ABC's of Indie Rock

Girls Love Gadgets, Too: Gifts for Your Geeky Sweetie Picking the perfect Valentine's Day gift for the woman in your life can be more fraught with fatal errors than a pirated copy of Windows XP.Roses are tired. Lingerie is always trickier than it should be. Diamonds come with too much baggage. Soap is soap. No matter how it's packaged, and no matter how many times you tell her that these super-special suds came from the rain forests of New Guinea, she knows what it is: It's soap.This year, take a hint from us and forgo the bath salts for something a little more thoughtful, a little more nerdy, a little more, well, Wired.Above:Periodic Elements RingDiamonds may be a girl's best friend, but precious metal is her boyfriend.At least, that's the story according to Joe Johnson and Jeanju Choi-Johnson, the design duo (and real life couple) behind these elegant knuckle-dusters.

5 Truly Otherworldly Female Singers You’ll Hear About in 2011 By KCRW Music Host & DJ Mario Cotto I love women. My mom is a woman. Also, all my exes have been women. Women do amazing things like grow babies inside them, and they mostly smell nice, and multi-task, and feel emotions very very well. Women are magical creatures. Top 100 Best Acoustic Songs Ever -The Greatest of All Time Here is a list of the best acoustic songs ever written. Acoustic music has come a long way over the years, so many are “oldies” and many are “newies.” We are basing this list off of historical album sales, the ever so objective factor of acoustic-ness, but mostly how easily they make us cry.

* Infographic: The True Cost of Homeownership Everyone is talking about how now is a great time to buy a home. And, on the surface, it looks like the perfect time. Home prices are low, and mortgage interest rates remain at near-record lows. There is some argument, though, that it might be better to buy a home in six months; without the home buyer tax credit to help keep home prices higher, some argue that another dip in prices is likely. However, whether you are really ready to buy a home has little to do with what is happening in the housing market; more important is what is happening in your personal finance world.

Top 10 Free Ways To Discover New Music Online Bored with your music and want to discover some new bands or singers? There are two main ways you can do that online. You can use services which create music maps, allowing you to explore artists similar in genre to the artists you already listen to. Or you can use music blogs and websites that showcase independent or up-and-coming artists, whether the music is being reviewed, or posted by the musicians themselves. Some of these websites have a community built around them, which gives fans the opportunity to interact directly with these new talents. Here is a list of 10 free sites to discover new music. 7 Alternatives to Pandora and Last.FM Whether you are annoyed by the ads on Pandora, the limited number of skips, or the abyss of cruel 30-second song teasers from Last.FM, many online listeners are growing weary of mainstream methods of hearing new music. While the Pandora algorithm is strong, and the Last.FM related artists tool is pretty useful, don’t fool yourself in to thinking that there aren’t other great ways to expose yourself to new music in the depths of cyberspace. Here are 7 alternatives to Pandora and Last.FM that will infuse your day with an uninterrupted stream of music that large record companies haven’t managed to squash under their thumbs yet. StumbleAudio

How to Learn (But Not Master) Any Language in 1 Hour (Plus: A Favor) Deconstructing Arabic in 45 Minutes Conversational Russian in 60 minutes? This post is by request. How long does it take to learn Chinese or Japanese vs. The Four Chord Song To Our Faithful Current.com Users: Current's run has ended after eight exciting years on air and online. The Current TV staff has appreciated your interest, support, participation and unflagging loyalty over the years. Your contributions helped make Current.com a vibrant place for discussing thousands of interesting stories, and your continued viewership motivated us to keep innovating and find new ways to reflect the voice of the people.

The 15 Most Influential Books I Read in 2009 Wait! Before you read any further! If you like this post, don’t miss my most recent book list: The Best Books I Read in 2010! OK, resume. An Intro to Passive Income, Popular Ways of Getting It and the Mindset You Need to Start Creating It EmailEmail Most of us have a job where hard work is expected and necessary. We offer our knowledge and/or labor to the company we work for in order to get recognition, satisfaction and compensation in return. Although this is the way most people make money, the minute we stop working, the income stops. On the other hand, a popular idea that’s been floating around the internet is passive income.