The study looked at the planet’s energy imbalance, which calculates the difference between
the amount of solar energy absorbed by the surface of the Earth and the amount that’s sent
back to space as heat. According to the calculations derived from the study, between 2005
and 2010 the Earth absorbed more heat than it gave off, in spite of lower than usual solar activity.

When the imbalance is positive — that is, when the planet absorbs more heat than it gives
off — it means that global temperatures are growing warmer.

“The fact that we still see a positive imbalance despite the prolonged solar minimum
isn’t a surprise given what we’ve learned about the climate system,” explained James Hansen,
director of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies. “But it’s worth noting because this
provides unequivocal evidence that the sun is not the dominant driver of global warming,”

The data was gathered using a network of floating temperature monitoring devices, which
NASA has dubbed Argo. The data gathered from the 3,400 floats was then combined with ground-based
and satellite data to form the basis of the study.

Source – pcmag

HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY….

Integrating Android into vehicles is now the target for many aftermarket car stereo companies, and Rydeen recently showed off a cool prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Rydeen is very close to having a complete double-DIN stereo head unit running Android 2.2, otherwise known as Froyo and can be seen running within the rear-view mirror.

Rydeen is currently treating this project as a learning experience, but hopes by next year it’ll have a finalized mirror with a simplified interface more appropriate for drivers. Those that have had the chance to use Android sometimes complain that it’s not as user-friendly as Apple’s iOS, but the great thing about Android is its versatility to be customized for an entirely new user experience.

On this day in 1911 that the song, penned by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, was first sung at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.

Eventually, three years after India became independent, the Constituent Assembly officially adopted it as the country’s national anthem — on Jan 24, 1950.

Written in highly Sanskritized Bengali, it is the first of five stanzas of a hymn composed and scored by Tagore. Its formal rendition takes 52 seconds.

Tagore, however, translated “Jana Gana Mana” into English as the “Morning Song of India”, addressing god and the motherland.

Gurudev is the only individual in the world credited with the national anthem for two nations, the other being ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ that was adopted by Bangladesh.

The planets, called Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, are the smallest planets outside the solar system confirmed around a star like the Sun, NASA said in a statement.

The planets are too close to their star to be in the so-called habitable zone where liquid water could exist on a planet’s surface.

“This discovery demonstrates for the first time that Earth-size planets exist around other stars, and that we are able to detect them,” Francois Fressin of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in the statement.
The new planets are thought to be rocky. Kepler-20e is slightly smaller than Venus, measuring 0.87 times the radius of Earth.

Kepler-20f is slightly larger than Earth, measuring 1.03 times its radius. Both planets are in a five-planet system called Kepler-20, about 1,000 light-years away in the constellation Lyra.

Kepler-20e orbits its parent star every 6.1 days and Kepler-20f every 19.6 days.

Kepler-20f, at 800 degrees Fahrenheit, is similar to an average day on the planet Mercury. The surface temperature of Kepler-20e, at more than 1,400 degrees Fahrenheit, would melt glass.

The Kepler space telescope detects planets and planet candidates by measuring dips in the brightness of more than 150,000 stars as planets cross in front their stars.

Google has again tweaked its search algorithm to bring users more recent and relevant results, the company announced on Thursday.

The ‘freshness algorithm’ update, which Google says will affect over a third of all searches, will offer the newest results for recurring events like the Olympics (searches will yield 2012 results instead of 2008).

Incredibly fast-paced
“Google Search uses a freshness algorithm, designed to give you the most up-to-date results, so even when I just type Olympics without specifying 2012, I still find what I’m looking for.

“Given the incredibly fast pace at which information moves in today’s world, the most recent information can be from the last week, day or even minute, and depending on the search terms, the algorithm needs to be able to figure out if a result from a week ago about a TV show is recent, or if a result from a week ago about breaking news is too old.”

A dose of Caffeine

The update builds on the success of the Caffeine Index Update, which allowed faster trawling of the web archives in order to easily dig out the freshest information.

Singhal is keen to point out that the new algorithm won’t push the most prevalent information onto the sixth page of search results for the sake of pushing fresh content.

“Different searches have different freshness needs.

“This algorithmic improvement is designed to better understand how to differentiate between these kinds of searches and the level of freshness you need, and make sure you get the most up to the minute answers.”

An Indo-French satellite Megha-Tropiques was Wednesday successfully placed in orbit by PSLV-C18 rocket in a perfect launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre as part of a key mission that will help understand global tropical weather.

Along with Megha-Tropiques, Indian Space Research Organisation’s workhorse Polar Satellite Launch vehicle (PSLV) also shot into space three nano satellites–VesselSat – 1 from Luxembourg, SRMSat from SRM University, Chennai, and Jugnu from IIT, Kanpur.

The four satellites were injected into orbit one after another in clockwork precision about 26 minutes after PSLV lifted off in a plume of smoke at 11 AM, in a mission described as a “grand success” by ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan.

“PSLV-C18 has been a grand success. Very precisely, four satellites were injected in space orbit and the difference between what we planned and what we achieved is just two km over an altitude of 867 km,” he told scientists after the launch.

The rocket first injected the 1000-kg Megha-Tropiques satellite into an orbit of 867 km altitude at an inclination of 20 degrees with respect to the equator.

Megha-Tropiques carries three payloads – two by French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales) and one jointly by ISRO and CNES – and a complementary scientific instrument.

ISRO has built the satellite at a cost of Rs 80 crore with “equal contribution” from CNES.

Megha-Tropiques (Megha meaning cloud in Sanskrit and Tropiques denoting tropics in French) will investigate the contribution of water cycle in the tropical atmosphere to climate dynamics.

Information beamed by Megha-Tropiques is expected to benefit not only India, but also all countries in the Indian Ocean region and other parts of the world.

Jugnu, a three-kg satellite, has a camera system to take pictures of the Earth to monitor vegetation, reservoirs, lakes and ponds. Data received from it will be studied with a tracking system installed at IIT-Kanpur, and pictures and information received will be used for research.

‘Jugnu’ will also help gather information on floods, drought and disaster management.

SRMSat, developed by SRM University and ISRO, weighs 10.9 kg and aims to monitor carbon dioxide and water vapour using a grating spectrometer.

Luxembourg’s Luxspace developed and built VesselSat-1 weighs 28.7 kg and carries receivers to detect signals automatically transmitted by vessels at sea in the region covered by the satellite footprint.

Today’s mission is ISRO’s third successful one this year from India, besides another from French Guyana. This is the Indian space agency’s 20th successful venture using PSLV.

The simultaneous 50-hour countdown commenced On October 10, with the Launch Authorisation Board clearing the launch.
Speaking on the occasion, former ISRO Chairman and noted scientist Dr Kasturi Rangan said, “I don’t have to say much about PSLV. It has become synonymous with perfection in launch and space transportation (for ISRO).”

Congratulating scientists involved in the task, he said Megha Tropiques opens up a new ear of atmospheric research, especially in the tropical weather system.

ISRO Mission Director Kunhi Krishnan said the successful launch of PSLV-C18 “is yet another glorious chapter (in ISRO)”.

Fuze Meeting HD

Need an audio- or video-conferencing solution for your Android device? Look no further than this app from FuzeBox. You can invite schedule and start meetings, as well as invite attendees from your address book, and even upload PowerPoint decks, Word documents, PDFs, and HD movies and images from your device. The app is free but the conferencing service is not, though there is a free trial period.

News Republic

Are you a news junkie? Now your Android device can help you stay on top of all the breaking news with this app. Its feeds include many of the top news agencies, and it will organize relevant stories for you through its interactive interface.

Vlingo

Need to text, call, tweet or set your Facebook status and your hands are already occupied? That’s no problem if you have Vlingo, which allows you to operate your Android phone with your voice. It even works with a wireless Bluetooth headset.

Seesmic

This Twitter client integrates streams from Twitter, Facebook and even Salesforce.com Chatter into a single client, allowing you to stay on top of all your messages from various sources. Unlike many clients, it supports multiple accounts, giving you the ability when composing a message to send it out via one of your accounts or all of them at once. You can also customize a large number of features.

SpringPad

Need help keeping track of notes and tasks and simply organizing important information? This app can help. You can save lists, tasks, products and recipes with relevant links.

The Weather Channel

Keep up with everything you need to know about the weather with this app. It features hourly, 36-hour and 10-day forecasts and live video from the TV channel.

SlideScreen

This app replaces your traditional home screen with one that shows summary information for SMS, Gmail, phone calls, Calendar, Google Reader, Stocks and Twitter, making seeing all your important information at once a snap.

iTriage Mobile Health

Use this app to help take better care of yourself. It was designed by two emergency room physicians to help users identify their systems and find a healthcare provider.

Mastercard ATM Hunter

This highly useful app uses your phone’s location to find the nearest ATMs. You can even sort according to criteria including: drive through, 24-hour service, wheel chair accessibility and surcharge fees.

TiKL – Touch to Talk (PTT)

Turn your Android phone into a walkie-talkie with this app. It provides push to talk capabilities between Android phones without additional hardware and without using minutes. Communication is near instantaneous on 3G and 4G networks.

Phonebook

Looking for an alternative to manage your contacts? Phonebook displays your contacts with contextual information like missed calls, unread text messages and even birthdays.

Amazon Kindle for Android

Want to read an electronic book, newspaper or magazine but don’t have your Kindle with you? Or don’t have a Kindle at all? It’s not a problem with this app, which allows you to read any of 900,000 Kindle-formatted books with your Android device. And Amazon’s Whispersync that your last page read, bookmarks, notes and highlights will sync across your various devices.

aCurrency

This currency converter provides exchange rates for more than 160 currencies and updates the rates hourly. Its widgets provide access to historical charts.

Thinking Space

Thinking Space is a mind mapping application that allows you to visualize, structure and classify ideas. You can create nodes, add notes to them and arrange them, all with a UI that makes it a snap to work with. The maps you create with this app are also compatible with PC-based Xmind and Freemind.

MightyMeeting

Manage a library of PowerPoint presentations directly from your Android phone with this app. You can use the app to share the presentations via e-mail, blog, Twitter and Facebook, and you can also start or join Web meetings using it.

JuiceDefender

Is the battery on your Android phone consistently running on empty? JuiceDefender can help you extend it! The app intelligently manages your mobile connectivity and other battery-sensitive components to ensure your phone runs as efficiently as possible. For example, the default mode switches your phone from battery-intensive 3G mode to the less-draining 2G mode when you’re not actually using the phone, and it turns of the Wi-Fi radio if the charge goes below a certain level. The Advanced Mode allows you to tune the app’s triggers based on your individual needs.

Wertago for Nightlife

Need help keeping track of the hottest nightclubs and parties? Wertago helps you find the best places to party and coordinate with your friends.

Free Dictionary Org

This simple, no-nonsense English dictionary provides definitions, synonyms, pronunciation and spelling

Skifta

This app turns your Android device into a global remote control. Certified by the Digital Network Living Alliance (DNLA), Skifta allows your Android device to stream onboard media to any DNLA-enabled device, include TVs, stereos, PCs and the Sony PlayStation 3.

Save MMS

Ever get a picture through an MMS text message you wish you could save for posterity? This app lets you automatically save pictures, audio and video received in MMS text messages to your SD card. You can then access the saved files from your Pictures and Music apps.

Bluetooth File Transfer

With this app, you can explore and manage the files on any Bluetooth-enabled device, receive files and send contacts. It’s built on FTP and Object Push Profile (OPP).

Kongregate Arcade for Android

Want to stay up on the newest and hottest Flash games around? This app gives you free access to more than 300 games from the Kongregate community and fully integrates with your existing Kongregate Web account.

Howcast for Android

Need to know how to change a tire, make banana pudding or survive a long airport layover right now? Howcast puts instructional videos in 25 categories right at your fingertips. Each video also comes with text instructions.

TED Mobile

Since 1984, the world’s best and brightest have gathered at the TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Conferences to spend no more than 18 minutes talking about the thing that fascinates them most. It’s always illuminating, and with this app you can search and watch more than 700 TED Talks right from your phone.

Handcent SMS

Handcent SMS supercharges your texting with full support for SMS and MMS, group sending options and backup and restore features for SMS and MMS. Other features include the ability to customize your look with themes and SPAM filtering options.

TuneWiki

A replacement for your Android’s default audio player, TuneWiki is a social music player that provides timed, subtitled lyrics to your music in more than 40 languages. It also includes charts and real-time maps of what people are listening to around the world.

eBuddy Messenger

This comprehensive IM client allows you to connect to multiple MSN (Windows Live), Facebook, Yahoo, AIM, ICQ, GTalk, Hyves and MySpace accounts all at once. It shows all your contacts in one list and runs in the background. IMs are sent as data, not SMS.

Evernote

This app allows you to log, index and search all manner of information, from notes to audio to photos. For instance, you can take a photo of a white board and Evernote will recognize the text in the photo, index it and then allow you to find it later by entering a search term from the information on the white board. It even synchs with the Web.

EverPaper

EverPaper is a simple but excellent Instapaper client. It doesn’t support folders yet, but it’s under constant development. It also syncs with EverNote.

Yelp

Yelp for Android determines your current location and then lets you search for nearby businesses, read reviews and so on. It also lets users filter by “Price,” “Open Now,” “Special Offers” and “Hot on Yelp.”

Time Recording

Time Recording is an app that lets you manage your time sheet, including options like tasks, target time, hourly rate, paid overtime and multiple data/time formats. It also supports CSV export.

CallTrack

This app logs your phone activity to your Google Calendar, allowing you to track who you’ve called or received calls from and when.

ActionComplete

ActionComplete is a robust task manager. It is built around projects you create, which are made up of individual actions that serve as milestones in the project. The app is based on the Getting Things Done (GTD) methodology created by David Allen in his book: Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity.

Google Chrome to Phone

Run the Google Chrome browser on your computer? This app lets you share links, maps and currently selected phone numbers and text between your computer running Chrome and your phone.

SMS Backup +

This app automatically backs up SMS, MMS and call log entries to a separate label in your Gmail account.

Fusion Voicemail Plus

Centralize all your voicemail boxes, including mobile, home and office, on your Android phone with this app. It can receive and display FAXes too.

Parcels

This handy app lets you track all your packages in one place. Carriers supported include: Apple, Fedex, UPS, UPS Mail Innovations, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.com, Amazon.de, DHL Express National (Germany), DHL (Germany), DPD Standard (Germany), GLS (Germany), Hermes, TNT, TNT International (Netherlands), TNT National (Netherlands), OnTrac Shipping, LaserShip, Posten (Norway), Post (Austria), Post (Switzerland), Posten (Sweden), USPS, DHL (USA), DHL Express (GB), Home Delivery Network (GB), Japan Post Int. Mail, CNE Express, Royal Mail, Spee-Dee Delivery (USA), Parcelforce.

Read It Later

A simple, reliable tool that adds Instapaper to your sharing menu, so you can quickly tag articles as you browse.

Astrid Task Todo List

Get yourself organized with this todo list app. It features tagging, timers, reminders, smart task sorting and even tracks partial progress. You can sync your todo list with Remember the Milk, which can sync with Gmail.

Mint

Manage your money and keep track of your budget while on the move using Mint. It gives you up-to-date information on your accounts and lets you edit transaction info right on your phone. And it’s password protected to make sure your information stays safe.

aCar

This app allows you to track the maintenance, fuel mileage and expenses of your vehicles. It provides notifications when it’s time to change the engine oil, air filter, oil filter, etc.

GDocs for Android

This editor/viewer for Google Documents allows you to create, edit, view, import, export, send documents and sync them with your Google Docs account.

Dial Zero

Need to get in touch with customer service and don’t want to wait on hold? Dial Zero maintains an index of more than 600 companies and how to cut through their automated answering services to get a live human being in no time.

Dropbox

Dropbox is a client for the Dropbox cloud-sharing file storage service. It makes it easy to get files onto your phone without explicit synching. You can add files to it from any of your computers and then access them from any other computer or phone.

Wikidroid

Use Wikipedia often? Wikidroid formats Wikipedia articles for your device with a sleek interface. It even includes voice search and bookmarks.

Memory Booster – RAM Optimizer

Keep your Android phone running at its fastest with this app. Memory Booster optimizes our phone’s memory by recovering memory leaks, flushing temporary libraries and defragmenting your phone’s memory.

ESPN ScoreCenter

Get comprehensive ESPN sports coverage on your Android phone with this app. It provides near-real-time scores and schedules.

handyCalc Calculator

The app adds just about every calculator function you can think of to your Android phone, allowing you to put your scientific calculator in the drawer forever.

NewsRob

This is an excellent, plain but functional Google Reader client with built-in syncing for off-line reading.

Gasbuddy – Find Cheap Gas

This app provides comprehensive, real-time gas prices in your area (US and Canada) with maps. Users who pitch in by reporting gas prices in their area can win free gas.

The Galaxy brand has restored our faith in Samsung’s ability to make great phones, and with Google’s Android OS and some impressive touchscreen technology, the S2 continues that trend. Housed within a supremely slender form, the 4.27-inch Super AMOLED Plus screen is an ideal surrounding for viewing your 8-megapixel snaps. Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and packing a 1.2Ghz dual-core Exynos processor ensures there is plenty of zip for your web browsing and with eye-popping colours it’s perfect for watching a plethora of video formats on the go.

Apple iPhone 4

There’s plenty to laud over Apple’s latest smartphone creation, particularly the 3.5-inch capacitive touch screen and Retina Display which is a vast visual improvement on the 3GS. Admirably serving all your multi-touch, pinch, zoom, cut and pasting needs, the 800:1 contrast ratio and 960x640p resolution makes the iPhone 4 a suitable partner for all your widescreen movie-watching and looking back at your freshly-snapped photos – and web browsing is still a dream on this pin-sharp display.

Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc
Despite the Xperia Play hogging the media limelight, the Arc has captured our imaginations from the latest range of Sony Ericsson handsets much in part to the gorgeous 4.2-inch touchscreen display.
With a curved-body design making it one of the most comfortable to grip in your hand, the new Reality Display which uses LED backlighting along with the Mobile Bravia Engine, should serve your video playback, browsing and deliver a slick response to touch.

Samsung Galaxy S
Setting the benchmark for immensely bright displays, the Galaxy S houses a 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen that does not disappoint. Its 480×800 WVGA resolution is someway behind the iPhone 4 (640×960), but you can still expect vivid colours, true blacks and outstanding contrast ratio.
It’s no longer at the top of the pile when it comes to awesome picture quality, having been usurped by its Galaxy S2 brother, but this is still one of the best touchscreen phones to show off in the pub if you want to bedazzle your mates with awe-inspiring picture quality.

LG Optimus 3D
While Nintendo brought glasses-free 3D to gaming, LG was the first to bring the display technology to smartphones in the shape of the Optimus 3D.
Sporting a hulking 4.3-inch Super LCD display, the Android 2.2-powered handset delivers a surprisingly bright and vivid picture for your web browsing and movie watching, while parallax technology helps gives games and video the 3D effect without the need for the pesky glasses – although the battery life suffers when chugging through 3D content.

A dual-core processor gives the Optimus 3D suitable grunt in the power department, while dual 5-megapixel cameras mean you can shoot 3D 720p video, take 3D stills and convert 2D movies into 3D to complete the eye-popping experience.

Google Nexus S
Having resurrected the Nexus brand, new suitor Samsung has packed Android 2.3 behind a curved 4-inch 800×480 WVGA Super AMOLED display.
With 235ppi, the screen is exceptionally bright and sharp and as we’ve come to expect from AMOLED displays provides excellent contrast ratio for your pictures.

A wide range of video format support should make for prime viewing delivering deep blacks, while Samsung claims that it has 75% less glare than other screens, so should make it perfect for the sunny-ish days we’re given in good ol’ Blighty.

BlackBerry Bold 9900
Staying true to the design which made the 9000 so popular, the Bold 9900 adds the new BlackBerry OS 7 giving the handset a serious multimedia makeover.

The big selling point for the Bold 9900 is it packs a 2.8-inch screen with VGA resolution which delivers crystal clear clarity and matches the iPhone 4 for sharpness, making it ideal for web browsing and media viewing (albeit not great for movie marathons).
OS 7 also sees the addition of a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash, the ability to record 720 HD and a distinctly new look interface, all which is housed in a premium chassis that makes this one of the best BlackBerry phones on the market.

HTC Desire S
Inspired by the HTC Legend in the looks department, the new aluminium design is complimented by a 3.7-inch Super LCD display. It may not deliver eye popping colours like the S2 but it still offers bright viewing for 720HD video playback and web browsing.

A new Qualcomm 1GHz Snapdragon processor is in tow to deliver speedier browsing an improved overall performance, and with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and HTC Sense 2.1 overlaying the whole experience it’s an impressive all round Desire S package.

Samsung Omnia 7
In the battle of the Windows Phone 7 handsets, the Omnia 7 has one feature that set itself apart from the rest, a gorgeous 4-inch Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen.
The 800×480 resolution has colours looking bold and vivid, delivering deep contrast ratios, and showing off the Windows Phone 7 UI’s slick, angular design.

A tactile feel under the fingertips makes it easy to swipe around screens and get familiar with the new OS – if only getting video on there didn’t feel like you were trying to paint the Sistine Chapel from the floor. Blindfolded.

LG Optimus Black

Stealing the esteemed honour of world’s slimmest smartphone from the Apple iPhone 4, there’s much more to the Optimus Black than its slender form factor.

Measuring in at just 9.2mm thickness, the Android 2.2 handset hosts a 4-inch 800×400 resolution NOVA display, giving it one of the clearest LCD screens on the market and making it ideal for video and internet browsing.
Smartshare means you can share content to a PC or a TV wirelessly, while there’s a 5-megapixel camera with single LED flash in tow.

Google+ Photo Importer for iPhone

If you store your photos on multiple sites such as Facebook, Flickr, Instagram or Photobucket, there’s a new download available in the Apple App Store that lets you upload 100 photos in less than a minute to your Google+ account. This tool is especially handy if you plan on shifting your social networking focus to Google+.
The Google Plus Photo Importer by Dropico costs 99 cents, and while uploads I tested generally took longer than the advertised 60 seconds, it was still impressively fast.

Find People on Google+
Looking for more connections on Google+? While its own search feature only lets you find people by name, you can dig a bit deeper to find groups of people with certain characteristics at FindPeopleOnPlus.
Here, you can not only search for people by name, but you can also search by profession, location, relationship status, gender, education, employer, occupation and more, which makes growing your network and tailoring it to your needs a lot easier.
You can also choose to add yourself to its directory. This will keep your FindPeopleOnPlus profile updated and in-synch with your Google+ profile.

PlusClout
Akin to Klout.com, a site that measures your social media influence, PlusClout measures the influence a user has on Google+ and rates it from 0 to 100.
When you visit the site, PlusClout will ask you to insert your Google+ ID in order to generate your score. Your ID is the string of numbers that appear in the URL of your profile page.
PlusClout says that while its formula is still evolving, right now it calculates your number based on 15 million public Google+ profiles and items shared, such as posts, comments, +1s, the number of followers you have and the frequency and volume of information sharing.
You can also browse people with the highest PlusClout in categories such as bloggers, designers, entrepreneurs and the most-followed users on Google+. Click on any of these names and you will see their current PlusClout score, a graph of their score over the last five days, and websites associated with that person.

Google Translate for Google+
If you want to connect with people from around the world but find that language is a barrier, this is a must-download Google Chrome extension.
Google Translate for Google+ is a powerful tool that inserts a button into your Google+ streams, letting you quickly interpret a chunk of foreign text.
Currently, this extension will translate more than 30 languages, including German, French, Polish, Italian and Spanish

Facebook’s new friends lists

Smart Lists group some of your friends automatically
If you choose to partake in Smart Lists, Facebook will generate four separate lists for you: work, school, family and city. Facebook puts people into these lists based on information they have in their profile. For example, if you list Harvard University as your alma mater, and so do 25 of your Facebook friends, they will be grouped under “school.” The same goes for family members, work colleagues and people who live near you.

These four lists will be updated automatically, so there is little or no maintenance – a big improvement from before. You can also add or remove friends manually to make the list more accurate.

Two additional lists let you separate best friends from acquaintances
While Facebook is touting its Smart Lists as its main attraction, it’s also rolling out two lists that you curate on your own to distinguish close friends from people you don’t know well.

By including people in your Close Friends list, you can sort your News Feed for only their posts, as well as choose to receive notifications when they post updates, so you don’t miss anything.

Facebook recommends adding people such as old classmates and business contacts to the “Acquaintances” list. By doing so, you’ll see fewer updates from them in your News Feed. You will, however, see updates when they post something important, Facebook says, such as when they get married or move to a new city, so you can remain in touch.

“Restricted” list limits visibility to people such as your boss
A lot of people panic when they receive an email saying your boss has friended you on Facebook. Instead of keeping their request to connect in limbo, you can now add them to a “Restricted” list.

People you include on this list will only see your public posts, which means it’s important to use the “View Profile As” feature to ensure what you think is private, actually is. You’ll still be able to send them messages or tag them in a picture or post if you want to.

Lists you already created are still valid
If you took the time to create and maintain lists before the new Lists launch (such as a Limited Profile list) you can still use them to restrict access to pictures you post, status updates, notes, etc.

Understand List privacy
Say you post a status update to your Acquaintances list. No one you put on that list will be able to see the name of the list. They will, however, be able to see each others’ names.

The reason for this is to “give them more context.” According to Facebook, if you see that a post is shared with your five closest friends, you’re more likely to comment freely on it than you would if you didn’t know who else could see the post.