GeekSugar

Hotmail Makes It Easy to Interact With Your Favorite Websites

Kristen Hawley — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:41:10 PDT

Microsoft's Hotmail has just announced a new Active Views platform for messages, allowing users to receive interactive email. Starting this week with partners Orbitz and Monster.com will deliver the first interactive messages to users, allowing recipients to take action with these sites (say, booking a vacation) directly within their inboxes. More partners (like Netflix and LinkedIn) are coming soon.

Find out more after the break.

Which Red Carpet Shoe Style Would You Wear? Vote and Be Entered to Win a Pair of Louboutins!

Sponsor — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:45:00 PST

Answer our simple poll question and be automatically entered for a chance to win a fabulous (and very expensive) pair of shoes designed by the man who made red bottoms lust-worthy, Christian Louboutin. Yes, Loubies!

When it comes to staying in style, let MSN be your homepage; it's hip, clean, smart, and where you can get your daily dose of the latest fashions, entertainment, sports, news, and so much more! MSN, know now.

Click here for official rules - good luck!

Stiletto pump

35%(1,835)

Strappy sandal

20%(1,047)

Platform

14%(732)

Peep-toe

30%(1,565)

Total votes: 5,179

Website of the Day: MSN Twilight

GeekSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:50:12 PST

Only one more day until the highly anticipated New Moon premiere and I know you were just hoping I'd squeeze in one more Twilight tech treat before the big day. And here it is! MSN has launched its very own Twilight website that takes you right to Forks, Washington where all the Twilight excitement takes place.

You'll be able to take virtual tours of the Cullen house, the Forks Police Station, the Forks Hospital, Bella Italia, the dress shop, the bookstore, and the high school. Just don't try opening this site using Firefox on Mac or else you'll get this message (which I thought was pretty cheeky):

"Let's say Firefox on Mac is like a vampire and our video player is like a wolf pack. . . They just don't get along. We don't want you to miss out on the Twilight action though, so try opening our site in Safari for Mac."

Do you have an interesting website you want to share? Create a PopSugar Account or login to your account. Then join the Website of the Day group where you can post your favorite website! And you never know, it could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

What Video-Sharing Website Do You Use Most Often?

GeekSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:45:55 PDT

Yesterday, MSN announced that it was shutting down its video-sharing property, Soapbox.

Though I didn't use Soapbox myself, I'm sure its users are both bummed and hunting for a different video-uploading and sharing website.

Which brings me to my question - of all the sharing sites out there, what do you use? I use TeamSugar, YouTube, and Vimeo for uploading, but I watch video on whatever site the latest viral is on (usually YouTube). There's also Flickr, Metacafe, Google Video, and MySpace Video, just to name a few.

Which do you prefer? And do you prefer to upload different videos to different sites?

What Search Page Appeals To You the Most?

GeekSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 03:33:44 PST

With a handful of decent search sites out there, I often wonder what criteria people follow when selecting their search engine of choice. GiggleSugar and I were both in agreeance that we like the simplicity of Google's page and prefer it over ad and link-filled sites like Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN. However, I did happen to show her my pimped out iGoogle page, which is jam packed with gadgets and applications - and bright colors, naturally. But for some reason, since they are all features approved and selected by me (minus any ads), I like it just as much as the basic Google search page. What do you think? Is simpler always better or do you like checking out what the main site has to offer?

Tending to Baby: Cost of Childcare

LilSugar — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:00:53 PST

The cost of childcare can be astounding for new parents especially if they live in a metropolitan area. While hanging out at a San Francisco park with my kids, a nanny said she gets paid $24 an hour for her single charge. And, this is in a working class neighborhood.

Then, a friend employed by a corporation known for having progressive family policies told me it would cost her $1700 (the reduced rate) to place her infant in the office's on-site daycare.

While these numbers may seem shocking, it's not likely that they will take a plunge anytime soon based on a working mothers need to find quality child care.

A recent MSN article about the expense said:

"Forget about the angst and expense of finding shelter that is safe and warm for your new arrival. I'm talking about the sticker shock of handing over a significant chunk of your paycheck every month just so you are free to work."

To finish the post,

Many families are having to delay purchasing homes in order to make ends meet during their childcare crunch - the years prior to a child enrolling in kindergarten. And, this is in the middle class where even dual income families struggle. It said:

"Warren believes the two-income family is stretched, too, however. Child-care costs are rising at twice the rate of inflation, she says. After paying the mortgage, health insurance premiums, transportation costs and child-care fees, today's two-income families have less money left over than the one-income family did a generation ago."

Has your family been affected by the cost of childcare?

Source

UK Residents Can Win a Role in the Next Harry Potter Film

BuzzSugar — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:29:44 PST

Attention all Harry Potter fans who live in the UK: MSN is hosting a contest in which the winner will get a walk-on role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. All you need to do is answer a very easy HP trivia question and then type in your contact info and voila! You are officially entered to win a set visit and a part in a crowd scene. I know many a die-hard HP fan who would love to win this, and if you're one as well, go on and check out the contest!

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

"Arrested Development": Free Episodes Online!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Feb 2007 05:00:10 PST

Awesome TV news flash: MSN is offering episodes of "Arrested Development" online - for free! Every few weeks, the site will feature episodes from the series, until all three seasons have been shown over the year. The one downfall: There are only three episodes or so at a time, and once the next episodes are posted. the previous ones come down. The upside: You could basically watch a different "Arrested Development" episode per week for an entire year, free of charge.

The site also has other offerings, including downloadable wallpaper calendars like this one, which show the dates when each of the episodes will be released on the site. And, of course, the shows themselves. I just watched the episode in which we're introduced to Tobias' "nevernude" condition, and it thoroughly brightened my Monday.

Download of the Day: IMO For iPad

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:01:06 PDT

You may not think that your iPad was made for instant messaging, but I beg to differ. Check out IMO. This free app allows you to instant message using your GTalk, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Jabber, MSN, and Yahoo accounts (among others) in a clean and pleasing interface.

You can even send and receive voice memos, video, and photo files, and chat in a group setting. You don't even have to sign up for an IMO account to start using it; just sign in with your preferred IM chat provider and you're good to go.

Are you using instant message on your iPad or tablet? Share your favorite IM apps with us in the comments!

Is Being Single Better For Your Finances?

LearnVest — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 00:15:10 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

We got to thinking, as we do, about the difference between being single and married . . . that is, in dollars.

Currently, singles make up 49 percent of the American population, and 28 percent of all households consist of one person - the highest levels of singledom in American history.

According to sociology professor and author Eric Klinenberg, singles are supporting the United States economy through discretionary spending that far exceeds both married couples and parents.

From taxes to house buying to paying for a wedding, marriage is either the best thing or the worst to ever happen to your finances, depending on whom you ask. And that’s aside from the value judgments surrounding any discussion of relationships: “But are you happy?”

There are many factors: the little things (like sharing the cost of utilities), government policy (which changes every few years), and the psychology that makes couples spend differently than singles.

But in whose favor do the chips fall? We matched up the two scenarios, head to head.

The Little Things

When it comes to little day-to-day expenses, it’s obvious that married couples have the edge because they’ve sliced their basic costs in half: only one cable bill, one rent bill, one utilities bill. There are also less obvious savings, like skills sharing. A partner who can sew a button or fix a loose doorknob saves money on paying someone to do it for you. These “discounts,” of course, also apply to unmarried, cohabiting couples. A point to the marrieds on this one.

The Taxes

According to a Congressional Budget Office analysis, 51 percent of married couples paid less filing jointly than they would have filing alone as singles, saving an average of $1,300. Interestingly, the more disparate their incomes, the more they saved. Of course, the benefit decreases if you earn a very similar income to your spouse, like 40 percent of dual-income couples today. At any rate, we’ll make that one point in honor of the marrieds. (For more information on marriage and tax brackets, read this.)

Read on for more.