Export & Download your Instagram photos with Instaport
A simple way to export all your Instagram photos to other social services or your local hard drive.
via instaport.me
This works!
Community Enthusiast, Social Media Strategist, Marketing and Promotions fella. Blogger at Dave Made That. Contact Dave.
Disclaimer: Everything posted here is not my original work. Click the links to find the original posts. This posterous site is simply a place to share interesting things I find online. Thanks.
A simple way to export all your Instagram photos to other social services or your local hard drive.
This works!
A Box You Want to Uncheck on LinkedIn
August 10, 2011 by Steve Woodruff 81 Comments
Apparently, LinkedIn has recently done us the “favor” of having a default setting whereby our names and photos can be used for third-party advertising. A friend forwarded me this alert (from a friend, from a friend…) this morning.
Devious. And I expect that you, like me, don’t want to participate.
This graphic shows you how to Uncheck The Box (click to biggify):
1. Click on your name on your LinkedIn homepage (upper right corner). On the drop-down menu, select “Settings”.
2. From the “Settings” page, select “Account*”.
3. In the column next to “Account”, click “Manage Social Advertising” .
4. De-select the box next to “LinkedIn may use my name, photo in social advertising” .
Nice try, LinkedIn. But, no thanks!
*UPDATE: After you finish with Account, check the new default settings under E-mail Preferences (such as Partner InMails); and Groups, Companies & Applications (such as Data Sharing with 3rd-party applications). It’s a Facebook deja vu!
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About Steve Woodruff
Steve Woodruff is a blogger, a Connection Agent, and a consultant in the pharma/healthcare industry. He specializes in helping people and companies make mutually beneficial connections.81 Responses to A Box You Want to Uncheck on LinkedIn
Wow, it indeed feels like Facebook all over again. Thanks for the tips.
Shocking. Doing it now. And yes, total Facebook flashback. You think LinkedIn would learn from the mistakes of others, wouldn’t you?
Hate it when stuff like that gets by me, ugh. Just went and changed mine, too — wouldn’t have been able to find this setting without your screenshots, either. Thanks for a very useful post, Steve!
Thank you for this news, Steve.
Not cool, LinkedIn. Not cool.
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Thanks for the heads up. Low move, LinkedIn. Not cool.
Did an announcement go out on this? I missed any notification?
I’ve been wondering that myself, I don’t recall seeing one but I also tend to disregard a lot of notification-type emails.
Great post — thanks for helping us all find the new setting.
Outrageous!! I expected this kind of chicanery from Facebook, but not LinkedIn. *sigh*
Thanks so much for this notification and tutorial! I’m sharing it immediately.
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I heard about through a message from a connection – I don’t know if LInkedIn ever announced it (why would THAT be a surprise?) Maybe once the IPO is done ideas like this seem like an OK move – methinks the rest of us don’t agree!
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3 things come immediately to mind:
1. LinkedIn recently had an IPO.
2. YGWYPF
3. LinkedIn’s legal agreement with users.You can connect the dots however you like…
Steve, thank you for an excellent and very useful post.
In a world where all the SM types are so big on “engagement” and “credibility because it’s tied to individuals,” you’d think people wouldn’t have a problem having their image or name next to a company or product that they have already endorsed or followed. Why be upset or outraged? If you cared enough to “like,” “endorse,” or promote a product or company, why would you care if that company used your name or image to do the same in a broader sense?
If anything, you’re spreading your name to other people and expanding your network enabling you to “engage” and “connect” with more people.
Zack R says:
Because:
1- LinkedIn turned “on” this feature without the users’ explicit agreement, which is the equivalent of using their data (name, photo) without their consent, and that’s illegal; and,
2- just because a user endorses a product doesn’t mean that they also endorse their data being used for an advertising campaign they get zero revenue from.
Or, to put it simply, if they’re going to use my name and photo to advertise something, I’d want them to at least have the courtesy to ask me first, and maybe pay me for it too since other people are going to be making money from that campaign.
MekQuarrie says:
Thanks. Spotted your article on G+. Turned off necessary spam. (I do like conference invites though…)
Nice find – I figured I had my social media privacy pretty well sorted, but that one sneaked under the radar. Thanks for sharing.
Ken Pryor says:
Thank you very much for this tip. Had no idea they had done this, so I appreciate you sounding the alarm, so to speak.
PL says:
I love you, thank you. I work for a very large retail corporation and have sent this out to a very large number of folks. Not as “OMG IM PISSED”, but more of an FYI they did this without your consent.
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Thanks for sharing this information. done, done, and done!
Thank you for the wonderful article and tip.
Just one major critique: “biggify” is completely incorrect.
The correct term is “embiggen”, which is a perfectly cromulent word.
Greg Ostravich says:
So lame they did this. I guess the revenue they make out does the bad will they’ve just created with their user base by doing this? I don’t use LinkedIn much and am debating if I should quit it. Already used your tips to protect my privacy; thanks for posting this.
Thanks…worked a treat. If they want my picture they’ll have to pay for it.
Thanks for passing this along, Steve, and I’m passing along to my Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn friends as well.
Karen Montana says:
Thanks for the heads up, Steve! Implementing this without consent is a big no-no in my book. And by the way, I like the word “biggify”…think I’ll add it to my vocab…LOL!
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Add my name to the list of people grateful you posted this so quickly!
Great info. Learning all the time, while looking for employment, entry level, in the social media field..
Hi, there is an easier way for this. Just visit; https://www.linkedin.com/settings/social-advertising
All done!
Bart Grootveld
Cheers, i’m getting flattened with spam all over the place lately. good on ya mate.
Thanks for the info. Just goes to show it’s good idea to keep an eye on your settings every now and then….
Gary says:
Thanks for the heads up, I’ve closed my account as I’d rather not keep having to do this every time they think of a new feature and automatically enabling it. If it’s such a good feature I’ll hear about it from colleagues and opt-in myself.
Hey Steve,
Thanks for the heads-up. Though I use LinkedIn on daily basis, I wouldn’t have figured out this catch with your help.
Thanks again – Bhavin Gandhi
Saw this from a tweet on someone I follow – thanks for pointing it out!
thank you. and done.
i dont use them for advertising so…. fairs fair
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The 3rd party application setting is most likely for when you link things like Klout to your account, I’d imagine.
Thanks Steve. Really quite amazing what LinkedIn is trying to pull off here.
Thanks Steve, good to know and to fix. Shame that LinkedIn have reverted to facebook privacy tactics.
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Laurent says:
How is this not illegal…..Using a user’s photo that was taken by that person’s colleague or friend…wouldn’t that break Copyright and Legal release?
Wouldn’t they need consent from the person who took the photo and the person in the photo?
Steve,
Thanks for the heads-up. I have shared this with my network on FB, Twitter & Google+. Oh yeah, and LinkedIn!
Steve, Dennis D. McDonald posted a link to your post on LinkedIn Bloggers and I immediately went to fix it.
However, that setting doesn’t appear on my basic account, which makes no sense to me. I cna’t imagine LinkedIn would not apply it to the vast numbers of free members.
Here is what shows on my account,
PRIVACY CONTROLS
Turn on/off your activity broadcasts
Select who can see your activity feed
Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile
Select who can see your connections
Change your profile photo & visibilityCan someone tell me what am I missing?
Thanks!
I’ve had some people report not seeing these settings, and often it’s mentioned that it’s a free (non-premium) account. I cannot say for certain if that is universal, or exactly who/who does not have these settings.
The settings are right where you describe them on *my* free account, so whatever’s going on here, it’s not as simple as “not in free.”
You’re looking at the Profile tab (far left column, top).
You want to be looking at the Account tab (far left column, bottom).
I did the same thing for a few minutes. The OP on this, while extremely useful, isn’t entirely clear on that point.
I’m sure it’s me, but the Profile I’m looking at is at the bottom…
Profile
Email Preferences
Groups, Companies & Applications
Accountand the white ‘box’ extending from it has the “Privacy Controls” (an oxymoron if I ever heard one:)
Perhaps you or @jrep could be more explicit for the dummies like me.
JOHN L EVANS says:
LI have been using people’s information without their permission for years – I was once cited in a campaign suggesting that terrorists could learn about you and steal your identity on line – as if!!?
Why get worked up about this – they won’t be paying you if you untick the box and it won’t stop them publishing your details as you agree by signing up.
Cheers John
Allen Johnson says:
I just closed my LinkedIn account. TBH, in spite of the thousands of network acquaintances related to my profile, I never used it for anything but a online ‘who is’. Now that I have been using Google+, I am convinced it can be used to promote better by contributions. This is enough for me to maintain a personal/professional bio and link any commercial sites I want to cross promote.
I’ve unchecked it. I have been building my G+ account, but think it may take some time before it outstrips LI for professional connections (with context)
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Wow, I had no idea about this! Thanks for the heads up.
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- July 25, 2011
- 1 Comment
How to Customize Google+
These 16 Greasemonkey scripts, Chrome Extensions, Firefox Add-ons, and other browser plug-ins can alter your Google social networking experience.By Jill Duffy
Not crazy about Google's design choices for Google+? Using scripts for Greasemonkey, Extensions for Chrome, Firefox Add-ons, and other browser plug-ins, you can make some pretty wild changes to the look and feel of the site. You can also take a more utilitarian route and take advantage of code that can translate posts from directly within Google+ or port all your Facebook photos to Google+ Photo (i.e., Picasa), where storage is virtually unlimited if you have a Google+ account (photos 2048 x 2048 pixels and smaller don't count toward your 1GB allowance).
Check out these 16 scripts and tools that modify or enhance Google+
1. Google Plus Header Hider (Mozilla) hides the black bar at the top of the screen. Hover over it to bring it back.
2. Google+ Enhancer (Mozilla) adds the number of unread items in Gmail, Reader, and Calendar to the black bar.
3. Google+ Manager (Firefox) and Goo Plus Manager (Chrome) gives you keyboard shortcuts and a table that outlines them all, as well as adding a translation button next to every post.
4. Google Plus Tweaks (Mozilla; also available for Chrome) hides Google+ functions or features that you don't use, expands the page to the full screen width, and lets you toggle comments, preview images on roll-over, and more.
5. Adhik (Safari, Chrome) is somewhat similar to Google Plus Tweaks, streamlining the look and general experience of Google+ with design modifications that focus on the content being shared by people in your Circles. Notice in the image the "linen" background and how posts are more prominently boxed off.
6. Google+ Commander (Mozilla) lets you add keyboard shortcuts for sharing, plus-one-ing, commenting, displaying notifications, and jumping between your homepage, profile, photos, and Circles.
7. Fixed Google+ Notification Bar (Mozilla) freezes the Google+ notification bar for quicker access to notifications and other features on Google Plus and Google Search. Two variations are included: only that freezes the right part of the bar, and one that freezes the entire bar.
8. G+ Friends First (Mozilla) shows your friend stream by default when Google+ first loads.
9. Google Plus Auto Pager (Mozilla) auto-selects the "More" button at the bottom of posts on a profile page, letting you scroll through more updates faster.
10. Nicknames For Google Plus (Mozilla) lets you add nicknames and icons to your contacts in Google Plus, using a Google Doc spreadsheet. (Note that the original spreadsheet adds nicknames for existing users whom you may not know or want to follow. The second link provides details on creating your own spreadsheet.) 11. Show full size links to Google Plus album photos (Mozilla) gathers links to full-sized photos being previewed on a Google+ album page via a button in the menu bar.
12. Google+Facebook (for Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome)—currently in dispute with Facebook and not supported at present--adds a Facebook icon to your Google+ page to the left of the home icon that displays your Facebook feed. This plug-in worked at first until Facebook pulled the plug on it. We can't guarantee that service will resume.
13. Surplus (Chrome)
The toolbar offers plenty of useful functionality, but unlike Mary's little lamb it simply doesn't follow us everywhere we go. Pop the Surplus extension into Google Chrome, and you'll have access to your notifications no matter where you are. Surplus also lets you utilize the Google+ sharing functions even when the bar is MIA.
14. Google+ -> Contrast, Denser, More Features (Chrome) lets you customize scrolling, background, navigation, image size, and placement of other elements on the page.
15. Google+ Ultimate for Google Plus (Chrome) rejiggers a lot of the look and feel of Google+'s UI, such as the making the status bar at the top of the page and the left sidebar float so that they stay in place when you scroll, slimming down the scrollbars, and adjusting the whitespace on the page.
16. Move Your Photos (Chrome) transfers your Facebook photos to Google+ Photos (i.e., Google Picasa).
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If you're on Google Plus and you use Google Chrome, you should review these great extensions.
You know an app is on its way to going mainstream when a major brand like Starbucks has its own account. There’s simply no denying Instagram‘s popularity. In fact, it looks like the app just got a little bit more popular when Justin Bieber shared an image of LA traffic using Instagram.
Bieber-traffic aside, Instagram already has a user base of over 7 million and the amount of third party apps that have cropped up around the service is impressive. Instagram continues to prove that it is the smartphone photography app to beat.
In no particular order, we’ve put together a list of the many apps and sites available for use with your Instagram account.
Manage your Instagram account
The fact that Instagram has no web interface to speak of is probably one of the main user complaints. Luckily, there are a lot of great alternatives popping up, giving you the opportunity to take advantage of some or all of Instagram’s features in the comfort of your own browser.
Inkstagram
Inkstagram gives you the missing web interface that Instagram so desperately needs. You can keep up with photos your friends post, comment on them, and find new people to follow. The interface is divided into four tabs – your feed, your photos, your likes, and popular images on Instagram. In addition to browsing by category, you can also search for specific tags. The display can also be altered to suit your preferences – with the choice of small, medium and large for image sizes.
Pictarine
Pictarine gives you a unique way to browse your own Instagram photos, along with photos from other online services including Flickr, Facebook, Picasa and Twitter. By installing the plugin, you can also download all of your Instagram images to your computer in one go. Another great feature on Pictarine is the ability to create slideshows of your images and share them with other people privately or publicly, even if they don’t use Instagram.
ExtraGram
ExtraGram is another site which gives you the means to keep up with your feed, with popular photos and to interact with other users in a browser. Like Inkstagram, it gives you all the features found in the app, along with a cool Discover tab, which displays the hottest tags, a featured user and more.
Webstagram
Webstagram lets you keep up with your feed as well as see the latest popular photos on Instagram. You can search for specific tags, view your own photos, and share the link with others. Webstagram takes it one step further by offering users the opportunity to get featured in their Photo of the Day section. To submit your photos, simply tag them with #Photooftheday. You can also view images on Webstagram as a list or as a grid.
Gramfeed gives you a web interface making it easy to get to all of Instagram’s features in your browser. A cool addition to each user profile in Gramfeed is a map with markers of where all your photos have been taken. With Gramfeed you can view your stream, popular photos, your likes and your own photos. You can also search for photos based on location, username or tag.
Carousel
Mac users can bring the Instagram experience to their desktop with Carousel, an app that has already received high praise here at The Next Web. The app allows you to interact with other users, comment and like photos, as well as follow and unfollow other users. You can view your own feed, as well as the latest popular photos on Instagram, and you can even drag-and-drop photos to save them to your desktop.
Flipboard makes it easy to keep up with your Instagram stream, and like Instagallery, takes advantage of the iPad’s larger screen. You can view your stream as you would any other source on Flipboard, and you can also add images to your favourites, comment on them, or share them via email or through the social networks you’ve plugged in to Flipboard.
Connect Instagram with other services
Instagram lets you automatically share your photos with other sites including Facebook, Flickr and Twitter. There are a few additional services which aim to enhance or improve that connection.
InstaFB
InstaFB is an easy way to connect Instagram and Facebook in a much more efficient way than what Instagram provides. While connecting your Instagram account to Facebook automatically notifies your friends when you’ve added a new photo to Instagram, it just adds them as a link on your Wall. InstaFB creates a Facebook album and each time you add a new photo to Instagram, the album is automatically updated.
Gramjunction
Gramjunction gives you a visually appealing way to display the images that you’ve shared on both Instagram and Flickr. Just enter your Flickr username, and Gramjunction will display them on your personal page, which you can easily share with others.
Instadrop
Instadrop allows you to backup all of your Instagram photos using Dropbox. After connecting the two services, any photos you share on Instagram will be automatically saved to your Dropbox folder in real time.
Connect Instagram to Google+
Since there’s no easy or direct way to do this just yet, Edward Boches came up with a workaround to share your Instagram images with your Google+ followers in real time. It takes a combination of the desktop app Picasa, Dropbox and InstaDrop, and requires that your computer is turned on at all times.
Discover photos and users on Instagram
If you want to discover new users or popular photos without having to use the Instagram app, there are a few gorgeous sites and iPad apps that make it easy to find photographers you’ll want to follow on Instagram.
Insta-Great
Insta-Great displays a slideshow of popular photos on Instagram. By signing in, you can also view your timeline and your own photos, and add photos to your favourites.
Heroku
Heroku allows you to to search Instagram photos, and you can also narrow down your results to photos taken using a specific filter.
Instagallery
Instagallery is a $1.99 iPhone, iPad and iPodTouch app which lets you keep up with your friends’ photos, view your own photos and your favourites. Instagallery really does come to life on the iPad’s larger screen and is a great way to keep up with Instagram on the go, using a larger screen than the iPhone. Not only can you view your own and popular photos, you can also search for specific tags. Photos can be viewed as a grid, or even better yet, as large images making the most out of the iPad’s screen real estate.
Cartagr.am
Cartagr.am lets you browse Instagram photos based on location. The site can either detect your current location to show you nearby photos, or you can search for a specific location of your choice. You can zoom in and out on the map but there is no way to connect with the photos displayed. You can’t view them on their original Instagram page or find out who took them. That said – it is a pretty cool visual representation of Instagram use around the world.
InstaCat
InstaCat has to be one of the most niche Instagram websites available and it displays photos of only one thing – you guessed it. Cats. So if you’re in need of a cat photo fix, InstaCat is the place to go for a constant slideshow of Instagram cats.
InstaPuppy
If you’re more of a dog person, InstaPuppy will bring you all the puppy-goodness found on Instagram to your browser. InstaPuppy does also have it’s own kitty sister site, InstaKitty, if the constant scrolling in InstaCat proves to be too much for you.
Instarium
Instarium is a flash-based screensaver which you can download for your Mac or Windows computer. The screensaver displays a constant reel of Instagram photos. You can set it to view your own photos, your feed, your favourite photos, or even just popular photos. Clicking on images in the website will take you to their Instagram page.
Screenstragram
Screenstragram is another screensaver which displays the latest popular Instagram photos, but it is currently a Mac only download, compatible with Snow Leopard and up.
Create an online display of your Instagram photos
If you want to share your images with other users who aren’t on Instagram, there are quite a few free services that let you share your online portfolio with just about anyone.
Instagrid
Instagrid allows you to create a pretty slick online gallery of your Instagram photos. Your photos can be displayed as a grid of small photos, or as a list of large images. Users can subscribe by email to be notified when you add a new photo to Instagram, making it a great way for non-Instagram users to keep up with your latest images.
Make a game out of it
If you want a fun way to browse Instagram photos randomly, there are a couple of sites that turn the experience into a game.
Instawar
Instawar pits Instagram photos against each other in a little game where two random images are displayed side by side. You can either choose the image that you prefer, or if you think they’re well suited, hit the Make a pair button to create a diptych. You can then submit the paired images to Instawar’s tumblr to share with others.
Pic-a-Fight
Pic-a-Fight is similar to Instawar, minus the ability to create a diptych. You can add your own photos into the mix by connecting your Instagram photos. Why would you want to do that? Photos that get the most votes are placed in the Top Pics section, meaning your Instagram photos could get a little bit more attention.
Create products and prints using your Instagram photos
Creating products and prints of your Instagram photos seems to be all the rage and there are a lot of sites offering their services for just that.
Instaprint
Instaprint is one of the coolest ideas we’ve seen emerge as a result of Instagram’s popularity. If you have a special event or party, rent Instaprint’s special Instaprint Box. Each box is associated with a specific location or hashtag, so any photo tagged with either will be automatically printed. Instaprint is kind of like a photobooth and Polaroid camera all rolled into one.
Instagoodies
Instagoodies will provide you with a book of 1 inch stickers created using your Instagram photos. Each book can have a maximum of 90 stickers and will cost you $14. Logging in with your Instagram account will let you select the order in which the stickers appear in the book. If you don’t have 90 photos on Instagram, the existing photos will be repeated.
Instamaker will turn your Instagram photos into t-shirts, mugs and postcards. With Instamaker, you can’t use just one image. Any design has to consist of at least a row of 3 images, or more. The site makes it easy to create a mosaic out of your Instagram images and select the product you want it printed on.
Stickygram
Stickygram turns your Instagram photos into fridge magnets. Sign in with Instagram, and you can create a set of 9 little magnets. Unfortunately if you want to use Stickygram, you will have to wait for an invite code since they’ve been inundated with requests.
Prinstagram
If you’re looking for a way to print Instagram photos, Printstagram gives you a ton of cool options. You can print a large poster of 50 to 400 of your Instagram photos, you can print mini wallet-sized prints, small stickers, a mini book, or a tiny book.
TeenyTile
The name says it all. TeenyTile gives you a way to turn your Instagram photos into a cute little 2 inch ceramic tiles. Import your photos from Instagram and checkout. That’s all there is to it.
Postagram is an iPhone, Android and web-based app which allows you to send your Instagram photos as postcards. Select any of your Instagram photos, add a personalized message, and ship it to the address of your choice.
Artflakes
If the smaller sticker size available from Prinstagram and Instagoodies doesn’t suit your taste, you can use ArtFlakes to order large 4 inch stickers using your Instagram photos.
Keepsy
With Keepsy, you can create a gorgeous book of your Instagram photos. In addition to Instagram, the site also supports Picasa, Flickr, PicPlz and Facebook, as well as the ability to upload photos from your computer. You can drag and drop photos and pages to rearrange them, to get the images in the exact order you want. Keepsy also lets you share the digital version of the book with friends on Facebook and Twitter.
HatchCraft Boo Box
For $19, HatchCraft will let you create a Boo Box simply by entering the url of your Instagram photo. A 4 inch print of your photo will be placed in a gorgeous bamboo shadow box to frame your photo.
Backup your Instagram photos
Aside from using Instadrop to back up your Instagram photos in the cloud, there are a few services that make it easy to download all of your Instagram photos onto your computer in one go.
Instaport
Instaport makes it easy to download your Instagram images to a zip file, and a direct export service to Facbook, Flickr and RSS is in the works.
CopyGram
CopyGram works in the same way as Instaport, allowing you to download all of your Instagram images as a zip file, in addition to providing you with an easy-to-remember vanity url with your username.
Get an Instagram Vanity URL
As with any service, it’s pretty cool to have a vanity url which makes it easy to direct friends and followers to your profile page. If you want a vanity URL check out the following examples.
We’ve already mentioned CopyGram as a backup tool for your Instagram photos. Vanity urls with Copygram look like this:
copygr.am/username
In addition to giving users a Follow Me button to place on their sites, Followgram.me provides vanity urls for Instagram profiles that look like this:
followgram.me/username
Do you have a favourite Instagram service or site? Let us know about it in the comments.
You probably already know how hooked I am to Instagram. Here's the proof: http://www.davemadethat.com/2010/11/02/hooked-on-instagram/
This TNW collection of Instagram extras is amazing. Check it out if you're as hooked as I am.
In the above YouTube video, the user BITcrash44 claims to hack the video screens in Times Square using just an iPhone, a weather balloon, a transmitter, and something called a "video repeater." But like anything amazing that happens on the Internet, a lot of people doubt it's real. It might just be an advertisement for video effects!
Watching the clip, it's fairly convincing, as the quality of the effects, if that's what they are, is impressive. But using some common sense, we'd like to imagine that taking over some of the largest, most prominent video screens in the world would require a little bit more effort.
DesignYouTrust.com, one site that posted the YouTube video, is currently down, but when one Twitter user saw the clip, he automatically doubted it, based largely on the surrounding website (see update below). "As cool as that looks, it's a hoax," he wrote. "The focus on video effects on the rest of the site is pretty sufficient proof."
(UPDATE: Here's the video posted at Momentum Blog, the aforementioned effects blog, by Alexandros Maragos, whose About Me section notes an emphasis on "HDSLR Cinematography, Cinematic Documentary, Modern Filmmaking & Contemporary Photography." We've reached out to Maragos looking for some more info. If you have insight either way, email.)
YouTube commenters voiced distrust, too, based partly on the fact that the YouTube account that uploaded the video never existed before this clip, with one user noting that when that happens, "Alarm bells instantly start sounding."
The same commenter noticed that BITcrash44, the iPhone Times Square hacker, favorited a video with the following description:
"HeadBlade hired viral marketing agency Thinkmodo to create an engaging and entertaining video to get people talking about head shaving. Thinkmodo created "The Shaving Helmet" which quickly became a global viral sensation and sparked conversations about head shaving around the world."Others note the technology limitations of the equipment used, casting doubt on the authenticity of the prank, while some are willfully ignorant. "Holly $hiiiiiit!" writes one commenter.
As fun as it can be to get excited about a YouTube video, we're going to side with the skeptics: This one stinks of bullshit.
UPDATE 2: Maragos, the video equipment blogger mentioned above, tells us that he too initially doubted the veracity of the stunt, but now thinks "the motion of the camera is too choppy to quick-edit and mask the video." That said, "this kind of editing is very doable, but it also needs a lot of time to do it so perfectly with this kind of footage. One of the things that makes me believe that the video is real are the reflections appearing on screen at 0:56 right and left of his transmission."
But more YouTube commenters are chiming in with dissenting opinions: "The image in the display moves slightly at 0:37-0:39. Good attempt if this was a one time view on TV, but unfortunately it's on YouTube where anything that doesn't look perfect can be analyzed over and over again."
We've sent a message to the YouTube uploader BITcrash44 and will update if we hear back.
[jcoscarelli@villagevoice.com / @joecoscarelli]
The plot thickens! Hat tip to @anarchival and @ZackTN.
Sometimes it’s nice to be able to see where you’ve been in a visual way. Adding Foursquare’s KML feed to Google Earth makes it easy to see your Foursquare checkin history on a map.
Follow these steps to add your checkin history:
- Visit your Foursquare Feeds page, right click on the KML link and copy the link location (do not download the file).
- In Google Earth, go to Add > Network Link.
- Give your feed a name and paste the URL you copied into the “Link” box. Click OK.
- Your Foursquare checkin history will appear in your Google Earth “My Places” folder. It will be updated when you check in to new venues.
You can now browse the map with pins marking each location you’ve checked in. You can even create a fly through “tour” that moves between each venue. Just choose the network link you added in My Places and click the “Play Tour” button at the lower right of the “Places” box. Here’s a fly through of some of my recent checkins:
To increase the number of venues shown, add “?count=50″ (or whatever number you want) to the end of the KML link.
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