features stories

15 awesome DIY gifts for the geeks you really love

dviceadmin
Monday, December 3, 2012 - 2:22pm
 
All too often these days holiday gift-giving becomes homogenized. Everyone gets the same brand new tablet, the same new video game and the same bestselling book. If those gifts are the end-all, be-all for the people on your list, then by all means make those folks happy by giving them what they want. But every now and again, a friend or relative just doesn't care for what's new and shiny. This sort of individual requires a different sort tactic than hitting the sales and hoping for the best. Usually part of the gift for these folks is their seeing just how much effort you put into their gift. The DIY items on this list will take you a decent amount of time to craft, it's true, but not even the finickiest of friends would dare say that you didn't put your heart into them. They look pretty sweet, too.

For a limited time: 10 amazing sci-fi PC games on sale

Kevin Hall
Wednesday, November 21, 2012 - 6:17pm
 
Steam has fired up another of its infamous sales, the simply named "Steam Autumn Sale," which lasts from today through November 27. For PC players, it's a fairly familiar shot to the wallet, though not an unwelcome one — Steam discounts games deeply and changes what's on offer every day. Bear in mind, that means the prices you see here could change, too. That's why we're putting two games on watch — we think they're great, but they're also new and may not go on sale.

5 tech tools that make voting easier than ever

Nathaniel Wattenmaker
Tuesday, November 6, 2012 - 6:21pm
 
Editor's Note: With the election over, this article is now out of date. However, many of the tools here go beyond yesterday's vote, and are well worth checking out. Our original post follows. Media old and new is out in force to cover today's U.S. presidential election. That means there's a lot of noise, too, so we've rounded up the most engaging tools of what we've found for your perusal this election. If you haven't cast your vote, there's still time, and these tools will help you. Even political agnostics will have something to celebrate tonight: all of those obnoxious ads will finally be over. I think we can all agree on how good that news is.

14 of the geekiest bars in the world

Colin Druce-McFadden
Monday, November 5, 2012 - 12:34pm
 
Back in August a bar opened in Paris. This bar is named Dernier Bar Avant La Fin Du Monde which roughly translates to "The Last Bar Before the End of the World." Okay, so it's some kind of doomsday bar, right? Actually, it's a geek-centric bar that caters to fans of all sorts of awesome stuff. From table-top games to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, many a geeky interest is represented. Once the interwebs got wind of Dernier Bar, people started getting fired up about it. Some who had been there (and others who hadn't) started dubbing it "The Geekiest Bar in the World". Now, I'm not saying that Dernier Bar isn't awesome. Far from it. But in the world? I think that claim is due a bit of scrutiny. That said, scrutiny best left to the experts. So, rather than pass my own judgement, I'm handing the reins over to you: the people. Here's a list of 14 geeky bars, Dernier Bar included. Which do you think is the geekiest? Is there a bar not on the list that's geekier than anything I've mentioned? You decide.

Music to go: 6 portable Bluetooth speakers reviewed

Alice Truong
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 - 2:14pm
 
Back in the old days, if you wanted to take your music to go, you shouldered a giant boombox and went. But kids today are spoiled and have a bevy of pint-sized options at their disposal. Whether they're picnicking in the park, laying out at the beach or hanging out with friends, they can easily pull out a compact Bluetooth speaker from their bag to belt out their favorite tunes. Since Jawbone introduced the Jambox in 2010, we've seen an explosion in the portable speaker market, with more options for mobile music than ever before. To help you wade through the choices, we're going hand-on with six Bluetooth speakers.

12 geeky Halloween costumes for the whole family

Megan Wollerton
Friday, October 26, 2012 - 10:14am
 
Let your geeky self shine this Halloween, but don't forget to include those around you in all the fun. If everyone in your group is fully embracing the holiday spirit, you might get more candy — and if none of you all can pass as age appropriate for trick-or-treating, you can at least have one heck of a party. So, with candy on the brain, we searched tirelessly to bring you and your friends or significant other or kids, dogs or turtles — yes, turtles! — the most fantastically geeked-out Halloween costumes to pop up recently. Up top is an instant favorite: Frankie the Unidentified Turtle Object (we've got a video of that after the jump). Down below in our gallery, you'll find 11 more ghouls and geeks. Bring on the festivities!

10 techie Halloween costume ideas for DIY geeks

Robin Burks
Thursday, October 18, 2012 - 11:58am
 
This Halloween, you could dress as a boring ghost or something equally as simple. Or even worse, you could buy one of those cheap costumes with the strings that tie in the back to hold it all together. You're a geek! Wouldn't it be better to create something a little more high tech and a lot more fun? How about a jellyfish that glows? Or an authentic-looking outfit from Tron? Here are some high-tech Halloween ideas you could still pull off with a little elbow grease.

16 ways cartoonist Winsor McCay quietly changed the world

Colin Druce-McFadden
Thursday, October 18, 2012 - 6:55am
 
A few days ago Google made a big online splash with one of its most elaborate doodles to date. For those who didn't see it, the doodle honored a man named Winsor McCay. Entitled Little Nemo in Google-land, the doodle was drawn in the style of McCay's most famous comic Little Nemo in Slumberland. It was also released on the 107th anniversary of Little Nemo's debut.

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