62 Digital Resources You May Have Missed

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Wow, is the week over already? It seems like only yesterday we were upgrading our iPhone software to iOS 6.

Perhaps you skipped the update altogether, and decided to camp out and get yourself a shiny new iPhone 5. Or maybe you just spent the week playing video games in your underwear, and watching reruns of Lost. Don’t worry, we’re not here to judge.

What we are here to do is keep you updated on all the resources around the Internet you may have missed. Much of the content this week focused on updates, both to Apple’s mobile software and Twitter profile layouts.

There were also some tips for you movers and shakers in the business world. We had advice on how to avoid job scams, how to get a good job and how to maximize your performance once you get that job.

Gadgets galore, apps aplenty and advice that’s nice — There’s all of this and more in this week’s features roundup.

Editor’s Picks

Social Media

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business & Marketing

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Tech & Mobile

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Lifestyle

For more digital lifestyle news and resources, you can follow Mashable‘s lifestyle channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/09/22/62-digital-resources-you-may-have-missed/

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

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More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

Seemingly forgotten about in the 10 years since its release, 25th Hour is not only one of the best performances of Edward Norton’s career, but one of the best films of Spike Lee’s. Norton is Monty, a former drug-dealer in New York who has one last day of freedom before he's sent to prison. The film takes in a whole range of themes, the nature of friendship, trust and mistakes, New York in the post 9/11 landscape, as well as condensing a difficult father-son relationship into what matters most, regret at missed chances, and an ultimate love for one another. It’s the pain and rage from Norton that ultimately gives way to what he loves the most, the city and those in it, which equals his freedom.

IMDb: 7,7
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cKmx9URWXQ

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

The Prestige might be Christopher Nolan’s best film. It might not be his most enjoyable, but in execution definitely his most accomplished. The flaws apparent in his post-Prestige work (woolly plotting, the visuals not quite matching the ideas) are all dealt with here. Based on Christopher Priest’s novel of the same name, Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman play magicians in Victorian times whose intense rivalry destroys both their lives. The Nolan brothers made significant changes to the book, all for the better in my mind, resulting in a clever and lean piece of filmmaking with a neat trick ending. This was the film which really sold me on Jackman as a bona-fide acting talent, and the addition of Bowie as Nikola Tesla is a masterstroke.

IMDb: 8,4
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdHAsMO_IjU

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

One simply cannot think of anything wrong with David Cronenberg’s powerful and punchy adaptation of John Wagner and John Locke’s 1997 graphic novel of the same name. Viggo Mortensen is Tom Stall, a small town restaurant owner who becomes a local celebrity after killing two robbers who threatened the life of one of his waitresses. The way he so easily killed them attracts the attention of Ed Harris’ gangster Carl Fogarty, who alleges that Tom is really Joey Cusack, a mobster hitman.

What follows is a narrative so precise and controlled that it makes you want to stand up and applaud. Mortensen sells both his role as family man and potential violent criminal, and the film doesn’t withhold any mystery unnecessarily, revealing the truth exactly when needed to for dramatic effect. It’s a film that makes you earn its beats and payoffs, while also getting you to reflect on just how violence makes you feel – both exhilarated and appalled at the same time.

IMDb: 7,5
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74FdnDxptH4

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

Taking on the rotoscoped animation process he first used in Waking Life, Richard Linklater applied it to Philip K Dick’s most personal novel, A Scanner Darkly, and made the most faithful and arguably successful adaptation yet of one of Dick’s books. In a tale of rampant drug addiction in the future, and high-tech surveillance, the animation technique works perfectly, allowing ideas such as the scramble suit to really come to life, as well as some of its more outlandish hallucinations.

The casting is pitch perfect, and while it may be a little unfair to say Keanu Reeves is great as an undercover cop so strung out he’s lost his personality, Reeves sells the desperation and heartbreak well. Providing comedic back-up of the dark kind is Robert Downey Jr. (who probably knows a thing or two about addiction), Woody Harrelson and the brilliant Rory Cochrane.

IMDb: 7,0
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVnvilLFk2Y

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

Considered as the ultimate ‘Dad’ film, it’s easy to forget just how masterful (excuse the pun) this film is. Not just a thrilling boy’s own adventure of chasing a French ship across the world during the Napoleonic Wars, but a brilliant character study and look into human nature and the depths of true friendship. It is this combination of the epic and the personal that makes Master & Commander a film to treasure and re-watch, rather than write off as just another empty spectacle. Russell Crowe turns in one of his great performances as Captain Aubrey, while Paul Bettany was born to play the role of Dr Maturin, the exasperated ship's doctor.

IMDb: 7,4
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFeCVCKYo4Y

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

A modern-day Princess Bride, Stardust has the potential to be a fantasy classic for the ages, and to be talked about fondly by future generations of movie fans, much like the classic Rob Reiner 80s film. Like that film, Stardust was adapted from a book, in this case Neil Gaiman’s dark fairytale. Made considerably lighter, the film charts the progress of Tristan (Charlie Cox) who must cross over to the magical kingdom of Stormhold to find and bring back a fallen star in order to prove his love for the spoilt Victoria (Sienna Miller). Except it turns out that the star is an actual living being, named Yvaine and played by the incredible Claire Danes. Stardust is captivating, exciting, adventurous, funny when needed, and yes, magical. It also has Ricky Gervais getting killed, so everyone’s a winner.

IMDB: 7,7
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkHnumjuHL8

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

Unhelpfully split up into its two separate components, Planet Terror and Death Proof, Grindhouse was shorn of much of its purpose and regarded as two misfiring and even misguided movies. However, when you actually watch it as the double-feature it was intended to be, complete with fake trailers, it’s an absolute blast, soaked with nostalgic nods to the past. While Death Proof may be a little slow, it still has some vintage Tarantino dialogue and action in it, while Planet Terror is all kinds of crazy. For those willing to make the effort and get a bunch of friends over, Grindhouse is some of best cinematic fun you can have.

IMDb: 7,7
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3Gxqe0YQqk

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

A quick-fire, hilarious pulp crime film from Shane Black, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang cemented his reputation as a master of dialogue, and re-established lead Robert Downey Jr as a truly formidable acting talent. Oh, and it’s easily Val Kilmer’s best ever performance too. Knowingly self-aware, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang tells how Downey Jr’s Harry gets mixed up in Hollywood murders, receiving assistance from Perry van Shrike (Kilmer). An absolute blast, you cannot fail to have fun while watching the film, as the leads bounce off each other with a joyful and easy chemistry only heightened by Black's excellent scripting. Both director and lead are clearly revelling working with each other, and if this is anything to go by, Iron Man 3 should be a joy – as witnessed by the Super Bowl ‘extended look’ for the film, which had more than a touch of Kiss Kiss Bang Bang about it.

IMDb: 7,7
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9NC53irkyk

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

Has there ever been a more slavish attempt to perfectly recreate a work of comic book fiction? I really don’t think so, and for all its faults, Watchmen is a work of dizzying spectacle and craftsmanship, and proved that director Zack Snyder deserved his place at the top table in Hollywood. While a near note-perfect adaptation of the seminal comic, it’s notable that Watchmen falls down when it veers away from the source material – the ending is muddled and nowhere near as iconic as the trans-dimensional squid, while Matthew Goode, as much as I love him, is totally off in his portrayal of Adrian Veidt. But the rest of the cast absolutely nail it (especially Jackie Earle Haley and Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and what was once considered an unfilmable comic is now something which at times is extraordinary.

IMDb: 7,6
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FxYjS9t4u4

More Underrated Movies From the 2000s That Are Worth Watching.

Me Without You is essentially an anti chick-flick. Telling the decades long story of the intense friendship between Holly (Michelle Williams) and Marina (Anna Friel), it’s a warts-and-all portrayal of what can happen when two people become dependent on each other to the point of unhealthiness. Not always pretty, but often painfully truthful, Me Without You is the type of film which touches a nerve and remains with you for the rest of your life. Both brilliant in their roles (Williams in particular), the film excels at not always trying to make the two leads likeable, or selling the over-arching love story as something written in the stars. Instead, like the rest of the film and its characters, it’s unvarnished, and all the better for it.

IMDb: 6,6
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUgqfNJHcmU

Read more: http://imgur.com/gallery/Ulw3z

HBO Go Comes to AirPlay

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HBO subscribers can now use the HBO Go app on their iPhone, iPod touch or iPad devices to stream shows on to their HDTVs using AirPlay, Eric Kessler, president and chief operating officer of HBO, announced on stage at AllThingsD‘s media conference Tuesday. The capability is being released as an update to HBO Go’s iOS apps.

HBO Go is already available on other entertainment consoles, including Xbox and Roku, as well as on Samsung Smart TVs and the web. It’s also available as an app for iOS and Android devices. “The long-term vision is for Go to be on all platforms and all devices,” he said.

AllThingsD‘s Kara Swisher, who conducted the interview, asked why HBO didn’t make itself available directly on Apple TVs. Kessler said its shows will be available on the set-top box, but did not specify a timeline for doing so. A report published by Bloomberg earlier this month said that HBO would be available on Apple TVs by mid-year.

Despite consumer demand, Kessler says HBO has no plans to offer access to its channel or individual shows outside of cable packages because the economics are simply not “compelling.”

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, contour99

Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/02/12/hbo-go-airplay/

Gaming Web Comic Asks Fans to Donate for Year Without Ads

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Penny Arcade, a popular gaming web comic, is asking its fans to fund its advertising revenue for an entire year so it can remove ads from its website.

The creators of Penny Arcade launched a Kickstarter Tuesday morning asking for at least $250,000 to remove advertisements from their site for the 2013 calendar year.

The comic was started 14 years ago by Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, better known as their alter-egos Gabe and Tycho. Since then, it has spawned two annual conventions that attract 70,000 gamers each, a charity that has raised millions to improve the lives of children in hospitals, and a series of video games.

The Kickstarter goal represents just the amount of revenue Penny Arcade would lose by eliminating advertisements. Krahulik says not worrying about pageviews — which are around 70 million per month — or ad revenue would free up the staff of Penny Arcade, 14 in total, to work on other projects.

“We have two ad sales people, but they also work on PAX [the convention] and developing things like the new Penny Arcade video game. If they didn’t have to sell ads they would just have more time to devote to our creative projects. This seems like a good thing to us,” Krahulik told Mashable.

Krahulik hinted on Twitter that many of those other projects would be new content for fans to supplement the comic, which publishes three times a week. He and Holkins have worked on projects for game companies to boost their advertising revenue, and he hopes he can devote more time for making things for Penny Arcade’s large fanbase.

Removing advertisements would also remove any allegations of bias from games Penny Arcade promotes, and also prevent sticky situations from when the comic pans a game the site is currently running ads for.

“No company likes to pay for an ad and then see us skewer their game the next day. It’s nothing we can’t handle but if we could avoid it all together that would be cool,” Krahulik said.

While the comparisons have been made to member-supported media like NPR, but the situation is different because Krahulik will still try to make a profit off its other ventures and merchandise sales.

If the Kickstarter doesn’t reach its goal, Krahulik says they will not pursue any other form of donations, such as a pay wall, and will continue business as normal.

Do you think web comics could support themselves without advertising? What do you think this experiment means for online comics, or other media? Let us know in the comments.

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Read more: http://mashable.com/2012/07/10/penny-arcade-no-ads/

Report Calls for More Research on Effects of Violent Media

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Existing research on the impact violent video games, television shows and movies have on children is outdated, according to a new report released this week.

The report was released by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that advocates for children and families with a focus on media. It analyzes the current information and studies done in recent years relating violence in the media to its effect on children. After looking at the data available, Common Sense Media determined that this information hasn’t kept pace with rapidly changing content.

“The presence of violent images in advertising seen by children has barely been studied, comprehensive research on TV violence is nearly two decades old, video game research hasn’t kept pace with current modes of gaming or tracked the content most consumed by youth, and studies of online exposure are nearly nonexistent,” the report states.

For instance, two studies about media violence and its impact on children are cited in the report to demonstrate how varied findings are on this particular topic. Both studies are from 2012. The first one shows a link between aggressive behavior in children and media violence, while the other shows no evidence of a link between violent video games and aggressive behavior in children. A possible reason for these polar results could be that studies monitoring media have “widely varying” standards for what constitutes violence, the report says. Also, studies examining media can be costly, time consuming and difficult to design, which could also account for the variance.

There are some other details that need more research, too, like what type of violence children are exposed to (gruesome versus slapstick). This can depend on which genre of television or movies they watch. More research also needs to be poured into the effect of violence in advertising on children, since the report states this is an area that is often ignored.

But what’s certain is that children are exposed to violence through the media. A study from the Kaiser Family Foundation from 2010, cited in the report, shows children and teens consume an average of seven hours of screen time per day. From other research, CSM concludes that 90% of movies include some scenes of violence, as do 68% of video games, 60% of TV shows, and 15% of music videos. Whether that has an impact on children’s behavior remains to be determined for certain.

“However, the research that is available does allow us to think about violent media as a ‘risk factor’ to violence — one variable among many that increases the risk of violent behavior among some children,” writes Julia Plonowski, communications manager for Common Sense Media.

It’s possible we could see some new and more in-depth research about the effect of media on children in the future. President Obama recently called for $10 million in funds to be directed toward this type of research during a speech about gun violence shortly after the recent shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Do you think any particular media is more harmful to children than others? What effect do you think violence in media has on children and teens, if any? Tell us in the comments.

Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, alvar

Read more: http://mashable.com/2013/02/14/research-needed-effect-violent-media-children/