the high solar phase, allowing scientists a look at the rings and atmosphere of the planet that wouldn’t otherwise be seen. NASA achieved a similar effect back in 2006 by stitching together a mosaic comprised…
As reported on The Verge. By Kimber Streams There may be disagreement over why and exactly when doomsday will strike, but a number of individuals around the world are preparing as the end of the Mayan calendar approaches. Some don’t believe the date of December 21st, 2012 necessarily marks the end of days, but have taken steps to sustain themselves in the event of world wars, natural disasters, or other catastrophes. Others — concerned that tomorrow really…
As reported on The Verge. By Bryan Bishop We’ve seen numerous objects created with 3D printing, but Amanda Ghassaei has been working on a rather specific use of the technology: using it to help turn digital audio files into albums you can play on your record player. In a detailed post at Instructables, she covers the testing and production process — she used “Debaser” by The Pixies as a demo track — needed to create the 33rpm records.…
As reported on The Verge. By Sean Hollister With a touch-friendly new OS, now is the all-in-one’s time to shine It’s an interesting time to buy an all-in-one PC, that’s for sure. The iMac is thinner and more powerful than ever, and Windows machines finally have touchscreens that appeal to an average user. Now that Windows 8 is on the market, all-in-one computers aren’t just a way to save space: now, you can theoretically have a giant touchscreen…
As reported on TechCrunch. by FREDERIC LARDINOIS Adobe just announced that it has acquired Behance, a New York-based online platform where creative professionals can showcase their portfolios and where businesses can find talent. The site currently has about 1 million members and hosts over 3 million projects. Adobe plans to integrate Behance’s community and portfolio capabilities with its recently launched Creative Cloudservice, “allowing members to seamlessly create content, seek feedback, showcase their work and distribute it across devices.”…