WebProNews

Tag: Anniversary

  • YouTube’s First Video Turns 10, in Case You Weren’t Feeling Old Today

    YouTube’s First Video Turns 10, in Case You Weren’t Feeling Old Today

    If you woke up in a good mood, feeling young and spry, you’ll hate to know that YouTube’s inauspicious first video turns 10 years old today.

    “Alright, so here we are in front of the, uh, elephants. Uh. The cool thing about these guys is that, is that they have really, really, really long, um, trunks, and that’s, that’s cool. And that’s pretty much all there is to say,” says YouTube cofounder Jawed Karim in the clip.

    The 19-second video, uploaded on Saturday, April 23, 2005, shows Karim in front of an elephant enclosure at the San Diego Zoo. It’s called “Me at the zoo”.

    The video currently sports nearly 20 million views and 136,000 comments.

    It’s hard to imagine a world without YouTube. It’s also hard to imagine it’s already been around a decade.

    All I can say is thank god for HD.

  • Amber Rose Celebrates Anniversary With Pics

    Amber Rose has finally shared the photos from her wedding day. Although a year late, the pictures are still as beautiful as ever!

    Rose decided to share the photos in honor of her one-year anniversary of being married to Wiz Khalifa on August 18, 2014.

    Rose posted several photos to her personal Instagram account, and gave her fans an idea of what the lavish wedding looked like.

    In the photos, the model, and mother to five-month-old Sebastian, can be seen wearing a strapless Pnina Tornai for Kleinfeld gown, complete with plenty of lace and ruffles. She wore a simple white headband and diamond stud earrings.

    “Today was the day we said our vows before God and our Family,” Rose captioned the first photo. “I knew as soon as I met u, u were the one for me sweetheart. Happy 1 year anniversary @mistercap and many more to come.”

    Rose then posed with her mother. “My beautiful Mommy and I on my wedding day,” she wrote.

    Rose and Khalifa started dating in 2011 and later got engaged in 2012. Last July, the couple announced, via Twitter, that they had tied the knot, and noted that they would be having a large ceremony in the fall.

    “Me and Amber got married today,” Khalifa tweeted. “Wedding’s this fall. Thought I’d let y’all know.”

    “Yay me & my Baby are officially married!!!” Rose later tweeted.

  • Portia De Rossi Gives Ellen An Awesome Anniversary Gift

    Choosing the right anniversary gift is a challenge for many couples.

    Some want to be traditional while still giving their partner something special and meaningful, and others opt for the element of suprise.

    Couples everywhere should take a lesson from Portia De Rossi, because she is great at choosing the right anniversary gift.

    In the midst of breakup rumors, Portia decided to surprise Ellen DeGeneres with a special and personal anniversary gift.

    Ellen and Portia have been married for six years and Portia decided to hire a skywriter to write a special message for Ellen.

    Ellen was very excited about the gift and shared photos of the message and of herself and Portia on Twitter.

    The photo shows that the skywriter spelled out the number six to symbolize the six years that the couple has been together.

    They have hired a skywriter to do the same thing in past years, with each one spelling out the number of years the couple has been together.


    Ellen and Portia married at their home in 2008 in an intimate ceremony that later aired on the Oprah Winfrey Show. They seem like a happy couple and one that will last forever.

    Earlier this year rumors about a possible divorce began swirling.

    The rumors suggested that Portia was struggling with an eating disorder and that the issue had driven a wedge between the two women.

    While neither confirmed or denied the allegations, they still seemed happy and their recent anniversary celebration will likely put an end to the breakup rumors.

    After enjoying the skywriter, Ellen and Portia celebrated with friends and family members at their home.

    What do you think of Portia’s anniversary gift to Ellen and do you think the break up rumors will stop ?

  • Portia de Rossi, Ellen DeGeneres Working Things Out

    Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres have apparently hit some snags in their marriage, but none that can’t be worked out. In fact, sources close to the couple believe they may even renew their wedding vows some time in August. It seems an argument the couple had sent Portia packing–to a rehab facility for treatment of alcohol and drug problems. The former Ally McBeal actress suffered from an eating disorder in the past as well.

    A source close to the couple says Portia de Rossi is “good at seeking help when she needs to.”

    ”They’ve worked out difficulties in the past, and no doubt they’re trying to work out any problems right now.”

    Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi have bought and renovated properties since before their marriage. It seems the argument that sent her packing for rehab stemmed from her belief that she had endured most of the work involved in their most recent project alone. The couple recently resold the home for a $15 million profit as seen in the video clip above.

    ”At times Portia felt overwhelmed at all that goes into redoing a house and moving to another, no matter how lucrative it may be,” the source claims. ”She felt like she was doing everything herself and needed some downtime.”

    Friends of both Portia and Ellen have lots of confidence in their marriage, however, and believe that the couple will continue to work things out. Next month the pair will celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary and that’s when it’s expected they might renew their wedding vows. Both Ellen and Portia were excited to tie the knot when it became legal for same sex couples in California to do so.

    “They both love to celebrate special occasions and holidays, and their wedding anniversary is no different. They usually celebrate with a big party and invite a lot of friends. They really are a lovely couple. They enjoy being married, and it shows,” the source adds.

    Portia de Rossi is clearly out of rehab now. The couple was spotted furniture shopping in New York in recent days.

    Do you think Portia de Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres are in their marriage ’til death do them part? Will they work out these issues and put the pieces of their marriage solidly back together again?

    Image via YouTube

  • Kris Jenner Spends Easter With Bruce

    Kris Jenner Spends Easter With Bruce

    Despite being separated, Kris and Bruce Jenner seem to be closer than ever, and were even seen spending the Easter holiday together.

    The estranged couple were spotted attending a church service together. The usual Kardashian clan was no where to be seen.

    Kris wore a 70s inspired blue mini dress, and was all about showing off her legs. Bruce, on the other hand, was seen wearing an unbuttoned shirt and a baseball cap. He kept his head lowered and his hands in his pockets in an attempt to go unnoticed.

    Kris recently suffered a health scare and had to be hospitalized due to intense internal pains. It was previously reported that Bruce immediately left his condo in Malibu to be by his wife’s side while she was in the hospital.

    Aside from the hospital and Easter Sunday, the couple has been spending more time together recently. They seem to be mending their relationship, and today marks the couple’s twenty-third wedding anniversary. Kris took to her Facebook page to tell Bruce happy anniversary, calling him one of the most amazing men she has ever known.

    “Happy Anniversary to one of the most amazing men I know!!!! I love you, Wow 23 years!!!!! ‪#‎love‬ ‪#‎weareofficiallyvintage,” she wrote. She also added a dated picture of her and Bruce.

    Post by Kris Jenner.

    Maybe they are on the path to reconciliation after all.

    Image via Facebook

  • Japan Earthquake: 6.3-Magnitude Hits Three Main Islands

    Fourteen injuries were reported Friday following an earthquake that struck the south coast of Japan.

    The quake occurred a little after 2 a.m. in the Iyonada inland sea that separates the country’s main islands, including Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu.

    It was reportedly at a depth of 80 kilometers, but experts say that the earthquake could have reached 700 kilometers.

    The U.S. Geological Survey explained on their site what possibly caused the quake:

    Subduction zones at the Japanese island arcs are geologically complex and produce numerous earthquakes from multiple sources. Deformation of the overriding plates generates shallow crustal earthquakes, whereas slip at the interface of the plates generates interplate earthquakes that extend from near the base of the trench to depths of 40 to 60 km.

    The injuries that people incurred from the natural disaster were reportedly minor.

    According to the Japan Daily Press:

    Firefighters in Okayama City said that a 70-year-old woman and two other residents sustained minor injuries while in Tamano, still in Okayama Prefecture, a 1-month-old infant was injured when his mother accidentally dropped him while trying to seek refuge. Hiroshima Prefecture also reported six minor injuries, and several more injuries were sustained by people in Hofu and Shimanto.

    There were also no signs of tsunami threats, major damages, or reported casualties.

    The news company also said, “an Upper-5 intensity was registered in Seiyo, Ehime Prefecture while lower-5 was detected in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture, Sukumo, Kochi Prefecture, and Usuki, Oita Prefecture.”

    Additionally, the agency says that they expect four aftershocks to take place within the next few weeks.

    Japan has experienced three major earthquakes since 1933. One of those includes the 2011 9.0-magnitude earthquake in Tohoku, better known as 3/11.

    Coincidently, Japan just commemorated the three-year anniversary of the tragic event on Tuesday, which caused a 30-foot tsunami and a nuclear radiation safety issue.

    The nuclear disaster killed 15,884 people and 2,636 victims were never found following the disaster.

    Tohoku officials have said that they are still gradually rebuilding the area since then.

    Here is a report by the Associated Press about 3/11: 

    Image via YouTube

  • Pope Francis Marks One Year as Pontiff

    Pope Francis is now one year into his tenure as Bishop of Rome and leader of the Catholic Church as a whole. And what a year it’s been! The past 12 months have seen more news come out of the Vatican than any other in a generation.

    According to Fox News, the Pope tweeted a message on the anniversary of his election. It simply said, “Pray for me.”

    Almost immediately upon taking up the mitre of the papacy, Francis has been on a mission of remaking the Church in many ways, some would say, taking it back to its roots. And most agree that this is not just an image makeover. Francis has made the mission personal, putting his own energy where his mouth is.

    This past year has seen rumors of the pope sneaking out of the Vatican at night, going out in his old, plain priestly garb to run around Rome, helping the homeless.

    He has called other priests out for spending outrageous amounts of church money on their own personal homes.

    He has spoken out against unfettered capitalism, saying that it can be a force for good, but if not controlled, usually ends up taking advantage of poor people.

    He has set the example of humility and service for others, choosing to eschew some of the typical trappings of the papacy – the throne, the bright red shoes, the PopeMobile – in favor of simpler accommodations.

    He has encouraged others to use technology, including social media, to spread the Gospel and to help others.

    He has shown public concern for the poor and disadvantaged, touching and personally paying attention to children and the infirm.

    But it was the Pope’s launching of an investigation into the dealings of the Vatican Bank that really shook the standing system to its foundations. In the wake of that investigation, there have been indictments for money laundering, some cloak-and-dagger uncovering of plane trips with loads of cash, and a renewed determination of accountability regarding the bank’s activities, which have long remained shrouded in secrecy.

    Of course, not everyone is happy with the change in the air. Some see Pope Francis as liberal or soft on sin. But his positions and fearless commitment to change has certainly brought lots of “lapsed” Catholics back to church, as well as high praise from non-Catholics.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Iwo Jima Anniversary Remembered Across The Nation

    Wednesday marked the 69th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima – one of the worst battles of World War II.

    Across the nation many remembered this day from 69 years ago.

    In Newington, Connecticut, a memorial was recently built and is the only flag raising memorial built by survivors of the Battle of Iwo Jima. The flag flown at the memorial is historically correct with 48 stars. There is also sand from Iwo Jima beaches in the concrete base. The memorial also includes inscriptions of the names of 100 men from Connecticut who died during the battle. The 69th anniversary will be marked on February 22 and 23 by events being held by members of the Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation.

    Many local media outlets took time to speak with and honor their veterans of the Battle of Iwo Jima including Jim Baize in West Lafayette, Indiana, and Troy Bowling in Lexington, Kentucky.

    Baize was only 17 when his ship was hit on the shores of Iwo Jima, killing everyone but him. Though he was wounded he fought for seven days in hand to hand combat. Baize was awarded 23 medals by the end of World War II.

    Bowling was an 18-year-old Marine wounded by machine gun fire on the second day of the battle. He recalled lying in a hole at Iwo Jima, “I lay on the black sand of Iwo Jima, looked up at the heavens and said, get me out of here alive and I’ll serve mankind for the rest of my life.”

    Bowling was presumed dead, and word had even reached his parents before it could be stopped.

    After four years of recovering from his wounds, Bowling began to volunteer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lexington. Recently he was honored by Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, U.S. Representative Andy Barr, R-Lexington, and Lexington Mayor Jim Gray for his 73,000 hours of volunteer work.

    On February 19, 1945, American forces reached the shores of Iwo Jima. On February 23, 1945, the fifth day of battle, soldiers raised the flag atop Mount Suribachi. This was the first time the American flag was raised on Japanese soil. After more than 6,800 Americans died and more than 18,000 Japanese were killed, the battle ended on March 26, 1945.

    Many took to Twitter to remember this day in history.

    Image via YouTube.

  • Keith Richards Celebrates Another Birthday

    And here I thought the only person I needed to wish a “Happy Birthday” to today was going to be my best friend (Shout out Heather!), but it seems I need to send one to The Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards.

    The famed rocker turned 70 Wednesday, and many didn’t think he would make it this far thanks to his life of excess – drugs, alcohol and his love of cigarettes. He himself has even said, “I was number 1 on the who’s likely to die list for 10 years … I was really disappointed when I fell off that list.”

    But aging isn’t something that seems to bother Richards, “We age not by holding on to youth, but by letting ourselves grow and embracing whatever youthful parts remain.”

    December 18 isn’t just special to Richards because it’s his birthday, it also happens to be his 30th wedding anniversary. On this date in 1983 Richards married Patti Hansen. Richards and the former model have two daughters together. Richards also has three children from a former relationship with Italian actress Anita Pallenberg.

    Many have already taken to Twitter to wish Richards a “Happy Birthday.”

    If you would like to wish Richards a “Happy Birthday” you can take to Twitter or you can go to his website to wish him one or even congratulate him on his 30th anniversary to his wife Patti.

    Richards will soon be embarking on the “14 on Fire” tour with his Rolling Stones bandmates – Mick Jagger, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. The tour will also include Mick Taylor as a special guest. Taylor played with The Rolling Stones from 1969 to 1974. The tour begins in Abu Dhabi on February 21.

    It seems Richards will never give up rock and roll, and fans couldn’t be happier about it. In Richards’ 2010 autobiography Life he said, “People say ‘why don’t you give it up?’ I don’t think they quite understand. I’m not doing it just for the money, or for you. I’m doing it for me.”

    Image via Richards’ official Twitter account.

  • JFK’s Legacy 50 Years After Assassination

    John F. Kennedy, the president with the iconic Hollywood smile, has a legacy that lives on nearly fifty years after his assassination. The navy hero had a wide-spread political career before the tragic end to his life. Congressman by the age of twenty-nine and a senator by the age of thirty-five; there is no surprise that JFK would ultimately be placed in the Oval Office.

    According to historian Robert Caro, “He had a gift for rallying the country to its best, most humane and idealistic impulses.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM1VjpMy9-A

    John F. Kennedy has remained at the forefront of the public’s attention. Many have speculated on the reason behind the continued fascination and intrigue for the historical figure while other figures from history have not maintained the same level of active attention.

    Biographer Robert Dallek, who wrote Camelot’s Court said, “He’s become more and more of an iconic figure as the years have passed. I think it’s partly, of course, because of the assassination. But that doesn’t really account for why he has this phenomenal hold on the public.”

    Part of the hold behind JFK relates to his personal life as much as to his public and political persona. Salacious rumors have also surrounded JFK, and the public continues to want to delve into his personal life.

    David O’Donnell is involved in a 90 minute “Kennedy Tour” in the Boston area due to his affiliation with the city’s visitor’s bureau, and explained the repeat questions he hears.

    “Someone will ask, ‘Did Jack Kennedy have an affair with Marilyn Monroe?’ With this woman? That woman? It’s something people, in an odd way, just accept,” O’Donnell said.

    John F. Kennedy spoke about a nation’s intrinsic value arising from how members of society remember those who are no longer with us. Now, as the anniversary of his assassination approaches, it is time for the country to remember the thought-provoking speeches of President John F Kennedy as well as the man, himself.

    [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

  • Khloe Kardashian Gets Anniversary Gift, But Not From Lamar Odom

    Its been a turbulent summer for reality TV star, Khloe Kardashian-Odom. With the scandal surrounding her estranged husband, Lamar Odom, Khloe has endured his downward spiral consisting of drug addiction, disappearing acts, and numerous affairs. However, the one day out of the year that should be symbolic for the two came in the form of yet another disappointment – their anniversary.

    Saturday, inside sources connected to the NBA free agent informed the media that he was planning a big surprise for his wife, according to TMZ. It was reported that he planned to shell out “well over $100,000” on some amazing gift, with hopes of whisking his wife away to Santa Barbara in an attempt to start the reconciliation process in repairing his marriage. However, monetary trinkets won’t fix the mounting problems. But, that’s all irrelevant now considering Odom didn’t produce a gift at all. Based on her Instagram post on Friday, he actually was nowhere to be found on their fourth year wedding anniversary.

    Fortunately, Khloe wasn’t alone and she did, indeed, receive a gift – a small labor of love presented by none other than her twin best friends, Malika and Khadijah Haqq. It may not have been $100,000, but it was definitely worth more than any amount of money could dictate. The two presented her with an engraved heart-shaped pendant that read, “Khloe, Love You 4 Ever Malika & Khadijah.” She tweeted an endearing short message of gratitude toward her friends, and shared a picture of the pendant on Instagram.

    While divorce rumors are running rapid, there have been no official statements made in reference to the future state of Khloe and Lamar’s marriage. Only time will tell how the results play out within the coming months.

     

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • The Open Web Was Born 20 Years Ago Today

    In 1989, CERN and Tim Berners-Lee changed the world forever with the creation of the modern Internet. They changed the world again four years later when the net was freed from being owned by any one person or organization.

    CERN announced that today is the 20th anniversary of the free and open Web. On April 30, 1993, CERN put the software behind the World Wide Web into the public domain. The Internet only grew as fast as it did thanks to the software behind it being made available to all.

    “There is no sector of society that has not been transformed by the invention, in a physics laboratory, of the web”, says Rolf Heuer, CERN Director-General. “From research to business and education, the web has been reshaping the way we communicate, work, innovate and live. The web is a powerful example of the way that basic research benefits humankind.”

    As part of the celebration, CERN has put the world’s very first publicly accessible Web site back online. It must have been mind blowing to see a computer fetch a wall of text from another computer hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away.

    The Free, Open Web As We Know It Was Born 20 Years Ago Today

    Like most other relics of the Internet’s past, the first Web site really helps to put things into perspective. It’s easy to take the Internet of today for granted, but this Web site should really hit home just how revolutionary this stuff was only 20 years ago.

    Of course, the Internet is still just as revolutionary today as it was two decades ago. In fact, there’s an argument to be had that the Internet of today is doing far more good than any other invention in human history as its bringing millions of people from every walk of life together to exchange ideas while promoting empathy among the human race. No other tool in human history has ever had that kind of power. So maybe, just maybe, it’s something that’s worth protecting.

  • MLK Jr. Death Anniversary Remembered

    MLK Jr. Death Anniversary Remembered

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated 45 years ago today at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee. The civil rights leader was in the southern city to support an ongoing strike by the city’s sanitation workers. King was only 39 years old when he died.

    King was born in Atlanta in 1929 and attended a seminary in Pennsylvania before becoming a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama at age 25. He went on to lead the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Throughout his career he organized nonviolent protests throughout the south and helped to organize the 1963 March on Washington. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

    The day before his death, King delivered his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech, which contained references to the threats of violence that he routinely received.

    While mourning the news that beloved film critic Roger Ebert has died, Twitter users are also remembering the assassination of King and conveying which message of King’s meant the most to them:

    [Author’s Note: Cory Booker is the current mayor of Newark, New Jersey]

    [Author’s note: Nicolas Maduro is currently the interim president of Venezuela.]

  • Mortal Kombat Celebrates 20 Years

    Mortal Kombat Celebrates 20 Years

    It was 20 years ago that the first Mortal Kombat came to the arcade. Remember arcades? To celebrate, we have collected some of the best memes and videos from around the interwebs. Included here are videos of all the fatalities from the first three games. I could watch this for hours.

    [via: DSOGaming]

    Like a lot of people I’m sure, Mortal Kombat can have the effect of making me angry like no other video game can. Here’s a funny video about a guy getting really pissed while playing online.

    Mortal Kombat was first released by Midway Games, with Acclaim Entertainment picking up the franchise for home console release. Midway went Bankrupt in 2009 and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment bought the rights. They then released Mortal Kombat in 2011, which retells the events of the first three games in the franchise.

    Where would we be without it? At the time people said that we would all become homicidal for being exposed to this level of violence. Instead, Mortal Kombat is a video game staple, lasting decades, and even generations.

    That's So Raiden

    15 in a row

    [source: Dorkly]

    Mortal Kombat Ice Skating Party

    One last thing: What does a church service in Helsinki and Mortal Kombat have in common?

    Finnish Hymn

    answer: Finnish Hymn

    If you don’t like the joke, blame reddit.

  • Taco Bell Stats Show Just How Much People Love Their Tacos

    Update:This one was just too good to be true. Today, apparently, isn’t Taco Bell’s birthday. The exact date of the anniversary is March 21st, which was almost a month ago. Extremely depressing news for everyone, particularly those who continue to celebrate the company’s birthday on Twitter. All apologies for any headaches this bit of misinformation may have caused. No Doritos Locos Taco for me tonight.

    I tried my hardest to not make any references to stoners loving Taco Bell when I sat down to hammer out this article, but that fact that the Mexican restaurant’s 50th anniversary falls on 4/20 is a little hard to ignore. Is this some sort of coincidence, or is the cosmos trying to tell us something? I’ll let you guys figure that one out for yourselves. And if I have to explain the connection between Bell and the aforementioned date, then you probably wouldn’t appreciate the humor of the situation.

    Glen Bell, one of the pioneers of the fast food industry, opened his first Taco Bell restaurant in Downey, California 50 years ago today. As a result, he effectively paved the way for all sorts of insane Mexican-inspired menu items, including the recently-released Doritos Locos Taco, a concoction that I’m honestly a little afraid to put into my gaping maw. I’m generally not one to shy away from excess — my obsession with the company’s chili cheese burrito has been well-documented amongst family and friends — but consuming that abomination seems to be taking the taco concept a little too far.

    Millions of people seem to adore the company, as evidenced by the statistics you see below. Not surprisingly, hundreds of people have taken to social networking sites to express their undying love for the chain. And if you happen to find your way into a Taco Bell at any point during the way, don’t be too alarmed if the guy in front of you seems a little strange. He’s just enjoying the dual holiday the only way he knows how.

    Taco Bell Statistics:

    Employees: 150,000 team members

    Restaurants: 5,600, nationwide

    Tacos served per year: 2 billion

    Burritos served per year: 1 billion

    Average customer’s visiting frequency: every 11 days

    Amount of raw materials consumed each year: 3.8 billion corn taco shells/flour tortillas, 105 million pounds of fresh lettuce, 47 million pounds of pinto beans, 288 million pounds of Seasoned Ground Beef and 111 million pounds of cheese.

    Twitter followers: 175,000

    Happy birthday, Taco Bell. Although my colon doesn’t appreciate your contributions to society, my stomach seems to completely understand your relevance.

    (image)@DoucheMcBaggus
    D. McBaggus    Taco Bell: Promoting spontaneous regularity for nearly 50 years!(image) 1 day ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@ryanfarkas
    Ryan Farkas    Taco Bell turns 50. It’s 4/20. These two things are in no way directly related.(image) 6 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@PrimetimeDono
    Donovan Allen Jr    Work 3 hours tomorrow on 4/20 so I can get 50% off at Taco Bell….. Oh yea!!!!(image) 20 hours ago via Echofon ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@cagmanthing
    manny    @TacoBell is 50!!? I wonder how many diarrheas their food led to since 1962¿(image) 3 hours ago via Plume for Android ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@MichaelGreenbrg
    Michael Greenberg    In 4 minutes my best friend turns 50 years old congratulations @TacoBell here is to another 50 years of delicious burritos y tacos.(image) 6 hours ago via web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • YouTube Live Celebrates One Year Anniversary

    In celebration of YouTube Live’s one year birthday, they are rolling out new features.

    Wirecast for YouTube Live

    A new software that comes free to YouTube Partners. It allows people to produce and stream live events directly on YouTube from their desktop. Features include the ability to capture and switch live between multiple video sources, roll in media files and add effects and overlays live. If you have livestreaming enabled, you’ll be able to download Wirecast in your YouTube account.

    Publishing Flows and Real Time Analytics

    A guided flow is now available to set-up and preview events before you go live. You can now see real time data like playbacks and concurrent viewers by geography and format.

    Monetize Live Streams

    Make money from live events with advertising or paid options. Live events can now be claimed in the video manager like any other video. Paid options and pricing can be set by country. For now, pay-per-view is only available for purchse in Canada, Japan, France, The USA and the UK.

    As GigaOm notes, YouTube has been experimenting with Live pay-per-view for some time now, including a potential contract with UFC. These new features to Live may be the welcome mat for other sporting events to broadcast live on YouTube.

    YouTube Live is still in the process of being rolled out, a year later. Access has not been granted to all yet, only a few select publishers. YouTube asks for patience if you haven’t been given access to the feature yet. “If you’re one of the many people who’ve asked for YouTube Live but don’t have access yet, we want to thank you very much for your patience. We’ve developed these features with the expectation many more of you will eventually use YouTube Live, and like we said last year, this process takes time to roll out broadly.”

  • Adobe Illustrator Celebrates 25 Years

    Adobe Illustrator Celebrates 25 Years

    Out of all the Adobe programs we used in my newspaper design class, it was Illustrator that I enjoyed using the most. It was by far the most refined program that made line drawing easy and fun. I guess a program gets pretty close to perfection when it’s 25-years-old.

    Adobe announced yesterday the 25th anniversary for Illustrator. The program launched on March 19, 1987 as the first program from a younger Adobe, who had previously only worked on PostScript. While it was originally meant to be a drawing tool for PostScript, Illustrator took off as a program wholly unique to itself.

    Adobe Co-Founder John Wamock reflected on the impact Illustrator has had on the world in a post on Adobe Blog:

    “Most people have no idea how many things in their lives were created in Illustrator. It’s not just packaging and logo design, it’s maps, car dashboards, shoes and watches,” said Brenda Sutherland, product manager, Adobe Illustrator. “From paper dolls to online avatars, from animated cartoons to collectable characters, Illustrator has touched us all.”

    According to the blog post, Illustrator had two major impacts on the world of graphic design. It gave designers tools that let them “focus on what they wanted to create rather than how to do it.” They attribute this success to the use of vector graphics that made it easier to draw objects.

    The company also sees Illustrator as having a major role in the digital publishing revolution. It helped graphic design go from a 20,000 employee industry to millions of people being able to create designs and graphics for products from food to toys and everything in between.

    For a blast from the past, here’s the original demo video for Adobe Illustrator 1.1 from 1987. It’s pretty awesome to see how far the program has come from 1987 to 2012 when I was using it to build graphics for newspapers.

    Here’s to 25 years, Adobe Illustrator. Hopefully we’ll be celebrating its 50th anniversary when it helps graphic designers make holographic images.

  • Earthquake Hits Japan, Causes Minor Tsunami

    A 6.8 magnitude earthquake rocked northeastern Japan today, causing the Japanese Meteorological Agency to issue a tsunami warning. It struck about 170 miles off the east coast. A spokesman for Tohoku Electric Power, which operates two nuclear power plants in the area, said they were unaffected.

    The tsunami hit the eastern coastline later but no reports of damage have been filed as of yet. Local residents were warned to evacuate well before the wave struck. Early reports say the waves hit two locations in Aomori, which was one of the most devastated areas in last year’s tragedy, in which an 8.9 magnitude quake caused a tsunami which claimed over 19,000 lives and was declared Japan’s worst post-war disaster.

    The quake comes just three days after the one-year anniversary of that disaster, and on Sunday the cities of Japan were silent as families remembered the losses suffered in the disaster. Last year Google used their Street View cars to compile before and after pictures of the areas struck by the tsunami, and the results were staggering. As a good many people affected are still trying to pick up the pieces in the aftermath, many here in the states and beyond are offering prayers and thoughts to Japan.

    (image)@iSwaggin1D
    kryptoniall ?    My prayers go out to those who are affected in the Japan Earthquake. Our prayers go out to you. #prayforjapan.(image) 35 minutes ago via Mobile Web ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@jtimberlake
    Justin Timberlake     1 year later after the Tsunami and Earthquake…Japan…I’m still thinking of you. My heart goes out to you.(image) 3 days ago via Twitter for BlackBerry® ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

    (image)@KLOVERadio
    K-LOVE Radio    Another earthquake off the coast of Japan. No reports of injuries. Please join us in prayer for Japan.(image) 36 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone ·  Reply ·  Retweet ·  Favorite · powered by @socialditto

  • Twitter Promotes New Site for 5th Birthday

    As you probably know by now, Twitter is celebrating its 5th birthday.  With the service now averaging about a billion tweets per week, one could say that growth is not a problem.  But for those not yet bound in the cozy confines of 140 characters, Twitter today unveiled discover.twitter.com in a effort to get new users acquainted with the phenomenon.

    In wishing Twitter a happy birthday, the Twitter staff came out in droves to tweet links to the new site.  I counted 10 to 15 tweets similar to this in the span of an hour or so:

    @finkel
    Ben Finkel    Still have friends wondering what Twitter is about? Show them this: http://t.co/2LGUe86 Happy #5yrs 2 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    The site offers snapshots of 16 celebrities who are on Twitter and asks you to follow them.  Speaker of the House John Boehner, Larry King replacement Piers Morgan and fashionista Rachel Zoe are among the featured few.  The bottom of the page also displays links to browse popular interests like entertainment, politics and technology.

    Front and center on the new page is a 3 minute video that asks some of the aforementioned celebrities questions about their interests on Twitter and who they follow.  Hillary Clinton tells us it’s a great place for information while Snoop Dogg lets the world know he follows Martha Stewart.  Check out the video below.

  • Funny or Die Celebrates Twitter’s 5th Year Anniversary

    Funny or Die Celebrates Twitter’s 5th Year Anniversary

    It’s hard to imagine we’ve had Twitter for only five years. The social networking platform has certainly changed the way we communicate, specifically the speed of communication. While it has advanced so much, it also has been chided as being overly simplistic and a time waster. Both of which Funny or Die highlights in its tribute video.

    The video is hosted by character actor, Ray Wise, which provides a stylized pseudo-documentary feel. Of course, Soulja Boy makes a cameo as well. Enjoy. Oh, apparently Twitter was created by Ashton Kutcher and hipsters.

    (WARNING: NSFW Language)

  • Take A Virtual Tour Of The Anne Frank House

    As part of the official 50th anniversary of the Anne Frank House, LBi Lost Boys and Anne Frank House have developed a 3D version of the house at Prinsengracht 263 in Amsterdam where Anne and her family lived in hiding for two years during the Second World War. The Secret Annex Online is part of the new Anne Frank website, and allows visitors to explore the front of the house and the secret annex as it was then, and hear stories that explain in greater depth what happened there.

    The museum in Amsterdam is not furnished as the secret annex was cleared of its contents after those in hiding were arrested. After the war, it was Otto Frank’s wish that the rooms should  remain empty. The online hiding place allows visitors to see and learn more about various objects not on view. The virtual rooms were furnished using reference photographs that were taken in 1999 when the front part of the house and the secret annex were temporarily re-furnished.

    The microsite is full of richly descriptive video clips, telling the story of Anne Frank through diary excerpts and archived witness reports. The English voice-overs are by Tamsin Greig and Ellie Kendrick, both of whom were involved in the 2009 BBC series “The Diary of Anne Frank”. Atmospheric music was kindly provided by Mark Isham, the American Grammy and Emmy Award-winning composer perhaps best known for his work on ‘Crash’ and ‘A River Runs Through It’.

    To spread the story of Anne Frank through social media channels, there is also a Facebook application. Selected quotes from Anne’s diary can be posted to your profile weekly or monthly, spreading her words of inspiration.

    The Secret Annex Online is Web Pick of the Week on Commarts, and was Site of the Day on FWA (Favourite Website Awards). More info can be found via the press release on RealWire.

    Virtual 3D Tour of Anne Frank House 'Secret Annex' in AmsterdamVirtual 3D Tour of Anne Frank House 'Secret Annex' in AmsterdamVirtual 3D Tour of Anne Frank House 'Secret Annex' in Amsterdam

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