Education

'Social Media First' When Facebook Goes Live With Congressional Changing Of The Guard

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner wants his swearing in to catch Facebook fever. Not content to be picked up by just the traditional mediums of TV and radio, Boehner wants to earn some techie cred by being the first Speaker of the House to go "live" on the popular social media Web site covering his first day's floor proceedings and his initial speech as Speaker.

Archeology Find Indicates Original Cretans May Have Been Shipped In

by Doug Bonderud

In an “old gadget” find of the day, US and Greek archeologists have found evidence that humanity may have been tooling around the ocean earlier than imagined.

Repurposing Gives Literal Meaning To Library Information Desk

by Toby

Hello. Welcome to the Delft University of Technology Library. I am the Information Desk and I am full of it. How can I help you?

1 comment

Google Digests Travel Software To Fatten Its Travel Search Portal

by Ron Callari

Back in April, I speculated that Google would acquire ITA Software, the meta-search technology that drives online travel agents (OTAs) in addition to Bing Travel, and could throw a monkey-wrench into how online search would function going forward. In my post, titled, "Google & ITA Software Could Be Game Changers for OTAs. . ." I noted industry sources that predicted the buying price could go as high as US $1 billion.

9 comments

Kindle Gets Booked On Several Counts Of Free Content

by Ron Callari

As popular as the iPad is for the eBook reader market, there didn't seem to be any slow down in Kindle sales this holiday season. In fact, according to media reports, Amazon was scheduled to ship more than eight million Kindle e-Readers this year - 60 percent up from previous forecasts. And not only are there now more Kindle owners, it is becoming easier to pay for your Kindle with the money you save in receiving free books.

Ridge Around The Moon – The Iapetus Mystery

by Doug Bonderud

In 1671, Italian astronomer Giovanni Cassini discovered Iapetus, Saturn’s most distant moon, and correctly surmised that it was tidally locked to the planet, always showing one light and one dark face. Now, as the Cassini space mission to Saturn returns more data, it Iapetus is showing a new feature – a ridge covering 75% of its equatorial surface.

Social Media Search Targets Quality Followers Similar To Quality Links

by Ron Callari

"Garbage in, Garbage Out" is an old saw used in the last century that implied inputting faulty data would only produce a output of flawed results. Google countered this paradigm in the early days when developing one its signals for its search algorithm - namely link building - and those that chose to game the system by amassing large number of links to achieve higher search rankings.

A Social Media Retelling Of The First Christmas

by Ron Callari

What if Mary and Joseph gave birth to their baby Jesus in the Digital Age? How would they have used the social media tools available to a world where one out of every 13 people have a Facebook account, and one tweet or YouTube video can catch the attention of thousands or millions if it goes viral. The Portuguese digital marketing company, Excentric not only explores that possibility but has produced a video titled, "The Digital Story of the Nativity" to explain to the world how they see that story playing out in the year 2010.

Child's Risk Of Autism Doubles With Proximity To Freeways

by T Goodman

The incidence of autism increased by 57 percent between 2002 and 2007, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Several recent studies have shown that environmental pollution is tied to that increase. The newest one, to be published in Environmental Health Perspectives, reports that mothers living close to highly trafficked freeways are twice as likely to give birth to autistic babies than mothers who do not.

iPad Graphic Novels Feature Buddha & Social Media

iPad Graphic Novels Feature Deepak Chopra, Buddha & Social Media For Holiday Shoppers

by Ron Callari

Graphic novels on iPads make for great gifts as they are the perfect format for reading a genre presented in illustrative color. Kindles which continue to be one of the most popular eBook Readers fall short for graphic novel fans by only offering black and white text. This holiday season, two exciting iPad books hit digital shelves and can be purchased for as low as $4.99 a download.

The Chem 3000 - A Holiday Toy For Adults. Merry Chemsmas!

by The Toymaster

In many respects, growing up sucks. Bills, work and responsibilities tend to drain the fun out of holidays, replacing awesome Christmas toys with socks and shirts. But for those that want a little more bang for their buck this Christmas, the Thames & Kosmos Chem 3000 chemistry set delivers!

Aquadoodle Classic Mat A Draws Kids In Again And Again

by The Toymaster

As Christmas rapidly approaches, parents are seeking the perfect gift for their young children - preferably one that won't damage the house or dye the dog purple. Say hello to the classic Aquadoodle mat.

TV Advertising Still As Effective And Annoying As Ever, Study Finds

by Doug Bonderud

For years, there has been concern in the TV advertising industry that the use of PVRs and DVRs would ruin sales numbers and force a revolution. According to research conducted at the University of Chicago, Tilburg University and Duke University - not so much.

Probably Not TSA Approved - The Playmobil Security Checkpoint

by The Toymaster

With hilarity that seems almost too on-point to be real, the Playmobil "Security Check Point" has seen a sudden resurgence of interest online.

School Rules! 10 Weird & Bizarre Japanese School & Stationery Supplies

by Steve Levenstein

Japan is famed for its education system and rightly so, though with school supplies like these its a wonder students can concentrate on the subject at hand.

4 comments

Qwirkle - Weird Name, Fun Game

by The Toymaster

Fun and addictive with a distinct element of strategy, Qwirkle is a board game that's been winning awards and rave reviews from parents and consumers alike.

Social Media Random Chat Minus The Private Parts

by Ron Callari

When Howard Stern titled his 1997 movie, "Private Parts," it was of course a double entendre that exposed the bad boy radio jock's origins while also referencing his obsession with the physical anatomy. When the video chat site Chatroulette graced (or disgraced, dependent on your point of view) our computer screens, that social network gave a whole new meaning to the psychological term "penis envy." With the recent launch of HowRandom.com, a new social media site looks to eliminate visuals from the chatting equation.

Packaging Your Product For Major Retail Success

by Product For Profit

Packaging is essential to your success with Major Retailers. Therefore, it is imperative that you spend more time and effort on packaging! I've seen amazing product concepts not get realized by Major Retailers because of packaging. Truly, packaging can make or break a buyer's decision as to whether they buy your product or not.

Celebrities Experiencing Digital Deaths In Social Media Fundraiser For AIDS

by Ron Callari

Social Media has long been known for its involvement in charitable initiatives. Among them is Causes, a Facebook application which is very popular among non-profits. Noted proponents like Corey Szopinski, Jane McGonigal and former Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes all come to mind regarding the work that is being done, associated with what is referred to as the Good Web.

In Your Own Voice Storyteller Allows You To Read To Your Child From Anywhere

by Kim Patterson

In the last couple of years a few story reading devices have come onto the market. These gadgets will read the words to your child as he/she follows along in the book. Unfortunately, nothing quite beats the comfort of having a story read by a loved one. The In Your Own Voice Storyteller combines the reading gadget technology with the sound of your own voice.

Please Join Us!