WTF Emoji Clickbait, Lenovo Casts its line, Google Play age ratings, Facebook meets Harry Potter, a Humble Nindie Bundle for Nintendo fans, and the music video which finds your finger.

Merriam-Webster Embraces Clickbait

Merriam-Webster has added 1,700 new words and phrases to its Unabridged dictionary. Many of these are new words either influenced by, or directly related to, technology. Some of these words have actually been around for a long time, but their use has exploded in recent years. These include "net neutrality," "click fraud," "sharing economy," "emoji," "clickbait," "meme," "NSFW," and "WTF".

The concept of net neutrality has become mainstream thanks to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) battling ISPs. Click fraud is always a risk when the Web is paid for by advertising. Emoji is fast becoming a language in its own right, especially amongst the younger generations. And clickbait is still a thing, despite most savvy Internet users being able to see straight through it.

You'll likely either love or hate the fact that these words and phrases are becoming so accepted they're being included in dictionaries. However, languages are always evolving, and they do so purely because we change the words we use on a daily basis. If you don't like it, the only course of action open to you is to stop using the words you detest. Which would be totes amazeballs.

Lenovo Cast Competes With Chromecast

Lenovo has announced the Lenovo Cast [PDF link], a device capable of casting and streaming media content from one device to another. This is quite clearly meant as competition for the Google Chromecast, but Lenovo faces a tough challenge persuading consumers that its device is superior.

It doesn't help that the Lenovo Cast looks like a hockey puck. With no disrespect to hockey fans, a puck isn't exactly a design classic. Still, for $49 you get a plug-and-play casting device with a micro-USB port and micro-HDMI port, and support for Android, iOS, and Windows.

Google Adds Android App Age Ratings

Google is adding third-party age ratings to Android apps, with the low, medium, and high maturity classifications abandoned in favor of proper age ratings as seen on other forms of media.

Control is being handed over to the International Age Rating Coalition, which includes the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), the Pan European Game Information (Pegi), and The Australian Classification Board.

According to BBC News, ratings for apps sold through Google Play will differ depending on the end user's location, ensuring local laws and cultural sensitivities are respected. The ratings will be applied automatically based on a short questionnaire completed by developers.

Facebook Makes Marauder's Map

There's now a Google Chrome extension that lets you track your friends' movements. Kind of like the "Marauder's Map" from Harry Potter, just without the animated footsteps. It works by scraping the location data collected by Facebook Messenger, and plotting it on a map.

This essentially means you can track your friends' movements, as a new point is plotted each time they send a message. Sadly, Aran Khanna, the developer of the extension, who is set to begin an internship at Facebook in June, suspects the company will fix the issue very quickly.

Nintendo Fans Get Humble Bundle

Humble Bundles have long been a great way for PC gamers to nab themselves collections of independent video games on the cheap. However, the latest Humble Bundle, called the Humble Nindie Bundle, is aimed squarely at fans of Nintendo. And it's a veritable bargain.

The base bundle gets you Guacamelee for the Wii U, plus Woah Dave and Mighty Switch Force for the 3DS. Paying more than the average gets you The Fall on Wii U, and OlliOlli on both. While paying more than $10 gets you Stealth Inc. 2 for the Wii U, and SteamWorld Dig for both.

This Music Video Finds Your Finger

And finally, this is the music video for "Golden Touch" by Japanese pop singer Namie Amuro. The song itself is nothing special, being catchy but ultimately generic. However, the music video is rather interesting.

You're requested to keep your finger placed on the screen throughout, and doing so means the action all revolves around your pinky. Unfortunately, it doesn't work with touchscreens, as it just pauses the video instead. [H/T Reddit]

Your Views on Today’s Tech News

How do you feel about words such as "clickbait," "emoji," and "photobomb" being added to the dictionary? Does the world need another streaming device like the Lenovo Cast? How long did you keep your finger on the "Golden Touch" music video?

Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Image Credits: PictureblogUK via Flickr