Geek tips

Today the Associated Press's Twitter account was hacked with the frightening tweet that an explosion had occurred in the White House. It didn't take long for Twitter itself and users to realize the account had been hacked, but not before the tweet caused the stock market to drop over 100 points in the minutes after the tweet was published. While your personal Twitter account may not wield as much influence, social media hackings are real and present their own sets of headaches.

Follow these four steps to protect your Twitter account from falling victim to hackers.

• Don't click on links from strangers — Unfortunately stranger danger is alive and well on the Internet in the form of weird direct messages or tweet replies that direct you to look at a picture of "OMG, is this your new tattoo?!" It's not. Don't click. If an actual Twitter friend sends a message that's a bit off, verify on another platform — SMS or email — if they meant to send the tweet. Chances are their account was hacked, or maybe they just needed to be gently told that they sort of tweet like a spammer.
• Avoid phishing attempts — When signing into Twitter, check that you're on a secure and official log-in page by looking for a URL beginning with "https://" which denotes a safe connection to input username and password.

Read on for password safety tips and how to interact with third-party apps.

The city of Boston is on lockdown this morning after a violent standoff in Watertown, MA, involving the suspects of the April 15 Boston Marathon explosions. From Bostonians listing their spare rooms to stranded runners in a Google Doc to restaurants providing free meals for first responders, there's been a plethora of generosity in the wake of the attacks. But profiteers looking to capitalize on the news that shocked the nation have created Boston-related spam accounts, websites, and charities with fraudulent donation claims.

Do your part to help the victims of the Boston Marathon explosions, and follow this guide on where to send your support online and how to avoid scams.

Avoid Scams

• Use HTTPS — Make sure links that you're clicking on will keep your information safe. A URL that begins with "https" instead of "http" indicates a secure page.
• Be wary on Twitter — In the wake of the bombings, many fake accounts on Twitter cropped up, claiming to raise money for victims in exchange for RTs. Two of the most notable handles, @HopeForBoston and @_BostonMarathon, have since been suspended. Regardless, be careful of what you RT and and read on Twitter. The real Boston Marathon account is @BostonMarathon.
• Double-check Facebook and YouTube accounts — Many Facebook and YouTube users, looking to profit from the tragedy, have added Boston-related text to their usernames.
• Many relief websites are not authentic — The Domains has compiled a list of over 125 suspicious domain names registered with associations to the explosions, including "bostonbombingdonate.com" and "bostonmarathonrelief.com." Make sure to click on links from licensed and regulated charities only.

How to support legitimate Boston charities and organizations after the jump.

Light painting, the night photography technique where streaks of light and color somehow move through a still picture, results in the coolest photographs on the web, and it doesn't take years of professional experience to master. On a recent photography excursion with Sony, I light painted with the company's camera experts and learned it's nowhere near as intimidating as first thought — plus, it offers the excuse for fun nighttime Spring/Summer practice sessions! Learn to create messages, drawings, or whatever inspiration may strike with these five steps to light painting like a pro.

The following suggestions are best used when light painting with multiple people: one (or several) to control the light sources and another to work the camera. Use a shutter remote to control the camera if working as a one-woman photography unit.

• Set up a tripod — Light painting calls for long exposure times, which can cause slight unwanted shakiness (and not of the light paint streak variety) in the camera when held by hand. Set up a tripod like the Vista Explorer 60-inch tripod ($25). If a tripod isn't an option in your photography adventure, substitute another stable surface like the ground or a nearby table.
• Pick your light options — We used sparklers (which you'll want to be very careful with) and glowsticks in our Sony-sponsored light painting session, but you can look to practical light sources as well including flashlights, flashlight apps, or LED light-up keychains.
• Shoot in the darkness — If you're inside light painting, get to a dark room and make it even darker. When outside, get as far from street lights and cars as possible. Those "painting" the light should wear dark colors to limit their appearance in the picture, unless that's what you want.

Get to camera and shutter specifics after the jump.

Twenty minutes into The xx's set at Coachella 2013, the English indie pop band busted into Aaliyah's "Hot Like Fire" then brought out none other than Solange to finish the epic cover. In times like these, it's appropriate to just skip ahead to the best part (in this case, 20:26). On YouTube, there are three easy ways to share a link to a specific time in a video.

• Manually — Add "&t=XmYs" to any YouTube URL, and put the desired minute for X and seconds for Y.
• From YouTube — On the YouTube page itself, click on the "Share" tab below the video player. Next to the URL, check off "Start at," which will add a time code to the end of the URL.
• In YouTube comments — When responding to a video using the comment box, any time stamp mentioned in your response will become a hyperlink to that point in the video. For example, "Solange rocked it at 20:24!"

At around 3 p.m. EDT today, two explosions took place near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. While details are slight, runners and those who know people participating in the race or live in the Boston area should reconnect with their loved ones through social media and the Red Cross Safe and Well listings.

Through the Red Cross website, you can list yourself as safe and well or search registrants 24 hours a day.

Google has launched a Person Finder specifically for the Boston explosions. The database is intended for people who have information about a victim or those who are looking for someone. Note that all data is available to the public and viewable by anyone.

If you do not have Internet access, the mayor's hotline for locating people is (617) 635-4500 and the tip line if you saw anything relating to the explosions is 800-494-TIPS.

The Boston Marathon also has a live athlete tracking database, where friends and family can see if their runner has crossed the finish line.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency is encouraging people to reach their friends and family via text message, which takes less bandwidth than a phone call.

Photos are arguably the most important part of your wedding — you can't pull out the wedding cake to relive the big day, right? Getting the best snaps comes down to having a top-notch photographer. But that's not all: you have to be comfortable with the person and their shooting style to be truly happy with the end result. One way to make that happen? Sitting down with them to chat about all your preferences and concerns. Here are a few questions to get you started so you walk down the aisle with your mind at ease that you're in good hands.

• What's your photography style? It's possible for one photographer to have a few different shooting styles, so be clear on which one she'll bring to your wedding. Will she be using film or digital, black and white or color, shooting with a photojournalistic feel or a more creative one? Maybe you want a mix — either way, all of these details need to be discussed before the wedding so there are no surprises.
• What's your typical wedding day schedule? Find out when the photographer plans to arrive (an hour before the ceremony starts? Two hours?) so you know which moments will be caught on camera and you can plan details like when to get ready with your bridesmaids. Also something to factor in: how long she plans to stay. You'll have a different set of pictures depending on whether she waits until most guests have left or leaves much earlier.
• What is the post process like? Every photographer has their own way of getting out the pictures: figure out her way before it's a month after the wedding, wondering where your photos are. You should ask questions like, "How long will it take to see the proofs? Will I get disk copies of the photos? Is there a limit to how many I get? Will it come packaged in an album?"

Keep reading for planning for a photographer emergency and day-of extras.