Clicks of the Day: Feb. 10, 11, 12 2012 Weekend Edition!

Welcome to the three-day roundup …

Weekend Edition (February 10, 11, 12) of Clicks of the Day!

(I only do one Clicks of the Day post for the weekends so that I can actually have a weekend, lol. And amount of content will fluctuate depending on how much of a weekend I actually have!)

  • Greece’s parliament passes austerity deal amid riots that engulf Athens
  • “Greek lawmakers have approved harsh new austerity measures demanded by bailout creditors to save the debt-crippled nation from bankruptcy, after rioters in central Athens torched buildings, looted shops and clashed with riot police… Sunday’s clashes erupted after more than 100,000 protesters marched to the parliament to rally against the drastic cuts, which will axe one in five civil service jobs and slash the minimum wage by more than a fifth.”

    The video showing the Greek rioters is just insane. I can’t even imagine what they’re going through. (Though rioting and destroying buildings can’t really help the situation…)

  • New law could open window for police to view online habits
  • “The Conservative government plans to introduce a law next week that would allow police to better monitor web-surfing habits of Canadians and to track them with electronic surveillance… the law would require Internet service providers (ISPs) to install equipment that would allow them to monitor and preserve the Internet surfing activities of their customers. The providers could then be asked by police to collect and preserve surfing data of anyone suspected in engaging in criminal activity.”

    This is terrible!!!

  • Cloud hangs over music world after Whitney Houston’s sudden death
  • “Emotions were raw at the traditionally ebullient Grammy Awards show Sunday, with friends, colleagues and admirers expressing sadness about iconic singer Whitney Houston’s sudden death. Questions continue to swirl about why Houston died the previous day in her fourth floor room at a Beverly Hills, California, hotel. While an autopsy was complete as of late Sunday afternoon, Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office said it could take six to eight weeks before the results are in on toxicology and other tests.”

    So sad.

  • Desk-bound lifestyles proving hazardous, researchers say
  • “People who sit for six or more hours per day — the vast majority of us — are 40 per cent more likely to die within 15 years compared to someone who sits less than three hours a day… ‘There is no reason you need to be sitting down for a lot of the things that we do,’ Saunders said. ‘You can structure your office and our classrooms in a way that would allow you to do your quality work sitting or standing.'”

    Easier said than done!

  • Apple Now Worth More Than Microsoft, Google Combined
  • “In mid-day trading Friday, Apple shares were up 0.6% t0 $496.14, bringing the company’s market capitalization — or the number of outstanding shares times its stock price — to a staggering $462 billion, or nearly half a trillion dollars. That’s greater than the sum of Microsoft’s market cap — $257 billion — and Google’s market cap — $197 billion.”

    Wowsa.

  • Pinterest is quietly generating revenue by modifying user submitted pins
  • “If you post a pin to Pinterest, and it links to an ecommerce site that happens to have an affiliate program, Pinterest modifies the link to add their own affiliate tracking code. If someone clicks through the picture from Pinterest and makes a purchase, Pinterest gets paid. They don’t have any disclosure of this link modification on their site, and so far, while it has been written about, no major news outlet has picked up on the practice or its implications.”

    Pretty interesting. It doesn’t bother me in any way.

  • Could Pinterest play lead to virtual hoarding? Pintervention, anyone?
  • “Pinterest is a dazzling social media network that allows users to “pin” images of their favourite products, places and eye candy to online corkboards. Those pins, which carry embedded links to their sources — an e-commerce or travel site, for example — can be viewed and “repinned” by other users who find inspiration in them. For some, the result is an elegant collection of online vision boards. For those who get carried away, however, it can be the digital equivalent of thousands of magazines stacked ceiling-high in their living room.”

    Lol I wouldn’t go as far as saying that, a story idea is a story idea though lol. But I will say that Pinterest is a great social network! I got into it by pinning up wedding-related photos for my wedding ideas/inspiration board and it’s grown from there. Trying to find its uses in media as well. It recently added functionality for pinning videos which is great for a Viral Videos board. Take that further and news orgs. could pin up their reporters’ videos, etc. :)

  • AA to launch sat-nav tech tracked insurance policy
  • “The firm said the system would allow its better drivers to receive cheaper premiums. The system involves the installation of a small black box into the driver’s car which records how they drive. The measures include monitoring speed, braking severity, cornering and the types of roads used during certain times of day.”

    Too big brother-y.

  • How Your Cat Is Making You Crazy
  • “The parasite, which is excreted by cats in their feces, is called Toxoplasma gondii and is the microbe that causes toxoplasmosis—the reason pregnant women are told to avoid cats’ litter boxes. Since the 1920s, doctors have recognized that a woman who becomes infected during pregnancy can transmit the disease to the fetus, in some cases resulting in severe brain damage or death… But if Flegr is right, the “latent” parasite may be quietly tweaking the connections between our neurons, changing our response to frightening situations, our trust in others, how outgoing we are, and even our preference for certain scents. And that’s not all. He also believes that the organism contributes to car crashes, suicides, and mental disorders such as schizophrenia.”

    Wow!! So interesting and so crazy. Also bad news as I have two cats and am not getting rid of them ever, lol.

  • The Lens Of The Future Sees Much More Than What’s In Front Of You
  • “Though the original applications are for soldiers in battle, these augmented reality contact lenses could change medicine, education, and countless other fields. A small digital display like this could make it possible for soldiers to see in night vision or infrared, magnify images, or pull up maps, all without bulky equipment. Innovega, for its part, is emphasizing the recreational possibilities, such as better immersive 3-D movies and games… Imagine a surgeon who can have access to vital stats without taking her eyes away from an operation, or a classroom of the future where stats and animations could appear in front of your eyes at a moment’s notice.”

    Oh the wonders and possibilities of technology!

  • Father responds to daughter’s posting on Facebook
  • “Tommy Jordan’s daughter – Hannah – posted a rant on her Facebook wall, criticizing her parents. When Jordan found the rant, he decided to record his punishment. In the video he reads his daughter’s note, then explains his point of view. For the climax of the video, with his gun in his hand, he shoots nine bullets into his daughter’s laptop.”

    A little excessive…

  • Icelanders Avoid Inbreeding Through Online Incest Database
  • “Nowadays, some light Internet stalking is as common a pre-date ritual as showering or putting on a clean shirt. But for Icelanders, that online screening process can include running a date’s name through an incest database.”

    Wow. So weird! Also weird:

  • Brains of Small Spiders Overflow Into Legs
  • “Smithsonian researchers report that the brains of tiny spiders are so large that they fill their body cavities and overflow into their legs… As the spiders get smaller, their brains get proportionally bigger, filling up more and more of their body cavities.”

    *shudder* spiders taking over the world, anyone?

  • Giant snails invade Miami
  • “No one knows how they got there. But an invasion of African giant snails has southern Florida in a panic over potential crop damage, disease and general yuckiness surrounding the slimy gastropods. The lissachatina fulica, or giant African land snail, can live up to nine years, and are prolific in reproduction, laying up to 1,200 eggs a year, making it extremely invasive. A single snail can create a mass that invades an entire neighbourhood.”

    Crazy!!

  • Study answers how the zebra got its stripes
  • “How did the zebra get its stripes? A team of researchers from Hungary and Sweden think they have the answer. It has to do with evolution and a way to prevent blood-sucking disease carrying insects from attacking. A study found that a “striped (white) pattern” doesn’t attract as many horseflies as a black surface does.”

    Not a very exciting answer lol.

  • Is this Iceland’s Loch Ness monster? Giant ‘serpent-like sea creature’ caught on camera swimming in glacial river
  • “Some are claiming this grainy footage is proof of the existence of the legendary beast Lagarfljótsormurinn – Iceland’s version of Scotland’s Loch Ness Monster. The notorious ‘snake-like’ creature is said to live in the Lagarfljót lake, which is 25 miles long and 367 feet deep – and it has been the subject of many a supposed sighting since reports of it first emerged in 1345.”

    I LOVE stories like this… I believe in Nessie and I completely believe in this Lagarfljótsormurinn!!! So interesting.

  • Kraft Brings Back The Man With The Golden Voice
  • “Remember Ted Williams? In January 2011 he was homeless in Columbus, Ohio, but when videographer for the Columbus Dispatch discovered his “golden voice” he quickly became an internet star. He voiced an ad for Kraft, but the stardom got to be too much, and Williams fell back on alcohol. After a tumultuous year and a couple of visits to rehab, Williams now has a cozy home in Brooklyn that he shares with his girlfriend and sober living coach. And now Kraft is bringing Williams back to lend his honey-coated vocal cords to their Valentine’s Day campaign.”

    Lol. Hopefully he doesn’t mess things up again.

  • Love Ever After: portraits of NYC-area couples who have been together for over 50 years
  • This makes my heart tingle. So sweet.

  • ‘Charlie Bit My Finger’ Viral Video Nets Family $158,000
  • “In 2007, Howard Davies-Carr uploaded a 56-second clip of his two young sons to YouTube to share with a family friend. In the clip, Charlie bites Harry on the finger. Harry laughs. Charlie bites Harry again, Harry cries. Charlie laughs, and then it’s over. But 417 million views and five years later, the family is still famous for “Charlie Bit My Finger.”… All told, the newspaper says the U.K. family has made more than $158,000 off the clip and its assorted merchandise.”

    Amazing. My cats really need to do something hilarious so it too can get famous and make me money, lol.

  • [Videos]: Whitney Houston: Greatest voice of all
  • “In this time of mourning the world remembers what makes her so memorable-her performances.”

    So many great, great songs!!!!


Thor Photo of the Day:

My Thor and Loki sleeping together! :)


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Linda

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