Earlier this month, U.S. prosecutors took down the global currency exchange Liberty Reserve and charged it with being the largest online money laundering operation in history — the "bank of choice for the criminal underworld." More than a million customers used the Costa Rica-based company to wash more than $6 billion, according to an indictment. Besides drug traffickers, it alleged, Liberty Reserve's illicit users included a wide array of gangsters, thugs and criminal organizations engaged in credit card and investment fraud, identity theft, computer hacking and child pornography.

But while Liberty Reserve and similar currency exchanges are getting a lot of attention these days from regulators and enforcement agencies, another global money laundering frontier is not: mobile payments. Millions of people now use their mobile phones to do their banking, especially in developing parts of the world, and their numbers are growing daily. And hidden among them are criminals who some experts believe are engaged in just as wide a range of criminal activity as those using Liberty Reserve, albeit on a smaller scale — for now. Read more...

Pesky bugs and unbearable heat are just two gripes in a laundry list of complaints about the sunniest time of the year. And while you may have an innate appreciation for summer's virtues, other people have to be sold on the season

SEE ALSO: 'Damn You Auto Correct' Unveils 11 Funniest Texts of 2012

Luckily, for every one of summer's supposed flaws, there's also a bright side. We've compiled a list of them. below:

Image courtesy of Reddit, ew0t

Image courtesy of Reddit, zonambula

Image courtesy of Reddit, LockesKidney Read more...

Kanye West jumped the gun on the June 18 release date for his sixth studio album, Yeezus, making it available to buy at KanyeWest.com a day early Monday night for $11.99. West skipped selling pre-orders of the album on iTunes.

UPDATE: For some Spotify users, Yeezus is already available to listen to online. Meanwhile, on iTunes, the album costs $11.99. And over on Amazon, it's a few bucks cheaper at $9.99.

Visitors to the KanyeWest.com are greeted with an American Psycho-themed short film promoting the album. The clip — featuring Scott Disick and Jonathan Cheban from reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians — debuted last week during a private listening party in New York City (watch below), but this site-version is higher quality. Read more...

Many people are avid users of Reddit, but if the conventions of dating had similar quirks and social cues, they'd likely down-vote it to oblivion

For its latest video, web series "If Dating Was Like..." looks at how courtship would work if it functioned like the social-sharing site — and the results are spot-on

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Viral YouTube Videos of 2012

Obviously, there would be lots of topic-jumping, maybe some trolling, an Internet meme here or there. It's the kind of stuff that works online, but probably not IRL

Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian agrees that the video accurately represents the spirit of Reddit. Indeed, he left a comment on YouTube, giving his stamp of approval Read more...

When it comes to promotion deals that rake in millions of dollars — 160 million, to be precise — Superman is as super human as ever. The Man of Steel, the subject of the new film that opened on June 14, has over 100 promotion partners, AdAge reports.

The Hardee's and Carl's Jr. burger chains have produced an ad for the Super Bacon Cheeseburger that features Henry Cavill, who plays Superman in “Man of Steel,” and is directed by Zack Snyder, the film's director. And from Gillette to Warby Parker to Twizzlers, there has been no stopping advertisers from capitalizing on the man who's faster than a speeding bullet Read more...

It's been nine years since Monica and Chandler Bing packed up and moved out of their oversized apartment in the series finale of Friends (mind-boggling, right?). But take a look at this model by Brazilian artist Bruna Salvador Conforto, and a wave of nostalgia just about knocks you out.

The incredibly intricate model, made entirely of paper, took Conforto nearly two years to complete. Some of the items in the apartment were so tiny — like the glasses on the kitchen shelves — that she needed to use tweezers to build them. More impressive yet, this was Conforto's first attempt at a paper model. Read more...

Recent innovations in wireless charging for electric vehicles could mean losing the need for batteries altogether.

While modern Teslas work on new wireless recharging, particularly for electric vehicles in urban areas, one Swedish project is testing a system designed to power EVs along the highway. The method, developed by the Volvo Group and the Swedish power company Alstom with support from the Swedish Energy Agency, would involve putting two power lines directly into the road. As vehicles pass over, they’d continuously be supplied with electricity.

SEE ALSO: Teen Invents Affordable Self-Driving Car Read more...

The Question Bridge project, a multimedia art initiative meant to "represent and redefine Black male identity in America," has taken to Kickstarter with Question Bridge Interactive. Through the funding effort, the creators hope to expand their message by developing a multimedia online platform through which the project can go viral.

Question Bridge attempts to combat stereotypes and public misconceptions about African-American men by presenting a video dialogue among people of diverse socioeconomic, geographical, cultural, and religious backgrounds and ages.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Viral YouTube Videos of 2012 Read more...

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's baby girl, born into mystery Saturday morning, has received no name (that we know of). But mini Kimye and her parents have received a lot of attention, including a nod from the Queen Bey.

A mother herself, Beyonce took to her website Monday afternoon to fete West and Kardashian with a big congratulatory photo (below), as well as a nice, concise post: "Congratulations Kim & Kanye, enjoy this beautiful moment together."

SEE ALSO: Kanye West on 'Yeezus' Leak: I Give 'No F*cks at All'

At time of writing, Beyonce's post had bagged more than 100,000 likes on Facebook. Nothing from Sasha Fierce on Twitter, though. Of course, that didn't stop others: Read more...

Holy Yeezus, it looks like the birth of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's baby girl on Saturday sparked a new pseudo-religion devoted to the already-famous newborn. It's unclear what the scriptures might be, but hopefully it's something written by Aunt Khloe.

SEE ALSO: 15 Celebrities Before They Were Famous

Fans, haters and new believers took to Twitter to weigh in on the Kimye baby's entrance into the world. Most agreed she is the Messiah — or Lucifer.

Kim went into labor within hours of Yeezus leaking. You cannot tell me this is a coincidence. Baby Kimye is the messiah.

— clare ✌ (@clare4lyfe) June 16, 2013 Read more...

Unfamiliar with the story of Superman? If you don't have much time, but still want to learn about his life, then this video is perfect for you.

In honor of the release of Man of Steel, the folks over at AV Byte created this video depicting the life of the estranged Kryptonite and his rise to one of the great superheroes of our generation

SEE ALSO: The 10 Most Viral YouTube Videos of 2012

Equipped with comical drawings, theatrical music and singing, the clip explains everything — starting with Superman's very first moments on Earth.

Image courtesy of YouTube, AVbyte Read more...

Media Molecule is known for pushing boundaries in gameplay. Its LittleBigPlanet franchise was lauded for letting gamers create their own unique worlds, and now, Media Molecule plans to recreate new magic with Tearaway for the PlayStation Vita handheld.

In Tearaway, you form a special connection with a papercraft character and then help her explore the 2D world. The goal is for that character to relay a message back to you, and since the character's message is specific to each player, her message is really meant for youTearaway also uses Vita's hardware to make the experience as immersive as possible. Read more...

Rejoice, oh aeronautical adventurers of American airspace: There's finally a Zipcar-style service for renting small airplanes.

OpenAirplane launched Monday at airports in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Jose, Kissimmee and Detroit with the goal of dramatically simplifying aircraft rental.

SEE ALSO: How Klout Can Score You the VIP Airport Treatment

OpenAirplane members first take a standardized flight exam before they're allowed to borrow an airplane from a variety of airports. Previously, private pilots who don't own their own planes had to do "checkout flights" with every new rental firm before receiving the keys — a time-consuming and expensive process. Read more...

"New York City is the greatest place on earth — but living here is a huge pain in the ass," says filmmaker Casey Neistat in his short documentary

And what makes it oh-so-painful? The simple task of getting from Point A to Point B.

SEE ALSO: 16 Apps to Help You Get Around Your City

Neistat put New York City's new bike sharing program, launched on May 27, to the test. He conducted a study by commuting to work using Citi Bike, taxi and his personal bike, then evaluating each experience by its "pain-in-the-ass factor."

The verdict: The Citi Bike isn't such a pain, after all. Actually, Neistat liked it so much he signed up for a yearly membership. Watch the YouTube video above to see why Read more...

Ballpoint pens can do so much more than just help you take notes. They can help perform tracheotomies, serve as spitball shooters and create really gorgeous art.

In honor of the beloved ballpoint pen's 75th anniversary, we present you with these beautiful photorealistic drawings, all made using a Biro.

SEE ALSO: 18 Drawings You'll Swear Are Actual Photographs

Don't believe they were really made from ballpoint pen? Just watch these videos below, and see them materialize in front of your eyes.

Read more...

It's safe to say that Star Wars is one of the most idolized movie franchises of all time. So when a group used the film as the basis of a prank, it was widely appreciated — by onlookers.

During a visit to King's College London, a group called the JesterLads targeted students who attempted to use the elevator. With a hidden camera in place, one of the pranksters stood in the middle of the elevator, pretending to use sheer force to open and close the door

SEE ALSO: 20 Funniest YouTube Videos According to Reddit

Watch the video above to see students' hilarious reactions, and then let us know what you think in the comments. Read more...

Whenever discussion starts about how to hide from the tracking code that follows users around the web to serve them targeted ads, recommendations soon pile up for a browser add-on called Ghostery. It blocks tracking code, noticeably speeds up how quickly pages load as a result and has roughly 19 million users. Yet few of those who advocate Ghostery as a way to escape the clutches of the online ad industry realize that the company behind it, Evidon, is in fact part of that selfsame industry.

Evidon helps companies that want to improve their use of tracking code by selling them data collected from the 8 million Ghostery users who have enabled the tool's data sharing feature. Read more...

Apple suffered its share of derision over the unusual shape and design of the new Mac Pro, but the reality is that the workstation's unique look (for a desktop computer, at least) may be a near-perfect example of form following function.

The new desktop-ready workhorse computer made its debut at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference last week. While observers couldn’t stop talking about its Duracell-like frame, it was the specs that truly excited the Apple Mac Pro faithful: a workstation-level Xeon processor (up to 12 cores), ECC memory and six Thunderbolt 2 ports. Those ports can power up to three ultra-high-definition 4K displays, if you can find one for sale. Read more...

Americans watch upwards of 38 billion videos a month, according to comScore data. On many video-hosting sites, a majority of those videos might feature the Harlem Shake or cats, but on one site in particular, video content tends to be a bit more creative and highly produced.

Vimeo is a video-sharing site founded in 2004 by a group of filmmakers who wanted a clean and beautiful platform through which to share their work and preserve personal memories. The site attracted other filmmakers and creative types, and quickly earned a reputation for high-quality content. The site was bought by IAC in 2006, and it became the first video-sharing site to support HD playback, in October 2007. That feature catalyzed growth of the user base, as creative individuals and brands flocked to the site to host their best video content. Vimeo videos aren't preceded by pre-roll or flanked by banner ads; the interface is clean, and the focal point is the video itself. Read more...

When things start to heat up outside, there's only one place to go — the waterpark. Those magical places filled with fun rides, where it's perfectly normal to strut around in just your swim suit and flippy-floppies. They are beacons for summer vacationers, that is, only if you can correctly waterpark

Many people lack the coordination to gracefully catapult from a slide into the water like the love child of a synchronized swimmer and a swan. But clumsy (and sometimes plain dumb) people offer the rest of us a hilarious arsenal of GIF-worthy fails

SEE ALSO: 22 Books for Your Ultimate Summer Reading List Read more...