My New Favorite Time Suck!

A friend of mine introduced me to this website/iApp by saying- it's really cool, it's a place where you can organize everything that you find on the web, like a cute pair of shoes or a great photo or places you want to travel...all in one spot. Cool, indeed. I signed up to get an invite (I'm not sure if it's in Beta or if it's trying to be exclusive) but, within a week, I was accepted. Yay! I get to sit with the cool kids at lunch!

 

When you sign up, you go through Facebook (don't you always have to nowadays?) and I skipped the permissions allowing them to post as me or post when I'm not online, I don't let anyone do that. They import your friends and your photo from Facebook and after inputting basic info, they encourage you to create your own virtual vision boards for everything that you love in life. I have 7: Inspirations (for photos), Not All Who Wander Are Lost (for travel), Cooking Fun!, Getting My Fashion On, Home is Where the Heart Is (for home decor), DIY Goodies, and Music Is What Life Sounds Like. You can create as many or as little as you like.

 
After you're all signed up, you come to the homepage where you can see what your Facebook friends that are on Pinterest are sharing. You can repin it to one of your boards and add a new message or description, like it or comment on it or all three. When your friends have bored you, you can go to the top and click on Everything which will pop up with sub-categories based on interests. Click on what you like and have fun! There are even how to and a variety of videos under their video section. There is a Popular tab and a Gifts tab with a price range breakdown so you can search for gifts within your budget.

 

I finally had a chance to really explore it today and I added the Pin It bookmarklet to my toolbar to make it easier to pin things I find on the net to my boards. They also have buttons to add to your website for other Pinners to easily pin your blog/site/review to their board. I've spent HOURS on it, falling in love with some cute outfit or some amazing sunset photo or something or other. The only problem I've encountered is when I tried to upload my own pin (first from my SD card and then, from my desktop, both times a failure). It took way too long and didn't end up uploading anything. It could be my computer, so don't let that scare you off. This is definitely worth checking out, especially if you want to visually organize all the cool things you find on the web that inspire you.

Start-up Pinterest Receives Major Round of Funding

Last week Pinterest, a site that allows people to share things on the web, raised $27 million in a round of funding led by Andreessen Horowitz. As part of the financing deal, general partner Jeff Jordan will be joining Pinterest’s Board of Directors. According to outside sources, the young startup has been valued at up to $200 million and has less than ten employees. The site is still in beta and is invite-only.

Pinterest is a pinboard social network that allows users to collect, organize and share interesting things found on the web. Users can take an image from any website and add it to one of their ‘pinboards.’ Each image has a link to the original source, allowing for the discovery of new things of interest.

Pinterest co-founder Ben Silbermann said that the company is setting out to “connect people all over the world through common interest.”

Jordan said Horowitz is excited about Pinterest for three main reasons: first, the site is showing very strong growth
metrics, despite the fact that it’s still in a semi-private beta. Second, the service has very strong user engagement — Jordan claims registered users often wind up using it “fairly voraciously”. Finally, the site has a clear path to revenues.

While Pinterest may be in the limelight, there are competitors such as FFFFound, Weheartit and Dropular among others. How these sites compete with each other through innovation will be interesting to watch. However, one thing is certaain– sharing favorite images online has struck a nerve with people.

The idea is not only proving popular, but is also interesting for venture capital and angel investors because
it has different revenue opportunities. A lot of the boards made by users have potential commercial intent (i.e. wedding or birthday lists) and there are certainly business models which could be built around them.

Pinterest was also named among the 50 Best Websites of 2011 by Time Magazine.

We ♥ – Pinterest

It’s been a while since we have written a “we love” post, but we have really fallen for something that has caught our “Pinterest“.

Many photographers, such as ourselves, have gravitated towards this new site. It has allowed us a way to visually bookmark things that we find on the internet and catalog images that inspire us in some way. We have used it to create boards of the gear we use, items we want to buy, even decorating inspiration. There are collections of recipes and DIY crafting projects.  Both Peta and Rachel have boards on Pinterest, and are completely addicted! When you follow a new person, you get to see all the things they find fascinating online and each new thing that catches your eye takes you to more boards that will continue to take you deeper and deeper down an Alice in Wonderland hole of amazing stuff.

Pinterest drives more traffic to sites than 100 million Google+ users

While representatives at social networks like to continually mention how many users have signed up for a service, social upstart Pinterest is quietly becoming a dominant force on the Web with users focused on style and substance.

According to a recent study conducted by Sharaholic, Pinterest drove more referral traffic to sites in January than Google+, Reddit, YouTube, LinkedIn and MySpace all combined. In addition, it’s threatening to unseat Twitter, Google news, Google images, Gmail and Stumble Upon in the coming months to slide into the number two spot behind Facebook. Since July 2011, referral traffic from Pinterest has grown from 0.17 percent to 3.6 percent in January 2012. While Facebook holds the top spot at over 25 percent of all referral traffic, the rate of growth from Pinterest is astounding for a social network that’s so young.

While Ancestry.com founder Paul Allen believes that Google+ has recently reached over 100 million users, Google’s social network isn’t driving people to other sites on the Web according to Sharaholic’s data. While the percentage of referral traffic may grow over time as more Google products are integrated with Google+ profiles, the lack of referral traffic suggests that content isn’t being shared on the service or users aren’t paying attention to content that is shared on Google+. However, sites may also see more Google search traffic as Google+ author profiles are linked to articles on the Web and search rankings may potentially increase over time. 

Similar to Tumblr, Pinterest is an extremely visual social network. Sites that offer large resolution, beautiful images with smart, intelligent content are far more likely to be shared than sites with lower quality images and poor content. Content from sites around the Web are “pinned” to a virtual cork board broken up into a wide variety of varied categories such as photography, DIY, home, women’s apparel, pets, fitness and architecture. Users can create their own boards on the service and “pin” anything that they see on the Web. Pinterest has also rolled out a variety of tools to pin content including a browser bookmark and on-site buttons.

Similar to a service like Twitter, users can follow other users to watch what they pin. In addition, users can follow specific boards rather than following all of the boards of a particular user. While users can also “repin” content found on Pinterest on a personal board, they can also like content on the site as well as leave comments for other users. On each pin and repin, a link back to the original content is included. This allows users on Pinterest to visit the site where the content originated and look around for similar content. 

According to a recent demographic study conducted by Ignite Social Media, Pinterest’s audience is predominantly made up of females between the ages of 25 to 54 and content that appeals to females ultimately sends more referral traffic back to sites around the Web. In addition, Pinterest users are likely to have completed some college courses and make between $25,000 to $75,000 a year. The study also found that Pinterest users are likely to originate in the mid-west United States. 

While Pinterest still remains an invite-only social network, Pinterest users are currently allowed to invite an unlimited number of friends to the service through the admin interface. Brands, particularly fashion labels and clothing stores, are also flocking to Pinterest to advertise new products and attract the attention of consumers. Online shopping website Etsy is probably the most successful example of attracting consumers with over 44,000 followers on its Pinterest brand page. Every time Etsy pins a new product to the page, it can directly influence potential customers and attract new sales on the main site. Other brands are also using the social network to run contests or use boards as a virtual focus group through the commenting system.

Mexican Corn Soup Recipe (Sopa de Elote)

Ingredients:

• 4 Cups fresh corn kernels
• 1/2 Cup chopped onion
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 2 Cups chicken broth
• 2 Cups milk or cream
• 1 Cup cheddar cheese
• 1 Can chopped green chiles
• 1/2 Cup crumpled crisp bacon
• Salt to taste
• Tortilla chips

Directions:

Saute corn and onion in the butter. Cook over medium heat until onion has softened. Stir in flour.

Gradually add in broth and milk and stir until thickened. Do not let boil. Stir in cheddar cheese and green chiles. Cook until cheese melts over low heat.

To serve, add 4 or 5 tortilla chips and sprinkle with bacon.

Groundhog Day 2012: Punxsutawney Phil Predicts More Winter, Other Groundhogs Say Spring is Coming Early

Punxsutawney Phil, America's most famous weather predictor, showed his shadow Thursday, predicting winter for six more weeks, but he was in the vast minority among other groundhogs who think that spring is coming early this year.

Phil emerged from his lair Feb. 2 to see his shadow on Gobbler's Knob to predict the weather.

But groundhogs in other five states - West Virginia's French Creek Freddie, Georgia's Gen. Beauregard Lee, Ohio's Buckeye Chuck and New York's Staten Island Chuck - did not see their shadows, Associated Press reported.

Even Ontario's Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia's Shubenacadie Sam did not see their shadow.

More than 18, 000 people gathered at around 7.30 a.m. at Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to witness the prognostication ceremony.

The celebration of Groundhog Day lies in a German superstition that says if a groundhog dog sees his shadow Feb. 2, the Christian holiday of Candlemas, winter will last another six weeks and if no shadow is seen, spring will come early.

However, regardless of Phil prediction, winter hasn't really started in much of the country.

Check out the pictures of Phil's prediction.

Famed weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil prepares to make his annual weather prediction on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 126th Groundhog Day, February 2, 2012. Phil saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter.

WTAJ meteorologist Joe Murgo tries to interview famed weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil after Phil made his annual weather prediction on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 126th Groundhog Day, February 2, 2012. Phil saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter.

Groundhog handler Ron Ploucha holds famed weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil after his annual weather prediction on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 126th Groundhog Day, February 2, 2012. Phil saw his shadow, signaling six more weeks of winter.

Al Donst of Belvidere, New Jersey, waits with thousands of people for famed weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil to make his annual weather prediction on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 126th Groundhog Day, February 2, 2012.

Groundhog handler John Griffith holds famed weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil up to the crowd before Phil makes his annual weather prediction on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 126th Groundhog Day, February 2, 2012. Phil saw his shadow predicting six more weeks of winter.

Wiarton Mayor John Close gestures next to groundhog Wiarton Willie during the Wiarton Willie Fesitval on Groundhog Day in Wiarton, Ontario, February 2, 2012. The albino groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring.

Chesney Miller, 6, and Maggie Klunder, 7, wait to see if groundhog Wiarton Willie sees his shadow during the Wiarton Willie Festival on Groundhog Day in Wiarton, Ontario, February 2, 2012. The albino groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring.

Bonnie Woodstra (L), Sue Allison (C), and Mary Lou Mayoux, who call themselves the 'Retired Rodenteers', wait to see if groundhog Wiarton Willie sees his shadow during the Wiarton Willie Festival on Groundhog Day in Wiarton, Ontario, February 2, 2012. The albino groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring.

Wiarton Mayor John Close announces groundhog Wiarton Willie did not see his shadow, meaning an early spring, during the Wiarton Willie Festival on Groundhog Day in Wiarton, Ontario, February 2, 2012.

Groundhog Co-Handler Ben Hughes holds weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil while Co-Handler John Griffiths kisses him just before his annual prediction on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 124th Groundhog Day, February 2, 2010. Phil saw his shadow, predicting six more weeks of winter.

Official Groundhog Handler John Griffith (L) holds famed weather prognosticating groundhog Punxsutawney Phil as he makes his annual prediction to Groundhog Club President Bill Deeley (R) on Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, on the 125th Groundhog Day, February 2, 2011. Phil did not see his shadow, signaling an early spring.

Download Steam apk For Android

Steam apk for android is a new steam Mobile app for android from Valve Software. For now, steam apk for android still in beta version. So to get this android app, steam users must download steam apk for android and register first. After that, they must wait until they get the first beta invites. Steam previously is a combination app between PC and MAC gaming. And now, it launched for android users.

Steam apk for android only allow invited users to access the store and community features. Even users can buy this android games through the mobile app, users must using PC or Mac to play this games. That’s why not all people can playing this games. They must register first and waiting the invites for beta version.

Steam for android splitted into 2 main area. The first area is the social side which let the users to communicate with you friends and groups, also the store. For now users can chat with while mobile too. Steam for Android have same features like Facebook mobile app. To using this features, users must selecting menu button to access steam community or store features. Navigation is controlled by menu button.

One of the main part of steam for android is the store, users can browse whole catalog and pull up games which they interested. Users can purchase those games and download it on their desktop next time when they login again. User can access screenshoots, scores and other detail information in games library. Even it’s still beta, steam apk for android is stunning.

SteamDroid - Steam Friends for Android (steamdroid.net)

Steam apk for android is free for android users and available on App Store and android market. You can download this games now and install it on your devices. See the download links below here.

NQ Mobile Security & Antivirus Apk App for Android

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Autobatterien streiken bei Frost

Alle Jahre wieder – wird es so richtig kalt in Deutschland. An das Wechseln der Reifen haben wir uns bereits schon gewöhnt, der Gesetzgeber will es so und die Sicherheit bei Autofahren auch. Allerdings ist das Bauteil an unserem PKW, das bei Frost am schnellsten ausfällt, die Batterie. Der ADAC rät, seine Autobatterie vor aufkommen des ersten Frostes dringend überprüfen zu lassen. Zur Zeit ist die Notruf Hotline des ADAC schwer zu erreichen, wenn nicht sogar ausser Betrieb, da tausende Autos in Deutschland ihren Dienst quitieren: Häufigster Grund ist der Ausfall der Batterie.

Der ADAC empfiehlt: Lassen sie ihre Autobatterie vor dem Winter überprüfen

[Foto: ampnet]

Sein Auto vor Beginn des Winter überprüfen zu lassen, empfiehlt sich. Besonders Auto-Batterien, die älter als 4 Jahre sind, sollten überprüft werden. Das Öl im Motor wird ab Temperaturen von Minus 10 Grad sehr viskos (zähflüssig), so braucht der Anlasser mehr Kraft um die Verbrennung in Gang zu setzen. Dies resultiert in einem erhöhtem Strombedarf, den die Autobatterie nicht mehr leisten kann.