pileofcrapola

Android: Android has plenty of great to-do apps, but Shifu might just be the smartest one I have seen yet. The app lets you set reminders and tasks based on people, time, location and network, giving context to your to-do list.

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Not everyone is good at making small talk, which is why you have tips like the five stage outline to make things easier. But instead of overreaching and trying to come across as smart, it's better to try and come across as nice, suggests psychology professor and shyness expert Bernardo J. Carducci.

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Food52 claims this is the best lemonade you will ever have, and all it takes is one little trick: rubbing sugar into your lemon skins before you make the syrup.

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Sometimes, all you need is the right inspirational quote to give you a little pick-me-up when you're feeling down. Here are a few of our favorites that we've shared over the years.

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Firefox may not get quite as much love as it's Google-y rival, but that doesn't mean it didn't get plenty of love in 2013. With plenty of add-ons and tricks to stay productive, keep your privacy, and customize your browser, here's the best coverage of Firefox from the past year.

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Great discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!

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The main thing you need to do to keep your plants alive is to water them, and while there are some DIY solutions out there that remind you to water, sometimes you need a more human approach. So, Instructables user dr.mcc built a moisture sensor that alerts you when you need to water a plant by using an emoticon.

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There are usually a few remotes sitting by your sofa or on your bedside table. There are probably more stacked in a drawer somewhere near wherever you keep your batteries. It's amazing how they proliferate. How many do you use?

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Android: There are a good number of office suites for Android. None of them can outright replace the office software on your desktop, though. AndrOpen doesn't need to, as it's a full port of OpenOffice.

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We've talked plenty about how to make passively make money in your spare time doing almost nothing. What should you do with that extra money? Try saving every last dollar.

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- A Southern California church nativity scene is featuring a bloody Trayvon Martin in place of the infant Jesus in an effort to stir a community conversation about gun violence.

- The Metro Richmond Zoo's five cheetah cubs now have names.

Habitat for Humanity hosts home repair meeting Inside NoVA Low- to moderate-income homeowners who live in Prince William County, Manassas and Manassas Park may qualify if repairs are need to alleviate critical health, life and safety issues or housing code violations. Habitat is hosting a home repair interest ...

Win/OS X/Linux: It's been years since f.lux, one of our favorite tools to protect your eyes, picked up a major update, but this new version is out of beta. It adds features like warmth as low at 2700/1200K, a "movie mode" that's warm but won't sacrifice shadows and detail, new hotkeys for manual control, and more.

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Google Maps is constantly getting updated with new features, but the use of those features isn't always obvious. If you find yourself using Google Maps just to get from address to address, you're missing out on a ton of the ways Google makes it easier to get around. Here's how to really use those personalization options to your advantage.

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Great discussions are par for the course here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful!

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Men's suits can be tricky things, and if you don't have a reason to wear one often, you may not be sure how it's supposed to look once you pull one on. This visual guide from Real Men Real Style will help you make sure your suit fits perfectly, from collar to cuffs.

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Have you ever downloaded an app that didn’t seem like it was going to chew up a ton of data only to later find out that it was devouring megabytes without you knowing? A wireless industry group has put together a website that measures data usage on the most popular iOS and Android apps (sorry Windows phone users) so consumers can know what to expect before they download.

KnowMyApp.org is the product of CTIA, the wireless industry group that we’ve never really associated with being consumer friendly. Regardless, the site does provide some helpful information on just how much of your data plan an app can chew up.

The site currently features the top 50 paid and free apps for the two operating systems, but CTIA says it plans to add more as it continues testing the apps.

For each app listed, the site details what exactly was done with that app during the course of a single day, then extrapolates that data usage to estimate what regular use of that app would look like at the end of a month. It also shows what impact that monthly amount would have on various data allotments.

For example, the iOS version of Google Maps was tested by doing the following three times in one day: “View current traffic, Change map view to satellite, Change map view to 3D, Use navigation for 5 minutes, Perform a search for gas stations, View different distances (Walking, Bicycle) to a nearby gas station.” Do that regularly, and CTIA estimates Google Maps will consume about 324 MB in a month. If you’ve got a 300 MB ceiling on your data plan, that’s a problem.

Not surprisingly, Netflix can be a massive data devourer if used regularly over a wireless network. Just watching about 20 minutes of video a day, along with doing some other things like searching for titles, can ultimately eat up 4 GB of data in a month, according to the site.

Granted, this assumes that the user does this every day and that it’s always over a wireless network. Most people are not watching Netflix videos every single day of the month, and when they do, at least some of that viewing is likely being done over a WiFi network so it doesn’t count against the users’ data plans.

Of course, the wireless industry wants you to be scared about using up too much data and would much rather have you using your cable company’s Internet connection than putting a drain on a wireless network. After all, you don’t get a discount for being under your monthly data limit. So every byte you pay for but don’t use is money in the bank for your wireless provider.

While many overseas wireless providers choose to not subsidize customers’ new phone purchases in exchange for locking the consumer into a contract, it’s still the prevailing model among three of the four major wireless companies here in the U.S., with T-Mobile the sole provider offering only non-contract plans (sort of). But with AT&T recently dipping its toes into the water to encourage customers to buy their own phones, the market may be in for a major change.

We’ve argued for years that wireless companies should do away entirely with phone subsidies, or at least do what AT&T is offering — dropping monthly rates for those who own their phones outright. But unlike those international wireless customers who are used to paying full price for their phones — often several times the subsidized cost to the consumer — it may get a bit ugly making the switch to unsubsidized phones here in the states.

DEVICE PRICES
A top of the line smartphone with a new two-year contract will currently run most wireless customers around $200, only about 1/3 of what they would pay for that phone without the subsidy.

If all the major wireless companies were to ditch subsidies, one would hope that device manufacturers would eventually drop their sticker prices on these devices in order to keep consumers buying phones. Many people have no problem paying a couple hundred bucks every two years and either re-upping with their current provider or trying out a new company, but will that level of turnover continue if these same consumers have to pay $650 when they want a new phone?

T-Mobile has tried to minimize the sting of those high prices by allowing customers to pay for their unsubsidized plans via monthly installments without financing charges. While that has the effect of making these phones more purchasable — the customer doesn’t need to go out of pocket for the full price right away — it does nothing to actually drop the price of the phones.

If the other providers follow T-Mobile’s lead and replace subsidies with installment plans — which wouldn’t shock us, as all of their recently launched early upgrade plans work this way — wireless manufacturers would still be able to charge sky-high prices to consumers, rather than being forced to compete against each other with lower prices. But, as I discuss below, that may be the price we have to pay.

INNOVATION & NEW PRODUCTS
Consumers’ rapid adoption of smartphone technology has spurred a remarkable level of innovation in what is still a relatively new technology. This has been aided by the ability to switch up to a new phone every 20-24 months, resulting in a continuous flow of improved-upon products. How would this be impacted by the removal of subsidies? Again, it will likely come down to how wireless companies get rid of the subsidies.

While just removing them outright and forcing consumers to pay full-price right away for a phone would like result in better price competition, it may also stanch the flow of new products. If someone suddenly finds out that the new version of the phone they’ve been using for two years will suddenly cost him 3-5 times what he paid, and he’s got to pay the whole price up front, he may delay making that purchase or switch to a cheaper option.

If that device is available to purchase through an installment plan, however, the high sticker price won’t be as much of a put-off, and he may very well be willing to re-up those installment payments on the next phone after 24 months. If so, then the turnover of devices may remain relatively unchanged.

WIRELESS RATES
One of the main reasons to push for the end of subsidies is that it should result in lower wireless subscription rates for consumers. T-Mobile dropped its rates to reflect the lack of subsidized devices and AT&T’s rates are now $15/month lower for people who own their phones.

While lower rates are always welcome, consumers need to be wary of wireless providers using these lower rates as an excuse to slowly raise prices back to where they were before. Sure, the provider drops rates $15 bucks now, but that will gradually increase over time, and many consumers won’t notice or put up too much of a fuss because the rates will still be less than they are currently paying.

“You’re looking at what is likely to be a lower price, less profitable wireless industry in the future as a result,” one analyst tells the L.A. Times. “Service and device are being unbundled, and the consumer gains transparency in the process.”

While I agree with the idea that subsidies are on the way out and this is a good thing for consumers in the long run, I also think the analyst is being a little too optimistic about the wireless industry’s transparent, less-profitable future, and that they will continue finding ways to chisel away out our wallets with unnecessary fees and charges. Here’s hoping they prove me wrong.

NBC4 Washington

Murder Mystery Rattles Manassas Park Neighborhood NBC4 Washington A man was found dead in a parking lot outside his home in Manassas Park Friday, after neighbors say they heard gunshots in the early morning. News4's Jackie Bensen reports. Murder Mystery in Manassas Park. Link; Embed; Email. Copy. Close. Link to this ... Updated: Manassas Park Police Investigate HomicidePotomacLocal.com UPDATED: Manassas Park police seek public's help in homicide caseInside NoVA Manassas Park Man Found Slain in Parking LotPatch.com all 7 news articles »

PotomacLocal.com

Man Hit Woman Causing Significant Injuries to Her Face PotomacLocal.com MANASSAS, Va.– Man arrested and facing Malicious Wounding charges after he assaulted a 23-year -old woman, police report. More in a press release: Malicious Wounding | Burglary with Intent to Commit Assault –. On December 21st at 12:35AM, police ...

- A poker player who left $300,000 in the back seat of a Las Vegas taxi made good on his promise this week, handing over a $10,000 reward to the honest cabbie who returned the stash.

For the last month, drivers were getting warnings, but starting on Monday the nearly 100 newly installed traffic cameras around the District will start issuing tickets.

Officials are investigating an accident in which a Staffard County Fire truck responding to a call hit a pedestrian. 

22-year-old academic standout gets scholarship for dual-degree doctoral program.

 The A&E channel said it's reversing its decision to drop "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson from the show for his remarks about gays.

WUSA9 tracked down the man behind three Maryland and DC restaurants with health violations so risky, inspectors have closed all three, at least once, and over the past few weeks, in Georgetown and Tenleytown, two were suspended a second time.

A man tied up a woman and threatened her with a shotgun in Manassas on Tuesday morning, police said.