By:  Andrea Eldridge

Give the Gift of Time

As a mom, I’ve discovered that technology typically falls into two categories: that which makes my life easier (by making me more efficient, helping me to connect with loved ones, etc.), or that which makes my life harder (by taking too much time to learn, use or master). As a daughter, I’ve discovered that some of the items that fall into the first category for me fall into the second category for my mom.

This makes Mother’s Day a great opportunity to share the gift of time to help mom get comfortable with a procedure, Web resource or gadget that I know will make her… ...Keep On Reading!

By: Andrea Eldrige.

I am extremely gullible. I once believed that my husband had scaled the Disneyland Matterhorn on a drunken dare. Never mind the fact that he doesn’t drink… and I’m pretty sure that it’s impossible. If you can say it with a straight face, I will likely believe it. I tell myself that it’s my eternal optimism that makes me believe, but whatever it is makes April Fool’s Day fraught with opportunity for those around me.

I’m sure I’ve mentioned that we are a family of Nerds. This means that I’ve been duped by plenty of tech pranks over the years. In the spirit of saving you some torture, here are some of the classics I’ve fallen for over the years. I will allow my optimistic nature to reassure me that you won’t use them for evil.

One year I returned to my desk to discover that my computer screen was upside down. The task bar that should be on the bottom was on the top, all my icons were upside down and on the wrong side of the screen. Short of standing on my head it was going to be impossible to get any work done. Apparently, Windows 7 has this function built right into Graphics Options. Simply right click on a blank spot on the desktop, select Graphics Options, then Rotation. Why do they even have that function? ...Keep On Reading!

-HAPPY VALENTINES DAY FROM NERDS ON CALL

I’ll admit it: I’ve never been much of a romantic.I love spending time with my hubby, going out to dinner and a movie, or just curling up on the couch to watch a movie together, but I’ve never been very creative in thinking up ideas to “spice things up.”

This Valentine’s Day, I resolved to use my tech resources to think outside the box. Here are some places you can go for ideas to put a little fire into your relationship.

The Dating Divas

My first stop was a visit to “The Dating Divas“. Their motto is, “strengthening marriages, one date at a time,” and that’s exactly what they aim to help you do.

Each Monday, the Divas offer a completely planned “date night” suggestion that you can put into action the next weekend. A tour through the “Date Night” tab revealed ideas that spanned from simple to intricate, and can accommodate just about any budget and energy level. Throughout the week they post creative, inexpensive and innovative ideas for romance with your spouse, from planning family outings to ideas to spice up your more intimate moments. ...Keep On Reading!

The easiest way to set up your Christmas Toys!

Once the wrapping paper is piled in the corner and the toys have been wrestled from their packaging, you’ll realize that now you have to figure out how to get all your new gadgets and gizmos set up and configured. Talk about a post-holiday letdown. Before you send your spouse out to quiz the neighborhood teenagers about their experience with electronics configuration, there are some great online resources to help you get all of your new holiday loot up and running, without turning to the leftover eggnog for comfort.

Whenever I’m tempted to throw an overly cryptic user manual across the room, I turn to eHow, a site boasting over two million free how-to videos and articles. I’ve found that video tutorials are far easier to follow and recreate at home than a list of instructions, no matter how detailed. They have an extensive list of categories, including computers, computer software and electronics. Their electronics section covers everything from cell phones to TVs to cameras, but before you attempt to navigate the dizzying list of articles in each category, use the search box to find articles and videos specifically suited to what you need. The article “How To Set Up Kinect for Xbox 360″ provides you with numbered step-by-step instructions for set up, including a video and additional links you may find helpful, such as how to set up a wireless controller or calibrate your Kinect sensor. While these helpful resources are free, the site is not advertisement-free. Be careful that you’re clicking on a site generated video or article, not an ad that will lead you to a different website. ...Keep On Reading!

The other day someone mentioned to me, very casually, that they’d had their holiday shopping done since Halloween. What? How is that even possible?

I scramble every year for at least one or two people who I still haven’t decided on and inevitably end up with some sad mug filled with stale taffy — all that was left on the Target holiday shelf on the day before Christmas.

As much as I curse myself for procrastinating and vow to do better next year, I haven’t been able to break my pattern — until now. I’ve discovered some great resources for easy gifts I can make, so even last-minute gifts can come from the heart, not the clearance rack.

Nothing says “I put myself into this gift” like creating a custom recordable children’s e-book for or with the beloved early reader on your list through www.astorybeforebed.com. Video and audio of you reading are captured and play alongside gorgeous full-color images and pages from the book.

The child can skip ahead or go back and your video recording stays on track with his progress through the book. Purchase a six- to 12-month membership (starting at $59.94 for six months) to record as many of more than 300 titles as you like or record a single title for around $7. Recordings are accessible indefinitely, even after your subscription expires. All you need is a computer with a webcam and your creations can be viewed via a computer or any i-device (iPad, iPhone, etc). ...Keep On Reading!

Despite my best intentions to give personalized gifts to everyone on my holiday list, at least one or two people always end up with a gift card. Deep down I can’t shake the feeling that I’m calling it in. This year, I’ve resolved to consider gifting some great online services, a gift that keeps on giving, month after month.

The Best Gift Cards For Music Lovers: There are several great options to stream music either to a computer or to any number of wireless-enabled personal electronic devices. Streaming music has gotten really popular — and really easy. Services such as Pandora and Spotify offer the ability to listen to a wide variety of music without having to purchase and/or download it. Unfortunately, the free versions also have annoying pop ups and commercials. Consider a subscription to Pandora (www.pandora.com), where a year of ad-free music streaming can be had for $36. While I love Spotify, it currently doesn’t offer gifting options to U.S. customers, and its premium membership is more expensive, at $9.99 a month.

The Best Gift Cards For Book Lovers: If a Kindle is out of your price range, consider a membership to Audible. Members can instantly download any of the more than 100,000 audio books in its holdings. Membership typically permits one download a month, with additional books at a reduced price. You can give a membership by the month (three months is $45, six months is $90, etc) or give a specific book. Install the audible app on any number of personal electronic devices and stream books from a smartphone or a wide selection of MP3 players. With the gift of audio books, your avid reader can catch up on “The Hunger Games” — Suzanne Collins’ young-adult series — while picking up the house or carpooling the kids to soccer practice. Win-win! ...Keep On Reading!

Every holiday season, retailers release a bevy of new toys and electronics aimed at capturing the attention of our little ones. While little Jane may be cooing, “Oooohh!” many of us are moaning, “Arghh! How am I supposed to pick among four versions of Nintendo handheld products?”

Never fear, the Nerd Chicks are here to share our “Buy This, Not That” tips to navigate the sea of choices and ensure you’re up to the challenge of finding your kids the perfect gadget.

Does anyone else remember fondly the days when there was only one choice in handheld electronics, the Nintendo Gameboy? Life seemed so much simpler then.

These days, there are four choices in the Nintendo family alone (DS Lite, DS, DS XL and 3DS), not to mention the PSP and a growing selection of alternative game-playing options. However, if you have a Mario- or Zelda-obsessed youngster, only Nintendo will do. ...Keep On Reading!

Thank you for reading This Guide To Safe Online Shopping By: Andrea ELdridge. Join us on Facebook to share your comments about cyber shopping.

Tis the season for shopping online and NERDS want to make sure that you protect your personal information while finding the best deals out there. NERDS put together their top five tips to follow to stay safe when shopping online.

Safe Shopping Tip #1: Create some Cyber distance. Nerds recommend keeping some distance between your online shopping and your bank and credit cards by not using the same email account for retail logins and purchase confirms as you use for your bank login and password resets. Also, we suggest you don’t use the same password at retail sites as you do for your online banking. ...Keep On Reading!

By: Andrea Eldridge.

I’d wager that just about everyone has a video game lover on their holiday list this year. From the armchair commando hunting down fellow players on Xbox live to the dedicated World of Warcraft dwarf, gaming has become a recreation activity for at least one or two members of most American households. As one of the few holdouts in my family that is not active in this virtual community, it can be challenging to find the perfect gift for the gamers in my life. After much polling and research, here are my suggestions to please just about any gamer, no game strategy guide book required.

Apparently the path to gaming nirvana for most console (Xbox, PS3, etc) and PC gamers is paved with discarded sub-par audio equipment. To truly immerse in the game, without disturbing the rest of your house (or neighbors, for that matter), a gamer is constantly searching for a great pair of headphones. One of the very best Christmas game gifts is a great pair of headphones. As a devoted WoW player, Heather (Nerd researcher) has tried out her fair share of headphones and settled on the Turtle Beach Ear Force X11 ( $60) which works with both PC and Xbox. While not wireless, the sound quality is constantly reviewed as outstanding and their lightweight design allows for hours of comfortable game play. Players that want to ditch the wires and hear every stealth footstep approaching from behind them in 7.1 surround sound may be happier with the pricier Turtle Beach Ear Force X41 (available at Amazon for $140). They are heavier and some users complain that there is occasional audio breakup (likely due to WiFi router interference). They also require two AAA batteries, which heavy gamers will blow through quickly. However, you won’t find a better wireless headset for under $150, at least according to the wealth of rave reviews. ...Keep On Reading!

One of the sweetest parts of giving a gift to someone you care about is that excited, “I love it!” response, especially when you know that it’s genuine. Sadly, it can be surprisingly elusive this time of year. With so many gadgets on your loved one’s must-have lists, how’s a holiday shopper to find the perfect gift that won’t get added to the return or exchange pile? Don’t resign yourself to that tired gift card. I humbly offer for your consideration my “Buy This, Not That” picks for the women in your life. Not to worry if your husband is harder to buy for than your mailman, next week will be dedicated to the gentlemen.

If your lady loves to curl up on the couch with her TIVO and surround sound, but curses when she’s trying remember that the stereo needs to be set to Video 1, don’t pick up just any universal remote. Make her love you more every time she turns on the TV and get her the Logitech Harmony 700 universal remote ( $90). Push the button labeled “Watch a Movie” and the remote turns on your TV, stereo and DVD player. Even better, it turns them all to the right channels and inputs. If something isn’t working correctly, press the “Help” button for a series of easy questions to solve the problem. The remote buttons also automatically control the correct device. For example, if you press the volume button it will adjust the stereo, not the TV. Press “channel up” while watching TV and it knows to change the channel on your DVR, not the TV. Switch from watching a movie to watching TV by pressing one button. The Logitech Harmony 700 Remote is simply the best universal remote you can buy for under $100. It recognizes up to six devices, has rechargeable batteries, and a sleek ergonomic design. ...Keep On Reading!

As seen on Good Day Sacramento. 2011 Cyber Monday.

It’s Cyber Monday, the day online retailers roll out their best deals and slashed prices to lure you to spend your shopping dollars online. There are great deals to be had on tech, electronics, and much more, without ever leaving your PJs.

Did you miss out on today’s Cyber Monday Segment on Good Day Sacramento? Never fear NERDS have the coolest and best products you were looking for right here. Still wanting to do your Cyber Monday Shopping? Check out a couple of the best places to find deals…