Archive for 'geek' Category
2010.03.03
MacHeist nanoBundle 2
For those of you interested in trying out new kinds of software on the cheap for a good cause, MacHeist is having their second nanoBundle sale. Featured are MacJournal, RipIt, Clips, CoverScout and Flow, plus if enough people purchase this $19.95 bundle, Tales of Monkey Island and RapidWeaver. While I haven’t used all the software I’ve gotten from these bundles in the past, usually the bundle costs less than most of the applications listed individually. In other words, a pretty good deal!
No Comments | Catergorized: apple geek technology2009.11.03
Halloween Pictures
I wanted to thank everyone for coming to this year’s Halloween Party! It was great fun and I can’t wait to do it again next year. In the meantime I’ve put up some pictures. Here they are!
No Comments | Catergorized: food-drink friends geek photos san francisco2009.10.29
Meeting Steven Erikson
I’m not a fanboy. I don’t go stalking celebrities or significant people. I don’t goto events or conventions to brush shoulders with the famous or infamous. It’s just not in my nature. I might think about it sometimes, but I have too much pride.
But I had to say I just met Steven Erikson last night and it was pretty cool to talk to an author I respect. Even if I felt a bit like a fanboy. It happened thus…
The mind and crew of Borderlands Books is opening up a cafe soon and I’ve been excited about it since first hearing about it; even more so now that I live in the neighborhood. I’ve been needing a good cafe to spend time in since my days in Prague and this just seems perfect. They won’t be opening yet (alas!) but yesterday night, in conjunction with this year’s World Fantasy Convention, they opened in order to host a bevy of authors, including Steven Erikson.
For those that do not know, and I admit I didn’t know until about six weeks ago myself, Steven Erikson is the author of a series of fantasy books set around an empire called Malazan. The world was built over a very long period of time with his friend Cameron Esslemont, who also writes books that take place there. (As an aside, I will read his books eventually and will then become a fanboy of his, but not until then). The books are pretty vast in scope, covering a myriad of characters, plot lines, situations and emotions. Honestly, in the five minutes I’m writing this I’m not going to be able to come up with a quick and easy review and that’s not my point. Let’s just say it’s the best fantasy I’ve read in many, many years. For that matter it’s one of the best books I’ve read in a while.
Blah blah blah. I went to the table with Mr. Erikson and Mr. Esslemont and talked with them a bit, asked some questions, got an autograph and moved on in order not to feel like too much of a fanboy. But I was. The only question I forgot to ask but wanted to was if there was, somewhere, a complete map of the world they created. I like maps…
RMCA took a few pictures, bless her, and here’s my two favorites.
Someday, it is my sincere hope to have written something on the scale and scope of the Malazan books and have someone appreciate them the way I appreciate Mr. Erikson and Mr. Esslemont’s work.
3 Comments | Catergorized: books geek photos san francisco2009.05.03
The Hunt for Gollum
Got some time to kill? Do you love fan-made films? Did you love the Lord of the Rings? Then perhaps you should check out The Hunt for Gollum. It tells the story before the Lord of the Rings, when Aragorn hunts Gollum down before Sauron’s forces can find him. I have to say, for a fan film this is extraordinary. Beautifully shot, amazing effects and choreography, brilliantly similar music, and acting that I was dubious of until I saw it… Adrian Webster (as Aragorn) and Patrick O’Connor (as Gandalf) did extremely well filling their roles and didn’t detract from the original actors parts in the least. If you’ve got 40 minutes you should check out this amazing film by Chris Bouchard.
Hey, Chris, when will you post a downloadable version so I can watch this on my big screen? :)
I’m also looking forward to Born of Hope which tells the story of the Dunedain and the birth of Aragorn later this year. More!
2 Comments | Catergorized: geek movies2009.03.20
Goodbye Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica ended tonight. I really liked the ending. I can’t say they tied up all the questions but still, lovely.
What did you think?
2 Comments | Catergorized: geek tv2009.03.19
BSG Takes Over UN
The United Nations hosted some of the cast and creators or Battlestar Galactica. Cool enough by itself but Edward James Olmos, impassioned by the misuse of the word “race”, got the halls ringing with So Say We All.
At one point the discussion lit a fire under the Admiral, and the talk of human rights turned personal for Edward James Olmos. The “Old Man” launched into a passionate speech about casting off the idea of race as a cultural determinant, and said we were one race, the human race. His voice echoed throughout the chamber growing louder until – I kid you not – he was yelling, “So Say We All,” and the crowd answered right back. Hell, even I yelled it, I was in the fraking United Nations with Adama, the gods themselves could not have stopped this moment.
Video of this event is available from the UN (in RealMedia? Really?), but here’s the So Say We All moment. If anyone finds or converts the whole video shebang into something a little more open please post a link in the comments!
All via Slashdot.
2 Comments | Catergorized: geek political tv2009.03.17
Jasper Morello
Jasper Morello is an animated short about Jasper, a disgraced aerial navigator given a second chance, and how his trip goes awry. Done in a brilliant Victorian-futurist milieu, we follow Jasper as he faces the worst monster of all. Very nicely done, and available on YouTube. If you have 26 minutes, watch and enjoy!
No Comments | Catergorized: anime geek2009.02.06
Samurai Umbrella
With great amusement I present to you the Samurai Umbrella (via DVICE.com). It brings me back to days in college, lugging about my wooden bokken, whacking and being whacked by my friends. Since those days, whenever I’ve carried one of those long, non-folding umbrellas I noticed I tend to carry it like a sword, ready to be drawn. The Samurai Umbrella takes that one step beyond. All I need now is a hidden blade inside. Then I can fight my enemies and keep dry at the same time!
No Comments | Catergorized: college fashion friends geek memories2009.01.29
Underworld Rise of the Lycans
If you’re a fan of the Underworld movie franchise, definitely go see this movie. Even if you’re interested in seeing the rest, this is a brilliant place to start. Underworld Rise of the Lycans is a prequel to the previously released Underworld and Underworld Evolution movies. Usually prequels fail because the writers convolute the story to follow (which already exists), add unnecessary elements, confuse character motivations, and just generally screw up what potentially could be a brilliant excursion. As evidence, watch the most recently released Star Wars movies. Complete suck, and yet they could have been so very good.
Anyways, Rise of the Lycans was quite good. Even having not seen any of the other movies this one stands alone. I was not a huge fan of the blue tint (as were the others I saw the movie with) but I got over that pretty quickly. Amazingly, the same actors came and reprised their characters adding a welcome consistency to the franchise, much like all of the background characters in the Harry Potter movies.
Great movie. Two thumbs up. Someday I’m going to have to create a rating system… For now, two thumbs up.
No Comments | Catergorized: geek movies2009.01.16
Live Action Cowboy Bebop
Wow. I’ve just heard that Twentieth Century Fox has tapped Keanu Reeves to play Spike Speigel in a live action adaption of one of my favorite Japanese anime shows, Cowboy Bebop. There’s nothing in IMDB about it yet. Who will play Jet, Faye or Ed? How will they manage Ein? Which story line will they use? Eegads, I hope they bring in Yoko Kanno to do the soundtrack. I just won’t be the same otherwise…
2 Comments | Catergorized: anime geek movies
