Author: Josh Wolford

Here’s Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield giving us a tour of his space kitchen and showing off his zero-gravity culinary prowess.

When you’re done with this, make sure you catch his recent reddit AMA. It’s out of this world! (I’ll show myself out).

Vine is looking for a few good men or women to join its new office in Union Square. And one of those men or women will be heading Vine’s plunge into the Android operating system.

Vine co-founder Colin Kroll tweeted out the news on Tuesday.

One of those positions is “Lead Android Engineer.” Inside the job description for the Lead Android Engineer position, the top responsibility is to “lead development of the first version of Vine for Android.” So there you go.

Vine is also currently looking for a Dev-ops Engineer, Lead iOS Engineer, Product Designer, Software Engineer, and Software Engineer (Front-End).

Vine is expanding our 3 person engineering team in NYC. Join us:vine.co/jobs

— colin kroll (@ckb) February 19, 2013

Twitter’s Vine first launched back in January, on iOS only. Vine lets you take six-second videos and share them across other social networks. It received quite a bit of attention when it first launched, thanks to the fact that people will be people. You give them video capabilities, they’ll give you porn.

But Vine’s “porn problem” wasn’t really that much of a problem – except that the app made it too easy to find (remember, nudity isn’t banned on Vine).

To remedy that, Vine started blocking porn-related searches and slapped a 17+ mature rating on it in the App Store, likely to please the porn-nazis at Apple.

With the porn problem behind them, expanding into the Android platform will do nothing but improve Vine’s visibility across social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. We already knew that Vine would eventually make an Android version of their app, but this job posting confirms that they’re looking to do it. Now.

[h/t TechCrunch]

It’s always nice to check back in on some of our favorite Facebook-using criminals. This time, we have an update for now-38-year-old Jason Valdez from Ogden, Utah.

Back in June, 2011, Valdez holed up in a motel room for 16 hours in a standoff with police. Inside the room with him was a single hostage, Veronica Jensen. You can see a picture that he snapped of the two inside the motel room above.

During the course of the standoff, Valdez made a series of Facebook posts giving friends and family the live play-by-play of the whole event.

Classic.

Throughout the entire standoff, Valdez claimed that Jensen was not actually a hostage, but with him willingly. Some of his Facebook friends even tried to warn Valdez about police movements, to little avail. Police eventually stormed the room and Valdez shot himself in the chest, which put him in critical condition.

But he survived, and he has now been sentenced.

According to the L.A. Times, Valdez plead guilty to attempted aggravated murder and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person for the June, 2011 standoff. He was sentenced to two concurrent sentences – five years to life for the attempted murder and 1 to 15 years for the weapons charge.

“Well everyone I’m lettin Veronica go here real soon but this is the end,” was Valdez’s final transmission before the standoff ended. At least he’s a man of his word. The hostage left unscathed.

Tomorrow, you can watch the miracle of life unfold on Twitter.

Women’s Memorial Hermann Hospital at Memorial City Medical Center in Houston Texas will be the first hospital to live-tweet a surgical birth.

“This is a medically indicated c-section. 39-year-old mom had an urgent c-section before & chose not to VBAC. Our goal is to educate,” says Memorial Hermann. “Patient privacy is of utmost importance. Patient & family have consented & we’ll only disclose age & condition.”

You’ll be able to follow multiple stages of the process: admission testing, anesthesia and delivery of the baby. It won’t be for the faint of heart, as Memorial Hermann promises live, close-up photography and video alongside the play-by-play-tweets.

Tomorrow: The first baby born on Twitter. Follow live photo & video clips of a C-section Wed. @ 7am CST. #MHbaby bit.ly/c-section

— Memorial Hermann(@houstonhospital) February 19, 2013

@lulizzylu You’ll see real pics/videos of surgery. We’ll explain that C-section is associated with risks & should only be done if necessary.

— Memorial Hermann(@houstonhospital) February 19, 2013

This is the same hospital that live-tweeted a brain surgery last May.

You can follow all of the action on the @houstonhospital account and the special #MHbaby as well. Everything kicks off Wednesday morning at 7am CST.

Facebook isn’t the only high-profile tech company reporting that hackers have targeted them. This time, it’s Apple.

According to Reuters, Apple was hit with the same Java exploit that targeted Facebook employees last month (although the company didn’t release that info until last Friday).

“Apple has identified malware which infected a limited number of Mac systems through a vulnerability in the Java plug-in for browsers. The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers,” said Apple in a statement.

Like Facebook, Apple claims that there is no evidence that any data was compromised.

Apple says that the malware has affected other companies, but would not disclose any more on the topic. Reuters says that someone knowledgable of the investigation says that the attacks hit hundreds of companies, “including defense contractors.”

The malware targeted Mac computers at Apple HQ, as well as the other companies hit.

“This is the first really big attack on Macs,” said Reuters’ source. “Apple has more on its hands than the attack on itself.”

According to Apple, the company will release software some time on Tuesday that they say will allow Mac users to purge the malware used in these attacks. We’ll update when/if Apple releases an official statement and/or the aforementioned software.

Yeah, it’s an ad for Converse. I don’t really know what Converse was going for, however. But who cares? Misha, I’ll let you reawaken my crappy tattoo any day.

Netflix has refused to release any specific data on how many of its subscribers are watching their first foray into big-budget original content, House of Cards. Content Chief Ted Sarandos has said that the show is currently the most-watched thing on Netflix, but won’t go any further than that. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says (jokingly, perhaps) that even he can’t get Sarandos to give him any hard data.

But according to research from financial firm Cowen and Company, Netflix is hiding generally encouraging feedback.

According to the survey*, 10% of people had already watched at least one episode of House of Cards in its first couple of weeks of availability. Netflix has around 30 million global subscribers, so if we extrapolate the data we can unscientifically suggest that close to 3 million people have streamed the show. Of those people, the average number of episodes watched was 6 (there are a total of 13).

Streamers overwhelmingly approved of the show itself and Netflix’s all-at-once release strategy. 80% said the show was “good” or “exceptional” and 90% liked that Netflix dropped all 13 episodes at the same time.

For Netflix, jumping head-first into the original content game is all about grabbing new subscribers, and also keeping them. Good news on that front as 86% of those surveyed said that they were less likely to cancel their subscription after watching House of Cards.

This is more good news for Netflix on the House of Cards front. Last week we told you that the show is currently the most popular show in the world right now, at least according to IMDb.

Are you watching House of Cards?

*Cowen and Company’s survey sample size was 1,200 people – 28% of which pay for a Netflix subscription and 18% of which have some sort of access to a streaming account. So we’re looking at about 550 Netflix users as our true sample size.

[Cowen and Company via TechCrunch]

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) has updated its iOS app to provide seamless functionality with Amazon’s Prime Instant Video app.

With the new version, any TV show or movie that’s available to stream using Prime Instant Video will feature a link on its IMDb page. This feature has been available on IMDb.com for some time now.

All you have to do is click the “Watch Now on Amazon Prime Instant Video” button and you’ll be taken to that title on the Prime Instant Video app. This update applies to both the iPhone and the iPad.

As you may remember, Amazon bought IMDb back in 1998.

That’s not the only thing to ship with today’s update. the IMDb app now sports a new Oscars section as well.

Here’s the full list of what’s new today:

• Titles available on Amazon Prime feature a link to watch if the Amazon Instant Video app is also installed (iPhone/iPad)
• Special Oscars® section: list of nominees and photos from the red carpet and ceremony and live winners on iPhone and iPad during the ceremony
• Recommendations: tap on the “i” in the corner of the poster to see why it’s recommended for you, rate the title if you’ve seen it, or indicate “not interested” (iPad)
• Improved accessibility for TV episode navigation (iPad)
• Updates to side navigation (iPad)
• Bug fixes include episode picker in VoiceOver (iPad)

You can grab the new version right now on iTunes.

Amazon has just launched a new specialty store on its site for memorabilia from various entertainment industries – music, movies, and TV.

It’s called the Amazon Entertainment Collectibles Store, and it features over 350,000 “unique and rare” collectibles – all authenticated. We’re talking records, instruments, playbills, photos, clothing, etc. The new store is browsable by category, autograph status, and year.

“Entertainment Collectibles is an exciting new category offering a vast selection of past and present Movie, Music and TV memorabilia,” said Peter Faricy, vice president of Amazon Marketplace. “There is something for everyone. Fans will find keepsake items from their favorite artists, actors and icons of entertainment, and aficionados will discover some of the rarest items for their collections. With hundreds of thousands of items, the store has a wide range of memorabilia to delight any entertainment enthusiast.”

Amazon says that you can find plenty of verified collectibles from big name people and projects like The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, One Direction, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Johnny Depp, “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “The Walking Dead,” “The Hobbit,” “Game of Thrones,” and “The Twilight Saga.”

In February of 2012, Amazon launched a similar destination for sports memorabilia just in time for the Super Bowl called the Sports Collectibles & Memorabilia store. We can’t help but notice that the timing of this entertainment collectibles store coincides with Oscar week.

Police say that a 37-year-old former member of the Navy raped at least one woman after finding her on the religious-based dating site ChristianMingle.com.

According to reports, Sean Patrick Banks was apprehended and charged with two counts of rape. He plead not guilty and was released on $500,000 bond.

Police allege that Banks sexually assaulted a woman in La Mesa, California back in November, after meeting her on the ChristianMingle site. It was their first “face-to-face” date as a result of their online communications.

ChristianMingle.com calls itself a “a Christian personals community where you can find singles that share your values and love for God in Christ.”

Apparently, the break in the case came when ChristianMingle.com helped police by divulging user records.

“We continue to assist the La Mesa police department with its investigation in every way possible. The safety and security of our members is extremely important to us. In addition to having experts manually review all profile content and photos, we have developed several proprietary, automated tools to ensure the highest possible level of safety and privacy for our communities,” said a ChristianMingle.com spokesperson.

Police suspect that Banks may be responsible for additional assaults, carried out through various ChristianMingle.com profiles.

They say that he trolled the site using aliases like “Rylan Butterwood” and “Rylan Harbough.”

“We’re looking to see if there are any other victims. We’re trying to locate other victims who recognize him by his face, because they may not know his real name is Sean,” say police.

[via ABC News]

Trust me, this is SFW.

“Every month the PGA Golf Management program at Campbell University has a competition between the different classes. The January competition was to see how many people could line up and make a putt at the same time. The winners this month was the Senior Class with nine people.”

DAMNIT! IS THAT CUP REGULATION SIZE OR WHAT?

[via Campbell PGAGM]

Another Apple Store finds itself the victim of a smash and grab – this time in Boulder, Colorado.

According to ABC7 in Denver, a yet-to-be-identified assailant used a few rocks to smash through the glass door of the Apple Store before making off with $64,000 worth of stolen goods.

This included Macbooks, iPhones, iPads, and more. Investigators expect to see the devices hit the internet for fast resale.

But the stolen goods weren’t the biggest hit that the Apple Store took – at least not financially.

According to reports, the custom-made glass door at the front end of the Apple Store was worth nearly $100,000. Yikes.

Apple Stores make tempting targets for burglars – and I guess that trademark glass store front just looks like it’s in need of smashing. This Boulder burglary isn’t even close to taking home the prize for dumbest Apple Store robbery. That prize still goes to that guy last who who smashed through the store front in his BMW, left his license plate behind, and was arrested as he attempted to retrieve it.

Don’t worry, there is no Facebook Jail – although the concept is intriguing. An old viral hoax involving account suspensions and friend requests has morphed to suggest that sending too many requests could land you in this hellish place.

The hoax suggests that Facebook is banning people from the site willy-nilly, for simply sending out too many friend requests. “Nice people are getting banned by Facebook, and it could happen to you!” warns the hoax status.

Although the hoax is wrong and misleading, there’s a tiny shred of truth in it (unlike some hoaxes). First, here’s what you may see floating around your news feed:

Or, you may see the viral message in this format:

VERY IMPORTANT: PLEASE READ: Nice people are getting banned from facebook and it could happen to you, too – the reason is because when you get a friend request, if you click the “not now” button, you will automatically recieve a request from Facebook saying, “Do you know this person?” if you click no, that person will automatically be suspended from group chats, blocked from sending friend requests, and other nasty things for 7-30 days, and if it happens enough – permanently. So please.. if you get an unwanted friend request, just ignore it. If you accidentally click the “not now” button, then ignore the request from facebook asking if you know them – do not respond to it. Please pass this around so we can protect our friends (and ourselves!).

A permanent ban from Facebook, thus “Facebook Jail.”

First and foremost, Facebook does not permanently ban accounts simply because too many people have rejected their friend requests. But, Facebook does block users from sending additional friend requests in this situation:

“If your account is temporarily blocked from sending friend requests, it’s because friend requests you’ve sent have gone unanswered or been marked as unwelcome. From now on, please don’t send friend requests to people you don’t know personally. Facebook is a place for connecting with friends, family, classmates, coworkers and other people you know well,” says Facebook in its Help Center.

Even then, users can still utilize every other aspect of Facebook.

“Your account is only blocked from sending friend requests and messages to people you don’t know. This block is temporary, and you can still use other Facebook features during it.”

Facebook does reserve the right to remove your account at its discretion, if you break the terms of service. These terms include a ban on “abusive” behavior, as well as habitually breaking Facebook law. So, technically, your account could be suspended for spamming friend requests, over and over again.

But it’s unlikely that this is happening to “nice people” out there who are just trying to make new friends. And there definitely is no Facebook Jail.

[Hoax-Slayer via AllFacebook]

In snowy Tignes, France, Guerlain Chicherit has successfully performed a backflip in a car. Yep, a real, unassisted backflip in a MINI – and he actually lands it. According to MINI, it’s the first of its kind. Don’t try this at home. Come ot think about it, don’t try it anywhere.

[MINI via Fark]

If you run the Twitter account for a major international business, take this as a cautionary tale.

It’s been a pretty bad day for whoever is in charge of fast-food chain Burger King’s Twitter account. Earlier this afternoon, the account was hacked and began suggesting that the company had been sold to McDonalds. The hackers even changed the logo and header photos to enrich the joke.

Four nearly a half an hour, the hackers maintained control of the account, sending out some nonsensical/obscene tweets, links to rap videos, and the like. As of right now, the account has been suspended.

Other tweets included “Try our new BK Bath Salt 99% Pure MDPV! Buy a Mig Mac, get a gram free!” and “We caught one of our employees in the bathroom doing this,” which linked to a picture of a guy shooting up.

Early on, online hacktivist group Anonymous took responsibility for the hack, called it #OpMadCow. The motivation behind the attack, if there actually was any besides #lulz, is currently unknown.

HAHAHAHA RT @burgerking: Everybody follow us! @youranonnews #OpMadCow

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) February 18, 2013

McDonald’s has issued a statement via Twitter, in which they say that they “empathize” with Burger King. McDonald’s, as you may know, is no stranger to having bad days on Twitter.

We empathize with our @burgerking counterparts. Rest assured, we had nothing to do with the hacking.

— McDonald’s (@McDonalds) February 18, 2013

We’re not so sure about Taco Bell, however:

@verticityy No comment.

— TACO BELL (@TacoBell) February 18, 2013

Jon Millward has spent the last six months carefully analyzing porn. So what, right? Who hasn’t? No, my friends, you haven’t been analyzing porn in the way that he has.

“For the first time, a massive data set of 10,000 porn stars has been extracted from the world’s largest database of adult films and performers. I’ve spent the last six months analyzing it to discover the truth about what the average performer looks like, what they do on film, and how their role has evolved over the last forty years,” he says on his site.

And thus begins a truly fascinating look into the world of porn – its demographics, characteristics, trends, history, and more.

Millward combed through the Internet Adult Film Database, the porny version of the IMDb, which houses records of over 120,000 adult films and over 115,000 adult film actors/actresses. Through careful analysis of a very large sample size, Millward has put together the mother of all porn infographics.

According to his research, the average porn star is a dark-haired caucasian girl from California, measuring 34-24-34 and coming in at 5’5″ and 117 lbs. She has a 34B bra size, probably has a tattoo, and will most likely spend three years in the industry. Over the course of that career, she’ll appear in 19 films. Her name is Nikki Lee.

Check out his handiwork below. There’s a little bit of NSFW content in the graphic, but no NSFW images.

[via Gawker]

Well, this exists. As a native Kentuckian, I’m happy to see Leo shilling bourbon. But as a native Kentuckian, I wish that Leo would shill better bourbon. #Kentuckyproblems.

[via BuzzFeed]

In the same way that the Human Genome Project has helped improve our understanding of human genetics, the White House is hoping that a new project could help us unlock the mysteries of the human brain.

According to a report from the New York Times, the Obama administration is set to unveil a major scientific project inside next month’s budget proposal. Called the Brain Activity Map project, the proposed venture would seek to build a vast and comprehensive map of the human brain, to better understand its processess.

Apparently, the project would fall under the guidance of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and could cost billions. Of course, there are no details yet about how the financing would be distributed.

The plans, which may be announced in March, involve multiple federal agencies, private companies, and a host of neuroscientists.

The project could kick off with the help of some high-profile tech companies. The NYT includes this little tidbit in the report:

A meeting held on Jan. 17 at the California Institute of Technology was attended by the three government agencies, as well as neuroscientists, nanoscientists and representatives from Google, Microsoft and Qualcomm. According to a summary of the meeting, it was held to determine whether computing facilities existed to capture and analyze the vast amounts of data that would come from the project. The scientists and technologists concluded that they did.

Of course, a project like this has implications for any number of fields including artificial intelligence, medicine (brain diseases), and more. It also has the ability to spur job growth in the scientific sector.

Remember this part of President Obama’s State of the Union speech?

“Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy…every dollar. Today our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimer’s. They’re developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs, devising new materials to make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation.”

Maybe an early tip to the upcoming Brain Activity Map? Projects like this can take a while to get going after they’re announced and worked into the budget. Plus, it’s being referred to as a “decade-long” project. So let’s get on with it. Yeah, Science.

Twitter-using Cardinals are going to have to shutter their devices when they all convene to select a new Pope to replace the outgoing Benedict XVI.

The 117 Cardinals who will participate in the upcoming Papal Conclave will be barred from tweeting the moment they sit down to make the decision. Like a sequestered jury, the Cardinals will be prohibited from have access with the outside world – and this of course includes Twitter.

According to the Catholic News Service, only 9 of the 117 “red-vested princes of the church who are eligible to vote for a new pope” operate Twitter accounts. They range in influence from small to large (in terms of followers). For instance, Spanish Cardinal Lluis Martinez Sistach of Barcelona has just over 2,000 followers.

On the other hand Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict,has over 81,000 followers and is an very active Twitter presence.

Twitter hit the Vatican in a big way in December, as Pope Benedict himself began tweeting his daily messages to millions of followers.

Some Cardinals have already been tweeting about the situation and the upcoming vote.

Historical news with the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI.Am planning to be in Rome and vote for the next Pope.Will be tweeing daily.

— Cardinal Mahony(@CardinalMahony) February 11, 2013

It looks like Cardinal Mahony and a few others will have to silence their Twitter-thumbs for at least a few days (maybe) in March.

[Catholic News Service]