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It's time to go hyperlocal with these resources

Monday's news that MSNBC acquired EveryBlock, a "hyperlocal" news service just a few months after AOL acquired a competing service, Patch, had me thinking about all the start-ups that are vying for your attention by targeting your neighborhood. Of course, many of these sites don't work with every neighborhood, so your mileage will vary.

Regardless, I thought that with the EveryBlock acquisition, it was time to take a look at those services providing a hyperlocal experience.

Go hyper

EveryBlock EveryBlock, which was just acquired by MSNBC, features some outstanding hyperlocal features. The site provides local news, crime reports, and other information at the block level.

Currently, EveryBlock works with a handful of cities, including New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and Miami. It would have been nice to find information on more areas around the U.S., but it wasn't so bad. The site does a great job of finding local information, including lost and found lists, building permits, and other information that might be useful to someone living in a particular location. EveryBlock is a great site. I just wish it supported more cities. (Click here for our full review of EveryBlock.)

Outside.in Outside.in is one of the nicest resources in this roundup. It finds out what's happening in (at last count) 35,312 neighborhoods around the U.S. and delivers it to people in those areas.

When you first get to the site, Outside.in asks you to input a ZIP code. From there, it finds local news, discussions (it has a message board for each neighborhood), and establishments for you to check out. I was happy to see that both small suburbs and major metro areas were included in the list of neighborhoods on Outside.in. And since all of the information is constantly updated, it was a great way to find out what's going in my area.… Read more

MSNBC acquires local news start-up EveryBlock

MSNBC Interactive News, a joint venture between Microsoft and NBC Universal, announced Monday that it has acquired EveryBlock, a start-up that provides hyperlocal news down to the block level. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

EveryBlock received its funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. It also won that organization's Knight News Challenge, which awards start-ups that have the most innovative media ideas. When it won that award in 2007, the Knight Foundation required EveryBlock to make its code freely available to the public. Its code is available now on the company's site. … Read more

Free falling blocks game

Quinn is a free, "falling blocks"-style arcade game with simple, solid gameplay and thoughtful multiplayer extras. Quinn doesn't tinker with the time-honored format for this popular type of game: four-block "tetromino" shapes fall down a vertical game board, and you have to move and rotate them into a neat stack along the bottom. Every time you complete a horizontal row of blocks, that row disappears and lowers the entire stack, giving you more room to maneuver the infinite supply of incoming, ever-faster-moving pieces.

Quinn does the basics well--the game runs smoothly, and you can … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1013: 21st century episode for the 21st century listener

Just like the LG Watch, we are a 21st century product for the 21st century consumer. Which means we exist now for people who exist now. Sigh. Ryan Block of Gdgt joins us to talk about an algorithm to steal your Social Security number and how Gmail finally came outta beta! Yay! Bad times and good times all in one. Now if only we could get those implants for cell phones. In our neck people, in our neck!

Listen now: Download today's podcast Subscribe now: iTunes (audio) | iTunes (video) | RSS (audio) | RSS (video) EPISODE 1013

Gdgt http://www.gdgt.com/… Read more

McAfee's new family shield

Updated June 5 at 3:48 p.m. Pacific Time: Users can now download the trial of McAfee Family Protection.

Correction: The 30-day trial for McAfee Family Protection is not yet available for users. I will update this post when it does become available.

On the heels of Symantec's OnlineFamily.Norton, released earlier this year, security stalwart McAfee is jumping into the family protection game with a new home-oriented protection program. Called McAfee Family Protection, the program will offer many familiar tools to parents in the hopes of fostering conversation while protecting children from harm.

McAfee Family Protection will … Read more

Ken Block is at it again with 'Gymkhana Two'

We were impressed with Ken Block's first Segway-circling Gymkhana video. Well, he is back at it again in this new Subaru Impreza STI drift car for a new video: "Gymkhana Two, The Infomercial." Prepare to be amazed by more feats of drift-mastery and more oddball prop choices in the video below.

Warning: As the title hints, this video features pretty heavy product placement, including lots of DC Shoes apparel and balloons filled with Monster Energy drink.

Straightforward host blocker

Hostblock does exactly what its name suggests: it lets you manage a list of blocked host addresses. However, despite its straightforward name and user interface, novice users might find the concept hard to grasp thanks to a missing help feature.

Plain and somewhat boring in appearance, the user interface comes preset with thousands of blocked host addresses. Using the menu options at the top of the window display, you can add, delete, and search for addresses; although, you'll need to know the exact address to perform the search. It doesn't allow for partial or keyword searches. Adding and … Read more

Safeguard your computer

MicroLock offers users an opportunity to keep their computer safe from nosy roommates, curious siblings, and especially thieves. Only users with the password can access your desktop when MicroLock goes into action.

This program is a very small but effective addition to your security arsenal. Displayed as a simple icon in the lower-right-hand tray, it can be activated with a simple double click. Unauthorized users will find they can't access your desktop without a password. In addition, MicroLock has a number of features to enhance its functions. Customize the program by having it turn on automatically while the computer … Read more

Ken Block's Subaru Impreza on tank treads (video)

Just when you think you've seen it all, someone shows up with a Subaru Impreza WRX with tank treads. The Impreza in question has all the markings and livery of Ken Block's Monster STI, so we think it's safe to assume that Ken is working on something special.

We've already seen what Ken can do on four wheels, so our imaginations are running wild with the idea of seeing him cut loose in such an unorthodox vehicle!

Kerning is important

Kern is a very simple, typography-inspired arcade game in which you try to precisely position missing letters into falling words without creating an "unnecessary ligature," i.e., a spot where the letters overlap. The visual design and sound effects of this game are impressively slick and elegant throughout--as befits a graphic design-themed game--but aside from the variety of typography-related words and point sizes, the gameplay is fairly repetitive and one-dimensional, especially for a paid app. Overall, Kern will be best-loved by design nerds (although it should be noted that even the gameplay only has a superficial relationship to … Read more