Students at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, erected an impressive 11-foot-tall phallic snow sculpture on Thursday only to see it tragically crushed by a bulldozer.
The dedicated snow artists tried everything they could to preserve their hard work, including creating a human barricade and dumping ice water on the snow penis in hopes that it would freeze and render their masterpiece indestructible.
Eventually, they realized their efforts were in vain and took final selfies with the sculpture before it was destroyed.
What are your least favorite resume words? My own is "utilize" — there isn't a single instance I can think of where it would be inappropriate to substitute "use." Every time I read "utilize" on a resume I always feel like the writer is trying to be unnecessarily fancy.
Various. It is single-handedly the most useless adjective on a resume — it essentially boils down to saying nothing new about the nouns that it prefaces
Worked on various projects. Held various jobs over the course of the internship. Used various word processing programs. Wrote various words on my resume to sound important.Read more...
Despite Spotify’s refusal to support Google Cast (but not the Chromecast oddly enough), it’s still one of the best streaming music services on the market. Today, the app is getting a nice little update in the Google Play Store, one that should make those fond of group chats quite happy.
One of the most annoying parts about engaging in a group chat is the fact that notifications are constantly coming through to your phone. When making that long commute back home and attempting to drown out the sounds of the highway with some tunes, this can be a problem with notifications constantly interrupting your music listening.
In their latest update, Spotify has somehow found a way to mute audio notifications while playing music through their app. It sounds small, but for frequent texters, this is a godsend. Spotify has also fixed the sluggish startup time in the app, meaning the app takes you to your music much quicker than before, even with a poor internet connection.
The update is now available on the Google Play Store and after recently flip flopping around from Spotify, to Rdio, to Google Play Music, it might be time to give Spotify another spin.
T-Mobile has introduced a new upgrade program to help make upgrading even easier than it already is. It’s called SCORE!, and it allows you to pay $5 per month to make your upgrades as cheap as they can be. So how does it work?
At 6 months of payments you’ll have the option of upgrading to one of T-Mobile’s entry-level smartphones — such as the Alcatel OneTouch Evolve 2 — for free, and as this is T-Mobile that’s definitely without a contract. That isn’t the most exciting smartphone, mind you, but if you opt to wait until you make 12 months of payments you’ll be able to get at least $150 off of more desirable options such as the Samsung Galaxy S5 (again, that’s coming off the price of the device off-contract, so a $600 phone comes down to at least $450).
The best part is that the new upgrade path can be used with both pre-paid and post-paid T-Mobile plans, and it can be used whether you previously brought your own device, bought your device full retail or bought your device with finance-based options like Simple Choice.
Unfortunately T-Mobile wasn’t clear on whether you could combine SCORE! with JUMP! — their $0 down installment-based upgrade plan — but we’ll be reaching out to learn more. In the meantime let us know if you’ll be looking to use this plan to help save you some money on your next smartphone upgrade in the future.
Early this morning, Facebook uploaded a new, slimmed down version of their app dubbed Facebook Lite to the Google Play Store. Aimed at low-end devices in emerging markets where cellular data is a little slower, we have to admit, we were plenty excited at the prospect of a 2G-friendly version of the normally bloated Facebook app.
Soon after installation, our optimism was met with cold hard reality — this app was little more than a wrapper for the mobile web view (ie, it’s nearly identical to visiting m.facebook.com). Okay, so there are some key differences. There’s no videos (like, at all) and unlike opening Facebook in your phone’s web browser, Facebook Lite will provide you with push notifications on your Android device, handy if you’re waiting for an important message and want to keep up with friends without having to refresh the browser.
The trade off? Facebook Lite — which is advertised as less than 1MB (252KB), but actually took up 1.16MB after installation — requests a fair amount of permissions from your Android device, similar to the full fledged 114MB (after installation) regular version of the app (only without the location data). Oh, did we mention it’s slow?
Even on WiFi, the app is slow to load, slow to scroll, and slow to switch between News Feed, your messages, and notifications. Even with a high-end Snapdragon 801 equipped Android device, the “app” straight up feels like molasses. But as we mentioned, you do get direct access to your messages without having to install Facebook Messenger, so there’s that.
We think Facebook really had something here and were really hoping for a quicker, lighter, less feature heavy, Facebook app for those of who don’t need all the frill of sticker stores and the like. Sadly, Facebook Lite really just doesn’t cut it.
Facebook Lite is currently available for all Android 2.2+ devices in Bangladesh, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, or Zimbabwe via the Play Store. Those living elsewhere who’d still like to give it a try, you can download it from us via the link below.
Amazon's foray into the world of digital wallets started in July of last year. The company released the Amazon Wallet app on the Play Store and its own Appstore. If you go looking for it today, you'll come up empty handed. Amazon has pulled the apps and ended support for Amazon Wallet.
According to an email sent to users of the Wallet app, Amazon will use what it has learned from the venture in future products.
Just because Bill Gates is busy saving the world doesn't mean he doesn't have time for feces-related pranks with Jimmy Fallon
The humanitarian stopped by The Tonight Show Wednesday and discussed the Janicki Omniprocessor, a machine that turns sewage into clean drinking water, electricity and ash. Then he tricked Fallon into drink some of the poop water
We're guessing Fallon will be sticking to Evian from now on
LOS ANGELES — Though touted as a prequel, Better Call Saul's opening minutes begin where Breaking Bad's penultimate episode left Saul Goodman, which will give viewers a welcome false impression that Vince Gilligan's acclaimed AMC series never ended.
In this scenario, told through black-and-white scenes reminiscent of Bob Odenkirk's role in the 2013 film Nebraska, the sleazy criminal lawyer is no longer that, having recently extracted himself from his dangerous life in Albuquerque in favor of a safer one in Nebraska.
The series immediately flashes back to 2002, six years before Saul even meets antihero Walter White, where we learn his origin story as an unknown public defender struggling to support himself and his ailing older brother Chuck McGill (played by Michael McKean) Read more...
A drone carrying packages of methamphetamine crashed near the U.S. and Mexico border on Tuesday evening, police said
The small unmanned aerial vehicle was discovered in a shopping mall parking lot in the Mexican border town of Tijuana with more than six pounds of the drug attached to it in six packages. It is unclear where the drone had come from, or where it was traveling to
An anonymous caller reported the crashed drone to police at 9:50 p.m. local time on Tuesday night. Police said the drone was identified as a Spreading Wings 900 model, which is worth US$1400, has six propellers and can fly for up to 18 minutes, according to the manufacturer's website Read more...
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella set what he called a "bold goal" at the Windows 10 launch event Wednesday: "We want to move from people needing Windows to choosing Windows to loving Windows."
Needing Windows? Certainly, with an installed base of 1.5 billion users, more than a few of us fall into this category. The decision to make you a Windows user can often be traced back to a corporate IT department a decade or more ago. Choosing Windows? Not when it comes to the more personal decision of which smartphone to carry in our pockets, we don't. Sure, why not aim for that.
But loving Windows? That seemed so bizarre to reporters at the event that Nadella had to fend off questions afterwards about whether he could really see a Windows Phone attracting the same adoration from users as its Apple-made rival Read more...
Surprise! We're making ourselves look silly on social media. Again.
The selfie-snapping crowd is well aware of the controversial use of duckface — a pursing of the lips sometimes combined with a sly, droopy bedroom eye. Now that duckface's secret is out, no one wants to use it anymore, and we have to replace it with something else.
Cue the latest trend sweeping Instagram: the surprised face. It's like duckface 2.0 in that you do exactly the opposite of what you would when duckfacing
Reports indicate that Google has taken definitive steps towards launching their own cellular phone service, making a long-whispered rumor sound like more than just hearsay. Google is working on deals with both Sprint and T-Mobile to become a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) on their infrastructure. While details are sparse for now, this might be your surest bet to avoid bloatware if there ever was one.
An MVNO is a third-party who uses a major carrier's network to provide service.
After what seems like years of rumors and speculation, the oft hit-or-miss publication The Information is now reporting from several sources close to the matter that Google is gearing up to launch their own wireless service later this year. Codenamed “Nova,” the service — which will run on a combination of T-mobile and Sprint towers — will see Google acting as an MVNO, similar to StraightTalk, Simple Mobile, and other competing prepaid wireless services.
The project is being lead by Google exec Nick Fox and will see Google directly selling mobile phone plans to customers, managing all of their calls and mobile data the same way any other MVNO wold. Originally, it was scheduled to go live in the fall and even has some Googlers already testing the service over in Mountain View.
Although on the surface, it sounds great having a Google sanctioned wireless service (hopefully with huge data caps), the current state of their customer service has us wary. Also, if Google does have plans to enter into the wireless market, they’re going to need another affordable off-contract Nexus device (we’re still holding out hope for a Nexus 5 2015).
What do you guys think? Would you like to sign up with Google Wireless?
This here is a screenshot of a hastily deleted tweet that was sent out by ESPN college football recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton. As you can see, Hamilton forgot to double-check exactly what link he pasted into his tweet before hitting send.
This, at least, answers one of the peripheral questions surrounding claims that the Patriots illegally deflated Tom Brady's footballs: just how and when the Colts and the NFL became aware of the funny business.
We’ve heard a lot about Samsung Galaxy S6 specs lately, but we have yet to get a full list of what to expect. BGR claims to have received trustworthy information about what’s to come, though, and the list doesn’t sound bad to start:
64-bit eight-core 14nm CPU which is 50% faster
5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a 577ppi density, stunning outdoor visibility, super dim mode for late night.
A huge 20 megapixel OIS camera sensor and a 5 megapixel f/1.8 front-facing camera with real-time HDR
32 / 64 / 128GB of storage
2550mAh battery
Built-in wireless charging
Four hours of usage on a 10 minute charge
Quick connect charging
Samsung Pay: works with 90% of existing magnetic stripe payment terminals, and NFC payment terminals
Metal and glass body
Gorilla Glass 4
Cat 6 LTE
Much of it sounds par for the course for what we’re expecting out of 2015 flagships, though we’re still not sure whether Samsung will go with 3GB of RAM or 4GB. The processor is the most interesting aspect of this tale of the tape as a report from earlier this morning told us to expect Samsung to go with Exynos instead of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 due to overheating issues.
Even more interesting about this rumor is that Samsung was rumored to be going with a 64-bit 14nm octa-core chipset for the Samsung Galaxy S5, but that never materialized (likely because the technology wasn’t yet ready for mass production). This would lend credence to the suggestion that they will be introducing this powerful chipset for the Samsung Galaxy S6.
This could be the first phone we see the chipset making an appearance in. If true, Samsung will have beaten Qualcomm to plans of launching an octa-core chipset with a 14nm manufacturing process (Qualcomm is rumored to be introducing a similar configuration later this year or early 2016).
Another big takeaway is in the area of storage options. It’s not often we see Samsung offering up multiple options thanks to the microSD card slots they like to include in their smartphones, but even more puzzling is the suggestion that they will look to offer up to 128GB. That’s massive for a smartphone manufacturer not named Apple, and we wouldn’t mind seeing Samsung making such a model available.
Of course, this is just another rumor in a vast sea of them so you’ll have to take this (and all of them, really) with a grain of salt. The official bits won’t be known until Samsung decides to take the covers off at Mobile World Congress in March.
Game of Thrones: Day in the Life, airing Feb. 8, will take viewers into three countries, and show hundreds of cast and crew during one epic day of filming on one of the most technically stunning shows on television
HBO released a trailer for the special on Tuesday, which you can watch, above
The network also uploaded a spot advertising the upcoming IMAX screenings of Game of Thrones that will take place later this month Read more...
If you thought great whites were terrifying, think again. A rare frilled shark has been pulled from the waters of Victoria, Australia, and it is the stuff horror movies are made of.
The frilled shark, which looks like an ancient sea monster and is known as a "living fossil," has ancestors dating back 80 million years. Rarely seen by humans, skipper David Guillot caught the bizarre creature on a fishing trawler near Lakes Entrance in the state's southeastern region, scaring the living bejeezus out of all on board.
Microsoft is gearing up for its biggest update to Windows in years
Though we've seen hints of the company's plan for Windows 10 — including a new Start menu and rumors of a new browser — Wednesday's event will be about much more than the desktop.
The latest version of the operating system will also be integrated into the Windows Phone and Xbox platform and, possibly, an all-new piece of hardware.
Those who want to follow every second of what looks to be a jam-packed event can follow Microsoft's livestream beginning at noon ET to keep tabs on the latest news and updates from CEO Satya Nadella and other top executives. The livestream is above, or on Microsoft's site here. If you can't tune in live, Microsoft will post the full video at the same link in the hours following the event. Read more...
Netflix is the latest company to offer up The Interview on demand
The online video service announced Tuesday that it will offer The Interview, which it dubbed "the controversial comedy," to its subscribers in the United States and Canada for no additional charge starting on Jan. 24. Google Play, Xbox and Apple TV previously offered the movie for purchase after the movie was pulled from many theaters following threats from hackers
The announcement came as part of Netflix's fourth-quarter earnings release. Netflix reported earnings of $0.72 per share on revenue of $1.48 in the December quarter, handily beating Wall Street estimates for earnings of $0.45 per share and coming in just shy of revenue Read more...
As far as in-stadium, fan-shot highlights go, this one is hard to top. It's shot from the best possible angle, it is crystal-clear in quality, and it features just enough of the Blair Witch-style screaming and shaking that makes this particular genre of highlight so enjoyable. If you're a Seahawks fan, just go ahead and spend the rest of the afternoon watching this.
The release of a new Walking Dead trailer is always cause for ruckus, and this new midseason sneak peek is no exception: It makes the entire second half of Season 5 look like an epic zombie-killing festival of awesome
A storm's a-brewin'. Rick is doing a little car bowling with zombie pins. And Michonne seems to have stumbled upon a bunch of zombies without tops. (The tops are the best part!)
I absolutely love this. When your own team sucks—as the Vikings do—sports, in their infinite wisdom, offer you a consolation prize: exulting in the tears of your enemies. St. Paul native Ryan Rhody had seats behind the Wild's bench for last night's game, and so knew he'd end up on TV multiple times. So he whipped out a hastily made sign, with a delightfully simple message, and got joy from knowing that somewhere, there was a Packers fan made a little more cranky by being reminded of the pain of Sunday's brutal collapse. This is the gloriously childish essence of fandom.
If a $20,000 lottery ticket fell out of the sky and landed in the hands of an unemployed father of two who is going away to jail shortly, you would expect him to cash it in, right? That is basically the situation Scott Shelton finds himself in, and he has reportedly decided not to.
Norma Jean, For The Fallen Dreams, Sirens & Sailors and Silent Planet have been confirmed for ‘The Fuel The Passion Tour‘. That trek will take place in March, hitting the following stops: 03/07 Columbus, OH – Park Street Saloon 03/10 Sauget, IL – Pop’s 03/11 Ringgold, GA – Cloud Springs Deli 03/13 Lake Worth, FL – Propaganda 03/14 Tampa, FL – The Orpheum 03/16 Baton Rouge, LA – The Spanish Moon 03/18 Austin, TX – SXSW (Norma Jean only) 03/19 … Continue reading →
Film, music and tech fanatics know that Austin gets a whole lot louder in March. With South by Southwest fast approaching, creative individuals and their companies are kickstarting the year with big plans for the festival.
A springboard for the "next big thing," SXSW embodies the innovative and creative spirit in film, music and technology. This year, Esurance is sending three lucky people to Austin to discover the magic
Esurance has been a sponsor of SXSW since 2012. As a long-time innovator in the auto insurance industry, the Internet-born company strives to make their services fit perfectly in today's tech-savvy world Read more...
The Seattle Seahawks pulled off what can only be called a miraculous win over the Green Bay Packers during Sunday's NFC Championship game, scoring 15 points in under a minute to eventually win in overtime, 28-22
Seahawks superfan Norbert Caoili kept a camera trained on his face the entire time to capture his (and other fans') stunned and emotional reactions as their team secured a spot in Super Bowl XLIX. You can see it all unfold in the Facebook video above.
The Seahawks will face off against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1.
Our tech-dependent society has put keyboards at the tips of our fingers at all times, from our smartphones to our laptops. But when was the last time you wrote by hand? Science shows that handwriting can benefit our minds in a number of ways.
We spoke to Dr. Marc Seifer, a graphologist and handwriting expert who wrote The Definitive Book of Handwriting Analysis in 2008. He shared with us some of the top ways writing by hand can help our brains, beyond just dotting our i's and crossing our t's Read more...
Amazon's foray into the world of digital wallets started in July of last year. The company released the Amazon Wallet app on the Play Store and its own Appstore. If you go looking for it today, you'll come up empty handed. Amazon has pulled the apps and ended support for Amazon Wallet.
