It seems to me that cell phone etiquette is a thing of the past for this generation. From libraries to public transportation, everyone is always on his or her phone and they’re always being very rude about it. As a misanthrope I find everything about society to be extremely irritating but overheard phone conversations really grinds my gears. Who’s with me? All of you? Ok!

Lets evaluate the top ten most annoying conversations to overhear and make fun of those guilty of them.

Read More »

This is a guest post by Richard Rushfield, the author of American Idol: The Untold Story. For three years Richard has covered American Idol for the Los Angeles Times, writing hundreds of columns and conducting thousands of interviews with cast and crew. He is currently an entertainment columnist for The Daily Beast, a Vanity Fair contributing editor, and author of its long-running “Intelligence Report” column. For more information please visit http://www.richardrushfield.com/ and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Idol was perhaps the first show on television to have as much of a life off the screen as on.   These days we are used to The Hills girls, Bachelor contestants, Real Housewives and Jersey Shore housemates seeing their dramas spill over from the shows that made them famous to the covers of the tabloids and the greater celeb-obsessed blogosphere.

But when Idol debuted on the US airwaves in 2002, such a phenomenon was relatively unknown.  The internet was still in its infancy and network programming was a remote, pristine world, largely untouched by the hurly burly press.

What brought Idol out of its shell was the steady stream of scandals it provided as fodder for the ravenous new media.  Each year it seemed, some gotcha shattered Idol’s peace; some disqualification brought it face to face with the public beast.

Ten years later, the stream of scandals doesn’t seem to have hurt entertainment’s greatest juggernaut.  If anything, the blow-ups have kept us all talking about the show, even when the singing got a little dull.

Here then, in order of appearance, are the ten greatest scandals of Idol’s first decade: Read More »

I have a confession. A confession that disturbs me deeply and needs to be addressed.

I am a complete technology addict.

Receiving a text message gives me a blissful, momentary high.  A day without access to the internet is a sad day.  If a couple of days go by and I haven’t signed onto Facebook (like that ever happens), I get antsy and feel out of the loop. This loathsome habit isn’t exactly an insightful revelation that came from deep soul searching or a problem unique to myself. Because, let’s be honest – you, dear reader, are probably just as addicted as I am.

I mean sure, anyone who’s seen a few episodes of Intervention knows there are far worse things to be addicted to and I’m not harming other people by logging onto Facebook five times every day.  I’m not even sure I am hurting myself.

What I do know is that our addiction can interfere with the quality of interpersonal interactions, focus in class, and other activities deserving of one’s undivided attention.

This is a day in my life:
I go to class and at least half of the people in attendance are not paying attention to the lecture.  They are either a) texting, b) shopping online, or c) on Facebook.
I go on a date and my date begins randomly texting somebody while pretending to listen to me at the same time. Annoying!
Even this past Thanksgiving my fourteen-year-old cousin was playing videogames on her iPhone at the dinner table.

It’s like everyone is perpetually bored and needs to use technology to alleviate themselves from their sorry state of boredom. Read More »

Recently, I was given the opportunity to fly out to NYC, shack up at a nice little hotel in the Fashion District, and attend a Windows press event in an art gallery in Chelsea.  Yes, my life is pretty baller.  To add to the excitement, I was able to get an inside scoop on the new Windows Phone 7, which is in stores now and looking like a pretty nice addition to your technology arsenal.

I’m a loyal iPhone user, but I must admit – the Windows Phone 7 was pulling out some pretty cool tricks, including your own personal avatar (woot woot).  And today, I’m standing in as your personal messenger.  I hereby introduce to you: Windows Phone 7.  Hey iPhone? You may have to scooch over a little bit…

Here are the features of the new Windows Phone 7 that may tickle your technological fancy:

Informative lock screen: In a lot of ways, the lock screen resembles iPhone’s. However, it lets you give your friends individual tiles on the start screen (essentially, you add your friends as apps) and it aggregates everything they do! Yes, from texts to Facebook and Twitter updates, you can follow it all in one handy little place. Creepy? Maybe, but totally satisfying.

Facebook Integration/Social Media Hub: Microsoft really took our Facebook/Twitter addictions to heart with a Social Media Hub, which allows you to pull up a friend’s contact information and contact them in your avenue of choice: posting on their FB wall, Tweeting @ them, texting them or, if you still even do this, calling them. Read More »

The following is a guest post by our (nerdy yet totally helpful) friends at Hack College. Check ‘em out for all your techy needs. They’re like the nerdy boyfriend you never had but always needed.

Not everyone has a smartphone.

It’s true! Though they are excellent devices, and can even be productivity-boosters for the savvy student, they are expensive–and parents are unlikely to see the need for a smartphone to be as urgent as you see it.

Those of us who have yet to join the ranks of Androids and the iGeneration are not totally without hope, though. Even the dumbest of phones, so long as it can text, can be used as more than a pricey doorstop:

Google Calendar - Though most readers are probably aware that you can both create and be informed of GCal events via text message, dumbphone users have an added advantage: since there’s not a constant barrage of incoming messages from installed apps, the 15-minute warning the Google Gods text you about an upcoming meeting is much more likely to be seen.

GOOG-411 – Google’s directory service will give you location-specific business listings, connect you to them, and give you their address. Very helpful if you’re stuck somewhere and need to find the closest taxi service in a hurry–just be patient with the sometimes-confused voice recognition software. Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Grooveshark, Ebates and Keep Me Out) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

My desk is cluttered with post-it notes of things I don’t want to forget about, magazine clippings, receipts, class notes, and more.  The mess, plus being occasionally scatter-brained, drives me crazy and sometimes (OK, more than I’d like to admit) even causes me to forget about important events or due dates. I used to try to figure how I could keep it all organized in a way that would make it all easy to access and find what I need – but now Evernote does all that for me!

Evernote will help you remember anything – whether it’s the due date of an assignment, a random thought, the name of that awesome beer you had at your friend’s party, or anything else – and it’ll help keep it organized!  It’s so easy: simply create an account on the site and start adding notes! Read More »

The following is a guest post by our (nerdy yet totally helpful) friends at Hack College, the #1 tech site for college students. Check ‘em out.

So there was that one crazy night – you lost count of Jell-O shots, games of beer pong, and perhaps even where you were. You wake up in the morning, the grogginess sets in, and you feel your wallet, your keys, and — that’s it. Your phone is AWOL, and in the new era of technology you’re up a creek without a paddle as a college student.

Or are you? Modern technology might have wiped out our previous lifelines and made cellular telephones a necessity, but they’ve also provided for ways to survive without them.

Here are some tips for surviving without your cell phone in college.

Use Google Voice. There’s no excuse not to. Even if you don’t use it with your primary number, having a Google Voice number can save your life – link your phone calls to your roommates’ or friends’ number temporarily and use the internet to text your friends. Not to mention the online contact database.

Take advantage of phone company programs. I am a big fan of phone insurance – it’s saved my behind for cheap the past couple of times my phone has gone MIA, gotten wet, or just broke. Even better, my insurance company (through my provider) provides free GPS lookups for lost phones which could save you a ton of money and a lot of stress. Read More »

It’s day three of our College Dating Makeover Challenge, From Ice to Nice. That means we’re halfway to being more approachable!

For those of you just joining us, this week the experts from The College Crush are going to share with you daily videos with simple challenges to help you go from shy to getting noticed.  In a good way. (Not, in this sorta way.) First they challenged you to put on a happy face. Yesterday, it was all about eye contact.

Today’s Challenge: Ban PDT (Public Displays of Technology) with Jewels from @techromanceblog and Techromance Tuesday on The College Crush.

Now, let’s be honest for a second. In this day and age, everyone is hyper-connected so it’s become totally normal and expected to be texting and calling and Facebooking no matter where we are and who we’re with. But how are you supposed to apply the basics (smile + eye contact) when you’re constantly looking at your stinkin’ phone?! Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like College Bar Finder, Unhear It, and ReQall) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

I’m a ridiculously sound sleeper (seriously, I’ve slept through earthquakes), which makes it really difficult for me to get up in the morning.  When I first went away to college and I didn’t have my parents or sister to yell at me to get up when I hit the snooze button for a third time, I realized how big of a problem this could be.

I tried to use a regular alarm clock next to my bed, but I’d just turn it off and fall back asleep, causing me to keep missing my early-morning classes. Any by early-morning, I mean 12pm. Either way, though, not good.

If only WakeupDialer.com had existed back then!  WakeupDialer.com has a simple but oh-so-useful purpose: providing free wake up calls (no matter where you pass out). Type in your phone number (or the number of a friend who could use some help waking up in the morning), and the time of day you want to receive the call, and that’s it!

Each call features a hilarious random message from a “butler” (voiced by British actor/comedian Stephen Fry) that will make you momentarily forget about your messy dorm room and make you feel like you’re staying in a swanky hotel (cuddled up next to RPatz, perhaps?) instead. Read More »

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, TFLN…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like Regretsy, Clicker, and Homeslyce) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

How familiar does this scenario sound to you? You’re driving in your car or walking to class when you suddenly get a great idea or remember you have to do something…but by the time you get a chance to write it down, you’ve already forgotten it.  Or maybe you simply forgot to write down an assignment right when it was assigned…and then forget to turn it in. Or your roommate asked you to pick up some emergency toilet paper… and now everyone has to drip dry.

Thank god I’m here.

Meet reQall, an online service that helps you remember important ideas, dates, tasks, etc., at the exact moment they pop into your head so there’s no time to forget them. (Don’t worry, reQall isn’t some weird microchip installed in your brain.)

It’s ridiculously easy to use: just sign up for an account (you can choose between the “standard” free account and the paid “Pro” account) to get started, and then you can start adding events and reminders.  OK, so that seems pretty similar to having a planner, but it’s so. much. better. Read More »