The contest has come to a close. How did we select the winner? Being objective and fair-minded geeks, we numbered the 15 entries, from earliest to latest, and ran them through a random number generator. The lucky winner is entry #10, or as they prefer to be called, Sturta. Congratulations! If you didn’t win this time, stay tuned. Gelaskins was nice enough to give GSL a few $20 promo codes, which we’ll give away to our faithful readers via another Virtual Karma Counts contest in a few weeks!

It’s that time again. Yes, GSL is having another “Virtual Karma Counts” contest. Up for grabs this time is a custom Geek Shui Living skin from Gelaskins. No, we’re not partnered up or receiving swag from them, but we figured why not collect the change from the couch cushions to make it happen? The rules are simple. The contest is open to residents of the United States and Canada world. To be entered to win, simply leave a comment on this post saying why a custom GSL skin will make your device even better than you already think it is.

We’ve included a mockup of what the final product for an Apple iPad 2 will look like below. You can see a few more mockups of other devices after the break. You can see a full list of devices for which Gelaskins has products on their website. The contest is opens today and runs through 12:00 AM ET, on Thursday, March 31, 2011. You must have your comment posted by midnight that day to qualify. The winner will be randomly chosen from the entries on Friday, April 1, 2011. We’ll email the winner, so they can tell us what device they have. We’ll order it and have it sent directly from the company to them.

That’s it. What are you waiting for? Tell us how a GSL Gelaskin will make your device better and be entered to win!

Win a custom GSL Gelaskin for your iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, or other supported device!

Don’t have an iPad 2? That’s okay. Gelaskins has skins for the smartphones, tablets, and eReaders shown below. Check their website for even more options to choose from…if you win!

Remember: Leave a comment saying why a custom GSL skin will make your device even better than you already think it is. Also, if you win, please don’t ask if we’ll send you one of Gelaskins’ stock products. This is about Virtual Karma. It counts, you know…

Smartphones with custom GSL skins

Galaxy Tab with custom GSL skin

Nook with custom GSL skin

Don’t see your device shown here? Check the Gelaskins website to see if they offer a skin for yours.

Update: In the interest of fairness, we’ve opened up the contest worldwide. It might take longer to reach you, but we’ll send it anywhere on the globe!

If you’re a Twitter or Facebook, you may have noticed (via someone’s annoying check-in) that GSL is now included among the indexed topics of GetGlue, the now famous service responsible for reviving the lost, sticker collecting child from our past. To be honest, it took some ingenuity to get it done, considering Tech News sites aren’t generally mentioned on any of the sites currently supported by GetGlue’s Firefox and Chrome browser add-ons. We’re pleased, though, to say we did it. After a little less than three weeks, we’ve had 32 visits, 32 likes and 84 check-ins from friends of GSL who recognized the name and checked-in just to show their support.

Those who read GSL regularly know that we’re not your conventional, geek-related news website. No, we tend to take things and make them bigger (or sometimes just more complicated). After getting added to the service, GSL sent an email to GetGlue asking for guidance on the process of requesting a GetGlue sticker to reward fans who check-in. Unfortunately, they informed us they are currently only partnering with film, television, and music companies. We gave it a good effort. That’s the end of that idea, right? Of course, the answer is no. This is GSL. We chose an alternate route. That’s right. We made our own limited-edition stickers and decided to send them out ourselves. How do you get one? The simple rules await you beyond the break.

“Stickers but Not Stickers” Disclaimer

First and foremost, we want to be very clear. These stickers are not just stickers. Nor, are they are not “GetGlue” stickers, as we have no affiliation with GetGlue. They are “Geek Shui Living” stickers, which we made and plan to send out to those who earn the “Fan” sticker on GetGlue, by checking in to the Geek Shui Living Topic five times or more. In the interest of avoiding a lawsuit (since we have no money anyway), we’ll just call them “GSL Not Stickers”.

How to earn your “GSL Not Sticker”

If you already use (or are addicted to) GetGlue, you’re already familiar with the process of check-ins and earning “Fan” stickers. This is what you have to do:

• Check-in to the “Geek Shui Living” topic regularly. (Having it post to your Twitter and Facebook accounts is appreciated, too.)
• Once you’ve completed five check-ins, GetGlue will award you a “Fan” sticker.
• Continue your check-ins, until you earn the “Super Fan” sticker (15 check-ins).
• When you reach “Super Fan” status, take a screenshot of the notification from GetGlue or one showing your GetGlue avatar in the “Super Fan” category (see screencap below).
• Email the screenshot to GSL (NotSticker @ geekshuiliving.com), along with real name (not the fake Interwebz one you use) and your mailing address.
• Upon verification that you are, indeed, a “Super Fan” of GSL, we’ll get your GSL Not Sticker sent out.

GSL Not Stickers are not forever

To make things interesting, we decided to make the GSL Not Stickers a limited edition offering. Only the first 75 GetGlue users who check-in and attain “Super Fan” status will receive them. We will not be printing more of the same one. Awarding will be on a first-come, first-served basis. That means that as soon as you meet the minimum requirement, grab the screenshot and send it to us. They will be awarded to the first 75 people from whom we receive the evidence.

Of course, if participation is strong, once these are gone, we’ll just might make another (and then another) GSL Not Sticker. If you’re a true sticker junkie, you will of course not feel complete without a complete set of any sticker. There are no promises regarding future GSL Not Stickers, but, if we do, do you really want to take the chance of not earning them all?

Not Stickers are not available elsewhere

Remember that the GSL Not Sticker isn’t available anywhere else. You can’t buy them (although you can buy GSL Gear at Skreened). You might be able to beg, borrow or steal one, but we’ll leave that up to you and your belief in virtual karma. We would rather not know about it.

It’s best just to focus on earning your own. So, what are you waiting for? Get started on your GSL check-ins on GetGlue today. Come on! You know you want to earn one of these limited edition stickers before they run out!

What’s better than reading Geek Shui Living? Well, we would like to think nothing is, but we’re certain that proudly wearing your own Geek Shui Living t-shirt definitely ranks up there, too. Though you didn’t ask for it, we did it anyway. Yes, Geek Shui Living has launched its very own store over at Skreened.com where you can take your pick from exclusive designs created in the Geek Shui Living’s moderately-evil Laboratory.

To celebrate the launch, we will be giving one lucky winner their very own, official Geek Shui Living shirt (pictured below). That’s right. You, too, can show the world that your geekiness is far superior to that of other normal egg-heads. What do you have to do to win? Read on to see just how simple it is.

There are two ways to qualify:

1) On Twitter:  Tweet the following via your esteemed Twitter account: “Dear Santa: All I want for Christmas is a Geek Shui Living t-shirt. http://bit.ly/GeekShuiGear #GeekShuiGear #Contest”

2) On Facebook:  Simply “like” Geek Shui Living on Facebook (here) and share the contest announcement posted on our Facebook fanpage.

It’s that simple! The contest will run from Monday, December 13, 2010 through 11:59 PM EST on Thursday December 16, 2010. We’ll announce the winner on Twitter and Facebook, on Friday, December 17, 2010, so be sure that you’re either following us on Twitter or Facebook. If the uber-lucky individual sends us their mailing address the same day, we’ll do our best to make sure it shows up by Christmas. So what are you waiting for? Register today for your chance to win!

Also, be sure to visit the Geek Shui Living Gear store to see the great selection of geeky clothing we have to offer the virtually enlightened. With Geek Shui, Twitter, bacon-themed and other geeky offerings, we’re sure there’s something to fit your tastes or will make a great Christmas, birthday, or just-because gift for the discerning geek in your life.

If you follow us on Twitter, you know if there is anything we love more than technology and shiny new gadgets, it’s bacon. We love to eat it, tweet about it, post photos of it, and generally discuss it until the elusive #Bacon Bot shows up. We’re not the only ones, though. There are thousands (maybe even millions) of people who tweet about bacon on Twitter, each and every day. So, in a tribute to both bacon and all those who tweet about it, Geek Shui Living is proud to announce that we’ve dug deep into our piggy bank (no pun intended) to purchase and give away 2-ounces of J&D’s Bacon Salt¹, to one lucky winner.

The rules² are simple:

1. Leave a comment on this post, telling us, in 25 words or less, how you think Bacon Salt makes the world a better place. It can be funny or sincere, but, remember, creativity is king! In place of a personal or business website, include the URL for your Twitter account (i.e. http://twitter.com/geekshui).
2. Then, Tweet the following: “Hey, @GeekShui wants to know how Bacon Salt has made the world a better place. Enter to win it here: http://bit.ly/c4bmZ2 #GeekShui”

(Important: If you retweet our tweet, be certain to do it the manual way. The new retweet method prevents it from showing up in our timeline, which means no Bacon Salt for you.)

The contest begins today, April 5, 2010. Registration closes Friday, April 9, 2010, at 12:00 PM EST. One lucky winner will be selected the very same day! Make sure you read the detailed rules below, because attention to detail also counts.

That’s it. No following simply because you want to win something. Just comment and tweet. It couldn’t be any easier than that!

It is no surprise that most of the distinguished visitors here at Geek Shui Living are…well…geeks. On a daily basis, there are recreational computer users who do happen upon the site, via Google News, a search query, or just by sheer luck. Those who return habitually, though, are predominantly geeks looking for geeky stuff.

Of the geeks, some are recreational geeks, who simply love gadgets, obsess over social media and circumnavigate the web like a pro. Generally, they don’t often wander into the deep end of the technical pool. At the other end of the spectrum, you have the Michael Phelps type geeks. These are the ones that rarely get out of the technical pool. The better part of their lives are spent surgically assembling hardware, weaving magical code and directing symphonic-like computing operations. At the end of the day, their neuron ends are almost always packet-logged and wrinkled.

Occasionally, even the most hardcore of geek needs a moment of respite, a place where they can go or something they can do to regroup and recharge. Yes, even geeks have outside hobbies that do not involve video gaming, strategizing for the next Star Trek convention or dressing up as Boba Fett on Saturday nights.

What are these mythical, non-technical hobbies? How do they spend their unplugged time? These are the things Geek Shui Living wants you to tell us.

We’re not talking about normal stuff like bowling or bass fishing. Geek Shui Living wants the unique hobbies, the ones that slap you upside your egg-shaped head and take notice. They can be civic-minded good deeds, unique pasttimes, or just something plain weird. The only caveat is that it cannot relate to technology whatsoever.

What’s our plan? Well, Geek Shui Living hopes to comb through your submissions and periodically (hopefully monthly but our writers do tend to exhibit signs of ADHD) profile them under a section we’ve coined “Hardcore Geeks with Hobbies”.

The profiles will tell a little bit about their awesome feats of geekery, but, moreover, they will serve to show the world that geeks are more than a fat brain propped up on a pasty white body. Obviously, the key consideration here is that whomever is nominated is willing to share his or her story with Geek Shui Living for the purpose of publishing it on our site.

To be perfectly clear right up front, there is no corporate sponsor (or even a non-corporate one) partnered with Geek Shui Living. This means there is no prize. Those selected will be contacted via email to verify their information, hobby and get all the sordid details. After that, we’ll post their story on Geek Shui Living for the world to see.

It’s simply what we believe to be a great opporunity for the most hardcore of geeks to be recognized by their family, friends and coworkers, for not just what they do, but who they really are.

All we need now are your submissions to get the “Hardcore Geeks with Hobbies” feature kicked off. What do we need? Please send us the person’s name, a short description of their hardcore geek activities and the details of their cool hobby. We’ll take it from there.

Email submissions to Geek Shui Living at: geekhobbies @ geekshuiliving.com

Today registration begins for Geek Shui Living’s second “Virtual Karma Counts” contest. What’s up for grabs this time? Nothing less than a $25 iTunes Gift Card. What are the requirements? It’s simple. To qualify to win, all you have to do is complete the following simple steps:

1. Follow @GeekShui on Twitter
2. Tweet or retweet the following: “@GeekShui taught me Virtual Karma Counts. Follow & retweet to win a $25 iTunes Card. http://bit.ly/VirtKarma #GeekShui”

The contest begins today, March 22, 2010. Registration closes Thursday, March 25, 2010, at 12:00 PM EST. One lucky winner will be selected the very same day! Make sure you read the detailed rules below, because attention to detail also counts.

That’s it. It couldn’t be any easier than that. So, don’t wait. Log on, Follow In, & Tweet to Win. Do it today because, after all, free stuff is cheap!

February 22, 2010 – Today, Geek Shui Living is proud to announce the inauguration of what we hope will be the first of many contests. What are these contests, you ask? Well, we want to give away free stuff to our loyal followers. We would be remiss not to acknowledge that its the retweets of Geek Shui News articles, blogs, etc. that help drive traffic to our site and spread the word about the wonders of Geek Shui Living. So, we decided that we need to give something back to those who help us. While we hope that, in the future, prospective technology partners throw a few distributable gifts our way (hint, hint), we’re committed to taking the hit in our pocket, for now!

Since we have a natural tendency to go over the top, with just about everything we do, we decided contests should be no exception. So, we’re giving the program a name befitting of Geek Shui Living’s message. It will henceforth be known as the Virtual Karma Counts contest program. Why Virtual Karma Counts? Well, part of Geek Shui Living’s philosophy is that one should have a healthy balance between their real and virtual worlds. Accordingly, what you do with Information Technology, or “IT”, really dictates how “IT” treats you. If you’re good to others, it will eventually come back to you. If you’re bad to others…well…you get the gist. So to help you build your virtual karma (You didn’t know you had any, right?), we’ll ask you to do something for us. In return, you might just be the winner. Sounds easy, right? Well, read on to find out the rules for our inaugural contest.

Contest Dates: February 22 – 28, 2010

Contest Prize: Two lucky winners will each receive an iTunes Gift Certificate, valued at $10.00

Rules: To register to win, you need only have a Twittter account and complete two simple steps:

1. Follow Geek Shui Living on Twitter (@GeekShui); Then,

2. Simply Tweet the following phrase: @GeekShui taught me “Virtual Karma Counts” at http://geekshui.com #GeekShui Follow us, RT & be eligible to win a $10 iTunes Certificate

The details are important, so make sure your tweet includes the exact phrase, as it is shown above. If the Twitter mention, website, hash-tag, or prize is omitted, you aren’t considered eligible. To qualify, your tweet must be posted on Geek Shui Living’s Mention page, by midnight on February 28, 2010. The two contest winners will be selected at random from all submissions. Once the winners have been selected, Geek Shui Living will announce the winners, via its Twitter account. Winners will have two days to respond, via Direct Message (DM) with their email address. In the event, the selected winner(s) does not respond, via DM, another winner(s) will be selected at random, from the remaining entries received.

Its that easy! The important part is to make sure you keep following Geek Shui Living on Twitter, so you’ll know if you won. Even if you don’t win this one, make sure you keep following us, so you’ll know about our next one, which we hope will be even better! In the end, everyone’s a winner because, as you now know, Virtual Karma Counts!

Ok, consider the contest officially started. Good luck to everyone!