After another keynote filled to the gills with exciting announcements and even more questions (not unlike an episode of Lost), not to mention ear crushingly loud tunes, it’s time to recollect and share some of the more intriguing moments from the address. This morning’s intro, a demo of Project Gustav, had much more significance than yesterday’s considering that it turned out to be a technology that Bill Buxton’s researchers have been working on. More on that later.

For all intents and purposes (i.e. what my feeble mind could grasp), the theme of Day Two’s keynote was Internet Explorer 9. With IE 9 Platform Preview going live today as well the various demos that were displayed to us this morning, it’s safe to assume that Microsoft is focused on HTML 5. More on my impressions of IE 9, it’s dependency on and the power of HTML 5 as well as some reflection on Mr. Buxton’s inspiring presentation after the cut. (more…)

Recently, Philadelphia based publisher of all-that-is-quirky, Quirk Books, released the trailer for their upcoming prequel to the New York Times bestseller, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies… entitled Pride & Prejudice & Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls. Have a look, and enjoy some zombie-filled fun.

The book drops at the end of the month. “They might be dead. But Goddammit, they’re still Englishmen!” Awesome.

Quirk Books
www.irreference.com

Join us behind the cut for yet another morning of live blogging from Day Two of the MIX 10 keynote address. (more…)

In an attempt to gather what I can from what was a blur of technology, flashy lights and tucked in polo shirts, let’s take a look at what Day One of MIX 10 was like. Since, you all might know how the live blog went – we’ll get it right tomorrow morning as long no one decides to release a 100+ MB download in the middle of the keynote – we’ll just take a look at a few of my favorite announcements.

Surely, you all know a lot of details concerning Windows Phone 7 were released including specifics on XNA and Silverlight support as well as more information concerning Expression Blend 4 and the release of the Silverlight 4 release candidate (final version due next month!), so let’s get into the nitty gritty after the break. (more…)

** Mild Spoilers Ahead. You’ve Been Warned!!**

I don’t want to say Kick-Ass kicks ass. Not because it doesn’t, but because that’s to0 easy a description of the film.  With a name like Kick-Ass, the movie had a lot to live up to.  Not just because it was based on the  successful Mark Millar/John Romita Jr. comic of the same name, but because if you give a movie a title like Kick-Ass, it better deliver.

It does. Oh boy, it does!

Kick-Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski, a high school kid just trying to get by. A modern day version of Peter Parker but with one big difference. Parker was constantly picked on by students higher up on the popularity chain. Dave on the other hand,  isn’t even noticed. Practically invisible to all but his two friends Todd and Marty (Evan Peters and Clark Duke).  These three geeks hang out at their local comic shop  talking about girls, comic books, girls, and girls. It is during one of these conversations when Dave asks the question of why aren’t there any real life superheroes.

Pointing out that more people want to be Paris Hilton than Spider-Man,  Dave is then reminded by his friends that  if anyone tried to be a hero, they would probably be killed. Now at this point, any normal person would have ended the conversation and never think about it again, but after being robbed by two thugs while a bystander looks on and does nothing, Dave decides to take matters into his own hands. After a few hours of online shopping and a couple of clicks of the mouse, Dave is on his way to becoming something great. Well, almost.

You see, in any other superhero film, the protagonist would most likely have superpowers or be an insanely wealthy billionaire who can afford gadgets and countless hours of  martial arts training. Dave has neither of these things going for him.  He hasn’t trained. He has no money. He is just a kid in a costume.  So on his way home from school he happens to see the same two thugs who robbed him of his comics trying to break into a car. Deciding to take a stand against these punks proves to be harder than he imagined. And that’s what makes this movie so great.  The idea of being a superhero has been romanticized  so much recently that showing a kid being stabbed in the gut, crawling away for help only to be hit by a speeding car definitely kills the fantasy. The film doesn’t encourage the audience to take such actions. It just lets you safely live out the fantasy through Dave.

Read the rest of the review after the jump.

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Today sees the release of Disney’s triumphant return to 2D animation, the 3-time Academy Award nominated picture The Princess and the Frog.  I have to be honest I was a bit hesitant to see this film on its original theatrical run. Something about a sea of little girls in various princess garb and tiaras scared me…  just a little bit. But today it’s being released on Blu-Ray in a 3 disc(Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital copy) set, for those of us who were not brave enough to venture out to see this in the theater. We can now see it in the safety our own living rooms. Tiaras not required.

The Princess and the Frog was based on E. D. Baker’s The Frog Princess, this story puts a slightly different spin on the original tale we all know, and are familiar with. Instead of the frog turning into a prince when kissed, the story’s heroine kisses a frog, only to become a frog herself. Another welcome change, was instead of the standard European setting like most Disney princess stories; we are treated to the roaring 1920s New Orleans, during the Jazz age. The film also reunites John Musker and Ron Clements at the helm, the team behind Disney’s second Golden Age of animation and directors of such great films as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules.

I found The Princess and the Frog to be a great and heart warming story told with much more contemporary sensibilities than past Disney fare. While the songs were not the most memorable, I really think the strong cast of characters carried the film along quite well. The film was a great effort and triumphant return to 2D animation for Disney.

Review after the jump.

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Live blogging of the keynote starts at 12:00 p.m. EST. Join us behind the cut! (more…)

This Saturday, the folks over at the Hacktory are hosting a special kinetic sculpture building workshop with Brad Litwin. You might recognize him from such movies as his wild inventions and fantastic sculptures, like the Rotapult. You can scope out more of his work on his official website. Don’t be fooled by the ragtime guitar business. You have the right guy. Dude is a serious jack-of-all-trades.

According to the Hacktory, “no prior experience is required, other than a fascination with machines, and a desire to work in 3 dimensions. Two projects will be made: the first being an exercise in rapid prototyping of a simple machine; the second, an intentional work of kinetic art.”

The workshop lasts six hours and costs $150, and you’ll get to take your sculpture project home. For more information on the class, visit The Hacktory’s official website.

Kinetic Sculpture Building @ the Hacktory
March 20th, 2010
www.thehacktory.org/classes/intro-to-kinetic-sculpture-0

So, Microsoft is sending me off on another whirlwind adventure in a few days. This time I’m headed to Las Vegas, Nevada for Microsoft’s MIX 10 this Monday the 15th to the 17th (and it’s going to be beautiful). Being a guy who is infinitely intrigued by tech and web (not to mention the Expression Insider), why wouldn’t I be at Microsoft’s annual web design conference?

Tom Zeigman and Jeremy Bray, the IT and Windows Student Insiders respectively, will be live blogging the keynotes with myself for all to see what goes down first hand. Expect to be able to join in on our discussions (and quirkiness) as it happens, but more details on how we’ll be handling this later this weekend.

While the three of us will be recapping you each day on the happenings of the conference, tune into Microsoft’s Channel 9 for exclusive video coverage and features throughout the festivities. Remember to install Silverlight  to watch the events as they unfold beginning this Monday at 10:30 a.m. EST.

Join me behind the cut for a bit more info on what I’ll be up to specifically at MIX 10 and don’t worry, nothing stays in Vegas on this trip.  (more…)

I’m not a scientist, but word on the street says I’m not the only geek in town who enjoys this type of news… so from this day forward I will be bringing you fine folk a weekly briefing of the world of (She Blinded Me With) science!

SOME HIGHLIGHTS:

• For all of you wing fans out there, Wired reported that the world’s oldest ‘flying’ car is up for grabs! –err, for sale, anyway. It’s twenty-one feet long with six wings, and may or may not actually fly.

• Sciencepunk mentioned a new set of commemorative stamps honoring 35 scientists (including historic staples such Sir Isaac Newton and Ben Franklin) for the 350th anniversary of the Royal Society.

• PopSci reported that there is an ongoing expedition by the JOIDES Resolution, a deep-sea drilling liner that’s run by the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (for research) will be dipping into deep ridges in different oceans three times in 2010 in search of  Intraterrestrial Life (IT) on the premise that these internal findings will help us better understand our findings in search of extraterrestrial life. [ed. note: No word on if Mulder and Scully have gone back to Antarctica...]

• In other news, Wired Science reports that –pssh, as if they didn’t already have enough face time to begin with– a new archaeological find confirms that dinosaurs arose at least 10million years sooner than previously assumed. Now, for the more important question: ….will they ever be back?!

• THAT’S SO METAL: A paleontologist re-examined an old find from India, and upon further inspection announced that the dig didn’t simply un-earth fossilized eggs, but the remains of a 67 million year old snake fossil eating baby dinosaurs, that were caught in a mudslide. I couldn’t make this up if I tried.

That’s all this week, folks! To submit tips on interesting tidbits, email bianca[at]geekadelphia.com.

Well, the Little Big Philadelphia contest wrapped up on Wednesday, and we have one AMAZING winner. We’ll showcase the winning level tomorrow, at the 8static party in West Philly at Studio 34.

After we announce the winning level and let guests play through it, you’ll be treated to the traditional 8static fare, an ample portion of chiptunes, served up with a delicious side of 8-bit visuals. All of this is drizzled in awesomesauce. Nom!

Performers include minusbaby from New York City and Philadelphia’s own Ro-Bear and Chipocrite. Visuals will be provided by Philly’s enso. Word on the street has it that our good friends ALBOTAS will be there, shooting video for the relaunch of their webshow.

This all goes down tomorrow at 7pm, at Studio 34.

8static
www.8static.com

Studio 34
www.studio34yoga.com

Mod Cloth, the choice website for all you vintage-dress shopping gals, is selling this fantastic peanut butter and jelly (jam) wallet in their webstore, and seriously, I need to meet a girl who wants one of these. Because I’m buying one.

“Whether you brown bag it, or tote it in a posh purse, this tasty treat of a wallet will update your look in a jiff. With it’s photo-real bread exterior, and peanut butter and jam-like interior, this wallet looks good enough to eat – but don’t! The magnetic closure and two zippered pockets may be extra cute, but they’re not edible. Sandwich this wonderful wallet in your bag right between your checkbook and cell phone, and you’ll always have money for munchies!”

Best part is, the wallet opens up like a REAL SANDWICH. Each side has individual pockets.

Oh, peanut butter and jelly wallet. I want you in my belly.

PB&J Wallet @ Modcloth
http://ow.ly/1fBy0

[ Thanks for the link, Helen! ]