Archive for November, 2011

30th Nov 2011

Fowl Idea: Angry Birds Cookbook Finally Released


The Angry Birds cookbook cover




This cover features all the game's popular characters.

Click here to view this gallery.

Do Angry Birds make Tasty Meals? Rovio Mobile sure as heck hopes so with the official release of its Angry Birds cookbook, titled Angry Birds: Bad Piggies’ Egg Recipes.

The book is stocked with cute illustrations and characters from the popular, bird-slinging mobile game. As the title suggests, the cookbook is packed with egg recipes including breakfast dishes (omelets), heartier fare (egg sandwiches), desserts (souffle) and more adventurous options such as “Egg Sushi.”

Bad Piggies Egg Recipes puts Angry Birds‘s bad guys front and center, and while the bright illustrations by Pasi Pitkanen and tongue-in-cheek recipe names — a sorbet recipe is called “Ice, Ice Baby” — may appeal to a younger demographic, the recipes themselves are actually pretty adventurous. Any kid can probably figure out eggs and hash browns, but you try finding a kid that can make a proper souffle or a noodle-crusted quiche.

More importantly, do the recipes actually taste any good? We’re willing to give Rovio the benefit of the doubt, but don’t take our word for it, The cookbook is more likely a way to bring kids and parents together to make some fun, non-threatening recipes. It’s also a good way to cash in on Angry Birds‘s tremendous popularity. The book costs a little more than $10 on Amazon and joins a parade of other Angry Birds-themed paraphernalia including plush toys, apparel, stickers, silly bandz, and so on.

The cookbook was released at Nokia House, a pop-up shop in London showcasing Nokia’s first Windows Phone, recombu reports. Mike Cooper, creative lead at Conversations by Nokia, filmed his two children making a “Shake ‘em Shake: Banana Alternative.” Apparently the results were egg-celent. Erhm.

Is the Angry Birds cookbook a brilliant idea or just milking the franchise for all its worth? Let us know in the comments below.

More About: angry birds, Mobile, mobile games

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29th Nov 2011

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show: 7 Ways to Enjoy the Experience Online


Supermodels won’t be the only ones spreading their wings Tuesday night during the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on CBS. The broadcast’s digital team also is strutting their stuff behind the scenes to enhance your online experience.

Before, during and after the televised extravaganza on Nov. 29 at 10 p.m. ET, check out these seven ways to get more from the Angels, their wings and the big event.


Fashion Show 360




Victoria's Secret is giving fans an in-depth look at what happens off the catwalk with Fashion Show 360. The feature gives you a 360-degree view of the fashion show's six themes: Passion, I Put a Spell on You, Angels Aquatic, Ballet, Super Angels and Club Pink.

Fashion Show 360 also has descriptions and videos that reveal each theme's inspiration as well as sketches of the looks that will be showcased on the runway.

Click here to view this gallery.

More About: cbs, Fashion Show, lingerie, Victoria's Secret


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28th Nov 2011

This Is Thriller: What Chilean Students Can Teach the Occupy Movement

Here’s a new tactic for Occupy Wall Street protesters to consider: dressing up as zombies for a mass performance of “Thriller”.

That’s what thousands of members of Chile’s growing student protest movement did in June, gathering for a Michael Jackson-inspired flash mob outside the home of President Sebastian Pinera. Videos of the performance have gone viral in Chile, with multiple YouTube posts gaining tens of thousands of views each.

It’s hardly the first time an international Thriller tribute video has hit YouTube; the most notable was created by prison inmates in the Philippines in 2008. But this may be the first example that was linked to a specific protest.

Chilean students, upset over the fees charged by their country’s largely privatized school system, are leveraging social media in a unique way, according to Katie Manning, a reporter for a group of online newspapers in Chile called Mi Voz.

Chilean students are “pushing beyond the social-networking boundaries established by other global protests,” Manning writes Monday on Wired.

When protesters occupied the Chilean Senate building last month, urging a national vote on education issues, they livestreamed the sit-in via YouTube, as well as a service called TwitCasting.tv, offering a more complete picture than the quick clips typically shown on local television networks.

Students have turned to social media as not just an organizing tool, but a way to tell their stories “without the censorship that occurs in traditional media,” says one activist.

Social media is extremely popular in Chile, according to the research firm comScore. Chilean student protesters have launched an English-only Twitter account to better communicate with reporters, sympathizers and observers around the globe.

While the mass “Thriller” performance may have generated the most buzz so far, even that moment came with some calculated serious undertones, according to one student quoted at the time.

“Public education is dying, so we took this Michael Jackson creation and we united to this movement that is dying, the zombies,” he said. “At its heart, that’s what it is. And behind each zombie, there’s a family. This has much deeper meaning.”

So allegorical zombies going viral on YouTube — that may be a page the Internet-savvy Occupy movement can take from the Chilean students’ playbook.

What do you think about Chile’s use of social media? Is it really much different from that of Occupy protesters and other global movements in Greece, Spain, Libya and elsewhere? And could “Thriller”-themed protests catch on worldwide?

More About: chile, Occupy Wall Street, Social Media, thriller, Twitter, zombies


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27th Nov 2011

Google Doodle Readies Voters for Egypt Election


Google is highlighting the 2011 Egyptian elections with a doodle on its search homepage for Egypt. Each of the six letters that spell out “Google” perform an action of the voting process — from waiting in line to adding a vote to the ballot box.

Monday marks the country’s first parliamentary elections since President Hosni Mubarak was ousted in the wake of a massive uprising earlier this year. Polls are open in Cairo, Alexandria and seven other provinces. Giza, Aswan and Suez voting begins on Dec. 14, Bloomberg reported.

Though it’s uncertain whether the Google doodle will inspire Egyptians to vote, they’re undoubtedly taking notice.

“I find [the Goodle doodle] very significant to the new generation in Egypt that uses technology. We all know what Google is and what it means for them to give us some international attention,” said Nasry Esmat, an Egyptian journalist living in New York. “The doodle adds more to our pride.”

The doodle isn’t Google’s first contribution to the much-anticipated Egypt elections. In September, the company developed an election API to facilitate the voting process. It not only gave citizens easy access to elections information, including polling locations and candidate profiles, but also allowed mobile service providers the opportunity to develop election applications.

“The majority of Egyptians still cant use the Internet or computers, but these tools are very effective because they help those who have basic knowledge to spread the information,” Esmat said. “And, honestly, those who have basic knowledge are the ones who can make change in Egypt.”


BONUS: More Google Doodles



The Christmas Google Doodle


Each package gets larger with a mouse-over, and a click on it returns search results pertinent to a specific country or the particular items featured in a scene. This one is from December 24, 2010.

Click here to view this gallery.

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27th Nov 2011

HOW TO: Change Your Twitter Handle


This post originally appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum, where Mashable regularly contributes articles about leveraging social media and technology in small business.

If you’re renaming or rebranding your business (or yourself, for that matter), and consequently need to change your Twitter username, you can do so without losing your followers.

Instead of creating a new Twitter account, head over to the Account tab on Twitter.com. There, you can change your username, as well as your email address and security settings.

You’ll also want to visit the Profile tab to update your picture and bio. In the bio section, it’s wise to let your followers know — for the next few weeks, at least — that you’ve changed your account username, and that you’ll continue to receive all of their @replies and direct messages at your new username.

Financial journalist Vince Veneziani decided to switch the name of his Twitter handle to @GreatestTrades ahead of the launch of his first book, The Greatest Trades of All Time.

Veneziani says he didn’t lose any noticeable number of followers when he changed his name, but it did take “a month or so before everyone officially recognized who I was again in their stream.” Since then, the new handle has helped build sales and name recognition, as well as attract new followers, he says.

Likewise, fashion startup Have to Have was compelled to change its Twitter handle after changing its name from WingTipIt. The young company leveraged several channels, including email, Twitter and Facebook, to alert existing users and the online fashion community at large about its rebranding efforts.

Cofounder Carla Holtze says it was a “tough decision … to move to a brand and a name that better represented our company,” but the feedback has been so overwhelmingly positive that it was worth the pain. “We have far more followers on Twitter than we had before,” she adds.


What to Do If Your Desired Twitter Handle is Taken


Not infrequently, businesses find that someone has already registered the Twitter handle of their company’s name.

If the account is active and the user is not impersonating your brand — even if you hold a trademark on the name — there’s little you can do. If someone is pretending to speak on behalf of your company, you have a few options.

First, you should try to contact the holder of the account in question by sending a tweet or finding a link to his or her contact details in the account bio.

If you’re unable to contact the holder, you can then try to work through Twitter to gain possession of the account.

Twitter says they will suspend an account and notify the account holder “where there is a clear intent to mislead others through the unauthorized use of a trademark.”

If, however, an account appears to be confusing users, “but is not purposefully passing itself off as the brand/company/product,” the account holder will be notified and allowed to keep the account if he or she clears up any potential confusion.

If the account is inactive altogether, Twitter says it “may also release a username for the trademark holder’s active use.”

If you aren’t able to get the name you want, it’s time to get creative. Think of a way to represent your name in more or fewer characters, or add an underscore. Just don’t let the obstacle keep you off Twitter altogether.

More About: features, mashable, Twitter


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25th Nov 2011

Meet the 2011 Mashable Awards Nominees for Social Media


After collecting nominations from the Mashable community for over a month, the 2011 Mashable Awards have now shifted to the voting portion of the program. The awards honor nominees and winners in 28 categories, covering four of Mashable‘s core content areas: Social Media, Tech, Business and Entertainment.

Here we take a closer look at the nominees in the “Social Media” category, with a breakdown of the finalists from each of the nine sub-categories. From the worlds of sport, business, media, politics and entertainment there are “must-follow” personalities, while the social networking services themselves get recognition for helping keep us connected.

Final voting is now open and will close on Dec. 16. Winners will be announced on Mashable Dec. 19, and will be honored at the MashBash CES Jan. 11, 2012, during the 2012 International CES convention at 1OAK, the hot new nightclub at the Mirage hotel in Las Vegas.


Best Social Network


This category honors the reader’s choice for the best social network.

  • Facebook – The big blue of the social networking world remains a firm favorite in 2011, despite the delay of the rollout of the “Timeline” profile to all.
  • Twitter – The microblogging service continues to prove its worth — and popularity — with a reader’s choice nomination.
  • Badoo – The flirtatious social service scores with Mashable readers in a year that it passed the 130 million member milestone.
  • Diaspora* – The open source social network scored a nomination despite its alpha status.
  • Google+ – Google’s latest assault on the social networking space has made waves in the social media world.
  • Tumblr – 13.1 billion posts later and the short-form blogging service is still a favorite with the Mashable readership.
  • LiveJournal – The virtual community maybe a grand old dame in the social networking space, but it remains relevant with a nomination in 2011.

Up-and-Coming Social Media Service


This category honors the reader’s choice for the social media service that is currently experiencing major growth but has not yet received massive mainstream attention. Services nominated for this category are not necessarily full-fledged social networks but must include social media as a core feature.

  • Crowdtap – Bringing together brands and fans looks like a promising premise for this new research marketing platform.
  • Empire Avenue – A new stock market-inspired method to rank social media capital has gotten the attention of major brands and early adopters.
  • Banjo – Reducing missed opportunities has proved an interesting sell for this location-based service that flags up nearby data from third-party public geo-tagged social media updates.
  • Trakt – As TV gets increasingly social, this startup tracks what you watch and offers recommendations.
  • Chime.in – This “interest network” is helping people build communities based around their favorite topics.
  • Summify – Content overload is the problem this solution is attempting to address, giving you a top five must-read summary based on news from your social networks.
  • Paper.li – Creating and publishing personalized “newspapers” has been a solid sell for this content curation service.

Must-Follow Actor or Actress on Social Media


This category honors the reader’s choice for the actor or actress who best uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr or other mainstream social networking sites.

  • Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson – Dwayne Johnson has a rock-solid social media fan-base, racking up over five million follows and likes on his Twitter and Facebook profiles.
  • Ashley Tisdale – The High School Musical star has plenty of cheerleaders in the social networking space. An almost unbelievable 10 million of you like the actor on Facebook, while over 5 million follow her “hopefully inspirational” tweets.
  • David Boreanaz – Star of the small screen, Boreanaz doesn’t have the biggest follow count on Twitter and hasn’t yet passed 200,000 likes on Facebook, but the Mashable readership recommends him as a “must-follow” for the future.
  • Alyssa Milano – The actress, businessperson and philanthropist continues her masterclass in tweeting as a public figure.
  • Sophia Bush – The One Tree Hill star is politically active and raises awareness for issues through her Twitter account.
  • Misha Collins – Beloved of his “minions,” the Supernatural star uses Twitter to keep folk updated on his non-profit activities.
  • Maite Perroni – Latin Grammy-nominated Mexican actor and singer/songwriter Maite Perroni employs Twitter , Facebook and YouTube to keep in touch with her fans.

Must-Follow Musician or Band on Social Media


This category honors the reader’s choice for the musician or band that best uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr or other mainstream social networking sites.

  • Super Junior – Korean pop kids Super Junior have a well-liked Facebook presence and are huge on YouTube.
  • Girls’ Generation – From the same stable as Super Junior, the all-female Korean pop act also uses Facebook and YouTube to give fans the content they want.
  • Adam Lambert – As well as using Twitter to tease his forthcoming work, American Idol runner-up Lambert has been hugely successful raising money for various charity organizations and campaigns.
  • Ricky Martin – The Puerta Rican pop star has over 4 million fans on Twitter.
  • Kris Allen – The American Idol winner is popular on Twitter.
  • Snoop Dogg – Snoop Dogg’s authentically-voiced Twitter account has netted over five million followers.
  • Lady Gaga – Offering insight into life as a pop diva, Lady Gaga’s Twitter presence is larger than life and her Facebook “Likes” number is monstrously large.

Must-Follow Athlete on Social Media


This category honors the reader’s choice for the athlete who best uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr or other mainstream social networking sites.

  • Rafael Nadal – The tennis player’s multi-lingual Twitter stream only started in August, but has proved popular with fans.
  • Yuna Kim – Korean figure skater and philanthropist Yuna Kim has a popular presence across Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.
  • CM Punk – Pro-wrestler Punk is headed toward a half million Twitter followers.
  • Johnny Weir – Figure skater and TV star Johnny Weir hit the 100k Twitter “babies” milestone in October this year.
  • Shannon McIntosh – The young racing driver has a promising future in IndyCar. Do her Twitter, Facebook and MySpace profiles suggest she also has a promising future in social media?
  • Zack Ryder – The WWE wrestler is active on Twitter and hosts an Internet show, Z! True Long Island Story, on YouTube.
  • John Cena – Our third wrestler in the “athlete” category, John Cena connects with his fans on Twitter.

Must-Follow Media Personality on Social Media


This category honors the reader’s choice for the journalist, author or TV news anchor who best uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr or other mainstream social networking sites.

  • Andy Cohen – The TV exec and presenter uses his Twitter account to crowd-source questions for his Watch What Happens Live show.
  • Anderson Cooper – CNN’s Anderson Cooper is nearing two million followers on Twitter. His TV shows also enjoy a healthy following on Facebook.
  • Ellen DeGeneres – With over eight million Twitter followers, six million Facebook likes, over 400,000 YouTube subscribers and even 216,000 Foursquare followers, it seems many of you agree DeGeneres falls into the “must-follow” category.
  • Jimmy Fallon – Comedian and TV host Fallon is not only popular on Twitter, but incorporates related humor into his Late Night show.
  • Rachel Maddow – MSNBC’s Maddow takes Twitter seriously. As well as a personal account, her nightly TV show has @MaddowBlog, @MaddowGuestList and @MaddowAux.
  • Salman Rushdie – Sir Salman is exploring the “new 140 world,” much to the delight of his fans.
  • Brian StelterThe New York Times reporter has both a professional and a personal Twitter account.

Must-Follow Business Personality on Social Media


This category honors the reader’s choice for the business personality or executive who best uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr or other mainstream social networking sites.


Must-Follow Non-Profit on Social Media


This category honors the reader’s choice for the non-profit organization that most deserves to be followed on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Tumblr or other mainstream social networking sites.


Must-Follow Politician on Social Media


This category honors the reader’s choice for the politician who best uses Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Tumblr or other mainstream social networking sites.

  • Barack Obama – The U.S. President’s official Twitter account has over 11 million followers.
  • Cory Booker – The Mayor of Newark, New Jersey.
  • Ron Paul – The Republican Congressman from Texas has two official Twitter accounts.
  • Buddy Roemer – The former Governor and Congressman is a 2012 Presidential Candidate.
  • Bernie Sanders – The staff of the junior United States Senator from Vermont tweets on his behalf.
  • Herman Cain – The Republican Presidential Candidate from Georgia.
  • Narendra Modi – The Chief Minister of Gujarat, India.

Thank you again for your nominations. Congratulations to all the finalists!

Voting is now open! You have until Dec. 16 to vote for your favorite finalists to win. Good luck!

Click here to vote!


The 2011 Mashable Awards Are Presented by Buddy Media


 

Buddy Media is the social enterprise software of choice for eight of the world’s top ten global advertisers, empowering them to build and maintain relationships with their consumers in a connections-based world. The Buddy Media social marketing suite helps brands build powerful connections globally with its scalable, secure architecture and data-driven customer insights from initial point of contact through point of purchase.

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25th Nov 2011

Artist Illustrates Finely Detailed Comic Book Magazine Cover [TIMELAPSE VIDEO]


Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks.

In this 11-minute timelapse video, freelance designer Dei Gaztelumendi illustrates a cover for comic book magazine Xabiroi from start to finish.

In a post on his personal blog, Gaztelumendi says that he was given free reign to choose the subject of the cover, and so he decided to add to his “Post-Apocalyptic Kids” series. This kid, he says, is the toughest yet, and fittingly so — the illustration was also made as a gift to a friend who lost his leg in a motorbike accident last year. “This is for him, because he really IS the toughest kiddo yet,” he writes.

SEE ALSO: Thanksgiving Made Easy: ‘Just Put the F___ing Turkey in the Oven’ [VIDEO]

In the video, Gaztelumendi begins with a paper and ink outline, which he then imports into Adobe Photoshop to build out. Given the frame speed, it’s difficult to pick up much in the way of technique — I’d love to have a closer look at the textured brushes he used, for instance — but the video is enlightening nevertheless. What’s particularly impressive is the level of detail Gaztelumendi brings to the piece. As one Reddit commenter remarked, “There were many moments when I thought, ‘This is impressively detailed,’ but then he kept adding more details.”

The final illustration:

More About: adobe photoshop, art, Dei Gaztelumendi, illustration, Timelapse, youtube video of

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23rd Nov 2011

Thanksgiving Made Easy: ‘Just Put the F___ing Turkey in the Oven’ [VIDEO]


Each day, Mashable highlights one noteworthy YouTube video. Check out all our viral video picks.



Having trouble preparing your turkey? Take some advice from cooking instructor Mary Risley and, well, “just put the f__ing turkey in the oven.”

The culinary teacher of “f__ing 40 years” shares her uncensored thoughts about the Thanksgiving staple in this 8-minute instructional video. From a kitchen in San Francisco, she quips, “Don’t worry about it. Turkey really never tastes good. I’ve never had an outstanding turkey. … Just remember, it’s just a f__ing turkey. Just stick it in the oven.”

Although the instructional clip is filled with Risley’s amusing spontaneous lines (“I used to joke that I was like a turkey — big breasts and short legs — but now I don’t joke that way anymore”), it also includes solid advice on what ingredients to use, sides to make and alcohol to drink.

SEE ALSO: Guys Scream Like Girls in New Justin Bieber Holiday Commercial

You also can find Risley’s Thanksgiving recipes on cooking website Tante Marie.

More About: cooking, Holidays 2011, thanksgiving, viral-video-of-the-day

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22nd Nov 2011

Right Media Forum: Highlights from the Display Advertising Industry Panel

Experts give views on budgets, metrics, creative canvas and more

Quentin George, IPG Mediabrands

A special event at the Right Media Forum, held Nov. 7 in New York City, was the Display Advertising Industry Panel, which brought together industry experts from the demand and supply sides who took on a wide range of questions posed by the moderator, James Heckman, Yahoo! SVP Strategy and Emerging Business.

The panelists were:

  • Quentin George, Chief Innovations Officer, IPG Mediabrands
  • David Jacobs, SVP Publisher Services, Advertising.com
  • Josh Jacobs, President, Accuen
  • Hardeep Bindra, VP and Co-Lead, Right Media
To read comments and insights from panelists, please visit the Right Media Blog.

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21st Nov 2011

UC Davis Pepper Spray Now Available, in Stronger Form, on Amazon


A stronger version of the pepper spray made infamous by the UC Davis campus police officer who casually sprayed a row of seated, protesting students is available for purchase at Amazon.com.

But don’t dally, shoppers; as of 8pm ET, the online retailer only had eight left in stock.

According to Amazon’s product description, the First Defense brand is the “most widely used pepper spray in law enforcement and corrections” worldwide. A UC Davis spokesperson confirmed to Mashable that campus police use a First Defense product containing .7% major capsaicinoids, the active ingredient that makes eyes sting, noses run and faces burn.

The pepper spray on Amazon advertises 1.3% major capsaicinoids — “the most intense formula available,” according to Safariland, the company that makes First Defense products. Photos of UC Davis’ pepper-spraying officer have been added to the Amazon page by customers, and fake reviews added since Nov. 18 laud the product for, among other things, its ability to “breezily inflict discipline on unruly citizens.”

But Amazon is not the only option for online consumers in the market for a way to ward off would-be attackers.

There are cannisters that attach to keychains, gun-shaped dispensers and canisters colored pink and branded for breast cancer awareness.

Pepper spray comes in traditional stream form, as well as gels and foams meant for better skin adhesiveness. There are also pepper foggers that, when fired, create a mist rather than a spray.

“The only difference there is it’s not recommended for windy days,” says Sally Morris, a representative for the website pepper-spray-store.com.

Morris said that events like the UC Davis incident typically have no sales. Her website’s busiest time is usually the back-to-school season, she says, when concerned parents arm their new and returning college students.

“People who purchase pepper spray are really just looking for a non-lethal way to protect themselves,” Morris said.

Morris declined to reveal information about customer demographics regarding age or location, but said that all of her company’s sales come from within the United States, where states legislate pepper spray differently.

In New York, for example, online retailers can’t ship sprays intended for use on humans, but state residents can buy from pharmacies or firearms dealers. In California, citizens are allowed to carry a maximum of 2.5 ounces of the spray, while law enforcement officers can have more. The canister used by the UC Davis officer on Nov. 18 appears to be larger than 2.5 ounces.

So if you live in the right state and are in the market for a new can of pain-inducing aerosol — finding an online retailer to suit your needs shouldn’t be a problem with the surplus of internet hawkers. But, like so many purchases these days, even online pepper spray shopping comes with moral dilemmas.

“The market is really, really saturated and business isn’t great,” said Greg at peppersprayplus.com, who declined to give his last name. “Big companies like Walmart and Amazon are taking over everything, the pepper spray market included.”

BONUS: Pepper Spray Cop Gets the Meme Treatment


Mario




Photo from KnowYourMeme

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More About: amazon, online shopping, uc davis


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