HOW TO: Become a Google+ Beta Tester

Want to test new Google+ features before they become available to the public? Now you can, thanks to a newly launched Google+ program.

To sign up to be a beta tester, head over to the Google+ Platform Preview page and enter your email address. Any address will work, so long as you’re signed in to your associated Google+ account.

You’ll need to click on a link in a subsequent confirmation email to confirm your entry into the program. After that, Google will email you every time new features are available for you to test out.

If you’re looking for additional Google+ resources, be sure to check out our roundup of 15 guides and services for Google+ power users.

Mash

Google+ Hangouts Adding YouTube Live Video Viewing

The Hangouts group video chat platform on Google+ now lets video-chatting groups of up to ten people watch live streaming videos together on YouTube.

The ability to watch recorded YouTube videos together has been possible in Hangouts from the start, but now, YouTube Live product manager Brandon Badger told GigaOM that Google‘s been quietly rolling out live video stream viewing while chatting in Hangouts.

While it’s not exactly simple to enable a live video feed alongside a Hangout chat now, Google plans to add tools that will make it a lot easier to find those live video feeds on YouTube while using Hangouts. According toGigaOM, it’s already possible to incorporate live feeds into hangouts using the following five-step manual method:

• Start a Hangouts session in Google+ and invite your contacts to join you.
• In a separate browser tab, head over toYouTube.com/Live and select a live stream of your choice
• Copy the YouTube video I.D. of the selected live stream. Not sure how to find it? Just click on the share link below the video. You’ll get to see a link like http://youtu.be/XXXXXXXX – the cryptic code after the slash is the video I.D.
• Switch back to hangouts, open the video tab and search for the I.D.
• Click play, and you’re all set.

It doesn’t stop there. As you can see above, this is not a convenient way to incorporate live video into a Hangout, so YouTube plans to create tools that will tightly integrate the feature into its Google+ interface, as well as integrate Hangouts into YouTube Live.

For example, Google+ users will be able to watch a live stream on YouTube and see which of their friends are watching that stream in a Hangout. Then, they’ll be able to join their pals to watch that live video, letting them, say, virtually gather together to watch a live football game, with the ability to interact with each other face-to-face at the same time.

We’re going to select our friends carefully to watch live streaming video with this feature — imagine nine of your most talkative friends distracting you so much that you can’t pay attention to the broadcast. Beyond that, we have a feeling this capability will go way beyond watching football games together. What are some other uses for this new group watching of live streaming videos?

Mashable

Missouri Forbids Teachers and Students To Be Facebook Friends

If you’re a student living in Missouri, you’d better not be Facebook friends with any of your teachers – that will soon be illegal.

According to Missouri Senate Bill 54 that goes into effect on August 28, any social networking — not just Facebook — is prohibited between teachers and students. It’s all part of an effort to “more clearly define teacher-student boundaries.” However, KSPR reports that It’s only direct social media contact that’s prohibited; teachers are allowed to create Facebook Pages where all students have direct access to the teacher in a more public setting.

Inappropriate contact between students and teachers is at the root of the legislation. Senate Bill 54 is designed to protect children from sexual misconduct by teachers, compelling school districts to adopt written policies between teachers and students on electronic media, social networking and other forms of communication.

Teachers and students usually shouldn’t be friends, anyway, so on the surface this sounds like a good idea. However, we wonder how this will be policed. Will the state be allowed access to Facebook accounts, personal computers or Internet service provider records to see who’s befriending teachers or students? Inappropriate relationships will be hard to detect, especially since teachers and students engaged in such relationships would probably be concealing their communications, electronic or otherwise.

The question now is, will this new law pass a constitutional test? And who would step forward to challenge it?

Mashable

Rickie Jacobs "Die Brilliant" Promo.

It's Coming....

9.18.11

Y.H.G.M

etc.

Rob Yung - Anticipated Dreams (Prod. By Ross Munroe)

As Rob Yung is working on an upcoming mixtape set to release this Fall he will be releasing tracks to maintain his name in the blogosphere. 

On this track he goes in over a track produced by Orlando's own Ross Munroe. 

Mediafire: Rob Yung - Anticipated Dreams (Prod. By Ross Munroe)

Hulkshare: Rob Yung - Anticipated Dreams (Prod. By Ross Munroe)

Short Bio: Originating from Long Island, NY, Rob Yung has been strongly influenced  by artists such as Nas and producers like Alchemist. Armed with a sickening flow and bars to match, Rob Yung educates the masses with a New Age flow over a vintage sound, changing most mainstream ideals. Like most artists, he's a man of many skills; adding producing to his repertoire. Rob Yung is the dedicated and humble artist that won't settle for anything less than greatness. 

-- Rob Yung

RobYung.comTwitter - Facebook - Youtube

  Anticipated Dreams by RobYung

Fab 5 Freddy Explains E-Mail (1994)

Get More: Fab 5 Freddy, VH1 Classic, Fab 5 Freddy Music Videos, Free Music Videos

"Ah man, we’ve come a long way baby. With MTV celebrating their 30th birthday on Monday, VH1 dug into their archives and dusted off a 17-year-old clip of Yo! MTV Raps host Fab 5 Freddy explaining email.

It’s easy to laugh now, but back then, this was some futuristic shit. Who would’ve thought technology would’ve come so far that you can send an email, or access the internet for that matter, via a mobile device. If you were lucky enough to even afford a computer, it took forever to log onto the ‘net. For Christ sakes, take look at that laptop Freddy’s using. That shit looks like he’s playing Battleship. After the jump, Kurt Loder gives an overall analysis of the ‘net." - B.Dot

Jail Phone Glitch Makes One Inmate Enough Money To Post Bail

TAVARES, Fla. (Associated Press) — Authorities say an inmate at a central Florida jail used a glitch in the facility's phone system to bond himself out.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office says 32-year-old Larry Stone discovered the glitch earlier this month. The phone system charges inmate accounts for calls but refunds the money if the call doesn't go through. But the system was reimbursing inmates twice for incomplete calls.

Authorities say Stone repeatedly made calls and hung up until he had more than $1,250 – enough to bond out of jail. Stone had been arrested in April on property-crime charges.

Stone was only free for a few hours before he was re-arrested. Officials became suspicious when other inmates tried copying the trick.

The software error has been fixed and accounts restored to their previous totals.

Huffington Post

President Bush Explains 9/11 Reaction

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Former U.S. President George W. Bush says his apparent lack of reaction to the first news of the Sept. 11 2001 attacks was a conscious decision to project an aura of calm in a crisis.

In a rare interview with the National Geographic Channel, Bush reflects on what was going through his mind at the most dramatic moment of his presidency when he was informed that a second passenger jet had hit New York's World Trade Center.

Bush was visiting a Florida classroom and the incident, which was caught on TV film, and has often been used by critics to ridicule his apparently blank face.

"My first reaction was anger. Who the hell would do that to America? Then I immediately focused on the children, and the contrast between the attack and the innocence of children,'' Bush says in an excerpt of the interview shown to television writers on Thursday.

Bush said he could see the news media at the back of the classroom getting the news on their own cellphones "and it was like watching a silent movie.''

Bush said he quickly realized that a lot of people beyond the classroom would be watching for his reaction.

See More?

Soulja Boy buys $55 million G5 jet?

Who Gave Soulja Boy $55 Million?

Cartoonishly simplistic rhyme reciter Soulja Boy has allegedly purchased himself a $55 million G5 jet as a 21st birthday present. Ohh... did somebody give Soulja Boy $55 million, by accident?

I mean he's sold a lot of shitty ringtones, but not that many shitty ringtones. Forbes estimated Soulja Boy's income in 2010 at $6 million. If you generously estimate that he made, say, $20 million off his first big shitty ringtone-type song in 2007, still, his follow-up albums have not done all that spectacularly, so $55 million is a pretty big nut to make, unless we're talking about one of those "rent to own" deals. And plus his chains got stolen, so he couldn't pawn those to make the payments. I don't know. Which one of you put an extra $50 million in Soulja Boy's bank account while he slumbered peacefully, unaware? Speak up.

And meanwhile Cappadonna had to drive a cab.

Courtesy of Gawker

Are Jennifer Lopez and Diddy Back Together?

Only two weeks after announcing her split from husband of seven years, Marc Anthony, rumor has it that Jennifer Lopez is attempting to rekindle her romance with Sean "Diddy" Combs.

According to BET, anonymous sources from both J.Lo and Diddy's camps have shed some light on the reports.

Diddy's source told BET that Jennifer is "the love of his life" and his "fantasy girl," but the source fears that the reunion will end badly for Diddy, who was already dumped at the time when he "needed Jennifer the most."

The source allegedly also admits that the public shouldn't be surprised if Lopez and Combs walk a red carpet together very soon.

Lopez, 42, and Combs, 41, shared a high-profile, two-and-a-half year relationship in the '90s, which ended shortly after Diddy was put on trial for weapons charges after a 1999 shooting at a New York City night club.

Diddy was later acquitted of the charges, but the stress of the trial proved too much for the relationship to withstand.

The source from Jen's side put in her two cents saying, "Puff wouldn't be my first choice for her, but then again he was always very supportive of her sex symbol image and never got mad when she wore sexy clothes. He actually encouraged it."

There have also been eye witness reports that the exes were spotted together in New York City this week.

See more?

Behind The Scenes: Kendrick Lamar “Rigamortus”

Odd Future Announces Fall Tour Dates

"Odd Future will be terrorizing a city near you this Fall. “Golf Wang” Tour 2011 will begin on September 28th in San Diego and continue until November 8th. Tickets on sale next week. Dates below." - Amaya

September 28 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
September 30 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield
October 2 – Portland, OR – Roseland Ballroom
October 3 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue
October 4 – Seattle, WA – Showbox Market
October 7 – Salt Lake City, UT – In the Venue
October 8 – Boulder, CO – Fox Theatre
October 9 – Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
October 11 – Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre
October 12 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
October 14 – Chicago, IL – Metro
October 15 – Cincinnati, OH – Bogarts
October 16 – Detroit, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre
October 18 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
October 19 – New York, NY – Terminal 5
October 21 – Boston, MA – Royale
October 22 – Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
October 23 – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
October 24 – Baltimore, MD – Sonar
October 27 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
October 28 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
October 30 – New Orleans, LA – Voodoo Fest
October 31 – Miami, FL – Fillmore
November 2 – Tampa, FL – Ritz Ybor
November 3 – Orlando, FL – The Beacham
November 6 – Austin, TX – Fun Fun Fun Fest
November 8 – Tempe, AZ – Marquee Theatre

[Video] The history of FUCK

[Video] Miguel - Quickie

SD Exclusive: DJ Drama Interview...

The Sermon's Domain

interviews 

Dj Drama

DJ Drama is one of the most important DJs of this generation. He’s helped create some of the biggest superstars in this game with his Gangsta Grillz series as well as introduce us to who got next. He’s got two albums under his belt that have boasted features from the who’s who and created classic moments in Hip-Hop. This fall, he’ll be putting his third album, Third Power, out, backed by the Fabolous/Wiz Khalifa/Roscoe Dash-assisted “Oh My” single.

I caught up with Drama on the phone to discuss his “Oh My (Remix),” the new album, his place in the game, what happened to G-Unit and The Dream tapes and much more. The best part is when I asked about Gangsta Grillz that didn’t happen behind the scenes and he revealed two powerhouse ones that might have been classics. Find out the two and a lot more in our exclusive interview.

What’s going on everyone? Today, we’re joined by my good friend DJ Drama. How you doing, sir?

What’s good?

Chillin’. You just dropped “Oh My (Remix).” Response has been pretty crazy. Two part question. How’d you decide to get Trey, Tity Boi and Big Sean on it and what’d you think about Sean’s subliminal shots?

I picked a good lineup. How did I get them? I felt like they complimented what I wanted to do with the remix. Trey, of course, is one of the kings of R&B right now. Two Chainz has definitely been killing the streets of Atlanta as well as the south east region. It was a good place for him to get a showcase off and really rep for the city on that. Big Sean has been doing his thing. He just put his album out –it was a great album. I think his verse is hot, man. I’m appreciative of him doing the record.

Over the years, we’ve seen a few Gangsta Grillz that were supposed to happen and ended up just fading away. Two in particular I remember was G-Unit and The Dream. Can you explain what happened to those?

That was a good question. Nobody’s really asked me that. The G-Unit one was just one of those situations where they were busy and I’m a busy person. It was a conversation that Fif and I had trying to put it in motion. It wasn’t able to happen. Plus, Whoo Kid kept stealing all the music and leaking it *laughs*

The Dream tape. What happened with that? I’m trying to remember. I think Dream’s album was about to come out and it was too close to the album date. To be honest, I really don’t remember. It was either that or a decision by the label. Dream is still the homie, though.

Any chance of those two still happening?

I don’t know. It probably wouldn’t be those two tapes as they were at that time, but I’m sure that me and the Unit will be getting that work in. You know, Dream is the homie. He’s doing incredible things right now. I’m sure we will link back up again.

SEE MORE?!

(Video) Beyoncé On The View

[Mixtape] No Shade: The 2nd Summer

presented by : TheGirlTheyCallEs, 84Area.com, & ATLjunkie.com

No Shade: The 2nd Summer

^^[Click to download]^^

presented by TheGirlTheyCallEs, 84Area, & ATLjunkie

"The wait is over! The 2nd Summer of the mixtape series, No Shade, has arrived! I know that the summer is coming to close but we have to leave the sunshine with a bang people! And trust me, this No Shade mixtape was worth the wait! I teamed up with fellow blogs, 84Area and ATLjunkie to give you a two part mixtape! Artists featured on the tape include No Shade alumni Big Wayde, Cashtro Crosby, Milly Esquire, and Team Hustle! Along with a wave of artists including Howard Flozstello, Forte Bowie, Suni MF Solomon, Aleon Craft, G-Scott, MilkMen, Starr Nyce, Drastik, Draft, Front Page, J.Nolan, Gibsz Bizze, Earth Gang,Armais, The Born Genius, Twanee Baby, and Rasta G! Yes, this tape is packed with dope music! It's here, stop crying, and download this bitch!!!!!! Special thanks to the homies Havoc & Miya! I won't be able to do this without yall! Thanks to all the artists! Your love and support to the blogs is much appreciated! *Sigh* Finally, Enjoy the 2nd summer of No Shade!!!! WOOHOO!!!" - Es

Milly Esquire's "Never Give Up"

  Never Give Up by Milly Esquire

AS IT GOES: A Letter to Jay-Z & Kanye West

Dear Mr. Carter & Mr. West,

My name is Bryan Sona and with all hopes that the world is small, I hope this gets before you. I had a dream that I wrote this letter and I figured what use is getting out our dreams if I didn’t really attempt? I should cut to the chase, I would like to be a photographer for your Watch The Throne tour. Why should this little guy get a chance you ask? Because I live for this, my mother might finally be proud of me, and I promise to do a hell of a job.

Sincerely,
Bryan Sona

Email: blackmaybe@gmail.com

Found this on his Tumblr:

http://bryanon.tumblr.com

iSupport people trying to do DOPE shit!

VH1 Behind The Music Mary J. Blige

See The Rest?!

Amy Winehouse Covers VIBE

"Sharing the cover of VIBE‘s Aug/Sept JUICE issue with Kelly Rowland, is the late Amy Winehouse. Below producer Salaam Remi shares his final days with Amy. Issue on newsstands August 16."

I’m in London now. I’m out here because [Amy and I] were supposed to go to a wedding today. And before I could get to her yesterday she passed. We were going to the wedding of Nick Symansky, who is the person who really found her. He found her when he was a scout at 19. And he was the manager before they got the Universal deal.

They went ahead with the wedding. All I could do was sit there and imagine how many jokes she would have been cracking with me. We were in the middle of working on the album. She finished writing the record. We just hadn’t recorded.

For the last couple of weeks we were video chatting regularly. I was just talking to Nas. Both her and Nas were born on September 14, so we were going to Barbados with all of them for her birthday. She really doesn’t look forward to her birthday, you know what I’m saying?

"In related news, Amy’s debut Back To Black returns to the Billboard charts at #9 with 37k sold and #1 on iTunes." - Big Homie

The Best Way to Whiten Your Teeth?

Teeth Whitening: Do It Yourself or Visit the Dentist?

If your pearly whites have lost their luster, you may want to consider teeth whitening. But with choices ranging from laser treatments to less expensive solutions you can apply at home, how do you choose the best option for you?

Do you hesitate before flashing your big, bright smile — because it’s not as bright as you’d like? You’re not alone: According to the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, 96 percent of respondents surveyed believe an attractive smile makes a person more appealing. But if your discolored teeth are keeping you tight-lipped, you may want to consider teeth-whitening treatments.

According to Elisa Mello, DDS, a cosmetic dentist at NYC Smile Design in New York City, there are various options, bothprofessional teeth whitening and drugstore solutions, to consider. But is one option better than the other?

The teeth-whitening option you choose will depend on your budget, the severity of your teeth discoloration, and how dramatic you want your results to be. Keep in mind — teeth that are yellow will probably lighten more than teeth with a brownish or grayish tinge.

Here’s how to choose the right tooth-whitening treatment for you.

Click Here.