Geek Tip: Organize Your Library With Delicious Monster

So lets say you have a trillion books that you've been collecting over the years (well, maybe not a trillion). Wouldn't it be great if you could have a virtual library where you can categorize, get recommendations for similar reads, sell your goods on Amazon, and even check out books to your friends — complete with a handy reminder of when to start pestering them to take their books back? It would be awesome, right?



Well, Delicious Monster has arrived to fulfill all of the above criteria. Using your Macs built-in iSight or a Bluetooth scanner, simply scan the bar code on the back of your books, and Delicious Monster will start creating your very own virtual library. To find out more, just

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Would You Use Your Cell Phone as a Boarding Pass?

Continental Airlines has launched a test program in Houston that allows travelers to board flights using their cell phone or personal-digital assistant instead of the usual boarding pass. If it works, the program could expand to airlines and airports nationwide. How will it work? According to USA Today, instead of a traditional pass, Continental Airlines (CAL) and the Transportation Security Administration will let passengers show a code the airline has sent to their cell phone or PDA. Here's more:

The two-dimensional bar code, a jumble of squares and rectangles, stores the passenger's name and flight information. A TSA screener will confirm the bar code's authenticity with a handheld scanner. Passengers still need to show photo identification. The electronic boarding pass also works at airport gates.

I always email myself flight information so I can open up my email on my BlackBerry when I get up to the check-in window, so I love the idea of being able to use my cell as a boarding pass. It means one less step, right?

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What's the Worst Tech Disaster You've Ever Suffered?

Recently a quarry worker in South Korea was found dead with a melted phone battery in his shirt pocket. He also had a broken spine and ribs as well as heart and lung injuries, but his death was initially blamed on an exploding cell phone battery.

Predictably, the National Institute of Scientific Investigation found that the injuries the man suffered were too substantial to have been caused by a battery explosion, but the fact that they could have been responsible for the man's death got me thinking.

I've honestly never suffered a major tech disaster, so I am always a little shocked when I hear news of iPods catching on fire in people's pants or exploding laptops. It's scary because we assume our devices are safe and tested so we don't expect anything dangerous to happen to us while using them.

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Cell Phones Seem Cheaper, But Are You Paying More?

The 8G iPhone went on the market for $599 and was slashed down to $399 just a few months later. It's a trend that is more than common in the tech world — it's expected. Despite the lower cost (or quick price drop) of cell phones, people are still dishing out loads of cash for the hottest device.

According to new data from the NPD Group, people are actually spending more on cellphones than a year ago. Americans spent a total of $3.2 billion on phones this year, up from $2.2 billion a year earlier. The phone cost this year is about $82.8, up 40 percent from $58.95 a year ago. The thing is, it's not just the actual phone consumers are paying for — we are also paying for all the added goodies. The New York Times reports:

"Half the phones sold in the period could play MP3 music files, compared to one quarter a year ago. Bluetooth capability was on 72 percent of phones sold, compared to 50 percent a year ago. And 11 percent were those digital Swiss Army knives called smartphones, up from only 4 percent a year ago."

I am guilty of buying in to the latest devices and services regardless of price so the trend of paying more seems like a no brainer. What do you think?

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Have You Ever Had Your iPod or Cell Phone Stolen?

As MP3 players and expensive cell phones become more prevalent we hear countless news stories about the devices getting stolen in gyms, schools, buses and even off people's desks. Heck, "Dateline NBC" even did a "To Catch an i-Jacker" special this year featuring iPod thieves. So how bad is it really? It's hard to tell, but the New York Daily News went so far as to blame iPods for a rise in violent crime recently.

I've never had any expensive devices stolen from me (although I do suspect someone took off with my flash drive!), but I've had a few friends tell me their cell phones or iPods were taken out of their purses while partying or out to dinner.

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