International

Is Leapfish, Search's Missing Link?

by Ron Callari

Many have tried, but it's been over a decade and none have succeeded in out-Googlin' Google. Yet here we go again, with yet another search engine entering stage right trying to capture our "attention-deficit" attention. Repackaging online search as something new infers the Web has evolved. And while real-time and social search have certainly changed the alchemy of search, what does Leapfish know that has eluded Google et al?

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Pig Lid Pot Cover Gives Home Cooked Meals Great Taste, Good Humor

by Steve Levenstein

The Pig Lid pot cover is a steamer's dream, as everybody "nose". Horrible puns aside, this ingenious Otoshibuta is at once a play on words and a handy way to steam food in an oven-top pan.

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How "Mickey Mouse" Is Re-Branding?

by Ron Callari

While branding oneself takes time and effort to spin out a new product, re-branding can take several washes to redefine that same brand. Take for example the work United Airlines had to accomplish after breaking someone's guitar. Let alone the number of Twitter apologies issued forth by Chris Brown and Kanye West. But when others do it in reverse and run their good-guy image through a darkside wash cycle, the task might be a little easier. Such is the case with the re-engineering of one Mickey Mouse.

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Even The Taliban Are Social Networking

by Ron Callari

Did the "voice of jihad" just get a little louder? Afghan tribalism has origins that date back 1400 years to the early Muslim and Islamic civilizations. With a lifestyle based on jihad and an economy that thrives on opium trade, who would have thought that these warring factions in Afghanistan and Pakistan would ever embrace social media as a means to communicate.

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Animal Character Round Mug & Spoon Sets Add Cuteness To Any Kitchen

by Steve Levenstein

Like cute things but demand convenience and quality? Japan has much more to offer than Hello Kitty, as these Animal Character Round Mug & Spoon Sets by Decole show so well.

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Fictionaut Utilizes Social Media For New Self-Publishing Platform

by Ron Callari

For wordsmiths the world over, a rejection notice is the common denominator shared by the entire literary community whether you are the next Hemingway or a weekend poet. However unwelcoming, those "we regret to inform you" letters have become a right of passage for writers. On the flip side, all an author really wants to see is his or her words in print. To that end Fictionaut, an online social network for fiction writers addresses that need.

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Top Ten Best Visualization Tools for Social Media, Blogosphere, Internet & News

by Ron Callari

Art, maps,imagery and graphs add context and a visual component to numbers, locations, and information. With as much influx of data we contend with on a daily basis, visualization tools allows our brains to take a rest while perceiving content in a different light. In essence, visualization allows us to stop and smell the pixels, in spite of the fact we might learn a few things along the way.

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Twitter Lists Inspired By Tweetdeck, Google Wave & Enterprise Microblogs

by Ron Callari

With the Holiday Season fast approaching, you might want to consider "making your list and checking it twice."Lists are the new order of business in Twitterville. Some say it will take the place of "Follow Fridays." Others think its jumping on the the Google Wave and Enterprise Microblogs' bandwagon.

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LED Eyelashes Light Up Your Lids

by Steve Levenstein

False eyelashes not getting you enough attention? LED Eyelashes from Korean designer Soomi Park will have you turning heads so fast you might be sued for causing whiplash.

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Google's GPS Speeds Past Stand-Alones

by Ron Callari

Ubiquitous Google is out there once again speeding past anything it finds in its way on what we use to call the Superhighway! This time its taken to the gadget world by transforming their Android phones into mobile GPS navigation systems - and its free!

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LED Toothbrush Shines The Light On Dental Health

by Steve Levenstein

The LED toothbrush from Beldente lights up your mouth as you brush. Not only does this make it easier to see where your toothbrush is going, the LED light is set at the wavelength periodontal bacteria hate the most.

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Twilight's New Moon & Social Media, America's New Stimulus Plan?

by Ron Callari

Twilight New Moon & Volvo Social Media Campaign

What is so hot about the Volvo's XC60 coupe? Described on their Web site as a cross-over "with a big attitude," one would expect a car of this type to be owned by soccer moms driving their kids to practice. With a couple of well-placed product placements in a hit teens' & 20-somethings' movie, that same car is going to be on a lot of Christmas wish-lists this holiday season.

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Google & WOWD Putting Humans Back Into The Search Equation

by Ron Callari

Like Mahalo, ChaCha, Eurekster and a few other social search engines before them, adding humans to the search function seems to be having a resurgence in popularity. After all when Google jumps into the fray, people do stop and listen.

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Why The Fail Whale Is Here To Stay!

by Ron Callari

While the Fail Whale comes and goes. - sometimes its absence is missed as much as its presence. Ever wonder why the ubiquitous Fail Whale cannot disappear forever? Here's the rationale of some of the top thinkers on the subject.

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Men's Leggings Excite Thighs and Whispers on Tokyo Streets

by Steve Levenstein

Men's leggings, or "Meggings", have been spotted on the streets of Tokyo. Is the apocalypse really at hand or is it just some bad fashion afoot?

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Barcode Plus: Company That Believes In Full Consumer Disclosure

by Beth Hodgson

There's a black market for stolen goods in many countries around the world that get passed off as legitimate. Not only is this misleading to unsuspecting consumers, they can encounter legal ramifications for purchasing counterfeit goods. In order to help businesses and consumers verify the legitimacy of their purchases, Barcode Plus has been created.

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Microsoft Windows 7 Whopper: Big Launch With An Even Bigger Lunch

by Steve Levenstein

Microsoft celebrated the launch of their highly anticipated Windows 7 operating system worldwide with a smorgasbord of offbeat promotions, but nothing could top Burger King's 7-patty Windows 7 Whopper in Japan. DO have a cow, man!

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Learn Japanese or English with a Geek Goddess at Idols Foreign Language Academy

by Steve Levenstein

Japanese Idols... they're not jeweled statues you'll find in a temple. These idols are pretty young girls who show off her cute looks and debatable talents on TV, at websites, in magazines and now... in a unique Akihabara language school.

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Retro Form + Techno Function = HiPhone (not iPhone)

by Steve Levenstein

It's a phone! It's a music & video player! It's NOT an iPhone, but the HiPhone F320 has a few other things going for it, not the least being its quirky, retro, phone dial wheel style.

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Feel Good Ripple: A Canadian Project Built On Kindness And Giving Back

by Beth Hodgson

If we could, most of us would take the opportunity to give back and put a smile on the face of someone else, but we just don't always know where to start or don't have the ample financing available to make our aspirations a reality. The Canadian Credit Union Servus has spearheaded a project just focused on good deeds.

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