~ Brand comes to Canada for the first time with a new product line for babies and parents alike ~

TORONTO, June 26, 2012 /CNW/ - This year Disney has brought plenty of excitement to Canada with the launch of the all-new Disney Baby collection, a line of products to help parents create magical moments right from the start, available exclusively at Babies"R"Us. The new Disney Baby collection provides feel-good, unique products tailored to everyday moments with baby throughout the day, including, In the Nursery, Dressing Baby, On-the-Go, Mealtime, and Bathtime.

"We are thrilled to launch Disney Baby in Canada and celebrate the fact that life with baby is filled with so many magical moments to be cherished," said Peter Crighton, Manager, National Marketing, Disney Consumer Products. "In order to provide Canadian parents with the best "raising-baby" experience, the new Disney Baby collection is designed to provide quality products essential to baby moments throughout the day with a touch of Disney magic."

Whether it's Minnie Mouse on-the-go, Mickey keeping baby cuddly and cozy, Nemo in the tub or Simba on a jungle adventure in the nursery, the new Disney Baby collections offer an extensive selection of delightful products for every magical moment!

Disney Baby also recently introduced DisneyBaby.com, an online destination featuring the Disney Baby Magical Moments upload tool and gallery, inspirational ideas, mom-tested tips and a comprehensive Disney Baby product showcase for expecting and new parents.

New Product Collections include:

Dressing Baby - The only infant bodysuit with a patent-pending design that "grows" with baby, the DISNEY CUDDLY BODYSUIT features a second row of snaps for an inch of longer wear. Now available in new playful patterns and character-inspired designs starring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, and characters from Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid; there is a bodysuit for every little character. New bodysuit sets all include coordinating shorts.

On-the-Go - A little Minniea lot of cozy. Everything you need - all in one place! Cruise around in style with the new Minnie Mouse gear collection from Graco! Collection includes Graco Fast Action Fold Stroller, Graco Pack 'N Play Playard with Cuddle Cove Rocking Seat, Graco SnugRide 30 Infant Car Seat, Graco Contempo Premiere High Chair, Graco Sweet Snuggle Swing.

In the Nursery - Turn baby's nursery into a sleep time safari with the new Disney Baby Lion King Nursery Collection. The collection furnishes parents with everything they need to outfit a nursery, including a four-piece crib bedding set, lamp, a musical mobile and an animal print window valance, among other wildly adorable items.

Mealtime - As one of the most important times of day for baby, Disney Baby offers parents products essential to baby's development specially designed for their gentle little mouths. Available in designs featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and The Lion King, the Born Free products include bottles that allow baby to control the flow of milk and pacifiers that fit the natural shape of baby's palate and gums.

Excerpt from:

Disney Sprinkles Magic On Canada With The Launch Of The New Disney Baby Brand and Collection!

A long time ago in a mind-set far away, I spent a lunch with friends trying to figure out what we'd do if we could reprogram our cellphones. Our ideas were, in retrospect, lame. Maybe we would change the font on the dialer or come up with a screensaver animation. Wouldn't it be cool if we could get flying toasters running on the screen of our cellphone?

The iPhone was still several years away when we came up with those ideas. The millions of ways people would be reprogramming smartphones just a few short years later was beyond our comprehension. The App Store and the effort of tens of thousands of programmers changed that.

[ Beware the 7 myths of programming, and verse yourself in the 10 hard truths developers must accept. | Test your smarts with our programming IQ tests: Round 1 and round 2 and "Hello, world": Programming languages quiz. | Learn how to work smarter, not harder with InfoWorld's roundup of the tips and trends programmers need to know in the Developers' Survival Guide. | Keep up on key application development insights with the Developer World newsletter. ]

The smartphone has proven that a marketplace for delivering code can appear seemingly out of nowhere, and developers would have another choice for showcasing their wares. It's not that the App Store was new -- you could develop for Nokia, Windows Mobile, and Java phones long before it came along. But Apple eased the process and provided enough features that made it worthwhile for developers to start creating.

So when we say that some day in the possible near future you may be targeting your apps at users' shirt pockets, not what they put in them, you may think it's time for the straitjackets. But all it takes is a market. The technology is already there -- sort of.

To help you get a jump on these promising platforms, we did a little digging in what might seem to be unlikely places. In many cases, raw APIs are already well-established, ready for apps to exploit them. Scratch the surface, and you'll get an idea of the potential of porting your wares beyond the smartphone/PC paradigm. You can bet the manufacturers of these products are interested in establishing their own app ecology. And as we've seen with both the PC and smartphone, the first to arrive is often the one whose app gets the most sales.

Emerging development platform No. 1: Your car

The computers buried in your car are better platforms for developing software than your cellphone. While car batteries do run down and cars do run out of gas, they're still more reliable sources of electricity than that tiny battery in your smartphone. The dashboard is already engineered to be at the driver's fingertips, and much of the car is already accepting digital commands through the OBD-II (On-Board Diagnostics) interface built into all new cars. Though you can forget your smartphone when you go on a road trip, you can't forget your car. Automobiles are made for apps, and their manufacturers know it.

Safety comes into play when developing apps for cars, and this is among car builders' greatest detractions in opening up their platforms. While people can manage to change radio stations while driving, changing a CD isn't nearly as safe. Plus, some argue, even the best-designed hands-free interfaces can't solve the cognitive limitations of the human brain. The driver's brain should put driving first; even talking on a hands-free phone can be suspect.

That's just the surface. Computer programmers aren't known for building crash-free products, and in the auto business, the word "crash" has much more ominous overtones. It's one thing to let the curious programmer monkey around with the OBD-II interface to suck down statistics about the combustion efficiency of the engine, but what if that same programmer stumbles onto a switch that changes an important setting irrevocably? Curiosity may not always kill the cat, but it only takes a few high-profile mistakes to sully the platform.

Read more here:

Beyond iPhone and Android: 5 hot new platforms for developers

Sony Philippines has launched the new VAIO S Series, a powerful new mobile PC with a full range of features in a light-weight body. The new VAIO S Series is available in a 13.3" LCD screen and designed mainly with serious users in mind who want high-performance mobile computing. The Vaio S is also capable of extended battery life with the optional Extended Battery accessory, ideal for business ...

Read the rest here:

Perfect Balance Of Performance, Mobility

Residents and emergency officials in British Columbia's flood-ravaged Interior are cleaning up and bagging sand after weekend storms forced hundreds from their homes, left one man dead, and damaged homes and property.

Almost 700 people across the province have been evacuated, while more than 1,000 have been placed on evacuation alert, meaning they'll have to leave at a moment's notice.

Weeks of rapid snowmelt and wet weather caused river levels to rise in the B.C. Interior, the Kootenay region and the Fraser Valley, and a weekend of heavy rain and violent thunderstorms pushed many rivers and creeks in those areas to the brink.

Edward Posnikoff, a 72-year-old resident of Crescent Valley, was swept away and drowned in one of those raging rivers, the B.C. Coroners Service announced on Monday.

Posnikoff was standing on a bridge at the edge of his property on Saturday evening as the bridge collapsed.

To the north, residents and even visitors in the hard-hit community of Sicamous, which evacuated about 350 people from their homes Sunday, began their week by cleaning up and filling sandbags.

At least one home was swept away, and many more homes and dozens of cars were damaged after flash floods tore through the community, where the local district declared a state of emergency.

Audible in the air during the cleanup was the din of heavy equipment powering through gravel and sludge,

"It's a little overwhelming," said Patricia Norbeck, 40, while standing in front of the flooded gift shop where she works at the Twin Anchors marina.

While she was able to empty a trailer full of merchandise, Norbeck said there's still water everywhere and the carpet inside the business is ruined. Luckily, the foundation is concrete, so the building should be okay, she said.

More here:

Deadly B.C. flooding continues to prompt evacuations, highway closures

24-06-2012 12:49 Two strikes! Hurry! Sub zeh back-up! Re-uploading this upon request :3 Not too much to say about this amv ... I remember when I first started working on it how I told my friend that I was super psyched about it and thought it to be one of my greatest creations x'D Soon after I detested it and realized all the errors within it ee' What can I say ... ? The harshest critic is always yourself lol vv' But don't mind me~

See more here:

Badass Naruto .... RE-UPLOAD! - Video

Howies founders David and Clare Hieatt have launched a new venture, Hiut Denim Co, to revive Cardigan's denim industry

BY Georgia Dehn | 23 March 2012

In May last year the entrepreneur David Hieatt appeared on the front page of his local newspaper in Cardigan, west Wales, appealing for skilled machinists with specialist knowledge of making jeans to work in a new denim factory in the area. Hieatt, who founded the action sports clothing company Howies in 1995 with his wife, Clare (they sold it to Timberland in 2006), was in the process of launching a new venture, Hiut Denim Co. In response to the newspaper article, he was inundated with applications from locals, many of whom said the same thing: 'I want to make jeans again.'

Almost a decade ago, 400 people in Cardigan, a tenth of the town's population, with hundreds of years' experience making jeans between them, were made redundant when the Dewhirst Group shut the doors to its clothing factory and moved production to Morocco. Dewhirst was Cardigan's biggest employer and the factory had been producing 35,000 pairs of jeans each week for the likes of Marks & Spencer and Gap. Hieatt wanted to give locals the opportunity to put their skills to good use again. He rented an industrial unit, in which the company has now been installed for three months. The walls are clad in pitch pine from an old flour mill and Hieatt bought 24 sewing machines from an old Wrangler factory in Poland. After interviewing 'lots of eager women' who used to work at Dewhirst, he hired three and named them his 'Grand Masters'. Hieatt also took on a cutter who had worked at Dewhirst for 38 years, and a mechanic to fix the machines when they went wrong.

Hiut Denim Co may be a tiny start-up, but 'Levi's started small too,' Hieatt says. 'Our aim for the first year is to sell 2,500 pairs of jeans.' Mostly they will be sold online, but also in about 20 specialist denim shops around the world. Hieatt wants to build up the company so that he can offer everyone who worked at Dewhirst their old job back: 'We have to get everyone in this town making jeans again.' At a time when provenance matters greatly to consumers, manufacturing his product in Britain gives Hiut Denim Co a head start in the market, but Hieatt says he 'can't count on craftsmanship alone'. What he needs to do, he says, is to 'change the jeans industry through ideas.'

Hieatt is an ideas man and always has been. Before establishing Howies, he worked as a copywriter at the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency in London. 'I was working with bright and driven people,' he says. After Howies, he and Clare founded the Do Lectures - a five-day event (now in its fifth year) at an upmarket campsite in west Wales to which they invite inspiring individuals from around the world, including authors and entrepreneurs, to 'come and tell us what they do'. It is essentially a festival of good ideas, a 'Glastonbury of the mind'.

Hieatt has called on some of his more technologically minded friends to help him with his big idea for Hiut Denim Co. 'We are building an app called History Tag,' he says, 'and our jeans will be the first in the world that will have their whole history recorded.' To start with, Hiut Denim Co will sell two styles (men's only): one in selvage denim (sourced in Japan), the unwashed, raw, real indigo kind; and one in organic denim (sourced in Turkey). Each pair produced will have a code sewn into them and at each stage of production Hieatt's Grand Masters will photograph the jeans for the History Tag app - 'so when you buy a pair of jeans you will not only get a receipt, you will get pictures of your jeans being born. As you go through your life with your jeans you will be able to upload all your pictures of where you go and what you did wearing them,' he says. 'Then when those jeans are handed down or end up in a second-hand store, their history will go along with them too. This idea will become a badge of honour for companies who make products that last, and the longer you make something last the more stories it has to tell.'

hiutdenim.co.uk

Read the original post:

Huit Denim Co: The jeans with the app that tells their history

23-06-2012 02:00 All Comments, Likes and Subs are appreciated 🙂 NEW** BLACK OPS 2!!! Sent In By - CHECK OUT THESE EPIC CHANNELS: Want to play with me? Follow & Like Upload Our Promo to Support us:

Continue reading here:

MIND FCUK? - Video

Authorities say it appears one person died and another is trapped after part of a roof collapsed at a mall in the Northern Ontario city of Elliot Lake.

They confirmed that news Sunday, a day after the roof-top parking lot gave way at the Algo Centre Mall, causing metal and concrete debris to come crashing through two floors of the shopping centre.

The Ontario Provincial Police's site commander said rescue officials using camera equipment to scour the wreckage discovered the person who is thought to have perished.

"We have obtained some visual information relating to a visual of a hand and a foot, which is our grounds for the suspected casualty in this case," said Insp. Percy Jollymore of the OPP. "We cannot confirm an identity, we cannot confirm anything about that. We just have a visual, and the location is such that we cannot approach it at this time."

Rescuers believe someone else is trapped in the debris, too, Elliot Lake Mayor Rick Hamilton said. That person seems to have tapped on the wreckage in response to shouts from rescuers.

"Examination of the scene continues to indicate that there's still a rescue," he said. However, because of the precarious condition of the site an eight-metre-long steel-and-concrete I-beam weighing more than a tonne is among the collapsed material it will likely be 10 to 12 hours before a rescue crew can get in, Hamilton said.

Jollymore said police still know of nine people who are unaccounted for. Names continue to be crossed off that list as members of the community account for their loved ones.

Initial reports said four people had non-life-threatening injuries and that no fatalities could be confirmed.

The collapse happened around 2:20 p.m. ET Saturday. There are reports two cars went through the roof. Twisted debris could be seen near a set of escalators, food-court tables and lottery kiosks.

Elaine Quinte, who owns the Hungry Jack's restaurant in the mall, was working at the time and remembers walking through the debris.

Follow this link:

1 believed dead, 1 trapped in Elliot Lake mall roof cave-in

22-06-2012 14:47 So it was my 18th birthday on the 19th, so the sunday before that, us: - Me - The Citizens Mind - JaSoR122 - Declans Mind - - Jala1250 - Mind of a Marine - - SwedenSpeedway - Jimmys Mind - Got together to celebrate in what could be called the first recorded meeting of the Middle Minds (pretentious I know, but we decided it would be a convenient group name for when we're gathered) by playing online flash games, but as you will see we chose a bullshit flash game site so it just devolved into watching old Batman clips. I tried to upload this on my birthday but it got immediately blocked for copyright so I cut out the videos and I'll link to the copyrighted videos we were watching instead. - (18:13) - (22:20) - (35:15) - (38:06) - (42:04) - (46:50) Also I swear I'm never stutter or lisp this much off-mic.

Link:

Middle Minds birthday event - Flute toots and Nazi mice - Video

Microsoft is working on technology that will spy on you in your own home, watching your body language and face and listening to your voice for cues about your mood and emotional state.

But would you want to install such a device in your home?

Maybe you already have.

Microsoft's technology works via Kinect for Xbox 360, the company's popular motion-detection gaming peripheral.

Microsoft this month filed a patent application for a method of " Targeting Advertisements Based on Emotion."

The idea is that users would install Kinect for the fun and games. But when they're not playing, Kinect will continue to watch everything they do. It will know when they're laughing and crying, slumping or beaming.

Microsoft wants to combine this data with information collected as people conduct searches with Bing and surf the Web with Internet Explorer. Using that data, the system will build an emotional profile of a user that will enable it to deliver ads "with the highest monetization values to the users that are emotionally compatible," according to the patent application.

Microsoft's plans are merely at the patent application stage. Other major companies are much closer to implementing emotion-sensing technology.

Feeling social?

Facebook has acquired the face-recognition startup Face.com, a company whose software can scan a photograph and identify who's in it, based on user tagging.

Go here to read the rest:

In depth: Siri, how do I feel?

22-06-2012 13:39 Without a true sense of inner Self and identity we remain glorified bio-robots and human laptops. this video is introducing a Podcast I'm uploading called: "Can you feel Justice", on my second/new channel

View original post here:

Monarch Mind Control vs Individuation - Video

Microsoft is working on technology that will spy on you in your own home, watching your body language and face and listening to your voice for cues about your mood and emotional state.

But would you want to install such a device in your home?

Maybe you already have.

Microsoft's technology works via Kinect for Xbox 360, the company's popular motion-detection gaming peripheral.

Microsoft this month filed a patent application for a method of " Targeting Advertisements Based on Emotion."

The idea is that users would install Kinect for the fun and games. But when they're not playing, Kinect will continue to watch everything they do. It will know when they're laughing and crying, slumping or beaming.

Microsoft wants to combine this data with information collected as people conduct searches with Bing and surf the Web with Internet Explorer. Using that data, the system will build an emotional profile of a user that will enable it to deliver ads "with the highest monetization values to the users that are emotionally compatible," according to the patent application.

Microsoft's plans are merely at the patent application stage. Other major companies are much closer to implementing emotion-sensing technology.

Feeling social?

Facebook has acquired the face-recognition startup Face.com, a company whose software can scan a photograph and identify who's in it, based on user tagging.

Read more from the original source:

Elgan: Siri, how do I feel?

21-06-2012 19:15 You can check out a google doc I put together of the times I took Alpha Brain and the effects it had during the day: This is my day 1 of 30 review of Onnit's new supplement formula Alpha Brain. After uploading this I realized I should have taken it first then shot the video a few hours later to shared how I felt. Well I guess I'll share more in detail in the next video my experience. It's been 4 hours since I took 2 pills and feel a little anxious and have been pacing around, but keep in mind that I'm a little sick so I don't know if that will effect the results in anyway. I worked out for 15 minutes and that definitely helped get rid of the anxious feeling. I took the 2 pills and then ate a banana an hour later. I guess you could say this is more of an introduction to the 30 day review of Alpha Brain. Stay tune for tomorrows video. Here is the link to watch this series in a playlist so you don't lose your spot in this 30 day Alpha Brain review. If you are thinking about getting Alpha Brain or already taking it please leave your comments and questions below. I am curious what other people's results and questions are.

Read more from the original source:

Introduction to 30 Day (Alpha Brain Review) | Onnit Nootropic Case Study [New Formula] - Video

21-06-2012 23:53 I have been training hard, my mental abilities are starting to climax, i am able to read tons of books, all through out school i wouldnt touch one, but now i cant stop. I had a third eye awakening two months ago in april of 2012. Im changing very quickly, those who are busy talking are busy talking. im busy doing my thing, which is why i havent put out many videos lately. This one was intense. As i saw myself in the camera it was as if i was in the camera too. i remember penetrating the camera with my intense stare. From my perspective my stare was so intense light was leaving my vision, and things began to super impose themselves. So after watching the video not only were there prety good color distortions i heard amazing BRAIN WAVES. I am doing some now without the fan, although i love the wind during meditation it helps a lot. so i find it hard to do it without. please anyone take this audio and enhance it for me, its un altered. and i would like to hear it clear' especially at 7:44. So if you could do that then upload it, thad be cool. In this video i was very focused on my heart center, and my hands clinging to the crystal. it helped alot. After the video i could hear the brain waves in my head almost deafening. I have a feeling that prety soon im going to start attracting scientists if i keep it up lol. To me this was worthy of putting out, even if it is not astounding, it still helps add to the research im doing. A lot of people just think we are a bunch of weridos ...

Follow this link:

Audible Brain Waves After Intense Focus. ( Read Description ) - Video

22-06-2012 10:25 I hate not uploading as much, but here, it's another episode of Gold and Silver, please enjoy. :] We are deciding to merge all of our channels into one, so expect some random videos soon. Today, Jacob and Alex do the bug catching contest. What Pokemon will they see there? Also, will any Pokemon die within the contest? QOTD: What is your favorite Pokemon to catch in the Bug Catching Contest? This is a nuzlocke run, and here are the rules: -If a Pokemon dies, you must release it or put it in the RIP Box. -You can only catch the first Pokemon of each route by headbutting a tree or walking in the grass, and by surfing or fishing. -Feel free to make any more rules for us in the comments down below. :] CONTACT US! : PO Box: Alexander LeClair PO Box 490 Weyauwega, WI 54983 Twitter: Facebook: Go to this video to sign up for WiFi Sunday: Skype: MrNintendoFanMan-Alex MrNintendoFanMan ~Jacob~ Jacob's Rival: I LOVE YOU GUYS! 😀 THANKS FOR ALL THE SUPPORT

View post:

Lets Play Pokemon Gold and Silver Splitscreen [Nuzlocke] Part 17: Mind Crushing Vinny - Video

THE DIARY

Paul Keating ... "If the public takes him they will get a large kick in the bum and they will deserve it." Photo: Lee Besford

It surprised nobody to hear the former prime minister Paul Keating had once again held little back when asked what he thought of the current crop of politicians, but it was interesting yesterday to see the man's grasp of fauna as he railed against Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard and even the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, while speaking at the Eureka Report Congress in Melbourne.

Merkel, he said, was ''intellectually limited and she is taking the whole world down''. Gillard's government, he said, ''just don't have a convincing and persuasive narrative''.

And Abbott? He was ''dumb'', an ''obstructionist capuchin'' (that's either a small monkey or a member of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, depending on how you view Keating's sense of humour) and: ''If the public takes him they will get a large kick in the bum and they will deserve it.''

Advertisement: Story continues below

Uplifting ... It was all hands on deck for the Wall of Hands. Photo: Nick Moir

The Eureka Congress will continue in Sydney tomorrow.

LOVES A GOOD BOOK

Don't be too surprised if the young adult sections of Australia's libraries start filling out in coming weeks. Ryan Stokes, son of the Perth media baron Kerry Stokes, has been named incoming chairman of the National Library of Australia Council. Ryan, who at 36 years old is three decades younger than the outgoing chairman, the former judge James Spigelman, would begin his three-year-term next month, said the Arts Minister, Simon Crean. It's hoped Stokes, with his youth, will bring a new vigour to the council, particularly in the one area he has most experience: digital. ''Mr Stokes has extensive experience serving on a number of boards across a range of industries and brings a high level of corporate expertise to the National Library,'' Crean said yesterday. ''He has shown leadership in driving digital content and developing the digital economy. This experience will assist the National Library as it continues to open-up its collection through digitisation.'' Not that it means he'll be abandoning the old, Stokes was quick to tell the Financial Review; he's well aware of the library's ''obligation to retain the physical heritage''. His appointment follows a family tradition in the Stokes clan. His father was chairman of the National Gallery of Australia in the late 1990s.

More:

Hipsters hit London

21-06-2012 12:32 Circle: ??????/Pizuya's Cell Arrange: ???/Pizuya Vocals: 3L (NJK Record) Album: Excelsior Release: Reitaisai 9 (May 27, 2012) Track 02 of 12 Original Song: ?????? ? Cosmic Mind (Sentimental Skyscraper ~ Cosmic Mind) Original Game: ????? ? Undefined Fantastic Object (Eastern Star-Lotus Ship ~ Undefined Fantastic Object) Picture Link: Ohhhh man. I had not expected this. From what I had seen, I had always thought Pizuya's Cell was a metal group. I like metal, but in small doses. I don't even remember what compelled me to check this album out, but I did. Checked the website, listened to the crossfade. The instant I heard this song, the first on the crossfade, I was in love. This is my absolute favorite type of jazz; mature, sexy and sultry. The lyrics add to that feel fantastically--read them here: (I'll probably sub this video one day.) I never would have imagined this type of arrange for Byakuren's theme, but it works ridiculously well. Beautiful. Not to mention 3L's vocals. 3L is one of the best vocalists in the Touhou scene primarily because of how well her vocals seem to fit a variety of genres. Dark arranges, pop arranges, sultry arranges...You can find her vocals anywhere and it works. I really can't think of another vocalist who would have been able to pull this song off the way 3L does. The entire album is full of jazz arranges. I'll upload a few more, but this one, in my opinion, just takes the cake.

Excerpt from:

Pizuya's Cell: Excelsior feat.3L--Cosmic Mind Arrange - Video

THE DIARY

Paul Keating ... "If the public takes him they will get a large kick in the bum and they will deserve it." Photo: Lee Besford

It surprised nobody to hear the former prime minister Paul Keating had once again held little back when asked what he thought of the current crop of politicians, but it was interesting yesterday to see the man's grasp of fauna as he railed against Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard and even the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, while speaking at the Eureka Report Congress in Melbourne.

Merkel, he said, was ''intellectually limited and she is taking the whole world down''. Gillard's government, he said, ''just don't have a convincing and persuasive narrative''.

And Abbott? He was ''dumb'', an ''obstructionist capuchin'' (that's a small monkey) and: ''If the public takes him they will get a large kick in the bum and they will deserve it.''

Advertisement: Story continues below

Uplifting ... It was all hands on deck for the Wall of Hands. Photo: Nick Moir

The Eureka Congress will continue in Sydney tomorrow.

LOVES A GOOD BOOK

Don't be too surprised if the young adult sections of Australia's libraries start filling out in coming weeks. Ryan Stokes, son of the Perth media baron Kerry Stokes, has been named incoming chairman of the National Library of Australia Council. Ryan, who at 36 years old is three decades younger than the outgoing chairman, the former judge James Spigelman, would begin his three-year-term next month, said the Arts Minister, Simon Crean. It's hoped Stokes, with his youth, will bring a new vigour to the council, particularly in the one area he has most experience: digital. ''Mr Stokes has extensive experience serving on a number of boards across a range of industries and brings a high level of corporate expertise to the National Library,'' Crean said yesterday. ''He has shown leadership in driving digital content and developing the digital economy. This experience will assist the National Library as it continues to open-up its collection through digitisation.'' Not that it means he'll be abandoning the old, Stokes was quick to tell the Financial Review; he's well aware of the library's ''obligation to retain the physical heritage''. His appointment follows a family tradition in the Stokes clan. His father was chairman of the National Gallery of Australia in the late 1990s.

Continue reading here:

'Obstructionist capuchin'

When Facebook first announced an ambitious initiative last September to induce us to share even more stuff on the social network, I was pretty enthusiastic. While many people fret about oversharing and privacy, I'm more than happy to have every tidbit of my digital life channeled through Facebook.

Several months later, however, I've changed my mind about so-called "frictionless sharing." Not only has it made my use of Facebook more complicated and more frustrating, but I think the argument can be made that it threatens the foundation of the social network's business model.

Though Facebook continues to expand the service and the number of applications that run on it, I think the company would be well served by hitting the pause button and seriously rethinking the pitfalls of a service that makes sharing too easy.

Let me start by giving you a personal example.

My first use of "frictionless sharing" came through Spotify. To join the social music service, I created an account using my Facebook login information. Now, when I listen to a song on Spotify, it automatically feeds directly into my Facebook profile, where friends will see it on their news feeds.

It's important to note how this is new. Years ago, the only way to share information on Facebook was to copy a link into a box or upload something directly and then hit post. Then, sharing evolved with the introduction of the so-called "open graph," which allowed Websites

Now we have what's been called "frictionless sharing." There are no buttons to click, no links to copy. If you are logged into a service with your Facebook account that allows frictionless sharing, each time you read a news story, visit a Website, or listen to a song your activity flows right into Facebook.

When I saw this with Spotify last summer, I was thrilled. I'm a huge music fan and the ease with which I could share every song I heard felt awesome. At the same time, I loved being able to see what friends were playing as they played it. Even better, I could now click on a button on Facebook that let me listen along with them.

The problems began a couple of months later. My kids at home were listening to Spotify using my account, which automatically shared their tunes with my Facebook friends. While at work, my Facebook page would record that I was listening to all sorts of kids' music, or appalling selections from the likes of Justin Bieber. Friends would post snarky comments mocking me for my lame musical taste.

Now, if this seems like a minor annoyance, think about this: How many people do you share your Facebook login with? How many people do you let post on your Facebook account? Zero. You just don't do it because Facebook is supposed to be all about you.

Continued here:

O'Brien: New apps that make sharing too easy on Facebook could destroy it

Rebecca Corliss is the leader of HubSpot’s social media team and contributor to the HubSpot Inbound Marketing Blog. Follow Rebecca @repcor.

Read the rest here:

6 Easy Ways to Boost Site Traffic With Facebook