GeekSugar

Website of the Day: Multicolr Search Lab

GeekSugar — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:03:34 PDT

I've been getting an urge to repaint my kitchen a bright color since Summer hit, but I'm having a hard time deciding on what colors to use. Casa suggested that I start browsing through photos to help me decide on a color palette, but I quickly found out how time consuming that can be. Thankfully, I found the Multicolr Search Lab by Indee, Inc., and in one search, I had decided on my colors, and got to see some really interesting photographs that I may not have seen otherwise.

Similar to ColourLovers but with photos, Multicolr Search sifts through over three million "interesting" Flickr photos, and zeroes in on up to 10 colors of your choice. You want to see photos with purple and brown? Then select those colors from the Multicolr palette, and the Search Lab will bring you 30 photos at a time to drool over. Now all I have to do is carve out some time to actually paint my kitchen!

FitSugar Instagram Challenge: Show Us What's in Your Gym Bag

Michele Foley — Wed, 23 May 2012 19:49:57 PDT

We're loving all the fit-related photos we see on the daily via the FitSugar Instagram account; now we're challenging you to show us what's in your gym bag! Grab your iPhone or Android, snap the contents of all the cool fitness gear stashed in your bag, and upload the pic to Instagram. Make sure to caption your photo with the hashtag #FitSugar; we'll grab our favorite shots from the upcoming week and share them with you here on the site. If you can't wait to see what pics readers are submitting, just search #FitSugar via the Instagram app.

Make sure to follow FitSugar on Instagram (username: FitSugar) for daily fitness inspiration and tips and to see what our own editors are hiding in their gym bags!

American Idol: Who Deserves to Win Season 11?

Maggie Pehanick — Wed, 23 May 2012 07:37:12 PDT

It's been a long trek, American Idol watchers. Months after the initial search began, we've finally made it to finals week. If I feel this exhausted, then I can't imagine how finalists Jessica Sanchez and Phillip Phillips feel, especially after the three performances they each had to rock before the last round of voting. As Jennifer Lopez noted tonight, our final two could not be more different. Jessica is a pint-sized ballad singer with a mean vocal range, but Phillip has an insane ability to take songs and turn them into his own wonderful Phillip Phillips brand.

Jessica started out the night with Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," winning the judges' endorsement for the first round against Phillip's classic "Stand by Me." They were a little more split after the second round, when Jessica covered Celine Dion's "The Prayer" and Phillip did a little Billy Joel with "Movin' Out." Come the last round, Phillip scored the only standing ovation of the night after his rendition of "Home," and he deserved it. The marching band and soft vocals showed off Phillip's true artistry, and Jessica's unremarkable "Change Nothing" didn't stand a chance.

What about you? Who continually impressed you this season? And who deserves to be crowned tomorrow night?

Photo courtesy of Fox

Share Your Snap Judgments of the New Bachelorette Boys!

Annie Scudder — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:00:00 PDT

Tonight, beautiful and sweet single mom Emily Maynard continues her search for love on The Bachelorette. We aren't afraid to admit the franchise is our guilty pleasure, and we tuned in for last week's season premiere (made even more entertaining with our Bachelorette bingo boards!). For fellow fans of the show, we've rounded up photos of the men as well as the most telling pieces from their bios to give you a quick introduction. There's a Colombian mushroom farmer, a biology teacher, and even a race car driver from the Netherlands. We know who Emily gave her first impression rose to - single dad Doug - now's your time to weigh in with your first impression and see who got kicked off in the premiere. Check out the guys and vote on each. Will he be booted right away? Do you bet he has a girlfriend at home? Is he going to be an alpha male who gets in fights? Or do you suspect he'll make it to the end? Get voting now!

What It Takes to Buy a Home

Kiplinger — Mon, 21 May 2012 03:14:47 PDT

Do you have what it takes to buy a home? Consider this exhaustive guide from Kiplinger.

Tired of renting? It could be a great time to buy your first home. In many cities, home prices have bottomed, and rents have risen. Mortgage rates are still superlow. In fact, homes haven't been as affordable since 1971. On the downside, in many cities, buyers have fewer homes from which to choose and more competition for the best houses.

In Austin, TX, newlyweds Mark and Ariane Corcoran bought their first home in March. They were renting in a popular downtown neighborhood, where they paid $1,200 a month for a 500-square-foot loft apartment, when they inherited enough money for a down payment. When they began shopping, they expected to buy a classic 1930s Austin bungalow. They found lots of prospects online but drove by most of them. "Agents are really good at taking photos that exclude what they don't want you to see, like the used-car lot out back," says Mark.

They put in an offer on a $225,000, 800-square-foot home. But after the home inspection, they realized that it needed $20,000 to $30,000 in renovations and repairs and that they'd quickly outgrow it. They walked away during the state-mandated rescission period (during which a buyer can back out for any reason and get back any earnest money deposited).

Ariane identified their next prospect within an hour after the listing appeared online. It was a newly built, 1,600-square-foot home with three bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and a yard for the dogs. The builder asked $270,000, the couple offered $260,000, he countered, and they paid $268,000. They put down 20 percent to avoid private mortgage insurance and snagged a 30-year fixed rate of 3.75 percent from a credit union. Their monthly mortgage payment is $1,524.

Before you take the plunge, consider the answers to questions often posed by first-time buyers. Read on for what to ask yourself.

100 Celebrities You Should Be Following on Instagram!

Katie Henry — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:04:19 PDT

Instagram has quickly become our latest obsession, and celebrities have likewise taken note by sharing tons of their personal photos. From Channing Tatum to Justin Bieber to Oprah Winfrey, everyone is hopping on board the social networking app. If you're not familiar with using it, then check out GeekSugar's helpful Instagram instructions for iPhones and the recently added Instagram for Android.

Click through to see who we're following, and once you're signed up, be sure to find our account and stay connected with us by searching for PopSugar. Happy sharing!

Savvy Links: 6 Great Alternatives to Remodeling Your Home

Emily Co — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:48:23 PDT

6 great alternatives to remodeling your home - Wise Bread
How much would the New York City disaster in The Avengers cost in real life? - Tecca
The surprising costs of being a woman - LearnVest
7 fitness items that cost more for women - HuffPost Women
Personal money management tips in 15 minutes - Real Simple
The reason JP Morgan's female exec's downfall is bad for women - The Jane Dough
Ways to keep control of your job search - The Grindstone
How much cash to buy a home - Bankrate
What I wish I knew when I graduated college - The Daily Muse

Photo courtesy of Architectural Digest

The Office, "Free Family Portrait Studio": Best Lines of the Night

Lizzie Fuhr — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:18:39 PDT

This week is the season finale of The Office, and Dwight puts on a family portrait studio for his co-workers, but it's really to prove that he's the father of Angela's baby. Andy comes in looking absolutely crazy, but we learn that our old friend David Wallace has decided to buy Dunder-Mifflin from Sabre and give Andy his old job back. Darryl makes his affection for Val very clear to everyone - including her current boyfriend Brandon.

After Andy gets drunk at the office and begs for any work, Catherine lets him clean the carpet, but Andy really just wants to be there when David announces the changes. Before he shows up, Andy spills the beans and tells everyone he's gotten his old job back. On a more adventurous but completely unrelated note, Dwight and Angela make out, and Val makes a grand gesture to show that she's into Darryl. The season finale has a few great quotes, so keep reading for my favorite lines.

Teach Your Mom Tech: Instagram

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 08 May 2012 12:01:48 PDT

Sharing is caring, so for Mother's Day, show mom you care by introducing her to the photo-sharing wonderland of Instagram. If she's already using an iPhone or Android phone, she'll find Instagram easy to navigate once you've shown her the ropes. Be sure to go over these key features with her, so she can enjoy all that Instagram has to offer.

Download the app: This whole process will go much faster if you just grab the app for her.
Offer a photography lesson: First, show your mom how to take a photo with the Instagram app, and explain what each of the symbols means along the top and bottom bar. Demonstrate how to add or take away borders by tapping the icon in the upper left side of the screen, how to blur parts of the photo, and how to select different filters.
Remember the camera roll: Show your mom how to upload already-taken photos to Instagram, so she can share the backlog of snaps on her phone.
Find her friends: Much of the fun of Instagram is following friends, family, celebrities, or other amazing photographers. Help your mom find friends via her Facebook account or by searching for her favorite celebrities.
Configure social sharing: So that family and friends can enjoy Mom's lovely Instagram photos, show her how to share pics over Facebook and email to friends and family who aren't on social networks.
Foster interaction: Scroll through the home stream and teach her how to like and comment on photos.
Offer subject matter ideas: Give your mom some ideas of what she could capture and share: the family dog, grandkids, fresh flowers, baked goods, or new clothes.
Set privacy settings: While the Instagram community tends to be more open and public than most social media sites, help your mom decide whether or not she wants to make her account private; if she does, her account will be viewable only to her accepted followers.

Source: Instagram Users bexfinch, pastorshaemun, nicolerybnik, and salamandrea

Download of the Day: Wrapp, Social Gift Giving

Anna Monette Roberts — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:51:09 PDT

How often do you feel inspired to send a gift - whether it's to say thank you, congratulate a co-worker, welcome a new neighbor, or celebrate a birthday - yet the reality of buying, wrapping, and getting the package to the post office dissuades you? Now, you can leap over all the hassle with an app called Wrapp that enables you to send someone a gift card via Facebook in under five minutes.

The app connects with Facebook and automatically pulls events, like birthdays, that might require a gift. Or, just search for a friend who could use a pick-me-up, no celebration required. Wrapp has partnered with brands like The Wall Street Journal, Gap, H&M, and Sephora to offer gifts at nominal prices. Some are entirely free (which also have an expiration date), like a month-long newspaper subscription or a $5 store coupon, while others require purchase, usually between $5-$25.

There is some Wrapp fine print: it works with iPhone and Android phones only and your friend must download the Wrapp app and connect it to Facebook in order to receive the gift. The app itself was just released, so there are a few hiccups like a bit of blurring on imported Facebook photos. However, we look forward to Wrapping gifts to our friends and saving an extra $5 when hitting the stores.