GeekSugar

Alaska Airlines Gets On Board With Mobile Boarding Passes

GeekSugar — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 11:30:19 PST

Taking off for a trip? If you're flying Alaska Airlines, forget printing out your boarding pass to get to your seat - Alaska announced new mobile boarding passes for their tech-savvy passengers earlier today. Check in at home, or on your smartphone, then bookmark your boarding pass page for easy boarding. Airports dotting the Northwest get first dibs on the simplified boarding process, while more will be rolling out over the next year.

Other airlines tested the eTicket waters a few years ago, but with the amount of smartphones in our hands these days, eTicketing and electronic boarding passes will be much easier to use today. Will you (or do you currently) use eTickets or mobile boarding passes when you catch a flight?

Flying with NWA This Holiday Season? Use an E-Boarding Pass!

GeekSugar — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:25:49 PST

Earlier this year, Northwest Airlines announced that they would be offering E-Boarding passes to select cities offering nonstop flights.

Wondering how it works? When you check in to your flight on nwa.com, just select the E-Boarding Pass option from the drop down on the "Completing Your Check-In" page. From this page, you will be prompted to enter your cell phone information, and your E-Boarding Pass will then be sent to your phone. Once you get to the gate, you will have to show your screen with the 2D barcode and scan it right there.

So far, people have reported that it works great - minus the TSA part since they usually check your paper boarding pass with your ID as you walk through the security X-Ray Machine - something they'll have to work on improving.

5 Geeky Alternatives to Watching the Super Bowl This Sunday

Kristy Korcz — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:30:56 PST

The big day is almost here - the NY Giants take on the New England Patriots during the 46th Super Bowl this Sunday. If you aren't into sitting in a steamy bar or throwing a sporty bash to celebrate the occasion, consider these alternatives for yourself and the other geeks in your life.

Play a video game - Favorite team didn't make it to the big game? Play out the perfect season yourself with Madden NFL 12 instead.
Get into a new show - If you're not a football fan at all, you might consider catching up on a new TV show. Might I recommend the geek-friendly Sherlock on BBC? The entire first season is on Netflix right now. You won't regret it.
Play a board game - Get lost in a geeky board game like Scene It? Star Trek Deluxe Edition with fellow Trekkies.
Visit a museum - Pass the time at your local science museum or planetarium for a celestial show.
Get hot and heavy in the kitchen - Instead of ordering pizza and hot wings, cook up something from one of these geeky cookbooks with recipes inspired by superheroes, Star Trek, and Star Wars.

Making the Schlotzsky's Connection

OnSugar Blog — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 14:15:58 PST

When it comes to quality sandwiches, how does Texas-based chain Schlotzsky's fare? Sandwich maven Between the Bread weighs in.

For years, I've been connecting through Houston airport and longingly passing by a Schlotzsky's counter, but I never seem to end up there at meal time. This year, our stop en route to Pensacola fell around lunch hour, so we finally got to enjoy one of the muffuletta-inspired sandwiches.

It's judgment day for this deli sandwich! See its deli board score when you keep reading.

6 Earth-Shattering Space Headlines From 2011

Kelly Schwarze — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 06:14:26 PST

There may not have been any human exploration of Mars this year, but there certainly were plenty of galactic milestones in the last 12 months from NASA and international space programs. From the end of the space shuttle program that once had kids dreaming of becoming astronauts to the launch of a space robot to a possible planet twin, which of these 2011 headlines was your highlight of the year's space exploration?

End of Shuttle Era - Over the Summer, NASA marked its 135th and final space shuttle mission. After a 30-year long program, the shuttle Atlantis was the last manned American spaceship of its kind to leave Earth. NASA is turning future missions to the exploration of other planets and deep space.
Curiosity Mars Rover Takes Off - In hopes of learning more about the Red Planet, NASA launched the Mars Science Laboratory, with a rover named Curiosity on board in November. It will take about nine months before the Rover descends on our neighbor planet, where its high-tech components will analyze the Martian terrain.
Earth-Like Planet Confirmed in the Habitable Zone - The team of NASA scientists working with the Kepler satellite confirmed the sighting of a planet in the habitable zone of a distant star. Kepler-22b, is 600 light years away from Earth, is larger in size than our planet, and orbits its sun-like star in just 290 days.
Voyager Enters Interstellar Space - After 30 years of travel, the Voyager 1 spacecraft passed the boundaries of our solar system, inching closer to interstellar space. Launched from the US in 1977, Voyager 1 is now about 11 billion miles away from the sun.

Reminisce back to two more 2011 space events after the break.

Holiday Wish Lists: Practical or Tacky?

LearnVest — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:15:58 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Ah, the wish list.

It made a lovely debut when we were little, often addressed to a certain Mr. Claus. It had a good run for a few years, but retired itself in adulthood as the stuff of kids and dreams (with the exception of weddings and babies, when they take on the adult guise of “registry”).

And now that we are adults, wish lists (outside of those socially acceptable registries) are at best silly and at worst mercenary, right? That’s what many think.

Are We Becoming More Mercenary?

A recent New York Times story discussed the recent trend of the wish list-it’s back, along with more mercenary attitudes towards gift-giving, like a desire for gift cards instead of actual gifts. (According to the story, for the last five years, gift cards have been the most requested gift, according to National Retail Foundation surveys.) A study released earlier this year showed that people who receive gifts they had requested actually derive more pleasure from them and appreciate them more.

Read on for more on wishlists.

Do You Drug Your Kids For Airplane Travel?

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:37:23 PST

The holiday travel season has officially begun, with many schools beginning their Winter breaks at the end of this week. The bags are packed and boarding passes are printed, but is Mama going to throw in one extra item to help ensure a smooth journey?

For some, giving lil ones a single dose of medication like Benadryl or Dimetapp is like buying trip insurance - it's a lil safeguard against a midtrip disaster. The sleep-inducing elixirs can be just the ticket to a peaceful - meltdown-free - flight across the country or to grandma's house. What do you think?

How to Make a Digital Holiday Wish List

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 13:15:08 PST

Remove the stress of whether your holiday gift will be loved and encourage family to pass along a digital wish list of dream presents. Have them use these tools to ensure the gifts they're jonesing for this year end up in your e-shopping cart. Of course, they work for hinting at what you'd like to see under the tree as well.

Pinterest - Already spending hours on Pinterest? Pin with purpose and make a personal wish list board filled with ideas to direct moms and loves ones. While you're at it, track products and DIYs a boyfriend, parent, or friend might like with individual boards for each.
Etsy Wishlists - For the DIY and vintage enthusiast, use Etsy's gift recommendation app, which plugs into Facebook, to discover the unique finds your friends are hearting.
Amazon Wish List - As one of the biggest stores on the Internet, you're likely to find everything on Amazon. Search for lists by your recipient's name to see the electronics, DVDs, and books they're craving.
MyRegistry - Add a MyRegistry button to a web browser and add items from around the web to your registry account. It works just like a normal store registry you might use for a wedding, and items are checked off as they're purchased. That way, if grandma already bought you the coffeemaker from Crate & Barrel, mom can move onto another gift.

Other than good old-fashioned handwritten lists, what tools do you use to keep track of holiday wishes?

Make the Skies a Bit Friendly With These Holiday Travel Tips For Families

BabyCenter — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 11:33:09 PST

We're excited to share this post from our partners at BabyCenter! Every week, we will be bringing you the best parenting and lifestyle stories from the experts at BabyCenter, including this post from Kristina Sauerwein about making holiday travel as smooth as possible.

No doubt you've noticed the tinsel, twinkle-light Christmas trees in stores and heard carols on the radio. Although it does seem early to get decked out for the holidays, the season is rapidly approaching and it is not too early to plan holiday air travel.

To help you avoid hassles and extra costs associated with holiday air travel, here are 10 tips from Christine Frietchen, Editor in Chief of ConsumerSearch.com, a site that helps consumers make informed purchasing decisions in everything from electronics to home and garden goods to health and beauty items to cars.

For booking air travel, start yesterday. This year is going to be tough for snagging the choice Christmas flights. With Christmas falling on a Sunday, there's already a scramble for Friday-to-Monday (or Tuesday) trips. Start looking and booking now.
Be as flexible as you can. It's hard during the holidays to be flexible, but if you can depart on Thursday, for example, instead of Friday, you can save $100 per ticket in some markets.
When booking flights with connections, be mindful of the connecting city. Winter weather in popular connecting cities like Chicago or Minneapolis can throw a big wrench in your plans. Though a nonstop flight might cost more, it could be worth it if the only connection options are dicey delay-prone cities.
Don't forget to check nearby airports. Although it can be a hassle to drive an extra 50 or 100 miles to a more distant airport, it can be worth checking. For a family, saving $50 per ticket will more than make up for the extra gas.
Check in at home. Most airlines now allow you to check in via computer or smartphone as well as print your boarding pass. If you don't need to check bags, that means you can head straight for the security screening line.

Keep reading for more holiday travel tips!

5 Easy Steps to Life Without Paper

LearnVest — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 00:15:26 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Paper, paper everywhere, and not a spot to think.

At least, that’s how it feels when the tyranny of paperwork invades your desk, your home (and your mind): bills, receipts, notes, memos, brochures, statements, claim forms, post-its with mysterious scribbled numbers, all seeming to breed and multiply before your very eyes like parchment Gremlins. And just when you clear through a pile, another seems to march in the door.

Managing our leafy mountains is not only time-intensive, but - let’s face it - not fun. Which is why more often than not, when faced with a disheartening leafy mountain, we turn toward more fulfilling activities - like procrastinating, or watching New Girl.

No more. Paper, you have met your match.

And that match is LearnVest’s guerilla guide to Going Paper-Free - ranging from free apps to pricier (but well worth it) scanner products. Everything here will help you get enviably organized, and all your paper masterfully under your control. Getting into a new de-papering system may take a period of adjustment, but once you’re there, trust us: You’ll never look back.

Say hello to well-saved time, money, sanity, trees - and goodbye to paper cuts.

1. Stop the Catalogs

The first step is to stem the tide of paper that flows into your life via your mailbox. These days, everything from filling out a warranty card to purchasing a product puts your name and address on a catalog mailing list; your information is then sold to countless other organizations. Ebb your mail flow by heading to either DMAChoice.org or CatalogChoice.org, both of which allow you to either opt out of all catalogs, or select certain ones to stop.

Read on for more tips to a paper-free life.