GeekSugar

Play the Cell Phone Text Messaging Game

GeekSugar — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 14:05:36 PST

When I opened my mail the other day, I was totally bummed to find that I had been summoned to jury duty. Not that I don't what to perform my civic requirements and what not, but knowing I can't bring a laptop (or even a book) into the waiting area of the courthouse, I know I will be bored with a capital B.

So when I came across this Interactive Text Messaging Game, I thought it might be just the thing I need. I mean, I've got tons of people around me that are just as bored, and plenty of friends "on the outside" to play, that I just might make it through the day with my patience in tact. Oh, and the fact that it's on sale for $1.99 makes it super easy to add to my cart. Case closed.

The Hunger Games and 13 Other Frequently Challenged Sci-Fi Books

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:14:16 PDT

This month the American Library Association updated its list of frequently challenged books for the 2011 year, and one wildly popular novel is making its way up the rankings of this infamous list. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins, which first appeared at number five of Top 10 Most Frequently Challenged Books in 2010, is now third on the list for attempts to remove its contents from school curriculum and library bookshelves. The complaints against the books include text that is anti-ethnic and anti-family, insensitivity, offensive language, occult scenes, and violence.

Despite First Amendment protection, banning or attempting to challenge books has a long history, with many cases even making it to the US Supreme Court. As the American Library Association explains: "books usually are challenged with the best intentions-to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information." Science fiction and fantasy books often contain these themes that some find questionable, whether it's alien life forms, magical powers, or mystical worlds. In honor of Banned Books week, we're rounding up the most challenged science fiction and fantasy books according to the ALA. Browse the list below!

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - The stories of the wizarding world are seen by challengers to have occult and violent themes.
Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer - Its movie stars may provoke pandemonium, but critics of the book say it's too sexually explicit.
His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman - The series beginning with The Golden Compass is often decried for its anti-religious viewpoints.
The Giver by Lois Lowry - Despite the book's message of freedom of choice, criticisms are made for the fictional dystopia's bleak family outlook.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - Offensive language, racism, and insensitivity are often cited in challenges to the future dystopian novel.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - The tale of a future world where the printed word is banned and systemically burned was criticized for offensive language.
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - Children's search through space and time for their vanished father is often challenged for the inclusion of supposed witches.

Follow the break for more challenged books of the last 20 years.

Lauren Conrad Poses Topless to Talk Dating and Secrets From The Hills in Glamour

Lauren Turner — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 09:11:05 PDT

Lauren Conrad went topless in Malibu to shoot the cover of Glamour's May issue, which hits newsstands April 10. She's been making the press rounds ahead of today's release of her latest novel, The Fame Game, including a promotional stop on The Wendy Williams Show just yesterday. Lauren opened up about dating on the talk show, and also touched on the subject inside the publication. She even shared a few secrets from the set of The Hills and defended her busy work schedule. Here's more from Lauren Conrad in Glamour:

On people thinking she's famous for nothing: "It was very frustrating because I almost wanted to send critics my weekly schedule and say, 'This is my "nothing."' I would film all day, and then I had several other businesses on the side: In the last season I was running a clothing line and writing a novel. I work really, really hard."
On what happened behind the scenes on The Hills: "During shooting, the producers would send us quick text messages telling us what to talk about. They couldn't walk through the shot, so they'd just text me, like, 'Say something quick about this story line.' That's why we were always checking our phones!"
On dating: "I wish I dated as much as people thought I did! It's really funny because almost everyone that I'm reportedly 'dating' is a friend of mine. About half my friends are guys, and I've always gotten along really well with guys. You just have to laugh at it."

Would You Use An App To Find Out Why He Rejected You?

YourTango — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 02:00:10 PDT

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango.

Picture this: First date. You sense some amazing chemistry. The conversation never stops; plenty of laughter. At the end of the wonderful evening, he kisses you goodnight - twice. Obviously you're heading into date two territory, right?

Not so much.

Too often great dates end in no follow-up calls, or no response to your call, without so much as an explanation. For those of you dying to know exactly what caused your date to say "sayonara" to the possibility of a romantic relationship, there's WotWentWrong, a website dedicated to helping you determine why he's just not that into you.

To start the process, WotWentWrong offers several customizable email templates so you can construct a positive message that requests "feedback" from your date. The request can either be emailed or sent via text message to that silly dude who never called you back after your first meeting. Then, if your "ex" chooses to respond to your outreach, he can select from predetermined reasons (examples, "Physical," "It's not you" or "Lifestyle") or go even further by explaining his decision in his own words. At the end of it all, you'll get a message with both positive and constructive feedback, plus some helpful hints and customized advice from the experts at WotWentWrong.

Finish reading the rest of the story on YourTango: Would You Use An App To Find Out Why He Rejected You?

Written by Kait Smith for YourTango.

31 Days of Spring Cleaning: Convert Paper Notes to Digital

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 06:02:12 PDT

Neon-colored Post-its all over your workstation certainly may brighten the surroundings, but it's doing nothing for your productivity or organizational skills. Get with the digital jotting and convert the mess of paper stickies ruling your life into neatly organized electronic notes and reminders. Sign up for these apps and websites to stay on your game. And if you really can't let go of the Day-Glo vibe, use their powers for good by crafting a pixelated mural on your wall with the remaining Post-its.

Evernote - Capture an idea online, on your phone, tablet, desktop, basically anywhere, and it will sync with your entire Evernote account. Record in various mediums including voice, photos, texts, you name it.
Simplenote - For collaborating types, choose this app to share brainstorming notes and keep the team spirit going.
Grocery IQ - Build a smart grocery list in this app that will keep you on budget, add more items with the scan of a bar code, organize lists by store, and even download coupons for major savings.
Pinterest - People use Pinterest in all sorts of ways, from a style board to a recipe box. Create boards based on any and every subject on which you've found yourself writing paper notes.
Oh, Don't Forget . . . - You likely keep Post-its around, worried you'll miss an important deadline. Let the magical mind of computers do the worrying for you. Enter a reminder message, and the service will send your cell a text at the time you appointed.

What online source do you use to keep organized?

Full Spec Details of the New iPad

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:03:22 PST

The new iPad was announced today - will you buy it or skip it? While the main upgraded features were detailed at the event, the full specs were kept out of the spotlight. The Apple store is finally up and running, so we can get a good look at other changes or upgrades coming with the new iPad. Interested? Get the details about all the specs that matter to you below.

Body
The new iPad comes with a 9.7-inch display and is just 0.37-inch thick. It weighs just under a pound and a half.

Display
It's safe to say that Apple's Retina display is a game-changer, and now it's even better on the new iPad. Coming with a screen resolution of 2048 x 1536, you'll have more screen coverage and pixels-per-inch than your 1920 x 1080 HDTV. What does this mean for you? Incredible picture quality, whether you're watching a movie, flipping through photos, or playing a game.

Cameras
The new iPad comes with two cameras - a 5MP iSight rear-facing camera that shoots 1080p video with its ƒ/2.4 aperture and a five-element lens, and a VGA-quality forward-facing camera for Facetime and video chatting. Camera features include autofocus, tap to focus, and video stabilization.

Learn more about the battery life, new Dictation features, and data plan pricing after the break.

iPhone Event Live Updates

GeekSugar — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:13:38 PDT

Since news of today's iPhone event was made official, we've been anxiously waiting for Apple's unveiling of an updated iPhone.

Here's the latest from the event:

AT&T Upgrades to Mango: Some Features You'll Love

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 09:36:02 PDT

AT&T announced today that its entire collection of Windows phones would be getting an upgrade to Mango 7.5 this Fall. Plus, there will be three new Windows phones to choose from - the Samsung Focus S, Samsung Focus Flash, and HTC Titan - later this year.

Though Windows phone users seem to be few and far between, when compared to those smartphone users that pledge allegiance to iOS, Android, or BlackBerry, Microsofts Mango has often tempted me away from my standard iPhone fare. The user interface is quite pleasing (once you get used to not clicking on icons, like you find in most phones these days), and super stylish. Plus, when Mango was first released, it came with over 500 new features. Now that Mango 7.5 is out in the open, check out some of the features that might make you want to switch:

Hands free - When you're driving, Mango can announce an incoming call or text message and will allow you to respond to either without ever picking up your handset. Safe driving FTW!
Threads - Switch between your active texts, Facebook chats, or instant messages in one threaded space, so you can keep the conversation going no matter where it takes place.
Local Scout - Bing will aggregate activities and events that are going on around your current location and allow you to rate each activity.
App Shortcuts - Kind of like multitasking, App Shortcuts are a handy feature in Mango. For example, if you're reading about a movie while surfing the web, Mango will create a quick shortcut to your IMDB app, so you can check out the film's details.
Fast app resume - This feature keeps things moving as it quickly reboots apps that have been recently used.
Turn-by-turn navigation - Bing Maps supports voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions, so you don't have to take your hands or eyes off the wheel when you're in a new 'hood.
Kinect support - For the übergamer: you can interact with Xbox Kinect games with your Mango phone.
Bing Vision - Scan QR, Microsoft Tags, books, CDs and DVDs for quick info and pricing.
SMS dictation - Microsoft Tellme technology helps you text on the go by enabling you to speak your texts instead of typing them on your virtual keyboard.

Want to learn more about the three new Windows Phones coming to AT&T? Catch the available specs after the break.

Modern Ways to Teach Today's Youth About Sexual Health

Annie Scudder — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:45:21 PDT

Deb Levine, the founder of Internet Sexuality Information Services (ISIS), kicked off the annual Sex::Tech conference today in San Francisco, an event dedicated to advancing sexual health of American youth. Deb unveiled the findings from ISIS's just-released white paper on how youth and young adults use technology for their sexual and reproductive health. While the teen pregnancy rate is dropping overall, rates among African American and Hispanic youth are much higher. And African American teens, for example, are nine times more likely than Caucasian kids to contract STDs like chlamydia. Deb said that "while we're reaching some youth with messages that work, we're not reaching our most vulnerable youth." Luckily, she proposed some solutions.

For today's youth, sex info is everywhere - on games, Google, Hulu, and in health class. Deb pointed out when it comes to hormone-infused young people, the sexier the information, the more they pay attention. What will they pay more attention to, she asked rhetorically, Our Bodies, Ourselves or Hot Bodies hosted by Mel B?

Obviously some of the information from sexier sources may not be correct, leading to bad decision-making and consequences. But adults and society need to respect youth as consumers; they will seek out the product they want. If sex can be used to sell cars and movies, why not sex health? Deb said adults need to talk to kids, not at kids. After all, they say themselves that not using a condom is "stupid." Deb explained: "Get more sophisticated about the realities of their sex lives. Saying 'use a condom' isn't good enough. If you infuse some humor, everyone ends up on the joke."

ISIS decided to do just that. It partnered with Funny or Die and made a pretty hilarious video of adults giving bad sex advice. "If you run out of condoms, it's OK to use a plastic bag." Or, "Pregnancy only happens if you secretly want it to." It definitely caught my attention.

Based on the research, ISIS also suggests getting smart about Internet search. Teens don't search sexual health, but "I have a rash down there." Sex educators will reach them if they optimize Google search. The goal is to be ubiquitous, reaching youth on Google, games, via text, or on Facebook, to guarantee they get good information.

If you want to see the Funny or Die video just read more.

Group Therapy: My Boyfriend Disappeared

Tres Community — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 03:05:38 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

This is kinda long but I really really need help. I've been with my bf for only two months, but everything was just so perfect. We feel like we are meant to be. He is so great to me. He is always so busy because of work, but he did many sweet things for me. We had so many good times together. I really know that he loves me.

So here is the thing. He came back from Europe last Wednesday night and we met on Thursday night and everything was still so perfect. I could tell that he was so tired because he had been overworking. Then Friday night he worked until 12:50 pm so he didn't have to go back to his office to work again on the coming weekend so we could get together. Then he sent me 2 messages; one said he was just done and going to get a sandwich somewhere and then go home (he lives one hour away from where he works). The other one said he loves me so much. But I was already asleep, so I replied the next morning when I woke up.

He didn't reply the whole day. I thought he was busy, so I texted him again. The second day still no reply. I've been calling him and I emailed him. This is the fifth day no reply. I am really so worried that something bad had happened to him. I tried every way I can but I just couldn't get in touch with him. It is killing me. I don't know what to do.

I met his friend before, but we didn't leave phone numbers or Facebook so I can't contact his friend either. His mother too, I don't have her number. We were eating out that day, I wish I had asked for their numbers!! I went to his house before too, but he came here to pick me up so I didn't pay attention about the exact location.

Or am I stupid? Was that just a game? What should I do? I am just asking for a chance to talk to him and know what happened. Then if he wants to leave, leave in a good way. But in my heart I really believe he loves me so I am very very worried. I couldn't even sleep. Can't contact his friends and family and workplace. What should I do? Please help me. Any advice will be appreciated.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.