Homeland Security didn’t want this Freightliner Gymkhana-style video to happen

Shipping yards are not really on the forefront of exciting places to go.

Containers move from dock to ship – and vice versa – all day long. It's a wonder how those crane operators stay awake … I guess getting paid the big bucks to play a life-size version of "The Claw" has its advantages.

Imagine how exciting a shipping yard gets, though, when a Nissan 240sx bursts out of a shipping container, followed by a drifting Freightliner Semi-Truck.

That's right. Someone made a semi truck Gymkhana video.   

The video, led by Pikes Peak extraordinaire Mike Ryan, is indeed a sequel to Size Matters. Drifting a semi-truck is just something the human brain has difficulty comprehending, but, this example in particular, isn't exactly stock.

You might think this one might have hard time actually pulling a trailer. It doesn't, though. The last truck Ryan drove packed 1,950 horsepower and 3,400 pound-feet of torque. You can thank Banks for those numbers … and Castrol for being a proud sponsor.

Banks took a Detroit Diesel engine and ingeniously twin-charged it. That means a supercharger and turbocharger are used to boost the engine into a tire-eating monster. Straight-Shot methanol is another power boosting feature used to cool down that smoke-belching diesel. A performance semi is extremely hard to build, but, boy, did it pay off.

Usually semi-trucks fly off cliffs but this one will take a ramp with no problem. There is indeed no better way to end a crazy, semi-truck drifting, Ken Block-killing Gymkhana video than flying over a row of Smart Fortwo mini-cars.

"Between Homeland Security and the insurance company, we almost didn't get to do the jump," Banks admitted.
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Man Utd fans defend plane protest

Disgruntled Manchester United fans say Saturday's controversial plane banner protest will prove manager David Moyes does not have the backing he claims.

A banner with the words: "Wrong One - Moyes Out" in seven-foot high red lettering will be flown above Old Trafford before the Aston Villa game.
"The rumblings of discontent have started in the stands," said protest organiser Wes Jones.

"We wanted to show that support isn't as 100% as Moyes would like to think."
The move has split opinion among supporters, some of whom feel the protest is heaping unnecessary humiliation on Moyes, who has endured a torrid debut campaign at Old Trafford.

The protest, which will take place before the 12.45 GMT kick-off, mocks the 'Chosen One' banner on the Stretford End at Old Trafford which refers to former manager Sir Alex Ferguson's role in Moyes' appointment as his successor.

For pilot Chris Mustow, who will be responsible for flying the light plane trailing the banner, it is just a bit of fun.
"I am not a football fan, so it doesn't bother me in that sense," he told BBC Sport.

"But of course I am aware of the situation.

"I just find it all quite amusing really. No-one is going to miss the message, that's for sure."

It has also been confirmed that a second plane has been booked to fly around the ground at the same time.
While the company involved in that venture is refusing to say who has arranged the flight, or what the second banner will say, it merely heightens an already surreal situation.

"I have heard of it and what they are saying about it, but this is a long journey," said Moyes of the 'Wrong One' protest in his Friday news conference.
"This is only the start of the journey. People are entitled to do that."

The latest developments underline the massive shift that has taken place at United following Ferguson's departure as manager last summer.

Vice-chairman of the Manchester United Supporters Trust Ian Stirling accepts the sentiments of the protest.
He told BBC Sport: "I can totally understand the feelings of the supporters that have got together to put this banner in place.

"It's a manifestation about how they feel about the seriousness of the problem. They feel passionately about the club and they see it as a way to display how they feel."

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said he was not impressed by the supporters' plans.

"I don't think it's something you need to see or want to see," he told BBC Sport.

"Sometimes as supporters you can feel quite upset but sometimes you've also got to show a bit of class.

"Everybody can support a team when they're doing well - that's easy. But it's like life, the time you find out who your friends and supporters are is when things are going wrong.
"That is a real test of good supporters."
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EXCLUSIVE: HACKERS on Pinterest spam pics flooded all over butt pics

Pinterest is never devoid of butt pics, but its rarely flooded with them. Multiple Pinterest accounts were hacked today, replacing people's collections of wedding gown and cupcake photos with butt pics and weight loss ads.

In a statement sent to TechCrunch, a representative for Pinterest said: "Our systems were alerted to some incidents of spam yesterday evening. These reports did not come in at a large scale. We began working on cleaning up and placing the accounts in safe mode immediately. The accounts have since been secured. As a precaution, Pinners should use unique and strong passwords, and can get more information in our Help Center."  

Pinterest has become a popular target for scammers, enough that the Better Business Bureau was compelled to send out a spam alert on what it calls "spam pins," which direct people to sites selling counterfeit products or promoting work from home job opportunities. 

According to the BBB, scammers gain entry into user accounts by taking advantage of security holes in third-party applications that connect to Pinterest and inserting malicious code into the "Pin This" button on websites. Several users have reported being hacked from countries such as Argentina, Malaysia, Bolivia, Brazil, India, Iran, Indonesia, Morocco, Russia, and Vietnam.        

To prevent the takeover of butt pics on your boards, the BBB's advice is to only log in through pinterest.com and the site's official mobile app.
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Amazon denies having a free, ad-supported streaming media service in the works

Though the Wall Street Journal reported this week that Amazon may be developing a free, ad-supported video- and music-streaming service, a spokeswoman for the media giant straightforwardly rejected the theory on Thursday.

"We're often experimenting with new things, but we have no plans to offer a free streaming media service," Amazon spokeswoman Sally Fouts told Variety.

According to the Journal, "people close to the company" suggested the potential service could launch as soon as this summer with both original and syndicated content. In addition to TV and movies, music videos would allegedly be part of the service, accompanying site searches made by people visiting Amazon; for example, you might be presented with the option to watch a David Bowie music video while scanning the site for a Ziggy Stardust t-shirt.

It seems that Amazon has been finding a way to work its way into headlines just about every day this year. Just this week the company invited media outlets to New York on April 2 for an "update" on its video business. Insiders speculate that Amazon will unveil a much-anticipated set-top box that's been in the works for the last year or so. For a few months now, Amazon has also been in "serious talks" over a new Spotify-like music-streaming expansion within its Prime service, which might have had something to do with the recent and controversial hike in Prime fees.

While Amazon has specifically ruled out a totally free service, we wouldn't be surprised to see changes to its Prime streaming service, or other new features roll out with its set-top box next month. Check back with us for updates as these stories unfold.
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Chromecast may soon get Slingbox, and that means DVR

If we're to believe a Slingbox employee posting on a forum, Slingbox support is definitely coming to Chromecast. And that could mean that very shortly, Chromecast will have a whole new bag of tricks.

For those unfamiliar, Slingbox is an ingenious system that helped to pioneer the "TV Everywhere" format, allowing users to connect to their home DVR, and send live and recorded TV virtually anywhere over a mobile device or PC. Reported by TechCrunch, a back and forth discussion this morning on a Slingbox forum about hopes for incorporating Chromecast into the Slingbox fold resulted in an encouraging message from Slingbox employee going by the moniker Matt.Sling. "I checked in with engineering, and although I can not give you a timeline yet, I'm happy to report Chromecast support is in development," the employee said. 

Over the past year or so, we've seen Google's Chromecast grow from its infancy with only a few minor apps like Netflix and YouTube, into a burgeoning powerhouse on the verge of all out dongle domination, thanks to a slew of new apps, and the company's release of its software developer kit.

With Slingbox support, here are a couple ways users could exploit their $35 investment:

Chromecast as a DVR tuner: One possible use for a fully armed Slingbox app would be to employ Chromecast as a separate tuner, sending DVR content into other TVs in the house. Just grab the Chromecast, stick it into the upstairs TV, and you've got all of your DVR content at hand, without buying or renting a new DVR box.
DVR everywhere: And much like Roku's Slingbox app, Chromecast users will also likely be able to go to a vacation home, a hotel, or even just Grandma's house. As long as they've brought their Chromecast along, all of their favorite DVR content is ready to transfer from a computer or mobile device straight to the big screen.

Of course, with the recent release of a new Roku Streaming Stick, which already incorporates Sling software in a very convenient dongle design, the Chromecast news is less ground shaking. Still, the Roku stick is priced around $15 more than the Chromecast, and for those who have already invested into Google's design, it's an exciting addition.

As the message states, no word has yet been given as to when the new app will make its way to Google's device. We'll keep an eye out as this story develops, so stay tuned.
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Philips’ latest Hue line includes these gorgeous 3D-printed Luminaire lamps

In the wake of smart lighting announcements from giants like LG and Samsung, Philips just pulled the curtain back on not one, but three new additions to its Hue line of connected lights, and in the process ensured everyone that it's still the king of Smart Lighting Mountain.

The first and strangest addition is these things that Philips has dubbed "Hue Luminaires." They're basically a set of limited-edition, abstract, 3D-printed lamps that change colors. The company is touting them as the artistic "design addition" to the family, and unfortunately they've got a price to match. The lamps will reportedly be up for preorder starting on March 31, and will sell for €2,999 and €2,499, depending on which model you opt for. That's roughly $4,125 and $3,437 respectively. For that price, you could buy yourself a brand new MakerBot Replicator, print your own lamp, and still have over $1,000 bucks left to spend on beer.

The second addition is a much more practical bulb called Hue Lux. Generally speaking, it's the exact same thing as the original Hue, just without all the extra colors. It's got the same A19 shape, the same dimming capabilities, uses the same amount of power, and can be controlled using the same mobile application as the original – it just only puts out warm white light. The good news, however, is that this simpler design makes it considerably cheaper. Individual bulbs will be $39.95 in the U.S. or €29.99 in Europe, and starter kits containing a Hue Bridge and two bulbs will be available for just $99.99 in the U.S. or €89.99 in Europe.

Last but definitely not least is the Hue Tap: an innovative wall switch designed to give you better control over your smart lights with a physical switch. This helps solve one of the most fundamental flaws of smart lighting – the fact that switching bulbs on and off with a smartphone application can be cumbersome and inconvenient at times. To give you a wider range of controls than just on or off, Tap has four different buttons that can be pre-programmed to activate/deactivate user-defined scenes. It's completely wireless and – get this – doesn't require outside electricity to run. It's actually powered by kinetic energy, so it uses the force you apply with your finger to generate a tiny bit of electricity, and uses that energy to fire off an RF signal that tells the Hue Bridge what to do. Pretty brilliant if you ask us. Tap will be released at the same time as Lux, and will be priced at $59.95 in the U.S. or €59.95 in Europe.

For more details on all three, head over to the official Philips Hue website.
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iPhone 6 Super-size: More fuel on the fire Leaked schematics point

Even though we're several months away from Apple's announcement of the iPhone 6, that doesn't mean there are plenty of rumors to mill over. One specific rumor alleges that there will be two iPhone 6 models: one with a 4.7-inch display and one with a 5.5-inch display. Throw another log on the fire because yet another leak has come out strongly hinting at a larger iPhone.

Nowhereelse.fr acquired a document from a Chinese website that shows an alleged schematic design for the iPhone 6. The schematic purports a length of 5.9 inches and a width of 3.3 inches, a significant jump from the iPhone 5S, which comes in at 4.87 x 2.32 inches. According to the French blog, the dimensions would put the iPhone 6′s display with a diagonal of at least 5 inches.

As mentioned before, the schematic's dimensions don't exactly line up with what others have reported, though it's possible that Apple is playing around with different dimensions. Even so, all rumors indicate that the iPhone 6 will be the largest iPhone Apple has made, finally addressing the competition's insistence on larger screens for their handsets. Nokia, LG, HTC, and even BlackBerry have all released bigger-sized handsets, with the iPhone 5S looking smaller with each passing day.

For a more complete look at all the many, many rumors surrounding Apple's upcoming iPhone, check out our full iPhone 6 Rumor Roundup.
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