Oh, Kim Dotcom. You just never stop surprising us. Just hours after Twitter finally rolled out its long-awaited Two-Factor authentication feature to protect accounts, the Megaupload founder is claiming to have invented the entire mechanism… and he’s got a patent to prove it. “But they won’t even verify my Twitter account?!”, he says. The patent in question can be viewed here . Filed for in 1998 and published two years later, it lists a Kim Schmitz — Dotcom’s name before he changed it in 2005 — as the sole assignee. For the unfamiliar, two-factor authentication is a mechanism intended to make it more difficult for hackers to access accounts that aren’t their own. When a user attempts to log in to a service from an unrecognized computer, the service sends a one-time password to an alternative device (like, say, a cell phone) known to belong to that user. Read more »
How 3 Brands Use Agile Marketing Tactics
This article was written by Elana Varon, and a version of it originally appeared on the Adobe-owned site CMO.com . For more information about BrandSpeak, click here . Agile management methods, experts say, provide a framework for making better decisions and improving overall productivity. "One focus of agility is understanding the relative value of the initiatives you want to work on and prioritizing them," said Barre Hardy, senior director with marketing consultancy CMG Partners . "A lot of companies are not great at doing that today." But there's potential for big improvements to how CMOs manage marketing initiatives, if the results from software development, where the methodology originated, are any guide. Read more »
Bystander Live-Tweets Brutal London Machete Attack
Police shot two assailants Wednesday in a southeastern London neighborhood after they allegedly murdered a person in public with a machete. The victim is believed to be a solider from a nearby barracks, and the British government is treating the event as a terrorist attack . One bystander apparently live-tweeted the entire horrific event from start to finish. While Mashable hasn't yet confirmed the following account is legitimate, the timing of the tweets matches up with the timeline of the attack. This Twitter user was also recently located in the neighborhood of the attack, according to geolocation data. Read more... More about Terrorism , Crime , London , United Kingdom , and Us World Read more »
What to Do When Social Media Drives You Crazy
Is Social Media Anxiety Disorder, known as SMAD, the newest affliction resulting from our love affair with Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites? Researchers have stopped short of actually classifying SMAD as a disorder, but it's no doubt a problem. Sure, you could quit using your social sites altogether — but then you’d be, well, bored and lonely. Science may someday shed more light on social media stress, but in the meantime, we've gathered the most common problems associated with popular social networks so that you know what to watch out for. Creative Flop Are you one of the thousands of women suffering from Mason Jar Envy, the creeping sense of self-loathing that comes from feeling you're just not as crafty as the other women on Pinterest? Read more »
Alcohoot Brings Quantified Self to BAC
The Launchpad is a series that introduces Mashable readers to compelling startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here . Name : Alcohoot One-Liner Pitch : Alcohoot is a breathalyzer that attaches to your smartphone. Why It's Taking Off : The device fits comfortably in a pocket or purse and accuracy is comparable to police-grade devices, plus, a companion app ensures you're empowered to make safer choices based on your blood alcohol content (BAC) While serving in the Israeli military, Jonathan Ofir and Ben Biron would drive by a sign outside their base that read "X soldiers killed from drunk driving" and the number steadily increased Read more... More about Startup , Iphone , Business , Startups , and The Launchpad Read more »
Nutella Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to Its Biggest Fan
Nutella, the chocolate hazelnut spread brand, has soured many of its social media fans by cracking down on a superfan who has helped spread the word in social media for more than seven years. Ferrero SpA, the Italian owner of Nutella, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sara Rosso, the creator of the 7-year-old World Nutella Day. On Ferrero's orders, Rosso is pulling the plug on the holiday, which had been celebrated on Feb. 5. "The cease-and-desist letter was a bit of a surprise and a disappointment, as over the years I’ve had contact and positive experiences with several employees of Ferrero, SpA., and with their public relations and brand strategy consultants, and I’ve always tried to collaborate and work together in the spirit and goodwill of a fan-run celebration of a spread I (to this day) still eat," Rosso wrote on her blog Read more... More about Facebook , Marketing , Business , and Nutella Read more »
New GPS-Powered Handlebars Send Texts to Your Bike
For cyclists looking to pimp their bikes with smartphone integration, look no further — new stylish technology from startup Helios makes your bike "smart." Helios Bars boast an integrated headlight and two rear LEDs, and riders can use the left and right lights as turn signals. But what sets the product apart is the ability to connect handlebars to a smartphone via Bluetooth 4.0. Using smartphone connectivity though Helios' iOS app, the rear lights on the handlebars take advantage of a GPS connection — so they can help you navigate via Google Maps' API. After inputting a destination into Helios' app, your phone plots a route. Then, once you start biking, the rear left and right lights blink, indicating where to turn. Read more »
Did Microsoft Just Kick Apple Out of the Living Room?
If you want to see what the Apple TV will look like, I hope you were tuned to Spike at about 1 p.m. Eastern today, because we got a pretty solid picture of the rumored device: a powerful all-in-one entertainment hub with a hands-free interface that smartly integrates live TV with a wealth of streaming and downloadable media. I'm speaking, of course, of the Xbox One , Microsoft's freshly unveiled new game console. Except it's so much more than a game console. The Xbox One is intended to be the command center for any and all media you experience through a TV screen. Sure, the Xbox 360 already had that job, but the One is a considerable upgrade. Read more... More about Microsoft , Apple , Itv , Apple Tv , and Xbox Read more »
PopExpert Online Video Education Marketplace Raises $2M In Seed Funding From Learn Capital And Others
As edtech startups continue to challenge the current state of higher education, and various niche startups focus on educating people through digital means, yet another company is getting a boost when it comes to helping people learn. PopExpert , a learning marketplace that lets students connect with experts in one-on-one video chats, has just raised a $2 million seed round led by Learn Capital , with participation by Jeff Skoll, Ken Howery, Michael Chasen, and Expansion VC . The site’s premise is simple: users can sign in and search for what they want to learn. Right now there are experts in multiple fields across the spectrum of “life, work, and play,” including meditation, nutrition, relationships, productivity, career mentoring, language and music. Once you log in, you can search for something like “yoga” and see a list of experts, validated with credentials and tagged with a price per session. From there, just choose your expert, schedule the session, and get ready to learn Read more »
Laptop Week Review: The 13-Inch MacBook Pro With Retina Display
Features: Ships with OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion 2560 x 1600 13.3-inch at 227 PPI 128GB SSD 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 Processor MSRP: $1,499 Pros: Portability combined with high-quality display Super speedy sleep and resume Good battery life Cons: Just two USB ports Non-upgradeable RAM If I could only have one MacBook (which is usually the case for your average laptop-buyer), this is the one I’d pick without hesitation. Fewer issues than its 15-inch cousin, which pioneered the Retina line, combined with a much lighter design with a smaller desktop footprint for a display that can still give you crazy amounts of screen real estate all add up to a sure-fire winner. The Most Flexible Mac I’ve owned a lot of Macs. To find myself so ready to claim any single one a clear “winner” seems crazy, but the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display is it. The smaller Retina notebook has proven itself through trial by fire and continues to be the Mac I pick for nearly every situation. For example it’s my constant companion at every travel event I ever go to. The 15-inch is just a hair too heavy and unwieldy, but the 13-inch Retina hits the sweet spot Read more »