GeekSugar

Geek Tip: Expand Your Vocabulary With a Little Online Help

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:10:37 -0700

I've heard that the key to mental longevity is to always keep your mind open to learning new things. One easy way is to adopt a few new words and use them in your daily conversations. Surely you don't want to sit around all day, flipping through a thesaurus, so let me introduce you to Save the Words.

This website is not only cool but pretty funny. Scroll around inside the white box, and words will jump out at you, just begging to be used in your next speech or convo. Click on one that looks interesting, get the definition, and sign up for an optional "pledge" that sends you a reminder to use the word as much as possible every day. It's a fun way to expand your vocab, and create those coveted knowledge wrinkles in your brain!

Geek Tip: Edit Videos and Photo Slideshows For Free Online

GeekSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 11:12:57 -0700

Add this to your already-expanding list of free online photo- and video-editing websites, but one that provides endless entertainment in the process: Masher. Not only can you upload your videos and edit them for free, put together an impressive photo slideshow of your last shindig (and set it to music), but you can browse through free clips from sites like BBC Motion Gallery and Rip Curl to add some flavor to your flicks. Once you're finished, you can upload your masterpiece to the site for all to see.

Website of the Day: Gnoosic

GeekSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:30:26 -0700

I know there're plenty of ways for you to discover new music online - from Pandora to my new fave, CitySounds - but I'm about to add another to your bag of tricks. Called Gnoosic, this website asks you point blank what bands or artists you like, works its analyzing magic, then spits out a list of recommended artists you might fancy.

Sure, it doesn't have a fancy interface like Pandora, but it's smart - it's a self-adapting system that has compiled thousands of band names from users, then learned what people like and don't like based on its rating system. Plus, it's free and won't ask for any registration to use, so I don't know why you wouldn't give it a shot. Your ears will thank you.

Have an interesting website you want to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the GeekSugar homepage!

3 Ways to Back Up Your Data

GeekSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:06:07 -0700

Computer crashes are probably the most devastating event of a person's technological life. Not to mention one of the most expensive. So how many times do I gotta tell ya? Back up that data! It's easy to do, and once you do it, you'll not only have peace of mind but will have all of your photos, music, and personal documents safely out of your computer in case of any crazy power surge or (knock on wood) worse. Check out three easy ways to back up your most important data in this slideshow.

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Tech Dating 101: My Boyfriend Is All Up in My Virtual Business

GeekSugar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:09:47 -0700

In this installment of Tech Dating 101, we're discussing virtual boundaries. Whether you've been dating your significant other for one week or five years, we all have our personal boundaries. For example, I don't pee with the bathroom door open, and I certainly don't read my boyfriend's emails. See? Boundaries. But what if your SO goes beyond your comfort zone and crosses the line by "accidentally" reading line after line of email, or checking in on your Facebook messages? Before you have a cow, take a deep breath and ask yourself if you've ever laid down the law on where your virtual lines are drawn.

If you haven't, then now is the time to have the talk. Let him know that although you feel close to him and don't mind sharing a bed, you don't want to share email addresses, and politely (and even humorously) tell him to butt out of your accounts. If this is the first offense, I wouldn't make it a big deal but if the behavior continues, you may have a bona fide snooper on your hands.

To see how I'd handle an online busybody, just read more.

If this is a reoccurring event for your online peeping Tom, then you need to be firm and direct. Snooping in your email and online networks is just as bad as opening your snail mail - although it's not a federal offense, it's just as intrusive. But trust could be the root of the problem here. If your BF doesn't trust you, it's likely that email correspondence would be the first place to find out if you've been naughty or nice. Find out why he's snooping around your online life, and you'll have an easier time figuring out how to remedy the problem.

If you have no reason to be considered untrustworthy, this could end up being a losing battle, especially if your partner has a history of being the victim of infidelity. Talk it out, and if you can't come to a common ground, then it may be time for you to weigh the pros and cons of living with a snoop.

Website of the Day: LivePerson

GeekSugar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:03:55 -0700

There's a variety of subjects I'm not familiar with, but would love to know more about (like web design), and it would be awesome to have my own personal expert to give me tips and advice whenever I needed it. If real-time advice is what you seek, then LivePerson will provide.

LivePerson is a live and online chat service that lets you speak with an expert on almost any subject under the sun. Just find an expert from those that are online and waiting (legal advice, perhaps?), agree to the advice fee (which can be anywhere from a dollar a minute to $20 dollars an hour), and you're on your way to getting awesome advice from someone who knows their stuff. But what's more, if you are an expert on something (say photography, knitting, or dog grooming), you can get paid to stay at home and toss out tasty nibbles of advice. What a way to earn a living.

Geek Tip: Backup Your Data With Mozy

GeekSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:26:38 -0700

If you don't have the time to run out and buy your own external hard drive (or the patience to figure out how to format it) you can keep it simple sister, and back up your docs and data with Mozy. You probably have a ton of stuff floating around on your computer that would be a heartbreak to lose, and a back-breaker to retrieve. In other words, it's not cheap.

With Mozy, you don't have to worry about all that cause you can back up your data in a super-secure online storage system that is free up to 2GB, and only $5 a month for unlimited storage. Did you catch that? Unlimited. And when I say secure, I mean banks, high-profile companies, and even a few Hollywood studios use it to back up their important data. Live off of your laptop? Do yourself a favor and leave the external drive at home and back it up online.

Geek Tip: Simple and Free Sites For Storing and Sharing Files

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:00:22 -0700

In my line of work, there are a lot of photos and videos being passed around, which can take a painfully long time to email in Entourage (or any other email client for that matter). To make things easier on my co-workers, and my patience, I rely on file-sharing websites. Here are some of my favorite services for sharing files for free or a minimum fee.

File Dropper - This online file hosting site allows you upload your files, then send the recipient a link where it can be downloaded. It's free for up to 5 GB, and there are optional pay accounts (ranging from $1 to $10 a month for up to 250 GB) if you need to host bigger files. It's fast and easy to use.
YouSendIt - You can send high-quality videos, whole albums of music, and a ton of high-resolution photos at once, up to 2GB in size. When you send your files from the YouSendIt site, your recipient receives a link via email. By clicking the link, she gets directed to the hosting page and can download the file to her desktop.The site offers a free 14-day trial, free "lite" account, or paid accounts from $10 a month and up.

To see two more file-sharing sites, just read more.

Keep and Share - Need to share files with a client or co-worker? This free service lets you create shared folders and upload files up to 10 MB and then generates a link you can securely share with others. The site has a professional design and offers upgrade accounts, which allow you to share 50 MB to 1 GB of content (for $5 to $25 a month).
Gmail - Gmail allows you to send and receive messages up to 25 MB in size. Don't have Gmail? Check your service's limit.

The 10 Best Online Job Search Sites

GeekSugar — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:00:05 -0700

In this economy, it's pretty likely that some of you are out of a job. But if heading into your cube farm made you cry every morning, and you can't stand the idea of doing it all over again from the bottom up, then take this time off to really find what it is you're looking for in a job. Then get cracking. Thankfully, employers know the power of the Internet, and you no longer have to pound the pavement in your best Jimmy Choos to find a job - you can do it from the comfort of your PJ's and wrapped in the loving arms of your couch. Check out a few (or all) of these job sites to help you on your way to employment bliss.

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Website of the Day: Zamzar

GeekSugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:32:25 -0800

Have you ever wanted (or needed) to convert a video file to play on your iPod, and just didn't want to download software to do so? Well now you can online (and for free) with Zamzar.

Zamzar is a helpful little online tool that lets you convert almost any file to any file format you need. Like, say mov to mpg, aac to wmv, or my favorite, doc to pdf.

Using Zamzar won't cost you a penny, as long as your files are 100MB or under. If you need more conversion leeway, you can sign up for a paid membership with rates starting at just $7 a month.