GeekSugar

Go On, Give Online Invitation Service Crusher a Shot

GeekSugar — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 05:58:54 -0700

I wrote about eVite and Pingg alternative Crusher when it was brand-new in 2007, but I've never actually known anyone to use it, until last week, when I got a Fourth of July invitation to a barbecue via Crusher.

I was seriously impressed: clean lines, tools like polls to figure out the best date for everyone, and awesome features like avatars and html snippets (so you could add your own maps or widgets). I was so impressed, in fact, that I started drafting up an invite for my next soiree!

I love how you can gauge how likely you are to attend the event, and modern look of Crusher - especially how easy it is to customize the invite and make it look as amazing as the party will be. Have you tried Crusher yet?

Website Of The Day: Crusher

GeekSugar — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 11:00:07 -0700

It's quite simple really: Crusher is the new Evite.

We can't all take the time to create 25+ decadent handmade invites the way PartySugar does, so some of us have to take the techie route (although I'll admit it, PartySugar's invites are always nicer than mine!)

If you've used Evite you know it's a pretty straightforward set up. You make a blanket invite, invite friends via their e-mail addresses and let people RSVP, make comments and see who else is coming via your online invitation. The site is all good and dandy, but not without some bugs and a small army of distracting ads.

Crusher (the url is actually Crush3r.com) is a simple, toned down version of Evite sans the ads. It was created by an independent group of designer/developers in the Bay area. "We're simply trying to do things better than the bigger monkeys, and the big gorilla," says the team. Crusher allows you to send invites to your events and events you go to so your friends will always be in the loop. You can request that your friends RSVP or simply invite people to your page. Your guests aren't required to sign up.

To read the rest of my review and check out sample invites, read more

My favorite feature, which is lacking on most of the invite community sites, is the fact that there is a "best date" feature that allows you to find out which calendar dates your friends prefer before deciding when to have the big day. It's simple and genius. Customize your page, or use their simple templates like the ones below.

View 5 Photos ›

To learn how to post your favorite sites to the Website of the Day group, see tips below.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group
Click "Create and Share!" on the left hand side
Choose "Blog"
Give your photo a Title
Leave the category as "general"
Change the channel to "technology and gadgets"
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day")
Click on the "Add Image" link below the "body" box
A popup window will happen - click on "Browse" to find your image on your computer
Once you have the image chosen, click "Submit"
The popup will show you your image, choose size: "normal" - if you want, you can give it a title (which will show up as a caption)
Click "Insert" and the popup will go away
Your "body" box will now have some text in it. Leave it as is. If you want to add some text before the picture telling me why you love the website, do it before the code that has appeared.
Click Submit

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Lisa Katayama of Tokyomango: Geeky Girl We Love

GeekSugar — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 07:00:23 -0700

If you're into gadgets you've probably realized some of the coolest, strangest and geekiest gadgets and gizmos come from Japan. If you're a real webmeister, you've probably noticed the hottest Japanese items are often premiered to the US (and the rest of the world) via Tokyomango, a site started by Lisa Katayama nearly a year ago.

Lisa, who grew up in Tokyo and now lives in San Francisco, has been sharing her insight into Japanese culture and gadgets (as well as her general knowledge of techie things) with Wired Magazine for two years and is also the associate editor at PLANETº Magazine. She has a book coming out in Spring 08 about secret Japanese tips and tricks and has quickly gained a reputation for her witty, hilarious and insightful pieces. Think golden poop. Think cell phone straps. Think beer for dogs. Think anything you ever wanted to know about Japan's "Beauty Adviser" Nintendo DS games. Think where does Lisa find all this goofy stuff?

When she's not writing, she's game for any team sport or activity (like speeding down hills on skis or a bike), crafting, eating, watching chick flicks, playing video games and traveling all over the world. I managed to snag an interview with her and asked her a couple questions about her site and well, overall coolness. Click here to read more

Geeksugar: You seem to have an endless supply of amazing gizmos and off beat news, without revealing your secrets and sources, please tell us about your experience and how you came to love Japanese culture and gadgets so much.
Lisa: I was born and raised in Tokyo, so Japanese culture and gadgets are just a part of my existence. It was only when I started working at Wired that I realized that people considered things like Tokyo street trends and novelty gadgets to be newsworthy. I started Tokyomango as a dumping ground for stories that wouldn't get published in the magazine, and also for a place to debunk common myths and sensationalized conceptions of Japanese pop culture and lifestyle. A lot of people write about Japan, but most of them aren't Japanese.

Geeksugar: Do you use a PC or Mac?
Lisa: I use my 15" MacBookPro at home.

Geeksugar: How many hours are you online everyday?
Lisa: 8-10. On weekends, I try to stay completely offline.

Geeksugar: Your first computer was a ...
Lisa: Sony Vaio.

Geeksugar: How many gadgets do you carry in your purse? What are they?
Lisa: My cell phone (Nokia 5300) and if I remember to bring it, my iPod video. I don't like carrying too many things around, it gets confusing.

Geeksugar: What’s your favorite item or news story you’ve ever written about?
Lisa: A couple months ago, I walked around my neighborhood investigating the life and death of a homeless man I was good friends with. That was really meaningful and fascinating in a much more human kind of way than the tech/culture stories I usually do.

I also put some galleries together for Wired.com showcasing adult toys, cell phone straps, and doggie gadgets from Tokyomango.

Geeksugar: How many blog feeds are in your RSS reader?
Lisa: 112.

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 3 sexiest male geeks in the world?
Lisa:

Astro Boy -I want to sweep him off his rocket-jet-fuelled feet and get intimate with his nuclear reactor heart.
Brendan Fraser in Blast From the Past - Why can't hot, courteous guys emerge from nuclear holocaust fallout shelters more often?
That dude with the iPhone-Have you seen how those fingers roll smoothly across the touchscreen? Hot!

Geeksugar: How do you feel about being called a "geek” or “techie”?
Lisa: Am I a geek? I think you're the first person to call me that. But I'll take it as a compliment.

Geeksugar: What are a couple tech/gadget trends you adore?
Lisa: love that video game music has taken on a following of its own. Have you seen the Mario Piano Guy or the dude who plays the Zelda track on two guitars? Pretty cool. Other than that, I'm not so into tech trends. I follow them, sure-but only in an objective, journalistic way. My day-to-day life is pretty analog.

Geeksugar: What is one item you’ve featured that you had to purchase?
Lisa: The golden poop cell phone strap. I actually bought these in bulk and had a contest where I gave a bunch of them out to people who best answered the question: Why do Japanese people love poop so much? We really, really love poop. I just Googled my blog for the word "poop" got 156 hits. That means I've written about poop every other day since I started Tokyomango.

Geeksugar: What’s the most useless thing you’ve featured?
Lisa: I don't know where to start! When looked at a certain way, everything on my blog is utterly useless; but take into consideration the odd, quirky ways in which the esoteric few will find these products pleasurable or convenient, and anything has the potential to be surprisingly useful. Take the portable heated wooden toilet bowl, for example. Why would anybody want to carry around such an expensive, awkward toilet contraption? But maybe some people would really appreciate the butt shower. Aside from that, this CD crusher is probably the stupidest thing ever.