Tag: Internet

News Technology

Tony Hawk “Hoverboard” Video A Hoax

Sometimes, things on the Internet seem too good to be true.

That’s when people may start to challenge them, asking questions to figure out what’s real and what’s made up.

That is what happened when a video showing people riding a “hoverboard” recently went viral.

The video was posted on a website by a “company” called HUVr Tech.

Entertainment News

Hollywood Celebrates At 86th Academy Awards

Last Sunday was Hollywood’s big night.

The annual Academy Awards (known as the “Oscars”) recognize the best movies, actors and movie-makers of the year.

Four of the top awards are Best Picture, which went to the movie 12 Years a Slave; Best Actor (Matthew McConaughey, who starred in Dallas Buyers Club); Best Actress (Cate Blanchett, who starred in Blue Jasmine) and Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity).

Kids News

Thousands Of People Rally On Facebook To Show Noah That Glasses Are Cool

Lots of people wear glasses to make their vision better, or even just for fashion.

But when Noah, 4, found out he needed glasses, he wasn’t happy about it.

In fact, he was downright sad.

His mother asked him why he was so sad about having to wear glasses.

Noah told her he was worried that everyone would laugh at him.

Noah’s mother started a Facebook page to show Noah that wearing glasses is cool.

She asked people to post pictures of themselves and their kids wearing glasses.

Lighter News

Amazon Testing “Octocopters” For Half-Hour Delivery Times (But Not Anytime Soon)

Lots of people buy books and products from Amazon, an online seller.

They order and pay over the Internet and the books are shipped through the mail or a delivery service like FedEx.

One day, people could get their Amazon deliveries from an “unmanned aerial vehicle” — a tiny flying vehicle that looks like a toy helicopter.

And instead of waiting days to get the parcel, it could be at the buyer’s home in half an hour or less.

The company is working on a fleet of tiny vehicles they call “Prime Air.”

The vehicles are also known as “octocopters.”

News Technology

Word Of The Year: Selfie

“Selfie” has been named the word of the year.

Oxford Dictionaries chose the word because its usage increased by 17,000 per cent over last year.

A “selfie” is a photo that a person takes of himself, usually with his smart phone.

Have you ever seen a picture of a person that he took by holding his phone out in front of him? That’s a selfie.

A selfie can also be taken in a mirror or with a webcam.

Another term for selfie is “self portrait.”

The term was first used in 2002, in an online chat in Australia.

Lighter News

Silly, Catchy Viral Music Video Asks, “What Does The Fox Say?”

Move over Psy, there’s a new viral music video on the Internet that’s getting millions of people dancing and laughing.

Psy is a singer who created Gagnam Style, a music video which featured a catchy tune and an interesting dance.

Gagnam Style has been viewed more than one billion times, by people all over the world. It went “viral.”

A “viral video” is one that is seen on the Internet by many people, and then the link to it is passed along to many more people.

Every time someone shares the link, the number of people who see the video increases.

A new music video called, “The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)” has recently gone viral. At 123,000,000 views, it may even catch up to Gagnam.

The video asks the question, “What does the fox say?”

News

Family In Guelph Living Like It’s 1986

A family in Guelph, Ontario is spending a year living in 1986.

They’re doing it so their kids can see what life was like before complicated technology like iPads, sophisticated computers, tablets and even complicated coffee machines were part of everyday life.

They have banned all technology from their home and are relying on the things people would have used back in the 80s.

There is a box at the front door where people can temporarily deposit their mobile devices, like cell phones, while they’re visiting the family.

Blair McMillan and his girlfriend, Morgan want their kids—Trey, 5, and Denton, 2—to have a year free of technology.

Entertainment

Viral Video Turns Out To Be A Hoax

You can’t believe everything you see on the Internet.

Last week, millions of people—including many news producers—learned that lesson in a very interesting way.

A very popular Internet video turned out to be a hoax.

The video was of a girl twerking (a current dance fad) in her room; she dances so hard that she falls onto a candle and her pants catch on fire.

More than nine-million people watched the video.

The video was shown on hundreds of newscasts, including major networks ABC and some local Fox Network affiliates.