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How Will You Be Watching the Inauguration?

GeekSugar — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 07:30:57 -0800

Next week, millions of people will be flocking to Washington DC to see Barack Obama be sworn in as our 44th President. Although tickets to get there are pricey (and maybe even sold out), you don't have to be at the inauguration to enjoy it.

News outlets will be streaming the event online, you can catch it live on Joost, and even Times Square (and San Francisco's own Civic Center) will be showing the action on jumbo trons. If that's not enough, movie theaters are selling tickets to the event so you can see it on the big screen!

How will you be watching the inauguration next week?

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US Congress Launches Their Own YouTube Channels

GeekSugar — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:00:33 -0800

Taking their cue from Barack Obama's high-tech campaign that won him the presidency, the US Senate and the House of Representatives have launched their own YouTube channels in order to connect with the American public. Although past restrictions have prevented government officials from posing on outside websites, the rules have quickly changed to catch up with the online population.

Not only will the Senate's Official YouTube page bring you messages straight from your senator's office, but you'll also catch some behind the scenes tidbits, like which senators entered into a friendly wager on the Florida Gator/Ohio Buckeye game, and which one had to pay up in push-ups. As for the House of Representatives, they like to stay a little more low key - you can get your burning questions answered from the Reps themselves, and find out how many friends Ohio Representative Tim Ryan has on his Facebook page. That's right, he's on Facebook.

Prop 8 Opposition Uses Apple's Get a Mac Ad Parody

GeekSugar — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 07:30:16 -0800

Happy Election Day, everybody! If you're a Californian, you're also deciding the fate of gay marriage in this state. There have been a lot of controversial ads, but this is the first geeky one I've seen. This ad's creators, ostensibly opposers of Prop 8, use a parody of Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign, casting the Mac character as the open-minded one who's against banning gay marriage.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

Do you think the creators were adding additional commentary by making the be-suited PC into the Prop 8 supporter, or was it just the luck of the draw in the satire? Are any PC-loving, Prop 8 opposers offended?

Did You Get the Obama Running Mate Text?

GeekSugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 04:01:11 -0700

Days after Barack Obama announced his running mate, it started leaking in how slow the much-touted text message announcement actually got to Obama supporters. "Be the first to know!" they crowed. "Sign up for the text message announcing Obama's running mate!"

But CNET reports that the ingenuity of the Obama camp's marketing with the texts was lost: Not only did it take 15 minutes to disseminate the SMS across carriers, but CNN totally stole their thunder by announcing it three hours before Obama's campaign officially did.

So much for being the first to know through the magic of SMS! I didn't even get the text at all (harumph!). But now that we all know and the Democratic National Convention is in full swing, Joe Biden withstanding, I want to know how widespread this modern tech gimmick was: Did you sign up to receive Obama's text message announcement of his running mate?

Source

Follow What Obama and McCain Are Reading on the Internet!

GeekSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:30:56 -0700

This is the first campaign we've got to follow in this particular age of the Internet; with blogs, every little story becomes a big story, every mountain a molehill, as word-of-mouth has become URL-link-hand-offs. I'm already trying to keep up with CitizenSugar, and now, you can keep up with what the candidates and their campaigns are reading themselves, with Google's new Power Readers feature.

The Power Readers page is like reading shared items in Google Reader, only instead of a shared blog post from your friend, it's from Barack Obama. Choice on his reading list? The Daily Show!

Mitt Romney Loves His iPod, But Isn't a Mac Fan

GeekSugar — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 10:04:23 -0800

Hot on the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney recently chatted with TechCrunch's Michael Arrington about technology-related issues including internet taxes, renewable energy, and tech-growth policies. He was also asked a couple of other fun gadget-related questions - because we just have to have a gadget-guru president! Check them out below!

On whether he's a Mac or PC user Mitt: "Three out of five of my sons are on Macs and they swear by them. But I'm a creature of habit, I've got my PC."
He gets asked if he has an iPod, and if so, what is on it Mitt: I do have an iPod. What I typically download is country music as well as 1960s music. I'm a baby boomer so The Beatles and The Stones and some of the old groups from the sixties are my favorites, I listen to them. And I also listen to country. I have some inspirational music as well, but those are the highlights for me."
Source

Run Your Own Presidential Campaign For Free

GeekSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:45:32 -0700

Think you can run a better campaign than Obama or McCain? Then you PC users can give it a go with a free game download from the Political Machine! In the Political Machine Express, you can play as Obama, McCain, Biden, or Palin in a 21-week race to the White House, stopping off in cities around the country for town hall meetings, speeches, debates, and produce TV ads to crush your competition. It's all free, and sure to be a fun way to get out your political frustrations.

You can get the full version of The Political Machine for just $20 bucks, which allows you to campaign at different times in history, and get access to other candidates like Huckabee, the Clintons, and Ron Paul. So, who will you be playing as?

Do You Text During Concerts or Other Shows?

GeekSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:29:00 -0700

The other night, I went to a concert with a few of my friends. After the initial bag check and ticket scan from security, we saw large signs at the entrance to the venue reading, "The artists ask that you set your phones to vibrate and refrain from texting and other cell phone use during the performance." While I'm used to signs asking concert-goers not to take photos or videos during the show, this was the first ban on texts or cell phone use I'd seen during a concert. The reasoning behind the ban makes sense, but I wondered how strictly it could be enforced in a crowded venue.

Surprisingly, it was enforced by the venue's staff - I was totally busted when I absent-mindedly pulled my phone out of my pocket! Also surprisingly, concert-goers respected the texting rules. I'll have to admit, though I'm guilty of during-show texting, it was nice to enjoy a concert without the constant glow of cell phone screens from around the room. I'm used to seeing the polite no-texting signs displayed in movie theaters (and soon anti-WiFi paint could make texting impossible), but I'm on the fence about a similar ban during live shows. What do you think?

Source: Flickr User akeg

Website of the Day: Passive Aggressive Notes

GeekSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:29:50 -0700

Roommate frustrations? Lunch missing from your work fridge. . . again? Whether you've just been tempted to leave an angry, anonymous (or not-so-anonymous) note or you're actually guilty of leaving one, they can be pretty funny to those not involved in the squabble.

The website Passive-Aggressive Notes posts "painfully polite and hilariously hostile writings from shared spaces the world over" - aka the note that your co-worker posted on the office fridge for all to see. I've mentioned the site before, but check it out again for new features including "'Word of the Day," calling out a hilarious user comment, or the "Greatest Hits" and "Kerry's Favorites" with links to the site's most popular and founder's favorite content.

It's perfect for scrolling through if you need a laugh. Or, for the ultimate passive-aggressive payback, submit a note of your own to be included on the site.

Have an interesting website like this you'd like to share? To learn how to post your favorite websites to our Website of the Day group, read more.

1. First of all, join the Website of the Day group.
2. Click "New Post" under the website of the day tab at the top of the page.
3. Give your story a "Title."
4. Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
5. Type "Technology and Gadgets" in the Categories box
6. Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Website of the Day").
7. Choose whether you want the post to be private or public.
8. Click "Create Post" to submit content.

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!

Tech Dating 101: Decoding Post-Date Texts and IMs

GeekSugar — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:10:40 -0700

The men of Swingers championed a rule that fundamentally changed how fellas of the '90s plotted post-date communication. They said a man should wait three days after a date to call a woman so she would want them more. Preposterous, right? Today the possibilities for contact are so varied - email, work email, IM, gChat, Facebook, Twitter, text and so on - that it can be harder to gauge interest or commitment based on the time frame and way someone reaches out. In this installment of my Tech Dating 101 series I will address how technology and texting have changed the moments and days after a good first date. To see what I think (spoiler alert: it's complicated), read more.

The same day text: Most women I have talked to say they like it when a guy follows up a first date with a short text. It doesn't have to be sexy, or even offer the promise of a second date, but texting is a simple, quick and sweet way to say thanks, without an immediate call. If you had a great time and want him to know, text him yourself. It is one of the most relaxed forms of communication (no login required!) and will keep both of you from getting too wordy.
The three-day text: Consensus among friends is that the day three text could be a cop-out (as in, he isn't ready to commit to a phone call and he's using the antiquated Swingers mentality to make you want him more), but it does count as contact and an effort.
The instant reach out: If a guy initiates communication via instant messaging in any form (iChat, Yahoo Messenger, gChat, Facebook chat etc.) less than two hours after a date he can come off as eager to get the party started. Do with that what you will. I do; however, think it is polite for him to acknowledge he sees you online if you pop online right after your date or in the days following. It's ridiculous to pretend you don't see one another online. That being said, instant messages are not a phone call. If he really wants to talk to you he should still call you up, or at the very least send an email to plan your next get-together.

Got a burning dating and technology question you need answered? Join our Tech Dating 101 group and share your conundrums and advice there with other GeekSugar lovers. Here's a detailed guide to posting questions or posts to groups if you are new to the PopSugar Community.