May 13, 2008 – Even though Americans enjoy traveling abroad, many neglect the local customs of other countries and make common faux pas that can lead to confusion and embarrassment, according to a new survey conducted by international travel site vayama.com. To help travelers avoid cultural misunderstandings on future voyages, vayama has added country specific etiquette guides that cover everything from dining practices to appropriate attire, available at www.vayama.com/etiquette.

Vayama’s survey focused on U.S. adults’ know-how of appropriate etiquette in other countries and found that 95% of travelers[1] say they typically learn about the places they visit outside of the U.S. However, they don’t educate themselves on local customs as much as they could. In fact, over half of travelers (54%) said they typically stick to U.S. customs when traveling abroad, and nearly half (47%) said they did something when traveling outside the U.S. that they later learned was inappropriate behavior in that country. read more »

May 14, 2008 – Twing.com announces the debut of its new online community and forum search engine, www.Twing.com. Created to be the Internet’s best resource for helping users search and discover opinions, information and conversations that match their interests, Twing.com includes its own blogs and forums to provide updated community information and an ongoing conversation with visitors and forum owners.

“Online forums are an established medium people have been using to communicate since the early days of the internet, even predating the web. The number of users of these forums has been consistently growing year over year, and recent estimates of U.S. users alone exceeds 50 million,” said Kevin Shea, General Manager for Twing.com. “As more users become active, more forums have been created and this trend is continuing. Our goal is to help these internet users to participate in discussions, ask questions, get answers and offer advice by providing a resource that organizes this category of online content and uncovers the discussions that interest them. We expect Twing.com to be an invaluable resource for forum users and owners.” read more »

May 14, 2008 -- doof is exactly what it says, the home of social gaming. A very impressive concept: a social network built around casual gamers all wrapped up in a slick interface.

It's not the gaming you expect; doof is not centered around PC games, handhelds, or the three major consoles. doof is all about casual gaming and specifically revolves around its own online games and doof has plenty. From brain-caning puzzle games (Cascade, Roobix), to fast and frenzied action games (Parking Mad, Tritris), to plain hilarious time-wasters (Golden Arrow, Tribe), doof.com is pretty much the only place you need to be for your daily fix of brain candy. Riveting and compelling, their online games exists simply to have fun with! read more »

May 13, 2008 – The new Olympus E-520 digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera delivers brilliant images thanks to advanced technologies that help take the blur out. Industry leading Image Stabilization built into the portable camera body compensates for movement so that images are sharp and blur-free with any lens and even at slow shutter speeds. Autofocus Live View brings subjects into sharp focus on the camera’s HyperCrystal II LCD. Together, these technologies produce amazing results, along with the following features that further expand the DSLR experience:

• In-Body Image Stabilization with Supersonic Wave Drive technology provides blur-free images when using any of the more than 30 digital-specific lenses;
  
• Face Detection Technology targets and locks on faces to ensure they are in focus and blur-free for amazing portraits;
  
• Shadow Adjustment Technology opens up detail in the shadows that other cameras would render too dark or underexposed while maintaining detail in the highlights; and
  
• Perfect Shot Preview enables photographers to view and select White Balance and Exposure Compensation effects right on the LCD, and see how the image will look before they even capture it.
  

"Beyond a successor, the Olympus E-520 features an array of new technologies that help photo hobbyists and serious digital photographers take remarkable images,” said John Knaur, senior marketing manager – DSLR, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Its image stabilization system now lets photographers pan while holding the portable camera vertically – perfect for capturing everything from a sprinter breaking from the pack to the bride and groom walking down the aisle." read more »