GeekSugar

Website Of The Day: Your Truman Show

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:00:07 -0700

If you're interested in video blogging and lifecasting, but the around the clock Justin TV Network isn't your style, consider checking out Your Truman Show, a new personal video site that launches today. Obviously inspired by the 1998 wonder Truman Show, the site hopes to become the "place for personal videos on the web" and offers a free platform where anyone can share their life with the rest of the world.

The creators are asking for "your stories, your friends’ sagas, the compelling tales of the random people you come across everyday. True stories, fictional tales…and even quasi-fictional accounts of things that may (or may not) have happened."

Unlike the Justin TV Network, which was born out of now famous lifecaster Justin's antics, Your Truman Show seems as if it was created with women in mind and allows you to upload edited, controlled video. The site is clean white and gray (save for a small dose of pink) and doesn't overwhelm viewers with theatrics. Of course, you can always film your own videos with your camera and put them on TeamSugar. Hint. Hint.

To learn how to post your favorite sites to the Website of the Day group, read more

I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group
Click "Create and Share!" on the left hand side
Choose "Blog"
Give your photo a Title
Leave the category as "general"
Change the channel to "technology and gadgets"
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day")
Click on the "Add Image" link below the "body" box
A popup window will happen - click on "Browse" to find your image on your computer
Once you have the image chosen, click "Submit"
The popup will show you your image, choose size: "normal" - if you want, you can give it a title (which will show up as a caption)
Click "Insert" and the popup will go away
Your "body" box will now have some text in it. Leave it as is. If you want to add some text before the picture telling me why you love the website, do it before the code that has appeared.
Click Submit

So join the Website of the Day group and share information about all your favorite sites! Yours just might end up on the geeksugar homepage!

Justin.tv Gains Female Lifecaster

GeekSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 09:14:36 -0700

Just a few days after Justin TV announced it would allow users to create their own channel and share their life with whoever has enough time to watch, the network has signed on a female lifecaster, appropriately named Justine. Just as I predicted, Justine's channel seems to be banking on her being an attractive blonde woman: Instead of the camera being attached to a hat and showing what she sees (a la Justin's camera), it seems to face Justine for much of the day, indubitably to show off how cute she is. (I'm not being a hater people, I'm just saying...)

Justine is from Pittsburgh, PA and works as a freelance graphic/web designer and video editor with her roommate/bestfriend Desiree. "I jokingly claim to be the internet so why not stream my life 24/7?," she says on her profile.

She's been live for about 5 days, but Wired's Epicenter has discovered she has been busy on the indie video scene for some time and even placed second in Yahoo’s video Talent Show, and since then has guest hosted Leo Laporte’s "MacBreak Weekly" video podcast and raised the profile of her own video blog TastyBlogSnack. Wired presumes the Justine channel will provide a look at the "lighter side of lifecasting" for fans who have been watching Justin's more serious channel. Anyone else think it's creepy they essentially have the same name?

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Will You Join The Justin TV Network?

GeekSugar — Wed, 23 May 2007 09:00:32 -0700

The media's favorite livecasting experiment Justin TV - a project where a 23-year-old San Francisco man Justin wears a video camera strapped to his head 24 hrs a day, seven days a week - has announced some new features on the Justin TV site.

The most exciting is the option for site users to create their own channel and share their life with whoever has enough time to watch. The media has been buzzing about Justin and his copycat lifecasters for some time now and rumor has it that Natalie Portman has even considered a continuous video feed of her work and personal life.

I know many of you agree with me when I say the idea of having a camera follow your world 24/7 is somewhat unsettling, but there is also a certain thrill about the idea. Sadly I fear a prominent lifecast by a woman would quickly turn into a sexualized "hot or not" debate, but I am still interested to see if the Justin TV network idea really takes off.

Would you: Lifecast?

GeekSugar — Mon, 14 May 2007 09:00:59 -0700

Last week, I learned Natalie Portman is reportedly considering taking a lesson from Justin of Justin.tv and "lifecasting" - as in letting a camera follow her every move and making a continuous video feed of her work and personal life online. As Catstarr so aptly noted, it sounds like a combination of MTV's Diary Show (you know the one were celebrities say "You think you know, but you have no idea" over and over and over again?) with the Justin.tv show.

The lifecasting phenomenon has been going strong for years, but it hasn't gained this much attention before. It's the stuff reality TV is made of: Constant, in your face raw footage of the lifecaster going about his or her daily life. Justin.tv has obviously become a geek god through his show, but there hasn't been a hit female lifecast star as of late. (I'm not counting ladies that drop their clothes for webcams - that is something else entirely.) Do you think you could attach a camera to your hat and go about your business, or would you be completely camera shy?

Natalie Portman's Life To Go Online?

GeekSugar — Wed, 09 May 2007 06:06:25 -0700

Just when I thought Natalie Portman was one of the few A-listers who strives to maintain a low-key profile in Hollywood, she heads straight to Silicon Valley in search of funds for a new online project. According to the tech gossip blog Valleywag, Natalie is "proposing a continuous video feed of her work and personal life," which means she is basically signing up for "lifecasting" like Justin Kan of Justin.tv.
I wonder what fueled all this? Maybe a means for her to promote all the organizations she's apart of? To possibly educate? Raise awareness? Whatever her reasoning, I must admit that I'd be one of the first subscribers to watch "a day in the life of Natalie Portman."

image source

This Week On Geeksugar - Dually Talented Human Ghetto Blaster

GeekSugar — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 12:16:41 -0700

This past weekend I was out and about in San Francisco and saw this geekalicious musician along the Embarcadero. The Dually Talented Human Ghetto Blaster
Just a few days after Justin TV announced it would allow users to create their own channel and share their life with whoever has enough time to watch, the network has signed on a female lifecaster, appropriately named Justine. Female Lifecaster Joins Justin TV Network
Gone are the days of sending doves or handwritten notes announcing your engagement and alive are the days of broadcasting your proposal, nuptials and honeymoon online for the whole world wide web to fawn over. Trend: Brides And Grooms Tell All Online
I don't often wear big clunky jewelry, but when it's create-your-own LEGO jewelry, I may need to reconsider. Totally Geeky or Geek Chic? Brickwall LEGO Ring
Sam Peterson II, who used a Michigan cafe's free wireless network to check his e-mail will be dishing out enough dough to buy 3/4 of an iPhone and weeks worth of community service for his offense. Man Charged for Using Cafe's Free Wi-Fi
The new Google Maps Street View feature, which allows users to click on maps in major cities and get real images of the street, shows some images people might not want broadcast throughout the web. New Google Maps 'Street View' Causes Ruckus
I must admit, I had a little warning that LilPeaPod was planning on making her boyfriend a special Helio Ocean Cake so it was all I could think about this weekend. It turned out a bajillion times more beautiful than I dreamed and certainly outdoes the Rubik's Cube cake, matching his and her TiVo cakes and even an assortment of geeky wedding cakes. Edible Geek: Helio Ocean Cake

Geeky Girl We Love: Peggy of BuzzFeed

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 10:35:58 -0700

As much as I like to think I know what the buzz is on the net everyday, it's virtually impossible to always know what's hot and what's not. That's why I rely on BuzzFeed, a NY-based site that posts 10 "Buzz Detected" topics per day, so you don't get bombarded with content.

With a clean, fresh layout and categories ranging from science and celebrity to food and tech, you're guaranteed to find the most talked about stories on the net at any given moment. Have you read up on the Stephen Colbert Backlash, did you know James Lipton used to be a pimp and have you ever considered adding scrabble fashion to your wardrobe? Buzzfeed claims they use "technology and human editors to find the hottest buzz" on hot topics and they aren't kidding.

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing one of the site's "professional trend detectors," senior editor Peggy Wang. Peggy has been working in the tech industry for the past five years is the total tech-savvy geek chic package so I had to put her on the spot and test out her geek cred. To check out the full interview, read more

Geeksugar: Tell us a bit about yourself...
Peggy: When I started working at BuzzFeed, it was almost a total 180 degree career change for me, moving from computer programming to creating content. Basically, I went from being a code monkey to a "tastemaker," which is awesome because now I get to incorporate my obsession with pop culture, music, fashion, etc. At BuzzFeed, I've always had the opportunity to delve back into the back end, but honestly, it's been a year and I haven't quite had the desire yet!

Geeksugar: With so much content on the Internet, how do you determine what is Buzzfeed worthy?
Peggy: Usually, I'll just spot something I think is interesting either in my RSS reader or in our trend detector, and then I do some research to see if the "buzz" is thought-provoking in some way, especially if bloggers seem to have vehement opinions or even just something clever or funny to say. Also, if I hear about some obscure movie or band or website that is getting some attention from respected resources (early adopters, if you will), then there's a good chance it could take off.

Geeksugar: What is your main goal for Buzzfeed? What are you hoping readers get when they visit?
Peggy: Well, I really love that the trends we choose to cover are a hodgepodge of interesting things that you might have a conversation about at a party. When I was a computer programmer, I didn't have time to read a lot of blogs or newspapers or magazines, and I always felt a little out of the loop and a step behind. So basically, I would hope that BuzzFeed helps our readers feel less awkward at parties. Also, we help make good things popular by giving bloggers ideas to write about. Truly "good" things don't need marketing dollars and huge advertising campaigns to gain steam - word of mouth is so much more powerful. If you've got a friend with great taste who recommends something to you, that means a lot more than seeing some flashy ad. That's why I think having human editors is so important. We use lots of technology to find features on BuzzFeed but in the end everything is written in a human voice by an editor with good taste.

Geeksugar: What are some popular tech and/or gadget trends on Buzzfeed?
Peggy: One of my favorite tech trends we did is The Mullet Strategy because it's a concept that we coined, and bloggers responded by writing about it and sending us their posts to link to. Some other popular ones were Hand-Drawn Video Games, Lifecasting, and Lolsecretz.

Geeksugar: Other than the iPhone, what gadget has created a lot of buzz on Buzzfeed?
Peggy: The Verizon Voyager is doing really well. And, um, stylish sex toys got lots of clicks.

Geeksugar: What websites do you love visiting and why?
Peggy: I love gossip sites that are clever and funny, like Best Week Ever and Jossip. The blogs for Wired and Vice Magazine always have really interesting posts. As far as personal blogs go, I love Momus' blog and this girl Jessica Hopper's blog (she's a writer for the Chicago Tribune, and I love her taste in music and writing style). I'm also addicted to eBay. And the Sugar sites are all interesting and really well designed.

Geeksugar: How many blog feeds are in your RSS reader?
Peggy: I have about 300 blog feeds that I read every day, but they get backed up pretty quickly. They are organized by category and I have a very methodical procedure for going through them. But sometimes if I'm feeling impractical, I'll spend a bunch of time going through my fashion feeds because I need an outfit idea for an event, or my food feeds because I want to make dinner that night. Two birds, one stone! Also, the BuzzFeed trend detector automatically "reads" and filters about 50,000 sites for me so I can see what is bubbling to the top. And I get dozens of tips and suggested links from BuzzFeed readers. All this information comes together in what we call the "BuzzFeed Terminal." It is like our own Bloomberg Terminal for web buzz and all the editors use it to find stuff and publish features.

Geeksugar: How many hours do you spend online a day?
Peggy: I'd say between 8 and 10. It's hard staying away from the internet before bed, but I try to keep an active social life to keep me away from the computer.

Geeksugar: Are you a PC or Mac user?
Peggy: I'm pretty exclusively a Mac user.

Geeksugar: Which do you prefer and why? BlackBerry, iPhone, neither.
Peggy: I was an iPhone pessimist at first, jaded by all the hype. Then, my friend Scott had one at this wedding I went to, and he was able to surf the internet during all the boring parts. Needless to say, I was jealous of his iPhone, even though he looked like kind of a tool. It's probably not the best etiquette to write an email while your friends are exchanging vows, but that's just the sort of power you've got in the palm of your hand with the iPhone. I personally use the LG enV, because I like having a QWERTY keypad for texting. Honestly, I don't really get enough email to justify having a BlackBerry. I wish I got more email. More people should write me.

This Week On Geeksugar - Chloe Dao Goes Geek

GeekSugar — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 11:00:09 -0700

She may be known for winning the second season of Project Runway with a collection of women's evening wear, but these days Chloe Dao is all about making gadgets look good. Project Runway's Chloe Dao Creates Gadget Case Line
Apparently I wasn't the only person bothered by the online ad for Apple's new iMac. Apple Takes Down "You Can't Be Too Thin" iMac Ad
We're giving away a new Canon PowerShot SD850 so you can make use of all our photography and editing tips and capture all those special moments. Win A Canon PowerShot SD850 Camera!
This week everyone's been talking about the woman (it was actually lifecaster Justine!), who received a 300-page iPhone bill from AT&T in a box. AT&T Puts A Halt To 300-Page Phone Bills
Imagine if we were able to analyze someone based on their ringtone? What would your ringtone say about you? Do you like a soft sounding melody? Or maybe you have a looping burp sound as your ringtone? What Kind Of Ringtone Do You Have?
POP Cord Winder is another ingenious invention for people who like to keep their earphone cords neatly wrapped. POP: The Simple Yet Sophisticated Cord Winder
Following the success of Google Earth, which allows you to get a bird's eye view of most corners of the world and even watch the sun come up, Google has launched a new Sky feature, that will allow you to play astronaut from the ground. Google Looks To The Heavens

AT&T Puts A Halt To 300-Page Phone Bills

GeekSugar — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 08:00:34 -0700

This week everyone's been talking about the woman (it was actually lifecaster Justine!), who received a 300-page iPhone bill from AT&T in a box. The enormous bill was due in part to the fact that AT&T had a policy of recording every single text message, data transaction, and every phone call their customer's make and printing each on a separate line of their bill. For people using the iPhone's many applications, that means a book-sized report if you don't opt for web billing.

In an effort to save trees and avoid ridicule, AT&T will now default customers to a "summary" bill, according to USA Today. If you still haven't watched the video of Justine showing off her bill (she claims she sends 35,000 text messages a month!), read more

Raw interview with Justine about the making of the "300-Page iPhone Bill video" and her texting habits.