GeekSugar

Geeks We Love: Adam Pash of Lifehacker

GeekSugar — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 06:00:46 -0800

Continuing on with our Geeks We Love interview series, I'd like to introduce you to Adam Pash, the editor of one of my all-time favorite blogs, Lifehacker. This past January, Adam took over the helm at Lifehacker when Gina Trapani stepped down from her position, and he's been doing an amazing job ever since. Aside from running a site that's filled with more productivity tips, organizational tools, and useful downloads than you can imagine, Adam has also co-authored the book How to Do Everything with Your iPhone and can be found whipping up helpful web applications of his very own.

GS: Lifehacker is one of the most popular blogs on the Internet today. How do you explain the appeal of your "Lifehacks"?

AP: It's no huge secret: Everyone likes doing things better. We cover a lot of stuff every day - often with a tech-heavy slant (everyone also has computers) - aimed at helping our readers streamline their lives. Lifehacker gets really good when we find a great trick for doing something completely banal a thousand times better or more efficiently. Them's the goods.

GS: You just created a useful, printer-friendly website called Printable Checklist. How often do you build online tools like this one that help make your life a little easier? Which ones do you regularly use that you would call favorites?

AP: It's actually a side-hobby I've just started. Over the past year I've been working in my spare time on a much more ambitious music site that I'm hoping to launch in the next few weeks, and in doing so I've significantly improved my HTML, CSS, and JavaScripting skills. So when I had the idea for Printable Checklist (or, rather, when I wished something like it existed), I realized that making it myself wouldn't take all that long. So. . . chances are I'll make more similar one-use web applications in the future. But MixTape.me (the music site) is my real baby.

To learn more about Adam, including some of his favorite gadgets and hobbies, read more

GS: What are your five "must have" gadgets that you can't seem to live without and why?

AP: Oh boy. Contrary to what one might assume, my personal gear isn't all that impressive - but here goes anyway:

iPhone: There are a lot of improvements I'd like to see from the folks at Cupertino, but I still am gaga about my iPhone. It's an awesome multi-room music remote, music player, mini-app monster, and it's not a bad phone, either.
My Hackintosh: I love Apple gear, but it is ridiculously expensive for my taste. It gets less expensive if you're willing to roll up your sleeves and built your own. I've been using the same Hackintosh for a couple of years, though, and I'm looking and updating my build (and my guide at Lifehacker) very soon.
Xbox 360: I don't do all that much gaming, but currently my 360 is the centerpiece of my home theater. I use it as a DVD player (lame, I know), Windows Media Center extender, and Netflix streamer. I only own two or three games for it, and the only one I ever play is Halo. (I suppose that's also pretty lame).
Logitech Harmony Xbox 360 Remote: It's a universal remote that works really well with the Xbox. It works with other stuff, obviously.
My Linksys Router: This router has served me oh-so-well, both at home and at Lifehacker. I've written about it twice on Lifehacker - once for a guide to installing the open-source router firmware DD-WRT, the other time for a guide to installing the also open-source router firmware Tomato. They're both awesome router upgrades, and their corresponding guides at Lifehacker remain two of our most popular posts of all time.

GS: Would you say your wife is as tech savvy as you are? Are there certain types of posts she inspires you to write?

AP: I hate to say that "the wife's not big on technology," but she's really not. I mean, she's good with computers and all that, but her main interests lie outside technology. She's a big Internet lover, though. She also casts a broader net than I do when she's doing her internetting, so I've gotten a lot of great non-tech ideas from her for Lifehacker - which is very important to the site.

GS: When you're not "geeking-out" so to speak, what are some things you like to do for play?

AP: As bad of an answer to your question as this may be, my main hobby for the last year has been working on my music site. I love music, play guitar, etc., (yeah, okay, I play Rock Band, too). I'm a regular jogger, like hanging out with friends, taking hikes. . . wait, I think I confused my geeksugar and Match.com emails.

Gina Trapani Champions Keyboard Shortcuts, Low Tech Tools

GeekSugar — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 07:30:00 -0700

I might like to feature male tech titans and their ladies, but I know you're more interested in tech girls! Gina Trapani, whose book, Upgrade Your Life which I mentioned a couple of months ago, is a geek girl role model for us all - as a web developer and programmer and editor of Lifehacker.

In an interview with the New York Times, she does a Q&A with advice on what her book and blog is about, and all of it is refreshingly simple. The most basic of her tech advice is to learn keyboard shortcuts to reclaim wasted time going from peripheral to peripheral:

"Moving your hand from keyboard to mouse, double clicking, moving the pointer, putting your hand back - that’s a lot of movement and it’s inefficient versus just hitting the keyboard combinations while your hands are on the keys."

To hear the old-fashioned device Trapani calls "the ultimate tool" just read more.

I like that she is not completely go-go-gadget and appreciates low-tech options - she mentions the most simple of tools: a pen and paper.

"Technology is deeply embedded in my life, but nothing can replace the feel of a pen against paper. . . It’s the ultimate tool. It’s affordable, compatible with everything, widely available."

Source

Read Lifehacker Editor Gina Trapani's New Book!

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 04:45:35 -0700

Geeky girl, Lifehacker founder and editor Gina Trapani has released a new book full of the kind of tips that has made Lifehacker a phenomenal one-stop Internet shop and me a devotee, called Upgrade Your Life.

I've always appreciated the way Lifehacker has not only made an impact on the geek community by writing awesome extensions (they're perennially in Download of the Day), but the site also gives you ways to hack your real life, away from your computer, with DIYs and simple tips, like the awesome iPod cord detangler trick.

On that note, take some time away from your computer screen, order Upgrade Your Life, and sit down for a great read. In 3-D.

Get Free MP3s From Amazon - No Strings Attached

GeekSugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:43:57 -0800

When I first read on Lifehacker that you can head on over to Amazon and get $3 worth of MP3 tracks for free, I was like - there's no way.

But, I tested it out for myself, and in a few clicks of the mouse, I've now expanded my November playlist with a couple hot new songs.

All you have to do is go here and follow the simple instructions to get your $3 credit. The offer ends on Monday, so get to it!

Daily Tech: EA Sports Active Opens Two Temporary Stores

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:21:22 -0800

Right up until Christmas, you can test out EA Sports Active in stores in San Francisco and Boston - EA Sports Active
Walmart's Black Friday ad has surfaced - CrunchGear
Firefox 3.6 Beta3 for Windows, Mac, and Linux users is now available to download - Lifehacker
Hulu has just teamed up with EMI to offer music videos on its free video streaming site - The New York Times
The Nokia N900 is now on sale in the US - CNET
Find out how you can download videos to your iPhone - Switched

Daily Tech: The Second Gen Chumby Makes Its Debut

GeekSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:10:30 -0800

Labeled the "Chumby One," the second gen Chumby costs $100 and includes a 3.5-touchscreen and handy widgets - Engadget
Some iTunes links now open to a direct website called iTunes preview, so you can check out songs without opening the app - Apple Insider
Best Buys' juicy Black Friday deals have leaked - Gizmodo
Take a look at some classic Mario suits, and ones that he should sport in the future - Kotaku
Dells Black Friday ad actually includes some decent laptop sales - CrunchGear
Check out some gadget deals of the day - Lifehacker

Daily Tech: Sprint's Samsung Moment Lands in Stores Today

GeekSugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 12:14:40 -0800

Sprint has just introduced another Android handset, the Samsung Moment, which goes on sale today for $170 after mail-in rebates - Engadget
Facebook spammer, Sanford Wallace, has been ordered to pay $711 million in damages to Facebook - CNN Money
Texting and driving has now been banned in New York state - MobileCrunch
This Greasemonkey script will help you remove the clutter from your Gmail - Lifehacker
Gizmodo gets their hands on the BlackBerry Storm2 - Gizmodo
It's giveaway time on GeekSugar! Log in for your chances to win one of these AT&T Smartphones - GeekSugar

Daily Tech: Google Voice Permits Voicemail With Any Number

GeekSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:05:35 -0700

You can now keep your phone number while using Google Voice's fantastic features - Lifehacker
Here's how you can recycle your own gadgets - Engadget
It's rumored that a new, bigger, Nintendo DSi with a 4-inch screen will be coming out in Japan this year - Kotaku
Facebook now has a way to memorialize friends who have passed away - Boing Boing
10 ways to spot an email scam - Switched
It's giveaway time on GeekSugar! Log in for your chances to win one of these AT&T Smartphones - GeekSugar

Daily Tech: Google Calendar Gets Hiding and Snooze Features

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:15:52 -0700

Google Calendar has just implemented a handy snooze button for notifications you want to disappear momentarily - Lifehacker
Check out an in-depth review of the Apple iMac - Gizmodo
Carve your very own 3D pumpkin using a game called Pumpkin Chop on Xbox Live Indie Games - Kotaku
A database marketing firm says that Facebook accounts for 25 percent of US online pageviews - The Silicon Alley Insider
A university in Australia has introduced a mandatory Twitter course for its journalism students - Switched
Wal-Mart is expected to roll out tech-support services by the beginning of the holidays - CrunchGear

Daily Tech: Picture Peek at Windows 7

GeekSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:15:18 -0700

Picture peek at Windows 7 - Crave
Will Google blend search and music with One Box? - CNET
Windows 7 is more popular than Harry Potter - PC World
GE shows off pocket-size ultrasound scanner - Crave
Twitter's chief talks about lists, traffic, and money - NYTimes
Plane torn apart over lost cell phone - Switched
MahTweets is an impressive customizable Facebook and Twitter client - Lifehacker
BlackBerry Storm 2 dummy arrive at Best Buy and Verizon stores - Gizmodo
5 things you might not know about Rock Band’s Abbey Road extras - Wired
It's giveaway and game time on GeekSugar! Be sure to log in and play our Best Video Game Ever bracket! - GeekSugar