The "London Blitz" of World War II left more than a million UK residents homeless. Between Oct. 7, 1940 and Oct. 14, 1941, the German army dropped close to 100 metric tons of explosives across Britain -- the majority of them on London.
The Bomb Sight Project highlights every bomb dropped on the city during the raid in a new interactive map
The project's researchers scanned the original 1940s bomb census maps, then geo-referenced them to digitally pinpoint the approximate locations off all recorded bombs that struck the city.
Interactive marketing and creative design agency SapientNitro is sending friends a bespoke 3D-printed Christmas ornament that was created using their social network data
The company used a data-visualization algorithm to transform the information into a star-shaped decoration. Each of its points and their lengths indicate how many Facebook friends the person has in different places around the world.
The "SapientNitro Social Media Engineered Christmas Bauble of Friendship" comes in over-the-top Christmas packaging and includes a fold-out infographic map that recipients can place their star on to see their galaxy of friends.
You've heard all the warnings about being on the lookout for fake websites when shopping online, and you know you should have an antivirus program running on your computer. You probably know about not shopping on public computers and how to spot a phishing scam. But what about Grey Charges?
"Grey charges" is a new term for when you buy something and then wind up purchasing something else you didn't want, or didn't ask for. BillGuard, a company that provides transaction monitoring and resolution services, says these charges are often the result of companies counting on the fact that people don't read fine print or verify their transactions as carefully as they should.
This type of tattoo won't disappoint your mom. A health-monitoring sensor can be attached to your arm with a temporary tattoo. The blue smiley-face "tattoo" hides medical sensors that monitor your skin's pH levels. The sensors can detect and relay information about metabolic stress from exertion to your doctor.
The temporary tattoos are made just like the ones little kids get in grocery store vending machines, except these contain ion-selective electrodes (ISE). The eyes of the smiley face are working electrodes, while the ears are where doctor's measurement devices can be attached to extract the data
If you're giving or receiving a new laptop for the holidays, you may want to consider an added layer of protection
Laptop theft peaks during the holiday season, according to theft-prevention company Absolute Software. There are plenty of laptop-tracking apps and gadgets that can track your stolen computer. But, in most cases, that's the easy part. It's not guaranteed local law enforcement will help you retrieve the laptop after you've tracked it down
LoJack for Laptops, however, is a service that helps laptop owners physically recover stolen devicesAbsolute Software is one of the only Internet-security companies nearly guaranteeing your stolen laptop's safe return. The company places the odds of recovering a stolen laptop at around 3%. With with LoJack for Laptops, it's more like three out of four instances, according to a company spokesperson
We thought "Call Me Maybe" was supposed to die after the summer
But nope, Carly Rae is back and this time she's bringing her mind-numbingly catchy tune to the holidays via a few extra spirited folks with large electricity bills
Prepare for some dizzy carolers stumbling across your yard due to visual transfixation caused by the incessant, rapid blinking and twirling of hundreds of bulbs
The owner of the second home, Jim Kurtz, from Bel Air, Md., told The Baltimore Sun that he has been synching music to pop songs for the past three years in order to "attract a younger audience to his home."
Comedian Billy Eichner has found the perfect medium, somewhere between traditional and digital media. As host of Funny or Die's Billy on the Street, Eichner reports man-on-the-street style on-the-air, ambushing unsuspecting New Yorkers and giving his two cents about pop culture.
The comedian told Mashable he'd also ambush people on social media if he could. Instead, Eichner remains hyper-engaged with his growing fanbase.
Billy on the Street debuts its second season Friday night. The show features Eichner running around the city, throwing his microphone in people's faces and forcing them to choose between Meryl Streep and Glenn Close
As we enter a hopeful new year, we thought it would be helpful to deliver some key items for your corporate social media strategy checklist for 2013. And, as we also enter a new year of Google changes to the ever-important search algorithm, we include a review of SEO from a social standpoint.
1. Get Internal Team on Board
Before you enter the brave new world of mobile and tablets leading the way of content consumption, quality checks all over Google, and global adoption of lightning-fast broadband with any social media strategy, you will want to make sure all key stakeholders are on board with your goals. As a key performance engine for client/customer engagement, social media activity takes into account all organizational activities that affect those relationships
It's nearing the end of the year, and as we begin to celebrate the holidays, wrap up any business in the calendar year and set expectations for next year, it's worth taking a minute to look back: What did 2012 bring us?
In some cases, it's improvements on an old classic -- from baby monitors to thermostats, cameras to calendar apps, these products that are necessities in daily life are still around, but some entrepreneurs have set out to make them better. We appreciate that, and 's Innovation Index brings recognition to these tools that really stand out and caught our eye. Then, there's a few totally new inventions. Google Glass, the wearable computer isn't in our hands quite yet, and Microsoft Surface, a device that truly caught us by surprise.
While many of these products have made their way into Mashable's coverage before, the Innovation Index nominees were handpicked by our curators, 15 experts and leaders in various fields. We approached each of our 15 curators and tasked them with selecting the most notable, impressive and innovative items that stood out to them.
An innovation stands out because we're impressed when we lay eyes on it. This is perhaps because it does something for us that wasn't possible before, and is inherently useful. Sometimes it's not something we personally use, but opens up new opportunities. Sometimes we're just impressed by the workmanship of the maker.
Take a look at this year's top innovations, gathered together in the gallery above. If you think there's one we missed, let us know in the comments. But don't forget to head over and vote for your favorite innovations -- the deadline is Monday, December 10, when we will be announcing the winners.
Looking for a tasty holiday treat you can make for your tech-loving sweet-tooth friends? How about a chocolate iPhone?
This recipe -- developed by Brit Morin of Brit + Co and featured in the just-released charitable cookbook The Startup Chef -- walks you through how to create an edible iPhone from chocolate melts and Airheads.
Each month, the world watches 4 billion hours of YouTube video. And many people catch those clips during work breaks, while commuting or sneaking them in at the office.
Before I started working at Mashable, I was probably still a significant contributor to this number. I don't sneak videos in between breaks at work, because I'm too busy sleeping, breathing and eating. (Plus, I think about YouTube videos for a living.) This is normally the part when someone jokes that I get paid to watch cat videos all day, but that is a myth that seriously needs to be debunked
The U.S. Supreme Court announced Friday that it will rule on the issue of same-sex marriage, reviewing both California's Proposition 8 law as well as a case from New York that challenges the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)
DOMA was signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, and stated that the word "marriage" referred only to a legal union "between one man and one woman as husband and wife." Because of the provision, the the federal government cannot officially recognize a same-sex marriage (they are only considered married under state law) and therefore must deny benefits to gay couples married in those states where it is legal.
Last month, surgeons at Johns Hopkins implanted a pacemaker-like device into the brain of a patient with mild Alzheimer’s, the sixth patient in a multicenter trial of the experimental therapy. The hope is that the electrical stimulation delivered by the device could improve memory and slow cognitive decline in patients with the disease.
Deep-brain stimulation is already used to treat patients with Parkinson’s, epilepsy, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, and researchers are exploring its use in other conditions, including obesity. In each case, electrodes are inserted into different regions of the brain depending on the intended therapy. In the Alzheimer’s trial, the device is placed into a region of the brain involved in learning and memory.
An online petition asking U.S. President Barack Obama to rescind his Christmas in Washington invitation to "Gangnam Style" rapper Psy has been taken down from the White House's official petitions website "We the People."
The petition emerged Friday after reports saying Psy participated in an anti-American performance in Seoul in 2004 surfaced. The White House says the petition violated its Terms of Participation.
As the screenshot above shows, the URL for the petition included the phrase "troop killing song." Lyrics from Psy's 2004 unconfirmed performance reportedly translate into: "Kill those fucking Yankees who have been torturing Iraqi captives, kill those fucking Yankees who ordered them to torture, kill their daughters, mothers, daughters-in-law, and fathers, kill them all slowly and painfully."
Steve Jobs would probably approve of this iPhone dock's elegant simplicity and logical functionality
It's called the OCDock, and it's designed to meld your iPhone and iMac or Thunderbolt display into one seamless, apparently wireless workstation. But first, its parent company, OCDesk, has a mission to complete: this Kickstarter campaign
The crowdfunding quest has until Dec. 22 to reach a goal of $49,000. It's just topped the $40,000 mark
With success a likely outcome, here's what OCDesk says its new dock connector has to offer: The device attaches naturally beneath a standard iMac or Thunderbolt display, appearing more as an organic part of your workstation than just another piece of office clutter. Another slick piece of design work gives the OCDock its wireless appearance -- there's actually an extremely thin cord that runs under your computer's base to connect to a USB port
Pinterest may be known for home décor tips, craft ideas and destination dreaming, but a Pennsylvania newspaper is using the popular photo-sharing site to post mug shots of people wanted by police officials. And as a result, the community has experienced a 57% increase in arrests.
The Mercury -- which is based in Pottstown, Pa., and covers neighboring towns -- has posted more 74 pictures of people wanted by the police on charges ranging from theft and fraud to assault. According to an NPR report, police received tips from the public almost immediately.
Microsoft's Surface tablet is currently for sale only via the company's website and brick-and-mortar Microsoft Stores. But the Surface may soon be available in many more places -- and in time for Christmas.
According to Microsoft blogger Paul Thurrott, Microsoft is accelerating its plans to get its Surface RT tablet on the store shelves of major retailers. Citing no sources, Thurrott says the Surface could be landing at some of those stores within the next few days. The company had originally planned to expand retail distribution of Surface in early 2013, but Thurrott says it's decided to "ramp up" that schedule for unknown reasons.
Most of us know that the toys we give to kids during the holidays tend to be made in China. However, this is a fairly abstract concept; we don't really know the people on the assembly line.
German-born photographer Michael Wolf is looking to change that with his latest photo essay. The pics highlight the jarring contrast between the often grim factory workers and the cheery toys they create. (Not all workers are downcast; a few are smiling.)
Wolf heightened the dissonance with an exhibit in California that framed the worker's faces within a mosaic of colorful toys
Irish soccer player Jamie O'Hara has quit Twitter after fans attacked him over asinine tweets whining about his huge salary and charitable obligations
O'Hara's tweet that incited fans most bemoaned the added stresses of professional soccer compared to his carefree days as a youth player, reading: "Things were so much easier when I earned 100pound a week on wts #stress."
O'Hara now earns a £35,000 -- or $56,000 -- per week for the English soccer club Wolverhampton Wanderers. And he had more to educate his 175,000 followers about.
In the first poster for sci-fi flick Oblivion, actor Tom Cruise's character stands beside a futuristic aircraft in an uninhabitable city in which so much dirt has seemingly accumulated in streets that a waterfall can form near the top of skyscrapers.
Oblivion will tell the story of a grim future Earth where most people live in the clouds
Universal Pictures describes the film, which comes out April 12 in IMAX theaters, and April 19 everywhere else, as such:
On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man's confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind.
Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack's mission is nearly complete.
Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.
The Internet's favorite file format is an old friend at this point, having just celebrated its 25th birthday. The GIF -- an acronym from Graphics Interchange Format -- lived it up this year, even scoring the coveted honor of word of the year
Though no one can deny the success of the GIF's career, people often don't know its humble beginnings as a dancing baby or the format known as 87A
So take a walk down GIF memory lane with this delightful stop-motion video directed by Sean Pecknold (LEGS Production), presented in association with Moving the Still: A GIF Festival
Think 140 characters isn’t enough to say what you want in a tweet? Get ready for 117.
Starting in February, tweets that contain URLs will be reduced to 118 characters, 117 for https links. While that may seem like a huge drop, the change represents a two-character drop per tweet from what you are currently able to send when a hyperlink is involved.
Announced Thursday on Twitter's developer blog, the adjustment is due to some upcoming changes in Twitter’s t.co link wrapper. The revision extends the maximum length of t.co wrapped links from 20 to 22 characters for non-https URLs and from 21 to 23 characters for https URLs.
It's a strong promise, but smartphone case company Cellhelmet swears by it. Its line of hefty iPhone cases come with accidental damage coverage, so users can make claims for repair if their device happens to break while using the product.
But, the company stresses, the coverage shouldn't prompt users to try to break their phones
An asterisked section at the bottom of their product page states that the cases are not indestructible, and shouldn't be treated as such. All damage claims, if a user chooses to submit one, are subject to a $50 handling fee.
Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts' latest web project, TASTE, will make your mouth water — and perhaps get you into the kitchen.
The international luxury hotel's interactive website, which launched Friday, features easy-to-follow recipes from its executive chefs based around the world.
The hospitality brand, known for its global hotel network and posh restaurants led by decorated chefs, launched TASTE to reach the food-loving community online. The interactive website targets gourmands who enjoy eating burgers off the trucks as much as indulging in (or reading about) exotic entrees at Michelin-starred restaurants.
The travel experience has evolved immensely over the years. Think about it, the biggest luxury at 35,000 feet used to be mediocre meals. Today, you have Wi-Fi access, DirecTV and On Demand programming -- on your own, personal TV! -- that enables you to be productive or entertained while onboard. And remember the travel agent? Your smartphone has replaced him, putting find-the-best-fare abilities in the palm of your hand
The industry continues to evolve rapidly, and that's why Rafat Ali founded Skift, a B2B and B2C content site geared toward sharing travel intelligence, earlier this year
None of the leading mobile browsers have security that's up to snuff, according to researchers at Georgia Tech.
"We found vulnerabilities in all 10 of the mobile browsers we tested, which together account for more than 90% of the mobile browsers in use [in the U.S.]," Patrick Traynor, assistant professor at Georgia Tech's School of Computer Science, said in a school press release.
On mobile browsers, even experts have trouble determining the legitimacy of a website due to the lack of graphic indicators such as a lock icon that show when a browser is using the security protocols secure sockets layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS).
Earlier this year, the European Commission reportedly spent $128,136 to create "Science: It's a Girl Thing," a one-minute promotional video aimed at getting more young women interested in pursuing careers in science
But the plan backfired. Actually, it tanked and sank to the bottom
While the creators' original intentions were respectable, the result was 60 seconds of stereotyping girls as sexual and superficial. In fact, the video was so appalling that the EC had to deny that it was an attempt at irony and try to bury it under the rug.
Among the people using the White House's We the People petition site to seek independence from the United States is Kevin Baugh, "president" of the "micronation" of Molossia.
Molossia consists of Baugh's home and yard and is entirely surrounded by the state of Nevada. Baugh declared the property a micronation and himself president in 1998. The nation has a currency pegged to the value of chocolate chip cookie dough and broomball is the national sport, according to a Chicago Tribune story on the Molossia's 10th anniversary.
Social services that promise to aggregate online content neatly into easily digestible digital piles are nothing original, so where does new site Sulia fit into the mix?
Sulia, evolved from Twitter list firm TLists, offers a subject-based social service that lets you follow topics you are passionate about, from your local football team to television shows to topical political issues.
Ten million unique users have signed up in less than a year, and several big-name investors have contributed some pretty hefty funding. It seems Sulia's mix of crowdsourcing, machine learning and human supervision is making its 1,000+ channels of content a success
Are you running around with a virtual "J for job-seeker" on your forehead? If you're looking for a new opportunity, you may be wearing this imaginary tattoo without realizing it. And the truth is, it's not doing you much good.
To your credit, career coaches have always alleged that networking is the best way to find a job. However, the difference between convincing someone to join your cause and hitting a dead end is all in your approach. For example, when you ask people if they know of opportunities and they don’t, the conversation ends right there.
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