Author: Rebecca Greenfield

3 Fun & Easy Tips for Spending Your 2013 Memorial Day BBQ... with Cicadas

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But fear not, BBQ-ers! The Atlantic Wire's resident cicada expert is here to help! Cicadas and humans alike can celebrate this long weekend in peace, together, at the cicada-cue. Like so.

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 28, 2011

Meet Siku, the New Knut

We asked for the Internet to make Siku the Danish baby polar bear famous, and it delivered.

Comments | 2,858 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 28, 2011

These Are Mark Zuckerberg's Vacation Fantasies

Like anyone taking a vacation, Mark Zuckerberg wanted to escape his every-day (not-so-boring) life. And he did: hopping to Vietnam, a country where Facebook is illegal. 

Comments | 3,858 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 27, 2011

Obama Eats a Baby and Other Headlines for this Obama Video

Every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention.

Comments | 5,345 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 27, 2011

Today in Research

Health Risks for Cat Ladies; When Moms Make Their Kids Fat

Discovered: Cat ladies beware, the types of moms that make their kids fat, more good malaria news, and even little oil spills are horrible for animals.

Comments | 4,058 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 27, 2011

Why Smart Consumers Skip TVs in Favor of Tablets

Unimpressed by the shiniest TV technological innovations, consumers aren't jumping to buy the latest models, which has pushed set prices down, making it all the better for shoppers.

Comments | 2,137 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 27, 2011

Breaking Down a Google iPad Killer Rumor

Today Fox News is reporting that Eric Schmidt promised an iPad killer in six months, based on a comment the Google CEO said last week to Italian paper Corriere della Sera.

Comments | 3,388 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 23, 2011

Sorry Won't Save the Christmas Best Buy (and the Internet) Ruined

Online shopping's all easy and fun until Best Buy cancels gift orders and ruins Christmas. 

Comments | 3,966 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 23, 2011

A Very Puppy Christmas

Every day The Atlantic Wire highlights the videos that truly earn your five minutes (or less) of attention, but today in honor of the holiday, it's all Christmas and puppies. Merry Xmas!

Comments | 5,098 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 23, 2011

Today in Research

The HIV Discovery of the Year; Women Aren't Better Politicians

Discovered: An HIV prevention treatment is crowned "Breakthrough of the Year," women govern just as poorly as men, two-year-olds have real memories, what makes teens nerdy, and Microsoft Kinect in space. 

Comments | 13,459 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 23, 2011

We've Reached Peak Gosling

As hot as Ryan Gosling is, his bubble, like all fragile soapy wonders, must pop -- that's just how bubbles work. 

Comments | 6,599 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 23, 2011

Retailers Are Desperate for Last Minute Shoppers

With only two shopping days left, retailers have entered desperation mode, doing anything to get rid of merchandise before December 25. 

Comments | 1,944 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 22, 2011

Netflix Must Not Want You to Sign Up for DVD Delivery

Unable to kill its DVD business by separating out into Qwikster, Netflix seems to have stumbled on a new strategy to wean new customers off their shiny disc addiction: make it pretty much impossible to find a way to sign up for a subscription.

Comments | 21,851 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 22, 2011

Today in Research

Multitasking Is Real; Pigeons That Do Math

Discovered: Multitasking isn't a myth, pigeons aren't as dumb as they look, anti-depressants and therapy don't really work, the Brits' criminal and pirate ancestors, better treatment for blindness prevention. 

Comments | 2,645 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 22, 2011

Zuckerberg Is the Most Reluctant IPO Billionaire

Even though taking Facebook public would turn Mark Zuckerberg's share of the company into a liquid asset worth billions, he still doesn't want an IPO, even as Facebook prepares to go public. So how come he is going along with it? 

Comments | 5,659 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 22, 2011

Video Chatting is the New Way to Get Out of Family Events

As technology and Internet bandwidth has made video-chatting a regular part of communication, it has proven a great way to get out of otherwise painful obligations.

Comments | 1,470 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2011

The Bitcoin Collapse That Never Happened

After a tumultuous summer for Bitcoin, the digital currency's value has not only stabilized but, over the last month, increased. 

Comments | 3,561 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2011

Today in Research

The Science Behind Snobbery; Bad News for Wine Drinkers

Discovered: A biological explanation for label-snobs, bad news for wine-drinkers, Twitter did influence the Arab Spring, car battery's super powers and a malaria vaccine 

Comments | 20,701 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2011

Amazon Releases a Partial Fix for Kindle Fire Bugs

As promised, Amazon has given Kindle users an update to fix some (not all) of the tablet's issues. 

Comments | 6,142 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2011

Lowe's Continues Its Lonely Anti-'All-American Muslim' Crusade

Given the chance to go-back on its controversial decision to pull advertising from the TLC reality show All American Muslim, Lowe's has decided to maintain its position.

Comments | 20,277 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 21, 2011

Turns Out You Can't Identify Someone Just Based on Their iTunes Library

The Washington Post has succeeded in reuniting a lost iPod with its owner—but not by combing through their playlists but rather looking at the Apple ID information associated with the device.

Comments | 2,069 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 20, 2011

Christmas Trees Are Still Banned in Nazareth Illit

That Christmas tree ban that Shimon Gapso, the mayor of the Israeli town of Nazareth Illit, enacted last year still stands.

Comments | 1,456 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 20, 2011

Today in Research

This Sign Is Alive; A Cure for the Common Cold and HIV

Discovered: A neon sign that's alive, a cure-all wonder drug for the common cold and HIV, (almost) drought-proof plants, debunking peer influence. 

Comments | 4,804 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 20, 2011

The Viral Video Still Rules YouTube's Most Viewed of 2011

Even as YouTube has focused on making itself a high-quality programming hub, YouTube's top 10 most viewed videos of 2011 proves that good old viral video still rules the Internet.

Comments | 2,515 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 20, 2011

How Facebook Came to Sue Mark Zuckerberg

Facebook's in a legal battle with Mark Zuckerberg--not the founder and CEO of the social network or  Mark Zuckerberg the attorney, but Mark Zuckerberg, but the co-founder of the Likestore.

Comments | 5,518 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 20, 2011

For Seasonal Workers, Amazon's Grueling Working Conditions Are Only Temporary

Amazon's seasonal workers endure the same grueling conditions as the full-timers, it just doesn't seem as bad for such a short period of time.

Comments | 1,992 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 19, 2011

The People Who Will Miss Saab the Most

With the bankruptcy and impending doom facing Saab, we mourn with the certain, loyal fans that will miss the Swedish auto-maker. 

Comments | 2,759 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 19, 2011

Today in Research

Mercury in Our Food; A Bad-Drunk Trait

Discovered: How burning fossil fuels puts mercury in the food supply, the ecological effects of climate change, the drunk trait, a reason for low marriage rates and parental gender preferences.

Comments | 5,453 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 19, 2011

Guys' Grades Suffer When College Football Teams Win

A strike against those arguing for the benefits of successful college football programs: male's grades tend to go down when their university's football team wins games, new research finds. 

Comments | 3,640 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 19, 2011

Occupy Amazon Is a Tough Movement to Get Behind

In response to Amazon's price check application, retailers have responded, creating an "Occupy Amazon" movement that unfortunately for them, doesn't help their cause.

Comments | 2,580 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 19, 2011

Apple's Getting Serious About Its TV Dreams

We've known Apple has had TV ambitions bigger than its relatively useless TV box for awhile, but according to the The Wall Street Journal's Jessica Vascellaro and Sam Schechner, Apple is really, really thinking about it now. 

Comments | 1,657 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 16, 2011

Zynga Hasn't Pulled a Groupon So Far

On its first day out, Zynga neither pulled a Groupon or wowed investors, with the stock dropping below the original $10 per-share price, ending at $9.50 for the day. 

Comments | 690 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 16, 2011

Identifying Someone Based on Their Taste in Music

Is it possible to identify someone looking only at their iPod? The Washington Post thinks so.

Comments | 2,782 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 16, 2011

The Irony of Apple Buying iPhone Chips from a Samsung Plant in Texas

In an "exclusive" Reuters reports that Samsung makes Apple's iPhone chips in a Texas plant which is two parts surprising: first, the two companies have been spatting for months over patents and Apple is known mostly for manufacturing its iThings in Chinese factories where labor conditions don't exactly meet American conscience standards.

Comments | 4,346 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 16, 2011

It's Official: The Maker of Farmville Is Worth $8.9 Billion

Zynga CEO Mark Pincus is doing this IPO thing his way after getting the biggest public offering since Google. 

Comments | 1,481 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 15, 2011

RIP Trolling as Social Critique

RIP trolls -- anonymous Internet commenters that post nasty remarks on Facebook profiles, MySpace pages and other online traces of the deceased -- claim the whole horrifying practice is a social critique on the way we live our Web lives, according to this new study by Whitney Philips.

Comments | 5,014 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 15, 2011

Microsoft's Social Network Is and Isn't Like Facebook

After teasing the project formerly named Tulalip over the summer and then giving tech blog The Verge a sneak peak, Microsoft has launched their social network, So.cl. 

Comments | 1,271 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 15, 2011

What Mattered This Year, According to the Internet

Considering we live a lot of our lives online, looking at the Internet zeitgeist provides an accurate and interesting glimpse of the year's most salient topics.

Comments | 690 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 15, 2011

Everything You'll Hate About the New Facebook Timeline

This morning, after previewing its Timeline in New Zealand, Facebook has made the feature available worldwide. As with anything new and different, they're girding for user backlash.

Comments | 14,347 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 14, 2011

The True History of Apple's 'Think Different' Campaign

Rob Siltanen, an ad executive who worked at TBWA/Chiat/Day, the agency that created Apple's "Think Different" campaign, has decided to set the creation story record straight for the famed ads, coming out with his full account in Forbes.

Comments | 2,993 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 14, 2011

The Transparency of Kayak's 'All American Muslim' Apology

Realizing it's in danger of tarnishing its hip cred, online travel site Kayak is trying to distance itself from Lowe's and Christian activist organization The Florida Family Association as they boycott the TLC show All American Muslim.

Comments | 8,911 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 14, 2011

What It's Really Like to Be a Poor Black Kid

After white middle-aged Forbes contributor Gene Marks described what he would do "If I Were a Poor Black Kid," the Internet has done a total takedown of the tone-deaf piece, giving Marks a better idea of what the world for actual poor black kids is like. 

Comments | 5,584 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 14, 2011

Pilots Are America's Most Privileged Gadget Users

As of yesterday, pilots became our nation's most privileged gadget users when the FAA approved iPad use during all stages of flight, as the National Transportation Safety Board recommended a nationwide ban on cell phones in cars -- including Bluetooth or hands-free devices.

Comments | 495 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 14, 2011

Lowe's Lonely Anti-'All American Muslim' Crusade

After Lowe's got flack for bending to the will of the Florida Family Association, pulling their ads from TLC show All American Muslim, other advertisers are denying they cut advertising from the program that the FFA says, "poses a clear and present danger to the liberties and traditional values that the majority of Americans cherish." 

Comments | 16,176 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 13, 2011

Google Wallet Has Some Holes in It

After all the lengths Google went to assure us of Google Wallet's security, it turns out the mobile payments system stores a lot of unencrypted information on your smart phone's database.

Comments | 600 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 13, 2011

There Are Some Great Health Reasons Not to Go Bare Down There

Hygiene may be the least vain justification for ripping hairs off of your mons pubis, but it's not doctor recommended.

Comments | 34,079 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 13, 2011

This Camera Captures the Speed of Light

Scientists at M.I.T's Media lab have created a camera that can capture the speed of light, taking a photo in less than two-trillionths of a second.

Comments | 8,430 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 12, 2011

Frozen Planet's Cuteness Fraud Is Only a Little Shameful

The authenticity of the cuteness in this photo of brand new polar bears is up for debate, after it turned out that the scene that produced those little ones was staged in a Dutch zoo.

Comments | 4,742 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 12, 2011

Highlights from Louis C.K.'s Ask Me Anything Reddit Visit

On the heels of the release of his latest show, Live at the Beacon Theater, comedian and star of his FX show Louie Louis C.K. made a visit to Reddit, participating in the site's ask me anything thread.

Comments | 3,557 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 12, 2011

Vocal Fry Isn't Just for College Girls

It turns out vocal fry, what the Internet is reporting as a new linguistic trend "creeping" into women's speech isn't much of a trend at all.

Comments | 25,013 Views

By Rebecca Greenfield

Dec 12, 2011

Amazon Is Slow to Fix Its Kindle Fire Problems

After many Kindle Fire complaints, Amazon has finally promised a fix, coming in two weeks -- over a month and a half since the device first came out -- the company told The New York Times's David Streitfeld. 

Comments | 3,621 Views

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