Yogi Land

Today, The New York Times quietly rolled out a new page that serves up a list of recommended stories based on recently read items.

Available at NYTimes.com/recommendations, the page is designed to help readers “see through the news fog,” NYT lead technology reporter Nick Bilton tweeted. It lists 20 recommended articles alongside personal data about the sections and topics one reads most often, suggesting that content is suggested based on those criteria rather than, for example, keywords.

As far as we can tell, the feature is not integrated into the rest of the site, at least not yet. And unlike The Huffington Post‘s recommendation system, for instance, there is nothing social about it — suggestions are based purely on one’s own reading habits, not the reading habits of one’s friends.

We’ve reached out to The New York Times for comment and will update this post with further information after a scheduled call Tuesday.

More About: media, new york times, nyt

For more Media coverage:

• Follow Mashable Media on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Media channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

As the uprising in Egypt enters its sixth night, social media is active all over the world, and to a much lesser extent, inside of Egypt itself.

The government has officially shut down the Internet in Egypt, bringing the information flow from the country to a trickle. However, resourceful Twitter and Facebook users are still managing to get tweets and SMS messages out of the country using clever methods.

Why is there an uprising going on in Egypt? Egyptians are rebelling against the nearly 30-year reign of President Mosni Mubarak and the government corruption associated with his regime. The country’s troubles include a lack of jobs and poor living conditions, and the protesters charge the ruling elite with squandering the country’s resources. They want Mubarak out.

We’ve been closely watching the social media aspects of this revolution since it began, and in case you missed our coverage, here’s a recap:

8-Year-Old Girl Lectures Egypt’s Mubarak on YouTube [VIDEO]

Twitter Declares, “The Tweets Must Flow”

BlackBerry Service Restored in Cairo? [UPDATED]

Visualizing Egypt’s Internet Blackout [GRAPHIC]

Facebook & Twitter Both Blocked in Egypt

Leaders React to Communication Blackout at World Economic Forum in Davos [VIDEO]

How Users in Egypt Are Bypassing Twitter & Facebook Blocks

Internet Reportedly Down in Syria

The Twitterverse Responds to Protests in Egypt [STATS]

Twitter Blocked in Egypt As Protests Turn Violent

YouTube, Flickr Show Escalating Violence in Egyptian Protests

Internet Access & SMS Blocked in Egypt as Protests Escalate

More About: Egypt, facebook, Internet shutdown, Political, Revolution, twitter, Uprising

For more Social Media coverage:

• Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Social Media channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a “surprise” appearance on Saturday Night Live, joking with the actor who played him in The Social Network, Jesse Eisenberg.

Viewers got a triple dose of Zuckerberg as Oscar nominee/guest host Eisenberg took the stage, quickly joined by the show’s Zuckerberg impersonator, Andy Samberg. Then, out walked Zuckerberg himself. When asked how he liked The Social Network, Zuck called it “interesting.”

As the rumors we heard Friday suggested, the goal was to show Zuckerberg’s sense of humor, and he did an excellent job, appearing to have a great time in the spotlight at NBC’s Studio 8H in New York.

Mark showed up three times on the show — a brief backstage bit with Executive Producer Lorne Michaels, the on-stage shtick with Eisenberg and Samberg you’ll see in the video below, and the obligatory SNL goodbye waltz, where Mark gave Eisenberg a seemingly heartfelt hug to show all was forgiven.

Watch the clip for yourself and then let us know in the comments what you think.

Video courtesy Mediaite and NBC

More About: andy samberg, jesse eisenberg, mark zuckerberg, saturday night live, snl, trending

For more Media coverage:

• Follow Mashable Media on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Media channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

It looks like something from a science fiction movie, but this Volkswagen Formula XL1 plug-in hybrid vehicle will actually be available for sale to real drivers like you and me.

Usually, concept cars like this are usually built one at a time, gracing trade shows and the pages of flashy auto publications. But according to German site Automobilwoche, this bulbous futuremobile is destined to be a regular production car, albeit part of a small batch of just 100 to start out. The first VW XL1 will be available in Germany, and after that, they’ll roll out in the United States and China.

Concept vehicles such as these tend to change before they hit the production line, so we can’t be sure that it’ll look the same or have the same power plant as its futuristic showpiece ancestor. That car was introduced at the Qatar Motor Show, and it had an unusual combo under the hood, including a lithium-ion battery-powered electric motor that’ll propel the car for about 22 miles on a charge, after which a tiny 0.8-liter two-cylinder turbodiesel engine kicks in to assist. That sounds vaguely similar to the upcoming Chevy Volt.

Keeping the car hyper-efficient is its super-lightweight carbon fiber body panels. Sounds expensive, but Volkswagen says even though the car has the second-highest number of carbon fiber parts (the million-dollar Bugatti Veyron has the most carbon fiber on board), its body will cost a mere $6,800. No one’s talking price of the overall vehicle just yet, nor are they saying exactly when the first XL1 will be available.

Look in the gallery for a variety of views of this dolphin-shaped conveyance, and don’t miss its unusual seating arrangement, in which the passenger sits slightly behind the driver, said to increase fuel efficiency even more. Fuel-efficient or not, we are all filled with want. This looks like the cars they showed at the World’s Fair in the ’60s when they were talking about “The Future.”

Volkswagen XL1

Look at that Utopian fantasy world in the background. Is that Dubai?

Volkswagen XL1

Gull-wing doors, a feature that graces many concept cars but often doesn't make it into the real world.

Volkswagen XL1

Side view of the gull-wing doors

Volkswagen XL1

From this angle, it looks like it could be a three-wheeled car. But no, there are four.

Volkswagen XL1

That is one sexy back, VW.

Volkswagen XL1

The passenger seat is farther back than the driver's seat.

Volkswagen XL1

Is that another screen above the armrest? Eyes on the road, driver.

Volkswagen XL1

The car looks a bit more conventional from the front.

Volkswagen XL1

It almost looks like a mini-sub.

Volkswagen XL1

We can only hope the production model looks anywhere near as cool as this.

[via The Truth About Cars] Images courtesy Volkswagen via Autoblog Green

More About: Future Cars, gallery, Hybrid vehicles, Volkswagen Formula XL1, volkswagon, VW

For more Tech & Gadgets coverage:

• Follow Mashable Tech & Gadgets on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Tech & Gadgets channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Reports are coming in that Egypt is now completely under an Internet and SMS blackout, just hours before a new series of major protests are planned against the regime of President Hosni Mubarak.

Sebone, a major Egyptian service provider based in Italy, is reporting that no Internet traffic is entering or exiting the country as of 12:30 AM Egyptian time. Reporters and citizens on-the-ground are also reporting that they are experiencing Internet and SMS outages.

Egypt has been enveloped in unrest over the presidency of Hosni Mubarak, who has been in power since 1981. The protests have been partly inspired by the successful revolution in Tunisia that forced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali out of power after 23 years. Facebook, Twitter and social media were key communication tools used by protesters to organize rallies.

Just like Tunisia, Egyptian protesters have been utilizing social media to organize their own protests, using hashtags such as #Jan25 to communicate. In response to the protests, Egyptian authorities blocked Twitter and Facebook. Egyptian police have been cracking down on protesters using water cannons and tear gas.

“I suspect the internet cutoff is just a fraction of what the government has in store for Friday,” CNN’s Ben Wederman, who is on the ground in Egypt, said on Twitter earlier today.

We are monitoring the situation in Egypt closely. We’ve included some tweets on the situation in the gallery below:

Tweets on the Egyptian Internet Blackout

Tweets on the Egyptian Internet Blackout

Tweets on the Egyptian Internet Blackout

Tweets on the Egyptian Internet Blackout

Tweets on the Egyptian Internet Blackout

Tweets on the Egyptian Internet Blackout

Tweets on the Egyptian Internet Blackout

Lead image courtesy of Flickr, Jazeera English.

Thanks to Mashable’s Jolie O’Dell and Vadim Lavrusik for their help with this article.

More About: Egypt, facebook, internet, twitter

For more Social Media coverage:

• Follow Mashable Social Media on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Social Media channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Find senior care by searching at CaregiverHR now!

CaregiverHR is a caregiver job placement portal that puts caregivers and those needing care together. Whether in-home care or sitter services, caregivers and jobs are available through this website.

How does it work?

For Families:

1. Search for caregivers on our site for free. CaregiverHR offers unlimited free searches to identify caregivers in your area that meet the needs of you and your family. Once you have found a few caregivers, you are able to sign up for a subscription and contact those caregivers.
2. Once you have found some candidates, sign up and contact those individuals. Sign up on CaregiverHR is easy and only takes a few minutes. A subscription costs $29.95. This will allow full access to all of our caregivers for a 30 day period. You will be able to run unlimited searches and contact as many caregivers as you need within the 30 days.
3. Use our tips and safety guidelines to assist you in choosing the perfect caregiver CaregiverHR knows that the selection of a caregiver can be a difficult and important decision. That is why we constantly update our website with information to help assist families to make the proper choice. We also are very safety conscience and continually add articles to our site to promote a safe environment for the family as well as the caregiver.

For Caregivers:

1. Sign up Creating a searchable profile on CaregiverHR is free. Just follow the steps and in a few minutes you will have families searching for you.
2. Get Verified CaregiverHR will have your references hand verified. This is a great asset to the families who are looking for a quality caregiver. The Verified profile is a monthly charge of $4.99.
3. Attract attention To really set yourself apart from your competition, a Featured profile is available. The Featured profile will not only have all of your references hand verified but push your profile to the top of the search results so you are the first caregiver that is seen. This great option is only $9.99 a month.

Check them out at www.caregiverhr.com!

Facebook is currently testing a new feature called “Buy With Friends,” which allows users to get discounts on virtual goods purchased by their friends.

Here’s how it works: A user makes an in-app purchase using Facebook’s currency, Facebook Credits, and shares it in his or her newsfeed. A friend sees the purchase and can then buy the same item at a discount directly in the newsfeed.

Currently, the feature only works for certain in-game purchases of virtual goods. Developers determine the items and terms of the promotion.

Speaking at the Inside Social Apps Conference in San Francisco Tuesday, Facebook’s head of commerce product marketing Deb Liu said that during early tests, more than half of users chose to share their purchases with friends, Forbes reports.

Although Buy With Friends is currently restricted to virtual goods, we can easily envision how this feature could be expanded to include physical goods as well, especially as more and more retailers set up shop on Facebook. The prototype could be Facebook’s way to participate in the kinds of group-buying offers recently popularized by the likes of Groupon and LivingSocial.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, pavlen

More About: buying with friends, facebook, facebook games, group buying, groupon, LivingSocial

For more Business & Marketing coverage:

• Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

The launch of the Verizon iPhone is just a few weeks away but AT&T is still doing what it can to keep customers on their network — and buying iPhones.

With rumors of better data plan pricing and a more stable voice network, many existing iPhone owners are contemplating a network switch.

Now that AT&T has to share the iPhone spotlight in the US, the nation’s second-largest mobile operator is trying to differentiate itself from the new competition.

AT&T sent e-mails to some of its mobile customers (including me) Tuesday advertising the $49 iPhone 3GS. AT&T lowered the price on the iPhone 3GS earlier this month, just ahead of the Verizon iPhone announcement.

Reading the promotion’s ad copy, we had to chuckle because AT&T is using language that is similar to Verizon’s new campaign for the iPhone. Intentional or not, the opening salvo, “it’s the moment you’ve been waiting for,” reads as a direct response to Verizon’s message, “it begins.”

The more direct response to Verizon comes a bit later in the ad. In big, bolded type, AT&T points out that it is “the ONLY network that allows you to talk & surf on your iPhone at the same time.”

Touche. The ability to send voice and data simultaneously over the 3G network is one of the only technical differences between the iPhone on AT&T and Verizon. It makes sense that AT&T is promoting this advantage.

By focusing on lower-priced handset options and simultaneous voice and data, perhaps AT&T can keep existing customers happy (or at least happy enough to renew for another two years) and away from Big Red.

Frankly, we think the real test for AT&T won’t be on February 10 but this summer, when the next generation iPhone is expected to land on both carriers at the same time.

---

Verizon iPhone Ad

---

What do you think of AT&T’s response to the Verizon iPhone? Is a $50 iPhone 3GS enough to make you consider staying with AT&T? Let us know.

More About: att, iphone, verizon, Verizon iPhone

For more Mobile coverage:

• Follow Mashable Mobile on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Mobile channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad

Google and Mozilla have both announced new browser initiatives that will allow users to opt out of having their activities tracked by online advertisers. These developments are at least partially in response to the “Do Not Track” lists proposed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

In December, the FTC released a 122-page report [PDF] outlining the concept, which has been called a “Do Not Call” list for online behavioral advertising. Rather than make calls for legislation, the FTC has pushed for browser makers and advertisers to self-regulate.

Although targeting the same problem, Mozilla and Google are are approaching opt-out online behavioral advertising from different directions.

---

Firefox: Do Not Track HTTP Header

---

On Sunday, Mozilla formally announced its plans to build a do-not-track feature into future versions of Firefox. Alex Fowler, the global privacy and public policy leader at Mozilla, explained the proposed feature on his blog:

“When the feature is enabled and users turn it on, web sites will be told by Firefox that a user would like to opt out of OBA. We believe the header-based approach has the potential to be better for the web in the long run because it is a clearer and more universal opt-out mechanism than cookies or blacklists.”

Mozilla’s Sid Stamm has written his thoughts on the proposal and he explains why the HTTP header approach was chosen fro Firefox:

“Currently, to opt out of online behavioral advertisements, you have to get a site to set an opt-out cookie so they won’t track you. There are various web sites that help out (NAI, IAB UK) and there are Firefox add-ons (TACO, beef taco, etc.) that can streamline this process. But this is a bit of a hack; it’s nearly impossible to maintain a list of all the sites whose tracking people may want to opt-out from. It would be more attractive if there was one universal opt-out signal that would tell all sites you want to opt out.”

Instead, Stamm proposes the use of a HTTP header that is transmitted with every HTTP request and that lets ad networks know a user does not want to bee tracked.

This approach of using a Do-Not-Track HTTP header differs from some other opt-out online behavioral advertising solutions, which utilize either opt-out cookies or an opt-out registry. Michael Hanson from Mozilla Labs has posted a technical analysis of Mozilla’s proposal on his blog.

One advantage of using a header and not a cookie to carry opt-out information is that even if user clears his or her browser cache, the opt-out settings will still remain in place.

As The Wall Street Journal points out, however, for Mozilla’s tool to work, “tracking companies would need to agree to not monitor users who enable the do-not-track feature.” As of this writing, no companies have publicly agreed to participate. Mozilla will have to convince advertisers to comply with its header proposal for this idea to actually gain traction.

---

The Google Approach

---

Meanwhile, Google has released a new extension for Google Chrome called Keep My Opt-Outs. The Google Code page for Keep My Opt-Outs describes the extension as a way to “permanently [opt] your browser out of online ad personalization via cookies.”

The extension works with Google-served ads as well as with ads from companies that have signed up with AboutAds.info.

---

Other Initiatives

---

Last month, Microsoft announced that IE 9 will include a way for users to create lists of sites or companies that are blocked from tracking their data. This is significant because of reports that Microsoft previously removed similar features from Internet Explorer 8 at the behest of online advertisers.

The features and plugins proposed by Google, Mozilla, Microsoft and others are a good start in making it easier for users to opt-out of online behavioral ads; however, these solutions will only work if advertisers and browser makers can work together in a cohesive way.

Photo courtesy of swanksalot

More About: advertising, Browsers, chrome, do not track list, Firefox, FTC, Google, IE9, microsoft, mozilla, privacy

Speaking at a panel on “Open Innovation” at the DLD conference held in Munich, Germany, Google’s VP of consumer products Marissa Mayer spoke about the recent changes in Google’s leadership.

“Well, for a long time Google has been a triumvirate … last Thursday they reshuffled,” said Mayer.

She also downplayed the importance of the CEO change, pointing out that Larry Page was already the CEO of Google once before. “There’s been a lot of people speculating about the changeover, but we’re really excited. A lot of people forget that Larry was the CEO for the first 3 years of the company.”

“Larry’s passion has always been around products and UX. He’s really gonna be focused on products and making sure we execute well across the board,” said Mayer.

More About: ceo, Conference, DLD11, Google, larry page, marissa mayer

For more Business & Marketing coverage:

• Follow Mashable Business & Marketing on Twitter
• Become a Fan on Facebook
• Subscribe to the Business & Marketing channel
• Download our free apps for Android, Mac, iPhone and iPad