Some of my favorite movies growing up were the Back to the Future movies (I loved that Michael J.), particularly the second one, because of all the crazy technology I thought we could expect in the 21st century. All the kids had hover boards, the re-hydrater could take a tiny piece of food and zap it into a full gourmet meal, there were TV screens that doubled as window shades — I could not wait for it to be 2015 so I could have all those amazing gadgets (Sidenote: If they had flying cars, then why did everyone still look old as dirt?). I swear, every year after that movie was out, some other kid was telling me that this was the year hover boards were really coming out.
Well, it's 2008 and we still don't have hover boards, my microwave still makes my burrito hot on the ends and icy cold in the middle, and I have never seen a video waiter. And we know how the film series' benchmark technological innovation — the time-traveling De Lorean — has panned out. Watch my slideshow to see how Back to the Future II's imaginary gadgets have stacked up, nineteen years later!
What better way to countdown to Valentine's Day than by showcasing fun interviews with some very special Geeks We Love. Without further adieu (cause I know you want to know who the hottie is in the pic below), I bring to you today's geeky guy — The geekalicious Devin Coldewey, a Seattle-based freelance tech writer who works as an associate editor for CrunchGear—one of my fave tech blogs. You can't help but love a guy with a great sense of humor, who watches nature documentaries, knows a ton about gadgets, and was once . . . a preschool teacher. . . (all together now, awww!) Keep reading to learn more about Devin, and find out why he thinks the MacBook Air is a "sexy lemon!" GS: Tell my few readers that haven’t heard of you a little about yourself:
DC: Well, I used to be a preschool teacher, but now I do this ridiculous gig. Writing about cool stuff all day, kind of awesome. My life isn't too exciting. . . I spend my days and nights hanging out at bars and cafes writing, reading, and seeing friends. I really love obscure music, nature documentaries, and old-school video games.
GS: When we chit-chatted at CES, you mentioned that you don't read a ton of blogs each day. Is this true? And if so, how do you get all your info for stories?
DC: Well, what I write on isn't always what I keep tabs on. I love looking up stuff like new camera gear, Indie gaming news, and PC hardware. . . But for random cool gadgets like that bad breath detector you guys had, I feel there is so much out there, that I have to leave it the guys who are naturally inclined that way. We edit each other and say "dude, is this cool or not?" all the time, and trade posts when we know the other guy would have loved to have found it.
To check out the rest of the interview, and to see what Devin describes as the ultimate geeky Valentine's Day date (trust me it's realllly good), read more
This Abby Patent laptop sleeve by Lauren Merkin (a cool emerging designer) reminds me a lot of the oversized clutch trend — the foldover closure makes it look like it's holding your going-out essentials instead of your laptop.
Usually I buy sleeves to put inside a bag, but this one could be comfortable carried on its own. But I worry that the scalloped edge and black patent would get old fast.
It's also available in a metallic version and is $150, down from $225. So what's the verdict?
If you're still searching for some great Valentine's Day gifts for your geeky girlfriends, I suggest paying a visit to Incase—The sleeves, cases and folio experts. Thanks to Popgadget, I've realized that Incase has beefed up its selection of colors, which now include many pink accessories for Apple products. For $30 you can pick up a pink iPod Touch case or a pink iPhone case. And for $25 you can protect a new Nano in a pink iPod case. There's always the MacBook Neoprene Case, which is priced at $35. All of the above products are available in a variety of other colors, so the men in your life can get in on the fun as well!
Thankfully the glitz and glam will be back in full swing with the 80th annual Academy Awards, which is set to air Sunday February 24.
For gadget gurus like myself, we can now catch all the Oscar action on our cell phones or desktop. Just type m.oscar.com into your phone browser or text "OSCARS" to 22288. And to get Oscar text alerts sent to your phone or PDA text "ALERTS" to 22288.
You can also download the Oscar widget to put on your Facebook, MySpace or iGoogle homepage!
If you hold out it will come: After a disappointing showing from the new Kindle cases, I was feeling pretty uninspired by gadget bags and cases. Well, the geek accessory Gods are smiling on us, because Stella McCartney's line for LeSportsac has gone live, with a lot of pretty and posh options for laptops and cameras (currently available for pre-order) . The line is priced $120 to $325, which is pricey, but more reasonable than most Stella McCartney offerings. Also making it worth it: They're all made of 100 percent recycled eco polyester. Check out my slideshow for the new wares!
Sonia Rykiel
Maje
BDL by Ben de Lisi