GeekSugar

Ask a Geek Girl: What Do I Do With My Old iPod?

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 14:45:01 -0700

For this installment of Ask a Geek Girl, TeamSugar user amers230 asks what she should do with her old iPod, now that she's received the new iPod of her dreams:

As a special surprise for my birthday my parents bought me the new iPod I've wanted for forever. Now that I have my 80GB Classic, I have no use for my 3-year-old 20GB. Thing is, I'm not sure what to do with it now. I'm asking around to see if any friends or family want it, but no one really is interested. I could just sell it on eBay for five or ten bucks, but I was really wondering if anyone knows of some sort of donation center.

To see my answer, just read more.

I'm glad you're asking about recycling your iPod, since you'd be surprised how many people just toss them in the trash and end up polluting the earth. Thankfully, I have a couple donation options for you. First off, Apple offers a free recycling program throughout all of their retail stores in the US. Just drop off your old iPod to your nearest Apple Store, and in addition to saving Mother Earth, you'll get a cool 10 percent off of your next iPod purchase.

If you want to donate your old player to charity, I'd check out RecyclingForCharities. Not only can you donate your iPod, but you can also send in your old computers, cell phones, printers, digital cameras, and PDA's to a charity of your choice. Just print out your shipping label and fill out your tax forms (since donating your electronics is tax deductible), and off they go!

Has anyone else donated your old electronics? Tell us what service you used in the comments below!

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Take Care Of Your E-Waste This Earth Day

GeekSugar — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 10:00:37 -0700

Today is Earth Day, which means you should take the time to do a thorough E-waste spring cleaning! Did you know that every year more than 3.2 million tons of electronic waste is disposed in landfills? When computers, TVs and cell phones go to landfills, they can leak lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, selenium, chromium, and many other toxic materials into drinking water and have serious effects on our health. Thankfully companies like Sharp Electronics are celebrating Earth Day for the entire month of April. For all customers who buy a new Sharp LCD TV (measuring at least 37 inches), Sharp will recycle their old TV for free. When your new TV is delivered, the company will even pick up your old one. Do your part this Earth Day (and everyday) to preserve and conserve our planet. Below are some tips and suggestions to help you go gadget green this Earth Day!

Reuse and Recycle Your Gadgets Try re-using old computers and cell phones by giving them to a younger sibling or friend. You can even donate them to a local organization or a church or school. Do a bit of research and see if there is a recycling service in your community. If you exercise all of the options above and decide that you must dispose your electronics, make sure that you do not give anything to a recycler who ships waste overseas; as this just transfers the problem elsewhere.
Check out E-Waste Recycling Sites For more info, visit great NGO computer donation and recycling sites like: Used Computer, Share Technology and Earth 911

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Daily Tech: Photos of the Palm Pre's WebOS Surface

GeekSugar — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:05:02 -0700

Since I can't get my hands on the Palm Pre just, I've found the next best thing - a huge gallery of Palm's WebOS in action. - MobileCrunch
I absolutely love this! PeeWee has come out with a PC Pivot Tablet Laptop that is perfect for kids with its spill- and drop-resistant shell. - Engadget
Although many measures have been put in place to improve air quality, six out of 10 Americans are breathing in extremely dirty and polluted air. - Forecast Earth
There are five different types of annoying gadget shoppers. I think I'm a Online Buyer Try-Out person, which one are you? - Wired
If you have a BlackBerry, here's a helpful tip that will help you save your battery's power while traveling. - Switched

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Eco-fy Your Wedding!

GeekSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:30:12 -0700

In honor of Earth Day (and wedding planning week here on the Sugar Network) I thought it would be a grand idea to serve you up some easy and simple ways to make your wedding just a bit more earth friendly from a geek's perspective. These days, getting down with protecting Mother Earth can be simple.

From your wedding shower, to the big event and to all the details in between - from flower and utensil selection to reducing your meal's carbon footprint by choosing local food and beverages - little changes like this can certainly help our planet and our pocketbooks! Making your wedding eco friendly has never been more simple (and surprisingly) cost effective. Besides, wouldn't you rather spend all that extra cash on the honeymoon, or better yet? That flat screen HDTV you've been eyeing? Go, Earth!

Invites - We've already talked about some great wedding websites like ewedding that you can set up at little or no cost. The best part, since all of your ceremony and reception information is in one place, no one will be losing the details on your big day. And since your guests can RSVP directly on the site at any time, there really isn't any need for paper invites anymore. Another option is to create a DVD wedding invite - high tech, yet super simple to make! However, if you are a traditionalist and want to send out your dream monogrammed paper invitations, make sure your paper is 100 percent recycled or even paper free like what's offered at Atlanta based Earthly Affair, who offer recycled invites as well as eco friendly printing and shipping.

For a few more tips, read more

Favors - No more mint candies in little bags from the earth friendly couple! There are lots of online options for some pretty unique and planet saving wedding favors. For example, The Arbor Day Foundation offers gift trees for your guests to plant, and nurture, just like your marriage! Or, you can send your guests away knowing that you have donated funds in their name to a charity of your choice, with the help of great charities like I Do Foundation.
Go Green With Transportation - Why take separate vehicles and burn all those fossil fuels when you can double, even or triple-up in something like a stretch limo? Or better yet, rent lots of hybrid cars instead of getting that earth un-friendly hummer your hubby has been longing for.
Rings - Sorry to be a "Debbie Downer," but If you haven't seen the film Blood Diamond, I suggest you take a gander before purchasing that rock you've dreamed of since you were a little girl. Times have changed and it's imperative that you make sure you aren't getting a diamond at the cost of someone's life! Research where your diamonds come from before you buy, whether it's online or from a store, or even consider going for a man made gem. Also, since mining for gold does a number on the earth's ecosystems, consider recycling your old rings that you aren't wearing, and turning them into a new piece that you can enjoy forever through a company called GreenKarat that does just that. By reusing gold or silver you already have, you can make your new rings as geeky, or as traditional as you'd like, and help reduce mining damage!
Go Digital! - Why do it the old school way and waste tons of rolls of (toxic) film when you can go digital?! With digital cameras, you can easily email your captured memories to friends and family, or upload them to lovely digital photo frames! Simple, easy on the environment and super cheap!

For more wedding coverage, check out I Do Sugar.

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Google Introduces 'My Maps'

GeekSugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 13:30:13 -0700

Google launched My Maps today, which is a new feature of the search engine's popular map program that enables users to create custom maps for personal use or sharing through search. The program will essentially give users 'wiki-like' control of maps and allow you to personalize and save your favorite spots around the globe. Here's more:

From chronicling trips, to sharing tips and documenting academic endeavors, My Maps empowers users to create content-rich maps that are relevant to their interests, expertise, or personal needs.

With My Maps users can:

Mark locations on a map from a library of icons
Draw lines and shapes to highlight paths and areas
Add text, photos, or YouTube/Google Videos to a map
Add HTML for further personalization and view their maps in Google Earth

Users can choose to make their My Maps unlisted or public. Unlisted maps are intended for personal use or sharing with friends and family by email. Public My Maps will be accessible through Google Maps search along with maps shared by other web sites. Check out a fun sample map.