C
    Catharine Smith

    Catharine Smith

    Senior Impact Editor, HuffPost

  • As Trump Demonizes Immigrants, These U.S. Farmers Aren't Having It

    Immigrant workers perform grueling jobs that many Americans won't do. And farmers know it. A Wisconsin program builds a deeper understanding between them.

  • Where Shoes Are A Luxury, A Nightmarish Disease May Be Lurking

    In rural Ethiopia, something in the soil can trigger a deforming disease.

  • The 9 Most Popular Viral Videos Of The Week

    If you're looking to see the most popular YouTube videos of the week, look no further. Once again, we're bringing you the week's most-watched videos, hot off the charts via YouTube Trends, a feature launched by YouTube that aggregates the site's video stats and draws upon "the wisdom of top curators across the web" to offer visitors a look at real-time trends among the YouTube community. Watch the nine most popular YouTube videos of the week and vote for your favorites.

  • Instagram Responds To Backlash Over Policy Changes

    Photo-sharing app Instagram on Tuesday announced that it plans to address a fierce backlash among users over forthcoming changes to its Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. The company, which was acquired by Facebook earlier this year, announced on Monday a revamp of its usage policies as it looks to monetize its trove of user data. On top of this, Instagram did not offer an "opt out" for users who are uncomfortable with the new terms.

  • The Biggest Viral Hits On YouTube In 2012

    It's time once again for YouTube's annual rewind, featuring the most popular clips on the video-sharing site from the past year. Watching an average of 4 billion hours of videos per month, YouTube users fueled the explosive popularity of a number of trends, from "Call Me Maybe" lip synching to the K-pop sensation that is the pony dance. In fact, the biggest trending video on YouTube this past year (and this really shouldn't come as a huge surprise to anyone) was the "Gangnam Style" music video by South Korean superstar Psy.

  • Facebook's 9 Most Important Moments Of 2012

    Facebook "took the pulse of the global community" by observing conversations among its 1 billion users over the course of the year to see what "created the most buzz," according to a post on the Facebook Newsroom blog. Browse our gallery below to see the nine biggest moments -- from political to cultural to sporting events, as well as national tragedies -- according to Facebook activity in the U.S. You can also visit Facebook's master list for a comprehensive look at Facebook trends among U.S. users and users around the world in 2012. Then take a look back at Facebook's 2011 retrospective, with galleries of the most-shared news stories from that year, and 2011's most popular Facebook memes.

  • The Top 9 Topics On Google In 2012

    Google has lifted the curtain on a few of them, in a look back at the top search trends of the year. The search engine's Google Zeitgeist 2012 site is now open, inviting curious minds to explore the 142 trillion events, photos, trends, songs, gadgets and celebrities that captured our attention over the past 12 months. Google also released its annual video retrospective of the year's most memorable search topics (see above).

  • The Most Popular Tweets Of The Year

    Twitter has released its year-end retrospective of the most retweeted posts, top trends and most fascinating stories of 2012. In 2012, everyone on Twitter brought us closer to moments and places that used to be far away or inaccessible: A Tweet from the bottom of the ocean. The company has launched a special site to celebrate the year in tweets, where vsitors can explore some of Twitter's newest celebrities and biggest topics of conversations.

  • WATCH: Tim Cook's First TV Interview As Apple CEO

    What does Apple CEO Tim Cook, boss of the world's most valuable company and successor to the venerable Steve Jobs, have in common with NBC News anchor Brian Williams? In his first TV interview as CEO, Cook sat down with Williams for a segment on "Rock Center" that aired at 10 p.m. ET on Thursday. The two raced through a slew of topics, touching on the passing of Steve Jobs, Cook's vision for keeping the company "cutting edge", plans to bring some manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. from China in 2013, a fleeting hint at an Apple-made TV set -- and more.

  • The Most Popular Gadget Searches In 2012

    The folks in charge of Yahoo's search engine have released data on the hottest trends of the year. "In the dozen years Yahoo! has ranked its annual Top 10 searches, only two other news events captured the top spot: the BP oil spill in 2010, and Michael Jackson's death in 2009. This year the half-billion people who visit Yahoo! every month typed the word 'elections' more than any other," wrote Yahoo in a blog post on Sunday.

  • When Will The Next Xbox Hit Stores?

    It has been seven years since Microsoft released a new Xbox, but gamers may not have much longer to wait for the next generation. Unofficially known as the "Xbox 720," the long-rumored gaming console is expected to hit stores in time for the 2013 holiday shopping season, according to a tip Bloomberg News received from insiders this week. "The new device is planned for Thanksgiving and Christmas sales, said the people, who declined to be identified because the product road map is confidential," Bloomberg's Dina Bass and Ian King.

  • Syria's Internet Goes Dark

    In the midst of escalating fighting between Syrian rebels and the government of President Bashar al-Assad, Syria has been plunged into an Internet blackout that some experts blame on a government effort to restrict the flow of communications, but that government officials have vigorously denied. The country dropped offline at 10:26 a.m. UTC (12:26 p.m. local Damascus time), according to research firm Renesys. "In the global routing table, all 84 of Syria's IP address blocks have become unreachable, effectively removing the country from the Internet," reads a post on the company's blog, published on Thursday morning EST.

  • Google Spreads Turkey Day Cheer -- And Tips

    Google on November 22 wished all its U.S. users a Happy Thanksgiving 2012 by transforming its search engine's home page logo into a holiday parade homage, complete with giant balloon letters that spell out "Google" and floats that resemble a turkey, a pie and a cornucopia. The backdrop for the festive scene appears to be inspired by New York City, which every year hosts the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with its elephantine balloons and its ornate floats. Take a look at the Thanksgiving doodle (below), and scroll further down to see a gallery of some of our favorite Google Doodles.

  • How Twitter Is Taking On Instagram

    Late last week Twitter rolled out a new image search function that previews photos at the top of queries. This improvement has been in the works for some time, and is a step towards a head-to-head battle between Twitter and social image giant Instagram. Twitter says the move was made to "highlight the photos, videos and news shared on Twitter, all wrapped up in more social context," according to Tian Wang on the Twitter blog.

  • Dad Flips Genders In Zelda Game, Turns Daughter Into Hero

    When Mike Hoye set out to make the game Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker more gender-friendly for his 3-year-old daughter (she pronounces it gender "fwee"), he was doing it primarily out of parental love.

  • Judge Not Pleased With Apple's Halfhearted Apology To Samsung

    Apple must re-write a statement posted on its website acknowledging that Samsung did not infringe on its registered designs for tablet computers, and place it more prominently on its homepage, a court in the UK ruled on Thursday. The statement was deemed to be "non-compliant" with the order in a previous High Court judgment that concluded Samsung's Galaxy tablet did not infringe Apple's designs, in part because its products were "not as cool". The world's two leading smartphone makers are fighting over patents, both for smartphones and for tablets like Apple's iPad, in courts around the world.

  • Cell Phones, Internet After Sandy: What You Need To Know

    Residents along the U.S. Eastern Seaboard are struggling with voice and data services in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which has killed dozens and ravaged communication, transportation and utility infrastructure in the Northeast. Millions on the Eastern Seaboard were left without power, cable or landline service in their homes, as well as spotty or non-existent mobile reception. How could this happen when telecommunications companies had prepared for Sandy's fury ahead of the storm's landfall? Verizon and AT&T told the Associated Press earlier this week that preparations for the superstorm included "topping up fuel for backup generators and lining up disaster recovery trailers to move into flooded areas after the storm passes," in addition to readying backup generators for cell towers.

  • AT&T, T-Mobile Make Big Announcement In Wake Of Hurricane Sandy

    AT&T and T-Mobile announced on Wednesday a plan to share their networks in New York and New Jersey. The move should help customers on both networks that are suffering spotty cell service in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Provided that users have compatible devices, they will be able to use whichever network is more functional in their area.

  • Major Shakeup At Apple

    Apple announced on Monday that Scott Forstall, the senior vice President of iOS software, will be leaving the company in 2013. In the meantime, Forstall will apparently step down from his SVP role and will be an "advisor" to CEO Tim Cook. Execs Jony Ive, Bob Mansfield, Eddy Cue and Craig Federighi will all be taking on more responsibility as a result of the shakeup.

  • Was Anyone Impressed With Microsoft's Big Windows 8 Event?

    On Thursday, Microsoft showcased the newest offerings, including its upcoming tablet, Surface, to the usual crowd of tech bloggers in New York City. The company has been betting big on this super-speedy updated operating system to finally be a contender against Apple's steady expansion and a slew of new tablets that are on the market--but on release day, bloggers seemed unimpressed.