GeekSugar

Eyecandy Sound Lounge & Bar Provides the Full Geek Experience

GeekSugar — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 11:33:08 -0800

I am so glad I discovered this fantastic new bar on Bornrich, considering I'll be heading to Vegas next week for CES! The Eyecandy Sound Lounge and Bar, located in the center of Mandalay Bay’s casino floor, is exactly that -100 percent eyecandy.

Opened in October 2007, Eyecandy features interactive touch tables that allow guests to create visuals and messages as well as project images onto screens above the dance floor. These tables also include stationary and motorized cameras to check out the action elsewhere in the lounge and bar area. And if you have a favorite song you want to hear, just plug your iPod into a sound station so the DJ can mix your tunes into the song line-up. This bar puts Twentyfour in London to shame, as Eyecandy's high-tech nightclub experience also boasts a fiber-optic channel running through the bar for a shimmering light effect as well as a LED tiled dance floor-allowing dancers to change images and graphics! To check out a video about it read more

Oscar Worthy Gadgets: Michael Clayton's BlackBerry

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:06:18 -0800

As the title character of Michael Clayton, George Clooney is stunning as a conflicted lawyer, and as that lawyer, he's outfitted appropriately with the latest gadgets and technology. Most notable is his BlackBerry, which is glued to his hand and ear and provides the picture of a modern, hardworking attorney on the case of his life. Happily for me, the BlackBerry wasn't the only tech eye-candy - in fact, there were many gadgets that played important roles in the plot.

A GPS device goes haywire, foreshadowing an upcoming scene. Bluetooth earpieces and digital cameras are made sinister by villains to undertake evil deeds, while an iPod is outfitted completely in black - including headphones - to echo the ominous scene it appears in. Finally, in my favorite gadget scene in the whole movie, Michael Clayton uses a camera phone after he delivers the best line in the film. Of the Best Picture nominees, I'm pretty sure Michael Clayton is the geekiest - and that Clooney ain't too shabby, either.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.

Gadget Gearing Up For CES !

GeekSugar — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:00:09 -0800

Well my bags are almost packed, as I get ready to jet off to Vegas for the 2008 Consumer Electronics Show! I often tend to pack way too many gadgets when I go on trips, but I think in this case, it is well justified. The essentials- iPhone check, BlackBerry check, MacBook check, are all ready to go as I make sure I have everything I need to survive two days of tech mania! I can't wait to check out so many new products as well as visit the ultra geek-chic Eyecandy Sound Lounge and Bar! Stay tuned for CES announcements and unveilings-all here on geeksugar.

The Aperture Interactive Display

GeekSugar — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 10:10:52 -0800

If you were impressed with the high-tech Eyecandy Sound Lounge & Bar in Vegas, you may enjoy this Aperture Interactive Display which uses thousands of individual mechanical irises to create various images.

Created by Berlin interactive artists Gunnar Green and Frederic Eyl, this dynamic concept project reacts to light in front of it, therefore, the darker the object the wider the aperture will open (as you can see in the video below). Each of the apertures in the array can be used to represent a pixel of an image. This functioning prototype which I saw on Bornrich is currently being used to get a feel for what a large-scale aperture could look like.

Weekly Recap: New Year, New Gadgets

GeekSugar — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 10:00:46 -0800

This week we pondered what we're looking forward to in 2008 (ahem, Kindle replicas!), saw the launch of a super geeky - and awesome – sci-fi site and ogled the beautiful Eyecandy Sound Lounge and Bar in Vegas. What else did we do? Take our quiz and see if you were paying attention.

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Geeky Girl We Love: Gina Hughes

GeekSugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 23:30:09 -0700

Words like "geek," "techie" and "diva" can drum up some nasty stereotypes, but Gina Hughes, the Chief Editor and Founder of TechieDiva, seems to embody only the sugar-sweet aspects of each and her site is anything but diva-driven. Like geeksugar, TechieDiva showcases fun gadgets, iPods, cell phones as well as practical services and killer applications. We fell for Gina because of her inherent ability to merge technology and style and her aptitude for keeping us entertained and coming back for more everyday. Turns out she's a karaoke fan (big props here!) and she thinks Gizmodo's Jason Chen is a dead sexy geek...following her hubby of course. For the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: Tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become a blogger?
Gina: Soon after my four-year tour in the Marine Corps ended, I moved to Austin, TX where I worked as a Web Designer for several years. Colleagues introduced me to blogging, mainly to learn the code, but I ended up creating my first business blog in 2003. I launched Techie Diva in 2005 all by myself, mainly to stay up-to-date on the latest technology out there. Blogging has opened up many doors for me, including the opportunity to write a column for Yahoo! Tech which has really exposed me to a broader audience, and gives me the opportunity to help tech novices around the world. I love it!

Geeksugar: What are your hobbies besides blogging?
Gina: Anyone who blogs for a living, might as well say good bye to any kind of social life they had. It can become an unhealthy obsession! I completely shut off my
computer on weekends to get my weekly overdose of Vitamin D playing tennis, running, biking, hiking, or golfing. I also enjoy watching foreign movies, playing
board games (yes, board games), shopping, playing guitar and guitar hero, reading, entertaining friends, and chilling out with my hubby. My geeky hobbies have me slaving away on the computer editing home movies, digitizing my photo collection, burning DVDs of old home videos, and helping my friends and family with any techie needs. I try to change things up all the time, and love to try anything at least once.

Geeksugar: How many hours are you online everyday?
Gina: I refuse to spend any time on the computer on weekends - that's my time. But during the week, I can literally spend 12-15 hours a day online - and it feels
more like a guilty pleasure than work! I have to remind myself to take breaks often, since sitting down all that time can be really bad for your back. I started doing some yoga to stretch out the muscles. It works great.

Geeksugar: Your first computer was a ...
Gina: A very old and slow one, that I'm quite embarrassed to talk about. I was a poor student at the time, and it was within my budget. But ask me about my computer
now...(cough) Macbook.

Geeksugar: What are three luxurious things you've featured on your site that you really want?
Gina: I want them all! I wouldn't mind a Vertu Phone, Muiro iPod Robot, and the NailJet Pro, since I'm terrible at doing my own nails.

Geeksugar: What are some of your favorite websites/websites that inspire you?
Gina: I tend to visit design and celebrity gossip blogs to break up the monotony. My favorite eye-candy blogs are Coolhunting.com, TheCoolhunter.net, Design Sponge, Treehugger.com, Digg.com, Blogher.org, and Valleywag.

Geeksugar: What is your greatest techie luxury in life?
Gina: My car. I drive an Acura RL with GPS, Bluetooth, voice recognition, satellite radio, iPod connections, keyless entry, gosh you name it. That thing can do just about anything, but park itself, but I hear that's coming soon. I also feel really guilty about having a swanky 40" 1080P Sony Bravia in my office so I can watch Oprah. That TV is insane!

Geeksugar: How many blog feeds are in your RSS reader?
Gina: Over 500 feeds! I don't visit them on a daily basis, but I do visit them at least weekly.

Geeksugar: Describe a typical day at work for you.
Gina: The warm weather has motivated me to start working out again, so these days I try to exercise early in the morning or sometime in the afternoon. After the occasional A.M. workout, my day starts out by checking email, IM, posts on my blogs, reply to email, review products, do a little video blogging, go through my RSS feeds, and write up my daily posts on Yahoo! Tech and Techie Diva. After that, I take a long TV break to catch up on my TiVo programming, then I'm back on the computer blogging before I go to bed. Pretty boring, which is why sometimes I hit the bar during happy hour, and on Thursdays happy hour turns into Karaoke night. A girl's gotta have some fun.

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 5 sexiest male geeks in the world?
Gina:

Mr. Hughes- my daily inspiration and great all around geek.
Chris Null - The man is funny and smart. Funny is the new sexy.
Jason Chen - Any guys who sticks electronics down his pants is pretty damn sexy.
Ricky Montalvo - Ricky is bringing technosexual back!
Sergey Brin ( in drag) - Need I say more?

Geeksugar: Who do you think are the top 5 sexiest female geeks in the world?
Gina: There are so many sexy geeky ladies out there, and I wish I could list them all here. Sexy geeky women are a combo of brains, humor, fearlessness, and inspiration. I think these five ladies fit the bill right now.

Geeksugar: Name a blogger you admire and tell us why.
Gina: I love David Pogue from the NYT because he's so funny, and really out there. I admire the way he has fun talking about tech.

Geeksugar: How do you feel about being called a "geek?"
Gina: Geek is the new chic, don't you know? I consider it a compliment.

Geeksugar: What is the geekiest thing about yourself?
Gina: I spend more time at electronics stores, than a shopping mall. Anyone who really knows me, would be shocked to hear that.

Geeksugar: What is your goal for Techie Diva? What do you want your readers to get when they visit your site?
Gina: These are exciting times, so I hope Techie Diva visitors get their daily fix of present and futuristic technology trends changing the way we live. My goal would be to inspire more women to embrace technology in their own way. It has literally rocked my world, and even I feel like I learn something totally new and exciting every day. I just love it!