Friday, February 15, 2013

The Harlem Shake Video


The videos feature the song Harlem Shake by electronic musician Baauer, and a dancing style not to be confused with the original Harlem Shake. Normally, each video begins with one person (often masked) dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, surrounded by other people unaware of the dancing individual. When the bass drops, the camera transitions to the entire crowd doing the dance for the next 15 seconds, often wearing a minimum of clothes or crazy outfits or costumes while wielding strange props. The success of the video was attributed to its break out moment and short length of which the first version of the widely accepted and adopted internet meme was created by five teenagers known as The Sunny Coast Skate from Queensland Australia. The phenomenon spread due to the number of people replicating and uploading similar videos.

Check out this video and perhaps you can do your own Harlem Shake Parody.



Friday, February 8, 2013

Mailbox App Released on iPhone




Mailbox, the much-hyped email app that has been in limited beta since late last year, finally hit Apple's App Store on Thursday, but don't expect to be able to use it on your iPhone just yet.

Rather than let everyone download the app at the same time, the company is taking the unusual step of rolling it out gradually to users on a first-come-first-serve basis. Last month, Mailbox introduced an online reservation system to let users sign up to try the app; starting today, that reservation system is being phased out and the only way to reserve a spot is by downloading the app onto your phone.

After you download the app, you'll see an option to reserve an invite and another option to view your place in line. When it's your turn, the app will send you a push notification to unlock all the features. Until then, the app's only real feature will be showing you a real-time view of the line, including the number of people in front of you and behind you.

The app was created by Orchestra — the startup behind the popular to-do list app of the same name — and has attracted plenty of attention thanks to a set of novel features, including the option to schedule incoming emails to be resent later when you have time to read them. The goal is to help users get their inbox to zero and keep it that way.


The reason for the staggered rollout is that the company is trying to ensure there are no server issues from thousands of people downloading and using the app all at once. Even before the app was released in the App Store, more than 250,000 people had signed off for a reservation to download it. Gentry Underwood, the CEO of Orchestra, told Mashable that the app's line-tracking feature is designed to ensure as much "transparency" in this process as possible while the app rolls out.

The Mailbox team won't say exactly how long users will have to wait to get the full app experience, but suffice it to say that if you are just reserving a spot in line now, it will probably be a little while. On the bright side, the app is currently free and according to Mailbox, the goal is to keep it free forever, though the company may add premium features down the road.

Friday, February 1, 2013

David Beckham joins PSG and plays for free



David Beckham has joined French Ligue 1 side Paris St-Germain and announced he will be playing for free.

The ex-England midfielder, 37, signed a five-month deal and said he would be donating his salary to charity.
"I'm excited, it's something we've been working on and talking about for quite a while," he said on Thursday.


"I won't receive any salary. My salary will go to a local children's charity. That's one of the things we are excited and proud to do."

He added: "It's something the guys [PSG management] do, but obviously it's a very good figure. That's one thing we're very excited about. To be able to give a huge sum to a children's charity in Paris is very special."
Beckham has been without a club since leaving MLS side LA Galaxy in December and has been training with Arsenal.

The former England captain had firm offers from 12 different clubs but has opted for Ligue 1's big spenders.
Despite recently announcing he was to permanently base his family in London, Beckham always said he would make a decision on his next move based on "footballing reasons".

PSG have spent more than £200m in the last 18 months, and are managed by Carlo Ancelotti - who was in charge of AC Milan during Beckham's loan spell there. They are also still in this season's Champions League and will face Spanish side Valencia in the last 16.


The Paris club are currently top of Ligue 1 and already have a squad that includes Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva, Lucas Moura and Ezequiel Lavezzi.

"I was lucky to work with Carlo and Leonardo [director of football] for a few months," Beckham said. "Carlo was one of the best managers I've played for so it's exciting on a number of levels.

"[Ibrahimovic] is one of the players I'm excited to play alongside. Ibra was someone I've watched for many years, in my early days playing for England against Sweden, and I always felt he could be one of the best players in the world.

"I watched a lot of games last year and a lot of games this season. There's a lot of talent in this team."
Beckham, who made a record 115 outfield appearances for England, was part of the Manchester United side that famously beat Bayern Munich to win the 1999 Champions League.

He left Old Trafford for Real Madrid in 2003, before agreeing his move to LA Galaxy in January 2007 and making his debut for the club in August in that year.

He attracted criticism from some Galaxy fans after agreeing loan moves to AC Milan in 2009 and 2010 which meant missing some of the MLS season.


And he brought an end to his five-and-a-half-year spell in the United States on 2 December after winning the MLS Cup for the second time.

At PSG, Beckham will be hoping to win a league title in a fourth country, having already enjoyed success at Manchester United and Real Madrid in Europe before moving to Major League Soccer.

Beckham had been close to joining PSG last January but opted to stay in California for one more season.
"I don't know if this will be my last contract," Beckham said.

"People have been speculating about that for a number of years, but I continue to play and sign contracts. I will see how I feel but I want to play as long as possible. My passion is football. It always has been. When I play football it is not about the biggest contract."

He also revealed that his sons Brooklyn, 13, Romeo, 10, and Cruz, seven, will stay in London to go to school along with his wife Victoria, 38, and their one-year-old daughter Harper.