Bit.ly quantifies internet impatience, old links get no love

Oh internet, we love your animated GIFs and sad Keanu websites, but how much attention are we really giving each link? According to a recent study by URL shortener Bit.ly, a standard link is clicked for an average of three hours until traffic subsides by 50 percent, eventually fading away into oblivion. If we’re talking about a super timely news story like an earthquake hitting the east coast, well, its half-life was a paltry five minutes. When URLs are shared on social networks, they last around 3.2 hours on Facebook and 2.8 hours on Twitter, but those on YouTube persist more than twice that long. There, link half-life is 7.4 hours — probably because it’s home to phenom bomb memes like the one found after the break.

Continue reading Bit.ly quantifies internet impatience, old links get no love

Bit.ly quantifies internet impatience, old links get no love originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 07:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink New York Times  |  sourceBitly Blog  | Email this | Comments

Visualized: an interactive timeline of the web

Ever wondered what the World Wide Web’s illustrious history would look like if plotted in timeline form? Well, thanks to Google’s “Evolution of the web,” you won’t have to. The delectable chart traces the evolution of HTML, the web technologies that came alongside it and the browsers that’ve held it all together — all in a seriously meta HTML5 package. Ready for a trip down memory lane? Hit the source, friend, and revel at how far we’ve come.

Visualized: an interactive timeline of the web originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe Evolution of the Web  | Email this | Comments

Xcom Global opens LAX service center, the jetset get data without borders

We’ve sung Xcom Global’s praises to the heavens before, and that’s because it’s made our always-on internet addiction an easy fix abroad. Well, prepare to add the international wireless convenience to your list of last minute carry-ons. Announced today, the company has opened its first satellite service center at Los Angeles’ LAX airport, bringing unlimited roaming data to US-based travelers starting at $12.95/day. The rental MiFi Hotspot units, available prior to boarding, come packaged with an Unlimited aXcess plan, and can feed up to five of your data-hungry devices. So, if you’re headed out on that next Eurotrip, or just a terminal-bound refugee from Krakozhia, you might want to give this internet lifeline a whirl.

Continue reading Xcom Global opens LAX service center, the jetset get data without borders

Xcom Global opens LAX service center, the jetset get data without borders originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Sep 2011 16:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

The Government Probably Just Killed the AT&T/T-Mobile Merger

Uncle Sam says no to AT&T eating up T-Mobile: The Department of Justice has filed an antitrust suit against AT&T, Bloomberg reports. Things just got real. More »

Sarah Palin and Obama Won’t Get Porn .XXX Sites

Your wet dreams are set to suffer another setback as Sarah Palin, Barack Obama and Beyonce have been excluded from the porny .xxx domain by the registry manager, ICM Registry. The list of VIPs is long, perhaps in the thousands. More »

US Government offers up $103 million for rural broadband expansion

The US Department of Agriculture announced this week that it will make available more that $103 million aimed at bringing broadband to areas of the US with little or no access to the technology. The money will go toward 23 projects in areas including parts of Oklahoma damaged by a recent tornado and a mountainous region in Northern California, which will provide internet access to native tribes. For the full list of recipients, check the source link below.

Continue reading US Government offers up $103 million for rural broadband expansion

US Government offers up $103 million for rural broadband expansion originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Aug 2011 16:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Huffington Post  |  sourceUSDA (PDF)  | Email this | Comments

Why the Internet Should Die in a Fire

Oh internet, why are you such a scary, disgusting, and weird mistress? Spoiler alert: it’s not the internet, it’s humanity, and looking at humanity in the classifieds is often like staring at an anus through a telescope. More »

Good Morning America Willfully Misunderstands the Internet

Guys! The GMA crew discovered this crazy site called Damn You, Auto Correct, which chronicles 100% real instances of the iPhone autocorrecting what people wanted to text to something zany. Great! Except for the part where it’s fake. More »

This Is How 28 Flash Mobbers Rob a 7-Eleven In Under a Minute

Usually, people showing at flash mobs do some kind of artsy fartsy performance in a public place, summoned by viral tweets or Facebook status. These people did the same thing and robbed a 7-Eleven in Maryland in under a minute. More »

Skype WiFi is the new Skype Access, comes with iOS app in tow

We would never enter a foreign land without packing a rented MiFi from XCom Global, but what if you’re not a data junkie and only require a sliver of internet access for your device? You’re undoubtedly thinking internet café, but instead of wasting time filling out forms each time you’re hankerin’ to tweet, simplify the entire process with a Skype WiFi hotspot. Formerly known as Skype Access, the rebranded service allows you to bypass crusty web forms at any of the 1 million participating locations, by using your Skype account and credits to pay per minute. Already living the post-PC dream? The company’s got you covered too, with an iOS app that’ll allow Cupertino’s finest to join in on the fun. You know the drill, the app and the announcement await you at the other end of the source links below.

Skype WiFi is the new Skype Access, comes with iOS app in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Aug 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSkype (1), (2)  | Email this | Comments