Author: Connor Livingston

It’s been over a month since Mark Zuckerberg unveiled many of the changes that have happened or will happen soon on Facebook. There have been some tweaks and missteps, but we’re finally starting to get a more clear picture of the direction of the social networking giant and what to expect in the future. Privacy, always on the mind of those critical of Facebook, has become more of an issue thanks to these changes. In the infographic below, we examine these changes and isolate the six red flags that are being raised as a result. Click to enlarge. …

Original content is the cornerstone of most content channels, but YouTube has been conspicuous over the years as a place for finding unoriginal content. Much of the site is absolutely unique, but there has always been a strong lean towards posting content that originally appeared elsewhere. Google’s push to change this hit a tipping point yesterday as they announced plans to add 100 more channels of unique content to their lineup. Celebrities, news publications, and brands were amongst the channels being created. Name such as Reuters, Jay-Z, and The Onion were amongst the list of those receiving…

Anyone who questioned why Apple has been focusing so much on trumping Samsung in the courts around the world can now have a better understanding as Samsung propelled ahead of Apple last quarter in world-wide smartphone sales. Over 100 million smartphones were sold last quarter and 27.8 million of them were Samsung compared to 17.1 million iPhones. “Samsung has come out with products that appeal to all the different form factors and specifications out there,” said T.Z. Wong, a Beijing-based analyst at researcher IDC. “That is a strategy they have executed very well.”…

The growth of the internet over the past two decades has sparked a dramatic increase in its use as an education medium. Websites are popping up every week that grab hold of the trend and offer ways for people to improve their professional status or simply increase their own personal knowledge. It’s big business, now, and shows no signs of slowing. In the US, more people are shifting towards online schooling as a preferred method of education. It’s hard to imagine a world where the classroom is completely replaced, but there are compelling arguments that point to the continuation of the shift and…

Everyone has heard of hackers, viruses, and spam. What fewer people have heard of or understand are botnets despite statistics that show they’re trending to be the choice of current cybercriminals. By using “Command-and-Control” servers, hackers are able to remotely take over computers to execute their nefarious activities. Connecting through C&C servers allows a “bot herder” is able to send out spam emails, spread viruses, distribute malicious software, and steal identities. Nearly 90% of all email spam is sent through botnets – and that’s not their biggest threat. This infographic…

As the buzz surrounding the iPhone 4S fades a little (it’s been a week, after all), Samsung unveiled the most anticipated Android phone of the pre-holiday season with the Galaxy Nexus. Armed with the first installation of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest entry into Google’s Nexus program will go on sale in the US, Europe, and Asia next month. Nearly all of the specs are impressive: 1.2 gigahertz Dual Core Processor 4.65 inch Touchscreen Slender 8.49 millimeter depth 1280 x 720 Resolution NFC Technology for Mobile Payments 1 gigabyte of RAM Front-Facing Camera There is one feature that…

In lieu of a refund or cash considerations, Research In Motion (RIM) is offering an apps package normally valued at around $100 to compensate for the most major outage the company has ever had. The three-day+ outage likely presented major challenges for the business-heavy Blackberry users who often rely on the devices to stay connected while on the go. “You expect better of us, I expect better of us” RIM co-CEO Mike Lazaridis said in last week’s press conference. Now, we’ll see if users expected to be compensated more for the outage. Enterprise customers will also receive a free month of tech…

When people think about luxury cars and the technology behind them, they often look to the German vehicles as the pinnacle. Mercedes Benz and BMW have separated themselves as the definition of luxury over the decades. Now that Acura, the first Asian luxury brand, hits its 25th anniversary, perhaps it’s time to look at what the Japanese carmaker has to offer. The image below was taken from an infographic made by Pohanka Acura. It highlights many of the advancements that have helped to separate the manufacturer from other luxury brands. Click to enlarge or view the text of each advancement below…

Despite heavy support from both parties and an outcry of the people, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed a bill passed by state legislature that would have banned searches of smartphones by police without a warrant. The ban would have prevented police officers from searching smartphones during an arrest. Many smartphones have persistent logins to personal communication services such as email and Facebook, keep track of locations the phone has been, and give access to personal contacts. This stays in line with a California Supreme Court decision that was upheld by the US Supreme Court…

It’s easy to trick the mind. We’ve seen some amazing examples of this in the past, but what about the mind’s ability to be tricked to heal (or not heal) the body through drugs that we believe will work, but are empty in reality? Why do placebos work? Science has yet to fully understand why placebos, a sham or simulated medical intervention, can have such a dramatic effect. People have been shown to have pain relieved, diseases cured, and body ailments removed simply by taking drugs that they are told will do the trick. This video explores some of the interesting facts about placebos. …