Featured Forum Post of the Day: Watch 100 Year Old BFFs Discuss Pop Culture

Our Featured Forum Post of the Day features two 100 year old women who have been best friends for 94 years! Irene and Alice were recently featured on the Steve Harvey show as they discussed their thoughts on Justin Bieber, twerking and other pop culture “hot topics” of today. You’ll want to check this out!

What do you think? I wonder what living in today will make us think of the world 94 years from now! Make sure you check out this post and so much more in our forum, so you don’t miss gems like this in the future!

#cutforbieber: Excuse Me, America. We’re doing WHAT For Bieber Now?!

bieber
Justin Bieber

For those of you not familiar with Twitter, let me quickly run over what a TT or Trending Topic is. You can limit your search from your own city to state to country to internationally. Right now, Monday afternoon, #cutforbieber is trending. That means, there is a HEAVY discussion about this tag going on in the United States right now.

If you’re anything like me, curiosity can sometimes kill the cat. In this case, curiosity makes me lose hope for humanity. If you have been keeping up with your celebrity pop dirt news (which thankfully YY doesn’t cover), you might know that pop star Justin Bieber has been caught smoking pot. In fact, a paparazzo lost his life trying to snag photos of the teen heartthrob in the act. But we won’t even touch that part of the story.

Let’s fast forward to today when fans of the Biebs have come up with a new way to combat his new habits. What exactly are we cutting for Bieber, you ask? Our wrists. That is right. A good part of his fan base has taken to posting pictures of slitting their wrists on Twitter and other social media site to get the pop star to ditch his new girlfriend, Mary Jane. For your sake, I will not be posting any of those pictures here, but excuse me?! Hold the mother trucking phone?! First of all, what is this going to accomplish? Is slitting your wrist really the solution to get Justin Bieber of all people to stop smoking marijuana?

First of all, Bielibers (or however you spell that), this is a VERY serious condition that many people – young and old – struggle with. It is not something to make light or just pick up on the whim to try and reach out to your favorite pop star. To make light of this situation or even just endanger yourself for him is pathetic. Yes, I said it. Pathetic.

Now, many Bieber fans are also taking to Twitter to claim that this all started with trolls who don’t like Bieber and that Bieber fans are really not doing this. Well, as pathetic and lame THIS alternative is, I sure hope this is the truth.

How about, oh I don’t know? Boycotting the Biebster and his music if you really feel strongly about it? Don’t request his music? Don’t download his tracks? Stop watching his YouTube videos? THAT might get your message across and you’re not endangering your life in any way in the process.

I implore you to please stop this and to stop it now. Slitting your wrists is NOT safe, healthy or a good idea by any stretch of the imagination. If this is a problem you are struggling with personally, please sit down and talk to someone about it. Your parents, a doctor, a clergy member in a place of worship. Someone. This is a serious issue and should not be taken lightly – by Bieber fans or anyone else.

Billboards Announces Top Selling Albums and Songs of 2012

21-AdeleDepending on where your heart aligns with music, 2012 was either an excellent year or a terrible year musically for you. That’s the beauty of music. Billboard, early Thursday, announced the top selling albums and songs of 2012, based on their records and compilation of sales. Longevity is all that matters in the eyes of Adele fans, as “21,” although released in 2011, was the top selling album of 2012 with 4.41 million records sold. She took home the honor in 2011, as well. Rounding out the Top 10 was Jason Aldean’s, “Night Train.”

Related | YakkityYaks Best of 2012 in Television, Movies, Music, & More

Sales were compiled from Jan 2, 2012 and ended on December 30, 2012. Billboard notes that “21” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart way back on the list March, 21, 2011. It has yet to leave the tally and has never been absent from the weekly top 40. Trailing behind Adele, in the No. 2 spot, was “Red” by Taylor Swift (3.11 million sold), which is pretty significant seeing that the album was released in October 2012. It’s the fourth time Swift has had an album ranked among a year’s top three sellers. Also making the list were One Direction, Justin Bieber, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, Lionel Richie and Mumford and Sons. One Direction marks the first time, since SoundScan began keeping track in 1991, that an act has two albums that debuted in the same year taking two of the top five spots. Swift and Garth Brooks have come close to such an honor. 2012 also marks the first year that more than four country albums hold a place in the top ten, as 5 of the Top 10 albums of 2012 are country albums.

In 2012, overall album and physical CD sales decreased a little bit, while digital downloads expectantly increased. The top selling digital album of 2012? “21” by Adele, as well. Also of note, Billboard notes that for the fifth consecutive year, more vinyl albums were sold than in any other year since SoundScan launched in 1991. Finally, 2012 was a record year for digital downloads where a record 1.336 billion tracks were sold digitally, an increase of 5% from 2011. Check out the full list of the top album and song sales of 2012 below!

Top 10 Album Sales of 2012

“21” – Adele, 4.41 Million
“Red” – Taylor Swift, 3.11 Million
“Up All Night” – One Direction, 1.62 Million
“Babel” – Mumford & Sons, 1.46 Million
“Take Me Home” – One Direction, 1.34 Million
“Believe” – Justin Bieber, 1.34 Million
“Blown Away” – Carrie Underwood, 1.20 Million
“Tailgates & Tanlines” – Luke Bryan, 1.10 Million
“Tuskegee” – Lionel Richie, 1.07 Million
“Night Train” – Jason Aldean, 1.02 Million

Top 10 Song Sales of 2012

“Somebody That I Used To Know” – Gotye (feat. Kimbra), 6.80 Million
“Call Me Maybe” – Carly Rae Jepsen, 6.47 Million
“We Are Young” – fun. (feat. Janelle Monae), 5.95 Million
“Payphone” – Maroon 5 (feat. Wiz Khalifa), 4.76 Million
“Starships” – Nicki Minaj, 3.98 Million
“What Makes You Beautiful” – One Direction, 3.89 Million
“Some Nights” – fun., 3.84 Million
“Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” – Kelly Clarkson, 3.82 Million
“Gangnam Style” – Psy, 3.59 Million
“One More Night” – Maroon 5, 3.46 Million

American Music Awards: And the Nominees Are…

Oddly enough, Christina Aguilera (coach of NBC’s The Voice) joined producers of the American Music Awards (airing on ABC) to announce the nominations earlier today in Los Angeles. Aguilera is also the first performer announced for the 40th annual AMAs. Last years big winners, Taylor Swift and Adele, ended up with only one nomination each. Big time Idol success stories Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood nabbed two nominations each, while Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Usher, Chris Brown, One Direction and Maroon 5 snagged some nods their way. Minaj and Rihanna lead the nomination tally with 4 a piece. Newcomer Gotye got into the mix with a couple nominations. In addition to Artist of the Year, Justin Bieber snagged 2 more nominations in the Pop Album and Male Artist department.

The AMAs are determined through fan voting, which starts today. (Click here to cast your votes) Check out the full list of nominations below and let us know what you think!

The AMAs are set to air LIVE from Los Angeles on November 18th at 8/7c on ABC!

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Drake
Maroon 5
Katy Perry
Rihanna

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
J. Cole
fun.
Gotye
Carly Rae Jepsen
One Direction

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber
Flo Rida
Pitbull
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Kelly Clarkson
Nicki Minaj
Katy Perry
Rihanna

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
fun.
Maroon 5
One Direction
The Wanted

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
Justin Bieber, “Believe”
Maroon 5, “Overexposed”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”
One Direction, “Up All Night”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Eric Church

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY
Miranda Lambert
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY
Zac Brown Band
Lady Antebellum
Rascal Flatts

FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY
Luke Bryan, “Tailgates & Tanlines”
Lionel Richie, “Tuskegee”
Carrie Underwood, “Blown Away”

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Drake
Nicki Minaj
Tyga

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP
J. Cole, “Cole World: The Sideline Story”
Drake, “Take Care”
Nicki Minaj, “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
Trey Songz
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Beyoncé
Mary J. Blige
Rihanna

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown, “Fortune”
Rihanna, “Talk That Talk”
Usher, “Looking 4 Myself”

FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK
The Black Keys
Gotye
Linkin Park

FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Adele
Kelly Clarkson
Train

FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN
Don Omar
Pitbull
Shakira

FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Jeremy Camp
Newsboys
tobyMac

FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)
David Guetta
Calvin Harris
Skrillex

Tech Tuesday! Totes, Candy, Worms and Coinage!

Welcome to another edition of Tech Tuesday! Here is your recap of all the tech stories of the last week that could be affecting you now, or tomorrow, or soon. Yes, we try to keep you as informed as we can!

Amazon is Doing What?

Are you just sick and tired of the constant running back and forth to the grocery store? Well, Amazon hopes you are!

Called “AmazonTote”, which is currently only available for internal testing in the Seattle area, Amazon is about to roll out it’s own grocery delivery service. As of now, the service offers fresh produce, meats, dry goods, pet supplies, beauty products, and Amazon products delivered weekly to your home in re-usable tote bags, all shipping free of charge.

Yes, the convenience is a bit pricey, like $2.50 for one piece of fruit, but who knows, for many, the time and energy saved may be worth it.

Amazon has been known to put pressure on other companies, such as Barnes and Noble, so what will this do to our local markets and big grocery stores? Well, maybe we will see more home delivery available from our stores, including Walmart and Target. Maybe prices will lower. All in all, it seems like a win-win for us consumers.

Nobody Likes Me, Everybody Hates Me, Think I’ll Eat Some…

Twitter Worms!  Yep, apparantely there is another Twitter Worm on the loose! Actually, this is the same worm that plagued Twitter Users early last month, but has been unleashed yet again. Basically, if you click on a shortened URL “Goo.Gl” (similar to Google) you will be taken to a malicious site that will download a virus (malware) and then ask you for money to remove it. Aren’t they original?

Twitter recommends if you see the goo.Gl link to change your password immediately, although I can’t imagine just seeing the link in your feed would be cause for alarm. It’s if you click on it, or you see that YOU have been sending out messages. If either of those are the case, then yes, you have some cleaning up to do.

Sean Parker Calls ‘The Social Network’ a work of “Fiction”

Sean Parker apparently did not think the way he was portrayed in the movie, by actor Justin Timberlake, accurate.

He said that “the part of the movie that frustrated me is actually the scene at the end where the character basically writes a check to Eduardo, and throws it in his face and has security escort him out of the building. And I mean, that’s just rude. This guy in the movie is a morally reprehensible human being.”

He also states that there are no “Victoria Secret” models in Silicon Valley, calling that another inaccuracy.

Well, I’m not too sure I believe him… I think he may be trying to save his image a bit here. I mean come on, THE guy who developed Napster, young kid from Los Angeles, throwing money around, can’t get a hot girl? I think he’s pushing it.

Here is the video: (To hear him speak about the movie, you have to move up to about the 5:00 minute mark.)

Wanna Port Your Number to Google Voice?

Another hit to phone industry, Google Voice now has number portability. For a mere $20 (with no phone fees thereafter) you can port your number over to Google.

For current Google Voice users, this means you’ll no longer have to remember and use two separate numbers. It will still include all of GV features, such as visual voicemail, conference calling, call screening and more.

Last week, number porting was announced as “coming soon” and it was giving only a limited number away in beta. This week, it is available to all current Google Voice users. Will you port over? Maybe this will help curb the rising costs in the phone industry.

The process of porting is kind of a pain in the behind, which takes 3 days and you may miss a few texts or messages, but the money saved could be worth it. Port your home number that you rarely use anymore, and have it ring to your cell, if you want that is.

I have included a quick video from Google on how the porting process will work. Check it out!

‘Daily Candy for Indie Music’

That is what new start-up MySpoonful is aiming for. They will send you a newsletter, 3 times a week, with a highlighted new artist or band, a bio, and a free MP3 to download.

Sounds like a great way to stay up on new and upcoming artists! Definitely a place to check out.

Facebook to Roll Out Yet MORE Ads

Now, you too can purchase that ‘what.ever.it.is’ your friend was interested in! Called “Sponsored Stories” Facebook will turn your friends actions on the site into promoted content streaming down the right side of your News Feed.

Facebook is really turning into something it wasn’t supposed to be, and eventually, users will get fed up. Today doesn’t appear to be that day however. Privacy concerns, Ads… What’s next?

Facebook Makes Credits Mandatory for all Games

That’s what’s next. Facebook ‘virtual currency’, Facebook Credits, will become the official coinage beginning July 1, 2011. All Social game developers, starting on that day, will be required to process all payments through Facebook Credits. Basically, in order to purchase anything in any of the games you play, you will now have to go through Facebook.

Mind you, many of the games have already made the switch. In fact, 22 of the top 25 games played on Facebook already have converted.

Financially, this is a great decision for FB. The company already takes a 30% cut from all revenue. Basically, if you wanted to buy that special item in Farmville for $2.00, Facebook gets $.60 of your money. Credits are already on sale at the big box stores, like Target, Walmart and Best Buy, who I’m sure also gets a cut.

So you ask, what happened to the old days of free games? What happened to old days of a free social network? Oh that’s right… it’s still here, at YakkityYaks! *evil grin*

DO NOT TRACK ME!

Google and Mozilla (Chrome and Firefox) have announced that they will add the ability to opt out of having users activities tracked online, partially in response to the “Do Not Track” lists proposed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.

Both companies plan to tackle this feat in two very different ways.

With Firefox, it was announced that it will be added in future versions of the browser. There will be an icon or “tool” to turn on the feature located in the header of webpage. They believe this is the better way to do this, because it is a cleaner and more universal approach, rather than cookies or blacklists.

Chrome on the other hand has already released a new extension called “Keep My Opt-Outs.” The extension describes itself as a way to “permanently opt your browser out of online ad personalization via cookies. The extension works with ads from companies that have signed up with AboutAds, and with Google served ads.

The Internet is Running Out of Space!

Oh no! What will we do! Run to the market (or AmazonTote) and stock up on those canned goods! Ok… not really. Basically on February 2nd, around 4am or so, the internet will run out of it’s current version of IP addresses, at least that is the prediction by one internet provider, basing it on a rate of about 1 million addresses every 4 hours.

Fortunately for us, there were some awesome geeks out there that saw this coming. They invented what is called IPv6 which is basically a system that uses letters and numbers. This new system will be able to handle 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456 addresses. Got that number?

The doomsday campaign, launched by Hurricane Electric (and even has Twitter and Facebook accounts the count down to what they call the “IPcalypse” encourage other ISPs to transition into the new system.

Twitter Trends!

Last but certainly not least, for our Twitter Fans, a recap of the top Twitter trends in the last week. What were the most tweeted about this last week?

1. Golden Globe Awards. Top mentions, Johnny Depp and Jim Parsons. Ricky Gervais, who received a lot of press, really wasn’t tweeted about too much.

2. Martin Luther King Jr. – It was his birthday last week after all.

3. NFL – Well duh. Top mentions were Bart Scott and Joe Buck.

4. Justin Bieber. Apparently, fans of the Jonas Brothers renamed him to Justina Bieber, and fans of his retaliated by calling the Jonas Brothers the Jonas Sisters. Wow… such drama online!

5. Soccer/Football. Top mentions were Darren Brent, Jamie Carragher and Eric Cantona.

6. LMAOTwitpics. Tons of retweets scattered the Twitter landscape. Top honors went to photos of a Justin Bieber tattoo and a shirtless Lil’ Wayne.

7. Astrology. Yep, that 13th zodiac sign really had Twitter users up in arms.

8. Jonas Brothers. See number 4.

9. Justin Bieber Hoax. Yep, another death hoax. Tweeted, retweeted, and retweeted some more. Sigh.

10. Batman: Dark Night Rises. With the addition of Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, Batman was tweeted a lot.

And there you have it, another edition of Tech Tuesday in the can. What do you think about these stories? Will you buy from Amazon Tote? Will you sign on to get some new Indie Music? Is Facebook the evil overlord, or is Justin Bieber going to take over the world? Let us know below or in the FORUM! We have been waiting for you forever! Ok well, maybe not forever, but you know what I mean. Join us today! It’s free, and we promise not to take over anything, at least for the next two weeks.