Offbeat posts

For 22 minutes, kids around the world were greeted with a surprise when they went to the Sesame Street YouTube channel, and it wasn’t the kind of surprise that Elmo would have approved. Hackers took over the account on Sunday, deleted all of the videos uploaded by Sesame Street, and uploaded porn. Google and YouTube responded quickly and the account is currently down. The name on the account was changed to MrEdxwx, a YouTube user who has since responded with a video saying that he wasn’t responsible. His channel has been hit with hundreds of comments ranging from admiration to death threats. Here’s…

It’s hard to decide whether this is a testament to how technology is advancing and making things more accessible to people of all ages or whether we’re training the children of today’s society to rely on electronic devices, losing part of our heritage and enabling a reliance on technological innovations to define our methods of media and communication. Either way, it’s adorable. According to YouTube user UserExperiencesWorks: Technology codes our minds, changes our OS. Apple products have done this extensively. The video shows how magazines are now useless and impossible to understand,…

It has been speculated that home entertainment would meld with online and app-based engagement more and more over time. Today, Nielsen revealed that 40% of tablet and/or smartphone owners use them while watching television. As people continue to Tweet or post to Facebook when watching TV while others explore and research information about the shows they’re watching, a growing number of people are using television time as email time. For most activities like email and surfing unrelated information, the gender gap is slim. The notable exceptions are visits to social networks (which women…

Most people have grown accustomed to ignoring banner ads. There are browser plugins that block them and filters that hide them. Even when they’re visible, many people simply pretend like they aren’t there. The problem isn’t with the people. They problem is with the ads themselves. In many cases, they simply all look the same. Sale this. Special that. Stock photo, some text, and a button to click to get more information. They’re old. According to research by BuySellAds, there are ways to make banner ads more appealing. As an increasing number of people spend a growing amount of time online, websites…

Many politicians in both parties are pointing to the Solyndra debacle as proof that we’re either handling the solar energy industry incorrectly or that it’s simply not valid in today’s world. Then, there are those who say Solyndra was an isolated case, that the industry as a whole is still thriving and valid. Who is right? The infographic below points towards the “isolated case” side of the debate, demonstrating that despite Solyndra’s massive failure, that the industry shouldn’t be tainted as a result. General Motors and Chrysler nearly failed just a couple of years ago – should we stop building…

Social media has had a tremendous effect on many aspects of life and work over the last couple of years. Marketing and advertising have been particularly affected due to the attention that social media demands. Just as radio changed advertising, then television changed it later, now the internet and social media have made the advertising executives’ jobs change. This infographic by our friends at BuySellAds breaks it down for us nicely. Click to enlarge. …

The down economy is keeping many people across America and the world unemployed. One area that is not seeing the same challenges is the high-end tech industry. Companies like Apple are hiring and they’re willing to pay big bucks for those who have the right stuff. According to recent research, nearly 1 in 4 young professionals want to work at Google. Fewer than 1 in every 250 applicants will ever end up working there, but with the right skills and the right approach, a coveted Google job could be yours. That is, at least, what this infographic is telling us. Created by: Masters Degree…

Few songs are more sinister or invoke a deeper geek reaction than Imperial March, the musical interpretation of the domination of the Empire in Star Wars. Thanks to YouTube user sh4dowww90, we now have the song to enjoy in a format most have never heard: floppy disk drive music. Here’s how it works: It’s nothing new and it’s very simple. The sound comes from a magnetic head moved by stepper motor. To make a specific sound, head must be moved with appropriate frequency. FDD has a simple interface – the description may be found for example [ HERE ]. To move the head you need to activate the drive…

Just when we thought the controversies about Airbnb had softened and reports of crack pipes and damages had become old news, the website that connects travelers with local spaces to rent has reemerged into the news, this time thanks to a leaked venture capitalist’s email. Former Facebook executive and major in Social+Capital Partnership Chamath Palihapitiya sent an email to Airbnb CEO and co-founder Brian Chesky. The email, a combination of advice and insult, details Palihapitiya’s feelings about the way that millions of dollars are being distributed as dividends to a select few (with the…

When people think of “cat videos” on the internet, most assume that it will be some sort of funny or silly feline doing something funny or silly. Occasionally, they hiss. Usually, they simply fall. In this case, they explode (50% of the time). Thanks to the good folks at MinutePhysics, our minds can be blown again. By again, I mean that most college-educated people have heard a variation of this mind-bending perspective from quantum mechanics, but seeing it in cat form makes it that much more interesting. When you’re done watching, ask yourself, “Who is watching you watch the video or not?” …