causes

What's more fun? Playing with your Xbox, smart device, or Rubik's Cube, or playing with yourself? OK, we know that's a tough one for this crowd. How about the following: which is healthier?

Well, when it comes to testicular cancer, the answer is probably playing with yourself -- provided, of course, you're playing by the rules.… Read more

A new network employing mobile devices and social networks wants to make it easier for small charitable organizations to raise the money they need to help their causes.

MobileCause, a Web service for nonprofit fundraising in the social-media age, has launched a new mobile mentor program, One by One, in an effort "to increase mobile philanthropy and provide essential mobile tools free-of-charge to smaller nonprofits."

According to MobileCause's stats, of the more than 1.5 million established nonprofits in the United States, more than 50 percent raise less than $500,000 a year from donations because they don't have the budget to cash in on a diversity of fundraising tools in the Information Age.

So, MobileCause will provide an online, mobile giving setup allowing large and medium nonprofits to support a charity of their choosing. The hope is that mentoring and support will provide hundreds of early-stage and smaller charities access to various mobile solutions they couldn't use previously. … Read more

Google Chrome users can donate to charity through Sunday simply by downloading the Chrome for a Cause browser extension and surfing the Web.

The system counts the tabs while the user browses the Web. Google plans to donate money based on how many tabs are clicked on each day, up to a maximum of 250 tabs per day per user. It did not specify how much money it would donate per tabs clicked on, though it did say it will donate up to $1 million as part of this effort. The campaign ends on Sunday.

People can choose from five … Read more

They fall into your inbox like snowflakes: someone is turning 35 and asking for $35 donations to a conservation charity through a Facebook app. Another person has entered a triathlon and has pledged to raise money online for medical research. Or, this time of year, perhaps you see requests for holiday donations that will support inner-city classrooms in need.

Or perhaps you've "donated a birthday" yourself. Just about every nonprofit these days has a Facebook page, an arsenal of online donation tools, and probably a Twitter account too--and for digitally forward charities, that's no longer enough, … Read more

About three ago I got interested in location-based "check-in" apps like Foursquare and Gowalla. After starting out casually, and only occasionally logging my traverses with my phone, I now find myself racing to check in at restaurants. Indeed, my wife and I have an ongoing contest to see who can create unlisted places first.

Recently I happened upon another free check-in application called CauseWorld. It's similar to the other titles except that it offers real world value. Each time I check myself into a location, I pick up "karma points" that I can later redeem … Read more

On this week's show, we dive into the top-secret Best Buy handbook for the Apple iPad launch; take a closer look at Alienware's 11-inch M11x gaming laptop; and see if David Mamet's rules for TV drama apply to video games such as Just Cause 2 and God of War III.

Speaking of everyone's favorite video game of the moment, we're giving away a copy of God of War III this week, so watch/listen for info on how to enter. Here's a hint, it involves our Facebook Fan Page.

Related links: >> Best Buy retail stores get iPads &… Read more

The original Just Cause game debuted in September 2006 and though it attempted to introduce some compelling gameplay, we were left wanting more. Three and a half years later, the same development team (Avalanche Studios) is back with promises of new improvements and tighter gameplay.

We were definitely impressed with the private demo we received in late February, so let's see if the final version of the game delivers.

Jeff: Just Cause 2 may not be heavy on story or character development, but it doesn't need to be. Why? The game is an absolute blast in its own … Read more

This week on preGAME, hosts Jeff Bakalar and Mark Licea welcome special guest Russ Frushtick (MTV Multiplayer) as they take a first look at the Nintendo DSi XL! We have two units in the studio today and give a ton of comparisons, first impressions, and take live questions from our chat room. We'll also talk about the odd timing of  Nintendo's 3DS announcement.

Also on today's show is a live demo of Just Cause 2, the open-world go-anywhere blow-up-anything action-adventure title. We'll chat with George Wright, the game's associate producer, about how the sequel … Read more

MB Karma Astrology and Numerology provides several tools for taking a close look at lucky numbers and astrological signs. With a simple layout and good descriptions, this is a fun tool that does its thing well, no matter what you believe about its subject matter.

This program's interface instantly impressed us with its simplicity and effectiveness. We'd tested other software by this designer that was much less intuitive and navigable, but this program's clear command icons erased any confusion. We were able to choose between five astrological and numerological options: Karmic Astrology, Zodiac Soulmate Sign, Karmic Lesson … Read more