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If you’ve gone to one of your favorite news sites or blogs recently, you may have noticed a change in the layout if you’re seeing squares and rectangles.

These boxes, known as cards, are the hot new trend in web design, according to TheNextWeb.com. They are typically designed to organize content, so the image, headline, main text and call-to-action (like a share button) are all in one place.

Container-style web design isn’t really anything new, but it’s something that is beginning to translate to websites from another place: the desktop.

When Microsoft introduced its Windows 8 OS, it was made with the same formatting that Windows Phones had carried since a couple of years prior. On both operating systems, apps and other programs are separated into colorful blocks to make it easy to sort and select from.

But this isn’t necessarily something new on the web, either. For several years now, social media giant Pinterest has popularized the container format on its pinboards, where users can select inspirational images and organize them as they see fit.

And that usability is something that more web designer companies are taking into account. The grid format is clickable and easy to navigate on many websites, so sites ranging from The Guardian, a U.K.-based news source, to any number of blogs, are thinking, well, inside the box.

Grids can either be uniform in size, says TheNextWeb.com, or vary in size. For instance, some sites keep larger cards to the left while displaying related or recommended links in cards to the right; this is referred to as “magazine style.”

Pins (like those on Pinterest), metro or flat design (as with Windows 8’s start menu) and grid or masonry format are the other types of cards seen across the web.

Part of this design is also geared towards keeping web users on the page. Although some researchers estimate that users can spend up to 15 seconds on a webpage before deciding whether or not to stay, others state that it takes 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) or less for a user to form an opinion on a website.

Google can take this figure — known as the bounce rate — into account if too many users aren’t staying on a website for a long period of time.

Business2Community.com names some of the biggest signs of an outdated website, which can contribute to that bounce rate, pointing out flaws in the font and graphics, especially.

In other words, just plain awful fonts like Comic Sans or busy graphics (including bad stock photography) are especially lethal for businesses trying to make an impression with customers.

The worst offense, however, is not having a mobile-friendly website, as more than half of all internet searches today are done from mobile devices like tablets and smartphones.

Baseball may be America’s favorite pastime, but the classic American way to beat the summertime heat is to head for a dip in the pool. However, a newly released report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may have Americans thinking twice before they dive in. In fact, the water seems to be anything but fine.

The CDC published a report late last month highlighting the increasing number of nationwide illnesses that have been linked to the bacteria, chemicals, viruses, and even parasites lurking in chlorinated pool water. Also contained in the report was a number of disturbing revelations.

For example, the all-too-familiar chlorine odor you smell when visiting a public pool isn’t really chlorine at all; it’s an indication that there’s feces, sweat and urine in the water, and the stronger the chlorine odor, the more body fluid is present. The chlorine-like odor is actually chloramines, which is an irritant that’s produced when chlorine and human body fluids combine. According to the CDC, those suffering from asthma or those who have chemical sensitivities should steer clear of public pools for this very reason, as chloramines have been known to aggravate asthma and may irritate eyes and skin.

As for the growing number of pool-related illnesses, the CDC classified them as outbreaks in the report. The CDC considers an illness an outbreak when two or more people exhibit gastrointestinal distress — any symptoms from gas and diarrhea — after being in the same location at the same time.

The CDC found that in 2011 and 2012, the last years for which this data is available, 32 states in addition to Puerto Rico reported 90 pool water-associated outbreaks which resulted in 1,788 cases, 95 hospitalizations, and one death.

Although chlorine is effective in killing off harmful pathogens such as E. coli in minutes, chemically treated pools aren’t much safer to swim in than beaches, lakes, or ponds where many water-borne illnesses are contracted. Chlorine-resistant bacteria was found to have caused the majority of the nation’s pool outbreaks, with the bacteria Cryptosporidium being named as the main culprit. Those who come into contact with Cryptosporidium can suffer from stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting for up to two weeks.

As terrifying as their report may seem, the CDC still maintains that swimming pools are safe enough to enjoy when used correctly. In addition to rinsing off with cold water before and after diving in, the CDC also recommends getting out of the water on a regular basis to use the bathroom, re-hydrate, and reapply sunscreen. Last but not least, the CDC advises pool-goers to avoid swallowing the water for obvious reasons.

In addition, residential or private pool owners are encouraged to run their pool pumps round the clock during the peak of pool season. While this may seem like a lot of energy, variable speed pumps allow pool owners to save upwards of 90% on annual energy costs compared to single speed pumps. Similarly, it’s common for community or public pools to run their pumps 24 hours a day throughout the pool season.

God Save the Queen… and her 300-year-old palace in London.

Mashable and the New York Daily News are reporting that Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, will likely have to relocate to Windsor Castle while their permanent home, Buckingham Palace, is being renovated and repaired.

The Palace desperately needs a home improvement facelift, the New York Daily News reports, including new wiring and plumbing throughout the building, patching on the roof, and asbestos cleanup.

Decorators might even be called in to spruce up the place, since it’s been about 50 years since the interior was redecorated.

There are currently no details about how the Queen might choose to redecorate, but we recommend going with some practical improvements; something like a steel door replacement could yield a 98% return on investment (with all due respect, it’s worth noting that Her Highness isn’t getting any younger and Kate Middleton’s decor preferences are still a mystery).

Regardless of the specific improvements, the Daily News reports that the royal family is intent on preserving the historic landmark during the renovations. The Palace was acquired by King George III in 1761, has been housing the British royal family since 1837, and has about 775 rooms. All of the renovations will require special attention by historical preservationists, and it’s reported that the entire project could cost about £150 million ($240 million).

The cost of the project, however, goes beyond being able to preserve a special historical landmark. The Guardian reports that a campaign group called Republic has been “[calling] on the Queen to permanently move out of the palace, so it can be turned into a museum and art gallery.”

Graham Smith, the chief executive of Republic, explained to the Guardian that the group is asking the royal family to move out of the Palace and into one of the Queen’s (many) other estates across the country.

“If the taxpayer is footing the bill, the taxpayer should reap the reward,” Smith stated. “Buckingham Palace already houses one of the world’s greatest art collections – so let’s see it handed back to the people…[The Palace] is national property, treated like a private home occupied by a rogue tenant. Years of failure on the part of the royals have left the buildings in desperate need of repair.”

So will the Queen decide to listen to Smith and his peers? HRH already spends about one-third of the year hosting events at other locations, and she certainly has plenty of other properties where she can move.

Then again, she isn’t the only one using up taxpayer money for building repairs; the Parliament has already been heavily criticized for its £3 billion renovation of Westminster.

One can only hope that the London Bridge doesn’t follow suit and fall down too.

Last week, millions of Americans celebrated the Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 decision to uphold same-sex marriage. Instead of allowing states to make their own laws regarding the unions, couples can now have their marriages recognized by the federal government in all 50 states.

With marriage and the rights it affords — from filing joint income taxes to transferring property if one spouse dies — also comes the right to divorce. This is good news for same-sex couples who were married in one state but lived in another and were then subject to a legal gray area when it came to splitting up.

As a result, some couples are celebrating the right to marry by hiring a divorce attorney.

One couple in Dayton, OH, has split after just under five years of marriage. Ohio had previously had a statewide ban on same-sex marriage before the ruling.

In Clarksville, TN, a former town resident named Taramarie Gulledge has filed what the town believes to be the first paperwork in Tennessee to seek a divorce from her partner on Friday just before the courthouse closed.

The couples had legally married in Shelbyville, IN, last June, but because they were residents in Tennessee, where same-sex marriage was banned, they could not legally divorce.

Prior to the Supreme Court’s ruling, at least one partner would have had to move to a state that recognized same-sex marriage and establish residency. That process can take at least six months and would have greatly slowed down the divorce proceedings, whereas a heterosexual couple is automatically granted the right to divorce.

Like heterosexual couples, same-sex couples can decide they want a divorce for a number of reasons. Among straight married couples surveyed, for instance, the most common reason for a split was “lack of commitment,” cited as a major factor in 73% of all divorces.

It also allows couples to split if one partner feels unsafe. That was Gulledge’s claim when she talked to lawyers about getting a divorce.

Now Gulledge, and other Americans in same-sex unions, have the right to marry and divorce in any state. This not only saves time but also money, as couples no longer have to deal with restrictions depending on their state’s laws.

Gulledge, who lived with her wife and two-year-old in Clarksville up until May, also has the ability to argue for child custody, if necessary.

Tennessee residents, like those in many other states, still have to meet the six-month residency requirement in order to divorce, no matter whom they are married to.

Want to keep your lawn looking pristine and as green as your neighbors’ envy?

If you live in southern California, you’ll most likely have to water your lawn during the wee hours of the morning, under clandestine cover of darkness. Otherwise, you could risk becoming famous for all the wrong reasons when your neighbors post a video of you watering your lawn on YouTube.

According to the Columbus Dispatch, it’s all a part of a new trend called “drought-shaming.” In a manner more closely resembling a witch hunt than anything, anyone caught wasting water freely during California’s worst drought in history will be seen — and shamed — across the world.

“Yeah, I put your address out there. The world is watching a lot more,” said Tony Corcoran, one of several people who traverse the plushest neighborhoods of Beverly Hills and West Hollywood in search of people who openly display their disregard for the water crisis at hand.

Corcoran said he’s uploaded more than 100 videos of these water-wasters to YouTube, including the individuals’ addresses. Other drought-shamers will tweet the water-wasters’ addresses with the hashtag #DroughtShaming — and still others snap photos on their smartphones to send them to local authorities. There’s now even a free app, DroughtShame, that allows people to record the times and places in which they see water being wasted.

Throughout the year, the average American household will waste anywhere from 2,000 to 20,000 gallons of water stemming from leaks that could have been easily fixed. In California, a state that hasn’t seen a drop of rainfall in nearly four years, everyone is being pushed to use as little water as possible.

Gov. Jerry Brown recently ordered residents to cut their water consumption by 25%. In wealthier communities, however, a troubling number of residents continue to water their lawns.

Corcoran maintained that the purpose of his vigilante videotaping isn’t to shame people — despite the name of the trend — and he remains unrepentant despite unsurprisingly receiving backlash from the people he’s recorded.

“The whole point is to get people to change, not to shame,” he said.

For the majority of American homeowners, the garage is one of those few sacred suburban spaces where our automobiles, tools and yard work essentials all coexist in harmony.

Recently, however, the sanctity of America’s garages has been violated — by a seemingly innocent kid’s toy.

According to Wired, security researcher Samy Kamkar has developed a way to get past the security code that keeps most garage doors locked by creating a tool called OpenSesame, which is built from a discontinued Mattel toy called the IM-ME.

The IM-ME, a toy that resembles one of those old cell phones that came with sliding keyboards, simply needs an antenna and an open-source attachment in order to be able to try every possible combination for these garage door codes in less than 10 seconds.

Even scarier? The OpenSesame device costs less than $100 to create.

“It’s a huge joke,” said Kamkar, a serial hacker who also works as an independent developer and consultant. “The worst case scenario is that if someone wants to break into your garage, they can use a device you wouldn’t even notice in their pocket, and within seconds the garage door is open.”

However, not all of the 53% of home buyers who want a two-car garage need to panic. OpenSesame only works on garage doors that respond to a “fixed code” that is wirelessly transmitted when you press the button on a remote garage door opener. “Rolling code” systems, which require you to punch the code in manually, aren’t vulnerable to this device.

Not for long, though — Kamkar told Wired he’s already working on a hack that would extend OpenSesame’s capabilities to rolling code systems, as well. And if he figures out a way to hack rolling codes, no one’s garages will be safe.

“It’s a sticky situation. I haven’t even figured out what I’m supposed to do to my own garage,” Kamkar says. “I don’t have a great solution for anyone, including myself.”

People who suffered from bullying as young adults are twice as likely to suffer from depression when they get older, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Oxford asked nearly 3,900 subjects when they were 13 years old whether or not they were bullied, and if so, how often. When the subjects turned 18, the researchers interviewed them about their mental health.

The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children found that of the 680 13 year olds who said they were bullied more than once a week, 15% were depressed at 18. Of the 1,450 teenagers who were bulled one to three times over six months, just over 7% were depressed as older teens.

In comparison, only 5.5% of teens who weren’t bullied when they were 13 were depressed at 18.

After analyzing the data, the researchers say that these findings suggest a significant portion of depression cases can be linked to childhood bullying.

“In our study we found that up to 30% of depression in our sample of 18 year olds may be attributed to being bullied as a teenager, if this link is indeed causal,” study author Lucy Bowes told Forbes. “This means that anti-bullying interventions in the teenage years could potentially have a big impact in reducing depression in the general adult population.”

Combatting bullying can be difficult. Much like depression, bullying can be a bit of an invisible problem. More than four out of five depressed individuals don’t seek out professional help, while less than 30% of boys and 40% of girls will talk about bullying to their peers by age 14. If no one knows there’s a problem, no one can help.

The National Center For Victims of Crime suggests that a youth who is being bullied tell his or her parents and discusses how they can help him or her be safe, tell a teacher or counselor who can take action, find out the school’s policy on bullying to see how it can help his or her case.

The agency also suggests that anyone who sees someone being bullied should get a teacher or parent to help, talk to the victim, and report the incident to the proper authority.

Sadly, a review of studies from 13 countries by the Yale School of Medicine found an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied, and suicide. In other words, taking action against bullying could potentially save someone’s life.