Gamers AND Humanity are Awesome; Save Artist’s Shoulder
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture, Technology
Tags: charity, culture, donation, gamers
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Want something to warm your hearts today guys? This will. First off, let’s set the stage.
Meet the gang of Extra Credits. Every week James Portnow, Daniel Floyd and Allison Theus set out to discuss gaming in a dialogue that isn’t the usual format we’re used to hearing. There’s no press, no PR, no harsh criticism–just a lot of dialogue fueled by a desire to see games improve humanity.
Unfortunately, the team got some rough news yesterday. James took to the show’s twitter account to announce Allison, (the show’s artist, who animates and edits the videos) was in dire straits. Thanks to an old college injury, she now had a radial tear around her shoulder blade, meaning the muscle was literally shredded. If she didn’t have surgery soon, she could never draw again. Keep Reading
Britain Jumps Aboard the Nerdcore Train; U.S. Better Start Laying Down More Tracks
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, NERDCORE, Pop Culture
Tags: I'm on a Boat, nerdcore, nerdcore rock, Rainbow in the dark cover, Ronnie James Dio, Tetrastar
Written by: Jeff N
Yes, we’ve covered at length the plethora of U.S. nerdcore artists – and there are plenty of them – but in the U.K. there’ a burgeoning blowup of nerdcore rappers too. Milk-Plus, Nik the Geek, Tetrastar, Beardyman, Funky Astronauts, Chemist the Menace, and Danbull – among the others.
Tetrastar is one of them — a farily ambitious band that’s been chipping away at making a name for themselves and doing what a lot of nerdcore rappers do: utilizing the internet to put out tracks and networking like mad to get themselves out there. They got a lot of notice last year when legendary nerd/metal singer Ronnie James Dio passed away Keep Reading
Tracy Morgan Manages to Piss Even More People Off
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Offbeat, Pop Culture
Tags: GLAAD, offensive comments, Tracy Morgan
Written by: Jeff N
Tracy Morgan was lambasted nearly a month ago for his tirade against gays – one for which he made what at least appeared to be a heartfelt apology. According to the media, Tracy has f*cked up royally again, this time with his comments about the handicapped. In a Saturday night performance in NYC’s legendary Caroline’s comedy club, he advised guys not to “mess with women who have retarded kids…them young retarded males is strong … they’re strong like chimps.” If that wasn’t enough of a f*ck you to the audience, the media, members of GLAAD and others, Morgan also said: ““I know you’re waiting for me to address the controversy. I ain’t sayin’ sh*t, f*ck it. What do I care? What do I get out of the deal?” Keep Reading
Actor Jeff Bridges Debuts New Music: How Badly Does It Suck?
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, NERDCORE, Pop Culture
Tags: Beacon Theater, Crazy Heart, Elvis Costello, Jeff Bridges, T Bone Burnett
Written by: Jeff N
From The Big Lebowski to Tron, actor Jeff Bridges is among the most beloved, revered, worshiped actors of our generation. And he proved last October that a fairly big part of sounding halfway decent is surrounding yourself with better musicians than yourself. When he jammed at the Beacon Theater then, he got some big help from the likes of T Bone Burnett (who gave him some help when he wrote a bunch of great songs for the Crazy Heart soundtrack) and Elvis Costello.
But aside from some backup musicians, he was pretty much alone at The Troubadour Tuesday night, playing his own songs from his own Keep Reading
Bungie Aerospace: The Makers of Halo Go Casual
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive
Tags: aerospace, bungie, halo
Written by: R Bryant Francis
By Bryant Francis
Bungie’s taking over the world! Bungie today announced its new initative: Bungie Aerospace. It’s not a game, or even a program of any kind–it’s an initiative to get Indie Developers that Bungie approves of a chance to get their indie games out in the open. These can include XBLA titles, iOS titles, and possibly Android apps. (No confirmation yet on if there’s any particular system they’re looking for.)
There’s no difference between these games and your other Indie game down the street–just that they’re backed by Bungie, and their communities can exist over at Bungie.net, which until this point had only been good for fans of the Halo games to compare their stats and swap stories about Keep Reading
Naked Nerdcore Girls: Another Reason to Love the Genre
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, NERDCORE, Pop Culture
Tags: girls, nerdcore, nerdcore calendar, totally nerdcore
Written by: Jeff N
After their 2010 horror-themed nerdcore chick calendar, and the follow-up, last year’s naked nerdcore Science Fiction tribute, the folks at Totally Nerdcore are leaving fanboys all over the world to salivate and wonder: what will these geniuses manage to come up with next? In case you missed what we’re talking about, here’s a couple reminders:
And here’s some shots from the one done last year, with a tasteful, campy sort of Barbarella vibe to it: Keep Reading
Good News Everyone! Tech Supply Chain to be Fully Restored after Japan Disaster
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture, Technology
Tags: gadgets, japan, tech
Written by: R Bryant Francis
You just read this in my voice!
All right, that’s what I’m talking about!
CNN’s reporting that an analysis by IHS iSuppli is bearing the good news that by this fall, Japanese electronic companies will be able to make full recoveries and get back into business. Currently responsible for 35% of the world’s NAND Flash production, and the leading source of semiconductor and LCD manufacturing equipment, these companies were in a rough spot after the devastating earthquake earlier this year. Keep Reading
Virtual Reality? Sony Still Believes in It
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Technology
Tags: gadgets, Sony, virtual reality
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Sony. We cannot afford your 3-D TVs. We cannot afford 4 sets of glasses. We cannot afford this magical world you want to build for us. Please. Stop.
Well Maybe this Guy Can
Alright, onto serious reporting.
Sony of Europe’s Mick Hocking spoke to b.TWEEN 3D today (some kind of British 3-D entertainment conference.) and talked about the company’s vision for 3-D gaming technology. Mick talked about the possibilities of 3-D phones Keep Reading
AMAZON Pulls Plug On California as Thousands Could Lose Their Jobs
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture
Tags: amazon, california, controversy, law, online, tax
Written by: Paul Nyhart
It wasn’t so long ago that if you needed to purchase something, you’d ride on over to the neighborhood store, pay (cash) for the item return home and enjoy it. The marketplace used to be next door, now it’s on our internet devices, throwing products at us that we didn’t even know we wanted (but based off our internet search history, it reminds us we did).
But what hasn’t evolved with our newfound proclivity to shop for nearly everything online is the government’s methodology in handling how it goes about re-couping the funds it so readily believes it deserves (taxes). he matter of interstate commerce, which in web speak, is almost impossible to define.
The inherent lack of borders the internet creates only fuels confusion over what states can tax, and what they can regulate. Interstate commerce, in regards to web speak, is inherently challenging to defend let alone define.
California lawmakers recently stepped in and signed a bill which taxes affiliates who make money off directing traffic to Amazon.
The matter went over like a lead balloon for Amazon, who simply responded by cutting the umbilical cord between itself and over 10,000 california affiliates who were profiting for them.
“Amazon sales have been good, and profitable,” said Richard Boehl, president of QTE North America, a tools company whose eyeglass parts are advertised and sold on Amazon.
“We get orders from them every day,” said Boehl, who pays a 15 percent commission to Amazon. Boehl says he collects and pays California sales tax, unlike many other affiliates. “Now what do I do?”
The question is, in terms of the present, what is Amazon trying to do? Conventional wisdom is that the marketplace giant won’t put up with any Government interference Keep Reading
TECH – Geeks Work Together to Render Lord of the Rings in Lego Form
Thursday, 30th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture, Technology
Tags: geeks, lego, lord of the rings
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Stand and salute Ladies and Gentlemen. Feast your eyes upon Lego Middle Earth—led by ubergeek Chris Phipson, these fine folks built the iconic moments from Tolkein’s three books (Rendered in the style seen in the Peter Jackson movies), all the way from Hobbiton right up to the eye of Sauron.
Words defy me. The Mines of Moria built to scale? Isengard with the tower of Orthanc? I literally shouted “holy shit!” When I saw Minas Tirith. It’s even got an army of 2,000 Lego figures lined up and ready for the siege.
So that’s it—the entire, epic saga of Lord of the Rings reduced to millions of brick pieces, and realized by a dedicated squad of geeks. Well done sirs (and ladies) well done.
Go salute these fine folks’ effort at their website!
CULTURE – “Why I’m Raising My Son to be a Nerd…”
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture
Tags: culture, education, jocks, nerd, sports stars
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Are we unemployed or just under-educated?
It’s a dog eat dog world out there. It’s survival of the fittest…terms which often physically endear us to out-muscle the competition.
But with technology surpassing industries like manufacturing and conventional labor, we’re beginning to realize that the world isn’t a football field, it’s a chess match. But are parents pointing this out to their kids?
Who teaches their kid to play chess, before throwing a baseball? Who signs them up for boy scouts instead of football? Sure these might be “geekier” activities, but that’s exactly the point. Who says that’s a bad thing?
By the time you get out of high school, and even college, most employers want to know how well you can think outside the box, not if you can knock it down.
“Jocks go on to play for your favorite team but nerds go on to own the teams those jocks play for.”
said in his article on raising his kid to be a nerd.
Now this isn’t a knock on jocks, we all love to see someone jump over three guys while flailing into the end-zone in all their glory. Keep Reading
TECH – Samsung Files ITC Complaint, Tries to get Apple to Stop Importing iPods, iPads, and iPhones.
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Technology
Tags: apple, gadgets, ipad, ipod, samsung
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Batman Says: "You've Got To Be Kidding Me."
There’s no way they think this will really work…
FOSS Patents is reporting today that Samsung has filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission, with the express purpose of restricting the import of the following types of products: “Mobile Electronic Devices, Portable Music and Data Processing Devices, and Tablet Computers.”
So in everyday lingo, iPhones, iPods, and iPads. As in, the devices each of yoy has at least one of in your household. Samsung’s publicity stunt comes courtesy of an ongoing battle between Apple and Samsung regarding various patents each company claims the other stole. Apple and Samsung were previously partnered for producing the various gadgets and gizmos Apple’s released, but apparently, Keep Reading
OnLive CEO solves everything. World Peace Now Declared
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive
Tags: cloud gaming, onlive
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Significantly MORE exciting!
Eh, or not. Close enough though. We talked about OnLive a couple of days ago, and while some of you seemed a bit skeptical, here’s reason for you guys to sit up and take notice. Their CEO, Steve Perlman (who also founded Rearden Companies, of which OnLive has spun out of ), gave a presentation at Columbia recently where he announced that his company basically broke Shannon’s Law, possibly sound the death toll for dropped calls, slow wireless in population-congested aeras, and other limitations on wireless communication.
Okay, there’s a catch—they didn’t break Shannon’s Law, (which states there’s essentially a finite speed at which wireless radio can travel.) They essentially found a way around it. Since I’m not exactly a wireless engineer, I can’t point out the details, but maybe you can Keep Reading
MUSIC – Nirvana’s Nevermind: 20 Years Later
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, NERDCORE, Pop Culture
Tags: Nevermind, Nirvana
Written by: Jeff N
This September sees the 20th anniversary of Nirvana’s seminal Nevermind, an album which changed the scene — perhaps more than any other band since The Beatles — and Universal and the band will release an anniversary version to celebrate. According to the band’s website,”The Super Deluxe Edition features a 4 CDs and a DVD. The CDs will include previously unreleased recordings, rarities, b-sides, BBC radio appearances, alternative mixes, rare live recordings and an unreleased concert in its entirety on DVD.”
I’m ancient enough to remember what a big deal this album was…I even remember being in P.E. class one day as a kid and running laps around the gym while my teacher, Herr Goebbels, shook his horse crop at us and told us to run schnell!, faster! Times were tough back then, and the overload of bad hair metal bands and Billy Ray Cyrus-es and Ace of Bases weren’t helping either — Keep Reading
How the Mighty have Fallen: Myspace sold for $35 Million to Specific Media
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive
Tags: culture, myspace, tech
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Look upon my works ye mighty, and despair! Myspace today announced its sale to Specific Media for $35 Million—which, while probably more than some of us will ever see in a lifetime, is a far cry from the company that was once purchased for $580 Million by NewsCorp. And in the continuing theme of “There is no way to put a positive spin on this,” not only was Rupert Murdoch hoping to dump the company at $100 Million, but Myspace CEO Mike Jones (Who’s probably one of the most miserable millionaires on the planet right now) announced they’d be laying off employees as well—on top of the 47% cut the company suffered back in January.
And thus the swan song of the once-mighty Social Media company begins to air. Though Specific Media claims it can profit from acess to data about Myspace users and help with their ad targeting, the reality is—who uses Myspace anymore? Ever since the site got filled with Spam, clunky interfaces, and stupid chain messages (Wait, this is starting to sound familiar…), it’s been rendered an unusable digital wasteland Keep Reading
MUSIC – Royce Da 5’9” and Eminem: Fake or for Real?
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, NERDCORE, Pop Culture
Tags: Bad Meets Evil, eminem, Royce Da 5'9"
Written by: Jeff N
Bad Meets Evil, the joint album between Eminem and Royce Da 5’9“, is receiving mostly positive reviews. It’s also a bit of a landmark for Eminem, who is now the first artist in 5 years to have two number one Billboard hits in a less than year-long period. Chad Grischow from IGN Entertainment, however, remarked Keep Reading
MUSIC – Live From Jail: DMX
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, NERDCORE, Pop Culture
Tags: DMX, jail, Vibe Magazine
Written by: Jeff N
In a recent interview from the slammer, DMX spoke about his most recent effort to clean himself up — citing the Bible and consciousness as two influences that could set him straight. DMX has been incarcerated about 11 times for stuff including drug possession, animal cruelty and weapons charges (many at the same time), shit that any other guy would have probably gotten 10 years for, 10 incarcerations earlier — but insists this time he’s gonna work on cleaning his act up.
DMX told Vibe Magazine to have written something near 30 tracks whilst in stir Keep Reading
Gaming — What Will Be, Will Be…But, What Could Have Been…?
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Pop Culture
Tags: gaming, gaming laws
Written by: Paul Nyhart
On June 27th the U.S. Supreme Court decided against California’s law to make it illegal to sell violent video games to minors. This was a huge victory for not only the game merchants and developers, but also for the entire gaming community.
The law would have made it possible for local police agencies to fine retailers who sold video games with violent content to a minor, much like selling a 10 year old a pack of smokes.
Right now, we have the ESRB as the self-governing body of the video game association. They put those little ‘E’ and ‘M’ ratings on the front of the boxes, and the quick descriptions as to how they made that decision. The ESRB changes with time and technology, adapting their ratings to the current culture.
Quoting ESRB president Patricia Vance, “In striking this law, the Court has made clear that the video game industry effectively empowers parents to be the ones to decide which games are right for their children.”
This is a big thing for me, as a lifetime gamer and a parent of 2 children under the age of four.
I see where the need for this law comes in, especially with the recent spotlight beaming on the more ‘ultra’ violent titles. For a lot of parents out there, games are coming out so quickly that it’s almost impossible to keep up with them all, let alone to know which ones Keep Reading
Stan Lee Shows off ‘Jace Hall Show’ Episode at Comic-Con
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Press
Tags: comic-con, Jace Hall, Stan Lee, video
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Stan Lee was told that he could play one video during his appearance at Comic-Con, and he chose his debut on the Jace Hall Show Season 3, Episode 3.
Jace originally thought he was going to discuss a big project idea with Stan and to build off the success of ABC’s “V” but it turns out that Stand and Gil Champion, of Pow Entertainment, had other ideas.
Check out the fan reactions to the clip:
And the original Episode itself:
CULTURE — Science’s Latest, Greatest Endeavor: Dig Up Shakespeare to Find Out if He Smoked Weed
Wednesday, 29th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive
Tags: controversy, culture
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Bwuh? I…honestly don’t know what to make of this. A South African Scientist has submitted paperwork with the Church of England to ask to exhume Shakespeare’s body. His mission? To find out if the Bard smoked weed…
No, I kid you not. The man wants to go Tomb-Raiding in an un-sexy, un-platforming way to find out if history’s greatest author toked up. While I’m sure all the Stoners in the audience are already giggling at the prospect, the rest of us are a little more skeptical Keep Reading
SEASON 5 IS COMING…
More Music From Jace Hall
