How to Change the Background of a Picture

A common problem that may occur when taking photos is represented by the fact that a photo has a great subject but an awful background. The background may be over-exposed, may have an ugly color or maybe you just don’t like it and you want to change it. What can you to do to remedy this?
How to Change the Background of a Picture

Five Things I Learned At TechEd 2013

Last week our 2013 World Of Servers series reached its climax with a trip to New Orleans for Microsoft’s TechEd North America 2013 conference. Here are the five big lessons I took away from that event (plus a round-up of what our competition-winning bloggers thought about it).
Five Things I Learned At TechEd 2013

13 Clichéd Photo Poses You're Totally Guilty of Doing

Looking cute in a photo can be tough.
Sometimes, the waiter taking a picture of your birthday dinner is standing so close that you know you're about to look like a giantess. Or maybe you're stranded without a drink to hold onto, no pockets and no idea where to put your arms.
13 Clichéd Photo Poses You're Totally Guilty of Doing

What Is PRISM? The Secret US Government Program Explained

Yesterday, the Washington Post and The Guardian dropped concurrent bombshell reports. Their subject was PRISM, a covert collaboration between the NSA, FBI, and nearly every tech company you rely on daily. PRISM has allowed the government unprecedented access to personal information for at least the last six years. But what is it, exactly?
What Is PRISM? The Secret US Government Program Explained

The Tech Companies In PRISM Aren’t Telling The Complete Truth

Apple. Facebook. Google. Microsoft. Yahoo. AOL. YouTube. Skype. PalTalk. The tech companies that have been associated with PRISM have all unequivocally denied involvement with the spying program. But are they speaking the whole truth? Or are they simply using choice words to evade the real question? It definitely doesn’t look like the whole truth.
The Tech Companies In PRISM Aren’t Telling The Complete Truth

Google Official Blog: What the ...?

Dear Google users—
You may be aware of press reports alleging that Internet companies have joined a secret U.S. government program called PRISM to give the National Security Agency direct access to our servers. As Google’s CEO and Chief Legal Officer, we wanted you to have the facts.
Google Official Blog: What the ...?

No Big Deal, Just a Giant Hole in the Sun

Coronal holes are areas on the sun's corona that are darker, lower-density, and (relatively) colder than the rest of the plasma on the surface of our nearest star. They're the source of the kind of solar wind gusts that carry solar particles out to our magnetosphere and beyond, causing auroras (and, less awesomely, geomagnetic storms) here on Earth.
No Big Deal, Just a Giant Hole in the Sun

An Awesome Number Trick to Impress Your Friends With

Want to look like a mathematical genius in front of all your friends? Then you will love this awesome number trick from Numberphile! The best part will be the looks on their faces when you surprise them by having predicted the answer ahead of time…
An Awesome Number Trick to Impress Your Friends With

The Biggest Interview Mistakes HR Experts See (And How To Avoid Them)

They meet more people in an afternoon than most of us do in a year. But what faux pas do human resources pros see again and again during the interview process? We picked the brains of two high-profile executives to find out what you definitely should and shouldn’t say, as well as what they secretly think of your résumé.
The Biggest Interview Mistakes HR Experts See (And How To Avoid Them)

Check Out the 'World's Most Advanced' Street Sign

Studies suggest humans have an innate sense of direction, yet we get lost all the time. Certainly GPS would never have become so pervasive if we honed our once-natural ability to find our way. It's a good thing there are street signs everywhere, though you've likely never seen one like this.
Check Out the 'World's Most Advanced' Street Sign

How To Save Money When Building Your Own PC

Computers are expensive, and every dollar counts if you’re building one on a budget. If you pick the right parts, shop in the right way, and use a few simple tricks, you can save quite a bit on that new PC.
How To Save Money When Building Your Own PC

Nikola Tesla’s Best Productivity Tricks

Inventor Nikola Tesla has become one of the internet’s darlings over the years. Part of the reason for that is because he managed to do a lot with his life. With that in mind, let’s take a look at what was behind the brain that helped make Tesla so productive.
Nikola Tesla’s Best Productivity Tricks

Watch This Mind-Controlled Robot Fly

One of the most coveted superhero powers is psychokinesis, or the ability to move objects without moving a muscle. In works of science fiction and fantasy, the mind has appeared often as a weapon infinitely more powerful than a sword or lightsaber — and rightly so. Its capabilities seem endless, as neuropsychologists continue to learn more and more about how, exactly, the human brain functions.
Watch This Mind-Controlled Robot Fly

These Incredible Maps Were Made With Thousands Of Photographs

Japanese photographer Sohei Nishino created these wonderful pieces of art by actually using individual pictures of landmarks and locations to map out the city. Nishino walks around each city for months and takes the photographs himself. It’s a map that shows you the actual city, not just an outline.
These Incredible Maps Were Made With Thousands Of Photographs

Fine retorts, collected

If you liked Al Jaffee's Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions from MAD Magazine (and if you didn't, boy are you in the wrong place!), I think you'll enjoy this Reddit thread: "What was your best "comeback line" that left the other person totally speechless?" There's plenty of stuff that I'm betting is really esprit d'escalier, but if even half of it is genuine, it is proof of some fundamental rightness woven into the very fabric of the universe.
Fine retorts, collected

5 Items You Should Buy Secondhand

I’m a big believer that there are goods and services that you should buy retail to ensure quality, customer service, and a perfect fit for your needs. However, that does not mean that you should always pay full price or even a discounted online price. In fact, I’d say there are some items that you should (almost) always buy second hand.
5 Items You Should Buy Secondhand

This BASE Jump Off Mount Everest Is Absolutely Insane

Earlier this month, 48-year-old Russian BASE jumper Valery Rozov took a leap off Mount Everest from an elevation of 23,687 feet. It’s the highest ever BASE jump to date, some 60 years after Everest was first summited.
This BASE Jump Off Mount Everest Is Absolutely Insane

10 Little Known Google Drive Features

Google Drive is one of the best cloud storage service out there, but is it the only thing it is capable of doing? Did you know that Google Drive is capable of doing all your office productivity tasks as well? Learn some little known features of Google Drive and some 3rd party extensions that adds more functionality to it.
10 Little Known Google Drive Features

Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 features, announces Internet Explorer 11

The Internet rumor mill is buzzing with noise ever since Microsoft announced that it would release an update for Windows 8 this year. Windows Blue, or Windows 8.1, is not a service pack according to Microsoft but a feature upgrade for the operating system. Windows 8 has been heavily criticized ever since first public versions were made available by Microsoft for testing purposes.
Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 features, announces Internet Explorer 11

Google Street View Now Lets You Explore Central Park, 9/11 Memorial

Without Google Maps and Street View, I’d be utterly lost in New York, or anywhere in the world for that matter. And for all its usefulness, we’ve always had a few good laughs too. Today’s update to three distinct areas of New York might make you laugh, cry or sit back in astonishment.
Google Street View Now Lets You Explore Central Park, 9/11 Memorial