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Daily Tech: Oprah to Declare the Kindle Her New Favorite Gadget

GeekSugar — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 12:00:23 PDT

Today's the day that Oprah will announce her new favorite gadget. The Boy Genius has checked out the source code of the XML file on her website (which says Kindle all over the place), and that paired with the fact that this episode is being pimped on Amazon's homepage means only one thing: her new favorite gadget is the Kindle. Update: Use the OPRAHWINFREY code to get $50 off a Kindle on Amazon! - The Boy Genius Report
Starting next week, Sprint will be unveiling the HTC Touch Pro, which will become available at Sprint stores and on their website by Nov. 2. - CrunchGear
This was brilliant! Last night during SNL's Weekend Update, Fred Armisen did a hilarious skit with a copy-cat version of CNN's "Magic Map." Just goes to show the endless possibilities with such a high-tech map! - Engadget
I yi yi! Motorola has just introduced the Aura, a luxurious cell phone that costs a whopping $2,000. - Wired
It's giveaway time on geeksugar! Log in and participate in our geeky Halloween costume contest for your chances to win a Canon Rebel XSi SLR Digital Camera! - geeksugar

Clip 'N' Go: The Key To Fresh Breath

YumSugar — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 03:18:11 PDT

The other day we received a few packs of Aura Clip 'n' Go mints and Clip 'n' Go Gum. The products, which are by New Era Brands, are actually quite clever. They're your typical standard mints and gum, but they're packaged in plastic containers that can snap on to your keychain, backpack, purse etc. Sort of clever considering I spend way too much time digging through my purse looking for gum.

So how do the sugar free products taste? To find out

Turns out they're not that bad, just decent, if not somewhat generic. I tasted the peppermint gum, and thought it was quite strong, it definitely kicked my breath way back into the refreshing range. I found out later that it also has teeth whitener in it as an added bonus. While the gum was strong, but pleasant, the mints were a bit so-so. They tasted like your generic mint, and FitSugar thought she might replace the mints with her own. I thought that idea was smart, but I would never get around to doing it. We tasted both the peppermint and the cinnamint flavors, and thought the peppermint was okay, but the cinnamint left a weird aftertaste.

If you're interested, you'll probably be able to find these products in convenience stores, or you can buy a box of 12 mint packs for $19.80. They're available in spearmint, peppermint, cinnamint and sour fruit.

Make Your Own Eucalyptus Steam Room (and Cure a Cough)

FitSugar — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:00:07 PDT

Whenever I have a bad cough - take the last EIGHT days for instance - I'll take a hot shower for some temporary relief. The warmth of the heat coupled with the steam helps moisturize my dry and irritated throat and helps loosen the phlegm in my chest. Because the cold I have this week is especially brutal, my friends have been offering me all sorts of remedies, like these Aura Cacia eucalyptus shower tabs ($6). You put one of these tabs on the shower floor with you and as the hot water dissolves it, your bathroom becomes turns into a eucalyptus steam room. Besides eucalyptus, there are also peppermint and lavender tabs available.

This whole process is pretty similar to making a steam bowl with essential oils, except that you get a lot more of it at once. And because eucalyptus is a natural decongestant, taking a shower with one of these tabs really helps clear up my sinuses and loosen up my cough. My only gripe is that they are ultimately pretty pricey, and don't last an incredibly long during a shower. I think I might experiment with this concept by putting a few drops of eucalyptus oil on the shower floor, or hanging a bundle of fresh eucalyptus in the shower.

Five Eco-Friendly Products For a Natural-Looking Face

BellaSugar — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:58:40 PST

If you've been disappointed by eco-friendly beauty products in the past, it might be time to give them another chance. Formulas have improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years, and there's something to appeal to everyone. Celebrity makeup artist Lina Hanson, who counts Naomi Watts and Natalie Portman among her clients, goes green whenever she's doing makeup. Here, she shares her essentials for a pretty, natural face.

Five Eco-Friendly Products For a Natural-Looking Face

BellaSugar — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:04:56 PST

Drive Director Nicolas Winding Refn Says Ryan Gosling "Is the Only Guy Who Can Wear a Satin Jacket"

Shannon Vestal — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 11:56:14 PST

Nicolas Winding Refn directed this Fall's critical hit Drive, starring Ryan Gosling as a stunt driver who gets involved in a messy situation trying to protect his neighbor and crush, played by Carey Mulligan. The film has had audiences buzzing over Gosling's performance, the movie's soundtrack, and the brutal but creative violence. I had a chance to talk to Refn this week about the film, and the director talked up his "hero" Gosling and their fruitful creative relationship (Refn and Gosling have two other films in development: Only God Forgives, currently in production, and the remake of Logan's Run). Check out the interview for Refn's thoughts about Gosling, and other elements of Drive, like the music, the casting of Mulligan, and the driver's unique wardrobe.

BuzzSugar: How did you feel about Ryan's performance in Drive?
Nicolas Winding Refn: I think that he's one of those rare actors that has this gift that very few movie stars have ever had, which is that he can say a thousand words without saying a line. He has this talent that's so unique that only maybe Alain Delon and James Stewart had. You can shoot him from all angles; you can almost place him behind a door and you still sense his presence, and his vulnerability and his strength, and so forth. He's the kind of guy who makes acting look really easy.

Buzz: How did you choose the distinctive jacket for Driver to wear?
NWR: I always wanted him to wear a satin jacket, that would illuminate him at night like a knight. It would illuminate his aura. And Ryan Gosling is the only guy who can wear a satin jacket. And then we came up with this scorpion on his back, because it would give him a symbol.

Read more of my interview with Refn to find out how he chose the soundtrack and Carey Mulligan after the jump.

Modern Family's Ariel Winter Offers Up Green Earth Day Tips For Kids

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 05:15:04 PDT

Ahoy mate! Fans of Disney Junior's new Jake and the Neverland Pirates know that Captain Hook and Smitty are often up to no good, and this week is no different. On Earth Day (April 22), the animated series is offering up a show designed to teach tots about our endangered coral reefs, featuring a frequent guest voice on the show, Ariel Winter (better known as Alex Dunphy on our favorite parenting show – Modern Family).

I spoke with the teen star about her involvement in the episode and she offered up some tips for introducing kids to environmental awareness. See what she had to say!

LilSugar: Tell me a little bit about Marina and what is happening to her character on the Earth Day episode of Jake and the Neverland Pirates.
Ariel Winter: I voice Marina the Mermaid. She’s the cheerful and bright fishtailed mermaid in Mermaid Lagoon. Our Earth Day episode is titled "Save the Coral Cove" and it’s where Jake and the crew save Marina the Mermaid and Sandy the Starfish’s underwater habitat when it’s threatened by Captain Hook – he’s searching for sunken treasure in the Coral Cove.

LS: Was it your idea to involve your character in an Earth Day story, or Disney’s?
AW: It was all mutual. We all said we need an Earth Day episode so kids can learn they need to be green and help the environment. I think it’s really cool that I get to be part of the Jake and the Neverland Pirates Earth Day episode.

LS: What’s it like voicing a mermaid? I take it you didn’t do much research in the water!
AW: It’s funny. I’m Ariel and everyone always thinks I’m named after the mermaid. It’s pretty cool to voice a mermaid because when you see her on the screen she’s so adorable and she’s got like the big blue eyes and the big fishy-tail. It’s just so cool because she’s just got an amazing aura and she just wants to help and she’s always there for Jake and the crew. I didn’t do a lot of underwater training through!

Keep reading to see Ariel's Earth Day tips for kids, and how the Modern Family set keeps green.

Robert Pattinson Tells EW About His "Obscenely Boring Life," Risqué Breaking Dawn, and Working With Reese Witherspoon

Allie Merriam — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 07:34:20 PDT

Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon showed off their great chemistry on the cover of the new Entertainment Weekly, and inside the magazine they chat all about their upcoming movie Water For Elephants. He kicked off promotion for the film with an appearance on The Tonight Show last week, though Reese will probably take a break from the work to focus on her rumored wedding this Saturday. Both stars managed to find time to speak with the publication, though, with Rob discussing what he'll do once the racy final installment of Twilight is released, a role he'd love to play, and the joys of working with Reese - and the feeling was apparently mutual. They said:

On what he'll do after Twilight ends in 2012: "It's funny how it's ending in 2012. This is how the world will end. But, um, I don't know. I think most of people's recognition is based on the magazines and stuff. All the gossip stories won't work - they're always combined with Twilight, so once that's done and it can't be combined with the promotion of the film, I think it will end. Because I have an obscenely boring life."
On raciness in Breaking Dawn: "There's some interesting and weird stuff going on - really very, very, very strange. It's great. For a big mainstream movie, it’s the most obscure story line and really outside the box. It's a horror movie. I've seen a few bits, and I just can't see how it's going to be PG-13 . . . unless they cut everything out."
On a role Rob would love: "I'd love to play a big fat person."
On working with Reese: "There's something about her. She's just this genuinely nice person. I don't know if she puts an effort into creating a nice aura, but her mood dissipates over the whole set. It was a completely different environment from when she wasn't there. All the kids and the animals were just drawn to her. It made it incredibly easy to do my part - all my reaction shots are just watching her work brilliantly. She's really cool and she's just . . . never, ever annoying. God, that's the worst description, isn't it?"
Reese on Rob's work ethic: "He's an incredibly hardworking person with an incredible work ethic. He doesn't ever complain. Not once. Which is sort of lower than the national average for actors. They're always complaining. Especially the men!"

The Future of Safe Bicycling Technology

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 12:28:13 PDT

Bicycling on busy city streets can be an intimidating prospect. Dealing with fast-moving cars is stressful enough without counting the physical energy needed to stop and start at stoplights. In efforts to make sharing the road safer for cars and cyclists, Pleasanton, CA, a city of about 70,000, recently installed microwave motion sensor technology at several intersections throughout town.

The device, called an Intersector, monitors traffic in the intersection and can differentiate between vehicles and bicyclists in the street. The Intersector will extend or activate the green light if a cyclist is detected whereas, in many towns, the cyclist may have to activate the crosswalk signal manually.

While Pleasanton is the only city in the country currently using the motion sensor technology, the cycling community is inventing new ideas and technologies to stay safe on the roads. For more cycling safeguard prototypes, follow the break.

Beauty and the Beach: Keep Your Faux Tan (and Hair and Lashes) Looking Hot

Allure — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 12:13:55 PDT

We're happy to present this story from Allure:

Hanging out at the beach or by the pool feels relaxing, but it can be harsh on your beauty treatments. From spray tans to lash extensions, here's how to keep your faux features gorgeous all summer long. See all the amazing beauty tips when you keep reading.