Archive for 'geek' Category
2008.11.12
2008 Election Maps
I love maps. I always have. I knew there would be some interesting ones made surrounding the 2008 presidential election, but the first maps I found showed the results of the electoral maps since the first American election. What I like about the site is it shows the candidates, their running mates, the results of the electoral college and the popular vote, and takes you to useful Wikipedia entries about the elections. Very nice.
But what I really wanted to find was the national map that showed a simple red/blue of America and I found that, and more, here.
What I love about this map is that it seems to show that there is no way Obama could have won by as much as he did over McCain. But what this map doesn’t take into account is that the population of each state varies. So the site provides two other maps that change the size of the states based on it’s population or it’s number of electoral votes. Here’s the one based on population.
What is immediately obvious is that the center of America, which voted generally for McCain, is not very populated while as the coasts, which voted primarily for Obama, have quite large populations. The electoral college map is very similar with a slight bias towards small states.
The same software was used for the Worldmapper project, which takes data of all sorts and increases or decreases the size of the country based on that data. For example the world population cartograph looks like this.
It’s kind of scary to see so clearly how huge China and India are, but it’s pretty cool stuff regardless. Interestingly, the software that created these maps is free.
1 Comment | Catergorized: geek political2008.10.24
Getting the Nerd Vote
1: Broadband Everywhere.
2: Universal Healthcare.
3: No Federal Taxes on Internet Purchases.
4: Renew a Commitment to Education.
5: Renew a Commitment to Science.
6: Real Changes to Transportation.
7: Allow Early Voting by Mail.
8: Revamp Copyright/IP Law.
9: Fund the Patent Office So It Can Do a Better Job.
10: Open Government.
The only thing missing from the list is to make me absolute ruler of humanity.
No Comments | Catergorized: geek political2008.09.27
Join the Evil League of Evil!!!
Fans of Dr. Horrible rejoice! The Evil League of Evil is taking new applications. Make the Bad Horse gleeful!
- It should be no more than three minutes in length.
- There should be little to no swearing.
- Dialogue, logos, and music must be original.
- Songs are not required (singing is a bonus).
- You must be evil — it’s a plus to have a name.
- Your application video should be posted to YouTube or Vimeo.
- Email us a link to the video, with your contact information.
-October 11 is the last day to submit.
Of course there are some simple qualifications to those, too, like henchmen are not allowed to apply.
EVIL LEAGUE OF EVIL. Who wants to join with me?
1 Comment | Catergorized: geek movies2008.09.14
I Love Dinosaurs
The Natural History Museum in Los Angeles has an awesome exhibit: dinosaurs walking the halls. It’s funny to see because I was actually trying to design something just like the T-Rex as a Halloween costume at one point. Here’s the first video; goto the above link to see the other two. I love dinosaurs!
2 Comments | Catergorized: geek science2008.09.09
Frak in Popular Culture
There’s no denying, if you’ve bothered to watch, that Battlestar Galactica is a pretty amazing show. What is more amazing is the current incarnation, along with the original version, introduced a new word into popular culture that may enter the official annals of the English language much like Homer Simpson’s, “Doh!”
Frak.
It was [Glen A.] Larson who first used the faux curse word “frak” in the original “Battlestar Galactica.” The word was mostly overlooked back in the ’70s series but is working its way into popular vocabulary as SciFi’s modern update winds down production. … “It may have been the great George Carlin who talked about these things so cleverly,” Larson said. “He’d say, ‘Mother would say shoot, but she meant … when she reached in and burned her fingers on the crocker.’ And the child says, ‘I know what you meant, Mom.’ “
I know I use “frak” all the time (often at work…!) and it’s an excellent example of word substitution that breaks the subjective associations of the substitution source. I also love that the article mentions feldergarb (usually spelled “felgercarb”) which I used to use a lot but actually forgot came from the original series. They should bring back felgercarb!
3 Comments | Catergorized: geek tv2008.09.02
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Soundtrack
In case any of you missed it, the soundtrack to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is now available at the iTunes Store. Also, in case any of you were wondering what the lyrics for the songs are, look no further.
No Comments | Catergorized: audio geek tv2008.08.21
Galactica Auction Lust
I’m not one, despite my love of science fiction, to collect props and items from TV shows. Battlestar Galactica broke me of that habit when I wanted to dress up the part for Halloween one year. I picked up a few fan made props online. Excellent quality stuff, but nothing like the real thing.
A while ago I heard that SciFi Channel would hold an auction of BSG items and I thought, Cool, it would be pretty keen to get something from the show. Well, the site for the auction, Battlestar Galactica Props & Costumes, is live and they are posting pictures and I am drooling over some of the items they have. Worse (?) is that they just started so a great majority of what they will sell isn’t even online yet.
Want. Lust. Want. I hope there are a few items that are affordable for a poor guy in San Francisco…
No Comments | Catergorized: geek2008.08.12
Welcome to the Help Desk
Life at work has been busy. A little too busy. Which is why this picture that NHK sent me seems just far too appropriate… :-)
2008.07.30
Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog
Alright, I have to admit I was skeptical at first. Some time ago I saw mention of this weird Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog and I was like, Huh? I read mention how awesome it was, how amazing it was, la la la. Well, I finally said, “Fuck it,” and went to the website to check it out. I can watch it online? For free? OK.
Only I got there too late. They’d taken it down. It was now only available from the iTunes Store. Hmmm… Not the kind of thing I would normally do, but I went and looked and it was $4 for the show. All ~45 minutes of it. I spend $4 for a couple songs. 45 minutes of story and a load of songs? Guided by whim, I bought it. (Apparently you can watch it for free on Hulu).
I’ve watched it four times now.
I love it.
You will, too.
If you love superhero stories = YES
If you love origin stories = YES
If you love musicals = YES
If you love the geek = YES
If you love something that twists = YES
If you breathe air = YES
Seriously, I didn’t think I would like this show quite so much. I thought I might watch it once or twice, but for four bucks it wouldn’t be any real loss. I can see myself watching this again and again, and every time I’ve seen it I notice more nuance and detail I never though I would. Get it. Seriously.
For more check out the out the officially unofficial fan site and, once membership is open, join the Evil League of Evil.
7 Comments | Catergorized: geek tv2008.07.22
Wordpress for iPhone
I heard about the release of WordPress for iPhone so I upgraded my blog ( and OOKEE.com) with the latest version of WordPress, set up the app on my phone and started writing this post. Very nice! It looks like I’ll be able to post pics from here, too. I’ll try that on another date.
It’s slow typing on here but it’s great that I’m no longer tethered to a computer. Yay WordPress!
2 Comments | Catergorized: geek site
