Have A Very Nerdy New Year

I couldn't help myself. Happy New Year!

Thanks to Marcia R. and her loud roommate for making this beauty.

"I'm Getting Arrested!" App Hits Digital Shelves

Apropos to recent events, one enterprising and social-justice minded app creator has whipped up an app, available to Android phones, that informs a preset list of contacts that you have been slapped in the clink:

Enter I'm Getting Arrested, a creative Android app that, according to developer Quadrant 2, was inspired by a similar incident. It lets you quickly notify your family, friends, and crack legal team (if you have one) of your situation with a single tap of your finger. Just initially enter a custom message and some SMS-ready numbers to contact in the event of your arrest. Then, as you're about to be corralled into the back of a squad car, fire the app up and long-press the bull's-eye for 2 seconds. From there, you can rest assured that your message will be sent to the appropriate contacts.

I think it's funny that police are still using radio-based police scanners and handcuffs, while protesters and civilians are running circles around them with the available cell and computer technologies.  Who's Big Brother now?  I vote for the 99%.  

George Takei Reassures The World

George, I love you.  I love you so much.  If I weren't engaged and you weren't already married...



Plus: John DeLancy is totally a homo, amirite?

Time Lapse: Circling The Globe

This mesmerizing video, taken from the International Space Station, is footage of planet Earth taken at night as the ISS circles the globe.  It's pretty amazing.

Skyrim Wants You To Get Gay Married (If That's Your Thing), But Star Wars? Hates It!

Gaymers rejoice!  Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is continuing Bethesda Softworks' support of homolove by allowing players, in game, to have a gay wedding.

The Sims, Fable, and numerous other games already allow same-sex lovin', to include Bethesda Softworks' previous Fallout installments.  I know that this particular gayming geek is more likely to purchase a game that lets me get it on with a hot elvish sorcerer, so smart marketing on their part.

oooooooooooh yeah.

Not every geek franchise has learned the lesson on same-sex relationships, however, as the upcoming Lucas Arts game Star Wars:  The Old Republic is totally banning gay nuptials, while opposite-sex relationships are available to players.  They have promised explanations, but thus far have released nothing.

In a video interview posted on YouTube by KAEmpire, Star Wars: The Old Republic developer Corey Butler says (at ~2.30 into the video) that the game will not feature same sex relationships. The Bioware forums are afire with a fifty-one page discussion of the issue and a community poll.

That forum actually became closed due to the outrage from prospective buyers of the game.

Come on!  I know Senator Amidala would TOTALLY have refused to defend DOMA!  This is clearly a confusion tactic on the part of Chancellor Palpatine in an effort to smokescreen his true agenda.  I call for a vote of no-confidence.

Geek Shit Wednesday Vol. XXI

Star Wars Coins Now Legal Tender In Niue

You've probably never heard of Niue, a small South Pacific island nation, but that don't matter, because they just racked up some serious geek cred.

A new limited series of collectible Star Wars coins is available from the New Zealand Mint, and the tiny nation loves them so much that they are now accepted as legal tender:

The collectible coins — some made of pure silver and packaged in special cases that hold four coins, others made of silver-plated base metal and sold in blister packs — will retail for considerably more than their $2 face value. 

Each of the two cases will house a set of four 1-ounce silver coins and sell for $393. The Darth Vader case will emit the sound of the Sith Lord’s instantly recognizable breathing upon opening. It will hold coins with the images of Emperor Palpatine, the Death Star, a stormtrooper and Vader himself.

Of course, you probably wouldn't want to use them, seeing as how they're extremely expensive, but hey!  Niue!  Uh, how the fuck do you say that, anyway?

Sony Cuts Price Of PS3 By $50

The PlayStation 3 appears to be a juggernaut in the gaming community, edging out aging consoles like the Wii and cheaper consoles like the Xbox 360.  Sony is taking advantage of their lead by slashing the price of the gaming platform by $50 for both its basic version and its doubled-memory unit.

Sony last cut prices on the PlayStation 3 in 2009, when it released a slimmer model. Microsoft has not reduced the Xbox 360's price since 2009, and analysts are split on whether it will do so this year as a response to Sony. The entry-level Xbox 360 costs $200. 

Sony's move is seen by analysts as a usual part of a game system's life cycle. Game console generations typically last four to six years, but some predict that motion-detection peripherals like Microsoft's Kinect for the Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation Move could prolong the current cycle.

This may be a precautionary measure to fend of Nintendo's next advance in gaming, the Wii U, which is a tablet unit based on gamer motion.  Either way, I think someone should buy me a fucking PS3, stat.

Desktop Jellyfish Aquarium Garnering Support For Production

This made me squee with excitement.

I'm a big fan of visiting the local Aquarium, and no matter which one I visit, be it the Oregon Coast or Atlanta, one of my favorite exhibits is always the jellyfish.  Who doesn't love them?  They're freaking hypnotic as hell.

Of course, they're extremely difficult, if not impossible, to keep at home.  Their delicate bodies and lack of strong swimming skills make it very easy for them to be sucked into home aquarium filters, ruling out these lovely creatures as pets.  Until now!

The main reason is that they can’t be kept in a regular aquarium since they’ll get sucked into the water filtration intakes and are liquefied to death. We know it’s sad to think about, but, to solve this problem, Duke University Biology and Environmental Science alumnus Alex Andon developed a tank that was jellyfish-friendly. Andon started a business called Jellyfish Art and retrofitted an existing fish tank to be suitable for a jellyfish. Once he figured out what it takes to make a fish tank jellyfish-safe, he started selling the first edition tanks online, and then decided to sell them on a broader level, taking to Kickstarter for support. 

The Desktop Jellyfish Tank pulls water through a layer of rocks at the bottom of the tank. The water is then pulled up one side of the cylindrical tank to the surface. It then goes back down the other side and is sucked up once again by the rocks. The circular flow also keeps the jellyfish centered in the middle of the tank so that they’re not all huddled into one area. The tank itself is rather large, holding 7 gallons of water. It can house up to five jellyfish, which are lighted by a built-in LED lamp. If you want your jellyfish to look different in various colors of light, the LED lamp can be changed with a provided remote control.

Fuck the PS3!  This is going right on my wedding registry.

British UFO? Or Just A Pigeon?

I vote for a bird.  Watch the background.

Today In Neat Photos

Found via the Slog, this photo was taken from the International Space Station of a shooting star, or meteor:

Geek Shit Wednesday Vol. XX

Marvel Attempts To Incite Destruction Of Competitors' Books

Today comes a disturbing story in what-the-fuck, as Marvel has offered a special variant cover of one of their comics, but only if participating stores submit proof that they have defaced 50 copies of DC's titles:

"This week it came out that Marvel Comics is offering retailers a variant cover of 'Fear Itself #6' by artist Ed McGuinness. But, there is a catch: to get the coveted cover, retailers have to rip the covers from 50 copies of any #1 issue of DC Comics 'Flashpoint' tie-ins. This is not a figure of speech, they literally have to tear the covers off and send them to Marvel to get the special edition, rendering the issues unsalable."

This is not the first time they've done this, and it's inciting geeks to cry censorship.  

Say what you like about Marvel vs. DC, but I've always found Marvel's characters to be more believable and their movies lately?  Nothing short of fan-fucking-tastic.  I'm dismayed, however, at this distasteful and mean-spirited stunt.  

Slutty Male Superheroes?  Yes Please.

Continuing the "news" in comic books, I've often heard feminist outrage over how women are depicted in comics.  One man agrees, and has illustrated what popular male superheroes would look like if they were drawn the same way superheroines are shown:

The guy zapping his crotch does NOT look comfortable.  

Geek Vs. Nerd: A Clarification

Today I asked Facebook if I was a Geek or a Nerd, and this video surfaced.  Plus I'm too lazy to come up with a real story to write about, so watch this instead:

Thanks to Gracie Poo for the video.

Uh, The Universe Is Really Fucking Big

In case you were wondering, we're really freaking tiny.



Thanks to Wesley Darling.

For Real, This Time? Please?

One of the great tragedies of gay nerddom is the complete and utter lack of gay characters in Star Trek's entire history.  Sure, there was that lesbionic kiss between Dax and her former lover from a past (male) lifetime, and sure there was that transgender episode where Riker hit it with some androgynous husk-inseminating alien, but it's really about time one of the Red Shirts got rull gay up in the Enterprise.

New Star Trek franchise director J.J. Abrams is making vague promises, now, that he will rectify this situation:

"You know what’s funny? As someone who was never a huge Star Trek fan and I didn’t watch the shows. And my experiences with the movie was the first series and then watching and re-watching some of the movies that I’ve seen. I’m frankly shocked that in the history of Star Trek there have never been gay characters in all the series. In Deep Space Nine and all the Enterprises that that’s never come up."

Come on!  Let's get some hot cottaging up in the turbolifts.  

The World's Largest Stop Motion Video

This German-made masterpiece was filmed with a Nokia camera on-location at Pendine beach in South Wales.  Neat!

Geek Shit Wednesday Vol. IXX

New Spider-Man Is Black And Latino, Possibly Gay?


In June, Marvel killed off Peter Parker via the machinations of the perennial baddie, the nefarious Green Goblin.  This month, they introduce Miles Morales, their newest alliterative superhero to don the Amazing Spider-Man's legendary costume.  What's interesting about Morales is that he is black and Latino, a mix that has led blowhard Glenn Beck to belch "this is all Michelle Obama's fault!" whatever that means.

The buzz over the newest Ultimate Spider-Man has caused Marvel artist Sarah Pichelli to hint that one of the newer superheroes in the company's pantheon is going to come out as gay.

"Maybe sooner or later a black or gay—or both—hero will be considered something absolutely normal."

This leads some to speculate that this new incarnation of the webslinger may be gay someday, but I'm not holding my breath on that.  It's enough that there will be more gay superheroes to ogle.  

Time Warner To Launch All Mags On All Tablets, Period

Thus far, the magazine giant Time, Inc. has been available exclusively on the iPad, with four apps for four publications: People, Time, Sports Illustrated, and Fortune.  Now, the heavyweight is sockin' to Jobsians everywhere by opening up their entire line of publications to the major tablets in the field, to include the Android, Nook Color, and WebOS.  While the Kindle and Blackberry Playbook are missing from lineup so far, more announcements regarding Time Inc.'s decision are expected by the year's end.  From Wired:

"Time’s also pursuing the same subscription and purchase strategy across all platforms: print subscribers get digital access for free, while readers can also buy a digital subscription or single issues through the various platforms’ app marketplaces. They also plan to incorporate the magazine’s existing print ads into the digital editions. It’s a unified, cross-platform approach to digital magazines.

"Time Warner’s other major media component is video, specifically movie studios and television networks. On Wednesday’s quarterly earnings call, CEO Jeff Bewkes announced that the company was expanding its TV Everywhere strategy, bringing the popular HBO Go service to game consoles, smart televisions and other streaming media boxes. (See Ryan Lawler’s report on the earnings call at GigaOM.)"

I don't have a tablet yet, but my addiction to all forms of news/media might drive me to beg for one for Christmas.

Lunar Highlands Possibly The Result Of Earth's 'Lost Moon'

Popular simulated models describing the arrival of the Moon in our local system describe a climactic, dramatic entrance of our lunar companion.  During the formation of the Earth, it is likely that a Mars-sized body impacted our world, thus resulting in ejecta forming the Moon and a smaller companion satellite.  What is unclear is what happened to that smaller moon, with widespread theories suggesting it merged with the Moon while it was still molten.  

A recent study suggests an altogether different picture of the early days of our solar system.  Instead, it's posited, this smaller satellite settled into a semi-stable orbit at the "Trojan point," a gravitational "haven" where the satellite could remain suspended between the gravity of the Moon and Earth for approximately 70 million years before its orbit decayed, providing more than enough time for the Moon to form a hardened crust.  

What evidence of this is there?  While the side of the Moon facing us is a crater-riddled system of maria, the far side of the Moon consists of what's called "lunar highlands," with an unusual layer of ejecta covering the entirety of the "dark side."  It's a fascinating explanation, and one well worth exploring.

Johnny McGovern: "Sexy Nerd"

The Gay Pimp Daddy himself sings what I have known for years: Nerds are hawt.  Really hot.




Video vaguely NSFW.

Video: Rotation Of Vesta

I reported recently that the Dawn spacecraft was due to enter close orbit of the asteroid Vesta on July 16th, which was pulled off without a hitch.  Now, NASA has released a nifty video compiled from Dawn's photographs detailing the rotation of the asteroid.  Watch:

Geek Shit Wednesday Vol. XVIII

New Mobile Game Designed By X-Men Artist

A new in-depth RPG game is being developed for mobile phones and is being hailed by Wired as "absolutely stunning."  It should look good, as its creator is no stranger to art: Steve Uy, a celebrated artist for the X-Men franchise, is the one making the game.

"Though he has enlisted a programmer and musician, Uy is writing, illustrating and designing the game on his own.

"'This may be a single-man indie game, but it won’t feel like one,' Uy said in an e-mail to Wired.com.  World Without End, Uy says, will take upwards of 15 hours to finish and let players explore several branching storylines.

"Uy is asking for donations on Kickstarter to help him finish the project. He’s hoping to reach $15,000 by late August."

I have to say, its lack of grid-style movement in-game and fresh graphics make this a very appealing game that I'm looking forward to seeing release successfully.

Restrictions On Stem Cell Research Lift

One of the great tragedies in medical research of our age has been the lack of ability for NIH and other institutes to research stem cell treatments that could cure a wide range of ailments ranging from HIV to cancer.  The Obama administration has been attempting to lift restrictions left in place from previous inhabitants of the White House with little success, as a group of researchers working in the field of adult stem cells filed an injunction saying further research would threaten their funding.

The judge in the case, happily, tossed out their objections and stem cells are now fair game for the NIH to study.

"The legal wrangling of the case hinged on two issues: the definition of 'research,' and whether scientists suffer harm based on funding policy decisions. The plaintiffs in the case were researchers who focused on adult stem cells and had seen their NIH grant proposals undergo competitive evaluations, pitted against those from scientists working on embryonic stem cells. With the restrictions on embryonic stem cells lifted, that competition would increase. Thus, they claimed to have suffered harm from the policy change, which gave them grounds to sue. That decision, which may make any funding policy change the subject of future lawsuits, has remained intact in this final ruling.

"Which leaves us with research. The law governing stem cell research prohibits funding 'research in which a human embryo' is subject to harm. The judge in this case, Royce C. Lamberth, read 'research' very broadly, in a manner that would encompass all the preparatory work, including the isolation of stem cells. In contrast, the NIH read the term narrowly, as applying only to the work it was providing funding to."

This is a great thing for science, and I'm looking forward to the results of that research over the next couple decades.

Weird Robot Walks On Water

I'm a firm believer that robots scare the shit outta me, and this thing confirms it:

See that?!  It walks on water.  That's right.  When they're coming to get you you can't escape by boat anymore.  Ugh.  We're fucked.

Snape Admits He Was Boning Dumbledore

Ladies and gentlemen, Severus Snape, here to tell you: it gets better.  Warning!  Spoiler alerts.

Newest X-Men Comic Addresses LGBT Teen Suicide

If you're a gay comic book nerd like me (what blogger isn't) then the X-Men storylines are stories you have likely followed for years.  I myself was an unabashed lover of Storm growing up, cuz I mean, that bitch is a diva:  

Continuing the X-Men's theme as a metaphor for the civil rights struggles of our time, one of Marvel's latest ventures is Generation Hope, a book that describes the trials of mutant teens as they develop their superpowers (read: they find out they're gay) and figure how to integrate into society (read: come out of the closet).  Generation Hope #9, which hits the stores today, was teased by Marvel as follows:

"'OUT, OUT...' This is the X-Men comic that will have people talking for years! Some candles burn twice as bright and half as long. Some candles don't get a chance to burn at all. Generation Hope discover what happens when a light goes out."

In an interview with iFanboy.com, the writer, Kieron Gillen, illuminates that it is a reference to the teen LGBT suicide.  

"It was directly inspired by the conversation around the very public gay suicide stories. It doesn't get much more sensitive.

"When the stories [about gay teen suicide] started to break, the first place I heard about it was actually from Fraction. We'd just passed the baton, and he said "If I was still writing the X-Men...". I read the news and could only agree.

"It's not the type of story that fits in any other major superhero book. It's simply not what those books are about. But the X-Men? X-Men is a book about mutants, used as a metaphor about prejudice. And of the X-Men books, Generation Hope is fundamentally about new mutants trying to survive dealing with the fact they're mutants. With the metaphor in place, you can not just do a story about it - I dare say you should tell a story about it. In a real way, it's the sort of story Generation Hope exists to tell. If we can't tell this story and tell it as well as we can, the book may as well not exist."

Awesome.  Now if we could get the cast of X-Men: First Class would do an It Gets Better Video.

I figured I'd take this opportunity (I really love comics) to do a short rundown on the who's who of gay mutants in Marvel continuity:

1.  Northstar

Northstar is arguably the most famous gay comic book character ever, being the first featured in Marvel comics.  He notably also became the first to come out as HIV-positive.  He cured it, naturally, because he was half-fairy.  Whatevs.  He started out a member of the Canadian-based Alpha Flight (Canucks like gays better anyway) but then became an X-Man.

2.  Wiccan

Wiccan, a member of the Young Avengers, is a magic-using son of the probability-changing Scarlet Witch.  He originally was called Asgardian (as a nod to Avenger Thor) but changed his name when he came out as gay and dating fellow Young Avenger Hulkling.  I agree with the name change: it's probably a bit problematic to be gay and have your code name rhyme with Ass-Guardian.

3.  Hulkling

The son of Captain Mar-Vell and a Skrull princess, Hulkling has shapeshifting abilities that allow him to have increased strength and stamina.  Plus, he's a hot blond.  'Nuff said.  

4.  Karolina Dean

Karolina, a member of the Runaways, is a teen superheroine who has solar-based superpowers.  Her storyline began with an unrequited crush on the female lead of her group of teen heroes, but she has since fallen in love with Xavin, a Super-Skrull-in-training.  In fact, much like myself, she has been engaged to her partner.  She is notable for having once been suicidal, even offering herself to a vampire in hopes he would kill her.  After beginning her relationship with Xavin, she has since become much happier.  

5.  Xavin

Xavin, a Super-Skrull-in-training, was pledged at birth to be the husband of the Majesdanian Karolina Dean.  Xavin hit a snag in the road, though, when "Kar" came out as lesbian.  Luckily Xavin can change genders, which I would argue makes her not just a gay superhero, but a transgender one as well.  Xavin tragically left the Runaways title in order to protect Karolina from... um... space cops... and hasn't been heard from since.

6.  Anole

Anole is a mutant superhero associated with the X-men, with the powers of color-changing, a prehensile tongue (don't get pervy, readers) and the ability to crawl on walls.  Since his debut, he has become a fan favorite, as he has evolved in his sexuality enough that it is no longer an issue that plagues, due to his mentorship by the aforementioned Northstar.

There a tons more LGBT characters in comics, but these are certainly the most popular in Marvel.  Their recent storylines, to me, indicate that Marvel is thinking smartly about their audience.  Queers have long loved the X-Men, and now they are getting storylines that touch directly on modern LGBT issues.

Geek Shit Wednesday Vol. XVII

Dawn Spacecraft To Visit Giant Asteroid

Vesta, the solar system's second heaviest asteroid, is due to be visited by NASA's Dawn spacecraft at 1:00 AM EST on July 16th as the exploratory vessel slides into orbit to begin a year of gamma ray and neutron surveys from 9,900 miles above the asteroid, which has a circumference of 329 miles.

"'It has taken nearly four years to get to this point,' said Dawn project manager Robert Mase of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a press release. 'Our latest tests and check-outs show that Dawn is right on target and performing normally.'

"Dawn navigated toward the asteroid belt, a space rock-rich zone between the solar system’s inner and outer planets, using gravitational energy from Mars and by firing its ion-powered thrusters. Its arrival at Vesta is expected at 1:00am EDT on July 16.

"It will take 10 minutes and 30 seconds—the time it takes light from Vesta to reach Earth—for engineers to know if the operation succeeded."

After the survey of Vesta, Dawn is due to fire its thrusters and move on to the massive asteroid Ceres, which is so large it is referred to as a "dwarf planet."  NASA hopes to capture invaluable data from the trip, as Ceres is suspected to contain water ice and have active mud volcanoes. 

Army Testing Smartphones As Alternative To Proprietary Tech

The United States military, with its vast budget, is continually testing new expensive technology to make navigation, tracking, and reporting easier on the battlefield.  I was constantly astounded at the price tag associated with the equipment I worked on during my time in service, with simple radios (that never worked) costing in the tens of thousands of dollars.  

Often, the civilian tech market seizes a military tech concept and then markets it for civilians.  However, with increasing budget concerns in 2011, the military is now testing a simple device that has made a hit with every cell-phone user in America: smartphones.

"The results have been promising, according to program director Michael McCarthy, stating that younger soldiers who grew up with smartphones and handhelds are very comfortable using them for military purposes.

"Soldiers in the field can text GPS coordinates, send pictures of their surroundings, or file common reports directly from their phone."

The project has run across some problems, most laughably the fact that the service coverage of the iPhones tested was spotty at best in testing zones in New Mexico and Texas.  However, this seems like a cheap solution to a very expensive problem.

Even Amid TV And Twilight Madness, Comics Rule Supreme At Comic Con

Comic Con is the biggest geek convention of the year, having attracted comic nerds for four decades to San Diego California.  However, sometimes the convention sees an increased presence of other media shown on the floor, with Twilight-mania notably infecting this year's gathering.

However, comics still reign supreme, as they appear to be the media that binds the geekier aspect of the entertainment industry together.

"'The comics are what I like to call the gooey center of all pop culture,' said Joe Field, who owns a comic book store in Concord, Calif., and has gone to the convention annually for the past 25 years.

"'Movies, TV and video games all spin out of the creativity of telling stories with words and pictures,' said Field, who founded the industry's annual Free Comic Book Day. 'That's why the San Diego Con has become this sort of beehive of pop culture activity, because comics are really the genesis of visual entertainment.'"

Ugh.  I intend every year to go and never end up doing it.  Someday, Comic Con, someday.

Ian Awesome Goes To The Movies

I'm exhausted after the horrible events of last week and elated by the astounding events of this week, so I'm taking the rest of the day off to spend it with a certain loved one.  We're going to go see Harry Potter.  The news will continue tomorrow.

I'm very happy.