Everyone knows that the BFG crew loves the Jersey Shore; we write about their social media and marketing efforts all the time. And we’re not alone. Paul Morse over at Row Feeder decided to follow the social media impact of the Jersey Shore season two premiere and created this lovely infographic (above).

I just love metrics, don’t you? Particularly in graph format. This one includes a swanky looking chart with the number of tweets and Facebook posts every 15 minutes. The Twitter spike on the east coast when the show premiered is insane at around 16,000 posts every 15 minutes. It’s also interesting to see how different the Twitter response is from the Facebook response, and how the spike when the show started on the west coast is so much smaller. The national audience map (the one at the bottom that sort of looks like a virus outbreak chart from the CDC) also shows the impressive east coast following of the show, noting that around 21 percent of all posts about Jersey Shore came from New York or New Jersey. I’m sure the average follower score was somewhat skewed from all the celebrities posting, but the almost two posts per person shows how engaged many viewers were. All in all, I’d say the social media marketers over at MTV deserve a self-congratulatory fist-pump.

Imagine the biggest photo you have ever taken. Now multiply that size by 1000. Now square that. You still won’t come close to the the world’s largest photograph, clocking in at 70 gigapixels (70 billion pixels).  That is more zeros than on the scoreboard of a Pirates game (sorry Pittsburgh fans, I’ll stop now).  This photo is truly a masterful work of art, ingenuity, and savvy engineering.

The record breaking panorama was taken by 360world, a group of brilliant designers, engineers, photographers, film editors, and camera men located in Hungary. These guys specialize in various photographic efforts and put forth some very progressive work. In order to take their 70 gigapixel shot, the team set up shop on an observation tower named Janos-hegyi, the tallest point in Budapest. Two Sony A900 cameras with 400mm lenses were mounted on robotic arms stationed on the top of the tower. These arms rotated for days while simultaneously hitting the shutter buttons. The Budapest panorama nearly doubles the size of the previous world record picture which was taken in Dubai and contained 45 gigapixels.

The exquisite detail of the photograph is incredible. At certain angles you can actually zoom far enough in to see people inside the windows of buildings. You can view the photo on the 70 gigapixel website. I would load it on here, but with a whopping 200 GB file made up of 20,000 compressed pics, I would probably then get fired after crashing the entire office server (it wasn’t me BFG, I swear). On the site you can also view a video of the making of the photograph, as well as learn about the post-processing operation. I wouldn’t recommend printing the shot though. Stretching 45 feet in length, it could take a good while to print and consume a barrel full of toner.

360world takes gigapixel photography to another level and continues to cross over the lines of what is possible within photography. Follow the group as I am sure they will have more works of art to share with the world soon.

Set aside notions of boring museums and endless guided tours. Museums are going beyond all that and creating experiences that can get even a jaded Millennial excited. During a recent trip to Warsaw, Poland, I experienced one such museum that’s getting it right in a tech-driven world.

Welcome to the Chopin Museum 2.0.

Before heading inside the museum’s impressive 17th century facade, I spent some time walking in the courtyard, where I discovered the first of many interactive components of the museum: an interactive bench. The bench played various Chopin tunes while a QR code enticed me to dig for deeper content.

Upon entering, visitors are handed an RFID enabled card that can be swiped throughout the museum to interact with special content and music. In the midst of personal letters, furniture, pianos and other objects, a slew of touchscreens reveal personalized audio and video content that help bring Chopin and his music to life.

One of the architects of the space, Mara Servetto, told Wallpaper about the design.

“We wanted to incorporate the best technology could offer with an experience that is very human,” explains Servetto. “To this end, all the sounds, smells and interactive technologies have been integrated together.”

It makes for a full sensory experience that eventually leads to a dark, silent chamber dedicated to the end of Chopin’s life. It includes paintings of Chopin on his death bed, his death mask and also a lock of hair. It’s that’s too macabre for you, not to worry, there’s much music to be distracted with once you’re finished with the tour. Be sure to spend some time downstairs in the cavernous listening room. Check out the blank pages that when turned reveal projected images from above.

Humongo Nation is an east coast tour brought to you by Humongo Agency.  The Humongo team, traveling in a decked out Ford Flex, began in Maine and will end in Miami as part of their rolling social media phenomenon. Along the way, Humongo has been meeting with some of the smartest and most innovative creatives that this side of the country has to offer. Yesterday, Humongo Nation made a tour stop in Savannah, making the rounds to visit SCAD and Paula Deen. They also met with BFG’s own Sloane Kelley discussing the beauty and benefits of a small agency while also diving into the interactive conference adventure known as Geekend. See it for yourself below!

What was once thought to be merely rumor was confirmed yesterday as Apple introduced its Magic Trackpad to the world. If you are hearing this for the first time you likely did not access the internet yesterday, as it was plastered over every tech news source imaginable (slow day in tech). This is all fine and dandy, so I won’t bore you with the details. Simply put, the Magic Trackpad connects to your Mac desktop via Bluetooth allowing you to experience the goodness of the three finger click, the swipe, and the two finger scroll, all while viewing your beautiful iMac display.

What struck a wrong chord with me was Apple’s description of its product. On the Apple website, the company claims that the Magic Trackpad is “the first Multi-Touch trackpad designed to work with your Mac desktop computer”. Let’s ponder this for a second…ok, enough pondering. If Apple made such a claim it must be true right, I mean come on, they are Apple. Well not so fast Hasty McHasterson. It would appear that a bit of back knowledge tells a different story.

Wacom, a global company well known amongst creative professionals, has for years been in the business of producing external “tablets” for PCs and Macs. These tablets connect to your computer via a USB port and act in place of a mouse, mirroring your movements from the tablet to the screen. Wacom is most famous for their tablets which utilize a stylus, allowing for a much more natural experience when drawing or painting on the computer. Certain high-end tablets will even duplicate the desktop images on the LCD screen of the tablet, contributing to an even more intuitive design experience.

For several years now Wacom has offered its Bamboo line of tablets including the Bamboo Touch model. The Bamboo Touch is a multi-touch trackpad that essentially does everything the Magic Trackpad can do. The usability of the Bamboo Touch does slightly differ from the Magic Trackpad in the number of fingers used, click method, etc. but the general concept is the same.

I have never used the Bamboo Touch, but I have used several other Wacom stylus models and have been nothing short of pleased with the usability that the products offer. Even though Apple has made false claims here, the increased hype for trackpads could also benefit Wacom in the long run. The Bamboo Touch goes for $49.99 on the Wacom website, as opposed to the $69.99 price tag for the Magic Trackpad. Mac users drooling over the thought of a desktop trackpad but looking to save a few bucks could potentially go for the Wacom version instead. Wacom could also possibly see sales increase from PC users, who have heard all the hoopla from the Magic Trackpad and wish for an option to comfort their Windows filled hearts.

All in all interest in trackpads is surely much greater today than it was a week ago, and I hope that amidst Apple’s false claims that Wacom can pick up some sales as well. Apple’s statement really is not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but it is just a minor example of a company thinking they can do whatever they please. If you will excuse me, I am going to go email Steve Jobs in hope for a sarcastic response back.

As a self professed lover of all things bad TV, I have obviously been looking forward to the Season 2 premiere of the Jersey Shore, on MTV, for months. I’ve stayed informed of their off season shenanigans via Twitter and my most trusted of gossip news sources, Perez Hilton. I’m slightly skeptical of their move to Miami, filmed earlier this year when it was too cold to be at the actual Jersey Shore, but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.

As a way to promote the new season MTV has launched a Jersey Shore themed Facebook game. When I learned this I actually let out a ’squeeeee’ of happiness and I couldn’t wait to give it a try. The game is built in a similar style to Mafia Wars, where you have a certain amount of energy that you can use to complete tasks (think GTL, baby!), tasks award you money to buy things & collect points to move to the next level. You are also able to fight against other players, using a variety of hilarious attack methods. As the new season of the Jersey Shore progresses the Facebook game will include new challenges based on what is happening in the show. Great way to keep people engaged in the Facebook game, which I’ll admit, is really only fun for the first 10 minutes.

When you first start the game you are able to select your character: The Situation, JWOWW, Pauly D, and Snooki. The game appears to be the same no matter who you select. I, of course, selected my beloved Snooki, complete with hair poof & animal print.

Next you learn about the tasks that you are able to complete to earn points, money, and increased fighting abilities:

 The GTL tasks each take a set amount of time to ‘complete’, which just means you have time to wait between doing the task again. (2 minutes for Gym, 5 minutes for Tan, 10 minutes for Laundry) I suspect they will add more tasks here as the season moves along.

Fighting is probably the most entertaining aspect of the game. This is because of the wide variety of attack methods that are available (the higher your level the more options you have). Some of my favorite include: spray your opponent with pickle juice, use ‘The Shocker’ to shock your opponent, Beat Up The Beat, attack with a Hippo, Clinger, Meat Head, Duck Phone, OR Snooki Cartwheel. As you attack, your character can also be spotted Fist Pumping when they win.

Overall, I applaud MTV for their effort in keeping up interest in Jersey Shore (though is that really necessary?). I don’t think this will become as popular as Farmville, but I will be interested to see how it evolves throughout the season.

They have also announced an iPhone app titled…wait for it…’Spread Snooki’ (not making this up!) but it isn’t available for download yet. The idea is to add Snooki to photos on your phone and share with your friends. I’ve been stalking patiently waiting for it to become available in the App Store. Stay tuned for a blog post about it! Fist pump!

Sharing is caring. Barney taught us that. If there is anything I have learned in my few short years on this earth it is to always trust purple dinosaurs. The concept of sharing has been instilled in us all from a young age, and is the premise behind new venture SnapGoods.

SnapGoods is a site allowing for users to collaborate and share a number of items. Say you want to test run an iPad for a couple of days before buying. Once signed up on the sight, you can search to see anyone in your network who is willing to share their iPad with you. SnapGoods will only share your information with people you are Facebook friends with or are connected to through Meetup, which the company hopes will help deter random creepers for calling you up to borrow your stuff. After finding a person with the item you desire to use, you can then contact that individual to discuss a price and exchange location.

After returning your item, you and the lender should then review the transaction deal, in a manner similar to eBay’s feedback system. Payments are made through Paypal and a deposit is necessary up front, so in the case that John decides he rather not return your bike, you get some compensation (hardly making up for the fact that you now have to walk to work).

Whether or not SnapGoods will catch on remains up for question. I am all about sharing, but lending out my cherished equipment to people I hardly know doesn’t sound too enticing, even if I can make some quick cash. To conclude, I will leave you with a list of some strange items currently available for rent on SnapGoods:

KitchenAid Food Processor

Shoei Motorcycle Helmet

Waffle Maker

It is a well known fact that everything is more fun when there is a bet involved. Gambling makes even mundane tasks an adventurous and nail biting experience. A couple of our good British friends across the pond realized this and have sought to pair humanity’s love for gambling with its interest in social media.

A new gambling site, Betable, allows users to create bets for anything and share these with their friends. After signing up, users can then place a bet on any topic they desire. Bets are then able to be shared through Facebook, Twitter, and email. The site earns revenue by taking 10% of all winnings. Users who initiate bets receive 30% of the proceeds, so if your bet were to go viral you could potentially be raking in the dough.

The target market for Betable is casual gambling settings such as friendly office wagers or a small parlay between college buddies. Betable hopes to be “the Twitter of gambling” by allowing such transparent sharing of bets among peers. Imagine the possibilities. That $5 dare to eat the green moldy thing that has been rotting for months in the office fridge could have thousands of people’s life savings riding on you!

Who will throw the first fist pump on season 2 of Jersey Shore? What movie will top the charts at the box office this weekend? How many marshmallows can Steve eat before throwing up? These questions and more can now be flung into the social world allowing for limitless betting opportunities.

Unfortunately, due to the party-pooping American government and US gambling restrictions, betting is limited to UK residents exclusively (apparently gambling is addictive or something). For now us Americans can only stand in awe of our British counterparts as we see hundreds throwing in their pounds hoping to make bank, as long as Janet wears her ugly read sweater to work on Thursday.

Last night app developer Flipboard launched their self-titled social magazine app for the iPad. Flipboard communicates with your social media accounts, aggregating the best videos and articles that your friends and followers are mentioning and linking to. This content can then be viewed through Flipboard in a magazine style layout. Flipboard presents an interesting concept that may widely catch on with iPad user’s daily habits.  The interface design and layout makes it an attractive download to add to your app collection. Plus it’s free, and I’ll try anything that is free once (ok, maybe not everything). View the video above to learn more.

True or False: You have heard someone say the phrase, “I only read it for the articles”, when making reference to Playboy? Maybe it was, gasp, you. I would venture to say that this phrase is almost as infamous as Playboy itself. As much as Hugh Hefner has made the topic of sex mainstream, his magazine also causes some to be ashamed to admit that they look at it…the pictures too! (Note: I am not one of those people. I think Hef is a genius. No one person has shaped pop culture the way that he has. Yes, my household has a monthly subscription to the magazine.)

Playboy Enterprises has officially launched its new “safe for work” website: The Smoking Jacket.  In a short video on the site, Hef tells us that “Next to the Mansion, it is the best hangout on the planet”. The site itself is is positioned as “a safe for work men’s entertainment destination that provides guys with smart and sexy distractions throughout the day”.

Given this description I just had to spend a little time reading some of the articles doing research to see if it could live up to the description. What I found was definitely safe for work in the BFG Content Department, but I’m not sure how it would fly in corporate America. With headlines such as:

• How to Hang Out with Porn Chicks
• How to Get Laid at Work
• Gemma’s Bikini Body Workout, Boob Job Benefits, Audrina’s Bongos and more (Note: Yes, those bongos.)

I’m not  sure what employer would feel comfortable having an employee taking time out of their day to peruse this site. There are more tame topics about movies, gadgets, lifestyle topics, and even Bros Icing Bros. My favorite was a short video tribute to the 80’s, because, who doesn’t love the 80’s?

“But what about the pictures?” Thanks for asking! Most of the pictures were pretty tame by Playboy standards. There were a lot of girls in low cut shirts, bikinis, & lingerie. The site also has some vintage photos from the earlier years of Playboy. I wasn’t personally offended by anything, though I’m not sure a girl laying face down on a couch, wearing nothing but a thong, is work appropriate. Most people probably wouldn’t want to look over to find their co-worker ogling something of that nature.

For comparative purposes I also took a look at the Maxim site. There I found a lot of similar content, and even some racier photos.

In the end I would categorize The Smoking Jacket as “safe for work” at your own risk. I applaud Playboy for making this attempt to stay relevant during a time when they are losing money on their print publication.