NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Facebook said Wednesday it has deleted all applications created by Pencake, wiping out widgets used by an estimated 45 million Facebook members.

Pencake, based in Hong Kong, developed the massively popular “Create Your Quiz” app. Unofficial data tracker AppData lists Pencake as Facebook’s No. 3 most popular outside developer, trailing only Zynga and Electronic Arts.  VIEW STORY

Introducing Air Display

Developed by Avatron Software, home of the popular Air Sharing apps, Air Display lets you position your iPad next to your computer, drag windows onto it, and interact with those windows as you would on any other computer display.

Air Display’s performance is extremely responsive, employing a clever dynamic compression algorithm. On a typical Wi-Fi network, mouse cursor refreshes are indistinguishable from a wired mouse.

Ever wish you had an extra display for your computer? There’s an app for that! With Air Display, you can use your iPad as a wireless display for your Mac OS X computer

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NEWSWEEK

rainstorming in a group became popular in 1953 with the publication of a business book,Applied Imagination. But it’s been proven not to work since 1958, when Yale researchers found that the technique actually reduced a team’s creative output: the same number of people generate more and better ideas separately than together. In fact, according to University of Oklahoma professor Michael Mumford, half of the commonly used techniques intended to spur creativity don’t work, or even have a negative impact. As for most commercially available creativity training, Mumford doesn’t mince words: it’s “garbage.” Whether for adults or kids, the worst of these programs focus solely on imagination exercises, expression of feelings, or imagery. They pander to an easy, unchallenging notion that all you have to do is let your natural creativity out of its shell. However, there are some techniques that do boost the creative process:

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The Google Pacman game is a fully-playable version complete with 255 levels and authentic sound effects. It’s easy to play using the arrow keys. Just click on “Insert Coins” to get started. You can even click on “Insert Coins” twice to play with 2 players. Player 2 can use the W, S, A and D keys for Up, Down, Left and Right respectively. I wonder if anyone has actually finished all 255 levels yet?

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LIFE HACKER

Getting out of the office on time is tough when there’s always another task, project or drive-by boss request to knock out before you leave. Results from yesterday’s reader poll show that over 25% of you get caught up in late day work that keeps you at the office longer than you expected, and almost 13% have given up leaving on time entirely! It’s easy to lose a day checking email, going to meetings and putting out fires only to find you haven’t gotten started on your Most Important Task at 5 or 6 or 7PM.

There is a better way.

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New York Times
By SYLVIA MARINO

Published: April 16, 2010

I’M executive director of community operations at Edmunds.com, which provides information to car buyers, sellers and drivers. I lead the team that develops systems and policies for anyone submitting comments, reviews and questions to the site. My team also works with engineering to decide how parts of the site should appear to users — the forums, the car and dealership reviews, blogs and the question-and-answer area.

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Setauket, New York

A man donning a Darth Vader mask at a New York bank has gone to the dark side.

Police say the man entered a Chase bank branch on Long Island on Thursday, displayed a gun and demanded money. A surveillance camera caught the “Star Wars” character wearing a blue cape and camouflage pants.

The bandit escaped from the Setauket bank with an undetermined amount of cash.

The robbery comes about a week after another bank robber, dubbed the “bouquet bandit,” held up a Manhattan bank.

Authorities say Edward Pemberton used a flower bouquet to conceal a note demanding cash during a $440 bank heist July 15. They say he used a potted plant as a similar prop in a holdup at another bank earlier this month.

LIFEHACKER.COM

I visited a friend at her office recently, and watched her launch Internet Explorer on her computer.

“Um, there’s this new-fangled thing called tabbed browsing,” I told her, teasing. “You should try it some day. It’s totally bleeding edge.”

She looked at me, annoyed.
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These exceptional animals have won our hearts with their unique talents.

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SUMMERY FROM TIME:
Godin is the author of nearly a dozen business books and a popular speaker at conferences. Reading his blog, it’s easy to see why people pay to hear what he has to say. Godin is a marketer, but in the broadest sense of the word.

He’s interested in not simply how products are marketed, but also how people sell themselves and their ideas, and how new technology can be a game-changer. His blog is full of insights about the social changes wrought by technology and the nature of creativity, and it offers loads of practical advice. There are tips on how to plan for a deadline so it doesn’t destroy you, how to market yourself for your next jo, and the importance of asking at least three stupid questions a week. Godin’s musings provide daily fodder for countless other bloggers (“Seth Godin has an interesting post today…”), so you might as well go to the source.

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