Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 racks up 25 million downloads in 3 days
If you've had your head under a rock for the last few days, here's this week's Firefox news in brief: Firefox 4 was finally released.

Yes, 13 months after the initial release of Firefox 3.7 alpha 1 and four more alpha builds, a renumbering to 4.0 and 12 beta releases, and finally a release candidate (or two), Firefox 4 has been released into the wild.

Just like every other Firefox release, initial reception for the new browser has been nothing short of insane. 7.1 million downloads were registered in the first 24 hours and the download rate continued to accelerate, clocking in more than 15 million downloads after two days. At the time of writing, three days in, Firefox 4 has been downloaded over 25 million times. In case you're wondering, the United States accounts for 7 million of those downloads, just beating out Germany's Firefox-downloads-per-capita.

But now that you've installed Firefox 4 (you have, right?), what do you do now? Well, obviously, in true Download Squad fashion, it's time to tweak Firefox 4 using add-ons and about:config hacks!

First up is an add-on called Stratiform that lets you change every aspect of the Firefox 4 browser chrome -- including the color of that orange button!

Continue reading Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/firefox-4-friday-25-million-downloads-anti-aliasing-and-how-t/

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RIP, Raygun: Pentagon's Laser Plane Laid to Rest [Military]

Yes, it sounds completely crazy: A 747 jumbo-jet, embedded with a powerful laser, that can shoot missiles right out of the sky. But for sixteen long years, the U.S. military tried to turn that idea - called the Airborne Laser Test Bed - into a reality. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/UaYkAuqxWoc/rip-raygun-pentagons-laser-plane-laid-to-rest

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Oscars 2012 Predictions: Best Animated Feature Film

MTV News thinks 'Rango' is the likely winner at this year's Academy Awards, but who should win?
By Josh Wigler


"Rango"
Photo: Paramount Pictures

The Academy Awards are fast approaching, and it's bound to be an animated show this year — if not a particularly "Adventure"-ous one.

For the first time in years, animation powerhouse Pixar has been shut out of the Oscar race for Best Animated Feature Film, leaving the field wide open for an unexpected newcomer to take the top prize. Two foreign flicks — "A Cat in Paris" and "Chico & Rita" — are in the mix, battling it out against popular favorites and proven franchise hits "Kung Fu Panda 2" and "Puss in Boots." But we expect that the Academy will skew toward the surreal this year, honoring the beautifully bizarre "Rango" with a shiny new golden statue.

Read on for our picks and wishes for Best Animated Feature Film.

Who Will Win: "Rango" takes it home. "A Cat in Paris" and "Chico & Rita" cancel each other out, as do DreamWorks Animation's two offerings. That leaves the door open for the little chameleon that could, played to quirky perfection by seasoned veteran Johnny Depp. Reteaming with his former "Pirates of the Caribbean" captain Gore Verbinski, "Rango" stands out as one of the most original animated movies to hit theaters stateside in quite some time. It's fully deserving of its impending victory. Having said that...

Who Should Win: "The Adventures of Tintin." Clearly, it's not going to win — it's not even nominated! A travesty, I say. Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg's adaptation of the adventure tales from Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi stands out as one of the greatest comic book films of 2011, and in my opinion, the best animated movie of the year. It deserves not just a nomination, but a win, for its fantastic score from John Williams, wonderfully inventive opening credits, astoundingly assembled action pieces and yet another all-star motion-capture grand slam from the incredible Andy Serkis. "Tintin" didn't win its Golden Globe award for nothing, folks. This movie should already be polishing its Oscar by now — there are no excuses for its exclusion from the race.

The MTV Movies team has the 2012 Oscars covered! Stick with us for everything you need to know leading up to the awards show, and on Sunday, February 25, we'll put you on the red carpet and bring you all the winners.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679264/oscar-best-animated-feature-predictions.jhtml

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Robert Pattinson Talks 'Twilight,' 'Bel Ami' At Berlin Film Festival

'Having blockbusters in your life is never a bad thing,' he says at press conference.
By Jocelyn Vena


Christina Ricci and Robert Pattinson in Berlin on Friday
Photo: Sean Gallup/ Getty Images

Robert Pattinson appeared at the Berlin International Film Festival on Friday (February 17) to promote his latest effort, the big-screen adaptation of the Guy de Maupassant novel "Bel Ami." During the press conference, the actor opened up about making the film, which follows a manipulative young man who romances various women in 19th-century Paris.

"To work as a journalist? It's funny. I kind of like the idea, especially when he gets into the gossip section of the newspaper," the actor said about his character's job in the flick and how he related it to his own headline-making life.

Click for photos of Robert Pattinson at the "Bel Ami" event in Berlin.

"Something that was written in ... 1885, for it to be the exact same situation as it is now, where you have a template article and you just replace the name and it could be about anybody, I thought that was really funny. But he's not really a journalist. ... It's basically like being a reality TV star now," he said. "It was one of the jobs where you could kind of [get ahead]; he found a loophole in life where he could get money and a reputation by basically doing nothing. It was fun; it was interesting."

As for the film, Pattinson said that he agreed to do it because he thought he might never get the chance to play a character like that again. "It's funny, the structure of 'Bel Ami' and the character of Georges really rarely comes up in movies anymore because he's completely unrepentant, and normally a movie has to teach somebody a lesson nowadays. It was quite fun playing that," he said. "They both have their good sides."

He added that when he first read the script, he related to Georges' motivations. "I read the script a long time ago. I was pretty young. I think I've changed a little bit," the actor said. "I kind of understood that. You create an empire just so you can sh-- on someone else. I think I've grown up a little bit. I'm not as horrible."

The film is much different in tone than "Twilight," and Pattinson addressed any concerns he might have about bringing that audience along to this film, which opens in March.

"I guess my responsibility, I think, it's not necessarily to give anything back other than try and do the best work you can. You get an audience for doing certain jobs, so I think the biggest disservice you can do to your audience is trying to repeat the same thing and to come just to get money or whatever," he said. "If a 'Twilight' audience would come watch 'Bel Ami,' it's a movie that I wouldn't have thought that audience would go to, so I think that in some way, it's kind of doing a service to someone. I felt like I learned a lot from it."

Pattinson spoke about balancing smaller films with big ones like "Twilight." "Having blockbusters in your life is never a bad thing," he said. "When you're making it, if everyone is expecting it to be a blockbuster, it's kind of lame."

Check out everything we've got on "Bel Ami."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1679488/robert-pattinson-bel-ami-berlin-film-festival.jhtml

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Fruit Flies Fend Off Wasp Body Snatchers By Getting Drunk [Science]

Wasps like to invade fruit flies and take over their bodies, like some insect version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Scientists have now discovered that fruit flies have developed a way to defend themselves: alcohol. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/bsUO8nZ1l2I/fruit-flies-fend-off-wasp-body-snatchers-by-getting-wasted

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Extraordinary 298-Million-Year-Old Forest Discovered Under Chinese Coal Mine [Science]

American and Chinese scientists are flabbergasted after discovering a giant 298-million-year-old forest buried intact under a coal mine near Wuda, in Inner Mongolia, China. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/qvEBOGhHpOM/extraordinary-298+million+year+old-forest-discovered-under-chinese-coal-mine

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Grammys Live Stream: What Shocking Entrances Will We See?

How will Lady Gaga arrive this year? Join Sway and James Montgomery on the red carpet, starting 5 p.m. Sunday on MTV.com.
By Gil Kaufman


Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammys
Photo: Getty Images

<P>What's the point of getting all dolled up for the Grammy Awards if no one notices your outfit? Since not everyone can earn a nomination or score a performance slot, sometimes you have to make your own news by crashing the red carpet with an eye-popping outfit that is sure to get tongues wagging. It's anyone's guess what this year's attendees will be wearing on Sunday night at the 54th annual awards show, but MTV News will be camped out on the carpet for a full three hours before the festivities kick off and we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for all the outrageous looks and fashions. Click for photos of our most-shocking Grammy red carpet moments! In the meantime, we thought it was worth a look back at some of the legendary entrances from Grammys past: </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="id:1678854" width="240" height="211"></div><p> <B>Lady Gaga egg</B>: Sure, Justin Bieber toted his pet snake to last year's show, but it was, of course, Lady Gaga who turned the most heads by getting carried down the carpet in a giant, see-through egg that she incubated in before emerging later in the night for her performance of "Born This Way." <B>Britney gets bodied</B>: Britney Spears has long prided herself on wearing what she wants, when she wants. But someone should have pulled her aside in 2010 before she exited the car in an oddball Dolce &amp; Gabbana bodysuit overlaid with a lace dress that turned heads for all the wrong reasons. <B>M.I.A.'s pregnancy chic</B>: With her middle finger firmly tucked into place, the rapper/singer made her way into the 2009 show while nine-months pregnant in a cartoony, ruffled blue maternity dress and matching sneakers. <B>Coldplay play dress up</B>: It was kind of cool when Coldplay stuck with their bold Sgt. Pepper's-style suits for the whole <I>Viva La Vida</I> tour. But when they wore them to the 2009 show, it just felt ... silly. <B>OK Go ... back to the drawing board</B>: Viral icons OK Go are experts at drawing attention to their music with trippy, how-did-they-do-that videos. They drew mostly sniggers, though, when they donned matching brocade curtain-looking red-and-gold suits to the 2007 show. Their smartest move may have been to cover their faces with red cloth. <B>R. Kelly, man of mystery</B>: Kels has made a career out of being inscrutable , but his bold sartorial choice at the 2004 Grammys was, well, weird. From the neck down he wore an elegant three-button black suit and tie, but the matching Robin mask? Who knows? <B>Alicia Keys gets funky</B>: Nobody really knows what Keys was thinking in 2002 when she walked the carpet wearing embroidered jeans, sandals, a white tank and a sheer green sari-like shift with a built in, bedazzled headdress. <B>Toni Braxton lets it all hang out</B>: Sometimes it's what you <I>don't</I> wear that gets attention. In 2001, singer Braxton sported a barely-there white "dress" that hardly covered her assets with strips of material that dangled in the front and back. <B>Jennifer Lopez's plunging neckline</B>: Way before she was an "American Idol" judge, Lopez sent hearts racing in 2000 with her instantly infamous plunging neckline Versace gown. <b>Chaos! Profanity! Wardrobe malfunctions! Don't miss our Grammy red-carpet live stream this Sunday, February 12, for a full three hours of mayhem, starting at 5 p.m. ET on MTV.com. And the fun doesn't end Sunday: MTV News has you covered for all the Grammy red-carpet fashion, Grammy winners and Grammy news until the hangover wears off!</b></p>

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678995/grammy-2012-live-red-carpet-entrance... "> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678995/grammy-2012-live-red-carpet-entrance...

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With a Little Luck: A Novel

My good friend Caprice Crane's new book, With a Little Luck, is out today. Yay, Caprice!

It's gotten great reviews:

"Crane is one of the funniest writers of popular fiction around. The dialog (inner and outer) is laugh-out-loud, snort-inducing hilarious . . . Readers will want to cross their fingers and spit while throwing salt over their shoulders if it helps Berry reach her dreams. Highly recommended."

Library Journal

"Fans of Stacy Ballis and Cara Lockwood will appreciate Crane's effortlessly funny style, which is often attempted in popular fiction but is rarely this well executed...Lighthearted and charmingly honest."

—Booklist

"[A] satisfying romantic comedy...[with] real character growth."

—Kirkus Reviews

And even better blurbs:

"Romantic, poignant and funny—this book is a lucky find for lit fans. Caprice Crane is a nimble and gifted storyteller."

—Diablo Cody, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of Juno

"A hilarious romp that oozes charm and giddy fun. Caprice Crane is a true talent."

—Molly Jong-Fast, author of The Social Climber's Handbook

"Witty, fast-paced, and sheer fun. Caprice Crane is a master of dialogue. Half the time I was reading this book I was smiling, which made me look like a crazy person on the subway."

—Jancee Dunn, author of Don’t You Forget About Me and Why Is My Mother Getting a Tattoo?

"Absolutely charming and hilarious."

—Missy Peregrym, star of the movie Stick It and ABC's Rookie Blue

"With a Little Luck scores in humor, head, and heart. In other words, it’s a perfect trifecta."

—Karyn Bosnak, author of 20 Times a Lady (soon to be the major motion picture What's Your Number?)

(Omg, who is that last fantastic blurber?) (I meant every word of it.)

And most importantly, she has the cutest dog ever (who likes to video chat with Bev):

Anyway, check it out, buy it—it's fantastic!

Source: http://www.prettyinthecity.com/blog/2011/7/26/with-a-little-luck-a-novel.html

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