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Growing Up Geek: Michael Gorman
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have our very own Senior Associate Editor, Michael Gorman. "Weak! Eye! Double-eye cry! Cheap, to the weak, to the la-la land!" That bit of condescending gibberish was the haunting chorus of victory (or defeat) of many of my childhood football and basketball games in Decatur, Alabama. Often, it was followed by a kind of taunting circle where the winners would dance around chanting in unison "CRY!" (clap, clap... clap) "CRY!" (clap, clap... clap) "CRY!", while the losers fumed and demanded a rematch. I spent time on both sides of that win / loss equation, and the picture you see above is one of the occasions that I came out on top. It's the aftermath of the annual football tournament played among the four fifth grade classes at Gordon-Bibb Elementary for the right to call themselves Turkey Bowl Champions. That's me, the kid in the middle grabbing a knee, and I remember catching a long touchdown in that game in spite of my attire -- stonewashed jeans and turtlenecks were the Under Armor of the 90s, I swear. The bomb was hurled my way by my teammate, Philip Rivers (also kneeling, front left), who you may recognize as the Pro Bowl quarterback of the San Diego Chargers. Needless to say, our win that day was due in large part to his talents, and while he has gone on to professional gridiron glory, my skills were better suited for activities off the field.
Open the Mac App Store in your browser
I was up late last night building a Mac App Store scraper. In the process I discovered how to browse the store in Safari. Without further ado, let me share the geek. It turns out you can spoof curl with the Mac App Store user agent to access its data. You'll need to use Terminal for this trick, so if you're uncomfortable with the command line, it's sort of time to skip to the next post. Still here? Good, let's go. First, grab and open New & Noteworthy page with the following commands: curl -silent -A "iMacAppStore/1.0.1 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.6.7; en) AppleWebKit/533.20.25" 'http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewGrouping?id=29526&mt=12' > ~/Desktop/foo.html; open ~/Desktop/foo.html Conversely, just open the front page: curl -silent -A "iMacAppStore/1.0.1 (Macintosh; U; Intel Mac OS X 10.6.7; en) AppleWebKit/533.20.25" 'http://itunes.apple.com/us/genre/mac/id39?mt=12' > ~/Desktop/foo.html; open ~/Desktop/foo.html The front page doesn't always want to open properly, but if you load another primary page like New & Noteworthy first, it usually loads the way you're looking for. Some will want to ignore the HTTP status that appears at the top of the webpage -- but they'll probably be using the App itself, so it shouldn't be a problem for everyone else. Have fun!
The Road to Mordor: A talk with the crew of The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers
Buzz has been increasing about an intriguing independent film that looks to blend Tolkien love, geek pride, and Lord of the Rings Online fandom into one epic adventure. Called The Fellows Hip: Rise of the Gamers, this movie is about a group of friends who undertake a journey to a convention in order to participate in a LotRO gaming competition (and stick it to some bullies while they're at it). Many blogs, such as LOTRO Reporter and A Casual Stroll to Mordor, have promoted this up-and-coming film, and after seeing the trailer, we too became fascinated with what could be a fun movie that puts MMO gaming front and center. One may not simply walk into Mordor, but with the right connections, one could phone the folks up there. We got on the line with three crew members for The Fellows Hip -- Ron Newcomb (producer, director and writer), Scott Mathais (producer and writer), and Shane McClung (producer) -- to see just what type of lovable insanity would cause a group of people to throw together such a movie.
Fully working Super8 film projector built totally out of Lego, well almost (video)
Projecting Super8 film is a largely unnecessary hassle these days, but those words are clearly meaningless to camera nut Friedemann Wachsmuth. His painstakingly constructed Lego projector runs at a rickety 24fps without mangling celluloid, and with only the most minor use of non-Lego components (lens, lamp, spindles, bah who's counting?). The contraption serves no purpose other than to hurl photons of pure geek passion at white-ish walls, and previous Lego viewfinders and shutter releases are mere pecks on the cheek by comparison. Turn up your volume before you hit the video because the rattliness of this thing is all part of the love.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: INQ chief says Android is too geeky for 'pretty girls'
Take one dose of improper generalization, mix it in with a heaping of condescension, and then add a pinch of good old sexism. What do you get? This quote, coming from Frank Meehan, CEO of the Android handset-making INQ: "If you go to a nightclub in any city in the world, the pretty girl has an iPhone or a BlackBerry. She doesn't have an Android phone. She has no emotional attachment to an Android phone. It's too complicated. It's a geek device, it's all wrong." Now, before you go emailing him photos of the Android tattoo girl, there is undeniably some smidgen of truth to the man's words. Android is a geek's dream ecosystem and it's not necessarily the most accessible platform in the world, but to completely write it off for the nightclub-going lady demographic doesn't strike us -- or Justin Timberlake, or Chad Ochocinco -- as the most astute idea in the world. [Thanks, AC]
Breakfast Topic: What makes a WoW geek?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. During the BlizzCon 2010 opening ceremonies, Chris Metzen spoke about the power of words, particularly focusing on one: "geek." He then followed up with a montage of what the word meant to him. Chris's dialogue was about what brings us together as geeks, celebrating common factors we all share as a community. This of course got me thinking, what does "geek" mean to me? More pointedly, what does it mean to me in the World of Warcraft? What great accomplishments have brought me closer to my community? Raid achievements come to mind, such as obtaining the Hand of A'dal title as a guild an expansion ago (or two). But there are some things I consider elite -- and therefore geekier -- that set my fellow community members on top of what I consider the geek pedestal: The Loremaster title -- definitely my chart-topper for geekdom. Kudos to you! Anyone who has completed the Scepter of the Shifting Sands quest chain. The Black Qiraji Battle Tank mount and Scarab Lord title. This was a whole server-wide event that brought the players together as a community toward one common goal: opening the gates of Ahn'Qiraj. I think this epitomizes the celebratory meaning of geek. Obtaining a legendary item -- this also involves a group working toward a common goal, strengthening our sense of community. What does "geek" mean to you? Is it that elusive title? A rare pet or mount? Perhaps something that isn't even obtainable anymore, or something that was added in Cataclysm. What do you think brings us closer as a community or find celebratory of geekdom in WoW?
Kindle ad goes on the offensive against the iPad
Amazon's taken a leaf out of Apple's advertising book (Mac vs PC, anyone?) by going head to head with the iPad maker in the most recent Kindle television ad. Most noticeably, the spot delivers a low blow to the iPad's comparatively poor screen visibility in direct sunlight. As far as ads go it's rather ingenious, taking some of the best tricks out of the old advertising, uh, book. In short, a guy sunbathes in a gray t-shirt (geeky), but can't quite read his "iPad" due to the sunlight. On the deck chair next to him lies a beautiful, bikini clad woman sunbathing while reading her Kindle with a pair of sunglasses on! The geeky guy asks the beautiful woman how she's reading in the sunlight, she confidently responds by saying, "it's a Kindle," and points out that the Kindle cost less than her sunglasses did. The geeky guy is left the inadequate fool. Struggling to read further, he enviously looks over at the beautiful woman while she smirks and carries on reading her Kindle. As a guy, it's pretty hard to watch that and not think, "I want that." (I'm talking about the Kindle, aren't you?) Recently I had a conversation with a friend who has an iPhone and a MacBook Pro. He's been in the market for an iPad for some time, but at the last minute he decided to go for the Kindle instead. A tad confused by his last minute change in direction, I asked him why. He noted to me that his iPhone does everything he needs it to do (web browsing, email, apps etc), so getting an iPad would only double up on what he's already got. As for reading e-books, he continued, the Kindle is substantially cheaper and arguably easier to read. I guess it's horses for courses. I know I'd go for the iPad, but I have different needs / wants as to what my friend does. Amazon's new iteration of the Kindle was released earlier this month. Having seen the ad, and being that you're likely a Mac fan since you're reading this on TUAW, what would you go for? Let's have our own little Kindle vs. iPad face-off poll. %Poll-52999% P.S. Check out the parody response to the ad in the continuation of this post. Worth a watch!
Breakfast Topic: Are you a closet nerd or a flag-waving nerd?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW.com. We all know about the idea of the overweight, basement-dwelling virgin, the idea that gamers and comic book nerds all look like the comic book guy from The Simpsons. Many of us know that is not the case. You even see people in trade chat calling each other "nerds" and "virgins," although the inevitable response of calling someone else a nerd in WoW is laughable. In my guild alone, we have a lawyer, an author and a chef, along with many happily married people with children. Some are openly proud of their nerdiness; some try to argue they aren't nerds over Vent. My girlfriend hides her geek from a lot of her friends. She watches anime, is a gamer and even dresses up for our local comic book convention, but many of her friends and work associates have no idea about this side of her. Me, on the other hand -- I let the geek flag fly. I wear my gamer T-shirts. I talk openly about WoW and other games with my friends. I still complain about the fact Firefly never got a second season.
Woz coming to the Big Bang Theory
Our own Steve Wozniak is scheduled to appear on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory sometime later this year, the cast and crew told an audience at their Comic-Con panel this weekend. Woz is already no stranger to television, of course, but I think this is the first time he's appeared on a non-reality show, so we'll get to take a look at the guy's acting chops. There weren't any details on who he'd be playing (presumably himself), or how he came into contact with the show's four nerdy scientists and/or their pretty neighbor. I like the Big Bang Theory -- while it does succumb to the sitcom genre's usually corny conventions, it's a pretty smart show, and the nerd references are sincere and constant (geekstar Wil Wheaton has also appeared on the show a few times, and I remember seeing Firefly's Summer Glau and BSG's Katee Sackhoff on there as well). Plus, it's always great to see Woz out and about -- we'll keep an eye out for his appearance on the show's season four this year.
Shocker: Geeks more likely to be bullied
Sadly, a review of scientific literature shows things don't quite play out as per the picture above. Analyzing 153 studies, researchers at two universities noted that bullies and their victims actually have a few things in common -- namely, poor social coping skills and negative attitudes -- it was the children with poor academic performance who were more likely to beat up on their nerdy brethren down the road. Still, we suppose it never hurts to double-check your firewall, eh?
Growing Up Geek: Veronica Belmont
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, a new feature where we take a look back at our youth, and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. We're happy to kick off the series with Veronica Belmont. I was born in the year of the ColecoVision. This isn't that unusual or interesting until you factor in that my mother was a VP at Coleco at that time. OK, well, it's still probably not that interesting unless you're me and trying to figure out the defining moments that turned you into a "geeky" adult. An abundance of video games, toys, puzzles, board games... it's a pretty awesome environment to grow up in, especially for a kid whose father also happened to work in the toy industry (he was an engineer for Hasbro in those days). For me, it was just totally normal to walk into the living room and see a pile of toys on the floor, in varying states of production and disarray. I'd take them apart, put them back together, and spend hours trying to find different ways to destroy them. Things haven't changed too much.
Found Footage: Sir Patrick Stewart adores his iPhone
Don't even bother questioning why there is video of Jean-Luc Picard bashing Twitter and talking about his love for the iPhone, just watch and enjoy. Okay, okay, it's from a PBS interview designed to promote some of their Shakespeare programming, but that doesn't matter, really. All that matters is that Sir Patrick Stewart calls his "beautiful" iPhone "an extension of whom I am," in the way that only he can. He also bashes gaming, but only because he says it's extremely addictive, so we'll let that one slide. Here's the really important question: Has anyone pointed out the Star Trek phaser [iTunes link] to him yet? What apps (besides the weather one, we guess) does he run on a daily basis? [via iPhone Savior]
Palm's Jon Rubinstein named a 'Geek of the Year'
Just to clarify right out of the gate, the "year" Fast Company is referring to is 2009, but nonetheless, it's an award we're sure Jon is happy to have. 11 geeks were found worthy of the "Geek of the Year" award in '09, with the likes of Evan Williams and Biz Stone (Twitter), David S. Goyer (the creator of Flash Forward on ABC), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Neill Blomkamp (the writer of District 9) joining him. The justification for Jon making the cut? "He came on board as the new chairman of Palm and brought about the Web OS and the Palm Pre, the start of a line of products that is the best hope for reintroducing the geek masses to Palm." After speaking with him on our first-ever Engadget Show and falling head over heels in love with webOS, we can't help but agree. And yes, after last year's introduction at CES, it's all we can do to contain our excitement for this Thursday.
Breakfast Topic: They just don't get it...
Geekdom is much like any other group of people. There are movies, music, and literature which are considered classics and are generally accepted as having been seen, heard, or read by everyone at one point or another. Some of these are so accepted as classics that the idea someone is unfamiliar with them is simply "inconceivable" and we are left shocked when this occurs. Unfortunately, one of our own staff seems uninitiated in such classics.While discussing some of the quests coming up in patch 3.3, we'd made a joke referencing the Knights who say "Ni!" from Monty Python's Holy Grail. Our own Matt Low mentioned that he didn't get whatever inside joke we were making. Much to our dismay, he had never seen the movie or any Monty Python for that matter. Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords for daily quests wouldn't get a chuckle from him. Terry Palin in Elwynn Forest quoting the lumberjack song is also lost on him. He wouldn't even be that concerned about eating the Crunchy Frog available from Darkmoon Faire because he wouldn't know that it contained crunchy, raw, unboned, real, dead frog instead of an almond whirl.With the vast number of pop culture references scattered in World of Warcraft, it's sad when any are lost on its players. What obscure references have you found in the game that you've enjoyed or other people have completely missed?
R2D2 turned into retro gaming shrine, includes head-mounted projector
We don't know exactly how to say this without overloading your nerd subsystem, but this R2D2 unit packs eight consoles, an integrated sound system and a projector for throwing your Jet Grind Radio sessions onto a wall. The only extras you'll need are the masses of controllers you see above and the steady constitution to not erupt into geek euphoria. Popular Science reader Brian De Vitis is the man you have to thank for this splicing of console goodness, and he's been kind enough to also provide a picture of the R2's mobo-laden innards. It awaits just past the break. [Via Hack N Mod]
Free Comic Book Day is coming: how your iPhone can help
Tomorrow, as Naven Johnson might say, "The free comics are here! The free comics are here!" Because tomorrow is Free Comic Book Day, one glorious Saturday when comic shops are filled with titles specifically for giving away to just anyone in order to perhaps lure in some brand new folks and maybe get back some fans who have lost touch over time. Either way it's a prime opportunity for you to let your Geek Flag fly. I assure you, there's nothing like a personal Stormtrooper escort walking you to your car and one of the few opportunities you have for that (locally) is tomorrow. There are a fair number of comic book stores around here, not to mention Dark Horse Comics World Headquarters, the source of All Star Wars Comics Including Those Manga Ones (or as I like to call it, One Reason Kelly Will Never Leave Portland). What's that you say? You don't know where your local comic book stores are? Have no fear! Today iVerse Media (creators of those Star Trek Comics in the App Store) released the free iPhone app Comic Shop Locator [iTunes] for just this purpose! You can enter your zip code or let the app use your location and it will give you the three closest shops (in the USA). Tap one and you can either see it in Maps, or give them a call. Not only is this handy if you don't spend a lot of time in comic shops, but if you happen to be in an unfamiliar city you can still find out where to pick up the new Aliens/Predator or that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 25th Anniversary Reprint you've been looking for. A list of events for tomorrow is also online for your perusal. I hope there's something awesome happening near you!
Handmade tile necklaces feature WoW sayings
Reader Randy N. sent a link to these tile necklaces along to us, and they look awesome. They're made by a husband/wife team in New Mexico, and they're made from Scrabble tiles (the back apparently still has the letter on it) coated in a glassy glaze, with an assortment of colors and sayings. Very nice -- could be just the thing for someone who's a fan of Warcraft and handmade jewelry in your life.They're $9.99 apiece with free shipping, which is not too bad. And if that's too much and you want to try making them yourself, they've even got a tutorial on how it's done right there on the site. We do have one issue, though -- these pretty pendants and cute crafts are fine for the ladies and all, but what about us dudes? Maybe we can get some "pwned" or "woot" cufflinks?
Felicia Day teaches Jimmy Fallon about World of Warcraft
I'm back and forth on Jimmy Fallon -- when NBC first announced that he was taking over the great Conan O'Brien's late night spot, I wasn't real impressed. But since then, you can't say he hasn't worked for it -- the show, which isn't even on the air yet, has been blogging and running all over the country to drum up some interest (including a little gig with the guys at sister site Engadget), and their latest stop takes then to the abode of our good friend Felicia Day to play World of Warcraft.As you can see above, Fallon isn't much for Azeroth -- while Felicia is rocking a pretty hardcore Warlock, Jimmy still has a tough time getting past the character creation screen. But he did drum at least one laugh out of me (which is one more than he ever got from me on SNL), so well done. I very much agree with the commenters on the blog -- if he can keep the show technology and geek-focused like this (and maybe get at least one character up to level 30 -- all Felicia had to do was say "roll on a PvE server," right?), he might have a chance at filling Conan's shoes.Thanks to everyone who sent this in!
Clothe your outer geek with the new JiNX fall shirtage
J!NX unveiled its new fall line of clothing (read: mostly geek shirts, and a few hoodies) during the clamorous din of PAX, and we thought we'd pass it along to you. They don't have much directly in the way of video gaming except for the old-school shirt above, but it's pretty darn 8-bitty. So, it's you're looking for more geekwear, hit the link and start shopping. Although, are geek t-shirts about to hit the "enough already" stage? It seems like everywhere you go there's a "Wish You Were Beer," or a "Darth Vader Does It On The Dark Side" shirt. In the future, archaeologists will dig up people clothed in these shirts and think we were either highly evolved, or incredibly stupid.
Keyboard-infused pants make it okay to grab your crotch
Okay, so maybe tapping that space bar repeatedly in mixed company wouldn't be entirely appropriate, but if you've actually managed to mingle with fellow civilians while rocking these, they aren't likely to mind. Dreamed up and designed by Erik De Nijs, these über-geeky pants boast a built-in keyboard that's apparently Bluetooth-enabled. Beyond that, you'll also find sewn in speakers, a pocket made especially for travel mice of all flavors and a "joystick controller" strategically located just behind the front zipper (saywha?). Hate all you like, we just penned this very post on a pair of these bad boys. Only kidding. [Thanks, Hans]
