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Over at Runner’s World they’ve put together an instructional video to go along with an informative article on the difference between Granny Knots and Reef Knots. Well tied shoes are important to runners, but anyone can benefit from the simple change in knot tying-methodology outlined in the video below:

By simply altering the direction of the first loop you make when tying your shoes you can produce a neater knot that is less prone to coming untied. If the Reef Knot caught your eye, you may want to check out another interesting knot we’ve covered: the “world’s fastest shoelace knot, a.k.a. the Ian Knot. Have a bit of knot tying lore to share? Let’s hear about it in the comments.

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The game will adapt the very profitable subscription model and the price for it have not yet been set. It will be announced as soon as they reach ever closer to the opening of the world itself. However, I am sure that the cost will be in the vicinity of other games like World of Warcraft and Eve-Online where you are charged a small fee of $19.95 per month.

The gameplay itself I am sure will be pretty straight forward and I imagine some kind of fusion between World of Warcraft and Second Life where you will be able to build your own stuff and share it with others. But, I am sure there will be things pre-made in the game as well for players to quickly get started. Without the customization of your avatar and the gear you have in the game the concept of the LEGO itself is entirely lost. So, I am pretty sure that the features in the game will be most customizable.

Judging from the video there is every possible world ever brought to you by LEGO for you to get your inspiration from. I just love how you will be able to play Indiana Jones vs the Jedi’s or whatever else combination you are interested in. This game I think will be epic in the end and I am sure it will really look great. I wonder…will I be able to use my 3D glasses for this one? THAT would be awesome!

If you want to know more about this up-coming game just visit LEGO’s official game website called “LEGO Universe” and immerse yourself in the awesome details!

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Placefy is fun geographic game that teaches you about world cities in pictures, it asks you to identify cities by displaying one picture at a time.

http://www.placefy.com

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One of the famous movie – Avatar has just swept and shocked the whole world. You may wonder how the image of Avatar to be created. It seems lots of works and not easy to do such creation. However, you can transform a human being photo into Avatar using Photoshop. Now, you can turn any human images into Avatar following this tutorial.

(View This Tutorial)

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According to Ben Fried, MTA Chair Jay Walder said in a statement, “We need to get out of our own way and instead get out in front of the data sharing revolution.”

Walder also said, “By making access to our data directly from our website, we are encouraging the developer community to do the work we can’t to create apps that benefit our customers at no cost to the MTA.”

The data includes stuff related to routes, schedules, and fares, which is about all anybody could ask for.  Developers just need to be careful with regards to using the MTA’s logos and maps, since the organization wants developers to license them.

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It’s tragic stuff, and it deserves our attention and support – there’s no doubt about that.

When something like this occurs, the main job of charity organizations like The Red Cross is to get the word out to the masses.

Food, water, administration, insurances, transportation and any other miscellaneous elements to a relief campaign cost money.

They send their message to us across all channels – the web, the tv, the radio, the papers, billboards and magazine advertisements. It’s pervasive, which is to say a day doesn’t go by where we aren’t asked to give money.

Now, take this into consideration. Here’s a list of all the natural disasters that happened in 2009 recorded by reliefweb.int (this doesn’t cover the unnatural disasters like wars, torture, deforestation, pollution, mass murder etc.).

Overall there were 133 disasters from that year alone!

That’s a lot of disasters right?

Do you think that it’s unreasonable that a person on minimum wage or middle-class should donate money to every one of the disaster relief funds of that year? I thought so too. But a lot of people are left feeling guilty that they didn’t do their part.

The reality of the situation is that too many people equate charity to forking out cash. The reality of the situation is that there is suffering happening all the time, in all parts of the world – not just when you hear about it in the mainstream.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that money is the only way that you can help people – because it’s all too easy and it’s untrue. Equally, don’t fall into the trap of thinking that foreign aid is the only way that you can make a difference.

Of course there are issues abroad that need to be resolved – but let’s not forget the ones at home!

How Can I Help Without Spending Cash?

I’m here to remind people that charity does not mean “open your wallet” but rather “open your heart”. LOVE is what we practice when we donate, whether that donation is of our money, our time or otherwise.

I’ve taken the time to compile a list of ways that YOU can be charitable without opening your wallet:

Figure out what you’re good at and find ways of using those skills to help others

I regularly offer charity organizations help with their marketing.

Volunteer to serve a common cause in your local area

Have a look on the web or in the papers for a way that you can help with local charities. There are many ways you can help such as:

• helping out at a local homeless or drug rehabilitation center
• spending your time at a listening post, giving people the opportunity to share and be heard
• Helping out at orphanages
• working pro-bono at local charity offices in administration

Promote charities that you resonate with on your websites and blogs

Julian Habib does this on his Facebook page, and is a good example of how even just clicks can help get relief aid to where it’s needed.

Be the messenger – be vocal

Share your concerns with your family, friends and colleagues by simply educating people about what’s going on in the world. Change can happen when people are aware of what needs to be changed.

Realize that without you, you cannot be charitable

It’s the story of the chicken and the egg. Your eggs (offerings) are so much more powerful when you are in a perfect state to be able to give birth to them! Think of how much more of yourself you could share if you had an abundance of free time, money and power.

Recently Google hinted at moving away from China as a search engine provider there. Some seem to think that it is a tactical strategy to get China to loosen up their censorship regulations, since Google now own a considerable share of the search engine marketplace.

Even if this is untrue, it’s a great example of how you should be thinking of ways of leveraging your own position in order to get the things done that you feel most passionate about. If you can’t do them today, don’t sell out and do them half-heartedly. Plan ahead and plan BIG.

Conclusion

Focus on what’s important. Are you going to have more of an impact on the world if you throw a dozen dollars now and again at the world’s biggest charity organizations, or if you go out and meet real people and see first hand how your presence impacts their lives or the ecosystems or the planet?

There’s no right or wrong to this answer – but believe me – exclusively donating money is not the name of the game – your ability to share yourself is.

Lastly, if you have anything you’d like to share with the people reading this post that I’ve missed out (and I’ve missed out a lot for the sake of length!) please comment this post with your suggestions! We would love to hear from you.

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I was excited when I saw @Kim send a tweet with the link for this amazing interview with John Knoll, the co-developer of Photoshop. The person conducting this interview is @Scobleizer, and he does an incredible job. John is a smart, humble genius and watching this interview is definitely worth your time. One of the most interesting parts of this interview to me is when he talks about what it was like to pitch the idea of Photoshop and what some reactions were. What great history, wisdom and lessons to be learned.

This video was just posted onto YouTube yesterday. According to the site, “John Knoll released Photoshop 20 years ago next month with his brother, Thomas. It changed the world of graphics and digital photography in a big way. Here’s the full interview, done in a hallway of Lucasfilms’ Industrial Light and Magic, where Knoll now works (he does special effects on films, including on Avatar).”

Get ready to be inspired!

Thank you to http://www.flickr.com/photos/synx508/3128207481/ for the birthday candle photo!

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WebProNews got a look at some of the company’s upcoming offerings, which can be viewed in the following clip:

Among the Verbatim’s upcoming offerings are the "smalest USB drive in the world and the "smallest portable hard drive in the world). These are the "Tuff-’N'-Tiny" USB drive and the Titan SX portable hard drive. The former, which is waterproof, dust proof, and shock resistant comes with password protectection software, and in 2, 4, 8, and 16GB capacities. The price points are affordable too, with the 2GB drive priced at $12.95 and the soon to be released 16GB drive retailing for $86.99. The Titan SX portable hard drive will come in 320, 500, and 640 GB capacities at the end of February, and up to a TB by Q3.

Also on display was the upcoming InSight USB portable hard drive with always-on LCD display.  Check out the video to catch a glimpse of the products.

Keep an eye out on WebProNews and the WebProNews Video Blog for more interviews and product demos from CES.
 

Related Articles:

> A Print Shop for a New Decade

> A Close Up with Sony’s New Personal Internet Viewer

> HP Unveils New Touch Notebook and Some New Minis at CES

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The first product showcased is the Tuff-’N’-Tidy drive, which Verbatim is touting as the “smallest USB drive in the world”. The T-n-T line will be available in 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, and 16GB – which will be available later in the year.

In keeping with the ’smallest in the world’ theme, Verbatim showed off their Titan XS portable hard drive lineup. These devices are made with portability in mind. They will be releasing with 320GB, 500GB, and 640GB options. A 1TB (terabyte) version will release sometime in Q3.

The final Verbatim Item from CES 2010 is their Insight USB portable hard drive. While not being the smallest in the world, they have a sleek design. A “cholesteric” LCD display allows users to show a custom title, and shows the amount of hard drive space left. The product will release in 320GB, and 500 GB capacities.

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Here is a pretty cool flash game by the guys from oneclickdog.com. There was once a world of living robots, but one day a bad accident occurred in the main power generator and the world fell into a deep sleep.

Your objective is to solve the puzzle and bring life back to the world!

It took me about 20 minutes to solve the game without looking at the walkthrough. Let me know in the comments how long it took you to solve the game. Have fun!

(Seen at notcot)

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The Social Analyst is a weekly column by Mashable Co-Editor Ben Parr, where he digs into social media trends and how they are affecting companies in the space.

We’ve seen some major world events unfold on the social media stage this week, the biggest being Google’s threat to pull out of China and the Haiti earthquake.

Google’s actions have brought attention back to the long-standing Internet censorship that blankets China, while the destruction in Haiti has mobilized hundreds of thousands to open their wallets and their hearts.

Just like the Iran Election crisis, people are again assessing the impact of social media on the world. It’s clear that social media has the power to impact world politics and the lives of billions, but some have overstated what social media can actually do. We need to understand what social media really is in order to utilize it effectively for social good.

Let me explain by highlighting a few examples of social media’s impact on the world stage, and then concluding with how I view social media’s impact in the larger context of mobilization and world discussion.

The Iran Election Crisis

During summer 2009, the world’s eyes were fixated on Iran. Questions were raised after Ahmadinejad was declared the winner over rival Mousavi in Iran’s Presidential elections. The abnormalities and potential tampering of the vote resulted in massive protests that engulfed the Islamic nation.

Social media’s role in the Iran Election Crisis started with #CNNFail, but that was only the beginning of social media’s role. With the Iranian government clamping down on information and enforcing censorship, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube became the primary mediums for bringing information out of the conflicted nation and spreading notes between dissidents.

Take a look at the Iran Election social media timeline we built if you want to see its full impact. Key moments in the crisis, especially death of Neda, were recorded and spread like wildfire, creating an outpouring of support for the protesters. Twitter’s role was so important in fact that the U.S. government got involved in scheduling Twitter’s downtime.

In the end though, social media didn’t topple any governments, although it has helped shift the political climate in Iran. In some cases the use of Twitter in Iran was overstated, yet the result is that the tipping point for Iran is close, thanks to social media.

The Haiti Earthquake

After a magnitude 7.0 earthquake (and multiple aftershocks) devastated the nation of Haiti, social media became the medium in which everybody spread the word. Dramatic Haiti earthquake Twitter pictures swept across the web, while tech giants mobilized.

The most impressive part of social media’s impact on Haiti has to be the charity text message campaign that has already raised more than $10 million for Haiti victim relief. Social media spread the word, technology made it possible.

It’s not all perfect, though: the money raised is small compared to the relief coming from world governments and donations face 90 day delays. Still, social media for social good is becoming more and more effective with each crisis.

The China-Google Standoff

While we are still far from the conclusion of this messy affair, Google’s threat to pull out of China has already had a dramatic effect in both social media and political circles.

Politically, China has been put under pressure. The U.S. government has thrown its support behind Google, though it’s doubtful that the Obama administration will get involved in the end.

More importantly though, social media is being used to lift China’s blanket of censorship. Social tools, while many are blocked by the Chinese, can get through China’s great firewall. We have the tools to undo censorship in China. Google’s efforts have re-ignited the debate over censorship, but they won’t break the barrier.

Breaking Down Social Media’s Global Impact

In all three cases (China, Haiti, and Iran), social media has had an impact, especially as the course of events evolved. Real-time communication platforms like Twitter and Facebook have spread the word about what’s happening within these nations, long before the mainstream media prints the story. These tools have also created a level awareness we’ve never seen before.

We have to be realistic, though: new media isn’t going to stop censorship, overthrow oppressive regimes, or heal the people of Haiti alone. Social media has transformed communication, media, and the transmission of information, but it still takes people on the ground to pull people out of the rubble or to fight for freedom.

Just as Paul Revere embarked on his midnight ride to warn that the British were coming, social media acts as both the first warning and the rallying cry for mobilization. In the end though, social media is just a collection of tools. It’s up to us, the people, to make the real impact on our world.

Tags: china, Column, Earthquake, Google, haiti, iran, politics, social media, The Social Analyst, trending, U.S.

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LG hosted the Mobile World Cup in New York for 26 contestants from 13 countries yesterday. The South Korean team won the grand prize for overall performance, but a Portuguese competitor set a new texting world record.

Each team consisted of two competitors — one who specialized in numeric keypads, the other in QWERTY. Games intended to measure texting speed and efficiency were conceived for the event. The South Koreans (teenagers Young-Ho Bae and Mok-Min Hatook) took home the $100,000 first place prize, the Americans (Morgan Dynda and Kate Moore) came in second to win $20,000, and Argentinians Juan Ignacio Aufranc and Agustina Montegna placed third for $10,000.

One of the events at the Mobile World Cup involved trying to set a new Guinness World Record for texting speed. The existing record was successfully broken when Portuguese competitor Pedro Matias typed a 264-character message in one minute and 59 seconds — that’s 23 seconds faster than the record set by Arttu Harkki in 2005. That was with a QWERTY keypad, though. You can say it would have been more impressive on a numeric keypad, but we challenge you to do better. Here’s a quick promotional video covering the event.

[via Engadget]

Tags: guinness world records, LG, texting

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It was a real treat to see the work of the Curb, the world’s first natural media company. For Natural Media, it means that they solely use natural earth elements, such as sand, snow, water, grass, etc, all for the sake of our media needs. And they rock doing it.

“We have created a portfolio of unique eco-advertising services and a crack green team of creative experts, to provide clients with outstanding natural marketing which impacts on their target consumer without impacting on the environment.”

Check out their site for more of their great work: Mind the Curb.

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LG has shown off a bright new Blu-Ray player that is the world’s first to come with its own hard drive built into the box. Unfortunately – it’s not for ‘backing up’ your Blu-Ray movies to a hard drive. Instead, it’s for storing music and other media files so you can make the Blu-Ray player the centerpiece in your media setup.

(…)
Read the rest of LG BD590 Blu-Ray Player Uncovered [LG's Latest Blu-Ray Player First With Onboard Hard Drive, Also Has VUDU, WiFi Connectivity]

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We thought Zillow’s 2011 IPO was a good sign for the tech and Internet market. Intel has not only just confirmed that notion, but blown everybody’s expectations right out of the water.

The world’s largest chipmaker just wowed Wall Street and the tech world with its latest earnings report. The publicly-traded company reported a net income of $2.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009, up an amazing 875% from its $234 million earnings in the fourth quarter of 2008. This more than beat Wall Street expectations.

While we won’t go into detail over the financial numbers (you can do that here [PDF]), we do want to highlight some of the key stats:

- Revenues in Q4 2009 rose to $10.6 billion, a climb of 28% from $8.3 billion last year.

- However, if you look at the big picture, Intel had a better 2008 than 2009. 2009 revenues were $35.1 billion, while 2008 revenues reached $37.6 billion. That’s a 7% difference.

- Intel predicts revenues of approximately $9.7 billion in Q1 2010, above Wall Street estimates.

- Around a year ago, at the heart of the economic collapse, Intel decided to invest $7 billion into new chip plants. It looks to be paying off.

Intel’s Q4 report is one of the first to come out this year, but it won’t be the last. If Intel’s numbers are any indication though, we’re nearing the light at the end of the tunnel.

[img credit: Thomas Hawk via Flickr]

Tags: business, business news, finance, intel, trending

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Comic books are close to many of us designers’ hearts, since these are likely our first encounters to the amazing world of art. These days, they continue to become even more sophisticated and expressive from when we first experienced them as kids.

So to keep your inspiration going, I’ve collected a series of breathtaking comic book cover designs, both past and present. I hope they remind us all of that rush of exhilaration when we bought our first, freshly printed comic book, and motivate us to inspire the same feelings in others through our own works of design. Enjoy!

Inspiring Comic Book Cover Designs

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Zillow, one of the world’s largest real estate websites, could opt for an IPO as early as next year. It’s a dramatic change from a year ago, when the recession pushed venture capital and technology IPOs to their lowest levels in years.

In an interview with BusinessWeek, Zillow COO Spencer Rascoff stated that Zillow is looking not only to go public in 2011, but is seeking ways to improve its valuation by courting new investors and solidifying itself as the world’s “fastest-growing real estate site.”

Zillow still faces a major challenge though: It’s still not profitable. Still, we expect Zillow to do well in IPO. It has a recognized and fast-growing brand that keeps innovating. Zillow’s IPO performance could be a strong indicator for how other Internet companies will fare in the recovering market, most notably Facebook.

Tags: business, ipo, market, stock market, zillow

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In the wake of Google’s threat to pull its business completely out of China, the entire world is responding, including Chinese Internet companies, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and the Chinese government — in the form of censorship.

A quick recap: Yesterday, in a lengthy blog post, Google revealed that it was the victim of sophisticated attacks against its infrastructure, originating from China (possibly from the Chinese government itself).

The targets were the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. As a result of these attacks — along with Google’s discovery of already compromised Google accounts — the company has decided to not censor its search engine, even if it means being kicked out of China.

The Fallout Has Begun

As we wrote yesterday, the political, social and moral implications could be huge. And, in fact, the fallout has already begun. World leaders are beginning to chime in, none more prominently than Hillary Clinton, President Obama’s secretary of state.

Here’s what she had to say in a brief statement:

“We have been briefed by Google on these allegations, which raise very serious concerns and questions. We look to the Chinese government for an explanation. The ability to operate with confidence in cyberspace is critical in a modern society and economy. I will be giving an address next week on the centrality of internet freedom in the 21st century, and we will have further comment on this matter as the facts become clear.”

As with most statements, it doesn’t reveal all that much. However, we now know for sure that the government has been aware of the situation and will be specifically addressing the issue next week, allowing for the government to gather more information and likely talk to the Chinese in private.

In China, the Google News Is Being Censored

How the news is being interpreted within China is a tricky subject, because it’s getting suppressed in the communist nation. According to a New York Times report, the news was heavily censored or quickly fell from the headlines.

One quote from the article really caught my attention. It’s from an 18-year-old Chinese law student:

“The government should give people the right to see what they want online,” said the woman, Bing, who withheld her full name for fear that it might cause her problems at school. “The government can’t always tell lies to the people.”

At the same time, China’s Internet industry has been shaken to its core, according to The Wall Street Journal. Concern has swept across the industry, as Google’s technological presence has been a boon to the nation’s rapidly growing Internet sector.

It’s probably safe to say that no Chinese Internet company can match Google’s technology or innovations, and losing access to that is an issue. It also has a lot of investments and partnerships that could be affected by a pullout.

This news will continue to leak to the Chinese people, despite the censors. How much information they got, or what explanation the government would give if Google.cn were to simply disappear, is still unknown.

The pressure has begun to build on China, and it’s not going to go away anytime soon.

Tags: censorship, china, Google, Google China, Hillary Clinton

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What’s one of the single biggest media explosions of the past couple months? How about James Cameron’s massively epic Avatar? Aside from the much-documented use of Papyrus for the film’s logo, it was a pretty incredible film, especially from a visuals perspective (I thought the story was good, but not outstanding). This movie is about a lot more than the story, though. It’s all about the incredible digital creation of an entire digital world.

When I watched the film last week, I was really struck by the vastness of Pandora (especially since it’s only a moon), and the incredible imagination that went into the design of the various creatures. I don’t even know what too call most of them, but they all seemed to have their basic form in animals I recognized. There were giant beasts that looked like a highly modified rhino, smaller predators that ran like wolves in a pack, and a much larger predator that was like some sort of giant black panther on some powerful, mutating steroid (one of my personal favorites).

Obviously, though, one of the biggest parts of this budding franchise is the Na’vi, those wonderfully blue indigenous people of Pandora, who call themselves the People and are the guardians of their beloved world. It seems to me that these people have already completely captured the minds of the worldwide Avatar audience, and that this film could very easily establish an enduring legacy that will implant itself firmly in our cultural consciousness.

Just look at some of these examples of stunning fan art:

Neytiri by Orpheelin

Princess of the Omaticaya

Avatar Wallpaper

-Avatar-

Avatar

Na’vi

Avatar Na’vi

AVATAR

Neytiri

Jake Sully

There are some beautiful images here (and you can see even more below), and the implications of all these creations and astounding. The film has only been out for around one month, and many people have already seen it multiple times. I went to see it with a friend, and am considering going back to see it with my wife.

The film and it’s story appear to have already pieced deeply into our cultural fabric, and while I’m not certain that there is anything in the film quite as iconic as a character like Darth Vader or Yoda, the plethora of fan images and frenzy of discussion and activity surrounding the film will grow beyond the screen. I personally expect to see the foundation of an entire franchise, complete with novelizations, graphic novels, toys, possibly a cartoon series. I would even expect to see some sort of cinematic sequel, despite the massive cost of creating the first one.

Of course, the Na’vi people are at the very center of all of this, as we can see through even more artistic renditions of them:

Na’vi

DERP NA’VI OC

jake sully

Neytiri

Neytiri

The Na’vi Connection

neytiri avatar

Avatar’s Na’vi

Jake Sully Study

Neytiri

The immense popularity of these people raises some very interesting questions about exoticism and the human condition. I tried to include mostly original paintings and drawings here, but if you take even a quick look around deviantArt, you can easily find all sorts of instances where people have actually manipulated self-portraits in order to transform themselves into Na’vi.

This is nothing new, really. For years, there has been an entire sub-genre of fantasy in which people envision different types of humanoid creatures (often cat-like), in an effort to push past the mundane every-day-ness of their own humanity. It’s basically a form racial escapism (which is different from racism, since we are accepting that all of humanity encompasses a single race).

The very premise of the Avatar film takes this to a whole new level, though, since one of the key elements actually involves humans using technology to grow Na’vi bodies and temporarily transfer their consciousness into that body. It’s the ultimate fictional realization of this form of escapism! I think that this is at least part of the reason why these blue people, and the film surrounding them is proving so popular.

Avatar: Jake and Neytiri

Neytiri

My Na’vi

Na’vi

Neytiri

Ultimately, I see everything that’s going on here as a designer’s dream, albeit through a very specific form of design. I haven’t seen any interviews or special features myself, but I know enough about the special effects world to also know that hours and hours and hours of work must have actually gone into designing the Na’vi as a race. They had to look distinctly alien and foreign, but still resemble humans and be attractive enough for the audience to be drawn into their world.

It must have taken a significant investment, by a large number of incredibly talented people to bring the Na’vi from a conceptual people to an entire race of fully rendered digital characters.

Now imagine one of your own designs reaching such a level of cultural success as Avatar seems to be destined for. Perhaps it’s a logo that becomes as renowned as the Nike swoosh or McDonald’s golden arches. Or maybe it’s a poster that becomes so well known that an entire stream of similar designs emerge in tribute or reference, like the famous Uncle Sam poster. Maybe it’s a product, like the iPod, which defines an entire aesthetic, all on it’s own!

It would, I think, be incredibly arrogant and probably foolish to make such recognition the goal or purpose of any design. As designers our primary objective must always be to ensure the successful realization of a particular goal or purpose, which I do not believe should ever be fame itself.

But that doesn’t mean we can’t dream.

What do you think? I know I was kind of all over the map in this post, but I wrote it as a kind of showcase of and reaction to the incredible amount of beautiful Avatar artwork that I’ve seen popping up. Which ones were your favorites? Are there any other comments, reactions or ideas that you would like to add?

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Google dropped a bombshell today, declaring that it won’t censor Chinese search results after sophisticated attacks on the Gmail accounts of Chinese human activists. This opens the door not only for China to kick Google out of its country, but for a renewal of the battle over censorship and government oppression in China.

I’m going to divide this analysis of the ramifications of Google’s decision into three sections: what this means for China, the impact of the decision on global politics, and its potential effect on censorship itself.

What It Means for China: Not Much

Google may be taking a stand and threatening to pull out, but we predict that it won’t be enough to sway the Chinese government to let the Google China search engine run unfiltered, even if world governments apply strong pressure.

Let me make it clear: China has a long and disturbing history of censorship. I could link to hundreds of examples, but I think you get the picture.

Google isn’t the U.S. Government; it doesn’t have the political or technological leverage to make the Chinese government to do anything. Even the U.S. Government has limited influence, due to the economic ties between the two nations and our large debt to the Asian nation.

To think that China would change its rules and allow its citizens unfiltered access to what it believes is objectionable content (e.g. porn), as well as information and images on its greatest atrocities, is absurd. China backing off would weaken its iron-grip hold and open it up to more calls for the abolition of censorship inside its borders.

The end result is that Google will likely be gone from China and censorship will continue, at least in the short term. Only if Google agrees to some less-restricted censorship rules will the search engine be allowed to stay.

China’s about to feel some heat from the rest of the world, though.

The Global Censorship Debate Has Been Reignited

Google pulling out of China won’t be the end of the issue. Members of Congress have been very critical of not only China’s censorship and human rights violations, but of Google for complying with Chinese censors.

Now lawmakers and governments worldwide have another reason to speak out if China kicks Google out. The criticism will mount from institutions, organizations, and governments worldwide over China’s decision.

Google’s positioning it so that this is China’s decision, not Google’s, over whether the search engine stays operational within the nation’s borders. This is a smart move on their part and places China in an uncomfortable position.

The world will also begin to focus on the specifics of the attack on Google’s infrastructure. Who was targeted? How deep of a role did China play? What information do they have? What actions can be taken against China?

In the end though, China is a sovereign nation with one of the world’s largest economies. There will be a lot of head-butting over the next few weeks, but we doubt that anything more severe than condemnations will be issued.

The posturing and criticism will, however, return the spotlight on China and its questionable practices. That is a good thing. The debate has been reignited, which will make us question once again what China is doing on the web and beyond.

The State of Censorship

The world’s focus on major issues comes and goes. It was red-hot on Iran during the Iran Election Crisis and has been on and off when it comes to Chinese censorship and their human rights violations.

Today’s move places the spotlight back on China and the state of censorship, at least for the next few weeks. The 24/7 news cycle will analyze all of the angles, especially if China does end up kicking Google out. The more information that comes out, the more pressure that will be placed on China.

Even though Google will likely be a casualty of the censorship war, it will not have been taken down in vain. Activists will be reinvigorated, new information will be revealed, and the fight against oppression will continue.

How the war will turn out or when it will end is anybody’s guess. We haven’t even come close to seeing the full implications of Google’s decision. You can bet though that the effect will be felt for years to come in political, social, and technological circles worldwide.

Tags: censorship, china, Google, politics

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The Star Trek fan’s equivalent of World of Warcraft is now playable thanks to an open beta test — and you don’t even have to spend $60 to buy the game as long as you can put up with a few bugs.

While Star Trek had become a struggling franchise in recent years, the blockbuster movie reboot from J.J. Abrams that hit last May renewed interest online and elsewhere.

Right now the easiest way to get a key to play Star Trek Online is to sign up for an account at gamer download mecca FilePlanet, but more choices will come.

Virtual worlds of one kind or another have always been part of Mashable’s territory, but positive news on that subject has been slowly drying up. Maybe Second Life didn’t turn out to be the revolution a lot of people hoped it would be, but that alternate reality social life is still going strong in the video gaming world.

Games like this are hardly mainstream, though. World of Warcraft’s creators brag that the game has 11.5 million subscribers, but quite a few of those gamers primarily play in Asian Internet cafes, which are a whole different world.

It’s true that there’s a chance Star Trek is now a big enough franchise to push social gaming in a persistent, virtual world into the limelight; interest is only going to grow with the recent announcement that a sequel is coming in the summer of 2012. But the problem is that this Star Trek Online game is actually based mostly on material from the ’90s TV series, not the new movie. It’s also PC-only software (most mainstream folks play on the web or on game consoles), so its niche is obvious: computer gaming geeks who grew up on The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine.

Chances are you’ll be waiting a little while longer for these sorts of games to escape the hardcore gamer ghetto. It’s a pity, though. There’s a lot of potential there.

Tags: atari, beta, cryptic studios, gaming, MMO, mmorpg, Star Trek, star trek online, video games, virtual world, world of warcraft

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Avatar may be one of the biggest grossing movies of all time, but it’s got a lot of fans feeling super blue (pun wholly intended).

CNN just came out with an extremely detailed report on the intense depression that Avatar is causing among a certain segment of fans, fans who psychotherapist Stacy Kaiser describes as “lonely to begin with. They’re seeing Avatar, they’re lonely people, a lot of them don’t have a lot going on in their lives right now… The movie opened up a portal for them to express their depression.”

These fans are turning to online forums — some of which have thousands of posts on how to deal with the cinema-induced sadness — to express their distress. Here’s a few excerpts from the CNN report:

“Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them. I can’t stop thinking about all the things that happened in the film and all of the tears and shivers I got from it.. I even contemplate suicide thinking that if I do it I will be rebirthed in a world similar to Pandora and the everything is the same as in ‘Avatar.’ ”
– Mike

“When I woke up this morning after watching Avatar for the first time yesterday, the world seemed … gray. It was like my whole life, everything I’ve done and worked for, lost its meaning…It just seems so … meaningless. I still don’t really see any reason to keep … doing things at all. I live in a dying world.”
– Ivar Hill, 17, Sweden

In short, people are depressed because their own lives don’t measure up to the fantasy, a phenomenon Kaiser likens to the ennui one feels after seeing a romance movie if one happens to be unattached and dissatisfied.

CNN goes on to examine how the 3D technology only served to deepen the depression, as the realistic landscape of the film seems almost within reach, even though it doesn’t actually exist.

Well, if that’s the case, entertainment buffs better start popping the Prozacs as mainstream TV stations go 3D, and holograms are incorporated into standard award show fare.

Has anyone out there experienced post-Avatar depression?

Tags: avatar, Film, trending, video

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As you probably already know, Trey Ratcliff – the guy behind StuckInCustoms.com, the #1 travel photography blog in the world – released in December a great book called A World in HDR, which I had the pleasure of reading. The book presents the art of HDR mastered by Trey Ratcliff, and it presents it with a very nice sense of humor and passion that it makes you really excited to try it out if you are a beginner, or to improve your skills if you are already a pro.

Trey’s excitement, passion, talent and humor are a extremely evolving reading, getting our interest throughout the whole book. His adventures, trips partners (the urban legend Yuri), tricks and ‘sunsets fixation’ are able to evolve readers off all kinds, those interested in photography, HDR lovers (and also the ‘haters’), art lovers, general readers and those curious people that like stunning images.

The book explains the world of HDR… it gives us an insight about it, what it is, what is the concept about it and how is it that he does it. By the course of the book you will appreciate the whole range of colors so much that you will think why is it that you are not doing your own HDR to share with your lovely ones. You will get so excited about colors, light and tripods that you will finish the book and will run out of your house to try your fist experiment… and as in my case, you will see that is needs more than reading to get to do it right, but at least will will take the first step.

I made here a selection of some of my favorite images from the book and also some of my favorite quotes from Trey. I really recommend this book either you are a photographer wannabe (like me), a pro or a photography lover. The images and reading will surely conquer you… Enjoy!

I saw the light. Now I want to tell you about it.

A Snowy Night at the Kiev Opera House

Ultimately, I believe we are traversing the most exciting period in the history of photography. The use of emerging visualization tools combined with your creative spirit can make something that is singularly beautiful and uniquely yours.

Farewell India

Road shots are always fun, and although I hate to offer this advice because it is dangerous, it is often best to be in the exact center of the road.

The Open Road

Don’t worry about getting caught. Churches are much more lenient that they were during the Inquisition.

Notre Dame of Lyon

You must check out Trey’s step by step of how to enter into cathedrals with tripods… it’s really cool.

The Airy Doom of the Duomo

Wake up early when you are in a new place. I don’t like waking up early, and those who say they do might just be lying. But the light is usually so good that you can’t sleep through it.

Masts and Shafts

This is my favorite image of all! I just loved this place, the light, the boats, the water…everything.

A Small Carousel in France

If you want to take an HDR photo, it is fundamentally important that you capture as much light as possible when you are on the scene with your camera.

The Fallout Bunker

I encourage you not to stay indoors during a storm, unless there is lightning of course, in which case you should probably stay inside. Otherwise, forget what your mom told you about rain.

Fourth on Lake Austin

The Tutorials & Some Further Tips

At chapter 5 you will find tutorials that will guide you through the process of producing a HDR using the Stuck in Customs Style. The tut is easy to follow (even for a beginner like me) and you won’t find those difficult terms or commands that you don’t have a clue about it. But the important thing about this is that Trey also gives a perspective of the whole process, camera, tripod, taking the photo and so on. So if you are really just starting this, you will have now a good background of info to do it. And at chapter 6 he gives us some good advices about software and tools.

I will show you the results of my first HDR attempts to show that if I could manage to achieve this (without having good photoshop skills), you can certainly do better!! I certainly need to go wild on the lights x contrast next time. By the way, my mom said the images look great for a beginner. =)

First Attempt

Second Attempt

Single Raw

Single Raw

Check out more about Trey here at Abduzeedo:

Trey Ratcliff’s Wonderful HDR Images

Trey Ratcliff’s Wonderful HDR Images #2

A World in HDR by Trey Ratcliff

A HDR Experiment by Fabio:

HDR Experiments and RAWs for download

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SuperTalent have unveiled what they proudly bill as being the world’s first mobile USB 3.0 flash drive in the form of the SuperTalent USB 3.0 RAIDDrive which boasts data transfer speeds of around five time that offered by comparable USB 2.0 devices.
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Twitter meets TV. Watch live TV on your PC and tweet about it. Watch shows from all over the world and read what others have to say about it. Watch TV news, sports, entertainment. Includes channels from US, UK, Germany, France, italy, Netherlands.

http://chitter.tv/

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Two more weeks to go until Apple will present officially its tablet to the world. In the mean time we get to explore more rumors and leaks which happen to confirm the device and reveal more of its specs and features.
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The website SpeedCine.com makes it easy for users all over the world to find out what movies are available online and where.

SpeedCine is basically an aggregator of legal movie sites: It helps you find free movies or movies you can rent or buy. SpeedCine tracks Netflix, iTunes, The Auteurs, Crackle.com and dozens of other services, and offers users a choice of options quickly and easily.

This video gives you an overview of what SpeedCine does:

When the site launched this fall, its focus was on the U.S. — because many of the largest services are U.S.-based. However, as founder Reid Rosefelt explained to me via e-mail, that level of specification is far from ideal. The Internet is increasingly melting barriers between countries, and the idea of keeping content segregated for certain geographical locales is becoming increasingly silly.

SpeedCine will soon work all over the world, but the first big focus in the international rollout is the UK, because they have so many different websites. iTunes-UK, Blinkbox and LOVEFiLM are just some of the UK-specific sites that are supported.

In addition, SpeedCine has deals with all six iTunes stores to handle movies and arrangements with companies like TheAuteurs — which have relationships with distributors all over the world — so that people can access content regardless of location.

We think that this site is really brilliant, not just because it is useful — because it is — but because it can really make the process of finding content, regardless of location, easier for users. In turn, maybe the industry will take notice and start taking the initiative to work out rights issues, rather than just ignoring the international community.

How do you find movies online?

Tags: Film, hulu, netflix, speedcine, theauteurs

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Creative visualization is the technique of using one’s imagination to visualize specific behaviors or events occurring in one’s life. Advocates suggest creating a detailed schema of what one desires and then visualizing it over and over again with all of the senses (i.e., what do you see? what do you feel? what do you hear? what does it smell like?

Now there is a tool for self visualization on the web called YouTego.  The process of self-visualization in Youtego is a combination of semantics (word, phrase) and its visual representation (picture, photo), that you define and select-crop all by yourself. Ultimately, you get the combination or matrix of visual objects that you personally defined and visualized. That combination is younique, because you are younique! However the elements of that matrix  may match with people’s Tegos anywhere in the world.

As a result, you start matching with people by elements (Tegos) that you defined and start experiencing this natural feeling that we all, humans possess – discovering the world of people, the world of self-similarities, the world of emotions around you.

Included a demo for you to appreciate further how it all works.  Try it out!!

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Search interesting Twitter people from all the world. Search your favorite topics, hobbies or business. Add or update any Twitter user. My Twitter Cloud is a Twitter lists based application.

http://www.mytwittercloud.com

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Browse pictures, videos and interactive maps of the top attractions around the world on Funtouristattractions.com, the most comprehensive visual travel guide on the web. Our interactive map shows a categorized “heat map” of the best attractions in a city.

http://www.funtouristattractions.com

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But found a video and it seems that there are some silly stuff you can still try on your mobile device according to Sam of VideoJug.

1. Step 1: Open your car

   There is some dispute over how and when this works. It certainly depends on you having the right locking system on your car, and even the type of mobile you have, so give it a whirl and see if it works for you

   If you somehow lock your cars key fob in the car, phone someone at home who has the spare. Bare in mind it must be a mobile to mobile call. Get them to press the open button whilst pointing the fob down the phone. Meanwhile, hold your phone about a foot from the car. With a bit of luck it will open.

2. Step 2: Check for a faulty microwave

   Put a mobile inside your microwave and give it a ring. The oven is designed to keep microwaves in, so if it rings, you may well be leaking waves all over the place, and should get it checked. There is a small gap for waves to escape, but it should at least dramatically limit the signal.

3. Step 3: Mobile phone throwing

   Start training for the mobile phone throwing world championships in Sweden. This started in 2000, and marks are awarded for distance and creative choreography. 95.53m is the unofficial world record, thrown in England in 2007. The minimum weight is 220 grams, so don’t try and throw one lighter than this, as that would just be silly.

You don’t believe me? lol then check out the video below.

Cellular & Mobile Phones:
Stupid Things To Try With Your Phone

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“In the real world, far away from here, these little devices have already done more to improve lives at the base of society’s pyramid than perhaps any other technology in history,” Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo told a crowded auditorium during his keynote speech at CES. The cellphone company’s competition, dubbed Calling All Innovators, will kick off in February, and the winner will be announced in June, he said.

For many people across the world, primary access to the Internet would come through their mobile phones and not from personal computers. The goal, then, is to make basic cellphones more affordable, he said, because “they have, in fact, become a necessity for upward mobility.”

For example, while there are 4.6 billion mobile phone subscriptions across the world, there are only 1.6 billion bank accounts. So Nokia will launch its Money apps during the first half of 2010, Mr. Kallasvuo said, so users can manage their finances and make mobile payments without having to travel long distances or wait hours in line at banks.

And while 75% of the world’s population doesn’t have access to email, Nokia’s app store, Ovi, now offers a free email service. Five million people signed up for accounts in its first year, he said.

“Mobile apps have been big in bringing hope and higher living standards to millions of people,” said Mr. Kallasvuo. “This trend promises to accelerate in the coming decade as the capabilities of the smart phones spread across the globe.”

Nokia’s roving cultural anthropologist Jan Chipcase, whom Mr. Kallasvuo jokingly referred to as the company’s Indiana Jones, also took the stage to explain how the company observes consumer habits in places like Afghanistan, India, China and Brazil. Mr. Chipcase said the company sought to learn from the adaptations people had made, because “scarcity is what leads to real innovation.”

“Once objects become small enough to fit in a pocket, they rapidly find a way around the globe,” he said. Mobile manufacturers, then, should know that they’re competing with the best in the world. “That’s now the benchmark for these consumers,” he said.

More CES coverage on Digits

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ION chose this years CES event to showcase what they term as the world’s first desktop keyboard designed exclusively for the iPhone, known as the ION iTYPE.
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Stuart Hughes, the Liverpool-based company behind the iPhone 3GS SUPREME, the solid gold PS3 SUPREME or the golden Nintendo Wii designs that got our eyes in 2009, are at it again, by announcing the new Nokia SUPREME as the “world’s most unique & expensive Nokia handset ever made”.

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Sony have taken the wraps of what they bill as being ‘the world’s first compact digital still cameras to include full HD (1920 x 1080 60i) Advanced Video Codec High Definition (AVCHD) video capability’ in the form of the Sony DSC-HX5V (pictured above) and Sony DSC-TX7 (pictured below).
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Read the rest of Sony DSC-HX5V & DSC-TX7 Compact Cameras Boast 1080i HD Video Capture Capabilities [World's First Full 1080i HD AVCHD Video Capable Compact Cameras]

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I called an exterminator who came out and eased my mind even more. He explained that while I did have a termite infestation they were the subterranean termites rather than the feared Formosan Termites.

If you Google the term “Formosan Termites,” you’ll come across pictures of a creature so veracious that houses infested by them often fell in half. House that are really infested by them often cannot be saved.

So, I felt lucky to have a less serious termite, and simply arranged for the exterminator to send a technician out to treat my house.

When the very polite exterminator came, he explained that he was going to drill holes near the sides of the house, every eight inches wherever there was a concrete slab (such as front porch, back patio, and driveway). He pumped poison into those holes and filled them back in, forming a barrier.

Next he dug a trench, all the way around the house, right against the foundation. He pumped poison into this trench, and filled it in.

Then he asked me to sign a paper, saying that he was finished and that soon my termite problem would be GONE.

He went on to explain that the termites would actually kill each other by being too social. Termites groom each other, and so what happens is that a few termites get the poison on them, and they take it into the colony. Then by grooming each other, they spread it throughout the colony, whereby they eventually wipe out the entire colony.

This is a case where being social is deadly.

I spend time in another world where being social can be deadly, and where you have to watch out for creatures carrying poison. That world is the world of online social networking. Fortunately, if you follow just a few rules, you avoid the poison, most often spread in the form of negativity.

Here are the very simple rules that I follow when interacting on social networking sites and why.

1) Avoid negative people. I control my thoughts and feelings. I don’t let people filled with negativity “rub off” on me. When someone that I encounter on a social networking site comes across as overly negative, I simply remove myself from their world. I stop following them.

2) Don’t talk religion. My religious beliefs were passed to me by my parents, grandparents, and other elders, while I was still a child. As I grew older, I examined what they taught me, and developed my own belief system, still based largely upon what they taught me. That’s how most of us arrive at our current religious beliefs, or lack thereof.

During my 50 trips around the sun, I’ve noticed that no matter what you say to many people you will never change their religious beliefs to the same as yours… and I personally don’t believe that you should try to. I’ve also noticed something VERY strange about many of us… we naturally assume that other people that we interact with believe the same as we do.

People KILL each other over differences in religion, and it’s a topic that I simply choose not to engage in on the social networking sites.

3) Don’t talk politics. In American society, and in many other societies, it’s actually our civic duty to participate in electing our leaders, and making sure that they serve the will of the people.

The problems with discussing politics are the same as with religion… people assume that you believe the same as they do. Just as in religion, they are so convince that they are right, and they assume that you are a rational, intelligent creature… therefore how could you NOT see the world the same as they do.

As I watched the conversation on Twitter during the most recent presidential elections, one thing was really reinforced. It’s very difficult to change a person’s point of view. People watched the presidential debates, and their comments on Twitter were basically that their candidate had won…regardless of which candidate they supported.

4) Connect with those interested in the same topics as you are. When you follow, and are followed by those interested in, or even passionate about, the same topics that you are interested in, you’ll naturally discuss things interesting to both parties. This makes for a satisfying interaction.

You’ll naturally share fact and resources of interest to both you and your followers.

Speaking of sharing resources, be yourself and you’ll say the right thing most of the time. When the authentic YOU shines through, networking on the social networking sites is effortless. I often have people who are new to social networking ask me what they should say. My answer is be authentic!

Back to sharing resources, I see no problem with sharing links to useful resources that you feel will be of interest to your followers. That’s where connecting with others with like interests becomes important though.

I also don’t see anything wrong with sharing affiliate links. When you are recommending something that you really believe in, what’s the problem? The “purist” who DO have a problem with your periodically having links in your posts will simply exit your world – they’ll unfollow you. That’s not a bad thing, since you don’t really resonate with them.

You DO need to study the culture of the social networking platforms that you are on. Some are more open to certain types of interactions.

As an example, if your primary purpose in being on the social networking sites is to promote your business (if you are a Type-A personality… all business) then you want to seek out sites where a lot of people like you hang out. Those sites do exist. An excellent example, is the site Sokule, pronounced “So Cool.” Sokule was set up by marketers, for marketers. You are actually encouraged to advertise on the site.

Sokule has several levels of memberships, starting at free, but with upgrades that give you more built-in applications at each level. I am a member at the top level (a “Founder”) and the tools that I have even allow me to direct message ALL of my followers every three days. That in effect even means that I can consider my Sokule followers, those who choose to connect with me, as being a quasi-list.

You can check out Sokule at http://budurl.com/fjnk

Go ahead and grab a free Sokule account if you market anything online. It’s the perfect platform for marketing your business. As you dig into Sokule, you’ll discover that within three weeks of my starting to actively promote Sokule, I was in the top THREE all-time referrers, and the NUMBER-1 referrer of upgraded members. So, I’m telling you about a platform that I know like the back of my hand and generate a LOT of business from.

I also know Twitter well. As I rapidly approach 30,000 followers, I am getting the hang of being a good citizen on “Planet Twitter.” That’s why I felt compelled to share this article with you.

I saw a lot of Twitter users who, like the termites, are unknowingly taking poison back deep within the colony, and spreading it onto the community members that they interact with. Don’t you be one of those people poisoning the community. Awareness, is the key to not being a spreader of Twitter toxins.

I’ll close with one final reason that you don’t want to come across so toxic on ANY social networking platforms, with Twitter being the one garnering all of the buzz right now… when many companies are considering hiring an individual, a routine part of their pre-employment investigation is to see if you are on the social networking sites, and if so, what you are like there.

Companies, potential business partner, etc., understand the importance of NOT bringing those with toxic personalities into their folds. Now hopefully you do too. Now, hopefully you also understand why you absolutely must not be a “Toxic Twitter Termite.”

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

Don’t Be A Toxic Twitter Termite

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Tell your friends and the world how are you doing.

Feelinq is free service which allows you to get to know how your close friends and family are feeling at the moment, in real-time. It also has been vastly used to measure how the World has been.

http://www.feelinq.com/

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One of big challenges for 3D experience on the Internet was the Internet speed and bandwidth. With the increasing Internet speeds, new trends open to the 3D world over the cyber space.

I doubt that any of us do not know Second Life and the debate the run around it as a new 3D experience over the web. Although its unified and new approach to web 3D using the social media concept, Second Life was not the first 3D web application in the Internet history.

Since years, there were alot of attempts to create 3D worlds over the web, but these attempts were faced with a big challenge, which is the internet limited speed and capability to transfer large 3D files. Nowadays, the internet becomes faster and more capable to handle large files transfer such as the 3D web applications.

With this new internet capability, the virtual 3D world comes to life again and many pioneers has attempt to launch online 3D worlds and 3D online chat applications that allow you to customize the world around you and choose your own style character. This experience is not just for fun and chatting, but also for business developing and online virtual companies meetings.

Below are an amazing collection for the best 3D world applications that let you create you own virtual presence over the web free of charge. Furthermore, it allows you to create your own business of firm presence.

Vivaty

Vivaty is a 3D chat and 3D world that lets you create your own style and environment, as well as chatting with friends and login with your favorite social networks.

Protonmedia

You can use Protonmedia to create you virtual business presence such as creating virtual office and employees. It can be helpful in creating virtual meetings and online meeting using your own 3D character that represents your emotions and acts.

Kaneva

Not only 3D chatting, Kaneva helps you to create 3D world for your own and interact with online friends with different 3D characters and experience.

Justleapin

Justleapin allows you to create 3D world and connection with friends in the 3D virtual world. Furthermore, it allows you to add photos, video and music and share it with friends.

Club Cooee

With the cartoon style 3D characters, you can create your own and meet with other cute characters friends. And share with them activities and fun.

Amazing Worlds

Amazing Worlds is a pioneer of the Worlds 2st 3D mirror world that creates virtual world for real locations in the world. Amazing Worlds has been acquired by Autodesk, the leading 3D software company.

3D City

3D City lets you create  3D environments for you own site. You can use their service for you community site as well as 3D chatting application.

Second Life

Second Life is the most famous 3D chatting and virtual world web based application that includes huge number of users and sociality that allows you to connect with friends and create your own virtual life. Second Life allows you to improve your business and create your own virtual business presence.

Onverse

Onverse lets you connect with friends in the 3D world by choosing your own 3D character and connect with other friends in the 3D world.

Meez

Meez is another interesting 3D chatting and 3D world website that allows you to share the 3D experience with friends and create new friends.

IMVU

One of the most famous 3D chatting application that allows you to create you own 3D character and choose its style and connect with friends in amazing virtual environment.

Moove

Moove is another 3D chatting environment web application that lets you chat in  3D worlds and with 3D characters.

There

There is another famous 3D chatting virtual environment that lets you connect with friends.

Prototerra

Protoerra provides 3D world for your 3D chatting experience. It also allows you to create high quality 3D environment for your virtual life.

Awol Now

Awol provides you with the most funny characters and cute environment.

Exit Reality

Exit Reality allows you to create your own 3D experience for both fun and business purposes through high quality 3D characters and content.

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Lenovo has taken the covers off of two new computers that they’ll be releasing soon. The IdeaCenter A300 is a 21-inch all-in-one desktop that Lenovo hails as the world’s thinnest, coming in at just 18.5mm deep (the iMac, for comparison, is 18.85cm). The other new product is the IdeaPad S10, which Lenovo says has the world’s first MultiTouch display on a netbook-tablet.

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Some days ago I’ve posted about the 10 Tallest Skyscrapers in the World, and I couldn’t include this one because the building was not done at that time. Well, now this list has a new top 1… it was presented in Dubai the Burj Khalifa or Burj Dubai, the tallest building in world today with 828m. Wow!

<!–break–>

Officially opened yesterday, January 04 of 2010, the Burj Dubai is the tallest building made by the humans hand. When I looked at the first pictures in the beggining of the construction in 2005, I almost couldn’t believe in the enormous building they wanted to put in that place. The Burj is far taller than the previous record, the Taipei 101 Tower, in Taiwan with 509m. The building can be viewed from 95km away, is covered with 26,000 glass panels and the estimate cost for the Burj Khalifa was about US$1.5 bilion.

“The tower is a global icon. It represents the determination and optimism of Dubai as a truly world city. It is a powerful symbol for the entire Arab world.” Mohamed Alabbar

The numbers are somewhere around ‘awesomeness’ and that is exactly what they like. In another post we talked about the The Unusual Architecture of Dubai, where you can see that the buildings are created to make history, no matter how architects will be see them. We have to think if we really want this as a reference to new projects, what is the reason to build stuff even taller and more expensive? Maybe the investiment on the urbanism and the planning of Dubai would be more important than those sinlge projects.

The History

Some Videos

Take a look the latest news and the main sites about Burj Dubai:

• dailymail.co.uk
• dailyfinance.com
• archdaily.com
• news.bbc.co.uk
• guardian.co.uk
• burjdubai.com
• .burjdubaiskyscraper.com/
• wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Dubai

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Photographers use their cameras to freeze special moments in different places around the world to let us enjoy it and learn about new experiments rather than the scenes we watch around us every day.

Creative photos hold many aspects than just beautiful shot, the creative photos use colors, light and contrast concepts to transfer to us deep feelings behind each photo.

This post features four of the talented photographers that were able to smash out minds with great photo shots for different subjects and feelings. Although all the photographers are commonly share the love to nature, but each of them got special subject to cover and focus on with strong evident that the nature is always rich with ideas and creative inspirations.

Please note that photos in this post are property for their respected artists and presented here with permission from them, please do not copy, download or redistribute artwork displayed in this post.

Revonda G

To learn how to see behind the lens of a camera has been one of Revonda’s greatest joys and passions. She sees photography as a wonderful medium that can teach us to see the world in ways never thought of. One of her favorite quotes is “Normally, we do not so much look at things as overlook them”-Alan Watts Although shooting for a short time, in four years Revonda’s eye and passion has had her work published in a special National Geographic’s collector’s edition book called “Your Shot: A 101 Best Photos”, published June 2009. National Geographic also picked another of Revonda’s images to be featured as downloadable wallpaper in September 2009 from National Geographic’s online magazine.

There is nothing she will not shoot; “if the light is right” is her philosophy. This philosophy has given her many opportunities and adventures such as shooting pro-sports for columbuswired.net, shooting the holiday card for the Ohio Statehouse in 2006, to meeting and shooting the descendents of Thomas Jefferson at a family reunion, images and story published by the Ohio Historical Society. She learned studio photography shooting pets and their owners as a way to donate the proceeds to humane shelters around Ohio. Many of her wildlife images were featured in a gallery show called “Voice of the Voiceless” in Armenia to raise awareness of shrinking wildlife habitats.

Exploring the world behind the lens of a camera has had a few perks along the way as Revonda has won many cameras, gear and awards, but her favorite perk has been to be able to shoot and share photography with her three daughters. One of Revonda’s main goals is showing others interested in photography that it is an ever changing and expanding hobby/art that can last a lifetime and the rewards a true gift.

Male African Crowned Crane

Bird Feeder

Mystic Pond

Hugs

Stuck on You

Divided

Strike

Spotlight

Wojtek Kwiatkowski

Horses have been subject for inspirations through the history, not only in photography, but also in traditional arts. Horses photos were the most remarkable part in Wojtek’s profile. He could unify his work with providing one-of-a-kind creative shots for this beautiful creature.

Arabian Horse 1

Arabian Horse 2

Crocodylus Palustris

Arabian Horse 3

Time… Like River

Flamenco

The Messenger

The Flock

Flamenco

Portrait

Alex Tremps

Sea and shores in Alex Tremps creative photos have a different face of creativity. Alex photos take the shore scenery to a different world of magic and wonders. Alex nature photos are remarked with the dramatic use of light, colors and choosing the special moment to take the shot.

Looking at The Sea

Costa Brava

Castle of Madeleine

Waiting Moon

Water Circle

Atardecer en St Francesc

Stone Watch

Rainbow Over the Rain

Stone Ship

Goldenrock

Christopher Schlaf

Chris says: “Photography is something that I think about constantly there are times that I ask myself what in the heck did I used to think about before I got into this??? I consider myself to be very honest.When I comment on photo’s I mean what I say.If I comment on your photo that does not mean you owe me a comment and if you do take the time to comment I also want the truth.I want to be the best I can”.

Ambush Bug

Old Blue eyes

Robber Fly

Tiger Beetle

Red Eyed Tree Frog

Tiger Swallowtail

Crab Spider

Water Dragon

Jackson’s Chameleon

Related topics you may like to read

• Stunning Landscape Inspirations
• 40 Breathtaking Sports Shots by Photojournalists
• 35+ Stunning Conceptual Photography Ideas
• Most Amazing Photos from the World Cultures
• Amazing Black and White Photography Collection
• Amazing Photos For Creative Inspirations
• Digital Photo Manipulation Stunning Ideas
• Best Photos, Best Shoots!!
• Way Cool Black and White Photographs
• Most Amazing Children Photography Collection

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Right after learning that Skype got to the next level by announcing that their latest application will bring 720p HD video calls to the masses, here comes something that will totally blow you away; ESPN is all set to take sports broadcasting to a “whole new dimension” as the company is launching the industry’s first 3D television network, starting with a World Cup soccer match featuring South Africa vs. Mexico, in June.

(…)
Read the rest of ESPN 3D to Broadcast Starting This June [ESPN 3D Launches with World Cup Soccer Match This Summer]

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The lightsaber has come and gone in several different forms and shapes. You can buy it or make one using toilet paper rolls taped together. However, in a fight I would suggest you run instead of fighting. The outcome of that fight is quite clear if you really think about it.

But, there is also another way to make your very own lightsaber. And a truly cool and good looking one if you ask me! Alright, maybe it doesn’t come with your own light ray cutter blade and all. This you have to add digitally. But look at it from the positive side. You get to pick your own color. Every Hello Kitty fan should love this as you all get to pick pink as your saber light blade. You could even give it the Avatar blue if you’re in to that whole world instead. I still prefer one of the original colors. Blue, Red or Green.

So, you’re eager to get started and let me tell you. Your lightsaber is not far away from being done and it won’t cost you that much either. But, I should warn you that it’s quite a bit of work but the result is all worth it. Another warning would of course be that all of your friends will be jealous so keep that in mind before you go showing off your new found love. Enjoy!

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Originally posted at The Social

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She got married and had a baby very young, which led to a divorce and hard times. She is an example of someone who followed her dreams relentlessly and pulled herself out of the rut she was in. She was up against serious odds that would have made some of the strongest people crumble. Now she is taking that experience and using it to motivate and inspire others. It is people like her that truly make this world a better place.

My Twitter friend @dasaples, sent me this video below and I was so moved by it I had to share it with you. If you are in a situation where you are wondering whether or not to keep pursuing your dreams, you must watch this.

I know from being an entrepreneur for over a decade that at times we doubt ourselves and wonder if it is all worth it. We work so hard each day with no guarantee that it will all pay off. However, deep down we know that if we love what we do and feel that fire inside, we are on the right track and doing what we are born to do. We can take a deep breath and say, “Everything is going to be ok.” Be brave!

Watch Kandee Johnson’s story and you will be inspired to take the next step towards your own dreams. And, in Kandee’s own words, “May 2010 be filled with sparkles, love, dreams, and lots of hope!”

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1. Blizzard Entertainment

2. Ubisoft

3. Infinity Ward

4. Atari

5. Electronic Arts

6. Konami

7. World of Warcraft Burning Crusade

8. World of Warcraft Wrath of The Lich King

9. World of Warcraft Cataclysm

10. Killzone 2

11. Metal Gear Solid 4

12. Assassin’s Creed 2

13. Need For Speed Shift

14. EVE Online

15. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction

16. Diablo 3

17. RUSE

18. Red Steel 2

19. Uncharted

20. Uncharted 2 Among Thieves

21. Avatar

22. I Am Alive

23. Dragon Age Origins

24. Forza Motorsport 3

25. Final Fantasy XIII

26. Guild Wars 2

27. Tekken 6

28. Sims 3

29. Command and Conquer 4

30. Left 4 Dead 2

31. Bioshock

32. Bioshock 2

33. Star Trek Online

34. Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising

35. Call of Duty

36. Crysis

37. Far Cry 2

38. Battlefield 1943

39. Battlefield Bad Company

40.Battlefield Bad Company 2

41. Burnout Paradise

42. Motorstorm Pacific Rift

43. Midnight Club 3

44. Split Second

45. Colin McRae Dirt 2

46. Fuel

47. Fallout 3

48. Mass Effect 2

49. Age of Conan Hyborian Adventures

50. Muonline Game

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