One of famed graffiti artist Banksy’s most recent works is a commentary on how distracted we all are by constant connectivity. Dubbed “Mobile Lovers,” the piece shows a man and a woman looking past each other’s shoulders at their smartphones while embracing. It’s a terrific work of art, as all of Banksy’s pieces are, but it was recently torn down by a local man, as BBC reported. More →
When camera phones begun proliferating back in 2002, many predictions were made about how they might shape future. But nobody really saw funeral selfies or post-crash ER photos becoming a trend. The thing about the selfie phenomenon is that it took so many years to develop and shape people’s behavior that old people are now caught off guard. An entire new generation of people has grown up and gotten used to having a camera with them at all times. This generation is now inevitably behaving in ways that trigger outrage and even moral panic in the over-30 crowd. More →
LEGO has just announced six product proposals that passed its Winter 2014 Product Review. They include Legend of Zelda and UCS DeLorean Time Machine designs. Three times a year, LEGO reviews crowd-sourced design proposals and the best become official, commercially available sets. In order to get reviewed by LEGO, a project requires 10,000 supporters. Many of the spring proposals are incredibly detailed and thoughtful — including a Goonies 30 Year Anniversary Pirate Ship, Realistic Trees (which are more awesome than you might think) and a seemingly functional Labyrinth Marble Maze. More →
A massive new apartment complex still under construction in Houston, Texas caught fire on Tuesday. Footage all over every news channel showed the huge complex engulfed in flames, and we all looked on, thankful that the site was still under construction and not yet occupied by residents. There were still plenty of construction workers on the job when the raging inferno broke out, however, and one man narrowly escaped death in what may be one of the most intense rescue videos we have ever seen.
This year has brought us some amazing footage from cameras plummeting from terrifying heights, including a plane crashing into the ocean off the coast of Hawaii and and a camera being tossed out of a plane and somehow remaining intact after crashing into a muddy pig pen. And now we can add a new video uploaded onto YouTube this week that gives us a first-person look at what it’s like to dive off one of the tallest buildings in the world. The footage was shot by a man wearing a camera on his head and shows him B.A.S.E. jumping off the top of One World Trade Center in New York, more than 1,350 feet off the ground. Unsurprisingly, the authorities in New York haven’t taken too kindly to this unauthorized daredevilry and Newsday reports that four men have been arrested in connection with the stunt. The full video follows below.
Samsung’s latest big ad run on TV in the United States is yet another example in a long line of commercials that bash Apple, its devices and its users in an effort to position Samsung’s products as the next big thing. This line of ads has worked well — of that, there is no question. Samsung used people’s desire for an iPhone alternative to find tremendous success while keeping its impossible promise, and of course Apple is fair game. In fact, Apple did the same thing when it took on Microsoft in its famous “I’m a Mac” ads.
But truth be told, these Apple-bashing ads are getting a little boring. More →
To steal from an old Chris Rock joke: “I love tech fans but I hate fanboys.” What I mean is that I think it’s great if you have a favorite brand or company that you’re enthusiastic about. However, it’s not-so-great if your love of that brand turns into an insane religious devotion that leads you to lash out angrily at even the slightest criticism of it. The absolute worst tech fanboys remind me a lot of the ridiculous Beliebers who posted hilarious messages defending Justin Bieber even after he was arrested for drag racing while intoxicated… except the difference is most of those people at least have the excuse of being 12-year-old girls and aren’t supposedly grown-up men. More →
Following the original YotaPhone, which started selling in December 2013, a new-generation device may be unveiled at MWC 2014. Hi-Tech.Mail.Ru reports that the new smartphone is expected to be better than its predecessor in every way. The YotaPhone 2 may be announced as soon as February 24th, although there aren’t many details about the smartphone yet. More →
Beer aficionados who also share a passion for Android mobile devices may be interested in backing a Kickstarter project that aims to leverage the power of mobile devices to improve home cool beer drinking experiences. The Kegbot is a tablet-powered beer Kegerator that will keep track of how much beer is left in your keg to help you make sure that you’re never in danger of running out during a party. More →
Google chairman Eric Schmidt has a whoooole lot of money. And when people with a whooooole lot of money get bored, they buy new houses. The latest addition to Schmidt’s growing collection is the $22 million beauty pictured above, and Forbes dug through the MLS website to pull out the few available photos of the Hollywood home. Schmidt’s new 1.3-acre property is conveniently located mere steps away from Hugh Hefner’s famed Playboy Mansion, and the Google chairman can also now count Interscope Records founder Jimmy Iovine and Petra Ecclestone, current owner of the Aaron Spelling Manor, as neighbors. Schmidt is currently No. 49 on the Forbes 400 with a net worth of approximately $8.3 billion. Photos of his new mansion follow below. More →
2013 was the year of the selfie, according to the Oxford English Dictionary — but self-snaps aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. Everybody is taking selfies, from President Obama to astronaut Aki Hoshide. With the proliferation of smartphones with front-facing cameras, selfies have become mainstream. And with apps like Snapchat and Instagram that encourage people to take photos of themselves, the selfie will likely grow in popularity in 2014. More →
