Category: ifttt

By Justin Pot, MakeUseOf – December 09, 2010 at 02:31PM

With access to millions of books and compatibility with a wide variety of devices, Google’s new book store is certainly going to be a powerful force in the publishing industry. Even better, it provides easy access to beautifully rendered public domain books free of charge. Get yourself a quality collection of classic literature free from Google.

Google’s entry into the ebook store business will undoubtedly be controversial, but one thing is clear: their collection of public domain ebooks is without rival in terms of volume and quality. Best of all, with the help of Calibre, you can read these books on practically any device – even the seemingly unsupported Amazon Kindle.

Sadly, it seems that right now none of these offerings work outside of the United States. You could try using a proxy to bypass this with various proxy services, if you want, but the sad truth is that Google isn’t officially opening this service up to everyone quite yet.

Finding Free Books

For those of us in America, though, Google’s book store appears to be just another book store at first glance. There’s the usual collection of New York Times Bestsellers, and many books for sale.

Keep scrolling down, however, and you’ll see this section:

This is the paydirt. Here you can get access to Google’s 3 million public domain titles. You can browse by simply going through the free titles here, or you can search for any work that is in the public domain. Any book without a price beneath it, you can assume, is free.

Once you find a book you like you can read the book online. Google offers a simple but very useful web-based ebook reader:

This elegant interface gives you a great way to read these public domain books, particularly if you set your browser for full-screen. The arrow keys behave as you’d expect them to, turning the pages, and you can quickly access the table on contents or search the text. Best of all, it’s tied to your Google account, meaning you can switch computers and keep reading from where you left off, without having to install anything.

Supported Devices

But for those of us with access to a dedicated ebook reader this has no appeal at all. We want to read these books on our readers, of course. This isn’t a problem. Users of the iPad, iPhone and Android devices will be happy to know that dedicated apps for reading these books exist. There’s also official instructions for the Nook and Sony Readers.

Beyond this, Google is offering support to any device that can work with Adobe Digital Editions, including my beloved Kobo. If you’re wondering whether your device can access these books, check out this handy list from Adobe and see if your device is there.

Note that you only need to use Adobe’s software for purchased books, however. All of Google’s ebooks are completely free of DRM, meaning you can easily put them onto any ebook reader supported by Calire, the best ebook management software. This includes all of the above-mentioned devices, and the Kindle (which is specifically not supported by Google).

Using Google EPUBS With Calibre

So how do we download these unprotected books, so we can transfer them to Calibre? Easily. On any book’s summary page, you’ll see this blue box:

Instead of clicking “Read Now,” click “Read on your device“. This will bring you to a page of various options. Scroll down until you see these options:

I highly recommend you select “EPUB”, as this format is custom-made to work well with almost every ebook reader on the market (except the Kindle, which doesn’t support it, though you can use Calibre to convert it). Once you’ve downloaded the EPUB all you need to do is add the book to your Calibre library and then use Calibre to send it to your device.

Conclusion

You’ll be glad you did. Google’s EPUB files are wonderfully rendered, and far less cumbersome to read than the ones provided by Project Gutenburg–at least, that’s the case in my experience. I’m going to be using Google for all my public domain EPUB downloads from now on.

What do you think about Google ebooks? Do you enjoy this free service from Google, or do you prefer to use other sites to get free ebooks? Let me know in the comments below.

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By Ryan Dube, MakeUseOf – December 09, 2010 at 01:31PM

If there’s anything that annoys me about being at work for eight to nine hours every day, it’s the strict lockdown on the Internet. While I certainly don’t envy the job of the network administrators tasked with the job of filtering and policing Internet use, it seems that the level of filtering varies significantly from company to company.

One thing that should be said is that the network security team at any company has a pretty tough job – they have to protect internal IT resources from a myriad of external and internal threats. However, some security groups clamp down everything so tight that you’re lucky if you can get through the Internet firewall at all.

While this is perfectly fine during the workday, during your lunch break when you’re taking a moment to relax, it would be nice have a few places to visit that are interesting and fun. You could follow Ben’s tips and try to bypass the filter.  That might get you in trouble, so maybe finding appropriate sites for work is a better alternative.

10 Safe For Work Websites

The following ten websites are some of the coolest places I found to just unwind for half an hour while eating lunch. Aibek offered a list of cool websites to procrastinate at work. While reading tech sites and news is awesome – it can get old after a while. Sometimes you just just need a good laugh to unwind.

The first website is one of those places you’d want to visit if you’ve just suffered through a meeting run by those types of people that are insufferably “inspirational.” They talk about passion, drive and perseverance like an Army drill sergeant talks about duty and honor. When you’re through with the meeting, visit Despair.com.

One of my favorites is the one for “Customer Care” that reads, “If we really cared for the customer we’d send them somewhere better.”

Another website that an MUO reader mentioned in the comments area of my Bizarre Websites article was People of Walmart. This website has been gaining in popularity quite a bit in the past few years.

Mostly all content here is PG and accepted by most corporate filters. So enjoy a grin or two at the expense of others!

Now, for those of you that feel the workday can get you stressed out and down – a useful site to visit during your break is Things are Good. Here, you can read about positive news and things that are, quite simply, good.

Read about kind things people have done in the world. Things that will just make you feel good about the world, even in the midst of a really hard day at work.

Don’t feel like reading – but would rather play games? Check out Free Rice, a highly addictive English vocabulary game where you need to answer various questions that increase in difficulty in each level.

For each correct answer, Free Rice will donate 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme. Have fun and help the world at the same time during your 30 minute lunch. How cool is that?

If you’re the type of person that loves to travel, and you feel confined to your office – try visiting EarthCam.

Earthcam is an impressive collection of webcams around the world that let you travel from the comfort of your desk. Check out Times Square, Aquariums, Monuments and much more.

Next up is Passive Aggressive notes. This is a blog with frequent updates featuring…well…passive aggressive notes. I visit this one often. Being rather passive aggressive myself, I think I get a little too much enjoyment out of these posts!

Another great safe-for-work site that is well suited to read in an office environment is a website called Overheard in the Office.

This is an absolutely hilarious site where visitors submit real-world conversations they’ve either had or overheard where they work. Trust me, some of these will have you doubled over in pain from laughing.

Another one for those of you that enjoy traveling or exploring different places is Walk Score.

This is a really interesting online resource that lets you type in any address and find out how appealing that city or town is to people that prefer walking. Any score over 90 is a place you could live without really owning a car.

One of my favorite sites to visit on those days where I just want to let my mind wander is Magnetic Poetry.

You can play an online version of the real-world magnetic poetry kit. This is a great “zen” like activity for those days when you’re feeling particularly harried at work.

Finally, I’ve saved one of my favorites for last. It isn’t always easy to find funny photo gallery sites through the company firewall, but no need to worry, Awkward Family Photos will give you some of the biggest laughs you’ve ever had.

Hopefully, these ten websites provide you with plenty of material that you can bookmark for a little bit of lunchtime relaxation and fun. Work can be stressful sometimes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a break every now and then to sit back and enjoy a laugh or two.

Do you have any other fun safe-for-work websites that would make it through pretty much any firewall? Share your own suggestions in the comments section below!

Image credit: Stephen Davies

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By Angela Shupe, Business Opportunities Weblog – December 09, 2010 at 12:46PM

Inventing might start with a good idea, but the real work comes when you turn that idea into something that can be used. The process, which can be very complicated, is sometimes enough to stop a really good idea from going anywhere. Now there is a web service that can help inventors turn those ideas into something real.

NventNode is a web-based software that helps inventors “invent, research, develop, & market” their product. Anyone that was once wary of getting started can now do so with ease. New inventors are able to learn about the inventing process, manage development, and collaborate. Furthermore, this unique product is the only invention management software of its kind.

I recently had the opportunity to ask the inventor of NventNode, Brian Gates, about his service and what it can do. Read on and you’ll also find a special discount code just for you!

Tell us a little about the NventNode.

NventNode is the first and only software service created for inventors and entrepreneurs to help manage their product development. The software is designed to guide the user through every phase of development by providing tools and resources to aid in completing each task. Users of the software will benefit from an improved understanding of the development process and have better managed products, resulting in shorter development timelines with significantly increased potential for success.

What inspired it?

NventNode was inspired by my experiences in working with entrepreneurs and inventors to bring their products to market. During those experiences I began to see a trend that those who had an understanding of the process and a means by which to manage the process had greater success. Realizing that, NventNode was created to provide a step by step road map for successful development while providing a wealth of knowledge in easy to understand segments. This solves two major problems an entrepreneur or inventor will face, understanding the development process and being able to manage all the moving parts.

How does it work?

NventNode works by allowing a user to be guided through every step of the product development process. The first step involves documenting the original concept and capturing the problem to be solved. Once the idea has been recorded the user is then asked to determine the end goal of their development, licensing or business development. Based on the selected goal, a road map is provided, with clear milestones to be achieved. NventNode will provide the user with the tools to identify, collect and share information throughout the entire process. Users are able to research competitors, perform patent searches, conduct focus groups, manage design development and generate a provisional patent application all through NventNode. In addition, users can assemble a team and assign each team member a task or safely share information with other professionals in a confidential environment.

What are some goals that you hope to accomplish over the next year or so?

Our goal is to provide entrepreneurs and inventors with the tools to bring their products to market on an unparalleled scale. Our software service is designed to empower the user and we are excited to see what entrepreneurs can do with it when given the tools to succeed. I would love nothing better than to have the next great product come from an NventNode user.

What separates the NventNode from the competition?

NventNode is very much an industry game changer. As the only complete software solution available to entrepreneurs and inventors, we intend to completely change how products are developed. We have seen attempts from other companies who focus on one single aspect of development and fall short in providing a simple to use interface. NventNode offers a single solution for managing the entire development process while being able to collaborate with your own team.

How long did it take for you to build the NventNode into what it is today? What was that process like?

NventNode has taken years of development to define exactly what steps should be taken and how best to present those to the end user so that they can quickly grasp the concept. During our development, we have gone through many different iterations of the site, each time testing the basis for our steps, methods for presenting those steps and identifying the tools which provide the most value to the user.

If you could go back in time, is there anything you would have done differently?

At this point we are very satisfied with the service and believe it provides a great foundation that we can continue to build upon. Ultimately our user base will determine which tools provide the most value and where we need to continue refinement. So far we have received excellent feedback from users and industry insiders.

The great thing about web based software is that we can continue to add value to our clients by refining or adding new features instantly to all users.

What are some lessons your business has taught you?

Perseverance. We live in a world where we expect things to happen instantly or at least relatively quickly. The long process for developing this software seemed daunting at times with no end in sight but the time spent refining the idea has provided a service which will change how people bring products to market.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

To thank Business Opportunities Weblog we would like to provide your readers with a discount code. Enter “invent” to receive $5 off the monthly price or $15 off the quarterly price. Visit www.nventnode.com to begin bringing your ideas to life.

Do you have any advice that you’d like to offer fellow entrepreneurs that are just getting started?

Having a great idea is a start but the trick is being able to prove you have a great idea. Spend the time to research competitors, research patents and prove there is a market for your product. By having research to back up your claims, you not only present a more compelling solution but have the foundation to develop a strong product. This research will be extremely valuable throughout the entire development process and is critical to success.

By Brian Barrett, Gizmodo – December 09, 2010 at 09:40AM

Let’s say you’ve got a kickass sled and plenty of snow, but no nearby hills to plummet down. Are you thinking what this guy’s thinking, and tying your sled to the back of a fast-moving train? Please don’t! More »

By Guest Contributor, Digital Photography School – December 09, 2010 at 09:09AM

An introduction to Shooting Star Trails by Trevor Williams.

I will attempt to explain here how to capture stars over a long exposure so that they leave behind a “trail” or light stream. In fact, what are recorded are stationary stars and the rotation of the earth. The images that are created have a unique magic about them that captivate viewers.

A lot of people mention that their love of photography comes from capturing that perfect moment in time. When shooting at night those “moments” become a little longer. When shooting star trails those “moments” turn into hours. Capturing that perfect hour or two in time is what makes shooting star trails so fun for me. When I look at star trails pictures, they remind me that this big rock we live on is spinning out in space. For such amazing looking pictures the technique is really quite simple.

You will need a few things before you head out into the night especially a camera capable of shooting in “bulb” mode. You will also need a cable release and a location far way from any city lights. I usually look for a place with some foreground interest like some trees or old buildings. You should also make sure you are prepared for the environment and weather.

Before we get started, I suggest getting into your car and driving far away from the city. The amount of visible stars will greatly increase the farther away you get from any town. There are a few ways to go about shooting star trails. We will start with the basics that do not change whether one is using a film camera or digital camera. Before setting up the camera on the tripod it is a good idea to set the focus. In the dark, it is not easy to get the AF to lock on to anything.

I suggest trying on one of the brighter stars in the sky and if that does not work set the focus to infinity. It may seem to be the obvious thing to do from the start but not all lenses are perfectly accurate. If you do manage to get your camera to auto-focus be sure to set it to MF or manual focus before starting your exposure or it will star searching again when you start the exposure. Once you have set focus set up the camera on the tripod and compose the shot.

Try not to include any direct light sources, like streetlights, in the shot. One more thing to think about is white balance. I tend to shoot night skies with the white balance set to “tungsten” which gives a nice blue look. Warmer colors tend to give the sky a dirty look. I now suggest doing a test shot which aids in composing your final shot. A 2-3 minute exposure at high ISO and wide aperture is enough to be able to see which direction the stars are moving and allow one to imagine what the final shot will look like.

For shooting options, one could choose to do it all in one shot or shoot multiple shots and “stack” them after using computer software. I personally find that shooting multiple images and stacking them yields much nicer images than those done all in one shot. If you are going to do it all in one shot then your biggest concern should be noise.

To avoid noise, one could use a narrower aperture and a lower ISO speed but these settings will typically not pick up very many stars. If this is the route you are going to take, and I suggest at least trying it, then focus and compose the shot. Set the time value to “bulb”, the aperture to its widest, and with and ISO at 200, try for a 30-minute exposure with a wide aperture of 3.5 – 4.0. If there is too much noise then drop the ISO to 100 and either shorten the exposure time or try a narrower aperture.

If shooting this way is your only option, there is something that you can do to increase the appearance of the length of the trails in the frame that will be limited due to the short exposure time. The actual length of the trails is determined solely by time but the appearance of the trail length is determined by the focal length you are shooting at. For example, stars over a 30-minute exposure would appear much longer in the frame at 50mm than they would at 10mm. If you find that you are limited to shorter exposure time due to noise, or any other factor, try shooting at a longer focal length to increase the appearance of the star trail length in relation to the frame.

Now on to my preferred way of shooting which is multiple shots that will be stacked later using computer software. Shooting this way means one can shoot with a wide aperture and a faster ISO that will pick up many more stars than the previous method. One can do this because noise becomes much less of a factor.

Noise generally increases with time so you only have to worry about 30 seconds that means even at ISO 800 it is not really going to cause a problem. There is even an option to include dark frames, which are frames shot with the lens cap on, so that even the tiny bit of noise from ISO 800 over 30 seconds will be removed. With the higher end DSLR’s and the improvement of sensor noise reduction in recent models means that the ISO can be bumped even higher that will result in even more stars.

You will need to find the balance for your camera. Now with the evil “noise” taken care of the only thing limiting your exposure time is your battery life. For this method it is necessary to use a cable release and it is also important to make sure there is plenty of space on your memory card. To get started, set your focus and compose your shot. Set the aperture to its widest and the ISO to 800. Dial in 30 seconds for the time value and the drive to “continuous shooting” mode which allows for non-stop shooting when the cable release is locked. I suggest doing a test shot first to see if it looks all right. If anything is too bright then dial the ISO down.

Once you have taken the shots you will need to stack them using software. I recommend a freeware program, startrails.exe, available from www.startrails.de. Simply import the pictures, hit the ‘build’ button and wait for it to finish rendering. Don’t forget to save it when it is finished, as the there is no auto-save function built into this software. This is only available for Windows but there are many free actions for Photoshop if you are using a Mac. Simply search “star trail Photoshop action” and you will find what you are looking for.

To complete the shots, an idea is to include a foreground element, like a structure or tree, and light it with a flashlight or flash. I highly recommend testing out how much light is needed before locking that cable release. Too much light will distract from that beautiful star filled sky you are about to create. For foreground lighting use a warm color if you chose to use the recommended “tungsten” white balance.

If you use LED light with such a cold white balance setting as ‘tungsten’, you will find objects in the foreground look very blue. To avoid this, you could apply an amber gel to a flash or use a tungsten light source like a flashlight that has a ‘regular’ light bulb as opposed to an LED bulb. I also suggest doing the foreground lighting at the beginning and again at the end incase one of those is unsuitable for the final shot. You simply exclude those frames from the stack.

If it was done in the middle and a mistake was made leaving those frames unusable it would create a break in the trail that would take away from the shot. A final note for those with experience in night photography, keep in mind that you are now shooting wide open with your ISO bumped to 800 so adjust your lighting techniques to accommodate for that with low power flashes or less lighting time with a flashlight.

All in all, a rather simple technique that yields captivating results.

Trevor Williams (aka tdub303) is a Canadian who has been stuck in Japan for over 10 years. He has busy days that leave him shooting at night. His night shots have led to him being featured in a light painting documentary titled Luminary that is due out in early 2011. He has also contributed two chapters to published book on night photography techniques. He is now shooting weddings and portraits in his free time and exhibits work at various galleries around Japan. Check him out at:

• www.fiz-iks.com (night photography and light painting)
• www.smackphoto.jp (wedding and commercial work)
• https://www.flickr.com/photos/trevor303/ (flickr)

Post from: Digital Photography School

By Adam Dachis, Lifehacker – December 09, 2010 at 09:00AM

iPhones are versatile devices, but they resemble a familiar shape: the remote control. Being the pocket computers that they are, iPhones embrace this form with some of the most amazing remotes you could hope for. Here are our top picks.

For the flip side of the mobile OS coin, check out The Best Remote Apps for Your Android.

By Sebastian Anthony, Download Squad – December 09, 2010 at 06:00AM

Ho ho ho! I remember, when I was 8, Santa called my father’s mobile phone. He had a message for me, and it blew my mind. A few years later, my dad told me it was his best friend, and he had bought a new SIM card just so I couldn’t trace the number! Ah, the lengths adults go to preserve the magic of Santa Claus.

Today, things just got a whole lot easier. If you want to create a personalized message for a (younger) special someone, there’s the Google Voice-powered Send A Personalized Call From Santa. There are hundreds of options to choose from — more than enough to convince the recipient that it’s a message just for them — and most of them are hilarious. Once you’re done, you can send it as a phone call (in the US only, alas), by email, or simply grab a URL.

Check out my message from Santa if you want to hear a sample of what this piece of awesomeness can produce. I love how it correctly synthesizes my name.

If you don’t have someone to send a Santa message to, please give the link to any friends and family that do have children. This is the kind of thing that makes the festive season truly memorable.

Send hilarious, personalized Santa messages with Google Voice originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 09 Dec 2010 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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By Whitson Gordon, Lifehacker – December 08, 2010 at 08:00PM

Each Saturday, we pore through our favorite tips and tricks to find 10 great hacks surrounding any subject, from food and thumb drives to browsers and Wi-Fi. Here are our most popular Top 10s of 2010.

Photo remixed from an original by Matt Katzenberger

Top 10 Ways to Access Blocked Stuff on The Web

One of the biggest annoyances on the web today is blocked content—whether it’s behind a paywall or blocked by your device manufacturer, ISP, or country limits, we rounded up some of the best ways to get past content blockers and access any service you want.

Top 10 DIY Food Geek Projects

If there’s one thing we love putting our geeky DIY efforts toward around here (besides technology, of course), it’s food. If it’s a product of your own hard work, it just tastes so much better. We’ve done some great kitchen repurposing tricks and food hacks in the past, but if you’re looking to go for the gusto these are some of our coolest in-depth food projects.

Top 10 USB Thumb Drive Tricks

Despite what your friends may think, those little USB drives are good for a lot more than just transferring files between computers. It’s amazing how something so small can do so much—encrypt data, fix broken machines run portable apps, or even run an entire operating system.

Top 10 Thing You Didn’t Know Google Maps Could Do

Sure, Google Maps is great for getting driving directions, but it can do oh so much more. Whether you’re on vacation, looking for neat things to do, or just going for a bike ride, Google Maps has got you covered with everything you could want when on-the-go.

Top 10 Things to Do with a New Windows 7 System

Windows 7 brought a lot of cool new features to the world’s most popular operating system, but they weren’t all easy to find. We went through and found our favorite Windows 7 tips, tricks and tweaks that turn a fresh Windows install into a customized powerhouse (without the need for extra software).

Top 10 Android Apps

It took Android a little longer than iOS to ramp up a following, but about a year after its inception we rounded up some of the best apps available in the Android Market. We skipped over the really obvious choices—Facebook, Evernote, and so on—so Android fans could find some of the best tools that bring Android’s strengths to light. Of course, be sure to check out our recent Lifehacker Pack for Android as well for more app recommendations.

Top 10 Creative Ways to Store Your Stuff

We’re pretty anti-clutter around these parts, and one of the best ways to prevent clutter (and thus save time by not having to clean it) is to figure out the smartest ways to store all the stuff in your life. Whether it’s a DIY solution that gets your stuff off the floor, finding clever places to hide unsightly accessories, or just plain good organization skills, we’ve got you covered.

Top 10 Uses for Wi-Fi (That Aren’t Just Connecting to the Internet)

The invention of wireless networking brought us many great things, but few people realize its use beyond connecting to the internet without plugging into a wall. With Wi-Fi, you can print, listen to music, watch movies, transfer files, and do tons of other things from the comfort of your couch—even if it’s far away from your precious Ethernet jack. Add a smartphone to the mix and the possibilities are nearly endless.

Top 10 Must-Have Browser Extensions

We’ve done browser extension roundups many times before, but with Google Chrome overtaking Firefox among power users and browsers like Safari finally getting extension support, it seemed more appropriate than ever to find the ten must-have browser extensions out there.

Top 10 Hard Drive Upgrades and Fixes

Your hard drive is a pretty crucial piece of equipment to your computer and your workflow, and it should never hold you back. We rounded up some of our favorite upgrades, tweaks, and clever uses for our internal hard drives.

Top 10 External Hard Drive Tricks

After a few years, we all rack up a bunch of extra hard drives that no longer have a place inside our computer. External hard drives, however, can still have purpose after they’ve been extradited from your PC case. If you’ve got some external drives collecting dust, here’s how to put them to good use.

Top 10 Google Settings You Should Know About

After the Google Buzz fiasco of 2010, we realized there are a lot of great settings buried within Google Apps that deserve to be uncovered. Whether you just use Gmail or you’re a fan of the whole Google suite, these settings should help you customize your experience to your liking.

Top 10 Ways Your Brain Is Sabotaging You (and How to Beat It)

Whether you like it or not, your subconscious is constantly playing tricks on you, worming its way into your everyday life without you even knowing. We looked through some of the biggest ways your brain is trying to sabotage your every move, and how to keep it under control.

Top 10 Mac Applications that Should Be on Windows

Sure, we love Windows 7 and all its neat new features, but there are some apps on OS X that the Windows development community just can’t hold a candle to. Part one of this dual top 10 revealed the apps we’re most jealous of OS X for having all to itself.

Top 10 DIY Cellphone Mods and Accessories

You’d think that a $200 cell phone would be able to do anything and everything, but sometimes it just needs a little outside help. Whether you’re trying to restore its original scratch-free look, prop it up on your desk or dashboard, or use it while wearing gloves, we’ve got you covered with the best DIY projects to enhance your phone.

Top 10 Clever Google Voice Tricks

When Google Voice opened up to the entire US this year, we decided to run down some of the best clever tricks you could use it for—whether it be integration with Skype, GPS, Gmail, or your IM client. Of course, you could always just use it for voicemail and keep your own number, but where’s the fun in that?

Top 10 Windows Applications that Should Be on Macs

In part two of our “wishes for other operating systems” top 10 chronicled our favorite Windows apps that are exclusive to Windows (but that we Mac users wish were on OS X).

Top 10 Windows Media Center Plug-Ins and Boosters

We talk a lot about media center software here at Lifehacker, and while programs like XBMC get a lot of voice, we try not to forget the great, built-in Windows Media Center software. These great plug-ins, helper apps, and tweaks take Windows Media Center to the next level of awesome.

Top 10 Privacy Tweaks You Should Know About

Between Facebook, Firesheep, and the continuing BitTorrent saga, privacy was on a lot of our minds this year. If you’re looking to keep your computing protected from prying eyes, we’ve got the tweaks and setups to keep your information safe.

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And there you have it—our 20 favorite Top 10 features (that’s a whopping 200 tips in total) from the past year. Have a favorite that was less popular and didn’t make the cut? Share it with us in the comments. And, if you’re looking for even more great top 10s, check out the most popular lists from 2009 and 2008.

By MG Siegler, TechCrunch – December 08, 2010 at 12:16PM

Today during the Media Panel at LeWeb ’10 in Paris, France, there was one thing on everyones’ mind: WikiLeaks.

“This is a turning point for the Internet — it’s not just about WikiLeaks anymore,” Weblogs SL’s Julio Alonso said. ”What happens to WikiLeaks will get applied to others later on,” he warned.

“This is the first attempt at censorship of the Internet by all the governments of the planet,” Wikio’s Pierre Chappaz added. “Despite all the attacks, I’m optimistic that the information will survive,” he added.

When moderator Adrian Monck asked if this would cast a shadow on the United States in particular, Techmeme’s Gabe Rivera said he thought it already has in some ways. Rivera noted that just the tone of the crowd at LeWeb proves that to some extent. He also singled out U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman suggesting that The New York Times could be a target because of their publication of some of the cables. “It underscores that there’s really no essential difference between what WikiLeaks is doing and what The New York Times does,” he said. Rivera said that is something to be concerned about.

“We’ve pushed the theory of Internet censorship to the very edge,” The Wall Street Journal Europe’s Ben Rooney added.

“We have to speak about what’s happening,” Chappaz said. ”I’m amazed by the silence of the traditional media. This is a systematic attack. We have to explain to the traditional media. The stakes are about the free press,” he continued.

Alonso agreed. “The first line of defense is speaking about it,” he said.

Rivera added that the leakers aren’t going to lose this war. He cited mirror sites, Twitter accounts, Facebook messages, and all kinds of things that keep popping up to continue the data spread. “The leakers will win,” he said.

The panel seemed fairly convinced that even if P2P networks had to replace DNS, the information would indeed end up winning.

“The Internet is too strong. They’ll have a hard time getting it under control,” Chappaz wrapped up the panel with.

By Casey Chan, Gizmodo – December 07, 2010 at 09:20PM

Berlin doctors have captured the first ever MRI images of a baby being born. It’s nice to know that the miracle of birth is just as disgustingly beautiful inside, as it is outside. More »