GeekSugar

Do You Have A Home On Second Life?

CasaSugar — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 08:02:48 PDT

Second Life is a virtual online user-defined society where users can build houses, businesses, and pretty much anything for their avatars, in addition to buying and selling their creations with real-life currency. The first person person to make 1 million real US $$$ from Second Life was—you guessed it—a real estate developer. What about you?

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Gossip Girl's Second Life Secret

GeekSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 16:00:41 PDT

While we've been enjoying the stylish fashions and gadgets on Gossip Girl - and the fact that the show is about a blogger! - some fans have started enjoying Gossip Girl's neighborhood in Second Life experience called "The Upper East Side."

In case you didn't know, Second Life is a 3D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. It opened to the public in 2003, and is now "inhabited" by millions of residents from around the globe. The Upper East Side community allows you to build and customize your avatar, have a dance party with friends, play games, watch clips and full episodes of the show. From what I can tell, it's much like the Virtual Worlds MTV has set up for shows like The Hills, Newport Harbor and Laguna Beach, only it exists in the Second Life platform.

The virtual Gossip Girl world looks like the set of the television show, with the same streets, the same hot spots, and even the same characters. To try it out you just need to download the software, go through a brief orientation, and start your "second life." Who knew geek was so chic?

To check out more pictures of the Upper East Side community on Second Life, read more

View 11 Photos ›

Do You Pay Attention To Avatars' Bodies And Gender?

GeekSugar — Sat, 11 Aug 2007 08:00:26 PDT

Naturally, I spend a lot of time playing video games and visiting websites that use avatars. I think of them as digital characters, that are human-like, but not necessarily reflective of what I think real people should look like. Aside from cracking a few jokes about the impossible curves of video game vixens - I mean, the Fantastic Four game even put Jessica Alba's body to shame - and the built-in stereotyping, I hardly ever pay attention to avatars.

What's interesting though, is the fact that a recent study showed that androgynous digital personas, ie avatars, are perceived as less trustworthy than ones that are clearly either male or female. It makes me wonder if people honestly find the need to assign gender roles to digital images, or if people are just more accustomed to the exaggerated gender stereotypes that seem to be perpetuated online. According to New Scientist Tech, people typically extend this impression to the person behind the avatar too - meaning avatar design and behavior may have a range of unforeseen psychological influences and that such virtual personas need to be carefully designed to make the right impression.

The issue of trust and personality perception is especially intriguing when you think about the number of people that spend a great deal of time in 3D virtual worlds like Second Life and end up creating avatars to represent themselves and later make virtual friends. Still, not "trusting" an avatar because it's androgynous seems bizarre. Everyone trusts David Bowie, right?
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Do You Participate in Second Life?

GeekSugar — Sat, 12 May 2007 07:03:44 PDT

For those of you who only take light doses of geekdom let me explain: Second Life is a 3-D virtual world that's built and owned by its residents. It opened to the public in 2003, but is now inhabited by more than 6,240,591 people from around the globe, who create avatars of themselves, buy land, spend money, go shopping and do all the other things you might do in the non-virtual world. "From the moment you enter the World you'll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity," says the Second Life website. "Once you've explored a bit, perhaps you'll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business."

Currently, the phenomenon is filled with high profile appearances and a rapidly expanding list of residents - last summer Suzanne Vega became the first major recording artist to perform live in Second Life avatar form, American Apparel opened a virtual store, and L'Oreal Paris even held a Miss Second Life beauty contest. It's also home to some controversy. Last week, a ginormous media circus occured after a German TV station alleged there was child pornography in the community. According to reports, the claims were found to be inaccurate (the accused man was 54 and the woman was 27), but nonetheless, the community is back in the public eye.

Now You Can Get A Statuette Of Your Mii In 3D

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 12:05:08 PDT

Who would have thought that Zach Braff would be such an adorable 3D Mii character (hint: blue T)?!

If you want to bring your own Mii avatar to life (or a fave celeb of course), then check out Fabjectory! This fabulous site can take your online Mii and transform it into either a 3-inch figure for $50 or a 5-inch figure for $100.

All you have to do is take a clear close up pic of your Mii from your TV screen and upload it on their website and voila- your Mii will be made into an incredibly detailed, full color real-life statuette- it will literally be popping off the screen!

Fabjectory can also create 3D models from your SecondLife avatar or from a SketchUp model.

The 13 Most Beautiful Avatars Of Second Life

GeekSugar — Fri, 16 Mar 2007 08:00:08 PDT

No this isn't a post about America's next top avatars contest, but it is about the model-like beauties of Second Life. Based on Andy Warhol's short films: 13 Most Beautiful Women and 13 Most Beautiful Boys comes a serious of canvas mounted portrait prints by the Italian artists Eva and Franco Mattes. Actual Second Lifers originally created these creative avatars. What are your thoughts? Do they scream beautiful in a virtual, digitally enhanced sorta way? Leave your comments below.
[via play-girlz] Want to know more about Play-Girlz's co-editor Ingrid Diaz? Check out my Geeky Girls We Love interview with her.

The Green Salad That Put a Ring on It

Camilla Salem — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:30:52 PST

If you're not into engagement chicken, or if you're looking to double your chances this Valentine's Day, don't miss out on this simple green salad recipe. True story: when my now-husband proposed to me, he managed to sneak in a line about how excited he was that I'd make this salad for him every day for the rest of his life. I've since shared the recipe with friends, whose significant others also go crazy for it, so maybe I'm on to something with this salad.

Regardless, this salad is so easy and satisfying, you could easily enjoy it alongside any meal every night of the week. It goes particularly well with rich, meaty dishes that beg for something crisp and acidic to balance them out. The red leaf lettuce holds the vinaigrette really well, while the avocado adds a bit of creaminess to the dish.

There are a couple of secrets to this recipe. When you wash your lettuce, don't dry it completely. A bit of moisture on the leaves helps water down the dressing a bit, making it incredibly succulent. Secondly, the combination of oils used in this recipe helps make sure the salad is not overpowered by the flavor of olive oil.

For more plus a recipe, keep reading.

Grey's Anatomy Rundown, "All You Need Is Love"

Becky Kirsch — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:27:29 PST

It's Valentine's Day in Seattle, which means the doctors are scrambling to get their romantic plans together on this week's episode of Grey's Anatomy. Callie plans a special surprise for skeptical Arizona, while Mark tries to get out of babysitting duty so he can take Julia out on a date. Derek and Meredith, on the other hand, just need to find somewhere to go for a little, uh, "alone time."

On the other end of the spectrum, Lexie is having a "woe is me" moment as she pines for Mark, and Jackson and Karev are also left dateless. No one's in hotter water than Owen is, though: he and Cristina contemplate some big questions about the future of their relationship, and Teddy has some choice words for him when Owen tries to rekindle their friendship. Ready to break it all down? Just

Domino Quick Fixes Launches This Spring!

Angela Swinderman Elias — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:07:10 PST

Domino fans rejoice! The dearly departed shelter publication will be brought to life again through a special print edition titled Quick Fixes. Condé Nast will publish a compilation of the magazine's best home-decorating stories, highlighting tricks and tips for easy and affordable ways to dramatically change the look of your home.

Condé Nast editorial director Thomas J. Wallace noted in a press release that "this special edition of Domino is another example of Condé Nast’s objective to bring brands to life across multiple platforms, and give consumers more of what they love in new and exciting ways. Domino Quick Fixes will be a treasure trove of useful and creative information, and a must-read for any Domino fan."

Whether it's sprucing up a tired piece of furniture or breaking down the steps for more elaborate DIYs, like painting a stairwell, the publication will be full of inspiring ideas for weekend warriors. Domino Quick Fixes will be available on national newsstands from April 17 through July 16, 2012, for $11. And if that's not exciting enough, you can look forward to a second special edition scheduled for the Fall!

A Reader Answers: Can Exercise Help With Migraines?

Fit Community — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:52:16 PST

FitSugar reader JessicaSmithTV wanted to know: can exercise help with migraines? She asked an expert and posted the answer in our Fit Community.

Today's post comes to us from special guest contributor and medical expert Paul Rizzoli, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School:

When you’re prone to migraines you’re forced to think through whether or not something you do will invite a headache into your life. Exercise is definitely one of those things. Should you skip a workout because you feel a migraine coming on? Or is it better to push through in the hopes a little sweat will make you feel better?

Most headache specialists recommend exercise and an increase in overall physical activity to their patients. However, to date, there’s skimpy evidence to support the idea that working out actually guards against migraine attacks. A few studies have shown that taking regular exercise can reduce the severity, though not the number of headaches.

Keep reading to see what studies say about exercise and migraine relief after the break!