joi, 28 iulie 2011

Damn Cool Pics

Damn Cool Pics


MS-DOS Turned 30 Years Old

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 05:55 PM PDT

MS-DOS, Microsoft's first desktop operating system today turned 30. The MS-DOS was launched on July 27, 1981, after Microsoft bought the full rights to QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System), the PC operating system the company acquired from Seattle Computer Products for $50,000.






























Epic Fails - Part 16

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 05:34 PM PDT

Satisfy your thirst for massive failure by checking out this latest round of hilarious humans failing the best that they can. Here is a new set of the best and the most epic fails.









































































































Previous parts:
Epic Fails - Part 1
Epic Fails - Part 2
Epic Fails - Part 3
Epic Fails - Part 4
Epic Fails - Part 5
Epic Fails - Part 6
Epic Fails - Part 7
Epic Fails - Part 8
Epic Fails - Part 9
Epic Fails - Part 10
Epic Fails - Part 11
Epic Fails - Part 12
Epic Fails - Part 13
Epic Fails - Part 14
Epic Fails - Part 15


Cartoons That Were Voiced By Celebrities

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 05:16 PM PDT

Often celebrities find some very weird characters to lend their voice to. Here's a list of the best and strangest.

Katy Perry plays Smurfette opposite Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays in The Smurfs, due out on July 29th. Perry's character channels Marilyn Monroe's famous Seven Year Itch moment in the movie's trailer, as the Smurfette's billowy white dress flies up over a windy grate.


Jennifer Aniston served as the voice for character Annie Hughes in 1999's Iron Giant, when the actress was still part of the Friends cast.


Anne Hathaway gave a voice to character Jewel in Rio. Though Hathaway made her singing debut in the film, she had done voiceover work before in shows The Simpsons and Family Guy.


Christina Applegate voiced sassy female chipmunk Brittany in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel alongside two other Chipettes, played by Amy Poehler and Anna Faris.


Ellen DeGeneres puckered up to play Dory in 2003's Finding Nemo. The comedian mastered the amnesiac fish's stumbling speech patterns in the film.


Emma Watson voiced the part of Princess Pea in The Tale of Despereaux. "I read the script, and I just loved it. It was so charming. I fell in love with Despereaux, so I really didn't have a choice. I had to be his princess," Watson told MTV.


Isla Fisher gave voice to Dr. Mary Lou Larue in Horton Hears a Who! The Dr. Seuss-inspired film boasted a star-studded cast of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell, Seth Rogan and Jaime Pressly.


Jada Pinkett Smith played Gloria in Madagascar and Madagascar 2. "I always have such a good time with Gloria, it allows me to be very playful," Smith said of her role in the films.


Miley Cyrus provided the voice to Penny in Bolt. More than her voiceover, she won high praise for the song I Though I Lost You, which she sings in the film with John Travolta.


Nicole Kidman voiced penguin Norma Jean opposite Hugh Jackman and Robin Williams in 2006's Happy Feet.


Queen Latifah provided comedy as the voice of Ellie, a mammoth who is convinced that she is a possum, in Ice Age. "She has her own idea about who she is and she just won't be dissuaded," the star said of her character.


Reese Witherspoon chose to play Susan Murphy a.k.a Ginormica in Monsters vs Aliens because the character had role model potential. "You always go for the great character to play, even if she's animated," Witherspoon said.


What Your Favorite Ice Cream Says About You [Infographic]

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 04:57 PM PDT

In honor of National Ice Cream month, the Ultimate Coupons design team decided to have a little fun with everyone's favorite frozen treat. Simply find your favorite ice cream flavor on the chart and see what your love of that flavor really says about your personality. We admit that these results aren't scientifically proven, but they're probably about as accurate as your daily horoscope. Except for the Frozen Yogurt one – that is totally, 100% true. Trust us.

Click to see full size view.


Improv Eeverywhere: The Mp3 Experiment Eight

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 08:45 PM PDT



As part of their MP3 Experiment series, Improv Everywhere asked people to download an original MP3 file, go to the Hudson River at sunset and listen to it simultaneously. 3,500 people showed up ending up doing synchronized activities.


10 Most Strangely Shaped Lakes

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 07:47 PM PDT

Nature tells you a story, of solace and existence. Similarities can be found in the things surrounding us but what is most astonishing is when water bodies cry for attention; through their various intriguing shapes and outlines, we look but we do not see.

Schulensmeer Lake – Belgium

Giant water gun: Nature and man worked together to unintentionally make a weapon out of Belgium's 2.5 km long Schulensmeer. A highway was constructed nearby in 1970's and the parcels of land brought for it turned the lake into a pistol shape. It is not as deadly as it seems, however in case of flooding it causes the Demer River to overflow. Otherwise, sailing, surfing and water sports are the powder in the gun.

The Lake that leads the Latin Alphabet

To be honest there are simply loads of heart-shaped lakes out there everywhere from Ohio to Korea so we just didn't have room for all of them here. Shot from a balloon, this next lake or perhaps more accurately pond looks like the letter 'A' to us. Anyone know of other lakes that spell something out to them? We'd be interested to hear.

Friday's Lake

The reservoir of the Kiev Hydroelectric Power Plant.

Catherine's garden in Moscow is of the same form (and content)


The Lake designed by Pisces

This frozen-over, fish-shaped wonder was captured on Alaska's Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain peak in North America at around 6,194 metres. Mount McKinley actually has a larger rise than Mount Everest, as its base sits at a much lower elevation of 610 m, and is also bulkier than its Himalayan rival. With such imposing facts, it's no wonder this obscurely fishy lake is less well-known..

The Lake in the image of Man

This next shape is clearly a product of deliberate human intervention in the natural landscape, a figure that stands some 140 metres tall in a lake located near Iacanga in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. However, aside from its location and vital statistics, information about this strange piece of land art is scarce. Anyone know anything we don't? If so, pray do tell.

The Lake of Lady Luck

Canada's aptly-named Horseshoe Lake might bring luck for some, but geographically oxbow lakes like this are not uncommon. These sweeping U-shaped bodies of water are formed when a wide meander from a river's main stem is cut off, creating the characteristically curved lake. This fine-looking example is located along the long the Red River, near Morris in southern Manitoba.

The River that doubles your luck

So how do oxbow lakes arise? Well many of them start out a lot like this. Yes, we know, it isn't a lake, but it could be one in the making. This is Arizona's Horseshoe Bend, a magnificent meander of the Colorado River situated slightly downstream from Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. From the steep cliff above, some 305 metres higher up, it makes a breathtaking sight.

Manicouagan Lake – Canada

Engaging ring: One of the seven wonders of Canada, a ring-shaped hydroelectric reservoir lake occupies the centre of Quebec's Manicouagan Crater. This shuttle view shows the prominent 70 kilometers diameter, ice-covered annular lake that fills a ring where impact-brecciated rock has been eroded by glaciation.

The Lake that says 'How do you do?'

The previous lake may have been man-shaped by design, but this next one looks more natural; natural but not au naturel – see he's wearing a hat and cane as he walks across the countryside. We're not sure where this is, but we've featured it on EG before and one commenter reckoned it could be Blythefield Reservoir in Staffordshire, England; another said it must be Mr. Peanut of Planters fame.

Heart shaped lake, possibly in Korea


The Lake Eros, India

If you fancy giving a lake photo as a valentine gift, the heart shaped Lake Eros is the water body for you. The Chembra Peak in India overlooks what is the symbol of love throughout the world, at 1,398 metres above sea level. The water not only warms the eyes but is also at a fairly tolerable temperature with a surface area of 1,827 square meters.

Not really a lake but there is some water

Arabian sheik billionaire decided to glorify himself in the world and outside it, by writing his name on the sand of the island belonging to him
with kilometer letters. HAMAD inscription is dug in the sand of the island belonging to him with al-Futaisi letters. The whole inscription is about 4 km at length.


SEOmoz Daily SEO Blog

SEOmoz Daily SEO Blog


5 Tips for Meeting Online Friends IRL

Posted: 27 Jul 2011 04:53 PM PDT

Posted by Dr. Pete

Dr. Pete and GianlucaSocial media is a bit of a paradox – we have more “friends” than ever, but our relationships feel more and more superficial. When we retreat to the comfort of the internet, we introverts have even less incentive to get to know people IRL (In Real Life, for those who don't spend all day on the internet). If you know me online, it may surprise you to hear that I consider myself a recovering introvert. I’m also a work-at-home father of a 1-year-old, so I’m lucky to hit one SEO conference a year.

In honor of being in Seattle for Mozcon this week, I’d like to share 5 tips for how I’ve managed to make social media count and turn online relationships into real, offline friendships and business partnerships. Just to illustrate the point, that’s a picture of me with SEOmoz enthusiast and fellow proud dad Gianluca Fiorelli, who I finally got to meet in person today (thanks to Rudy Lopez for snapping the picture).

1. Get to Know People

If you only see your online friends as a way to get more Likes and +1s or water your Farmville crops when you’re out of town, you’ll never develop a real-life connection. Building any lasting relationship starts with sincerity. I think that 80% of my own success comes from the fact that I genuinely like people. Social media blurs the lines between work and personal life, and it’s a tremendous opportunity to get to know more about people’s lives outside of work.

2. Be a White-hat Stalker

Social media is also an amazing way to keep track of people, especially with real-time information like Twitter and FourSquare. Sometimes, all it takes is paying attention and knowing when you and your online friends will be in the same place at the same time. A couple of years ago, I was on Twitter and noticed that an industry friend was visiting the Google office in Chicago, just a few blocks from my condo. I pinged him, and two hours later we were having a beer together.

I’m not suggesting that you actually stalk people and show up uninvited to wherever they check in. White-hat stalking is about finding opportunity in the fact that many people in our industry spend a lot of time on the road. Sometimes, an online friend from across the country or even the other side of the globe just happens to be in town. Sometimes, you’re going to the same event, and may not even realize it. It’s all about paying attention.

3. Pre-arrange a Meetup

If you are going to an event, especially a large conference, it’s easy to assume that meeting people will just naturally happen. Conferences are big events and 2-4 days can go by in a flash. If you’re going to be at an event, let people know. It may feel self-indulgent, but announce online that you’re going. If you leave meeting up to chance, you’re going to miss a lot of people. Arrange a meetup – it could be dinner the night before the event, or it could just be making sure you find each other at the after-party. Don’t overthink it – a simple “Hey, I’m in Session A3 – where are you?” on Twitter works wonders.

4. Don’t Miss a Chance

When an opportunity does come along to meet someone IRL, don’t pass it up. Not to keep picking on Gianluca, but when he arrived at the hotel yesterday he tweeted that he was down in the lobby. At a relatively small, 3-day conference, it’s easy to assume that we’d have plenty of chances to meet up, but instead I told him to wait a minute, grabbed my room key, and jumped in the elevator. I can’t count the number of times I saw someone I wanted to meet, thought “They look busy, I’m sure I’ll see them later” and then didn’t. Don’t miss your chance.

5. Act Like an Extrovert

I hate the phrase “Fake it ‘til you make it” because of that one word – fake. It’s taken me a long time to accept that there’s a huge difference between deliberately being fake and acting the way you’d like to act, even if it’s a bit out of character. If you’re outgoing online, you’d probably like to be a little more outgoing IRL. So, why not try it on for size? No one online knows that you’re secretly terrified of your own shadow. These days, when I recognize an online friend, I approach them like we’ve known each other forever. It’s amazing what a difference that makes.

To the introverts out there, I’d just like to end by saying that many of the people in this industry that you think are social animals are closet introverts themselves. One of my favorite industry posts of all time is Lisa Barone’s introvert confession back in 2008. Even social media professionals struggle with actually being social IRL. If you're at Mozcon, don't be afraid to say “hi” – I only bite when I haven't been fed.


Do you like this post? Yes No

Facebook and Google+ Competing For Your Attention Graywolf's SEO Blog

Facebook and Google+ Competing For Your Attention Graywolf's SEO Blog


Facebook and Google+ Competing For Your Attention

Posted: 28 Jul 2011 10:25 AM PDT

Post image for Facebook and Google+ Competing For Your Attention

With the launch of Google+, the inevitable tech fan boys preaching the downfall of Facebook–because a new shiny cat toy caught their attention–was laughably predictable. As SEO’s, internet marketers, and social media consultants, we have to be involved in these games, or we risk losing our competitive edge. However, what we really need to understand is that this is a war for consumer data and attention.

Google wants to make it as easy for advertisers to spend their advertising dollars targeting you as your local super market makes it to buy a can of Cambell’s tomato soup… 
Make no misunderstanding, when you use a service and there is no subscription fee, you aren’t the customer, you are the product being sold to advertisers. These services will go to great lengths to develop features that will keep you on the site, engaged with other users, so they can gather as much data and profile you as effectively as they possibly can. To show you how good companies like Google have gotten at gathering and packaging this data, you should know they are working on developing a marketplace to sell it in neat little packages to advertisers. To put it another way, Google wants to make it as easy as possible for advertisers to spend their advertising dollars targeting you as your local super market makes it to buy a can of Cambell’s tomato soup. Think about that the next time you hear someone from Google say “We do it for the users.”

Hopefully you have come across the term Dunbars Number in your life. If you haven’t, go click that last link and acquaint yourself with the concept because it’s important. For those of you who are lazy, it basically says people can only pay attention and care about a limited number of people or things in their lives. It varies from individual to individual, but the average person can pay attention to about 150 people or things; beyond that, things start to slip through the cracks, unless people use some automated reminder tools like a CRM database.

What does this have to do with Facebook and Google+? You need to apply the Dunbars number concept to regular people. SEO’s, marketers, and social media experts HAVE to be on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook, but most people don’t. People have a limited attention span and a limited amount of time, and they will choose the one that connects them best/most with the people or subjects they are most interested in and enjoy. They may have accounts on the other services, but they won’t use them much if the other services don’t satisfy their need for information, pleasure, or entertainment. Keeping up on all three services is work and, unless your paycheck is dependent on your involvement, you will eventually give it up when it stops being fun. Don’t believe me? Look at how many people stopped blogging and switched to twitter. Blogging is work and, if you didn’t figure out how to monetize your blog, it has to satisfy some other need you have (like creative expression) or you were doing a lot of work for free … and no one wants to do that.

The techno weenies  are all hopped up on how much better Google+ is at driving traffic to their blogs than Twitter or Facebook. However, they are living in a narcissistic bubble and can’t see what’s really going on. Number one, Twitter referral stats are inaccurate, in some cases wildly inaccurate, and unless you used hash tag tracking or some other method that closes the holes, you would never know that. The second aspect is that Facebook is filled with a population that much more closely reflects society as a whole–i.e., normal people, not propeller-headed weenies who think arguing about whether a star destroyer or the enterprise would win in a space battle is important or think that being on the homepage of techmeme is a noteworthy accomplishment. If your audience is tech-centric, go after Google+ traffic the way crocodiles go after migrating herds of wildebeests at narrow river crossings. If your customers are regular people, take a wait-and-see approach for now. If Google+ can come up with some way to get regular people to make the switch, then it’s time to pay attention and look for ways to leverage that traffic to your advantage, but for now it’s as smart as trying to rob a bank before anyone has made any deposits. In other words, it’s a complete waste of time.

photo credit:  Photospin

 

 

tla starter kit

Related posts:

  1. Competing for Attention Against Politics A view of the homepage of Netscape.com for Saturday September...
  2. Competing for Attention or You’ll Never be Paris Hilton if You Aren’t Good Looking, Rich and Famous Recently I was reading a book that a friend sent...
  3. Google is Scarier than Facebook on Privacy In the past few weeks Facebook has been publicly criticized...
  4. What Are You Doing To Earn Facebook Likes and Facebook Fans It seems everyone in social media and SEO is obsessed...
  5. Blogging for Attention If you’re a regular reader you probably know I’m a...
  6. Advertisers:

    1. Text Link Ads - New customers can get $100 in free text links.
    2. BOTW.org - Get a premier listing in the internet's oldest directory.
    3. Ezilon.com Regional Directory - Check to see if your website is listed!
    4. Need an SEO Audit for your website, look at my SEO Consulting Services
    5. Link Building- Backlink Build offers customized link building services
    6. Directory Journal - Get permanent deep links in a search engine friendly directory
    7. LinkWheel SEO - Get Web 2.0 Backlinks
    8. Links From PR9 Sites - Get In Top 3 Google ASAP
    9. RevSEO High PR BackLinks- Private High PageRank Homepage Link Network
    10. Limited time offer! World's #1 SEO toolbox at 63% off: Get Your Copy Now
    11. TigerTech - Great Web Hosting service at a great price.

    This post originally came from Michael Gray who is an SEO Consultant. Be sure not to miss the Thesis Wordpress Theme review.

    Facebook and Google+ Competing For Your Attention

2 Sessions of White House Office Hours Today: When Can You Check In?

The White House Your Daily Snapshot for
Thursday, July 28, 2011
 

2 Sessions of Office Hours Today: When Can You Check In?

This week, the White House is holding office hours to answer questions directly from the public, live via Twitter. Today, there will be two separate sessions with Senior Directors on the National Economic Council - the first with Jason Furman (1 p.m. EDT), and the second with Brian Deese (3 p.m. EDT). Follow @WhiteHouse for the latest updates or submit a question using the hashtag #WHChat.  

Check out yesterday's questions and answers and see the full office hours schedule here




In Case You Missed It

Here are some of the top stories from the White House blog.

National Health Expenditures Reach Historic Low
The CMS Office of the Actuary releases its report on how much the United States spends on health care now and in the future.

Wounded Warriors Shoot Hoops on South Lawn (video)
Wounded Warriors came to the White House to play basketball, and the President dropped by to thank them for their service

What the Americans with Disabilities Act Means to Me
To honor the 21st anniversary of the Americans with Disability Act, White House Intern Krista Simeone reflects on all the improvements in transportation, employment, and civil rights for people with disabilities to ensure equal

Today's Schedule

All times are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

9:30 AM: The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily Briefing

11:00 AM: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney WhiteHouse.gov/live

12:00 PM: The Vice President chairs a regular meeting of senior officials to assess progress in Iraq

3:00 PM: The President meets with Secretary of Treasury Geithner

3:30 PM: The President meets with Secretary of State Clinton

WhiteHouse.gov/live Indicates event will be streamed at WhiteHouse.gov/live

Get Updates 

Sign Up for the Daily Snapshot 

Stay Connected

  

This email was sent to e0nstar1.blog@gmail.com
Manage Subscriptions for e0nstar1.blog@gmail.com
Sign Up for Updates from the White House

Unsubscribe e0nstar1.blog@gmail.com | Privacy Policy

Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House

The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111 
    

 

Seth's Blog : Just a myth

Just a myth

Why just?

How about, "amazingly, they've created a myth..."

I wrote about this five years ago (reprinted below). A myth is why this video is funny.

Isn't that the dream of any marketer? To create a myth?

Brand as mythology

Just under the wire, L. Frank Baum's heirs have no copyright protection on The Wizard of Oz. As a result, there are Broadway musicals, concordances, prequels, sequels and more. All of which creates a rich, emotional universe (and makes the copyrighted movie even more valuable).

Most of us remember the mythology stories they taught us in school (Zeus and Thor and the rest of the comic-like heroes.) Myths allow us to project ourselves into their stories, to imagine interactions that never took place, to take what's important to us and live it out through the myth.

There are dozens, if not hundreds of entertainment mythological brands. James Bond and Barbie, for example.

But it goes far behond that.

There's clearly a Google mythology and a Starbucks one was well. We feel differently about brands like these than we do about, say Maxwell House or Random House.

Why do Santa and Ronald McDonald have a mythology but not Dave at Wendy's or the Burger King?

Let's try the Wikipedia: Myths are narratives about divine or heroic beings, arranged in a coherent system, passed down traditionally, and linked to the spiritual or religious life of a community, endorsed by rulers or priests.

So, if I were trying to invent a mythic brand, I'd want to be sure that there was a story, not just a product or a pile of facts. That story would promise (and deliver) an heroic outcome. And there needs to be growth and mystery as well, so the user can fill in her own blanks. Endorsement by a respected ruler or priest helps as well.

The key word, I think, is spiritual. Mythological brands make a spiritual connection with the user, delivering something that we can't find on our own... or, at the very least, giving us a slate we can use to write our own spirituality on.

People use a Dell. They are an Apple.

This can happen accidentally, but it often occurs on purpose. A brand can be deliberately mythological, created to intentionally deliver the benefits of myth. Casinos in Las Vegas have been trying to do this for decades (and usually failing). But talk to a Vegas cab driver about Steve Wynn and you can see that it's been done at least once.

There's a mythology about Digg and about Wikipedia, but not about about.com. The mysterious nature of rankings and scores and community ensures that, combined with the fact that the first two have public figures at the helm... heroes.

It's easy to confuse publicity with mythology, but it doesn't work that way... there's no Zune mythology, for example. It's also easy to assume that mythology will guarantee financial success, but it didn't work for General Magic, a company which successfully leveraged the heroic reputations of its founders, created a very hot IPO but failed to match the needs of the larger market.

It did, on the other hand, work for Andersen's, an ice cream stand in Buffalo (!?) that has a line every single day, even in January.

Hard to explain, difficult to bottle, probably worth the effort to pursue.

 

More Recent Articles

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

Don't want to get this email anymore? Click the link below to unsubscribe.




Your requested content delivery powered by FeedBlitz, LLC, 9 Thoreau Way, Sudbury, MA 01776, USA. +1.978.776.9498