GeekSugar

5 Reasons Not to Bash Your Ex on Social Media

Lizzie Fuhr — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 02:00:59 PST

Last weekend, Kat Von D wrote a public note on her Facebook page provocatively titled: "Thank you, Jesse James." Certain aspects of her personal note conveyed a message of healthy healing. With that said, there were more than a few stinging comments that seemed a little out of place for someone coming from a place of "love and light."

After a breakup you might have a genuine desire to move on, but any sort of public bashing, whether it's honest or not, is an open ticket for outsiders to misconstrue your words. Openly criticizing an ex on any form of social media is a bad idea; here are five things to remember before you bash and click.

It's not going to make you feel any better. For a hot second you may feel like you've accomplished something, but at the end of the day, bashing your ex on social media is going to do nothing but stir up hurt feelings from the past. Whether you're a public figure like Kat or not, a public bash is an open invitation for your Facebook friends and Twitter followers to give their opinion on your heartache. At the end of the day, the only person who can really make you feel better is you.
It's always better to take the high road. I get it. Your heart is hurt and you want to bring that pain back to your ex. The truth is the bashing or cruel words are not going to do anything but hurt you more. Fixating on your lost love will only make you feel more hurt. No matter how dirty your ex did you, no matter how much you feel he messed up your world, it's always better to keep your nasty thoughts to yourself and take the high road.
If you genuinely need to make peace with yourself, Facebook is not a place to do it. Facebook and Twitter are wonderful ways to connect with people we care about and share information in a whole new arena. But there's nothing worse than opening your stream and seeing people whining or complaining. It's just not the right forum for this kind of conversation. If you're really upset and not sure where to turn, call a close friend or family member. This is always the better option.

Keep reading for two more reasons to rethink bashing your ex on social media.

Video of the Day: The Internet Weighs as Much as a Strawberry

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:54:16 PDT

Prepare to have your mind blown: the Internet weighs as much as a strawberry. This, according to professors and scientists, and explained in layman's terms by Michael from YouTube channel VSauce.

5 Halloween Costumes For Internet Meme Addicts

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 06:09:18 PDT

The origin of a web meme may be difficult to identify; the images with funny captions and viral videos seem to pop up overnight. Watch as memes get passed from friend to friend and make up 21st-century water cooler chatter. For those that can't get enough cat lolz and YouTube laughs, check out these five popular memes that wouldn't be too difficult to bring to life this Halloween.

4 Internet Tycoons Ashton Can Draw Inspiration From For Two and a Half Men

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:39:19 PDT

Ashton Kutcher has been named as Charlie Sheen's replacement on Two and a Half Men, and it was announced earlier today that Ashton will play an "Internet billionaire with a broken heart named Walden Schmidt." While these Internet tycoons may not all have broken hearts, we'd like to see Ashton draw inspiration from them for his next role.

Kickstarter Funds 10,000th Project

GeekSugar — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 04:23:20 PDT

Kickstarter, the crowd-sourced funding platform that turns creative ideas into reality, this week announced its 10,000th successfully funded project in the company's two-year history. We've spent hours exploring the projects up for support on the website. From musicians looking to record their first studio album to helping technology entrepreneurs gather cash to make a gadget prototype, surfing through the funding requests shows a glimpse into the passions of the Kickstarter community. If there is a campaign appealing to users, they can pledge various dollar amounts to help bring the ideas to life.

The graph provided by Kickstarter shows most of the successfully funded projects are music or video. Though there are many technology projects on the site, many have significantly higher budgets due to the costs of manufacturing, which may be why there are far fewer completed tech projects. The 10,000 projects raised over $75 million to fund the budding entrepreneurs, musicians, artists, designers, and writers.

Have you pledged money to any Kickstarter projects? After the break, take a look at Kickstarter's video breezing through the 10,000 funded projects.

Does Google Cause Internet Brain Burnout?

GeekSugar — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:21:29 PDT

Never one to win a round of Trivial Pursuit? A new study in Science magazine suggests you're not alone. Our culture is becoming increasingly reliant on Internet searches in lieu of old-fashioned memory.

The study led by Betsy Sparrow, an assistant professor of psychology at Columbia University, examined how likely people are to remember facts if they are easily available online via a Google search. Researchers had a group of college students type trivia into a computer. Half were told the statements would be saved, and the other half were told they would be erased. Those told the text would be erased were able to better recall the statement than those who thought the information was saved. Researchers argue that unless told to remember something, like when studying for a test, we are less likely to recall facts for future use, letting search engines pick up the mind's storage slack instead.

Though his memory may still be in tact, former Twitter addict John Mayer said at a recent college appearance that he quit thinking in 140 characters, because the digital platform also affected how he thought. He said: "I stopped using Twitter as an outlet and I started using Twitter as the instrument to riff on, and it started to make my mind smaller and smaller and smaller. And I couldn’t write a song."

Have you had a similar experience? Has Internet use changed the way you process information and remember facts?

What Is a Firewall, and Why Do I Need One?

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 01:21:07 PDT

June is Internet Safety Month, so for the next few weeks we'll be giving you tips and advice on how to stay safe online.

Some Internet users browse the web totally unaware of the dangers that are lurking right around the corner. I don't want to strike fear in your geeky little hearts, but the truth is - you need to know how to protect yourself from hackers and evildoers. Your first line of defense against web danger (besides common sense) is your firewall. But what exactly is a firewall? Find out below!

What is a firewall?
A firewall is a barrier between you and the Internet at large that filters information that your computer can receive. Companies usually have firewalls in place to keep certain kinds of websites, people, and information from being accessed from outside their networks, keeping sensitive info safe, and you focused on the job. Your home computer and/or modem can have a firewall built-in as well, acting as the gateway to your home network and the Internet.

Find out why you need a firewall after the jump.

Celebrities Can Clear Up Rumors For $1,000, but Will Anyone Care?

Colleen Barrett — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 11:10:43 PDT

Celebrities are constantly ambushed by misinterpretations, exaggerations, and misinformation, so a new website would like to come to their rescue. ICorrect allows anyone to counter rumors about themselves for $1,000 without any fact-checking.

Founded by Sir David Tang, who The New York Times calls "a businessman, socialite, and celebrity friend extraordinaire," the site had a rough start. Not only did everyone think it was a joke, but most people didn't see any potential. Because tabloids - the very organizations fueling rumors - aren't particularly interested in setting the record straight. Right now the newly launched site is scant on corrections, and nearly all are said to be plucked from Sir Tang's Rolodex. So what are they? Find out below.

How Social Media Is Changing Casual Sex

Colleen Barrett — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:45:59 PDT

Last week the New York Observer published a trend piece that concluded young New Yorkers are having less sex. A sweeping statement based on a handful of people noticing no couples pairing off at the dead end of night. From there, he hastily drew a familiar conclusion: everyone's a narcissist now. People would rather groom their online persona by posting where they're at than actually interact, but - I can assure you - nobody loves sex more than a narcissist.

Nobody knows how much sex people have without straight-up asking (and even then, who knows?), so I did the next best thing. I talked to someone who knows a lot about "young New Yorkers," their parties, and - for better or worse - their sex lives, Brooklyn-based writer Diana Vilibert. See what she thinks below.

Wait, How Much Is 150GB of Bandwidth Worth?

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 03:15:25 PDT

Yesterday morning we told you about how AT&T will begin capping Internet bandwidth in May. While the company reported that this change will only affect about two percent of its user base, I'm a little concerned for those who stream a lot of movies, or have canceled cable in favor of other Internet entertainment options.

Just how much will the DSL 150GB cap get you? You might be surprised. Find out more after the jump.