We're a geek culture podcast and blog covering video games, music, food and more. We are the kinds of people who evangelize whatever we are into - it could be anything - but it's usually pretty geeky. We're casual, conversational, NSFW and hopefully interesting. We hope you enjoy it.
posted by Chris on August 31, 2009 7:01 PM in Podcast
A Penny Arcade Expo approaches! Command? This week I am joined by the esteemed mister Qais Fulton, the always dapper Ross Rosenberg, and the fabulous miss Jinny Koh to talk about this year's Penny Arcade Expo festivities. We talk about the crazy variety of things to do during the sold-out convention, the Weekly Geek meet-up, what we're cosplaying as (!) and other PAX-related things. In addition, we talk news! Disney acquired Marvel, EVE online's had some sort of virtual money banking scam, Professor Layton is ruling our lives and Batman: Arkham Asylum is waaaaay better than expected.
A gentleman in Connecticut had been buying magazines- mostly men's magazines- for several decades, from the forties to the early seventies- and deconstructing them. He would take them apart, and then he would make a new magazine from the remnants of several, arranging the pages to highlight certain stories and downplay others. He would staple the pages back into the cover, and then he would cross out whatever stories weren't in his version with a wax pencil. Finally he would stamp his name on the cover and number the whole thing, presumably for his "library."
Quite a sharp contrast to the scanned comic backups I've been consuming this month. Absent are the yellowed pages, dog-eared spreads, and general abuse / defacement that naturally translate to affection. I'll take what I can get out here but it's like comparing a fluorescent buzz to the sun.
I agree with Mr. Kupperman (certainly you own and treasure a copy of Snake 'n' Bacon, right?) in the value of his score, an inorganic snapshot of a different generation combined with one member's personal interpretation by way of amorphous grease pencil and personalized stamp.
As I type my external hard drives grow hot to the touch and I imagine the satisfying drag of a melting was pencil across its aluminum chassis, making my mark should any happen across it decades from now.
You can see more of these scanned covers, an admitted source of inspiration to one of my favorite comic authors, here.
When Alexei Pajitnov first ordered a load of bricks from Karpov Abramtsevo's workshop, workers there were wondering who could be interested in all those right-angled blocks. No one in 1985 could have imagined those concrete Tetriminos would become world famous and constitute Russia's deadliest weapon against Reagan's America.
A series of images by Marc da Cunha, for AMUSEMENT, depicting the industrial underpinnings of some of our most treasured videogames; revealing the toil, sweat, and craftsmanship that goes into their construction. We may call these games but, as you can see, they are indeed serious business.
T-shirt winner! Phaedra Computing - My two year old geeking out - by skinnerofmonkies
Every week we feature our community members' excellent photography culled from our Flickr pool. Why not submit your own geeky or otherwise interesting photos to the Weekly Geek Flickr Pool? You'll get your photo featured on the site with the added incentive that I'll pick one photo a week to win a Weekly Geek T-Shirt. Runners up get some sweet Weekly Geek swag. Click here to join!
I can't believe it's over, just like that. One day, things are going fine. Sure, you're dirty, but I always know you're clean on the inside (cream on the outside?). Then you start changing. Falling apart. Losing pieces of your self. Your cute little rubber port protector flaps, it almost seems like you have that disorder where you want to be an amputee. Then one day (at the beach no less), I discover a chunk of your skeleton is gone forever. Maybe I was too rough with you. But you begged for it! I could drop you from the top of the fridge and you liked it. Yeah, your rubber started getting a tiny bit stretched out. But your delicious skin was the most comforting fidget device I didn't realize I needed so bad.
My new case is a bitch, total rebound case. She has like, zero traction. You always stayed firmly connected to the surface you were on, this CapsuleRebel slides around like a floozy. A floozy with oozing sores on her plastic peeling face. Did I mention her face was self-adhesive?! Christ, I want a sturdy case because I'm clumsy! Do you really think I can get that sticker on straight, sans cat litter?!
Otterbox, I think we should give us another chance. I feel lost and vulnerable without you ...and your bulk.
Take care of yourself ok? Get that crack patched up and maybe we can talk.
Devoted love,
Jessica
ps. didn't you say you had a sister? a PINK one?
In the 2 years I've been sporting Otterboxcases my evangelical wiles have seen no less than 8 converts to this ruggedized religion. While several of my ilk inhabit harsh, unforgiving climes (there are 4 such cases not 20 feet from where I am typing) it was Jessica that was able to utterly destroy what I previously marked as indestructible.
The product's finer points are addressed above, and I'll maintain that the latest case design remains a sound buffer between my iPhone and the super-heated talcum-powder dust bath it's exposed to every day. Aside from a change in the belt clip between 2G and 3G/3GS models there is little room for improvement for those seeking a stout protection for their most often used gadgets.
Suggestions should be made, however, to the folks over in R&D at Otterbox. Forget military contractors in Iraq or Afghanistan when stress testing, seek out instead Austin-based super users like Jessica to see if your gear can stand up to trials of real rigor.
posted by Sparky on August 25, 2009 9:44 AM in Food
Omelets are a quick, easy, and delicious way to start or end the day. Fluffy yellow eggs with a hint of butter wrapped around fresh vegetables or succulent bits of meat. After a long day at work the omelet's simplicity and ease of cooking (and single pan cleanup) make for a quick nutritious meal.
Julia Child has been referred to as the ambassador of the omelet and I must admit that the video below inspired this post. Check it out, then click through the jump for a few variations on her delicious 20 second French-style recipe.
posted by Chris on August 24, 2009 6:39 PM in Podcast
PAX is rapidly approaching, Blizzcon came and went, and we've got a great batch of games to talk about on this week's show. This week I am joined by Ross, Qais and Jinny to discuss all the aforementioned happenings, as well as the big gay Shadow Complex debate and more. Lots more. Too much to mention. I also admit to crying at a movie. Quit hassling me, man!
Every week we feature our community members' excellent photography culled from our Flickr pool. Why not submit your own geeky or otherwise interesting photos to the Weekly Geek Flickr Pool? You'll get your photo featured on the site with the added incentive that I'll pick one photo a week to win a Weekly Geek T-Shirt. Runners up get some sweet Weekly Geek swag. Click here to join!
posted by Sparky on August 18, 2009 12:00 PM in Food
Burgers are the classic American fare, ideally grilled up and shared with good friends over a nice beer. Burgers are simple yet can be deeply complex, with an infinite number of variations turning flavors this way and that. With a handful of cookouts under my belt, I have yet to make the same burger twice and I'm always excited to try a new way to serve them.
Click through for my basic patty recipe and a few of my favorite topping combinations so far.
posted by Chris on August 17, 2009 7:02 PM in Podcast
This week Ross and I are once again joined by Qais and Jinny, who have since returned from quarantine. We fly by the seats of our collective pants in this completely unscripted and dare I say completely hilarious episode, discussing District 9 (no spoilers, we swear!), Ponyo, the XBLA "Summer of Arcade" including 'Splosion Man, Trials HD, Shadow Complex and more. We also discuss some rad-ass iPhone games and how District 9 is amazing. Oh, did I already mention District 9? BECAUSE IT'S AMAZING. Enjoy.
I know a bunch of you lovely humans are great photographers, so why not submit your geeky or otherwise interesting photos to the Weekly Geek Flickr Pool? You'll get your cool or otherwise geeky photo featured on the site and win a T-Shirt and some Weekly Geek swag. Click here!
This is a robot attached to the brain of a silk moth, sensory input transferred and interpreted to mechanical activity by way of electrodes and algorithms. Scientists in Tokyo are experimenting with this insect-machine hybrid as a method to "steer" the apparatus towards whatever it is a silk moth is attracted to.
I work in sight of unmanned aerial vehicles being piloted from half a world away, satellite dishes belch terabytes not 20 feet from where I now type, and I feel as though the Gibson I've been reading is more in line with this tech than anything seeing action in my locale.
And why shouldn't it? The same cockroaches I battled daily in college have been walking this earth for something like 300 million years and their ilk have learned a few things along the way. Equally useful is the lack of insect interest groups, exclamatory protests of cruelty and abuse absent as the test subjects lack the anthropomorphic features and perceived intelligence that spare larger mammals from the test slab. Why create something new when a time tested, nature approved template is available in ready supply?
Today's coal mines demand new canaries, chitinous exterior a plus.
Further reading exposed me to existing projects, such as the DARPA funded HI-MEMS which is
"...aimed at developing tightly coupled machine-insect interfaces by placing micro-mechanical systems inside the insects during the early stages of metamorphosis."
We have scientists growing insect cyborgs folks, taking advantage of an existing evolutionary process to yield low cost, highly effective hybrid machines to do our terrible bidding. Surely it won't be long before swarms of these Insectobots patrol our airports seeking out chemical traces of explosives or casually infiltrate the previously private world of high level commerce like in The Fifth Element.
I, for one, embrace our future Insectobot overlords.
__
Each morning brings a bevy of information as the substantial girth of my RSS reader swells the night prior, periods of inactivity marked in unread counts that threaten to overwhelm no matter how much careful feed pruning is enacted. As such there are few sites I check religiously, daily content that is actually anticipated and consumed in a manner opposite the pulse and glide technique I employ for sites lacking the same prestige.
posted by Sparky on August 11, 2009 12:30 PM in Food
While many a sauce exist to top your fresh pasta, the classic tomato sauces reign for a reason - they rock. I've experimented around with quite a few recipes and melded a few of them to my own liking in the form of Sparky's 3 tomato sauce. The name three tomato sauce comes from there being 3 recognizable forms of tomatoes in the finished sauce.
While this preparation takes a little planning and time the results are worth the effort. Click through to find out how to make some for yourself.
posted by Chris on August 10, 2009 6:50 PM in Podcast
Jinny is sick this week and Qais didn't want to get sick, so they're off this week. But guess what? You have the amazingness of Ross and I and that's all you really need in life. Ross and I discuss a variety of news from this week, including the Bioshock ARG kicking off with bottles found on beaches, Civilization Revolution for the iPhone, an augmented reality star chart app, and I regale you with the tale of how I tried starting Final Fantasy 11 again. We also address the issue of games being pushed back past the holiday, the market for used gamertags and a brand new Kids in the Hall miniseries. Is good, you like.
Man, we're only seven days into August and there's already a fresh steamy load of weird-ass search terms actual people have actually used to actually get to this site. It just boggles my mind thinking about someone taking the time to sit down, open up a search engine and type these phrases in, expecting results. Then clicking on this website, perhaps with a glimmer in their eye, hoping for it to deliver exactly what they were searching for.
My notes are in bold. Here goes:
mysterious dance of chaos and love
what do you do when your bored of your old video games get boring but you dont want to sell any of your game (Google won't help your existential crisis, friend.)
anime about poop
chris furniss loves david bowie (it's true, I do! This one is relevant.)
wish fye video store have quest for the seven holy dildos
why are republicans fat?
you computer man fix my pants
order a tapeworm
crusties
titanc saling game
paranoid bumper stickers
how to act a indie (I DEMAND TO KNOW HOW TO ACT A INDIE)
Submit your geeky or otherwise interesting photos to the Weekly Geek Flickr Pool and get your cool or otherwise geeky photo featured on the site. Prizes are involved. Click here.
posted by Sparky on August 4, 2009 8:31 PM in Food
While not as rich (and figure-wrecking) as a bearnaise-drenched steak, the humble salad can pack a flavor punch worthy of singing praise from the rooftops and mountain peaks. Crisp veggies, sweet fruits, and protein packed nuts (no, not those nuts) tossed together with exotic dressings can make for a healthy side or a meal by themselves.
Michael Ruhlman's Ratio provides the basic template for a vinaigrette: 3 parts fat and 1 part acid. This basic template can provide a basic dressing, but with a little creativity amazing things can burst forth from the mixing bowl. Click through for some ideas for your own
Unlike a few of my Weekly Geek cohorts, I grew out of Magic: The Gathering in my early teen years. For whatever reason, the game simply couldn't hold my interest in the same way it kept my friends captivated for years. However, in spite of having no real use for them, my cards safely tucked away in their plastic sleeves, subsequent cardboard boxes, and redundant boxes for boxes of cards. At some point during the period spanning then and now, my boxes of boxes of sleeved Magic cards made their way into the hands of cardsharp magii who would make better use of them.
It is only now I have realized the grave error of my ways.
SomethingAwful forums member, TheYellowAnt, demonstrates a particularly clever use of Magic cards which serve only to take up the space of former Magic: The Gathering players that have yet to part with their monstrous menagerie of cardstock creatures. With a craft knife and a little patience, the sleeves upon sleeves of cards become artwork any geek could be proud to hang on their wall.
For those still locked in card combat, TheYellowAnt's crafty ingenuity serves as the smartest life-counter I've seen, which you can see in the video below.
posted by Chris on August 3, 2009 6:38 PM in Podcast
We look to the shoes in this week's podcast. The shoooooooooessss! Ross, Qais, Jinny and I talk a little about this week's news, a lot about Fallout 3's final DLC, answer TONS of mailbag questions (literally. Qais was crushed under the giant bag.) We chat about the rumored Epic Steampunk Disney game, The Matrix Online's creative way of ending the MMO, Coraline's Blu-Ray *lies*, and more. We had also planned on having a special guest on the show, and due to technical difficulties, he couldn't join us. I've added a bit of inside baseball to this week's stinger. Hope you enjoy.
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