In our social entrepreneurship series, The World at Work, Mashable interviews the faces behind the startups and projects that are working to make a global impact.
By harnessing the power of digital technology, these five companies have altered commonplace models such as crowdfunding and toy development to change the world… read more
Who wants a self driving car? Researchers at J.D. Power and Associates conducted a study to find out who would be willing to buy a car with such futuristic features, and the reaction was certainly not unanimous. In this video, Adam Falk shows you a few self-driving cars and… read more
Could Pinterest be the silver bullet for retailers on social media? Pinterest is clearly resonating with online consumers in a big way. To put it simply, customers who find a product via Pinterest are more likely to purchase it than those who find the product via other social networks.
SEE ALSO: 10 Video… read more
Working as a contractor–or freelancing as it is often termed–is both a great stepping stone to running your own business and a viable career in itself. For the uninitiated, there can be numerous hurdles to overcome on the way to starting and having a… read more
It’s hard to believe that all of these beautiful pictures are pencil drawings and not digital. Pencil, paper, creativity and a heck of a lot skill are the only attributes of these masterpieces. Check them out:
Gurn Drawing
Christopher Reeve
FuFu
What a Lovely Picture
Karlstadt Watermill
Snow White
Broken Heart
Yendos Nature
Pencil art by Rupak… read more
The wallpaper of this week is an image created by Alecio Calixto and it’s called The Crow. Alecio is an art director and digital designer from Brazil. The image was a suggestion from Alecio himself to us via email. You can also suggest us wallpapers. Just email them to abduzeedo@abduzeedo.com… read more
35 Best WordPress Tutorials of March 2012
Charmeleon
By Michael Myers
Click here to view this gallery.
“Gotta catch ‘em all!” Well, in a real-life game of Pokémon,… read more
Researchers have discovered a way to make glass that is not only glare-free, but is also anti-fogging and can clean itself.
The glass is created by depositing thin layers of material on the surface of the glass and then selectively etching that material away. The end result creates tiny… read more
Have you spent the past week studying the nuts and bolts of the new Gmail interface? Or have you been preoccupied with the space shuttle Enterprise‘s final flight to New York City (and the absurd memes that came along with it)? For whichever reasons you missed our latest digital media… read more
Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twins who claimed to have played a big part in starting up Facebook and sued CEO Mark Zuckerberg for their share, have now become venture capitalists, announcing their new firm Friday morning on the CNBC show Squawk Box.
They’re off to a good start, considering… read more
Photographing couples is quite literally one of the most enjoyable parts of my career. I love that with two people in love, you have such great capacity for shots that are unique, engaging, and artistic. Additionally, there is something wonderful to be said about the freedom and control we have… read more
Sharlyn Lauby, SPHR, CPLP, is the HR Bartender, whose blog is a friendly place to discuss workplace issues. When not “bartending,” Sharlyn is president of Internal Talent Management, which specializes in leadership training and human resources consulting.
Since paper applications are going the way of the dinosaur in favor of digital… read more
Google Maps lovers, the object of your affection has just been further improved. Take a look at this video that shows you how Google has applied way-cool graphics magic to Google Maps, making landmarks and buildings look a whole lot more 3D.
Google‘s new parallax view, seen in the Google… read more
It’s time for our best news of this week. We have a lot of graphic and web design, a bit of architecture, ads, tech news, awesome reads and other crazy stuff! So take a look at the links we’ve selected for your inspiration and to keep you updated about what’s… read more
As rumors continue to run rampant about the alleged Apple HDTV set, now there’s a tantalizing clue about programming Apple might use to entice people to buy and watch such a device.
Reuters found out Apple is currently in negotiations with Epix, a studio-backed company that streams relatively… read more
40 Excellent Photoshop Tutorials for Textures and Backgrounds
The Vanguard designers thought of everything when they designed the Heralder Series. My first impression, when I took mine out of the box, was that it was probably the most padded bag I had ever used. Even the anti-slip shoulder strap is so padded and comfortable, you could almost use… read more
Rachel Sklar is a writer and social entrepreneur based in New York. She is the founder of Change The Ratio, which increases visibility and opportunity for women in tech and new media. Follow her on Twitter @rachelsklar.
This weekend kicks off one of Washington D.C.’s biggest events: the White House Correspondents’… read more
View engaging conference lectures, interesting how to discussions, and high quality freelance advice via video here on FreelanceSwitch.
This week we look at A new way to think about creativity by Elizabeth Gilbert. In this video “Eat, Pray, Love” Author Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from… read more
Here’s our second installation of our design news series! There’s something that’s making me hungry (in a very creative, graphic design sense as well as in a literal sense) in this roundup so I’ll get right to it so I can attack the fridge afterwards!
– As always, there… read more
Steven Rosenbaum is the CEO of Magnify.net, a real-time video curation engine for publishers, brands, and websites. He’s also the author of Curation Nation.
You’ve heard the buzz word — curation — being thrown around like it’s a gadget we all know how to work. In reality, good content curation isn’t… read more
As part of Skype’s latest marketing campaign, the video call service has launched a Facebook app geared at making our interactions more human: Skype Humoticons.
The app basically allows us to recreate classic emoticon images — such as the smiley face, sad face or tongue-out face — with our own real-life… read more
When the Space Shuttle Enterprise made its final landing at New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport, it was greeted by a special guest: Leonard Nimoy.
The Star Trek actor and director gave an emotional speech to welcome the spaceship, which bears the same name as the starship that was home… read more
Fans of White Stripes rocker Jack White and his newly released solo album, Blunderbuss, will get to revel in an interactive live streamed concert Friday night starting at 9 p.m. ET.
Thirteen cameras will capture the action on stage at Webster Hall in New York City, and viewers tuning into… read more
Deciding to leave your full-time job for your startup isn’t easy. But what happens when one founder is on board and the other would rather continue to take home a steady paycheck?
That issue plays itself out in the third episode of TechStars, where one company’s co-founder decides… read more
Ethan W. is on his way to YouTube stardom. A few new videos of the smiley six-year-old playing classic piano pop songs have been uploaded, and one of them — Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” — has caught fire on the web, garnering nearly 80,000 views in three days.
We’ve seen many… read more
Three photo-loving engineers want to simplify digital photography with a simple cord-and-phone-app combo that’s gaining immense support on Kickstarter.
Photographers, meet the TriggerHappy Camera Remote — a device that turns your phone into an external camera remote for most modern Nikon and Canon DSLRs.
Though it’s still six… read more
Players are expressing their woes online after failing to pitch a perfect game on the recently-released MLB 2K12. Gamers who successfully pitch perfection can compete for a chance to win a trip to New York City and a million dollars.
The MLB 2K12 Perfect Game Challenge Tournament invites players… read more
A new app called FaceVault brings facial recognition and pattern-based unlocking to iOS.
It works just like Facial Unlock on Android’s Ice Cream Sandwich, but there’s a key difference — Apple is much more strict about what goes on its lockscreen.
Though Apple had previously rejected this kind of facial… read more
The Summer Gadget Series is presented by the Galaxy Nexus from Sprint. Android 4.0, Google Wallet and Google Play make it pure Google. Truly Unlimited data from Sprint makes it unstoppable. Check it out.
Product: WowWee Cinemin Slice Pico Projector
Price: $429.99
What It’s Good For: Projecting movies, video games and photos onto… read more
Jesse Draper is creator and host of “The Valley Girl Show” through which she’s become a spokesperson for startups and helped pioneer the way of new media content distribution. Formerly a Nickelodeon star, Draper is now CEO of Valley Girl™ where she oversees the show and runs… read more
1. Fullscreen
Fullscreen is a one-column photography and multimedia theme with a side-scrolling homepage. You can use it to… read more
Red Bull is known for making the energy drink, but also for organizing and promoting absolutely awesome events, such as the Soap Box Race, Air Race and the one I just got to know: BC One, a break-dancing fight. Awesome.
And to promote this amazing contest, Sehsucht, a creative agency from… read more
1) Justin Bieber on Klouchebag
While Klout measures influence on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn and Foursquare to assign its… read more
Welcome to the first in a new series of interviews called “How I Work”. These interviews revolve around how thinkers and creators in the Web world design, code, and create. The goal is not to get into the specific nuances of their craft (as that information already exists online), but… read more
Traveling for work can be a blessing—or a curse—depending on how you handle it. I have to drive a fair amount for my job, but many freelancers spend hours in airports, train stations, and bus terminals.
I found some handy tips on staying productive while traveling on Inc.com. I thought… read more
We all love Macs. Otherwise I wouldn’t be writing here and you wouldn’t be reading. I especially love my 27″ iMac with its shiny and huge display, which even lets me display all my Photoshop work including an insane number of palettes. It’s awesome, but there’s one drawback: sometimes, I… read more
A newly launched site has dubbed the upcoming EU Cookie Law “ridiculous,” echoing the sentiments of a growing number of voices across the internet. As these protests grow louder, No Cookie Law aims to raise awareness of the EU cookie law and hopefully increase the chance of changes… read more
Wreck-It Ralph, a 3D computer-animated Disney movie due out Nov. 2, will feature cameos from the gaming world’s most-beloved bad guys.
Although the star-studded comedic film stars the 9-foot, 643-pound video game character Ralph, be on the lookout for villains from Super Mario Bros., Mortal Kombat, Sonic, Mega Man,… read more
You may soon be able to shoot 3D video with your cellphone — even if that phone doesn’t have a 3D camera.
Fujitsu is working on a new way for phones that just have one rear camera to shoot three-dimensional videos — a process that traditionally requires two cameras. The… read more
Never one to spend too much time lounging, the Toad is always searching the internet for tutorials, great photography and interesting blogs to share with everyone. This week’s list contains a set of links to some truly incredible pieces of art posted by some truly talented artists. We really hope… read more
Few people have the kind of clout that their off-the-cuff asides qualify as world news.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is such a person. His ad-libbed comment during this week’s company earnings call about “convergence” devices has inspired more online buzz than a Kardashian marriage.
Answering a question about whether an Apple… read more
When does an Internet joke go too far?
Years ago, a photo of a baby with down syndrome was taken from a support group website and turned into a controversial Internet meme. That child — now 16 years old — is Heidi Crowter, and Heidi just discovered what the entire Internet… read more
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason told company employees during a town hall meeting Wednesday that the daily deal site needs to grow up — right after apologizing for drinking too much beer during the meeting.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the 31-year-old CEO said the company doesn’t “have any margin for… read more
One of the things I’m glad to see the web has made easier over time is eCommerce for independent creatives like artisans, artists, designers, photographers, bands, writers et al. Innovations like Paypal, Square, and Kickstarter have paved the way for people to make money or raise funds for projects online… read more
A new report indicates that Comcast, Disney and News Corp. will soon own even more of the streaming television service Hulu.
According to Bloomberg, Providence Equity Partners — the one non-media conglomerate invested in Hulu — is close to selling its 10% stake in the company to the other owners. The… read more
Kickstarter, the crowd-sourced project funding platform, is now officially a thing. It’s being actively parodied by comedians all over the web with videos that mock the slick, yet warm and heartfelt-approach of its best pitches.
Those jokesters can make fun all they want. Many Kickstarter projects are laughing all the… read more
Video Inspiration is a weekly(ish) post where we either feature a specific artist or show a sort of “best of” list of videos we’ve discovered during the week. Everything here may not be brand new, but we felt it worth sharing with the community. If you have good… read more
Yahoo has released a hilarious video that pokes of crowd-funding platform Kickstarter, featuring a guy named Nick asking the public to help find his life.
The video — called “Nickstarter” — spoofs the popular crowd-funding platform that allows inventors, artists and entrepreneurs to fund their concepts, products and events by raising… read more
Google announced on Thursday that its popular language translator service Google Translate now boasts 200 million monthly users, many of whom are accessing it outside the U.S. and via mobile devices.
The news — which comes just two days before Google Translate’s sixth anniversary — shows an increasing desire to communicate… read more
I’m in sunny (sorry, cloudy and maybe rainy) LA today teaching my Lightroom seminar, but I wanted to do a quick post about some questions I got the other day in my Minneapolis seminar. I had a few people ask me what was new for Photographers in Photoshop CS6 and… read more
The gaming industry is huge, and it can keep its audience consumed for hours, days and even weeks. Some play the same game over and over again — and occasionally, they even get out their 15-year-old Nintendo 64 to play some Zelda.
Now, I am not a game designer. I actually… read more
Website creation nowadays can be a slightly gruelling task, especially given the demands on web designers and creators to produce high-quality, professional-looking and intuitive websites. Often with these kind of sites there is a steep learning curve as CSS, HTML5, and even Flash in some ways play huge roles in… read more
Ever worked a day job you couldn’t stand?
Me, too.
For years, I worked as a legal secretary for movie studios and talent agents. Before that, I scooped ice cream, worked at McDonald’s, and even sold aluminum patio awnings over the phone.
Every minute I worked these mind-deadening jobs, I thought it… read more
In this Tuts+ Premium tutorial, you will learn how to create a mobile phone weather app interface. We’ll build the interface using pixel perfect alignment, quality vector shape building techniques, as well as gradient and lighting control. The result is a modern phone app interface. You can use these techniques… read more
A common query among the internet users is that they need to know how can they enhance the speed of WordPress apps and optimize the plugins. Frankly speaking, this is never a cumbersome process as there are certain skilled tips that work towards speeding up WordPress experience. But, in this… read more
Advertise here via BSA
There are many ways to approach navigation on your website and they all have their pros and cons. We have the top horizontal navigation bar, which can limit the number of links you can have before you have to resort to sub menus which, in my opinion,… read more
After discussing the Vignelli Canon, we’re going to delve more into design principles applied in the different fields of design today. One designer that I’ve always admired is the industrial designer, Dieter Rams. His works within different industries have become classic standards of simple, elegant, and lasting design. Yet though… read more
When Denise Abbott’s 13-year-old daughter Ava wouldn’t stop talking smack and stirring up drama on Facebook, the Ohio mother decided to employ a punishment to fit the crime.
Abbott replaced her daughter’s profile picture with a photo of the girl with a red X layered over her mouth. “I… read more
It’s a play straight out of a video game, movie or dream: A college football running back catches a pass out of the backfield, sizes up an onrushing defender, front-flips over his head, then continues chugging on toward the endzone. In fact, it may just be the coolest play in… read more
Former NBA star Steve Francis is “used to the finer things” and don’t you forget it. An awesomely bad YouTube rap video took Twitter by storm Wednesday, bringing Francis briefly back into the public consciousness. Predictably however, most of the Twitter commentary was derisive (see gallery below).
An “official” version… read more
Name a chef who wears green eyeshadow, sequined purple sweaters and leather pants with a zip-out crotch. Chances are, you’re still searching. That is, unless you’ve tuned in with millions of other viewers to watch Cooking Channel’s Bitchin’ Kitchen, where celebrity chef Nadia G totters around on heels higher than… read more
In honor of World Malaria Day, April 25, advocates for the end of the disease are campaigning on the social web with the hashtag #endmalaria — the very hashtag responsible for propelling Ashton Kutcher (@AplusK) to become the first Twitter user with more than 1 million followers in 2009.
Lady Gaga-backed… read more
Ecommerce site Roozt is trying to become the go-to hub for socially conscious consumers. With Roozt, shoppers can browse products based on cause supported, region of the world, or products sold.
Brent Freeman founded Roozt about three years ago with the idea of creating an Etsy-style marketplace for social… read more
Autism Awareness Month may be coming to a close, but by using the social network MyAutismTeam, parents of children with autism spectrum disorder can spread awareness and find support throughout the year.
MyAutismTeam is a part of the MyHealthTeams network, online communities for people living with or caring for those… read more
A surveillance video in Xi’an, China captured footage of a teenage girl falling into a 20-foot-deep sinkhole while she was walking and looking at her cellphone. The clip has gone viral around the world.
The sinkhole was reportedly caused by underground water erosion. In the video, you can… read more
Walt Disney Studios announced it will developing a sequel to its wildly successful film The Muppets, during the CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
Thanks to a strong digital campaign that not only revived its brand but also led to huge box office sales, you will be seeing more… read more
Upload your travel photos to Picasa or Panaromio? Those images might now be used in Google photo tours — a new feature that turns dozens of still pics into a photo gallery for more than 15,000 destinations.
Similar images are shown one after the other to give the viewer… read more
Jesse Draper is creator and host of “The Valley Girl Show” through which she’s become a spokesperson for startups and helped pioneer the way of new media content distribution. Formerly a Nickelodeon star, Draper is now CEO of Valley Girl™ where she oversees the show and runs technology… read more
Love that Facebook status update from last Monday or summer and want to use it again?
Honest Tea wants you to recycle your Facebook status — supposedly, to raise awareness of recycling everyday products.
Organic tea and drink company Honest Tea has launched The Great Recycle — a call-to-action to… read more
Tabletop gamers from Wichita, Kan., are hoping to change the world of online tabletop games with their Kickstarter-backed project called “Roll20.” Other online gamers clearly believe in the cause — with five more fundraising days to go, 902 backers have raised 439% of the team’s $5,000 goal.
Roll20 will… read more
Today, we want to introduce you to a new WordPress plugin for creating sliders, EasyRotator for WordPress. The standard version of the plugin is free, but we’re giving you a chance to win the Pro version that includes additional templates and features. We have twenty prizes to give… read more
Screencasting tools are used to show other people what exactly is happening on your computer like you see in video tutorials. Screencasting tools come in handy enormously as they allow you to demonstrate a product along with all its features, let you broadcast your preferred software hack, share a how-to-do… read more
Typography Mania is a weekly post series that comes around every Wednesday with the best of Typography design works on the web, from type videos to images everything is full of great design and typography inspiration. Users can submit their typography designs.
Click here to check out all the previous Typography… read more
We’ve all been there: a client really, really wants to make a change to your design that, as a designer, you can immediately tell will result in disaster. It happens to every designer, and, as far as I can tell, there’s no real way to avoid it. However,… read more
Sometimes the most appealing products are not those that are priced the most reasonably, but the ones whose packaging goes beyond functionality and crosses over to the artistic. Alberto Alessi said it best when he described his reason for his own aesthetic designs:
“More and more people buy objects for intellectual… read more
If something’s cutting edge or contains an element of hipster culture, chances are the comedy show Portlandia will incorporate it into its sketches. In season 2, episode 6 of the hit IFC show, actors Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen play a musician and director aiming to raise $25,000 for a… read more
Empire Facebook Game
Click here to view this gallery.
Empire, a new Facebook game from Jay-Z, wants your virtual… read more
The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.
Name: Three Ring
Quick Pitch: Create and share digital portfolios of students’ work quickly and easily.
Genius Idea: Three… read more
Draw Something, the Pictionary-like game for iOS and Android whose parent company was recently aquired by Zynga, is the addiction that keeps on giving.
Everyone from talentless hacks to professional artists can play, which sometimes leads to frustration. The above video details several type of players — from the over detailed,… read more
Innovative digital journalism played a starring role in the wake of a massive document release during an inquiry into British media ethics.
The Leveson Inquiry, a judicial investigation into the culture, practice and ethics of the press, was originally called to examine the widespread phone hacking that took place at… read more
The first ever non-stop flight from Tokyo to Boston, via Japan Airlines, took place on April 22 using the 787-8 Dreamliner. As a result, the East and West got a little more “connected.”
The flight not only marks the first commercial use of the 787 Dreamliner in the U.S., but… read more
James Bond who? As badass as retinal scanners and fingerprint IDs are in movies, the next generation of password technology is even more advanced — it reads your brain.
Numerous researchers are looking into ways to use brain waves and heartbeats to identify individuals.
“There will come a… read more
KONY 2012, the most viral video of all time, took the web by storm in March. Yet KONY 2012 couldn’t sustain its momentous social buzz until its day of action on April 20, called Cover the Night.
Kony-related topics received 74,000 total Twitter mentions on April 20 — less than half… read more
Some subjects provide a lot of opportunities for great photography and horses fit comfortably into that category. With a little skill a great subject becomes a great photograph. We think these photographs of horses show what can be done quite nicely. Share your own horse photos in the comments and… read more
Wouldn’t it be amazing to sit aboard the International Space Station, watching Earth’s continents and oceans pass by as you orbit the planet?
If a startup called Urthecast has its way, you’ll soon be able to replicate that experience from your computer, thanks to HD cameras mounted on the station… read more
Brian McKnight is known for the R&B music he has recorded over the past 20 years. His hits “Anytime” and “Back to One” are considered such romantic standards that his tracks are regularly used as wedding songs.
Because McKnight’s musical reputation is built on love songs, his fans were surprised to… read more
It’s primary day up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Voters are headed to the polls in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island — and social media is ablaze with tweets, photos, videos and other posts about the race to the White House.
Tonight, Mitt Romney looks to solidify… read more
What’s orange, furry, adorable and can teach your kids Spanish? Meet the new plush toy Ubooly. It combines teddy bear cuteness with a voice recognition app to become an interactive educational tool for kids.
Just slip your iPhone or iPad into the zippered pouch on the fuzzy Ubooly’s head,… read more
An unexpected social media byproduct has risen from the “War on Women” debate between Democrats and Republicans: Mitt Romney’s team was able to build an 80,000-strong women-centered Facebook community nearly overnight.
The Romney campaign created “Moms for Mitt,” a Facebook community that’s being used to display Romney’s life as father and… read more
Over the last few months you may have noticed more video appearing on Mashable. We’re currently producing original content to complement our news coverage, shows like “World at Work” that dive deeper into a given topic (social entrepreneurship in this case), and specials like “Leaders in Digital” that go… read more
A guest post by Sam Levy, founder of citifari.
When speaking about night photography and what there is to it, the first thought is long exposure, car light trails, etc. While this is correct, there is a lot more to night photography and since we have more time for our exposure,… read more
Getting Access
Sign in here to see if you have access to Drive. If you do, you’ll need to… read more
The members of Canadian indie band Metric want you to rock out with them. In anticipation for the May 1 release of their “Youth Without Youth” single, they are encouraging fans to create their own versions of the song before they even hear the original.
How? On interactive website ILoveMetric.com, fans… read more
Intel has officially launched its new range of Ivy Bridge quad-core processors and some sources have revealed that Apple is busy eyeing up the new chips for use in its new range of iMacs and MacBook Pros, which are expected to be released this summer. Five new processors are due… read more
Podcasting is all of rage these days. Podcasts are professional and fun, and have become easier to create with the right apps. The Mac has always been a creative tool and with the apps in this roundup, it can become your own radio headquarters and production studio.
To make the process… read more