Forever Geek |
- Star Wars Growth Chart
- Firefighters of the future could use flame-bending electric wands
- Wonder Woman Costume Updated (A Little)
- New Resident Evil Makes You a Villain
- The Next Invincible?
- How to Spot a Liar or Be One Yourself
| Posted: 31 Mar 2011 03:08 AM PDT A geeky dad’s daughter is turning one in the near future, and he decided to create something to celebrate her first year in this world. Can you expect anything better than something related to Star Wars?1 So geeky dad made something and put it on Reddit, and now we are all treated to this collection of Star Wars characters. The creation of the growth chart seems rather simple, according to the Tumblr description.2 Geeky dad just used Pages – can you believe it? – and some of his “hemming and hawing skills”.
I do not need to point out the characters, do I?3 And if you think that’s huge, think again. You can get the growth chart in all its full size glory.4 A growth chart has to be life size, after all. I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to have this growth chart for their kid. If you decide to print it out for yourself – if you can find a printer that will spew out a 7-foot printout – why don’t you show your appreciation by donating to the little girl’s college fund? You can find the link in the Tumblr page I linked to above.
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| Firefighters of the future could use flame-bending electric wands Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:46 PM PDT
Firefighters are, in my humble opinion, some of the most courageous individuals that walk the earth. Consistently putting themselves in harm’s way, anytime, anywhere, to protect their fellow citizens is something worth everyone’s gratitude. Currently firefighters are left with few options when it comes to battling a blaze, the most common method employed being a heavy hose spouting water. If scientists have their way, fighting fires with water will soon become a thing of the past. At the 241st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, Harvard scientists unveiled a method of suppressing and extinguishing flames without using a single drop of water. Employing a 200-year-old observation noting how electrical charges can affect the shape of flames, the scientists developed an electrical wave "blaster" that could usher in a new, high-tech way of firefighting. It works by connecting a 600-watt amplifier to a device resembling a wand which turns an electrical current into a beam. After creating an open flame a foot high, the scientists put the flame out with their electric wave blasting wand. Using a device like this would allow firefighters to put out fires, and clear flames from a burning building, providing entry into an enclosure in order to rescue those trapped inside. Moreover, the scientists also see traditional water sprinkler systems being replaced by flame snuffing electrical pulse generators. If successful, not only would firefighting be easier and safer, but it would reduce water damage caused by today's firefighting methods in addition to firefighters no longer needing to use tremendous amounts of water to extinguish a blaze. What do you think of the scientist's plans for firefighting's future? Have you been the unfortunate victim of a fire? What caused more damage, the fire itself or the water used to put the fire out?
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| Wonder Woman Costume Updated (A Little) Posted: 30 Mar 2011 03:00 PM PDT
The 11th Commandment: Thou shalt not anger thy geeks. To say there was a “fan backlash” over the uber-vinyl look of NBC’s new Wonder Woman would be an epic understatement. Fans vehemently despised the new costume to the point of nearly creating a new Internet meme. So like all good TV executives, NBC and developer David E. Kelley (of Ally McBeal and Boston Legal fame) value their jobs, so they chose to listen to the fans. Consequently, the new Wonder Woman costume has been given an upgrade. Well, kind of. Those shiny plastic pants are gone, replaced by something darker and undoubtedly more comfortable that looks like spandex. The matching plastic blue boots are gone as well; actress Adrianne Palicki now sports a pair of more traditional red boots. The hooker lipstick’s gone, too. Sadly, as you can see from the photos below, she’s still got that push-up bustier, which only covers the bottom halves of her boobs. One can’t help but wonder how often they fall out on the set. No doubt there’s some Baywatch-worthy jiggling going on whenever she runs. Or as one commenter over at EW put it, “she’s one golden eagle away from two black eyes.” It’s an improvement, no doubt. But I still find it hard to take seriously. What do you think?          
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| New Resident Evil Makes You a Villain Posted: 30 Mar 2011 01:14 PM PDT Capcom has released the first teaser trailer for the just-announced Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, which shows off the first glimpses of gameplay. Raccoon City is, of course, well known to fans of the series as a centerpiece to the saga, a metropolis that fell to the T-Virus outbreak and was eventually obliterated by a government-sanctioned nuclear blast. The new game is reportedly set around the time of Resident Evil 2 and 3, but Slant Six Games, the developer behind the new title, says they’re telling “a completely new story” that’s sorta/kinda/maybe set in “a parallel world.” Slant Six is best known for the SOCOM series, and they’re bringing some of those tactical shooter sensibilities to Resident Evil for Operation Raccoon City. You’ll play in third-person mode as a member of the Umbrella Corporation’s task force, fighting both zombies and the U.S. Special Forces that you usually play as part of in the series. Even Leon Kennedy, protagonist from several titles in the series, is one of your targets in the new game. What do you think of the trailer, and this surprising new direction for the series? Have they run out of ideas? Or have they found a creative entry point for new players?
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| Posted: 30 Mar 2011 12:28 PM PDT
Written by one of the many brainchilds (brain children?) behind the excellent Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon, Kevin Rubio; Abyss has the simplicity that I remember from early Marvel characters that is lacking nowadays. Even if I were to point out some of the titles during the Nineties glut, like say Darkhawk or Sleepwalker. Do you recall how these characters operated in their own world for a while, before being dragged into the big crossovers? Abyss has that simplicity, but is far from simple. A young boy is told his father is dead, finds out his father was one of the major super-villains of the world (a real Lex Luthor/Dr Doom style character), inherits his fathers costume and equipment; only to find out he is not dead after all. Oh, and he was going to destroy San Francisco. That was the first mini in a nutshell. Very entertaining, we were not burdened by the continuity that normally fascinates me. But in the post Dark Reign, post Civil War era, even I can accept that one can have too much of a good thing. Abyss Volume 2: Family Issues hit the stands last week, and if you enjoyed the early days of Invincible, then you cannot miss this. Red5 dropped huge hints that the trade of the first series is available as well, and in my opinion, it’s worth a shot.
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| How to Spot a Liar or Be One Yourself Posted: 30 Mar 2011 06:00 AM PDT Have you ever been a victim of a lying b#stard? Like that guy who sold you his “slightly used” PlayStation 3. As things turned out, his definition of “slightly used” was “slightly” different from what is commonly understood. Whether you have been on the receiving or giving end of a lie (I am pretty sure we’ve all been on both ends at some point), here is an interesting infographic on how you can tell if someone is lying to you. In case you feel like reading up a little on psychological material… Let me highlight some of the most interesting points:
The infographic also teaches you about body language. Look out fora stiff physical appearance; touching an ear, the nose, or the mouth; and avoiding eye contact – these are all potential signs of lying.1 Also check out the microexpressions at the bottom of the infographic – they might just teach you a thing or two. This infographic can come in handy the next time you are dealing with a really good sales person. Alternatively, you can study it carefully and learn what NOT to do in case you need to tell a white lie or two. (Not that I am suggesting that!)
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