CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-22 19:39:15 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 5 +1s)

Pitch for this article: "Hey +Whitson Gordon. You mind if I just gush all my personal nostalgia all over the site, veiled behind a guide to making something work with something or whatever?"

Rough approximation.

2013-05-22 15:24:00 (2 comments, 4 reshares, 17 +1s)

This girl knows more about Marvel superheroes than you know about anything in life.

H/t +Whitson Gordon 

2013-05-22 03:31:06 (11 comments, 0 reshares, 8 +1s)

So. Um. Here's the thing. This trailer doesn't fit the Superman story at all. I know trailers rarely have anything to do with how a movie will be presented. The soundtrack is all wrong, but that probably won't be in the final cut. The weird horror-esque video cuts are bizarrely out of place and might fit in a proper Superman movie but I'm intensely skeptical.

I don't want to say past trailers have given me hope for Man of Steel, but they've at least given me reason to reserve judgment and give Zack Snyder's take a look. But this...I'm not feeling this. Like at all.

Please let this movie be good. It's been too many decades since a good Superman movie came out.

2013-05-20 19:46:31 (20 comments, 3 reshares, 14 +1s)

An adapted version of the Liberator—the 3D printed gun that you could download the plans for—is sturdier, cheaper, can fire more shots, and be printed on consumer-grade 3D printers. News of the last one was only getting passed around two weeks ago.

So, basically, accept that at some point, a person will be killed with a 3D-printed gun.

More info: http://gizmodo.com/the-newest-3d-printed-gun-is-far-more-dangerous-for-muc-508921619

2013-05-20 03:40:06 (23 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

Thought Experiment: Are You Okay With Giving Away Massive Amounts Of Personal Data In Exchange For Free Tools That Help You Do Work And Communicate With The Caveat That Your Information May Be Used To Show You Ads?

Yes.

Yes, I am.

2013-05-16 03:35:21 (9 comments, 2 reshares, 21 +1s)

I like the new Google+ design. But they went completely apeshit with the floating/dynamic navigation bars. On your profile, if you scroll down to posts, you can get up to four entirely separate navigation bars.

On the upside, four bars is still more than I'm used to getting on Sprint...

2013-05-15 20:30:58 (23 comments, 0 reshares, 11 +1s)

Sharin' playlists! Woo!

2013-05-15 02:15:58 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

Initial Impressions of MoviePass, The Movie Theater Subscription

I requested an invite to MoviePass back in January when I was working on the movie services infographic. The idea is pretty neat: you pay a flat monthly fee for unlimited (kinda) access to any supported movie theaters. A few days ago I got my invite and today I got my card. Here's my first impression of the service:

For starters, the terms are not entirely clearly laid out when you first sign up. You are told that you have to sign up for a year of service (which is a pretty big commitment; it essentially means you're pledging to see 3-4 movies per month if you want to make it worth it), but the fact that you can cancel within the first month isn't entirely obvious.

The software is buggy. Functional, but buggy. Nearly all of the problems I found with the app are either cosmetic or peripheral... more »

2013-05-14 20:26:44 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 10 +1s)

#CoulsonLives

2013-05-14 20:00:13 (9 comments, 0 reshares, 6 +1s)

ABC ur dumb

I am in my late 20s. I would fall into the category of "cord cutters." However, that's not entirely accurate because I never got the cord to begin with. I've never paid for cable. I just didn't need to. When I was broke and couldn't afford it, it wasn't an option. Now that I can, I just don't want to. I don't feel the need. Disregarding the fact that most of my favorite shows are on channels like Showtime and HBO anyway, I just plain don't feel the pressure to watch something the day it comes out. I can watch a television show when it airs for $80 a month or whatever, or I can watch it for free the next day. Or eight days later, who cares? When House was still on, I had no problem waiting an extra week to watch it.

Why? Why did I not care about waiting eight days to watch a new episode? Because I haven't been programmed... more »

2013-05-14 15:53:59 (1 comments, 2 reshares, 6 +1s)

This guy must never stop doing what he's doing. The internet is better with him in its life.

2013-05-13 13:55:00 (13 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

Don't touch Lola.

2013-05-12 21:51:39 (2 comments, 2 reshares, 23 +1s)

Your Life Sucks

For the rest of your life, you're going to have to live with the fact that you'll never be as cool as Commander Chris Hadfield. Here he is in a Space Oddity tribute video shot on the mother fucking International Space Station.

Have you shot a music video in zero gravity on a space station orbiting the Earth? No? Then you lose like the rest of us.

2013-05-12 02:29:34 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 18 +1s)

"If you're first, no one will ever remember. If you're wrong, no one will ever forget. How does it serve the public to be first? In this frantic effort that we so often see, that we all succumb to, how does it serve the public if we're first? You know what 'first' is all about? It's vanity. It's self-conceit. We do it to make ourselves feel better. No one's sitting at home watching five television monitors going 'Oh! They were first!' That's a game that we play in our control rooms. Nobody does that. Maybe a touch of humility would serve us better, and serve the public better as well."

This whole video is fantastic. It actually begins with the speaker. CBS anchor Scott Pelley, confessing that he reported on the Newtown shooting incorrectly in a misguided attempt to be first. With news becoming a daily whack-a-mole of rumors and false... more »

2013-05-07 16:02:02 (6 comments, 27 reshares, 39 +1s)

I got into Star Trek far too late in the game, but even I can't help enjoying this.

H/t +Dan Morrill

2013-05-05 18:34:50 (41 comments, 5 reshares, 32 +1s)

These protesters will be carrying loaded rifles in DC (where such an act is illegal), as an act of "civil disobedience" that will be a "non-violent event, unless the government chooses to make it violent."

Um, explain to me how this is not just plain assaulting the United States capitol? You can't walk in and do something that is openly and obviously illegal, while carrying hundreds of weapons, and not expect some resistance. And, what? You think local law enforcement is gonna just send a guy out to politely ask people to not violate the law?

And just to drive the looking-for-a-fight point home, even if things don't become violent, the event still states that such a reasonable request to not violate the law will be taken as a statement that "free people are not welcome in Washington." That's just fucking great.

Listen, guys. I... more »

2013-05-04 00:00:28 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 9 +1s)

+Whitson Gordon got me on a BriTANick kick. This is still my favorite, though.

2013-05-02 19:11:18 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

I've spent the last decade of my life going to movie theaters for midnight showings, checking rewards cards, looking up movie stinger info, and all kinds of other crap. This article basically wrote itself.

2013-04-30 20:34:44 (1 comments, 10 reshares, 20 +1s)

Sexy.

h/t +Whitson Gordon

2013-04-24 18:31:59 (5 comments, 0 reshares, 15 +1s)

Hell. It's about time.

2013-04-23 15:30:53 (10 comments, 3 reshares, 17 +1s)

Shut up and watch this now. A lot.

2013-04-23 03:07:13 (26 comments, 23 reshares, 54 +1s)

I like Regal, I like AMC, and I even like Disney when it comes to Marvel stuff. But if this shit isn't resolved in a timely manner (read: before the movie comes out), I will be very put out.

2013-04-22 16:10:49 (9 comments, 1 reshares, 11 +1s)

Okay, fine. I care about the Oculus Rift now.

2013-04-19 20:20:00 (41 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

The Difference Between A Payment Plan And A Contract

Today, my girlfriend asked me to look around for a place to buy a brand new HTC One for AT&T. She's under contract but would like a new handset and is willing to pay the full, subsidized price (because her current hardware is becoming unusable). I called a bunch of AT&T stores and I was told they were not allowed to sell their current stock off-contract because the hardware is so new and they want to save it for people paying the on-contract price.

This is why contracts blow.

T-Mobile's has taken a lot of flak for allegedly pushing "contracts" under a different name. The idea being that by requiring people to finish paying off their phones before they leave, it's no different from any other carrier (an idea I've dismantled here:h... more »

2013-04-15 21:13:00 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 7 +1s)

We have launched Person Finder to help people caught in the explosions in Boston. Learn more.

http://google.org/personfinder/2013-boston-explosions

2013-04-12 22:28:04 (78 comments, 26 reshares, 124 +1s)

A Non-Comprehensive List Of Things That, Individually, Will Not Kill A Phone's Chances Of Being A Success
Or: Consumers Don't Care About What You Think They Care About

- Locked bootloaders
- Lack of micro SD card slot
- Lack of removable battery
- Bad developer support
- Battery that lasts less than two days
- Giant screen sizes
- Sense/TouchWiz/NatureUX/whatever

Alternatively, things that will result in low sales numbers:

- Confusing product names/lack of brand recognition
- Minimal advertising
- Inventory shortages
- Not being popular
- Crappy networks
- Carrier exclusivity

If you want a micro SD card slot or removable battery, that's fine. But most people don't. If a phone has something in common with either the iPhone or Galaxy S/Note lines, then it will not prevent that device... more »

2013-04-10 14:07:33 (15 comments, 2 reshares, 21 +1s)

I Don't Want To Hear Any More About How Google Is Evil For Killing Reader

"Just think how long Google could've kept one particular RSS program running with all that money it spent! Jeez. What happened to 'Don't be evil?'"

2013-04-02 14:23:17 (22 comments, 2 reshares, 17 +1s)

It's Really Cool That HBO Doesn't Mind Piracy, But...

I recently started watching Game of Thrones. It's a great show. My favorite? Nah. But I like it. Enough to spend a considerable amount of time watching it. In fact, I will probably be spending money on it at some point. Either to buy season sets, or on various paraphernalia. Somehow or another, I'll be shelling out hard-earned cash on this show.

The use of future tense in the above paragraph would seem to imply that I have not paid money in the past tense. Which is true. For all you know, I borrowed a friend's DVD set, but according to an HBO exec speaking to Entertainment Weekly, if I got it illegally from the internet, that's okay*. Which is cool. The argument about whether piracy has a serious impact on the health of media is a contentious one, but it's without question that I wouldn't have... more »

2013-03-31 20:15:21 (2 comments, 3 reshares, 23 +1s)

Google is closing YouTube now that all submissions are in.

2013-03-28 02:48:12 (18 comments, 1 reshares, 20 +1s)

May We Always Marginalize Bigotry And Stupidity

Bill O'Reilly, who may be the most respectable conservative that I frequently disagree with, recently made a claim that the "compelling argument" in favor of gay marriage is "on the side of the homosexuals." He went on to say that the the other side hasn't been able to do much but "thump their Bible."

Rush Limbaugh took exception to this. He asked his listeners if there were an "Bible thumpers" that watch Fox. Keeping in mind that in the context of the original quote, "Bible thumpers" here refers to people using scripture from their own personal religion to justify banning a happy, safe practice for the entire nation. He makes no attempt to reframe this as "religious people who disagree" at all, but simply continues to ask if the Bible thumpers watch Fox.
... more »

2013-03-26 19:30:59 (5 comments, 2 reshares, 9 +1s)

What is happening.

2013-03-25 22:02:17 (13 comments, 4 reshares, 13 +1s)

In case you want to watch all six Star Wars movies, but only have a couple hours.

2013-03-25 18:14:02 (25 comments, 1 reshares, 41 +1s)

This new Google+ update is awesome on 10" tablets for two reasons.

1.) It finally scrolls down—like every other friggin' app in existence—instead of to the side.

2.) It finally fixes that stupid problem where when you tap on a post, it loads a giant, stretched out, ugly thumbnail and requires you to swipe up from the center to reveal the text and comments of a post. Now it's a delightful pop up like the one you see here.

Much better, Google.

2013-03-25 15:16:12 (16 comments, 0 reshares, 13 +1s)

I feel like it's worth reiterating that every Google Babble "leak" so far has been based around the icon from Chrome's Notifications Galore! app - the internal rich notification system built for Chrome but not released for public consumption.

Once again: the icon is from Notifications Galore. It is not new. These are not leaks.

2013-05-19 20:38:02 (31 comments, 4 reshares, 27 +1s)

Tech World: Please Stop Being Horrible To Each Other

I don't care about Adria Richards. I don't care about SendGrid or PlayHaven or forking repos or dongles. Actually, I take that back. I do like dongles. Penis metaphors or no, the word "dongle" is just so damn fun to say. So, yes, I care very much about dongles. Probably more than anything else I just mentioned. Usually, though, I like to satirize things, over-analyze issues no one cares about, and make the tech blogging world fun.

This week has been extremely difficult in that regard. Because one guy said "dongle", another lady didn't like it, and now they're both fired and the internet is on fire.

Stop.

No, no. Stop. Just stop. Don't even explain. Just stop. Completely. Put the keyboard away. Shut the fuck up for a bit. Chill out. Two people have already been fired... more »

2013-03-20 21:15:56 (8 comments, 7 reshares, 11 +1s)

This is the best thing.

2013-03-14 03:45:54 (14 comments, 7 reshares, 17 +1s)

This is the single most important issue we face as a nation today, you guys.

2013-03-12 03:19:06 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 10 +1s)

Soon

2013-03-07 00:12:07 (6 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I can't believe I fell for Carrie's deceptive tricks. I feel like Jabba.