GeekSugar

Website of the Day: Things to Be Happy About

GeekSugar — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 10:01:00 -0700

A website like this couldn't have come at a better time. Now that you've taken a look at some sites that will help save you money, it's time to have a bit of fun and remember that at the end of the day - there's always something that can put a big smile on your face. Things to Be Happy About is a bright, cheery site that will help you make a list of all the things that make you happy with the Happy Creator. So maybe it is just a list generator, but you can check out the main page to see all the lists others have created (trust me, they make you feel warm and fuzzy inside), and you can always go back and read your happy lists or share them with friends and family! This neat site was created after the book 14,000 Things to Be Happy About by Barbara Ann Kipfer.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and “Regular Post.”
Give your story a “Title.”
Fill in the “Body” with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click “Next."
Choose the audience for your story to “Website of the Day” in the drop-down menu
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to “Technology and Gadgets.”
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click “I’m done” 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!

Rihanna to Stream Album Release Party Online Nov. 16

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:16:42 -0800

I can't wait to pick up my own copy of Rihanna's new album, and if you're in the same boat, you'll be happy to hear about this: Rihanna will be performing tracks from her forthcoming record, Rated R, during her London album release party, and is streaming the whole thing live online on Nov. 16. A few lucky fans will also get the chance to win tickets to see the event live and in person from the UK!

In conjunction with the online party, Nokia is releasing its new X6 smartphone, which should hit stores a few days earlier on Nov. 12, and it's packed with Nokia's new Comes With Music features. Comes With Music allows you to download as many tunes as you want to your Nokia device with a 12-month membership. Additionally, if you sign up to watch Rihanna's release party online, you'll get special access to an exclusive version of Rated R with bonus tracks so you can start jamming along right away.

Daily Tech: Watch PC Vids on Your TV With FlipShare TV

GeekSugar — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:11:03 -0700

Cisco's new FlipShare TV provides a simple way to grab content from your PC and watch it on your TV - CrunchGear
One of my favorite websites, Someecards, isn't very happy with Apple right now - TechCrunch
The family of the Sacramento mother who died after a Wii radio contest has been awarded $16 million - Los Angeles Times
Here are 12 things you should know about Apple TV 3.0 - Gizmodo
Check out Green Pixel's top picks for this month's downloadable games - Green Pixels
It's giveaway time on GeekSugar! Log in for your chances to win one of these AT&T Smartphones - GeekSugar

Website of the Day: Optimist World

GeekSugar — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:35:58 -0700

Enough of you sang the praises of good-news reporting outlet Happy News that I knew that finding another similar site would be appreciated.

Optimist World covers the same beat - feel-good, upper news that will cure you of your world-weary blues.

The beautifully designed site also has tabs that direct you to charities and companies that are doing the right thing on the regular. I also really enjoy their tagline: "It's not all gloom and doom, you know." That's a great thing to be reminded of.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
Click the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" 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!

Testing Out the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach

GeekSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 03:50:45 -0700

In my opinion, achieving a sense of general well-being includes three vital components: incorporating a balanced and nutritious diet into your lifestyle, getting regular exercise, and getting enough sleep. Not surprisingly, most people are lacking in one or all of these areas, which is why I am thrilled to tell you about this new device that acts as your personal sleep coach - because we all know if we don't get enough sleep, diet and exercise tend to be the last things on our minds.

Based on academic articles within sleep science and designed in conjunction with sleep scientists, the Zeo Personal Sleep Coach is a four-part system which includes a headband, a bedside display, an interactive website, and a seven-step sleep fitness program. Its purpose is to measure your sleep patterns and give you tools to help improve your sleep by educating you on how you're actually sleeping. It's not some magical sleep doctor in a box, but it is pretty cool.

To keep reading about my first few experiences with Zeo and to see some more photos of the device, just read more.

If you're already thinking, "Huh?" let me explain. The way it works is you wear the wireless headband to bed, and with its sensor technology, your sleep patterns will be tracked and transmitted to your bedside Zeo clock. You can see me wearing the headband below - it's really not that bad once you get used to it, just make sure on your first night you're really tired and it's the weekend so you can slowly adjust!

After a night of wearing the headband (it fell off my first night, although I learned I could pull my ponytail right through the back strap), you can read the bedside display to see a sleep graph which summarizes your pattern of sleep phases each night (like total amount of REM, and light, and deep sleep, which is broken down into hours, minutes, and percentages), and your ZQ score. I think the best part of this entire trial run was the excitement of waking up to read the graph - and check out my ZQ score, naturally! It's funny because my highest score (usually around 110) would be on the weekends (they say your ZQ can range from 0-120). The fact that I was completely tuckered out from the week before, and relaxed because it was the weekend, made for some ideal sleeping conditions.

Zeo also comes with a SD memory card that will load all of the info from your headband onto it (when you dock your headband), which you can then upload onto your computer to your web-based personal sleep account. The Zeo's seven-step fitness program will then analyze your sleep patterns and lifestyle (like exercise, diet, stress, and environment), and recommend techniques, tools, and tips to address the issues that may be affecting your sleep. The program is intended to be completed within eight to 12 weeks.

The Zeo also includes a neat feature called the SmartWake Alarm which will look for a moment when you transition into and out of REM sleep when the brain is highly active. Therefore Zeo may wake you as early as half an hour before your set wake-up time, but it will never wake you up later than your actual alarm time. Because the Zeo costs $399, you'll be happy to know that this is one fancy schmancy alarm clock. Even if you're not using the headband, the alarm clock itself includes settings to adjust its brightness, and it offers relaxing alarm sounds to make the wake-up process a little less startling.

Overall, I give the Zeo a nice four out of five stars. As I said, it's not some magical sleep doctor that's going to cure insomniacs or people with major snoring issues, but it is going to educate you on your sleep style and give you some helpful suggestions for improving your sleep. Note to self: no more gadgets in the bedroom!

View 5 Photos ›

Tech Dating 101: How Can I Tell If He's Into Me Online?

GeekSugar — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:02:55 -0700

Trying to navigate the the online dating scene and feel like you're swimming upstream? Get your digital dating questions answered in geeksugar's Tech Dating 101 series, where I share my take on topics like gadgets in the boudoir and texting during a date. Today I'm tackling how to tell if someone is using the Internet to flirt with you, or just playing the friend game.

Unfortunately, it's often easier to figure out that he's just not that into you than it is to establish his intentions are of the Don Juan variety. If he doesn't IM you back after an hour and you know he's online, he doesn't see you as a priority. If you've had the "relationship talk" and he hasn't changed his relationship status, he's hesitant to announce he's off the market. But, just like happy hour flirtation, it's important to look at the whole picture if you think he wants to get fresh: Is he single? Is he dropping flirtatious hints and innuendos? Is he singling you out specifically or playing the field? And most importantly, is his aim true?

If you suspect a certain someone is trying to bust a virtual move, play PI and track his online interactions, both with you and others. If he's hitting up your Facebook wall weekly, sends you personal emails and links, shares items with you via his reader because he "thought you'd like this!" and Tweets back, chances are high he's interested in you on some level. He wants to know what you think about things. If he's spamming every girl he knows, he's just fishing around and looking for someone to take the bait. For a list of questions you should ask yourself when trying to categorize his intentions as romantic or purely platonic, read more.

Does he comment on all your status updates, blogs, or Flickr photos? If he doesn't comment (or "like") everything, does he comment more than other friends or potential lovas? Weigh his interactions with you against your BFF and a casual acquaintance for perspective.
Does he comment on obscure things? If he's dropping links, hints, and comments on random social network sites you've signed up for, or random pics you uploaded a year and a half ago then he's intentionally seeking you out.
Does he tweet back more than once or twice a week? Most people don't tweet back unless they truly appreciate a Tweet, or want to engage with you.
Is he following and friending you everywhere? If he's suddenly taken an interest in all your online activity and started following you everywhere, he's trying to get to know you and wants to monitor your activity. Use your commonsense based on his attitude in person to measure what this means.
Does he use a flirty tone and sexy humor? Come hither phrases and sexy talk are innuendo, whether online or not. If it sounds like flirtation when you read it out loud, it's flirtation. Men don't use words like "baby," "cute," "hot," and "sexy" unless they mean it. Well, they do, but they always mean it on some level.
Does he send you special private messages, notes, or links? Maybe he's not interacting with you on Facebook because he doesn't want your friends in common, his ex, or (yikes!) his current girlfriend to know he's singling you out, but if he's instant messaging or sending you links and private messages daily, and even weekly, stop and consider his intentions. You may just be online buddies, but his tone and the content he sends you will speak volumes.
Does he retweet, reblog, or reuse your "material"? This can be the ultimate compliment, but also a telltale sign of his intentions. If uses your material, but gives you credit (say by calling out your name) he's OK with letting people know he watches you. If he uses it without crediting you he's clearly figured out how awesome you are, but is timid about calling out his discovery. Beware the man who hides his online interaction with you. He may be running a messy game.

Source

How to Take a Good Profile Picture

GeekSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:02:27 -0700

Say cheese! I remember lining up for school photos and thinking, "I have to look good this year! I just have to!" Digital photography has freed us from those stomach cringing moments (and the desire to burn photos!) because we can always pose again, try better light and edit without wasting film.

Of course, getting that perfect photo is critical in an age of social networking and dating sites. I was cruising the Canon website (cause you know, that's what I do) and I came across the company's suggestions for taking better online dating portraits. It says:

Keep it Simple: Posing, Cropping, Framing, and Backgrounds -Your online dating portrait should be about you. That means no one else should be in the shot, and you should avoid distracting elements that will take attention away from the most important thing in the frame – YOU! Try turning the camera 90 degrees, and shoot a vertical picture. The longer vertical frame is better suited to capture a single person, without too much 'empty space' in the background.

Photo Techniques: Lighting, Lenses, and Camera Settings - One of the biggest mistakes in online dating portraits is poor lighting. Again, the photo is all about letting others see what you look like. The goal is to make sure the image is well (brightly) lit, but with no harsh shadows.

To see my tips for looking good in your pretty profile pic, read more.

Say No to Mug and Lingerie Shots - Profile pics that look like mug shots are the worst! Don't take a picture specifically for the purpose of being your profile image (you know, like the ones where you can tell the subject held out her arm to take the shot?!). Pictures taken in the mirror (unless they are incredibly artistic), or pictures taken on a camera phone are also discouraged. Also, think twice before you use that sexy one of yourself on the beach in Hawaii with a barely-there bikini (especially for a dating profile!).
Act Natural! - Whether you are looking for a dating profile picture, or a pic to use for your Facebook or Sugar account select a fun, natural picture. It doesn't have to be a glamor shot, just an image that shows your personality. Sure it's an ego boost to show off how cute you looked in that bridesmaid dress, but you don't look like that everyday. Try a pic in your natural element. Or a casual photo from your last vacation. I love nancita's carefree and happy look in her TeamSugar profile image.

Source

Do You Use Airport WiFi?

GeekSugar — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 16:03:48 -0800

One thing that makes me happy is free WiFi in airports. Something that doesn't make me happy is when I have to pay $9.95 for one hour of Internet use in most airports across the United States.

Once in a while I'm fortunate to be armed with a wireless broadband card so I don't have to stress about whether or not an airport has free WiFi, but quite often, it's just me and an expensive connection. Traveling is stressful enough without having to dig deep in your pockets to pay hefty WiFi rates. So I'm curious to know what you do - Do you pay the rates or turn to some other means?

Source

Animal Crossing City Folk For the Wii: New Features, Still Cute

GeekSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:30:12 -0800

I'm obviously a big fan of Animal Crossing - having spent hours on end playing Wild World on my DS - I'm happy to say I've already put in some good time with Animal Crossing: City Folk, since its release on Sunday. It's the same game you know and love from before (which could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it), but thankfully there are a few awesome new features on the Wii version that you won't find on any of the other consoles.

One of which is the Wii Speak adapter ($30) that lets you chat with others from around the world via your WiFi connection. Just attach the USB speaker into the Wii and you're off. But the coolest thing about this version has to be the DS import feature. Instead of making a brand new character in City Folk, you can transfer your town from your DS and start where you last left off. I'm totally stoked about that since I've upgraded my house quite a bit. Plus, working for Tom Nook to pay off my mortgage wasn't easy - who wants to start that all over again from scratch?

Animal Crossing City Folk is now available online ($50) or in stores. But here's a tip: pick the game and microphone bundle from Amazon for $70 - you'll save ten bucks!

Geek Tip: Share Your Favorite Places With Placefav

GeekSugar — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:00:16 -0700

We all know how to navigate and use Yelp to find reviews on new places we want to try, and you probably already submit your own reviews of your favorite haunts and hangouts. But the thing that bothers me about Yelp is that it takes so much time and effort to write a good and honest review! There's a lot of pressure to write witty and entertaining commentary, isn't there? "What can I say about Sam's Sushi . . ."

Which is why I'm now in love with Placefav. What is it and why do I love it so? Find out when you read more.

So the beauty of listing your favorite places on Placefav is that it only allows you a certain number of words to describe why you love it. No need to ramble on about why the universe is in perfect alignment when you bite into that sushi roll, or how Purple Elephant Coffee is to happiness as air is to your lungs. Or whatever. Just list your favorite spot, what you love about it (in 255 characters or less) and share with other members of Placefav. It's that simple. Sometimes, less really is more.