MIX Means Variety » Technology

Clever Dad Hacks Donkey Kong Game So Daughter Can Play As a Girl

Drew Weisholtz — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:02:30 +0000

Equal rights have finally come to video games. In a bit of ingenuity, a game developer named Mike Mika managed to hack the classic video game Donkey Kong so that instead of playing as Mario, his three-year-old daughter could play as Pauline, one of the female characters who usually needs to be rescued. Mika’s quest [...]

Gadget Alert – Suddenlink To Offer Tivo Stream Just In Time For The Holidays [SPONSORED]

Billy Goforth — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 17:45:15 +0000

If you are anything like me, I count the seconds until I get the latest gadget in my hand. Suddenlink is now offering the brand new Tivo Stream Just In time for Christmas. I have been waiting for this. I often wish I could watch my TiVo on my phone or tablet, or take my [...]

What Are the Worst Passwords Being Used This Year?

Mike Adams — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:37:42 +0000

You would think that by now people would be utilizing stronger passwords to protect themselves from unsuspecting hackers. However, a recent study indicates that a lot of us are still as careless as ever and using the same weak, highly hackable passwords. That’s the consensus according to SplashData, who earlier this week released their list [...]

FTC Robocall Challenge – A Contest to Stop those Unwated Robocalls

Lori Crofford — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 16:09:45 +0000

Don't you hate it when your cell phone rings with an weird local number? You answer the call only to find out that it is someone halfway across the world trying to sell you Viagra, or you find yourself listening to an annoying recording. The FTC is having a contest to find a person that can create something to stop those unwanted calls.

10 Awesome Facts About the Internet You Didn't Know

Emerald Catron — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 12:45:19 +0000

And because we can't do cat videos all day every day,* here are ten amazing facts about the internet. From how many likes there are on Facebook daily to the actual weight of the internet, this video just might blow your mind. (Hence the title.) Learn something new today, so you can watch a cat stuck in a jar over and over guilt-free!

Two Weeks On DSL Makes Me LOVE Having My Suddenlink High Speed Internet Back

Billy Goforth — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 16:11:08 +0000

During our recent move, I found myself in a place that offered “Free DSL” and so I had not reconnected my Suddenlink high speed internet. That was a huge mistake. I don’t know if you’re like me, but I use the internet for almost every aspect of my life. Whether I’m working from the house, [...]

Are You Spending More on Your Cell Phone Than on Groceries? — Survey of the Day

Mike Adams — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:32:54 +0000

The basic necessities of life may be food, water and shelter, but a new survey suggests the modern day world might be prepared to trade in sustenance for communication, as many Americans are now spending more money on their cell phone plans than they are on things to eat. A recent survey by CouponCabin.com discovered [...]

What Features Does the New iPhone 5 Have? LTE, Larger Screen, iOS 6 and More

Lisa Bernier — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:08:52 +0000

At a press conference this morning in San Francisco, Apple introduced the iPhone 5. The latest version of the best-selling smartphone has been highly anticipated ever since the somewhat disappointing release of the previous iteration, the iPhone 4s. The iPhone 5 will be the thinnest smartphone on the market. Made entirely of glass and aluminum, [...]

Adorable TextCutie App Is Super Cute

Lisa Bernier — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:51:45 +0000

If you’ve ever wanted to move beyond the smiley face, the LOL, or the semi-colon wink, then TextCutie is the app for you. Brought to you by Leko Wolwitz, TextCutie allows you to send cute pictures, images, and themes via texting, Twitter or Instagram. With the ability to create text “graffiti,” the twee-possibilities are endless. [...]

Study Shows Siri May Not Be As Smart As It Thinks It Is

Danny Gallagher — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:00:57 +0000

Apple’s Siri app turned a lot of heads and ears when the iPhone 4S first hit the shelves. The voice controlled app looked and sounded like something from an Arthur C. Clarke novel.

However, it may not bring us any closer to having a real HAL 9000 computer (and considering what happened in ’2001: A Space Odyssey,’ maybe we should be thankful for that).

Which Companies Make the Best Use of Twitter for Customer Service?

Shauna Wright — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:48:44 +0000

Many businesses are using social media like Twitter to supplement their customer service operations. But a new study says not all companies are using the microblogging service as they should. Customer service ratings company STELLAService reviewed more than two dozen major retailers and found less than half of the questions asked on the companies’ Twitter [...]

Should Young Children Be Allowed on Facebook? Mark Zuckerberg Says Yes

Shauna Wright — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:08:33 +0000

Facebook only allows people 13 and over to sign up for an account — but the social site’s founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, wants that to change. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) mandates that only individuals over the age of 13 can have accounts on websites that collect information about users. And since [...]

Would You Pay to Promote Your Facebook Posts? – Dollars and Sense

Shauna Wright — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:59:51 +0000

Posting a Facebook update and making sure it gets the maximum exposure could soon be as simple as opening your wallet, if you can believe it. The social media giant is rolling out a new program that will allow its members to pay a small fee to highlight or promote their posts.

Apple Wants To Help You Avoid Your Psycho Ex-Girlfriends

Phil Villarreal — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:00:07 +0000

You can’t really blame her for being addicted to your awesomeness. It’s understandable that she is unable to stop calling and texting and begging you to take her back. Neither firm requests to stop harassing you, nor blocking her number, does the trick. It’s time to go nuclear and change your phone number. Apple knows [...]

You Could Be Throwing Money Down the Drain If You Use Online Dating Sites

Danny Gallagher — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:57:28 +0000

Sites like Match.com and eHarmony make big promises of finding a lifetime of love with your soulmate without having to leave your door or even put on pants.

A new study, however, found that may be the only advantage to trying to find the right guy or gal compared to the old-fashioned way.

10 Tech Savvy Gifts That Will Blow Mom Away This Mother's Day

Maura Chwastyk — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:31:08 +0000

As much as your non-smoking mom claims to love the handmade ashtrays and hand-picked bouquet (from her garden, no less) that you’ve given her every Mother’s Day for the last two decades, this is the year to shake things up. You may see your mom as the woman who still isn’t completely sure how to [...]

GameStop Wants To Get Its Paws On Your Android Gadgets

Phil Villarreal — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:28:21 +0000

GameStop is starting to approach Bill Belichick levels of strange-sounding but ultimately savvy trades. The former game and games-systems swapper started spreading out its range when it began to accept iPod/iPad/iPhone trade-ins. Then it got just plain silly when it starting swapping Skylanders toys. Now the company has started taking certain Android phones and tablets [...]

Could Your Social Media Profiles Cost You a Job?

Shauna Wright — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:11:28 +0000

A new CareerBuilder survey of 2,300 hiring managers and human resource professionals shores up the warnings many experts give job-seekers about social media — namely, what you post could wind up costing you a position.

See Through Walls With A Cell Phone

Patrick Bateman — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:08:33 +0000

Peeping toms, perverts, and wannabe superheroes rejoice! Researchers at the University of Texas – Dallas have designed an imager chip that could turn mobile phones into devices that can see through walls, wood, plastics, paper and other objects. The research team made use of a band on the electromagnetic spectrum (think AM/FM, microwave, infrared and not [...]

Holy Crap, Futurama's Tube Transports Will Soon Be Real

Patrick Bateman — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 12:33:56 +0000

Futurama originally hit boob tubes in 1999 and was set in the year 2999, but the tubes you see people and other species flying around in could be a reality sooner that we think. Evacuated Tube Transport is an airless, frictionless form of transportation which is safer, cheaper and quieter than trains or airplanes. Six-person [...]