GeekSugar

Techjoyment: Boys and Their Toys

GeekSugar — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:04:15 -0800

Since it's Friday, I couldn't think of a better excuse to bring you three heapings of techjoyment - because I know and you know, it's been awhile! Ashton is the geeky leader of the pack with his sexy and sleek iPhone 3G; then there's Barack rockin' what appears to be his beloved BlackBerry; and last but not least, Tom Cruise snapping some photos with his BB Bold at Daytona this week. Allow me to label them our three cell phone musketeers.

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Daily Tech: Dell Goes Mini With a Fire-Engine Red Notebook

GeekSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 12:43:17 -0700

Michael Dell showed off his tiny red notebook at All Things D. . . Yet it still remains nameless, priceless, and its OS hasn't been revealed. - Gizmodo
In the upcoming months, Blockbuster will start rolling out an in-store download service where customers can download movies onto their media players. - CrunchGear
Tom Cruise is finally stepping up with the web 2.0 times. He has just launched a website about. . . Tom Cruise! - USA Today
Compare as you dare! The iPhone, HTC Touch Diamond, and Xperia X1 get put to the tech sandwich test! - Engadget
It's giveaway time! Be sure to log in to your TeamSugar account for your chance to win a Wii Fit! - geeksugar

Totally Geeky or Geek Chic? Gadgets In Jerry Maguire

GeekSugar — Tue, 27 Feb 2007 15:00:47 -0800

The only thing that makes this 1996 Oscar nominated flick out-dated is the gadgets. Check out this pic of Jerry Maguire, played by Tom Cruise in the notorious show me the money scene with his three-fold flip cell with giant antenna. His main squeeze Dorothy Boyd, played by Renee Zellweger is shown here with her ghetto cordless phone and super thick laptop. Did these gadgets put this movie ahead of its time or do they just make the actors look geeky?

Tom Cruise's Car From Minority Report For Sale

GeekSugar — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 03:30:11 -0800

The car driven by Tom Cruise in action film Minority Report is expected to fetch £64,000 (about $125,654 US dollars) when it goes under the hammer next month. The sleek red Lexus 2054 is just one of three models created for the movie and only has 38 miles on the odometer.

It is set to go on eBay sometime soon. For a gallery of photos including one of Tom in the car, just read more

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Guitar Hero Makes Risky Business For Celebs!

GeekSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 04:00:10 -0700

Though we have yet to see Tom Cruise, Guitar Hero has employed a wide gamut of celebs to play his famous role in Risky Business, but with a GH twist. With the latest March Madness/Metallica inspired spot, I thought I'd remind you of the past stars who've stripped down to their pink shirt and undies, and slipperiest socks, and yes, taken those old records off the shelf.

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Oscar-Worthy Gadgets: Tropic Thunder's Tech Addiction

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 11:00:26 -0800

I love that Robert Downey Jr. was nominated for his role in Tropic Thunder - next to all these very serious roles, there's a "dude playing a dude disguised as another dude." Classic. So besides the hilarious performances by the cast (Hello, Tom Cruise!), technology took some very nice supporting roles throughout the film.

Not only did Matthew McConaughey's character have a Blackberry attached to his hip, but he played virtual Wii golf in his office on a very sleek flatscreen TV. And who could forget his quest to get Tugg Speedman a TiVo in his trailer? But Les Grossman's office is where the bling really lies. A pimpin' stereo system (perfect for dancing to, of course), his laptop, and multiple cell phones keep him connected and grooving to the pulse of the industry.

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Geeky Girl We Love: 14 of Gallery of the Absurd

GeekSugar — Tue, 08 May 2007 09:00:56 -0700

There are hundreds of bloggers I admire for their tenacity, drive, humor and innovative ideas, but very few who embody the combination of artistry, sarcasm and wit that 14, the founder of Gallery of the Absurd does.

14, who is an artist first and a blogger second, has wowed the web with what the New York Post called "Portraits of Shame" - as in satirical paintings and drawings of tabloid favorites like Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin. While gossip blogs talked about the Hollywood Skeleton Girls, 14 painted them - as skeletons. When Star Jones got canned from The View following her shameless quest for wedding freebies and the denial and controversy surrounding her dramatic weight loss, 14 painted her as a fish about to sink her teeth into a giant and shiny bite of "free" bait. No matter what the scandal, 14's hauntingly hilarious images seem to begin where tabloids end and her collection, which is archived on Gallery of the Absurd is an addiction in its own right. I recently found out she resides in San Francisco and that she's a major geek. She was gracious enough to let me pick at her brain. For the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: You've said you love the celebrities you paint because they bring you so much joy and laughter. How do you decide when a celebrity moment or trend needs to be immortalized in a painting?
14: The frequency of the celeb's appearance in the blogs and tabloids plus the ridiculousness of the celeb's actions equals my interest in painting them.

Geeksugar: Which celebrities inspire you the most?
14: Celebrities with huge notions of entitlement are my favorites: Tom Cruise and Paris Hilton. I also love painting the public train wrecks: Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Tara Reid. Anyone who causes me laughter is ripe for my pen.

Geeksugar: Is there anyone you wouldn't paint?
14: I focus my attention on tabloid celebrities rather than serious actors/actresses. I've avoided actresses such as Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen because they conduct their private lives with dignity. However, if they became involved in a Paris Hilton-style scandal, they would quickly become candidates for Gallery of the Absurd. Also, I'm scared to draw Oprah...I dunno, just am.

Geeksugar: Tell me a little about the artistic process. I read you use ink, acrylic, pastels and oils on paper or canvas, as well as digital enhancement.
14: First, I make a pencil sketch by turning the reference photo upside down and drawing it that way. Then I dance around in my studio for a bit and then go back to sketching. I'll do several sketches and to save time, I'll often scan the sketch in Illustrator and convert to a vector and then color and layout in Photoshop. Other times I take several days to paint an oil or acrylic. I'm still teaching myself to draw and paint, so I experiment a lot with different mediums and styles. Now I'm teaching myself Flash and am working with some animators on a Gallery of the Absurd cartoon.

Geeksugar: How many hours do you pour into most works?
14: The average time spent on a finished illustration is about 8 hours each. Sketches with digital color take less time and paintings can take up to a week.

Geeksugar: Do you use a PC or Mac?
14: MAC only. A PC would never enter my studio.

Geeksugar: What non-celebrity websites do you read everyday?
14: I visit art blogs such as Drawn!, I read "alternative" news sites such as a Rense.com and Alternet.org, a few political blogs and...I redden as I type this...I read UFO blogs and paranormal news sites. Blush.

Geeksugar: What are your guilty pleasure TV shows?
14: I really hate TV and can't keep my attention focused on it for very long, but shows such as The Office, Entourage and Wife Swap snagged me in their net and I'm a little pissed about it.

Geeksugar: What do you snack on while working?
14: Raw almonds, strawberries, and olives...but not all at the same time.

Geeksugar: I define about 60 percent of your "interests" as geeky (that's a plus in my book). Do you consider yourself a geek?
14: I am a major geek and I wear it as a badge of honor. I devour a wide range of non-fiction books weekly and enjoy taking things apart and fixing them without the use of directions. I find enjoyment in both a hardware store as well as Sephora.

Geeksugar: I read you have a huge crush on Stephen Colbert. Who do you think is the sexiest geek ever?
14: When I watched Stephen Colbert speak to Bush at the White House Correspondents Dinner, I immediately fell in love. Geeky men with balls and razor wit turn me into mush and make my heart go a'flutter. I'm sure there's other sexxay geeks out there, but I can't think of one now.

Geeksugar: What are some of your other hobbies when you're not painting and creating art?
14: Hiking, people watching, gardening, ufo investigation, yoga, rabble rousing.

Geeksugar: Are you going to buy an iPhone?
14: No, but maybe someone will buy one for me.

Geeksugar: Do you listen to music while you paint, and if so, who are you listening to these days?
14: All the time! Lately I've been listening to The Residents, The The, Amon Tobin, Manu Chau, Sufi music, Mozart and some weird crystal bowl healing stuff that is supposed to "raise your vibrations," but so far I've not noticed anything different.

Geeksugar: Tell us more about your background, how you got started as a blogger and what you've learned from it.
14: My background is in high-tech marketing and public relations, but I quit 7 years ago because I was having more fun drawing my bizarro co-workers than writing marketing plans. After that, I became a free-lance art curator and artist and created several multimedia art shows and events. A sudden move from Seattle to Los Angeles turned my life upside down, so I started Gallery of the Absurd to cope with not knowing anyone in a new town. Now it's my job and I looooove blogging. Who cares if I don't make as much money as when I had to market software? I'm far happier and free now.

Geeksugar: Any celebrity you are dying to meet?
14: I'd love to meet George Lucas. I have so much admiration for him and they way he brought his imagination to life. I'm not so much a Star Wars fan, but I am a fan of Lucas himself. Most of the tabloid celebs I draw don't really fascinate me that much and I'd likely not take notice of them unless they were acting like clowns. I'd love to be invisible and follow Tom Cruise around for 24 hours just to see the full spectrum of whackiness he'd reveal. Maybe it would be fun to have a drink with Courtney Love too.

Geeksugar: What are some of your favorite places in the San Francisco?
14: One of my favorite hobbies is people watching and this city has the BEST! I put on dark glasses and trek miles all around this fine city and am entertained for hours. I also spend lots of time at the SF Botanical Garden, Land's End, and Sutro Park. I love the lychee cocktails at Cafe Claude and the dark chocolate salted caramels from Recchiuti.

14's prints are available for sale on Gallery of the Absurd. Check out more interviews with Geeky Girls We Love.

NVISION 08: Touchscreen Magic With Jeff Han

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:00:02 -0700

If you don't know who Jeff Han is by now, then listen up! Named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World for 2008, Jeff is on a mission to change your relationship with your computer - in a very good way. Jeff was one of the guest speakers at this year's keynote address at the NVISION 08 Conference in San Jose, CA, and spent some time showing off his uber-cool touch screen technology to the audience.

Originally unveiling his work back in 2007, Jeff is the founder of Perceptive Pixel and has been a trailblazer in multi-touch technology with clients ranging from the CIA to CNN. His work with touch technology has produced something totally reminiscent of that scene in Minority Report where Tom Cruise is fiddling around in midair on his holographic computer screen! Check out the video above. It's about three minutes long, but totally worth it!

Nerd Fun: Which Celebrities Are You Taller Than?

GeekSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 09:00:24 -0700

Hey, at least I'm taller than
Janeane Garofalo! Need to kill some time while simultaneous envisioning yourself next to celebrities?

Admit it, if you came face to face with Tom Cruise you'd make him go back-to-back for comparesies. Do it virtually with TallorNot, which takes your height and then lets you put yourself next to dozens of celebs and see how you measure up.

I always assume that my famous crushes are always way shorter than what I'd think, and I'm usually right - though TallorNot needs to update the very '90s celeb list! I need James Franco, not James Van Der Beek.

Men Without Pants! American Idol Busts a Guitar Hero Move

GeekSugar — Fri, 23 May 2008 04:30:15 -0700

Watching these Guitar Hero spots with David Cook and David Archuleta each re-enacting the famous depantsed-Tom Cruise scene in Risky Business with the video game, it's pretty obvious why Cook was crowned American Idol. He really commits in this clip, ruling the lip-synced song, and showing off all his moves. I'm sure Simon would agree. I guess the ad did its job too - I totally want to go pick up my plastic guitar and unleash my inner rock star!

To see David Archuleta's version, just read more.