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15 quirky gadgets and accessories to buy today

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 7:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Roundups

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It’s time for us to take another look at a bunch of quirky, imaginative and downright useful gadgets you can buy today. Which one takes your fancy the most? For more inspiration, check out our 2013 holiday gift guide and our previous collection of gadgets and accessories for geeks. You can view all 15 of our gadgets on one page here. Acorn Bluetooth Speaker Is it an acorn or a speaker? Okay, it’s a speaker but it’s got a beautifully natural look and pairs with Bluetooth audio devices for up to four hours of listening. It comes with a charging cable and…

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Creative expression: Here are the winners of the Guardian’s Witness awards

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 7:10 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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These days, you don’t just read the news: you make it, contribute to it, and share it. That’s the idea behind GuardianWitness, the Guardian newspaper’s user-generated content platform, which launched in conjunction with EE, the UK-based communications company. Available both as mobile apps and as a desktop site, the program lets readers share original videos, photos, and stories with the paper to encourage open and collaborative journalism. Entries span the range of art, journalism, human interest stories and, of course, pet pictures. Tony Luck and George Tymvios (co-directors) via GuardianWitness. Commemorating its first year, GuardianWitness Thursday announced the winners of its…

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Dropbox acquires reading platform Readmill, will close it on 1 July

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 6:59 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

(To go with AFP story by Isabelle Wessel
Readmill has been acquired by Dropbox and is now in the process of closing its reading platform. In a blog post, the Berlin-based startup said it was joining Dropbox to work on “new ways to read together”, suggesting that its original vision would still be the focus of its work. Readmill as we know it is closing though. Users can no longer create a new account and the Readmill apps will no longer be available from July 1, 2014. The company said it had “failed” to create a sustainable solution for reading and apologized for being unable to solve the many…

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Think like a designer: How non-creatives can find artistic inspiration

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 6:38 pm
Posted In: Analysis and Opinion, Around the Web, Design & Dev, How-To's

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This post originally appeared on the Coworks blog and has been republished with permission. You don’t have to be a designer to utilize creative thinking. Separate from analytical reasoning, learning to think outside the box can be a huge asset to your canon of skills. Whether you’re a creator in another discipline like interiors or writing, or you’re part of a marketing or business team, you can take cues from designers to open up your own mind to new ideas. Here’s how they plan, plot and execute. 1. Live in the moment Learning to think like a designer is all…

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Microsoft says it won’t scan email accounts over stolen property anymore, will refer cases to law enforcement

Mar28
by on March 28, 2014 at 6:31 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Microsoft today announced a change to its email privacy policies that states the company will no longer scan email accounts over stolen property. Instead, Microsoft will refer all such cases to law enforcement so they can handle it. Here’s the company’s statement: Effective immediately, if we receive information indicating that someone is using our services to traffic in stolen intellectual or physical property from Microsoft, we will not inspect a customer’s private content ourselves. Instead, we will refer the matter to law enforcement if further action is required. News blew up last week over a case some two years ago…

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