Apparently This Matters: Twitter beauty party

Editor's note: Each week in "Apparently This Matters," CNN's Jarrett Bellini applies his warped sensibilities to trending topics in social media. (CNN) -- There was a pretty epic party on Wednesday night. You probably weren't there. But don't take it personally. We can't all be awesome. Naturally, of course, I was present, showing up casually late because it's what awesome people do at epic parties. That, and defile the mashed potatoes. Granted, this particular epic party was held on Twitter. And it was hosted by CVS. And, technically, everybody was invited. Thus, I'm suddenly now beginning to question my awesomeness. Me: "Am I awesome?" Me: "Not really." Me: "I appreciate your honesty." Me: "Whatever, nerd." OK, so maybe it's not Ibiza, but there was a popular online party hosted...

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FTC finalizes privacy settlement with Facebook

NEW YORK (AP) â€" The Federal Trade Commission voted Friday to finalize its settlement with Facebook, resolving charges that the social network exposed details about users' lives without getting the required legal consent.Facebook Inc. didn't admit wrongdoing, but agreed to submit to government audits of its privacy practices every other year for the next two decades. The company also committed to getting explicit approval from users before changing the types of content it makes public.The settlement, announced in November, is similar to agreements the FTC reached separately with Google Inc. and Myspace.The FTC approved the settlement Friday...

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Be careful when diagnosing your ailments online

Editor's note: Brenna Ehrlich and Andrea Bartz are the sarcastic brains behind humor blog and book "Stuff Hipsters Hate." Got a question about etiquette in the digital world? Contact them at netiquette@cnn.com. (CNN) -- When I was a child, a pale specter used to call our house most evenings, eager to chat with my doctor father about her myriad medical concerns. We called her the "White Bread Lady," a moniker she earned for one particularly inane call in which she panicked to my father after consuming white bread. She wasn't breaking out in hives or having any adverse effects to the bread. No, she was just concerned that some future illness could befall her given that one particular dietary decision. Although we all laughed at the time, it was with a bit of shifty-eyed shame. Because...

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"StarCraft" and "Warcraft" maker's take on gaming addiction

(CNN) -- Blizzard Entertainment, maker of "World of Warcraft" and "StarCraft II," has been blamed by some for creating games that are so addictive people can't turn away. On a recent trip to South Korea, CNN met with people who have been in treatment centers for gaming addiction who said they played some of the company's most popular games at the exclusion of other activities -- foregoing sleeping and eating to keep playing. In extreme cases, people in South Korea have died after playing online games for days on end without stopping for rest, according to news reports. Psychologists disagree about the merits of gaming and Internet addiction; the United States has called for more study of the topic and does not currently list Internet addiction as an official disorder on the Diagnostic...

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High-tech kit speeds athletes into new era

(CNN) -- From hydrodynamic swimwear in the pool to lightweight carbon-fiber bicycles slicing through the air at the velodrome, the Olympic Games is once again shining a spotlight not only on the athletes, but also their kit. The technology propelling athletes to glory in the future will be even more refined, taking bespoke equipment to another level says Mike Caine, professor of sports technology and innovation at the UK's Loughborough University. "The sports industry talks a lot about customization at the moment. Typically, they mean you can pick your color and put your name on the shoe," Caine said. "What I'm talking about is the bend and stiffness of a sole plate which can be optimized to give the most power for an individual athlete," he said. Measuring the power, geometry and biomechanics...

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