Tag: HOLIDAYS

We've all got that person on our list -- the one who's impossible to buy for. They've got everything they need and most of the stuff they want, which makes them a challenge for any gift giver. You could go the gift card route, but it's much more fun to get creative. We dug up 10 of the more unusual gifts around this year for people in all price ranges. ...

Hand-sewn costumes, homemade popcorn balls, and bobbing for apples are all so last millennium. It's time to get with the high-tech late Aughts, our fair readers, especially since Halloween is upon us. If you still haven't settled on a costume, or done anything ghoul-related, then take a look at our high-tech DIY guide to all things crafty and creepy, and get your spook on this Halloween. ...

Thanks to Google Earth, and a fortunate, cardioid shape, the tiny Croatian island of Galesnjak has become a lover's escape for couples worldwide, reports the Telegraph. The owner of the island, Vlado Juresko, told the Telegraph that, though he has always been vaguely aware of the island's shape, its uncanny resemblance to a cartoonish heart didn't dawn on him until he was bombarded with booking ...

For those of you lucky enough to take a few weeks off at the end of the year, today may very well be your first day back to the office. If so, chances are it isn't just a case of the Mondays that's got you down this morning -- you may have found that your inbox didn't take any time off, and is now bursting to capacity with unwanted spam. It's being dubbed a "spamalanch" by communications ...

Considering the way that the Wii flew off shelves last month, this next item probably won't come as a shock to anyone. According to the Wall Street Journal, both Nintendo's console and the Xbox 360 trounced the PlayStation 3 in holiday sales, with U.S. sales falling nine percent from this month last year. During this same period, sales doubled for the Wii and rose eight percent for the Xbox 360. ...

Even geeks need to get in the holiday spirit. Just because we spend our lives playing video games, watching sci-fi movies, and Tweeting about 'Heroes' doesn't mean we don't like a little seasonal merriment. But we do have to do it our own way, like putting solar-powered LEDs on trees, sending out hand made light up cards, and instead of gingerbread houses we like to make gingerbread TIE ...

Believe it or not there are people out there willing to pay $8 for a box. Seriously, an empty cardboard box. It probably makes more sense when we explain that the boxes are gag gift boxes from our favorite source of satire, The Onion. Though they went on sale in 2006, the GotchaBoxes have soared in popularity. The empty boxes are carefully designed to look like packaging for crappy gadgets that ...

Just in time for Christmas, Lightning GPS is lending GPS units to churches and charities for those institutions to conceal in nativity scene figures, BoingBoing reports. The company's Web site, cheekily stating that "Lightning GPS Strikes Down Sinners," explains that this program had its origins in a few victimized churches asking the company for donated GPS units in recent years. Moved by the ...

Trying to figure out something unique to give someone for the holidays, but not quite ready to go the arts and crafts route? You could give the gift of subscription services. For the talkative, a Skype subscription might prove useful. $60 a year will get you a phone number for accepting calls. If you spring for unlimited calling in the U.S. and Canada ($2.95 a month) the price of a SkypeIn ...

Salvation Army officials in the Atlanta, Georgia area have introduced a donation-via-text drive, Textually.org reports. By texting "TSA" to the number 90999, a donor gives $5 to the long-running charity, and the money will be charged to the donor's phone bill. Due to the economy, we can only assume that this holiday season, folks will be spending less time at the malls (where Salvation Army ...

Barbecue season is upon us! It's Independence Day weekend and nothing says patriotism like gathering together around a smoking pile of drumsticks and hamburgers. Robert Fernandez, editor of BBQ blog 'Get Your Grill On,' dishes about technology and barbecue, with tips on how to get the best flavor faster. Fernandez cautions that many BBQ purists prefer simple contraptions like the traditional ...

It's barbecue time. Time for fireworks, friends, beer, hot dogs, and your teenage cousins to make fun of you. Instead of trying to convince them that Winona Ryder really was the cool chick in the '80s, why not ask him or her about sites? You'll sound like the coolest, in-the-know tech-savvy uncle (aunt, grandma, etc.) at the party. Facebook and MySpace Let's get these out of the way. They ...

Mother's Day is here, as it is every year, and we've got some top picks of the latest gadgets that most Moms would like. Some of our choices save time, others just look cool while offering some basic functions that we expect of our gadgets (such as taking pictures or blasting music). We've picked some devices based on their ease of use, for those Moms who are tech-averse, as well as some ...