Mick Darling's posterousAll my blogging in one spot. (mostly)Filed under: readerTest and Fix Your Posture with This Head-to-Toe Guide [Health]
Posture problems are rampant, especially among those of us who work hunched over our keyboards all day. If you're not sure if your posture needs fixing or are sure and want some help, this guide from Men's Health is for you. More »
Engadget Primed: ports, connectors and the future of your TV's backside
Primed goes in-depth on the technobabble you hear on Engadget every day -- we dig deep into each topic's history and how it benefits our lives. You can follow the series here. Looking to suggest a piece of technology for us to break down? Drop us a line at primed *at* engadget *dawt* com.
For many among us, what goes on behind and along the sides of a high-definition television is almost as compelling as what's displayed on that big, beautiful flat screen. Of course, we're talking connectors, with their attendant chaos of cords. A high-def TV is only as good as its connection to a high-def signal. The same holds true for the array of disc players, game consoles and other peripherals we cluster around our sets. So it may seem quaint, then, that we still often confront more analog ports than digital ones on our high-end TVs. You'd think with advances in wireless technology, we'd have done away with the spider web of wires entirely. Alas, like flying cars and fembots, we're just not there yet. In this installment of Primed, we'll examine the best and the bogus when it comes to TV connectors, and spend some time tracing the arc of how we got to where we are in this particular moment of television evolution. The narrative on television and home entertainment remains a work in progress. But we'll endeavor to get you caught up to date, and as an added bonus offer a glimpse of what the future of your TV's backside will likely look like. Continue reading Engadget Primed: ports, connectors and the future of your TV's backside Engadget Primed: ports, connectors and the future of your TV's backside originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/23/primed-ports-connectors-and-the-future-of-...Louis CK makes $1 million in 12 days, proves that DRM-free content is valued
Hear that, MPAA / RIAA? That's the sound of Louis CK's audience chuckling. Not at one of his jokes, mind you, but at the notion of strapping DRM onto everything you possibly can in order to "make people buy it." In an effort to see if this crazy idea was true or not, the famed comedian decided to sell his Live at the Beacon Theater for just $5. Procuring it was dead simple -- you could either surf over to his website and plop down a PayPal payment, or you could pirate it. Either way, no DRM was affixed. Turns out, people actually are fans of paying money for things that they see as both fair and worthwhile, as evidenced by the $1 million that currently sits in Louis CK's PayPal account. Of course, we've never advise anyone to hold anywhere near that much cash in an account that could be frozen on you at a moment's notice (not that we have experience or anything), but at least he's going to do awesome things with the proceeds. We'll let you hit the source link to find out precisely what that is. Kudos, Louis.
Louis CK makes $1 million in 12 days, proves that DRM-free content is valued originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink TechDirt | Louis CK | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/louis-ck-makes-1-million-in-12-days-proves...
Ditch GoDaddy's SOPA-Loving Butt and Get a Better Web Host at a Discount [Web Hosting]
If you haven't heard, the ethically questionable web host known as GoDaddy is supporting SOPA. In addition to their terrible customer service and elephant-killing CEO, GoDaddy is backing the bill that wants to cripple your internet as if it's some sort of moral obligation. That means you can't expect GoDaddy to have your back if SOPA passes. They'll just shut you down for a potential violation. (Although apparently they're already doing that.) If you didn't get around to ditching them already, there's no time like a present. Here's how you can do it an even save some money in the process. More »
Verizon FiOS TV's new media server scheduled for late 2012
The fine folks at Verizon's Innovation Labs in Waltham, Massachusetts have posted a couple of videos of their efforts that include their vision of how Verizon plans to deliver TV to all the devices in your home, over both wired and wireless networks in HD, served off of a centralized media server. In addition to tablets, game consoles and computers, the media server will also serve content to smaller, more energy efficient thin clients at the other HDTVs in your home. Besides the obvious benefits of more content in more places, a centralized approach like this also offers the promise of being more user friendly by making the experience consistent across every screen -- no more walking to another room to schedule recordings. We're told the media server is expected to roll out late next year, but sadly, FiOS TV isn't exactly known for delivering new technologies when promised. Verizon FiOS TV's new media server scheduled for late 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 15:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/verizon-fios-tvs-new-media-server-schedule...The Best Airline Rewards Programs, Ranked By Ease of Accruing Miles, Award Availability and More [Travel]
The best airline rewards program or frequent flyer program for you is a combination of which airlines are near you and a gazillion (more or less) other criteria, like how easy it is to rack up the miles. Location aside, this matrix from The Points Guy can help you choose the right program to join. More »
AMD Radeon HD 7970 Launched, Fastest GPU Tested
MojoKid writes "Rumors of AMD's Southern Island family of graphics processors have circulated for some time, though today AMD is officially announcing their latest flagship single-GPU graphics card, the Radeon HD 7970. AMD's new Tahiti GPU is outfitted with 2,048 stream processors with a 925MHz engine clock, featuring AMD's Graphics Core Next architecture, paired to 3GB of GDDR5 memory connected over a 384-bit wide memory bus. And yes, it's crazy fast as you'd expect and supports DX11.1 rendering. In the benchmarks, the new Radeon HD 7970 bests NVIDIA's fastest single GPU GeForce GTX 580 card by a comfortable margin of 15 — 20 percent and can even approach some dual GPU configurations in certain tests." PC Perspective has a similarly positive writeup. There are people who will pay $549 for a video card, and others who are just glad that the technology drags along the low-end offerings, too.
Read more of this story at Slashdot. How to Master YouTube Promoted VideosMatt Lawson is the vice president of marketing at Marin Software, the largest paid search management provider. Many people think of YouTube as a place to watch cat videos and post clips of their kids singing silly songs. However, marketers should take YouTube as seriously as they do Google. By many counts, YouTube is the second-largest search engine (behind Google and ahead of Yahoo). In June 2011, ComScore reported that Americans had more than 5.6 billion YouTube viewing sessions per month, with the average visitor frequenting the site 23 times a month at an average of 26 minutes per visit. Reports show that YouTube passed 20 billion video views during October 2011 alone. YouTube’s millions of visitors do a lot of searches, either by way of Google or the YouTube site itself. Predictably, sophisticated video search is the cornerstone of YouTube’s success. For marketers, this means you need to think about your video strategy as carefully as you do your paid search strategy. Creating compelling videos and posting them on YouTube is a given — but you also have to get people to watch them. Make sure your videos turn up in search by using YouTube Promoted Video Ads to ensure your videos get found. The ads operate much like Google paid search ads, enabling advertisers to draw attention to videos, gain viewers and channel subscribers, and eventually influence downstream conversions. According to visitors’ search results, Promoted Videos appear either at the top or at the right of the page. Additionally, with a Promoted Videos account, marketers can add overlays to their videos that link directly to their site, offer a promotion, etc., which will drive traffic to their sites and directly boost sales. Given the prominence of YouTube today, every marketer should consider a Promoted Videos program. Here are a few practical steps to get you started. 1. Create a ChannelBefore you even think about buying Promoted Video ads, make sure you have a complete presence on YouTube. Start by creating engaging videos (not just one, but several) that promote your products and services in a fun, dynamic way. Don’t make these videos “salesy,” but instead focus on entertaining people. Experiment with different kinds of video, including how-tos, product reviews, customer testimonials and professionally-produced marketing videos. To create these videos, you can work with an agency, hire a video production company or shoot some yourself. Once you’ve generated a menu of videos, create a YouTube channel to showcase them. Just as important, add accurate titles, descriptions and tags to every video; YouTube will use these keywords to match your video with visitors’ search queries. Over time, make sure to monitor video feedback. If a video achieves a positive response, it’s time to invest in promoting it. 2. Keywords are Key
Like other Google ads, Promoted Videos are managed through AdWords and follow a similar format to paid search, so search marketers may find the process of creating Promoted Video ads quite simple. When creating an ad, make sure the thumbnail description and ad copy reflect the nature of your video. Like paid search, you can select between broad, phrase, exact or negative match types for your Promoted Video keywords. One thing to remember: YouTube visitors are looking just for video content, so their search habits differ from traditional search. That means porting over keywords from search or display campaigns won’t work. Instead, choose keywords that relate to the video you’re promoting. YouTube offers advertisers a keyword suggestion tool that provides recommendations based on your video description, video id/URL or target demographic. The tool, currently in beta, also provides monthly search volume statistics for each keyword, so you can see which keywords visitors tend to use more often. 3. Make Every Bid CountWhen it comes to bidding for Promoted Video keywords on YouTube, approach the task as you would a paid search or display campaign. That means setting a conversion goal and determining an expected volume and budget for each month. Naturally, you’ll want to determine the value of each click before making bids. A third-party bidding tool, particularly one integrated with your SEM campaigns, proves useful in managing your YouTube bidding decisions and assessing the results of your Promoted Video campaigns. 4. Don’t Forget the OverlayOne of the primary perks of running Promoted Videos is the ability to include an overlay ad, clickable text that appears at the bottom of your video while it plays. The overlay allows you to add a link from your YouTube video to an external site, and is thus an invaluable technique to drive viewers to your site. You can also use this space to offer a promotion, such as 20% off a customer’s first purchase, which directly impacts conversion. Video is often more of a branding tool, but with the overlay, you can turn your videos into actionable, direct response campaigns. 5. Don’t be BoringFirst and foremost, YouTube is a massive content destination and social network. Consumers go to YouTube to be entertained, get information, find specific video clips and then share. Therefore, create videos that engage your target audience, then embed links in the overlay or at the end of your video that encourage people to pass along. A successful video doesn’t just get views, but also elicits a response and encourages sharing. Track the social sharing path of your videos and respond to viewer comments. If viewers ask for a follow-up video, be sure to provide one. And if your video is shared onto other social networks, be sure to respond on those channels. Participating in the conversation with viewers allows you to strengthen your brand and provides insights on how to create better videos. Online video is no longer just “nice to have.” Every marketer should have a video strategy — and YouTube is the place to start. Images courtesy of iStockphoto, ozgurdonmaz, Flickr, jonsson More About: Advertising, contributor, features, How-To, Marketing, promoted videos, Video, YouTube Adobe releases EchoSign app for iOS, enables legally binding contracts to be signed with a 'click'
We're not going to twist your arm, but if you're sitting on some beachfront property that you're willing to deed over to your favorite Engadget writers, the folks at Adobe are making the process all too easy. The company is delivering a free app for iOS that enables EchoSign subscribers to attach legally binding signatures to virtually any document, all from the comfort of their preferred fruit-filled device. What's more, the software also allows users to send documents to others for a one-click stroke of the pen and track the status of said agreements with real-time updates. Now, please excuse us. We've got some aboveboard contracts to draft.
Adobe releases EchoSign app for iOS, enables legally binding contracts to be signed with a 'click' originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink 9to5Mac | Adobe | Email this | Comments
from Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/22/adobe-releases-echosign-app-for-ios-enable...
Four short links: 22 December 2011
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