September 23, 2015

Top News Stories –

Facebook launches 360 video with Star Wars exclusive –
A short, exclusive Star Wars clip is among the first 360-degree videos to be posted on Facebook. The sequence, created by Lucasfilm’s special effects team ILMxLAB, allows users to look in all directions as the camera whizzes through the sci-fi scene. When watched on a normal computer, the mouse is used to move the view. On mobile devices, a user can move the device around to alter the perspective. Other 360 videos posted include content from Discovery, GoPro, NBC and Vice.[BBC]

All About That Bass writer says he got $5,679 from 178m streams –
Kevin Kadish, who wrote All About That Bass, says he made just $5,679 (£3,700) from 178 million streams of the song. “I’ve never heard a songwriter complain about radio royalties as much as streaming royalties,” Mr Kadish said. “That was the real issue for us, like one million streams equals $90 (£59).” Mr Kadish co-wrote All About That Bass with singer Meghan Trainor. She became the first act to enter the UK top 40 based purely on streams of All About That Bass. Streaming now accounts for one-third of the US music industry’s income, which remains relatively flat, with total revenue down 0.5% to $3.17bn (£2.05bn). [BBC Newsbeat]
Meghan_TrainorMeghan Trainor

Video of the Day –

The Angry Birds Movie – Official Teaser Trailer

List of the Day –

List of most streamed songs in the United Kingdom – [from Wikipedia]

No. Song title Artist Released Streams (millions)
Radioactive Imagine Dragons October 2012 19.7+
Pompeii Bastille February 2013 32.0+
Let Her Go Passenger February 2013 21.7+
Get Lucky Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams April 2013 24.5+
Counting Stars OneRepublic June 2013 19.7+
Blurred Lines Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell Williams May 2013 20.7+
Wake Me Up! Avicii July 2013 21.4+
All of Me John Legend August 2013 38.7+
Happy Pharrell Williams November 2013 40.0+
Timber Pitbull featuring Kesha December 2013 21.0+
Rather Be Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glynne January 2014 41.0+
Take Me to Church Hozier January 2014 50.8
Waves Mr Probz February 2014 32.1+
Stay with Me Sam Smith April 2014 29.1+
Thinking Out Loud Ed Sheeran June 2014 60.1
Uptown Funk Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars December 2014 60.0
Love Me like You Do Ellie Goulding February 2015 30.0
Cheerleader OMI April 2015 40.0
See You Again Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth April 2015 29.5

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #NoQuieroEnamorartePero #LameApocalypses Happy Diwali
2 #MessageToSelf #AvengersAgeOfUltron #MOBOAwards2014
3 #ReContraDaPara #OttawaShooting Lille
4 Happy Diwali Halloween Harry Roberts
5 Nathan Cirillo Diwali in India Age of Ultron
6 #NothingBeatsFIRST #SheNeverLeft Balotelli
7 #AngGustoKoLangNaman Between Two Ferns Alvin Stardust
8 #AklımdaykenSöyleyeyim #AgeofUltron #AgeofUltron
9 Diwali in India #ICryAtRavesWhen #OttawaShooting
10 Between Two Ferns Avengers 2 MOBOs

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December 31, 2015

Top News Stories –

BBC Website And iPlayer Crippled Following Massive DDoS Attack –
Have you ever seen a dog chase its own tail? That pretty much describes what’s going on at BBC News this morning. The site suffered a pretty large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack earlier today, one that knocked out the company’s entire network and iPlayer streaming service, causing grief for web visitors who grew impatient with how long it took to restore service. As for the image of a dog chasing its own tail, it’s based on BBC’s reporting of the situation. The site posted a statement on Twitter in the early morning hours saying it was “aware of a technical issue” affecting its website, but declined to elaborate. A BBC News journalist for the site’s Technology section posted an article saying that internal sources blamed the issues on a DDoS attack, then a few paragraphs down notes that “BBC has yet to confirm or deny that such an attack was responsible for the problems.” So there you have it — BBC acknowledged a technical issue (duh) while one of its own journalists heard from people within the organization that it was a DDoS attack, but for some unknown reason the site won’t go on record as saying so. The good news is order has been restored and, despite claims to the contrary on Twitter, this is not the end of the world. [Hot Hardware]
BBC Error 500BBC Error 500

Dubai seeks cause of massive hotel fire at New Year –
The authorities in Dubai are trying to find out what caused a spectacular fire to engulf a 63-storey luxury hotel in the city centre on New Year’s Eve. Firefighters managed to subdue the blaze, but part of the Address Downtown Hotel is still smouldering. A BBC reporter says a significant fire is still visible on the 20th floor, where the blaze apparently started. The tower was evacuated and 16 people were hurt. But a fireworks show went ahead at the Burj Khalifa tower nearby. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Gym Wildlife

List of the Day –

Google Trends 2015 –
Top Searches – Music

Adele

Source: Google

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #Adios2015 Page 365 of 365 #Remember1D2015
2 #زد_رصيدك48 #BestMemoriesOf2015 Harry and Kendall
3 Hasan Karakaya #PeachBowl #BestMemoriesOf2015
4 #HappyNewYear Happy New Year #NYE2016
5 #FimDeAnoSrTwitteiroSdv #Feliz2016 Goodbye 2015
6 #2016YılındanBeklentim #ImAlwaysMixingUp Here’s to 2016
7 #امنيتك_في_عام_… #PeopleWhoMadeMyYear #Likely2016Headlines
8 #HojeEuVou #RIZIN #PeopleWhoMadeMyYear
9 #SeFueElAñoYYo Carrot Top #NewYearsResolutionsIn5Words
10 #2015medejo Here’s to 2016 Happy Hogmanay

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January 7, 2016

Top News Stories –

Igloo built in middle of downtown Chicago road stumps the internet –
An igloo built in the middle of a busy road in downtown Chicago has captivated the internet and left people passing by a little confused. Internet users speculated the 5ft-tall igloo home built under a streetlight near a busy intersection had been constructed by a homeless person. However the person who created the home from slabs of ice has been identified as local resident David Sudler. He built the chilly fort over two nights using the ice blocks and a milk crate to stack the slabs and create the roof. [Daily Telegraph]
Igloo in ChicagoAdam Robinson Tweet

Facebook wants to kill off your phone number –
The days of the phone number are, quite literally numbered, thanks to the inexhorable rise of the company’s Messenger app, according to David Marcus, Facebook’s vice president of messaging products. “Think about it: SMS and texting came to the fore in the time of flip phones. Now, many of us can do so much more on our phones; we went from just making phone calls and sending basic text-only messages to having computers in our pockets,” Marcus wrote in a blog post. “With Messenger, we offer all the things that made texting so popular, but also so much more,” he said. “Yes, you can send text messages, but you can also send stickers, photos, videos, voice clips, GIFs, your location, and money to people. You can make video and voice calls while at the same time not needing to know someone’s phone number.” [Daily Telegraph]

Video of the Day –

Dillon Francis – Not Butter from Brandon Dermer on Vimeo.

List of the Day –

People’s Choice Music Award winners:
Favourite male artist: Ed Sheeran
Favourite female artist: Taylor Swift
Favourite group: Fifth Harmony
Favourite breakout artist: Shawn Mendes
Favourite male country artist: Blake Shelton
Favourite female country artist: Carrie Underwood
Favourite country group: Lady Antebellum
Favourite pop artist: Taylor Swift
Favourite hip-hop artist: Nicki Minaj
Favourite R&B artist: The Weeknd
Favourite album: Title by Meghan Trainor
Favourite song: What Do You Mean? by Justin Bieber
Favourite music icon: Madonna

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 unavailable #UnpopularMusicOpinionhour #CharlieHebdo
2 unavailable #NationalBobbleheadDay Tom Allin
3 unavailable $675 Million #BirdCelebs
4 unavailable Tila Tequila #WasteHisTime2016
5 unavailable #ZaynOnBillboard #PeoplesChoiceAwards
6 unavailable #IdolPremiere Craig David
7 unavailable #okquake #bodyshockers
8 unavailable Zora Neale Hurston #PCAs
9 unavailable #DirectionersShazam #selfieforseb
10 unavailable #BirdCelebs #GreatBarrierReef

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February 15, 2016

Top News Stories –

Taylor Swift disses Kanye West at the Grammy Awards during her acceptance speech –
Taylor Swift’s 1989 has won the coveted album of the year award at this year’s Grammys in Los Angeles. The singer – who is the first woman to win the award twice – also won best pop vocal album and best music video for her track Bad Blood. Swift dissed Kanye [West] during her acceptance speech at the Grammy Awards. She’s the first woman to win album of the year twice and said it was for “all the young women out there”. She said: “There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame.” Her speech appears to be in response to Kanye West’s lyric from his new album where he claims to have made Taylor Swift famous. [BBC]

In January 2016 Swift won the Peoples Choice Award for best female artist. In November 2015 she was sued for allegedly stealing the lyrics for her song “Shake it off”. Also see List of the Day.
Taylor_SwiftTaylor Swift

Stephen Fry quits Twitter, saying ‘fun is over’ after Bafta spat –
Bafta show host Stephen Fry has confirmed he has left Twitter declaring “the fun is over”. He faced criticism online after comparing costume designer Jenny Beavan to a “bag lady” when she picked up her Bafta for Mad Max: Fury Road. The presenter later insisted Beavan was a “dear friend” and had “got” the joke. Fry said he has not “slammed the door” on Twitter but said the site had become a “stalking ground for the sanctimoniously self-righteous”. Writing on his official website, he said people needed to “grieve” for what Twitter had become, writing: “I like to believe I haven’t slammed the door, much less stalked off in a huff throwing my toys out of the pram as I go or however one should phrase it. “It’s quite simple really: the room had started to smell. Really quite bad.” [BBC]

In January 2015 Fry married his 27 year old partner Elliot Spencer
Stephen_FryStephen Fry

Hollywood hospital held to ransom by hackers –
Ransomware is a growing menace for computer users – but when a hospital is targeted, it makes the disruption far more serious. Computer systems at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center have been offline for more than a week following a ransomware attack. According to local news sources, hackers were said to have demanded $3.4m (£2.4m) to provide the codes to unlock the stolen data. The hospital has confirmed the attack took place, but has not commented on the ransom. A voicemail message at the hospital reassures patients that medical records had not been accessed by the hackers. [BBC]

Video of the Day –

Indoor Snowstorm Prank!!

List of the Day –

Grammy Award winners 2016

Album of the year
Winner: 1989 – Taylor Swift

Sound & Color – Alabama Shakes
To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar
Traveller – Chris Stapleton
Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

Best new artist
Winner: Meghan Trainor

Courtney Barnett
James Bay
Sam Hunt
Tori Kelly

Best rock album
Winner: Drones – Muse

Chaos And The Calm – James Bay
Kintsugi – Death Cab For Cutie
Mister Asylum – Highly Suspect
.5: The Gray Chapter – Slipknot

Best rock performance
Winner: Don’t Wanna Fight – Alabama Shakes

What Kind Of Man – Florence & The Machine
Something From Nothing – Foo Fighters
Ex’s & Oh’s – Elle King
Moaning Lisa Smile – Wolf Alice

Record of the year
Winner: Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars

Really Love – D’Angelo and the Vanguard
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
Blank Space – Taylor Swift
Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd

Song of the year
Winner: Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge

Alright – Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams (Kendrick Lamar)
Blank Space – Max Martin, Shellback & Taylor Swift
Girl Crush – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose (Little Big Town)
See You Again – Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz (Wiz Khalifa)

Best pop vocal album
Winner: 1989 – Taylor Swift

Piece By Piece – Kelly Clarkson
How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful – Florence & The Machine
Uptown Special – Mark Ronson
Before This World – James Taylor

Best pop solo performance
Winner: Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran

Heartbeat Song – Kelly Clarkson
Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
Blank Space – Taylor Swift
Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd

Best traditional pop vocal album
Winner: The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern – Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap

Shadows In The Night – Bob Dylan
Stages – Josh Groban
No One Ever Tells You – Seth MacFarlane
My Dream Duets – Barry Manilow

Best music video
Winner: Bad Blood – Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar

LSD – ASAP Rocky
I Feel Love (Every Million Miles) – The Dead Weather
Alright – Kendrick Lamar
Freedom – Pharrell Williams

Best dance recording
Winner: Where Are U Now – Skrillex and Diplo with Justin Bieber

We’re All We Need – Above & Beyond Featuring Zoe Johnston
Go – The Chemical Brothers Featuring Q-Tip
Never Catch Me – Flying Lotus featuring Kendrick Lamar
Runaway (U & I) – Galantis

Best R&B performance
Winner: Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – The Weeknd

If I Don’t Have You – Tamar Braxton
Rise Up – Andra Day
Breathing Underwater – Hiatus Kaiyote
Planes – Jeremih Featuring J. Cole

Best R&B album
Winner: Black Messiah – D’Angelo And The Vanguard

Coming Home – Leon Bridges
Cheers To The Fall – Andra Day
Reality Show – Jazmine Sullivan
Forever Charlie – Charlie Wilson

Best urban contemporary album
Winner: Beauty Behind The Madness – The Weeknd

Ego Death – The Internet
You Should Be Here – Kehlani
Blood – Lianne La Havas
Wildheart – Miguel

Best country album
Winner: Traveller – Chris Stapleton

Montevallo – Sam Hunt
Pain Killer – Little Big Town
The Blade – Ashley Monroe
Pageant Material – Kacey Musgraves

Best country song
Winner: Girl Crush – Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose (Little Big Town)

Chances Are – Hayes Carll (Lee Ann Womack)
Diamond Rings And Old Barstools – Barry Dean, Luke Laird & Jonathan Singleton (Tim McGraw)
Hold My Hand – Brandy Clark & Mark Stephen Jones
Traveller – Chris Stapleton

Best metal performance
Winner: Cirice – Ghost

Identity – August Burns Red
512 – Lamb Of God
Thank You – Sevendust
Custer – Slipknot

Best rap album
Winner: To Pimp A Butterfly – Kendrick Lamar

2014 Forest Hills Drive – J. Cole
Compton – Dr. Dre
If You’re Reading This Its Too Late – Drake
The Pinkprint – Nicki Minaj

Best music film
Winner: Amy – Amy Winehouse

Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown – James Brown
Sonic Highways – Foo Fighters
What Happened, Miss Simone? – Nina Simone
The Wall – Roger Waters

Best song written for visual media
Winner: Glory – Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens (Common and John Legend)

Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey) – Ahmad Balshe, Stephan Moccio, Jason Quenneville & Abel Tesfaye (The Weeknd)
Love Me Like You Do – Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Tove Nilsson, Ali Payami & Ilya Salmanzadeh (Ellie Goulding)
See You Again – Andrew Cedar, Justin Franks, Charles Puth & Cameron Thomaz (Wiz Khalifa Featuring Charlie Puth)
Til It Happens To You – Lady Gaga & Diane Warren

Top Twitter Trends –

Worldwide USA UK
1 #VoltaAsAulasNoClubeSDV #MondayMotivation #HSBC
2 #SintoSaudadeDe Mark Zuckerberg #MentalHealthTaskforce
3 #علشان_الناس_ت�… #GRAMMYs #IThinkItWouldBeGreatIf
4 #FelizLunes #PresidentsDay #mondaymotivation
5 #النصر_الاهلي Louis and Danielle Mark Zuckerberg
6 #DolceAmoreSweetBeginning Stephen Fry #TheWalkingDead
7 #PresidentsDay #IThinkItWouldBeGreatIf #MyFirstLoveIn4Words
8 #ALDUBSigawNgPuso How America Was Lost Joel Matip
9 #ŞudaBirGerçekKi #IConstantlyStruggleWith #Deutschland83
10 #ايقاف_حساب_دا�… #Daredevil #AddINGtoAMovie

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