Photoshop CS6 Will Easily (and Skillfully) Fake a Shallow Depth Of Field [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5889469/photoshop-cs6-will-easily-and-skillfully-fake-a-shallow-depth-of-field

Even though you're only shooting with the crappy camera built into your smartphone, Photoshop CS6's new Blur Gallery will easily make it look like your shots came from an expensive DSLR.

Properly faking a shallow depth of field usually involves creating and strategically masking multiple layers with various levels of blur on each of them. But in Photoshop CS6 you just specify what in your image you want kept in focus, and adjust the shape and size of the area around it that's not blurred. That's it. Just a few clicks takes you from an amateur photog to a fake Ansel Adams. [YouTube via PetaPixel]

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The Miracle Tree That's Making Dirty Water Drinkable [Science]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5889315/the-miracle-tree-thats-making-dirty-water-drinkable

We take clean drinking water for granted, but in the developing world it's a big and expensive problem. Now, scientists are turning to a plant known as the Miracle Tree to create a new way of purifying water.

The Miracle Tree—or Moringa oleifera, if you're into Latin—has always had somewhat of a reputation, being grown in equatorial regions for food, traditional medicine and even biofuel. Some research in the past has shown that its seeds can be used to clean water, too—but one method was too expensive to use on a large scale, and another only left the water drinkable for a short period of time.

In a podcast on the American Chemical Society's website, however, researcher Stephanie B. Velegol explains how she's overcome those problems. First, she extracts the active, positively charged Moringa protein from the seeds; a protein that kills microbes. Then she combines it with negatively charged sand to created functionalized sand.

The result is a material that can be stirred through water as a purifier, even destroying bugs as dangerous as E.Coli. Next stop, the developing world. [American Chemical Society; Image: tonrulkens]

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Use This App To Hold Companies Accountable For Dodgy Practices

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/this-app-lets-users-hold-companies-accountable-for-shady-practices-2012-2

For the nearly 100 million mobile device users that rely on apps to guide their shopping experiences, it's hard to imagine making a purchase without them.

Already, we can compare prices, organize shopping lists, budget spending, check business reviews and download coupons on the go.

It was only a matter of time until we had an ethical shopping app, too. Open Label takes crowdsourced reviews to another level, letting consumers scan any barcode to generate user feedback on the manufacturer's environmental, political, safety, health or medical records, according to Springwise.

"Every single time we buy a product, we are funding the actions of the company that made it," said CEO Scott Kennedy. "We finally have the tool to provide real transparency here."

You can follow the brands you support and there's also a way to earn klout as a reviewer, much like Amazon or eBay, so you'll know which reviews to trust. The app is still in beta but you can sign up for a free demo here.

Who knows whether warnings about Apple's dodgy Chinese labor laws or McDonald's pink slime recipe would really steer customers away, but it's another way to encourage conscious spending.

See the demo below for a peek at how it works:

Now take a tour of the first app that lets you check your credit score for FREE >

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• How Whole Foods Became The Luxury Brand For Millennials
• Soaring Fuel Costs Could Incite Airlines To Hike Ticket Prices
• Money Advice I Wish My Friends Never Gave Me

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A $1.5 Billion Advertising Giant Will Be Created Tomorrow

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/a-15-billion-advertising-giant-will-be-created-tomorrow-2012-2

MediaBank and its competitor Donovan Data Systems have intended to merge for a few months.

Now the Department of Justice has given its stamp of approval and the two will become a new company, Mediaocean, tomorrow.

The deal values Mediaocean at $1.5 billion. MediaBank CEO Bill Wise tells us it will manage well north of $100 billion in advertising spending.

MediaBank and DDS are like the plumbing system for the advertising industry. Media buyers use them to manage advertising campaigns across television, print, radio, out-of-home (billboards and such), and digital. It helps them keep track of ad servers, ad networks, invoices and more.

"A caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity," says Wise. "We want to be the caterpillar. The plumbing of the industry isn't necessarily the fun part, but if you can figure it out it is so needed."

Mediaocean will be a 1,000-person organization. Of course with any merger, some reorganization is necessary. Wise says they haven't discussed that yet. For now he's focused on growth.

"First and foremost we'll be creating a very new digital system," says Wise. "It will be a combination of assets of both companies, as well as new assets. We're consolidating everything into one global operating system. It's going to be an app store for advertising where there's a developer community that sits on top of the platform."

Here's our interview with MediaBank CEO Bill Wise and DDS president of digital JT Batson about the merger when it was announced back in September:

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See Also:

• Google+ Brand Pages Are Showing Up In Search Results -- Here's Why That Could Be A Problem
• Google Is Busted For Violating Its Own Rules And Will Now Lower The Search Ranking For Chrome
• ANGRY MERCHANT: Here's Why I Hate Groupon And LivingSocial And Will Never Use Them Again

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Use This Proven Process to Sue a Company in Small Claims Court When They've Wronged You [Law]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5889059/use-this-proven-process-to-sue-a-company-in-small-claims-court-when-theyve-wronged-you

Matt Spaccarelli sued AT&T for throttling his smartphone data speeds and won, but he wants you to know that it wasn't just a fluke. He did his research and prepared for court. Now he's helping others in similar situations do the same.

First you should understand the scope of this case. Matt won $850 in damages, which is a nice chunk of change for the average person but a blip AT&T wouldn't even notice was missing from their bank account. The win was more symbolic, as Matt was fighting for what he believed was right. If you decide to sue a company, that needs to be your motivation—not money. This is about utilizing the legal system to right a wrong. If you believe you have a case worth bringing to court, MacTech detailed what you should know and prepare in advance. Here are the highlights:

• Find out where to file your case. National companies are generally subject to jurisdiction anywhere so you can file wherever is convenient, but sometimes you need to find their corporate offices and file there.
• Review any contracts and agreements. You need to know what you've agreed to before you proceed.
• Compile evidence that you're not getting what you paid for. In the case of an unlimited data plan
• Know your damages. If you're going to file suit you have to be able to show how you were financially damaged.
• Know the rules of your specific small claims court. Not all small claims courts operate in the same way, so it's important to know their rules before you make your case.

If you're looking to make a similar case to Matt's, visit his web site for some helpful documents and other information.

Matt Spaccarelli | via the New York Times and MacTech

Photo by Vladek (Shutterstock).

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