Geeky Easter Eggs1. LEGO
LEGO my egg-o.


2. Chewbacca

The one time "chewy" eggs aren't a bad thing.


3. Pantone

Bringing a whole new meaning to "eggshell" paint.
Image courtesy of Jessica Jones


4. Star Wars

Although, the Etsy listing refers to them as Space Wars. Hmmmm...


5. Super Mario

"It's a-me, Easter Mario!"
Image courtesy of Instructables


6. Battlestar Galactica

Bunnies, Treats, Battlestar Galactica.
Image courtesy of Geeks Are Sexy


7. Vampire

I vant to suck your chocolatey blood.
Image courtesy of evris28


8. Dalek

EGGSTERMINATE!
Image courtesy of PugnoM


9. Superheroes

Protein to the rescue!
Image courtesy of Charles Apple


10. Doctor Who Tardis

This egg is bigger on the inside.


11. R2D2

"Beppity-beep beeper bippity beep." -- Happy Easter!


12. Ninja

Betcha never even saw the chicken that laid this egg.


13. Mustache

Triplet hiplets.


14. NASA

Champagne super-ovo in the sky.


15. Spongebob

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? The Easter bunny, apparently.
Image via Bethany Clarke/Getty Images


If the Internet was a hen, these are the types of eggs she would lay. These "Geakster eggs," if you will, are the result of some pretty festive nerds at the peak of their Easter spirit.

Who knew a Doctor Who tardis would look so fine as an oval? And who could expect that LEGO's pesky right angles could form a believable egg?

What other geeky Easter eggs would you like to add to your basket? Share your ideas in the comments.
 
Homepage image courtesy of Abbie Bocan
























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When I signed up to social media over four years ago you could almost count the number of tweets with a pen and a piece of paper.

.

Facebook had not even cracked 50 million users. Now it is approaching one billion users globally which is one in every seven people on the planet using the Facebook social media network.

That equates to nearly one in two internet users!

Today you almost need a supercomputer that can measure and monitor this deluge and torrent of big data that is exhibiting social at scale.

Torrent of Data

At a conference in 2010 Eric Schmidt the then CEO of Google stated.

“Every two days, we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003”

This information includes content such as emails, tweets, Facebook updates, Photos, YouTube video uploads and text messages.

Two years later we have a ferocious fire hose of content creation that is shared online with the 2012 Olympics producing a staggering 306 billion items on the open Web in just 17 days.

That is every person on the planet creating 44 pieces of information in just over 2 weeks.

So what are the social media statistics, facts and figures from the 2012 Olympics?

Statistics for Social Media Sharing

As the social web grows and permeates every facet of the online world these numbers will continue to skyrocket.

• 306 billion items shared on the World Wide Web
• 208,333 shares per second on the open web
• Facebook was the winner in terms of social sharing with 102 billion shares including photos, timeline updates and videos
• Twitter handled 5 billion tweets
• Usain Bolt ran ran the 100 metres in just 9.63 seconds and by the time he reached the finish line over 2 million items were shared
• Michael Phelps generated the most online traffic and shares at 3 million items per day.

It was also calculated that 27% of Americans watched the Olympics at work which is an estimated loss of $1.4 billion in productivity.

The reality is that the Olympics is now over and it is “back to work”.


Infographic by RadiumOne








































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Olympics fans like sports. But what do they Like? Facebook — who else? — holds many interesting insights there.

Social media advertising company Compass Labs recently analyzed Facebook fans of the official Olympic Games and U.S. Olympic Team pages to compile some revealing profiles of how the two groups match up. And don’t worry about a small sample size — combined, the two pages have about 5.7 million fans.

Compass Labs cross-referenced Likers’ other favorited Facebook pages to find which sports, movies, brands and TV shows rate highest with each group.

Overall, the two pages corral similar demographics. Both the U.S. team and the Olympics at large have fan bases that are about 55% female, and each count the 18-25 age group as their biggest bloc. After that, though, things get pretty different.

U.S. fans list track and field as their top sport, but it’s just eighth among overall Olympics aficionados. Fans of the Games in general go for, in order: ice hockey, badminton, archery, rowing, field hockey and gymnastics. None of those crack the top 10 sports for U.S. fans. Among individual athletes, however, swimmer Michael Phelps rules with both groups.

When it comes to brand loyalty, fans of The Olympic Games tend to be a bit more worldly with their biggest favorites than fans of the U.S. Olympic Team do. National Geographic, Gucci and Air Canada take three of the top four brand spots among fans of the Games.

US Olympic Team fans’ most-like brand, according to Compass Labs? Dow Chemical Company. We’re not quite sure what to make of that either.

Check out the full Compass Labs report below. Does any of this data surprise you? Let us know in the comments.


Thumbnail image courtesy of iStockphoto, cmannphoto





































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Friday’s London Olympics Opening Ceremony will have a 3D component. Attendees already inside of the Olympic Stadium have been given 3D glasses and they’re turning to Twitter to share their excitement.

Young lady handing out 3D glasses. What is Danny Boyle going to do?

#olympicsinstagr.am/p/NmEaYtR6BR/
— Brad Blanks (@bradblanks) July 27, 2012

ITV News shared the above photo along with other ones, which show some of the gadgets in the stadium.
People with the BBC HD channel and 3D TVs will get to join in on the 3D fun, too, every day throughout the Olympics. BBC reports the daily highlights reel will be in 3D for those people, as will the Opening Ceremony, Closing Ceremony, men’s 100-meter running final.

Not much is known about how director Danny Boyle’s three-hour Opening Ceremony will look, but CNN says the extravaganza has cost more than $42 million and will feature “10,000 adult volunteers and 900 children … 12 horses, 10 chickens, nine geese, three cows and a flock of sheep, complete with sheepdogs.”

The ceremony airs on NBC starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

1. IOC Olympic Athletes' Hub

The International Olympic Committee's social portal provides links to verified Facebook and Twitter feeds of Olympians from the past and present. It will house additional content, too, including athlete Q&As and fan contests.

 2. NBCOlympics.com

As the 2012 Olympics' official U.S. broadcaster, NBC will share tons of comprehensive coverage online, as well on this standalone site.

 3. Twitter/NBC Olympics Hub

First reported by the Wall Street Journal, NBC and Twitter will team up to provide a curated destination page that corrals the best fan, media and athlete tweets surrounding the Games. Expect it to look something like the Euro 2012 page Twitter hosted earlier this summer (see left), and stay tuned to the Twitter blog for launch details.

 4. Twitter Lists

Want a more personal Olympics experience on Twitter? Try using the site's Lists feature. Sports Illustrated media maven Richard Deitsch made a great one, and Mashable's own Stephanie Haberman has created an excellent comprehensive assembly.

Subscribe to either, or check out Twitter's how-to page for step-by-step instructions on how to put together your own collection of media and athletes to track over the next few weeks.

5. Yahoo Sports London 2012 Coverage

The Internet behemoth is sending some 30 journalists to London to cover the games. Known for its excellent sports coverage, the Yahoo editorial team will be backed up by the company's massive tech infrastructure to provide breaking news, in-depth features and instant analysis.

 6. Storify Olympics Page

The acclaimed social storytelling tool has a destination page that collects Olympics-related Storifies from around the web. It will be an awesome way to find social narratives by professional journalists and digital-savvy fans alike.

7. SI.com - London 2012

Still the gold standard for narrative sports journalism, Sports Illustrated has a solid team of writers and reporters on the ground in London. They'll provide plenty of breaking news and updates, but this page is most worth bookmarking for the terrific longform content to come.

 8. The Telegraph's Olympic coverage

With the Olympics in its backyard, the England-based Telegraph newspaper has made an obvious effort to own the 2012 Games by producing great stories all year. Check this page often or follow the paper's Olympic-specific Twitter feed for updates and links.

 9. Facebook Olympics Hub

Launched in June, Facebook's Olympics hub is designed as a one-stop shop for Olympics fans with social media fever. It includes links to athlete and team pages and pushes out related content regularly.

 10. ESPN.com — London 2012

Althogh a popular punching bag for the sports media Twitterati, the self-proclaimed "worldwide leader in sports" is still a great source for news, analysis and human interest stories. Its Olympics home will surely be a go-to page for millions of Olympics fans worldwide.

 

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If you’re stateside and simply cannot wait to see the 3-hour-long London Olympics Opening Ceremony, there is a way to view it right now.

First of all, you should know that NBC has all the video rights for the event and is holding the very British ceremony video until 7:30 PM Eastern Standard Time (west coasters have to wait even longer). What this means is that you cannot, legally, view the extravaganza in the U.S. until NBC airs it.

Now, Mashable does not condone pirating content, but we cannot ignore the fact that the world is Tweeting live screen grabs and reactions to the London Olympics opening ceremony, when they cannot possibly be there or anywhere near Great Britain (and others locales in that time zone) to view it.

The way around it, it seems is this site: VIPBox.TV, which announced the live feed with this Tweet:

Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony Live NOW vipbox.tv/watch/62202/1/…
— VIPBox.TV (@vipbox_tv) July 27, 2012

The on-demands sports site is streaming a surprisingly high-quality stream of, what we believe is the live feed for the opening ceremonies. How they are accessing this is unclear.

We know all this because, to verify the story, we needed check out the link. Seeing the video, by the way, is not as simple as clicking the link. VIPBox.TV does ask you to install a proprietary “MPlayer,” which comes with a bunch of crapware that you will want to decline, and it is one of those sites that can turn into a bit of a pop-up monster. In other words, the hoops you have to jump through to get the video may not be worth it.
We’ve since closed the player because, well, we’re not sure this is a legal activity in the U.S. However, if you cannot resist, this link exists. Will NBC shut it down before the 3-hour event ends? That seems possible.













































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“Good evening, Mr. Bond,” Her Majesty said to one of the UK’s most iconic characters (played by actor Daniel Craig), before being escorted out of Buckingham Palace. The queen and 007 — or, rather, actors portraying them — then parachuted into London’s opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

In case the IOC removes this video from YouTube, you can watch an official, but abridged version of it here.
BONUS: Olympic Athletes to Follow on Twitter

1. Lolo Jones

Jones, whose social media success we profiled in May, is the standard bearer for Olympians on Twitter. She's honest, hilarious, tweets often, and is a world class hurdler for the United States.

 2. Kevin Love

A member of the American men's basketball team, Love is one of the NBA's cleverest players on Twitter. He should be an entertaining follow in London.

3. Usain Bolt

Bolt will be one of the Olympics' biggest stars. The Jamaican sprinter recently told us about his interest in tech and social media. He shares photos often on Twitter.

4. Juan Mata

Mata helped Spain to the Euro 2012 title earlier this summer and will look to follow that up with an Olympic championship in August. He tweets in English and Spanish.

 5. Caroline Wozniacki

The Danish tennis star is engaging on Twitter, frequently posting her training and status updates. Even better, she dates pro golfer Rory Mcilroy — both are terrific follows when the other is competing.

 6. Candace Parker

The top women's basketball player in the world suits up for the United States. Parker is active, humorous and down-to-earth on social media.

 7. Ricky Berens

The American swimmer told us in May that he uses social media to boost his visibility and marketing potential. His lighthearted tweets and frequent interactions with fans on Twitter helped him pick up sponsors like BMW and Got Chocolate Milk.

 8. Jordan Burroughs

A wrestler for the United States, Burroughs' frequent updates, enthusiasm and humor have helped him rack up more than 20,000 followers. His handle, @alliseeisgold, is pretty cool too.

9. Dominik Meichtry

Meichtry swims for Switzerland and is betrothed to American swimmer Jessica Hardy. He's enthusiastic about sharing the Olympic experience with followers.

 10. Nick Symmonds

The American middle-distance runner spoke to us in June. He is super active on Twitter and is an outspoken advocate for Olympians' rights to market themselves, despite IOC restrictions.

 11. LeBron James

Perhaps the 2012 Olympics' biggest celebrity, James won his first NBA title with the Miami Heat in June and will look to follow up in London with his second gold medal. He took time off Twitter during the NBA Playoffs, but will likely be much more active during the summer games.

 12. Neymar

The soccer prodigy tweets mostly in Portuguese, but should be a fun follow as he tries to lead Brazil to its first Olympic title.

13. Natalie Coughlin

An American swimmer, Coughlin is super friendly, funny and accessible on Twitter.

 14. Rebecca Adlington

In May, it was reported that Adlington would forsake Twitter in London because of cruel social media trolls. But the swimmer said she could never give up the microblogging network, and looks to be a solid follow as the Olympics visit her home country.

 15. Matthew Mitcham

A star diver for Australia, Mitcham is one of the games' few high profile openly gay competitors.

 16. Hope Solo

The United States women's soccer team's erstwhile goalkeeper is a great follow for soccer fans and non-fans alike.

 17. Manu Ginobili

Ginobili tweets largely in Spanish, but the basketball star is still worth your attention. You'll love his sheer joy representing Argentina and respect his obvious pride for his country. And really, that's what the Olympics are all about.

 18. Ryan Lochte

The American swimmer and rising marketing juggernaut is generous about interacting with followers and providing a glimpse inside the life of a London superstar.

19. Asafa Powell

Powell is one of a handful of incredible Jamaican sprinters. He frequently posts slice-of-life photos and — as evidenced by the screenshot at left — is religious about replying to fans and well wishers.

 20. Tom Daley

Still just a teen, the British diver is already a celebrity in the UK. He's smart about using social media to his advantage.

 21. Oscar Pistorius

Nicknamed "Blade Runner," the South African runner has prosthetic lower legs. He will become the first double-amputee to ever compete in the Olympics (he'll also participate in the Paralympics). On Twitter, he frequently provides training updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses while inspiring his more than 50,000 followers.

 22. Stephanie Rice

The Australian swimmer responds to followers, posts plenty of photos and speaks her mind — sometimes to a fault.

23. Nastia Liukin

A favorite follow for many Olympic fans, American gymnast Liukin will be a major star in London for NBC after unexpectedly failing to make the U.S. team.

 24. Novak Djokovic

The Serbian tennis powerhouse is favored to win in London. He's more active on Twitter than some of the sport's other stars.

 25. Eamon Sullivan

Sullivan is an Australian sprint swimmer. He has more than 24,000 followers, but tweets pretty much like any other normal dude.





































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