Geek in Heels - Page 194

Dec 2, 2008 • In Marketing/Advertising, Twitter, Web

Win Free Domain Registrations from NameCheap

Are you a Twitter user? (Follow me here)

Do you like trivia?

If so, follow @NameCheap and you can win a free domain registration!

NameCheap, a web hosting and domain registration service, is holding a holiday Twitter Trivia Contest from December 1 – 25. Every hour, on the hour, they twit a holiday-themed trivia question and if you’re one of the first three to twit back with the correct answer, you win a free domain!

As Mashable notes, not only is this a fun way to utilize Twitter, it is also a “genius” marketing plan:

It gets tons of people to follow NameCheap on Twitter
It will generate brand exposure as people answer questions with Tweets containing @namecheap
It will acquire customers, as you’ll need to sign up for a NameCheap account so you can sync your Twitter account and be credited for $9.69 (the price of registrations) each time you are one of the first three people to answer a question correctly.

Mashable estimates that the contest equates to about $17,000 in free domains…compare that to a half-page ad in Business Week, which runs four times that price.

Go follow @NameCheap now – you know I already have.

Chinese Book Packaging

As a follow-up to beautiful Chinese wine packaging, I now present an example of exquisite Chinese book packaging.

Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover?

Via Packagings of the World.

‘Tis the Season

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

After a crazy two weeks of starting a new job, being sick, and life in general, I packed my bags Wednesday night to stay with my parents for the duration of the holiday weekend.

To be completely honest, I haven’t been feeling my best emotionally. I have been pessimistic and withdrawn, overanalyzing and dramatizing every minute detail of my life. I will get into this in more detail in a private post (to be written later today), but the point of this mini-spiel is announce that I realized something.

Because once again, God has had to knock me over on my lazy arse for me to open my eyes and see what’s really important.

So although it sounds cliche, this year I am thankful for:

A wonderful husband who is one of the few people who truly understands me. Even if he doesn’t agree with everything I do, he supports me 100% and always views me in high regard, encouraging me and helping me believe that I can do anything. He makes me laugh like no other and always takes the time to give me body-enveloping hugs that can never be replicated.
My silly and crazy family. I was born into a family of over-achievers, and they have always inspired me to reach for the best and never settle. I am especially thankful for the relative good health of my father, who has been having some medical issues, and I pray that he will continue on this path.
My friends who never cease to make me laugh, reminisce about old times, and look forward to the future together.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?

And since Thanksgiving has now passed and we’re officially into Christmas season, I shall leave you with a link to a holiday-inspired internet pop-up book (yes, you read that correctly) called It’s a Wonderful Internet.

Cleverly written and wonderfully designed, this interactive story revels in the wonders of the web in a fantastic, Dr. Seuss-like manner.

Enjoy!

BoA in Times Square

I’ve had the good fortune of meeting BoA, the Korean/Japanese pop sensation.

My uncle is a very powerful man in the Korean entertainment business. When I visited Korea in 2000, he was the Vice-President of Broadcasting at MBC, which is one of the main broadcasting companies in Korea.

(As a side note, I’m proud to say that one of the very last showed produced under his tenure as the VP of Broadcasting was the hit drama 대장금, or Dae Jang Geum, which still remains one of the most popular dramas in Korean history.)

While he holds an even higher position now, his former title was an impressive one nonetheless. He took me on a tour of the studios and I gaped and gawked, starstruck. My visit to MBC was one where no one dared to refuse and no doors were closed (even shows that were currently live on air). Everyone seemed to cower in his presence – even movie stars and popular singers.

It was in this environment that I met BoA. She had just started to become popular at the tender age of 13. Her first hit Korean single, “Sara,” was about her Persian cat…and I got to hold the said cat backstage while she performed on stage. We exchanged small talk, and I remember thinking, “Wow, she’s so young.”

Since then, BoA developed into quite a star. Dubbed “the Korean Britney Spears” (pre-KFed), BoA became one of eastern Asia’s most popular celebrities.

I read recently that BoA is looking to expand into the U.S. market. I was skeptical – Asian pop culture is vastly dissimilar to that of the U.S. I’m pretty certain that she will not be able to “make it” here.

However, I can’t discredit her for lack of trying. In a couple of weeks, BoA will perform live at the MTV Studios in Time Square. You can even win tickets:

The U.S. is a tough market – I wish you the best of luck, BoA!

Via PopSeoul.

Natural Harvest

Um…

Hmm.

I’m not sure what to say.

Curious? Yes. Grossed out? More so.

Introducing Natural Harvest: A Collection of Semen-Based Recipes.

Because semen “is not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties.”

Via Geekologie.

Go Vote for Amazon’s $199-$229 PS3 Bundles!

I’m a total movie nut and own hundreds and hundreds of DVDs. However, J has forbidden me from buying any more.

The problem lies in that we have a fairly large LCD television, 52″ to be exact.

So while my DVDs looked amazing on my old 27″ CRT television, the non-HD is very evident on our new TV, with massive pixelation and loss of detail.

We decided long ago that we will buy the best Blu-Ray player out there: the PS3. However, with both money and time being tight, we held off on this luxury purchase (which will eventually require more of our time and money).

Until now.

Like last year, Amazon will let it customers vote for the ultimate clearance items…and have the winning items be available at limited quantities to those who voted.

And this year, Round 1 of the voting consists of three PS3 bundles, each worth more than $550, down to $199 and $229.

As you can see, I voted for the “Action Bundle,” consisting of an 80GB PS3, the James Bond Blu-Ray Collection Six Pack, Far Cry 2, and the PS3 remote.

Only 500 people will be able to purchase this bundle at this price! Although I never win anything related to luck, I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

Go cast your own vote here.

D’Antoni’s First Big (Fail) Move

Warriors, Knicks agree on Crawford-Harrington deal; Randolph also traded

Why? Whyyyy?!?

They’re putting too much stock in the future – they need to concentrate on the NOW.

I’m so upset I had to console myself some rudimentary Photoshopping.

The End of Daylight Savings Time?

President-elect Obama is looking to axe the controversial daylight savings time (DST).

I’ve always had a great sense of time so I have never had a problem with DST. However, I do get a bit sad every spring as we lose an hour.

How about you? Do you think we should join the ranks of Arizona and the majority of the world by eliminating the practice?

Via Boing Boing.

Kickass Crochet Patterns

I love DYI projects and am a big proponent of small, one-man/mom-and-pop shops. However, I never caught the Etsy craze because there is just so much stuff on there!

Alas, I have no need to worry. Fellow bloggers often come to the rescue by sorting out the best and the most interesting, saving my lazy ass from doing the task myself.

Today, Geekologie combined two of my biggest passions, Star Wars and crafts, into a post called Yes!: Star Wars Arts And Crafts For Sale. Through it, I stumbled upon Etsy seller lafeecrochette, who sells crochet patters to some (if I do say so myself) kickass projects. My favorites are:

Darth Vader

The Boys of South Park

Cookie Monster

Yoda

I haven’t picked up a crochet needle since high school (was it really more than a decade ago? Noooo) but my fingers are starting to itch!

The Fail Caterpillar

Twitter has been a lot better with its uptime lately. However, it underwent an hour of downtime earlier today and bloggers everywhere rushed to report a big change.

Bye bye, Fail Whale…