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03 Nov 2009 10:40

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About: It’s official. We have a redesign. It’s up. Check it out, kids.



So here it is. Our redesign. We've spent months working on this bad boy. We've been talking about this in bits and pieces over the last few months, but now here it is. And we hope you guys like it. Because you're awesome and make us look good when you like stuff we do.

  • What hasn’t changed The commitment to providing people with short, info-packed bites that provide quick insight into the day’s news. Most of the post styles are still exactly the same as they were on day one of the site. Oh, and Julius is still the mascot. (And one of the trademarks, referring to the site in the “editorial we,” continues unabated.)
  • What has changed Over the last ten months, it’s become clear what’s worked and what hasn’t, and what was needed to take that basic idea and turn it into something more useful for readers. So with that, we’re adding focus on navigation, improving our content focus and pushing a design that encourages exploration. Read more above. source

03 Nov 2009 10:38

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Culture: Ricardo Autobahn takes the Girl Talk mashup concept to a new level

  • Here’s a fun game: Watch this music video – built from clips from TV shows and movies – and spend hours figuring out what pop culture clips this clever bastard (who goes by Ricardo Autobahn) used. It’s like Girl Talk for movies, except significantly more cerebral. source

03 Nov 2009 10:26

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03 Nov 2009 10:14

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Tech: The Twitter-only “Twitter Peek”: The most useless device ever?

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  • There’s already a device that does this easily. It’s called a cell phone. The original Peek is a neat idea – this is just jumping on a trend. Even the Wikireader is a better idea than this. source

03 Nov 2009 10:01

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Offbeat, Tech: Afraid of flying? There’s a (wait for it) iPhone app for that

Virgin Atlantic Airways claims a 98% success rate for its “Flying Without Fear” course, which now has an iPhone version for fearing flying on the go. source

03 Nov 2009 09:46

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Culture: Rihanna finally speaks out about the Chris Brown incident

  • I went to sleep as Rihanna and woke up as Britney Spears. That was the level of media chaos that happened the next day. It was like, ‘What, there are helicopters circling my house? There are 100 people in my cul-de-sac? What do you mean, I can’t go back home?’
  • Singer Rihanna • Describing the level of crazy that overwhelmed her life after the Chris Brown domestic violence incident. The “Umbrella” singer, just 21, told Glamour Magazine – as well as “Good Morning America” – about the gritty details of what happened. She was particularly offended and hurt by the leaking of the post-assault photo, which she says “is not a photo you would show to anybody.” These are some of her first public statements at length about the incident due to the fact that the court case kept her and Brown on the hush-hush for months. • source

03 Nov 2009 09:34

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World: Scientists enthralled by giant 20-foot-wide crack in Ethiopia

  • 35 miles – the length of what could be a new ocean someday source
 

03 Nov 2009 09:27

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U.S.: Obama, one year after his election, is still coasting on his good looks

  • 54% approve of Obama despite the fact that his policies are ranking below those rates
  • 45% disapprove of Obama with the fire of a thousand burning, tea party-throwing suns source

03 Nov 2009 09:17

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Politics: The Daily Mail writes a column calling scientists arrogant jerks

  • Yes, scientists do much good. But a country run by these arrogant gods of certainty would truly be hell on earth.
  • The headline to a Daily Mail column by A.N. Wilson • Where he criticizes government-fired Professor David Nutt, and the scientific community at large, for making arguments that are technically accurate. Cannabis is safer than alcohol and tobacco, and using ecstasy is technically safer than riding a horse. OK, the horse argument’s a bit misguided. But the unnecessary and misguided dressing down of the scientific community Wilson makes is far more appalling. Plus, he compares them to Nazis at some point, which means we can totally discount his argument. Idiot. • source

03 Nov 2009 08:54

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Biz: Warren Buffett: Come on buy the train, and buy it. Choo! Choo!

  • $34 billion for Berkshire Hathaway’s biggest purchase EVAH! source