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Do you remember when Michael Jackson debuted his moonwalk on the absolutely fantastic 1983 TV special Motown 25 - Yesterday, Today, Forever? That program hasn't rebroadcast since, but on Saturday night, PBS will air it in its entirety. Read the rest

 Nearly three hours a day. That’s the average amount of time you and I spent on our phones every day in 2014. Our dependency on mobile devices for information has forced the design of the web to change. Netizens have come to expect mobile content is optimized in a way that brings them exactly what they are looking for front and center. Read More

Just because a product seems perfect doesn't necessarily mean there isn't room to squeeze just a little more usefulness out of it. Take the humble binder, or bulldog clip, as it's often called. Its simple design lets it keep giant stacks of paper in order, prevent loose cables from sliding off your desk—but with a tiny design tweak, it can also serve as a handy spot to hold a cup of coffee.

Animi Causa's $12 Cup Clip can still be used to secure documents, but with its re-designed arms it can also serve as a cupholder when clamped to the side of a desk, or a hook for hanging a bag or a jacket. It works on any desk up to 3/4-inch thick, and can be instantly and easily repositioned wherever it's needed. [Animi Causa via 7Gadgets]

Ever lose your wallet? Presumably it would be much harder to lose this one. Woolet is basically a wallet with a Bluetooth tether built in that can be paired with your phone. It has just been funded on Kickstarter with more than a month still to go.

Woolet is a slim leather wallet that comes in two styles. It has a variety of pockets (including a secret one) and some built-in electronics.

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Woolet Is A Wallet With An Embedded Self-Charging Bluetooth Tether So You Won't Lose It was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Leonard Nimoy, the actor known for playing Spock on Star Trek, died today at age 83, according to The New York Times. He's reported to have died in his home of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disease that he attributed to years of smoking. Nimoy was also a writer, a photographer, and a musician, but none could touch the impact he made defining Spock, the Enterprise's logical and emotionless science officer. Even through Nimoy's final tweet, he was signing off with one of his character's most memorable phrases: "live long and prosper."

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Accumulating debt may seem like falling into a steep ravine and trying to climb out with nothing to hold on to. But there are some resources and methods you can arm yourself with to take control of (and pay off) your debt. Here's how to get started.

Before diving into how to deal with common kinds of debt, familiarize yourself the terminology used to categorize debt so that you know what you have:

• Secured debt: utilizes a form of collateral, like a house or car
• Unsecured debt: has no collateral, like credit cards or personal loans
• Fixed interest rate debt: has the same interest rate for the entire timeline of the loan, like a mortgage
• Variable interest rate debt: the interest rate may change over the life of the loan, like credit cards
• Fixed payment term: the loan is set to be paid off by a certain date, like a mortgage or student loan
• Variable repayment period: There is no set date by when the debt must be repaid, like credit cards
• Deductible: this loan is used to better your personal situation and therefore may have tax benefits, like a mortgage or student loan
• Non-deductible: a loan that is not used to purchase an appreciating asset or new skill, like credit cards or a personal loan

For more details on each of the above terms, check out this explainer from EY.

If you're dealing with debt collectors, make sure you know your rights under The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. There are a lot of tactics they aren't allowed to use, like calling you at certain times. Check to see if your debt has a statute of limitations that allows the creditor to sue you for unpaid debt.

Credit Cards

As painful as it might be, take an inventory of all your credit card debt. Write down how much you owe plus your interest rate for each card. Contact each issuer and give them a detailed explanation of why you can't repay what you owe, then tell them what you can afford and ask them to agree to the lower amount (in writing). Nolo has some more information on how to successfully negotiate your credit card debt. You can also try to negotiate a lower interest on each of your credit cards. Even just lowering it one point can save you a lot over the time you take to pay off the debt.

Once you know how much you really need to repay, calculate how long it'll take you do so. Nerdwallet has a calculator that can help. This will help you set a goal timeline as well as break down your repayment amount for each month. Order your cards from highest interest rate to lowest, and then pay them off in that order. This is known as the "stack" method of debt repayment, and will save you the most money in the long run). Some financial gurus recommend using the snowball method, which pays the cards with the lowest amounts due first, since you cut down on your number of debts quicker, which boosts confidence and keeps you going—but it could end up costing you more in the long run.

Real Simple has a great tip on speeding up repayment:

If you're on a tight budget, go ahead and pay the minimum due each month, then try to make the same payment again two weeks later. Keep making a payment of the initial minimum-due amount twice a month until your debt is paid off. (To keep track, put a reminder on your calendar.)

This tactic aligns well if you get a paycheck every two weeks, because you can make each payment as soon as your paycheck lands in your account (no excuse to procrastinate!). If you don't get paid on a two week schedule, try setting aside enough from each paycheck to make the two minimum payments a month.

As you tackle paying off your credit card debt, you should be working to avoid racking up more. Take a serious look at your expenses, draw up a budget for yourself, and stick to it. If you need to, restrict yourself to paying only with cash until you know you can afford to always pay off your credit card balance in full every billing period.

Medical Bills

If you've ever been hospitalized, or even just visited the emergency room, you know that medical charges can add up quickly. Medical debt is difficult to deal with because you don't feel like you can really turn down the care, even if you may not be able to afford it. Your first step in managing your medical bills is to carefully check them for errors. Make sure you actually used all the services you're being charged for. All it takes is one wrong keystroke at the hospital and suddenly you're paying for something completely different from what you received.

Besides hunting down errors and pointing them out to the hospital, you can also try to negotiate your medical bills down.

If you feel overwhelmed by the process, NerdWallet suggests several resources you can use to get help with your medical debt:

• Government programs like the Medicaid and Medicare Savings Programs
• Medical bill advocates
• Medical bill consolidation
• Charity care: Ask your local hospital if they provide care for those who can't afford to pay their medical bills. You'll likely need to show proof that you're unable to pay.
  
• Crowdfunding: Sites like Giveforward allow you to raise money for bills by asking family and friends to donate.
  

In terms of repayment, Debt.org suggests that you try paying off other smaller debts, like credit cards, so that you free up more money for your medical bills.

Mortgage

Whether you recently took on a mortgage or if you've been paying one off for years, there are ways you can try to reduce it and save money. Putting in the effort to pay off your mortgage early is motivating because you'll gain more security for yourself and your family (no one can take your home away) as well as free up more cash to pay off other debts or increase your savings.

About.com has a few suggestions of how you can lower your mortgage payments:

• Refinance your mortgage. Doing so can decrease the interest rate you're paying on your mortgage, saving you money overall. About.com recommends doing this if your mortgage is newer, since most most mortgages pay more in interest at the beginning, and more toward the principal at the end.
• If you own 20% or more equity in your home, make sure you aren't paying for private mortgage insurance (PMI). Often, if you got the mortgage and didn't own 20% equity, you also end up paying for PMI. Ask the lender if they've removed this since you own 20% or more equity now.
• Extend the timeline of your loan. This might sound counterintuitive, but it lowers the amount you must pay each month, which helps if you're ever low on funds. Of course, you can still stick to your original payment amount while on the lower plan, which will help pay it off faster.
• Fight the tax assessment. Many mortgage payments include property taxes, which is determined by your county. Getting a new assessment could lower your property taxes if the home's value has decreased since the last assessment. If your home's value has increased your taxes could go up, so think carefully about this one before taking action.

As with other types of debt, make a plan to repay your mortgage as quickly as you can afford. Each time you get an increase in income—even if it is a short term, like a bonus or tax refund—consider applying it to your debts.

Student Loans

Unfortunately, education debt is becoming more and more common for young people. On the upside, there are more ways to reduce your student loans than other types of debt—including a public service forgiveness loan and volunteering in exchange for student loan repayment. You can also use the Education Department's repayment estimator tool to see how long it might take you to be free from student loan debt.

If you take a few steps to plan ahead, you can avoid future student loan debt. Try a few of these resources to help pay for future educational endeavors:

• Scholarships: These are usually awarded based on financial need or academic achievements. Even if you apply for and are awarded several scholarships of smaller amounts, that's still money you don't have to go into debt for. You can find scholarships through search tools like Fastweb.
• Grants: Very similar to scholarships, though often awarded through organizations or the government, like Federal Pell Grants.
• Work-study programs: You work part-time at jobs arranged through the Federal Work-Study program and your earnings go towards paying education expenses.
• Take time to work before going to college or graduate school so you can save money to soften the blow of borrowing funds.
• Create passive sources of income so that you can afford to pay for at least part of your schooling
• Defer your loans: Essentially, your situation (like being in the military, unemployed, etc.) doesn't allow you to be able to repay your loans at the moment. You can use this table to figure out if you qualify for student loan deferment.
• Try income-based repayment: If your loan payment is a significant portion of your earnings, you may qualify for an income-based repayment program. Basically, the amount you pay is adjusted so that you don't spend the majority of your cash flow on student loans and don't have enough left to live on. You can find out more about the various plans and if you qualify on the federal student aid web site.

Student loans can be especially challenging because you may not have known what you were getting into when you took them on. Apply some of the previously mentioned tactics, such as budgeting to save more to put towards repayment or making multiple payments each month, to reduce your student loan debt ASAP.

When it comes to debt, you have a lot to think about and you may have a lot of work ahead of you. Before you declare bankruptcy or settle your debt, make sure you know the potential consequences on your future. You can always utilize resources like credit counselors or financial advisor.

Dealing with debt can be a stressful experience—from the share or guilt you may feel to the unpleasant interactions you may have with creditors. However, you can use the tips above to improve your situation and empower yourself financially.

Images by Tina Mailhot-Roberge, armydre2008, jjmontero, ndrwfgg, and julielindsay.

Leonard Nimoy, RIP: American actor Leonard Nimoy, best remembered for playing Spock on Star Trek, died today at the age of 83. He passed away in his home in Los Angeles as a result of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The New York Times: "The sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83."

His final posting: "A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. [Live Long and Prosper.]"

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Iconic Star Trek star and actor dies aged 83

He was an icon. An actor. A humanitarian, and though he may not have always wanted to be associated with the part, he helped created a character that will live on for many generations. But we have lost the man behind that memorable face and voice, as Leonard Nimoy has died at the age of 83.

A Boston native, Nimoy was born to Max and Dora Nimoy, Ukrainian immigrants and Orthodox Jews. From a young age he was fascinated by performance and began appearing in local theatre productions at the age of 8, with his love of acting running through his High School years.

After taking a summer course at Boston College, he headed for Los Angeles in 1949, drawn by the allure of a career on the stage and screen, though his film life wouldn’t kick off until he scored small parts in Queen For A Day and Rhubarb in 1951.

Small roles in unremarkable movies and few cult TV series – including The Twilight Zone – followed, until he got a starring part in 1952’s Kid Monk Baroni. Though he would then spend two years in the army, he brought his passion with him, organising shows for the Army’s Special Services branch and finding time to direct a production of A Streetcar Named Desire in Atlanta. 

Upon his return to California, he made ends meet by working various jobs and keeping up a steady flow of guest roles on 1960s shows such as Wagon Train and Perry Mason. And then everything changed. In 1965, he was cast as Mr. Spock in the original pilot for a science fiction show called Star Trek. Though his character was nearly removed from the show, creator Gene Roddenberry liked his performance and lobbied to keep him on board. From 1966 until 1969, he appeared as the half-human/half-Vulcan first officer on the series, a fiercely logical but also conflicted character who entered popular consciousness along with his colleagues. From his look to his mannerisms, Spock has become one of the most widely recognizable characters in TV and film history. “For the first time I had a job that lasted longer than two weeks and a dressing room with my name painted on the door and not chalked on,” he said of the opportunity. 

Following Star Trek’s cancellation, he moved on to other things, including a starring role in the Mission: Impossible TV series, a hosting job on In Search Of… and more guest work in the likes of Night Gallery and Columbo. 

His stage work also flourished, and he would appear in a variety of plays to great acclaim, all the whole continuing his association with Star Trek. Driven by fan interest, Spock and his crewmates returned with big screen outings that eventually saw Nimoy take the director’s chair with the third instalment, The Search For Spock. He’d go on to handle the next film, The Voyage Home, still considered one of the most popular of the classic Trek movie run.

Other directing jobs sprang from that, including Three Men And A Baby and Funny About Love even as he continued to show up in guest roles on TV shows and films. He appeared as Spock on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and, more recently, brought him back for J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the franchise, memorably sharing screen time with Zachary Quinto’s take on the character.

But beyond Spock and his other film and TV work, Nimoy was a renaissance man, with driving interest in photography and art and even music, including his famous – or perhaps infamous – The Ballad Of Bilbo Baggins. He was an active supporter of the arts, a crusader for Jewish heritage, a writer and an entertainer. His death is a massive loss to the world.

Nimoy is survived by his wife Susan Bay Nimoy, his son Adam and daughter Julie, and our thoughts are with them. 

Over the last few weeks on dPS we’ve had some collections of images that demonstrate some of the basic photography principals. Last week it was using a large aperture for shallow depth of field. This time we’re going the other way and looking for images with a lot of depth of field, ones that utilize small apertures like f/16 or even smaller.

These are usually images with a lot of depth and focus from near to far. Landscape photographers use this technique often as do, surprisingly, macro shooters. When you get up close the depth of field is really slim so you need that added focus from the smaller apertures (if not using focus stacking techniques).

As a neat side effect if you include a light source like direct sunlight – smaller apertures will turn those into starbursts – a telltale sign you know a small aperture was used.

So here are some images that exemplify maximum sharpness and large depth of field:

The post 24 Uber Sharp Images with Huge Depth of Field to Focus Your Attention by Darlene Hildebrandt appeared first on Digital Photography School.

We knew that Ridley Scott wasn't planning on directing the sequel to his 1982 masterpiece Blade Runner, and now it's official. According to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, Denis Villeneuve is in talks to direct Harrison Ford in the new film. If you don't know Villeneuve's name, you should: he's the filmmaker behind both Prisoners and Enemy, two films from 2013 that demonstrated a keen ability to generate tension, not to mention eliciting incredibly strong performances from his actors.

The as-of-yet untitled sequel to Blade Runner is said to take place several decades after Rick Deckard and Roy Batty battled it out in the original film, and while Scott won't be directing his presence should be felt. He's producing the film and came...

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Google has reversed its decision to ban sexually explicit content on Blogger, according to a post on the company's product forums by Social Product Support Manager Jessica Pelegio. Users of the blogging platform were told earlier this week that Google would no longer allow "graphic nude images or video" on the site from March 23rd. However, Pelegio's post states that this is no longer the case, with Google deciding the ban would've had a "negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities."

The ban would have affected accounts that have been running for "10+ years."

"Rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial...

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Flash continues to exist largely because it's so entrenched. Even as mobile devices without Flash become increasingly common, you might notice ads are often still created in Flash. Google is looking to change that on its ad network by automatically converting Flash to HTML5. That should take some strain off your system.

Google started offering advertisers the option of backing up Flash ads as HTML5 last year. These ads would then be served on devices where Flash was not supported.

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Google Has Started Automatically Converting Flash Ads To HTML5 was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Ever wish your Android Wear device did more things? If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, you can make almost anything happen with AutoWear. It's the latest Tasker plug-in from joaomgcd, maker of popular Tasker projects like AutoRemote and AutoVoice. I hope he makes an Android Auto plugin called AutoAuto.

AutoWear is basically a set of automated features that connect your watch with Tasker, which also needs to be installed on your phone.

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AutoWear For Android Wear Brings The Power Of Tasker To Your Watch was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Net neutrality has won at the FCC. In a 3-to-2 vote, the Federal Communications Commission today established a new Open Internet Order that implements strict net neutrality rules, including prohibitions on site and app blocking, speed throttling, and paid fast lanes.

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• Update 1: 2015/02/26 1:32pm PST
  Our reader Connor has provided us with better pre-update screencaps.

Have you ever used Google+ on a mobile browser? It has never been very fun. Trying to share something or make sense of a link was no better. However, after over a year without noticeable improvements for mobile browsers, it has finally gotten a revamp. In fact, it's arguably a better experience than the current Google+ app for Android.

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Google+ Gets A Much-Needed Facelift For Mobile Browsers And Changes URL Structure To Match Desktop Version was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Motorola's Moto Maker website has thus far been used exclusively for customizing Motorola smartphones, but starting next month it will expand to include the Moto 360 smartwatch, Wired reports. The updated website will let users pick from the various options that are already available for the Moto 360, but instead of just choosing, say, "Black case with leather band," they'll be able to mix and match different options.

For casings, Motorola will offer black, silver, and champagne gold colors, while the band options will be expanded. There will be two sizes each of leather and metal bands and a new single-link metal band. Finally, Motorola will release a few new watch faces, one of which you can set as the default from the website when...

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The current iteration of Google+ may not be around for much longer. In an extensive interview with Forbes, Google's product czar Sundar Pichai says the company may break out features like Photos and Hangouts from Google+. Pichai says communications is a key area of concern for the company, and it may change some things up within Google+ to address the issues. "I think increasingly you’ll see us focus on communications [Hangouts], photos, and the Google+ stream as three important areas, rather than being thought of as one area," Pichai told Forbes.

Pichai sees opportunity for Google in China

Pichai said Google will continue to invest in Hangouts, but it doesn't necessarily need to take on messaging powerhouses like WhatsApp and Facebook...

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The record industry will adopt Friday as the global album release day, Billboard reports. The decision will eliminate the current standard, in which release days are divided by country (it's Tuesday in the US and Monday in the UK).

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 Apple has issued invites for a new media event on March 9, with the tagline “Spring Forward,” which likely refers to time, hence the Apple Watch is a good guess for the star of the show. The event kicks off at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco beginning at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 9, and we should get more details regarding the April launch window for… Read More

LG has announced a new variant of its premium all-metal smartwatch, the Watch Urbane LTE. The smartwatch – which will make its debut at Mobile World Congress next week – features a similar design as the Watch Urbane, but comes with beefier hardware thanks to the addition of an LTE radio that allows you to make calls over VoLTE.

The Watch Urbane LTE features the same 1.3-inch plastic OLED display and 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 CPU as its non-LTE variant, with the RAM doubled to 1GB. Internal storage is the same at 4GB. The 9-axis sensors (gyro / acceleration / compass) as well as the barometric pressure sensor, heart rate sensor and GPS are retained, with the watch scoring the aforementioned LTE and NFC connectivity. A noticeable difference between the two variants is that the LTE model features three buttons on the side whereas the standard Watch Urbane features a single button, with LG stating that the extra buttons are for navigation and easy access to quick settings.

To account for the increased battery drain that comes with LTE, the battery has been boosted to 700mAh on the Watch Urbane LTE, which is almost double that of the 410mAh sported by the Watch Urbane. LG says that the watch will be offered in silver trim with no mention on whether it'll also be offered in gold.

The watch comes with the ability to conduct walkie-talkie style voice chats, and the inclusion of NFC means that the Watch Urbane LTE is one of the first smartwatches to facilitate mobile payments. LG says that you'll be able to tap your wrist to pay for services without having to use your phone, although at this stage details are sparse as to how the functionality would work.

Seeing as how Android Wear currently does not support NFC, integrated cellular connectivity or the three-button configuration LG is offering, it is likely the Watch Urbane LTE is running webOS. Audi displayed a webOS-based smartwatch – made in collaboration with LG – at CES earlier this year, and the Watch Urbane LTE shares a few similarities with that device, including a three-button configuration, NFC and standalone cellular connectivity. While there's no official mention of the software the Watch Urbane LTE is running, we'll know more once we get a closer look at the watch at MWC.

Source: LG (translated)

 Google Search was not built for mobile. It’s all about lists of web pages, but the small screen is ruled by apps. That’s why if Google launched today, it might look a lot like Vurb…which did launch today. Vurb is a mobile search engine that pulls info from partnered apps like Yelp and Rotten Tomatoes, and deeplinks you out to apps like Uber and Google Maps. Rather than send… Read More

 United we stand, divided we fall. So goes the old saying that search and mobile giant Google is now taking to heart in Europe, as it faces off with regulators and rivals in the region. The company is merging its European regional and product operations into a single unit, to be led by Matt Brittin, formerly the head of Google’s operations in northern and western Europe. Carlo… Read More

While Spotify adds new features and improvements to its range of mobile apps on a regular basis, the streaming music service is making some useful changes to its desktop app today. The main addition is the integration of the Musixmatch service, bringing fully integrated lyrics straight into Spotify for desktop. A new lyrics button will bring up on-screen lyrics, and you can also search or browse for lyrics using the explore feature in Spotify.

Musixmatch has been one of the most popular apps for Spotify desktop, and Spotify’s Dave Price describes lyrics integration as a "sought-after feature." Other improvements include a tweaked friend feed to view what playlists, songs, and artists friends are listening to, and daily viral charts to...

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Today, Google is announcing a "pilot program" on the Google Play app store which will allow app makers to purchase a spot at the top of search results. The program will work very similarly to how ads work on a traditional Google search, but instead of highlighting websites, developers can highlight their apps. That means that individual search terms will be bid on by advertisers, and sponsored results will have a small "Ad" tag on them.

Google says that the pilot program will begin in a very limited way, accessible only to a pre-chosen "pilot group" that has already begun pushing their apps via ads in traditional web searches — but it's reasonable to assume it'll open up to more app makers in relatively short order.

To go along with...

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Led Zeppelin has notoriously been protective of the rights to its music and where it can be heard (the occassional Cadillac commercial notwithstanding), so when the entire discography became available on Spotify back in December of 2013, it was a pretty big deal. This week, it appears that Spotify's exclusivity deal expired, and as of yesterday, the entire Zeppelin discography can now be streamed from Rdio, Beats Music, Google Play Music, Xbox Music, Deezer, and more. Even the high bitrate service Tidal is offering the full set, marking the first time that Led Zeppelin's music has been available in lossless streaming.

With Plant, Page, and co. now widely available, perhaps we'll see other major streaming holdouts such as The Beatles,...

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How can something so fluffy and adorable be such a jerk? [ via ]

In photos, he explores the physical world at different image scales, and within varying fragments of time. Read the rest