Welcome to Tuesday, May 8 2012’s Clicks of the Day!
Clicks of the Day is a daily round up of news posted Sunday through Thursday.
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Edmonton/Alberta/Canada
- New cabinet set to implement Redford’s agenda
- Edmonton councillors block push for lower speed limits
- Police release sketch of suspect in south side assaults
- Animal lovers need help saving kittens from death on the streets
- Listen up: Broadcasters ordered to dial down TV ad volume
- Competition Bureau takes harsh view of Canadian credit-card system
- Quebec student votes show massive rejection of tuition deal
- Auditor: Greenhouse gas targets unlikely to be met
- Contaminated sites pose billions in risk
- North Carolina passes Amendment 1 banning same-sex unions
- In Europe, a storied way of life comes under threat as economic gloom deepens
- State of the World’s Mothers Report 2012
- Moms may need reminder that too much baby fat isn’t healthy
- Obesity fight must shift from personal blame-U.S. panel
- Eating fast increases diabetes risk
- Houston hospital to live tweet brain surgery, post Pinterest photos
- Google gets license to operate driverless cars in Nevada
- By end of 2012 more email will be read on mobile than desktop
- Facebook sees time spent on mobile top its desktop users
“The average time spent accessing Facebook via smartphone in the United States was 441 minutes in March, compared with 391 minutes via computer, according to comScore, underscoring the increasingly high-profile role of mobile in social networking… In filing documents for its initial public offering, Facebook highlighted the importance of mobile while noting it does not generate meaningful revenue from mobile users… Beefing up its mobile strategy was part of the reason Facebook in April agreed to spend $1-billion to buy Instagram, a photo-sharing mobile app, analysts say.”
All about mobile.
- Will your Klout score get you hired? The role of social media in recruiting
“Third-party sites that rate “influence” are relatively new on the scene, but they’re already changing the way recruiting is done… I have no doubt that companies will increasingly take note of social connectivity when considering applicants, keeping an especially keen eye on those with a demonstrated ability to turn their networks into enhanced marketing opportunities.”
My Klout score fluctuates from 58 to 56. One day I’ll crack 60. Lol.
- Twitter defends user in court over Occupy tweets
“We reported last month on Malcolm Harris, a member of the Occupy Wall Street movement, and his attempt to have a tweet subpoena quashed. The judge in the case denied his motion saying that Tweets are not physical property and can therefore be obtained without a warrant. It was a disappointing ruling, but it made sense. We went on with our lives and just hoped that next time would be different. Well, there’s been a new development in the case. A development that I don’t think anybody ever saw coming. Twitter, the actual company, has filed a motion with the court to quash the order that Harris’ Tweets be subpoenaed. The company says that Harris does indeed have a proprietary interest ‘in the content that he submits to Twitter’ saying that a subpoena effectively violates Twitter’s Terms of Service which states that users ‘retain rights to any Content [they] submit, post, display on or through Twitter’… This is a sound argument and one that the court can’t ignore. Twitter has essentially proven, at least in the case of their service and their state, that the Fourth Amendment does apply online.”
Intense.
- An Instagram camera in real life
“For now, it’s just a figment of someone’s imagination from ADR Studio.”
It’s so cute!
Business/Consumer/Media/Economy
- 2012 vs. 1984: Young adults really do have it harder today
“Back in my day? Economically speaking, life was easier for the young adult.”
Sigh.
- Yahoo CEO apologizes for bogus college degree
“Yahoo Inc. CEO Scott Thompson is sorry for allowing an inaccuracy about his education to appear in his official bio, but not remorseful enough to heed calls for him to resign.”
It’s that easy to lie on a resume eh? lol.
- Pottermore: Developing A Blueprint For Futureproof Publishing
“Berlucchi suggests that Pottermore, JK Rowling’s online ebookstore, is an “extremely important” precedent which shows publishers that it is possible to rework their relationship with Amazon in a way that forges stronger ties between publisher and reader… Berlucchi’s right, but the industry needs to take the Pottermore idea several steps further if they are to reap all the rewards it has to offer. There is a window of opportunity now to expand upon the concept of a publisher-centric ebook hub, to take Pottermore’s partial blueprint and use it to futureproof publishing.”
Interesting!
- Huffington Post Canada B.C., Alberta sites to launch in 2012, regional expansion
“AOL Canada and the Huffington Post Media Group announced Tuesday a regional expansion of The Huffington Post Canada that will include new sites in British Columbia and Alberta.”
Very, very cool. Also:
- Papers offering more and better video news
“Newspaper sites around the country are producing video on par with that of TV stations, often with the help of former TV multimedia journalists and photographers. In fact, some of the newspapers’ video content is so good that it has beaten material produced by TV news departments when it’s gone head-to-head in awards competitions.”
Very cool!!
- Super Mario, cub reporter: Jesse Schell on what the game industry could teach the news industry
“The game designer and thinker says there are a number of parallels between the disruptions facing both industries.”
This is a really fascinating read!
Environment/Space/Animals/Science
- Largest known croc likely ate early man
“The largest known crocodile was big enough to swallow a human being and likely terrorized our ancestors two to four million years ago. Remains of the enormous horned croc, named Crocodylus thorbjarnarsoni, were unearthed in East Africa. The impressive aquatic reptile exceeded 27 feet long and is described in the latest Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.”
Yikes. Can you imagine?
Entertainment
- “The Avengers 2” already in the works
“With “The Avengers” continuing to break records with a $207.1 million opening weekend box office take and a staggering $441.5 million overseas, fans are already chomping at the bit for the next installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s premiere superhero team — and according to The Hollywood Reporter, they’re likely going to get it. Yesterday, during a conference call with analysts to discuss quarterly earnings, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced that “The Avengers 2” is in the works with an unannounced release date following Marvel Studios’ “Iron Man 3,” “Thor 2” and “Captain America 2.””
So much superhero goodness. <3 Weird News, Other News & Fluff
- Beautiful photographs of decaying and repurposed movie palaces
“From the 1920s through the 1950s, thousands of ornate movie palaces were built across America, seating hundreds of patrons in lavish settings for films and live shows. But the introduction of television, the rise of the multiplex, and the dissolution of city centers caused the movie palace to go the way of the dinosaur… In 2005, photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre began documenting theaters that had either fallen into decay or been transformed entirely.”
Beautiful photographs indeed.
- Appreciation: Maurice Sendak helped children’s imaginations run wild
“For all his contributions to children’s literature, Maurice Sendak, who died Tuesday at 83, struck a chord with ‘Where the Wild Things Are,’ a dark and vivid adventure in a daunting world beyond a child’s bedroom.”
May he rest in peace.
- Unfortunate timing: Stephen Colbert’s new children’s book (endorsed by just-deceased Maurice Sendak) comes out today
Very unfortunate timing.
- Nebraska man changes name to Tyrannosaurus Rex
“A 23-year-old southeast Nebraska man has legally become Tyrannosaurus Rex. The York News-Times reports that the man entered the York County courtroom Monday as Tyler Gold and left it with the moniker Tyrannosaurus Rex Joseph Gold. Gold says in his public filing for the change that the dinosaur’s name is cooler.”
Whaaat.
- Story of vengeful jilted dentist WAS too good to be true
“A hugely popular news story about a jilted dentist accused of pulling out all her ex-boyfriend’s teeth has unraveled as a hoax. News websites around the world ran the story last week about a woman in Poland named Anna Maćkowiak who took revenge on a man named Marek Olszewski when he turned up at her clinic complaining of toothache, days after dumping her for another woman.”
Who makes this stuff up?!
“Premier Alison Redford introduced a scaled down, largely male group of cabinet ministers Tuesday that she promised will help her change how the government does business. The 18 ministers, along with seven associate ministers, features many familiar names in high-profile jobs in health, human services and finance, but also adds a handful of cabinet rookies into a mix Redford said will be counted on to implement major changes in the next four years.”
Hm.
“A council committee has slammed the brakes on plans to develop a policy allowing neighbourhoods to ask for local 40-kilometre-an-hour speed limits. Members of the transportation and infrastructure committee voted 3-1 Tuesday against continuing work on the policy, saying it would create a patchwork of speed zones in Edmonton when there are better ways to improve traffic safety.”
40 is sooo slow…
“Edmonton police have released a sketch of a suspect who may be responsible for seven recent assaults on women in southeast Edmonton. ‘I encourage anyone with information about the identity of this person to come forward to police. Small details that you think may be insignificant could actually be very helpful in our investigation,’ said Det. Rob Chan with the Edmonton Police Service. Police are trying to solve seven apparently random assaults – that appear to have started in March.”
Careful out there everyone.
“At first glance, it looks like a photograph of adorable kittens curled up together in peaceful sleep. And then you realize they’re dead, having paid the ultimate price for irresponsible pet ownership. Abandoned when they were only days old, they did not — could not — survive. What does it take for people to understand that they are directly responsible for the death of these kittens — and for tens of thousands of others — when they don’t fix their own cats?”
Truly awful. :( Poor kitties…
“Canada’s broadcast regulator has been asking TV providers to turn down the racket in loud commercials, and now it is making that an order. On Tuesday, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission published changes to some of its regulations that govern the broadcasting industry. Controlling the volume of commercial messages is now part of the rules that the companies that own TV channels, distribution systems such as cable and satellite services, and video-on-demand offerings, must follow.”
Finally!!!!
“Canada’s credit card system is a ‘perverse’ place where shoppers who pay with cash or debit subsidize purchases made with credit cards, the Competition Bureau argued Tuesday in its opening salvo against Visa and MasterCard. That’s because merchants pay high fees for accepting credit cards and those costs are passed on to all consumers, the bureau’s lead counsel Kent Thomson said in his opening statement to a tribunal hearing whether credit card companies are engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.”
Don’t Canadians typically get the short end of the stick with everything…
“Widespread rejections of a tentative agreement that was supposed to bring an end to the tumultuous confrontation over university tuition increases in Quebec, now in its 13th week, flowed fast and furious Tuesday. In fresh vote results, students in medicine, architecture and comparative literature at the Universite de Montreal all rejected the government offer.”
Will it ever end?!
“Canada’s environment auditor says Ottawa is falling behind on its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and will likely not meet its 2020 goals.”
That’s unfortunate. Even more so –
“The federal government is facing $7.7 billion in environmental liabilities for approximately 22,000 federal contaminated sites across the country and a funding shortfall to clean up the polluted lands, the commissioner of the environment and sustainable development warned Tuesday in a new report. While the government has made progress in identifying contaminated sites for which it is responsible — having closed the files on more than one-third of them — about half of the sites have yet to be assessed for remediation and prioritized for action, Environment Commissioner Scott Vaughan says in his report.”
Awful.
World
“Voters in North Carolina have approved a constitutional amendment banning same-sex unions, according to the Associated Press. It will become the 30th state to define marriage solely as a union between a man and a woman. With more than half the precincts reporting, unofficial returns showed the amendment passing with about 60% for to 40% against.”
Horrible.
“Elections in France and Greece reflect the anger and disillusionment coming to the surface across Europe as a celebrated way of life that people have long enjoyed — and even taken for granted — comes under pressure in these times of crisis. Though the situation varies from north to south, Europe is undergoing profound change — from its sophisticated lifestyle to its cherished welfare benefits and a sense among many Europeans of being the world’s elite. These are some of the ways you can see Europe grappling with change…”
Will be interesting to see just what changes will come from all of this.
Health
“This year, Norway tops the list yet again, as the best place in the world to be a mother. Niger comes in last place, displacing Afghanistan from last year… In addition to its annual ranking, the 2012 report focuses specifically on the issue of children’s nutrition. One in four of the world’s children are chronically malnourished or stunted — with little access to proper nutrients, these children have underdeveloped brains or bodies. According to the report, malnutrition kills as many as 2.6 million children and 100,000 mothers every year. Millions of others are left struggling with the physical and mental impairments of stunting.”
Sad.
“A new study of low-income mothers of toddlers has found that two-thirds did not correctly perceive their children’s size. And most — including all of the misperceiving moms with kids who were overweight — thought their kids were too small, not too big. The discovery, which echoes findings in older children, illustrates how perceptions about weight complicate doctors’ efforts to keep kids healthy.”
Oh my child will know if it’s too fat or not! Just kidding. Lol. But I will strive to ensure my children eat healthy and get lots of exercise. :)
“America’s obesity epidemic is so deeply rooted that it will take dramatic and systemic measures – from overhauling farm policies and zoning laws to, possibly, introducing a soda tax – to fix it, the influential Institute of Medicine said on Tuesday.”
Lots to be changed.
“People who wolf down their food are two and a half times more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes than those who take their time according to new research presented at the joint International Congress of Endocrinology and European Congress of Endocrinology in Florence, Italy.”
I always tell Mike to eat slow!
“Ever curious about what happens during surgery? A Houston hospital is demystifying the procedure by live tweeting the surgical removal of a patient’s brain tumor… According to ABC News, Dr. Kim’s co-worker will live tweet from the operating room using a laptop, while a video camera will shoot clips of the surgery and a photographer will take shots on a digital camera. The text updates, video footage and photos from the brain surgery will be broadcast to Twitter, YouTube, TwitPic, CoverItLive, and Pinterest.”
Well that’s something.
Technology/Social Media
“On Monday, Nevada became the first to approve a license for “autonomous vehicles” — in other words, cars that cruise, twist and turn without the need for a driver — on its roads. The license goes to Google, the Silicon Valley technology giant known more for its search engine and e-mail service that nonetheless has been known to dive into other big ideas such as space elevators to Internet-enabled glasses. In a 2010 post on Google’s official blog, engineer and Google X founder Sebastian Thrun said that the self-driving vehicle project aims ‘to help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions by fundamentally changing car use.'”
The future is here!
“Mobile email views are up significantly year on year. From March 2011 through March 2012, mobile email views rose 82.4% with 88% of people checking email on their mobile device on a daily basis. Eighty-five percent of mobile email opens were done on an Apple-branded device. The iPad saw a 54% annual growth in mobile email use. So, that’s the good news. The bad news for those businesses that have not yet optimized email for mobile is that almost two-thirds of Americans and 41% of Europeans will simply close or delete an email that doesn’t render well on their mobile device. That’s a lot of lost customers.”
All kinds of viewing by mobile is increasing. Case in point:
Thor & Loki Photo of the Day:
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Linda
