GeekSugar

PlanetEye Officially Launches!

GeekSugar — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:30:26 PDT

PlanetEye, the one-stop destination site for all your travel planning needs, has officially launched with so many fabulous features! Whether you're organizing a trip from start to finish, or feel like getting to know a destination better, PlanetEye will help you do just that. With more than 70,000 geotagged photographs in its database so far, PlanetEye not only offers useful info about cities, landmarks, and hotels, but it also offers a visual experience like no other.

Once you type in a destination of your choice, you can check out city guides and mouse over media bubbles on the map, which will display landmarks on interactive maps. And if you check out the top preview panel on the map, you'll notice many more photos from that area as well, so you can see exactly what that location has to offer.

To learn more about this brilliant site and to view some more screen caps, just

read more. PlanetEye offers a handy tool called "Travel Packs" which allow you to collect interesting photographs, attractions, hotels and restaurants in one convenient spot for you to share with friends and family or to use later. You can check out all your Travel Pack info on personalized maps and you can even book flight and hotel and car rentals right from your Travel Pack through Travelocity, make dinner reservations through OpenTable, purchase tickets via StubHub and even book a spa appointment with WaySpa! PlanetEye also includes local experts in various places to give you the best advice about what to see and do when visiting a certain location. So once you sign up (don't worry, it's totally free) and upload your own pics, leave feedback and reviews, make hotel and restaurant reservations, and best of all, create a customized travel pack!

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Gerard Butler Says Shooting Machine Gun Preacher Made Him Feel Like He Had Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:13:32 PDT

Gerard Butler stars in this week's new release Machine Gun Preacher as Sam Childers, a man who left a life of crime and drug addiction to devote himself to his children who'd been affected by the violent attacks of the Lord's Resistance Army in the Sudan. Butler, who also serves as executive producer, and his costar Michelle Monaghan, who plays Sam's wife Lynn, chatted with us during a recent press day in San Francisco. They talked about what it was like portraying real people, how Butler prepared for the role, and the difficulties he endured while filming some of the more disturbing scenes in Africa.

Did you know about Sam's story, and what did you think of the title when you heard it?
Gerard Butler: It was my agent who'd heard about it for a long time, and he loved it, was very passionate about it for a long time. He pitched the story to me, so I immediately connected Machine Gun Preacher with a guy who fought for children in the Sudan. I like the [title] Machine Gun Preacher, I think it's very catchy, but I think that it allows the movie to reveal the far deeper, interesting, more complex story. And yet to let people know that it's a crazy ass movie at the same time. He's a crazy ass guy, a hell of a powerful adventurer as well. I didn't know about it before, and [then] I wanted everyone to know about it.

Michelle Monaghan: I mean obviously, I got the script and saw Machine Gun Preacher, and I was intrigued - come on! I was completely inspired when I'd read it. This is definitely a project I wanted to be a part of, and certainly knowing that Gerry was on board to tell his story, as was Marc Forster, only cemented the idea of being a part of it even more.

To find out what else Butler and Monaghan had to say, like how hard it was shooting the violent scenes, just keep reading.

Website of the Day: NASA Eyes on the Solar System

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 11:21:22 PDT

Commercial space flight may actually happen in our lifetime, but why wait for a tour of the solar system when you can get a better look now with NASA's new Eyes on the Solar System app for your Mac or PC. All that's required to see the Milky Way up close and personal (and I do mean up close - you can hop on an asteroid, see NASA's Juno spacecraft in real time, and check out other planets, thanks to loads of NASA data) is download the Unity 3D plug-in and you're ready to rock and roll, space style.

If you want to get a precursor to what to expect from Eyes on the Solar System, check out this walk through of the Juno mission to Jupiter. It's pretty cool to see things happening in real time, but you can control space in this app - speed things up to see what's expected in 2015 or take a flyby of Mars to see the landscapes. If you can't find me, I'll be swimming through Saturn's rings!

Do you have an interesting website you want to share? Join the Website of the Day group and blog it for a chance to be featured on GeekSugar.

OnSugar Blog: First Day of School!

OnSugar Blog — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 10:06:40 PDT

Lots of moms like to think out loud and nubienatty is one of them. With back to school in full swing, she shares her lil one's first day of school picture and more on her Kandid Koilz blog. Here's an excerpt from her post.

So last week was the first day of school for me and Mason! Time is justa flyin by...my baby's in pre-k4 already. I remember the first time I dropped him off at that school two yrs ago **sniff** as you can see he no longer wears his bookbag on both shoulders, just one strap for him because that's what the big boys do **rolling eyes** We're going to make sure we're off to a good start and there's no clowning around because I don't want to have another conference where his teacher calls him a "class clown"!

Of course I was extra ready for my first day of school, eek! I decided to keep my English online and math on campus. Remember, I haven't been to school in 10 yrs. I clearly feel like I'm the oldest one in class at 30 and I feel like I'm on another planet.

Because the first day of school can cause such a flutter and coming out of the groove of Summer, I decided to start a new tradition for the first day just to get motivated into looking forward for what the school year will bring. Mason loves gifts but we call them "surprises"

To keep the new found tradition going . . . I figure hey, I'm in school too, so I deserve a "surprise"!

Want to see more? Start following Kandid Koilz or start your own OnSugar Blog. It's easy, it's free and we just may feature your content on our site!

Website of the Day: Google Sky

GeekSugar — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:43:28 PDT

If you've got your eyes to the sky after today's total lunar eclipse, you can keep the celestial magic flowing with Google Sky.

This website allows you to get a closer look at our neighboring stars, planets, and constellations with different layers, and even gives you details on distant galaxies found through the lens of NASA telescopes and informative podcasts about our own galaxy.

Do you have an interesting website you want to share? Join the Website of the Day group and blog it for a chance to be featured on GeekSugar.

Work Out Like a Captain: Tips For Staying Fit on Planet Earth

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 07:37:15 PDT

Just because you live in space, doesn't mean you can't stay fit. Captain Picard is known throughout the Starfleet for his excellent health (despite some cardiac complications after a near-fatal stabbing through the heart) and fit physique, and he keeps fit by playing sports of all kinds. Check out some of his favorite activities on board the Enterprise and on solid ground. Remember to take a tip from the captain and relax every once in awhile - an extended holiday is good for your health!

Running

Captain Picard is in excellent shape due to his love of running. He is the first freshman to win the Starfleet Academy Marathon, a 24-mile race on the planet Dranula II. If you're not at your tip-top shape just yet, FitSugar can give you plenty of tips on how to keep common running injuries at bay.

Racquetball

Captain Picard enjoys sports on the Enterprise, thanks to the holodeck, one of his favorites being racquetball. Racquetball provides an amazing workout (blasting over 200 calories in 30 minutes) and tests your hand-eye coordination with the quick moving target.

See the rest after the break.

I Am Number Four: A Silly Thrill Ride

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 03:05:00 PST

I Am Number Four is an action-packed film with a cast of gorgeous young actors that mixes sci-fi and teen romance. Alex Pettyfer stars as John Smith, an alien originally from Lorien who escaped the planet before its destruction. As one of nine Lorien refugees known as the Garde, each of the aliens is known by their number, and they can only be killed in sequence - and John is number four, hence the title.

Another, more creepy alien race called the Mogadorians seek to wipe out John's kind, tracking him and the other members of the Garde who are hiding on Earth. When a Garde member is killed by the Mogadorians, the remaining aliens receive a scar. John's only family is Lorien warrior Henri (Timothy Olyphant), who functions as John's father figure while guiding him away from harm. When John get his third scar, warning him that he's next in line to die, he and Henri pick up and move to small town Paradise, Ohio.

Though I Am Number Four gets excessive at times with nearly every element (special effects, stunts, romance), it's entertaining. And while the story is not always clear, you're never bored. To find out what else I thought of the movie, just

read more. When he enrolls at the local high school, John must deal with typical new kid problems, like being picked on by the jocks, but he has more to deal with than settling in a new place. It's in Ohio that he discovers his special power: "Lumen," a bright light that shoots from John's hands and gives him new abilities like super strength. The adjustment is made a bit easier by Sarah, a fellow student who is instantly attracted to John (played with fresh-faced sweetness by Glee's Dianna Agron). Pettyfer and Agron have a believable chemistry that thrives on the teen angst they both ooze. It has to be noted that the filmmakers seem to be going for a Twilight-style vibe, starting with the romance between its two leads (the brooding, otherworldly guy and the sweet human girl who needs his protection). Some of the action sequences are eerily reminiscent of the first Twilight film, and Pettyfer's accent is also as inconsistent as Robert Pattinson's. Pettyfer has the looks, build, and chops to be an action star, and he does a satisfactory job for a relative newcomer. But it's his costar Teresa Palmer who really leaves an impression. As a badass fellow Lorien who's also on John's trail, Palmer is decked out in leather, only speaks when necessary (and in clipped, clever quips), and is the kind of girl who blows up a house and never looks at the explosion. I only wish Palmer had gotten more screen time, as her character and back story hint at something far more interesting than John's biography. Pettyfer, Palmer, and Agron make I Am Number Four extremely watchable in spite of cheesy dialogue and situations that occasionally keep you from being completely immersed. When you giggle over the sweet nothings John and Sarah breathe at each other with big saucer eyes, it takes away a little something. But if you can cast cynicism aside and appreciate the explosions and silly sci-fi for what it is, you're in for a good time.

2011 Coachella Lineup: Kanye West, Arcade Fire, and Kings of Leon Headline

BuzzSugar — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:33:53 PST

Coachella's 2011 lineup has been announced, and when the three-day festival kicks off in April, Arcade Fire, Kings of Leon, and Kanye West will each headline a day. Other acts I'm excited about? The Black Keys, The Strokes, Best Coast, Cee Lo Green, The National, Sleigh Bells - just to name a few!

Coachella takes place on April 15, 16, and 17 at The Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA. Check out the full lineup when you

read more. The headliners are bolded. FRIDAY, APRIL 15: Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, The Chemical Brothers, Caifanes, Robyn, !!!, 12th Planet, Afrojack, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, A-Trak, Beardyman, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, Boys Noize, Brandon Flowers, Brandt Brauer Frick, Breakage, Cee Lo Green, Clare Maguire, Cold Cave, Cold War Kids, Crystal Castles, Cut Copy, Emicida, Erick Morillo, Excision, Flogging Molly, Glasser, G.Q., Gypsy and the Cat, Here We Go Magic, Hurts, Interpol, Jakes, Kele, Klaxons, Kyle Hall, Magnetic Man, Marina and the Diamonds, Monarchy, Mount Kimbie, Moving Units, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Nosaj Thing, OFWGKTA, Omar Rodriguez Lopez, Ozomatli, Sander Kleinenberg, Sasha, Scala & Kolacny Bros., Skrillex, Sleigh Bells, Tame Impala, The Aquabats, The Drums, The Morning Benders, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Rural Alberta Advantage, Titus Andronicus, Warpaint. SATURDAY, APRIL 16: Arcade Fire, Animal Collective, Mumford & Sons, Bright Eyes, Alf Alpha, Andy C, Big Audio Dynamite, Bomba Estereo, Broken Social Scene, Cage the Elephant, Chuckie, Cults, Daedelus, Delta Sprirt, DJ Hype, DJ Kentaro, DJ Marky, EE, Elbow, Electric Touch, Empire of the Sun, Erykah Badu, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Fedde Le Grand, Foals, Francis and the Lights, Freelance Whales, Gayngs, Gogol Bordello, Goth Trad, Jimmy Eat World, Joachim Garraud, Laidback Luke, Lil B’ and the Based Gods, Mariachi El Bronx, Mary Anne Hobbs, One Day as a Lion, Paul van Dyk, Phosphorescent, Raphael Saadiq, Ras G, SBTRKT, Scissor Sisters, Shpongle, Steve Angello, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down, The Felice Brothers, The Henry Clay People, The Joy Formidable, The London Suede, The Kills, The Love Language, The New Pornographers, The Radio Dept., The Swell Season, The Tallest Man on Earth, The Twelves, Trampled by Turtles, Two Door Cinema Club, Wire, Yacht. SUNDAY, APRIL 17: Kanye West, The Strokes, Duran Duran, The National, PJ Harvey, Death From Above 1979, Angus and Julia Stone, Axwell, Best Coast, Caspa, Chromeo, City and Colour, CSS, Delorean, DJ Zinc, Duck Sauce, Eliza Doolittle, Ellie Goulding, Fistful of Mercy, Foster the People, Fun., Good Old War, Gord Downie, Green Velvet, HEALTH, High Contrast, Jack Beats, Jack’s Mannequin, Jenny and Johnny, Joy Orbison, Kode9, Leftfield, Lightning Bolt, Lorn, Los Bunkers, Mala, MEN, Menomena, Nas & Damian Marley, Neon Trees, New Pants, OFF!, Phantogram, Plan B, Ramadanman, Ratatat, Riva Starr, Roska, Rye Rye, She Wants Revenge, Sven Vath, Take, Terror Danjah, The Bloody Beetroots, The Presets, Thunderball, Trentemoller, Tinie Tempah, Tokimonsta, Twin Shadow, Wiz Khalifa, Yelle, Zed Bias.