GeekSugar

Quarterlife . . . May Not Have a Life

GeekSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:10:14 PST

Look, I'm great at suspending my disbelief for TV shows - I am an avid Lost viewer, after all. But the portrayal of the Internet and blogging in new show Quarterlife is just too much.

I was so excited when I heard that this show (which I'd never watched on MySpaceTV before) would feature the main character as a blogger - a lot of people have personal blogs nowadays, and I was hoping the show could explore the impact of a female blogger who blogs about her friends and personal life. Sadly, the show opens with the terrible line "Why do we blog? We blog to exist." Really?! What does that even mean? Dylan Krieger - the main character and blogger - has a MacBook. Our similarities end there.

For what I think about Dylan and the hilarious Internet portrayal,

read more. Dylan is a self-absorbed, insecure voyeur who watched one too many episodes of My So-Called Life as a teenager and now suffers from tortured artist syndrome. Not a starving artist, of course, because Dylan is obviously a college grad from a nice, rich suburb. Her problems are as annoying as she is: She's upset that, as a recent graduate who's landed an amazing job as an editorial associate at a magazine, one of the ideas she spouted off in a (very common) moment of self-righteousness has been stolen by another employee. Dylan also suffers from "I'm a writer" syndrome (you know, where she can't stop saying it aloud so everyone knows how much better than them she is) and the illness in which one is convinced other people are not worthwhile unless they're artists. Now, let's discuss the blogging. Dylan uses a MySpace-like profile on the not-so-fictional Quarterlife social network (which they dismiss as being "in beta," like that matters anymore). From her profile, she takes a video of herself and makes a video blog. I hate the word "vlog," but was anyone else annoyed that they never brought the term up? It also killed me when they said things like, "Are you upset that I blogged you?" At one point, one character says "You have my face all over the frickin' net!" Since when is it called the 'net? Since that Sandra Bullock movie came out? And what about this weird importance they seem to place on blogging? All of Dylan's friends are very impressed that she has a blog on a social network site at a time when everyone and their mother has a personal blog. They are also very upset that she's saying personal things about them on her "blog" - what, do they think she's getting picked up on digg? This show has tons of cred - as far as TV goes, Buzz reported that these are the producers of My So-Called Life (and the writing team includes Devon Gummersall, aka Brian Krakow), and as far as geekery goes (Macs and Final Cut Pro, oh my!), this show should have been a shoe-in to my TiVo schedule. Bitsie Tulloch, who plays Dylan, was even a cast member on Internet sensation lonelygirl15! I'm really disappointed with this first episode, but I'm no quitter. I also remember the terrible pilots of some of my other favorite shows, so I'll give this a chance to find itself. And hopefully the writers will find themselves in front of a browser in 2008, figuring out "the 'net" for today's audience.

Website Of The Day: Your Truman Show

GeekSugar — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 14:00:07 PDT

If you're interested in video blogging and lifecasting, but the around the clock Justin TV Network isn't your style, consider checking out Your Truman Show, a new personal video site that launches today. Obviously inspired by the 1998 wonder Truman Show, the site hopes to become the "place for personal videos on the web" and offers a free platform where anyone can share their life with the rest of the world.

The creators are asking for "your stories, your friends’ sagas, the compelling tales of the random people you come across everyday. True stories, fictional tales…and even quasi-fictional accounts of things that may (or may not) have happened."

Unlike the Justin TV Network, which was born out of now famous lifecaster Justin's antics, Your Truman Show seems as if it was created with women in mind and allows you to upload edited, controlled video. The site is clean white and gray (save for a small dose of pink) and doesn't overwhelm viewers with theatrics. Of course, you can always film your own videos with your camera and put them on TeamSugar. Hint. Hint.

To learn how to post your favorite sites to the Website of the Day group,

read more
I know that this long list looks scary, but trust me, once you get the hang of it, it'll be a snap the second time around.

First of all, join the Website of the Day group
Click "Create and Share!" on the left hand side
Choose "Blog"
Give your photo a Title
Leave the category as "general"
Change the channel to "technology and gadgets"
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day")
Click on the "Add Image" link below the "body" box
A popup window will happen - click on "Browse" to find your image on your computer
Once you have the image chosen, click "Submit"
The popup will show you your image, choose size: "normal" - if you want, you can give it a title (which will show up as a caption)
Click "Insert" and the popup will go away
Your "body" box will now have some text in it. Leave it as is. If you want to add some text before the picture telling me why you love the website, do it before the code that has appeared.
Click Submit

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!

Lil Links: Is Khloé Kardashian Lying to Herself About Her Infertility

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:34:04 PST

Khloé Kardashian's comments about not being pregnant are revealing - The Stir
Sweet Valentine's Day crafts to create with your kids - Parenting
Kristin Davis shows off baby Gemma Rose - Celebrity Baby Blog
What's the deal with breastfeeding and Facebook - Momformation
Kristin Cavallari debuts her baby bump! - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Everything you wanted to know about your placenta - FitPregnancy
Signs you're ready for baby number two! - The Bump
Valentine gadgets for the man in your life – Tecca
Video of child without clothes in snow sparks outrage? - Yahoo! Shine
Valentine's Day gifts for your kids - Real Simple

Kristin Cavallari Shows Off Her Tiny Baby Bump in a Red Dress

Lauren Turner — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:55:10 PST

Kristin Cavallari shows her barely there baby belly on the red carpet - People
Pregnant Lily Aldridge steps out with husband Caleb Followill - Lainey Gossip
Chelsea Handler breaks from her funny routine for a serious interview - HuffPost Entertainment
Halle Berry wants to move overseas with Nahla - D-Listed
Katie Holmes is fresh-faced after dance class - JustJared
Five things you don't know about Gisele Bundchen - The Insider
What do you think of Lindsay Lohan's new look? - Zap2it
Minka Kelly continues her string of gorgeous appearances - Hollywood Tuna
Watch Kanye and Jay-Z's crazy new video - Pink Is the New Blog
Kris Jenner has an interesting new brand to promote - The Superficial
The hottest new models of NY Fashion Week - The Daily Beast
Kim Kardashian makes a sitcom cameo - TooFab
Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams have a shot at the top of this weekend's box office - Hollywood Reporter
Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z file to trademark Blue Ivy's name - I'm Not Obsessed

Lil Links: Stop Counting Sheep and Embrace Insomnia

Rebecca M Gruber — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 05:27:37 PST

Ten reasons it's awesome to be an insomniac - The Stir
Kate Winslet raises awareness for autism - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Steal Nahla Aubry's thermal shirt style - Celebrity Baby Blog
How pregnancy can boost your health and happiness - FitPregnancy
The no-panic guide to lice - Parenting
When to move on to fertility treatments - The Bump
Do you meet these suburban mom stereotypes? - Momformation
Preview Gucci Kids's Spring collection! – Child Mode
Turn off the TV and turn the kids on to these 15 adorable pet videos – Tecca.com
Willow Smith shaves her head: how would you react? - Yahoo! Shine
A packing list for young families - Real Simple

Link Time: Hot-Rodding With Prada, Blake Lively's Hot-Water Remark, and More

FabSugar — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:21:41 PST

Hot-rodding with Prada: see the Spring '12 campaign video - Style.com
Is gray hair the new pink hair? - The Daily Beast
Gisele's got a plan to help Tom Brady win the Super Bowl - HuffPost Style
11 ways to declutter your purse - Stylelist
Lauren's ladylike rules for restaurant dining - Lauren Conrad
Alexa Chung designs a teddy bear for charity - Lucky
Which will you watch: the Super Bowl, or Anna Wintour's 60 Minutes special - The Cut
"More Brown Bras" campaign calls out lingerie makers - Racked
Check out the full Jason Wu Pre-Fall handbag collection - Purse Blog
H&M debuts David Beckham mannequins - The Gloss
Blake Lively tells Elle she wants her kids to be "trannies" - Styleite

50 Geeky Date Ideas For Valentine's Day (and Beyond)

GeekSugar — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 06:30:10 PST

Coming up short for Valentine's Day date ideas? If you and your sweetheart are more of the geeky persuasion, simply hitting up an overpriced restaurant just won't cut it. We brainstormed 50 date ideas that incorporate science, tech, and video games, for a special Valentine's eve. But don't limit yourself - tackle these date ideas all year!

Bundle up, pack a dinner picnic, and head to the park for some stargazing.
Watch Contact (for the millionth time).
Go to a science museum.
Hit the natural history museum and check out your favorite dino bones.
Go retro - grab a roll of quarters, a slice or two, and hit the pizza parlor arcade.
Build your own planetarium with glow-in-the-dark stickers.
Catch up with the Doctor Who craze by watching the series from the beginning.
Throw a Star Wars party for two.
Whip up a batch of Cloud 9 mojitos (complete with mason jar glasses) and have a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
Visit Nerdy Day Trips and find geeky stuff to do near you.
Go to the planetarium.
Take a dream vacay to the Hobbit Hotel in New Zealand.
Spend a few romantic nights in the Hobbit House of Montana.
Visit the actual Lord of the Rings movie set.
Travel to the Chott el Djerid salt lakes in Tunisia, which were transformed into Luke Skywalker's home on Tatooine.

See the rest of the list after the break!

How Social Media Can Help You Score That Dream Job

Emily Co — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:28:47 PST

When you think you've exhausted all your job options, the worst thing to do is to wait it out. There are always ways to get to where you want to be, and you just need to think outside of the box. Even just a single tweet might be the trick you need to get the job of your dreams.

Companies are now interested in more than just your résumé. They are also sizing up your LinkedIn accounts, video profiles, and presence on other social-media platforms. In fact, there are plenty of people who have successfully tried social-media-savvy ways to get a job when the traditional route has failed. One example is Matthew Epstein, a job hunter who invested $3,000 in a flashy website and video to capture the attention of Google. Through his campaign (that went viral), he managed to score interviews with Google, Amazon, and Microsoft, as well as capture the media attention of CNN and TechCrunch. He did, in the end, land a job of his dreams, although it wasn't a Google job. Hanna Phan, a freelance presentation consultant, is another person who got a job through social-media efforts - she created a 90-second slideshow with SlideRocket and tweeted it to the firm's CEO. The head of the company was impressed, and she received a job offer.

If you want social media to be part of your job-hunting arsenal, keep these tips in mind:

Don't be the jack of all trades: Don't spread yourself too thin and try to hop onto every social-media bandwagon. Instead, channel your energy toward three or four platforms and try to develop them as best you can. Choose from accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Tumblr, and YouTube, to name a few.
Be creative: A ton of people are on Twitter and Facebook, so you need to think of ways to separate yourself from the others. You can brainstorm unique angles and ideas with friends and look at past examples of what people have done. Perhaps you can come up with a YouTube video or a Tumblr blog that will go viral and capture people's attention. Think of current events and how you can capitalize on them.
Don't be a pest: Finally, you need to be cautious of bugging people on the web. Be smart about how you reach out to people, and don't keep bothering them if you don't hear a response.

Lil Links: 6 Shows That Bravely Show Tots With Special Needs

Rebecca M Gruber — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:34:27 PST

Six TV shows with awesome special-needs kids in the spotlight - The Stir
Isla Fisher felt like the uncool mom on the set of Bachelorette - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Jason Mraz will guest star on The Fresh Beat Band - Celebrity Baby Blog
What to do if you can't make it to the hospital on time - FitPregnancy
The "What Is Love" video challenge begins - Parenting
How to find awesome day care - The Bump
Help! I have a smart-mouthed kid! - Momformation
Can you handle the real cost of having a baby? - Real Simple
Ten ways to turn your kids into bakers - Yahoo! Shine
Bugaboo introduces special-edition Bee and Cameleon strollers – Child Mode

Weekend DIY: Origami Jell-O

Kelly Schwarze — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:40:04 PST

Looking for an excuse to embrace your geek side with something sweet? This weekend's DIY from the blog My Jell-O Americans (which wins the award for best website name pun of all time) via Craft magazine, shows us crafters how to get wiggly with our origami fundamentals.

The origami paper is made of granulated gelatin, water, and food coloring. Check out the video on Craft for all the details on creating a funky, folded treat.