BlackBerry Talking to Google and Samsung About Potential Sale: Report

By Colin Daileda2013-10-05 18:00:59 UTC

BlackBerry, whose smartphone business is publicly floundering, is in talks to sell the whole company or parts of it to Google, Samsung, Cisco Systems, Intel and LG, according to a new report.

Fairfax Financial Holdings, which already owns around 10% of BlackBerry's common shares, agreed two weeks ago to take the Canadian company private for $4.7 billion, but a deal with any of the previously mentioned firms would change that, Reuters reported. BlackBerry has asked those interested to contact the company by early next week, the news agency added.

That said, Reuters reported that it's unclear which — if any — of the potential buyers will even bid. Google, Samsung, Cisco and Intel did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and an LG spokesperson said she did not have information on the matter.

BlackBerry suffered a nearly $1 billion loss in its second quarter, and recently cut around 35% of its workforce. However, the company is still valued for its service business that runs its secure messaging system, and for its patent collection. That value, though, is nowhere close to the $100 billion that BlackBerry was worth in mid-2007.

While some of these potential buyers could be a surprise, the prospect of a sale is not, as BlackBerry announced in August that they had formed a committee to explore different selling options.

What do you think about these potential buyers? Tell us in the comments, below.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Six-Second Teeth Cleaners and Other Top Comments

By Connor Finnegan2013-10-05 19:28:03 UTC

After the dental world took a leaf out of Vine's book this week by introducing Blizzident, a 3D-printed toothbrush that can clean your teeth in six seconds, Mashable's online community responded with a wide range of reactions.

What's more, when Miley Cyrus gave an explanation for why her tongue is always out, many readers said she could benefit from using Blizzident's built-in tongue brusher.

In other news: When some handy, lesser-known features of iOS 7 were revealed, many readers took the opportunity to voice their displeasure with Apple's latest mobile OS.

Similarly, some readers shared their objections to poor Twitter behavior, after we published a story detailing why people choose not to follow certain profiles. However, others admitted that they were not above the occasional humblebrag.

Which story made waves in your social circle this week? Sound off in the comments, below.

Image: Blizzident

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5 Things 'Gravity' Gets Right

By Colin Daileda2013-10-05 20:03:51 UTC

Almost every critic has given Alfonso Cuarón's Gravity a phenomenal review, citing the viewer's visceral experience as they float through space with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. But while nearly no one doubts that Gravity is a great movie, how do they feel about the science behind it?

Despite favorable reviews, some media outlets outlets shone a light on the inaccuracies in Gravity, which is about the survival of two astronauts after their space station is smashed by debris. It also, however, gets a lot right. Here are some Gravity facts that match up with the real world (warning: spoilers ahead):

1. GPS works in space

NASA medical engineer Ryan Stone (played by Sandra Bullock) says "GPS is down" in the film's trailer, and it turns out that global positioning systems can pinpoint coordinates outside Earth; this is possible because GPS satellites orbit 20,000 kilometers (12,427 miles) above ground — that's 19,650 kilometers (12,210 miles) higher than the Hubble Space Telescope, which is where the astronauts are going.

2. The space suits, shuttle and space station are on point

By all accounts, Cuarón crafted his sets to look like the real deal. Everything from the narrow corridors of the International Space Station to the design of the Chinese space vehicle Shenzhou, are all accurate, according to multiple reviews.

3. The space physics mostly check out

Many people have seen the part of Gravity's trailer in which Stone whirls hopelessly into the black abyss — well, that can happen. All it takes is an explosion to cause that motion, which can potentially go on forever. What's more, when debris rocks the space station, triggering the movie's plot line, particles hurl in all directions; this makes sense, because without gravity to alter the routes of objects flying through space, they will continue along their initial route.

Buzz Aldrin, the second person to walk on the moon, said that Gravity's portrayal of movement inside of space vehicles was also well done, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

"I was happy to see someone moving around the spacecraft the way George Clooney was," Aldrin wrote in his review. "It really points out the degree of confusion and bumping into people."

There were some missteps, however, perhaps the most glaring of which was pointed out by Slate's Phil Plait. At some point in the plot, Stone's leg gets caught in a parachute shroud line from the Soyuz escape capsule, while she struggles to hold onto a tether that is clipped to NASA veteran Matt Kowalski's (played by Clooney) spacesuit. If Stone lets go, the movie implies, Kowalski will disappear into the final frontier. Ultimately, he unclips himself, and does just that.

The problem, however, is that both Stone and Kowalski had stopped moving, so their "velocity relative to the space station was zero," as Plait explained it. "Gravity wasn’t pulling Clooney away from Bullock; there were essentially no forces on him at all, so he had no weight for Bullock to bear! All she had to do was give the tether a gentle tug and Clooney would’ve been safely pulled toward her."

4. The constellations match up

If you look closely, you'll see that the background of this space thriller correctly includes parts of Orion, Pleiades and Taurus.

5. Clooney's cosmonaut competitor

Kowalski eventually sets the record for most time spent spacewalking, but before doing that, he mentions the man whose record he fictionally beat: cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyev. The Russian spaceman ventured outside into space 16 times for a total time of just over 82 hours (or about three-and-a-half days) before he retired.

BONUS: 10 Brilliant Photos of the Moon and Jupiter 

Image: Flickr, OeWF

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Spanish-Language 'Breaking Bad' Introduces Walter Blanco

By Colin Daileda2013-10-05 17:28:31 UTC

Breaking Bad fans, meet Walter Blanco.

A Spanish-language version of AMC's wildly popular American television drama, called Metástasis, will star Diego Trujillo as Blanco (Spanish for "white"). The trailer, which is in English, reveals only that the plot will be similar to the original, including the notion that "everyone has a tipping point."

The similarities continue beyond that. Skyler White's character, played by Sanra Reyes, will be called Cielo (Spanish for "sky"). Jesse Pinkman was renamed Jose Miguel Rosas, and will be played by Robert Urbina.

Colombian producer Teleset and Sony will distribute the show throughout Latin America, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They have also consulted with Breaking Bad's original creator, Vince Gilligan, to ensure plot points remain mostly the same. The distributors expect the show to do well in part because many Latin Americans didn't see the American version due to cable's lack of penetration in that region.

Breaking Bad has been viewed in 170 territories worldwide, but has so far had a niche viewership in most. This version is off to a better start, though, as Sony Pictures Television sold the remake to every major Spanish-speaking television market across Latin America. Metástasis will even make its way back to the U.S. under Univision's network, UniMas. Release is set for sometime in 2014.

What do you think of Breaking Bad's Spanish-language remake? Tell us in the comments, below.

Image: Wikimedia Commons 

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Toy Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Finalists

By Eva Recinos2013-10-05 21:30:51 UTC

From Hot Wheels to Mr. Potato Head, every good toy deserves its proper recognition, and the folks at the Toy Hall of Fame take this task very seriously. That's why the organization convenes every year to put together a list of possible new inductees deemed worthy of the honor.

This year, the contenders vying for a special place in toy history range from the always-styling My Little Pony to the classic tools of living-room-battle known as Nerf toys. The Toy Hall of Fame also recognizes some of the more generic toys, with past inductees including playing cards and the traditional dollhouse. After all, as the organization's site explains, dollhouses "help children learn about interior design and household management."

The nominated toys are eligible to earn a spot in the Hall of Fame based on four criteria: icon status, longevity, discovery and innovation. This category checklist is designed to ensure that the toy not only enjoyed massive popularity amongst youngsters in its heyday, but that it also encouraged qualities like "creativity" and "discovery." Therefore, that little yapping robot dog that did nothing but walk and do flips in the air may not, for obvious reasons, be a strong contender.

Nevertheless, voters have the option of nominating any beloved childhood object. The process works by allowing the public to determine which toys are included in the initial pool of toys by voting online, by mail or at the National Museum of Play website.

Afterwards, curators, historians and educators decide which toys will make the top 12 list. Toys with the largest amount of panel votes get their rightful place in the Hall of Fame. The panel will announce the final results of this year's vote tally on November 7.

Last year, Dominoes and Star Wars action figures were among the toys that took top honors. Other nominees this year include Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, the Magic 8 Ball, the board game Clue and the classic Rubber Duck.

Which toy would you vote for? Tell us in the comments below.

Image: Flickr, John Lambert Pearson

Topics: Clue, Gadgets, Gaming, Hot Wheels, Magic 8 Ball, Mr. Potato Head, My Little Pony, Nerf, Rubber Duck, teenage mutant ninja turtles, Toy Hall of Fame, toys, Watercooler, Work & Play if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"watercooler","content_type":"article","v_buy":null,"v_buy_i":null,"h_pub":4.5,"h_buy":null,"h_pub_buy":null,"v_cur":0.2,"v_max":0.7,"v_cur_i":0,"v_max_i":0,"events":"event51,event61","top_channel":"watercooler","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Eva Recinos","age":"0","pub_day":5,"pub_month":10,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"10/05/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"Default","topics":"Clue,Gadgets,Gaming,Hot Wheels,Lists,Magic 8 Ball,Mr. Potato Head,My Little Pony,Nerf,Rubber Duck,teenage mutant ninja turtles,Toy Hall of Fame,toys,Uncategorized,Watercooler,Work & Play","campaign":null,"display_mode":null}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/toy-hall-of-fame/"],["image_src","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzQyL2NsdWVmaW5hbC5mYzE1Yy5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDYyNyMKZQlqcGc/ef156898/f17/cluefinal.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/toy-hall-of-fame/"],["og:title","Toy Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Finalists "],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:description","The Toy Hall of Fame has announced its nominated toys for this year, with the nominees ranging from Clue to My Little Pony."],["og:image","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzQyL2NsdWVmaW5hbC5mYzE1Yy5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMjAweDYyNyMKZQlqcGc/ef156898/f17/cluefinal.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-10-05T21:30:51Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-10-05T21:31:27Z"],["og:article:publisher","https://www.facebook.com/mashable"]],"meta_name":[["description","The Toy Hall of Fame has announced its nominated toys for this year, with the nominees ranging from Clue to My Little Pony."],["keywords","toys, uncategorized, gaming, gadgets, watercooler, work-play, nerf, teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles, lists, toy-hall-of-fame"],["twitter:title","Toy Hall of Fame Announces 2013 Finalists"],["twitter:description","From Hot Wheels to Mr. Potato Head, every good toy deserves its proper recognition, and the folks at the Toy Hall of Fame take this task very seriously. That's why the organization convenes every year..."],["twitter:image","http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzQyL2NsdWVmaW5hbC5mYzE1Yy5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk1NjB4NzUwCmUJanBn/920899ea/f17/cluefinal.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/toy-hall-of-fame/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","photo"],["twitter:image:width","560"],["twitter:image:height","750"],["date","2013-10-05 21:30:51 UTC"],["sailthru.author","Eva Recinos"],["sailthru.image.thumb","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzQyL2NsdWVmaW5hbC5mYzE1Yy5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkxMTV4MTE1IwplCWpwZw/d15ae15c/f17/cluefinal.jpg"],["sailthru.image.full","C:\Program Files (x86)\ABS\Auto Blog Samurai\data\Digitel World\mash\cluefinal.jpg"],["sailthru.lead_image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzQyL2NsdWVmaW5hbC5mYzE1Yy5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgk2MDB4MzM4IwplCWpwZw/453a7e2a/f17/cluefinal.jpg"],["sailthru.secondary_image","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzQyL2NsdWVmaW5hbC5mYzE1Yy5qcGcKcAl0aHVtYgkyODh4MTYyIwplCWpwZw/c47e7203/f17/cluefinal.jpg"]],"short_url":[["short_url","http://on.mash.to/GBOANn"]]};

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Ask a Dev: How Do Developers and QA Engineers Work Together?

By Meg Wagner2013-10-05 18:31:45 UTC

It can take a lot of people to develop an application, and managing a team of professionals with different skills can be tricky.

The latest video in our Ask a Dev series takes a look at the relationship between developers and quality-assurance engineers, and discusses ways they can successfully collaborate.

Ajay Pall, director of Android Engineering at Mutual Mobile, explains that communication between the two parties is crucial, and that each team member's duties should be discussed early on in a project.

"Developers and QA engineers need to have a conversation about the testing strategy for the application that is being developed," he says.

In the video, above, Pall says there are three different types of testing activities a team needs to cover: unit, integration and system. Unit testing studies individual softwares; integration testing combines different units to test as a whole; system testing looks at the complete system.

A good way to split up responsibilities is to have developers take charge of unit and integration testing, which require an intimate knowledge of the code, and let QA engineers manage system testing.

Pall explains that it can be helpful for QA engineers to have an understanding of the languages that go into the products they test, so that they can more effectively collaborate with developers; this means QA engineers working on the Android platform should learn Java, while those working with iOS should study Objective-C. Web QA professionals should look into HTML, CSS and Javascript.

Our developer experts are from Mutual Mobile, a leading development and design firm that builds mobile strategies for top companies such as Audi, Google and Citigroup. Their team is eager to answer your questions about mobile, so be sure to ping us with your top queries on Twitter using the hashtag, #AskaDev. Also, don't forget to check out our Ask a Dev YouTube channel, and subscribe.

Homepage image: Flickr, tronathan

Topics: Apps and Software, Ask a Dev, Dev & Design, developers, developing, Tech if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"tech","content_type":"article","v_buy":null,"v_buy_i":null,"h_pub":7.5,"h_buy":null,"h_pub_buy":null,"v_cur":0.2,"v_max":0.6,"v_cur_i":0,"v_max_i":0,"events":"event51,event61","top_channel":"tech","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Meg Wagner","age":"0","pub_day":5,"pub_month":10,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"10/05/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"YouTube Video Lead","topics":"Apps and Software,Ask a Dev,Dev & Design,developers,developing,Tech,Uncategorized","campaign":null,"display_mode":null}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/askadev-developers-qa-engineers/"],["image_src","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzBhL1FBLmU3ZDAyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4NjI3IwplCWpwZw/3933dab2/f31/QA.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/askadev-developers-qa-engineers/"],["og:title","Ask a Dev: How Do Developers and QA Engineers Work Together?"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:description","The latest video in our Ask a Dev series discusses how QA engineers and developers can work together to test applications."],["og:image","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzBhL1FBLmU3ZDAyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4NjI3IwplCWpwZw/3933dab2/f31/QA.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-10-05T18:31:45Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-10-05T18:34:13Z"],["og:article:publisher","https://www.facebook.com/mashable"]],"meta_name":[["description","The latest video in our Ask a Dev series discusses how QA engineers and developers can work together to test applications."],["keywords","developers, uncategorized, developing, tech, apps-software, dev-design, ask-a-dev"],["twitter:title","Ask a Dev: How Do Developers and QA Engineers Work Together?"],["twitter:description","It can take a lot of people to develop an application, and managing a team of professionals with different skills can be tricky. The latest video in our Ask a Dev series takes a look at the relationsh..."],["twitter:image","http://rack.1.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzBhL1FBLmU3ZDAyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTU2MHg3NTAKZQlqcGc/7b151d55/f31/QA.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/askadev-developers-qa-engineers/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","player"],["twitter:player","https://www.youtube.com/embed/9j1PjXzx4mE"],["twitter:player:width","435"],["twitter:player:height","245"],["date","2013-10-05 18:31:45 UTC"],["sailthru.author","Meg Wagner"],["sailthru.image.thumb","http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzBhL1FBLmU3ZDAyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTExNXgxMTUjCmUJanBn/7c9dad53/f31/QA.jpg"],["sailthru.image.full","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzBhL1FBLmU3ZDAyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/6a838024/f31/QA.jpg"],["sailthru.lead_image","http://rack.2.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzBhL1FBLmU3ZDAyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTYwMHgzMzgjCmUJanBn/7ea399a6/f31/QA.jpg"],["sailthru.secondary_image","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1LzBhL1FBLmU3ZDAyLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTI4OHgxNjIjCmUJanBn/73de6682/f31/QA.jpg"]],"short_url":[["short_url","http://on.mash.to/1aW8vQP"]]};

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Volkswagen XL1 Gets an Augmented Reality Service App

By Eva Recinos2013-10-05 20:55:13 UTC

Volkswagen's sleek XL1 model continues to get attention for its efforts to break new ground in fuel efficiency — it claims 700 mpg in a 2.6-gallon tank — but its accompanying app will change how mechanics work with the new car.

The Mobile Augmented Reality Technical Assistant App (MARTA for short) will employ augmented reality to offer instructions on the hybrid diesel's mechanical operations. MARTA focuses primarily on the mechanic's experience, offering service workers a new way to see the car's parts and fix problems.

Users line up a silhouette of the XL1 with the image of the real car on the mobile device to access specific instructions for working with the parts. The app reenacts the process of working on the car and gives users more information through specific labels of the individual parts. MARTA also lets users try out new parts on the car, such as different-colored hoods.

Volkswagen teamed up with Metaio, a company that first began by working with Volkswagen on an earlier project and later incorporated augmented reality into browser plugins, apps and more. The company recently launched a project with Ikea, in which shoppers can virtually place products in their home by using the catalogue paired with augmented reality.

MARTA works on mobile devices as well as tablets and will make its official debut at the InsideAR Conference on Oct. 11, 2013, in Munich.

Watch the video above to find out more.

Image: Flickr, MotorBlog.com

BONUS: 7 Stunning Augmented Reality Business CardsTopics: Apps and Software, Augmented Reality, cars, MARTA, mechanics, metaio, Tech, volkswagen, XL1 if(window.pageChanged) window.omni({"channel":"tech","content_type":"article","v_buy":null,"v_buy_i":null,"h_pub":5.5,"h_buy":null,"h_pub_buy":null,"v_cur":0.3,"v_max":0.6,"v_cur_i":0,"v_max_i":0,"events":"event51,event61","top_channel":"tech","content_source_type":"Internal","content_source_name":"Internal","author_name":"Eva Recinos","age":"0","pub_day":5,"pub_month":10,"pub_year":2013,"pub_date":"10/05/2013","isPostView":true,"post_lead_type":"BC Video Lead","topics":"Apps and Software,Augmented Reality,cars,MARTA,mechanics,metaio,Tech,Uncategorized,volkswagen,XL1","campaign":null,"display_mode":null}); metaData = {"link":[["canonical","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/volkswagen-augmented-reality/"],["image_src","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1L2IwL3hsMWZpbmFsLmIxOWZhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4NjI3IwplCWpwZw/da320945/23c/xl1final.jpg"]],"meta_property":[["og:url","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/volkswagen-augmented-reality/"],["og:title","Volkswagen XL1 Gets an Augmented Reality Service App"],["og:type","article"],["og:site_name","Mashable"],["og:description","An app called MARTA will help mechanics view parts of Volkswagen's XL1 through augmented reality. "],["og:image","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1L2IwL3hsMWZpbmFsLmIxOWZhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTEyMDB4NjI3IwplCWpwZw/da320945/23c/xl1final.jpg"],["og:article:published_time","2013-10-05T20:55:13Z"],["og:article:modified_time","2013-10-05T20:55:45Z"],["og:article:publisher","https://www.facebook.com/mashable"]],"meta_name":[["description","An app called MARTA will help mechanics view parts of Volkswagen's XL1 through augmented reality. "],["keywords","cars, augmented-reality, volkswagen, uncategorized, tech, apps-software, metaio, marta, mechanics, xl1"],["twitter:title","Volkswagen XL1 Gets an Augmented Reality Service App"],["twitter:description","Volkswagen's sleek XL1 model continues to get attention for its efforts to break new ground in fuel efficiency -- it claims 700 mpg in a 2.6-gallon tank -- but its accompanying app will change how mec..."],["twitter:image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1L2IwL3hsMWZpbmFsLmIxOWZhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTU2MHg3NTAKZQlqcGc/b33383b7/23c/xl1final.jpg"],["twitter:site","@mashable"],["twitter:url","http://mashable.com/2013/10/05/volkswagen-augmented-reality/"],["twitter:creator","@mashable"],["twitter:card","photo"],["twitter:image:width","560"],["twitter:image:height","750"],["date","2013-10-05 20:55:13 UTC"],["sailthru.author","Eva Recinos"],["sailthru.image.thumb","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1L2IwL3hsMWZpbmFsLmIxOWZhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTExNXgxMTUjCmUJanBn/66e3742d/23c/xl1final.jpg"],["sailthru.image.full","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1L2IwL3hsMWZpbmFsLmIxOWZhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTk1MHg1MzQjCmUJanBn/087816ca/23c/xl1final.jpg"],["sailthru.lead_image","http://rack.0.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1L2IwL3hsMWZpbmFsLmIxOWZhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTYwMHgzMzgjCmUJanBn/b91bd632/23c/xl1final.jpg"],["sailthru.secondary_image","http://rack.3.mshcdn.com/media/ZgkyMDEzLzEwLzA1L2IwL3hsMWZpbmFsLmIxOWZhLmpwZwpwCXRodW1iCTI4OHgxNjIjCmUJanBn/bfad5b1d/23c/xl1final.jpg"]],"short_url":[["short_url","http://on.mash.to/1a1LcCN"]]};

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