While I am still calming my heartbeat down from the numerous times I jumped off my couch cheering and smacking my husband's hand in shock -- and in the process woke up every sleeping child in my house -- I'll get you right to the goods:

Today and tomorrow (until midnight tomorrow night) are the very last days you have to enter yourself into the Hello Kitty Valentine's Giveaway right here on Byte-Sized!

The response to this giveaway has been overwhelming to say the very least, and I want to take a moment not only to thank our partner in this event -- the wonderful, creative folks at Mimoco, whose products are really just that cool -- but also to the 600+ people who've entered the contest! You all are fabulous, and you've really made this an exciting month here in my little cubicle!

For those of you just joining the party, here's the rundown: Send me your name and other relevant contact info to bytesized@captivate.com. Wednesday morning, I'll randomly pick one lucky winner to win the last Hello Kitty Mimbot!

Specs: Aside from obvious adorability factor (love those overalls!), this little lady packs 2 gigabytes of storage in her teensy 2 inch-body -- plenty to carry around music, books, files, pictures, etc., to always have them at your fingertips! Even if you just want to carry her around for the fashionability of it, trust me, I can relate to that :)

If you don't win, be sure to visit http://www.mimoco.com/ to scoop up your own Mimbot -- there are so many different, eclectic styles and designs to choose from!

And, as promised, for all you lovers out there looking to pair that Hello Kitty Mimbot with some delicious chocolate for your sweeties, the female editors here at Captivate (namely me, Jacqui and Kate) spent a day eating the most delicious chocolate truffles in the world and reviewed them just for you! I call the feature 'We (Heart) Chocolates' and it's live right now over at www.Captivate.com!

... Don't be too jealous, I actually got sick from the whole thing -- a definite case of too much being a bad thing.

See you back here on Wednesday where I'll announce the final winner and catch you all up on some awesome headlines! L8rs!

Labels: Chocolate Review, Hello Kitty Giveaway, valentine's day

Yay! It's the weekend! Well, almost ... A few more hours until you're out for a few days -- this is what makes Fridays so awesome! Let me add to it by offering up so cool stories for you to read and enjoy while you wait for quittin' time!

--Google and Amazon are all over the iPad situation by planning competitors right out of the gate.

--OK, I'm a geek, but I loves my football. Here is a list of some fun gadgets that will help spice up your Super Bowl experience! I'll be honest, most of them are no-brainers, but what can ya do?

--Bethesda's fallow-up video game 'Fallout: New Vegas' was announced and set for this fall. Word. Something tells me I may be short one husband for a few weeks.

-The Large Hadron Collider (and still my best on-screen typo EVER) is about to be powered up for it's longest ever run -- 18 months! It goes over my head after the first few sentences of explanation exactly what it is being geared up to do, but whatever it is, I'm sure it's *awesome*!

--What color were the dinosaurs? Who knows, right? Scientists have figured it out -- for real.

--Word to the wise: Pay attention and do your research when you're giving to charity. The FBI is tracking so many Haiti scams right now that it breaks my heart.

--Just because it's on Facebook (which is sporting a new design today! I like ...) doesn't mean that it's safe. And, I don't want my company getting fed up and blocking it from the office, so I'm extra careful. You should be too.

Catch you all back here on Monday!

Labels: apple ipad, Captivate on Facebook, Dinosaurs

Did you *see* 'LOST' last night?

How could I possibly be expected to think about anything technology related whilst also pondering the concept of two connected-yet-separate strands of time co-existing on the same path yet separated by years and experiences?

The sheer acting feat of playing the same characters from different perspectives -- one evolved, who we've grown to love, and the other the fresh face we met 5 years ago -- is banging my head around and around!

But, before I delve into any concept of theory in relation to the best show on TV, let's announce this week's winner of the Hello Kitty Valentine's Day Giveaway, courtesy of the fine folks at http://www.mimoco.com/!

Congratulations to ... Jeremy G. of San Ramon, CA

If that's not you, email me at bytesized@captivate.com! ... Gosh, what am I going to do when I have no more Mimbots to give away? ;)

OK, back to 'LOST'. I had a text-date with a friend of mine, and we gasped at all of the revelations! Here were our biggest take-aways:

Where the heck is Christian's body?
I think it's the strand that connects the two different times! Maybe Jacob is to Christian as Smokey/Gray Shirt is to Locke! I mean, you heard what Jacob said: 'There's only one end. Everything else is just progress.' Ohhhhh :)

What happened to Sayid?
My husband, who only got part-way through Season 1 because he 'didn't like the flashbacks' (GAH,I *know*), called this one minutes into the episode: If Christian isn't the new Jacob, Sayid is the new Jacob.

Why was non-crash-Jack bleeding?
This is my proof for my ultimate theory that the different timelines will reconnect -- both careening to the same end. What happens on the Island effects what happens in LA, and vice versa!!

Who didn't get goosebumps when Charlie said, 'I was supposed to die.' ? Liars! :)
What a prophetic statement -- actually, we got prophetic statements from all of the returning deceased! Boone suggesting that, should the plane go down, he's sticking with Locke!

What's up with all the lists?
We keep seeing a 'list' being brought out -- first when the Others kidnapped the plane survivors form the beach, and now with Jacob's massive ankh holding a note to the weird Asian guy and the hippie!

What in the frickity frick was Desmond doing on the plane?
Your guess is as good as mine.

Got a theory or an observation you want to share with the group?? Leave a comment below or email me! I'll post up the best ones on Friday along with your weekly look into the biggest technology headlines!

Labels: Hello Kitty Giveaway, Lost theories

I had a long, sickly weekend, so it's going to be a short post for me today, my friends, while I work to shrug the blahs.

Cheering me up, as always, is being able to give cute things away to you! For those new to Byte-Sized (shocker, I know), let's do a recap:

For the last few weeks, I've been giving away ONE Hello Kitty USB flash drive with 2 gigs of storage capacity, courtesy of Mimoco, home of the cutest USB drives on the planet. All you have to do is enter once by emailing me at bytesized@captivate.com and your name will go in a pool for every week of the Hello Kitty giveaway.

This week's special friend is merrily frolicking through fields of green and tulips while she teases and tempts you to win her!

Please visit http://www.mimoco.com/ to see the latest designs the company has commissioned for their 'bots, and join me back here on Wednesday when I announce the winner!

Until then, I think I need some Vitamin B12 or something ... :) Here are a few tasty headlines to tickle your fancy:

-- The Olympics are coming up, and I can't get enough. So, here's some interesting coverage from CNet on how the event coordinators are using bales of hay to augment not enough snow.

--It's becoming the most retold story of our age -- and no, I'm not talking about 'Romeo and Juliet finally have a happy ending' that is 'Twilight,' I'm talking about which system is more secure, PC or Mac. And, as it turns out, you shouldn't take your security knowledge from Drew Barrymore's boyfriend.

--Honey, if you're reading, I posted this story for you: Dell has a new netbook out.

--I'm all about e-readers, and I say to you, iPad, bring it ON.

--Yay, best for last! Here is a great list of some amazing projects from NASA and beyond! Wooo!

Labels: apple ipad, dell netbook, ereaders, Hello Kitty, plympics

I'm not one to jump on a bandwagon, but in this case, do I really need to say more?

OK, moving on, here are the pebbles that made the biggest ripples this week:

--CNet.com is all over this Apple iPad story. Here's the editor's take. And here is a story answering your questions about the tablet. Is it for you? Find out here. Wait, is the iPad even a computer??

--But, you just got that awesome netbook for Christmas! Don't fret your geeky heads, here's why you're still better off than having an iPad.

--If Apple even thinks this silly tablet is going to kill my ereader, then we might have to throw down.

--Oh MAN I would love to do this ... PS- 'LOST' is next week!

--Here's a list of the 10 most anticipated games of 2010. Some of them are definitely on my list!

Catch you all back here Monday for the fourth week of our Hello Kitty giveaway series. Until then, I hope you have a blast reading all about the iPad -- yeah, still the worst name ever -- and have a great weekend!

Labels: apple ipad, lost