Pop Clips » 31 March 12

Now here's a first-class foto worthy of addition to any post! It's a picture of Yarah Bravo。の画像 that I found on a Japanese website!

Yarah is one of my favourite indie HipHop artists. Just google her up on youtube for a plethora of videos and collabs. You'll find some real gems! that's what I like most about the internet! Finding all of the amazing songs and artists I would otherwise never have gotten to hear!

Naturally, if I'm going to post a picture of Yarah Bravo, it's only right that I include my favourite video clip that features Little Miss B. It's Yarah with DJ Vadim and BluRum13 aka OneSelf doing "Bluebird" - which I understand was filmed in Barcelona. And here's a gallery of pix: Yarah Bravo in Zürich 14.01.2012

A paywall alternative? Google launches revenue-generating surveys

Publishers will be able to make money from microsurveys which Google says could be an alternative to paywalls and ads for news sites

• Read more

Check out artist Omar Banuchi's blog on Tumblr: “a small and modest blog of images.”

Stuff worth listening to: first, via The Michigan Telephone Blog -

http://divinecosmos.com/media/DivineCosmosDrakePart01.MP3.zip
http://divinecosmos.com/media/DivineCosmosDrakePart02.MP3.zip
http://divinecosmos.com/media/DivineCosmosDrakePart03.MP3.zip

Next, from Journalism.co.uk :

Advice on verifying social media content

In this week's podcast we collect together practical advice from those working in digital journalism on the best techniques and tools journalists can use to verify content posted on social media platforms.

Interviewees include:

• Claire Wardle, director of development and integration, Storyful
• Malachy Browne, news editor, Storyful
• Fergus Bell, senior producer and UGC lead, Associated Press
• Paul Bradshaw, course leader of online journalism MA at Birmingham City University, visiting professor at City University London and publisher of Online Journalism Blog and HelpMeInvestigate
• Craig Silverman, founder, Regret the Error, now published on Poynter
• Here is the link to listen to the podcast.

Ethiopia: Child Abuse Caught on Mobile Phone Camera

Ethiopian Facebook users have reacted to a mobile phone recorded YouTube video which shows a little girl constantly being abused by her mother. Shortly after the upload of the video, netizens on Facebook organized an online campaign for justice by starting a Facebook group called “Ethiopians Against Child Abuse”

Ethiopian maid hangs herself in sponsor's house

Toshiba Portégé® Z830 Ultrabook

A small lucky group of bloggers in Asia are checking out the new Toshiba Portégé® Z830 Ultrabook... Professional Illustrator Emila Yusof is among them and chronicles her introduction to the machine... Click on the image below, and READ ALL ABOUT IT!!!!

MegaMillions WINNER!

I'm always up early - so I jotted down the MM numbers picked last night. In looking at the digits, I wondered if a human would pick the same number to appear twice on his or her ticket, once in the "general" field and again as the megaball.

Now that a winner has been declared in the state of Maryland, the "Lotto fever" and accompanying drama is over. The Baltimore Sun reports the winning ticket was sold at a 7-11.

I am most interested to see if the winning ticket was a machine "quick pick" or a group of specifically pre-determined numbers.

Big lottery win could easily be followed by big lossUSA TODAY

Mega Millions jackpot winner scoops $640mThe Guardian

Last night I heard somewhere (either radio or tv) that when the jackpots are high, the winner is usually a "group" of office workers, neighbors, family members or otherwise folks who are connected to one another in some way and buy tickets as a collective. We should find out by Monday if that is indeed the case.

Where does all that money go that's the state's part of the sales? In New York it was supposed to be earmarked for education...

Internet FAIL

Tell AT&T, Sprint & Verizon to commit to Net Neutrality at upcoming shareholder meetings to keep the Internet free and fair for all of us

Sign Elena's Petition

Friends -

Elena Tchijov has built her life around cell phones. She depends on her smartphone to read the paper, check Facebook and get driving directions.

She even started a small business creating mobile apps like "Map Pocket", which lets you save maps onto your phone so you can see them when you don't have a wireless or data connection -- vital for traveling in areas with spotty reception. In her own words, "We are a small company trying to do big things."

But the success of Elena's company, and the freedom to use her phone as she wants, depends on big cell phone companies keeping the Internet free and fair. In shareholder meetings in April, Verizon, AT&T and Sprint may decide to give an unfair advantage to companies willing to pay big bucks by speeding up connections to paying companies' websites, while other sites like Leaping Byte's (as a scrappy small business) open slowly -- or not at all.

So Elena started a petition on Change.org telling Verizon, AT&T and Sprint to keep the Internet free and equal for customers and small business owners. Click here to sign Elena's petition now.

Right now, internet service providers maintain the same speed connections for all websites and apps by default. But in the next few weeks, shareholders of the big cell phone companies will vote on "Network Neutrality" resolutions -- official policies that would commit companies to keeping the Internet free and fair. Without these policies, nothing would keep internet providers from giving companies with deeper pockets preferential treatment, crippling small businesses like Elena's.

Up until the votes, shareholders will be hearing arguments from both sides -- including from company executives on why unequal internet could make shareholders rich. But if every AT&T, Verizon and Sprint customer tells his or her service provider to officially adopt Network Neutrality, the companies -- and their shareholders -- will have to listen.

Click here to sign Elena's petition telling AT&T, Verizon and Sprint to keep the Internet free and fair.

MegaMillions Hits World Record Breaking $540M!

This just in...


What's that? You didn't win the Mega? Neither did I! Shall we try again?

Friday's MegaMillions drawing will be for a world record breaking $540 Million, exceeding every previous lottery jackpot.

The bump makes Friday's jackpot the largest single jackpot in Lottery history. The largest Mega Millions jackpot prior to the current record setting jackpot was $390 million; won by players in New Jersey and Georgia in 2007. The largest Mega Millions jackpot paid to a New Yorker to date is $319 million. The jackpot was claimed by a group of state workers from the Capital Region.

No player has matched all five numbers and MegaBall since January 24th.

Here's what FOX News has to say about MM ::: "money gained through anything other than labor, creativity, courage and commitment is far more likely than not to obscure the path toward real richness" ... WTF?

Gunner Jackson has a much better outlook (and grasp) on the situation ::: "Grab that lucky rabbits food, rub the schnoz of some famous statue… whatever brings you luck, do it… and go buy some Mega Millions Lotto Tickets!"

Amen, Gunner!

The Importance of Choosing a Great Gift

Giving someone a gift can produce one of two reactions; one is the feeling of happiness and appreciation.

Sometimes even a pleasant shock if the gift is something they always wanted. The second is the somewhat awkward “well, thanks” where the person feigns happiness but didn’t really like the gift.

How do we avoid the second case and ensure the gift is always well received?

When choosing a gift, make sure that you know the person relatively well. If not, what can you ascertain about the person? Do they like sports, or food, or
have any hobbies? It is relatively easy to discover these by talking to a mutual friend.
Once you have an idea for what kind of things they like, for example adventures days out or chocolates, which product do you then buy within that niche?
The choice is staggering and you could potentially be paralysed by the number of choices available. It’s good to know however that you are not alone in this,
and websites exist where you can find great birthday ideas for her.

It is important to remember that a gift doesn't always necessarily need to be a physical 'thing'. It is more important that it shows the message that you are trying to show. Does this gift describe to the person how you feel about them or how much you appreciate a favour they did for you?

You should consider these points before simply splashing out for an expensive product, as an expensive gift doesn’t necessarily translate to being more valuable to the person. If anything it could make them feel awkward and be difficult to accept.

With these points in mind, you should be able to select ideal birthday gifts for her. Use your skills to do some digging and with a bit of luck and common
sense you should end up with a great gift.

Thanks for reading. (Guest Post by SAH)

Pop Clips » 28 March 12

Should merit or nationality determine which person becomes President of the World Bank? Owen Barder posts accordingly...

Another question: Did Bloggers Kill the Health Care Mandate?

Oh, shoot! Just when we all thought "Vlogging" was died, YouTube pulls a resurrection...

Nicaragua: Film on Consequences of Leaked Sex Videos Seeks Crowdfunding

Written for Global Voices by Juliana Rincón Parra · Latin America

An award-winning team of producers and actors is coming together in rural Nicaragua to make a movie on the consequences of teenagers making an intimate video which then becomes public by mistake. They are looking for extra funding to cover costs on location in Matagalpa, Nicaragua, and all the money raised will be spent locally.

read »

‘Mujeres Construyendo': Empowering Women, One Blog at a Time

Written for Global Voices by Silvia Vinas · Translated by Kathryn Morgan · Latin America

Mujeres Construyendo, the first platform for female bloggers in Spanish, wants to convert Hispanic women into creators of internet content. We talk to its founder, Claudia Calvin, about this growing community of bloggers

· read »

With the upcoming Algerian Legislative Election scheduled for May 10, 2012, one of the many elections taking place in 2012 [fr] within the continent of Africa, a collaborative website called Nahrag [ar] has just been launched by internet activists. Putting the case for more transparency in an election threatened with widespread boycott, the creators are using a collaborative map tool called Ushahidi(Swahili for ‘witness'). This map will be updated to include descriptions by Algerian citizens, exposing any irregularities which might occur during the election. There are 42,000 polling stations in the country.

How to Get a Girl to Like You

In Western societies it is easier for an Arab woman to date non-Muslim men because of their openness of mixed-gender interactions in school or at work. Girls like me prefer gentlemen with acceptable personalities. I want a confident man who will be responsible and take the lead, a guy who knows what he wants.

Don't you know how to get a girl to like you? The numero uno most important thing is todevelop friendship. She must believe that she can rely on you and that your loyalty is to only her. Talk of many things but do not open up completely at first about you and your life. Those moments of mystery are very intriguing. Let go just enough information to hold her interest.

Do Girls Want - Looks or Personality?

Most of the girls I hang with prefer men with personality. They want a guy who presents himself as being strong and confident. A leader. A man who knows what he wants out of life. T

Still no clue as to how to get a girl like me to notice you?

• Be my friend
• Let me know you are loyal
• Show me you are reliable
• Keep me curious but not mistrustful
• Play hard-to-get, but not too hard
• Be adventurous

~ Guest Post by Dhani Annabi

Facebook Suicide Photo

The blame is placed upon "social isolation in the Internet age."

31-year old Claire Lin of Taiwan documented her suicide heavily through each step on Facebook through pictures and postings. In one picture Lin showed a charcoal barbecue burning next to two stuffed animals and in another her room filled with fumes. She also described what she was going through in graphic detail and some of our friends pleaded with her to not go through with the suicide.

DISCUSSION

How to Kill Your Blog Quickly

Besides giving your money away to "blogging gurus" - who use it to purchase cellphone lists to spam (NEVER type your mobile number in a popup that appears on a blogging guru's pages!), This will help you commit blogicide, almost certainly!

EDU Backlinks are NOT a panacea for a shitty blog!

Obsessing over backlinks will get you two things: first, let me clue you in that a lot of edu sites have already been spammed by backlink brokers peddling their wares on fiverr and other services.

(1) These edu sites will ban your IP and/or your blog (some are already “setting out the net” to catch you)

(2)You will raise Google’s attention – they now have a “team” (like an NCIS?) investigating blogger’s attempts to game SEO – that’s why a lot of backlinks services and the blogs they serve have been DELISTED on Google (and it is spilling over to BING) … which is the LAST thing you want!

#Wordless Wednesday

SMS Text Message Spam

UPDATE ::: if you visit a blog and you are greeted with a popover or any box asking for any private information, DO NOT type in your cell phone number! This is how blogging gurus get numbers to spam via SMS! Instead, give a Google Voice number, so when they contact you, you can block the guru's number AND report it as spam to Google at the same time!

Those darned blogging gurus!

Look what they're up to now!

First, a bit of good news: the spam in your email or gmailbox is about to decrease! The tricksters are beginning to understand we are overspammed, and, well, just too smart for them! Google's gmail is very savvy when it comes to sniffing out spam and heading it off into the junkmail pile!

Now the bad news. Make sure you are sitting back in your chair. The blogging gurus have figured out they can bug the s**t out of you via text messaging!

It all started with twitter - have you noticed lately you'll get a notification you've been mentioned on twitter... like this...
Of course the link goes to an ad, and Bob is one annoying f**k - he's not really Bob at all, he's a female blogging guru who has almost 155 similar accounts on twitter that she uses to pester people with.

But this is only the beginning! Some of these blog gurus have purchased TELEPHONE lists - CELLULAR telephone lists - and they're using automated software to TEXT these numbers like there's no tomorrow!

IF YOU GET A TEXT (SMS) MESSAGE FROM A BLOGGING GURU

Use the link to determine WHO the blog guru is. Then COMPLAIN like the worst bitch in the world. Raise an objection with your cellphone carrier. See if you can figure out the guru's cell provider and complain to them also! Discover and register a complaint with Mr. or Ms. Guru's ISP. Go to his or her BLOG ( find out who the host is and COMPLAIN ) remember - the squeaky wheel gets the grease - so bitch bitch bitch - look up the guru's name on Google's blogsearch.google.com and leave a comment on EVERY blog this character is mentioned on. Sign up for and visit forums. Tell everyone what an asshole he-guru or she-guru is.

After you have personally kicked guru-butt:

Take the guru's spam text message on your phone, forward that text to the shortcode 7726 (which spells "SPAM"). You'll then receive an automated message from your wireless carrier, asking you then to enter the phone number from which the spam text was sent.

via CNN ::: Recently all of the major North American wireless carriers have deployed a centralized spam-reporting service backed by GSMA, a global association of wireless carriers. This service collects information about spam complaints from all participating carriers into a common database, which may make it easier for carriers to identify spammers and take action against them.

According to GSMA, one feature of the new spam-reporting service is that it generates a data feed of spam reports that carriers can integrate into their network security measures.

Better yet, you can SUE THE GURU!

If we all stick together and gang up on the gurus, we'll be sending a message they won't be able to ignore!

Go the EXTRA mile! Here's more...

If you are a Google Voice user, you can block spammers directly from within Voice by simply logging into the web panel and clicking the “Report Spam” button for any message you want.

How to report spam SMS text messages to AT&T

If you’re a Verizon customer, you can simply use their Spam Controls to disable any messages sent to your phone from the web or email (like yournumber@vtext.com), which is where a very large percentage of the spam is going to come from. You can also block domains or email addresses specifically if you want—just head into the Internet Spam Blocking tab once you login to the Verizon panel.

Have you had any experience blocking spammers? Please share your wisdom with my other readers in the comments below.

Tablet PC ~ Guest Post by Annika

Tablet PCs are exploding onto the market in a big way. The Kindle as well as iOs devices and many others are here to stay.

Tabletfile.co.uk aggregates the best of the Tablet PC news into one place so you can keep up to date with everything.

The term tablet PC may refer to:

• Tablet computer, a kind of mobile computers, usually having a touchscreen or pen-enabled interface
• A tablet personal computer, a class of tablet which runs an adapted version of a desktop operating system
• Microsoft Tablet PC, a class of Microsoft Windows-based tablets

Beware of being led around online...

I write about a lot of things on my blog, but I also leave a lot of important stuff uncovered — because, simply, there isn’t enough time in the day. I decided I needed to make time for this post.

Guru: Watch This Shocking Video And In Ten Minutes From Now You'll Have The Knowledge To Transform Your Entire LifeWatch This Shocking Video And In Ten Minutes From Now You'll Have The Knowledge To Transform Your Entire Life

Me: B.S.! The only thing that happens after "this shocking video" is you are directed to another video --- the whole thing reminds me of another scam (hover and click on the image on your right for more info)

Anyway, to continue ::: Enter your details below to reserve a seat on the tell-all 'Put Your Success on Auto-Pilot' Webinar. Natalie Ledwell will be joined by a very special guest who will reveal the success strategies he used to train the Brazillian Military!

You'll also be taken through a live breathing exercise which will empower you to overcome obstacles standing in your way, and will also receive an Expert Ebook, valued at $67 on Manifesting Money, Setting Goals and Increasing Brain Power, ABSOLUTELY FREE!*

***Strictly Limited Spots Available***

Let me guess - after watching the second video and downloading the Ebook, you will be offered a chance to PAY for the promised knowledge... no thanks!

I'm on a crusade against BS!

Bloggers employ this technique as well.

I find it more annoying than those annoying pop-overs where you have to struggle find the circled "X" to close out of it.

• As soon as you get the feeling you're being led - know that you are actually being MILKED for information.
• As you travel from site to site, server to server, you are leaving a trail of information: they're asking you for email addressess while they are leaving cookies (and possibly root-kits and-or keyloggers) behind on your computer.
• They're leaving more digital material any time you hit a "download" or "get access here" button. Sometimes they look for passwords to your social media accounts - just so they can enter and "browse" - you wouldn't even know they were there.

Once in awhile (as recently happened to me) they "trip" an alarm while going through your digital stuff, and the service involved asks you to change your password. That's another clue someone has been sniffing around in your online affairs. Change that password immediately!

Do you value your online safety and security?

IF YOU ARE SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING AND IT IS NOT IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE ON A WEBSITE OR BLOG YOU HAVE BEEN DIRECTED TO, BACK UP OR OTHERWISE GET OUT OF WHERE YOU ARE! These sites are not to be taken lightly!

Mieux vaut ne pas fâcher Karl Lagerfeld!

A fashion statement in human form, that would be Karl Lagerfeld.

These are days when cool has gone away. There is no more Andy Warhol. The Yardbirds disbanded long ago. The great movies of the past are rarely eclipsed, save for Avatar, Harry Potter and The Hunger Games...

We still have Mr. Karl Lagerfeld. One of the most fascinating characters of our time. Lagerfeld (born Karl Otto Lagerfeldt on September 10, 1933 in Hamburg) is a German fashion designer, artist and photographer based in Paris.

Karl Lagerfeld Calls Newsweek ‘a Sh-tty Little Paper’ ::: New York Magazine reports that, when asked what he thinks of Pulitzer prize winning journalist Robin Givhan’s recent Newsweek story that called him “overrated,” Lagerfeld said, “First of all, Tina Brown’s magazine is not doing well at all. She is dying. I’m sorry for Tina Brown, who was such a success at Vanity Fair, to go down with a s****y little paper like this. I’m sorry.”

Vous pouvez retrouver ici la chronique de Robin Givhan.

Lagerfeld has also been quoted as calling the singer Adele “a little bit fat” in response to a question about singer Lana Del Rey. The controversial statement made headlines worldwide. Of course, we all know Adele IS FAT!

The Daily Beast points out that “Though they moved in similar social circles in the ‘60s, Lagerfeld never warmed to Andy Warhol, telling Vice magazine that he always felt like “an outsider” among Warhol and his Factory friends”

EARLIER

Robin Givhan’s Critique of Karl Lagerfeld Cost Her a Front-Row Seat at Chanel

EARLIER STILL

A Random Collection of Karl Lagerfeld’s Most Ridiculous Quotes

Lagerfeld Fires Back at Tina Brown [WWD]

---

The Greatest Kept Secret of All Time!

Have you been contacted by "The Secret Society" recently?

I just received the Insider Secrets Orientation Booklet in the mail today - what a coincidence, as much much earlier today I published Beware of being led around online... I guess the Secret Society material represents the analog or hard copy version of this scam sham! Beware of being led around OFFLINE as well!

You guys know how I despise gurus and love to give stuff away free!

The Master Key System is FREE TO READ ONLINE and is billed as having been among the first books to use the phrase Law of Attraction, which has become such a popular term today when referring to the most powerful force in the universe.

It is also yours FREE as a PDF download.

"Covering everything from how to create abundance and wealth to how to get healthy, author Charles F Haanel leaves no stone unturned.

With precision, he elucidates on each topic with logic and rigor that not only leaves you feeling good, but also thinking good.

The book was banned by the Church in 1933 and has been hidden away for decades."

Secrets should always be freely told! :)

Around The Blogosphere 26 March 2012

Orient Lodge

Dominic - Dominic (Black paint on White Canvas) from a poem by e.e. cummings as set to music by Vincent Persichetti.

Pinterest Marketing- 3 Pinterest Marketing Strategies - Your Internet and Network Marketing Success Coach

India: The Last Handwritten Newspaper In The World

Written for Global Voices by Rezwan · South Asia

The earliest forms of newspaper were handwritten and now The ‘Musalman‘ probably remains as the last handwritten newspaper in the world. In the Chennai city of India this 85 year old Urdu language newspaper is being crafted daily by skilled calligraphers.

read »

Tom Lasseter blogs about what he saw in his travel to Tongren, an ethnic Tibetan town in Qinghai Province where two men set themselves on fire last week.

25-point Web copy checklist: How to write for Google

seocopywriting.com - March 22, 2012 • posted by Heather Are you wondering if you’re writing your Web SEO copy the right way? Google’s Panda update raised the content bar.

Sending SMS with PHP and TextMagic: An A to Z guide

catswhocode.com - Published on March 26th, 2012by Jean-Baptiste Jung. - Over the years, Short message service (SMS) has become a very important way of communication, and many businesses are looking for easy ways to ...

The Hunger Games Wins It All...

“The Hunger Games” took box-office’s across North America by storm over the weekend, raking in a record $155 million ($214 million globally) and establishing what looks to be one of the biggest film franchises of this decade.

You knew the time was ripe when the last Harry Potter film was released. “The Hunger Games” is the new cross-audience appealing movie. There is nothing else like it, except maybe for an Avatar sequel. (The Twlight series has a more targeted, mostly female audience).

Three more films, based on the remaining two books in Ms. Collins’s “Hunger Games” trilogy, are planned. More than 24 million copies of the trilogy are in print in the United States alone, according to Scholastic, the books’ publisher.

Have YOU seen “The Hunger Games” ???
What's YOUR take?

#MusicMonday - Turn Into Earth

<< --Incredible old school stereo-->>

"Turn Into Earth" by The Yardbirds
Castiel kills the demons outside the hospital.

Trayvon Martin Albany March

Saturday I went down Morton Avenue to check out the rally and march for Trayvon:



I uploaded 2 videos - they appear after the jump...

#MILLIONHOODIES Albany NY

Public Response and call for Justice in the matter of the killing of Trayvon Martin. Please wear hoodies to represent the profiling of innocent African American males.Signs and Banners encouraged and Welcome! We challenge any law that gives someone the right to kill innocent people of any race or creed! We demand JUSTICE FOR TRAYVON!

We will gather at 1 Morton Ave. in front of Albany City Courthouse (near S.Pearl St.) and march across the city to the Department of Public Safety Office on Henry Johnson Blvd.

THIS IS A PEACEFUL MARCH! BRING SIGNS! WEAR YOUR HOODIES!

Lost evidence in Trayvon Martin case - Video on msnbc.com
►►	video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46840009/NEWFriday Evening Video on msnbc.com: NBC's legal correspondent Savannah Guthrie and managing editor of TheGrio.com ...