geeksugar -- Geek is chic.

Cool Computer Desk Idea: A Bookshelf

geeksugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 14:00:39 -0700

You know how I feel about using your laptop in goofball ways when you're at home, but with today's sense of urgency, you want to use your computer any way and anywhere you can. I'll never stop advocating beautiful desks, but sometimes you want something different. Check out an Apartment Therapy reader's place, where she brilliantly subbed in a wall-mounted bookshelf to hold her desktop.

Her iMac looks comfortably accessible and her desk's footprint? Nonexistent! Tell me, do you have a creative computer desk situation at home?

Source

Vintage Geek Roundup!

geeksugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 13:02:25 -0700

There's no denying that I'm down with the old school. I love taking a look back and seeing just how far we've come over the last few decades — from big and bulky gadgets to sleek and stylish pocket-sized ones. But there's just something about the trailblazers that will always stick with me. Maybe it's the fond memories of booting up my very first Apple computer, or being able to call someone outside without wires totally blew my mind. Whatever it is, take a walk down memory lane as I round up my favorite vintage geek gadgets! Oh, and don't forget to post your faves to the Vintage Geek Group! Source

How Old Were You When You Got Your Own Computer?

geeksugar — Sat, 03 May 2008 13:13:14 -0700

I can remember all my computers: My family's Apple II, then our Gateway desktop equipped with AOL — after which I finally got my very first own computer, a Compaq desktop, specifically because I was going off to college. Post-college, I bought my first laptop — a PC! It was a Dell Inspiron and I felt very cool lugging my 10-pound brick to the coffee shop. I bring it up because it seems like computer ownership has evolved like car ownership — where people had one car per family in the '50s, most families had one computer per family in the '90s and early 2000s. But I've noticed that kids are now getting their own computers, as young as elementary and high school, mostly due to the lowered price, accessibility, and now necessity of computers in schoolwork. So, how old were you when you got your first computer?Source

How Old Were You When You Got Your Own Computer?

Elementary or Middle School

High School

When I went to college.

After college

I don't have my own computer.

Other

Computer Being Stupid in Zoolander

geeksugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:30:41 -0700

This scene, appropriately titled "Man Vs. Machine," is so my favorite part of Zoolander. Hansel and Derek duke it out with an old orange iMac to get to the files inside and experience a little frustration, just short of bashing it in. I don't know that I've quite made monkey noises out of being frustrated with my laptop, but let's just say I've been close to it. If this scene were a news story, well, you know what it would be!

Get Flash to see this player.

Stay tuned till the end to see the world's teeniest (and trendiest) cell phone!

The Best Tech Headline From the Onion, Ever

geeksugar — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 15:03:59 -0700

Basically The Onion will never be able to top this headline, or the story for that matter — tech news-wise, anyway. It doesn't matter how geeky you are, we've all had moments with our computers where we also can't get the thing to do the thing (this is exactly the kind of situation I had in mind when we talked about gadget rage).

And of course, there's a very close tech headline runner up — "Apple Unveils New Product-Unveiling Product." The insides, they hurt!

Teachermate: The $50 Handheld Computer For Kids

geeksugar — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:33:07 -0700

Here's the latest and greatest piece of kid-tech since the OLPC XO laptop made its debut last year. Costing only $50, the Teachermate has just been unveiled by a Chicago-based nonprofit called Innovations For Learning.

Engadget reports that this system will be sent out to 500 Chicago elementary schools over the next two years, in hopes that every child will eventually receive one. What's not to love about this tiny PC that comes with a 2.5-inch LCD display, an SD card slot for expandability, 512MB of RAM, and a built-in mic and speaker. With a complete reading and math curriculum on each device, these PCs are going to change the lives of many kids.

The Teachermate is said to become available on Amazon soon, so stay tuned.

How Long Have You Had Your Computer?

geeksugar — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:00:18 -0700

I was cruising through TeamSugar's Technology and Gadgets channel this weekend and I happened upon nitronat's post about her parent's computer and the never-ending Mac or PC debate. nitronat wondered how many years should a computer last you, because her parents have had their HP desktop for about three years. While I probably upgrade more often than most people, I think the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" rule applies when it comes to buying a new computer, especially if you only use it sparingly. Any thoughts?Source

Geek Out: Share Your Computer Make/Model

geeksugar — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:00:40 -0700

Word on the street is two out of five Japanese women regularly have conversations with their computers, while 10.2 percent of women gave their computer a nickname, such as "Mac-kun," "Pasoko," "Pudding" or my personal favorite, "Princess." If you have a similar relationship with your computer, I'm guessing you want everyone in the world to know all about it. Its quirks, its personality traits, and on occasion, its bad manners.

Share your computer make, model and nickname by bookmarking it and tagging your finds with "my computer." When you bookmark, let me know why you love your computer, major issues you've had with it and of course, what you call it. Then check back to geeksugar next week to see if I featured your computer!

To learn what Geek Gear is and how to bookmark your finds on our site, click here. To see some of my favorite online stores,

Do You Talk To Your Computer Or Call It Names?

geeksugar — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 10:00:26 -0700

If you have a pet name for your computer like "snuckems" or "magic machine" you may not be alone. According to a recent study conducted by Sega and iShare, more than two out of five Japanese women regularly have conversations with their computers. Even more staggering? Apparently, 10.2 percent of women gave their computer a nickname, such as "Mac-kun," "Pasoko," "Pudding" or my personal favorite, "Princess." Young women are also likely to talk to themselves during times of high stress, or when they do something wrong, says the Mainichi Daily News. Other tech-related habits include decorating their computers or work areas with stuffed toys, and in a few cases giving their computers names.Source and Source

Do You Talk To Your Computer Or Call It Names?

Yes - I talk to my computer AND call it pet names.

Yes - I talk to my computer.

Yes - I call it pet names.

No way.

Not yet, but now that you mention it...She is sweet like honey.

Moneual's New 101 Desktop Series

geeksugar — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 04:30:00 -0700

Performance, simplicity and innovation are key ingredients in all of Moneual's products, so when I saw these new 101 desktop series, I wasn't surprised that they are Moneual creations.

Showcased on Chip Chick, these sleek new PC's combine Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium with dual-core processors and are completely scratch-proof. What makes them so unique is their built-in vertical ejection optical drives, which play tricks on everyone's eyes. Pricing still unknown although they do come in a variety of colors like pink, green, blue, orange, white, black and gray cases.

To check out more images of the 101 Desktop Series

Trend: Forget The Ride. Pimp Your PC

geeksugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 09:00:15 -0700

As much as I love flat screens, video games and built-in backseat aquariums, I have never, nor will I ever understand the "Pimp My Ride" phenomenon. Aside from the usual GPS, cell phone, DVD and potential wifi, I can't imagine needing or feeling comfortable in a bright purple Mustang complete with stunners and complete theater system. The same goes for pimped out computers, which if one company has its way, will soon be all the rage.

Smooth Creations is advertising a service so you can get every peripheral you wanted with your system painted to match. They will paint the interior of the system, your LCD, speakers, mouse, keyboard, even an iPod whatever awful color you want. Getting the works costs about $8,000, so you better choose that color wisely my friend. Note: The person that chose this butterscotch hue is probably regretting it. Just a hunch.

To check out additional images of the customized gadget set,

Edible Geek: Computer Helps Calculate 'Math of Crisp Bacon'

geeksugar — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 13:07:19 -0700

A pack of University researchers from in the UK have devised a very geeky way to test out bacon, or in their words, make the "perfect bacon butty." Researches found that two or three back bacon rashers should be cooked under a preheated oven grill for seven minutes at about 475F. They tried multiple types and cuts of bacon, cooking techniques, types of oil and a range of cooking times at different temperatures. A shortlist was then tested with computers to measure the texture of each sandwich, reports the BBC.

The 'perfect formula' is:

N = C + {fb(cm) . fb(tc)} + fb(Ts) + fc . ta
N = force in Newtons required to break the cooked bacon.
fb = function of the bacon type.
fc = function of the condiment/filling effect.
Ts = serving temperature.
tc = cooking time.
ta = time or duration of application of condiment/filling.
cm = cooking method.
C = Newtons required to break uncooked bacon.

The experiment took more than 1,000 hours testing 700 variations on the traditional bacon sandwich. I am neither a chef or a bacon eater, but I am more than willing to chaperone or judge Yumsugar's next sandwich making session. Formulas and all.

Google Desktop Is Now Available On The Mac

geeksugar — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 03:08:08 -0700

Google Desktop is a desktop search application that gives you easy access to information on your Mac and from the web. Desktop makes searching your own email, files, music, photos, and more as easy as searching the web with Google. If you're not a Quicksilver user, you should check it out.

It features a Quick Search Box that is your fastest way to do web and desktop searches and launch applications. You can call it up by pressing the ⌘ key twice, and hide it by pressing ⌘ twice again. Type a few letters or words into the search box and your top results pop up instantly, including applications. For example, you can launch iTunes simply by typing "itu" into the Quick Search Box and pressing Return when iTunes appears as the first result.

Check out the Google blog for more information.

Colorful FE Series of Sony Vaio Computer

geeksugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:05:49 -0700

Sony has unveiled its newest model in the Vaio series, and this time the notebook that's loved by James Bond himself touts the option of a colorful upgrade.

The idea is you can personalize your computer by engraving your name, a message or a zany print. While this may sound unnecessary to some, I can attest that while my boyfriend and I having matching computers can be considered cute, it is not cute when we accidentally switch and take the wrong machine to the office for the day.

The actual computer sports an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, 2GB RAM and 160GB hard drive, wireless, a built-in camera and a DVD+R drive. Starting price is $1,070.

Graphic Splash models available 4/6.

Super Computer Station: THE PCE

geeksugar — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:00:31 -0700

The "Anti-Cubicle" or Personal Computing Environment Station (PCE) is a one-human-computing-station
-a-go-go. And frankly, I'm really afraid of it. Its makers claim it was inspired by workers and gamers and developed by ergonomic engineers to "enhance your gaming experience and improve your productivity." Personally, the idea of getting wedged in a metal chair with screens, keyboards and electronic devices galore evokes memories of being monitored at the dentist office and visions of an interrogation in an alien spacecraft.

It features an LCD screen, ergonomic seating, mobile power access and easy hookup to your gaming console. No word on the price.

Trend: Computer Controlled By User's Eyes?

geeksugar — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 12:06:46 -0700

Japanese professors have developed a system whereby PC users can input text simply by looking at an on-screen keyboard, according to a recent report from Trends in Japan.

When a user gazes at a character for one second, the system, which uses a miniature camera, detects her line of sight and inputs the appropriate character.

Called "Mitsumeru Dake" in Japanese, which means "Just Look," the inventors hope the system will be helpful to people with disabilities and for a range of medical and social-welfare applications. Clearly, the system will allow bedridden or disabled people to communicate their needs via "typing with their eyes."

It's great news for the disabled, but it kinda makes you wonder if neck and eye strain could be the new Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

$100 Laptop Project - Coming Soon

geeksugar — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:00:06 -0700

The first shipment of computers built for the One Laptop Per Child project could reach users by this July, according to the BBC.

The project was created in an effort to provide low-cost computers to people in developing countries and the project's leaders hope that they will be able to offer computers for $100. The first countries to sign up for buying the machine include Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan and Thailand.

Million Dollar Computer - The Gadget No One Needs

geeksugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:06:29 -0800

Moneual Lab announced three jewelry PC systems built for the folks we're used to seeing on Cribs and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. The top of the line model, dubbed the Moneual Renaissance will likely cost one million dollars, according to the company’s press release. Jewelry designer, Lee Buckingham created the line, which is covered with some of the most expensive blue Sapphires, Topazes, Rubies, Diamonds, and other gemstones he could find.

The Renaissance system is decorated with fine rubies on the front panel of the system. The only one single unit available in the world as of right now was showed off at the recent CES show in Las Vegas. The million dollars system features AMD Athlon64 FX processor, 8GB SAMSUNG system memories, 2 terra byte HDD (RAID), blue-ray drive, silent cooling fan from Zalman, a digital home motherboard from ASUS, HDMI capable graphics card from AMD-ATI, two PCI HDTV cards from SIGMACOM, and Windows Vista Ultimate Edition from Microsoft. As a geek, I find this design plain offensive, to find out why