Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Facebook Stock Drops as Investors Fear Slowing Sales”

Tuesday 17 July 2012 by IrwanKch

Mashable: Latest 29 News Updates - including “Facebook Stock Drops as Investors Fear Slowing Sales”


Facebook Stock Drops as Investors Fear Slowing Sales

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 04:58 AM PDT





Facebook's stock price fell 8.1% -- its biggest drop since May 29 -- as investors feared the company will report slowing sales next week.

At the close of business on Monday, Facebook was trading at $28.25, a 26% decline since the company's May IPO, though the stock was up slightly in after-hours trading. The company is expected to report second-quarter sales of $1.16 billion, according to analysts' estimates compiled by Bloomberg. That compares to revenues of $1.06 billion in the first quarter.

Analysts also expect Facebook to report earnings of 11 cents per share, a figure that has declined 11% over the past four weeks, according to Bloomberg. Facebook is expected to announce its se…
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More About: Advertising, Facebook, Yahoo


17 Alt Rock Bands You Jammed To in the 1990s

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 03:53 AM PDT


Silverchair


Biggest Hit: "Tomorrow," 1995

Click here to view this gallery.




The 1990s were a time when nothing said "I love you" like a mix tape. Teens expressed their angst-tinged love with songs from bands fond of scraggly hair-dos and flannel.

Memories of the '90s alternative rock scene resurfaced this week with new singles from No Doubt and Green Day, and the reformation of Ben Folds Five. To celebrate this trifecta of '90s-related music news, we hopped in the time machine to revisit a few of the bands that dominated the mainstream alternative rock radio station rotation.

SEE ALSO: Radical! 12 Tumblrs for '90s Nostalgia

They might not top critics' lists and were rarely heard from in the new millennium, but these bands pumped out a catchy hit o…
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More About: 90s, Music, YouTube, watercooler


AppStori Connects Developers and Consumers

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 02:39 AM PDT




The Spark of Genius Series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Each post highlights a unique feature of a startup. If you'd like your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: AppStori

Quick Pitch: Developers use your input to create better mobile applications.

Genius Idea: Connecting developers to consumers to create collaborative mobile applications.

We've all had ideas for what we think would be a great mobile application, but few of us have the savvy to build one. These floating ideas don't go anywhere, until now. AppStori allows consumers to have their say in developing mobile applications. It's crowdfunding, but more interactive.…
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More About: apps, crowdfunding, mobile applications, mobile apps


Apple to Use In-Cell Tech to Keep the iPhone Screen Thin

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 01:31 AM PDT




Apple will use so-called in-cell technology to keep the screen of the next iPhone thin, the Wall Street Journal reports.

According to WSJ's sources, three companies are currently hard at work producing the next iPhone's screen: Sharp, LG and Japan Display.

Most rumors point to the next-gen iPhone having a larger screen than its predecessor -- 4 inches, most probably -- but in-cell technology, which incorporates the touch screen sensors into the LCD screen itself, will reduce its thickness.

Regardless of the overwhelming amount of rumors surrounding the next iPhone, there's no official confirmation that it will actually have a larger screen, and no firm facts about its design have…
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More About: apple, iphone, screen


How I Survived a Water Gun Flash Mob

Posted: 17 Jul 2012 12:11 AM PDT




What happens when thousands of people in shower caps migrate with water guns to a small island of unsuspecting visitors?

The MP3 experiment (#mp39) is a public participatory event created by Improv Everywhere. Consider it part scavenger hunt, part flash mob. Everyone downloads an original MP3, then meets at a specific location and acts casual until it's time to push play -- followed by 45 minutes of syncronized, hilarious antics that leave unsuspecting visitors simultaneously confused and entertained.

The experiment has taken place in New York City every July 15 for nine years, each with a different time, location and set of instructions.

Past tasks include lightsaber battles,…
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More About: features, humor, instagram, lifestyle, watercooler


Marissa Mayer, New Yahoo CEO, Is Pregnant

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 08:54 PM PDT




Marissa Mayer, the new CEO of Yahoo as of Monday, is pregnant.

After announcing she would be leaving Google after 13 years, the 37-year-old's whirlwind day contiued as she told Fortune she was expecting a baby boy Oct. 7.

"He's super-active," Mayer said. "He moves around a lot. My doctor says that he takes after his parents."

While this may seem like an overwhelming day for Mayer, she's known about her pregnancy since January. When the Yahoo recruiter first contacted Mayer June 18, she was well-aware that she would soon be a new mother. She told Yahoo's board about her pregnancy in late June.

According to All Things D, Mayer's pregnancy was not an issue to the company's boar…
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More About: Yahoo, marissa mayer, trending


Augmented Reality Makes You a French Soccer Champion

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 07:32 PM PDT




This spring, the New York Giants celebrated winning the 2012 NFL title by letting fans "wear" Super Bowl rings via an augmented reality app that was the first of its kind for the sports world.

Now, fans of international soccer can get in on the AR action with a virtual version of France's Trophee des Champions. (There's the hardware, at right, on my desk at Mashable's San Francisco office.)

Released in advance of a July 28 championship match between French clubs Montpellier and Olympique Lyonnais at New York City's Red Bull Arena, it's the first time augmented reality has been used to engage fans and promote an international sporting event. But when the Giants introduced the conc…
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More About: AR, Augmented Reality, sports


Obamas Smooch on Basketball Kiss Cam, After Missing First Shot [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 07:05 PM PDT




UPDATE: After missing their first shot, the President and first lady kissed in front of the crowds at the pre-Olympic exhibition basketball game between the U.S. and Brazil.

President Obama was booed for not bowing to the notorious "Kiss Cam" -- a popular gimmick at sporting events in which cameramen put the Jumbotron spotlight on couples in the stands in hopes of inciting a smooch for the masses.

At the pre-Olympics tune up in Washington D.C. Monday night, mischievous videographers found the POTUS and First Lady seated together in the stands.

The President appeared to make a half-hearted bid for a kiss, but when sparks don't fly the crowd booed (in jest, we assume). The mom…
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More About: obama, sports, viral videos


FBI Anti-Piracy Seal Becomes More Readily Available [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:58 PM PDT




The FBI Anti-Piracy Warning Seal plastered on DVDs and CDs will soon make an appearance on more products. The FBI is releasing the warning seal to all copyright holders for no fee. Plus, the use of the seal will no longer be restricted to those registered for copyright protection.

The change in policy -- which goes into effect mid-August -- will extend copyright protection to several smaller associations. Previously, only top industries such as the Motion Picture Association of America were reaping the benefits of the seal.

SEE ALSO: RIAA Flunks Google in Anti-Piracy Efforts [VIDEO]

The seal does not enforce copyright code. It stands as a re…
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More About: FBI, piracy


20 TV Shows With the Most Social Media Buzz This Week

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:40 PM PDT




It was a good week at Fox -- the network dominated the broadcast side of this week's social TV chart, generating fan buzz over the MLB All-Star Game, plus social television mainstays Family Guy and The Simpsons. The Midsummer Classic between the National and American teams may have generated hot contests on the social feeds, but on the field, there was no contest whatsoever -- the National League beat the American League 8-0.

SEE ALSO: MLB All-Star Game's Social Media Success [INFOGRAPHIC]

On the cable side, Love & Hip Hop Atlanta topped the chart, taking the number-one spot for the first time. The VH1 original hit record viewership during Monday's controversial episode, when rapper…
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More About: Entertainment, Social Media, TV, Trendrr, infographics, social tv, social tv charts


55% of Smartphone Owners Run Price Comparisons in Stores [INFOGRAPHIC]

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 06:06 PM PDT




An increasingly large subset of U.S. shoppers are using their mobile phones in stores. Some retailers, like Target, are encouraging that behavior, giving shoppers gift cards and other rewards for checking in and scanning merchandise. Others, like Best Buy, are doing their best prevent it, even going so far as to strip the standard barcodes on products to discourage shoppers from running price comparisons with other retailers.

Emphatica recently issued a survey among 6,500 U.S. Internet users -- a little more than half (52%) of whom identified as smartphone owners -- to take a closer look at how they're using mobile in stores. Impressively, 55% of smartphone owners said they've used a mobi…
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More About: Mobile, retail, shopping


Gotye and Carly Rae Jepsen Collide for Epic Pomplamoose Mashup [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 05:43 PM PDT




If you heard an explosion over Pop Culture Land this afternoon, it was nothing that required a duck and cover under the desk -- just a collision of two monster hit songs. Blame Pomplamoose for any chaos it may have caused.

The poppy duo spliced, mixed, and blended Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" with Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" for an infectious mashup that will make you forget you have already heard both songs a million times.

SEE ALSO: Pomplamoose Covers the Angry Birds Theme Song [VIDEO]

The video for the tune marks a departure for Pomplamoose with its edgier theme and lack of close-up shots on singer Nataly Dawn at a studio microphone.

More About: Video, YouTube, gotye, watercooler


Get Psyched: 10 More Movie Teasers From Comic-Con

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 05:31 PM PDT


1. Total Recall


Director Len Wiseman was accompanied by Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel and Bryan Cranston for a presentation on Sony's Total Recall. This reboot of Philip K. Dick's famous short story, "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale" comes to theaters August 3. Farrell stars as a factory worker who falls prey to Rekall's mind-trips, only to become a hunted man. And while Farrell and Cranston are sure to deliver action-packed performances, audiences seem more excited to see Beckinsale and Biel whoop some tail.

Click here to view this gallery.




Comic-Con 2012 may have passed, but it certainly prepared us for plenty of upcoming excitement. On Saturday and Sunday, 10 major blockbusters showcased in Hall H (Comic-Con's most coveted venue), proving the film industry has quite the action-packed season in store.

Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim stole the show with its three-screen presentation of unseen monsters vs. robots footage. In the same event, Warner Bros. also showcased Man of Steel and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, both origin stories that will draw huge audiences and fans of the respective franchises.

SEE ALSO: Half-Time at Comic-Con: Thursday and Friday's Featured Films

Of course, Robert Downey Jr. was a fan favo…
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More About: Entertainment, Film, TV, Video, comic-con, comiccon, features, movie


Madonna ‘Turns Up the Radio’ In New Music Video

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 05:29 PM PDT




The seemingly ageless Madonna released the music video for her new single "Turn Up The Radio" on Monday. The track is from her latest album, MDNA, which was released back in March.

The Queen of Pop premiered the video on her Vevo channel. One of the advantages of online distribution is that Madge can release the "explicit" version of the track.

Shot in Florence, Italy, the video is vintage Madonna -- dancing in a souped-up convertible while flanked by beautiful men.

Let us know what you think of the video in the comments.

Thumbnail via Madonna.com.

More About: MDNA, madonna, music videos, vevo


Infomercial Will Answer All Your Juggalo Questions

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:59 PM PDT




Mark your calendar, the annual Gathering of the Juggalos is coming up! Spend five days "escaping the masses" with your fellow Juggalos and all your favorite acts.

In a 23-minute "we-can't-believe-it's-real" infomercial, you can learn all about the 2012 event. Zombies are strictly prohibited and will be dealt with as they see fit. Everyone from Insane Clown Posse to P-Funk to comedic genius Ralphie May will be there for your entertainment.

Is your mind sufficiently blown? Check out the juxtaposition of love for expressing who you are, while also collectively hating everyone without a super dope name. Take your stress out in the mosh pit, or if you'd rather, wait to heckle your fa…
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More About: ICP, YouTube, juggalos


Qwikstory Puts a Creative Social Spin on Storytelling

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:40 PM PDT




Qwikstory wants its users to tell a story -- but not necessarily their own story.

The newly developed site works like a giant game of telephone. The first user begins their story thread -- each post is limited to 1,000 characters -- and after that any other user can continue the tale.

Though the original thread creator has access to deny additions to the story, they can't continue their own story unless someone else has added a section. It's classic storytelling, just with a social network twist.

Qwikstory is meant to foster a sense of teamwork and personal thought, creator B.E. McFadden tells Mashable.

McFadden says he grew restless with the atmosphere of traditional social…
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More About: social network


Marc Andreessen: Marissa Mayer Faces Steve Jobs-like Challenge

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:14 PM PDT




Marc Andreessen, co-founder of the groundbreaking Netscape browser and now one of Silicon Valley's best-known VCs, had some very qualified praise for new Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer on Monday.

"I'm super happy for Marissa," Andreessen said on stage at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, noting that it clearly marked a pivot in Yahoo's strategy from a focus on media or ad sales to a focus on tech products.

But the top VC pivoted quickly to a much more wary outlook. "It's a big job she's stepping into," Andreessen said. "A big commitment. A big challenge."

SEE ALSO: Marissa Mayer is Yahoo's New CEO

Indeed, he added, the challenge was comparable to the one Steve Jobs…
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More About: marc andreessen, marissa mayer, steve jobs


Behold: The First Ever Instagram Shot

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 04:10 PM PDT




Before the $1 billion sale to Facebook, before the 575 likes per second, before the 30 million registered users...there was this Instagram photo of a foot and a dog.

The shot was featured in a blog post on Monday by Instagram HQ, celebrating two years to the day of the first photo uploaded to the photo-sharing network's precursor, Codename. Fast forward a couple years, and feet and dogs have become Instagram mainstays along with cats, brunch and bridges.

But Monday wasn't the photo's first appearance on the web. A Nov. 2011 post to Quora asks about the granddaddy of all Instagram shots. A response by community evangelist Jessica Zollman links to the shot, and says it was snapped…
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More About: instagram


NBC Hopes for Twitter Gold Medal at Olympics [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 03:39 PM PDT




The approaching 2012 Olympic games are sure to shatter world records, but NBC hopes to set records of their own with this year's social media campaigns. And the network is already off to a good start -- Twitter reports there were more tweets about the Olympics during only one day of trials than the entire 2008 summer games.

While some fear NBC's online streaming of the games will be a personal blow to their viewership during primetime broadcasts, NBC tells the Wall Street Journal the streaming gives the network increased opportunity for online chatter.

SEE ALSO: The 2012 Olympics Social Media Guide

Twitter and Facebook will be integrated int…
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More About: Facebook, NBCUniversal, Twitter, nbc olympics, summer olympics, video streaming


Online Marketplace ‘The Cools’ Is Etsy Meets Tumblr

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 03:26 PM PDT




Using The Cools for the first time is a lot like peeking into the closet of your favorite fashion icon. You'll want one of everything.

More About: Business, Etsy, bizspark, fashion, tumblr


10 Standout TV Moments From Comic-Con

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 03:00 PM PDT




Comic-Con 2012 in San Diego offered TV fans a potpourri of extended preview trailers and big announcements from show producers, writers and actors. The 4-day convention attracted 125,000 attendees, who got the scoop on the latest news about comics, films and television shows.

Here are 10 highlights that have us looking forward to turning on the small screen this summer and next fall:

Dexter

Spoiler alert: The following clip contains a spoiler for viewers who haven't watched season 6's final episode.

Showtime unleashed the first two minutes of Dexter's season 7. The clip for the serial-killer drama shows Debra Morgan catching Dexter Morgan standing beside a corpse with a…
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More About: Entertainment, Showtime, TV, bbc, celebrities, comic-con, hbo, nbc, social tv


Marissa Mayer and Yahoo: Silicon Valley’s New Odd Couple?

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 02:47 PM PDT




While Marissa Mayer's decision to leave Google for Yahoo on Monday appeared to take the former by surprise, perhaps it shouldn't have. Back in 2009, Google execs saw Mayer as a flight risk. As a New York Times article detailed at the time, Mayer's then-boss, Jonathan Rosenberg, tracked her down on vacation in Africa to ask if she was leaving.

She wasn't, and went out of her way to tell Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin that she had no plans to leave. The fact that the two were worried is a good indication of Mayer's standing there.

Mayer had not only been at the company a very long time by Silicon Valley standards -- she joined in 1999 as employee number 20 -- but she…
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More About: Yahoo, marissa mayer, trending


There’s a New Twitter for BlackBerry, But Does it Matter?

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 02:36 PM PDT




Parent company Research In Motion (RIM) may be hemorrhaging cash and fighting rumors of impending doom, but BlackBerry's remaining users can still enjoy a new version of Twitter on their smartphones.

Twitter for BlackBerry version 3.1 adds more detail and context to tweets, according to a corporate blog post that announced the update on Monday. Users can now see full-resolution photos from pic.twitter.com and RIM maps for geotagged tweets, writes product manager Brian Frank. The "details view" familiar to most mobile users also makes it easier to view tweets' replies and the conversations they fit into. And Twitter for Blackberry now supports right-to-left languages including Hebrew and…
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More About: Twitter, blackberry


Music Monday: Superhero Soundtrack

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 02:32 PM PDT




It's been an exciting few weeks for both movie buffs and comic book lovers alike. "The Avengers" and "The Amazing Spider-man" already wowed audiences and dominated at the box office. Now as Comic-Con 2012 comes to a close we've set our sights on the next big comic book hero to hit the big screen this summer: Batman.

In our New York office we have superheroes on the brain as we anxiously await the July 20 release of "The Dark Knight Rises." To prep for the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman series, we put together our very own Superhero Playlist (as if the giant billboard outside of our office hasn't psyched us up enough).

This playlist is full of songs that…
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More About: Music, comic-con, music monday, spotify


When ’90s Bands Attack: Ben Folds Five, No Doubt and Green Day Return

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 02:17 PM PDT




Children of the 90s, it's time to reach for those plaid shirt and ripped jeans. In a perfect blend of kismet, '90s radio icons Ben Folds Five, No Doubt, and Green Day today announced new albums hitting stores this fall.

It's enough to warm our hearts and get us pining for the days of pop-up videos and parachute pants.

Ben Ben Folds Five, the band behind the watershed album Whatever and Ever Amen, has announced they are reuniting 13 years after recording their last album together The Unauthorized Biography Of Reinhold Messner.

Original band mates Ben Folds (piano), Robert Sledge (bass) and Darren Jessee (drums) will release The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind on September 18th.

The…
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More About: Music, ben folds five, green day, music videos, no doubt, the 90s


Skype Confirms Bug Sends Messages to Wrong Recipients

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT




Skype confirmed on Monday that a system bug is sending private instant messages to the wrong recipients, according to a tweet sent from the company's account.

Following a series of reports from Skype users that their accounts were misdirecting messages to others on their contact list, the video-chat company said it is looking into the issue.

"We're aware of a bug that in very rare cases sends IMs to unintended recipients," Skype tweeted. "Most users are unaffected. We are working on a fix."

We're aware of a bug that in very rare cases sends IMs to unintended recipients. Most users are unaffected. We are working on a fix.— Skype (@Skype) July 16, 2012

SEE ALSO: 7 A
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Man Finds Missing Car 42 Years Later on eBay

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:45 PM PDT




You can find almost anything on eBay -- Bob Russell knows this well. The 66-year-old found his beloved Austin Healey, 42 years after it went missing, on the online auctioning platform.

Russell, of Southlake, Tex., never stopped looking for his cream Austin Healey 3000 after it disappeared from his Philadelphia neighborhood in 1967, according to the original Associated Press report.

At the time, Russell was a student at Temple University. Years later, as a retired sales manager living near Dallas, he still eyed every Healey vehicle that passed by.

On May 11, years of scouring online car ads finally paid off. Healey immediately recognized the vehicle's identification number on the e…
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More About: Social Media, ebay, trending


Latest Leaked Images Suggest a 4-Inch iPhone 5

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:33 PM PDT




Another day, another set of iPhone 5 rumors. Images released over the weekend of the purported iPhone 5 are the latest in a long list of speculations on the upcoming Apple device. Every year since the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, we've been subject to a constant flow of rumors between releases. This year's been no different, with consistent buzz that the famously tight-lipped tech giant will be altering the design of its signature product to include a larger display and other tweaks.

Blog Apple.Pro released images of what it claims are the front face plate of the new device on Sunday. The images show minor alterations to the current iPhone 4
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More About: apple, iphone


Marissa Mayer Is Yahoo’s New CEO

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:09 PM PDT




Marissa Mayer, a 13-year veteran of Google, is Yahoo's new CEO, the company announced on Monday.

Mayer's appointment comes after a revolving door of chief executives at the company including, most recently, Scott Thompson, who stepped down in May after a scandal involving his doctored resume.

SEE ALSO: Yahoo Then and Now: Diagnosing a Sad Decline

Mayer, 37, was employee number 20 at Google and was a crucial asset to the search giant, introducing more than 100 features and products to the site during her tenure. In October 2010, Mayer, who held the title VP of Search Product, began overseeing location and local services at the company.

An engineer by trade, Mayer was among th…
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More About: Google, Yahoo, marissa mayer


Mini-Golfers Surprised With ESPN Camera Crew [VIDEO]

Posted: 16 Jul 2012 01:01 PM PDT




Of all sports to watch, golf probably gets the most flak for being dull -- which is odd, considering they have crazy bird-calls.

Comedy group Improv Everywhere amped up the mini-golf game by adding an official ESPN camera crew and the Open Championship's actual Claret Jug.

Throughout the day, cheering bystanders surprised the golfers with encouragement.

This is not the first unconventional sporting event to get the impromptu comedy treatment. Last year, Improv Everywhere turned a carousel ride into a horse race, complete with jockey and bets.


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