Xbox One SDK leak opens the door for homebrew apps

Xbox One SDK leak opens the door for homebrew apps

Want to build an Xbox One game without registering as a developer? You may soon be able to, thanks to a leak of the Xbox One developer SDK by a hacking group called H4LT. It cites noble reasons for posting the software, namely to allow greater "creativity and research... towards homebrew applications" on the console. The leak, however, doesn't mean you can start cooking up official Xbox One apps, because you'd need to be accepted into Microsoft's ID@Xbox publishing program and clear other hurdles. Still, it'll let curious types poke around the SDK or possibly check for weaknesses, giving Microsoft another holiday headache.

Steve Dent

Engadget

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Which Color Should Michael Clifford Dye His Hair Next?

Which Color Should Michael Clifford Dye His Hair Next?

Michael Clifford is definitely fearless when it comes to his hair. From hot pink, neon green to straight up rainbow, he has done it all. Now, he's let us all know that he's in the mood to change things up again, asking fans to help him decide which color or style he should try out next!

This shade of blue is perfect for the winter season.

Why not have each section of his head be a different color?

A little sky blue and light purple action going on. 

How about just changing it up for each day of the week? With one day of rest of course.

This bubblegum pink is a lighter shade looks cute.

We have a feeling pizza hair might be his dream come true.

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Taylor Swift Tops DoSomething.org's

For the third year in a row, Taylor Swift has topped DoSomething.org's "Celebs Gone Good" list, which recognizes celebrities for putting their star power to philanthropic use.
The seventh annual list by the non-profit for young people and social change also put Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus in the top 5. One Direction, John Legend, Zendaya, Demi Lovato and Justin Bieber round out the list of 20.

The final list notes Swift's "feminist awakening" this year, as well as her donating all proceeds from the sale of her single "Welcome to New York" to New York City public schools, as good reason for her again earning top honors.
Beyoncé was noted for her own feminist declaration and #BeyGOOD campaigns that support a number of charities from work-assistance to homeless issues.

Miley Cyrus was praised for using her VMAs acceptance speech to raise awareness of the hardships of homeless youths and raise more than $200,000 for My Friend's Place through a Prizeo campaign in a single day.
See the full list below

DoSomething.org's 2014 "Top 20 Celebs Gone Good" list:

1. Taylor Swift
2. Laverne Cox
3. Beyoncé
4. Miley Cyrus
5. Emma Watson
6. One Direction
7. John Cena
8. Shonda Rhimes
9. Tyler Oakley
10. Chris Pratt
11. John Legend
12. Olivia Wilde
13. Kerry Washington
14. Zendaya
15. Demi Lovato
16. Lupita Nyong'o
17. Amy Poehler
18. LeBron James
19. Mindy Kaling
20. Justin Bieber

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Most Popular Words Used In 2014:

Most Popular Words Used In 2014:

It turns out that the most popular word of 2014 wasn't actually a word at all.

The heart emoji was used billions of times a day around the globe. It was the first time in the ranking's 15-year history that a symbol earned the top honors. 

"Hashtag" came in second, and "vape" was third

1. The Heart ♥ Emoji (for love) — People usually use the heart emoji to express love or warm feelings.

2. Hashtag — A repurposed pound sign, still powerful thanks to Twitter and Instagram.

3. Vape — Short for vaporize, or vaping, the act of smoking an electronic or e-cigarette.

4. Blood Moon — Four total eclipses of the moon in an eighteen-month span. Some Christians see it as presaging a lunar apocalypse.

5. Nano — From Greek for dwarf, small; now 1 billionth of a meter. It's used in any number of words surrounding nano technology.

6. Photobomb —  Breaking into a photograph without permission.  

7. Caliphate — A land ruled by an Islamic Caliph, typically governed under Sharia Law.

8. Privilege — The alleged advantages of having lighter colored skin in a diverse society.

9. Bae — A millennial's term of endearment.

10. "Bash" Tag —  Co-opting a brand's hashtag to undermine it.

11. Transparency — A state of openness, usually used in reference to the government.

12. Sustainable — Environmentally conscious lifestyle choices.

13. Clickbait — A link structured so that you just have to click on it.

14. Quindecennial — Fifteen-year anniversary of an event.

15. Comet — Comet 67p had a visitor from the Rosetta Spacecraft this fall.

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Jennifer Lawrence Named Highest Grossing Actress of 2014

Jennifer Lawrence Named Highest Grossing Actress of 2014

According to Forbes, Jennifer Lawrence is officially the highest grossing actor of 2014! BetweenThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and X-Men: Days of Future Past, she brought in $1.4 billion to the box office.

Close in second place was Chris Pratt who brought in $1.2 billion between Guardians of the Galaxyand The Lego Movie and Emma Stone came in sixth making $764 million at the box office.

It's crazy to think how successful JLaw has become in just two years since The Hunger Games first released

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LEAKED: Xiaomi's First Laptop Looks Just Like A MacBook Air

LEAKED: Xiaomi's First Laptop Looks Just Like A MacBook Air

Xiaomi has been accused of copying Apple's designs for its phones and tablets.
Now it's about to be accused of copying Apple's laptop designs.
This laptop, leaked by Gizmochina (via 9to5Mac), looks nearly identical to Apple's MacBook Air.
The site says this will be Xiaomi's first laptop.

Everything about the computer, from the aluminum teardrop frame to the hinge to the black keyboard, is straight out of Apple's playbook. The only discernible differences: A small Xiaomi logo is adorned directly below the display, and the power button is orange instead of black.
Xiaomi's laptop will reportedly be powered by Intel chips like Apple's thin notebook line, but the Gizmochina report says it could cost about half the price of the MacBook Air, at around $481.
Check out Gizmochina for more on the specs and price of the alleged Xiaomi laptop, as well as more pictures.

Xiaomi is the largest smartphone maker in China, and the most valuable startup in the world having just raised $1.1 billion at a $45 billion valuation. It's also been compared to Apple, for several reasons: Not only do their products share obvious design similarities, but Xiaomi, like Apple, has built a passionate fan base in its home, where product launches feel more like rock concerts.
Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder and CEO, even wears Steve Jobs' iconic blue jeans, black shirt and tennis shoes during product announcements. He's even used Jobs' signature "One more thing" on at least one occasion.

When Apple's design chief Jony Ive was asked what he thought about Xiaomi, he said, "I don't see it as flattery, I see it as theft."

"I have to be honest," Ive said. "The last think I think is 'Oh, that is flattering...all those weekends and the most valuable startup in the world having just raised $1.1 billion at a $45 billion valuation. It's also been compared to Apple, for several reasons: Not only do their products share obvious design similarities, but Xiaomi, like Apple, has built a passionate fan base in its home, where product launches feel more like rock concerts.

Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder and CEO, even wears Steve Jobs' iconic blue jeans, black shirt and tennis shoes during product announcements. He's even used Jobs' signature "One more thing" on at least one occasion.

When Apple's design chief Jony Ive was asked what he thought about Xiaomi, he said, "I don't see it as flattery, I see it as theft."

"I have to be honest," Ive said. "The last think I think is 'Oh, that is flattering...all those weekends I could've been home with my family... I think it's theft and it's lazy. I don't think it's OK at all." 

Dave Smith

Business Insider 

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Is Ashton Irwin a Muppet?

We have all come to know Ashton Irwin as the fun-loving drummer from 5 Seconds of Summerwho looks super cute rocking his chic glasses or even dressed up like an old man. Ashton has decided to show us a completely new side of himself that we haven't really seen before: he is a Muppet. Yes, we are talking about those hilarious puppets, and we are convinced that Ashton is the human version of Animal!

And they both just love to jam out while they play alongside their bands. Ashton tweeted these pics and we must say, it is so great that he is able to truly let his inner self shine through.

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Top 10 Hilarious Struggles Only Cat Owners Will Understand

If your a cat owner you can defiantly relate to these :

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

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Gmail blocked in China

Gmail blocked in China

BEIJING (Reuters) - Google Inc's Gmail was blocked in China after months of disruptions to the world's biggest email service, with an anti-censorship advocate suggesting the Great Firewall was to blame.

Large numbers of Gmail web addresses were cut off in China on Friday, said GreatFire.org, a China-based freedom of speech advocacy group. Users said the service was still down on Monday.
"I think the government is just trying to further eliminate Google's presence in China and even weaken its market overseas," said a member of GreatFire.org, who uses a pseudonym.
"Imagine if Gmail users might not get through to Chinese clients. Many people outside China might be forced to switch away from Gmail."

Google's own Transparency Report, which shows real-time traffic to Google services, displayed a sharp drop-off in traffic to Gmail from China on Friday.
"We've checked and there's nothing wrong on our end," a Singapore-based spokesman for Google said in an email.

Almost all of Google's services have been heavily disrupted in China since June this year, but until last week Gmail users could still access emails downloaded via protocols like IMAP, SMTP and POP3. These had let people communicate using Gmail on apps like the Apple iPhone's Mail and Microsoft Outlook.

China maintains tight control over the internet, nipping in the bud any signs of dissent or challenges to the ruling Communist Party's leadership.
The country is host to the world's most sophisticated internet censorship mechanism, known as the Great Firewall of China. Critics say China has stepped up its disruption of foreign online services like Google over the past year to create an internet cut off from the rest of the world.

The Google disruption began in the run-up to the 25th anniversary of the government's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
Gmail's setback could make email communication difficult for companies operating in China which use Google's Gmail for their corporate email system, said GreatFire.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said she did not know anything about Gmail being blocked, adding that the government was committed to providing a good business environment for foreign investors.

"China has consistently had a welcoming and supportive attitude towards foreign investors doing legitimate business here," she said. "We will, as always, provide an open, transparent and good environment for foreign companies in China."

One popular way for companies and people to get around China's internet censorship is to use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) which allows unhindered access to blocked sites and services.
"It's becoming harder and harder to connect and do work in China when services like Gmail are being blocked," said Zach Smith, a Beijing-based digital products manager at City Weekend magazine. "Using a VPN seems to be the only answer to doing anything these days online in China."

(Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)

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Samsung May Kill Its Prettiest Phone Yet

Samsung May Kill Its Prettiest Phone Yet

Samsung is reportedly discontinuing its first metal smartphone, the Galaxy Alpha, just a few short months after it was introduced, according to a new report from Korean news source ET News (via The Verge).
The Galaxy Alpha, which was officially unveiled in August, comes with brushed aluminum metal edges that look similar to those on the iPhone 5 and 5s.

It's one of Samsung's best-looking phones yet, but the company will supposedly axe the Alpha in favor of its recently announced Galaxy A5.
The A5 looks a lot like the Galaxy Alpha, but it's a bit thinner. In fact, Samsung says the Galaxy A5 is its slimmest phone yet at 6.7mm. That's also thinner than the iPhone 6, which is 6.9mm.
Samsung's Galaxy A5 launched in China in November, but it will supposedly be coming to South Korea in January. There's no word on whether or not the Galaxy A5 will be released in the United States or any other markets just yet.

AT&T is the only carrier in the US offering the Galaxy Alpha, but it's unclear exactly when and if they'll stop selling it if ET News' report proves to be true.
We've reached out to Samsung for confirmation and will update this story accordingly.

Business Insider
Lisa Eadicicco

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You only need a camera (and luck) to copy someone's fingerprints

You only need a camera (and luck) to copy someone's fingerprints

having to lift smudges from a touchscreen to copy someone's fingerprints. According to a Chaos Computer Club presentation, you only need a camera... well, that and a little luck. The hacking association's Jan Krissler recently demonstrated that you can reproduce someone's fingerprint by getting a few good photos of their hand and processing it through off-the-shelf authentication software like VeriFinger. In Kessler's case, he got the German Defense Minister's thumbprint through photos from a press conference.
As you might already suspect, this isn't a surefire way of grabbing prints. It only works so long as you have access to high-quality snapshots of someone's digits. That's relatively easy with hand-waving celebrities and politicians, but it's far from guaranteed that someone will snap photos of your fingers while you're crossing the street. And of course, data thieves would still need to get your devices or otherwise find a way to sign in using your biometric info. The practical danger is low -- the concern is more that a determined intruder doesn't have to work quite so hard to get your secrets.Chaos Computer Club

Jon Fingas

Engadget 

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Are Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin Spending New Year's Eve Together?

Are Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin Spending New Year's Eve Together?

Justin Bieber and his rumored girlfriend Hailey Baldwin are set to spend New Year's Eve together! A source explained to Hollywood Life, “Justin wants to have a house party for the New Year and he definitely wants it to be with a bunch of friends, but he also wants to have Hailey there. They have decided that they want to spend New Years together, make it a little low key, but definitely spend it together.”

While Justin has told fans that he is single, and Hailey is just a friend

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