When it comes to anime, I am more of a mech-style anime viewer. My favorite series is Robotech, followed closely by Starblazers, Voltron, and Transformers. Truth be told, I was not really a fan of the original Thundercats cartoon that aired in the 1980s — but the newly animated 2011 version of the Thundercats is simply some of the best cartoon storytelling I have ever been privileged to experience. The first nine episodes that aired earlier this year were riveting and wonderfully crafted, and they kept me acutely interested. This series has shown that in 2011 cartoons can indeed be for the entire family. The best part is, after a short hiatus, Thundercats resumes its Friday evening Cartoon Network run on November 4th. I highly suggest you “toon” in and catch this amazing series.
I’m a tech geek. I love my gadgets. But tech comes at a cost, and a recent Modern Geek Podcast on how geeks communicate got me thinking: how much does all this newfangled technology really cost us? For a household of six, my family’s monthly entertainment/communications costs are outrageous (cue the “Get off my lawn!” sound byte). I know — I’m getting older and I’m complaining about things like the cost of a gallon of gas or a carton of milk. But I wanted to find out if there was any truth to my increasing sense of expense fatigue, so I did a little research. In the end, I found I was right: all this new technology does indeed cost us more per month than it used to. However, the real question isn’t how much we’re paying for our devices — it’s whether the increased cost is worth it.
GWCers are no strangers to tattoos. However, the strange tattoos in SyFy’s Haven are far from just a sign of camaraderie. The tattoos were first introduced near the end of Season One and have been prophesied to be the harbinger of death for Haven’s Duke Crocker. In this past Friday’s episode, “The Tides That Bind,” the tattoo re-emerged as an integral part of the plot, along with the seemingly sinister acts of Reverend Driscoll and the newly-introduced Mrs. Duke Crocker, “Evi” Ryan.
If you’re a Hubble Space Telescope fan, odds are you will REALLY be a Webb fan. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), previously known as the Next Generation Space Telescope (NGST), is in the assembly phase. The Webb team is targeting a 2018 launch date. Webb offers several (forgive the pun) astronomical advances over the Hubble. For starters, the aperture, or eye through which the telescope looks into the universe, will be about five times larger than the Hubble’s. Webb will also be parked in a gravitationally stable point in space called the Lagrange Point two, or L2, that will always keep the Earth and the sun to its back — so not only will it be technologically able to see farther into the universe, but the light pollution from the sun will be minimized by keeping Webb in the shadow of the Earth.
Last year I wrote about this amazing SyFy show that debuted in July 2010 set in a quaint Northeastern coastal town called Haven. Based loosely on Stephen King’s The Colorado Kid, this show continues to amaze and captivate me. It’s a well put together story with great acting and, as Chuck often puts it, “a lot of heart.”
But Haven’s got troubles. No, not the kind that face Eureka (or any Fox show). Haven’s residents are somehow bestowed with special powers — powers that laid dormant but recently returned. Together these powers are called “the troubles.” But what are these troubles exactly? Who or what is causing them? And more importantly: what could ultimately quiet the troubles?
How was the universe created? What would an alien invasion be like? Why do people like sex? It almost sounds like any given GWC podcast. In fact, if you put GWC on TV with amazing special effects as well as international expert guest hosts like Stephen Hawking, NASA experts, and Hollywood stars like Michelle Rodriguez, you’d have the new Discovery Channel program called Curiosity: The Questions of Life.
For five days my feet touched the holy ground of San Diego Comic Con 2011 geekness. Short of working in SyFy’s Vancouver-based studios or being on set filming the next Tron: Legacy, Avatar, or Star Trek-type movie, this is the closest I will ever come to geek-topia. The friends were phenomenal, the panels were funny and full of information, the cosplay was food for the geek soul, and the exhibition floor was the neverending hall of “I want it all.” I came away supercharged for the next year of scifi, and I’m happy I had the opportunity to attend.
SDCC is more than just the panels you see on YouTube or the coverage on G4. SDCC is a total geek experience. It’s fun. It’s engaging. It’s creative. It permeates all of your senses. It allows you to relive past material and it excites you for upcoming or new material.
Tomorrow I leave for my geek post-graduate final exercise. It’s been just a few years since my return to Geekdom, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I’ve connected with other like-minded geeks. I’ve experienced new-to-me sci-fi material like Farscape and Buffy. I’ve re-emerged myself in gaming. I’ve collected science fiction memorabilia. I’ve purchased geek-related clothing. I’ve written blog posts like this one about sci-fi material. With the gracious approval of Chuck, Sean, and Audra I have even had the opportunity to record a couple of sci-fi discussion podcasts. But there is one thing that I’ve never done in my life: I’ve never been to a science fiction, gaming, or comic convention before. So tomorrow I start my final exercise in my Geek Cred Master’s/PhD and depart for my first geek convention ever: the 2011 San Diego Comic Con.
Voltron is a recipe for a geek-gasm. Start with a mysterious oppressed planet, uncover five ancient transforming robot lions, insert young, highly-trained warrior pilots, add a galactic monstrous evil villain empire bent on universal domination, sprinkle in glamorous royalty, knead in hilarious dialogue, mix in magical spirits, cook it under the heat of a life-or-death confrontation of good versus evil, and top it off with a giant robot that defends the universe against other giant robots. Originally aired in 1984, Voltron rapidly rose to the top of the ratings in its after-school time slot and arguably became one of the most successful cartoons to date. With talk of a new live-action Voltron movie on the horizon and a revamped Voltron cartoon series set to air on Nicktoons June 16, 2011, I thought that the time was right to give GWCers the low down on the 1984 cartoon. If you’ve never experienced Voltron, and the thought of five magical robot lions who link together to form one mighty magical robot warrior and defender of the universe turns your space knobs — you should give Voltron a try. Perhaps you’re one of the fortunate and have seen all 124 episodes of the original Voltron series and all you require is a refresher. Either way, I suggest you get comfortable and turn on your space communicators to receive and enjoy the basics of Voltron: Defender of The Universe!
I’m usually one to be completely engrossed in watching a movie at home. In fact, to make sure I hear the dialogue correctly, I usually turn on the closed captioning. But with a movie or franchise I’m really interested in, I know I’ll be watching the movie over and over again, like the obsessed geek I am. I’ll watch the movie, the commentaries if they’re available, and the included special features on the DVD or Blu-ray — then I’ll listen to podcasts that discuss the movie. This week I discovered a new way to geek out over a movie with more in-depth material than I’ve seen before: Disney’s Second Screen.
Waiting for the Xbox 360 Halo Limited Edition Bundle to be delivered is driving me crazy. Fortunately, Microsoft set up things so I can keep myself busy online at xbox.com while I wait. Last time I described how I choose my Gamertag when I set up my Xbox Live Family Gold Pack (see my post Grabbing a Great Gamertag). While cruising the xbox.com website after I purchased the Gold Family Pack and set up my Gamertag I noticed I could also set up my Avatar. I’m no artist or graphic designer, but it turns out Microsoft made creating my avatar as easy as pie!
The Andromeda Galaxy as seen by Terry Hancock from Michigan (with permission)
Andromeda. Few words immediately bring forth imagery of science fiction, fantasy and real-life astronomy to me like Andromeda does. Andromeda is our heavens, Andromeda is in our history, Andromeda is in our music and literature, Andromeda is in our oceans and Andromeda is in our science fiction and fantasy. I’ll admit I am less knowledgeable about Andromedas than I am about Enterprises (see my 20 Favorite Ships Called Enterprises post), but several Andromedas are also at the root of my geekdom. Recently I decided to take some time and run through the Andromedas that I’m aware of. I’m confident that there are additional Andromedas of relevance out there. If you know of one, please let me know in the comments section below because I would greatly appreciate and enjoy learning about it. In the meantime, please sit back and allow me to take you through my tour of the Andromedas.
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