GeekSugar

Emoticarolers Make Christmas Carols Cool

GeekSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 11:00:52 PST

Emoticarolers is the kind of thing that should be too silly for me to be into, and yet, here I am, powerless to their cute yellow faces and midi voices (or maybe I was just swayed by the fact that the parody lyrics the site offered me for "Deck the Halls" were "Deck the Halls With Flat Screen TVs").

You pick four carolers and then a classic holiday song (original or parody lyrics), and then you can send around your custom "card."

It's way less annoying than strangers showing up to your door singing while you awkwardly stand there bobbing your head.

The Digital Smiley Face Turns 25 Today : )

GeekSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 09:00:37 PDT

Can you believe that the cute little smiley emoticon which we've all grown to love turns 25 today? According to The New York Times, on Sept. 19, 1982, professor Scott E. Fahlman was the first to use the three infamous keystrokes-a colon followed by a hyphen and a parenthesis, to create a horizontal smiley face in a computer. He used it during a discussion about the limitations of online humor.

And from that, the smiley face was born as a way for computer users to convey a positive feeling and gesture through digital means. The : ) symbol has since been transformed into a yellow bubble smile like the one shown here for use in IM's and emails.

Thanks to TeamSugar cageyme for letting us know about this momentous day!

The Best Resource For Hilarious Emoticons: Wikipedia

Kristen Hawley — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:15:00 PDT

While recently searching for an "evil" emoticon (don't ask), I stumbled on an unlikely resource. Or, rather, the resource is pretty popular, but I hadn't thought about it until now. Worth checking out: the emoticon Wikipedia page. With a full list of emoticons ranging from basic smiles to more complex faces like a backwards baseball cap - d:-) - the page is a great resource for creative digital expression.

Emoticon listings are even broken down into eastern and western, listing all sorts of interesting emoticons I had no idea existed. (I'm particularly partial to this "not amused" emoticon: (*_*), and plan to use it often.) Check them out for yourself on Wikipedia, and happy emoting!

See the LED Eyewear That Lets Everyone Know How You're Feeling

Miriam Lacey — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:46:00 PDT

If you've ever had trouble making your feelings known to others, 21-year-old Shanghai designer Yunfan Tan has an eyewear idea just for you. His design, Magic Emotion Concept Eyewear, is a transparent band of LED-impregnated material called lightform that would make your face resemble an emoticon by displaying changing eyebrow shapes and expressions to actualize your inner thoughts.

The lightform "glasses" would read your emotions via a microdetector embedded in the specs' armature, monitoring your pulse, blood pressure, and muscle contractions. A detector small enough to put in the glasses without being noticeable isn't on the market yet, but Tan hopes one will be in the near future. If that day comes, and his Magic Emotion bands become a reality, would you be willing to wear them to get your feelings across more easily? And if you'd like an in-depth look at Tan's concept for the eyewear, just keep reading.

10 Ways We Could Use Some Tough Love

Lizzie Fuhr — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:00:31 PST

Steve Ward is a handsome, strong-willed dude from Philly, who is definitely not your average matchmaker. On his VH1 show Tough Love Miami, Steve takes a no-nonsense approach when it comes to helping women find true love. He sets up a "dating boot camp," designed to break down the women's barriers about love. Steve sets the girls up on dates to see where they need real help and find them the man they've been looking for. Steve's brand of tough love may seem a little brutal, but each week that I'm glued to the screen, I find that the girls are experiencing real progress. Here are 10 solid pieces of tough love from the man behind Tough Love Miami, Steve Ward.

"When it comes to letting a guy know you're interested, it's not just what you say, but how you say it. Or show it." Body language and nonverbal communication are just as important as what comes out of your mouth. It's important to be conscious of the vibe you're putting out from the way you carry yourself.
"There's flirting. And then there's moving way too fast." There's no reason to come out guns blazing if you have any sort of attraction for a man. Take things slow. Try your best to have an objective eye. Let things happen naturally, and don't lead someone on just for the hell of it.
"For many women, texting is a habit that can not only get out of control, it can turn a man off in no time." Steve dedicates a whole episode of Tough Love Miami to "Dating in the Digital Age." Steve hands all the girls cellphones and tells them they can communicate with their dates before they meet the following day. The experiment only proves that these women rely way too much on texting. Steve says if a man doesn't respond to a text, it's not an excuse to text him a million times before he responds. Have some self control!
"Let me make my point: men hate this sh*t, OK? When you're communicating with a man over a text message, or email, or other any type of ecommunication, use words and grammar." Steve says drop the acronyms like LOL and LMAO. Lay off the exclamation points and stop with all the emoticons. Men are just not into it.
"It's OK to have preferences, but even your preferences have to be realistic." Every single lady has got her list of deal breakers. Steve urges the women in boot camp to recognize that no one is perfect and to let go of these random preconceived notions about what her ideal match looks like. Love comes where you least expect it, but you've got to be open to the possibilities for that to happen.

Keep reading for more reasons we could benefit from Steve Ward's tough love.

Vampire Bill Skypes and Other Awkward Uses of Tech in Entertainment

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:31:53 PDT

You know the moment, a scene in a film is moving along swimmingly until the character decides to log in to a chat service with outlandish graphics and finishes every sentence with an inexplicable emoticon. The crime? Awkward and unnecessary use of technology and social media in entertainment. If the audience knows what they're watching is set for the current year, giving such explicit visual cues often just looks comical and can come off as blatant product placement.

These three scenes of awkward tech moments left us a bit puzzled.

True Blood - A notorious suspect of this action, True Blood characters' use of social media or the latest gadgets is odd because it's not a regular occurrence. Throughout season four, we have seen characters playing a zombie game on an iPad, Bill Skyping with Nan, and Alcide talk on his shiny iPhone 4. Alcide seems more like an Android or old-school flip phone kind of guy, don't you think?
Sweet Valley Confidential - The 2011 update on the Wakefield twins has the girls in the modern era, so of course their slang, fashion, and culture would mirror that. Reminding the reader that even Jessica Wakefied uses social media, though, might be a little too much, like in this quote about the twin's boredom in an unhappy relationship. "Even updating Twitter would be more exciting, if only I had something interesting to say."
Gossip Girl - An episode of the show last year showed Vanessa stalk a girl on Foursquare. This is actually a scary reminder of the privacy you're giving up through social media, but the whole premise was so out of character for Vanessa that it couldn't help but feel as though the app and service were forced in the plot.

While we do appreciate the effort of TV shows, movies, and books to stay culturally relevant, having characters check in or update a status can feel forced. After reading our looks at unneeded technology inclusion in media, are there any similar scenes that have left you wincing? If there are moments where the pop culture tech references were spot on, tell us those too!

Do You Use Smiley Faces in Professional Emails?

Emily Co — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:04:57 PDT

People generally think emoticons are a professional no-no, but I think it depends on your industry and relationship with the contact. The occasional smiley face could work sometimes when you're trying to soften a sentence or expressing gratitude and enthusiasm. However, it's a good idea to use the happy emoticon sparingly and not plaster it all over your emails. It might just be me, but I think the other emoticons, such as the sad or frowny face, are slightly more unprofessional.

What about you - do you use smiley faces in professional emails?

Why You Shouldn't Read Into His Texts

TresSugar — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:00:00 PDT

In the wild world of dating, the huge role texting has taken on in our lives is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing is that it's a quick and easy form of communication. You're going to be 10 minutes late? Send a text. You had a really great connection after a date, but you don't want to call immediately? Send a text.

But the curse part comes in the form of the anxiety we get from what he says, when he says it, why he doesn't respond immediately, why he uses stupid emoticons, etc. Contrary to popular belief, men and women speak very similar languages. There's no formal form of "guy speak" you have to translate. You've just got to get out of your own head!

Here's a quick list of reasons why this is a good idea.

The time between texts doesn't account for anything. How long it takes your guy to respond after you send a text is not an accurate gauge of how much he likes you. He's busy. I know you're busy, too. But think about how much more proactive you could be during the day if you compartmentalized your dating life from your work life. Most of the guys I know that I'd actually be interested in dating are really good at doing this.
If he doesn't text back, he probably doesn't want to talk to you. Plain and simple. I've fallen victim to building up the circumstances in my mind. I hope he didn't lose his phone. I hope he didn't lose my number. I hope he's OK. While of course there are exceptions to the rule, here are words for the wise. If he doesn't text you back and you feel awful about it, don't text him again. It's his loss.
If he confesses his love for you via text at 2 a.m., take it with a grain of salt. From experience I can say that this is the best option. If his text is overflowing with typos and something feels a little out of character (like it includes a marriage proposal), check the time and figure out where this is coming from. If he's in Vegas or just at the bar with the boys, it may be a drunk text, and should therefore be disregarded.
Men say what they mean. If he says he had fun, that means he had fun. If he says he doesn't want to see you again . . . well then that's exactly what that means.
It's a waste of time. I know that giving up our reliance on texting is no easy task. You hate it when you're waiting, but you love it when he responds. And if you've been conditioned like me, you're attached to your phone and you grew up in the world of instant messaging. But here's the thing, it's time to remember that you're far too special to be wasting your time worrying about a problem that may not even exist.

The moral of the story? Here's what you should be deciphering from his texts: nothing.

Link Time - Dance Cards and Other Vintage Dating Rituals

TresSugar — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 12:30:09 PDT

Dating rituals from days of yore - The Frisky
Hermione Granger: the heroine women have been waiting for - Huffington Post
What should dudes wear for Summer dates? - Glamour
Weird writing habits of famous authors - Flavorwire
Four tips for dating as a single mom - Betty Confidential
In defense of sex on the first date - College Candy
Taking care of yourself can lead to a happier love life - YourTango
Find out how the French paradox could affect your health for the better - FitSugar
Emoticons we need in these troubled times - The Hairpin
How many dates should you give a boring yet attractive guy? - Nerve

Daters . . . Just Suck It Up and Call!

Kristen Hawley — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 03:30:20 PDT

Technology and dating have been helping and hurting each other for years, but perhaps no technology is more sweetly accessible than the text message. Think about it: everyone does it, it's fast, simple, and to the point. They're even a good replacement for those annoying phone calls. Thing is, when dating and feelings and etiquette are involved, texting can get a little dicey.

One dating and relationship coach has come up with a list of the seven biggest misuses of texting to avoid in dating, and I agree with just about all of it. He maintains that short text conversations when dating are fine (think: "I'm at the restaurant," or "See you at 7!") but because it's emotionless and can cause misunderstandings, there are times it shouldn't be used - specifically to ask someone out or cancel a date.

Find out how not texting can actually help your relationship after the break.