GeekSugar

geeksugar's Gift Guide For Bosses

GeekSugar — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 08:30:51 PST

It's not just your dedicated coworkers who deserve to be gifted this holiday season - it's the grand Pooh-Bah, your boss, your supervisor, your manager‚ that person who keeps you in line all year - who needs a little recognition too. Thank them for putting up with you all year with a little trinket (and natch, nothing's over $25).

For more gift ideas, don't forget to check out HolidaySugar!

Source

Paper Email Notepad $5	Fruit Powered Clock $18
LOLMagnetz $20	Clip Desktop Storage $20
Bella Leather Mouse Pad $20	USB Hub Chain $22
USB Mini Fridge/Warmer $25	USB Heated Gloves $25	Computer Brush $32

Rustic Computer Brush Gets to the Root of Your Grimy Gadgets

GeekSugar — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 14:30:28 PST

Blame Apple for the profusion of roundish, white space-looking accessories - because of them I was struck by how "unusual" this Computer Brush ($32) looks, even though it really resembles traditional house-cleaning supplies.

One side of the bristles is stiff to get out crumbs and other ucky crap from your keyboard; the other side is soft, antistatic goat hair to dedustify your monitor. The promise of cleanliness is what piques my interest, but to be honest, it's the back-to-basics styling that has me sold.

9 Items a Forgetful Person Must Keep in the Office

Emily Co — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:32:55 PDT

I used to constantly forget to charge my phone overnight and would spend my day furiously switching my cell on and off just to conserve battery. That's until I bought another charger to leave in the office. I know that some of you with superhuman memories don't have this problem, but for my forgetful peers, here is a nice list of things you should keep in the office . . . just in case!

All Types of Chargers: Keep an extra set of chargers, be it phone or computer or some gadget you can't do without, at your office. This is so you won't beat yourself up over forgetting to charge your electronic devices the night before. You can alternatively choose to leave another fully charged battery at the office, but it seems like the chargers are generally way cheaper!
Feminine Products: It's the time of the month, but you keep forgetting to bring some feminine products to work. If the office bathroom doesn't have a dispenser, remember to keep a full pack of it at work so you don't ever have to run out to the nearest pharmacy when you're on the job.
Mini Whiteboard: If you're really forgetful, you might not remember completing things on your electronic to-do list. I know it's really easy to dismiss and click away the alerts when you're on your computer. Increase chances of remembering by placing a small whiteboard on your desk to scribble down urgent items.

For more items a forgetful person must keep in the office, read on!

Acer Introduces Aspire S5 - World's Thinnest Ultrabook

Kelly Schwarze — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:59:24 PST

Acer kicked off CES 2012 today with the introduction of the Aspire S5, billed as the world's thinnest ultrabook. With a 13.3-inch LCD display, the computer measures 15 mm at its biggest point and weighs less than 3 lbs.

Using the same Instant On technology as the Timeline, the S5 boots to full functionality in 1.5 seconds and boasts a battery life of "several weeks," according to a statement by Acer. The included Always Connect feature wakes the S5 from sleep mode via a separate device like a tablet or smartphone. AcerCloud, Acer's multiplatform compatible response to customer cloud storage, will come pre-installed on the S5.

Despite its size, the S5 does include external ports, hidden within what Acer calls a MagicFlip I/o port panel. A touch of the MagicFlip key reveals an HDMI, USB 3.0, and 20 Gbps Thunderbolt port. You heard it - Thunderbolt. The brushed black metallic cover is made of magnesium-aluminum alloy. An Intel CoreTM processor, SSD storage, and Dolby Home Theater v4 round out the S5's inner specs.

Look for the S5 to ship in the second quarter of 2012, when pricing will also be announced. Check out a first look at the new ultrabook in the gallery!

Samsung Announces DV300F Point and Shoot Ahead of CES

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:30:47 PST

You know you love taking self portraits and pics of you and your friends, so you'll probably love the new 16MP Samsung DV300F 2View camera that features a forward-facing 1.5-inch LCD viewfinder for picture-perfect shots.

Coming stocked with WiFi connectivity, this feature allows you to share images with Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, and YouTube and connect wirelessly to your home PC to transfer pics to your computer, freeing up space on your camera without ever breaking out a cord or adapter. What's more, you can create artwork in various different ways right on the camera. Just like one of our new favorite apps, Diptic, you can merge up to three different images (even from different cameras) right inside the camera. Other features include "Magic Frame," which comes with 12 styled backgrounds; "Artistic Brush," that changes your portraits or landscapes into black and white sketches and watercolor-styled images; and "Motion Photo," a video feature that allows you to capture one person's movements while freezing everyone else in the frame.

No word yet on when this camera will be available, but there are sure to be more details at CES.

Pros and Cons of Online Classes

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 11:54:30 PDT

There's an increasing number of paid and free online classes you can take to learn a new trade, brush up on your calculus skills, and even learn a language, but are online classes the best way to go? For some, it takes the edge off of the skyrocketing tuition costs in the US (since you can sometimes find online classes at a lower price). While for others, it's a great idea in theory but requires huge amounts of self-discipline to complete. Here, we'll take a look at the pros and cons of online learning verses the traditional college education. Which is right for you?

Pros

It's applicable to the real world and the pace of business. More workers are telecommuting full-time and learning in an online environment requires the same self-discipline as working solo from home.
You can learn from anywhere. You don't have to be at school to go to school, which would be exceptionally helpful during busy holiday travel seasons or any other time a last-minute trip to mom and dad's is necessary.
It could lower costs for students and institutions. Online classes may translate to lots of online reading material, eliminating the need for the pricey trip to the campus bookstore (and the sore arms that go along with carrying a semester's worth of books).
It could encourage more interaction. It seems counterintuitive, but an online forum can give shier students a chance to be heard, allow for easier discussion of potentially controversial subjects, and make it easier and more efficient for a student to approach a professor. Goodbye, crazy lines during office hours.
A student's program can be tailored to individual needs. If you're not a morning person, a 9 a.m. class could be torture. If you have access to an online lecture 24/7, you can tune in when your brain is fully awake, meaning better performance and retention.

Cons

Your living room may not be the best place to learn. Though learning at your own pace and time can seem like the optimal situation, there's something to be said for getting out of your house and into a classroom, away from distractions like the Internet, TV, and, of course, your bed.
In fact, you may just never leave your room. Moving around on campus = forced interaction = a better social situation. Plus, exercise!
You might miss out on meeting awesome new people. While online classes allow you to interact with others through your computer, you'll miss that oh-so-important face time with your peers.
Speaking of face time, you won't get as much of it with your professor, either. All colleges are different, but many feature at least some smaller classes where your absence or lack of participation is noticed quickly by the professor. This may encourage you to work harder, show up completely prepared for class, and in-class participation.

Start a Healthy Eye Routine to Combat Office Environs

Leta Shy — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 05:50:12 PDT

You work out every day and have a dental hygiene routine that would make any DDS proud, but are you proactive about your eye health? Since a lot of us spend countless hours a week on sitting at desks and staring into computers, maintaining a healthy eye routine is essential. From the glare of the monitor to the dry office air, it seems that our workhorse eyeballs never get any respect. So with all the abuse they take, why not be proactive to make sure you keep your eyes healthy? Learn important tips to babying those baby blues (or browns, or greens) after the break.