GeekSugar

5 Geeky Coasters For Your Holiday Tables

Kristy Korcz — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 04:00:27 PST

Every year around this time, my mom breaks out the holiday tablecloths and dresses the dining room table in poinsettias and holly to prepare for family gatherings. My taste, it's not, but even if you can't change the landscape of your mom's table, you can dress yours up with something a little more your style in the form of coasters. Easy to transport from coffee to dining table, these coasters give your place setting the perfect geeky touch!

Reader Redux: RSS Feed Edition

GeekSugar — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 08:30:37 PDT

Yesterday, I mourned the loss of Bloglines, a once-popular RSS reader that will shut down on Oct. 1. Company execs partially blamed the shutter on the popularity of social networking site like Facebook and other sharing sites like Digg, which, according to them, make RSS readers obsolete.

I don't agree - I couldn't get along without them! An overwhelming majority of you sided with me; here's more of what you had to say:

"Frankly, I'd be very bummed if all RSS readers went away. I don't like using social networks for use. Twitter's good for some things, but it's not a complete resource, and I much prefer RSS readers." - Matdredalia
"How can you get by without an RSS reader??? I use Google." - imLissy
"I used to use Google, but I stopped. I only log onto maybe 10 different websites that update per day, and they are all in my bookmarks toolbar, so I don't feel the need to use an RSS reader." - PrincessOats
"I use it and love it, because I'm the kind of person who wastes a ton of time going to every single blog several times a day, only to find no new posts." - RoaringSilence
"I use Google Reader on my cell phone when I'm on the go. Other than that, I just go to actual website." - pinkmystic

Do you have any comments to add? Leave them below!

5 Reasons Why You Should Use an RSS (Religiously)

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 07:30:50 PDT

Fact: The Internet is overwhelming. There are millions of articles being published, photos being uploaded, status updates being posted, and tweets being tweeted every single day. An RSS reader can help you stay afloat and consume the Internet from one hub - whether you are a casual surfer who uses the web to catch up on email, news, and celebrity gossip, or a full fledged Internet junky who spends all day on Flickr, Facebook, and reddit. Most GeekSugar readers say they're already using a reader, but I am constantly preaching to unconvinced friends. And so, I dedicated this post to you uninitiated, on-the-fencers. Find out why you should hop on the train when you read more.

Geek Tip: Get Your Most Important RSS Feeds Via IM

GeekSugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 03:47:56 PDT

If you're closely following a subject that's important to you, and don't want to get behind in the news for a second, stay on top by having your most-watched RSS feeds delivered right to your instant messenger account with this web app. Say you're closely following the health care debate. Just enter in the feed you want to follow (The White House Blog is a good one to start with), and every time a story on that site is posted, it's delivered piping hot to your Jabber or Google Talk account.

Although there's no support for AIM or MSN messenger just yet, you can vote for new features to be added in their Feedback section so the rest of us can get in on the RSS/IM mash-up action.

Light Up Your Life (and Kitchen Table) With Geeky Lampshades

GeekSugar — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:12:51 PST

Sometimes simple design is better than intricate, and that's why I'm loving these geeky lampshades! Simple and handmade, these shades are crafted from wire and fabric and feature a few geeky designs.

There's the Space Invaders theme at right and also shades featuring the Gmap location pin, shades featuring the F1 and F2 brightness keys on the Apple keyboard, and one featuring the RSS reader icon. Shades can be constructed either as tabletop fixtures or hanging lamps. At $70 each, they're a bit pricey, but I haven't seen anything similar, so if you love them, I say it's worth a splurge.

View 4 Photos ›

Geek Tip: Get Weather Updates on Your RSS Reader

GeekSugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:02:43 PST

Is there no end to the genius of RSS? Not only do all my fabulous blogs wait patiently for me, and matching ads for the piece of furniture I am currently hunting for on Craigslist are delivered right to me, but now I can check the weather in the same place!

Websites like the WeatherBug and The Weather Channel supply RSS Feeds; you supply your location, and then add it to your RSS Reader of choice (I like both Google Reader and Bloglines). Oh and San Francisco? It's rain, rain, and more rain. And then it might rain.

Geek Tip: Summarize Your Blog Feeds With RSS Brief

GeekSugar — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 13:00:41 PDT

With so many blogs to read each day in my RSS reader, something like the following service may save me alot of time. Featured on mashable, RSS Brief is a new tool that will automatically attempt to summarize the high points of blog entries. Once you choose which feed you want summarized, each entry will include a caption for the posting as well as a word count and direct link to the entry. RSS Brief is still in Alpha so there may be a few glitches while the service improves.

Geek Tip: Add Craigslist To Your RSS Reader

GeekSugar — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 14:00:45 PDT

If you ever use Craigslist, you'll have to give this useful geek tip a try. Whether you are looking for an apartment, a job, or an item for sale, you can now add Craiglist to your RSS feed list and have all the search results sent directly to your reader. Here's how:

Once you type in what you are looking for in the Craigslist search box, try narrowing down your search by adding specific search criteria. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and you will see a highlighted RSS link. Click on the link and you'll be able to add the search results to your RSS feed. And each time a new classified matches your search query, it will miraculously be sent directly to your reader!

Daily Tech: Mark Zuckerberg Expands His Web Presence

GeekSugar — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:40:08 PST

Mark Zuckerberg joined a new social network - Newser
The FBI's taking down a chunk of the Internet on March 8 - Geekosystem
The best RSS apps for iPad - Geek.com
First reports on Apple's factory conditions - Dvice
Common arguments from Internet haters (yes, they exist) - Cracked
Is your cell phone making you selfish? - io9

Download of the Day: Newser

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:49:06 PST

Want to quickly get world news in the palm of your hand without shuffling through an undermanaged and wordy RSS feed? Download the Newser app (free). Drawing from the best news sources on the web including CNN, The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and BBC, Newser editors condense the news into bite-sized articles that you can read on the go.

Get stories in the customized grid format, or view in an easy-to-digest list, plus share with friends via email, Twitter, or Facebook, and browse through photo galleries with a few swipes of a finger. Just like Newser's tagline, you can read less and know more. Who can argue with that?