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  • Google+ Profiles Just Got Bigger Cover Photos, a brand new Seek the ‘About’ Tab, and native Reviews

    Google has just begun to roll out some significant changes to Google+ profiles that bring bigger cover photos, an entire new seek for the “about” section, and a brand new tab on your reviews.

    When you visit your profile today, you’ll see a prompt that asserts “Cover photos just got bigger” and asks you in the event you’d prefer to update yours now. The larger cover photos now allow for 2120px by 1192px images.

    “This type more images can be utilized as cover photos, and there’s extra space in your selection to polish,” says Google’s Sara McKinley in a Google+ post.

    Your “About” section has also received an update. It’s a totally new design that puts all your separate pieces of knowledge into their very own color-coded cards. Each info card features its own “edit” button to boot.

    Lastly, a brand new “Reviews” tab was added to the head of your profile alongside those to your +1s, YouTube videos, photos, and posts. As you are going to imagine, this tab houses all your Google Local reviews.

    “Highlight your favorite restaurants, or hide the tab completely via settings it’s completely as much as you,” says Google.

    If you don’t see your new Google+ profile yet, wait and see. Google says that it’s rolling out gradually.

  • Swift Slams Tina Fey For Golden Globes Joke

    The Golden Globes could be months behind us, but Taylor Swift remains to be sore a few jab made at her expense by comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Swift, who’s song “Safe & Sound” lost to Adele’s “Skyfall” for best original song on the awards show, was mocked by both hosts over her many publicized relationships.

    “You recognize what Taylor Swift, you steer clear of Michael J. Fox’s son,” said Fey, feigning drunkenness on-stage on the Globes. Sam Fox was serving as Mr. Golden Globes for the award ceremony.

    Poehler suggested that maybe Swift should “just opt for it,” but Fey countered that the pop star “needs some ‘me’ time to benefit about herself.”

    Now, in a brand new interview with Vanity Fair, Swift reveals that she resents the image of her which is presented in tabloid magazines. She claims the magazines will “turn you right into a fictional character,” that is presumably what Fey and Poehler were basing their joke on.

    Swift told Vanity Fair that Fey’s joke reminded her of something Katie Couric had told her: “There’s a distinct place in hell for girls who don’t help other women.”

    Both Poehler and Fey have responded to Swift’s comment. Poehler told The Hollywood Reporter that she feels bad if Swift was upset, and “That being said, I do agree i will hell.” Fey told Entertainment Tonight that it was a “lighthearted joke” and that other jokes she made that night had more punch.

  • Time Warner Cable Hacked For Its Support Of Copyright Alert System

    Time Warner Cable is probably the five ISPs participating within the “six strikes” Copyright Alert System that went live last week. One group of hackers doesn’t particularly like that fact, and made sure Time Warner knew it last night.

    The Daily Dot reports that the Time Warner Cable support Website online was hacked and defaced last night by a gaggle of hackers calling themselves “NullCrew.” The defaced page landing featured the gorilla (pictured above) from the well-liked “rustled my jimmies” meme. The hack reportedly lasted anywhere between five to 8 hours.

    Funny enough, it appears that evidently the IT guys at Time Warner Cable never thought to alter their admin password from the default “changeme.” Beyond that, some names and chat logs from the support site were posted, but no confidential information was shared with the general public.

    To that end, this actual hack was obviously just meant to attract people’s attention to the Copyright Alert System. It’s nothing just like the previous defacements and hacks coming from Anonymous as portion of #OpLastResort. That specific operation targeted the Federal Reserve and other government agencies.

    I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if NullCrew’s exploits inspired more hacks and defacements of the five ISPs participating within the CAS. Anonymous, and related hacking groups, obviously see it as an attack on Internet freedom. It will likely be interesting to look what happens when the primary round of copyright alerts start going out to subscribers.

  • Could Vringo Be Apple's 'Thermonuclear' Option Against Google- – Seeking Alpha


    Proactive Investors Australia

    Could Vringo Be Apple's 'Thermonuclear' Option Against Google-
    Seeking Alpha
    In my opinion, Vringo's (VRNG) turnaround story from ringtone to a probably-acquired short-lived merger company goes full steam ahead due to the Nokia (NOK) relationship, promise of future 3G patent litigation and the desire for Apple (AAPL) to
    Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Vringo (VRNG), Nokia (NOK) – Oh My!Insider Monkey (blog)

    all 26 news articles »

  • PETA Decides to move After Historical Whaling in a Game

    In your “dude, seriously” news of the day, the folk for the moral Treatment of Animals (PETA) have turned their sights on Ubisoft over some possible content from an yet-to-be-released game.

    PETA is upset that Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag may feature some kind of whaling contained in the game. They have got released a press release calling it “disgraceful” to glorify the practice, which continues today.

    Whaling it is, shooting whales with harpoons and leaving them to struggle for an hour or more before they die or are hacked apart while they’re still alive—may appear like something out of the history books, but this bloody industry still goes on today inside the face of international condemnation, and it’s disgraceful for any game to glorify it. PETA encourages game companies to create games that remember animals—not games that promote hurting and killing them.

    The game, set to release on October 29th, will let players “relive the truly explosive events that defined the Golden Age of Pirates” by “captaining and customizing their very own ship, looking for lost treasure, hunting rare animals and looting underwater shipwrecks.”

    So, outrage.

    Ubisoft’s response is pretty good:

    History is our playground in Assassin’s Creed. Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag is a piece of fiction that depicts the genuine events in the course of the Golden Era of Pirates. We don’t condone illegal whaling, just as we don’t condone a pirate lifestyle of poor hygiene, plundering, hijacking ships, and over the legal limit drunken debauchery.

    Nobody is condoning whaling however the game hasn’t even hit the shelves yet. C’mon, guys.

  • Kate Winslet Divorce, Marriage Discussed in New Interview

    Kate Winslet graces the duvet of the most recent issue of Harper’s Bazaar, and the Daily Mail has the inside track at the magazine’s interview with the Oscar winner.

    According to the report, Winslet speaks about her divorce, her recent marriage, and her newfound clarity about how her past experiences have shaped her.

    Winslet also provided a rambling account of the way her personal life has affected her acting. “I actually have much more material to attract on for work rubble, bricks and that i know i’m able to carry it now,” the Daily Mail quotes Winslet as saying. “I’m unlikely to drop it, and if I do, I’ll sift through it. Does that make any sense in any respect Not likely…”

    Winslet was married to English director Jim Threapleton from 2008 until 2001. More recently she was married to English director Sam Mendes, however the couple divorced in 2010. Last December Winslet surprised many by marrying Ned Rocknroll, a Virgin Galactic executive and nephew of billionaire Richard Branson.

  • Apple Launches iBookstore In Japan With Exclusive Titles

    During the iPad Mini event last year, Apple announced native Asian language support can be coming to iBooks. Now iOS fans in Japan can take more good thing about this native support because the iBookstore has made its far more than to the island nation.

    Apple announced this morning that the iBookstore has officially launched in Japan. Very similar to the launch of the Kindle Store in Japan, Apple is touting plenty of exclusive titles in hopes that consumers will choose their store over the contest.

    We’re excited to launch the iBookstore in Japan with a wide array of Japanese publishers and authors,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice chairman of Internet Software and Services. “We think customers are going to like how engaging and interactive the books are to read, and the way beautiful they give the impression of being on iPad.”

    The biggest grab for the iBookstore is a suite of digital novels from Ryu Murakami. The novels contain experimental how one can tell stories in a digital format, including the addition of interactive emails in each chapter.

    Children’s books, just like the charming Piyo-Chan: A Letter for Piyo, was updated at the iBookstore in addition to incorporate new interactive and visible elements.

    Apple’s real win against Apple, however, is available in the shape of its exclusive choice of digital manga. The corporate announced that a whole color version of Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 4 is exclusively available at the iBookstore.

    With this news, expect Amazon to kick its Japanese Kindle business up a notch. There are lots of readers in Japan, and securing exclusive titles is how you can win in that specific market. After all, I’d be willing to bet that the winner may be whomever is ready to secure Murakami Haruki’s next novel, that is set to be published next month.

  • Sesame Street Is First Non-Profit to Hit 1 Billion Views on YouTube

    YouTube has just announced that Sesame Street is the 1st non-profit to hit 1 billion views on their YouTube channel.

    In honor of this milestone the Count has made a video, well, counting the views. Try it out:

  • French publishers desire to charge Google for republishing articles – PC Advisor


    Insider Monkey (blog)

    French publishers need to charge Google for republishing articles
    PC Advisor
    French publishers have relaunched a discussion concerning the republishing of headlines and the primary paragraph of articles by Google and other search engines without compensating the provider of the content. Plans to craft a law that enables publishers to
    Google Inc. (GOOG) Search is Target of French PublishersInsider Monkey (blog)

    all 12 news articles »

  • Odom Falls Asleep During Child Custody Hearing

    The Manhattan Post is reporting that L. a. Clippers star Lamar Odom during a custody battle over his 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son. The youngsters’s mother, Liza Morales, was never married to Odom.

    The report states that while Odom’s and Morales’ lawyers spoke in another room, Odom managed to catch a 20-minute nap on a courthouse bench before being rudely awoken by a court officer. Odom claimed that he was both jet-lagged and flu-stricken.

    Despite playing inside the NBA since 1999, being named to the NBA All-Rookie Team, and playing for the U.S. national basketball team within the 2004 Olympics, Odom is, perhaps, most known recently for marrying reality TV star Khloé Kardashian. The couple’s wedding was featured at the reality TV show Maintaining With the Kardashians, they usually were later featured in a derivative reality TV show titled Khloé & Lamar. Portion of the kid custody battle is over whether the youngsters can appear on Odom’s reality TV shows, or whether or not they would be part of Morales’ reality TV show, Starter Wives.