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Chill, Mom! Snapchat's self-destructing messages are about silliness, not sex

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 24 May 2013 17:04:53 GMT

A service that lets you send images that self-destruct after 10 seconds? Why would parents freak out about that? While the initial furor over Snapchat — Young people will use this to sext! Young people don't understand that nothing digital ever truly goes away! — has died down, an increasing number of kids are using the surprisingly addictive service."We send mostly embarrassing things," Beth Hann...

Hack your Memorial Day with 7 high-tech beach toys

Katie Linendoll — Fri, 24 May 2013 14:50:56 GMT

It’s beach time! Having grown up on Lake Erie, summertime brings back memories of E. coli alerts for me, but hey, we still have the best sunsets! Bacteria aside, this time of year is all about finding the best gadgets for the pool, beach and heat. Here are some of my top picks, as showcased on TODAY live from the Jersey Shore.Giant inflatable beach balls, prices varyThe standard beach ball has rec...

Girl, 14, rocks Internet with cover of classic Van Halen guitar solo

Kurt Schlosser — Thu, 23 May 2013 21:49:13 GMT

Eddie Van Halen is regarded as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, and his solo on the 1978 song "Eruption" is second on Guitar World's list of the 50 best. A 14-year-old girl on YouTube named Tina S. is now racking up views with her spot-on cover of the rock classic.Uploaded on May 20, more than 1.7 million people have watched Tina as she plays seated, almost no emotion on her face, finge...

Life-sized Star Wars X-Wing fighter is world's largest LEGO model

Rosa Golijan — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:37:27 GMT

It took 32 master builders, over five million LEGO bricks, and more than 17,000 hours to put together a full-scale replica of a Star Wars X-Wing fighter, but the finished model was well worth it. It's currently the world's largest LEGO model and it's sitting in the middle of Times Square in New York City.The 5,335,200-brick model is a one-to-one replica of LEGO Star Wars set #9493—it's just 42 tim...

Life-sized Star Wars X-Wing starfighter is world's largest LEGO model

Rosa Golijan — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:26:19 GMT

It took 32 master builders, over five million LEGO bricks, and more than 17,000 hours to put together a full-scale replica of a Star Wars X-Wing starfighter, but the finished model was well worth it. It's currently the world's largest LEGO model and it's sitting in the middle of Times Square in New York City.The 5,335,200-brick model is a one-to-one replica of LEGO Star Wars set #9493—it's just 42...

Ashton Kutcher: Media has messed up Twitter

Daniel P. Howley, Laptopmag.com — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:53:00 GMT

Actor and tech investor Ashton Kutcherwas on hand at CTIA 2013 to discuss his views on the mobile industry and social networking. During the keynote Thursday in Las Vegas, Kutcher was asked how he thought Twitter was monetizing the mobile market. The star of the upcoming film, “jOBS,” said the media messed up the social network. Kutcher, who is extremely active on Twitter, said his experience wi...

Xbox One vs. PlayStation 4 vs. Wii U: Can one console rule?

Yannick LeJacq — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:19:56 GMT

All three next-generation video game consoles are now official, but only Nintendo's Wii U has hit the market — and that one isn't exactly a hot seller. In the months leading up to the as-yet-undated Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 launches, it's time to speculate:What will it take to win the new console war?Will Microsoft's TV-friendly tricks conquer the living room? Will Sony win by woo...

Teen's soldier homecoming Google Doodle hits homepage, wins $30K scholarship

Rosa Golijan — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:32:42 GMT

Google asked students across the country to submit artwork showing off what they consider to be their "best day ever" as part of the Doodle 4 Google competition. The winner's artwork is gracing the Google homepage for a day — which is a nice bonus on top of a $30,000 college scholarship, a laptop, and other items in the prize package.A Google Doodle — a redesigned version of the Google homepage lo...

Twelfth grader's 'Doodle' wins $30,000 scholarship, is featured on Google homepage

Rosa Golijan — Thu, 23 May 2013 15:10:01 GMT

Survey says Apple users are cheaters — no wait! They're cheap! No, wait...

Rosa Golijan — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:24:17 GMT

I'm an Apple fangirl. My most recent ex is an Apple fanboy. And we somehow got along even though a variety of dating sites are spitting out pseudo-scientific statistics suggesting that we are cheaters who date around way too much while not getting a lot of action. Oh, and we might be cheap. Or maybe not ... there's some contradiction.According to Ashley Madison, a site which helps folks arrange di...

Pizza printout? NASA funds effort to make space meals on 3-D printer

Alan Boyle, Science Editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:51:16 GMT

NASA won't be printing out pizzas on Mars anytime soon, but the space agency is paying out $125,000 to study the use of 3-D printing technology for food preparation in space."We will be building the components for a prototype" over the grant's six-month period, David Irwin, principal investigator for the project at Texas-based Systems and Materials Research Consultancy, told NBC News.The ideas is ...

Teens' enthusiasm for Facebook is 'waning,' says study

Suzanne Choney — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:01:40 GMT

American teenagers have "waning enthusiasm" for Facebook, but they're still using the social network while upping their time spent on other social media sites like Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Tumblr, according to a new study.The Facebook diss is because of the "increasing adult presence, people sharing excessively and stressful 'drama' " on the site, says the Pew Research Center’s Internet &a...

Busted by butt-dial: 'This phone really called 911? Damn!'

Rosa Golijan — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:09:49 GMT

Worried about the increasing ease with which law enforcement can access cellphones? How can you protect yourself? Step 1 would be: Don't call the cops when you're embarking on a petty crime spree. It's a lesson two men learned the hard way, thanks to a humble pocket dial to 911.The Fresno Police Department provided TODAY with a recording of a 911 call, made at approximately 11:30 p.m. PT on May 9....

Your shiny, happy vacation on Facebook is a lie, and that's OK

Dana McMahan — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:12:10 GMT

Not only do people edit their vacation photos they post on Facebook -- selecting the ones of the best experiences, a little cropping here, a little faux vintage filter there -- some are actually starting to edit what they do on their vacations in order to get a more impressive status update.In a way, living your travels in real time for an online audience is like producing your own reality show. A...

Microsoft reveals Xbox One, the 'new generation' console

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:06:34 GMT

On Tuesday at the company's campus in Redmond, Wash., Microsoft unveiled the new Xbox One console, along with plenty of content plans, including a "Halo" live-action TV show from Steven Spielberg, and an exclusive deal with Activision for "Call of Duty: Ghosts."After a thumping welcome video — carrying the message that in the next generation, gamers will "stop watching and start feeling ... alive"...

Microsoft to reveal Xbox's 'new generation'

Wilson Rothman — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:21:59 GMT

On this dreary Tuesday at the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash., executives are taking the stage to share news (and hopefully a glimpse) of the new Xbox console. With combatants Nintendo and Sony already weighing in with Wii U and PlayStation 4, respectively, a lot is riding on Team Xbox to meet (or beat) expectations.After a thumping welcome video — carrying the message that in the next generati...

Tumblr's teenage wasteland: Wait till Mom and Dad find out

Helen A.S. Popkin — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:37:13 GMT

Let's face it: Part of Tumblr's popularity is that it's been sort of a porn Facebook for teens. With Yahoo's purchase for $1.1 billion, it seems, that won't be going away. At least according to Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, who says Yahoo has no plans to mess with Tumblr.Tumblr's unique charm combines the teen angst of Live Journal with the enforced brevity of Twitter, plus kitten GIFs! It's perfect fo...

Tumblr's teenage pornland: Wait till Mom and Dad find out

Helen A.S. Popkin — Mon, 20 May 2013 23:09:14 GMT

Where do you hold your cellphone? Your brain decides

Nidhi Subbaraman — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:56:21 GMT

When you talk on the cellphone, do you hold it up to your right ear or left? A group of researchers at the Henry Ford Health System in Michigan suggest that how you hold your phone could give away the dominant half of your brain. The lesson the group took away was this: Most right-handed people, who eat and write and throw with their right hand, also prefer to talk with their cellphone held up to ...

Where do you hold your cell phone? Your brain decides

Nidhi Subbaraman — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:39:41 GMT

Students can't resist distraction for two minutes ... neither can you

Bob Sullivan, NBC News — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:18:02 GMT

Aimee Copeland gets new high-tech hands

Linda Carroll — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:22:09 GMT

In a major milestone, Aimee Copeland, the Georgia graduate student who contracted flesh-eating bacteria after a zip-lining accident, is learning to use two state-of-the art prosthetic hands. The high-tech hands may one day allow her to do the kinds of things most of us take for granted: cooking, cleaning, driving a car. In May 2012, a wound Copeland sustained in her accident developed necrotizing ...

'Vampires,' hit men and more lurk in shocking online classifieds

TODAY Show — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:10:16 GMT

Here's a quick look at Chris Hansen's upcoming video series "Wild Wild Web," that you can see in a new 2-hour Dateline that airs Friday night at 8 p.m. on NBC.

Google I/O keynote: A music service, revamped Maps and Larry Page

Rosa Golijan — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:16:32 GMT

Google I/O, the tech giant's annual developer's conference, kicked off Wednesday with a keynote event in San Francisco. Though the show lacked a sky-diving stunt and new hardware (both which were the stars last year), the company offered up a new music service, redesigned Maps — and a surprise Q&A by a hoarse CEO Larry Page, who recently disclosed the nature of his ailment. "Welcome to the six...

Identity thieves busted by Instagram obsession

Rosa Golijan — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:05:29 GMT

A man's inability to refrain from sharing his steak and mac n' cheese meal on Instagram got him and his partner-in-crime busted for identity theft. Some might argue that this is a karma's punishment for spamming social media with "food porn," but there's more to the story.According to court documents, Nathaniel Troy Maye and Tiwanna Tenise Thomason plead guilty to possession of unauthorized access...