Rexfeng

Twitter and Foursquare might be going into business together in 2015, according to a source for Business Insider. The partnership would introduce geo-based features similar to Foursquare's venue check-ins and local recommendations, along with location-specific content. The new functions may make an appearance as early as the next quarter.

Business Insider writes that an unnamed Twitter spokesperson called location a "vehicle of discovery," but declined to confirm the partnership. Similarly, a Foursquare representative refused comment. Twitter appears to be keen on exploring the advantages of location-based data. It recently ran tests to examine the impact of location and has even hired David Blackman, who previously worked as...

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USA Today:

Apple confirmed Tuesday it has halted online sales in Russia after the ruble plummeted to an all-time low against the dollar. And more tech companies could follow its lead, analysts say.

“Due to extreme fluctuations in the value of the ruble, our online store in Russia is currently unavailable while we review pricing,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said in a statement. “We apologize to customers for any inconvenience.” ​

A clever tchotchke created by Hannah Rothstein. Read the rest

Does the flap of a butterfly's wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? Not necessarily, but a labor dispute on the West Coast of the United States has caused 3,135 Japanese McDonald's to restrict their sales of french fries. The dispute, between 20,000 dockworkers and the shipping lines that employ them at 29 ports, has lengthened the time it takes to get the required tonnage of frozen fried potatoes to Japan from two to four weeks.

The dispute, combined with rail service delays, record levels of imports into the US, and other factors, means that McDonald's restaurants in the country will only be able to sell small portions of french fries over the busy new year period. Spokesperson Kokoro Toyama told Reuters that the situation was...

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While it's often the butt of jokes, Giants Software's Farming Simulator series is serious business — so serious that peripheral maker Mad Catz is creating custom Saitek-branded farm equipment controls for the franchise's most dedicated players.

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Finally, courtesy of the Auralnauts, we get the Terminator trailer that we deserve. Time travel is hilarious.

I wish we could send you back with pants, but the technology just isn't there yet. So as soon as you hit the ground, you're going to want to find some pants. I know you can do it...because you already did it.

Like the old wives' tale says, if you want to fix the future, just keep sending Terminators back in time. (via @mouser_nerdbot)

Tags: movies   remix   The Terminator   trailers   video

T-Mobile has revealed its Uncarrier 8.0 announcement: it's called data stash. But a better name is probably data rollover. The fourth place US carrier will now let select customers carry unused data into future billing cycles. "High-speed data you don’t use each month automatically rolls into a personal Data Stash so you can use it when you need it for up to a year," the company said in a press release. To take advantage of the new promotion, you must be a Simple Choice customer who has "purchased additional 4G LTE data." T-Mobile says customers must be paying for at least 3GB of data each month for smartphones and 1 GB or more for tablets. Customers with a lower data ceiling won't be able to count on data stash to help avoid throttling.

...

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Western sanctions and the collapse in the price of oil have weighed on the economy and hurt the ruble.

And Barrel & Ashes launches lunch.

CULVER CITY— Pieology, the customizable artisan-style pizza chain that is sweeping California, will be opening on 3850 Main Street in Culver City, giving LaRocco's Pizzeria across the street some pretty serious competition. Look out for an upcoming location in Koreatown as well.

DOWNTOWN— Preux & Proper, the New Orleans-themed restaurant and bar that was supposed to open last week, will begin slinging NOLA favorites like beignets and a whole lot of moonshine on Thursday, December 18.

STUDIO CITY— Barrel & Ashes is now serving lunch Monday through Fridays from 11 am to 3 pm. Lunch offerings include the tartine-style Santa Maria Tri-Tip sandwich, barbeque platter, and the Barrel Burger with bacon tomato marmalade.

If you can't stand the heat, you may just be a beta.

A recent French study by University of Grenoble Alpes researchers reports guys who like eating hot food also have more testosterone. Researchers took 114 guys between 18 and 44 and gave each a plate of mashed potatoes, mini bottles of Tabasco, and some salt packets, then let the guys spice their spuds accordingly.

The researchers found the men with more testosterone, measured via their saliva, tended to load their potatoes down with more sauce. Exactly why that is remains somewhat unclear, but the authors suggest this finding could help them eventually discover whether exposure to capsaicin actually raises testosterone levels in humans (earlier studies have shown a similar link in rodents). As one of the researchers says, "These results are in line with a lot of research showing a link between testosterone and financial, sexual and behavioural risk-taking."

[Telegraph, Time, Official study]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: news, bringing the heat, spicy food, studies, testosterone

Like many people I’ve been fascinated by the Sony hacks. So much interesting information (and gossip) about the inner workings of a major movie studio.

I was also waiting for Sony to start balking at the re-publication of a lot of that information by the news sites. And sure enough, they’re now calling it stolen information, and threatening publications that are sharing it with the public.

It reminds me distinctly of the situation we found ourselves in in 2009 when a hacker delivered a truckload of internal Twitter information. See In Our Inbox: Hundreds Of Confidential Twitter Documents. See the updates to that post for how it all played out.

Twitter also halfheartedly threatened to sue us over the publication of that information, although we felt that we were on pretty firm legal ground in moving forward. People were both fascinated with the information, and enraged that we would publish it. Some comments we received:

I think it is unbelievable that we are able to read this documents. This could very well be one of the most powerful internet companies since Google and Facebook and here we are reading their private company notes.

Posting any of the information is unethical. The information is stolen property of a legal company, and releasing that information to the public without the consent of said company is quite unethical. Releasing business strategies and funding information could also be the basis for unknown lawsuits due to damage caused to the company by early release of this confidential information. Its so nice to see that ethics are no longer ethical.

You are receiving stolen property, pure and simple. Now, I have a different perspective on this many others – I was an investigative reporter for many years. Many times, I had people offer me documents. However, a private company’s document are different matter. There is no “public right to know” what a private company’s plans are. The hacker stole them, pure and simple.

What you have done by posting this information is no different than “fencing” stolen merchandise of any kind. Using anything illegally obtained for personal gain is not right! Furthermore, it encourages more criminal activity (theft) and makes it “OK”.

etc.

We actually held back the personal and/or embarrassing information we had, because we thought it was the right thing to do.

In this case, the press is actually focusing on the really embarrassing stuff, the private emails that show drama between actors, directors, studio execs, etc.

Still, I don’t think there’s much of an ethical or legal question here (other than the distribution of the movies, which is a clear copyright issue). The data is out there and it’s going to be talked about. No matter how many threatening letters Sony sends.

And I see little or no public outrage over any of it.

The upside from situations like this is that companies might take security more seriously than before, and that’s a good thing.

I’m surprised by how well PANTONE has managed its brand in recent years. What started as an obscure system for the faithful reproduction of colors in mass media is being progressively transformed into a kind of lifestyle brand where the central idea is simply colors. You can buy all sorts of consumer products bearing the…

Advertisement: Harvest Forecast is a tool designed to plan your team’s time. Visualize schedules in Forecast and easily adjust them as needed. As new projects come in, you’ll know who’s available, and when to hire. Start scheduling with a free 30-day trial.

According to a recent paper, as little as 12 seconds of video is enough to identify a particular shooter's personal "motion signature".

Here's a way to shake off anonymity - literally. Footage from wearable cameras contains a "motion signature" unique to you. The discovery could identify police wearing body cameras, but also let authorities single out protesters uploading footage, say.

(via @buzz)

Tags: science

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Jaguar, Land Rover, Luxury, Infotainment

Jaguar and Land Rover are known for making highly covetable luxury, performance and off-road vehicles, but the British automakers are on a bit of a technology bent lately. Keen to show that it can not only keep up but lead the way when it comes to safety and convenience features, JLR has come out with two more systems to show the way forward.

JLR's new 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen system, showcased on an XJ sedan, adopts two novel approaches to getting around town. First up is the Transparent Pillar system, which uses a combination of cameras and display screens embedded in the A, B and C-pillars to make them virtually disappear. Instead of acting as blind spots limiting the driver's visibility, the system uses the roof pillars to display what's going on around the car. If there's an obstacle hidden by the A-pillars, the system shows you the potential hazard as if the pillars weren't there, and brings the obstacle to the driver's attention. If the driver turns his or her head to see a vehicle passing alongside, it projects the vehicle on the inside of the B- or C-pillar.

The second technology integrated in the next-generation head-up display is the Follow-Me Ghost Car Navigation system, which takes a page out of the video-game playbook by projecting a "ghost car" on the windscreen that the driver can then "follow" instead of listening to turn-by-turn directions or looking at a map in the dashboard display. The system is similar to what Jaguar recently showcased on an F-Type for track use, but applied for more practical use on city streets and highways.

The release of these systems also follows the integrated smart navigation and infotainment system displayed on the Range Rover Sport and the Transparent Bonnet showcased on the Discovery Vision concept. Though these new technologies might not be quite ready for production applications, their impressive sum total goes to show that Jaguar Land Rover is ahead of the curve when it comes to reducing driver distraction and increasing the driver's visibility. Scope out the latest systems in the press release and video below for a closer look of what the future holds for British-style luxury motoring.

Continue reading Jaguar Land Rover develops 'transparent' A-pillar and ghost car [w/video]

Jaguar Land Rover develops 'transparent' A-pillar and ghost car [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Dec 2014 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nailed it.

Fans of universities can connect directly with players and teams by winning online auctions for packages billed as “experiences,” some of which sell for thousands of dollars.

Following yesterday's NPD report, Piper Jaffray analyst Michael Olson points out that retail sales for the Call of Duty series have declined by 27 percent year-over-year. This is not isolated news, either. The Call of Duty series has posted slumping...

Great piece by Ben Blatt for Slate:

In May, when Letterman steps down and hand the reigns of the Late Show to Stephen Colbert, the Top Ten List will likely retire with him. Before Letterman counts down for the last time, I wanted to commemorate one of the longest running comedy routines in late-night history by trying to learn more about its inner workings: how it’s crafted, how it comments on our culture and politics, and how it’s evolved since the mid-1980s. How do Letterman’s writers start a list, and how do they end one? What kind of jokes work best in the Top Ten format? What kind of jokes don’t work at all? Which political figures have found their way onto the list most often? And what’s with all the Regis references?

To answer these questions, I performed a statistical analysis of every Top Ten List ever read on the air by Letterman.

The Bulletproof drink, which is a mug of coffee blended with butter, claims its unique 450-calorie cup of joe promotes weight loss and provides mental clarity.

Filed under: Performance, SUV, Government/Legal, Land Rover, Luxury, TV/Movies

There's already been a setback for the latest James Bond film, Spectre, as nine customized vehicles built for the new flick were stolen from a garage near Düsseldorf.

The vehicles, five of which were Land Rover Range Rover Sport SUVs, were to be shipped to the Alps, where filming is slated to begin next week, The New York Times reports. The Times also says that German police have no leads in the theft.

"We are aware of the theft of a number of Range Rovers in Dusseldorf, Germany," Land Rover UK said in a statement obtained by The Times. "This is a criminal act and the police are carrying out a full investigation."

As of right now, it's not clear if the vehicle theft will lead to a delay in the start of filming the 24th Bond flick.

9 customized cars for James Bond Spectre movie stolen originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 12 Dec 2014 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aerial Wallpapers is a collection of iPhone-sized wallpapers of satellite imagery and topographic maps from @juririm. I just downloaded several of these. The image above is a satellite image of the Namib Desert in southern Africa.

Tags: photography

After the US Senate Intelligence Committee released a ghastly report on Tuesday, Americans saw for the first time what many had long suspected: the US tortured people. And it wasn't just the CIA agents. Doctors, nurses, and psychologists— people who are supposed to aid and protect other humans — participated in these acts, and ultimately enabled them. And so far, the question as to what will happen to these healthcare professionals now that they've been outed has gone unanswered.

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Chang is one step closer to his dream of opening a KFC.

Everyone knows David Chang has a serious love affair with fried chicken. It's pretty much his spirit animal. Ko 2.0 even pushed through some of its final labor pains with the help of some Popeyes and caviar, courtesy of Danny Bowien. Plus he has propensity for fast food knockoffs (here's looking at the fried fish bao at Ma Peche — a dead ringer for a Filet-o-Fish) means it was only a matter of time before he came out with this:

Feel feel feel...feel the heat...spicy chicken sandwich coming soon! pic.twitter.com/3vyQngKCHf

— Dave Chang (@davidchang) December 12, 2014

The picture comes from Ma Peche, so expect the sandwich to come wheeling around on those dim sum carts soon. With any luck, it'll be on the menu in time to help nurse those New Year's Eve hangovers.

Companies are taking advantage of fierce competition for their business among states, which are passing laws allowing them to avoid federal taxes with complicated accounting maneuvers.

The storm is blamed for two deaths in Oregon, thousands of power failures along the West Coast as well as flooded roadways and mudslides.

Hopefully she doesn't teach journalism ethics.

Ever since apologizing for freaking out after a $4 overcharge, Ben Edelman has returned to teaching "negotiations" at Harvard. The Duan family, who owns the restaurant targeted by the professor's in-depth emails, has said let's move on, but the meltdown over a $4 mis-charge has been such a field day for Boston.com deputy editor Hilary Sargent, who possibly hasn't done anything other than cover this thing since it broke, that for a hot minute up until yesterday, she was apparently trying to monetize the outrage she's stoked through a #TeamRunDuan side business at Zazzle.com. Her item: a $20.95 T-shirt that read, "Didn't go the HBS. Also didn't lose my s--t over FOUR dollars."

Despite the enthusiastic four-and-a-half-star rating for the novelty shirt, there's been no word on whether there were any real takers, and the listing was in fact pulled down and we can't imagine this becoming a fashion trend. In response, Boston.com says, "We certainly don't condone this type of action and we are dealing with it internally."

Related: That Harvard Professor Is Actually a Serial Restaurant Terrorizer
[Herald]

Read more posts by Clint Rainey

Filed Under: overcharges, ben edelman, hilary sargent, news, sichuan garden

Best part? It's called Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo. Fitting, because today saw mega lines.

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Phill Cameron, writing for Gamasutra:

Papers Please launched last year to both critical and commercial success, and placed you in the role of a border inspector working for a totalitarian regime. The demands on exactly what is required for entry into your country grow over the course of the game, until you implement a full body scanner to check for explosives and contraband.

It’s this scanner that Apple has deemed to be “pornographic content,” according to Lucas Pope, the games developer.

So here’s an App Store rejection that many disagree with, but which is easy to understand from Apple’s perspective. Apple tends to err on the side of running the App Store with Disney-esque family values. The company places inordinate value in its family-friendly reputation.

But:

• Pornography usually involves nudity, but nudity is frequently not pornographic. Pornography is famously difficult to define, but I think one aspect almost everyone would agree with is that pornography is intended to create sexual arousal. I haven’t played Papers Please, but by all accounts, it’s a serious game attempting to create a dystopian police state. The nudity seems to be oppressive and invasive, not pornographic.

• This case highlights the way Apple holds games (and apps in general) to a different standard than other iTunes content. Movies, music, and books are not held to the same PG-13-ish standards that apps are. I can buy A Clockwork Orange from iTunes, but if I made a game that showed the exact same things that are depicted in that film, it’d have little chance of being approved. Conversely, an R-rated movie version of Papers Please could depict this scene without a hitch when it comes to iTunes.

Update, 13 December: Developer Lucas Pope says Apple has asked him to resubmit the app with the nudity intact.

It never occurred to me to wonder who or what cuts those soul crushing pre-packaged sandwiches that I always find myself eating at an airport, but now I know: it's one of these magic machines. The cutting arm seeks out whole sandwiches and positions its slicer perfectly with ultrasound to deliver the optimal cut.

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From 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., you can take Metro bus and rail lines for free. [ more › ]