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Get lost: How over reliance on digital maps could lead us mentally astray

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 4:18 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Apps, Around the Web, Insider, Investigations, Social Media

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As we navigate our way through the world, sometimes we just need to stop and Instagram the flowers. Be sure when you do, the path is on your turn by turn navigation. You wouldn’t want to have to read any unnecessary road signs. Make sure you tweet about missing your exit to your house though, since the GPS didn’t alert you quick enough to make the proper lane change. This is how many of us navigate through the world now, and it is so very dysfunctional. With every additional technology that assists in exploring the physical world around us, we are…

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Duolingo launches Test Center, a $20 alternative to standardized language exams

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 4:01 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Duolingo today launched Test Center, its own English language certification exam that can be taken on the Web or an Android device. The fresh alternative to standardized language tests was first announced by Duolingo co-founder Luis von Ahn at our TNW Europe 2014 conference in Amsterdam. It gives learners the ability to take a 20-minute exam from the comfort of their own home, and it’s priced at just $20; a similar test in a bricks-and-mortar facility would cost over $200, Duolingo claims. Cheating is obviously a concern, so the company is using remote proctors to monitor each exam via a…

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Foursquare reveals a new logo and previews its overhauled discovery app

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 3:35 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web

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Foursquare is preparing a major redesign of its original mobile app. After it pulled the traditional check-in and launched a new, standalone app called Swarm, the company is giving its existing discovery and location-based recommendation app an entirely new look and feel. For starters, Foursquare is rebranding. The new typeface uses a darker shade of blue, while swapping out the iconic check-in logo for a pink ‘F’ emblem. Inside the app though, you’ll find a new navigation bar at the bottom, with the options Find a Place, Here, Tips and Profile. The first option has large, photo-centric segments recommending places nearby and businesses…

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Hemingway Editor app helps you write in the legendary author’s economical style

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 2:56 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web

The typewriter, glasses, pencil and othe
The economical, understated writing style of Ernest Hemingway is renowned within the literature world. Now, there’s a Windows and Mac app to help you nail the American author’s approach. Simply called the Hemingway Editor, this $4.99 app will grade your work for ‘readability’ and is able to identify sentences that are hard to read, contain too many adverbs, or terms that should be simplified. The idea received a wealth of attention earlier this year when it launched as a website – you can still use that for free, although the desktop version gives you the ability to save your work,…

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Hemingway Editor app helps you write in the legendary author’s economical style

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 2:56 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web

The typewriter, glasses, pencil and othe
The economical, understated writing style of Ernest Hemingway is renowned within the literature world. Now, there’s a Windows and Mac app to help you nail the American author’s approach. Simply called the Hemingway Editor, this $4.99 app will grade your work for ‘readability’ and is able to identify sentences that are hard to read, contain too many adverbs, or terms that should be simplified. The idea received a wealth of attention earlier this year when it launched as a website – you can still use that for free, although the desktop version gives you the ability to save your work,…

This story continues at The Next Web

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