GeekSugar

Do You Trust Wikis?

GeekSugar — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:00:55 PDT

Today John McCain announced he has picked Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. In its morning broadcast, NPR reported that McCain's choice showed up on Wikipedia (and the AP) before it had been officially confirmed as fact.

This isn't exactly an irregular event in wiki world, considering the content is created by millions of users, but it says a great deal about the power of the Internet. In the hours following the official announcement, Wikipedia users frantically updated and edited Palin's entry, adding nasty descriptive words after her name (I took a screenshot of one, but it's honestly so lowbrow I don't want to share it).

I use wikis as one of my first stop spots to learn about people and random topics, but I can't say I take anything I read as verifiable fact. How and when do you trust wikis?

5 Apps to Look For on Spotify's New App Platform

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:15:04 PST

Music junkies, take note: today Spotify introduced an integrated HTML5 app platform to round out the online music experience. Since Spotify partnered with Facebook, their user base has grown to over 10 million listeners who subscribe to friends' playlists and cultivate our own streaming music library. Like an iTunes app, any third party can develop and submit an app for Spotify's approval to be included on the platform.

Spotify Apps are available to any user, and the beta version is set to roll out over the next several days. Your list of apps and link to the App Finder will be located on the left sidebar of Spotify. Check out the five apps we can't wait to add to our account, and tell us if you'll add apps to your Spotify experience.

Last.fm - Discover a playlist's worth new favorite tracks within Spotify via a service we already know well.
Songkick - We'll never miss our favorite band's local live performance with this app that keeps users abreast of an artist's tour dates and also makes buying tickets to said event a snap.
Pitchfork - When on the lookout for independent musicians, reference the reviews and editorials of Pitchfork to find great artists flying under the radar.

Follow the break for our two other must-try apps including what no karaoke party can do without.

Ryan Phillippe Does Damage on the East Coast

Katie Henry — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 10:51:36 PST

Ryan Phillippe hit the streets in NYC last night filming Damages on location. He's been cast to portray an Internet activist, loosely based on WikiLeaks Editor in Chief Julian Assange, for the fifth and final season of the primetime drama. Ryan's not the only notable star joining the cast as Jenna Elfman's also committed to a reoccurring role. Work took a backseat to partying on Tuesday night when Ryan met up with Leonardo DiCaprio, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Kanye West for an A-list soiree at Manhattan's Darby Downstairs. Ryan's reportedly been considering a part-time move to the Big Apple since last Spring, but with a new baby girl, Kailani, as well as his two older kids Ava and Deacon in California, he'll always have a base on both coasts.

Amazon Announces $99 Kindle Touch

Kristy Korcz — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 07:31:10 PDT

Jeff Bezos revealed a new Kindle this morning at a press conference in NYC. The Kindle Touch looks to be about the same size as the previous generation, but it will come sans keyboard but with an infrared touch eInk display - the infrared layer will sit on top of your eInk display so it doesn't interfere with reading. Additionally, the Kindle Touch will include free cloud storage and come stocked with a new "X-ray" feature that will show relevant info on the page (like dictionary and Wiki entries). The Kindle Touch will also be lighter than previous models, and store up to 3,000 titles on its on-board 4GB of memory, but also comes with free backups with Amazon's cloud storage.

There will be a few price points to consider: the Kindle Touch will run at $99 with WiFi while the 3G version will be priced at $149. You can preorder now; shipping will start Nov. 21.

Tips For Throwing a Fringe Premiere Party, Walter Bishop Style

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 03:17:00 PDT

Fridays will finally be back to normal with the season four premiere of Fringe tomorrow night at 9 p.m.! If you've been waiting all Summer to see what the heck happened to Peter Bishop, gather a few fellow sci-fi nerds and plan on making a night of it with your own premiere party. And since Walter Bishop is arguably everyone's favorite character, why not theme things out in his honor? Below, a few tips to throwing your own Walter Bishop-themed Fringe fete.

Dress the part - Encourage guests to wear their favorite long and oversize cardigans, which is a staple in Walter's wardrobe.
Prepare a candy bar - In honor of Walter's sweet tooth, set up a candy bar so guests can graze. Stock the bar full of Red Vines, cotton candy (blue, not pink), and pudding pops, which are some of Walter's favorites. The bar can come complete with a cocktail of jelly bean "medications" in tiny water cups to replicate Walter's med schedule while he was at St. Claire's.
Sweet and bubbly drinks - Walter loves root beer floats, and I don't blame him. The combo of root beer and vanilla ice cream can keep all your Fringe fanatics happy. Take things a step further and serve them up in lab beakers!
Blueberry Pancakes FTW - Give your guests a break from all the sweet treats by providing them with homemade blueberry pancakes. They're not just for breakfast anymore.
Play Walter Bishop-Themed Games - Walter is the perfect target for an adult-drinking game. Air a few episodes in the background while guests are getting settled, and every time Walter mispronounces Astrid's name, drink! Serve shots in test tubes and small volumetric flasks if you can get your hands on them. Or, you could collect some interesting facts from the Fringe Wiki and play a round of Walter Bishop Trivia after the show ends.

Will You Buy the Official Steve Jobs Biography?

GeekSugar — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 06:42:03 PDT

The Steve Jobs-approved biography written by Walter Isaacson isn't set to hit shelves and Ereaders until March 6 2012, but you can preorder the book now, thanks to Amazon.

The book, titled iSteve: The Book of Jobs, details the life and times of the Apple founder, giving readers unprecedented access to Steve's daily life, family, friends, and colleagues. While there isn't much more I need to know than what's on his Wiki page, I have to admit I'm interested and will probably pick this up when it comes out next year. What about you - are you buying the Steve Jobs biography?

Angelina Jolie Takes Off From Malta With Brad Pitt and Their Kids

Allie Merriam — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 08:34:09 PDT

Angelina Jolie was seen Saturday making her way through an airport in Luqa, Malta. She took off with Brad Pitt and their kids after spending the last few weeks on the Mediterranean island, where he was shooting the zombie movie World War Z. Angelina racked up some frequent flier miles going from Malta to places elsewhere in Europe, making philanthropic trips to Italy and Turkey. She, Brad, and their kids may be planning to spend some time at their French estate, Chateau Miraval. It was also reported that Brad and Angelina had been invited to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's birthday party yesterday at Ellingham Hall in Norfolk, England, though it's not known if the A-list couple took him up on the offer.

Toys and Tips For Keeping Tots Occupied at the Passover Table

LilSugar — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 04:00:33 PDT

Depending on how religious your family is, Passover Seders can either run from 30 minutes to well over two hours, not including the festive meal. While you might have been happy to spread your four glasses of wine over a two hour reading of the Haggadah prior to your tots, now you need to find a way to occupy your lil one throughout the service.

In addition to bringing your dining out standbys - like books and wiki sticks, consider some holiday-related activities next week. A quick online search brings up tons of free coloring pages that can easily be printed out and brought to the table. Non-messy craft activities, like the foam Seder plate kit ($4) pictured here, includes pieces for all of the items on the Seder plate, in addition to glue and decorations. There are also a number of plague-related finger puppets and masks that should keep your kids entertained until you reach the four questions portion of the Seder.