GeekSugar

Cover Your Walls in Geek Love!

GeekSugar — Sat, 17 May 2008 07:12:08 -0700

I've been itching to put up some more art in my apartment and get rid of the sad whiteness of bare walls, but I'm so picky about selecting just the "right" art.

I need something that is going to complement its surroundings, make a house a home, and speak to me!

Something that, I guess, is me. Tall order right? Well, I think this Geek Love print is me!

A geeky print - an original from Etsy for only 16 bucks, no less - is perfect for a home of two geeks in love - who have been too lazy to buy art for their blank walls.

Printed Camera Shirt: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 16:04:55 -0800

It's not a crime to have gotten into photography because you secretly thought you would look cool snapping photos.

Sometimes you even look cool with the camera strap around your neck, tourist style (though Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson definitely make it look cool). But is it so cool that you'd rock this Printed Camera T-Shirt ($20)?

It's got a vintage Leica on it, which I love, but um, what happens when you wear this shirt on the same day you are actually taking photos?

Would you wear this?

Matthew Williamson Digital Print Scarf: Love It or Leave It?

GeekSugar — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 15:45:14 -0700

Not since those pixelated necklaces have I seen something so gorgeously geeky - and I mean in the I-would-wear-this way! This Matthew Williamson Digital Print Scarf ($225) is a sight to be admired - a fab designer scarf in a subtle geeky print - but is it too much? And by "it," I mean the price and the techie sentiment. What do you think?

Take Note on an iPhone-Inspired Notepad

GeekSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:31:14 -0700

While I love my gadgets, sometimes typing thoughts onto the "notes" application on my iPhone won't work. But now I can go old-school pen and paper without abandoning my techy tendencies. Check out these great notebooks, inspired by the iPhone.

The Notepod ($18 for a set of three) comes from Australia and contains 100 sheets printed to look like a blank iPhone on one side and grid lines on the other - "perfect for notes or jotting down the phone number of a hot geek," according to the Notepods website. I agree!

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The Designer Lego Dress Takes Geekery, Bravery

GeekSugar — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 07:23:13 -0700

Disclaimer: I did not find this Lego Dress on ThinkGeek. I found it on a regular (and quite posh) shopping website by designer JC De Castelbajac, and you know . . . as geeky as its print inherently is, I quite like it.

Making it more wearable is the fact that it's a t-shirt dress in a cute shape - I could totally see it belted with some flat sandals, and you'd be party- or errand-ready. It's $135, which is semi-affordable for the brave Lego-loving souls who'd dare wear this in public.

Also, the multicolor blocks also just kind of look like a bold, graphic pattern that's still stylish, which you can't really say for the Space Invaders Print Dress at French Connection.

Would you sport this?

Two Geeky Card Options For Your Valentine

GeekSugar — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 06:00:48 -0800

Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day card for the perfect geek? Etsy has seriously got you covered this year with all of its unique, and one-of-a-kind card designs. Here are two to start you off: The Geek Love card ($3.50) features an original illustration and is printed on white recycled paper while the I must love you as you converted me to Star Trek card ($4) offers the perfect mix of geekiness and humor. The Star Trek card is blank inside and is packaged in a cello sleeve with a white envelope.

I Heart Geeks Underwear: Or, You Can Just Say It Out Loud

GeekSugar — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 09:00:24 -0700

Victoria's Secret realizes that you heart geeks, and they want to help you express that fact.

With your panties.

Their "I Heart Geeks" print is available in several styles of their Pink-line undie style (each $8.50).

I can't say I love them, but is it because I'm feeling prudey, or am I just kind of bored by the design? How about doing something in a binary code print?

Oh well, they're surely not boring to dudes.

Party Favors for Your Geek Chic Reception

GeekSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 04:45:36 -0700

A geeky girl's dream wedding would include an awesome reception where everyone mingles, fills up on delish food and drink, and has a total blast while celebrating your big day. To help make this dream a reality, you'll want to check a few things off your "To Do" list beforehand. Of course you'll need music and entertainment, plus something fun to fill your guests' time. Party favors are a hit with crowds because it gives people something to do while the food line goes down and occupies the kiddies while the 'rents are busy networking your other guests for photoshop tips.

What kind of party favors would a geeky couple provide? Well, besides going green and sending your guests home with plantable trees from the Arbor Day Foundation, you can let them entertain themselves with a number of inexpensive and totally geeky gifts. For example, Rubik's cubes on the tables, or even take home Rubik's Cube Keychains will keep the nerdiest of guests focused, and will satisfy the younger geeks-in-training by keeping their hands (and minds) busy.

I have more geeky party favor ideas when you read more

Make it a team effort with crossword puzzles or Sudoku printed tablecloths or napkins. Seriously, what geek hasn't been obsessed at one point with beating the Brain Age Sudoku puzzles on their Nintendo DS? Having them show off their puzzle prowess will surely make a long lasting impression. Just by going to any custom printing shop with a tablecloth of choice and a puzzle or two, you can get a unique geeky wedding activity. Just don't forget to provide pens and/or crayons so that people can actually do the puzzle!
Handing out USB Flash drives is an uber geeky gift that you can personalize with your wedding day message. Have it engraved with your names and the date, or customize with a personal message. "Live long and prosper" would be my personal choice. Since this could get a little higher on the price scale, you can reserve the flash drives for the wedding party alone if you are running low on cash.
Since I got this as a Christmas exchange gift once, I can personally tell you about the joys of the keychain digital camera. These little guys are super fun and will hold up to a beating by your keys (if you actually keep it on your keychain). Plus, guests can take photos while at the wedding and have them to remember later. Think about designating a Flickr/Shutterfly tag (ex: Geek and Geekette's Wedding) so everyone who took photos at the event, whether it be from the keychain camera or their own, can upload and tag them properly, making a huge virtual photo album online.
Hand out pre-burned CDs of your wedding soundtrack. This is an easy and fun project to complete together before the wedding, since you can pick out tracks that you both love, select a photo for the cover, and if you have a printer that prints on CDs, like the Epson RX680, you can customize the look even further!

Be sure to check out more of our wedding coverage on I Do Sugar.
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Top 10 Gifts For Your Geeky Guy

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 10:13:56 -0800

Holiday gifts for that geeky guy in your life can be stressful, considering he's usually in-the-know about all the cool gadgets and techie treats on the market. My theory is to make sure you get him something that you both can enjoy, that way you're never agitated that he wants to spend a million hours shining his new toys or programing TiVo.

Tivo Series3
If your fella is geeky enough that he took you on more than one date to the electronics store before purchasing his beloved HDTV, he needs a TiVo upgrade to the TiVo Series 3 HD Digital Media Recorder. He’ll be able to control live HDTV, record two digital cable shows at once, and accumulate 300 hours of standard recording time (32 in HD) so you two can cuddle up with TiVo on weekends. Get the Tivo Series 3 for about $700.

Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

If he’s a Canon man, (and what geek isn’t?), he’ll love the sleek Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium, which offers an elegant titanium body and perpetual curve design. Its 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail large, high quality prints and Canon’s reputation for high functionality means you can’t go wrong. Get the souped up Canon for $399.94.

iRobot Scooba 5900 Floor Washing Robot
Buy a geek a robot and he’ll love you forever, but buy a geek Floor Washing Robot and he’ll clean! The iRobot can clean up to 500 square feet on a single battery charge and puts down fresh solution as it cleans under kitchen cabinets, tables and other hard-to-reach areas. It’s safe to use on all sealed hardwood, tile and linoleum. He can check his e-mail while his iRobot does the dirty work. Buy the Scooba 5900 for $399.99 and receive a free Roomba 401.

For seven more gift ideas for your geeky guy, just read more

Zojirushi Bread Maker
The logic is simple: get a geeky guy a Japanese bread maker and get free bread. The Zojirushi BBCC-X20 makes a fresh loaf of bread from start to finish, in a two-pound, horizontal loaf. You get the choice of using the dough cycle by itself, then finishing in your regular oven, which means you can make dough for crisp pizza crust, light dinner rolls, artisan breads, sourdough, cakes – or any other carb-filled delight. Get the Zojirushi BBCC-X20 Home Bread Maker for $199.95.

Turbo-Groomer 5.0
No one wants to admit their beau has nasty nose hairs, but we all know they’re perfectly natural (well, kinda). Help your geeky guy feel less gross by getting him a techie toy to combat his unwanted hair. The Turbo-Groomer 5.0 features Swiss stainless steel rotary blades with titanium cutting edges that whirl at a high-torque (yikes!) and two bright LED "headlights" that help eliminate shadows. He’ll be so fascinated by the light that he’ll forget what he’s doing. Get your Turbo Groomer for $49.99.

Canon HV10 3.1MP High-Definition MiniDV Camcorder with 10x Optical Zoom
What guy doesn't love toting a top of the line camcorder around and what girl doesn't love being filmed? The Canon High-Def MiniDV Camcorder features advanced photo features (including a histogram display and built-in flash) and is small enough that he can sneak it into your purse. Just don't pull a Paris. Get the Canon MiniDV for $994.88.

Nintendo Wii
So Nintendo has recalled the strap, but the Wii is still the hottest game out there. Nintendo fans and non-gamers seem to be bonding over the Wii’s interactive games that force you to move your whole body and get active. If you were smart enough to plan ahead (and wait in the sleet and snow!) you probably already got your geek a Wii for Christmas. If not, check out Craigslist for people reselling them for a profit.
Check it out on Nintendo's website.

Voltaic Solar Laptop Bag
If your guy is the geeky, earth-loving type get him a snazzy Voltaic solar messanger/laptop bag. It's a mobile power generator so it will charge your devices without tying you to a power outlet. It will recharge most small electronic devices including: cell phones, cameras, two way radios, PDAs, and MP3s. Note: it is not designed to charge laptops, but you'll never have to wait for him to charge his 10 million gadgets again. Get a Voltaic for $229.

eStarling Wi-Fi Gmail/Flickr Enabled LCD Frame
If you give your geek a geeky digital frame, you can rest assured he'll be thinking of you all day - everyday. The eStarling frame connects to a wireless network and automatically displays photos e-mailed to it in a slideshow format. You'll be able to shoot photos on your cell then e-mail them directly to your geek's desk. Get your geek an eStarling frame for $249.99.

Micro Mosquito
It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's the new Micro Mosquito! This is the best gift for your guy if he's a wannabe pilot. It looks just like a helicopter, and with seven full function, digital proportional controls, and a flight speed of 10-20 feet per minute, he'll be entertained for hours. Enough said. For more information go to Micro Mosquito. To purchase, check out Radio Shack where you can get him his very own for $70.

Geeky Girl We Love: 14 of Gallery of the Absurd

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 09:00:56 -0700

There are hundreds of bloggers I admire for their tenacity, drive, humor and innovative ideas, but very few who embody the combination of artistry, sarcasm and wit that 14, the founder of Gallery of the Absurd does.

14, who is an artist first and a blogger second, has wowed the web with what the New York Post called "Portraits of Shame" - as in satirical paintings and drawings of tabloid favorites like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin. While gossip blogs talked about the Hollywood Skeleton Girls, 14 painted them - as skeletons. When Star Jones got canned from The View following her shameless quest for wedding freebies and the denial and controversy surrounding her dramatic weight loss, 14 painted her as a fish about to sink her teeth into a giant and shiny bite of "free" bait. No matter what the scandal, 14's hauntingly hilarious images seem to begin where tabloids end and her collection, which is archived on Gallery of the Absurd is an addiction in its own right. I recently found out she resides in San Francisco and that she's a major geek. She was gracious enough to let me pick at her brain. For the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: You've said you love the celebrities you paint because they bring you so much joy and laughter. How do you decide when a celebrity moment or trend needs to be immortalized in a painting?
14: The frequency of the celeb's appearance in the blogs and tabloids plus the ridiculousness of the celeb's actions equals my interest in painting them.

Geeksugar: Which celebrities inspire you the most?
14: Celebrities with huge notions of entitlement are my favorites: Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton. I also love painting the public train wrecks: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Tara Reid. Anyone who causes me laughter is ripe for my pen.

Geeksugar: Is there anyone you wouldn't paint?
14: I focus my attention on tabloid celebrities rather than serious actors/actresses. I've avoided actresses such as Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen because they conduct their private lives with dignity. However, if they became involved in a Paris Hilton-style scandal, they would quickly become candidates for Gallery of the Absurd. Also, I'm scared to draw Oprah...I dunno, just am.

Geeksugar: Tell me a little about the artistic process. I read you use ink, acrylic, pastels and oils on paper or canvas, as well as digital enhancement.
14: First, I make a pencil sketch by turning the reference photo upside down and drawing it that way. Then I dance around in my studio for a bit and then go back to sketching. I'll do several sketches and to save time, I'll often scan the sketch in Illustrator and convert to a vector and then color and layout in Photoshop. Other times I take several days to paint an oil or acrylic. I'm still teaching myself to draw and paint, so I experiment a lot with different mediums and styles. Now I'm teaching myself Flash and am working with some animators on a Gallery of the Absurd cartoon.

Geeksugar: How many hours do you pour into most works?
14: The average time spent on a finished illustration is about 8 hours each. Sketches with digital color take less time and paintings can take up to a week.

Geeksugar: Do you use a PC or Mac?
14: MAC only. A PC would never enter my studio.

Geeksugar: What non-celebrity websites do you read everyday?
14: I visit art blogs such as Drawn!, I read "alternative" news sites such as a Rense.com and Alternet.org, a few political blogs and...I redden as I type this...I read UFO blogs and paranormal news sites. Blush.

Geeksugar: What are your guilty pleasure TV shows?
14: I really hate TV and can't keep my attention focused on it for very long, but shows such as The Office, Entourage and Wife Swap snagged me in their net and I'm a little pissed about it.

Geeksugar: What do you snack on while working?
14: Raw almonds, strawberries, and olives...but not all at the same time.

Geeksugar: I define about 60 percent of your "interests" as geeky (that's a plus in my book). Do you consider yourself a geek?
14: I am a major geek and I wear it as a badge of honor. I devour a wide range of non-fiction books weekly and enjoy taking things apart and fixing them without the use of directions. I find enjoyment in both a hardware store as well as Sephora.

Geeksugar: I read you have a huge crush on Stephen Colbert. Who do you think is the sexiest geek ever?
14: When I watched Stephen Colbert speak to Bush at the White House Correspondents Dinner, I immediately fell in love. Geeky men with balls and razor wit turn me into mush and make my heart go a'flutter. I'm sure there's other sexxay geeks out there, but I can't think of one now.

Geeksugar: What are some of your other hobbies when you're not painting and creating art?
14: Hiking, people watching, gardening, ufo investigation, yoga, rabble rousing.

Geeksugar: Are you going to buy an iPhone?
14: No, but maybe someone will buy one for me.

Geeksugar: Do you listen to music while you paint, and if so, who are you listening to these days?
14: All the time! Lately I've been listening to The Residents, The The, Amon Tobin, Manu Chau, Sufi music, Mozart and some weird crystal bowl healing stuff that is supposed to "raise your vibrations," but so far I've not noticed anything different.

Geeksugar: Tell us more about your background, how you got started as a blogger and what you've learned from it.
14: My background is in high-tech marketing and public relations, but I quit 7 years ago because I was having more fun drawing my bizarro co-workers than writing marketing plans. After that, I became a free-lance art curator and artist and created several multimedia art shows and events. A sudden move from Seattle to Los Angeles turned my life upside down, so I started Gallery of the Absurd to cope with not knowing anyone in a new town. Now it's my job and I looooove blogging. Who cares if I don't make as much money as when I had to market software? I'm far happier and free now.

Geeksugar: Any celebrity you are dying to meet?
14: I'd love to meet George Lucas. I have so much admiration for him and they way he brought his imagination to life. I'm not so much a Star Wars fan, but I am a fan of Lucas himself. Most of the tabloid celebs I draw don't really fascinate me that much and I'd likely not take notice of them unless they were acting like clowns. I'd love to be invisible and follow Tom Cruise around for 24 hours just to see the full spectrum of whackiness he'd reveal. Maybe it would be fun to have a drink with Courtney Love too.

Geeksugar: What are some of your favorite places in the San Francisco?
14: One of my favorite hobbies is people watching and this city has the BEST! I put on dark glasses and trek miles all around this fine city and am entertained for hours. I also spend lots of time at the SF Botanical Garden, Land's End, and Sutro Park. I love the lychee cocktails at Cafe Claude and the dark chocolate salted caramels from Recchiuti.

14's prints are available for sale on Gallery of the Absurd. Check out more interviews with Geeky Girls We Love.