YouTube Raises Upload Limits

Do you feel like you’ve been cheated out of your fifteen minutes of fame? Fret no more, because YouTube just increased the time limit of videos that users are allowed to upload by fifty percent.

That means that aspiring celebrities can now broadcast themselves for up to fifteen minutes on the site and video junkies will have more time to bask in their favorite YouTube content from vlogs, to bloopers, to pet tricks.

Apparently, lengthening the duration of uploaded videos is the number one request that they receive from users. And according to the company’s blog, they were finally able to give in to the viewers’ request because their Content ID system is working so well. YouTube is proud to disclose that their efforts to protect copyright owners proved to be successful, and because of this, they are able to increase the upload limit of original content.

[via YouTube and The New York Times]

Students Lack Search Engine Savviness

It seems that students nowadays have become so used to the thought of the top being the best that they failed to see that the said notion doesn’t apply to search engine results.

A paper published in the International Journal of Communication revealed that in doing research, most students automatically click on the first generated result without so much as a second though on the source’s credibility. Out of the 102 college freshmen that were included in the study, only 10 percent acknowledge the author or the author’s credentials, while zero of the students actually verified the qualifications of their sources.

The solution that was offered to this problem fell on the educators. It was suggested that professors should inform students about the websites that are credible and the ones that are not. Still though, we think that students are already being spoon-fed with enough stuff and teaching them to scroll down further in the search page shouldn’t be part of the curriculum.

[via ArsTechnica]

The Leaf: Nissan’s Mainstream Electric Car

Of course what a vehicle looks like matters to us. We wouldn’t want our cars to be teased and bullied by other autos on the road now, would we? And while we totally support “green” cars and their efforts to lessen their carbon footprints on the planet, we think that some of them aren’t as sleek as they should be, looks wise. (*cough* Prius.)

But then the Nissan Leaf enters the scene and proves that it’s possible for a car to be a tree-hugger and a cutie at the same time.

Of course, it’s not all about looks. Under the hood, the Leaf has about 107 horsepower and 208 pound-feet of torque with a top speed nearing 90 mph. Not bad for a city car whose range reaches a hundred miles per charge. Sure, it’s not a bad ass race car, but then again, people who opt for electric cars aren’t in it for the freeway chases, anyway.

Sticker price is a little over thirty grand and government rebates and incentives bring the costs down to around $25,000.

Just in case you’re wondering, no, we’re not paid cheerleaders or sponsors of the Nissan Leaf; we just think it’s cute, that’s all. Besides, we’d hate to see the 16,300 people who already reserved a lease on the car be disappointed.

[via Autoblog]

The Story of the Fatal Facebook Feud

We understand how girls can go gaga over the bad boy, but isn’t getting into a deadly car chase because of a guy who’s in prison taking it a little too far?

Since we don’t normally write about murder cases, we’re going to spare you the gory details of how a Facebook rivalry between two girls over a guy in prison led to a car chase in Michigan that resulted in the injury of one of the rivals and death of her friend.

Instead, allow us to leave you guys some friendly social network advice: If you get offended by a wall post or something, just take a deep breath and swallow a chill pill. Otherwise, next thing you know, you’ve got blood on your hands and you’re testifying in court. And yeah, you’ll probably be behind bars just like that boy you were fighting over.

[via Yahoo!News and Wikipedia]

Turning Your Handwriting into a Font

Sometimes, even in the long list of fonts that you have in our computer, do you ever wish that there was type face that was completely, 100% you? We know we have, which is why we were thrilled to find out about PilotHandwriting.com, a web app the turns a person’s handwriting into a font.

Three easy steps are all it takes before you can send out personalized emails to your friends. Just print out a template that they have on their website, fill out the form with each letter, and take a photo of it with your webcam. After maybe a few tweaks here and there, your handwriting is ready to be published.

And yes, cheesy as it may sound, we must say that PilotHandwriting said it best: People communicate by writing and sending the world’s first-ever handwritten emails. In doing so, the recovered a part of their identity they’d lost online.




[via TechLand]

The Most (–insert adjective here–) Beer Ever!

The End of History. Nope, that’s not some apocalyptic blockbuster coming to theatres this fall; it’s actually a new kind of beer—and a very strong, pricey one at that.

Sure, BrewDog sells them at $765 a pop, but come on, it contains 55% alcohol by volume too. And if that doesn’t reel you in, they’re going to throw in a dead animal as well. Yep, part of the package of The End of History is that it comes inside a deceased squirrel, hare, or stoat.

Of course, like every other bold move in history, this beer has received mixed reactions. Frankly, a part of us is irked at the thought of our drink stuffed inside a dead rodent or weasel, but we can’t help our curiosity. Fifty-five percent, huh? What sort of hangover will that bring us? Hmmmm.

The End of History from BrewDog on Vimeo.

[via TIME]

Users’ Discontent With Facebook is Now Quantified

There is a fine line between love and hate. That is definitely the case with Facebook’s abysmal user ratings. For a website with nearly 500 million members, we have to say we were a little surprised to find Facebook at the same level with cable companies and airlines in terms of customer satisfaction.

Apparently, privacy issues as well as the constant revamping of the site are the main contributors to its low consumer rating.

There were also reports that Mark Zuckerberg will have an on-air interview this Wednesday with ABC News’ Diane Sawyer.

Will Zuckerberg pull a Steve Jobs by saying “We’re not perfect” or will he give us full-length apology? Either way, there are about 500 Million people out there waiting to hear what he has to say.

[via MSNBC and Mashable]

PR2: The Robot That Delivers Beer

“Beer” and “Robot.” We never thought we’d use those two awesome words in one sentence until we got wind of the Willow Garage PR2—the robot that can bring people beer from the refrigerator.

The guys at Willow Garage created a web interface wherein users can pick the type of beer that they want and program the robot to get it for them. The robot then scoots over to the refrigerator and uses its camera to detect the correct type of beer. It takes the beverage, places it on the cup holders on its base and delivers the drink to the person who ordered it. To make sure that it doesn’t drop the beer, the robot won’t let go of the bottle until it detects a face in front of it. And to top it off, our new best friend also has a built in bottle opener.

Of course, the PR2 can also do other nice things like play pool, and plug and unplug devices, but we believe that delivering beer it by far its coolest ability yet.



[via TFTS and WillowGarage]

The Top Lies That People Put in Their Online Dating Profiles

Can’t find an “honest” relationship in real life? Well, don’t get your hopes up for finding one on the internet.

OkTrends, the official blog of free online dating site OKCupid recently did a study of the 1.51 million user profiles in the site and rounded up the top lies that people put in their profiles to make them seem more attractive. These lies include misleading information about their height (men usually say that they’re two inches taller than they really are); sexuality (80% of people who claim they’re bisexual are really only interested in one gender); and income (most users are 20% poorer than they claim.) Needless to say, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. But hey, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the only reason that people lie on their profiles is because shallow details like someone’s height is overshadowing who they are on the inside. Who knows, in real life, these people could actually have stunning personalities. That is if you could get past the whole, you know, lying thing.

[via TIME and OkTrends]

The Periodic Table of Swearing

For this entry, we’re going to keep it short and sweet.

Behold, for your viewing pleasure as well as all your trash-talk needs: The Periodic Table of Swearing. We’re not quite sure when it first came out, but it is apparently back on the market due to popular demand.

We’d describe it in words, but frankly, there’s nothing we can possibly write that can top whatever’s written above.

[via kottke and ModernToss]

Which nation Googles the dirtiest terms?

Google recently did an analysis of search queries on their site and was able to round up the countries that search for pornographic material the most. And topping that list, outranking every other nation is, wait for it… Pakistan.

Yes folks, the “Land of the Pure.” The very same country that continuously monitors the web for blasphemous content, and even banned Facebook at some point, holds the top notch for queries like “donkey sex” and “rape sex.”

So we’re guessing it’s okay for Pakistan citizens to watch animal sex videos, as long as these videos do not contain and anti-Islamic content. Sure. That makes sense.

[via FOXNews]

Search Engines Dive Deeper to Reel Users In

In an age where a billion-dollar company can come crashing down even before you can say “refresh,” Internet companies, even the giant search engines are doing everything they can to incorporate themselves in every aspect of people’s lives in order to remain relevant.

MSN recently introduced Bing Entertainment, Google is butting in everyone’s business by getting into Social Networking and Travel, and Yahoo… well, the big Purple exclamation point is gearing towards a more subtle approach.

According to their researchers in Barcelona, they are looking into tailor-fitting search results to fit an individual’s demographic information (age, gender, education). After all, there are a lot of ambiguous search terms out there, and the relevance of these terms largely depends on a person’s background. For instance, “women searching for ‘wagner’ probably wants the 18th-century German composer, while for men in the US ‘wagner’ is a paint sprayer.”

Moreover, search engines may also start playing “follow the cursor” as research apparently indicates that 70% of users move the mouse with the text that they’re following on screen. So what will their cursor spying mean for us? Well, being able to track what people are interested in reading will allow companies to place more appropriate ads on a certain page.

[via NewScientist and Search Engine Reviews]

Will photography as we know it be obsolete in twenty years?

That’s what the guys at Canon are predicting. In the 2010 World Expo held in Shanghai this week, Canon introduced a concept device called the Wonder Camera, an instrument that pretty much puts all types of cameras ever made to shame.

The Canon Wonder Camera, still in its vision phase, would supposedly have a focal length from macro to 500 mm with just one lens. It’ll also have a colossal amount of storage space, advanced facial-recognition capabilities, and an all-touch interface. (None of which have specifications yet.) But those things we mentioned are just the sprinkles on top of this piece of technology. Because the Canon Wonder Camera is actually a video camera designed to shoot footage of extremely high resolution so that users can view it at a later time, and pick the shots that they want without comprising the quality of the stills.

This Wonder Camera will apparently enable users to zoom and crop all they want while still keeping all the hi-res goodness of their shots. As Engadget puts it, “No more standing around waiting for that perfect moment — just shoot freely and figure it out later.” Yep, photojournalists and sports photographers will clamor for this and rejoice.

Nevertheless, while we at Clement & Co. cannot deny how amazing this thing is, we can’t help but feel a little bummed for photography as an art. As arsty-fartsy as it is, the beauty and pride of shooting that perfect moment as it happens makes all the standing and waiting worth it. We can’t help but wonder if gadgets like these contribute to the declining creativity of the country.

So Canon said it’ll take about 20 years before the Wonder Camera makes its debut? Oh please. At the rate that technology is advancing, our little digital cameras are lucky if they live to see the next decade.



[via Engadget]

Youtube Releases New Format Called Leanback

On July 7, Youtube unveiled Leanback, the website’s new format that automatically takes users to full screen mode, lines up videos that might interest them, and plays clips one after the other without pausing. And none of that browsing and clicking either. Leanback can fully function with the use of a QWERTY keyboard.

It also has a feature where in users can link their Youtube accounts to Facebook, in which your friends’ videos can be added to lineup.

The video quality kind of sucks right now, but we’re guessing that’s because it’s still on its beta phase. If they improve on that, as well as work on the selection of better content for viewers, then maybe, just maybe, Youtube can pull of being the Pandora of videos.

[via Salon and MSNBC]

Web Surfers Trust Internet Heavyweights More than Facebook and Twitter

Much to no one’s surprise, Web Giants Google, Apple and Microsoft are still better at keeping people’s trust than top networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

That’s according to a recent survey conducted by Zogby International. The market research company surveyed around 2100 individuals on their take on various types of media, and results indicate that overall, users nowadays trust new media more than traditional media.

And topping that new media bracket? None other than the top three internet bigshots. Of course, this isn’t to say that Social Networks such as Facebook and Twitter completely suck when it comes to privacy. It just means that big firms like Google, Microsoft, and Apple are doing a great job in leveraging their hard-earned resources, reputation, and corporate identities. Facebook and Twitter, being relatively new, may not be quite there yet. But we at Clement & Co really aren’t worried about our two favorite social networks. With their growing amount of followers and resources, it’s just a matter of time before they catch up with the big boys.

Nonetheless, if you ask us, the most important ramification of Zogby International’s study is the fact that it will get leading websites to spruce up their privacy settings. After all, nothing makes a company suck up to the public more than unflattering statistics.

via Telegraph.co.uk]

The Proverbial Wallet: Turning Spenders into Savers

So yesterday we told you about the car that drives by its self when it thinks you’re too reckless. If that doesn’t make a straightedge out of you, then maybe this wallet would.

Check out the wallet that gets harder to open as you get lower in funds. Currently being developed by MIT, this Proverbial Wallet does three things that your regular wallet can’t do: First, it grows and shrinks depending on how much money you have in your accounts; it vibrates whenever you make a purchase using a credit card; and finally, it resists being opened when your bank account’s balance is running low.

We don’t know much about the technicalities of this gadget yet, but according to Techland, it “would apparently use the Bluetooth connection on your cell phone to relay bank information.”

We have to say, this is the type of gadget that may piss us off during those days when we’re tempted to splurge our troubles away, but in the long run, people are going to end up thanking it. Besides, in this day and age, it’s very rare to find a gadget that urges us to save money instead of the other way around.

[via Techland]

The Vehicle That Will Send Smart Cars Back to Kindergarten

If cars suddenly took on the form of children in a classroom, then this car would be the snitch that annoys the hell out of everyone, even the smart cars.

Intel is currently developing intelligent cars with fitted black boxes similar to those used in aircrafts. These black boxes record video footage and driving behavior in the vehicle. The info can be sent to the police and insurance companies in order to prevent finger pointing in case of an accident.

Now that’s pretty cool, we have to admit. The next part, while awesome, is also kinda scary. Other developments of this intelligent car include recognizing streets signs and reckless driving behavior. If the car senses that the driver ignored certain street signs, the technology can take over the vehicle and set it straight.

Uh-oh. Reckless drivers need to start following the rules now.

[via The Telegraph]

Santa Monica Dons a Couple of Sharrows

If you’re one of those drivers who think that road has no place for vehicles with less than four wheels, then you’re not gonna like this.

The city of Santa Monica in SoCal recently painted “shared lane arrows” or “sharrows” on 14th Street between the avenues of Washington and Montana. The symbol is depicted with a bike right under two chevrons. It encourages cyclists to veer towards the left side of the road while at the same time reminding car drivers that the road is meant to be shared.

These sharrows are part of an ongoing project of the county in order to make the roads more bike friendly. Apparently, Los Angeles is following the footsteps (or bike tracks, rather) of other US cities such as Denver and San Francisco.

We at Clement & Co. have absolutely no objections regarding these sharrows, granted that they’re painted on appropriate places. After all, putting those bike symbols on roads that are bumpy or way too narrow can do more harm than good to cyclists.

In any case, for motorists who do not wish to coexist with cyclists, we suggest taking the freeway whenever possible, because sharrows are here to stay and are going to be popping up in more and more places.

[via LA Times]