Why Geek?

There was a time when being called a geek was meant to be an insult. The same may hold true for today but there are a few very obvious facts that should take a little bit of the bite out of being called a geek.

First of all Bill Gates is a geek. It's a fact. He was a geek in his younger days and neither his technological wizardry or his not quite up to par social skills have changed much over the last couple of decades. What has changed for Bill Gates however is the status of his net worth. It just keeps growing and growing. Peronally, I wouldn't mind the comparison. He is one geek that has done quite well for himself.

When you think about it, however, there are a great deal of men and women in powerful positions that may have exceptional scientific skills while not scoring as high off the charts when it comes to those pesky little things known as socialization skills.

While I would love it if my claim to geek famedom was my incredible abilities when it comes to computer coding (that we'll leave to the love of my life) or my unsurpassed talents when it comes to MMORPGs I can't. Truth be told I have absolutely no talent when it comes to coding and while I greatly enjoy MMORPGs I can't claim to be really great at them either.

Ironically enough, it's probably these things that make me most likely to be called a geek. I don't even fit the geek stereotype. I have a few social skills, I'm not all that scientifically inclined, yet I remain fascinated and drawn to all the things that are possible, even those that are improbable. I love science fiction, computer games, and useless bits of trivia. Does it really matter that I'm not exceptionally skilled at any of them?

History Channel Features the Star Wars Legacy

Well sort of. On Memorial Day the History Channel will be airing a feature show by the title of Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed. This is rather personal for me and I will definitely be among the millions who will either tune in or Tivo this particular television special. While many took round about paths on their journey to divine geekiness, mine started right about 30 years ago (egads! I can't believe I'm confessing that...29, 29!) when I first discovered the possibility of a galaxy far, far away.

To my young little eyes this was a world that it was as possible as the world I was standing in and as real. I saw the stars every night as I was tucked into bed and the very thought that there could be a galactic war waging in those skies where light and dark were battling for their very existence was beyond exciting. I was hooked from the first scene until the very end of the movie as the princess rewarded the bravery of my heroes and R2D2 once again stood beside C3PO.

Another little detail you may want to tuck away is that this also marks the 30 year anniversary of the Star Wars saga. The Star Wars series has spanned generations and is one thing from my childhood that my children have been able to be as excited about as me. There are so very few things that truly belong to both our generations. I'm thrilled that this is one of those things that we've all managed to share and love together.

At any rate, though it seems the story has been told in full, the legacy of Star Wars continues to impact our world today. I hope many of you will join me in watching this 2 hour special on Monday night as our deep and abiding love for all things Star Wars and the impact that this series has had on generations is explored.

Gamers Behold (live action role playing gamers that is)

In moments of utter geekiness on my part, I fondly recall those days when we had role playing game parties that would last long into the night and sometimes the next morning. Some nights there was something happening every minute while others there were long breaks in between with our parties searching for new trouble under rocks and in the bushes.

If you have never managed to participate in a live action role playing game then you almost have no right to call yourself a true geek. It's like never having watched Monty Python or not owning a computer. I have a new addiction though known in some circles as YouTube. It is through YouTube that I took this little stroll down memory lane today. Only a true live action role playing gamer could appreciate this video to its fullest effect but it's too irresistable not to share.



And I'm sure that those of you who have played for any length of time or played with new groups during your 'gaming careers' have related to this at one point in time or another.



So much for this stroll down memory lane. It looks like I'm going to have to check out what new live action role playing games are popular these days. TTFN!

Midweek Laughs

Well it's Wednesday and the good news is that the workweek is halfway over. While my mind is still spinning from the end of a rather large product I decided to take a break and find some laughs at Youtube. I did manage to find my way to a better frame of mind and found something that I think the geek in all of us can appreciate.

So, without further delay, here is your midweek chuckle direct from Wierd Al and Youtube:

Let Other Drivers Know How You Really Feel

I have to say that I try to remain civil on lifes highways and biways. The process isn't always as seemless as I would like it to be and my children have herd me utter an unkind term or two towards my fellow man (and possibly their lineage) along the road we know as life. The good news most of the time is that the person in the other vehicle is generally oblivious to my ranting and raving and going on about their lives as though no not so kind thoughts are being sent in their directions.

It should come as no shock to many of you that I spend a good deal of my rather limited surfing time checking out the many neat gadgets and gizmos at Think Geek whenever I have the opportunity. This nifty little gadget known as the Driving LED Emoticon has definitely captured my attention as well as my imagination. I'm already wondering how quickly I can hack into it and what other phrases I might be able to teach it to say along the way.

At any rate, as is it this nifty little gadget will smile as passersby, frown, tell them "thanks" or to "back off" and call them an "idiot" all at the press of a button. Just be careful that you aren't the one making the mistakes. You never know who else may have one of these nifty little gizmos. Regardless, it is quite likely to bring a smile to someone's day as you go about your daily drive with a smiling face peering back at the traffic behind you.

Bug The Movie for the Die Hard Sci Fi Fan

Though I highly suspect that Bug will not make my personal top 10 must see movie list for the summer, I have no doubt that many hard core sci fi and horror fans will find this movie quite appealing. My imagination is far too active to endure the aftermath of a movie such as Bug and I can always blame the lack of a decent baby sitter for my absolute absense from this movie. I found the trailer alone set my heart racing, I would probably be in for a full fledged heart attack if I were to sit through the entire movie version of Bug. Of course Slither and Snakes on a Plane didn't make my must see movies list either. If this is the type of movie that appeals to you, then you must check out the trailer.



Bug the movie will be in theatres just in time for drive in season if you are fortunate enough to live in an area with drive in theatres you might want to consider this a movie to watch beneath the stars. Somehow the thought of misquitoes nibbling seems as though it would serve to enhance the suspense and drama of this particular movie.

The cast of Bug is quite promising with Ashley Judd, Harry Connick Jr., and Michael Shannon. While this movie is decidedly not my cup of tea I thought it would be remiss not to mention it to all the other fabulous geeks and geekettes out there that might enjoy a movie such as this. Surprisingly enough this movie, despite the outstanding cast, is not getting the buzz that many other movies of this genre seems to have generated. Hopefully the buzz will come around by box office time. You can check out the website for Bug here. Begin looking for it in theatres in your area around May 25. TTFN!

Save Jericho

In an act of supreme geekiness, I must participate in the campaign to save Jericho. There are so very few programs on network television that are original any more. If there is any doubt, how many hospital dramas, law and orders, and csi's are there anymore?

Jericho was an original thought that was well executed if not poorly planned. The first half of the season was a bang so to speak while the second half was pitted against the ever so popular American Idol, which when it comes to rating (though not necessarily quality television) is the clear dominator. My point however, is that no show in this time slot is going to perform well against American Idol. Nevermind that the 3 month 'hiatus' that was given to Jericho did much to cool the anticipation for the second half of the season.

While I love Jericho as many other Americans did, three months is a long time for the glow to wear off and people to forget their television viewing loyalties. Jericho is a show that does get to the heart of a geeky girl to some degree, though I do experience strange palpatations at the thought of life without an IPod, Palm Pilot, Tivo, or Internet access at my fingertips. The truth is that there were geeks long before the technological advances of the last few decades (keep in mind that geeks are by and large responsible for these advances) and in all likelihood, the geeks are some of the ones that will help us survive if a scenario such as this should ever present itself.

When it comes to Jericho however, I believe I am more dismayed by how things ended. What kind of network ends a series with a cliffhanger like that??? To me this reeks of CBS truly not caring about its veiwers and caring more about the bottom line. So much for the apple pie image guys. There is only one other show I currently watch on this network I guess I should be grateful that they haven't decided to axe NCIS as well.

If you are interested in signing the petition that is circulating to save Jericho from its untimely cancellation (whether it will do any good or not is uncertain though it certainly will get the message across to CBS that the viewers are unhappy with this deciion) you can find it here.

I hope that all who read this and are fans of Jericho will sign the petition to save Jericho and let your voices be heard by those at the network.

How Does a Girl Get Joost?

Seriously, I have searched the web over and am not feeling the love of a Joost invite. So, here it is, I will beg.

Please oh Please, any true geeks that come across my prose, support the cause of a girl looking to get her geek on and try out this latest bastion of entertainment at the click of a button!

Did that work? Only time will tell. I will however, be glad to send props to the proper person if I am graced with one of these much coveted invites.

For those of you reading this and wondering what the heck I'm talking about, though I'm inclined to believe I'm the last geek to this particular dance party--Joost is an interactive way to enjoy television. While it may not have all the television shows from around the worl it has a fairly vast selection of programming, extras, and more importantly the ability to watch your favorite shows (providing of course they are included at this point in time) on your timeline rather than that of the networks. I have several shows that I love to watch but do not always mesh with my hectic schedule. Joost would fix that problem and if I missed part of my favorite show I can just watch it over again to get the entire story unlike regular television.

For anyone that is a television junkie, this is definitely the wave of the future. There are plans for Joost to go public, which means that everyone will get the chance to join. I'm just impatient (dancing around on tippy toes still begging for invites)! So, if someone out there manages to wrangle an invite after reading this, please remember your source of information and send one my way?

Okay, for now the begging session is over. Hopefully there will be good news in the pipelines. TTFN!