GeekSugar

3 Types of White LED Lights

Anna Monette Roberts — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 04:00:57 PST

It's tough to distinguish different types of "white" light, especially when experiencing a sensory overload at holiday-decorated stores. Here's a quick debriefing of cool white, warm white, and champagne white, so you can get busy decorating your house the way you imagine.

From left to right:
Commercial Cool Clear LED Wide Angle Christmas Lights ($19/50 LEDs) – Cool white lights on a white wire have a slightly blue tint and are a great lighting option if you want a sharp, bright, icy look to your tree or house.

Vickerman Warm White LED Miniature Christmas Light String Set ($22/70 LEDs) – Offered on green wire, warm white lights shine a softer, incandescent, and yellowy light for a more traditional, warmer look.

Champagne White Standard C7 LED Christmas Lights ($13/25 LEDs) – These champagne colored LED lights emit a peachy-yellow light. The bigger, strawberry-shaped LED lights are a decorative shift away from the common mini bulbs.

Website of the Day: Tacky Light Tour

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 11:00:51 PST

There's no better way to get into the holiday spirit than heading out to find all the light-decorated houses. I know people go crazy for Christmas lights in my old neighborhood back home, with even an entire block of houses vowing to decorate with lights and props every year. It's kind of like a team sport where I'm from, and they take it very seriously. Like, Superbowl serious.

So if you need an injection of holiday joy in the form of a tacky light tour, then point your browser to exactly that: Tacky Light Tour. An interactive map lets you find all the reported tackiness in your area, and if you happen to find one that's not on the map, send in a tip so the rest of us can enjoy (read: gawk).

Do you have an interesting website you want to share? Create a PopSugar account or log in to your existing account. Then join the Website of the Day group where you can post your favorite website. And you never know, it could be featured on GeekSugar! Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.

Solar-Powered String Lights: Love or Leave?

GeekSugar — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 12:15:24 PST

If you want to pimp the outside of your house with a ton of Christmas lights but don't want to spend a small fortune on the electricity bill, consider Solar-Powered Lights.

When Popgadget compiled their Christmas gift guide, she added these versatile lights to the list. With 102 bright LED bulbs on each string, these solar-powered lights can be used on trees or on your front porch. You don't even need to put them on timers since they have day and night sensors that will turn them on automatically. On a full charge, the lights will last up to eight hours. Priced at $75 each.

What do you think? Would you ever go solar with your Christmas lights?

Lights, Camera, Smoke!

GeekSugar — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 07:00:01 PST

You'd think that smoking Christmas lights would be something only Clark Griswold would have to deal with in Christmas Vacation. Guess again! I was totally shocked when TeamSugar told me that her new Micro Lights short-circuited and melted the outlet plug. Yikes! TeamSugar noticed that the lights went out around 5pm, and she could smell melting plastic. When she came back at 11pm, the entire plug had exploded. It's better to be safe than sorry this holiday season. Keep a close eye on your new lights and if worse comes to worse, trade in your real tree for a fiber optic USB Christmas tree, you know, just to be on the safe side!

View 3 Photos ›

How to Hang Your Christmas Tree Lights

Julia Millay Walsh — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 03:00:33 PST

The Christmas tree may be an international icon, but you'd be surprised by how many people don't know how to hang lights on one. Beginning tonight at 7 p.m. EST, the folks in Rockefeller Center will kick off their annual tree lighting celebration, so I thought I'd let you in on a few tips so you can join in on the fun and light yours too!

Begin with a bare, undecorated Christmas tree that is seated firmly in its tree stand.
Plug your string lights - which had better be LED lights - into an outlet to make sure they work before you get started. If they do not light, first make sure that none of the bulbs are broken. If so, replace the bulbs. If no bulbs are broken, you'll need to replace the fuse in the fuse panel on the pronged accessory plug. That should do it!
Begin at the base of the tree and work your way to the top by weaving your string lights over and under the branches alternately as you go across.
Keep reading for the rest of the steps!

Do-It-All Cookware: In Praise of the Cast-Iron Dutch Oven

Sara Yoo — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:54:00 PST

Photo: Sara Yoo

Late-night infomercials seem to have the solution to every kitchen conundrum, but I learned quickly that buying into every zealous sales pitch meant cabinets full of single-use gadgets that receive only occasional use. So when I dove into my shelves of dusty equipment for a Spring clean-out, I found that several could go in the donation bin thanks to one multitasking pot: my enameled cast-iron Dutch oven.

Photo: Camilla Salem

While forms of this essential vessel exist in many cultures, the original "Dutch" oven finds its roots in 17th century Netherlands, where it was a way to recreate the effects of an oven when only an open fire was available. My first Dutch oven arrived in the form of a Christmas gift from my mom who remarked, "You need one of these." She's never been so right. That 5 1/2-quart round Le Creuset became a stovetop fixture as I discovered I could use it for everything, from braised duck ragu to frijoles de la olla, to kimchi jjigae. The flat bottom heats evenly, even on my scary, early 90s-era electric coil range, and everything I simmer, braise, and stew takes on flavor depth unmatched by my other cookware. Thanks to the enameled surface, it's a wonder to deglaze, easy to clean, and incredibly durable. Now the proud owner of three of these do-it-all pots (the 5 1/2-quart round, a 7 1/2-quart round, and a 9 1/2-quart oval), I'm armed for dinner for two - or 20.

For a few of the many uses for your cast-iron enameled Dutch oven, just read on

Weekly Faves: 5 Inspiring Outdoor Spaces

CasaSugar — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 08:00:00 PST

This week, I'm inspired by outdoor spaces that celebrate Winter lights. Whether it's the festive glow of Christmas lights or the magnificent twinkling of natural starlight, there's something awe-inspiring about the lights that surround us this time of year. Hopefully, this gallery will spark some ideas for new ways to decorate with lights or will inspire a trip up North. Happy holidays!

14 Geeky Languages to Learn With Your Love

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:15:00 PST

Love may be a universal language, but we're not sure that phrase includes the sci-fi alien races and fantastical creatures that rule the far depths of the galaxy, who express love in words beyond our human comprehension. When you're thinking of a unique way to woo your valentine this year, plan a tutorial to learn together one of these 14 geeky languages. While several of these Trekkie, Tolkien, or computer gaming-inspired languages have enough depth to warrant a university level class, many are not fully realized, so have fun discovering select words and phrases to bring to future geeky date outings.

Wookie - Made up of three dialects, the main Wookie language is Shyriiwook. As you'd expect it consists of lots of barks and grunts, but don't you dare say that to Chewbacca. The Star Wars Christmas Special has detailed examples of this mystifying tongue.
Klingon - The language of Klingons, the sometimes ally of the Federation, is arguably the best known of the imagined star languages. Described by its Hollywood creators as gutteral in tone, dedicated Trekkies maintain the Klingon Language Institue, preserving the galaxy's "fastest growing language."
Vulcan - Known as the language of Spock, one version of Vulcan looks like musical notes. Much of the language is available online today as Gene Roddenberry was insistent when making Star Trek: The Motion Picture that the Vulcans receive their own linguistic treatment.
Romulan - As biological cousins of the Vulcans, the Romulan language is difficult to differentiate from Vulcan to the untrained ear. The Central Institute of the Romulan Language ensures you get the right training to one day know the difference.
Cardassian - Residents of the Alpha Quadrant, Cardassians are a fearsome foe of the Federation. Little is known of their language, maybe because of its rectangular-shaped letters and script.
Andorian - The blue-skinned moon species from Andora appeared throughout the Star Trek series and would of course show up in the directory of a PADD.
Elvish - With a background in linguistics study from Oxford, Tolkien did not take the creation of the Lord of the Rings languages lightly. Based on Welsh and English, you can study Liv Tyler's Arwen in the film trilogy for pronunciation and read the many online Elvish resources, including an English to Elvish dictionary.
Dwarvish - Also called Khuzdul, Tolkien is said to have drawn inspiration for the secret language of the Dwarves from Hebrew, reflecting many of the same sounds and structure. As many Lord of the Rings languages, it's been almost fully realized and you can study up with the Dwarvish dictionary.

Check out even more languages to geek out over after the jump.

Deck the Halls With R2-D2 Lights

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:02:41 PST

Getting your pad decked out for the holidays? Might I suggest a festive Star Wars theme this year with the help of a R2-D2 light set ($24). Coming with 10 indoor/outdoor lights, this string would be the perfect addition to an intergalactic tree, a decorated mantel, or window display. Tis the season to be jolly, and show off your geeky style too.

2 Easy Steps For Curing Tired, Puffy Eyes

Jaime Richards — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 06:04:00 PST

In the spoofy song, "The 12 Pains of Christmas," the singer explores all sorts of holiday-related issues: hangovers (which we have you covered on), rigging up the lights, and batteries-not-included - just to name a few. But one thing he doesn't mention is the puffy, tired-looking eyes that often come from not just overdoing it with rich foods and a packed schedule, but flying, as well. While the exclusion was probably just an oversight, it turns out puffy eyes don't have to be such a problem, after all. Luckily, it's an easy cure:

Step one: "I think the best thing is to use cool, cloth compresses," explains celebrity dermatologist Dr. Harold Lancer. He recommends applying them for about a minute or two and then repeating after about an hour.
Step two: Then, apply a touch of eye cream with hyaluronic acid in it, and it's as easy as that.