parties

SXSWi's party scene goes do-it-yourself

AUSTIN, Texas--Over a lunch of fajitas at the Iron Cactus restaurant Sunday, one of my friends here at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival shrugged and said, "I'm just not into the party scene this year. It's all a little weird."

I had to concur. SXSWi, after all, is known for its wild parties. But two nights in, I've clocked in a total of 20 minutes at them before opting to hang out elsewhere, and I'm not the only one.

There are obviously a ton of people going to this year's bashes--the line … Read more

What to expect at SXSWi, part 3: The party scene!

This is part three of a four-part series. Here are part one and part two.

Surprise: Despite budget cuts and a general malaise about making a big, bubbly scene when loads of people in the tech industry are out of work or in danger of losing their jobs, there are still a ton of parties at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival, which starts Friday in Austin, Texas. There will be fewer open bars for sure; nevertheless, rest assured that you'll still be able to find far more nightlife options than you could possibly want. They do refer to … Read more

WiiWare and Virtual Console releases for this week

This week brings us an interactive board game for the whole family and a turn-based fantasy game from the Super Nintendo. WiiWare Family & Friends Party (Gammick Entertainment, 1,000 Wii points): Up to eight people can play along in this interactive board game. Compete in single challenges or events that require multiple simultaneous players. Virtual Console Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen (1993, Super Nintendo, 800 Wii points): Take down the evil Empire in this turn-based strategy game. It's your duty to lead a group of rebels to destroy the Zetegenian using magic weapons and Tarot … Read more

Take this slow cooker to the party

One thing any real cook likes to do is share. Just try finding a recipe out there that "serves one." It's not going to happen. Consider the egg. A primary ingredient in many recipes, however, you never see "half an egg" called for. It's just easier to cook for more people. Therefore, it is second nature for cooks to want to share; we always have too much food around!

Sometimes sharing requires a little more effort than simply constructing a delicious meal. If there is a party in the planning, a meal has to … Read more

Hundreds of 'Twestival' fundraisers springing up tonight

If you're looking for something "good" to do Thursday night, you're in luck. Volunteer-organized Twestivals are planned in more than 200 cities around the world.

The Twestivals are a loose coalition of fundraisers that aim to use the social-media tool du jour--Twitter--to raise money for Charity Water, a nonprofit devoted to bringing clean drinking water to developing countries.

It's not officially organized by Twitter, but enthusiasts are hoping that the series of Twestivals can be an example for future fundraisers and how the likes of Twitter can fuel volunteer and donor efforts. Word has spread … Read more

How to throw your own tax party

"Taxes" and "fun" clearly don't belong in the same sentence--unless you have a little imagination and a sense of humor as warped as ours (here's a hint: deductible bingo).

From tech tips on how to set up a room for massive tax filing to the perfect stress-relieving games and yummy tax-themed snacks, our party guide will help you make the most out of the necessary evil of preparing your yearly tax return.

See also: Photos: TaxCut versus TurboTax TaxCut in-depth review TurboTax in-depth review

Simple fix for iPhone OS 2.2.1 application crashes

A number of users have reported that virtually all third-party applications crash soon after launching under iPhone OS 2.2.1. Fortunately, an extremely simple fix works in many instances of this problem:

Touch and hold any application icon the icons begin to shake. Tap the "x" in the corner of the application you want to delete. Tap Delete. Press the Home button. Download the application again, either from your iPhone or your desktop computer (there will be no additional charge for the redownload)

Feedback? iphoneatlas@cnet.com.

Open source overrated by U.K. conservatives?

President Barack Obama recently made waves by tapping Sun Microsystems' chairman to pen a white paper on the benefits of open source.

Not to be outdone, Britain's Tory (conservative) party is now suggesting that it will, if elected, shift to open source to save an immediate 600 million British pounds (about $858 million).

While I support any organization's greater adoption of open source, the Tories seem to be treating open source like a campaign slogan, rather than a thoughtful IT-purchasing policy. (As a conservative, it pains me to have to write that. :-))

Yes, open source can save … Read more

Quicksnap ice tray pops out one cube at a time

As the day of the big game draws closer, households everywhere are planning menus, inviting guests, and figuring out just how many TVs it takes to actually host a successful Super Bowl party. However, some of us prefer to keep things a bit less extravagant, instead opting for a small gathering as opposed to an all-out affair. Years of study (42 to be exact) have shown that the optimum number of invitees for a Super Bowl party is eight people. Large screen or small, this number (which coincides nicely with the amount of previous games) is scientifically proven (or arbitrarily … Read more

Raclette grill for Super Bowl parties

Finally, it is time for the Super Bowl. The flip side to Thanksgiving, where delicious homemade full meals are served, Super Bowl Sunday is another great food day, albeit with less, shall we say, wholesome foods. Gone are the turkey and potato dishes with vegetable sides, replaced instead by greasy and fatty snackable treats. If Thanksgiving is the true start of the holiday season, perhaps Super Bowl Sunday is a fitting end.

Even though the Philadelphia Eagles lost and won't be appearing in this year's game, the Philly cheesesteak is still a timeless success. Deconstructed, its constituent ingredients … Read more