GeekSugar

Amazon Introduces Kindle Owners' Lending Library

Kelly Schwarze — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 11:23:35 PDT

Kindle owners with an Amazon Prime membership now have even more reading options as today Amazon introduced a free lending library for Prime subscribers. The virtual library boasts over 5,000 books and can only be read via actual Kindle devices, not smartphones or computers with Kindle apps. One book can be checked out per month, though unlike your city library there is no due date for when that title must be returned.

If you're worried the recent bestsellers you've been meaning to pick up for your book club won't be included in the library, Amazon reassures that over 100 of the books are current and past New York Times bestsellers. However, books from the six biggest publishers, Random House, HarperCollins, Penguin, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette, are not participating in the library due to royalty concerns.

Physical Books Dead in 5 Years: Do You Agree?

GeekSugar — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 03:47:33 PDT

Last week at a tech conference in Lake Tahoe, California, Nicholas Negroponte, the founder of One Laptop Per Child, said that he believes physical books will be "dead" in as little as five years. Of course, there will always be books around (I'm not giving up my library card just yet), but considering the fact that digital forms of books have already outsold hardcovers, not to mention how quickly consumers are snatching up ereaders of all forms (and how easy they are to transport), I suppose it's a prediction that isn't too far fetched.

I'm a big fan of my Kindle, but there's just something about reading a real book that gives me the warm fuzzies. Do you agree with this prediction, or are you a die-hard physical book proponent?

6 Geeky Books to Load on Your Kindle

GeekSugar — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 07:00:40 PDT

The price of the Kindle has been taking a nosedive recently, but some of you still aren't buying. For those of you who are taking advantage of the new sticker price, you're going to need to decide on which books to load onto your new tech toy before you take off on your next reading trip. Want some help? I have six books ripe for the picking that satisfy your need for all things geek, entertainment, knowledge, social network, and business domination. Check 'em out right here.

What Ways Are You Reading Books These Days?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 10:30:42 PST

The book publisher Random House recently announced that it will be releasing thousands more of its books in digital format over the next few months. The idea is that while the market for regular ol' words-on-paper books is struggling, electronic books have grown by leaps and bounds over the past year, thanks to Amazon's Kindle (Oprah's favorite gadget), among other things.

Still, the overall number of people buying electronic books is still estimated to be pretty small - which got me wondering how you're reading books these days. Have any of you jumped on the e-book bandwagon? Do you download or rent audiobooks? Or are you content with paper?

Source

Online Dating: 5 Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd

YourTango — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:50:50 PDT

We're happy to present this excerpt from one of our favorite sites, YourTango. Today, David Osterczy gives us an excerpt from his new book 101 Online Dating Tips.

Here is a smattering of tips from my latest book, Dating DeMistyfied, 101 Online Dating Tips.

I've left out much of "the meat and potatoes," but left in enough content for you to get an indication of what you will learn from this book. This book was written from 10 years of Internet dating experience, thousands of interviews with both men and women and research garnered from our last five to six Dating DeMistyfied Workshops.

Put great effort into writing your profile. Show passion and humor.

I mean really, if you can't have fun writing a simple online profile, then what sort of person do you suppose that you'll attract? Way back in 2001, I submitted my first profile to Match.com. I had no experience writing profiles but just figured what the hell . . . let's have fun!

I wrote the text on a Sunday night and didn't check my email until Friday night. During the five days I was "away," I received nearly 150 emails from about 120 women. Yes, some wrote me up to three times during that week! I was shocked, but realized that I was on to something!

The point that I'm attempting to make is to be sure that your personality comes through in the profile. If you're silly or funny, then by all means, portray that! If you're really smart and have a lot to say, then say it! If you're sarcastic - in a good way - then allow that to come through. If you're not into writing, like many are not, then just do the best that you can but make sure to come across as you. After all, you are the only one that you really know how to be!

Just have fun folks! Be honest and definitely ask for what you want when describing what you seek in a mate. Write in the same manner as you speak so that each person reading your profile feels that you're talking directly to him or her. After all, that is what we're all here for!

Make sure to upload only the clearest, best and most recent photos.

You'd think that this would be a no brainer, but the more you surf the personals online, the more you'll be shocked at the sheer idiocy of some people and the pictures they submit to dating sites. Photos are your first line of attack, and if they suck, no-one will even read your wonderful, well thought out profile! I'm not telling you that you need to go out and get professional shots taken, but I have friends who have done very well going exactly that route.

Simply put, if you don't have any decent, clear photos of yourself, then grab your digital (you know that you have one!) and grab some friends and spend the day taking lots of photos alone and in groups. It is critically important that you have a variety of pictures. Have some close-ups (head-shots) so that people can see how beautiful your eyes are, some full length shots so they can get an idea of your body type and some group photos so they know that you actually leave the house and can be social.

For the rest of the article, head to YourTango: Online Dating: 5 Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd

Written by David Osterczy for YourTango.

Teach Your Mom Tech: iTunes Store

Anna Monette Roberts — Fri, 11 May 2012 04:57:08 PDT

The iTunes store offers lots of content, but with the separate pages for movies, TV, apps, and books, it can be a pain for a casual user like Mom to navigate. This Mother's Day, help Mom make the most of her digital media with a walk-through of the iTunes Store's most important functions.

Update Mom's iTunes: If Mom's still running on 6.0, the first step is updating the program to its current version. She's less likely to run into bugs, plus she'll have the most current store features.
Teach how to redeem a gift card: Save Mom the future phone call to you by showing her how to redeem an iTunes gift card. Select the "Quick Links" bar on the right hand side of the iTunes Store home page, then "Redeem" to enter the gift card code and begin purchasing. Remind her to take this step any time she wants to use the gift card, otherwise iTunes will automatically charge the credit card associated with the iTunes account.
Test out the search bar: Mom likely knows what she wants to purchase ahead of time, so help her search for items via the search bar on the upper right-hand corner of the title bar. The results aren't always clear, so make sure she's selecting the right items for purchase (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo book rather than the movie).
Explore each option on the navigation bar: Music, movies, TV shows, apps, and books: these are just a few items on the top navigation bar that Mom should explore to see what's new and what's popular.
Dive deep into each section: Each media content page breaks down into series of categories. View the list of categories by holding down the content page name on the navigation bar, or look to the "Quick Links" section on the right-hand side of the page. That way, Mom can search for types of movies, books, and music she prefers.

5 (Free) Gifts For the Not-So-Tech-Savvy Mom

Kristy Korcz — Sat, 05 May 2012 08:22:17 PDT

Celebrating your mom on Mother's Day doesn't have to be about the gifts you buy her; it can also be about the things you do for her. Instead of dropping some cash on a pricey gift this Mother's Day (Sunday, May 13!) why not spend some quality time helping her usher in the digital age? Check out these five ways you can give back to your luddite mom, teach her a few things about tech, or do her a few awesome favors for free. Think of it as a digital coupon book!

7 Reasons Why You Need a Wedding Website

GeekSugar — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 11:07:20 PDT

How do you feel about wedding websites? Some people find them a good outlet for narcissism, while others find them to be a helpful guide during modern digital times. Sure, tossing 600 photos of yourself on your wedding website with an accompanying story about how you met is a little extreme (and totally unhelpful), building a simple site to share important event details and anecdotes from your relationship is not. Here, 7 reasons why you need a wedding website, and what your site should include to be at maximum benefit for your guests.

Save on printing costs. If you're having invites printed, you know how quickly the price will rise by just adding another piece of paper to the mix. By directing everyone to your site in any engagement party, shower, or wedding correspondence, you'll save time, money, and effort on printing costs.
Easy registry access. You're probably already refreshing your gift registry to see which items have been purchased; why not give guests easy online access, too? In most cases, you can link directly to your registry info, which makes it easy for guests.

Keep reading for more reasons you should create a wedding website

Digital Birth Announcements For Modern Moms and Dads

LilSugar — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:16:44 PDT

We've seen our share of the most creative paper birth announcements, as well as video and photo essay announcements. But for parents who are looking to share their big baby news without reinventing the wheel, Nursery Notice just may be the way to go. We love that the service is eco-friendly, and the clean, modern templates are easy to update with birth details, photos, and a digital guest book. At $34 per month, Nursery Notice is also a lot more cost-effective than most printed announcements. Plus, you can archive your site on a CD once you're done with it so that it doesn't get lost in cyberspace.

What do you think? Is announcing a baby's birth over a website impersonal, or the way news will be shared in the future?

21 Disposable Products You Can Reuse

Wise Bread — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 09:00:39 PDT

Even when the product is supposedly "disposable," you can always reuse it. Wise Bread shares awesome ways to reuse these 21 disposable products.

It’s said that we live in a disposable society. But the word "disposable" is a misnomer. Disposable is considered throwaway, something you use once and dump, regardless of the life that may be left in it. As a frugal shopper with a concern for the state of our environment, I think that just won’t do.

I often reuse many so-called “onetime-use” items, and I asked friends, family, and colleagues to tell me which disposable items they squeeze more life from. Here’s my list, including some of the surprising ideas I was given.

RELATED: 25 Things to Throw Out Today

1. Butter Wrappers

If you’re like most people, you unwrap your butter, pop the stick into your handy holder, and throw the wrapper away. But wait a second - instead of trashing the wrappers, keep them in a sandwich bag. The next time you need to grease a baking tray or dish, you’ve got something all ready to go.

Read on for more.