TresSugar

Will the Nation's Switch to Digital TV Be Postponed?

LibertySugar — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:35:29 -0800

The Consumers Union wants Congress to delay the nation's transition to digital television because it believes the program to help American's transition has been underfunded and poorly implemented. It was announced earlier this week that the $1.3 billion dollar program to offset the cost of buying converter boxes is all tapped out.

All full-power television stations in the US are required to stop using the old method of transmitting TV signals, known as analog, and start broadcasting exclusively in a digital format on Feb. 17. Americans who use an antenna to watch free, over-the-air television on an analog TV set (and don't subscribe to a pay TV service) will need to purchase a DTV converter box. (Don't worry, if you pay for TV services, such as cable or satellite, then you will not need to upgrade - geeksugar has all the details.) Up until now the government was giving out discount coupons worth $40 to help lessen the cost to consumers, but those funds all wore out and there is now a long waiting list.

What's interesting about the deadline is that it's the first time the government has ever shut off technology that everyone uses. Estimates suggest there are 70 million TVs in the United States that use antennas. Their owners will all see blank screens on the 17th, unless they have a digital converter box.

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Link Time!

DearSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:00:00 -0700

Women are making more household decisions, especially in front of the TV! - Jezebel
Check out these five ways to seek digital revenge on an ex - The Frisky
When does flirting cross the line? - Tango
Do you and your friends ever talk about masturbation? - gURL sex ed blog
Are you a member of the mile-high club? - Daily Bedpost
How to recover from first date sex! - Divine Caroline
Do you lie in the bedroom? - Truehookupconfessions

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Asian Fusion - Japan Reconnecting With China and Hello Kitty

LibertySugar — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 10:00:25 -0700

Japan and China reached a deal yesterday about long-disputed gas fields located in the East China Sea. The two countries will share the profitable gas fields; Japan's private sector will invest in Chinese development. Japan's Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda eloquently said: "We will turn it into a sea of peace and friendship."

The Chinese government is officially into the deal; a foreign ministry statement said it will help foster a "healthy and stable" relationship between the Asian neighbors. But in an unusual fashion, China allowed, and even helped, nationalist protesters to demonstrate against the deal.

In other Japanese news: Sanrio Co., the company behind Hello Kitty, plans to give the cat character a fresh dose of Japan-ness. The surrogate Japanese ambassador will now infiltrate Chinese markets, as well as markets in Russia, India, and America, in a more Japanese fashion - via electronics. The company will sell digital cameras shaped like Hello Kitty's face, kitty-clad USB memory cards, and a globular humidifier (I'll have to look that up) shaped like the cat.

Hello Kitty, who gets paid for her TV appearances, is a tourist attraction for Japan's visitors who stock up on everything Hello Kitty while in the country. Considering Japan's tourist ministry just appointed Hello Kitty to represent Japan in China, I wonder if the expressionless cat had anything to do with the gas field deal between the two countries!

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Ask E. Jean For DearSugar: What Have I Done?

E Jean Carroll — Thu, 29 May 2008 10:00:00 -0700

Dear E. Jean,
I haven’t dated in a while and have put on a little weight. I’ve tried everything to take it off - nothing works. So to get myself motivated, I decided to look on Match.com just to see what was out there. When I signed up, my roommates (and their digital camera) were out of town. I did not have any pictures of the slightly larger, current me, so I used older, slimmer pictures. (I know, it’s a lame excuse, and I can say nothing in my own defense.)

To my horror, guys are in a race to get my number and talk to me! I have four guys very interested! Help! Do I tell them the pictures are not current? Or do I meet them anyway and hold my breath? And finally, do you have any secret to losing weight? - Dateless in Manhattan

To see E. Jean's answer read more

Dateless, You Doofbrain: Oh please. Tell the lads you’re as “plump as a porpoise” and meet them for coffee. Who knows, they may find you twice as alluring. Or you can say you’ll meet them next month and lose the weight.

Either way, stop plaguing yourself.

Who cares what men you’ve never met think of you? (Well, OK, OK, you do care, but you don’t desperately care.) The moment you start actually paying attention to what the buggers think - if they like you curvy or slim, smart or supersmart, white or black, young or younger, blonde or brunette - you’re doomed. It’s when you don’t give a big flying figdoodle what they think - that’s when they can’t get enough of you.

P.S. Balls. Trust me. Giant Balls. Balls you sit on. Get rid of your chair at work and sit on a big ball. It’s terrific for your back and posture And you burn tons more calories per hour because you are bouncing and rolling. Hell, just trying to sit on the damn things - and not fall on your rump - will work your core.

Auntie Eeee sits on a big (blue) ball to watch TV and another ball (also big and blue) to work at my desk. Yes. I have blue balls all over my house. This is my secret to losing weight.

To see more advice from E. Jean visit Elle magazine and AskEJean.com

I Want to Buy a Home Computer

DearSugar — Sat, 22 Apr 2006 08:33:26 -0700

Dear Sugar
I'd like to buy a home computer but I am not sure how to decide what kind to get. There are so many different choices; Laptops, Notebooks, Desktops, PCs, Mac, Sony, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Dell etc . . . the list goes on and on. What are the important qualities to look for? Computer Geekette

Dear Computer Geekette
It completely depends on what your needs are. Is this going to be for business, leisure or both? What kinds of programs do you want to run? Macs have better graphic design features, laptops are great if you travel a lot or if you like to hang (and blog) at coffee shops and cafes, Sony makes a memory chip so your media center (digital camera, movie camera, TV) can all be interconnected and Desktops are more bulky but you can have a larger screen if you have eye problems or prefer to have a wireless mouse and a larger work space. A good place to start your computer search is at Personal Computer World or at Oxford University's Computer Service Buyers Guide . Do a little bit of research before you actually go into a store or make an online purchase.