GeekSugar

Could You Give Up Print Magazines For Digital Editions?

GeekSugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:00:07 -0800

Digital editions of magazines are nothing new, although it feels pretty momentous to hear that prestigious magazine The New Yorker is launching its digital version, with all of the content being made free to its print subscribers.

Here's the thing - I'm a magazine junkie. I subscribe to so many magazines, I can barely get through them all in a month. I love seeing the shiny new covers in the mail, flipping through them when I get a spare moment - I've always loved them. When I hear that titles go digital, I rejoice (more ways to access the content), but I also secretly fear for the fate of the print editions. What if everyone switched to reading magazines online and my beloved magazines stopped greeting me in my mailbox? I don't know if I could deal.

Could you make the switch from paper to exclusively digital?

Source

NYC's Taxi TV: Might Be Annoying Unless Gossip Girl Is On

GeekSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 10:00:40 -0700

I'm bummed that I didn't get to experience Taxi TV when I was in New York - the service, though described by this New York article as annoying and wearing on city's taxi-taking populace, actually sounds pretty cool to me, aside from the apparent high volume and constant ads.

If you could get into the cab and pick what you wanted to watch, rather than be imposed upon by what Taxi TV chooses, I think it'd be awesome - most short cab rides would probably be only enough time for like four really funny jokes on 30 Rock, but whatever. How do you feel about Taxi TV, New Yorkers? Can you actually change the channel, or are you subject to whatever is on?

Gossip Girl Tech Quiz: Episode Three, "The Lost Boy"

GeekSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:47:10 -0700

In last night's dramatic episode of Gossip Girl, there was champagne and celebration mixed with deception and drama amongst our favorite Upper East Siders. We learned that Scott is actually a love child from Lily and Rufus, Chuck is diving into the hotel business, and Serena is making a go of it with Carter (who I'm going to nickname "Cheating Carter"). Whether it's texting or talking on their cell phones, these New Yorkers always have their gadget gear close to them. Let's see how well you were paying attention to last night's episode with our tech quiz!

And be sure to take Bella's Gossip Girl beauty quiz and Fab's fashion quiz.

Photos courtesy of The CW

Take the quiz

How I'd Wire Serena van der Woodsen For Brown

GeekSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:05:10 -0700

The kids of Gossip Girl aren't really kids anymore, as they're about to embark on their first years at college. I'm having fun imagining how I'd outfit them for gadgets and accessories - Blair Waldorf's wiring kicked me off, and now I'm turning to the California casual New Yorker Serena van der Woodsen.

S is headed to Brown University (though I have a feeling that won't last, with all her friends staying in the city for school), and it's been hinted that her bohemian nature will be out in full force.

Taking into account that and her already boho-chic nature and style, I've put together the tech and tech accessories that Serena would do well to tote with her to Providence.

MacBook Air $1,499	Hayden-Harnett Catalina Slouchy Laptop Bag $473
Incase Parra Sleeve Curated by Arkitip $60	BlackBerry Bold
LaCie Golden Disk External Hard Drive $198	West Elm Parsons Desk $199
Hudson Task Chair $1,725	Kate Spade Tarrytown Media Case $115

Photo courtesy of The CW

Match.com Posts Fake Profiles, Man Sues For Humiliation

GeekSugar — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 07:33:02 -0700

One of the reasons some people are wary of online dating is that people tend to stretch the truth when describing themselves. Perhaps you can build up a BS detector for embellishments of electronic personalities, but what if the dating prospects were not even real?

That's what happened to New Yorker Sean McGinn, who's suing dating site Match.com for keeping around profiles of former users so that it would look like the site had far more romantic prospects than it did. McGinn is suing over deception, because he sent out many emails to profiles that were essentially dead. Match.com caused him "humiliation and disappointment," and he wants to stop Match from hurting the feelings of singles "who feel rejected when their e-mails get no reply."

For some people, it's a big leap to start online dating, and knowing that you may be signing up for even more rejection (however genuine) is a total deterrent.

So aside from McGinn, I know plenty of people with horror stories about love and the laptop. What's your worst online dating story?

Daily Tech: Search For Custom Size Pics With Yahoo! Images

GeekSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:30:48 -0800

Looking for a pic that's a certain size? With Yahoo! Images you can now specify image dimensions in the search query and use their new "Recent Images" feature that will show pics that have been uploaded in the last two hours. - Digital Inspiration
Many owners of the new MacBook Pros have been reporting trackpad issues. Steve Jobs has already announced that a software fix is coming soon. - MacRumors
For $40, you can now get a one-year subscription to the digital edition of The New Yorker magazine. - Switched
Did Google influence Proposition 8 passing in California since many of their Google Adsense adverts backed Proposition 8? - Times Online
Got nasty fingerprints on your iPhone or worried about germs? Wireless Wipes only cost $2 and are iPhone friendly. - Chip Chick

Would You Stand in Line for a Gadget?

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:00:21 -0700

macgirl's comment about the iPhone 3G yesterday made me think: Yes, I love the excitement of the lines that form when a new, hot gadget is released, but would I stand in line for one, otherwise? It's pretty discouraging when you realize that you can walk in the very next day and wait in no line to get your new toy!

Last year, I loved the energy of being caught up in downtown San Francisco, right outside of the Apple store: the countdown of the doors opening, the employees cheering you into the store, the first customer emerging victoriously with his iPhone! It's all so geek fabulous, but then I look at the people in New York City, already lined up for Friday's release of the iPhone 3G, and I know that you couldn't pay me to sleep on a sidewalk (and watch out for the inclement weather coming your way, New Yorkers!) So, tell me: Would you stand in line for a gadget, and why?

Source

Top 10 Most E-Mail Addicted Cities In The US

GeekSugar — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:00:34 -0700

The folks over at Switched inform me that AOL just completed a massive survey on e-mail usage throughout the United States, which polled residents of the country's top 20 markets. The results? While teens may think e-mail is so 1999, there are many adults (and teens) who are in need of a little e-mail detox. America's top 10 e-mail addicted cities are:

Washington DC - This year, our nation's capital was the most e-mail addicted city in the country. More than eight in ten Washington users (82 percent) have multiple e-mail accounts and four in 10 DC residents say they keep a PDA by their pillow when sleeping to listen for late-night emails, while 58 percent of city residents fessed up to checking e-mail with a portable device while sitting on the toilet.
Atlanta - Atlanta ranks as the second most e-mail addicted city in the survey, making a dramatic jump from 12th place last year.
New York - The number of New Yorkers who check their work e-mail over a typical weekend rose to more than 70 percent this year, while 24 pecent of New Yorkers think they are addicted to e-mail.
San Francisco - San Francisco won the top spot in last year's email addiction survey, but this year slipped to number four.
Houston - For the third year in a row, Houston has made the top five. Residents are checking their PDAs in some pretty interesting places too. 53 percent admit to checking their email in the bathroom.

The rest of the list is Los Angele, Seattle, Orlando, Denver and Miami. Do you agree with the list?

Source

Man Trapped in Elevator Video Becomes an Internet Hit: But Why?

GeekSugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 06:30:11 -0700

I'm sure you've probably seen this video already, since it's been spreading on the Internet like a wildfire, but if you haven't, here's some background info to bring you up to speed. On Friday October 15, 1999, Nicholas White went outside for a cigarette break while working in New York's McGraw-Hill building (it was 11pm on a Friday). On his way back, the elevator stopped, and he was trapped for 41 hours.

The surveillance camera footage of those horrifying two days has just surfaced on the Internet and it has already been viewed 1.3 million times on YouTube. The video shows White panicking, pacing, trying to sleep and pry the doors apart. According to The New Yorker, who ran an entire article about the ordeal, White said that he feels as though people are so captivated by the video because they wonder what they would have done if it happened to them. I have to admit, after watching the video last week, I think about it every time I step foot in an elevator, even though I'm constantly armed with my cell phone. It also stirs up alot of emotions inside me, including frustration, sadness and hope for White. Why do you think people are so obsessed with this video?

To see the three minute time-lapse video, read more

How The Robot Parking Garage Works

GeekSugar — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 02:48:12 -0700

The question "would you trust a robot to park your car?" came up last month and brought up some serious conversation. On one hand, robots like the EverR-2-Muse, the world's first entertainer robot, are amazing. On the other hand, can she be trusted to park my precious wheels? The dilemma of whether or not to give up your car keys to robots is very real to some New Yorkers as the city's first robotic parking opens this month in Chinatown. Wondering how it works?

How does the technology work?