GeekSugar

Daily Tech: Dell Soon to Branch Into the Android Market

GeekSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:50:11 -0800

Dell finally confirms the rumors that it is indeed developing an Android handset - Engadget
Thinking of getting a netbook this holiday season? Here's the lowdown on some of the most popular models - CrunchGear
YouTube has just increased the maximum resolution of videos to 1080p - Dvice
New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii came out with a bang in NYC this past weekend - Kotaku
There will soon be a Craigslist-friendly BlackBerry app - CrunchGear
Remix like it's your birthday with 50 Cent's Sound Lab App - TechCrunch

Before and After: A Sophisticated and Glamorous Nursery

CasaSugar — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:44 -0700

Su Casa member mianakao recently moved into a new home, and turned this dull room into something absolutely spectacular. Her fabulous results prove that even the most dull room can be transformed into a gorgeous, glamorous space with a little imagination and a lot of hard work.
She writes, "We just moved into our new house (a sprawling foreclosure), so I had free reign with this room! As you can see in the before photo, the room was dull, dingy, and needed lots of TLC."

The results are truly astounding. To see how mianakao turned this dingy, dull space into a beautiful nursery, read more.

Can you even believe it's the same room? I am truly amazed! Mianakao explains, "My goal was to use black and white in a tasteful way to help the baby's visual development. My first choice was stripes around the room, but I figured that might just make the baby dizzy after a while. So, instead, I went with a high-gloss black latex paint, and brightened up the room with tons of white. (The green is an after thought accent color to warm up the space)." "Also, in an effort to be somewhat creative, I stuck a vinyl decal of a tree on the wall, painted over it, and then cut out the vinyl with an X-acto knife. Had I thought ahead, I could have incorporated the accent green on the tree. Sticking a vinyl decal on the wall wasn't creative enough for me . . . and I didn't want to deal with all of the air bubbles."

I also love that mianakao kept to a strict budget for this makeover. She writes, "Since we're in a tight economy, everything you see (with the exception of the crib and the chandelier) was found on Craigslist. Nothing was over $40! I also found items for free from the freecycle network. I just sanded the furniture and painted it flat white to match everything else in the room . . . well, my husband handled all the hard work. Small accents like the beautiful black and white crystal chandelier just added a touch of chic for our new baby girl!"

Take the full tour when you check out the gallery. I'm truly inspired!

View 0 Photos ›

Website of the Day: Craigsly

GeekSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:22:53 -0700

If you've ever kept careful watch for an item on Craigslist, you know what it's like to obsessively refresh the page waiting for that coveted item to appear. Enter Craigsly, a site that keeps an eye on Craigslist for you, presumably freeing up a good portion of your day you would have otherwise spent on Craigslist.

Here's how it works: visit Craigsly and enter keywords for the item you're looking for, the city where you're trying to find it in, categories it might appear in, and your email address. When the item/job/apartment you're looking for is posted, Craigsly notifies you with a link to the post. Hello freedom from browser-refreshing stress!

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

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

Recession Proof Your Workout: Beg, Borrow, and Deal

FitSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 12:00:50 -0700

Despite Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's claim that the recession is over, most Americans aren't buying it. I'm not sure what you think of Bernanke's outlook, but the last two years of economic downturn have taught me a lesson in frugality I won't be forgetting anytime soon.

My husband bought a new bike recently - new to him anyway. After visiting nine different bike stores and confronting the truth that he could not afford to put thousands of dollars toward a bicycle, I directed him to Craigslist. Not only did he find the bike of his dreams, he ended up having a few to choose from. Within a week of looking he found a barely used 2008 Cannondale for $650, a bike he saw at a store a week earlier for $1,250.

I've used Craigslist quite a bit but never for pricier items because it seemed to risky to me. After this experience I'll be turning there when I'm on the market for something new. A quick look on the site yesterday showed hundreds of barely used elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and treadmills averaging around $200; that's at least an 80 percent discount off retail prices and has me seriously considering buying a piece of equipment for my home.

Have any of you had good experiences using Craigslist to find fitness equipment?

I'm Asking: Where Would You Be Without Craigslist?

SavvySugar — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 08:30:00 -0700

When I look back on how big a role Craigslist has played in my life, it makes me ask, where would I be without it? Internships, jobs, apartments, bargain furniture . . . I credit the website with finding many of these. How has Craigslist helped your career and life in general?

Is This Craigslist Ad Real?

TresSugar — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 03:00:00 -0700

Moving to San Francisco? Well, do I have the place and 'mate for you. It doesn't have any space, but rent's only $680. Now I totally believe this apartment exists . . . but this is either a joke or the most terrifyingly unself-aware person out there. I am almost tempted to go check it out.

Hello, I am seeking a nice room mate to share my 2 bedroom home.

You won't have to pay utilities or do any chores so it's perfect for a young person or a student.

But I cannot have anybody touching or moving my stuff because it would set off a chain reaction of emotions and feelings towards you and towards my things. Hoarding is not a mental illness, it is something environmentally responsible because I don't like to throw anything away. But the San Francisco Department of public health said my living conditions were unsafe and came in and forcibly removed my things I have been collecting for over 40 years. It traumatized me and I have been rebuilding my collection ever since.

Read the rest of the ad and vote on its validity after the jump

Confusing Technology Doesn't Pass in Post Grad

GeekSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 03:50:37 -0700

I just saw the college graduation comedy Post Grad starring Alexis Bledel and like Buzz, I thought the movie was also quirky and cute, but I had a few quibbles with the technology.

First, there must have been some sort of MySpace deal for placement, because it opens with Bledel's character Ryden posting a video blog getting live video comments on a very fancy-looking MySpace UI. I haven't been on the 'Space for a while now, but I'm pretty sure this is not the latest redesign. Speaking of UIs, though Ryden uses an Apple laptop in the movie, it's not the OS X interface either, but another fake Hollywood OS. What's wrong with existing UIs?

That's not even my biggest tech problem with this movie - to see what it is, just read more.

My greatest objection by far was Ryden's job hunt - she searches out leads in the newspaper! Not Craigslist? Not monster.com or the other millions of job-hunting websites that a bright college grad would certainly know about? The movie's website itself even opens up with a face Craigslist page. Definitely a huge "what were they thinking" moment, but it's an otherwise fun movie.

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Have You Ever Purchased Tech From Craigslist?

GeekSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:23:41 -0700

Although the entries are few at the moment, I'm expecting to see a boatload of PS3s for sale on Craigslist soon. With the Sept. 1 launch of the PS3 Slim, you can bet that gamer geeks who like to stay on top of the console movement will be unloading their old models to make room (or should it be make less room?) for the newest edition.

I'm always a little wary of buying electronics on Craigslist, not because I only want new products, but because of scams and misleading descriptions. Not to mention the danger of meeting someone you don't know. Always bring a friend or meet in a public area! Since you guys are such fans of the public site, I have to ask - have you ever purchased tech from Craigslist? If so, what did you buy?

Website of the Day: HousingMaps

GeekSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:26:27 -0700

If you're house hunting, Craigslist can be a great resource for finding a sweet rental property. But once you're inside Craigslist, you usually have to click around Google Maps to find the whereabouts of online listings. Not anymore! Because a site called HousingMaps is a mashup of Craigslist and Google Maps - showing you listings on the right side (which you can click on for the actual posting) with locations on a map on the left. You can also narrow down searches by price and bedrooms. And if your city isn't on the list, you can also check out MapsKrieg, which works the same way and includes many more cities but doesn't list the listings like HousingMaps.

Have a great website you want to share with geeksugar readers? Share it when you 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 the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" 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!

Website of the Day: Item Not as Described

GeekSugar — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 13:06:31 -0700

We Craigslist aficionados are familiar with the crap post - pictured items for sale that make you scratch your head and wonder why someone would ever take the time to list something so lame.

The website Item Not as Described takes that concept and mines it for laughs, and what you get is a collection of amazing free items listed on Craigslist - and I don't mean "amazing" sincerely, I mean it's amazing these people think they can give this stuff away. Dirty stuff, broken stuff, rotten stuff - it's all there.

To learn how to post your favorite websites to our 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 the pink "Share" menu on the top left side of the page.
Choose "Blog" and "Regular Post."
Give your story a "Title."
Fill in the "Body" with a link to your favorite website and the reasons why you love it.
Click "Next."
Choose the audience for your story to "Website of the Day" in the dropdown menu.
Add keyword(s) (for example mine for this photo was "Website of the Day").
Change channel to "Technology and Gadgets."
Fill in tag field with relevant tags.
Click "I’m done" 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!