Cheap Dinosaurs performing in Connecticut

Come Sunday, April 18th, 8static is invading Reading, PA.

Ro-Bear, Chipocrite, X Hunters, and Geekadelphia favorites Animal Style and Cheap Dinosaurs will be performing at TooManyGames, Pennsylvania’s longest continually running gaming event. It’s a cheap convention, only $5 to play games and join in tournaments.

For more info on TooManyGames, visit their official website. And to catch up on 8static and what they are up to, well, visit theirs.

8static at TooManygames
April 18th, 2010
www.toomanygames.com

Microsoft Principal Researcher, MIX 10 keynote speaker and all around design guru Bill Buxton took time out of his insanely busy day to enlighten us Student Insiders about the importance of always present Natural User Interfaces (NUIs). If you have a solid 24 minutes (seeing as you’re on this site right now, it’s safe to assume you might), take a look as Tom Ziegmann and I get schooled in design theory, team integration and… hockey? Check out the video here and come on back to tell us what you think.

In anticipation for Universal Pictures newest 3D animated feature Despicable Me, which opens July 9th, we have a holiday greeting for you, starring one of the stars of the film Miranda Cosgrove.

The plot of the film goes something like this:

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow minions, we discover Gru (Steve Carell), the former #1 supervillain, whose evil attempts are always thwarted by Vector (Jason Segel), a super smart teenage nerd, who is now #1. To outdo him, Gru is planning the biggest heist in the history of the world- steal the moon.

Both Dustin and I cant wait to check this out.

While most of the other Geekadelphians were still snug in their beds, I was in line at the Apple Store. Today was iPad day, April 3, 2010. The day a “Magical” and “Revolutionary” device was to descend upon us. A device crafted by Steve Jobs, from unicorn smiles and bunny cuddles.

If that is true or not I am still deciding, and will post a review. But for now here are some photos of my un-boxing of the device. Like most Apple products, an emphasis is put on minimalism of packaging, much like the minimalism of their devices.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

HELP! IT'S THE CLOVERFIELD MONSTER!

Good afternoon! I’m so excited for tonight’s Geekadelphia Fiesta party at North Bowl. Mikey and Tim have plenty planned– so I hope I will be seeing you all there. In the mean time, here’s to servin’ up some science:

• THANKS FOR RUINING SEAFOOD FOREVER. I’m not kidding. Have you seen the 2.5 foot-long seabug that popped out of the ocean last week?! I keep scrolling under the image because it’s giving me chills and I live on the 17th floor of a landlocked building! A bit of a thrill-seeker, Crazy Sea Bug (more formally referred to in the article as a previously unstudied, harmless, giant isopod) apparently attached itself to a remotely operated submarine and then scared the team surfacing the ship. Yes, Crazy Sea Bug terrorized robo-sub. You’re welcome.

• Talk about drilling down! PopSci released an article on the world’s deepest drill: “Chikyu research vessel is capable of fetching samples at depths of 2,890 feet below the seabed, two to four times that of any other drill.” It sounds so science fiction, but apparently this is real. Don’t tell the mole men.

• Happy almost anniversary, The Human Genome Project! On June 26, 2000, the head of the NIH’s National Human Genome Research Institute met in the White House with Craig Venter, founder of Celera Genomics and President Bill Clinton. Almost 10 years ago, the researchers announced that the human genome’s three billion base pairs of DNA had been mapped with an initial draft of their findings. Today the project continues and has made great strides and scientists hope these projects will fill the massive gaps that remain in current genetic explanations for most common diseases.

• Wake up and smell the trash! Beijing Deploys Giant Deodorant Cannons to Freshen Up City Landfill. I’m not going to lie, I was cracking up at the title… especially how there are ‘deodorant guns that shooting fragrance based on Italian and German technology’ (um, whatever that actually means)… but after reading it, some light was shed on the importance of developing/ implementing a waste-management system that can deliver for a city with 17-million people producing more trash then they can handle.

• “A Dose of Embryonic Cells Could Induce Infant-Like ‘Plasticity’ in Brain, Allowing it to Rewire Itself Like New.” According to an awesome PopSci article out earlier this week, a study suggests that ‘it may be possible to transplant immature neurons into the visual cortex/other parts of the brain damaged by stroke, trauma, developmental disorders, psychiatric illness or aging’ –allowing the brain a second chance to wire itself like new.

This post has been brought to you by the letter B.

A Night of 140 Tweets is probably the most interesting things I’ve stumbled upon in quite a while. It boasts one of the most impressive and unusual collection of celebrities I’ve ever seen. There’s comedians, actors, musicians and even porn stars. Notables include Sarah Silverman, Rainn Wilson, Bob Saget, Will Ferrell, Dane Cook, Justin Long, Nathan Fillion, Ben Stiller and even some of our favorites from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Each performer took the stage on the evening of March 2th at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Los Angeles to read one of their signature Tweets. Said tweets range from bizarre or inappropriate to absolutely hysterical. One of my favorites came from Rainn Wilson, delivered in a way only Rainn Wilson can, “Every morning when I poop, I quote Liam Neeson from the trailer of Clash of the Titans and say, ‘Release the Kraken!’”

They even show TwitPics on a projection screen. All in all, when put together they made for a truly enjoyable half hour.

The show is available on Amazon or iTunes [opens iTunes store] for only $2.99, a small price to pay. Why? 100% of the proceeds go to Artists For Peace and Justice to benefit the Haitian School Initiative. There’s also a DVD being released on March 30th for $10.99 which you can pre-order on Amazon. Check out the trailer. (NSFW language in the immediate beginning.)

Through out the month of April, The Hacktory is inviting you music geeks out to their hackerspace, to learn about mixing lights and sound using a program called Max.

According to The Hacktory…

“In this class you will learn how Max, an application that allows users to create their own software, can be combined with its sister application, MSP, and electronic hardware to create multi-media projects involving sound, installation, performance, data processing and much more. Students will learn how to make basic patches (programs) and how to interface Max/MSP with sensors and a micro-controller. No prior experience with Max or computer programming is required, but basic computer and digital media production skills are highly recommended.”

The class runs in three sessions, on April 14th, 21st, and the 28th. You’ll have to bring your own personal computer, and the manufacturer is supplying a 30-day trial version of the software for the term of the course. Nice!

For info on how to sign up, visit the Hacktory’s official website. Hack on!

Guest Post by Erica Maxwell

I was going to be the next Geekadelphia blogger. But last night something important was brought  to my attention. Mikey, Eric, and I were at Tmom’s last night, laughing at improbably awesome Star Wars T-shirts and drinking whiskey, ’cause that’s what you do, when one of them suddenly noticed something. Something important. “You’re a girl,” Mikey said. Silence. We all thunked our glasses down.

I knew that couldn’t be right. I was preparing to be the next great Geek blogger! I already carried a collection of notecards in my purse containing important classified research about Wil Wheaton’s episodes of TNG. I couldn’t be a girl!

This nonsense had to end. “That’s not true,” I sputtered, “that’s impossible.” But they simply stared, unwilling to respond. To prove them false, that I wasn’t an icky shoe-loving girl, I decided to go to the restroom to test the veracity of their gross allegations. And that’s when it all went wrong. First I walked into the ladies bathroom, then I sat down (sat down!) on the toilet, and knew it was true. I had a vagina. I could never be a Geek blogger.

When I came out there was a gathering crowd. They threw their maraschino cherries at me. They shouted that I could never understand the coolness of the Large Haldron Collider. That I couldn’t even play Duck Hunt. That I thought “Battlefield Earth” was good Sci-Fi.

And I knew it was true. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’m a girl. That I lack the vital organ for Geekdom. I’m sorry I have a vagina.

So best of luck, guys. And P.S., the iPad looks awesome.

Our good friends Johnny Zito and Tony Trov, creators of the online Zuda comic  Black Cherry Bombshells and quite possibly the hardest working duo in the universe, are at it again.  Starting April 5th, The BCB universe will become a bit more crowded when it is revealed that Sheldon Vella’s comic SUPERTRON exists within the same established continuity. While that is awesome enough, the fun doesn’t stop there as Vella will also illustrate five Black Cherry Bombshells stories. Below is a bit more on this exciting endeavor:

“We’re really excited to finally team up with Shelly.  For the longest time we’ve thought of the Bombshells as the prequel to SuperTron,” says Tony Trov [BLACK CHERRY BOMBSHELLS' Co-creator].

“We’ve been dropping hints in both strips for a while.  Last year The Bombshells appeared in SuperTron’s dream and recently connections between the King and MOM Bot were discovered.”  Johnny Zito [BLACK CHERRY BOMBSHELLS' Co-creator] elaborates.

Black Cherry Bombshells is about ultra-violent girl gangs fighting for survival in a post-apocalyptic Las Vegas where every man is a Zombie.  The King, a cross-dressing kung-fu warlord, rules the land with mysterious, evil powers.  SuperTron is about a distant future where robots struggle to find their humanity in a world devoid of life.  MOM Bot, the first sentient robot, enslaves her mechanical offspring in a meaningless existence.

Sheldon’s stint at guest penciler will connect the Armageddon events between both series and catapult the web comics into their final chapters, beginning this year.

If you haven’t read either of these series yet, please take some time out of your twittering  schedule and give them both a look. You won’t be disappointed.

Image by Sheldon Vella

You remember The Wizard, right? That late 80′s film with Fred Savage, that was essentially a giant advertisement for Super Mario Bros 3? Well World Cafe Live in University City is screening the film on Tuesday, and throwing a number of fun events through out the evening.

Swing by WCL for the screening at 7pm, and stay for a classic gaming competition, and a live concert with Philly locals Agent Moosehead. They’ll be playing classic NES music. Awesome.

Expect 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes for the highest scores on a number of games, including a K2 snowboard, a mini fridge from Sam Adams (what!), various video games, and more.

The movie screening is free, and entrance to the competition is a meager $5. Good luck, gaming geeks. Make us proud.

The Wizard @ World Cafe Live
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010
www.worldcafelive.com

This Earth Day April 22, Philadelphia’s own Franklin Institute will be the debut city for the James Cameron’s Avatar Experience exhibit. With the worldwide success of Avatar, the traveling exhibit was created to showcase the talent and creativity, that went into one of the most groundbreaking films of all time. The exhibit will delight children and adults alike, with it’s attractions centered on the billion dollar grossing feature film, and how the world depicted in it was created. Cameron himself will be on hand to christen the exhibit in the city of Brotherly Love on Earth Day.

Here are a few of the activities you can look forward to for the low entry price of $35.99:

Na’vi language lab for adults and children- This will be a one hour workshop into the language of Pandora. Where you can learn what went into creating a language from the ground up, and enough to get you by, during your stay on Pandora.

Botany of Pandora- A custom habitat will be on hand, with the exotic plants from around the world that inspired the lush foliage of Pandora. There will also be a brief lesson on the importance of trees and plants, in the food chain and ecosystem.

How 3D Works- There will be a 3D station where you can shoot, edit, and burn a Blu-Ray of a brief 3D scene, using the same technology from Avatar. You will shoot against a green screen backdrop which will later place you in the thick of Pandora. In your mini epic, will you choose the side of the Na’vi or the soldiers?

James Cameron Film School- This workshop will only be available on Earth Day and will be hosted by James Cameron himself. James Cameron will show your children what it’s like during a day of shooting Avatar. Your children will be berated to the point of tears for their lack of creativity on set, and then they will be threatened with the fate of Michael Biehn’s career if “they don’t get their ass in gear and pretend to be 9 foot and blue!”

How to Weave a Story- A look into the films that “inspired” Avatar, a two year film retrospective where you will watch everything from the the entire television run of the Smurfs to Dances with Wolves to fully immerse yourself in all the plunders, that eventually became the influences of Avatar.

Birds and Bees of Pandora- A very engaging look into reproduction on the planet Pandora. We finally learn more about that “pony-tail action”, and the many, many STDs  that once plauged Pandora.

Counting Money With Cameron- In this half hour you will learn all the fun things you can do with a million dollars in cold hard cash; from money fights to white slavery, Cameron walks you through a day in the life of a billionaire, and how great it is.