Thursday 30 April 2015
Facebook users donate $10 million to Nepal
Facebook users have proven the "donate now" button on the social platform is an extraordinarily powerful tool.
It has only been two days since the donation button to help the people of Nepal affected by a devastating earthquake went live at the top of Facebook feeds across the world. In that time, more than half a million people have donated and raised more than US$10 million in funds for International Medical Corps (IMC), according to Facebook.
Nepal was devastated on April 25 by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which killed thousands of people. IMC has been behind the massive global relief effort, as the capital of Kathmandu along with other areas, lie in ruin. The social network will also donate an additional US$2 million to local recovery efforts in the region, after agreeing to match donations up to this point. Read more...
More about Facebook, Social Media, Nepal, and Nepal Quake2015 Volkswagen Tiguan Test Drive And Review: Crisp Crossover
Someone trolled an advice columnist with a letter straight from the 'Full House' plot
Advice columnists have to respond to some pretty complicated and dramatic scenarios — and, sometimes, even a TV plot or two
One particularly trollish reader sent a letter in to the Winnipeg Free Press advice column, "Miss Lonelyhearts," asking for child-rearing guidance. The only catch was: The anonymous writer, who signed off as "Desperate Dad," was describing the premise of the '90s television series Full House
More about Pranks, Trolls, Watercooler, Conversations, and Full HouseDEAR MISS LONELYHEARTS:
My wife was recently killed in a car accident caused by a drunk driver. She left behind our three little girls, the youngest being only six months old. My job keeps me very busy and sometimes has me working unpredictable times of the day and week. I know I'm not going to be able to raise my children all by myself. I have recruited my brother-in-law and best friend to live with me and help raise the children. Do you think having three males in the house raising children is the right thing to do?
—Desperate Dad, Manitoba Read more...
How Computers Could Hold Back Leaders Of The Future
There's only 1 week left to submit your work for the 2015 Mashies
From marketing and advertising to social media and PR, the Mashies are all about the very best in digital.
Want to attend? There's only one week left to submit your work to be considered for Mashable's annual celebration of the agencies and brands that are paving the future of communication on new digital platforms
Submit your work now by 12 a.m. on June 5 for the chance to win. There are several new awards this year, including two in our brand-new Public Relations category, and for the first time ever, we'll be accepting submissions for our coveted Overall Awards. Read more...
More about Events, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, and The Mashies'Arrow' Season 3, Episode 21 Review: Bride Of The Demon
7 reasons why the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight will be biggest grossing in history
When Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao meet at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas for their long-awaited fight on May 2, it is expected to be the highest-grossing boxing match in history. Revenue from the fight is tipped to reach a record $400 million. Here are seven reasons why:
1. Boxing is a money-making sport
Boxing's first million-dollar fight took place way back in July 1921. It was between American Jack Dempsey and Frenchman Georges Carpentier in Jersey City and the stands built for 91,000 were packed to capacity.
Since then, boxing matches have continued to generate huge sums of money, especially since 1990; ten fights have generated more than $60 million. Tickets for the fight start at $1,500 — and 1,000 of the best seats have been sold for $10,000. Most of the money will come from pay-per-view TV sales; viewers are paying $99.99 to watch it at home in high definition. Read more...
More about Entertainment, Sports, Boxing, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather Jr.School kids get impromptu lesson when military helicopter makes emergency landing
Elementary school kids in Alexandria, Virginia, got a surprise lesson on Thursday, after a military helicopter made an emergency landing on their field.
There were no children outside when the helicopter landed at William Ramsay Elementary, according to the school. But a physical-education class got to get a close-up look at the aircraft, which landed due to mechanical problems.
More about United States, Military, School, Us, and PicsU.S. military helicopter which made emergency landing on field next to William Ramsay. Kids heading out to look at it pic.twitter.com/1ZFekKjvHY
— Alexandria Schools (@ACPSk12) April 30, 2015 Read more...
4K UHD Digest: New 4K TVs, 1st 4K TV Channel Launch, New Tech Boosts 4K Streaming, 4K Content Update
NASA is crashing a probe into Mercury today
Bye, bye, Messenger, and thanks for the memories.
NASA’s Messenger spacecraft, which has orbited Mercury for about four years, is expected to crash into the planet closest to the sun Thursday, ending its long and successful mission
Scientists predict that when it impacts the planet, it will leave a 50-foot-wide crater on its surface.
The “impact will not be in view,” Daniel O’Shaughnessy, Messenger systems engineer said during a news conference earlier in April. “It will happen during a planetary occultation, so the spacecraft will pass behind the planet — out of view of the Earth — and will just not emerge again.” Read more...
More about Space, Nasa, Us World, Us, and MercuryFour Lessons Firms Can Learn From Family Businesses
Alpacas are popping up in random places across Australia
Alpaca Week has officially launched in Australia with none-other-than a bunch of Alpacas making random appearances across town.
First a heard of the cool creatures were spotted making their way through the streets of Melbourne, then 30 alpacas popped up in a pen at Parliament House in Canberra.
Alpaca Week, starting on May 2, is for no reason other than to promote the beloved animals, which have family ties to camels
Alpaca breeder Angela Betheras told the Australian Associated Press she has a herd of 70 alpacas on her property in Victoria. "I just fell in love and they are so intelligent and I think sheep are just a bit silly," Betheras said Read more...
More about Australia, Us World, Pics, Alpaca Week, and AlpacasFacebook Has 40 Million-Plus Small Business Pages
TAG Heuer's luxury smartwatch to cost $1,400, have a 40-hour battery
Swiss luxury watch maker TAG Heuer's smartwatch will have a price tag of $1,400 when it hits the market in October or November this year, company CEO Jean-Claude Biver said during the opening of a Hublot boutique in Dubai Mall.
According to Bloomberg, Biver also said the smartwatch will have a 40-hour battery. For comparison, the 38mm version of Apple Watch has an 18-hour battery
No other details about the as yet unnamed luxury smartwatch were revealed. TAG Heuer announced in March it will be powered by an Intel chip and will run Google's Android Wear, while Reuters reported it would be based on the TAG Heuer Carrera, a sporty, luxury timepiece with a motor racing pedigree Read more...
More about Smartwatch and Tag HeuerWednesday 29 April 2015
An Australian rugby superstar is using a cheat sheet at the 49ers
It was one of the biggest sporting stories to happen in Australia — National Rugby League player Jarryd Hayne walked away at the top of his game to chase his dream of playing in the NFL.
The former Parramatta Eels player turned his back on a multi-million dollar contract extension — which could have made him the highest paid league star in Australia — to try his luck at getting a contract in America. The risks were high and the opportunities appeared low, but Hayne finally announced he had secured a look-in with the San Francisco 49ers.
More about Australia, Us World, Jarryd Hayne, 49ers, and Parramatta EelsBOXX Cranks Its 8-Core Haswell-E APEXX Workstations Up To Over 4GHz
Locked up with no bail hearing: Many arrested amid Baltimore riots languish for days
BALTIMORE — The majority of people arrested in Baltimore early Sunday morning and late Monday in separate riots have yet to be released or have a bail hearing. Some criminal defense attorneys say court officials don't want to release them ahead of large demonstrations planned for this weekend
Officials have set stunningly high bail for some of the arrestees, as high as $750,000, Miriam Seddiq, who works for Seddiq Law in Greenbelt, Maryland, told Mashable. Court officials are doing this in the name of protecting the city from violent criminals, she said, but some arrested during the looting that took place in Baltimore on Monday say they were simply watching what was happening in their neighborhoods when they were swept up by police in mass arrests Read more...
More about Riots, Us World, Us, Baltimore, and Freddie GrayWith Youju Tudou Partnership, Chinese Drone Maker DJI Turns To Home Market
Australian dogs clap for their own amazing tricks
These two dogs, Holly and Ace, along with their owner Dai, are on the fast track to circus superstardom
Not only have they perfected this balancing act, the talented dogs can also kiss on command, dance with their owner and, most impressively, play doggie basketball.
Mariah Carey with a selfie stick is just as fabulous as you'd expect, darling
LAS VEGAS — Never one to hold her tongue, Mariah Carey dropped several truth bombs during a Periscope interview livestreamed to thousands of viewers.
"Since we're in Vegas, I wanted to play a game with you called 'I Bet'," I said while holding a selfie stick to record our Q&A on an iPhone via Mashable's Periscope account
"I bet I don't like this game already," she quipped, laughing. "I bet I don't, I can't, no."
Well, we played anyway, as you'll see in the above video, to get details about her upcoming Vegas residency at Caesars Palace's Colosseum, where she will perform her 18 No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles and a new song, "Infinity." The residency starts May 6 Read more...
More about Music, Entertainment, Celebrities, Mariah Carey, and Las VegasOil drilling may slow drought recovery in the Great Plains, new evidence shows
As the main driver of climate change, the connection between burning fossil fuels and global warming is clear. But evidence shows they may be connected in another way — the physical footprint of oil and gas development on the landscape may not only contribute to global warming, it may also affect an ecosystem's ability to withstand it.
New research shows that an area larger than the land area of Maryland — more than 11,500 square miles — was completely stripped of trees, grasses and shrubs to make way for more than 50,000 new oil and gas wells that were developed each year between 2000 and 2012. Such broad industrialization may harm the ability of some regions to recover from drought and damage the ability of the land to store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Read more...
Your childhood idol Bill Nye talks about sex
Even Neil deGrasse Tyson wants to know: what does Bill Nye have to say about sex?
In a segment for Tyson's podcast StarTalk, Nye stopped by New York's Museum of Sex to talk about the evolutionary imperative that drives all creatures to procreate
See also: 4 Mind-Tickling Questions With Bill Nye
When it comes to humans, though, Nye says "procreation, schmocreation" — instead of mating for a single season, our evolutionary track led a more pleasured response to sex, meaning humans can go for it at, "any time, any place."
At the end of the video and your childhood perception of the Science Guy, Nye admits that he himself is subject to the same human drives. Walking off camera he says, "All this talk about sex is making me hungry! Wait, that's not what I meant..." Read more...
More about Sex, National Geographic, Viral Video, Watercooler, and VideosAirbnb launches photo-centric app for iPads and Android tablets
Airbnb's app just got a little more travel-friendly.
The company rolled out a new version of the app for iPad and Android tablet users Wednesday, the first time Airbnb has had a dedicated app for larger mobile displays.
Feature-wise, the tablet app isn't much different than the existing smartphone apps. Users can browse and book listings, contact hosts, get directions or check for last-minute rentals. It also has a dedicated host experience, so hosts can manage their listings and respond to messages.
Alex Schleifer, Airbnb's design chief, said the look of the image-focused tablet app is meant to be reminiscent of a magazine spread or coffee table book with big glossy photos. Read more...
More about Tech, Android Apps, Ipad, Ipad Apps, and AirbnbAmy Schumer asks for no-makeup selfies, and she's getting badass responses
"Girl, you don't need makeup/You're perfect when you wake up/Just don't go outside like that, okay?"
On Tuesday night, Inside Amy Schumer made fun of beauty standards and One Direction with a not-so-subtle boy band parody of the band's first single, "What Makes You Beautiful."
The parody echoes the original in both sound and lyric content — for the first verse, at least. First, the boy band pleads with Schumer to take off her makeup ("Magazines say that you're whack/Girl, don't believe them") Read more...
More about Entertainment, Videos, Pics, Tv, and TwitterJustices Struggle With Implications Of A Ruling In Favor Of Gay Marriage
Friday's $1 million Longines Kentucky Oaks, 2015: Fields, Odds, Stories
15 DIY projects for some serious fun in the sun
With summer merely weeks away, it's time to stop dreaming of all the things we could do with our sunny days, and start doing — or better yet, DIYing.
Even if you can't skip work and spend a week lounging on the beach, there's still hope in grapefruit popsicles and easy homemade hammocks
Whether the entire season is your oyster or you're blessed with summer Fridays, there are a few projects you can undertake to make the most of warm, sunny days
Image: Almost Makes Perfect Read more...