Sunday, May 4, is the holiday known as International Star Wars Day.  When you've not only got your own day, but you've got a day that is celebrated internationally, you know you've really got something special on your hands.  If you don't love Star Wars, there's probably something wrong with you, like you're a dirty stinking Trekkie! 

Okay, I'm not here to pick geek fights with 30somethings who live in their parents basements, I'm here to talk about Star Wars Day and specifically, some free swag for Star Wars Day.  Specifically, a free downloadable copy of Star Wars Legacy of the Force:  Betrayal from Deep Discount.  I haven't read the book, or any of the others in the Legacy of the Force series, but when I was in high school I read EVERY Star Wars novel I could get my hands on.  College kind of ruined that, but I'm trying to get back into reading again. 

To celebrate Star Wars, here's everyone's favorite defender of humanity, the Star Wars Kid!

Another day, another giveaway from the gang over at Love Shak, Baby that I'm compelled to tell you all about.  The rug give-away is still going on, so go enter that, but after you're done, click here and go enter the give-away for $50 Macy's Gift Cards!  Seriously, all you have to do is go click on some links and leave a comment, and boom, you might have yourself an extra $50 to spend.

Isn't the internet great?  Not only are you registering to win free money, you're also checking out a service that provides you free shipping when you order online merchandise from places like Target, Macy's, Amazon, and Best Buy!  Truly, between online shopping and free shipping, we're entering a golden age of geekdom.  All the fun of going to the mall, and none of the expense on gas, better values, and wider selection. 

The only problem is shopping at home means no trip to the food court.  Ah well, maybe soon they'll figure out a way to have Amazon send you Chinese food.  You can order pizza online, so I imagine that's the next big step.    

Have you filed your taxes yet?  I sure hope you have.  If not, you'd better hurry.

In honor of everyone's least-favorite day, Walgreens is having a unique promotional give-away.  For today only, you can get 15 free digital prints using the coupon from the Sunday circular.  If you're the type to do everything online, like I am, the magic code you need to get your free prints is the word TAXDAY.  It's limit one per household, and you have to submit the coupon with your order (though I'm not sure how they could do that if you use the online passcode, but whatever). 

I'm getting some paper copies of the last photos the family took with our dear, departed canine companion, Billy, with a couple of random pictures.  What might you get with your 15 free prints?  Better hurry, the offer is for today only. 

Look, you can't just fill your house with electronics and expect things to be golden.  Sure, we all love a huge TV and 13 video game systems from throughout the era of electronic home entertainment, but where are people going to hang out?  How will you make them comfortable?  Easy, you follow the advice of The Big Lebowski and get yourself a really nice rug to tie the room together.

Plaza Rugs has some awesome looking rugs, and since we all love free stuff, Shak Media is proud to give away a free rug to you, the lucky reader.  All you have to do is head over here to the official entry thread and do the following: 

* Leave a comment at the Shak In Style post saying which rug you want to win from the Jasmine Collection (a $329 value).

* Spread the word!

Even if you don't win, don't throw yourself off a building just yet.  If you can't live without that sweet rug (or any of these sweet rugs), then just use the code Shak10 to get a 10% discount when you check out!  See?  You can't say I never did anything for you.

Make sure when you comment you tell those brown circle rug people they're insane.  That rug can't possibly compete with the classic beauty of the black and white squares rug!

Back in my younger days, before we got the internet (and we were late in getting it), I was a serious reader.  I'd go to the library, come out with a stack of 14 books, and be back next month for 14 more.  I was a serious reading junkie, even though I wasn't big on things like studying math or working out.  I read the unabridged version of The Stand in one marathon session. 

Then, I went to college.  Upon entering the hallowed halls of the Academy, my love of learning was killed, and my desire to read books was smashed beneath the weight of Foucault and Derrida.  I started college in 1999, and it wasn't until I had some traveling to do that I actually picked up more than the occasional dog-eared copy of a Chuck Palahniuk or Stephen King novel before I actually tried reading a new author, and tried reading for fun once again. I'm reading the book now, actually, but I have something else to add to the list.

Harper Collins Publishers and author Neil Gaiman have gotten together and discussed things, and as an experiment, for the rest of the month (March) you can read Neil Gaiman's American Gods for free over here.  It might not be your cup of tea, but I love his graphic novels, so I figure I'd pass it along to you guys.  I've gotten rave reviews from friends, so maybe you and I can read it together and discuss it, Shaktronics reader.

Thanks to Newscoma for the tip!

The catch is the game, Left Behind:  Eternal Forces, is a game based on the Left Behind book series that I've never read, and you have to pay $5 or so shipping, given on whether you get the direct download or the hard copy version.  The first 1 million are free after shipping, so check out the deal over at Joystiq. 

Left Behind is essentially the story of all the people left behind after the Biblical apocalypse, which has proven to be a wildly popular book series.  That's about all I know about it, since I was never really interested in reading the books.  I know other people who have, and apparently they're pretty good, so maybe one day I'll get around to checking them out.  But a free game?  I'll check that out all day long!

I just hope i don't end up on any more mailing lists because of my inability to resist real-time strategy games of any sort.  Have any of you played this game out there in Internet land?  Did I just waste $5 because Kotaku and Wired said the game was actually good?

It's short notice, I know, but I got this information in the mail today and I just had to pass it along to you guys. 

I saw Ron Hogan's post yesterday about bargain hunting, and I wanted to let you guys know about what could very well be the best bargain in home electronics at the moment - LG's online video contest - which is giving away over $30,000 in prizes including a grand prize worth more than $18,000 in cutting-edge products.  Thing is, the deadline is this Saturday, Nov. 10, so there's not much time left to enter.

Just a quick reminder of the contest details:  "Life's Good When..." asks people to submit short videos (15-30 seconds) that express a moment, feeling, or experience that has made life good for them. So basically, anything goes!

You can find more info about the rules and prize packages at http://www.lgvideocontest.com/ and to view or submit videos, check out http://www.youtube.com/lgvideocontest

Here's one of my favorite entries to get you ready for the contest.  It's not much time, but hopefully you guys can do something great with the day you've got.

Good luck!

Congratulation to Deb from Debmomof3girls! She is the new owner of our giveaway product the  Rocketfish TM Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse.

At the beginning of this month I was contacted to review Best Buy's wireless keyboard and laser mouse. Rocketfish is Best Buy's internal technology brand.

The first thing that I was impressed by was the ease of installation. Simply, plug in the USB Bluetooth device and your on your way. After installing the included CD, the mouse and keyboard pair automatically.

The next thing I noticed was the easy touch to the keyboard keys. It has a very sleek, flat design that is easy and comfortable on the wrists. I actually noticed myself typing faster and more accurately with this keyboard than with my previous big name one. This keyboard is lightweight at 1.6lbs and the mouse weighs only 3.2 oz. The range is also a plus reaching as far as 60'.

Now for the fun stuff....The Bluetooth technology actually acts as a hub, providing instant access to music, the internet and more. You can even transfer photos to your Bluetooth enabled phones. The mouse, in addition to a scroll wheel, offers control buttons for media commands. All of this and more with NO WIRES!

I have to say I highly recommend this product. So much so that I will be purchasing one for myself immediately. I can't bare going back to my old one! If you are in need of a new keyboard, this has an affordable retail price of $99.00 at Best Buy.com and is well worth every penny.

Congratulations again Deb! Hope you enjoy this product as much as I do.

ANOTHER TERRIFIC SHAKTRONICS GIVEAWAY!!!!!!! October 2-30th

I am so excited to bring you yet another Shaktronics giveaway! This is such a cool product. It is a  Rocketfish™ Wireless Multimedia Bluetooth Keyboard and Laser Mouse Combo. Rocketfish™ is part of Best Buy's internal brand.

Here is all you have to do to enter:

*Leave a comment on this post about your newest technology purchase. There will be other posts that refer to the Shaktronics Giveaway but only comments left on this post will count as an entry.
*Link back to this post using the "Another Shaktronics Giveaway" banner in a post on your blog or site.
*If you do not have a blog, leave your e-mail address and tell your friends. 
*All comments must be entered by midnight, October 30th.

The President of Shak Media, Kathy Helbig, is currently using this product and reviewing it. We will announce the winner in a post on October 31st along with her findings about the product for our readers and winner.

(This is a "sticky" post and will remain at the top of the page for the duration of our Shaktronics giveaway, but new posts will be written daily and published underneath this post).

I know that you have all seen Oprah show. How about the show of her "favorite things" giveaway where she gives gifts to everyone in her audience. Well, I wish I was giving everyone that entered a new webcam, but unfortunately there can only be one winner.

Are you ready??? The winner of the pink Hue HD webcam issssssss....... Fidget from Finding Yourself Despite Yourself.

Congratulations from The Shakadoo Team on your big win. You will now be able to have a blast talking with people via webcam.

Thanks to everyone that entered the contest. Be sure to check back often for lots more fun giveaways.

Free one year subscription to Electronic Gaming Monthly Magazine

What are you still doing here? Go! Go! Free magazine!

They’re giving away 30,000 1-year subscriptions, no credit card requires, no billing, no automatic renewal. There’s no catch, and you even have to opt-in should you wish to continue receiving the magazine after your year is up.

Don’t thank me; thank Joystiq and Ziff-Davis.

Webcam Giveaway With Shaktronics September 7th - September 23rd.

Whether you're connecting with family & friends or updating your weekly vlog, the CLIQUE HUE HD WEBCAM is a simple and vibrant way to express yourself. Social media is going like gangbusters and people from all over are looking for ways to promote themselves and their businesses....

"HUE's™ innovative & versatile design allows positioning like never before. Whether you're on the go or at your desk, HUE™ has a solution. Leave HUE™ in its base or remove it and plug right into your notebook for optimal mobility. HUE™ comes in an array of colors to match any personality and taste, while maintaining exceptional video quality and superior sound with its 1.3 MPX sensor, built-in microphone and noise reduction technology. With HUE's™ one-touch snapshot button, digital photography becomes effortless. Integrating state-of-the-art technology with intelligent design put HUE™ in a class of its own."

We are giving away 1 of these awesome Webcams in the hottest color, pink! All you have to do is leave a comment letting us know what your favorite electronic device is, and you will be entered to win. This contest runs from Friday, September 7th until midnight, September 23rd. The winner will be announced in a "winner's post" as well as notified by e-mail on Monday, September 24th. Good Luck!