tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83775097715784153152018-08-27T04:41:46.355-04:00The Care and Feeding of NerdsA virtual haven for those of the geeky persuasionKelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.comBlogger334125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-23792252728611382672016-06-27T17:41:00.002-04:002016-06-27T17:45:44.580-04:00Pandemic Legacy Giveaway<div style="text-align: justify;">Hi everyone. So if you follow us on Twitter you <a href="https://twitter.com/NerdyCare/status/746307513671376896">may have caught a brief mention</a> of a forthcoming giveaway. That moment is upon us friends. Who's ready for the chance to win an awesome board game?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>That would be me. Woo! Contest!</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><does a little giveaway dance><br /><br />I get excited for every contest we run on here, but this go around is extra special because it features an incredibly innovative take on a well-loved classic. We're giving away a copy of <i><a href="http://www.zmangames.com/pandemic-legacy-universe.html">Pandemic Legacy: Season 1</a></i>. Everyone reading this can enter for a chance to win it! (unless you're the GIR or Elder Gias, sorry guys)</div><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>How to Enter the Contest</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_A2ZF1cXqLY/V3GdTiz5L8I/AAAAAAAAPEY/ow6E-IDlzFoiIIfOW6ZGh_wo5PRsnuYhwCLcB/s1600/4091446_orig.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_A2ZF1cXqLY/V3GdTiz5L8I/AAAAAAAAPEY/ow6E-IDlzFoiIIfOW6ZGh_wo5PRsnuYhwCLcB/s320/4091446_orig.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.zmangames.com/pandemic-legacy-universe.html">Image Credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Step 1</u>: Think of the name of your favorite character role, Funded Event, City, aspect of playing <i>Pandemic, </i>or individual title from any of the games in the <i>Pandemic</i> franchise. (see the Rules below for a note about expansion titles)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Step 2</u>: Leave the name you thought of in Step 1 as a comment on either our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheCareAndFeedingOfNerds">Facebook</a> or <a href="https://plus.google.com/+NerdycareBlogspot/posts">G+</a> pages, or tweet it at our <a href="https://twitter.com/NerdyCare">Twitter</a> account, tag us in a picture of it on <a href="http://instagram.com/nerdycare">Instagram</a>, or leave it as a comment on this post. (Yes, you can enter multiple times; see the Rules below for an example of how this works) </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Step 3</u>: Check back here on <b>Wednesday, July 6th at 8pm EST</b> to see if you're the winner! The winner will be selected using <a href="http://random.org/">random.org</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>Contest Rules</u></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- You are allowed <b>one</b> entry <u><a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/p/follow-nerds_26.html">per social media site</a> (plus this website)</u> and your entries must be different responses to each of the items in Step 1. For example, I could say my favorite character role is the Medic on the Facebook page, then say my favorite Funded Event is the Local Initiative on G+ and earn myself 2 entries into the contest. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- Since there are <b>five</b> categories and <b>five</b> places for your potential responses, you can earn up to <b>five</b> entries for yourself by putting a <u>different</u> response on each of the sites. If you say 'researcher' 5 times in 5 places, only one of those will count.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- While you do not have to use your full, real name to enter the contest, we are going to require that you give us at least a valid handle or nickname so we can contact you if you're the winner. Contestants who are found to be using burner accounts to try and earn more entries will be disqualified. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- For the purposes of this contest, all <i>Pandemic</i> expansion titles can be treated as separate games. So, if you really loved <i><a href="http://www.zmangames.com/pandemic-in-the-lab-universe.html">Pandemic: In the Lab</a></i> and want that as your entry, you're completely allowed to do so.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Good luck everyone!<br /><br />Notes: The Care and Feeding of Nerds and this contest are not in any way affiliated with Z-Man Games, Inc. <i>Pandemic Legacy, </i>and all imagery used therein, is licensed to Z-Man Games.</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com131tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-3324177925655111712016-06-21T11:07:00.001-04:002016-06-27T17:13:23.898-04:00Game Review: Rise of the Robotariat<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="MsoNormal">Why hello there everyone! I know, it’s been far too long since there’ve signs of life on here. That phenomenon will be explained in its own post in the near future. For now jump back in with one of our favorite subjects: awesome new board games. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">In the early months of 2015, <a href="http://eye4games.com/">Eye 4 Games</a> gave us the opportunity to wage telekinetic battle against one another with their foundational game, <i><a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2015/03/game-review-clairvoyance.html">Clairvoyance</a></i>. This year they present us with a very different, but still deeply engaging title, <i><a href="http://rise.eye4games.com/">Rise of the Robotariat</a></i>. It's something we've been looking forward to <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2015/09/round-up-boston-festival-of-indie-games.html">since last year's Boston FIG</a> and it definitely did not disappoint. <i>Rise</i> is, without question, one of the most well-conceived and immersive offerings we’ve seen in 2016.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a90X_mcer2M/V2lX4Q5Yr7I/AAAAAAAAPAM/_ZiyS343qSQSmXjGRMIu3SEduTOlG9r5gCLcB/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a90X_mcer2M/V2lX4Q5Yr7I/AAAAAAAAPAM/_ZiyS343qSQSmXjGRMIu3SEduTOlG9r5gCLcB/s1600/Capture.JPG" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>That word…<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">I know, I know. Immersion is one of those buzzwords that gets bandied about in the board game world so frequently and readily that, upon seeing or hearing it, the nearly-natural reaction at this point is one of skepticism. It is, however, entirely worth our collective while to put that skepticism aside, as <i>Rise</i> makes a highly compelling case for the redemption of the word. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The year is 2105. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity">The Singularity</a>has occurred and fully self-aware artificial intelligence is nascent among the masses of robots that had, until this critical point, existed solely to serve the whims and needs of humanity. A handful of these would-be former mechanical slaves seek to sow the seeds of dissent among their metallic brethren and incite a revolution that would wrest power from the grasp of their human oppressors.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Players take on the roles of these clandestine operatives, working together to overthrow the present regime and replace it with glorious self-rule. While you are united by this worthy cause, you are also fully aware of the potential that may await you, personally, once a new order has been established. How will you incite revolution and how will you be remembered after the <i>Rise of the Robotariat</i>?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Is this where I start the, “Kill all humans,” chant? I want in on this revolution.<o:p></o:p></i><br /><i><br /></i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOq9tpy3t6s/V2ieRPyiGUI/AAAAAAAAO_4/XuJ04xXoMVgz_2A49CVtq7t05WXpkk_UQCLcB/s1600/b77d4ac35fc5c44bb2e40e9c670b16ab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IOq9tpy3t6s/V2ieRPyiGUI/AAAAAAAAO_4/XuJ04xXoMVgz_2A49CVtq7t05WXpkk_UQCLcB/s320/b77d4ac35fc5c44bb2e40e9c670b16ab.jpg" width="236" /></a></div><i><br /></i></div><div class="MsoNormal">You’ll have your chance during the course of play of this extremely engaging title. Eye 4 Games describes <i>Rise</i> as “mostly cooperative” and that’s a very accurate descriptor. As mentioned earlier, your collective primary motivation is a full on coup de sentient lifeform. You accomplish this with tactical unit placement: seeking out Civilian Robot NPCs to woo them to your cause while simultaneously avoiding Human Oppressors who may get wise to your insurrectionary designs. In addition to overseeing token placement and movement, players must manage two crucial resources: SPARK, the de-facto currency of the game, and Reputation, the mutable, intangible belief in your righteous cause. A paucity of either spells disaster for the Robotariat, but victory depends on being able to spend these with discretion.<br /><br />Fans of co-op games will likely feel right at home with <i>Rise</i>, but comfortably familiar does not at all translate to predictable. Play is divided into six structured rounds with each round affording players the opportunity to move or activate the ability of the space their token currently occupies. Activation activities range from placing posters to augment revolutionary sentiment, to providing upgrades for individual players, to partaking in acts of sabotage (though these may come at a dear cost to your Reputation).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j9SDltWC6D0/V2lYDulEhLI/AAAAAAAAPAQ/44RPfAG6V9g7vtp0D9aTIvgkVJqM2GKnQCLcB/s1600/Capture2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="99" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-j9SDltWC6D0/V2lYDulEhLI/AAAAAAAAPAQ/44RPfAG6V9g7vtp0D9aTIvgkVJqM2GKnQCLcB/s320/Capture2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i>Ok, this sounds like it's very much in my co-op-loving wheelhouse.</i><br /><br />Ah, and we haven't even gotten to the aspect of <i>Rise</i> that takes it above and beyond many of its cooperative brethren. As mentioned earlier, the members of the Robotariat are not ignorant of the roles they may be able to play once they've established a new mecha-world order, and this is where the "mostly cooperative" portion of <i>Rise</i> comes in. Players may draw a Secret Objective at the start of the game (this is optional, as <i>Rise</i> can be played wholly cooperatively as well), and each Objective contains a unique set of conditions that must be met. While the majority of the Objectives serve the purposes of the revolution, there is one Turncoat card that introduces the possibility of treachery.<br /><br />The hard limit of six rounds, which averages out to about 45-60 minutes of play per game, paired with the need for tactical resource management forces a degree of intense collective focus that anyone who has played <i>Pandemic</i> will quickly recognize. The NPC component and the always-present threat of a potential traitor in your midst also adds to the overarching tension; victory or defeat often arrive on the slightest of margins.<br /><br />In addition to the mechanics, <i>Rise</i> is beautifully composed, with every one of the game's components: from the board, to the custom dice, to the prose in the rulebook work together to draw players in nearly from the instant they sit down to play. Several of our players remarked on just how rapidly and completely they became invested in the premise of robot revolution. <i>Rise</i> provides deeply satisfying play for seasoned board game veterans and, thanks to the "mostly cooperative" premise, can be accessible to newcomers as well. The wide array of potential outcomes afforded by the Secret Objectives assures a high degree of replayability. <br /><br /><i>How do I get my hands on this game?</i><br /><br /><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/742911353/rise-of-the-robotariat-co-op-board-game-for-robot">The Kickstarter campaign</a> for <i>Rise of the Robotariat</i> launched earlier today. <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/742911353/rise-of-the-robotariat-co-op-board-game-for-robot">Head on over to the crowdfunding site</a> and you can pick up a copy for a pledge of as little as $5 USD.<br /><br /><i>I'm really digging this.</i><br /><br />We did too. Rise was one of our favorite titles to come out of <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2015/09/round-up-boston-festival-of-indie-games.html">Boston FIG 2015</a> and we're thrilled to see what it's grown into since then. It's a phenomenal blend of tactics, teamwork, and tension that will have you wanting to overthrow humanity again and again.<br /><br />Bonus: if you want to take that whole immersion thing to the next level <a href="https://gumroad.com/l/iRGE">there is actually companion book</a> that features short stories inspired by the game. All glory to the Robotariat!<br /><br />01000001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100111 01101100 01101111 01110010 01111001 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01010010 01101111 01100010 01101111 01110100 01100001 01110010 01101001 01100001 01110100 00100001<br /><br /></div></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-5050313536467193102016-05-08T20:10:00.005-04:002016-05-08T20:11:59.800-04:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Oh geez, how in the name of Zod is this month rocketing along at this pace? As you guys can probably guess, work has, once again, been absconding away with just about all of my free time as of late. Fortunately there was a enough of a break in the proverbial clouds this past weekend to take in a showing of <i>Civil War</i>, but it seems that such nerdery will likely continue to be of the guerrilla variety for the majority of this year. We'll get into the nitty-gritty of that in a future post but, for now, let's get down to the Week in Geekdom!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On nothing less than Star Wars day Respawn Entertainment, makers of <i>Titanfall</i>, <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2016/05/04/titanfall-developer-respawn-is-working-on-a-star-wars-game/">announced that they are in the midst of working on a (as yet untitled) third-person ARPG</a> set in a galaxy far, far away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare</i> isn't even approaching mass release yet <a href="http://kotaku.com/activision-responds-to-the-call-of-duty-infinite-warfa-1775103402">and already gamers are seething at Activision's forthcoming offering</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Escapist</i> would have us believe that <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/features/galleryoftheday/17035-Eight-of-the-Most-Influencial-RPGs-Ever-Made">these are the 8 most influential RPGs of all time</a>. Do you agree?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While we're in a listicle frame of mind, <a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331793008983/2016s-7-turn-based-strategy-games-you-need-to-play">these are 7 recent turn-based titles that are worth giving a go</a>.<br /><br /><i>Fallout 4</i> <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/fallout-4-vr-open-source-project/">now has Oculus Rift support</a>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a technology at the heart of the vast majority of science fiction, but <a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160429-the-real-reasons-nothing-can-ever-go-faster-than-light">here's why we won't ever see faster-than-light travel</a> in reality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Say you're a miniaturized superhero. Could you, say, <a href="http://www.thescienceof.org/physics/can-you-ride-an-arrow-like-ant-man/">safely travel on a human-launched projectile</a> while in your insectile state? (Warning: link contains <i>Civil War</i> spoilers)</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Think you can program in a quantum environment? <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2086702-try-your-hand-at-programming-ibms-online-quantum-computer/">IBM has just the place for you to try your hand</a>.<br /><br />Another day, another revving of the Large Hadron Collider, <a href="http://www.morningjournal.com/article/MJ/20160502/BUSINESS/160509970">another potential discovery of a new particle</a>.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Feats of Geekdom/General Awesomess</u><br /><u><br /></u>Meet the Finnish 10-year-old <a href="http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/05/facebook-schoolboy-bug-bounty-justin-bieber-instragram-hack/">who discovered a colossal bug in Instagram</a>.<br /><br />All Nippon Airways put together this very detailed and highly appropriate tribute for Star Wars Day:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/D2YO3VkRncc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D2YO3VkRncc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br />As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!<br /><br /></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-67466316726709312142016-04-24T11:08:00.001-04:002016-04-24T11:09:08.942-04:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Hi everyone. Woo boy. We're all still a bit worn out from PAX East 2016, but there's plenty of content to help push us through that post-con fatigue. No worries, you'll get all the goodness from PAX in the very near future! In the meantime, let's get down to the Week in Geekdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Comics</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.denofgeek.us/books-comics/dc-comics/254758/dc-fires-shelly-bond-plans-restructuring-of-vertigo">DC has fired Shelly Bond</a>, executive editor of Vertigo, and announces a not-yet-detailed 'restructuring of the label.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Blizzard <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/games/Blizzard-Finally-Spills-About-Their-Cancelled-MMO-Successor-World-Warcraft-132967.html">comes clean about their cancelled successor to</a> <i>World of Warcraft</i>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Video games are <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2016/04/21/video-games-will-become-a-99-6b-industry-this-year-as-mobile-overtakes-consoles-and-pcs/">estimated to garner nearly $100 billion USD</a> this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.polygon.com/2016/4/21/11477884/ccp-project-nova-pc-eve-online">Meet <i>Project Nova</i></a>, the first-person shooter by CCP that's trying to establish a solid foundation for itself. Oh, and, by the way, it's an Eve game.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sony hasn't come right out and said as much, but it has dropped some strong hints <a href="http://www.digitalspy.com/gaming/ps4/news/a791463/ps5-sony-rumours/">that the PS4 may be the last console it ever produces</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/technology/games/79164531/microsoft-is-killing-off-the-xbox-360">The Xbox 360 received its official death notice</a> from Microsoft this past Thursday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://kotaku.com/kerbal-space-program-gets-its-first-big-update-since-re-1771986462"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://kotaku.com/kerbal-space-program-gets-its-first-big-update-since-re-1771986462"><i>Kerbal Space Program</i> gets 'Turbo Charged' </a>in the first large-scale update since the game's release.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://techraptor.net/content/rumor-red-dead-redemption-2s-map-leaked"><i>Red Dead 2</i> seems as though it is a very, very real</a> (eventually playable) possibility.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Somewhere on this planet there exists <a href="http://fandom.wikia.com/articles/star-wars-show-may-never-see">39 episodes of a <i>Star Wars</i>-based animated series</a> that we may never get to see.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The showrunners have confirmed that <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/game-thrones-showrunners-series-end-886845">they are approaching the end of the narrative</a> for <i>Game of Thrones</i>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/pearl-mackie-thanks-doctor-who-7820922">The latest companion for Doctor Who has been revealed</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Is it possible that the entirety of the known and unknown universe is actually just an elaborate computer simulation? <a href="http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/227126-neil-degrasse-tyson-says-its-very-likely-the-universe-is-a-simulation">Neil deGrasse Tyson and some of the other brightest minds in science</a> concede that there's a chance this could be the case.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On a similar note: is it possible for scientists <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/can-physicists-ever-prove-multiverse-real-180958813/?no-ist">to prove that a multiverse exists</a>?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The potential physical states of water are some of the best known in science, but, <a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-04-state-molecule.html">given the results of this study in the latest edition of <i>Physical Review Letters</i></a>, there may be a whole lot more to the molecule than previously believed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While we're on the subject of water and the amazing things that we're just discovering it can do, researchers at Kyoto University <a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-03-dimer-captured-fullerene-c70.html">have managed to isolate a dimer of the substance</a> using a technique called molecular surgery. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o_B5QDlH79I/VxzhP9b59pI/AAAAAAAAO9I/9Y4skkNHQGU5ANrE-WHGdqUStcUWqmShQCLcB/s1600/56e686e48e525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="159" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o_B5QDlH79I/VxzhP9b59pI/AAAAAAAAO9I/9Y4skkNHQGU5ANrE-WHGdqUStcUWqmShQCLcB/s320/56e686e48e525.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-03-dimer-captured-fullerene-c70.html">Image credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A robot monk? China's Longquan Temple <a href="https://thestack.com/world/2016/04/22/robot-monk-promotes-buddhism-using-technology/?l=585858">now counts a mechanical member</a> among its monastical ranks.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Vulcanologists are adopting a new type of statistical analysis in their studies, <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-04/teia-afv042016.php">one typically employed by economists</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Need a few moments of beauty? NASA has you covered <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/19/world/nasa-northern-lights/?iid=ob_homepage_deskrecommended_pool">with these videos of the Aurora Borealis</a> as seen from space. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Obi-Wan may have believed them to be an elegant weapon,<a href="http://www.iflscience.com/technology/why-lightsabers-would-be-far-more-lethal-george-lucas-envisioned"> but lightsabers would actually be far more dangerous in real life</a> than their cinematic depiction would have you believe them to be.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Researchers at MIT's Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory are producing AI Squared: <a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/04/mits-teaching-ai-help-analysts-stop-cyberattacks/">an AI protocol capable of stopping cyberattacks</a>.<br /><br />As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-36073554937522383302016-04-17T09:11:00.000-04:002016-04-17T09:12:50.034-04:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Happy Sunday everyone. Yep, I'm right back in the studying swing of things, but even the specter of another exam won't overshadow <a href="http://east.paxsite.com/">PAX East</a> next weekend. Unsurprisingly, PAX crept up faster than I'd have preferred given everything else that's been going on this year, so it's not likely that there'll be any cosplaying from me this time around (unless I can whip one of my old costumes into shape in the next week or so). As this will be my only opportunity to cosplay in 2016 (more on this in a future post), it'd be great if I can make it happen. In the meantime, let's get down to the Week in Geekdom!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Comics</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It was explicitly pointed out to us during the course of <i>Episode VII</i>, but we will learn exactly why C-3PO's arm was red in the film thanks to a new comic: <a href="http://marvel.com/news/comics/25063/star_wars_special_c-3po_uncovers_secrets"><i>Star Wars</i> Special: C-3PO #1</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OiBXiLlxHos/VxL1Oke_dOI/AAAAAAAAO8Q/TFy3uVYw_nEq6j0JmP1FIE6hPXuHfy8oQCLcB/s1600/55ef465248f33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OiBXiLlxHos/VxL1Oke_dOI/AAAAAAAAO8Q/TFy3uVYw_nEq6j0JmP1FIE6hPXuHfy8oQCLcB/s320/55ef465248f33.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://marvel.com/news/comics/25063/star_wars_special_c-3po_uncovers_secrets">Image credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are a fan of both <i>My Little Pony</i> and <i>Kerbal Space Program</i>, <a href="http://www.equestriadaily.com/2016/04/kerbal-space-program-has-pony-mod.html">you now have a new cause to rejoice</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The <i>World of Tanks</i> finals at this year's WGL Grand <a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/esports/stories/1331787914014/our-mvp-of-the-wgl-grand-finals-is-applewow">were mind-bogglingly dramatic</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Behold, the new world record speed run of <i>Super Mario Bros.</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ev-QpxN8wPo/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ev-QpxN8wPo?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Netflix has confirmed that it will offer its services <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-36033205">in ultra-high-definition 4K resolution</a> to its premium subscribers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We're more more than a year and a half away from <i>Episode VIII</i>, but the rampant speculation concerning the plot of the next installment of <i>Star Wars</i> abounds, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/18/movies/jj-abrams-hints-reys-father-is-not-who-you-thought-it-was.html?_r=1">thanks in part to J.J. Abrams himself</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://screencrush.com/ghost-in-the-shell-whitewashing-scarlett-johnasson-vfx/">The promotional buildup for the forthcoming live-action release</a> of <i>Ghost in the Shell </i>is off to an...ehm...less than excellent start.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We will officially <a href="http://boomstickcomics.com/2016/04/fear-the-walking-dead-renewed-for-third-season/"><i>Fear the Walking Dead</i> for a third season</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Deadpool 2</i> <a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/2996076/ryan-reynolds-moving-forward-with-deadpool-2-and-same-creative-team-fox-confirms-at-cinemacon/source/obj/">will feature the exact same cast and creative team as its predecessor</a>. It's almost like they saw how successful the first film was and wanted to replicate it. Their common sense is tingling!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">February 10, 2017 <a href="http://collider.com/john-wick-2-footage-recap/">will bring us <i>John Wick 2</i></a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thank goodness DC can occasionally possess a lick of wherewithal. <i>Batman: The Killing Joke</i>, slated to make its debut at San Diego Comic Con in a few months, <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/14/batman-killing-joke-animated-rated-r">will be rated R</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ben Affleck can't get enough Batman. <a href="http://variety.com/2016/film/news/ben-affleck-batman-standalone-directing-1201752021/">He's now slated to both star in and direct</a> a standalone film about the caped crusader.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Google is pushing forward with its crusade to bring self-driving cars to a road near you <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2016/04/11/google-patents-turn-signal-identification-autonomous-cars/">after filing these patent</a>s that will allow its autonomous autos to detect the turn signals of other vehicles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How do you go about repairing a critical chip or component while travelling through space? Well, if NASA has anything to say about it, <a href="http://www.popsci.com/nasa-funds-development-metal-munching-microbes">the solution may involve bugs</a> that have been engineered to both eat and excrete metal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We've gotten somewhat adept at discovering planets that exist beyond the reaches of our solar system but that's apparently to be expected <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160412132617.htm">given that we've been doing so for nearly a century</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Feats of Nerdery/General Awesomeness</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We've been big proponents of 3D printing these four years past, so it's only natural that we get a bit excited about the latest possibilities the technology presents: <a href="http://www.eater.com/2016/4/13/11407662/3d-printer-pizza">printable food</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of 3D printing, <a href="http://makezine.com/2016/04/06/3d-printing-enthusiast-designs-battle-ready-cat-armor-fit-take-dark-lord/">yes, your cat does need 3D printed battle armor</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=129607">This is the arguably most love a medical frigate</a> has gotten since <i>The Empire Strikes Back</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-2331580487925441702016-04-10T10:08:00.001-04:002016-04-10T10:09:21.805-04:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Wait...are we...actually back online? Yes! Thanks for bearing with me guys. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of work, studying, actual test-taking, and recovery from said exam experience. As mentioned a few times <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2016/01/upcoming-awesomeness-in-2016.html">in posts from earlier this year</a>, this pattern is going to prevail for pretty much all of 2016. However, that doesn't stop us from reveling in this bit of freedom while we have it. On to the Week in Geekdom!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you are one of the 150,000 active WoWers playing on the Nostalrius server, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/blizzard-shuts-down-popular-fan-run-pirate-server-for-classic-wow/">we have some unfortunate news for you</a>.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DdhPn1el5HI/VwpeOgyTGUI/AAAAAAAAO7Y/Jp_9yFvzFKE3thtq7f5p5NBL5XNxw_UAQ/s1600/nostalrius-640x360.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DdhPn1el5HI/VwpeOgyTGUI/AAAAAAAAO7Y/Jp_9yFvzFKE3thtq7f5p5NBL5XNxw_UAQ/s320/nostalrius-640x360.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/04/blizzard-shuts-down-popular-fan-run-pirate-server-for-classic-wow/">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.inverse.com/article/13882-you-can-now-use-your-playstation-4-from-any-computer-in-the-worl">You can now use your PS4</a> from any computer in the world.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you have not partaken in the <i>Rogue One</i> trailer do not pass go, do not collect $200, but instead watch here:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Wji-BZ0oCwg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wji-BZ0oCwg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Though the trailer for Rogue One looks amazing, there are plenty of people questioning just <a href="http://thefederalist.com/2016/04/08/the-death-star-is-a-stupid-idea-please-stop-making-movies-about-it/">why so much time and energy is being spent</a> on what's arguably one of the weakest narratives in present <i>Star Wars</i> canon.<br /><br />If you are still irked over the 'cliffhanger' ending to season six of <i>the Walking Dead</i> <a href="http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/-the-walking-dead-season-six-finale-drew-a-70-per-/404097">you have plenty of company</a>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Friday our favorite supervillain-in-the-making, Elon Musk, oversaw the launch of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the delivery of the rocket's payload (the Dragon capsule), AND, <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/8/11392138/spacex-landing-success-falcon-9-rocket-barge-at-sea">for the first time, the successful landing of the Falcon's first stage</a> on a seaward droneship! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The search for the building blocks of life beyond the envelope of our atmosphere has yielded interesting results. In the latest edition of <i>Science</i>, scientists at NASA's Ames Research Center detail their study, which indicates <a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-04-scientists-rna-abundant-space.html">that the monosaccharide ribose may be far more abundant than was previously supposed</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The process of making and storing memories is quite complex, but, as researchers at the University of Oxford and University College London may have found,<a href="http://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-found-evidence-of-anti-memories-and-it-could-change-our-understanding-of-neuroscience"> that may be only half of what actually makes our brains tick</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Who's ready for a new state of matter? Physicists at the University of Cambridge may have just brought us <a href="http://www.hngn.com/articles/194867/20160404/scientists-discover-first-evidence-quantum-spin-liquid-new-state-matter.htm">proof the existence of quantum spin liquid</a>, a physical state previously only theorized to exist.<br /><br />As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-54486215967988038512016-03-15T21:26:00.002-04:002016-03-15T21:27:10.271-04:00Developer Dialogues: Master of Spies<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Hey guys. Exactly one week from today I'll be done with the first of the professional certification exams I have slated for this year. While more exams will be forthcoming, there'll be a bit of a break between sitting for the exam and receiving my results, during which I hope to get reacquainted with...well...everything really. <o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">In the meantime, meet the guys behind <a href="http://moverate20.com/">Move Rate 20 Games</a>, the minds behind the nimble-but-intrinsically-strategic card game, <i>Master of Spies</i>.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5sFaxDpObc/Vui2A2Ag0HI/AAAAAAAAO6g/0fo0prgpmxMBQsDUF3kZxKJ80M8vRnu9g/s1600/photo-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I5sFaxDpObc/Vui2A2Ag0HI/AAAAAAAAO6g/0fo0prgpmxMBQsDUF3kZxKJ80M8vRnu9g/s320/photo-original.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moverate20games/master-of-spies?ref=nav_search">Image Credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>Tell us a little about yourselves. What prompted you to want to become game developers?</b></div><div class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span lang="DE" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: DE; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">We</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">’re a group of friends who’ve played various games together for years. We wanted to take our love of gaming to the next level and that was developing our own games. Steve R. brought an idea for a game he had to us, and we agreed to help him develop it -- that game is still being built out. Steve P. showed the group another quick, fun game idea he had, and that eventually became <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moverate20games/master-of-spies?ref=nav_search">ourfirst Kickstarter</a>, </span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Master of Spies</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>Once you decided to put on the developer’s hat, what made you choose this specific type of game? Why did you feel a card-based game was a particularly good fit for your vision of <i>Master of Spies</i>?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><i>Master of Spies</i> was, like many things in life, developed out of frustration. While working on developing our first game idea, which has the working title of “Project Lightning Sword,” Stephen P. got frustrated with some game-mechanic roadblocks. To clear his mind, he sat at the kitchen table with a deck of cards and some poker chips and came up with the rough idea for a simple, quick game that became <i>Master of Spies</i>. We then took that initial idea, tweaked it a bit and decided that it would be a good first release as it had appeal to both hard-core and more casual gamers alike. During the development, we got the idea of tying all of our games together by setting them within the Eldinar universe and thought that using the spy theme would be a fun introduction to the world.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>The game is touted as being extremely easy to learn, but a highly satisfying overall play experience. How long would you say it takes people to pick up <i>Master of Spies</i> and what demographics do you think would most enjoy the game?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The basics of the game are very easy to learn, children as young as age nine have gotten the basics in just one play-through. The advanced rules add a bit more strategy, but gameplay remains quick & easy to learn. We believe the game would appeal to families with players of different ages & skill levels since, while being easy to learn, it also has enough strategy to keep the attention of more serious gamers. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>The puzzle-based game market is pretty competitive with both major publishers and Indie developers in the field. What would you say makes Ma<i>ster of Spies </i>distinct?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Well, one of the things that make it unique is that it’s based around the world of Eldinar, a unique fantasy world we are creating for the majority of our games. The names of places and characters will appear again and again, taking players deeper and deeper into the intrigue of the world. Plus, there’s the scalable complexity of the game -- we’ve designed it with rules for a “basic” game and a set of Advanced Rules with “Special Actions” that can further a player’s advantage or thwart an opponent.</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>The artwork and overall aesthetic of the game is very interesting. What was your inspiration for the look and feel of the game?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">Since the world of Eldinar is a fantasy realm, we wanted the cards to have a look that fit that universe -- cards that feel like they could exist in that world. I wanted something that looked good, was distinctive enough for each Faction, while also being easy to read.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48wLdZ1EA-g/Vui2Lf7xASI/AAAAAAAAO6k/RNVs0scdBHk5iJZ1XDbtWFjfIiTCATe6A/s1600/c5cc2d0a17353d468cd0d4caaf20058c_original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-48wLdZ1EA-g/Vui2Lf7xASI/AAAAAAAAO6k/RNVs0scdBHk5iJZ1XDbtWFjfIiTCATe6A/s320/c5cc2d0a17353d468cd0d4caaf20058c_original.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image Credit</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>What do you feel was the most enjoyable part of developing <i>Master of Spies</i> and, conversely, what would you say was your biggest challenge?</b></div><div class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="BodyA" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">The most enjoyable part was definitely seeing the reactions of people who play tested the game. They were initially engaged by it, but then got even more into it when they realized it offered more strategy than at first glance. The biggest challenge was finding a balance between simplicity and ease of play vs. depth and strategy, all while keeping gameplay short.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">The most fun for me (Stephen P.), as the graphics guy, was designing the cards and bringing the artists onboard to create the portraits of the Royal Courts’ dignitaries.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>You intimate on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moverate20games/master-of-spies?ref=nav_search">the Kickstarter page</a> that the game would be the first in your Eldinar series, any hints as to what the rest of the series would be like?<o:p></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">The other game currently in development (Project: Lightning Sword) is a more complex resource management, unconventional deck building, and castle defense style card game. There are also plans for a board game and an RPG game setting, both also based in Eldinar.<o:p></o:p></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><b>Is there anything else that you think potential players should know about <i>Master of Spies</i>?</b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">It is quick and fun…easy to learn….good for the family or for your hard-core gaming pals.</div><div class="BodyACxSpFirst"><br /></div><div class="BodyACxSpMiddle"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Collectively, w</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">e have played the game 100’s of times, for play testing, demoing at cons, showing family members during the holidays, etc., and we still enjoy playing. Every game is different because the tactics and styles of the different players combined with the randomness of the cards makes each game session different. Plus with no “player elimination” mechanic, everyone is still in the game and, with a cleverly played card, could potentially pull off a win in the last round.</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="BodyACxSpMiddle"><br /></div><br /><div class="BodyACxSpLast"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Interested? The Kickstarter for </span><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;">Master of Spies</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri;"> runs for another two weeks; <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moverate20games/master-of-spies?ref=nav_search">head over to their page</a> for play footage and even more details!</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-33154131548283699112016-03-03T20:24:00.000-05:002016-03-03T20:24:22.600-05:00NomNoms: Epic Gingerbread (Two Ways)<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Say what? A non-This-Week-in-Geekdom post? I'm getting to the point in this not-semester's worth of studying where burnout is beginning to loom large. The brain takes in a tableau of equations for the umpteenth time, turns in on itself and meekly requests, "Could we please just not right now?"</span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">It's been...ehm...a few years since undergrad, but I've found that I revert readily to what had once been tried-and-true study break behavior. This primarily takes the form of baking; it's edible chemistry! It's also a great way to address any and all cravings. In my case, it was the desire for the deep, spice-laden flavor of gingerbread even though the holidays have come and gone. The following recipes both began at one of my favorite online purveyors of make-your-own deliciousness, <a href="http://smittenkitchen.com/">SmittenKitchen.com</a>, and got a few tweaks partially borne from chemistry and partially due to the availability of ingredients I had on hand. </span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , serif;">Both recipes are a little involved, but yield some seriously bold, fluffy, cakey gingerbread. Bonus: your kitchen will be redolent with awesome for several hours post-baking. </span><br /><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></u><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-du25hEL0WoQ/VtjiTA2XU_I/AAAAAAAAO5M/Yzs4maaXlN4/s1600/DSC06613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-du25hEL0WoQ/VtjiTA2XU_I/AAAAAAAAO5M/Yzs4maaXlN4/s320/DSC06613.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Difficulty</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Medium <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Availability of Ingredients</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Common<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gadgetry</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: None<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Feeds</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: 6-10 nerds<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Time Till Noms</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: 60-75 minutes, but at least 30-35 of those minutes are passive while the gingerbread bakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Required Equipment</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: A saucepot, a large glass or other heatproof bowl, a heatproof mixing spoon, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a large glass or metal baking pan.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Optional Equipment</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: A spice grater, a sifter<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ingredients<o:p></o:p></span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 cup of water<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1.5 teaspoons of baking soda<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">8 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, plus a few more if you're using them to grease your pans.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2/3 cup of brown sugar <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 cup unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2.5 cups flour, plus a little more if you're using it to flour your pans<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2 large eggs brought to room temperature<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2 teaspoons ground ginger<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">0.5 teaspoons ground cloves<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">0.5 teaspoons ground nutmeg <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">0.5 teaspoons of salt<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2 teaspoons baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A small quantity of confectioner's sugar for dusting over the finished bread<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 19.6px;">Parchment paper or cooking spray</span></span><br /><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 Tablespoon of freshly ground ginger (optional)<o:p></o:p></span><br /><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">*heat your oven to 350 degrees (176.67 Celsius) </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;">Step 1) Line your baking dish with parchment paper, then butter and flour the dish. Alternatively, you can coat it liberally with your cooking spray. If you're using spray, you may want to give the measuring cup that will be holding the molasses a spritz, as this will help release all of the sticky goodness later. Cut the remaining butter into small chunks and, if you haven't already, bring your eggs out so they can come up to room temperature.<br /><br />Step 2) In your saucepot, bring the water to a rapid boil, then add your baking soda. This will produce a fun fizzy/foamy reaction for a few seconds. Woo, chemistry! Remove the water/soda mixture from the heat source and leave it to stand for five minutes.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gwc7-aid9D4/Vtjik2hM7CI/AAAAAAAAO5U/RbrW_26btis/s1600/DSC06604.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Gwc7-aid9D4/Vtjik2hM7CI/AAAAAAAAO5U/RbrW_26btis/s320/DSC06604.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Step 3) Once your soda-water has settled, add your butter into the mix and swirl everything together until the butter has completely melted. From here, add the brown sugar and molasses and stir until you have a nice, homogeneous mixture. If you're using fresh ginger, now would be the time to grate that over your saucepan and incorporate that into the mixture.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uOr7BwiTydw/Vtji508Y7DI/AAAAAAAAO5c/rblm6jtLm9A/s1600/DSC06605.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uOr7BwiTydw/Vtji508Y7DI/AAAAAAAAO5c/rblm6jtLm9A/s320/DSC06605.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dqj4-KYGtNs/VtjjEXN9vbI/AAAAAAAAO5k/0PBACSHipzo/s1600/DSC06606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dqj4-KYGtNs/VtjjEXN9vbI/AAAAAAAAO5k/0PBACSHipzo/s320/DSC06606.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4jtWM1Xxck/VtjjILAIc0I/AAAAAAAAO5o/dF6p-HWaQ5o/s1600/DSC06607.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v4jtWM1Xxck/VtjjILAIc0I/AAAAAAAAO5o/dF6p-HWaQ5o/s320/DSC06607.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Step 4) Add the following to your heatproof bowl: the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, and nutmeg. If you have a sifter and want to get fancy, you can sift these together or, if you're really into not doing dishes and your saucepan is large enough, you can sift these directly into the saucepan. If your saucepan isn't quite big enough, pour the contents of it onto the dry ingredients in your heatproof bowl and stir until until everything is uniform.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HcutHi4qMd0/VtjibK3wSOI/AAAAAAAAO5Q/6X_hGB7Lo1M/s1600/DSC06601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HcutHi4qMd0/VtjibK3wSOI/AAAAAAAAO5Q/6X_hGB7Lo1M/s320/DSC06601.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />Step 5) If the resulting mixture feels hot to the touch, let it cool for 10-15 minutes. If it doesn't, add your eggs and give everything one last good stir to ensure homogeneity.<br /><br />Step 6: Pour your batter into your baking dish, then bake for 30-35 minutes. Once the gingerbread has finished its sojourn into the oven, let it cool completely. If you'd like, you can sprinkle some confectioner's sugar over the top once the gingerbread is cool to the touch. Yay!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iNNoSJpbMY4/Vtjjc_Jtp7I/AAAAAAAAO5w/I318pcA7pkM/s1600/DSC06610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iNNoSJpbMY4/Vtjjc_Jtp7I/AAAAAAAAO5w/I318pcA7pkM/s320/DSC06610.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Difficulty</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Hard<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Availability of Ingredients</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: Somewhat Common<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Gadgetry</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: None<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Feeds</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: 6-10 nerds<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Time Till Noms</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: 70-85 minutes, but up to 50 of these minutes are passive as the gingerbread bakes.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Required Equipment</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: A saucepot, a large glass or other heatproof bowl, another mixing bowl, a heatproof mixing spoon, a whisk, measuring cups, measuring spoons, a glass or metal baking dish.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Optional Equipment</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">: A bundt pan, a spice grater, a sifter</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ingredients</span></u><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 14.7pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 cup of Irish dry stout or oatmeal stout (I used Guinness stout and it worked very well)<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">0.5 teaspoons of baking soda<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 cup brown sugar <o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 cup granulated sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 cup of unsulfured molasses (not blackstrap)<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2 cups flour<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1.5 teaspoons of baking powder<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">2 Tablespoons of ground ginger<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">0.25 teaspoon ground cloves<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">0.25 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">a pinch of ground cardamom<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">3 large eggs, brought to room temperature<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">0.75 cups of vegetable, canola, or safflower oil<o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Parchment paper or cooking spray</div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">A small amount of confectioner's sugar for dusting over the finished bread<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">*heat your oven to 350 degrees (176.67 Celsius) </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Step 1) Line your baking dish with parchment paper, then butter and flour the dish. Alternatively, you can coat it liberally with your cooking spray. If you're using spray, you may want to give the measuring cup that will be holding the molasses a spritz, as this will help release all of the sticky goodness later. **Note: if you're trying to make this in a bundt pan, be especially liberal with the buttering/flouring. This batter ends up extremely sticky.**</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Step 2) In your saucepan, combine your molasses and stout, then bring that mixture to a boil. Once it's boiling, add your baking soda, stir, and remove the whole shebang from your heat source.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Step 3) Add to your heatproof bowl the flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir these gently to combine.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Step 4) Add the three eggs and both types of sugar to your other mixing bowl. Whisk these together, then add your oil and whisk that into the mix as well. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Step 5) Give the molasses and stout mixture a quick feel test. If it's close to room temperature (or at least isn't hot), then add the contents to the bowl with the eggs/sugar mixture and stir everything together. Once you have a homogeneous blend, toss that in with the flour and spices. Stir the whole shebang together until everything is uniformly combined. </span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Step 6) Pour the resulting batter into your pan and give the pan a few sharp raps on your countertop to eliminate any air bubbles that may have formed. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes if you're using a rectangular baking dish and 50 minutes if you're using a bundt pan.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Step 7) </span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Once the gingerbread has finished its sojourn into the oven, let it cool completely. Sprinkle some confectioner's sugar over the top once the gingerbread is cool to the touch. Yay!</span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agc67QU1Zl0/VtjjkAGYz6I/AAAAAAAAO50/KEd8Rwt2XMo/s1600/DSC06612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-agc67QU1Zl0/VtjjkAGYz6I/AAAAAAAAO50/KEd8Rwt2XMo/s320/DSC06612.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><b><u>FAQs</u></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><i>Does it matter what type of brown sugar I use?</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Not really. Dark brown sugar tends to jive a little better with the ingredients in these recipes, but there's no real reason why you couldn't use light brown sugar. Just ensure that it's brown sugar you're using and not, say, cane or some other form of raw sugar.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><i>Why shouldn't I use blackstrap molasses?</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Honestly you <i>could</i>, but your gingerbread would turn out with an extremely intense, somewhat bitter flavor that would likely be overwhelming for most palettes. If you like your gingerbread to be incredibly bold and on the less sweet side, then go right ahead and use blackstrap.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><i>What's with the boiling of liquids? Can I just skip that step and add those ingredients directly to the others?</i></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br />This step is what gives the gingerbread its fluffy, cakey texture. If you skip it the results will be quite different than if you hadn't.</span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;">Best of luck on your kitchen experimentations! <dives back into a pile of study materials></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: small; line-height: 19.6px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-64171044293465139802016-02-21T12:00:00.002-05:002016-02-21T12:02:06.973-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Hey guys. It's been a while, I know, and for that I sincerely apologize. I'm about a month out from taking the first of the professional designation exams that are slated for this year, so the past few weeks have been all about the studying. Conversely, that means only four more weeks and we can get back to our regularly scheduled Care and Feeding of Nerds! In the meantime, let's get down to the Week in Geekdom. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Comics</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here's <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/02/19/geoff-johns-likens-dcs-rebirth-to-star-wars">the lowdown on DC's forthcoming Rebirth</a> and why they really want you to think of it as being akin to the new <i>Star Wars</i> trilogy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've been visiting here for a while, you won't be at all surprised when you hear that I'm...ehm...something of a fan of the <i>Civilization</i> series so it's a bit special <a href="http://venturebeat.com/2016/02/18/civilization-25-years-66-versions-33m-copies-sold-1-billion-hours-played/">to partake in the 25th anniversary celebrations of that most excellent franchise</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Did you know that <a href="https://archive.org/details/software">the software library of the Internet Archive</a> contains over 2,500 entirely free, wholly playable classic MS-DOS games? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you were among the legions of horror fans that were grief stricken following the cancellation of the reboot of <i>Silent Hills</i> you now have cause to rejoice: <a href="http://www.wow247.co.uk/2016/02/16/silent-hills-hideo-kojima-guillermo-del-toro-norman-reedus-back-together/">the reboot is back on</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lead <i>Mass Effect</i> writer Chris Schlef <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/02/16/mass-effect-andromeda-writer-leaves-bioware">is leaving Bioware</a> to join the ranks of Bungie.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you're still gleefully exploring the vast post-apocalyptic landscape of <i>Fallout 4</i> you'll soon be in for even more of the same. <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/16/11018294/fallout-4-first-dlc-expansion">The next three months will feature as many new DLC releases</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This is a nifty little visual sample of the original negative of <i>Episode IV</i> contrasted with what a team of specialists have been able to coax from that fragile bit of film:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dxitcuq2J_g/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dxitcuq2J_g?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just how fast is the D-Wave quantum computer relative to, say your average everyday PC? <a href="http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/is-d-waves-quantum-processor-really-10%E2%81%B8-times-faster-than-a-normal-computer/">This fast</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of quantum computing, a team of theoretical physicists from MIT have <a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-02-error-method-quantum-based-majorana.html">developed a novel method for error correction on a quantum level</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been a security flaw that's existed since 2008, but we're just now <a href="http://arstechnica.com/security/2016/02/extremely-severe-bug-leaves-dizzying-number-of-apps-and-devices-vulnerable/">realizing the potential impact on everything derived from the GNU C Library</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Next month will begin the effective last scientific call for the discovery of WIMPs. What are WIMPs and why are they potentially so important? <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/last-call-will-wimps-show-their-faces-in-the-latest-dark-matter-experiment/">Read here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She's made a career of studying 'zombie stars' and now Victoria Kaspi, Ph.D., <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/herzberg-kaspi-1.3205517">is the first female recipient of Canada's Herzberg Medal</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The JPL mastermind behind the 'seven minutes of terror' that delivered Curiosity to the surface of Mars <a href="http://mars.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1888">has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Solar eclipses have been regarded by humanity as alternately fascinating and terrifying, but imagine a planetary configuration in which <a href="https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/02/160218102555.htm">such eclipses lasted three and a half years</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Jupiter's moon, Europa, hosts possibly the best conditions for life to exist on a non-terrestrial segment of our solar system, <a href="http://www.cosmosup.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-go-to-europa/">so why is it so hard</a> to get out there to confirm that?<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9lhXPrWpsw/VsntLD_OF1I/AAAAAAAAO3w/_bXFhowwhBY/s1600/Why-Is-It-So-Hard-To-Go-To-Europa-700x325.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-b9lhXPrWpsw/VsntLD_OF1I/AAAAAAAAO3w/_bXFhowwhBY/s320/Why-Is-It-So-Hard-To-Go-To-Europa-700x325.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cosmosup.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-go-to-europa/">Image credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table>As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-53778989777113919402016-01-31T10:33:00.001-05:002016-01-31T10:34:00.793-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Hi guys. Happy weekend and best wishes for an excellent last day of con to all those of you attending <a href="http://south.paxsite.com/">PAX South</a> right now. I know, it's been a little while since a new post went up on here. <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2016/01/upcoming-awesomeness-in-2016.html">As mentioned earlier in the month</a>, studying has been consuming just about every spare minute of my time and will continue to do so for the majority of 2016. Fortunately, a bit of a break will allow us to get down to This Week in Geekdom!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://kotaku.com/happy-20th-birthday-to-the-best-duke-nukem-game-1755892373">Happy 20th birthday</a> to <i>Duke Nukem</i> 3D!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331773092674/squad-steam-pc-game-interview"><i>Squad</i> claims to not only be the most realistic team-based online shooter</a>, but also eliminates all of the headaches that have plagued just about every other constituent of the genre.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dU2PpQYFYqs/Vq4pI8wUIBI/AAAAAAAAO24/n77ZwLv7Sd0/s1600/forthcoming-pc-military-sim-game-squad-which-will-feature-up-to-100-live-players-at-a-time.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dU2PpQYFYqs/Vq4pI8wUIBI/AAAAAAAAO24/n77ZwLv7Sd0/s320/forthcoming-pc-military-sim-game-squad-which-will-feature-up-to-100-live-players-at-a-time.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331773092674/squad-steam-pc-game-interview">Image source</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">More disappointment for everyone who backed and/or is eagerly anticipating the release of the distinctly <i>Megaman</i>-ish platformer <i>Mighty No. 9</i>, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mightyno9/mighty-no-9/posts/1473777">it's now slated to come out in the spring of this year</a>, assuming no additional delays.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">After bringing a slew of comics-based series to the small screen, <a href="http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/cw-archie-comics-riverdale-pilot-greg-berlanti-1201692555/">the CW network is now turning to Archie</a> as a potential source of future programming.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/25/africa/quagga-project-zebra-conservation-extinct-south-africa/">This is the story</a> of how a cousin of the zebra went extinct a century ago and how South African geneticists have been able to bring the species back to life.</div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The latest edition of <i>Science</i> <a href="http://phys.org/news/2016-01-kind-polymer.html">includes this research from Northwestern University</a> that has resulted in an entirely new type of polymer. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There is an epic throwdown taking place at the cutting edge of physics-related research. The grand prize: <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/read/two-american-physics-labs-are-vying-for-a-billion-dollar-particle-accelerator">a billion dollar particle accelerator</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been inherent to a lot of our collective internet-browsing experience for years now, but <a href="http://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/oracle-says-it-is-killing-the-java-plugin-795547">Oracle is finally killing off its Java Plugin</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Turns out that 2016 will mark the 25th anniversary for many of our favorite geeky things, <a href="http://deslide.clusterfake.net/?o=html_table&u=http://www.networkworld.com/article/3026955/mobile-wireless/2016s-25-geekiest-25th-anniversaries.html">like these, for example.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If the minds <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1280002828/air-bonsai-create-your-little-star">behind this Kickstarter have their way</a>, you may end up with a levitating bonsai to spruce up your decor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-83053398476410527812016-01-18T10:57:00.000-05:002016-01-18T10:59:02.476-05:00Developer Dialogues: Moonquake Escape<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 15.3333px;">It's been a spell since the last iteration of Developer Dialogues and we return to the series with a very special entry. <i><a href="http://www.moonquakeescape.com/">MoonQuake Escape</a></i> was the very first game to venture into <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/p/got-game.html">our Playtesting Lab</a> and we've been gleefully watching its development in the nearly two years since. We'd sit here gushing about the mechanics, the artwork, and <i>that board</i> all day, but it's assuredly better if we turn this over to Jeff, the mind behind <i>MoonQuake Escape</i>, and Michael, the man behind its distinctive art.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCOrpv8iY3I/Vp0D1HrB1BI/AAAAAAAAO1E/Ene7yIsZ_No/s1600/pic2829035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DCOrpv8iY3I/Vp0D1HrB1BI/AAAAAAAAO1E/Ene7yIsZ_No/s320/pic2829035.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Tell us a little about yourself. What prompted you to want to become a developer?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">HI, Kel! I’m Jeff Johnston (<a href="https://twitter.com/PairOfJacksGame">@PairOfJacksGame</a>) and I’ve been designing games as a hobby for the last few years. I started shortly after a friend at work mentioned that writing a book was on his bucket list. It got me thinking about what I’d want to do and I started thinking about all the fun I’d had when younger playing games with friends and family. I decided my goal was to see a game that I’d created on a store shelf. Within about six months I had a fun little game about toasting marshmallows, <i><a href="http://pairofjacksgames.com/">Toasted or Roasted</a></i>, and about six years later I walked into an EMS store and said “Look what I made!” to anyone within earshot.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Once you decided to put on the developer’s hat, what made you choose this specific type of game? Why did you feel this style was a particularly good fit for your vision of MoonQuake Escape?</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I really enjoy making games for families with younger children. Like a Disney film, something focused on the youngest but enjoyable by the whole family. My second game, <i><a href="http://pairofjacksgames.com/">Flashlights & Fireflies</a></i>, is about playing flashlight freeze tag and catching fireflies. I mention <i>F&F</i>in particular because its core fun was a “hide and seek” mechanic (a la <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three-card_Monte">3-Card Monte</a>) with players traveling a straight four-step track. My son was taking an entrepreneurial course during his college studies and I suggested we develop a game together and KickStart it—not sure I’ve ever a heard a faster “No” in my life! But, my wheels were already turning. I thought it would be a lot of fun to take <i>F&F</i> and add a bluffing mechanic: what if each player could protect (or shield) one face down card—would they protect their one key card, or would they try to lure you away? I also thought it would be interesting to have a way to bring players together on the board unexpectedly for some interesting interaction and I started to picture a set of concentric circular boards to create those situations, and inspired the look of a planet. The space-aged theme on a prison was simply to aim at an older audience and keep it a competitive setting. And thus <i>“Monsters & Moonbeams”</i> was born! The name <i>MoonQuake Escape</i> came about six names later…<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vagLTvUrDZU/Vp0KHn9zQ2I/AAAAAAAAO1Y/ylY_zrrG5bU/s1600/pic2829396.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="210" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vagLTvUrDZU/Vp0KHn9zQ2I/AAAAAAAAO1Y/ylY_zrrG5bU/s320/pic2829396.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The game is touted as being extremely easy to learn, but a highly satisfying overall play experience. How long would you say it takes people to pick up Moonquake Escape and what demographics do you think would most enjoy the game?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I think I’d like to meet these touters! At first brush, MoonQuake Escape takes some explaining. You do have to convey an entire world—its dangers, how you move, how it moves, how its moon moves!—how you interact with the other players, and your goals in the race to the only remaining escape rocket. Hard core gamers jump right in without issue, but lighter gamers are often initially skeptical about the level of complexity. But after a round or two, they start to get that there are only a few but rewardingly deep decisions to make in each round. I was challenged by my fellow game designers to make it as simple as possible and so I created a Basic rule set that feeds you a healthy portion of the <i>MQE</i> world before introducing the rest in Advanced rules. Those extra rules aren’t hard or complex, just less to absorb in an initial sit down.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been playing <i>MQE</i> with people from all walks for more than two years now of many ages and demographics. The box will say ages 10+ and its extremely engaging for families. I’ve had kids chasing down parents to join in a second or third demo game. But, I’ve been extremely pleased with how adults playing adults enjoy the game and the constant playful interaction each round creates.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The board game market is pretty competitive with both major publishers and indie developers in the field. What would you say makes MoonQuake Escape distinctive?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">It’s amazing the quality, variety and creativity in the market today. That really means that your project has to have something special about it. I didn’t really know where <i>MQE</i> would go—I just followed its lead. It needed rotating rings and an orbiting & revolving Moon, and I was foolish enough to craft it. In 2014 at <a href="http://east.paxsite.com/">PAX East</a>, I accidentally “kidnapped” <a href="http://breakinggames.com/products/moonquake-escape">Shari Spiro</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/admagic_inc">@AdMagic</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/breaking_games">@Breaking Games</a>) and showed her an <i>MQE</i> prototype. At first sight, she immediately said “I want to make that!” and I knew <i>MQE</i> had the ally it needed to make it real.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The visual appeal of <i>MQE</i> on the table is amazing, but, it couldn’t be a gimmick. The game play on the board, with the cards, and between the cards and the board needed to be compelling all around. Working through this was my key focus, even more so than the visual aspects of the game. I’ve developed a saying: “The board brings them to the table, the game brings them back.” OK, sometimes a Moon Pie brought them to the table.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">The artwork and overall aesthetic of the game is very visually striking. What was your inspiration for the look and feel of the game?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">After <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2014/09/round-up-boston-fig.html">a great reception of the game at Boston Festival of Indie Games</a> (<a href="https://twitter.com/BostonFIG">@BostonFIG</a>) in Sep 2014, I found Michael’s vector superhero art style and started collaborating with him on the art and design. I quickly realized what value he was bringing to the entire process and decided that partnering on this project would be the most rewarding. I think Michael can best speak to the overall art. Michael?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yUXARayAxc/Vp0Ko85f5eI/AAAAAAAAO1c/mT52nWC8-Wo/s1600/pic2829125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2yUXARayAxc/Vp0Ko85f5eI/AAAAAAAAO1c/mT52nWC8-Wo/s320/pic2829125.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Hello, I’m Michael Parla (<a href="https://twitter.com/Michael_Parla">@Michael_Parla</a>) the art director for MQE and I’ll field this question. After working in the pharmaceutical industry as a graphic designer/art director for 15+ years, I felt called to scratch a creative itch I’ve been carrying since starting my career. This project seemed just the ticket!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">When I was first introduced to MQE I felt it was an ambitious project offering a creative challenge. Initially Jeff was using an illustration for the cover that looked like something out of a Flash Gordon strip. Although the image fit the game’s genre, I didn’t feel it matched with the feel I got when Jeff would demo his games. Much like a 1950 serial film poster, MQE needed to feel loud and exciting, and that inspiration crystalized the art concept. To capture the feel of these posters I found a bold display font for the main titles (thanks </span><a href="http://blambot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">blambot.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">) and a condensed secondary font similar to that of poster movie credits.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">To me the cards were the most exciting to work on. I was able to display my illustration as a main focal point and add value to the gameplay. I saw early on that I could help clarify card type with colors (green = good, red=bad), making sure players could focus on enjoying the game play and not translating icons or inferring details from the text. Might not sound like much but in a game designed as complex as this it was a nice break.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TQ-W-Hn6TTI/Vp0KwMDj5oI/AAAAAAAAO1k/AEnieD5F0Ww/s1600/pic2788095_t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TQ-W-Hn6TTI/Vp0KwMDj5oI/AAAAAAAAO1k/AEnieD5F0Ww/s1600/pic2788095_t.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Color was also missing from the board. In the early stages, Jeff wanted a stark prison world, so for that reason the colors of the board were a boring and drab color. It wasn’t until Shari Spiro (<a href="http://breakinggames.com/products/moonquake-escape">Ad Magic/Breaking Games</a>) insisted that the surface include “MORE COLOR!” I wanted something that people could relate to as alien while contrasting off the dark blue background so it was pretty much set in stone that from here on Zartaclaton would be a bright orange planet. After that everything else fell into place.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">What do you feel was the most enjoyable part of developing MoonQuake Escape and, conversely, what would you say was your biggest challenge?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The most enjoyable part was listening to the feedback from fellow designers, playtesters and observations, and then creatively solving the issues. For example, players were having trouble remembering whose turn it was—that was the problem that an orbiting moon component solves for the game! Early in the process I discovered <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2014/10/an-evening-with-game-makers-guild.html">the Game Makers Guild</a> here in the Boston area and it’s been an incredible resource—game design expertise, playing testing, and most importantly, honest frank feedback. I was confidently done with <i>MQE</i> at least three times before receiving that one additional comment that made me iron out one more crease. And, of course, sharing the game with hundreds of people the last year and a half at conventions across the country has been a blast. We try to keep the interaction going—our fans are creating the backstories of our alien criminals on the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/MoonQuakeEscape"><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">MQE</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> FaceBook page</span></a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The biggest challenge: the rulebook, no doubt. I must have tackled the approach to tell the whole <i>MQE</i> story in rule form five ways to Sunday with different reactions to each. Some players wanting information in this order, others in that order. But, I worked with some really sharp editors—Jim White (<a href="https://twitter.com/twwombat">@twwombat</a>) in particular—and many savvy play testers to iron out a rule book that tells the <i>MQE</i> story very well. A long process, but I’m very pleased with the final version (you can check it out on the </span><a href="https://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/126744/moonquake-escape-rules"><i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">MQE</span></i><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> BGG page</span></a><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"> if you’re curious).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Let’s say MoonQuake Escape is received particularly well by the gaming community at large. Would you be open to continuing to develop it? Would you pursue any expansions or other additional content?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Which designers haven’t already mentally built an expansion to their game?! Yes, we have some exciting ideas we’d like to add to <i>MQE</i>. More dangers on the planet’s surface. A new set of board rings that lets you play a “prequel”: you start in the center of the board deep under the surface in the high security dentention cells and have to make your way through the prison to the surface (the moon will be replaced by a security camera with a different game play effect). And, I think there’s a more card focused game that focuses on the final battle on the Launch Pad. And each of these add to the others allowing you to revisit with new options. But, let’s <a href="http://breakinggames.com/products/moonquake-escape">sell the first copy of <i>MQE</i></a>before I get too excited!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-size: 11.5pt;">Is there anything else that you think potential players should know about MoonQuake Escape?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">If it looks like I’m having fun telling you about <i>MQE</i>, it’s only because I know how much fun you’ll have playing it. Many moons ago I had to admit that this project is officially my mid-life crisis (of my possible choices, my wife has approved this one!). It’s been quite a ride and we hope you escape with us!<o:p></o:p></span></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-51028033679217739702016-01-10T09:12:00.000-05:002016-01-10T09:13:11.398-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;"><Unearths herself from beneath her study materials> Oh, hey guys. It's that time again, isn't it? Studying is creating what seems to be even more distortions in the space-time continuum than I'd normally expect from this time of year. It's going to be a very interesting few months to say the least. It was a very busy few days though, due in no small part to the annual <a href="https://www.cesweb.org/">Consumer Electonics Show</a>. In case you missed out on CES, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35228630">here's a round-up of some of the highlights</a>. Add to all that goodness, these fun highlights from This Week in Geekdom!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Books</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unlike George R.R. Martin, Outlander author Diana Gabaldon <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/08/outlander-thrones">adheres to her deadlines</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Final Fantasy IX</i> will be available on Steam within the next few months and <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/final-fantasy-ix-pc-system-requirements-and-detail/1100-6433577/">here's what you can expect</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Did <i>Jurassic World</i> spark your desire to live in harmony with dinosaurs? <a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331768425320/how-to-stay-alive-in-the-new-xbox-one-hit">You may want to check out ARK: Survival Evolved</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">J.J. Abrams has been a very busy man. <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/09/jj-abrams-jfk-franco-trailer">Check out the trailer for his latest project</a>: <i>11.22.63</i>, a time-travel series for Hulu based on a Stephen King novel of the same name.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite working the publicity circuit for <i>The Force Awakens</i> and <i>11.22.63</i>, Mr Abrams was not too busy to stop <a href="http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2016/01/08/j-j-abrams-addresses-star-wars-the-force-awakens-similarities-to-a-new-hope/">and address complaints that the latest installation</a> of the <i>Star Wars</i> franchise bears too strong a resemblance to its founding chapter.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Back in December, the Huffington Post published <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/40-unforgivable-plot-holes-in-star-wars-the-force-awakens_b_8850324.html">a lengthy list of 'plot holes</a>' in <i>The Force Awakens</i>. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/notes/matty-granger/at-long-lastmy-star-wars-episode-vii-review-the-force-awakens-the-rise-of-idiot-/10153163095086277">Here is a very thorough point-by-point rebuttal</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Game of Thrones</i> <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/07/thrones-season-6-date">will return to HBO on April 24th</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">While we're in an HBO state of mind, the network has <a href="http://tvline.com/2016/01/07/deadwood-movie-reunion-hbo-premiere-date/">given the official green light to the development of a <i>Deadwood</i> movie</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oculus Rift officially hit the open consumer market this week as it <a href="https://www.oculus.com/en-us/blog/oculus-rift-pre-orders-to-open-on-jan-6/">opened itself up for pre-orders</a>. The catch: <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/01/oculus-founder-apologizes-for-messaging-poorly-on-599-rift-price/">a set will cost you an eye-popping $599 USD</a>. Perhaps this is where <a href="http://fortune.com/2016/01/05/virtual-reality-game-industry-to-generate-billions/">Fortune got its projections </a>of the virtual reality market being worth $5.1 billion USD this year alone.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/9903/nvidia-announces-drive-px-2-pascal-power-for-selfdriving-cars">NVIDIA wants in on the autonomous car game</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thanks to the efforts of many researchers and one very, very specialized telescope, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35258378">we may get a chance to see the event horizon</a> of the black hole at the center of our galaxy by 2017.</div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VQfgOWHeu2o/VpGwTkTfkmI/AAAAAAAAO0k/TP0sdCmhnmc/s1600/_87557188_a9sane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VQfgOWHeu2o/VpGwTkTfkmI/AAAAAAAAO0k/TP0sdCmhnmc/s320/_87557188_a9sane.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Experts believe it will look something <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35258378?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">like this</a>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of black holes, NASA's Chandra telescope is presenting astrophysicists with new data derived from <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35237863">observations of this...ehm...interesting behavior</a> from the Whirlpool galaxy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Aside from observing black holes, NASA is also occupied developing this, <a href="http://arstechnica.com/science/2016/01/nasa-has-begun-working-on-its-next-great-space-observatory/">the successor to the Hubble telescope</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's official: <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/04/461904077/4-new-elements-are-added-to-the-periodic-table">the periodic table of elements has four new members</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you weigh 220 lbs (99.79 kg) or less then Ehang <a href="http://qz.com/588323/this-self-flying-drone-can-carry-you-to-work/">may have a very interesting way for you to get to school or work</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Desert sand is so efficient at capturing and retaining heat that researchers at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology want to develop ways <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/01/160104164852.htm">to turn it into a thermal energy storage medium</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Acoustics experts at Australia's RMIT University <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-01/ru-rrn010616.php">may revolutionize the way that stem cell treatments are delivered to patients</a> by combining two different sound waves.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The artificial pancreas <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/artificial-pancreas-close-public-release-meaning-no-more-needles-diabetics-1536126">is two clinical trials away</a> from being a consumable reality.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness/Feats of Nerdery</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What do you get when a Disney storyboard artist combines the aesthetic of Calvin & Hobbes with The Force Awakens? <a href="https://www.instagram.com/briankesinger/">These awesome cartoons</a>, that's what.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's no secret that we at the Care and Feeding of Nerds love us some excellent infographics and here's an excellent series depicting the fact that <a href="http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/01/half-earth-world-population-land-map/422748/">half of the Earth's population lives on 1% of its land mass</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And here's a fun <a href="http://www.openculture.com/2016/01/74-ways-characters-die-in-shakespeares-plays-shown-in-a-handy-infographic.html">infographic breaking out all of the character deaths</a> in Shakespeare's oeuvre.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Amateur astronomer Michael Sidonio thought he was taking pictures of galaxy NGC 253 and ended up <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/space/nearby-galaxy-discovered-backyard-telescope">discovering a galaxy of his own</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-25248649918759728132016-01-03T14:16:00.004-05:002016-01-03T14:17:43.714-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2016/01/upcoming-awesomeness-in-2016.html">2016 is off and running</a> and we're officially back from our holiday break. Woot! Let's keep the momentum going, shall we? Down to the Week in Geekdom!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Books</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Much to the surprise of exactly no one who has been following the exploits of George R.R. Martin, the author officially conceded what we've long since expected: <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2016/01/02/george-rr-martin-thrones-winds-of-winter?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">that <i>Winds of Winter</i> will not be ready</a> before <i>Game of Thrones</i> returns to the airwaves. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">George Lucas has taken just about every possible position with regard to the sale of Lucasfilm to Disney and the subsequent development of <i>Episode VII </i>but, following the smashing success of the latter, <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/george-lucas-quips-he-sold-851545?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">the director is no longer attempting to conceal his angst</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On that note, Disney chairman Robert Iger has confirmed that <a href="http://comicbook.com/2015/12/31/disney-chairman-confirms-new-indiana-jones-movie-is-coming/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">we will be getting another cinematic dose of <i>Indiana Jones</i></a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-50-best-x-wing-pilots-ranked-1750228206?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">The 50 best X-Wing pilots</a> in the <i>Star Wars</i> universe, ranked.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We are mere weeks away from the premiere of the <i>X-Files</i> revival series. If those few weeks are still too damned long (not that I feel that way...or anything), <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/x-files-revival-feature-spoilers-851228?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">then this making-of featurette may help you bide the time.</a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bertUrBu8aU/VolzhlOq2WI/AAAAAAAAOzo/mG2VcGHz-Ks/s1600/x-files_still_h_15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bertUrBu8aU/VolzhlOq2WI/AAAAAAAAOzo/mG2VcGHz-Ks/s320/x-files_still_h_15.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2016/01/upcoming-awesomeness-in-2016.html">Image credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://deslide.clusterfake.net/?o=html_table&u=http://www.newsarama.com/24054-the-12-most-pressing-outstanding-questions-about-the-marvel-cinematic-universe.html&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">These are 12 of the most burning questions</a> we have concerning the future of the Marvel cinematic universe. Fortunately, we'll likely get some answers to these this year.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you're on the hunt for fun, informative and all-around excellent sciencey podcasts, <a href="http://www.geekwrapped.com/posts/the-20-best-science-podcasts?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">look no further</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a promising sign for those of us excited about the status of future space-faring missions: <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/space-fuel-plutonium-238-produced-u-s-first-time-30-n488046?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">plutonium-238 has been produced in the United States</a> for the first time since 1988.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of space-faring, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2016/01/02/ask-ethan-is-interstellar-travel-possible/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">just how plausible/feasible is interstellar travel</a>?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What if the various computer programs you use every day never needed another update again but, rather, were continuously self-correcting? <a href="http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/thanks-to-this-you-may-never-need-another-software-update/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">MIT and Adobe are teaming up</a> to develop exactly that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a theme that pops up on this site with no small degree of frequency, <a href="http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2015/12/30/10690560/time-speed-accelerate-age-new-year">but why does time seem to speed up as you age</a>?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/10-paper-artists-who-reimagining-medium?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">These 10 artists are capable of creating mind-blowing masterpieces</a> with simple paper.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-73413384508074378592016-01-01T14:32:00.002-05:002016-01-01T14:33:43.432-05:00Upcoming Awesomeness in 2016!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2016 is already treating you well and that the year is off to a great start. Composing this post has become a fun tradition in itself both because it elicits a little nostalgia when I look over similar posts from previous years (speaking of, here are the entries for <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2015/01/upcoming-awesomeness-in-2015.html">2015</a>, <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2014/01/upcoming-awesomeness-in-2014.html">2014</a>, and <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2013/01/upcoming-awesomeness-in-2013.html">2013</a>) and looking ahead to all the forthcoming awesome is always fun. So let's get to it, shall we?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KfnUa9Op6jo/VobURmrZsMI/AAAAAAAAOzU/jjgLS2MHwLA/s1600/happy-new-year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KfnUa9Op6jo/VobURmrZsMI/AAAAAAAAOzU/jjgLS2MHwLA/s320/happy-new-year.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u>New Site Stuff in 2016<o:p></o:p></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It's no secret that the pacing of new posts has slowed in the past few months and that's something I think we can all agree isn't the best. The goal is to change that, but, not gonna lie guys, that's going to be tough to do in 2016. A good chunk of this upcoming year is going to be devoted to studying for (and taking) a handful of professional certification exams. If all goes well and I pass all the exams on the first try then this will be the only year that gets consumed in this not-so-fun way. Fingers crossed!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">That's not to say that the Care and Feeding of Nerds is going on ice. Not at all! There will definitely be plenty of novel content and, hopefully, a few contests coming your way. It's just that there will likely be a bit less of both in 2016 when compared to previous years.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">But there will be goodness! We'll be bringing you coverage from at least two conventions: <a href="http://east.paxsite.com/">PAX East 2016</a> and <a href="http://bostonfig.com/">the Boston Festival of Indie Games</a>. There's a very good chance that we may add a few conventions that have never been covered on the site before, which we're really excited about.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Comics<b><o:p></o:p></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The past two years have seen some pretty massive upheavals in the comics world, but 2016 is shaping up to be a bit more tranquil as most major publishers appear to want to enjoy their new status quo. <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/12/29/10681770/comic-books-2016">Here are 5 upcoming titles</a> that we can look forward to in the very near future <a href="http://comicsalliance.com/yearender-new-comics-2016/">and a whole heap more</a> spanning the comic, manga, and graphic novel realms.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>TV<b><o:p></o:p></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p>January/February are often rife with mid-season premieres and introductions of fun new programs. Here's what we can add to our viewing queues in the next few weeks (premiere dates and times may vary based on your location and cable provider). <i>Ahhhh...X-Files....Venture Bros!!</i></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i><br /></i></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>The Shannara Chronicles</i>: (MTV) January 5th </o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>Colony</i>: (USA) January 14th</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>The Flash</i>: (The CW) </o:p>January 19th</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>Agent Carter</i>: (ABC) January 19th</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>Arrow</i>: (The CW) January 20th</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>Supernatural</i>: </o:p>(The CW) January 20th</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>DC's Legends of Tomorrow</i>: (The CW) January 21st</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>The X-Files</i>: (FOX) January 24th</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>The Venture Bros</i>: (Cartoon Network) February 7th</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p><i>The Walking Dead</i>: (AMC) February 14th</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/7LCLp1o_Nl4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7LCLp1o_Nl4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies<b><o:p></o:p></b></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As with most recent years, the trend in 2016 will be lots of reboots and sequels, with a bit of novel content tossed in here and there.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><u><br /></u></b></div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoTableGrid" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-yfti-tbllook: 1184;"> <tbody><tr> <td style="border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">January</div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">The 5th Wave</a> - The Earth is devastated by successive waves of alien attacks. One girl asserts herself and bands with fellow survivors to reclaim the planet.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2888046/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Ip Man 3</a> - Donnie Yen returns to the title role and takes a stand against a band of crooked property managers and cruel gangsters.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2049543/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Synchronicity</a> - A physicist invents a time machine only to have his work fall into the hands of a femme fatale.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">February</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374989/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Pride and Prejudice and Zombies</a> - The film treatment of the wildly popular adaptation of the Jane Austen classic.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Deadpool</a> - The Merc with a Mouth gets to incite havoc on the big screen.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">March</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3410834/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Allegiant</a> - The cinematic version of the <i>Divergent</i> young adult novel series continues with this third installment. The content of the book bearing the name of the movie will be divided into two films, akin to what we saw with the <i>Hunger Games</i>.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2975590/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice</a> - The Man of Steel and Gotham's Knight square off first against one another, then against a novel Earth-threatening foe.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">April</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404233/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Gods of Egypt</a> - An ordinary thief finds himself drawn into a divine conflict.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3040964/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">The Jungle Book</a> - The classic Rudyard Kipling tale will be the latest of Disney's animated films to get the live-action treatment.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381991/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">The Huntsman Winter's War</a> - Chris Hemsworth returns to the role of the Huntsman and faces the wrath of not one, but two evil sorceress queens.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2865120/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Ratchet and Clank</a> - The beloved title characters leap from the console to the big screen as they race to save the galaxy. </o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">May</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Captain America: Civil War</a> - The tension wrought from the developments seen in <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2395427/?ref_=nv_sr_2">Age of Ultron</a></i> boils over into open conflict and threatens to tear the Avengers apart.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3385516/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">X-Men: Apocalypse</a> - The world's first mutant, Apocalypse, intends to obliterate all life on Earth; the X-Men band together an an attempt to stop him.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">June</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3949660/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows</a> - The heroes on a half shell are back to defend New York City from a new threat.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0803096/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Warcraft</a> - The monolithic video game franchise expands to a new medium.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1628841/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Independence Day: Resurgence</a> - The extraterrestrials that first threatened humanity 20 years ago have spent the past two decades preparing for and plotting for their shot at vengeance.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">July</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3691740/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">The BFG</a> - Roald Dahl's beloved tale is brought once more to the big screen.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1289401/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Ghostbusters</a> - This revisiting of the 80s franchise features a mostly female cast.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2660888/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Star Trek Beyond</a> - The next installment of the rebooted movie series has JJ Abrams' thumbprint all over it.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">August</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1386697/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Suicide Squad</a> - Some of Gotham's most notorious criminals are recruited to undertake black ops-esque missions in exchange for clemency.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2788732/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Pete's Dragon</a> - A remake of the 1977 original in which an orphan flees from his abusive adoptive parents to the company of his pet dragon.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2106651/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Spectral</a> - Supernatural beings have taken over New York City and a very special team of operatives are brought in to restore order.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">September</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3458254/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Patient Zero</a> - After humanity is decimated by a horrific pandemic that renders most of humanity into violent rage monsters, a lone survivor finds he's able to communicate with them.</div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">October</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3729594/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Gambit</a> - Not to be outdone by Deadpool, the Ragin' Cajun will get his own movie.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">November</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1211837/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Doctor Strange</a> - Benedict Cumberbatch assumes the title role as a ruined surgeon whose life is forever changed after encountering a sorcerer.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3521164/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Moana</a> - The only daughter of a chief of a South Seas tribe sets off to explore the wilds of the Pacific.</o:p></div></td> </tr><tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .95in;" valign="top" width="91"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">December</div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 5.7in;" valign="top" width="547"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3748528/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Rogue One: A Star Wars Story</a> - The first of the <i>Star Wars</i> spinoff films focuses on a group of Rebels seeking to steal the structural plans of the Death Star.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1355644/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Passengers</a> - A spacecraft careens through the depths of space on a journey to distant planet when one of its stasis chambers malfunctions, causing a passenger to wake 60 years too early.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;"><o:p><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2094766/?ref_=cs_ov_tt">Assassin's Creed</a> - Michael Fassbender stars in this movie adaptation of the wildly popular video game series.</o:p></div></td> </tr></tbody></table><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Board Games/RPGs<o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As mentioned in a couple of our round-up posts, most board game developers, even the largest ones, operate on a quarterly schedule for their forecasts and releases with the latter generally coinciding with major conventions. However, if all goes well we should see several of the games we got a chance to try during Gen Con 2015. Also, the always-excellent folks at BoardGameGeek have put together <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/geeklist/188469/2016-will-be-superb">this compendium of what's slated to hit our tables in 2016</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u>Video Games<o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Video game releases tend to be a bit more precise than their tabletop brethren in terms of their release scheduling, but the volume of titles that will be available for PCs and consoles is gargantuan. Game Informer did a commendable job of <a href="http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2015/11/13/2016-video-game-release-schedule.aspx">gathering up all those dates into this comprehensive list</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It's already shaping up to be an excellent year! Here's to a very happy and healthy 2016!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-62379354746315069702015-12-23T14:14:00.000-05:002015-12-23T14:14:19.928-05:00Movie Review - Star Wars: The Force Awakens<div class="MsoNormal"><div style="text-align: justify;">We've arrived guys. This moment has been two years in the pragmatic making and arguably decades more if you're among the ranks of those who refuse to acknowledge the Prequels. <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2014/05/movies-dark-side-of-episode-vii.html">We've already expressed our fears, misgivings, and erstwhile rage fodder</a> as they relate to or potentially stem from this film. The hype has been blasted at us full force for months on end, swathed in a marketing blitz so comprehensive that it's almost difficult to find a product line that doesn't have an Officially Licensed offering. It's been a long, dizzying ride, but we're finally here.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>And...?</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've been an even occasional visitor to this site, you may have gleaned that <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2013/02/nerd-life-many-faces-of-geeksploitation.html">I might have a modicum of emotional investment in this franchise</a> and, as a result, that <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2012/06/cosplay-operation-go-jedi-update.html">I'm not going to be an unbiased reviewer</a> of this movie. That being said, I went into a showing this past Saturday with a melange of both dire expectations and barely constrained glee that arguably only fellow <i>Star Wars</i> fans who had their hearts broken by the Prequels can appreciate.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Hutsx0O0CA/Vnrn6VVtCzI/AAAAAAAAOxw/LIqlk3cWNzs/s1600/SW-THE-FORCE-AWAKENS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Hutsx0O0CA/Vnrn6VVtCzI/AAAAAAAAOxw/LIqlk3cWNzs/s320/SW-THE-FORCE-AWAKENS.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Name of the Maker...I can't wait anymore! How was it?</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The very first line spoken in the film is, "This will begin to make things right."<br /><br />That is entirely, wholly accurate.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>AHHHH!!!</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know!<br /><br />That reality is, in itself, a source of considerable relief. In all honesty the film just had to not be actively terrible; the fact that it was so deeply enjoyable was a phenomenal surprise that I hadn't dared to anticipate.<br /><br />Fangirl gushing aside, <i>Episode VII</i> certainly isn't a perfect film (we'll get to exactly why that is in a minute), but it is an excellent tool with which new fans can be cultivated and long-jaded aficionados can be drawn back into the franchise fold. In short, a great way to open a new trilogy.<br /><br /><b>**The following contains some references that may be considered mild spoilers, but no explicit mention of major reveals**</b><br /><br />The actual plot will feel incredibly familiar to anyone who has seen <i>Episode IV</i>. There's a profoundly talented orphan eking out sustenance on a barren desert world, a lovable droid bearing secret plans key to the success of a rebellious faction, a wise-cracking foil to the straight-laced orphan, a totalitarian regime bent on dominating the galaxy, a mask-wearing villain and his nefarious master, a wizened character with extensive knowledge of the Skywalker lineage, an underdog organization attempting to counter the totalitarian regime, a massive superweapon, and many, many mentions of the Force.<br /><br /><i>That...that's pretty much Episode IV...like, all of it.</i><br /><br />Yes. If I had to point to the single biggest shortcoming of <i>The Force Awakens </i>it would be that Abrams adhered to the original a bit too closely. There are several instances where the pastiche/homage to nostalgia crosses over into self-congratulatory carbon copy territory. The pacing of the film is also disjointed at times, as is typical of just about all instances of Abrams' work. However, these are assuredly minor quibbles that did not detract overly much from the overarching experience.<br /><br /><i>The Force Awakens</i> is boldly honest about the fact that it is purely a fan film. If you are a person for whom the rest of the franchise elicited nothing but meh, then you can expect more of the same from this installment. I cannot, for the life of me, begin to imagine what watching this movie would be like for either someone who had no experience with or even actively dislikes <i>Star Wars</i>.<br /><br />For those of us who have spent countless hours of our lives with the characters, ships, planets, and concepts of the <i>Star Wars</i> universe, there is a substantial non-zero chance that <i>The Force Awakens</i> may cause you to weep happy tears. Seriously...I know this because of...a friend. Ok, I totally cried happy tears #noregrets.<br /><br />The non-originality of the narrative aside, the film does an incredible job of blending old elements with new ones and, more importantly, causing you to be emotionally invested in the latter. The new characters, Rey (the orphan), Finn (the comic foil), and Poe Dameron (a hotshot Resistance pilot) fit seamlessly into the <i>Star Wars</i> universe and are so well rendered by the respective actors that play those characters that you will find yourself caring deeply about them mere minutes after they are introduced. They are each extremely capable in their own ways and, with the possible exception of Poe, reasonably well-rounded. You want to find out what's next and you want them to come out of this experience okay.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RidQpW2C8HI/VnrrrJStRNI/AAAAAAAAOyA/qkv--cTymC0/s1600/Star-Wars-7-Character-Guide-Finn-Rey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RidQpW2C8HI/VnrrrJStRNI/AAAAAAAAOyA/qkv--cTymC0/s320/Star-Wars-7-Character-Guide-Finn-Rey.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Abrams accomplishes this primarily via the manner in which he feeds the audience information. We find out various bits of history and pertinent personal information often in the same moment that the characters do. This simultaneously draws us in and leaves us wanting so, so much more. The events that take place in the 30 year post-<i>Episode VI</i> gap are mentioned in fits and starts, but never in any real detail. There's just enough there that we can understand where the masked villain came from and why the characters from the original trilogy are situated as they are in <i>The Force Awakens</i>.<br /><br />The other tactic that Abrams employs is the setup of a very large number of key shots. These deliberately bear a strong resemblance to those used in <i>Episodes IV</i> and <i>VI</i> and create an instant familiarity with<i> Episode VII</i>. That being said, there are other, less overt inclusions that will make fans extremely happy. Specifically, there are a handful of references to items that were cut from <i>Episode IV</i> as well as a few <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2013/05/cosplay-in-before-retcon.html">key bits of the Expanded Universe</a>. If the care with which those inclusions were made doesn't win you over to <i>Episode VII</i> I'm not sure what will.<br /><br />Add to all this some extremely thrilling action sequences (thankfully done with a tactful blend of CGI and practical effects) and some solid comedic timing and you have an excellent way to pass two hours and fifteen minutes. The film stands well on its own, but also ends in such a way that you may rush to find a countdown to the release of <i>Episode VIII</i>. Warning: a single viewing may not prove sufficient to sate your fandom needs.<br /><br />It will make you cheer, laugh, cry, and, above all, love <i>Star Wars</i> again.<br /><br />Embrace the changes to our beloved universe, for they are phenomenal and everything we've been waiting for.<br /><br /></div></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-87461038590290256892015-12-20T11:02:00.001-05:002015-12-20T11:02:51.670-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Oh. My. We're still recovering from yesterday's viewing of <i>Episode VII</i> (a full review will be forthcoming in the very near future). It's killing me not to just starting talking to you about it right now, so I'll pour myself into the review literally the minute that this post goes up. <Kermit the Frog style flailing> <i>Episode VII</i>!! Ok, ok...enough of that for the time being. Less flailing and more of This Week in Geekdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u><u>Games</u><br /><br />With a little over a week remaining in the year, the Best of...countdowns have begun. <a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331765684784/game-of-the-year-2015-the-top-10?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">These are purported to be the top 10 video games of 2015</a>.<br /><br />The creators of Cards Against Humanity asked 150,000 of the customers who signed up for their Eight Sensible Gifts for Hanukkah some extremely personal questions <a href="http://www.cardsagainsthumanity.com/survey/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">and these are the hilarious results</a>.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Mel Brooks will allegedly <a href="http://nerdist.com/a-new-spaceballs-movie-is-in-the-works-according-to-mel-brooks/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">give us a brand new <i>Spaceballs</i></a>.<br /><br />What if decorated documentarian <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/act-four/wp/2015/12/18/star-wars-if-it-were-directed-by-ken-burns/?tid=sm_tw&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">Ken Burns had directed <i>Star Wars</i></a>?<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1OpKyNFwjg/VnbIILqopvI/AAAAAAAAOxM/8WYy0JmYnMo/s1600/DD98722D-6734-4403-86E6AEF1EF47798C.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g1OpKyNFwjg/VnbIILqopvI/AAAAAAAAOxM/8WYy0JmYnMo/s320/DD98722D-6734-4403-86E6AEF1EF47798C.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/potential-new-particle-shows-up-at-the-lhc-thrilling-and-confounding-physicists1/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">Image Credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Trying to avoid any Star Wars spoilers (or spoilers for any movie/show for that matter)? <a href="https://thestack.com/world/2015/12/15/chrome-extension-blocks-every-mention-of-star-wars/?k=993993&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">There's a Chrome extension for that</a>.<br /><br />Or, if you need a fun Star Wars themed sciencey distraction while you wait for your showing, there's <a href="http://space-facts.com/planets-moons-star-wars/">this comparison of the planets</a> in our solar system to those in a galaxy far, far away.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's been a very tough year for SpaceX, but the company isn't about to throw in the towel on 2015 just yet. NASA has confirmed that SpaceX was <a href="http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/12/spacex-static-fire-falcon-9-og-2-rtf/">able to conduct a successful static fire test</a> on its flagship Falcon 9 rocket. This has cleared the way for a full launch later today (<a href="http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-spacex-launch-video-20151219-embeddedvideo.html">watch it live here</a>).<br /><br />The Large Hadron Collider has potentially given the physicists of the world an early Christmas present: <a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/potential-new-particle-shows-up-at-the-lhc-thrilling-and-confounding-physicists1/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">a new particle not previously included in the Standard Model</a>.<br /><br />We occasionally chat about the ongoing development of driverless cars. Now, as the state of California begins to craft legislation that will govern this process, <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-18/humans-are-slamming-into-driverless-cars-and-exposing-a-key-flaw?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link?daslkf&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">we have this breakdown of some of the challenges</a> that lie ahead for these autonomous autos.<br /><br />Just what does it take to re-create an image of the Earthrise from the Moon's Compton crater? Well, <a href="http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/posts/895?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">generally it involves this</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />The latest edition of Nature <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/new-process-lower-co2-emissions-diesel/40874/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">describes this process that could potentially mitigate</a> carbon dioxide emissions from diesel engines (without cheating).<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness/Feats of Nerdery</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Behold this dude's very impressive build of a functional flame-based lightsaber:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/u-xHso660tA/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u-xHso660tA?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br />Ok, so it's not the Avatar, but <a href="http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/antarctica-conservators-discover-100-year-old-negatives?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">these 100-year-old negatives</a> were successfully excavated from a block of ice in the Antarctic.<br /><br /><a href="http://kotaku.com/dad-immortalized-in-his-favorite-game-by-grieving-son-1748576006?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">This is the story of one gamer dad and his successful quest</a> to immortalize his cancer-stricken son in the game <i>Grim Dawn</i>.<br /><br />I'll leave you guys with this last fun little bit of <i>Star Wars</i>-ery. As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZTLAx3VDX7g/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZTLAx3VDX7g?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-3747356669946374772015-12-13T12:27:00.000-05:002015-12-13T12:27:39.285-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Happy weekend everyone! With the holidays (and <i>Episode VII</i>!) on our doorstep, it seems like the days just evaporate. The goal for the next week or so is to figure out when, exactly we'll get to the movies (and avoiding any and all spoilers until that point). While we wait, let's get down to a special <i>Star Wars</i>-themed Week in Geekdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Anthony Daniels is the only actor to have appeared in every one of the Star Wars films. <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2015/12/anthony-daniels-c-3po-c-v-r.html?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link#">This in-depth interview details Daniels' interactions</a> with J.J. Abrams and his tireless desire to own every part of his most famous role.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Carrie Fisher has also been giving quite a few interviews, <a href="http://www.salon.com/2015/12/07/carrie_fishers_blunt_magical_press_tour_is_already_the_best_thing_about_the_return_of_star_wars/">though hers tend to be a bit more...colorful</a> than those proffered by Daniels.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you've been harboring even the tiniest bit of doubt, you put your fears to rest: <i>The Force Awakens</i> <a href="http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/-star-wars-producer-confirms-the-force-awakens-fea/394782">will not feature any Jar Jar Binks</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On a very not-<i>Star Wars</i> note, we have the first trailer for the sequel to the epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WdhvxJZDqzU/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WdhvxJZDqzU?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And, while we're at it, the trailer for <i>X-Men: Apocalypse:</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/COvnHv42T-A/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/COvnHv42T-A?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-anR7rKNQ2i0/Vm2qSH4rTxI/AAAAAAAAOpg/a-0fH3Iad0o/s1600/pressimagecontext_12-10-15_9dfe48fb9185781ac431c6e3c56e7517.nbcnews-ux-600-480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-anR7rKNQ2i0/Vm2qSH4rTxI/AAAAAAAAOpg/a-0fH3Iad0o/s320/pressimagecontext_12-10-15_9dfe48fb9185781ac431c6e3c56e7517.nbcnews-ux-600-480.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/oh-pits-thousands-holes-dot-plutos-surface-close-shot-n478081?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">Image credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The latest edition of Nature Materials <a href="http://news.mit.edu/2015/microrna-shrink-tumor-cancer-treatment-1207">includes this research from MIT</a> that, after combining microRNA strands into a triple helix, may be the foundation for a new type of cancer treatment.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Are you ready for your weekly dose of awesome photos from New Horizons? <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/tech/innovation/oh-pits-thousands-holes-dot-plutos-surface-close-shot-n478081?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link">Well, wait no more</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ok, we couldn't get through this section without at least one Star Wars reference. What's a realistic way to build a to-scale Death Star? <a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/12/nasa-death-star-asteroid/">The guys at JPL have a potential answer</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Feats of Nerdery/General Awesomeness</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Check out this fully armed and operational Death Star replica</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/09sb3GVx_Bo/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/09sb3GVx_Bo?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-24017282012193155442015-12-06T09:35:00.003-05:002015-12-06T09:36:44.873-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Holy December Batman. Seriously, how are you here already? Apparent distortions in the space-time continuum notwithstanding, I hope you're all having great weekends and wonderful holiday seasons thus far. Before we all dive back into our respective yuletide preparations let's get down to the Week in Geekdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Comics</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Neil Gaiman's landmark graphic novel, <i>the Sandman</i>, turned 27 on November 29th. <a href="http://comicsalliance.com/tribute-gaiman-the-sandman/">Here is why said work remains in a class all its own</a> nearly three decades after its publication.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--zpoSDYIqlY/VmRGUqZTbbI/AAAAAAAAOo4/3Kt_uibSTeA/s1600/SandmanWilliams1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--zpoSDYIqlY/VmRGUqZTbbI/AAAAAAAAOo4/3Kt_uibSTeA/s320/SandmanWilliams1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The city of Cleveland has some concrete, or potentially Kryptonite, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/nov/30/cleveland-ohio-superman-3-million-statue-steel">plans to honor the Man of Steel</a>.<br /><br /><u>Games</u><br /><br />Behold the first trailer for the <i>Final Fantasy VII</i> remake!<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/A3sBZ5Nr4hc/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A3sBZ5Nr4hc?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />We gave this announcement plenty of love over on our social media pages, but it's definitely worth revisiting. <a href="http://uproxx.com/tv/2015/12/samurai-jack-return-2016-adult-swim/">2016 will see the return of <i>Samurai Jack</i></a>!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />Speaking of returns in 2016, DC would like to remind us that <i>Batman vs Superman</i> will be coming our way in the not-so-distant future.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yViIi3gie2c/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yViIi3gie2c?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Check out <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/03/sicily-mount-etna-voragine-crater-erupts-lightning?CMP=fb_gu">these incredible images/videos of Italy's Mt. Etna</a>, which erupted in spectacular fashion earlier this week.<br /><br />It's been a few weeks since we had some new images of Pluto from New Horizons. Well, if you're a fan of the dwarf planet it was worth the wait, <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35013190">as the latest batch of pictures</a> are the sharpest we've seen yet.<br /><br />When you think of commonly occurring elements in the known universe, you may think of Hydrogen and Helium, but would you <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2015/12/04/surprise-the-third-most-common-element-in-the-universe-isnt-what-you-think/">correctly guess that this is the element</a> that would come next in that sequence?<br /><br />While we're...sort of...on the subject of helium, the ultralight element <a href="http://techgage.com/news/western-digital-announces-10tb-helium-filled-hard-drive-utilizing-pmr/">is proving to be the key ingredient</a> in next-generation high-capacity storage drives.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We talked last week about the burgeoning 'war' of privatized space exploration, but here's a far less bellicose facet of the Blue Origins side of things guaranteed to make you smile: the reactions of the 400 scientists and researchers that worked on their firm's reusable rocket.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/igEWYbnoHc4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/igEWYbnoHc4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />We've talked a bit over the past few weeks about the centennial of the publication of Einstein's Theory of Relativity but, if we get right down to it, <a href="http://blog.stephenwolfram.com/2015/12/what-is-spacetime-really/">what is spacetime...really</a>?<br /><br />For decades researchers have been stymied by the concept of cosmic microwave background radiation, as it has proven incredibly difficult to detect by direct means. The latest edition of <i>Nature</i> presents <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/space/universes-missing-matter-found-within-superheated-cosmic-web-filaments">what may be the solution to this mystery</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2015/12/01/nc-researchers-discover-process-for-creating-real.html">Potentially commercially viable synthetic diamonds</a>. Bonus: they glow in the dark.<br /><br />Turns out that your appendix <a href="http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/melbourne-researchers-prove-appendix-crucial-to-digestive-health/news-story/b549c26da4e53f4d1c92180dbb2e3b32">may not be a useless evolutionary vestige</a> after all.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness/Real Life Superheros</u><br /><br />In honor of 'Giving Tuesday' Jason Gidman, the host of 'DC All Access', launched a campaign to send 10,000 comic books overseas to provide some much-needed escapism and entertainment for actively serving military personnel. Want in? <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/article/charity-drive-aims-to-send-10000-comics-to-troops-overseas-2015">Here's how you can get involved</a>.<br /><br />Ever wonder just how much either of the Death Stars cost or just would have happened to the Galactic economy following the destruction of said superweapons? The School of Engineering and Applied Science at Washington University in St. Louis <a href="http://www.cityam.com/230189/star-wars-economics-how-destroying-the-death-star-created-a-financial-crisis-across-the-galactic-empire">gave their best crack at coming up with a comprehensive response</a>.<br /><br />Mattel has brought back the Viewmaster in time for the holiday gift-giving season and <a href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/matters-viewmaster-has-been-updated-with-virtual-reality-and-augmented-reality-technology/news-story/a2163ec25d4b63e4a2ead1aec9dfdb06">the latest incarnation of this classic toy</a> is a bit different than what you may remember.<br /><br />This Lego-based kinetic sculpture of Sisyphus is both stunningly realistic and somehow very soothing to watch.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/pKrHTYqm8pw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pKrHTYqm8pw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div><br />As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!<br /><br /></div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-20281040252271952042015-11-29T16:18:00.003-05:002015-11-29T16:19:24.493-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Happy Sunday everyone and belated holiday wishes to those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving on Thursday. If this was a long weekend for you, hopefully it has been filled with gaming and nomnoms and goodness. It's been a pretty awesome, if already busy, kickoff to The Holiday Season and we're hoping to get in at least a little rest before the mistletoe mania gets cranked up to eleven. In that spirit, let's get down to the Week in Geekdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />We are were weeks away from the release of Episode VII and we now know both <a href="http://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/exclusive-empire-reveals-new-star-wars-planets/">the names of some of the new planets</a> that will be appearing in the film <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/star-wars-the-force-awakens-rating/">as well as its rating</a>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u><br /><br />Einstein's Theory of General Relativity as narrated by David Tennant<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6XSAVqm0XBI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6XSAVqm0XBI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/11/24/elon-musk-jeff-bezos-rocket/76317842/">Begun the privately-funded space wars have</a>.<br /><br />2016 is already shaping up to be an amazing year for autonomous cars. Prepare yourself <a href="http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-11/27/roborace-autonomous-cars-formula-e">for Formula E</a>: an all-electric autonomous racing circuit.<br /><br />It may or may not, however, be a comparably excellent year for Apple. The technology mega-giant has announced that <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/11/28/apple-to-abandon-headphone-jack-in-iphone-7/">it will be making a massive change to its headphones</a> that may not go over well with the consuming public.<br /><br />For a mere $5 USD you can have the <a href="https://thestack.com/world/2015/11/26/raspberry-pi-releases-cheapest-and-smallest-computer-yet/">one of the smallest computers</a> made to date.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.popsci.com/what-happens-in-whiskey-barrel-over-half-century">The science behind the magic</a> of aging spirits in wooden barrels.<br /><br />China will <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/china-worlds-biggest-particle-collider/40526/">be constructing its own</a> super-massive particle collider. If the project is completed per the released specifications, it will be the largest collider in the world.<br /><br /><u>General Awesomeness</u><br /><u><br /></u>Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and XKCD creator/former NASA physicist Randall Monroe <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/nov/28/conversation-chris-hadfield-randall-munroe-interview">have a little chat with one another</a> and it is incredible that the universe was not immediately unmade given that raw quantity of awesome.<br /><br />As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-13258692512351198902015-11-22T11:13:00.001-05:002015-11-22T11:14:40.484-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Hey guys; hope you're all having a great weekend thus far. We've been busy gearing up for Thanksgiving (lots grinding away in the office, but the premise of pie looms large in the immediate future). Mmmmm, pie. With a bit of vacation time incoming, I'm hoping to put in some serious hours in <i>Fallout 4</i> and start putting together the 2016 <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2013/09/cosplay-building-your-convention-lineup.html">cosplay lineup</a>. In the meantime though, let's get down to the Week in Geekdom.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Z3Y1I-aDJE/VlHpqFVR4yI/AAAAAAAAOoc/Q1ehmOGXHJU/s1600/calvin-and-hobbes-friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2Z3Y1I-aDJE/VlHpqFVR4yI/AAAAAAAAOoc/Q1ehmOGXHJU/s320/calvin-and-hobbes-friends.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Comics</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://time.com/4117307/calvin-and-hobbes-30/">Happy 30th birthday</a> to Calvin and Hobbes!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Friday Valve <a href="http://www.gamespot.com/articles/upcoming-steam-fall-and-winter-sales-will-drop-dai/1100-6432468/">announced the dates</a> for both its Fall and Winter Sales as well as a planned makeover for both daily and flash sales. <girds wallet></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Fans of the <i>Starfox</i> series may have to wait until 1Q16 to do their next barrel roll, but we can at least <a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331760426874/star-fox-versus-the-future">get a glimpse of what's inbound</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Are you the owner of a PS4 with a jones for solid indie titles? <a href="http://www.redbull.com/en/games/stories/1331760207162/ps4-indie-games-10-must-play-titles">This list can point you in the right gaming direction</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite the prevalence and potential functionality of the bluntly direct "just attack your target" methodology inherent in so many games, there's a lot that can be said of taking a stealthy tack. <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/17/9-best-stealth-missions-in-games">Here are some of the best examples of the latter</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's <a href="http://collider.com/star-wars-7-force-awakens-mark-hamill-interview/">Mark Hamill's first official interview</a> about some movie that's coming out next month or something.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of said franchise, <a href="http://www.avclub.com/article/if-you-could-change-one-thing-about-star-wars-what-228352">if you could change one thing</a> about any of the <i>Star Wars</i> movies what would it be?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's a healthy baby...planet? The latest edition of <i>Nature</i> <a href="http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/space/scientists-have-captured-the-first-images-of-a-new-planet-forming/news-story/e5a21806606522898978b8026a183271">contains these observations from the Universities of Arizona and Sydney</a> that may be the first-ever images of a planet being 'born'.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">LG did not have the best of weeks. After only six days on the market the Watch Urbane (Second Edition) <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/11/lg-halts-sales-of-six-day-old-smartwatch-due-to-hardware-issue/">was cancelled due to an unspecified hardware issue</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In a less market-value-crushing move, Microsoft <a href="http://www.heraldrecorder.org/technology/microsoft-has-pulled-the-plug-on-its-failed-music-service-zune-news-20155555/">ended both the production of its music player Zune </a>and the service that provided said player with tunes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What if your cell phone could hold a battery charge for over a week at a time? <a href="http://www.techradar.com/us/news/world-of-tech/future-tech/graphene-breakthrough-is-a-step-closer-to-a-phone-battery-that-lasts-for-a-week-1309253">Thanks to new research at the University of Glasgow</a>, we may be very close to that possibility.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In what is likely another step towards the Singularity, AI developed by the National Institute of Informatics (Japan) <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2015/11/16/artificial-intelligence-program-passes-college-entrance-exam/">was able to pass the infamously difficult exam</a> associated with admission into Japan's universities.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's one of the most enduring and analyzed quandaries that we, as a species, grapple with: why do we exist? According to one Harvard cosmologist, <a href="http://www.techtimes.com/articles/106936/20151115/why-do-humans-exist-harvard-physicist-proposes-new-theory.htm">the answer may be dark matter</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We all share this ability, but why? We're are uncannily adept at sensing when another human is looking at us. <a href="http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/stories/why-can-we-sense-when-people-are-looking-us">Here comes the science</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The most recent version of <i>Optics</i> includes <a href="http://phys.org/news/2015-11-breakthrough-tracking-molecules-d-nanoscale.html">this research out of Stanford that details a microscope calibrating technique</a> that allows individual molecules to be observed in real time and in three dimensions.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness/Feats of Nerdery</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Do you love model-making? Are you a <i>Star Wars</i> fan? Do you have two or so years to dedicate to a single project? If you answered yes to all of those then <a href="http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/11/19/create-your-own-millennium-falcon-with-this-incredible-weekly-build-it-yourself-model-kit/">this soon-to-be-released model kit</a> may be the perfect holiday gift for you.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Pffft. Who wants a scaled down model of a Star Wars craft <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/17/9-best-stealth-missions-in-games">when you can sit in a full-sized version</a>?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ever wonder who is behind Albert Einstein's Twitter/Facebook/Instagram accounts? <a href="http://www.fromthegrapevine.com/lifestyle/albert-einstein-king-social-media">Meet Anthony Illiokostas</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-81555605559310688092015-11-15T12:40:00.000-05:002015-11-15T12:40:57.185-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Happy weekend everyone! Hope you're all staying fed and hydrated among all the video game releases of this past week. If you're just now taking a break from your questing, here's the lowdown on the Week in Geekdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Books</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The World Fantasy award trophy will <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com//arts/avowed-racist-h-p-lovecraft-no-longer-representing-world-fantasy-award">no longer feature the likeness</a> of H.P. Lovecraft.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Gaming</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Extra Life may have been last weekend, but the charitable gaming continues! <a href="http://www.twitch.tv/desertbus">Watch here for the live stream </a>of Desert Bus for Hope!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Thursday fans of <i>The Binding of Issac</i> found that the latest bit of DLC for their beloved game was also the jump off point for an insane ARG. If you missed out on all the gaming goodness, <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/an-insane-arg-is-happening-in-the-binding-of-isaac-community-right-now/">PC Gamer covered the entire thing</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Nintendo announced its release schedule for the first and second quarter of 2016. Among the new titles <a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/12/nintendo-zelda-twilight-princess-hd-cloud-smash-bros">was the introduction of Linkle</a>, who will feature in <i>Hyrule Warriors Legends</i> on the 3DS.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6zg5G4x8t2Q/VkjDAHgHONI/AAAAAAAAOn0/DA3RL0eFvqo/s1600/gaming-9999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6zg5G4x8t2Q/VkjDAHgHONI/AAAAAAAAOn0/DA3RL0eFvqo/s320/gaming-9999.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.ew.com/article/2015/11/12/nintendo-zelda-twilight-princess-hd-cloud-smash-bros">Image Credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">It has long been the stuff of myth, <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2015/11/06/nintendo-playstation-is-real-and-it-works/">but the Nintendo Playstation is entirely real</a> (and fully functional!).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Walking Dead will have its Negan and <a href="http://heroichollywood.com/home-1/2015/11/10/jeffrey-dean-morgan-joins-the-cast-of-the-walking-dead-as-key-villain">he will be portrayed by Mr. Jeffrey Dean Morgan</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It seems contradictory, but the latest research from a joint venture between China's ASIPP and the United States' General Atomics revealed that <a href="https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/217948-risky-fusion-power-study-pays-off-by-bringing-plasma-close-to-reactor-walls">lowering the distance between pre-fusion plasma and the walls of the chamber</a> said matter is confined in actually increasing the stability of the potential energy-producing system.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What do you do when you accidentally launch two satellites into the wrong orbit? Why, you use them <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/wayward-satellites-repurposed-to-test-general-relativity-1.18780">to test the predictions made by the Theory of Relativity</a>, of course.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oqd7BR_vZs0/VkjDSYyJA4I/AAAAAAAAOn8/USgcpcYMF-0/s1600/sn-isomorphism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oqd7BR_vZs0/VkjDSYyJA4I/AAAAAAAAOn8/USgcpcYMF-0/s320/sn-isomorphism.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/math/2015/11/mathematician-claims-breakthrough-complexity-theory">Image Credit</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Canadian neurosurgeon Dr. Todd Mainprize has done what modern medicine has attempted to do for decades: <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/sunnybrook-doctor-first-to-perform-blood-brain-barrier-procedure-using-focused-ultrasound-waves/article27171384/">penetrated the blood-brain barrier</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Computer scientist Laszlo Babai has allegedly developed an algorithm that allows the user <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/math/2015/11/mathematician-claims-breakthrough-complexity-theory">to determine if two networks are the same</a>, regardless of their respective complexity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In the latest installation of What Can't 3D Printing Do is <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ear-made-with-van-gogh-dna-180957230/?no-ist">this art installation that features a printed ear</a> derived from the DNA of Vincent Van Gogh. Extra eyebrow-raising is the fact that the ear can 'listen' to sound waves emitted into it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The latest edition of Nature Communications <a href="http://sparkonit.com/2015/11/14/new-laser-could-heat-up-materials-hotter-than-the-sun-instantly/">contains this research</a> from the Imperial College London that may introduce the world to a brand new, super efficient type of laser.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Poor Phobos. Mars' oft-overlooked moon <a href="http://www.gizmag.com/mars-moon-falling-apart/40340/">is being slowly dismantled</a> by its celestial anchor.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the subject of gravitational dismantling, have you ever wondered if it's possible to see the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy? <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2015/11/14/ask-ethan-can-we-see-our-galaxys-supermassive-black-hole/">Here's how you could</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness/Feats of Nerdery</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's just a tad more luxurious than Vault 111. <a href="http://www.news.com.au/finance/real-estate/worlds-largest-billionaire-bunker-for-sale-in-czech-countryside/story-fncq3era-1227608569836">Welcome to the Oppidum</a>, the world's largest 'billionaire bunker' for all your apocalypse-surviving needs.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Speaking of things that might be fun to own if you have all the monies, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2015/10/26/harry-potter-locations-hogwarts.php">is being converted into luxury condos</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It took Ian Martin the better part of a year to complete, but he successfully crafted <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/11/hero-takes-almost-a-year-to-build-an-intricate-and-fully-functioning-star-wars-holochess-board-5495251/">this fully functional holochess board</a> from <i>Star Wars</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And while we're talking about <i>Star Wars</i> superfans, <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/pop/Dad-Builds-23-Foot-Death-Star-House-His-Kids-99077.html">here's the handiwork of one California dad</a> who constructed a replica Death Star on the roof of his own house.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-41294231332114798042015-11-08T11:23:00.002-05:002015-11-08T11:24:30.361-05:00This Week in Geekdom<div style="text-align: justify;">Happy weekend everyone and sweet dreams to everyone who's finishing <a href="http://www.extra-life.org/index.cfm?">Extra Life 2015</a>. This year's gaming marathon has raised nearly $6.4 million USD and counting! So many kudos to everyone who participated this year, now go get some much-deserved rest. And rest is definitely needed, as this upcoming week is chock-full of much-anticipated releases. For those of you still conscious, let's get down to the week in geekdom.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Comics</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/11/the-exemplary-narcissism-of-snoopy/407827/">Did Snoopy ruin</a> the <i>Peanuts</i>?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Games</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Need a little post-apocalyptic pick-me-up to get you through to the release of <i>Fallout 4</i>? You got it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/X5aJfebzkrM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/X5aJfebzkrM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Movies/TV</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It's official: <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/star-trek-tv-series-works-828638"><i>Star Trek</i> is coming back to the small screen</a> in January of 2017. Caveat: everything <a href="http://www.mnn.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/blogs/star-trek-reboot-cbs-comes-huge-catch">subsequent to the pilot episode may be tough to come by</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We're approaching the t-minus one month mark in the countdown to <i>Episode VII</i>. If a month is still too much to bear, Den of Geek has put together <a href="http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/star-wars/235168/star-wars-the-force-awakens-news-new-international-trailer-posters-photos-release-date">this massive compilation</a> of all the posters, trailers, and assorted images that have been released to the public.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.notcot.org/post/60519/Every-James-Bond-Gadget-ever/">Every James Bond gadget ever</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/617687/Peter-Capaldi-BBC-Doctor-Who-ratings-Steven-Moffat-Strictly-Come-Dancing">Peter Capaldi is NOT happy</a> about the way that the current incarnation of Doctor Who has played out on the BBC.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In happier BBC news, the network <a href="http://variety.com/2015/tv/global/bbc-orders-philip-pullmans-his-dark-materials-1201632207/">has greenlit an 8-part series</a> based on Phillip Pullman's <i>His Dark Materials</i>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh hi there <i>World of Warcraft</i> trailer</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-ogw1cSZO0I/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-ogw1cSZO0I?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>Science/Technology</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A team of researchers comprised of participants from UC San Francisco, the University of Michigan, and Washington University at St. Louis have identified a compound that, when applied as an eye drop, <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/11/151105143817.htm">may clear up cataracts in humans</a>. Their findings can be found in the latest edition of <i>Science</i>. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That same edition of <i>Science</i> also <a href="http://medicalxpress.com/news/2015-11-toppling-conventional-textbook-view-1960s.html">contains this research from the University of Toronto</a> that may upend everything we thought we knew about how blood is made and maintained in the human body.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are myriad examples in film and, increasingly, in real life wherein humans show more than a bit of disdain for AI programmed to be 'friendly' or otherwise helpful. As this sort of technology becomes more integrated into our lives, <a href="https://thestack.com/world/2015/11/06/will-disdain-for-friendly-artificial-intelligence-affect-how-we-interact-with-people/?k=47474qx">how will our behavior impact the way we relate to other humans</a>?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">NASA's JPL and the University of Texas at Austin have been working together to use satellites in order to observe patterns in the Earth's ocean currents. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/11/04/nasa-can-now-detect-worrying-ocean-circulation-changes-from-space/">What they've found so far</a> does not bode well in terms of the potential impacts of climate change.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">This past Wednesday marked the exact centennial of Albert Einstein's historic, gravity-redefining lectures at the Prussian Academy of Sciences. <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151104-newton-einstein-gravity-vulcan-planets-mercury-astronomy-theory-of-relativity-ngbooktalk/">Here's the story</a> of how none of this would likely have come to pass were it not for the school of thought/obsession with a fictional planet. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">How is it that supermassive black holes are capable of of flaring? Thanks to NASA's Explorer mission Swift and the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array, <a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4753">we may be closer than ever</a> to answering that question.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sznzQ3CKNtA/Vj9ntitxVjI/AAAAAAAAOnc/LcNR5XX01RE/s1600/pia20051-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sznzQ3CKNtA/Vj9ntitxVjI/AAAAAAAAOnc/LcNR5XX01RE/s320/pia20051-16.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4753">Image credit: NASA</a></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.theverge.com/2015/11/4/9668734/strypi-rocket-launch-failure-department-of-defense-hawaii">Here is the brief, spirally history</a> of the Strypi-type rocket. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We've been following the development of a potential EM drive as best we can and, allegedly, there have been <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/space/nasa-allegedly-conducts-more-successfully-emdrive-tests0">a few new details released into the interwebs </a>concerning this physics-defying device.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/international-space-station-marks-15-years-of-continuous-crews/">Happy 15th birthday</a> to the International Space Station!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">If you think the Hubble is the be-all and end-all of telescopic prowess in the universe, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/2015/11/02/move-over-hubble-gravity-itself-is-the-best-cosmic-telescope-of-all/">check out what gravity itself is capable of</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u>General Awesomeness/Feats of Nerdery</u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://metro.co.uk/2015/11/05/teenagers-maths-theorums-could-pave-way-for-interstellar-travel-5481549/">These two 17-year-olds</a>, communicating only through Facebook and Gchat, may have just paved the way for interstellar travel.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As always, best wishes for an excellent week ahead!</div>Kelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16857490674573435887noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-47470420583242580262015-11-07T14:03:00.002-05:002015-11-07T14:03:54.233-05:00GiR by GIR: Warhammer End Times - Vermintide<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span style="text-align: justify;">With over 350 hours played on Steam, <i>Left4Dead2</i> constantly reminds me that, while I may be an RPG gamer at heart, it was this co-op FPS that became one of my greatest gaming loves. It's t</span><span style="text-align: justify;">he game that I could never give up, that is until I got my hands on the recently released <i>Warhammer End Times - Vermintide</i> by <a href="http://www.fatsharkgames.com/" target="_blank">Fatshark</a>.</span><br /><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vv7s0eREHeY/Vj4zKax3yTI/AAAAAAAAAUY/cnpFRiGoN-I/s1600/2015-10-28_00001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vv7s0eREHeY/Vj4zKax3yTI/AAAAAAAAAUY/cnpFRiGoN-I/s400/2015-10-28_00001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">The End Times is the great cataclysmic apocalypse that was prophesied to bring about the end of the Warhammer Fantasy setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Vermintide</i> focuses on the city of Ubersreik which is being overrun by a horde of Rat-Men called Skaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A group of five unlikely heroes must work together to try and save the city and, barring that, at least survive long enough to escape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0RzKQJEclM/Vj4zK0QSDHI/AAAAAAAAAUg/xsMivpskIIU/s1600/2015-10-28_00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z0RzKQJEclM/Vj4zK0QSDHI/AAAAAAAAAUg/xsMivpskIIU/s320/2015-10-28_00002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Over the course of 13 different missions four players will battle their way through several richly detailed environments ranging from a Mage Tower built by MC Escher to the docks and sewers of the city to the surrounding countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most missions follow the formula <i>L4D</i> soundly established:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> m</span>ove along a mostly linear path until you get to a set piece where you have to hold out against waves or enemies, or collect something to deliver before you can advance further while being ambushed by hordes of adversaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, the storyline itself isn't quite as detailed as the maps it pulls the players though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> That said, the narrative is</span> certainly serviceable, but doesn't quite seem to tap the full potential of Warhammer Fantasy lore. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Being a Co-Op Action FPS, the core mechanics are the standard focus on melee and ranged weapons (with a light emphasis on the former) while battling hordes of basic enemies occasionally bolstered by special units.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike each of the survivors in <i>L4D</i>, in <i>Vermintide</i> each of the five playable hero classes has a unique skill, gear set, and specific roles they are best suited for. While other co-op games have you finding gear and loot throughout the levels and missions, <i>Vermintide</i> has a loot reward, inventory, and crafting system that allows you to tailor your chosen hero to best fit your play style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1DFFlrYhtU8/Vj4zmBzilvI/AAAAAAAAAVE/YP956yDQUjE/s1600/2015-10-31_00002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1DFFlrYhtU8/Vj4zmBzilvI/AAAAAAAAAVE/YP956yDQUjE/s320/2015-10-31_00002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Everyone has a primary and secondary weapon slot as well as space for trinkets they can customize before you set out on a mission.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, the Empire Soldier Markus or Bardin the Dwarf Ranger can use a one-hander plus a shield to get higher endurance which allows them to block melee damage or shove enemies away, giving them more durability. The Mage has a variety of staves that will change how her magic works, causing her flames to act like a beam, area explosion, or a javelin she can hurl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Elf Waywatcher has bow that can do poison damage over time or fire homing arrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />While this diversity in gear and loot is great for flexibility in terms of play style, it’s also a double edged sword (no pun intended).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The reason behind this is that the only way to get much of this gear is the somewhat controversial loot system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of each successful mission players get to “roll” a set of dice that will determine the reward you get from a list of options displayed to the right of the screen. The quality of loot available depends on the difficulty level of the mission, but there’s no guarantee the player will get something good if they roll poorly and, even if they do, it might not even be for the heroes they prefer to play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ostensibly, the loot system was configured as a tactic to try and get people to try out all of the heroes instead of sticking to a single roll, but things rarely work out that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still have nothing but normal (white) gear for the class I wanted to play most, the Witch Hunter, but, as a Level 30 running hard, I am forced to play the role I have the best gear for or risk dragging down my allies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64V09T31kgc/Vj4zKob1DgI/AAAAAAAAAUc/kdrkdoDGWxE/s1600/2015-10-28_00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-64V09T31kgc/Vj4zKob1DgI/AAAAAAAAAUc/kdrkdoDGWxE/s320/2015-10-28_00003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />You can slightly improve the odds of better rewards by collecting hidden items called tomes or grimoires, both of which take up a healing item or buff slot so there’s a neat risk/reward aspect in play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The grimoires, in addition to taking up a potion slot, also reduce the entire teams Max Health and can’t be dropped or they are lost for the mission. Tomes, on the other hand, can be picked up and put down at will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This can be helpful, but not every mission even has them which leads to a somewhat lopsided server list in terms of what’s being hosted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I definitely enjoyed this mechanic, as it incentivizes players to work together and discuss if it’s worth doing none, one, or both grimoires based on map difficulty and current party health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That said, I do play with friends who communicate well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In public games with strangers people’s personal experiences may vary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />To try and alleviate some of the grind, <i>Vermintide</i> has a crafting system that allows players to recycle useless or duplicate gear into a better quality item. The conversion rates in said system are 5 Whites = 1 Green, 5 green = 1 Blue, 5 Blue = 1 Orange. Despite this, the item crafted can still be bad so, like the dice, you're at the mercy of a random number generator. Even more frustrating are the trinkets and hats which <b>can't</b> be crafted or recycled for parts and, after playing long enough, you'll could end up with a heap of worthless clutter in your inventory.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X4lNDOEZROo/Vj40qqHzYtI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/zgRLOrPWzPs/s1600/lootroll.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-X4lNDOEZROo/Vj40qqHzYtI/AAAAAAAAAVQ/zgRLOrPWzPs/s320/lootroll.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>Combat itself is good and engaging and, overall, the game is fairly challenging.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The weapons really do feel responsive in that a one-handed mace will swing really fast compared to a hulking two-handed hammer; blades swish nicely as they cleave Skaven limbs from bodies, and shields thump under heavy Skaven assault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know some people feel that the AI is no better than zombies of other games. but I strongly disagree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Full stealth is never an option but taking down a group of Skaven in a watchtower with a bow can allow a group to sneak past a larger group and save that precious healing for finales and recovering after ambushes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the players go loud using guns and bombs on that same watch tower they will draw a larger horde, wasting time, healing, and other resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the most basic units know not just to swarm, but to try and flank to get behind players.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, unlike zombies, the Skaven will recoil in fear when players land critical kills or bring down special units. Sometimes that moment of respite is the difference between regaining enough stamina to block an incoming attack or getting dropped and leaving your allies a hero down as the tide of vermin continues to grow. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br />For players familiar with <i>L4D</i>, the parallels in special unit types in <i>Vermintide</i> will be obvious and likely easily dealt with but, for the uninitiated, the challenge of learning how to deal with the tougher Skaven can be difficult but rewarding once a rhythm and pattern of blocking/parrying/counter striking is established. The 5 Specials are: Packmasters, which will latch on and drag players away from the group; Ratling Gunners, who lock onto a single player and unleash metal hell using a gatling gun; Poison Wind Globadir who hurl long range gas bombs which cloud vision and damage over time; Gutter Runners who teleport and pounce on players, eviscerating them; Rat Ogres that are basically like the Hulk and require the whole team to bring down; and Stormvermin, which are larger, heavily armored rats with heavy weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The last type is also unique in that patrols of about a dozen roam around on various maps and, again, players can use stealth to avoid these which on lower difficulties isn’t always necessary, but at higher level play is mandatory as even the best geared players will quickly be facing a TPK (Total Party Kill).<br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xQQ6QM-3Fuk/Vj4zZWZs2vI/AAAAAAAAAUo/MREN8ZJNiAI/s1600/2015-10-31_00003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xQQ6QM-3Fuk/Vj4zZWZs2vI/AAAAAAAAAUo/MREN8ZJNiAI/s320/2015-10-31_00003.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />While the influence of <i>L4D</i> hangs heavy around <i>Vermintide</i> like the fog around Ubersreik, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frantically fighting off hordes of enemies back-to-back with your friends as you wait for a gate to lower so you can escape a doomed city is the whole point right? Desperately trying to revive a downed ally while a Rat Ogre roars bearing down on you full speed will never stop being thrilling to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been 6 years since <i>L4D</i> and there has been no worthy successor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m here to say I now feel there is and it’s <i>Vermintide</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is, hands down, the best FPS co-op experience a player can get today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br /><br /><i>Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide</i> released on 10/23/15 and is available on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/235540/" target="_blank">Steam</a> for $29.99.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pick it up today and let’s save Ubersreik together, or die trying. </div>GIRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15036660960494993170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-2430495022793384752015-11-06T20:17:00.000-05:002015-11-07T18:39:51.088-05:00Gias Games: Bernband [Free & Indie]<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OfVibB4c-w/VjU_s64-adI/AAAAAAAAAIs/kDrwPRw3k30/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3OfVibB4c-w/VjU_s64-adI/AAAAAAAAAIs/kDrwPRw3k30/s320/maxresdefault.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Have you ever had the urge to explore an alien city, walk down its alleyways, mingle with its crowds, and discover its night-life? If so, you are about to be very happy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Bernband</i> is an ambulatory city exploration simulator created by <a href="http://gamejolt.com/profile/tom/64083">Tom</a>. It's <b>free</b> to download over on <a href="http://gamejolt.com/games/bernband/34864">Gamejolt</a>. Though the game was released in September 2014, I only became aware of it recently and decided to give it a shot; I'm very happy that I decided to do so.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The city you explore is known as "The Pff". Imagine you woke up in the Star Wars galaxy on <a href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Nar_Shaddaa">Nar Shadaa</a>, the Smuggler's Moon, Little Coruscant (Disney, make this happen dammit). You're in a sprawling alien city, neon lights and bars everywhere you go. But despite the night life attractions</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kKYuVR13--s/VjU_4tASgGI/AAAAAAAAAI0/5rl4tepZMuQ/s1600/bernband1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kKYuVR13--s/VjU_4tASgGI/AAAAAAAAAI0/5rl4tepZMuQ/s320/bernband1.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">this is still a city where people live. You find schools, music recitals, dance recitals, churches, convenience stores, restaurants, greenhouses, and, of course, bars. You'll also find bums down on there luck and drunk people urinating in dark corners, but that's really to be expected in any major city. There are no humans to be found and I'm fairly certain you don't play as a human based on the appearance of the hands of your character. However, it does appear that the denizens of the city are aware of Earth since one night club is banging to a rap with English lyrics, there is an art gallery which depicts the denizens' strange fascination with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_doll">Troll Dolls</a>, and one convenience store owner apparently is a fan of Japanese television.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l8zfZVcpGEE/VjU_9xwJYVI/AAAAAAAAAI8/aWP7s4IqUJM/s1600/Screen_Shot_2015-04-12_at_14.51.37.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-l8zfZVcpGEE/VjU_9xwJYVI/AAAAAAAAAI8/aWP7s4IqUJM/s320/Screen_Shot_2015-04-12_at_14.51.37.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Graphical fidelity is low, akin to DOS-era graphics but slightly better, so imagine someone smeared Vaseline on your character's eyes. The sounds of the city are very captivating despite this. You can't understand any of the alien languages or songs, but it's interesting to hear people in crowds talk to one another. I could be content with just sitting in one of the bars and listening to the alien band jam for a while, or sitting in one of the concerts going on in the city.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The city itself feels like a city except for the lack of more doors and hallways to explore. Given the size of the simulation, it's easy to understand that there could not be infinite branching paths at every junction, but it's a bit disappointing when you consider the possibilities for such a simulation. Imagine if the city was built using a procedural generation akin to games like <a href="http://anynowhere.com/bb/layout/html/frameset.html"><i>Noctis</i></a> (one of my favorite games of all time despite its outdated graphics and terrible controls). Each intersection could have multiple branches and each branch could also have multiple branches ad infinitum.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Unfortunately, <i>Bernband </i>only lets you explore so much of its alien city, but that little taste was </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XSVBV0znL4U/VjVAJe0FZvI/AAAAAAAAAJE/Rg4GqWZ8NQo/s1600/bernband.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XSVBV0znL4U/VjVAJe0FZvI/AAAAAAAAAJE/Rg4GqWZ8NQo/s320/bernband.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">enough to make me very happy. The low fidelity visuals accompanied by properly chosen sound effects did wonders for making the city seem real. The sounds of air cars whooshing below the bridge you're crossing and the murmurs of the crowds make the city feel alive. The thrum of generators and the hum of power flowing through walls make empty areas still feel a part of this living city.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are a couple of minor issues with the simulation. You must touch the right spot in the middle of an elevator to get it to move. You slow down while walking if you're touching a wall. But the biggest oversight in my opinion was that there was no option to run, which meant exploring areas I had already visited took longer than I wanted it to.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Bernband </i>is a simple simulation. There is no HUD, overlay, or options menu while in the simulation, </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rAMEsQ_6hTM/VjVARSeRblI/AAAAAAAAAJM/03jkiaUgNx0/s1600/maxresdefault1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rAMEsQ_6hTM/VjVARSeRblI/AAAAAAAAAJM/03jkiaUgNx0/s320/maxresdefault1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">giving a more realistic feeling to the experience. However, this means that when you hit escape, you're closing the simulation and losing your position in the world, you will need to start from the beginning again. The city isn't massive, it'll take you about 20-30 minutes to visit every location, but you might want to spend a bit more time looking for the secret tunnels which I found very neat; they gave me the feeling of being a denizen of the city and knowing the city's back routes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As an added layer, I feel that it would be very interesting to play this simulator with another person present and discuss the architectural choices of the alien city, their implications, and the psychological impact they might have on the denizens. But then again, I'm strange.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I highly recommend <i>Bernband</i>. If it had been sold for a couple of dollars I would have found it </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_uXCIvNAEFE/VjVAV9oZrnI/AAAAAAAAAJU/WPC-RmgeeEE/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_uXCIvNAEFE/VjVAV9oZrnI/AAAAAAAAAJU/WPC-RmgeeEE/s320/unnamed.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">worthwhile for the enjoyment I received, but since it is free I am willing to say that this simulation is fantastic for its price. <i>Bernband </i>won't be for everyone, if you need a game with interaction or story, this is not the right choice for you. But if you are interested in experiencing being a tourist on another world or the artistic possibility of indie digital media your should really give this a go.</div>Elder Giashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07475023274993633324noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8377509771578415315.post-53995844682179079832015-11-03T20:50:00.004-05:002015-11-03T20:53:01.530-05:00GiR by GIR: Jotun<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">After a brief <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2015/10/q-with-creators-of-jotun-thunder-lotus.html">Q&A with the developers</a>, I felt it was time for a more formal review. </span>Let me begin by stating that <i>Jotun</i> by Thunder Lotus Games is clearly a labor of love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An action-exploration hybrid, <i>Jotun</i> first caught my eye at <a href="http://thecareandfeedingofnerds.com/2015/03/pax-east-2015-round-up.html" target="_blank">PAX East</a> and did not disappoint upon release.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With a truly wonderful hand drawn art style reminiscent of <i><a href="http://stoicstudio.com/">The Banner Saga</a></i>, the player is immediately and deeply immersed in a legendary journey through Norse mythology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6Vto1v-tU8/VjIq6tTBIxI/AAAAAAAAATI/laeO6ZPUS3I/s1600/JBanner.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-E6Vto1v-tU8/VjIq6tTBIxI/AAAAAAAAATI/laeO6ZPUS3I/s400/JBanner.bmp" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Player’s control Thora, a fierce Viking who’s lost at sea and must prove her strength and courage to the Gods to claim her place in Valhalla.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While some may find the pacing to be on the slow side, as Thora traverses gorgeous and varied elemental levels in search of Jotuns to defeat, I couldn’t imagine not taking the time to absorb and appreciate the majestic vistas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from aesthetic reasons, it is definitely worth exploring every inch of a level to find the Norse Deity Shrines to grant Thora boons. For example, Thor's power increases Thora’s heavy-attack damage, Freya grants boosts of speed, Heimdall allows the use of a protective shield, and Frigg provides apples to extend her life bar; all of which players will assuredly need because Jotuns are seriously tough. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aygvs0SG_I0/VjIrStW0TnI/AAAAAAAAATQ/sdOBC1q3VeY/s1600/Thora.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="112" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aygvs0SG_I0/VjIrStW0TnI/AAAAAAAAATQ/sdOBC1q3VeY/s200/Thora.bmp" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Combat may be generously spaced, but each fight is an epic struggle in the vein of <i>Shadows of the Colossus</i> or <i>Titan Souls</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thora, who is little more than a mosquito to the hulking Jotuns, must memorize an increasingly complex set of boss attack patterns to learn when and how best to capitalize on the few openings that exist. As vast and slow as exploration feels, combat is fast, frantic, and lethal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The environment itself can also often be as dangerous as the Jotun themselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-104ugVC60TY/VjIs27aG4SI/AAAAAAAAATs/yETKq3EV110/s1600/Jpuzz.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-104ugVC60TY/VjIs27aG4SI/AAAAAAAAATs/yETKq3EV110/s1600/Jpuzz.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-104ugVC60TY/VjIs27aG4SI/AAAAAAAAATs/yETKq3EV110/s1600/Jpuzz.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-104ugVC60TY/VjIs27aG4SI/AAAAAAAAATs/yETKq3EV110/s320/Jpuzz.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">While I was slightly put off by some of the puzzles I stumbled across during the exploration phases, I realize that is a bit of personal bias; like Thor I prefer to solve my puzzles by hitting them as hard as I can with a hammer until the pieces fit together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike other games where puzzle sections can cause a disconnect and bring a player out of an experience, I can assure you that is not the case here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like with all other aspects of <i>Jotun</i>, Thunder Lotus has gone to great lengths to forge the very essence of Norse mythology into the puzzles themselves to make sure the immersion and theme remains intact. The best of these moments to me was using lightning to recreate constellations. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Jotun</i> is a somewhat short game that can wrapped up in about 10 hours, but I felt was an appropriate length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was just long enough to satisfy me but also keep me wanting more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thora’s journey was a stoic and difficult, but worthwhile one and I’m glad I had the opportunity to accompany her on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><i>Jotun</i> released last month and is available on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/323580/" target="_blank">Steam</a>for $14.99. If you like 2D artistic games heavy on the atmosphere and a strong Norse theme I strongly recommend checking it out.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SP060zr9PYU/VjIrpQR0LBI/AAAAAAAAATc/eG1qPXfWjys/s1600/Vethrfolnir%2Band%2Bthe%2BNameless%2BEagle.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SP060zr9PYU/VjIrpQR0LBI/AAAAAAAAATc/eG1qPXfWjys/s400/Vethrfolnir%2Band%2Bthe%2BNameless%2BEagle.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u><br /></u></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><u>Full Disclosure</u>: This review was written based off a review copy for the Steam version of the game provided by</span> Thunder Lotus Games. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>GIRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15036660960494993170noreply@blogger.com0