This week in apps: Microsoft To-Do, Facebook Spaces, Snapchat world lenses and more

It's been a busy week: Samsung and Google partnered on special version of Google Play Music and White House staffers' favorite secure messaging app might not be that secure. Oh, and Facebook wants you to talk and listen your skin.

Luckily, we've kept up for you. Each week, we round up the latest app news, along with a few of our favorite new and updated products, to keep you in the loop with everything coming to your smartphone.

SEE ALSO: Facebook's plan to tap into your brain is strange, scary ... and fantastic

Here's what caught our eye this week. If you're looking for more, make sure to check out the last installment. Read more...

More about Google Photos, Facebook, Snapchat, Weekly App Roundup, and Tech

A returning WWII veteran captured an extraordinary photographic record of postwar NYC

1946

LaSalle Street and Amsterdam Avenue, Harlem.

Image: Museum of the City of New York/Todd Webb Archive

In 1945, 40-year-old Todd Webb was discharged from the Navy and moved to New York City

Webb had cycled through a litany of professions before his service in the war. He settled on photography after taking a class with Ansel Adams and meeting with Alfred Stieglitz on his way through the city in 1942.

With Stieglitz’s encouragement, Webb decided to focus all his energies (and his modest savings) on photographing the booming postwar city

He spent his nights sleeping in the kitchen of photographer Harry Callahan’s Harlem apartment, and his days riding the Third Avenue El from 125th Street down to the towers of Midtown, the ethnic enclaves of the Lower East Side, and the historic buildings of the Financial District, capturing architecture, signage, and street life with a large format camera. Read more...

More about 1940s, Street Photography, New York City, New York, and History

PSA: Candle-carving videos are the absolute best way to waste time on the internet

How It's Made is the best show on television, and that's an objective fact. Fine, it's subjective, but my opinion remains the same. It's the (very safe-for-work) r/powerwashingporn of television in that it's boring, but comforting. 

I credit it with leading me to my number one favorite way to waste time on the internet: candle carving videos.

SEE ALSO: 15 Power-Washing Porn Pics for Clean Satisfaction

While perusing ripped How It's Made clips on YouTube one night in 2015, I came across one of that highlighted the old craft of decorative, carved candles. In the clip, a skilled candlemaker turns a blob of warm wax into the kind of candle you might find in a display case in your aunt's living room. In just a few minutes, the carver carves ribbons of wax, a teeny windmill, flowers and birds. She even forms the leftover wax into candle shaped like a mushroom! It's delightful!  Read more...

More about Viral Videos, Watercooler, and Watercooler

I am the founder of Starbucks and I am begging you to stop buying the Unicorn Frappuccino

Meet the woman who created a Google doc on how to tactical vote

The resistance is alive in Britain, and it's armed with a spreadsheet.

A super detailed, exquisitely crafted Google spreadsheet called "How to Vote to Stop the Tories" started doing the rounds on social media almost immediately after a snap election was called last Tuesday. 

SEE ALSO: This woman's outraged response to the general election has gone gloriously viral

It's a detailed guide on how to vote tactically for the best chances of ousting the Conservative Party in each individual seat. It's basically a spreadsheet nerd's dream come true. 

It went viral straight away. Safe to say, its creator, Becky Snowden, was floored. Read more...

More about Spreadsheets, Google Docs, Voting, General Election, and Uk

The small corner of Reddit where people share their darkest secrets

Somewhere in the world, a man is sat behind a computer screen telling a group of strangers his most shameful secret.

The story is long, but the details are thin. At some point when he was 15, he writes, he got wrongly accused of bullying a girl in his class.

“We were in maths, and I accidentally knocked her bag off the desk so I went to pick it up because her things fell out,” he explains. “She must have thought I did it on purpose and she screamed like someone stabbed her.”

Apparently the girl had been a victim of bullying before. After the incident with the bag, though, the man’s classmates treated them both differently. They were kinder to her, and cold towards him. Read more...

More about Depression, Mental Illness, Mental Health, Subreddit, and Confession

So you want to be a Google health lab rat? Here's what you'll have to do

Welcome, lab rats of the future.
Google wants 10,000 of you in the United States to be their test dummies for four years so they can understand a lot more about health and the human body. And by Google, we mean Google's parent company, Alphabet, which owns Verily, the company conducting this study. Stay with us now.

SEE ALSO: Google Scholar might finally be Google's way back into China

Project Baseline, as the mission has been dubbed, "is the quest to collect comprehensive health data and use it as a map and compass, pointing the way to disease prevention." As signing up to be a test dummy goes, this seems like one of the better causes.  Read more...
More about Participants, Verily, Alphabet, Project Baseline, and Study

Mercedes-Benz adds both Alexa and Google Assistant connectivity

Mercedes-Benz is giving drivers an even smarter luxury experience and adding some AI assistant power to its newest vehicles.

All Mercedes-Benz models from 2016 and 2017 are now compatible with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, taking the smart home experience out on the road.

SEE ALSO: Lynk & Co's sedan concept boasts free internet

The AI assistants will allow drivers to do things like remote start their car using a voice command from the comfort of their kitchen or adjust their smart home appliance settings from the driver's seat.   

You can check out the system in action in the demo below — just don't get in the habit of leaving your iron and stove burning in your house, smart assistant or not.  Read more...

More about Connected Car, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Mercedes Benz, and Tech

Cartoon of British politician dabbing inspires a glorious meme

Jeremy Corbyn has officially made the beautiful transition from leader of the Labour Party to leader of the Meme Party.

On Thursday, the internet trolled the Labour leader yet again after a very special cartoon image of Corbyn dabbing — yes, dabbing — was posted by a fan account to Twitter.

SEE ALSO: 10 things you need to know about Jeremy Corbyn's big Labour Party speech

The image featured the British politician's memorable quote from an interview on Thursday, about the rebellious plans he has in store ahead of the general election in June.

"They say I don’t play by the rules – their rules ... They’re quite right I don't," Corbyn said, practically begging to be memed. Read more...

More about Watercooler, Politics, Cartoon, Twitter, and Conversations

William and Harry tell Kate what it was like losing their mom in a special Facebook live stream

The young royals are continuing their work to promote mental health awareness. Their latest move was a special Facebook Live on the royal family's social page. 

During the discussion Will and Harry open up to Kate about what it was like losing their mom at such a young age. 

Most recently Prince William and Lady Gaga FaceTimed to talk about mental health.  Read more...

More about Real Time Video, Real Time Video, Real Time, Mental Health, and Facebook Live

Two dudes wearing vulgar shirts got into the front row on 'The Price is Right'

The Price is Right is a wholesome television show enjoyed by all ages.

But like all game shows, the program relies on contestants, and not all participants keep things PG for daytime cable. 

Two hopeful contestants in the audience on The Price is Right were spotted wearing shirts that read "Two in the Plinko, One in the Stinko" shirts on Thursday. This wouldn't be a huge deal, except for the fact that the men were placed in the front row. 

SEE ALSO: 'Wheel of Fortune' contestant gets it so, so wrong that, honestly, it's kind of admirable

Two dudes in the front row of The Price is Right wearing blurred out shirts that begin "two in the Plinko..." Oh dear God..pic.twitter.com/g0hR5bGrES

— Casey Cipriani (@CaseyCip) April 20, 2017 Read more...

More about Sex, Wtf, The Price Is Right, Watercooler, and Watercooler

Nigel Barker breaks down the benefits of inclusive marketing in business

Inclusive marketing is a technique that consumers may not be able to pinpoint, but for many businesses, it's the secret ingredient behind creating ads that set out to empower people and create confidence amongst consumers.

SEE ALSO: Pepsi pulls cringeworthy Kendall Jenner ad after massive backlash

Inclusive marketing is marketing that doesn't specifically target one demographic nor does it rely on the traditional stereotypes we set up amongst ourselves and with other people

On the other side of the coin, not all brands utilize inclusive marketing correctly. There have been a handful of brands over the past several months who have tried to take a stab at inclusive marketing, but to their dismay, their message was not received by the masses in the way they had hoped (looking at you, Pepsi). However, when executed correctly, inclusive marketing has the potential to make serious impacts for any business of any size.  Read more...

More about Business, Marketing, Business, Marketing, and Advertising

Target is turning shopping carts into Mario karts and there's no way this ends well

With the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch just around the corner, Target is getting in the Mario Kart spirit with tricked-out shopping carts.

There's no way this could go wrong, right?

Over 650 Target stores in the U.S. are getting decked out with Mario Kart-inspired shopping carts (also known as Super Target Karts), decorations, and a starting line-like entrance complete with black-and-white checkers, a lakitu, flashing lights, and music. The promotion starts today.

Target is basically giving you the green light to take shopping carts and race through the store as quickly as possibly. People will definitely be throwing things at each other. Read more...

More about Gaming, Nintendo, Mario Kart, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Shopping Carts

Obama's photographer takes down Sarah Palin with one very classy Instagram photo

Pete Souza is back at it again with the Instagram shade, and this time he's coming for Sarah Palin and her famous band of sidekicks.

Sarah Palin, Ted Nugent, and Kid Rock (author's note: ⁉️ ⁉️ ⁉️) hung out with President Trump on Thursday. And afterward, the former Alaskan governor shared photos of her visit on Facebook, thanking Trump for the invite. But one picture in particular caught Souza's eye.

Standing before Hillary Clinton's official White House portrait, the very mature Palin, Nugent, and Kid Rock posed in very mature ways.

SEE ALSO: Trump never has to buy sunglasses again because Obama's photographer will shade him forever Read more...

More about Trolling, Instagram, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Politics