Switched http://www.switched.com Switched. http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) support@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Overdue Reviews: 'Strange Days']]> http://www.switched.com/2011/04/06/overdue-reviews-strange-days/ http://www.switched.com/2011/04/06/overdue-reviews-strange-days/ http://www.switched.com/2011/04/06/overdue-reviews-strange-days/#comments 'strange days'
Overdue Reviews takes a critical look at tech-centric films that are well-loved, well-loathed or eye-rollingly obscure.

When Kathryn Bigelow's 'Strange Days' was released in 1995, it didn't even break $8 million at the box office; with a production budget of $42 million, it was by all accounts a commercial disaster. Even the critically panned 'Johnny Mnemonic' pulled in $19 million, and cinematic abortion 'The Net' snagged over $50 million. (Both were released in the same year.) Unlike those films, however, 'Strange Days' starred two Oscar nominees and one Oscar winner, and boasted a script co-written by James Cameron. What went wrong?

Many observers have noted that the racial violence depicted in the film directly echoed the 1991 Rodney King ordeal, which saw its 20th anniversary last month. Were filmgoers just not ready to deal with depictions hitting so close to home? And why has the film -- a hodgepodge of cyberpunk, action, and psychological-erotic thriller genres -- since gone on to become a cult favorite for sci-fi fans? Is it because it's a film that mirrors our own addiction to images, from the '90s obsession with virtual reality to our current love affair with YouTube?

Continue reading Overdue Reviews: 'Strange Days'

Overdue Reviews: 'Strange Days' originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> angela bassettAngelaBassettfeaturesjames cameronJamesCameronjuliette lewisJulietteLewiskathryn bigelowKathrynBigelowmoviesoverdue reviewsOverdueReviewsquantum+moviequantummovieralph fiennesRalphFiennesStrange DaysStrangeDaystopvirtual realityVirtualReality Matthew Zuras Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:40:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[TweetForger: Your Lawsuit-Attracting Impersonation Site of the Day]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/04/04/tweetforger-your-lawsuit-attracting-impersonation-site-of-the-d/ http://www.switched.com/2011/04/04/tweetforger-your-lawsuit-attracting-impersonation-site-of-the-d/ http://www.switched.com/2011/04/04/tweetforger-your-lawsuit-attracting-impersonation-site-of-the-d/#comments fake sarah palin tweet TweetForger does exactly what it sounds like. Enter your mark's handle and some lulz-worthy copy, and blammo: You're all set up with a fake tweet. Not that anyone with a basic grasp of Photoshop couldn't already do this, but it's a good time-waster to kick off the week. (Apologies to both Sarah Palin and polar bears.)

TweetForger: Your Lawsuit-Attracting Impersonation Site of the Day originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fakelolzsarah+palinsarahpalintoptweetforgertwitterweb Matthew Zuras Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:05:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Oops: YouTube's April Fools' Button Also Makes Horrible Things More Horrible]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/04/01/oops-youtubes-april-fools-button-also-makes-horrible-things-m/ http://www.switched.com/2011/04/01/oops-youtubes-april-fools-button-also-makes-horrible-things-m/ http://www.switched.com/2011/04/01/oops-youtubes-april-fools-button-also-makes-horrible-things-m/#comments youtube '1911' YouTube's April Fools' gag -- a "1911" button that turns any video into an old-timey silent film, complete with syncopated piano and sepia tone -- maybe isn't so hilarious for all videos. Gawker points to 9/11 footage, the Rodney King beating, WikiLeaks' infamous Apache helicopter footage and newscasts of the Japanese tusnami as examples of video not exactly benefiting from YouTube's knee-slapping antics.

Will this be the day's meme? Find the saddest video on YouTube and make it even sadder with a ragtime soundtrack? We have a few ideas:
You get the idea. And now we're going to cry.

Oops: YouTube's April Fools' Button Also Makes Horrible Things More Horrible originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 1911+button1911buttonapril foolsAprilFoolsoffensiveoopstopwebyoutube+april+foolsyoutube+april+fools+2011youtubeaprilfoolsyoutubeaprilfools2011 Matthew Zuras Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:46:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Bronx Zoo Cobra Allegedly Caught, But We're Not Buying It]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/bronx-zoo-cobra-allegedly-caught-but-were-not-buying-it/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/bronx-zoo-cobra-allegedly-caught-but-were-not-buying-it/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/bronx-zoo-cobra-allegedly-caught-but-were-not-buying-it/#comments The "real" Bronx Zoo cobra has apparently been found. Zoo officials claim that he "never left the House of Reptiles," but his Twitter account begs to differ. Seeing that he's been turned into a 200,000-follower-strong online celeb -- having lately been tweeted by Mayor Bloomberg, Ellen Degeneres and Jon Favreau -- we figure that the actual cobra is slurping mouse blood Mai Tais under a heat lamp at the Gramercy Park Hotel, already optioning his famous tweets.

Bronx Zoo Cobra Allegedly Caught, But We're Not Buying It originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bronx zoo cobraBronxZooCobracelebritiestoptwitter Matthew Zuras Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:31:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Google Denies Working on A Freaky Facial Recognition App]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/google-denies-freak-facial-recognition-app/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/google-denies-freak-facial-recognition-app/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/google-denies-freak-facial-recognition-app/#comments cnn vs. google Updated after the break.

Internet intrigue! A CNN story by Mark Milian reported that Google is working on a facial-recognition app that would be deployed in a manner similar to Google Goggles -- snap a picture of someone's face, and it leads back to their Google profile, more or less. We were all about to scream, "GOOGLE TO DESTROY LAST VESTIGES OF PRIVACY (AGAIN)" when suddenly we saw all of the retractions and updates screaming across our feeds: Google says much of the story is falsified.

An email from a Google spokesperson to Time's Techland reads thus:
I left you a voicemail about this, but saw your story based on CNN's speculative and inaccurate piece on a face recognition app and wanted to reach out -- your story is wrong because CNN's story is wrong. In fact, we are NOT "introducing a mobile application" (as the CNN piece claims) and as we've said for over a year, we would NOT add face recognition to any app like Goggles unless there was a strong privacy model in place. A number of items "reported" in the story, such as a potential app connecting phone numbers, email addresses and other information with a person's face, are purely speculative and are inventions of the reporter.

Continue reading Google Denies Working on A Freaky Facial Recognition App

Google Denies Working on A Freaky Facial Recognition App originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> appcnnfacial recognitionFacialRecognitiongooglemark milianMarkMilianmediatop Matthew Zuras Thu, 31 Mar 2011 16:15:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Woodland Contraption Plays Bach, Peddles Phone]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/ntt-docomo-ad-plays-bach-woodland-contraption/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/ntt-docomo-ad-plays-bach-woodland-contraption/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/31/ntt-docomo-ad-plays-bach-woodland-contraption/#comments
This gorgeous commercial -- conceived by Morihiro Harano, the award-winning creative director of Drill, Inc. -- features a sort of sloping marimba, down which a wooden ball rolls, producing an unadorned rendition of Bach's Cantata 147. "We did not add any artificial music at all," Harano tells the New York Times. The things people do to sell a wood-encased phone! Are we philistines for kinda digging Kristen Schaal's Xperia PLAY spots more? (Answer: yes.)

Woodland Contraption Plays Bach, Peddles Phone originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cellphonescommercialdesigndocomoKristenSchaalmorihiro+haranoMorihiroHaranotopTouchWoodtouchwood+phone+adtouchwoodphoneadTouchWoodSh-08cXperiaPlay Matthew Zuras Thu, 31 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Sneaky, Supercilious Snake Taunts on Twitter, Laffs Ensue]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/29/bronxzoos-cobra-takes-to-twitter/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/29/bronxzoos-cobra-takes-to-twitter/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/29/bronxzoos-cobra-takes-to-twitter/#comments @bronxzooscobra tweet Forget Time's list of Twitter's best. Our newest local celebrity, a king cobra snake who's lately gone missing from the Bronx Zoo, has just won Twitter. (Fine, it's likely a spoof ghostwriter, but don't crush the dream.) The "super venomous, but not poisonous" Egyptian cobra disappeared on Saturday from the Reptile House exhibit; according to his Twitter account, he's since gone on to gawk at Tina Fey and mock Charlie Sheen. "[Know] what's better than tiger's blood? Cobra venom. #winning #snakeonthetown Also I'm 20 inches long. Just sayin'."

Other herpetological hijinks after the break:

Continue reading Sneaky, Supercilious Snake Taunts on Twitter, Laffs Ensue

Sneaky, Supercilious Snake Taunts on Twitter, Laffs Ensue originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bronx zooBronxZoobronxzooscobraking cobraKingCobralolzsnakesnakesSocialNetworkingtoptwitter Matthew Zuras Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:40:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Blast a Hole Through a Balloon Dog in 'Jeff Koons Must Die']]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/29/jeff-koons-must-die-blast-balloon-dogs/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/29/jeff-koons-must-die-blast-balloon-dogs/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/29/jeff-koons-must-die-blast-balloon-dogs/#comments
Are you just sick to death of the assembly line production of big-name modern art? Does the fact that Jeff Koons employs an army of assistants to construct "his" work make you want to obliterate a Balloon Dog with a rocket launcher? Artist Hunter Jonakin understands how you feel. His 'Jeff Koons Must Die!!!' arcade cabinet lets the player wander a 3-D gallery space and destroy any of the Koons pieces displayed there, including works from his famous Balloon series and his infamous 'Made in Heaven' series. Writes Jonakin:

If nothing is destroyed the player is allowed to look around for a couple of minutes and then the game ends. However, if one or more pieces are destroyed, an animated model of Jeff Koons walks out and chastises the viewer for annihilating his art. He then sends guards to kill the player. If the player survives this round then he or she is afforded the ability to enter a room where waves of curators, lawyers, assistants, and guards spawn until the player is dead.

Blast a Hole Through a Balloon Dog in 'Jeff Koons Must Die' originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artgamingHunterJonakinJeffKoonsJeffKoonsMustDie Matthew Zuras Tue, 29 Mar 2011 08:30:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Is Google Recipe Search the Sandra Lee of Online Cooking Resources?]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/28/is-google-recipe-search-the-sandra-lee-of-online-cooking-resourc/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/28/is-google-recipe-search-the-sandra-lee-of-online-cooking-resourc/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/28/is-google-recipe-search-the-sandra-lee-of-online-cooking-resourc/#comments lasagna When Google announced its new recipe search earlier this month, I didn't pay the news much mind. As the resident foodie here, I've got my stable of RSS feeds and recipe databases from which I regularly cull meal ideas. I knew that Google's results, which would be predicated on page views and SEO, probably wouldn't fit my needs. I don't care to read Paula Deen's fried chicken recipe just because it sports the most reviews; I like my own (actually, it's Thomas Keller's) just fine.

But I had the sneaking suspicion that Google's recipe algorithm, like any other recommendation algorithm, would end up reducing the tyranny of choice to a recipe monopoly by a few large sites, and start recommending hapless and distraction-prone new cooks to "semi-homemade"-style dishes à la Sandra Lee (e.g., the Kwanzaa cake, whatever the hell this is). Amanda Hesser, founder of Food 52 and food columnist for the New York Times, is also worried. By trying to make "good" recipes easier to find, Google "inadvertently stepped into the middle of the battle between the quick-and-easy faction and the cooking-matters group," she writes. (Check out her full post here.)

Continue reading Is Google Recipe Search the Sandra Lee of Online Cooking Resources?

Is Google Recipe Search the Sandra Lee of Online Cooking Resources? originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> AmandaHessercookingfoodfood52googlemetadatarecipesSearchEngineOptimizationseotopweb Matthew Zuras Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Hooray for Mob Rule: Apple Boots 'Ex-Gay' App After 150K People Demand Tolerance]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/23/exodus-international-ex-gay-app-booted-app-store/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/23/exodus-international-ex-gay-app-booted-app-store/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/23/exodus-international-ex-gay-app-booted-app-store/#comments exodus not found in itunes Well, I was right. Change.org's petition to Apple to remove Exodus International's so-called "gay cure" app has reached 150,000 signatures, and now the app's no longer available. Apple hasn't yet released a statement on the matter.

As Cult of Mac points out: "The real issue [is that] Apple has no coherent policy about what kind of content gets approved and remains in iTunes." Indeed.

Gay Gamer took issue with my defense of the wingnut organization's app, but I think commenter SecretMoblin aptly clarifies one of the points I tried to make previously. "The folks behind Exodus are perfectly aware of the controversy this app would bring... Exodus wants pressure from gay and lesbian organizations to pull the app so it can prove its point about those mean intolerant gays shutting down anybody who gets in their way." Looks like they got their wish.

Hooray for Mob Rule: Apple Boots 'Ex-Gay' App After 150K People Demand Tolerance originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> Appleappsex+gay+appex-gayexgayappExodusInternationaliphonetop Matthew Zuras Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:00:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Censorship Goes Both Ways: The Case for an Ex-Gay App]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/21/case-for-exodus-international-iphone-app/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/21/case-for-exodus-international-iphone-app/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/21/case-for-exodus-international-iphone-app/#comments Perhaps you've heard of this Exodus International iPhone app fracas? The leading organization behind the ex-gay movement (the belief that religious counseling can help LGBT people "struggling" with their sexualities to reorient themselves to heterosexuality) recently had its official app approved by Apple, and gay rights groups are now in an uproar. Surprise?

Despite the fact that Apple deemed the app to contain "no objectionable content," gay rights advocates are fuming. They say that Exodus and its ex-gay crusade are rooted in messages of shame and bigotry, and that its agenda-serving app only serves to spread hate.

The ex-gay movement itself has been characterized by its opponents as everything from a laughable curiosity ("Pray away the gay!") to a cultish brainwashing operation. I'm not going to define it one way or another, because I haven't been targeted by any of its members myself. But I will say that, despite being an openly gay man, I think this app deserves a chance. That's right: I'm defending Exodus International.

Continue reading Censorship Goes Both Ways: The Case for an Ex-Gay App

Censorship Goes Both Ways: The Case for an Ex-Gay App originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> appleappsAppStorecensorshipcyberbullyingex+gay+appex-gayex-gay+appex-gay+iphone+appex-gayappex-gayiphoneappexgayappExodusInternationaliphoneitunesopinionpoliticsreligiontop Matthew Zuras Mon, 21 Mar 2011 17:10:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Read This: Does the Right to Be Forgotten Online Even Exist?]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/19/read-this-does-the-right-to-be-forgotten-online-even-exist/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/19/read-this-does-the-right-to-be-forgotten-online-even-exist/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/19/read-this-does-the-right-to-be-forgotten-online-even-exist/#comments
Being forgotten might sound appealing for some, but making a right out of it degrades the concept of rights. Instead of being something that embodies the relationship between the individual and society, it pretends that relationship doesn't exist. The right to be forgotten is a figment of our imaginations.
Are we talking semantics? The Guardian's Tessa Mayes opines that we don't have the "right to be forgotten" online because society demands memory and, as she says, making oneself forgotten is "an antisocial, nihilist act." Sure, sure. But doesn't being "forgotten" in this context mean having control over one's image in the world, instead of -- as I believe she is suggesting -- extricating oneself from society à la the Unabomber?

Read This: Does the Right to Be Forgotten Online Even Exist? originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> readthisright to be forgottenRightToBeForgottentessa mayesTessaMayesthe guardianTheGuardiantopweb Matthew Zuras Sat, 19 Mar 2011 15:01:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[EaTheremin's Noisy Forks: Because Utensils Weren't Already Annoying Enough]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/eatheremin-musical-fork-diginfo-news/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/eatheremin-musical-fork-diginfo-news/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/eatheremin-musical-fork-diginfo-news/#comments
Do you wonder if the urbane baritone who narrates those DigInfo News spots ever has to record multiple takes because he's laughing his (possibly) Australian ass off at those consistently wacky Japanese inventions? I do. Because I'm not sure I'd be able to say "chicken skin can generate vibrato effects" without breaking into some kind of fit of giggling burp-ups.

Anyway, these are forks that make noises when you eat. Noises that made my cats duck for cover. Basically, these instrumental utensils turn you into a living circuit-cum-theremin so that family dinners can sound like early Pauline Oliveros or something? Just watch the video. But be prepared for lots of close-up shots of this woman's mouth chewing a variety of foodstuffs.

EaTheremin's Noisy Forks: Because Utensils Weren't Already Annoying Enough originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> designdiginfo newsDiginfoNewseathereminjapanmusictheremintop Matthew Zuras Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:05:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Lady Gaga to Answer 'WHY RU SO WIERD' And Other Fan Questions for Google]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/lady-gaga-google-fan-questions/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/lady-gaga-google-fan-questions/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/lady-gaga-google-fan-questions/#comments
Want to know Lady Gaga's favorite color, or if she likes a boy? Get ready to grill, because the Lady's taking fangirl and fanboy-submitted questions for Google. Squee!

Submit a video or text question on Gaga's YouTube page, or tweet it with the hashtag #GoogleGoesGaga, until midnight on March 18th. She'll then respond to a selection of them in a YouTube video, probably while wearing a Jeremy Scott-designed burlap sack and holding a jar of dead centipedes. Google dumbly suggests questions like, "Was the meat dress really made of meat?" Uh, no doy, Google. We thought you were good at searches and stuff. The only question we'd ask is: "'Born This Way'? WHY?" (Also, "Can we have some video glasses? XOXO")

Lady Gaga to Answer 'WHY RU SO WIERD' And Other Fan Questions for Google originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> celebritiesgagagoogleLady Gagalady+gaga+newsLadyGagaladygaganewsquestions+for+lady+gagaquestionsforladygagatopyoutube Matthew Zuras Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:55:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Riley Harmon's Bloody Game of 'Counter-Strike']]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/riley-harmons-bloody-game-of-counter-strike/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/riley-harmons-bloody-game-of-counter-strike/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/16/riley-harmons-bloody-game-of-counter-strike/#comments 'what it is without the hand that wields it' We know that Riley Harmon's installation 'What It Is Without the Hand That Wields It' is from 2008, but we've just been too lazy to post about it. (That's our story and we're sticking to it.) Anyway, art is timeless, no?

'WIIWTHTWI' has apparently been a new media exhibition favorite; with its combination of video games and real fake blood, who could refuse its charms? Participants play a game of 'Counter-Strike,' the online first-person-shooter. As they add to their body count, a series of solenoid valves in a nearby apparatus squeeze out a small amount of the blood, which gruesomely trickles down the wall -- a real-world manifestation of digital death. But why? "Mediated experiences of killing change our perception of authentic violence and death," writes Harmon.

Continue reading Riley Harmon's Bloody Game of 'Counter-Strike'

Riley Harmon's Bloody Game of 'Counter-Strike' originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artcounter-strikegaminginstallationriley harmonRileyHarmontopvideogame+art+harmonvideogameartharmonwhat is is without the hand that wields itWhatIsIsWithoutTheHandThatWieldsIt Matthew Zuras Wed, 16 Mar 2011 11:55:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Zynga's 'RewardVille' Awards Abject Game Addicts With Virtual Crap]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/15/zynga-rewardville-awards-abject-game-addicts-with-virtual-cr/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/15/zynga-rewardville-awards-abject-game-addicts-with-virtual-cr/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/15/zynga-rewardville-awards-abject-game-addicts-with-virtual-cr/#comments rewardville Zynga, my favorite social game factory, has just unleashed its latest hellion from the company's bubbling cauldron of misery and profit. The deftly named 'RewardVille' isn't so much a game as an incentive program, with which Facebook fiends already hooked on 'FarmVille' and 'CityVille' can get addicted to other Zynga games. The reward? More digital ducks.

Basically, you play Zynga games and earn Z-Points, which then earn you Z-Coins. Z-Coins can then be used to buy virtual goods for any Zynga game. If you're really into how it all works, see TechCrunch's coverage. Or just check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Zynga's 'RewardVille' Awards Abject Game Addicts With Virtual Crap

Zynga's 'RewardVille' Awards Abject Game Addicts With Virtual Crap originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cityvillefacebookfarmvillegamingrewardvillesocialnetworkingzynga Matthew Zuras Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:07:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Bing's Tactless Tsunami Tweet Provokes Twitter Rage]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/14/bing-japan-tsunami-tweet-sparks-twitter-outrage/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/14/bing-japan-tsunami-tweet-sparks-twitter-outrage/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/14/bing-japan-tsunami-tweet-sparks-twitter-outrage/#comments bing's japan tweet Did we learn nothing from Kenneth Cole's tasteless Twitter gaffe? Or is Microsoft just employing the same marketing brain trusts?

Japan is on everyone's mind --at least, we hope -- and the tech giant's flacks haven't ignored that. Saturday morning, a message of hope callow douchebaggery came out of the official Bing Twitter account: "How you can #SupportJapan -For every retweet, bing will give $1 to Japan quake victims, up to $100K."

Continue reading Bing's Tactless Tsunami Tweet Provokes Twitter Rage

Bing's Tactless Tsunami Tweet Provokes Twitter Rage originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> binggaffesjapanjapan earthquakejapan tsunamiJapanEarthquakeJapanTsunamijerksMicrosoftSocialNetworkingtoptwitter Matthew Zuras Mon, 14 Mar 2011 10:45:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Read This: Why Take Animated GIFs Offline?]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/12/read-this-why-take-animated-gifs-offline/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/12/read-this-why-take-animated-gifs-offline/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/12/read-this-why-take-animated-gifs-offline/#comments
Where I'm coming from on this: nothing wrong with selling but the certificate of authenticity from the artist and a GIF on a DVD or USB stick is enough. That's how I've done it in the past. But then I want the thing out there circulating, that's why it's a GIF and not a super high res video file requiring proprietary software to play. [...] If there's a reason for using a "democratic" medium only to elite-ify it for a select person I'd like to hear it.
Artist and prolific new media art commentator Tom Moody tries to figure out the logistics of selling an animated GIF to a collector, as Rhizome's Lauren Cornell did with Sara Ludy's work at the recent Armory art fair. (It was all spurred by Hrag Vartanian's interview with Cornell, which you can see here.)

Read This: Why Take Animated GIFs Offline? originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> animated gifsAnimatedGifsarmory showArmoryShowartart collectionArtCollectionreadthisrhizometom moodyTomMoodytop Matthew Zuras Sat, 12 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Google Launches Person Finder for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/11/google-launches-person-finder-for-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/11/google-launches-person-finder-for-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/11/google-launches-person-finder-for-japan-earthquake-and-tsunami/#comments japan person finder The extent of the damage is still unknown, but people with friends or family in Japan can turn to Google's Person Finder if they're looking for or having information about anyone caught up in the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit last night and this morning. The service is available in Japanese, Chinese and English.

The app was first launched in the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake last year. Google has since deployed it to help users find lost friends and loved ones in the wake of the Chile and Christchurch earthquakes. The Japan version is currently logging over 5,100 records. As communications went down in certain parts of the country immediately following the quake, many have taken to the app to search for or post information about those displaced by the disaster. Twitter has also been overrun with tweets from people sharing or searching for information about the quake.

Google Launches Person Finder for Japan Earthquake and Tsunami originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breakinggooglegoogle person finderGooglePersonFinderjapanjapan earthquakejapan earthquake 2011japan tsunamijapan+tsunamiJapanEarthquakeJapanEarthquake2011japanese+earthquakejapaneseearthquakejapantsunamiperson finderPersonFindertopweb Matthew Zuras Fri, 11 Mar 2011 08:50:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Overdue Reviews: 'Minority Report']]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/10/minority-report-overdue-reviews/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/10/minority-report-overdue-reviews/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/10/minority-report-overdue-reviews/#comments Overdue Reviews takes a critical look at tech-centric films that are well-loved, well-loathed or eye-rollingly obscure.

For better or worse, they love Dick in Hollywood: 'Blade Runner,' 'Total Recall,' 'Impostor,' 'A Scanner Darkly,' 'Paycheck' and 'Next' all have roots in the notorious paranoiac Philip K. Dick's fiction. Last week, in fact, saw the release of the latest adaptation, 'The Adjustment Bureau,' based on his short story 'The Adjustment Team.' But while 'Blade Runner' might be the supreme PDK translation (nerd alert!), Steven Spielberg's 2002 film adaptation of 'The Minority Report,' a short story originally published in 1956, has more thoroughly stuck in our collective consciousness. It's a film that depicts a world just on the horizon from our own.

To the source material!

Continue reading Overdue Reviews: 'Minority Report'

Overdue Reviews: 'Minority Report' originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featuresminority reportMinorityReportmoviesoverdue reviewsoverduereviewsPhilip K. DickPhilipK.Dicksteven spielbergStevenSpielbergtop Matthew Zuras Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:45:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[America, You Made This Man a Billionaire: Zynga's Mark Pincus Now Filthy Rich]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/10/zynga-mark-pincus-in-forbes-billionaire-club/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/10/zynga-mark-pincus-in-forbes-billionaire-club/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/10/zynga-mark-pincus-in-forbes-billionaire-club/#comments Perpetually baby-faced Mark Pincus, CEO of Zynga and god of 'Farmville,' is now worth $1 billion, all thanks to your stupid virtual corn. "Blame only yourselves," I said when 'CityVille' grew even larger than your digital homesteads, as you merrily stuffed Facebook Credits into his gaping pockets. Now the company is valued between $7 and $9 billion, and Pincus' Bieber hair has found its way into the Forbes billionaire's club. All because you needed a Shamrock Pony for your Grain Silo or whatever.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank Christ that 'Angry Birds' is coming to Facebook.

America, You Made This Man a Billionaire: Zynga's Mark Pincus Now Filthy Rich originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> billionairecityvillefacebookfarmvilleforbesforbes billionairesForbesBillionairesgamingMark PincusMarkPincusSocialNetworkingtopvirtual goodsVirtualGoodszynga Matthew Zuras Thu, 10 Mar 2011 11:15:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Read This: Shut Up About 'Social Media Revolutions' in the Middle East, Please]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/09/read-this-evgeny-morozov-social-media-revolution-middle-east/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/09/read-this-evgeny-morozov-social-media-revolution-middle-east/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/09/read-this-evgeny-morozov-social-media-revolution-middle-east/#comments
[While] the recent round of uprisings may seem spontaneous to western observers - and therefore as magically disruptive as a rush-hour flash mob in San Francisco - the actual history of popular regime change tends to diminish the central role commonly ascribed to technology. By emphasising the liberating role of the tools and downplaying the role of human agency, such accounts make Americans feel proud of their own contribution to events in the Middle East. After all, the argument goes, such a spontaneous uprising wouldn't have succeeded before Facebook was around - so Silicon Valley deserves a lion's share of the credit.
Score one for the Gladwellians? Evgeny Morozov thinks all of those "Internet cheerleaders" who are championing North African/Middle Eastern uprisings as "Facebook revolutions" have their heads up their cyber-utopian asses.

Read This: Shut Up About 'Social Media Revolutions' in the Middle East, Please originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> egyptegypt protestsEgyptProtestsevgeny morozovEvgenyMorozovfacebooklibyalibya protestsLibyaProtestsmiddle eastMiddleEastreadthisSocialNetworkingtoptunisiatunisia protestsTunisiaProteststwiter Matthew Zuras Wed, 09 Mar 2011 15:40:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Hell Yeah, Liquid Nitrogen! Eco-Friendly Swedes Will Shatter Your Frozen Corpse 'Terminator'-Style]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/09/promessa-freezes-corpses-shatters-them-with-sound/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/09/promessa-freezes-corpses-shatters-them-with-sound/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/09/promessa-freezes-corpses-shatters-them-with-sound/#comments T-1000 getting shattered Um, amazing? Promessa is a Swedish company that will freeze your dead body to -18 degrees Celsius, dip it in liquid nitrogen, and then shatter it with sound waves. The resulting "organic powder" is then "introduced into a vacuum chamber where the water is evaporated away," before being sealed in a coffin made from biodegradable cornstarch. So call your power of attorney, hightail it to the Scandinavian Peninsula and get pulverized like the T-1000, so that your powdered remains can provide nourishment for organic lingonberries and MALM headboards, or whatever they grow in Sweden.

Hell Yeah, Liquid Nitrogen! Eco-Friendly Swedes Will Shatter Your Frozen Corpse 'Terminator'-Style originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> funeralsgreenlingonberriesliquid nitrogenLiquidNitrogenpromessascienceswedenterminator 2Terminator2top Matthew Zuras Wed, 09 Mar 2011 11:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Aram Bartholl's 'Open Internet']]> http://www.switched.com/2011/03/01/aram-bartholl-open-internet/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/01/aram-bartholl-open-internet/ http://www.switched.com/2011/03/01/aram-bartholl-open-internet/#comments
Aram Bartholl, the Eyebeam resident who cemented USB thumb drives into the cracks of walls around New York City, just released a video of his latest "public intervention," called 'Open Internet.' He appears to set up his phone as a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot as he strolls through Manhattan with flashing LED signs -- the kind hanging in the window of any standard deli -- ostensibly giving out free Internet access as he becomes a walking advertisement/gadget. Part performance, part sculpture, part hack? His notes on the work (sic throughout):

I ve been looking at these cheaply produced, super low resolution LED signs (the IRL animated gif ;-) for a while already. End of last year I filmed this meaningfull pair in a kiosk window in Berlin and fell in love with them. First I used the picture for the SPEED SHOW 5 title in Paris but I had to take it a bit further. :) You find LED signs in any shopping window especially in EU these days. There are also many OPEN signs in US but hardly any INTERNET signs. I had to change that! :)

Aram Bartholl's 'Open Internet' originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> aram barthollAramBarthollarteyebeamled signLedSignopen internetOpenInternettop Matthew Zuras Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Read This: The Story of the Guy Who Stole Your Credit Card Number]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/22/read-this-the-story-of-the-guy-who-stole-your-credit-card-numbe/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/22/read-this-the-story-of-the-guy-who-stole-your-credit-card-numbe/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/22/read-this-the-story-of-the-guy-who-stole-your-credit-card-numbe/#comments
Slipping in over his VNC client, Max could see what was on the computer's screen, as though standing right in front of it. Since he worked at night, the display on the dormant PC was usually dark, so he'd nudge his mouse to clear the screen saver. If there was anyone in the room, it might have been a little spooky: remember that time your computer monitor flipped on for no reason, and the cursor twitched? It might have been Max Vision taking a quick look at your screen.
Former hacker and Wired's Threat Level blog editor Kevin Poulsen has a new book out today, detailing the story of Max Vision, "a white hat computer hacker who turned to the dark side." This excerpt from 'Kingpin -- How One Hacker Took Over the Billion Dollar Cyber Crime Underground' gives a glimpse into a pulpy narrative straight out of Hollywood, but it's true stuff.

Read This: The Story of the Guy Who Stole Your Credit Card Number originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bookshackhackerKevinPoulsonkingpinKingpin--HowOneHackerTookOverTheBillionDollarCyberCrimeUndergrouMaxVisiontop Matthew Zuras Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:05:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Art School Nudity Debacle: Does Facebook Just Make Poor Policy?]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/21/new-york-academy-of-art-facebook-nudity-debacle/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/21/new-york-academy-of-art-facebook-nudity-debacle/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/21/new-york-academy-of-art-facebook-nudity-debacle/#comments After the New York Academy of Art uploaded some images to the school's Facebook page back at the end of January, it received that standard-issue alert: "You uploaded a photo that violates our Terms of Use, and this photo has been removed." The photo in question was an ink-on-paper nude of a woman's torso by Steven Assael, included in an exhibition at Eden Rock Gallery in St. Barth's. When the school tried to upload more images a few days later, its account was suspended from adding new photos for a week. "They must have decided that we are a repeat offender," the school's president David Kratz told the New York Times.

Long story short, the school wrote up an outraged blog post about Facebook's seemingly draconian policy, crying censorship and demanding to know: "How is Facebook controlling art?" (Some of its points are tenuous: "How does the de-facebooking of other works of fine art connect to the recent decision by the Smithsonian to remove David Wojnarowicz's artwork from the National Portrait Gallery's online and on-site exhibition?" Actually a pretty big difference there.) Facebook apologized, explaining that, while naked photos are verboten, "the company has an unwritten policy that allows drawings or sculptures of nudes."

Continue reading Art School Nudity Debacle: Does Facebook Just Make Poor Policy?

Art School Nudity Debacle: Does Facebook Just Make Poor Policy? originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artcensorshipfacebookNewYorkAcademyOfArtsocialnetworkingtopweb Matthew Zuras Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:40:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Fox's Fundamentals of Sexting: Learn Your MOOS from Your MOSS]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/19/foxs-fundamentals-of-sexting-learn-your-moos-from-your-moss/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/19/foxs-fundamentals-of-sexting-learn-your-moos-from-your-moss/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/19/foxs-fundamentals-of-sexting-learn-your-moos-from-your-moss/#comments Hey, old folks! Feel like getting into the exhilarating practice of sexting? Gizmodo breaks down some intrepid reporting typical of Fox News, so that the next time you get a text that reads 'GYPO IAYM,' you'll know it's not the Iowa Yearly Meeting of Friends deriding your Gypsy heritage. Fox reminds you: "Take it slowly. Sexting can quickly go from fun to creepy if you keep it up for too long or escalate too quickly." Whatever happened to a simple A/S/L WANNA CYBER?

Fox's Fundamentals of Sexting: Learn Your MOOS from Your MOSS originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 19 Feb 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cellphoneslolzsextsextingtop Matthew Zuras Sat, 19 Feb 2011 09:01:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Secret Service for Billionaires Reminds You How to Stay Safe from Assassins (on Facebook)]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/18/guidry-group-protects-you-from-facebook-google-assassins/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/18/guidry-group-protects-you-from-facebook-google-assassins/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/18/guidry-group-protects-you-from-facebook-google-assassins/#comments Are you a billionaire? Are you on Facebook? Holy hell! Immediately solicit the services of Mr. Michael Guidry, whose Guidry Group "helps physically protect 22 billionaires." An "expert in hostage negotiation and terrorism," the former Texas State Trooper spoke at the Mobile Security Symposium in San Francisco this week, explaining how the Internet will invariably cause you to fall into the hands of ransoming Mexican cartels.

Guidry explained to USA Today how a smartphone was employed in the recent kidnapping and murder of one of his client's associates. Basically, the kidnapper used Google to look the guy up on his phone. Thus, causality! "We're seeing that a lot," says Guidry. "Between that and kids hanging out with their parents at a Starbucks and Twittering everywhere that their parents are going, it's unbelievable." Got that? Smartphones, children and Starbucks are putting our country's billionaires in danger.

Continue reading Secret Service for Billionaires Reminds You How to Stay Safe from Assassins (on Facebook)

Secret Service for Billionaires Reminds You How to Stay Safe from Assassins (on Facebook) originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cellphonesgoogleguidry groupGuidryGroupmichael guidryMichaelGuidryMobile Security SymposiumMobileSecuritySymposiumsecuritytopweb Matthew Zuras Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:40:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Amid Bloodshed, Bahrain Reportedly Blocks Internet Access]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/18/bahrain-blocks-internet-access/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/18/bahrain-blocks-internet-access/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/18/bahrain-blocks-internet-access/#comments Bahraini worshippers Having apparently not learned much from Mubarak's ouster in Egypt, the government of Bahrain may now be restricting access to the Internet, due to ongoing protests. Massachusetts-based Arbor Networks says it has seen a 10- to 20-percent drop in Web traffic into and out of the country, suggesting that Bahrain is blocking sites. It did note that the dip could be due to technical issues with the country's carriers. But, considering the government's ruthless and deadly crackdown against the demonstrators, would an Internet throttle be so unexpected?

Amid Bloodshed, Bahrain Reportedly Blocks Internet Access originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> BahrainBahrain ProtestsBahrainProtestsInternetPoliticsTopWeb Matthew Zuras Fri, 18 Feb 2011 11:00:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[We Want: A Cardboard Flash Drive for Temporary Memory]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/16/art-lebedev-fleshkus-cardboard-flash-drive/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/16/art-lebedev-fleshkus-cardboard-flash-drive/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/16/art-lebedev-fleshkus-cardboard-flash-drive/#comments fleshkus drive Much of the product design coming out of Art Lebedev Studio has been bold, but of questionable taste. Remember those ridiculous Optimus keyboards? Shudder.

But this concept for disposable thumbdrives, designed by Alexei Lyapunov and Lena Ehrlich, is both realistic and restrained. Called Fleshkus, the drives are made of cardboard and not meant to last. Let's hope they eventually make it to market, because we'd much prefer that PR companies start handing out their kits on something that we don't feel so bad about immediately throwing away.

We Want: A Cardboard Flash Drive for Temporary Memory originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> AlexeiLyapunovAlexeiLyapunovartLebedevStudioArtLebedevdesignDisposableFlashDrivefleshkusgreenLenaEhrlichrecyclingthumbdrivetop Matthew Zuras Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Overdue Reviews: 'Johnny Mnemonic']]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/11/overdue-reviews-johnny-mnemonic/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/11/overdue-reviews-johnny-mnemonic/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/11/overdue-reviews-johnny-mnemonic/#comments Overdue Reviews takes a critical look at tech-centric films that are well-loved, well-loathed or eye-rollingly obscure.

'Johnny Mnemonic' is frequently considered one of the worst sci-fi films of the modern era. It is not! In fact, it stands up exceptionally well after 16 years -- especially if you're drunk. (Seriously, alcohol really helps.)

To refresh your overloaded memory (storyline joke!): Keanu Reeves plays a futuristic courier who's dumped his childhood memories in order to jam a hard drive into his skull. One night, he downloads too much "product," which turns out to be the cure to a worldwide epidemic called Nerve Attenuation Syndrome (NAS). Johnny then gets embroiled with a series of bizarro villains -- like Dolph Lundgren as a cyborg Jesus -- before saving the world with the help of Ice-T and a dolphin.

Roger Ebert said this movie "doesn't deserve one nanosecond of serious analysis but has a kind of idiotic grandeur that makes you almost forgive it." I'm willing to forgive 'Johnny Mnemonic,' not because it oozes camp, but because the movie really meant to be better. The problem is, we've all been watching this movie the wrong way.

Continue reading Overdue Reviews: 'Johnny Mnemonic'

Overdue Reviews: 'Johnny Mnemonic' originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> dolph+lundgrendolphlundgrenfeaturesjohnny mnemonicJohnnyMnemonickeanu+reeveskeanureevesmoviesoverdue reviewsoverduereviewsrobert longoRobertLongotopwilliam gibsonWilliamGibson Matthew Zuras Fri, 11 Feb 2011 14:30:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Read This: 'Wikipedia Is Male-Dominated. That Doesn't Mean It's Sexist.']]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/10/read-this-wikipedia-is-male-dominated-that-doesnt-mean-its/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/10/read-this-wikipedia-is-male-dominated-that-doesnt-mean-its/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/10/read-this-wikipedia-is-male-dominated-that-doesnt-mean-its/#comments
The gender imbalance among Wikipedia contributors is not even news. The Wikimedia study came out in August 2009 and was covered by the Wall Street Journal at that time. In the 17 months (which the Times rounds down to "about a year") that this report has been searing the Times' consciousness, the paper has come up with exactly zero new facts to explain the contributor imbalance. Instead, the paper recycles Women's Studies bromides about a female-hostile society, providing a striking display of contemporary feminism's intellectual decadence.
Slate's Heather Mac Donald offers a feisty rebuttal to the New York Times' trend piece/accusation that Wikipedia hates on the fairer sex. (But the "men inhabit fact-based realms" argument toward the end seems a little wonky, maybe? Discuss!)

Read This: 'Wikipedia Is Male-Dominated. That Doesn't Mean It's Sexist.' originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> feminismheather mac donaldHeatherMacDonaldnew york timenew york timesNewYorkTimesslatetopwebwikipediawomen Matthew Zuras Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:25:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Skull-Camera Artist Undone by Skull Health Issues]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/10/wafaa-bilal-forced-to-remove-skull-camera/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/10/wafaa-bilal-forced-to-remove-skull-camera/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/10/wafaa-bilal-forced-to-remove-skull-camera/#comments Multimedia/performance artist Wafaa Bilal has been forced to remove the camera he had attached to the back of his head in December. The camera, which streamed images to Bilal's website and to the Mathaf in Doha, Qatar, was implanted by a body modification artist (read: tattoo guy), but his immune system rejected it. (Also, he was in constant pain.) Bilal had the camera surgically removed on Friday, and is currently carrying it around his neck until he can get it re-implanted.

Skull-Camera Artist Undone by Skull Health Issues originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artcameraimplant rejectionImplantRejectiontopWafaa BilalWafaaBilal Matthew Zuras Thu, 10 Feb 2011 10:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Reddit Users Call Children's Cancer Fundraiser a Fraud -- But She's Legit]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/04/reddit-users-call-maya-gilsey-cancer-fundraiser-fraud-its-legit/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/04/reddit-users-call-maya-gilsey-cancer-fundraiser-fraud-its-legit/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/04/reddit-users-call-maya-gilsey-cancer-fundraiser-fraud-its-legit/#comments Well, you dun goofed, Internet. When 21-year-old St. Lawrence University student Maya Gilsey took to Reddit to solicit donations for Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse, New York, the hive mind immediately branded her a fraud. A Redditor named Beertime led the pack against a user named mtcame07, who pledged to shave her head in solidarity with cancer-stricken children at Golisano, while also attempting to raise $10,000 to help pay for their treatments. Beertime's response: "PLEASE do not give any of your money to this woman claiming to shave her head for cancer. It's obviously a huge scam."

But it wasn't a scam. Admittedly, mtcame07's posts were a bit conspicuous; she would repeatedly post solicitations and then delete them, and redirected potential donors to her personal website and PayPal account, instead of one run through the hospital. According to Gawker, Beertime's insistence that mtcame07's posts were a con ("Can we all please band together and call this person on their shit and make them go away") helped to unleash the brute force of the Internet mob. When Gilsey checked back on Reddit yesterday afternoon, the site's users had turned against her. "Bullshit," wrote Reddit user fabtastik. "I just reported your name and all your sites to the police for fraud."

Continue reading Reddit Users Call Children's Cancer Fundraiser a Fraud -- But She's Legit

Reddit Users Call Children's Cancer Fundraiser a Fraud -- But She's Legit originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cancerfraudGolisanoChildrensHospitalMayaGilseyoopsredditscamsocialnetworkingtopweb Matthew Zuras Fri, 04 Feb 2011 10:50:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Kenneth Cole Redefines Classy With Cairo Tweet]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/03/kenneth-cole-cairo-tweet-outrage/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/03/kenneth-cole-cairo-tweet-outrage/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/03/kenneth-cole-cairo-tweet-outrage/#comments kenneth cole egypt tweet
This week, the Social Media Outreach Award goes to Kenneth Cole, the brand that offers sensible shoes and faux-leather bags to the upscale T.J. Maxx shopper. Earlier today, the company managed to mix its ever-so-witty wordplay ("If gas prices continue to rise, why not switch to pumps? -Kenneth Cole") with current political events across the Atlantic. When the KC PR team heard about the damage to the Egyptian museum and the five people who died in the clashes yesterday, they thought: TIME TO SELL SOME SHOES!

Taking to Twitter, Kenneth Cole appropriated the #Cairo hashtag and tweeted: "Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo -KC." Good stuff, Kenneth! Way to show the world that America isn't full of naive opportunists intent on hawking olive drab chic.

UPDATE: After the Internet exploded, Kenneth Cole kinda apologized.
UPDATE #2: Now Kenneth Cole is really sorry. The original tweet has been deleted, and he's issued an apology through Facebook. Some Facebook fans aren't buying it, and an @BPGlobalPR-style parody account has popped up.

Kenneth Cole Redefines Classy With Cairo Tweet originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cairoegyptfashionkenneth+colekenneth+cole+cairoKennethColekennethcolecairoOliveDrabChicSocialNetworkingtoptwitter Matthew Zuras Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:10:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[People Use the Internet to Check Symptoms, Making Doctors Mad]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/01/people-use-the-internet-to-check-symptoms-making-doctors-mad/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/01/people-use-the-internet-to-check-symptoms-making-doctors-mad/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/01/people-use-the-internet-to-check-symptoms-making-doctors-mad/#comments Today in Things You Didn't Already Know: turns out, you cannot actually treat disease with the Internet! Not even large doses of it!

Despite that fact that almost everyone consumes massives quantities of Internet on a daily basis, it is not necessarily good for your health. Fox News even talked to some upside-down doctors in Australia, and they confirmed that the World Wide Web is no substitute for an actual hospital. "You can't make a diagnosis using the Internet," the Australian Medical Association's vice-president Steve Hambleton said.

Continue reading People Use the Internet to Check Symptoms, Making Doctors Mad

People Use the Internet to Check Symptoms, Making Doctors Mad originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> doctorsmedicineobviouspewtopweb Matthew Zuras Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:15:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Twitter, Google Bypass Egyptian Internet Ban by Launching Speak2Tweet]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/02/01/speak2tweet-twitter-google-bypass-egyptian-internet-ban/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/01/speak2tweet-twitter-google-bypass-egyptian-internet-ban/ http://www.switched.com/2011/02/01/speak2tweet-twitter-google-bypass-egyptian-internet-ban/#comments egyptian protestor Since you live under a rock, you've probably missed this whole "Egypt is in the midst of a possible revolution" thing that's been going on for the past week. To catch you up: since Egyptians still have basically no Internet or SMS connectivity, Google and Twitter have joined forces to give voice to the country's people. Instead of connecting to the Web, people in Egypt can use a landline or cell phone (as service for those has been restored) to call one of three international numbers: +16504194196 or +390662207294 or +97316199855. They can leave a voicemail, which will then be automatically tweeted with the #egypt hashtag and posted to twitter.com/speak2tweet. Other people can dial in to the same numbers or visit the Speak2Tweet page to listen to all of the voicemails.

Twitter, Google Bypass Egyptian Internet Ban by Launching Speak2Tweet originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> egyptegypt protestsEgyptProtestsgooglepoliticsspeak2tweettoptwitter Matthew Zuras Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:25:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Robert Gibbs: Egypt Must Restore Social Networking and Internet]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/01/28/robert-gibbs-egypt-must-restore-social-networking-and-internet/ http://www.switched.com/2011/01/28/robert-gibbs-egypt-must-restore-social-networking-and-internet/ http://www.switched.com/2011/01/28/robert-gibbs-egypt-must-restore-social-networking-and-internet/#comments robert gibbs' tweet Yesterday, President Obama and Vice President Biden were somewhat hands-off with the unfolding situation in Egypt -- neither explicitly condemning the Egyptian protesters nor supporting the government -- but the regime's complete blockage of the Internet hasn't gone unremarked upon today. In a recent tweet, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has expressed the White House's feelings about the situation: "Very concerned about violence in Egypt - government must respect the rights of the Egyptian people & turn on social networking and internet."

Other members of the Obama administration have echoed Gibbs' statement. State Department spokesman Philip Crowley tweeted, "We are concerned that communication services, including the Internet, social media and even this #tweet, are being blocked in #Egypt." Alec Ross, an adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, tweeted, "We urge #Egypt govt not to prevent peaceful protests or block communications including social media sites #netfreedom #Jan25."

UPDATE: Moments ago, Secretary Clinton said in a briefing that the Egyptian government must "reverse the unprecedented steps it has taken to cut off communication."

Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has also released a statement, in which he said, "I call on the Egyptian government and security forces to exercise restraint in dealing with protesters and to respect the human rights of its citizens to seek greater participation in their own government. The Egyptian government also should immediately restore communications and access to social networking sites."

Robert Gibbs: Egypt Must Restore Social Networking and Internet originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> alec rossAlecRossegyptegypt protestsEgyptProtestsHillary ClintonHillaryClintonPhilip CrowleyPhilipCrowleypj crowleyPjCrowleypoliticsRobert GibbsRobertGibbstoptwitter Matthew Zuras Fri, 28 Jan 2011 12:15:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Egypt Shuts Down Mobile, SMS Service]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/01/28/egypt-shuts-down-mobile-sms-service/ http://www.switched.com/2011/01/28/egypt-shuts-down-mobile-sms-service/ http://www.switched.com/2011/01/28/egypt-shuts-down-mobile-sms-service/#comments egyptian protestors According to The Wall Street Journal, mobile and SMS service appears to be down in Egypt, along with the country's Internet connections. The U.K.-based Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) wrote in a statement that all of the mobile operators in Egypt had been "instructed to suspend services in parts of Egypt. Under Egyptian legislation, the authorities have the right to issue such an order and we are obliged to comply with it." Vodafone Egypt services the largest number of customers in the country. Landline calls from outside of Egypt are apparently still connecting.

Egypt Shuts Down Mobile, SMS Service originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> cellphonesegyptegypt protestsEgyptProtestspoliticssmstopVodafonevodafone egyptvodafone ukVodafoneEgyptVodafoneUk Matthew Zuras Fri, 28 Jan 2011 09:00:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Get Excited, New York Food Snobs: David Chang Is Making an iPad App]]> http://www.switched.com/2011/01/26/david-chang-momofuku-lucky-peach-ipad-app/ http://www.switched.com/2011/01/26/david-chang-momofuku-lucky-peach-ipad-app/ http://www.switched.com/2011/01/26/david-chang-momofuku-lucky-peach-ipad-app/#comments David Chang, the owner of the delectable Momofuku restaurant family, is an unstoppable entrepreneur. (And a pretty fun drunk, apparently.) The 33-year-old, pork-obsessed chef seemingly isn't content with opening five acclaimed restaurants in nearly as many years, because now he's getting into publishing. According to the New York Times, Chang and his Momofuku cookbook collaborator Peter Meehan will be soon be releasing Lucky Peach, a quarterly print journal and iPad app.

The first app, set for an April release, will apparently be all about ramen -- and, if you've ever had a bowl of Momofuku ramen broth (or spied the recipe), you'll know it doesn't come from a Maruchan foil packet. Along with in-depth examinations of various ingredients, the app will, of course, contain recipes and videos. But we're most excited about seeing "a talk by Harold McGee (green-screened into outer space) on hot broth's effects on noodles." Seems fitting.

Continue reading Get Excited, New York Food Snobs: David Chang Is Making an iPad App

Get Excited, New York Food Snobs: David Chang Is Making an iPad App originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> appscookingDavidChangfoodHaroldMcgeeipadIpadAppmomofukutop Matthew Zuras Wed, 26 Jan 2011 10:45:00 EST Switched