So You Think You Can Type?
Typewriter
bookends available at Restoration
Hardware
You're totally going to
hate me for telling you about this site, because it's
just that addicting and you'll need to ask
your doctor to call in an Adderall prescription to
help you re-focus on the more important things you
probably have to do. Typeracer is a game that
measures how fast you type and then tells you your
words-per-minute speed.
It's not as simple as it sounds! I don't know about
you, but I haven't practiced proper typing skills
since fourth grade and I'm rusty as shiz. What makes
Typeracer so irresistible is that you can compete
live against other players. I swear, you can't stop
trying to win. I first read about the site last week
on Wall Street
Journal's Buzzwatch before it popped up on
GeekSugar just
yesterday. Glad to know I'm not the only dork
concerned/ competitive about my wpm rate.
Today's headlines:
Attention, Nine Inch Nails fans! Trent announced
yesterday that their new album is "on him." (Billboard)
Stephen Colbert wins a webby for "Person of the
Year." (CNN)
Spielberg gets in on the Wii with Boom Blox.
(Wired)
Brit has a child custody hearing today, and it's
expected to go well. Here's hoping! (AP)
Happy St. Pats Weekend. Love, YBLAG
Btw, try JibJab Sendables. They're fun to play with!!
Roll your mouse over
here!iJustine Gets A Pretty Deal
Above: iJustine, checking out her iMakeup.
Web celeb Justine Ezarik (more commonly known as
'iJustine', or 'iPhone Bill Chick')
has literally twitter'd her
way to becoming the most popular 'friend add'
in the social networking revolution. Last year,
she literally lived online for six months when she
wore a web cam on her head. Dorks like me who
value the art of lifecasting followed her for
those six months and thought she was the coolest
person ever. (I still might think that,
actually... ).
So now, iJustine goes and infiltrates
the beauty biz. At first, I didn't know how to
handle this news. I mean, this is my territory.
After thinking it through, I decided she can
probably say the same thing re: me pretending to
be as much of an internet geek as she is... so I
guess I can't be territorial. 
Seriously, I must give iJustine props: her hair and
makeup is always perfect in all her videos (that's
saying a lot -- the girl must make five vids a day.
If I did that you guys wouldn't be reading this right
now because you'd be scared of how I look when I wake
up in the AM). I'd be lying if I said I haven't
wondered what makeup she wears. So now we know. Go,
iJustine! Lets be beauty geeks together... ok?
Roll your mouse over
here!
Olay! Olay, Olay, Olé!!!!!
Above:
Me, midway through my personal skin care consultation
at
OlayforYou.com
As you know, I love,
love... LOVE to hear about web-savvy beauty tools.
Let's face it... anything that combines the internet
with beauty products? I'm all over it.
You can imagine how thrilled I was to find OlayforYou.com, Olay's
personalized skin care consultation web service
for confused beauty junkies. It takes all the
guesswork out of choosing the best ingredients for
your biggest skin concerns — whether they be fine
lines, wrinkles or brown spots. The intuitive
program takes about five minutes from start to
finish, and gives tailored product suggestions
that you can save to your desktop, e-mail to
yourself, or buy at an online drugstore (but only
if you want to — there's absolutely no pressure to
buy anything, which is refreshing.)
The site is DEF worth checking out if you've always
been lost while perusing your drugstore's beauty
aisle, or if you're curious about how to tackle those
newly emerged smile lines you've been desperately
trying to ignore.
OlayForYou, FTW!!
My Ugly Christmas Sweater is Uglier Than Urs
There's nothing not funny about ugly holiday
sweaters—especially the kind your Mom wears with a
straight face as if it's totally normal and cool.
Check out this design-your-own ugly
sweater site, and check out other people's
concoctions while you're at it. It's so fun— I
can't think of a better
Friday-before-Christmas-time-waster.
Have You Met Brad?
Meet
Brad Floyd. He's my pal.
I just realized, after
all these months I've yet to introduce you to my pal
Brad.
Brad was my Christmas wish when I was six,
and ever since he has held court atop my pillow sham.
When I first adopted him, he was a football player—
but he now wears many hats.
As you can see, Brad is psyched and set for the
holidays.
He asked me to wish you a good one.
I'm Like a Rolling Stone...
I saw this mag cover toy on GeekSugar yesterday and obvs had to make my own. (Duh.) To see what you would look like on the cover of pubs like Playboy, Time or People, here's the link: MagMyPic.com. Bonus: There's a rad option to post your "cover" on MySpace, Facebook et al, so your friends can see how
If I Had Dressed Up Today...
iJustine Got Shot... So She Doesn't Date
iJustine teamed up with online
production team Black 20 on this one.
(Black20 has a very cool story
that involves hitting the jackpot in AC
and using it for their shooting budget.) Enjoy!
E-Cards That Won't Annoy You
SomeEcards.com, the newest
way to snark your friends to death.
Last week, a friend sent
me an e-card. At first, I thought it was a tad
strange (I mean, what was this, 1999, when Blue
Mountain was considered social networking?) Then, I
opened it and literally LOL'd. It was an illustration
of a scuba diver with the caption "I'm terrified of
being offline," which, for me, is equal parts
accurate and amusing. After a few hours of clicking
and laughing at more sarcastic sentiments, I sent
cards to at least ten friends (and counting).
Apparently I'm totally behind the ball on
this one, as someecards.com was (not
surprisingly) featured in the Times
Sunday Styles over a week ago.
If you're not into Hallmark wishes, give your pals
a virtual punch in the arm with one of these guys.
They'll LUV you for making them LOL, I
promise.
McDonald's Monopoly: Now Online
Play
McD's Monopoly online at PlayatMcd.com
During my coffee run this morning, I
noticed Monopoly is back at McDonald's. I never pay
attention to these things (although I know some
people wait all year for this game), but I saw a sign
advertising an online version of the game, so I
obviously had to investigate.
PlayatMcD.com is a virtual
Monopoly game board with super-realistic graphics
and sound effects, where you can register with
your e-mail addy and choose a game piece. (I've
always been a fan of the puppy.) Next, you load in
your coupon vouchers, roll the dice and hop around
for a bit. Your account tracks and saves your
progress for the next time you have coupons. So
far, I've won a free small soda and $1 off at Toys
'R' Us. Sweet.
When the alternative is to glue your coupons to a
lose-able print-out of a game board—the online option
clearly a smarter strategy. Good Luck, and if you hit
the jackpot, you're splitting it with YBLAG, ok?
YBLAG Readers are Hilar!
I am at jury duty. I feel like carrie bradshaw except not as cool and I'm not wearing suspenders ...
Keep those e-mails comin'!
Armani Taps Into Geek Chic
Samsung's Armani
Phone. Photo: Gizmodo
Check out the latest from
Armani: an
"As-hard-as-it-may-try-the-iPhone-will-never-look-luxe-like-me"
credit-card-sized cellphone. Officially released
yesterday during fashion week in Milano, the phone
has a vibrating touch screen (duh), supports
basically all music files, and boasts a full internet
browser. If only it didn't cost $900 bucks... then it
might be as cool as it thinks it is. I'll save my
drool for this guy,
thank ya!
Here's what the guys at Gizmodo have to
say about Mr. Armani's new Samsung gadget.
JT Hearts iChat
Today on Oprah,
JT revealed his preferred means of connecting to his
honey while on the road: AV iChat. OMG, me
too!! JT, what's your screenname?
Geek Sugar fills us in on the
following JT quote:
"Technology is a wonderful thing sometimes.... I find that to be really cool, when you can actually see someone's face. I do it with my friends, as well, just to have a conversation back and forth. It just makes you feel closer, that's all."
Ever the Southern gentleman, JT didn't actually say girlfriend Jessica Biel's name... but, duh, who cares, he was obviously talking about her! SO CUTE!
Sidenote: Later on, O asked JT what he thinks is going on with Brit...here's what he said. I seriously admire his discretion and respect, and I'm sure Brit appreciates how he handled this.
Can this kid do anything wrong?? I'm thinking no.
Smiley Emoticon Turns 25
Happy
Birthday, Smiley!
Tomorrow marks the 25th
anniversary of the first digital smile. On September
19, 1982, Scott Fahlman, a professor at Carnegie
Mellon University, posted the following message on an
online bulletin board:
In lieu of a traditional birthday party for smiley dude, the professor and his friends are holding a contest for students, where they will be challenged to come up with a "technology-assisted, person-to-person [means of] communication.""I propose the following character sequence for joke markers:
Wouldn't it be cool if someone came up with a way to say, "Fix your face,"
in just three keystrokes?
Check out the full story here.
iJustine Found Cool T-Shirts
Check out these cool twitter tees iJustine just told me about.
LOVING them. So guys... I'll ask again...are you
twittering YET???
Once You Go Black...
Photo:
Blackle.com
Early this year, an eco-friendly blog posed the idea that mega megawattage would be conserved if Google had a black screen. In response, Heap Media introduced Blackle, with a pledge to "Save energy, one search at a time." So basically, when you Blackle your ex, rest assured that, while you're wasting your own energy, Earth will be just fine.
Wi-Fi @ my McDonald's? I'm lovin' it...
This
is McAwesome!
Look what I just picked
up when I went on my second (third?) coffee run of the
day. My local McD's just announced they have
Wi-Fi! Um, cool! For some of you, this may be old
news— the company has been building up their
network for a few years now. This article reports that, as
of August, McDonald's offered Wi-Fi in 8,500
restaurants, making it "the largest out-of-home
provider of wireless internet."
I wonder if they'll ink up a Starbucks-style deal
with Apple for the iPod touch?
From now on, I think I'll blog from the indoor
playground instead of making so many trips...
To find a hotspot near you, click here!
Get Pumped!
The end-of-summer blues
can really hurt, but the buzz leading up to the VMAs
usually numbs the pain a bit. I can't wait to see it
all come together on Sunday— particularly Brit's
performance. (Can she shake it in a wig?) If you
didn't follow my twittering advice
from a few weeks ago, don't worry, you still have
a chance to get some insider information! Check
out the VMA Twitter page,
which I've been following religiously all week...
Moonman is my new BFF— who knew he had such a
great sense of humor?
Don't forget to look me up too!
I have no words...
O.M. to the GEEE!!!
Live Feed of Steve's Big News
Awesome News for Bloggers
Touchdown, New Media!! Today,
WWD
profiles notable
bloggers who'll be prowling the tents this fashion
week. Of course, a few designers would still rather
not recognize them as legit press (Ralph, how could
you?!), but for the most part they're in like Flynn,
reporting live—or as soon as they have WiFi
access—from Bryant Park. Wait a sec...
Bryant Park
is a hot
spot!
Sweet!
WWD's list of indie bloggers covering
the shows:
The
Sartorialist
Go Fug Yourself
Fashionista
Jezebel
Look
Online
BagSnob
The Budget
Fashionista
The Fashion
Bomb
Whats
Haute
Fashionologie
BagTrends
Too Fat for
Fashion
Click here
for the full
story.
I'm Scared to Ask
Lifecasting Their Real World
Justin Kan of Justin.tv. Photo: Yahoo
As much as I love online trends, I don't think I could ever wear a live webcam on my head all day. I mean... everyone has their moments, right? Must we stream them all? I just came across this article and video on Yahoo's home page, which made me think differently about some of the lifecasters I've been following of late. While they're clearly all about shaping this exciting new breed of celebrity, the 24/7 aspect of the job is starting to take it's toll. In the video, check out what happens when iJustine turns off her webcam, and stops being 'judged' for a moment. What do you think?
This Morning, on YBLAG
Photo: CNET.com
New iPods, coming September 5.
Thats, like, next week. (CNET)
The Old Gray Lady and her friend Natasha Singer set
us free—women should no longer be afraid to go gray.
(New York
Times)
Mischa Barton can't dance. LOL! (Page Six)
I refuse to believe Frank McCourt was a bad
teacher. I rather choose to believe this student got
an 'F', and is now out for revenge.
(Page
Six)
Helmsley housekeeper goes after puppy's millions.
Also, apparently Leona used to make out with the
pooch. Ew. (NY Daily
News)
I'm Intrigued...
I went to check out iJustine's blog, and this is what
I find! Hmmm.... Can't wait to see what's next! I'll
keep you posted. In the meantime, I'll hang out with
her here.
This Kid Will Be THE MAN at School, No?
(sorry, I'm obsessed
with this pic) photo: wiki
Check out George Hotz's
sign-off before he went away to college
this weekend:
"I will be sending the iPhones, unlocked if they wish, to jpetrie(the first donater), gray(the reversing genius), and iProof(who is truly amazing at finding stuff online) Thanks a lot everyone. I leave for college tomorrow, and this has been a great end to a great summer."
Ok, so he didn't save one for me... but does he have to be so nonchalant about it?
Good luck at R.I.T, kid. Ya did good.
The Return of the Mix Tape
One of my favorite platforms for
self expression is playlist gifting. To me, there are
few things more thoughtful than telling a person what
tunes make you think of them, or new tracks you think
they'd dig. In the wake of our iWorld, however,
something about them has become less personable, less
romantic. Even though you can burn someone the
baddest CD, print a realistic cover complete with
personal pictures and present it in an actual jewel
case, modern playlist art doesn't hold a candle to
the coolness that was the old school mix tape. So,
you can imagine how psyched I was to find
this thing
whilst perusing my
favorite gadget sites this morning. Seriously, how
cool? Now, as soon as I download some Color Me
Badd, Salt 'n Pepa, and Kriss Kross, my new mixes
will feel totally
authentic.
YBLAG: seyDesign's "Site of the Week!"
How exciting... our very first
mention/ mini review! Click here
to read! Thanks,
seyDesign!
My First Blogroll Add!
*Try not to notice that this links to another one of Adam's, YBLAG's fabulous designer, other projects. I'm going to pretend it's kudos from a complete stranger. YAY!
iJustine Makes Nice with AT&T
Approve This!
Explorer Isn't the ONLY Browser for Windows, You Know...
On this, day three, I
and have done everything in my power to ensure
everything is coded correctly and capable of running
like butta on your machines. There seems to still be
some problems with peeps trying to make sense out of
YBLAG on Internet Explorer. Guys, I just don't think
they like each other-- I'm sorry! I don't know why,
I'll bring them both to a therapist to see if they
can work things out... but in the meantime, if you
can't view my page correctly, download
SAFARI or FIREFOX for Windows. Or you can make your
life SUPER easy and