GEEKING OUT! A places for nerds, geeks & freaks

[Hollylane]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/7865_563781420333706_1117348999_n.jpg

[Bad_boi]

I just built a new deck for myself. I am still tweaking it and figuring out what I want to do and how it is going to work.

If only we could play online for free.

[tomboystud]

If only we could play online for free.

I agree......pretty soon m14 will be out and I am not excited for m13 to be leaving me.......I am going to miss Thragtusk.

[Bad_boi]

I agree......pretty soon m14 will be out and I am not excited for m13 to be leaving me.......I am going to miss Thragtusk.

Are you a tourney player?

[MsBluem]

So uh did everyone hear that there's going to be a new Cosmos (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos:_A_Space-Time_Odyssey) series next year, presented by Neil DeGrasse Tyson and made by a team including Ann Druyan (Carl Sagan's widow) and Seth MacFarlane? I don't immediately recall if I or someone else already mentioned it here.

Also, no comments on Undertale (http://undertale.com/)? Really? I know games can be intimidating to non-gamers, but it's a free (the STORE link is presently for the soundtrack), roughly half-hour demo (though one with multiple endings that reward playing it more than once) that has both an instruction booklet (with pictures!) and a particularly gentle learning curve, will run even on old and low-end Windows PCs, and is already swimming in rave reviews after just a few weeks. Also the music is pretty great. And like I say, don't let the initial cutesy, children's-story-like intro mislead you.

I found out about Neil doing the Cosmos reboot through his Star Talk podcast and was instantly excited. He is the only person I feel comfortable with being the project's "face." I hope it's as awesome as I think it will be.


In other news...

I'm killing time at work and can't really skim the entire thread, show of hands for Whovians?

[tomboystud]

Are you a tourney player?

I sometimes play in tournaments. I usually play Friday night.

[thedivahrrrself]

I found out about Neil doing the Cosmos reboot through his Star Talk podcast and was instantly excited. He is the only person I feel comfortable with being the project's "face." I hope it's as awesome as I think it will be.


In other news...

I'm killing time at work and can't really skim the entire thread, show of hands for Whovians?



Who!!!

I ♥ Daleks

[tomboystud]

Anyone seen Man of Steel yet? I have already seen it twice. There are a few Easter Eggs in it and I have found two. I am also currently rewatching Game of Thrones. The PS4 and XboxOne have been priced what are everyone's thought on that? I am definitely getting a PS4. Xbox not supporting used games is going to hurt them.

[NerdieGirl]

Anyone seen Man of Steel yet? I have already seen it twice. There are a few Easter Eggs in it and I have found two. I am also currently rewatching Game of Thrones. The PS4 and XboxOne have been priced what are everyone's thought on that? I am definitely getting a PS4. Xbox not supporting used games is going to hurt them.


I have no desire to see Man of Steel, but I too am rewatching GoT. I just finished the last available book, also. I really enjoy this series!

Mock all you want, I am SUPER excited for the next Hunger Games movie to come out later this year!

[thedivahrrrself]

Anyone seen Man of Steel yet? I have already seen it twice. There are a few Easter Eggs in it and I have found two. I am also currently rewatching Game of Thrones. The PS4 and XboxOne have been priced what are everyone's thought on that? I am definitely getting a PS4. Xbox not supporting used games is going to hurt them.

I heard someone say Man of Steel was just OK

I'm fine with my current gaming system, I think. I mainly use it for parties.

I have to be careful with games, because I get too into them and end up wasting a lot of time! And my time is very valuable these days

[tomboystud]

I have no desire to see Man of Steel, but I too am rewatching GoT. I just finished the last available book, also. I really enjoy this series!

Mock all you want, I am SUPER excited for the next Hunger Games movie to come out later this year!

Hunger Games was an amazing read. Divergent is good as well.

[tomboystud]

I heard someone say Man of Steel was just OK

I'm fine with my current gaming system, I think. I mainly use it for parties.

I have to be careful with games, because I get too into them and end up wasting a lot of time! And my time is very valuable these days

I enjoyed Man of Steel. I hear you about the wasting time, but I have had a system since Atari. I am excited to see what limits these systems get pushed to and how the next gen looks.

[thedivahrrrself]

http://www.sheldonsfans.com/thumbs/233.jpg

[Allison W]

Anyone seen Man of Steel yet? I have already seen it twice. There are a few Easter Eggs in it and I have found two. I am also currently rewatching Game of Thrones. The PS4 and XboxOne have been priced what are everyone's thought on that? I am definitely getting a PS4. Xbox not supporting used games is going to hurt them.

The XBox One can jump in a lake. Not just because of the used games thing; I'm already a big fan of Steam, which is a digital distribution service that ties purchases to an account. But the thing with the Kinect spying on you is just bloody creepy. Even I have my limits.

I also won't be getting a PS4 right away. I'm not interested in the details of the system (except perhaps for holyshitwhatthehell stuff like the XBone's Kinect), only the games that will be released for it. If games come out for it that I happen to want, then it'll go on my list, though I may wait for a price drop. In the meantime, I'm actually more likely to get a PS3 after the price drop that will inevitably hit once the PS4 is released, since there's a title I want for it that's coming out later this summer/this fall and... yeah I'm not gonna talk about it here because I'm honestly kind of ashamed of myself but anyway.

I have a Wii U. Feel free to laugh, but this is because I buy systems for the games that are on them. If you are about to say "But there are no games for the Wii U," my counterargument is "Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate," which I've already played for a couple hundred hours or so. The 3DS is also starting to get tempting, what with Animal Crossing: New Leaf coming out and the announcement of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between and Yoshi's New Island. As a kid I played the ever-loving daylights out of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Yoshi's Island, so direct sequels to them after all these years definitely holds a lot of appeal to me.

[thedivahrrrself]

The XBox One can jump in a lake. Not just because of the used games thing; I'm already a big fan of Steam, which is a digital distribution service that ties purchases to an account. But the thing with the Kinect spying on you is just bloody creepy. Even I have my limits.


Everyone called me paranoid for keeping an envelope over the camera when it was turned off.... who's laughing now??

I keep that thing completely unplugged from the console these days.

[MsBluem]

idp6wjqG674



I can't wait.


I squealed so loud I'm pretty sure my neighbors heard me the first time I watched this trailer.

[Bad_boi]

I usually stick to modern, casual or drafts. Standard is too pricey.

[UofMfan]

Man of Steel was OK, unless you are 15 then of course it may be awesome.

It had one too many fights and way too much destruction. I mean seriously it got to the point where you just rolled your eyes.

I must say the new man of Steel is quite a sight. I watched it with a few of my gay friends and we all thought he was hot, so that may be another reason to go see it.

Other than than, I'll leave you with this. It's funny!

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/translator08/Cantcountmanofsteel.jpg

[thedivahrrrself]

This had me doubled over laughing!! Give it about 25 seconds before it gets good...

m0nS8u6Td5I

[MsBluem]

This had me doubled over laughing!! Give it about 25 seconds before it gets good...

m0nS8u6Td5I

holy cow, you weren't kidding. hilarious!

[lilapache]

ok things like this... is why i find you sooooo AWESOME!!!! *laughs*

This had me doubled over laughing!! Give it about 25 seconds before it gets good...

m0nS8u6Td5I

[MsBluem]

Any Ghost World/Daniel Clowes fans out there? There's a good chance I'm going to his exhibit in Chicago this weekend and I'm beyond excited.

[Hollylane]

idp6wjqG674



I can't wait.

I re-read the book a few months ago, and this looks to be following the book pretty closely. It gave me goosebumps, and my inner (mostly outer)child squealed loud enough to make my head hurt. I want to watch it NOW!!!

[NerdieGirl]

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/10239_514167411984073_1849261882_n.jpg

[Kelt]

It's steampunk and Legos!

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18rmy51a9bzgtpng/ku-xlarge.png

And it walks liked a really creepy bug thingy! :cheesy:

b5E-VyQOfNM

[thedivahrrrself]

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/419404_545837888792633_2041795481_n.jpg

[Hollylane]

http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/288424/slide_288424_2266718_free.jpg?1364312928534

[thedivahrrrself]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/1010757_381288638649454_1948833593_n.jpg

[Kelt]

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18s5u2184iuaxjpg/k-bigpic.jpg

[MsBluem]

I've mentioned it a couple other places but I GOT THE SPECIAL EDITION DOCTOR WHO 50TH ANNIVERSARY STAMPS.

They come in a fancy package with all sorts of fun info.

I was so excited to see them. Unexpected presents rule.

[thedivahrrrself]

http://i2.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/explain-got.gif?resize=600%2C600

[thedivahrrrself]

http://i0.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/quantum.jpg?w=640

[thedivahrrrself]

http://i1.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/wheelchair.jpg?resize=600%2C803

[thedivahrrrself]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1064659_384646381647013_2081343849_o.jpg

[UofMfan]

ZXSSBu9uKrM

[thedivahrrrself]

ZXSSBu9uKrM

A vigil, for the characters we loved:

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgLady (Sansa's direworlf)

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgMycah (the little boy Arya was playing with)

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgLuwin (the old guy who took care of the Stark boys)

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgRos (everyone's favorite whore, recently killed by the evil Joffrey)

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgJeor Mormont (Jorah's father and Lord Commander of the Night's Watch)

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgDrogo and Rhaego

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgKing Robert

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgNed Stark

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgRenly Baratheon

https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpgRobb Stark and Talisa and baby Eddard

and of course, the beautiful and strong https://profile-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hprofile-frc3/592191_425688044183047_1758390595_q.jpg Lady Catelyn
http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcxz3rZ6jC1qm7005o1_500.jpg


Feel free to add your own grievings....

[thedivahrrrself]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1044437_386342724810712_637968628_n.jpg


I might not have put Batman in with these Epics...

[tonaderspeisung]

did anyone else use the konami code on the british vogue website - it amused my inner geek to no end

[thedivahrrrself]

http://i1.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/scientists-comic.jpg?resize=610%2C610

[deb_U_taunt]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_82jYjcjk6wM/SxVoOfmTFYI/AAAAAAAABuA/8VJYWo_aoOc/s400/caveman_invention_geek_653015.jpg

[*Anya*]

No Touching! An Arrested Development Quiz from Geeks Who Drink

Category: Other
When: Saturday, July 20, 2013 5:00 pm

How: Official Website
Cost: $5.00

What/Why: And now the story of a wealthy family whose future was abruptly canceled, and the one quiz company who had no choice but to hope there'd be a fourth season worth of material to ask about.

It's Geeks Who Drink's 'Arrested Development'... quiz.

This July Geeks Who Drink is delving back into the world of the Bluths in the wake of the highly anticipated Netflix-supplied fourth season with NO TOUCHING, our third Arrested Development Quiz.

Sure, you may have napped during the George Sr. parts, but by now most 'Arrested Development' geeks already know how many episodes featured an ostrich, which characters played The Thing in Tobias' Fantastic Four musical, and the names of the three woodblock apps on the iTunes store. This is your team's chance to show off and win a cash prize of anywhere between $200 and $500!

LEGAL NOTE: In some jurisdictions "cash prize" may be awarded in the form of Babytock devices.

As always, teams are limited to six players, and there's an admission fee of $5 per player. The quiz won't be entirely Season 4, though. We'll have plenty of questions from the first three seasons, so get ready for your second (or third) rewatch of the year. Also, we're not just tooting our own horn when we say this was the most popular quiz event of last year, but this was the most popular quiz event of last year with thousands of attendees across the country. You don't need to camp out or anything crazy, but plan to get there at least an hour or so ahead of time so that you don't miss out on all the cornholing action.

Never been to one of our themed quizzes before? Read the FAQs below so you know what to expect!

Oh, and here's the trailer for the event:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AVzj5QAXgXI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3F%26v%3DAVzj5QAXgXI

QUIZ LOCATIONS

ALBUQUERQUE
O'Niell's Pub (Heights) (9pm) | 3301 Juan Tabo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111

AUSTIN
Opal Divine's Penn Field (10pm) | 3601 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX | (512) 707-0237

BOSTON
Common Ground* (5pm) | 85 Harvard Avenue, Allston, MA | (617) 783-2071

CHICAGO, IL
Pitchfork Food and Saloon (2pm) | 2922 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL | (773) 866-2010

COSTA MESA, CA
Durty Nelly's (5pm) | 2915 Red Hill Avenue G101, Costa Mesa, CA | (714) 957-1951

DALLAS/FORT WORTH
West End Pub (7:30pm) | 1801 North Lamar Street #100, Dallas, TX | (214) 748-5711

DENVER
Moe's BBQ (Englewood) (5pm) | 3295 S Broadway, Englewood, CO 80113

GLENDALE, CA
Complex (Doors at 4, quiz at 5:30pm) | 806 Colorado Street, Glendale, CA | (323) 642-7519

HOUSTON, TX
Lucky Strike Lanes (6pm) | 1201 San Jacinto Street, Houston, TX | (713) 343-3300

KANSAS CITY, MO
Charlie Hoopers (3pm) | 12 West 63rd Street, Kansas City, MO | (816) 361-8841

KNOXVILLE, TN
Preservation Pub (5pm) | 28 Market Square, Knoxville, TN | (865) 524-2224

MADISON, WI
Buck and Badger (3pm) | 115 State Street, Madison, WI | (608) 230-7999

NEW ORLEANS
Bruno's Tavern (7pm) | 7538 Maple St New Orleans, LA 70118

PITTSBURGH
James Street Gastropub (7pm) | 422 Foreland Street, Pittsburgh, PA | (412) 904-3335

ROCHESTER, NY
Southwedge Colony (9pm) | 503 South Ave Rochester, NY 14620

SACRAMENTO
Capitol Garage (7:30pm) | 1500 K Street, Sacramento, CA | (916) 444-3633

SALT LAKE CITY
Gracie's (4pm) | 326 South West Temple, Salt Lake City, UT | (801) 819-7565

SAN ANTONIO
Firehouse Pub (5pm) 5380 Walzem Road, San Antonio, TX | (210) 946-9600

SEATTLE*
Ballard Loft (2pm) | 5105 Ballard Avenue Northwest, Seattle, WA | (206) 420-2737

TUCSON
The Canyon's Crown Restaurant and Pub (8pm) | 6958 East Tanque Verde Road, Tucson, AZ | (520) 885-8277

This list could change or be adjusted, so follow up as the event gets closer in case we updated anything.

*We may offer an additional seating for this event at this location. Stay tuned.

THEMED QUIZ FAQs

How much to play?
It's $5 per person to play (bring cash!), and we'll ask you to pay for everyone on your team before we give you quiz materials.

What's the maximum/minimum players per team?
There is no minimum, but if you want to win, you should have a fully staffed squad. Use our Facebook and Twitter to recruit. Team maximum is strictly six players, as always.

Can we play the quiz twice by traveling to another city?
No. No. And no. First of all, our themed quizzes are now on Saturdays (with the rarest of exceptions). Secondly, even if you figure out a way to cheat, don't do it. We will catch you. Again, the answer is no. We had a team who did this once, and they are cheaters. No, we're never going to let it go, thanks for asking.

Can minors play?
That's entirely up to the venue. Check with them.

Do spectators have to pay?
Yes. Yes, they do. Spectators generally have to pay for sporting events, right? This also goes for Geeks Who Drink employees that aren't working at the event.

Can my dad/girlfriend/friend sit at our table and not play? No. Six people max seated at a table and all players must pay.Can you host this at BLANK bar in BLANK city? No. We host these at venues that meet certain criteria. So, if we're not in your city, there won't be a quiz. If we're in your city, and there's no quiz, we're sorry. Feel free to let us know if you think demand is there, and maybe next time we'll get it started.

Is there a prize for second place?
Nope, this is winner take all. But second place is impressive; you should be proud.

How is the prize amount determined?
In most cases, the prize amount is 50% of the total take. Why not 100%? Because we have to cover our costs of producing and marketing these event quizzes.

Will BLANK TOPIC be covered?
Everything is fair game. Study hard. And we never give clues.

Do I need to RSVP?
Seating is first-come, first-served and there are no reservations. These things quite often sell out, so get there as early as you can to guarantee a seat.

[thedivahrrrself]

For music geeks!

I was watching Music Voyager yesterday, and it was in Hollywood, FL, of all places, covering a festival to celebrate the anniversary of the arrival of Ponce de Leon. Hollywood looks beautiful, and they are having a bit of an artistic renaissance from the looks of it.

They covered this great flamenco singer/guitar player/killer percussionist, and he was talking about collaborating with Cuban musicians. He said this was interesting because Afro-Cuban music uses a rhythmic system called clave, which goes in two-measure patterns, as opposed to the system classical musicians are used to with predictable emphasis every 1 measure and 4 measure phrases. This immediately interested me, and upon listening and drumming out a few of the beats, I was crazy fascinated!

So basically, it's like writing music in 8/4 time, which gives you some room to play with your rhythm and vary it without worrying about the every measure emphasis (on the upbeat of 1 &3 that is so popular, for instance).

If you take this even further on the melodic side, not having the 4-measure phrasing means some chord patterns can be a lot more complex and less predictable.

OK, so I just had to geek out on that for a minute. Because it totally explained why my brain has just attached itself to Cuban music for the last year or so.... the patterns are so unique and intricate, and now I know why :)

[Kelt]

275,000 Dominoes - Enjoy Your Life (Guinness World Record)

1QtdPfz_faM#at=315

[thedivahrrrself]

http://www.costumedogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/11-10-2006.jpg

http://media-cache-ec2.pinimg.com/192x/c3/77/30/c377301445b3d0fb828c962af5ae825a.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v6M6I5N-rlY/TiFruO7W9eI/AAAAAAAAP-o/hwOph-bj8a0/s1600/10+Perros+vestidos+como+personajes+de+Star+Wars+03 .jpg

[thedivahrrrself]

“You develop an instant global consciousness, a people orientation, an intense dissatisfaction with the state of the world, and a compulsion to do something about it. From out there on the moon, international politics look so petty. You want to grab a politician by the scruff of the neck and drag him a quarter of a million miles out and say, ‘Look at that, you son of a bitch.'”

― Edgar D. Mitchell


https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/946921_632261823461499_1712529065_n.jpg

[always2late]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1069406_219923118162525_427403415_n.png

[Allison W]

So I played Rogue Legacy recently. It's pretty bloody great. It's a strange side-scrolling dungeon-crawling action-RPG that doesn't take your shit, and its hook is that every time you die, instead of loading a previous save or whatever, you pick an heir from a group of three randomly generated descendants to pick up where you left off. Random gender, random name, random class, and... 0-2 random traits. Ranging from stuff like peripheral arterial disease to Alzheimer's to attention deficit disorder to hypochondria to stereo blindness to irritable bowel syndrome to nostalgia. Kind of like in real life, you don't get to hand-craft your kids and have to just kind of take them as they are, with their quirks and their choice of profession (well, eventually you can get an upgrade that lets you use mad science to reroll your kids once per generation, but that's it). Sometimes they're fat or a little potty-mouthed or are terrified of chickens or are insane or are not the profession you were hoping for or are just really tall or have an eidetic memory or are exceptionally flexible or are gay or so on, and that's OK. (Some of the traits that sound negative, like peripheral arterial disease, are actually really useful, and this amuses the stuffing out of me for some reason.)

I went through 72 goddamn generations trying to get to the throne room of that castle, and on the 72nd, Lady Faye VI, the Legendary Lich Queen, beat the final boss when she was one hit away from not going back to her wife and kids. It was pretty tense. And then I started New Game Plus mode, at the end of which Lady Stephanie VII, the Legendary Spellsword, was the one to complete the family's quest, which I imagine beat the hell out of her other potential career choice, that of putting on a jester's costume and being Stephanie the Farter, flatulist to the king.

You know what I'll just shut up and give you a link with a trailer and screenshots and a description that does it better. http://store.steampowered.com/app/241600/

[thedivahrrrself]

Ran across this on FB - ♥♥♥

https://sphotos-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/45209_613837368647939_1774815551_n.jpg

[thedivahrrrself]

10 Words That You've Probably Been Misusing (http://hellogiggles.com/10-words-that-youve-probably-been-misusing)

http://hellogiggles.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/18/Do-not-think-it-means-289x250.jpeg

[Allison W]

Just finished Brütal Legend (well, finished the campaign and got 100% on the single-player stats screen, but I haven't beaten it on Brütal difficulty or gotten all the achievements). It was pretty bloody great. I went in mostly thinking I was just going to get a world made out of metal album covers and face-melting guitar solos that actually melt faces and stuff and cameos by metal stars and other big names (the Guardian of Metal is Ozzie Osbourne, General Lionwhyte is voiced by Rob Halford of Judas Priest, the Kill Master is voiced by Lenny Kilmister of Motörhead, Rima is voiced by Lita Ford, and the demonic Emperor Doviculus is voiced by Tim Curry), and I got that and an actual narrative and characterization and excellent world-building and mythology with Titans and Metal Gods and introduced to a lot of great new metal too (the game's track list is just a bit over 100 songs, ranging from Black Sabbath to Marilyn Manson to KMFDM to Lita Ford to Dragonforce to Whitesnake to Cradle of Filth and on and on and on, and some pretty great more-obscure stuff too). Forgive that run-on sentence but there is quite a bit of awesome packed into this game.

The protagonist, Eddie Riggs, is a roadie who ends up transported back in time to the Age of Metal when his blood gets into the mouth of his belt buckle, which is actually an icon of the Fire Beast, Ormagöden. The "roadie" thing is fairly important, as a roadie's job is to take care of all the practical concerns in a music show, like stage-building and working with the crew. Part of this, in this game, is helping the leaders of the human resistance movement (long story), Lars and Lita Halford, assemble a metal army, and guiding that metal army in metal rebellion against metal oppressors like hair metal warlords and S&M demons (remember the mythology bit? imagine mythology describing how BDSM demons got into BDSM; that's actually in there). It turns out it's a game that's a lot like playing a D&D bard if D&D bards were awesome and didn't suck: a lot of the game mechanics involve helping and empowering allies rather than fighting all the battles yourself. One fine detail I noticed is that you don't get rewards (Fire Tributes from the Metal Gods, used to buy access to their secrets at Motor Forges raised by powerful guitar solos) for killing randomly encountered enemies yourself, but you do get rewards for encountering a battle between friendly and enemy forces and intervening to help your allies.

Some of the elements of this whole... working with and empowering others thing tripped up some of the earlier reviewers and players, who were expecting a hack-and-slash and not expecting that the game had mass battles with real-time-strategy elements. I knew what I was getting into, though, and it was fine; only two of the battles are actually that troublesome, and both have a trick to them that makes them easier.

One thing that did worry me at first was the matter of treatment of women, particularly at Lars's mention that the young men of the human resistance movement were enslaved in General Lionwhyte's mines and the young women had been taken to his Pleasure Tower (ugh). And then I ended up quite surprised by how it was actually handled in the end--early-game spoilers here, admittedly, but Eddie never has to lead a rescue mission for the young women like he expected, because a female character gets it arranged and taken care of well ahead of schedule. Instead of rescuing them, Eddie instead ends up arming them (with guns harvested from the local metal wildlife--you read that right) for the war against Lionwhyte, and before they join the Halfords' army, they've already developed their own group identity that isn't defined in terms of their relationship to male characters, including their own graffiti. Moreover--particularly if you speak to your units prior to major battles--the game actually appeared to understand that the attitude of women being seen as a resource or reward or otherwise as objects--"chicks 'n' booze 'n' stuff," to quote Lionwhyte's hair bangers--comes at the expense of the "chicks" in question.

Beyond the above, there are a couple of important female characters in the story that majorly affect the plot, including one who's absolutely critical to the backstory (not gonna say anymore, 'cause humongous spoilers). The game's track list includes women artists--not a whole truckload, but they're there, including original work for the game by Lita Ford (who also does voice acting in the game). I admit I would have loved to play a badass woman metal warrior rolling over the Brütal Land in a badass car with flame decals and chopping up metal oppressors with a badass axe, but failing that, I appreciate that the game actually treats women as people. (Well, I guess there were the scantily clad jungle amazons with the KISS-like face paint, whom Eddie remarked seemed like they looked like they must be awfully cold and at other times offered them t-shirts, but.)

It's going for like twenty bucks now. I snagged it on Steam while it was on sale for half that price. Worth every cent. If you're not a gamer, or don't want to deal with the RTS elements, or otherwise have no plan of actually playing it, look up the cutscenes, and possibly some of the missions/major battles on Youtube. Even people who don't like playing the game (see: real-time strategy elements) have described it as great to watch (and to listen to).

By the by, the ASCII code for a lowercase u with umlaut (ü) is ALT (hold) + 129. The code for a lowercase o with umlaut (ö) is ALT (hold) + 148. Make sure you have NumLock on.

[deb_U_taunt]

HAHAHA

http://www.buzzfeed.com/justinesharrock/welcome-to-def-con-youve-already-been-hacked

[UofMfan]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/translator08/Nerdbrainscan.jpg

[MsBluem]

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j269/translator08/Nerdbrainscan.jpg

story of my life

today's song is the "trogdor" theme from strongbad.

[thedivahrrrself]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1185297_569700073091743_243779428_n.jpg

[Hollylane]

This made my geek heart happy...

https://sphotos-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/557978_491252880960055_540579981_n.jpg

[Allison W]

So a visual novel/video game called Hate Plus just got released today. (Heads-up: I bought and downloaded it already, but have not yet played it.)

In order to tell you what Hate Plus is, I first have to tell you about a game called Analogue: A Hate Story (which I did play, and completed). Analogue was/is a visual novel/video game by Christine Love, released on Steam on April 27 of last year. In it, you are an investigator, in space, investigating an ancient space ship, built to house a reproduction-capable-sized population for several generations, that went missing some time after its launch and has only now been found, uninhabited. You do so by interacting with the two artificial intelligences--who can definitely be called people, complete with personalities and emotions and such baggage--still active on the ship's computers: one named *Hyun-ae, and the security AI, named *Mute (the asterisks are silent), who can tell you what they know and help you retrieve data stored on the ship's computers. The story turns out to be that of a bizarrely, terrifyingly patriarchal neo-Confucian society based upon the real-world-historical Joseon Dynasty of Korea, and a young woman who was put in suspended animation due to chronic illness before the ship's fall to patriarchy in Year 0, only to be brought out of it between Year 0 and the mysterious disappearance of life aboard the ship.

To keep spoilers to a minimum, in Analogue, you do learn how the Mugungwha--the ship in question--ended. But you do not learn what happened between the ship's launch and Year 0 or how that neo-Confucian patriarchy came to be, which was the burning question left after learning how it all came to an end.

That is where Hate Plus comes in. Christine Love was overwhelmed by the positive response to Analogue, and so began work on a DLC expansion pack for the game--which was intended to answer those questions about what happened between the Mugungwha's launch and its fall to patriarchy in Year 0. It ended up becoming even bigger than the original game, to the point that she scratched plans to make it DLC, and upgraded it to a full-blown sequel/prequel, named Hate Plus, in which the records from prior to Year 0 are found and explored.

Considering what it's a prequel to, though, I'm going to ask you folks to send me your Prozac. Please and thank you.

[thedivahrrrself]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1184867_650084141679267_2047166547_n.jpg

It took me a second to get this, and then I was rolling!

[MsBluem]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1184867_650084141679267_2047166547_n.jpg

It took me a second to get this, and then I was rolling!

Saw this on the I fucking love science Facebook page earlier. Golden

[thedivahrrrself]

Saw this on the I fucking love science Facebook page earlier. Golden

IFLS is possibly the best reason for Facebook's existence. (IMHO)

[MsBluem]

IFLS is possibly the best reason for Facebook's existence. (IMHO)

Are you a fan of podcasts? You'd probably really dig "Science...sort of"

It's in my top five favorite things to listen to while cleaning. Haha

[Kelt]

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18xhsdbc362q2jpg/original.jpg

Leela's sunglass(es)

[thedivahrrrself]

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18xhsdbc362q2jpg/original.jpg

Leela's sunglass(es)

OMG I love this!!

First, Leela rocks.

And I want to get these for a few members of my family!

[weatherboi]

http://rlv.zcache.com.au/geek_nerd_poetry_funny_fridge_magnet_roses_are_red-r8a314f5ddadb4c488cdaf50abb7fd75a_x7j3u_8byvr_512. jpg

[thedivahrrrself]

For Community fans

Danny Pudi would have actually made a kick-ass Batman!

https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/565013_10151797941063184_1413961231_n.png

[Hollylane]

Who else remembers this??

IWEm1v8ZmEw

[thedivahrrrself]

https://sphotos-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/q71/1185579_737146872981435_591259831_n.jpg

[Allison W]

Just played To the Moon today. The game almost made me cry. Almost. Not quite. It was a good story, though.

Also, I finished *Mute's route in Hate Plus. It was excellent, but very intense; if you've got triggers, it may not be your game. Strange how the game makes me laugh out loud one day and then knocks me on my ass the next, but I'll chalk that up to Christine Love being a good writer. Right now I'm semi-stalled-out, because I'm doing *Hyun-ae's route now, and she has demanded that I actually get up from my computer and bake her a cake. Yes, a video game character is demanding I get up from my computer and bake her a cake. I'm not even fucking with you people, though Christine Love may be fucking with me here. Apparently she's already gotten several hundred e-mails of cake (I swear up and down, one of the game's achievements requires you to actually take a picture of the cake you made *Hyun-ae and mail it to Christine; she even set up an e-mail address for it, that's what we're dealing with here).

Also, Brütal Legend is on sale on Steam for $4.99. I'm just sharing this wonderful news everywhere because I totally want a Brütal Legend 2.

[thedivahrrrself]

http://i0.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/50thingsgeek.jpg?resize=600%2C5484

[thedivahrrrself]

http://i1.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/warrior-wonder-1.jpg?w=600
http://i1.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/warrior-wonder-2.jpg?resize=600%2C1064
http://i1.wp.com/www.geeksaresexy.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/warrior-wonder-3.jpg?resize=600%2C900

[thedivahrrrself]

For those geeks who are both music and Star Wars geeks, I give you the following.

Beethoven + Darth Vader =

IshINI7uGpE

[weatherboi]

https://sphotos-a-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/542257_660321017322246_1445002844_n.jpg

:goodluck:

[thedivahrrrself]

hKNDml12Big

"Stephane Bouley wondered what Monty Python and the Holy Grail might look like if it were released today…and maybe appeared on HBO or produced by Jerry Bruckheimer."

This totally looks like a preview you'd see on HBO! LOL

[deb_U_taunt]

http://nosotroshq.com/wp-content/media/image/blog/funny_pictures_-_Single_Page_Multiple_Tabs_Firefox_page_display_op tions.jpeg

[Allison W]

I'm a little late to the party, as I should have posted this yesterday afternoon rather than tonight, but I'll share it anyway: Steam is having a weekend sale (going until Monday morning) on two great games I've actually spoken about here, Rogue Legacy (http://store.steampowered.com/app/241600/) (which I wrote about here (http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showpost.php?p=826045&postcount=297)) is on sale for $8.99 (which is 40% off its usual $14.99 price tag), and Tomb Raider (http://store.steampowered.com/app/203160/) (which I wrote about here (http://www.butchfemmeplanet.com/forum/showpost.php?p=796847&postcount=158)) is on sale for $12.49 (which is a whopping 75% off its usual $49.99 price tag).

Just thought I'd throw that out there since they're both great.

[weatherboi]

This one made my day!!!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/942777_147723232103852_551151529_n.png

[always2late]

https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1234812_643218435699535_451923893_n.jpg

[thedivahrrrself]

https://upworthy-production.s3.amazonaws.com/nugget/52370bd49d20935e5b009608/attachments/Screen_Shot_2013-09-16_at_9.42.44_AM.png

[Licious]

Hmm... How did I miss this thread before? No matter, I am subscribed now.

Enjoying the posts!

Somewhere between semi-nerd/geek and raging nerd/geek, stand I.

*curtsies and exits*

[Stitch]

I am a nerd boi!!!

I like everything at least a little bit. I don't sci/fi so much though.

[thedivahrrrself]

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/995177_670028473015035_72358590_n.jpg

[thedivahrrrself]

from Gizmodo
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1919rnogmpi8hjpg/ku-bigpic.jpg
Scientists Created a New Form of Matter and It's Like a Lightsaber

The latest science news out of Harvard and MIT sounds like a joke, but it's not. A team of physicists were fooling around with photons when they managed to get the particles to clump together to form a molecule, one that's unlike any other matter. And it behaves, they say, just like a lightsaber.

That's right. Lasers were used to discover a new form of matter that's straight out of a Star Wars film. Credit for the experiment goes to Harvard physics professor Mikhail Lukin and MIT physics professor Vladan Vuletic, who blasted photons through a cloud of rubidium atoms. When they sent more than one photon at once, they noticed that the particles clung to each other to form a molecule.

"It's not an in-apt analogy to compare this to lightsabers," said Lukin (Skywalker?) in a press release. "When these photons interact with each other, they're pushing against and deflect each other. The physics of what's happening in these molecules is similar to what we see in the movies."

In fact, what the scientists were witnessing is known as the Rydberg blockade. This rule states that atoms neighboring an atom that's been excited—say, by a passing photon—cannot be excited to the same degree as the initial atom. When multiple photons pass through a cloud of atoms, this creates a push-pull force between them, which is what binds the resultant molecule.

[thedivahrrrself]

Apparently, they don't want any would-be knights tilting at their windmill....

https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/72683_763406600355462_848452956_n.jpg

This reminds me of my loyal companion, Sancho Panza, the chihuahua. RIP

[Martina]

W_4LtBDCUEg

[Scots_On_The_Rocks]

http://www.voiceable.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Brain.jpg

[Scots_On_The_Rocks]

http://indulgy.net/67/v8/d7/241153755016863514701mFbJKc.jpg

[Medusa]

Need some fellow Geek info!

I need a video converter that will take many different forms of digital media (mp3, mp4, avi, mkv, etc) and convert it to a usable format that is playable on a DVD player. (not Blu-ray as the person Im doing this for isn't up to date yet!)

I have found a few programs but they wont play on the DVD player even after converting them.

Ideas? I have a Mac OSX 10.8.3 and need it to work with my machine.

It can be free or paid as long as it's easy to use and puts out quality videos.

Ideas!??

[Clyde]

Medusa - what did you use the first time? And what happened when you tried to play it? You might look into Handbrake for transcoding the video, and/or iDVD itself for transcoding and burning. There's also Roxio Toast.

[Medusa]

Medusa - what did you use the first time? And what happened when you tried to play it? You might look into Handbrake for transcoding the video, and/or iDVD itself for transcoding and burning. There's also Roxio Toast.


I used DVDFab the first time and it seemed to work. Would play everywhere (my PS3, Blu-Ray, and both Mac and PC) except for the DVD player. I figured it was something to do with the format but have been frustrated trying to see what format it wants!! I've tried them all!!

I'll check out Roxio and iDVD! Thank you!

[Clyde]

What model is the DVD player?

[PoeticSilence]

This is like some kind of geeky dream toy...AND it's reasonable...

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/sigmo-talk-and-understand-in-more-than-25-languages?c=gallery

[Medusa]

What model is the DVD player?

It's an old-ass Panasonic. My Pops is hell-bent on keeping it and refuses to upgrade. And fuck me for trying to buy him a new bluray at Christmas because it's still in the box!! LOLOL

[Clyde]

Anything you transcode to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 should be fine. And even dropping in an AVI should transcode it to MPEG. If you aren't already doing this, you want to burn it as DVD Video and not just as a folder of files (even though that should also work).

[Medusa]

Anything you transcode to MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 should be fine. And even dropping in an AVI should transcode it to MPEG. If you aren't already doing this, you want to burn it as DVD Video and not just as a folder of files (even though the should also work).

Looks like I still have iDVD on my old Mac! I'll give it a whirl before I get Roxio. I have used Roxio CD creator before and loved it!

[MsBluem]

Hey fellow geeks and nerds, I heard a rumor that Matt Smith (11th Doctor) was cast as Patrick Bateman in a stage production of American Psycho. Anyone else heard this? Any thoughts?

In other Whovian news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-24448063

I might have had a minor freak-out when I read that earlier.

[always2late]

https://scontent-b-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/1394051_683818418305839_1031492115_n.jpg

[ruffryder]

Interesting to see Nerdapalooza (http://nerdapalooza.org/) out here in my area! Anyone ever been?


Ok back to dvd's, dvr's and roxios. So I would like something like a dvr but don't want to go the route of getting it through a cable/sat company. Instead, purchase one myself. So if I have cable what can I buy that will enable me to record my shows and games and save them to watch at a later time. Is there something?

[Hollylane]

JO6eydRPpyU