People have serious problems with Glassholes. Sure, they may wear cameras on their face, but sometimes all of the Glass hate comes off as a case of bullying the weird kids. And now, to make matters worse, Glass Explorers can download an app that allows them to control their Glass with their minds.

A new Google Glass app called MindRDR from design company This Place allows users to take and share pictures from Glass using your mind. No saying "Okay, Glass," no reaching for the side of your head — just staring at something like a creep and concentrating.

The inspiration came when the This Space team noticed that Google Glass wasn't as convenient and seamless as its made out to be.

"We quickly realized that people had to use their voice and their hands a lot, but having your hand up there by your temple gets tiring." Ben Aldred, Director of This Space, told Betabeat. "Then people support their right elbow with their left hand, and it becomes a two-handed device."

The app connects Google Glass to a second piece of inconspicuous head gear called the Neurosky MindWave, which senses brainwave activity. It doesn't read your thoughts, per se, but rather the kind of patterns your brain is engaged with.

"We monitor two kinds of activity: attention and relaxation," Mr. Aldred said, "If you concentrate, it’s like hitting the shutter of a camera. If you relax, it cancels the command."

He's not just leering at you like a creep. He's taking a picture of you. Like a creep. (Image via This Space)

If you're the kind of person who has trouble focusing on anything, don't worry: MindRDR adjusts to your level of personal disfunction. Most users develop a technique in only a few minutes, like doing times tables in their head or imagining that they're rearranging a stack of boxes.

Simple tasts like taking a picture are neat and all, but Mr. Aldred is excited for the future of telekinetic tech. If future brainwave readers can map emotions, he envisions much more complicated uses for mind-controlled devices.

"If we could map emotions, we could quickly get to the level of an Apple remote," he said. "That’d be only five different commands, but that could navigate a keyboard or a list."

You'd think with something as futuristic as telekinetic tech, Google would love this kind of project, especially considering what this could mean for people with disabilities like Locked In Syndrome. But Google made it very clear to BBC that they don't support that app, had nothing to do with it, and that "Google Glass cannot read your mind." Mr. Aldred isn't phased by the negativity from on high, though.

"We love Google, Mr. Aldred. "We’re just flattered that they noticed us."

Why have kids when you have a computer? (Image via Openclipart)

From two people dying attempting to rescue a cell phone from an open-pit toilet, to the mother and son who drowned after a gaming-related argument, people in China seem increasingly willing to make major sacrifices for #tech.

A loving set of Chinese parents holds their tech so dearly, they were willing to sell both of their children to Fujian-based traffickers in order to commit more time and money to their online gaming, Games In Asia reports.

The young, unwed couple admitted that because their first child was unplanned and the boyfriend had no plans to support him, they felt better about selling him off. The couple used the money from the first child to fund item purchases within popular, free-to-play online games.

After a second unexpected pregnancy — desperate for even more money — the couple yet again realized they couldn't support both the child and their gaming, and sold their second newborn to traffickers.

The couple is reportedly currently awaiting trial in prison.

The girlfriend told reporters her boyfriend "likes buying items in online games, and he likes staying out all night at internet cafes,” according to Games in Asia.

Priorities, man.

The inside of the store. It looks so clean. (Instagram)

You frequently see brick-and-mortar businesses start selling their wares on the interwebs, but it's less common to see it work the other way around.

But that's the case for Birchbox, the New York-based subscription service that sends customers monthly boxes of beauty and lifestyle products. The company — which scored $60 million in funding back in April — announced yesterday the opening of its first physical store in Manhattan's Soho neighborhood, at 433 West Broadway.

Visitors will be able to browse 2,000 products from 250 different brands like Smashbox, Caudalie, Jouer, Supergoop!, Cynthia Rowley, Baxter of California, Lab Series and the Art of Shaving, according to the press release. They'll also be able to build their own Birchboxes ("B.Y.O.B.," the release calls it) by combining any five sample size products for $15.

Still, it seems questionable why a company that already has an expansive online store would feel the need to open up a brick-and-mortar retail shop; surely the online store gets far more visitors.

But Birchbox's Soho store offers immersive activities that online customers couldn't possibly experience, like a "Try Bar" where customers can physically test products, on-site hair, nail and make-up appointments, and group classes on a variety of beauty products, according to the release.

“Our goal with Birchbox has always been to make it easy, efficient and fun for people to discover new brands and products fit for their lifestyle,” Birchbox cofounder and co-CEO Katia Beauchamp said in the release. “We have learned so much about how we can drive customers to change their behavior online, and we see an opportunity to extend into offline retail to evolve with our customer’s needs.”

Delivery drones, coming soon to a suburban neighborhood near you. (Photo: YouTube)

When Jeff Bezos first announced his evil plan to start a drone delivery program for all the precious goods you order from Amazon, everyone was pretty sure it was either a publicity stunt, an April Fool's joke or evidence that the billionaire had gone off his rocker.

But now, it appears Mr. Bezos and his ilk might actually be serious about getting the drone delivery program up and running. Well, they're serious enough to be asking the Federal Aviation Administration to bend the rules so that they can test drones on their own terms.

Currently, drone testing is only allowed within six FAA-approved sites throughout the country, Gizmodo reports. Amazon claims it could "innovate more quickly if it could test closer to home." From Gizmodo:

"Amazon's plea includes some new details about how well the project is going. Its drones, it claims, can now travel at over 50 mph while carrying a 5-pound package, and it's now developing systems—with a team made up of roboticists, scientists, aeronautical engineers, remote-sensing experts, and a former NASA astronaut—to improve agility, flight duration, and obstacle avoidance, too."

A letter from Amazon to FAA administrator Michael P. Huerta points out that hobbyists and manufacturers of model aircraft are allowed to test their drones wherever they want outside. Poor Amazon, because it's a commercial enterprise, can only conduct the drone tests "indoors or in other countries," the letter reads. They're asking for permission to conduct tests closer to their Seattle headquarters.

The FAA might just approve the request — corporations are having rules bended for them left and right these days. That doesn't mean the sky will be filled with drones delivering used textbooks and multipacks of Clif bars any time soon — although it might just mean the people who scoffed at Bezos's drone delivery announcement will have to eat their words.

UPDATE: Lyft has sent comment, calling the claims of the AG and DFS against Lyft a "deliberate misstatement." The judge in the case is adjourned until Monday, and Lyft is putting off their expansion of service until then.

Lyft, the e-hailing service prompting ride sharing, was set to launch this evening despite major pressure from the Taxi and Limousine Commission and Department of Financial Services. However, their future in the city is now even more uncertain. Lyft is the least expensive of the e-hailing taxi services, even undercutting UberX's recently lowered prices. The service is known for the giant pink mustaches they put on their drivers cars and launched in San Francisco two years ago.

This evening at seven, Lyft scheduled to launch in Brooklyn and Queens, boasting their plans on the company blog. They are offering two weeks of free rides and thus far have recruited move than five hundred drivers. However, regulatory authorities are doing all they can to prevent this, and now, the launch is unconfirmed. The Taxi and Limousine Commission determined that Lyft did not meet their safety requirements and licensing criteria.

TLC Chair Meera Joshi told Betabeat in an email statement, "Lyft has not complied with TLC’s safety requirements and other licensing criteria to verify the integrity and qualifications of the drivers or vehicles used in their service, and Lyft does not hold a license to dispatch cars to pick up passengers.  In keeping with the TLC’s priority of protecting public safety and consumer rights, the agency will be conducting enforcement operations to ensure compliance with the City’s rules and laws."

Lyft, however, is not technically a car service. Similar to Uber, they are a technology application that simply connects drivers and those who needs rides. As per their terms and conditions, "Lyft does not provide transportation services, and Lyft is not a transportation carrier." In an email interview with Betabeat, Lyft spokesperson Paige Thelen elaborated, "Where we differ with the TLC is that we do not believe its licensing and base station rules apply to the Lyft ridesharing model. It's important to clarify that our differences of opinion are not about safety standards, and that's because we put safety first. In new markets when we begin conversation with local regulators, we always find a way to ensure that communities have Lyft. We're certainly different from the status quo, but that is our strength."

While Lyft makes a compelling argument, the TLC has already made it clear if Lyft launches, the repercussions will be swift and severe. Ms. Joshi explained in her statement, "Unsuspecting drivers who sign-up with Lyft are at risk of losing their vehicles to TLC enforcement action, as well as being subject to fines of up to $2,000 upon conviction for unlicensed activity." Lyft is prepared to deal with this. "We will stand behind our drivers throughout this process and cover the costs of any citations and/or necessary legal assistance," said Ms. Thelen.

Initially, some reports claimed Lyft drivers could even be arrested for operating in the city, however, this claim is untrue. TLC spokesperson Allan Fromberg explained, "I’m not sure where the arrest speculation got started, but we’re talking about vehicle seizures and hefty summonses….not arrests!" As for those who use Lyft, they are not subject to any legal action, "Our regulatory authority does not extend to passengers, so the only risk to the customer is the one posed by their taking a ride with an un-vetted, illegal operator," said Mr. Fromberg.

It seems the major point of contention is safety. The TLC does not approve of Lyft's vetting of drivers, as well as their insurance policy. Lyft has made their driver selection process public, which includes background checks and vehicle inspections similar to those performed by the TLC and livery vehicle operators. The battle went beyond the TLC yesterday evening, when the Department of Financial Services sent Lyft a cease-and-desist letter.

Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Department of Financial Services superintendent Ben Lawsky are asking the New York state Supreme Court for a temporary restraining order against Lyft. In their filing, Mr. Schneiderman and Mr. Lawsky claim Lyft is operating in "open defiance of state and local licensing and insurance laws designed to protect the lives and well-being of New Yorkers." Their complaint continues, "Lyft is currently violating various state and local laws, including most notably provisions of the Insurance and Vehicle and Traffic Laws and local regulations governing the operating of vehicles for hire." Mr. Schneiderman did not return request for further comment.

In reaction to the letter, Lyft purchased additional insurance, a policy ranked "best-in-class." Ms. Thelen told Betabeat, "We are having productive conversations with the DFS and believe we can resolve every issue outlined in their cease and desist letter. As part of that process, we have posted our full insurance policy for the first time, and have changed from excess to primary coverage." Another Lyft spokesperson, Ms. Katie Dally, told Betabeat, "We are in a legal process with local regulators today and will proceed accordingly. We always seek to work collaboratively with leaders in the interests of public safety and the community, as we've done successfully in cities and states across the country, and hope to find a path forward for ridesharing in New York."

As this move from the Department of Financial Services comes just hours before Lyft aims to launch, they are working quickly to remedy the situation. However, based on Mr. Schneiderman's previously  harsh track record with start ups such as Uber, it is unlikely a resolution will be reached by seven this evening.

As for those who operate yellow cabs, they are standing in support of the regulatory bodies. Ethan Gerber, director of the Greater New York Taxi Association, told Betabeat, "The TLC is acting responsibly: New Yorkers have the most regulated, most reliable service in the world – Lyft wants to set their own rules and be accountable to no one.  Wanting to operate a business without regulation, oversight and accountability is not new. The new part is packaging it as 'innovation'." The New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers is also planning a protest of Lyft for this afternoon.

Since first publishing this story, we've received comment from Lyft regarding their status with the court:

"There was no TRO or injunction granted today. Instead, the judge adjourned to Monday and we agreed to hold our launch and maintain status quo. We are obtaining the court transcript, and we will obtain statements by those in court to show this is a deliberate misstatement by the AG and DFS. There would be no need for a hearing on Monday if a TRO or injunction was granted. As further proof that court was adjourned, the AG's insurance claims were never presented and Lyft had no opportunity to respond.

Welcome to Freshly Minted, where we examine an overlooked deal or funding announcement in tech from the past week, and tell you what you need to know, and why it matters.

This week’s deal: Matterport, a real estate startup that uses 3D camera technology, closed a $16 million Series B.

Matterport makes an expensive $4,500 camera that spins on a tripod and makes a digital model that can be used to render a detailed virtual tour. In a matter of minutes, an entire loft can be converted through their app into a photorealistic digital replica.

3D cameras are coming to the mainstream faster than anyone expected — even Matterport CEO Bill Brown is willing to admit that. Giants like Google and Intel are working on the same technology, and within a year, many tablets, laptops and even phones will be equipped with 3D cameras.

Matterport's renderings are intricate — you can zoom in to a high-res, photorealistic level of detail. (Screengrab via Matterport)

But Matterport's competitors have bigger plans for 3D cameras than giving virtual tours of of townhouses. Sure, real estate is definitely an industry in desperate need for innovation. But once 3D cameras are nimble enough to be a consumer commodity, apps like that make 3D renderings will be dime a dozen.

If Matterport doesn’t start looking at the big picture for 3D cameras, tech giants with deep pockets are going to eat their lunch.

The Future is Now

Real estate is the first and most obvious way to make a business from 3D camera technology. After all, who would benefit more from a detailed 3D model of a room than the person trying to sell that room?

But 3D scanning has a number of bigger opportunities that are right around the corner. The technology is already capable of doing so much more than just making a rendering of a physical space:

3D Printing: The patterns used in 3D printers are usually made by skilled digital designers using special software. The models made using scanners like Matterport’s, however, can be made by anyone who has the right kind of tablet. Those models can then be sent right to 3D printers for making a quick replica. Hand-made designs will remain the standard for custom products, but for duplication and basic prototyping, 3D cameras are a fast way to make a pattern with no expertise.

Oculus Rift: Ever since the Oculus acquisition by Facebook, developers have rushed in to build new applications for virtual reality, from virtual meeting spaces to “interactive” porn. 3D cameras have the ability to quickly render a real space into a virtual model. Cameras clunkier than Matterport’s have already toyed with this idea, but down the line, it’s easy to see that 3D scanning and virtual vacations to faraway lands are a natural marriage.

3D Cameras can track and map facial features and hand gestures precisely and instantly. (Photo by, of Jack Smith IV)

Biometrics: Photographs are still a pretty inefficient way for an algorithm to identify someone compared to fingerprint scanners. 3D scanners, however, can quickly map someone’s face, pulling proportions to make a positive identification, and they don’t even need to be that close — a sophistical 3D camera could pull a positive identification from meters away. As cybersecurity startups pull more VC investments in the next few years, being in the biometric tech business is going to pay off.

This is what popular game Ingress might look like with augmented reality integration. (Screengrab via Ingress)

Augmented Reality: Perhaps the most visionary application of 3D cameras, augmented reality is the concept of adding digital things into real spaces, so that when you look through the lens of a 3D camera, you see virtual, imaginary objects that you can interact with. Augmented reality is in its infancy with popular smartphone games like Ingress, but AR futurists believe that 3D cameras will change not just gaming, but education, travel and business.

Besides a passing thought for virtual reality, Matterport doesn’t seem interested in any of these applications, all of which are much bigger spaces than real estate.

The State of the Art (where the tech is now)

At a special press preview in NYC last month, Intel previewed its RealSense technology: 3D cameras that can currently do just about everything listed above and more. RealSense will be available on laptops and tablets within the year.

Google has also been working on a similar initiative called Project Tango, and it doesn’t take a prophet to see that renderings like Matterport’s are the next logical evolution of Google Street view.

Institutions of this size aren’t just taking a more holistic approach. They also have a pipeline: Intel and Google are in the consumer hardware business, and by simply integrating 3D cameras into devices they already sell, doing to Matterport's hardware what the camera-phone did to cheap point-and-shoots.

Now, one of the things that’s set Matterport app apart so far in real estate is that they’re cheaper than Google’s similar service called Business View, but now Google is committed to closing that price gap. Otherwise, Matterport has cheaper hardware than most 3D cameras, but when 3D cameras are on the back of everyone’s smartphones, a $4,500 spinning tripod won’t be a viable product either.

Even if Matterport hasn’t expressed the clear need for a shift in direction, their investors seem keen to the direction 3D cameras are headed.

Jason Krikorian, the investor who led the Series B, told the Wall Street Journal that he’s most impressed by Matterport’s potential to “drop back, so to speak, and play more of a platform role” once the technology reaches consumer devices.

Then again, they could always just take an acquisition, and let someone with a grander vision carry their platform into the future.

Rap Genius cofounders Tom Lehman, Ilan Zechory and Mahbod Moghadam, who was recently ousted.

When it comes to covering the tech industry, Rap Genius is the startup that keeps on giving. The average human can only take so many boring press releases about how a knockoff of Snapchat is going to change the world, you know?

But whenever the Rap Genius guys appear in public or sit for an interview, something bizarre happens. Today, for example, Business Insider broke the news that the annotation site has nabbed $40 million in funding from Ben Gilbert (as well as Ben Horowitz and Marc Andreessen, who is also an investor in BI) and that they're changing their name to the catch-all Genius.

The BI story covers the ups and downs of RG over the past year, including their punishment by Google and cofounder Mahbod Moghadam's ouster after he showed questionable judgment in his annotations of Santa Barbara shooter Elliot Rodgers' manifesto.

But for those of us who managed to get through the entire story because our attention spans haven't been ravaged by Twitter, there were a few Easter eggs sprinkled through the piece. For one, there's the fact that noted tech guy Kanye West once submitted a redesign of Rap Genius to investors. From BI:

"... I overheard Moghadam tell the Genius employee that Kanye West had once made a redesign of Genius in Photoshop and sent it to an investor. Moghadam said the investor had forwarded the redesign to [cofounder Tom] Lehman, Genius's CEO, and that Lehman had rejected it. This had seriously pissed Kanye off, Moghadam told the employee.

"I thought this was a funny story, one that would make for a great post on Business Insider. But I didn't want Moghadam to feel as if I’d ambushed him."

The reporter, Nicholas Carlson, asked Mr. Moghadam a few days later if he could write up the anecdote. Mr. Moghadam said in an email that he'd fabricated the Kanye story:

“'I am a big-time faker to these kids,' he wrote. 'I tell them stuff to build RG mystique because that keeps them impassioned — but I am full of lies.'

"A few weeks later, I spoke to Ben Horowitz, the investor to whom Kanye sent his redesigns, and Horowitz readily confirmed that the story was in fact true."

So that's a whole lot of WTF. We'd love to see what Mr. West's redesign looked like, though. Mr. Lehman told BI the design was "astonishing and progressive."

"We spent a ton of time thinking about it and tried our best to keep up the collaboration," he's quoted as saying, "but Kanye was too busy and we haven't gotten together on it yet."

Mr. Lehman and the rapper were able to get together for Mr. West's marriage proposal to Kim Kardashian, though; you can see him in the background of that Keeping Up With the Kardashians episode.

(UPDATE: In an annotation on the new Genius.com, Mr. Horowitz says the BI story was misleading on the point of Kanye's redesign. "He never actually completed it," Mr. Horowtiz wrote. "If he had, that would have definitely been the new design of Rap Genius." So Kanye, get on it!)

The other interesting deet from the story: Mr. Moghadam is writing a book about the origin story of Rap Genius — oh, sorry, just Genius. He's "about 40 pages in," he told Mr. Carlson in an online chat (and this reporter, too, who respected his wishes not to go public yet), and his "dream is for james franco to play [him] in the movie."

Meanwhile, Mr. Moghadam is reacting to the BI story — which doesn't exactly treat him with kid gloves — and the news that his former company just got a $40 million cash injection with characteristic humor:

https://twitter.com/mahbodmoghadam/status/487677929703231488

Famed actor and Real Housewife ex-husband Kelsey Grammer seems out of touch with the Internet.

Mr. Grammer tweeted this on Friday:

https://twitter.com/KelseyGrammer/status/487666381081411584

At this point, you have to be pretty disconnected from the interwebs to not have at least heard of Doge. It has its own cryptocurrency that people, unfathomably, are actually using. It inspired a record label in London. Conservative U.S. government people are using it to criticize liberals.

People offered Mr. Grammer explanations to varying degrees of helpfulness:

https://twitter.com/CaptainIronears/status/487667646742016002

https://twitter.com/ThomasHWatts/status/487666646043992064

https://twitter.com/amjsew/status/487666702637748225

Mr. Grammer might not be tapped into popular memes, but he's been very plugged into the Twittersphere of late — correcting people's grammar. Yep, it's a real thing. Search #KelseyGrammerGrammar. The actor's bio even reads: "Solving Twitter's grammar problem, one 'helpful' tweet at a time".

https://twitter.com/KelseyGrammer/status/483673722151116800

Here are some helpful tips from the actor:

https://twitter.com/KelseyGrammer/status/486333440699416576

https://twitter.com/KelseyGrammer/status/484054038678208512

He even corrects people who are trying to compliment him:

https://twitter.com/KelseyGrammer/status/485511583859081217

https://twitter.com/KelseyGrammer/status/483675166682009600

So grammar. Much LOLZ. Wow.

Like this.

Did you think restoring your phone to factory setting meant deleting each and every torrid midnight sext you've ever sent or received? So did we, don't feel bad. But a Czech Republic-based security firm has proven that dick pics and sundry nude photos are actually not that hard to recover from a wiped Android.

The firm, Avast, bought 20 used Android phones which had all been reset to factory settings, BBC reports. They were able to extricate 40,000 stored photos. More than 750 were of ladies, naked and half-naked alike, while about 250 were of what appeared to be "the previous owner's manhood," Avast said on its site.

They also managed to extract 750 emails and texts and 250 contact names and a completed loan application from the out-of-date Androids. But who cares about financial info when there are dick pics at stake?

Avast provided some info on how to permanently delete the data and overwrite it from your phone. So if you're one of the bargain-book-bin lovers who uses an Android, you might want to check it out.

Mr. Sloan holding the Autoblow 2. (Screengrab: Vimeo)

Before the Ohio kid's ironic potato salad captured everyone's attention, the Internet was captivated by another wildly successful crowdfunding campaign: the electronic blow job machine known as the Autoblow 2.

When the sex device first hit Indiegogo in May, its creator, Brian Sloan, hoped to raise $45,000. By the end of the month-long funding period, the Autoblow 2 had raked in $280,247. But that wasn't the end of the blow job machine's popularity; when the Autoblow 2 became available for pre-order online, its website had so much traffic from horny consumers, it crashed. On top of it all, Mr. Sloan told Betabeat he was even contacted by someone who wanted to make a reality show about his life and business (he declined).

Now that the Autoblow 2's first customers are finally getting their coveted blow job machines in the mail, let's examine how and why the Internet got so turned on (sorry) by this particular product.

Why it Went Viral

The now-famed sex toy creator proposed various possibilities when I asked him why the Autoblow 2 had gone viral. Part of it came down to simple psychology, he reasoned. "Men like blow jobs... a lot," Mr. Sloan told me via email. "And I think most people think robots are cool. It's already proven that men click anything with the word 'blow job' in it, especially when it appears on a mainstream website. So... 'blow job robot' is pretty much top shelf clickbait."

He also said that people were drawn to his Indiegogo pitch video.

"Most Indiegogo pitch videos are really really fake looking," he said. "It's like the real people disappeared and they replaced themselves with robots who tucked in their shirts. I was myself in the video and apparently it was a combination of creepy and funny that the Internet liked."

The Stigma of the Male Masturbation Toy

Hundreds of customers per day placed orders for the Autoblow 2 during its pre-sale period. Mr. Sloan said he's shipped out thousands this week alone. Clearly there's a demand for men's masturbation toys, but at the same time, they're still a pretty taboo topic — certainly more so than toys geared at women. Vibrators, after all, are mainstream enough that Barbara Walters has talked about hers on The View, but you rarely hear a celeb — let alone a regular Joe — talk about the magical time he had last night with his Fleshlight.

Women have been able to enjoy dildos and sex toys in a relatively shame-free atmosphere since at least 1998, when Sex and the City's infamous episode featuring the Rabbit vibrator came out. That show helped vibrators become a symbol of female empowerment rather than shame at having struck out sexually. It's pretty difficult to imagine, say, one of the guys on HBO's Silicon Valley enjoying a brotherly pat on the back for introducing the guys to Tenga eggs. Instead, the show just uses male masturbation as a bawdy punchline.

Perhaps Mr. Sloan's description of his Indiegogo video is also how most people view men's masturbation toys: "a combination of creepy and funny." While vibrators and other women's sex toys are widely praised — and rightfully so — for letting women take control of their own sexual pleasure, sex toys for men seem to get labeled as novelty items, more worthy of derision than genuine, enjoyable use. That's also inevitably part of the reason the Autoblow 2 went viral — not necessarily that people wanted to buy it, but that they wanted to laugh at it.

I polled my friends and followers on social media to find out why our attitudes toward sex toys are so gendered.

We got our very own Autoblow 2. That's the part where you stick your penis. (Photo by Jordyn Taylor)

"I think it's a bigger deal for a guy to not be hooking up with anyone and then to have to resort to using masturbation toys," a female friend ventured as we talked about the Autblow 2 on gchat.

"I think men's sex toys are identified as strange more frequently, like sexual oddities, because they violate a narrow-minded masculine code that dictates that a man should be able to get himself laid," a male friend, Dave, told me. "Therefore, masturbation is shameful."

It's definitely a possibility — because of pervasive stereotypes of traditional masculinity, we subconsciously expect men to be able go out and find sexual partners whenever they please. Fail at finding a sexual partner and you've failed at being a man, cultural expectations dictate. The prevalence of the word "fap" (barf) suggests we already view male masturbation as a bit pathetic.

The prevalence of the Reddit neckbeard stereotype — the lonely, sedentary man sitting in his mom's basement playing World of Warcraft and jerking off — isn't doing much to alleviate the male masturbation stigma. There's even a NoFap subreddit where men literally compete to see who can not masturbate the longest. It ends up being extra shameful when a guy not only wants to masturbate, but when he wants to buy a whole electronic contraption to make it happen.

"It would show a sense of desperation, and not able to play alpha dominant role," another man said. He also admitted he'd consider shaming certain friends for using an Autoblow 2. "Truly depends on the friend," he said. "Like, if I found one of those at [arrogant loudmouth friend]'s house, I'd put it on Facebook."

The stigma could also come from the fact that men are assumed to be so relentless in their pursuit of sex, it's actually seen as a power move if a woman just wants to do it herself.

"I actually think women have an easier time finding partners if they want them, but that doesn't equate to satisfying sex as often as it can for men," another friend said. "Or that's the stereotype anyway."

She suggested different reasoning for why male sex toys are stigmatized more than women's — that we expect guys to be able to jerk off whenever, wherever, without the help of toys.

"It's on average more difficult for women to [reach orgasm] so we're more generally supportive as a society of making it work however it needs to. Not sure if that's fair though," she said. "ALL men masturbate, in my experience. But it's something about how 'easy' we think it is for them to do that. Like, men can just jack off at work in a few minutes in the bathroom and women typically need more of an environment and more time, etc. So this idea of toys for men sometimes seems just excessive or lazy to me."

An internal view of the Autoblow 2. (Screengrab: Vimeo)

Would you try it?

Of course, I also had to ask men how they'd feel about trying the Autoblow 2. Here are some of their responses:

• One man told me he'd never use it, calling it "the ultimate in male laziness."

• "It's an obvious parallel to a vibrator, but it's a sad, sad day when a guy starts having mouth sex with a vacuum, AND pays for it. Investing in and using something like that alone would do a number on you. That number is zero. Zero long term satisfaction, zero impetus to leave the house, zero remaining ability to talk to women or start anything that doesn't require 120V. Maybe I'd try it once? Haha." - Alex Wood

• "No way. A machine doesn't know how to respond to the situation in real-time. I think most people who've gotten head, guys and girls alike, will agree that great oral sex comes from minor adjustments throughout, based on how your body feels. Machines can't do that. 'Mechanical' is a word that describes bad oral sex." - Dave

• "Whaaaaat. You have to plug this into a wall? If this was discreet (like those little rockets sophisticated ladies use) and ran on batteries then yes I would try it. Buuut only if it happened upon my doorstop free of charge and if I had zero chances of getting normal blow jays in the foreseeable future (e.g long plane ride, a dry spell)" - Anonymous

• "I wouldn't use it. Let me back track. I would give it a shot once. But to me, sex and especially blow jobs aren't completely about just getting off. Obviously they feel great. and I hope this doesn't sound super 'alpha male,' but as a guy it feels really good on the brain watching a woman do that to you. Makes me feel 'worthy' and I guess 'appreciated' (for lack of a better word). Not in the sense of, 'Damn I'm the man lemme watch this girl suck me off.' More in the sense of (to me anyway, but I feel like I think a lot like a girl when it comes to this stuff), 'This girl cares enough about me to put my small irish dick in her mouth because she wants me to feel good.'" - Anonymous

I also asked some female friends how they'd feel if their partners wanted to use an Autoblow 2.

One friend was a little embarrassed to admit she'd be pissed. "I think communication is the number one biggest challenge in long term serious monogamous relationships (assuming those are the kind we're speaking of)," she said. "I'd want my partner to just tell me if he wanted more blow jobs. Although, I don't typically have anything against toys or things that compliment a healthy sex life. As long as it's out in the open/not hidden from the partner."

"I feel like there's always room for new developments in sex toys, especially vibrating/oscillating penis toys, but this seems like a penis strangler," another friend said.

Some, however, were more open to it.

"I think it would do a great job... maybe even as good as the Rabbit vibrators," said another. "Great for long distance relationships!"

For now, my Autoblow 2 is being used as a handy desk ornament:

It really brightens up the newsroom. (Photo by Jordyn Taylor)

Let it go. (Photo: File)

An East Harlem woman's failed attempt to grab her iPad should serve as the ultimate reminder to never ever try to never rescue a fallen object — no matter how pricey it might be.

The New York Post reports that Aracelis Ayuso died Saturday afternoon after her Apple device fell onto the tracks at the Union Square station and she was squashed by an oncoming Brooklyn-bound 4 train.

The 21-year-old reportedly tried to catch the iPad, but lost her footing, which caused her to "tumble forward and land on the tracks just as the train was coming."

The train's conductor said they tried to stop the train after noticing her laying on the tracks, however it was too late. Witnesses told the Post that she looked "exhausted" on her way home from work, which might have played a factor in her death.

This is a guest post from Gary Sharma (aka “The Guy with the Red Tie”), founder and CEO of GarysGuide and proud owner of a whole bunch of black suits, white shirts and, at last count, over 40 red ties. You can reach him at gary [at] garysguide.com.

Roadmap to Entrepreneurship w/ Andrew Weinreich (founder @ MeetMoi & SixDegrees). Early Stage (Oct 18) & Growth Stage (Nov 8). Learn Product, Marketing, Finance, Pivots, Hiring, Branding, Sales & more! Highly Recommended! Limited tix. 20% off w/ code garysguide20.

July 15 Info Session for GREAT Tech Awards (w/ UKTI & British Consulate General). 6 categories (Finance, Education, Lifestyle, Media, Health, Internet of Things). Judges incl. David Karp (Tumblr) & Pete Cashmore (Mashable). Last year winners incl. Codecademy. Prizes incl. round-trip to London, Innovation conf tix, meeting @ 10 Downing & more! Apply by Aug 01.

July 16 Fenway Fast Pitch @ WeWork Galactic HQ. Judges incl. Adam Neumann (WeWork) & David Concannon (Orrick). Startups are Dash, Datacoup, RentHackr, Momunt, PageVamp, Pyne. Top 3 to Finals in Boston!

This week ==> Jul 15 Hacking Music Industry w/ Grammy nominee Ryan Leslie (3 Free Passes). July 16 FinTech Demo Day (3 Free Passes). July 16 Growth Hacking (5 Free Passes). July 16 Enterprise Tech (keynote by Jason Lemkin), 5 Free Passes. July 17 #TechGritas Party (10 Free Passes). July 17 Social Retail Summit (4 Free Passes, $160 each)! July 20 NYC Tech Picnic.

Coming up ==> Jul 22 NYTECH Summer Party (2 Free Passes). July 23 Fashion 2.0 Startup Showcase (5 Free Passes). July 25 Raising Capital, 2 Free Passes ($100 each)! July 30 Video Ecosystem w/ Fred Seibert (Frederator, MTV), 5 Free Passes. July 31 Decoded Fashion Intimates & Innovation (5 Free Passes). Aug 07 500 Startups WMD, 2 Free Passes ($295 each)!

Cause ==> My friend Orly's non-profit Life Vest Inside (uniting the world w/ kindness) hosting fundraiser July 21 w/ magician/mentalist Arvind Jayashankar.

Deadlines ==> World2NYC 15 global startups to NYC (Sep 29 - Oct 1), focus on Smart & Sustainable Cities, apply by Aug 22. SBIR Impact (help healthcare & life sciences companies apply for $2.4 bil federal R&D), apply by Sep 03. 9th Annual Queens Startup Biz Plan Competition (3 $10k grants for startups)! :)

Flex Immersive by Fullstack Academy, 16 week part-time program (Node JS, Angular JS, MongoDB). Course schedule. Next cohort Aug 23. Apply now!

Mo' Deadlines ==> July 15 Common Bond Social Impact Award ($5k). July 25 Ad:Tech Spotlight. July 31 Start Me Up Hong Kong ($500k). Aug 01 Startup Leadership Program. Sep 09 AT&T Connected Intersections. Sep 30 NJ Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards. Opportunity Fund (vets, minorities, women). TechStars Hackstars. Hacker Paradise (12 weeks in Costa Rica)!

Want FREE Fudgie The Whale Carvel Cake? ;) Of course you do! Knozen will hook you up, yo! I'm giving away 10 Free Copies of Pitching & Closing by Alex Taub (SocialRank, Dwolla, Aviary) & Ellen DaSilva (Twitter). Google's 3 FREE months Code School (women & minorities).

And now lets see whats going down in the Alley this week...

A Fred Talk For Good
Fred Wilson (Partner, Union Square Ventures) will talk about how Bitcoin can help turbocharge online fundraising for charities.
Monday (Jul 14), 6:30 p.m. @ Eisner & Lubin Auditorium @ NYU, 60 Washington Square S

Ask a VC Special
With Renee Park (High Peaks VC), Tim Devane (Red Sea), Sumeet Shah (Brand Foundry). Demos by AuthentikTime, LaundryPuppy, SkillBridge, TELLLER.
Tuesday (Jul 15), 8 a.m. @ AOL / Huffington Post, 770 Broadway, 6th Fl

The Founder’s Guide #2
With Joy Marcus (CEO, Bloglovin), Amanda Hesser (Co-founder, Food52), Tanya Menendez (Co-founder, Maker’s Row), Kathy Leake (Co-founder, LocalResponse) & others.
Tuesday (Jul 15), 5 p.m. @ Orrick @ The CBS Building, 51 W 52nd St, 23rd Fl

The GREAT Tech Awards 2014 Info Session
Winners will receive a trip to London to explore the UK tech scene.
Tuesday (Jul 15), 6 p.m. @ Made in NY Media Center by IFP, 30 John St, Brooklyn

[The Phat Startup] - Hacking The Music Industry
With Ryan Leslie (Grammy nominee and Founder, Disruptive Multimedia).
Tuesday (Jul 15), 6:30 p.m. @ AlleyNYC, 500 7th Ave, 17th Fl

Free Work Day!
Join us for Free Work Day, meet our team & meet others interested in joining the QNS Collective community. Snacks & coffee will be served.
Wednesday (Jul 16), 9 a.m. @ QNS Collective, 36-27 36th St, 2nd Fl, Long Island City / Astoria

Growth Hacking Meetup
With Sean Ellis (Founder/CEO @ Qualaroo and GrowthHackers.com)
Wednesday (Jul 16), 6:30 p.m. @ WeWork Charging Bull, 25 Broadway

FinTech Startups Demo Day
Demos by Lucena, Pymetrics, Trusting Social, Prudena and OpenCrowd.
Wednesday (Jul 16), 6:30 p.m. @ Latham Watkins, 885 3rd Ave

The Sharing Economy On-Demand
With Sara Lasner (Deputy Dir. of Community, Lyft), Lee Hnetinka (Co-founder, Wun Wun), Edware Shen (Co-founder, Zeel) and Farina Schurzfeld (GM, Airtasker).
Wednesday (Jul 16), 6:30 p.m. @ Impact Hub, 394 Broadway, 5th Fl

Fenway Fast Pitch (New York Qualifying)
Startups include Datacoup, Dash, RentHackr, Momunt, PageVamp and Pyne. Judges include Adam Neumann (Co-founder, WeWork), Bill Pescatello (Lightbank Capital) and David Concannon (Orrick).
Wednesday (Jul 16), 6:30 p.m. @ WeWork Galatic HQ, 222 Broadway, 22nd Fl

AlleyNYC Happy Hour Showcase powered by SquadUP
Featured startups are Buncee and AstroPrint.
Wednesday (Jul 16), 6:30 p.m. @ AlleyNYC, 500 7th Ave, 17th Fl

NYC Fashion Career Week
Explore new career paths, prepare for your dream job, connect with hiring managers & more.
Thursday (Jul 17), 11 a.m. @ Venues, All around town

Social Retail Summit #7
With Jill Sherman (Founder, Modalyst), Sari Azout (Founder, Bib+Tuck), Dax Dasilva (Founder, Lightspeed). 50% off w/ code GarysGuide.
Thursday (Jul 17), 3 p.m. @ Dumbo Spot, 160 Water St, Brooklyn

The Internet of Things
With Matt Turck (MD, FirstMark Capital), Tom Touchet (CEO, City 24/7), Patrick Ugeux (Clear Channel) & Ed Maguire (CLSA Americas).
Thursday (Jul 17), 5:30 p.m. @ Orrick @ The CBS Building, 51 W 52nd St, 23rd Fl

The Future of Mobile
With Ryan Johnson (VP, Buzzfeed), Manny Elawar (Dev Evangelist, Blackberry), Charles Schulze (Yahoo!), Henry Kirk (Audible/Amazon), Lee Edwards (Groupon) & Kaja Whitehouse (NY Post).
Thursday (Jul 17), 6:30 p.m. @ NYU Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square S

Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE) X
One of the most creative & diverse hacker events in the world.
Friday (Jul 18), 9 a.m. @ Hotel Pennsylvania, 401 7th Ave

NYC BigApps Block Party
Over 100 BigApps contestants will pitch their projects & compete for chance to win over $100,000 in cash prizes!
Saturday (Jul 19), 12 p.m. @ Industry City, 882 3rd Ave, Brooklyn

NYC Tech Picnic - Mid Summer
Enjoy the outdoors with your fellow geeks and entrepreneurs!
Sunday (Jul 20), 2 p.m. @ Pier 64, Chelsea Piers, 63 Chelsea Piers

More events on the horizon...
Virtual Freedom Book Launch Party w/ Chris Ducker on Jul 21 @ The Wix Lounge
Lean UX in Agencies vs Startups on Jul 21 @ Pivotal Labs
Life Vest Inside Presents - Reality on Jul 21 @ Urban Stages Theater
UNPLUG: NYTECH Heads To The Derby - Annual Summer Party on Jul 22 @ The Derby
NJ Tech Meetup 50 w/ Steve Jacobs (CIO, Gilt) on Jul 22 @ Babbio Center
Creative Nomads on Jul 22 @ QNS Collective
Startup Rock Climbing on Jul 23 @ Brooklyn Boulders
Wearable Tech Expo on Jul 23 @ Javits Convention Center
Fashion 2.0 - The 6th Annual Startup Showcase on Jul 23 @ Scandinavia House
Digital Cocktails - Artisanal Spirits & The Future of Drinking on Jul 23 @ Magnet Media Films
Flavor Tripping Party #3 on Jul 23 @ Hotel Chantelle
Entrepreneurs Roundtable 72 on Jul 24 @ Microsoft
NY Security Meetup on Jul 24 @ Skadden Arps
What We Wear - The Wearable Tech Revolution on Jul 24 @ Grind Broadway
CommonBond Annual Summer Gala on Jul 24 @ Midtown Loft & Terrace
Creative Mornings - Street Etiquette on Jul 25 @ BAM Rose Cinemas
Office Hours with IBM Watson on Jul 25 @ TurnToTech
Raising Startup Capital on Jul 25 @ General Assembly West
Startup Weekend NYC - Social Impact on Jul 25 @ WeWork
VideoInk & BigScreen LittleScreen Present - Diversifying the Video Ecosystem on Jul 30 @ Magnet Media
Empire Angels Young Investors - [Founders Series] Keeping It Fresh on Jul 30 @ Techstars
Decoded Fashion - Underthings III, Intimates & Innovation on Jul 31 @ WeWork
Wordcamp NYC on Aug 02 @ NY Marriott at Brooklyn Bridge
General Assembly Open House on Aug 21 @ General Assembly East
Disruptive Technologists in NYC - Internet of Things on Aug 25 @ ATT AdWorks Lab
Roadmap to Entrepreneurship - Early-stage Course on Oct 18 @ Venue
Roadmap to Entrepreneurship - Growth-stage Course on Nov 08 @ Venue

Until next week. Stay thirsty social, my friends! ;)

Spanish police are searching for a man who took an idiotic selfie in front of a charging bull.

Police say the man slowed down deliberately in front of the half-ton beast so he could take the picture and (most likely) impress his friends about how daring and edgy he is. Per a picture captured by Getty Images, local authorities are searching for a bearded man spotted a wearing a red sweater and white pants. Uh, good luck?

The man's photo opportunity broke a local law that prevents participants from running and taking pictures during the historic Running of the Bulls celebration. Not even the amount  of likes on Instagram he could garner could discount the possible $4,000 fine he faces if caught.

https://twitter.com/Independent/status/488662228280041472

HappyFunAcademy is based in Brooklyn's DUMBO, pictured above. (Screengrab via HappyFunCorp)

There's a growing pool of high paying tech jobs and never enough decent talent to fill them. Here in New York City, if you majored in Psychology or Art History and aren't thrilled with how that's going financially — looking to pivot, as they say — you can attend one of many coding schools for a quick intensive. Now, there's yet another school vying for NYC's tech hopefuls.

HappyFunCorp, a real software engineering firm with real offices in Brooklyn, is opening a front-end coding school called HappyFunAcademy. The name doesn't have the same maker-y vibe as General Assembly or Flatiron School, but HappyFunCorp is betting that its impressive list of clients and promise of hands-on experience will "up your command line game," as their site says.

The inaugural, full-time course will run for six weeks starting the first week in September. The $5,000 price tag is a little less than half of what GA charges, though the course is only half of GA's 12 weeks, and HappyFunAcademy has no proven track record of success. HappyFunAcademy says that their relationship with the industry, hands on experience and great instructors are what sets them apart from other code schools. Then again, that's the selling point of just about every tech school, code academy, college and university in the country.

The fact that they're new to the code school game doesn't keep them from having big ambitions: cofounder Ben Schippers told Techcrunch that he could see them expanding to Boston, Chicago or Austin in the future. They also want to take on the problem of diversity in tech, hoping to eventually provide scholarship programs for inner city kids.

When they're ready, we know of a guy who can help with that.

[h/t TechCrunch]

(Photo via Wikimedia Commons)

Sometimes things are not as they appear. Let me tell you about two people I know who work for the same organization, Pat and James (not their real names). These two people will seem familiar to you. You might even be one of them. While their approaches and effectiveness differ, they are nice people; you’d trust your kids with both of them.

Pat fits in with the clubby corporate culture. In fact, this might be his best skill. He does as instructed, doesn’t argue, wears the same type of suit as everyone else and generally gets along with everyone. He does the same work as everyone else in the same way. He doesn’t stick out in any meaningful way. He invests a lot of time to make sure his boss is happy. Everyone loves Pat.

If you were to ask his superiors about him, they would say things like  “he’s a good guy” and “he gets stuff done.”

Over the next five years, I expect he’ll be given roles of increasing responsibility and he won’t make many visible mistakes. Pat understands politics and sometimes says things he has no intention of doing.

How can I describe James…well,  he’s the opposite of Pat. He wears what he wants, doesn’t care about fitting in, questions most things, and isn’t a slave to his paycheck.

James’ view is that its more important that you say something than how you say it. He phrases things in a way that seems to perpetually annoy people. He has a habit of (unintentionally, if you get to know him) making people think on the spot by asking simple questions. His three favorites are “how,” “why,” and lastly, “and then what?”

I like to think of him as Nassim Taleb working in a bureaucracy. If you’re unfamiliar with Taleb, he’s the philosopher and mathematician who most recently wrote the best-selling book Antifragile.

Like Nassim, James doesn’t say things he doesn’t mean, even for “optics.” While he hates politics, he’s brutally honest to everyone regardless of level. James is the guy that points out why your solution fixes the symptom but fails to address the root problem. When people hear him do this—and I’ve been in some meetings with him when it happens—the first and natural reaction is to get upset and ask if he’s got a better idea. He doesn’t, he just knows why yours won’t work.  Not wanting to waste time, the proposed solution gets implemented and, of course, it fails for the very reason he outlined in advance. He’s annoying, to say the least.

Although he tries to approach things in a thoughtful way, James’ superiors would question the value he adds to the organization.

People in organizations find it hard to see what James does; he prefers to avoid problems than to solve them. He doesn’t want to be the fragilista that makes knee jerk reactions. Naive intervention is not his idea of fun.

In a strange way Pat and James make a good team. They sort of balance each other out. Complex organizations need the skills they both bring but they tend to value the skills of Pat more than the skills of James. Most of us have a little bit of Pat and James in us. But organizations generally prefer—and reward—more of one than the other.

The people who solve problems get the rewards. They have better stories, they are seen as doing things, etc. It doesn’t matter, for example, that Pat is in an endless loop of solving problems he’s created with his previous solutions.

He’s doing stuff and it is visible. He’s perpetually active and busy, but it’s not essential. To James this pattern is pointless.

While he’s been promoted frequently in the past, James has reached a level where promotions are more political than merit based. And when promotions become more political they become about stories and relationships. These stories tend to be how you’re the hero and all the problems you’ve solved. They tend to be about visible things.

It’s much harder to tell stories about the problems you’ve avoided.

Pat keeps getting promoted. He’s got a better story. And in a world where we spend more time showing people how valuable we are than actually being valuable, he’s got an edge over James when it comes to promotions.

This is something I’m increasingly seeing in organizations. People are paid—well, I might add—to fix problems not to avoid them.

Fixing problems is visible. It’s demonstrable. It shows our bias towards action. It gives you a good story. Avoiding problems is tricky.

In the end, Pat knows something that James doesn’t: it is not enough to be good at what you do. It’s deeper. Performance is elusive and can be shaped.  To succeed in organizations, you have to make people feel good about what you’re doing and that often means you have to make them feel good about themselves.

Shane Parrish feeds your brain at Farnam Street, a site that helps readers master the best of what other people have already figured out. Join over 40,000 other smart subscribers and sign up for brain food, his weekly digest of cross-disciplinary awesomeness.

Somebody get this kid an iPad case. (Wikimedia Commons)

If you're suffering from a gross-looking skin rash, don't worry — it might not be bedbugs. Instead, you could be having an allergic reaction to your iPad (but it's also possible you still have bedbugs because New York lololol).

iPads and other popular electronic devices may contain nickel, one of the most common allergy-inducing metals, the AP reports.

The article points to the case of an 11-year-old boy who was recently treated in a San Diego hospital for an "itchy body rash." The boy already suffered from another skin condition, but found the new rash wasn't responding to his usual treatment. Doctors discovered the boy had a nickel allergy and, after some testing, found a chemical contained in nickel in the outside coating of the family's iPad.

"He used the iPad daily," Dr. Sharon Jacob, who co-authored the Pediatrics report on the case, is quoted as saying.

If you're allergic to nickel, prolonged exposure to the metal could give you a rash. "The length of time required to elicit an allergic reaction will vary from five or ten minutes to never, depending on the sensitivity of the individual," a not-so-helpful advisory on the Nickel Institute's website reportedly says. Plan accordingly.

An Apple spokesperson reportedly refused to comment on whether all Apple products contain nickel. Just to be safe, it probably couldn't hurt to put your gadgets in nifty protective cases. Or just stop using them so much, goddammit.

Looks great. (Photo: Airbus)

Since the extra fees, deplorable beverage selection, and the chance of getting a singing flight attendant doesn't make flying an already miserable experience, Airbus is looking to make it even worse.

The French aircraft manufacturer has submitted a patent for a new passenger seat that resembles a bike. The proposed contraption would have very little legroom, a bicycle-like seat, and a nonexistent headrest.

The idea, per the application as obtained by the Los Angeles Times, is to cram as many possible people into the plane so the airlines can increase their profits. In what sounds like a device straight from a torture chamber, the seats are strapped to a vertical bar so when they're not in use, they can retract to preserve space.

But before you freak out, officials from Airbus say that just because they filed a patent, it doesn't mean you're going to see the seats on your next Orlando-bound flight.

“Many, if not most, of these concepts will never be developed, but in case the future of commercial aviation makes one of our patents relevant, our work is protected,” said Airbus spokeswoman Mary Anne Greczyn. “Right now these patent filings are simply conceptual.”

We dread to see what other ideas they have.

Ms. Knowles in New York last month, probably after getting ready at a casual Brooklyn Airbnb. (Photo via Getty)

Every once in a while, you discover a new technology that's so awesome, so amazing, you just can't stop talking about it. You start to sound like a commercial advertising the product, but you don't care; you just have to spread the gospel of Minibar or Snapchat or that app that helps you get laid on a flight.

Right now, Solange Knowles is apparently going through that annoying phase, and her tech obsession du jour is troubled home-sharing startup Airbnb. 

Take this 10-photo slideshow from New York Magazine about her life, for example. Throughout the series, not a lot of compelling new info is provided: Solange used to get her nails done more often. Solange likes to sit. Solange enjoys condiments whose names are playful jokes about domestic violence. Zzzzzzzz. In the midst of dispensing these intimate tidbits, she also name-drops Airbnb on two separate occasions.

First, when explaining her choice to rent a temporary new house west of her hometown, she humblebrags, "When I'm working on a record, I actually have to remove myself from distractions — especially living in New Orleans. It's always kind of awkward when I walk up and say, 'I'm the Airbnb-er.'"

In a later slide, she also rents another Airbnb house in Austin a few days later: "My Austin Airbnb had a chicken coop!" she exclaims.

An Airbnb rep tells us Ms. Knowles isn't a paid spokesperson for the company, so she really is just an Airbnb über-fan, speaking glowingly of the startup in the same way your grandma refers to the iPad she uses solely to play solitaire.

Airbnb does tend to accumulate superfans. Ms. Knowles is not alone in her obsession with the startup favored by rich people who also try to cultivate extra-chill personal brands. Maybe she prefers staying in people's houses instead of hotels because they're less likely to have elevators?

Musician and non-rapist Conor Oberst. (Photo via Flickr)

It's a good rule of thumb to avoid any online comments, especially if they appear in the notoriously batshit comments section of an xoJane article.

But when someone you don't know falsely accuses you of raping her in, of all places, the comments section of an xoJane article, it's probably pretty tough to ignore. This was the case in December 2013, when xoJane user Joanie Faircloth claimed that Bright Eyes frontman and emo hunk Conor Oberst raped her when she was just 16. The comments in question have since been deleted from the story on xoJane.

Mr. Oberst sued her for libel, and she's now publicly apologized for making the false accusation.

From Ms. Faircloth's apology:

“The statements I made and repeated online and elsewhere over the past six months accusing Conor Oberst of raping me are 100% false. I made up those lies about him to get attention while I was going through a difficult period in my life and trying to cope with my son’s illness. I publicly retract my statements about Conor Oberst, and sincerely apologize to him, his family, and his fans for writing such awful things about him. I realize that my actions were wrong and could undermine the claims of actual sexual assault victims and for that I also apologize. I’m truly sorry for all the pain that I caused.”

The apology speaks for itself. The only thing we'd add is that only a true troll would blame her own bad behavior on having a sick kid.

Mr. Oberst sued Ms. Faircloth for libel in February, BuzzFeed reports, but she hasn't made any attempt to legally defend herself since then. She also hasn't responded to his lawyers' attempts to contact her, BuzzFeed reports.

Mr. Oberst is reportedly suing Ms. Faircloth for $1 million, which he plans to donate to a charity for victims of domestic abuse.

(h/t Pitchfork)

iPhone-equipped New Yorkers now have something to do outside this summer besides defend their devices from thieves and sweat to death in this heat. Ingress, an augmented reality game popular in urban areas and previously available only on Android, is now officially available on iOS devices.

Ingress uses geomapping to transform real urban landscapes into a playing field that gets players moving around their city, fighting over portals and collecting resources — a smartphone game that's played entirely IRL. The game's sci-fi backstory, which involves an invading alien force that opposing teams of players either welcome or resist, evolves and grows constantly depending how well the real-life teams are doing.

Why would a game so popular in dense cities want to be on a competitor's platform? Here's a hint. (Photo via Mapbox)

Ingress was developed by a small, Google-owned lab in Los Angeles, which begs the question of why Google would want to make a hit game available on a platform other than Android, where players have been happily fighting out for over a year. Turns out, areas where Ingress is most popular — densely populated cities — are saturated by iPhone users.

Now that Ingress is available on iOS, they''ll likely see their user base spike. Their best move for the next step: incorporating 3D cameras and really augmenting reality.