The Care and Feeding of Nerds: This Week in Geekdom

For serious. Where did this month go? I can't apologize enough guys; these past few weeks turned out to be nothing like they were planned to be. Fortunately, life appears to be returning to some semblance of normalcy (knock on wood), which is a holiday gift in itself for the GIR and I. Woot! Here's hoping that the holiday season has been good to you thus far and that the Steam Winter Sale isn't ravaging your bank account. Let's get down to This Week in Geekdom!

The 50th Anniversary Dr. Who special may be over and committed to the record books, but the tributes to the beloved temporal traveler continue. Read here Whovians (or those new to the Whoniverse) for a thorough and entertaining look back at these five decades past.

Movies

Joseph Gordon-Levitt seems as though he's on a personal mission to bridge the gap between the muggle and nerdy cinematic worlds. Earlier this week the would-be Robin announced that he will be producing a movie version of Neil Gaiman's the Sandman.

In further evidence that films based in comic book source material will remain with us for at least the next few years, we received a near confirmation this week concerning the casting of Ant-Man.

Science/Technology

The fact that galaxies can assume a spirallic shape is something we generally take for granted. It's a common enough occurrence right? While that's true at this point in time, it was not always so. Here is a brief history of just how spiral galaxies evolved.

45 years old and still awe-inspiring

This upcoming Tuesday will mark the 45 anniversary of one of the most iconic photographs in history: Earthrise. In advance of the occasion, NASA has put together this brief but very interesting video detailing exactly how Apollo 8 astronauts were able to capture this image.

Speaking of astronauts, we've talked a bit about the premise of long-haul space travel becoming a reality in the not-so-distant future. So, say you're headed out on a multi-year journey to Mars. Is there any chance you'll get half-way decent food en route. Why yes, at least some comfort foods can travel with you.

NASA has confirmed that the surface of the Moon is a bit rougher than it was about a year ago. The agency released this series of time lapse photos that appear to depict a new impact crater on our orbital neighbor.

Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, the single most daylight deficient day for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. It may have seemed extra dark yesterday, but, as NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Centre proves in this video, there was more to the appearance of the Solstice than an early sunset time.

It is the foundation of a significant portion of all marketing funds currently being spent: selling potential customers on the notion that a product can forestall or reverse the effects of the aging process. But what if such a claim were made real? The latest edition of the journal Cell presents findings from a joint venture between Harvard Medical School, the National Institute on Aging, and the University of New South Wales that a compound produced during the study actually undid parts of the aging process.

Games

2014 will mark 40 years since Dungeons & Dragons changed the lives of countless gamers. However, the actual birthday of the seminal RPG system has been a matter of some debate. This well-researched piece gives us a pretty solid contender for the celebratory date, which is just over 1 month away!

Nintendo has been falling by the console wayside for the past year or so as the next generation of gaming platforms take center stage. However, this does not imply that the company is just going to lie back and give itself up for lost. Here are two new trailers for franchises intended to breathe new life into the Wii U: Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. 4.

More practiced gamers may scoff, but Candy Crush Saga is the single highest-grossing app on both iOS and Android platforms. This fact so perplexed so many individuals that the BBC sought to discern the source of the game's appeal.

General Awesomeness

Looking for a last minute gift for that Settlers of Catan lover in your life? Consider this, a cookbook based off of everyone's favorite resource management game. The hexagonal serving dish alone would make an excellent present.