Internet

Facebook rolled out its big News Feed news yesterday. The result is more emphasis on photos and a "following" tab that will let users actually see all the updates from pages and people that they want to, instead of relying on Facebook's mysterious algorithm to deliver posts to their attention.

If this sounds a lot like the way Twitter works, that's not a coincidence. Twitter has a reputation as a breaking news source, a place to follow the commentary as it happens. The Facebook changes could put it in a similar position. All you would do is hit up the "following" tab to watch the information flow in from your favorite sources.… Read more

What's the point of communicating privately, when you can whine and humiliate publicly?

This seems to be the motto du jour of the socially networked classes.

It is simultaneously vacuous and powerful.

Consider, please, the case of a young gentleman who was rather cross at his high school teacher. He didn't tell the teacher why he was cross. No, he told Twitter.

"I hate you, Mr. Torrence," he screeched. "You said the test was in (sic) Wednesday, so give it to us on (sic) Wednesday, not Tuesday. #YouNeedACalendar #ScrewYou."

Mr. Torrence doesn't, apparently, follow every word of this lyrical student. Instead, as the Daily Dot reports, one of the student's own friends exposed him to the teacher. … Read more

You're famed PBS kids show "Sesame Street." You've just topped 1 billion views for your videos on YouTube since you joined in 2006. How do you celebrate? With the Count, of course!

The Count (whose full name is Count von Count) took to YouTube to display his singing and counting skills in a video tribute to "Sesame Street" reaching the 1 billion mark, the first time a nonprofit has topped that milestone, according to YouTube. "Gangnam Style," however, got there much more quickly.

A count of all the views individually would take an untold amount of time, so the Count decided instead to tackle the task of counting all the "you's" in "YouTube," which only takes a few minutes to accomplish.… Read more

An artist already created a Twitter-controlled cockroach. If that was too squicky for you, then maybe you'll feel better about commanding Paintbot instead. Paintbot from iStrategyLabs is a Twitter-controlled paintball gun. Tweet the right hashtag and enjoy the knowledge that you've just made a mess you don't have to clean up.

You can get in on the paintball action when the gun is online by tweeting with the hashtag #islpaint. Unfortunately, Paintbot has to be taken offline periodically for clean-up. It has a tendency to splatter.

The target is an unfortunate whiteboard which just stands there and takes the abuse without complaint. It does have an illustration on it that sums up its futility of existence as a target for tweeting paintball shooters.… Read more

It's like Google Maps, but for finding cats: Cat Map, a Web site set up by the London Zoo.

Have you ever wanted to stare at a global map of cats? Just hang out on a world map, seeing where all the cats are? Well, now you can.

The Zoological Society of London set up the Web site to promote tiger conservation and its tiger sanctuary, opening March 22, but the map lets you see beloved felines, not just from London, but everywhere. … Read more

There is officially a Wachowski Brothers-style "Matrix" for rodents.

Scientists in North Carolina and Brazil have connected the brains of two rats using "brain-to-brain interfaces" that can connect directly or via the Internet. These allow the rodents to share sensory information, collaborate on tasks to earn rewards, and fight back against the shadowy and cyber-apocalyptic forces that have enslaved them.

There's actually no evidence of the latter, but I'd still suggest researchers watch out for any rats that start displaying a propensity for martial arts.… Read more

If you've been hesitant about using an online storage service because of the privacy risk or cost, you might be interested in what Pro Softnet has to offer via its IDriveSync service.

The online storage provider unveiled today a Private Key Encryption option for those signing up for a new IDriveSync account.… Read more

The last time I really cursed at my computer, it was when I had about 15 tabs open in Firefox. I had just opened a bunch of new tabs when one of them starting playing sappy, tinkly music full blast from my speaker over the sound of a video I already had running.

I clicked through the tabs in a game of increasing desperation, trying to find the culprit. I ending up shutting down most of my tabs before pinpointing the guilty party in a haze of epithets. There has to be a better way, I thought. It looks like Google Chrome developers are one step ahead of me.… Read more

February can make people excitable.

A new year is barely old. Hope springs eternal. And then there's Valentine's Day to add a little piquancy to their emotional state.

Sometimes, though, lovers suffer from a certain lack of self-control. This can manifest itself on society's everyday manifest: Facebook.

I was moved, therefore, that someone had taken the time to list the major faux pas that occur when social contact accelerates beyond decent norms.

I am lovingly grateful to Ranker, which has taken it upon itself to reduce the rancor that might be caused by Facebooked overenthusiasm -- the site has listed behavior to avoid. … Read more