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Caleb Johnson

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Auto-Tune Your Facebook Status With Sony, Justin Timberlake

We should've seen this one coming a mile away. The hottest trend in the music business, Auto-Tune, has arrived on the hottest social-networking site on the Web, Facebook. Thanks to a new Facebook app from Sony, you can now Auto-Tune your status update. According to Mashable, after installing the app, you simply type your status (maybe something about being on a boat), choose a voice and a beat, and your very own robotic update will be posted on your Wall for all your friends to see. (We're not sure if that's a good thing or not.) You can thank the 'Auto-Tune the News' Web series creators, who recently signed a promotional deal with Sony, for piling on even more of the Auto-Tune content (check out the video after the break).

The time has come to ask: is Auto-Tune played out? The iPhone has the 'I Am T-Pain' app, you can Auto-Tune your vocals in GarageBand, and even those adorable Kidz Bop kids use the skeezy software program. Sounds like over-saturation to us. But we fear there's no stopping this trend. If Jay-Z couldn't kill it, who can? [From: Mashable and Tubefilter News]

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Football Coaches Who Tweet (and Those Who Should)

Sports teams have a dubious relationship with Twitter. The LPGA loves the darn service, while the NBA penalizes on-court micro-bloggers. The NFL and college football are still feeling out their roles in the Twitterverse, and coaches are leading the way. For some, the service is tougher to figure out than the spread offense, while others excel in the limelight, like Tom Brady in a Manhattan bistro. Here, we've compiled a list of five coaches you should follow on Twitter and five who's wit we'd love to see in 140-character missives. After a grueling search (like, 1983-Chicago-Bears grueling), we have our exhaustive list. Now, are you ready for some football?

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New York Jets' David Clowney's Twitter Account Hacked

After he heard the latest news about one of his players and Twitter, we're sure that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, from his towering New York office building, gave out a great barbaric yawp: "I told you so!" According to Mashable, New York Jets wide receiver David Clowney has had his Twitter account hacked within the past 24 hours. Unlike when hackers took over a number of high-profile celebrity accounts earlier this year, the tweets sent from Clowney's account aren't funny. They're downright mean and vulgar. Although Clowney has apparently regained control of his account and has issued an apology to his fans, the damage is done. The hacker directed a number of expletive-filled tweets at some of Clowney's 6,700 followers.

Aside from the tweet above, Clowney hasn't yet commented on the attack. According to an Associated Press report on ESPN, the Jets confirmed Monday that his account was hacked, but team officials didn't comment further. Seeing as he was benched earlier in the year for complaining about his playing time via Twitter, we'd suggest that Clowney just cut his losses and give up on the service, altogether. [From: Mashable and ESPN]

Revolutionizing Solar Energy by Taking It Underground

Want greener energy without having to install large, gaudy solar panels on your house? Join the club. But what was once wishful thinking might soon be reality. According to ABC Science, scientists have created a way to harness sunlight and convert it into electricity by connecting a photovoltaic cell to fiber-optic wiring that's barely wider than a human hair. (Note that it doesn't actually use human hair, like these guys.) The wires, which are coated with zinc oxide (the stuff lifeguards plaster on their noses), could be installed on a roof or, best of all, underneath a house or inside its walls -- as long as the tip of the wire is exposed to the sun.

Here's how it works. Light is absorbed at the tip of the wire, and zips down its length and back, letting the zinc oxide convert it into electricity along the way. How effective is this process? Dr. Zhong Wang, who led the team of researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, says the wires only convert about 3.3-percent of the light that passes through. He hopes, though, that the number will soon jump to 8-percent.

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Boy Calls 911 to Question Legality of Xbox Punishment

When we were kids, it was the worst punishment imaginable. How could our parents, the heartless tyrants that they were, take away our video game consoles? There was nothing we could do about it, except huddle up in our rooms and stare at those lonely, desolate, blank screens. At least, that's what we thought.

But a 15-year-old from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, decided he wouldn't take his punishment lying down. According to the Chicago Tribune, the unnamed boy dialed 911 Sunday because he wanted to know if his parents were within the law when they took away his Xbox. He hung up the phone before asking the question, but police still came to his house and backed up the parents' decision, telling the boy he should respect his elders.

Apparently, people abuse the emergency call service quite often -- calling to complain about fast food service or to prank authorities. But this kid should know better. Even that guy whose dog spent all his Xbox Live money didn't call the cops. [From: Chicago Tribune, via Kotaku]

High-Tech Fire Pit Keeps You Warm at Outdoor Eggnog Parties

With winter in full swing, most people have moved their parties indoors. But if you're like us, nothing beats kicking back a few drinks on an outdoor patio with some close friends. Before you give in to Mother Nature and her cooler temperatures, consider investing in the Cal Flame G5000 fire pit and cocktail table. According to Born Rich, this heavenly creation features a round, glass tabletop ...

Google's New Permanent Search Sidebar Could Streamline Searches

Despite Google's clean and simple design, users can still feel overwhelmed and frustrated by the freewheeling way in which search results appear on the site. To combat this problem, Marissa Meyer, Google's vice president of search product and user experience, told Mashable that the search giant will soon begin testing a new permanent sidebar on its results page, but only for a small number of ...

Webby Awards Lists the Millennium's Top 10 Web Moments

With the decade coming to a close in less than two months, expect to see plenty of "Best of" lists. It's awful fun to think back on marquee moments from years past, especially when those moments occurred on our beloved Internet. Plus, it's shocking to recall just how much the Web has changed since the start of the millennium. In that spirit, the Webby Awards has released its list of "The Ten Most ...

Scientists Find RFID 'Fingerprint' That Could Prevent Counterfeiting

Radio frequency identification tags (RFID), which appear in items like credit cards and passports, have long been susceptible to hackers looking to steal personal information. Still, RFID tags are used in many ways -- from tracking a shipment of clothes to automatically opening a doggie door. But a breakthrough from a group of University of Arkansas scientists might just ease the minds of those ...

Chinese Military Web Site Battered With Attempted Cyber-Attacks

When China launched a Web site for its defense ministry in August, the whole world took notice. With both English and Chinese versions, the government hoped the site would prove it was serious about being more transparent when it came to the military. However, this attempt also attracted hackers. According to BBC News, there have been about 2.3 million cyber-attacks on the site in its first ...

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