Remember that terrifying elevator prank that went mega-viral last week? With over 40 million views to date, that creepy screaming girl has definitely caused some nightmares.
Now, those pranksters are back with an even more terrifying elevator prank. This time, unsuspecting riders are shocked by a reanimated corpse. Yeah, it’s pretty brutal. Remind me to never ride an elevator in Brazil. Ever.
HBO has just uploaded a new production video to the Game of Thrones YouTube channel, and it shows a (small) glimpse into what we can expect in season three – locations, sets, costumes, characters and more.
This is the first official season three video we’ve seen since the short teaser video that unveiled the premiere date. It’s not a whole lot, but we’ll take it. Waiting for Game of Thrones to return from hiatus has become one of the most painful stretches of time for any television fan – so much so that we’ll accept any bone they throw us without question.
Game of Thrones season three premieres March 31st, 2013.
Google has put out a new Google TV developers Office Hours hangout. The video features a developer demoing a gesture-based interface for Google TV.
Earlier this month, Google TV received a big update with Voice Search and PrimeTime Guide. More on that here.
You all remember the somewhat violent, somewhat sexually-charged video for the Prodigy’s “Smack My Bitch Up,” right? In 1997, the video aired on MTV and quickly drew a bunch of totally predictable overreaction (it was a woman the whole time!).
Well, here’s how that drug-fueled night on the town would look from the perspective of a cat.
All its owner wanted to do was see what her kitty does when it goes outside a runs around. So she strapped a camera to its collar and sent it on its way. Boy, she’s in for a surprise.
[via Fark]
![TIL How Reddit Was Born [VIDEO]](https://dev.webpronews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/pexels-mikhail-nilov-6613956-80x75.jpg)
Before reddit was serving up billions of pageviews and hosting the President of the United States for Q&A sessions, it was just a simple link aggregator being artificially pumped up by its creators. Well, it’s still just a link aggregator, but as you probably know, that narrow definition doesn’t really come close to explaining reddit’s current influence on news and culture.
If you have never heard the story of reddit, here it is from its creators. The story takes us from the University of Virginia dorms, to Harvard, through dealings with Y Combinator, failed startups ideas, and finally the launch of frontpage of the internet.
If you are a frequent reddit user or simply have an interest in internet culture, this sitdown with site founders Alexis Ohanian and Steve Huffman is well worth your time:
[A TOTAL DISRUPTION via The Verge]
Vimeo has just launched a new iPhone app that streamlines navigation and sharing while making uploading faster and simpler as well.
“The new app is simply the best way to watch, create and share Vimeo videos on the go. We redesigned it to be smarter and more intuitive so you can do what you want, when you want, really easily. You can take your feed on a road trip (just not while you’re driving), relax in the park with your Watch Later queue, or catch a Staff Pick or a friend’s video while in line for lunch. When the lunch line explodes into spontaneous song and dance, as it often does, record it and upload it right from the app. You can even watch more videos while it uploads,” says Vimeo.
Uploading has gotten a lot faster with this update, as users can let their videos upload in background while watching other videos or adding information to the upload.
On the browsing side, there’s a new Feed view and a tab-based design that replaces the old grid-style navigation. This makes it much easier to find videos via an Explore tab, or watch videos from your feed, “watch later” queue, or your “likes.” Sharing has also improved, as users can now natively share videos they like via Facebook, Twitter, or email.
Of course, Vimeo says that everything is now “super fast.”
Check out the not-creepy-at-all promotional video Vimeo made for their new iPhone app below:
Recently, Vimeo launched an all-new Creator Services Suite which allowed video creators to add a tip jar to their videos. Also on the horizon over at Vimeo: Pay-to-view videos.
Google has released a new Webmaster Help video in response to a question from a user who has been having trouble getting Google to fetch their robots.txt file. Here’s what the user said:
“I’m getting errors from Google Webmaster Tools about the Googlebot crawler being unable to fetch my robots.txt 50% of the time (but I can fetch it with 100% success rate from various other hosts). (On a plain old nginx server and an mit.edu host.)”
Google’s Matt Cutts begins by indicating that he’s not saying this is the case here, but…
“Some people try to cloak, and they end up making a mistake, and they end up reverse-cloaking. So when a regular browser visits, they server the content, and when Google comes and visits, they will serve empty or completely zero length content. So every so often, we see that – where in trying to cloak, people actually make a mistake and shoot themselves in the foot, and don’t show any content at all to Google.”
“But, one thing that you might not know, and most people don’t know (we just confirmed it ourselves), is you can use the free fetch as googlebot feature in Google Webmaster Tools on robots.txt,” he adds. “So, if you’re having failures 50% of the time, then give that a try, and see whether you can fetch it. Maybe you’re load balancing between two servers, and one server has some strange configuration, for example.”
Something to think about if this is happening to you (and hopefully you’re not really trying to cloak). More on Fetch as Google here.
America is beautiful, diverse, and all around awesome. That’s why there’s always been an allure to hopping in your car and driving a few thousand miles from one end to the other. I know it’s on my bucket list.
Well, this guy did it – from San Francisco to New York. And luckily for us, he snapped 5,000 photos of the trip and compiled them into this charming 3-minute video.
Enjoy!
[Mike Matas via reddit]
If you’ve ever wondered exactly how your excessive drinking allows you to think more clearly about absolutely nothing, AsapSCIENCE has an animation for you. As a bonus, it’s here just in time for the holidays.
If you want to see alcohol’s effects on a neurological level, explained in a way even a drunk person could understand, check this out:
“Feel less, perceive less, notice less, and remember less.” If that’s not an advertisement for alcohol I don’t know what is.*
For more recent looks into the science behind everyday things, check out AsapSCIENCE’s takes on morning wood, the Monty Hall problem, and the possibility of a real zombie apocalypse.
*Always remember to drink responsibly.
Google put out a new Webmaster Help video today. This time, Matt talks about whether or not “search engine optimization” should be renamed.
“A lot of the times when you hear SEO, people get this very narrow blinder on, and they start thinking link building, and I think that limits the field and limits your imagination a little bit,” says Cutts. “It’s almost like anything you’re doing is making a great site – making sure it is accessible and crawlable, and then, almost marketing it – letting the world know about it.”
“So it’s a shame that search engine marketing historically refers to paid things like AdWords because otherwise, I think that would be a great way to view it,” he says. “You could also think about not search engine optimization, but search experience optimization. Would users like to see the snippet on the page? Do they land? Do they convert well? Are they happy? Do they want to bookmark it, tell their friends about it, come back to it? All those kinds of questions.”
“Unfortunately, SEO does have this kind of connotation for a lot of people, and we’ve seen it in media, like CSI type shows where somebody says they’re an SEO and people have this ‘worthless shady criminals’ kind of view – somebody called SEOs that, and I don’t know how to escape that, because there are a few people who are black hats, who hack sites and give the whole field a bad name, and there are a few people who sell snake oil, who give the field a bad name. And unless people drive those guys out of our midst, we’re gonna have this somewhat bad, shaky reputation for SEO,” he says.
“At the same time, if you change the name to something else, all the people will just come along, and a few of those will be bad actors as well,” says Cutts. “If you have a few bad apples then that will sort of change the reputation of whatever new name you pick, so in my personal opinion, the best way to tackle it would be, you know, think about it in broad terms, or maybe think about how can we differentiate the great stuff that people do making their site faster, more accessible, helping people with keyword research, all that sort of stuff – marketing in different ways.”
Do you think SEO should get a new name? What would you call it?
If at some point during your childhood you raked up a huge pile of fallen leaves, grabbed your dog, and dedicated a few hours to frolicking merrily – congratulations, you experienced one of the simple pleasures of being a kid. If you never had that pleasure, may I suggest that you’re never too old to finally get around to it.
These guys know that simple pleasure, and set out to create a pile of leaves so large that they could safely jump into it from their roof. Ah, fall.
“17 feet tall. 60 feet around. Over 1,000 bags and 1 BIG JUMP! And before all of you start commenting on how you don’t think it’s 17 feet. Obviously it got shorter with each jump,” they say on YouTube.
[via Bangakang]
It’s always fun to watch a completely unsuspecting person, young or old, eat a super-sour piece of candy like a WarHead. That initial “oh my god what have I done” look morphs into a “I’ll ride this out” look, and we all laugh at the process.
Sour candy reaction videos aren’t new to the YouTubes, but a couple of new additions are pretty funny nonetheless.
This kid has a hard time:
And this cute grandpa can’t take more than a few seconds:
“What the hell is this? Poison?”
Last month, daredevil Felix Baumgartner broke various world records by plunging over 128,000 feet from outer space in the amazing Red Bull Stratos Jump. A few weeks later, this guy broke two vertebra attempting to recreate the feat from a 15-foot-tall roof.
At least he remembered to don his astronaut gear. That’s thinking ahead.
[via reddit]
We’ve heard masturbatory mega-hit Fifty Shade of Grey read by Duke Nukem, Zach Galifianakis and Will Ferrell, and Morgan Freeman (kind of).
Now, hear it read by fifty famous voices.
“Internet Voiceman” Brock Baker presents “Fifty Impressions of Grey” [NSFW]:
Here’s the full list of voices, if you want to go back and find a specific one:
Christopher Walken, Don Pardo, Mickey Mouse, George Takei, Skeletor, Robert De Niro, Winnie the Pooh, Zoidberg, Yoda, Gilbert Gottfried, Bane, Goofy, Peter Griffin, Bill Clinton, Roger Rabbit, Patrick Warburton, Elmo, Bobcat Goldthwait, Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams, Frank Sinatra, Daffy Duck, Zapp Brannigan, William Shatner, Herbert, Peter Lorre, George W Bush, Nicolas Cage, Shaggy, Joker, Scooby Doo, Kermit the Frog, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Adam Sandler, Tony Soprano, Homer Simpson, Rodney Dangerfield, Pee-Wee Herman, Hank Hill, Paul Lynde, Plankton, Truman Capote, Macho Man Randy Savage, The Mad Hatter, Jon Benjamin, Mr. Mackey, Strongbad, Smeagol, Bill Cosby, Jon Lovitz, and Tommy Wiseau.
Guys of every age know all about it – girls too, by association. It’s morning wood, and it’s a problem/gift for all males from the uterus to the grave. Of course, we know the what and when of it. But do you know the why and how?
Our favorite YouTube illustrators AsapSCIENCE have just posted their latest simplified science episode, and it tackles the physiology behind the REM tent. Check it out:
Previous episodes of AsapSCIENCE have tackled the real possibility of a zombie apocalypse as well as the famous Monty Hall problem. Go ahead, hit yourself with some knowledge.
Let’s just get right to it. Here is Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changing’” played by an orchestra of printers:
PRINTER ORCHESTRA from Chris Cairns on Vimeo.
Chris Cairns explains on Vimeo, “We, and by we I mean isthis.gd, built a MIDI orchestra for Grey London and Brother from old computer junk. Photocopiers, scanners, fax machines, printers, hard drives, modems and the like. We thought it’d be most fun to do it for real.”
“We were really inspired by Tristram Cary, James Houston, BD594 and other radical tinkerers. Making cold stuff warm is fun. We found loads of old machines destined for landfill, took them to bits and reverse engineered them to make noises that we could control via MIDI.”
The orchestra, he says, can play any MIDI arrangement.
As the country takes baby steps toward legalizing gay marriage, various (ripped) gay men have a message for those who would oppose it:
Fine, but we’re going to move in on your turf.
It’s as interesting an argument for gay marriage as I’ve ever seen. Or maybe against gay marriage (if you’re a straight woman who just wants to go to that broadway show and wake up to freshly-baked quiche).
[via CollegeHumor]
Back in September, Vimeo launched their new Creator Services suite, a set of tools designed to help video creators make a little bit of money for their efforts. The first tool that was unveiled as a part of the suite was Tip Jar, which allows viewers to “tip” creators with a contribution ranging from $1 to $500.
At that time, Vimeo also announced a brand new pay-to-view service to allow video creators to charge a set fee for access to their content. They were tight-lipped about many of the details, but said it would be coming soon.
Today, they are previewing that pay-to-view service by releasing 6 new films to the newly-created site, Vimeo Movies.
Starting today, Vimeo users can pay between $5 and $9 to stream the films. Here’s what they are offering:
Sunny – Level 1 injects a positive mood into the ski season — giving a dose of light therapy to dark northern landscapes of Scandinavia, Alaska, Japan and British Columbia.
Further – Award winning producers Teton Gravity Research are pleased to announce Further, the second installment in the Jeremy Jones snowboard movie trilogy, Deeper, Further, Higher, presented by O’Neill.
Shut Up and Play the Hits – documents a once in a life time performance and an intimate portrait of James Murphy as he navigates the end of LCD Soundsystem.
Beauty is Embarrassing – a funny, irreverent, joyful and inspiring documentary featuring the life and current times of one of America’s most important artists, Wayne White.
We are Legion – The Story of the Hacktivists, takes us inside the complex culture and history of Anonymous. The film explores early hacktivist groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and Electronic Disturbance Theater, and then moves to Anonymous’ own raucous and unruly beginnings on the website 4Chan.
Son of the Clouds – This compelling documentary brings to light the political and human rights issues facing the people of the Western Sahara and the responsibility of Western powers in the effort to restore peace to the region.
Once you purchase a film, it will be available to stream on any compatible device.
“Our mission is to support totally original video and the people who create it, which means providing more than a home. It means creating an environment where creators can access the resources to make their next film, and the one after that. Our new pay-to-view service enables creators to upload and distribute work that they depend on for their livelihood, all with easy setup and affordable rates. In turn, our community gets access to amazing work from the world’s leading filmmakers,” says Vimeo.
Of course, Vimeo is not only monetizing in order to help artists, but to help their bottom line. The mostly ad-free service generates most of its revenue from selling pro services to both users and creators. Vimeo is currently taking a 15% cut of any contributions made to videos’ tips jars. The pay-to-view service is still in beta, and Vimeo says they will open it up to more video creators in 2013.
Growing a manly moustache is not for the weak-willed or the faint of heart. A full, robust stache only comes natural to a select few – most of us have to wade through trying times of thin, sparse, in-between staches when it seems like the best thing would be to give up. Nick Offerman knows your pain. Well, not personally – his moustache is fantastic. But he does know of your pain, and he has a message for you:
It gets fuller.
It’s still November, which means it’s still Movember to those participating. Movember asks men to grow out their moustaches and women to support their men in order to raise awareness (and funds) for men’s health initiatives. If you haven’t started participating in Movember, it’s not too late.
Check out Nick Offerman’s take on the famous “It Gets Better” campaign below:
This is the second time Offerman has teamed up with MadeMan to promote moustache awareness. You can check out his previous turn here.
Fresh off of dropping a guy from 24 miles up in the stratosphere, Red Bull has now created a pretty incredible human-powered Rube Goldberg device, or according to them, a Kluge. Either way, various athletes from various sports serve as part of the machinery in the video, which features skydiving, biking, skateboarding, hurdling, and drifting.
Check out “The Athlete Machine” below:
Sure, it’s a giant ad for Red Bull – the extremely simple task executed by the complex machine was cracking open some ice to unveil the energy drink. But as far as advertisements go, this one is pretty hard to beat.