GeekSugar

Geek Tip: How to Make a Monitor Cozy

GeekSugar — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:00:59 -0700

Martha Stewart has some directions for how to make a monitor cozy from an old issue of Blueprint, which reminded me of the monitor cozies I created for my boyfriend's two monitors last year. Lest you get discouraged by how nice and fancy Martha's version is, just check out the ones I made on my own, with just a bit of quick measuring and side-seam sewing. I also added a lining as well as a decorative fabric, since, like Martha says, it adds a little bit of color to the room.

Of course, hers are made much more carefully, where I'm more of a sew-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal. For instance, she adds gussets, and I don't even know what a gusset is.

iCovers Protect Your Precious Monitor

GeekSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:00:00 -0700

As pathetic as it is, I think of my computer as an extension of me, in that I want to keep it safe from bumps and bruises like any good mom. I take the time to select a comfortably padded bag or sleeve for my laptop, so shouldn't I want to protect it at home? Acme makes soft, sleek, and extremely attractive iCovers, not only for laptop screens, but Apple cinema displays and monitors. I actually hunted for something like this a year or so ago for my monitors and couldn't find it, so I sewed it. Maybe someday I'll be brave enough to post my instructions, but all I can say is that they don't look near as pretty as the iCovers.

Prices range from about $30 to $80, and they even take custom orders.

View 5 Photos ›

Geeky Do-It-Yourself Projects in Honor of National DIY Day

GeekSugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:50:30 -0800

What's not to love about a good do-it-yourself project? They're equal parts creative, challenging, and fun, not to mention generally inexpensive. Plus, there's an instant sense of accomplishment as soon as you finish a new project. Today, in honor of National Do-It-Yourself Day, here is a roundup of some of the coolest DIY projects I've featured on the site.

Three Homemade Charging Stations	Cardboard iPhone Dock	Turn Used CDs Into a Disco Ball
Martha Stewart-Inspired Monitor Cozies	Star-Shaped iPod Nano Cover	David Kan Speaker Stands

Geek Tip: Manage Your Money With Rudder

GeekSugar — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:45:00 -0700

My aunt is a bank manager, and I told her at a recent family event that I don't use a check register to keep track of my deposits and withdraws from my checking account.

She gave me a lecture about being responsible with my money, and wondered how I didn't overdraw my accounts all the time. But being that I only write one check a month for rent, and all my other bills are paid online, I don't really see the need! (Not sure if that's a Savvy approved thing to do, but hey. . .)

So when I found Rudder, it gave me yet another excuse to break my paper habit. Rudder is a cool app that delivers daily money updates right to your inbox. Rudder calculates how much money you'll have after all your bills are paid, shows you daily balances on your accounts and credit cards, and even alerts you when your bills are due. I don't even need my paper statements anymore, since Rudder keeps me on top of my money! And paired with Dime tracker, I think I've got my funds covered from start to finish. Worried about security? See why you shouldn't be when you read more.

Rudder uses the same encryption as banks use on their websites, so you can be sure that your info isn't going anywhere except to your inbox. Plus Rudder's servers are monitored 24/7, and would never even think of selling your info - they're cool like that. And the best news is that the service is free! How appropriate, right? You know, since we're talking about money and all . . .

Become an Armchair (er, Deskchair) Designer With Spoonflower

GeekSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:46:46 -0700

Lord knows I have been Googling in vain for a couple years now for an online service that would convert my own designs into a fabric I could sew with. Ladies and gents, that day has come! New website Spoonflower is promising to do just that!

Though it's currently in beta, right now you can add your email to a list to receive an invitation (mine's in; fingers are crossed). Regardless, I am so psyched. Being something of a crafty geek, I can't wait to throw together some custom designs for home stuff as well as DIY laptop sleeves and monitor covers!

A yard is about $18, which if you sew, you know is a leetle pricey but not terrible (plus, it's custom, so hello!). Need more convincing? Check out the flickr pool of some awesome designs!

Martha Stewart Does Edible Geek On Wired

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 11:15:14 -0700

Homemaking expert Martha Stewart may not have stripped down like Jenna Fischer for her cover of Wired, but she does get her geek on with a baked-to-perfection Wii cake and by revealing her inner techieness.

Gadget obsessed Martha stays connected with her BlackBerry and Razr (pink perhaps?) and it's no surprise that the super organized Stewart has a "servery," a room with two long white marble counters on either side with lots of plugs, where she keeps her gadgets, charges her cameras and stores batteries. She also attempts to keep wires and "crap" (no lie) to a minimum, opting for iPods in every room with wireless speakers. Here are some more highlights from the interview:

On the new marthastewart.com re-design: "I'm working on Marthapedia right now, which is my version of Wikipedia. If you know how to take red wine out of a white cloth napkin better than I do, that's good to know. We'll be editing user content, and it won't be as freewheeling as Wikipedia. Because a lot of this - you have to really monitor it."
What geeks can learn from her: "First of all, they can learn to prioritize, and they can learn how to make things beautiful. It's about using your hands and your mind to make things work better. Whether you're a programmer or a seamstress, it's all about new techniques, simplifying old techniques, and consolidating steps. Making things go faster - but not worse. Better."

Check out Martha's Wii Cake recipe. Want to check out some more yummy and geeky treats? Check out my past edible geek stories.

Love 2.0: Peter Rojas and Jill Fehrenbacher

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:00:47 -0800

As part of our Geeks We Love series, I caught up with a few couples that, through the beauty of the internet and technology have influenced both our lives and each other.

If there was an award for cutest hipster bloggers with actual street cred, Peter Rojas and Jill Fehrenbacher would take the cake. He is the cofounder and editor-in-chief of Engadget, a heavily trafficked tech blog about gadgets and consumer electronics, and the cofounder of Joystiq, which covers the world of video games. She is the founder of Inhabitat, a sensible and chic blog that looks at the future of design, tracking innovations in technology and practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design toward a smarter future. Though they describe themselves as "art school geeks" rather than your "average geeks," the newly-engaged couple stands out in the Love 2.0 generation for using technology to spread their passion for life and their work. What do they love about their jobs and each other? read more

Geeksugar: How do you describe your profession?
Peter: I blog about gadgets, more or less.
Jill: I'm a designer, architecture student, publisher, blogger and all around green design evangelist.

Geeksugar: Bloggers often have the fortune/misfortune of having incredibly unorthodox schedules, what’s a typical day like for you?
Peter: I work from home, so a typical day for me involves getting up and going straight to my computer to deal with email and get a handle on what I have to do that day. I work a lot, but it's broken up by errands and meetings, with maybe an event in the evening. Then back to work before bed.
Jill: The beauty of being a blogger is that each day is different! That said, each day does involve a lot of time in front of the computer for sure.
Peter: It's funny that neither of us has a real job where we have to go an office every day. We both used to when we were younger, it's weird to have more freedom as you get older, I always thought it would be the other way around.

Geeksugar: And are you totally connected to technology all day or more focused on the concept/bigger picture of what you want on your sites?
Peter: We spend a lot of time at home on our computers, but my schedule varies a lot, so I'm often out and staying on top of things via my Treo.
Jill: We’re right next to each other but working. I work from home usually about half day, and usually spend the other half of the day online at my studio up at Columbia. And when I'm not in front of a computer, I am online with my Treo.

Geeksugar: And Peter - what's your "hours online" guess?
Peter: I suppose I'm always online in one way or another from the moment I wake up until the moment I go to bed. If I'm out I'm connected with my Treo and checking emails or monitoring things with that. Not that I can’t unplug if I need to, but I don’t see my work as this completely separate part of my life I need to escape from.

Geeksugar: To go a little bigger - what do you each think is your greatest contribution to your field? Don’t be modest.
Pete: Well, I've been blogging for a long time and I think I've had an effect on both blogging and technology journalism. How important or major that impact might be is for others to judge.
Jill: My goal is to bring the worlds of design and sustainability together, and I think I’ve been successful in this regard. I think people are finally starting to realize that sustainability is a design issue. You can see it in that most of the “green” organizations are focusing more on design and aesthetic presentation now, and most design and architecture magazines are focusing more on sustainability as well. Essentially, I'm an evangelist for thoughtful, sustainable design...
Peter: I just want Engadget to be a site that people want to read. That they feel like is a must-read.

Geeksugar: How did you two meet?
Peter: We met in San Francisco in late 1998 in the dot com boom, though neither of us worked in tech at the time. I was broke and had a job doing media planning at an ad agency. I was really bad at it - my boss thought I was incompetent. It turned out the job was lots of numbers and I was a poor fit for it.
Jill: I worked in a number of dot coms - doing things like HTML support, graphic design, and then I got a job as a web designer at a marketing agency.
Peter: I had a friend at the ad agency who was friends with someone I'd gone to high school with. We all went for drinks one day after work and my friend's friend had invited her friend Jill to come out with us.

Geeksugar: And clearly now you have found a perfect match…
Peter: You could say that!

Geeksugar: Would you describe yourselves as "geeks"?
Peter: Yes and no. In a lot of ways we're not typical geeks at all.
Jill: Yeah, I don't think we fall into the traditional definition.
Peter: I don't think "geek" is a pejorative term at all. Obviously I love gadgets and tech - I'm the kind of guy who likes to geek out by installing Ubuntu on old PCs - but we're also really into design and art and fashion and music. It’s just that we think tech is as important and as cool as all that other stuff, too.
Jill: I like being really nerdy about building materials!

Geeksugar: Why do you think the tech world is so important/interesting right now?
Peter: It seems like technology is driving a lot of cultural, social, and now even political change. It's hard to separate tech out from everything else. Some people are scared by that, but I think it's awesome how technology enables our lives – I know how cliché it sounds, but I know tons of people who are doing what they love now and that's because of the internet or because of some other technology. I thought I’d spend my life locked up in a cubicle somewhere doing a job I hated.

Geeksugar: And instead?
Peter: I more or less get to do what I want, in a sense. I have complete editorial freedom with Engadget, and because of the nature of the job I can work from wherever I want as long as I have broadband. Right now it's a good time to be creative - you can just follow your interests and build businesses around them.

Geeksugar: So for the fluffy part - tell me what you love about one another...
Peter: Jill is really driven and ambitious and smart. It'd be hard to for me date someone who wasn't always working on amazing projects.
Jill: Peter is witty and very funny - he is fabulous at making me crack up - even when I am in a foul mood. He is the only person in the world able to make me laugh when I am upset.

Geeksugar: So what are your Valentine's Day plans?
Jill: Peter? Do we have any?
Peter: Not yet... depends on how busy Jill is with school!
Jill: I'm sure Peter will come up with something fabulous, right Pete?
Peter: Perhaps I just want to lull you into thinking I have nothing planned. I did blow it out for your birthday, remember?
Jill: He did indeed - he's good like that. He rented one of those double decker tourist buses and gave all of my friends a tour of Manhattan - with vegan cupcakes. How’s that for geeky & sweet?

Geeksugar: This one is probably harder for Peter given the nature of his daily duties, but what are a few gadgets you both want right now?
Peter: I want a Vista Media Center with CableCARD support so I can throw out this awful Time Warner Cable DVR. Plus I'd like Palm to improve the Treo.
Jill: My stuff is all more blue sky. I want a sunlight transport device so I can brighten up my dim Manhattan apartment and an electric car!

Geeksugar: What about favorite websites other than your own, or each other's?
Peter: Fimoculous, PSFK, waxy, lifeiscarbon, BuzzFeed, TheSimpleMission, and Mashable.
Jill: I can never get enough of cute overload and Overheard in New York. Of course I read a lot of design websites everyday: archinect, bldgblog, core77, treehugger, mocoloco, etc..

Geeksugar: Who makes the final decisions about big ticket gadgets at home?
Jill: Peter because mostly - I just don't care except when it comes to lighting or home décor.
Peter: I did just buy a 37-inch TV and I think Jill found out when she saw it in the apartment.
Jill: Pete and I endlessly debate HDTV, because I don't really see the point of the technology.
Peter: Even HD isn't enough for me. I want Ultra HD
Jill: I care about the REAL WORLD, Peter, not TV.
Peter: Cool, you can just go for a walk while I watch Lost in HD.
Jill: Well, if we're talking about Lost, then I'll stay in and watch it with you - HD or no.

Geek Gift Guide: Dad

GeekSugar — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 16:20:04 -0800

One thing’s for certain, I get my geekiness from my dad’s side of the family. So, whenever I get him a gift, I know he’s going to be all read up on its stats, ratings and all-around hipness. This means I have to try extra hard to stump him and find things he might not know about. I'm still a little behind schedule, but these are my top picks for my dad this year.

Grill Alert Talking Remote Thermometer
My dad is our family’s resident grillmeister, so I can only imagine how thrilled he would be to have a techie accessory to go along with his grill time. The Grill Alert Talking Remote Thermometer’s wireless belt-clip monitor tells you when your entree is ready from up to 300' away, which means dad can actually spend time with the family when the grill is on. You just insert the stainless steel transmitter probe into the center of the meat, select the type of meat and choose how you want it cooked. Get it at Brookstone for $75.

For four more gift ideas for dad, just read more

Discovery Color-Changing Projection Clock
This clock displays the time, temperature, date and alarm icon on a bright, color-changing LCD screen. You can pivot the lens in any direction to see the time projected in changing colors on your ceiling, wall or any other object. That way, dad won’t have to roll over to see the time, just glance over at the nearest wall. The LCD screen cycles through four colors (green, red, blue, violet). Get it at the Discovery Store for $39.95.

Wired Magazine
Wired is a must-have for any geek dad, or semi-geek, as it covers the heavy-hitter companies, people, technologies and gadgets of our time. Wired is featuring a special buy-one-get-one free subscription offer for $16. I renew my dad's subscription ever year.

Grundig Emergency Radio
I don’t know a dad that wouldn’t love to add a Grundig Emergency Radio to his earthquake kit, car or office. Grundig radios are built to handle the elements, as well as power outages, so they are powered by a hand crank that charges the built-in battery. It tunes AM/FM and 12 shortwave bands, including weather radio and features a white LED emergency light. Get one for $39.99 at Amazon.com

Philips Pronto TSU9600 Remote Control
As the saying goes, he bought you your first car…so you owe him one. The Philips Pronto TSU9600 has a reputation as the crème of the remote crop. When coupled with WiFi and RS232 extenders, the remote can control an entire household of digital devices ranging from high-end home theater equipment and custom lighting to multimedia servers. Available only via custom installers, the remote costs about $1,299, not counting the installation. Like I said, you owe him one.