Nerd is the Word

Steve Jobs Resigns!

2011-08-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

(via Wall Street Journal)

In a letter released Wednesday night, Steve Jobs resigned from his position as CEO of Apple, but has opted (if the board sees fit) to stay on as Chairman of the Board, Director, and Apple employee. As per their succession plan, the most likely candidate to take his place is Tim Cook, who has acted as CEO during Jobs' past two leave of absences, in 2009 and early 2011. He did not cite his health as a reason for resigning, simply that the day had come that he 'could no longer meet any of his duties or expectations as Apple's CEO'. He stated in his letter: "I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role."

From 2005:
"How to Live Before You Die"

How to Write a Book in Three Days

2011-08-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

(via Wet Asphalt)

A friend of mine showed me link to a page briefly explaining Michael Moorcock's writing structure, which he detailed in the book "Death is No Obstacle" (sadly, now out of print). He wrote the "Elric of Melniboné" stories and many other books.

While I'm not super familiar with his work, I am kind of fascinated by what he lays out. It resembles Lester Dent's Master Plot Structure.

The link:
How to Write a Book in Three Days

Both of them are the sort of thing I'd like to screw around with for National Novel Writing Month. I haven't read much pulp since I was a little girl thumbing through my mother's copies of Ellery Queen Magazine, but it could be the sort of thing to perhaps alleviate my prose fiction writing woes. Plus it just looks like fun.

Conan Trailer + Conan the Berserker

2011-08-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Conan the Berserker

A free eBook short story: Belit is dead and Conan strikes out on his own, wandering aimlessly. What he encounters however is black magic and 'The Black Monoliths of Stygia' and Conan is forced to unlock his own rage within the dark abyss of his soul.

Fantasy eBooks = Nerd Heaven

2011-07-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

I give the following eBooks 5 stars each. Note: You may find cheaper rates on the author's personal website.

Rise of the Blade

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

A legendary warrior has come back to life and is on a murderous rampage on the streets of Waterdeep. Retired gladiator and Academy of Combat instructor Pierce O'Hiram is dragged back into service for the Harpers one last time in an effort to stop the killings.

The Paladin Assassin

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

The Minotaur Emperor has been assassinated and the continent is on the brink of an epic war between minotaurs and humans. Wynic Doxon, the Arthian Royal Assassin, is asked to track down the assassin who killed the emperor and help prevent a war that would destroy the ancient city of Athex.

Ice War

Ebook (PDF): $15.99

An evil army has set up camp in the northern reaches of the continent and plots are afoot. The heroes from "The Paladin Assassin" are ordered north to confront this new danger and to seek out the legendary Spear of Destiny. This book is part 2 of The Crimson Companions Trilogy.

Brutus & Avianna

Ebook (PDF): $7.59

A love story between a human barbarian and an elf female, set amidst the backdrop of the Korovian wilderness. Bandits, ogres, trolls and wild sex scenes.

She's back! ...With an iPad

2011-07-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

As I attempt to start using this blog more than once a year, I think a good place to start might be with my latest investment: the iPad 2.

As some of you may or may not know, I work for a company that develops for iOS devices. So while the iPad may not be the tablet of choice for everyone, it certainly is quite an advantage for me.

What I wanted it for:
- Writing (using a stylus)
- Editing
- Gaming
- Reading
- Various types of web browsing.

What I've used it for so far:
- Gaming
- Blogging (I just found a solid blogging app)
- Watching TV - apparently all the major Canadian networks have apps now. Who knew?

Writing
I bought a stylus and I tried both Bamboo (by Waccom) and Penultimate but I've yet to really get comfortable with it, despite having spent several years pining away for a tablet I can write on with a stylus. I just find the lack of tactile feedback hard to adjust to.

Reading
Having been pretty satisfied with the iPhone version of GoodReader, I bought the iPad version of it, and I love it. I'm still discovering the various features it has available. So far, I've used it to review chapters for my writing group.

I also gave Stanza, Bookman and the Kindle app a try. Combine those with the fact that public domain books on Google can be downloaded in PDF, and well...let's just say I'm kind of excited about it.

Video
I discovered a VLC app on my hard drive that has long since disappeared from the app store but apparently works flawlessly on the IPad. So I can now play avi files on my iPad!

Games
There are tons. My company's games look fantastic on the iPad and I look forward to posting reviews of random apps that I find.

Hardware
At some point, I intend to buy an iPad keyboard case (to make this a whole lot easier). But there are so many (all of which seem to only be available on the web), that I need to look carefully to separate the quality cases from the cheap merchandise. With the amount of writing I do, I would certainly get a lot of use out of it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Temporarily Down For Maintenance...

2011-06-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

How to have a rational discussion

2011-06-24T21:20:00.001-07:00

Velociraptor Free Workplace

2011-06-24T21:16:00.000-07:00

ENTERTAINMENT - Has it really been 18 years since Jurassic Park came out in movie theatres? Twas 1993 when it first came out. Dinosaur nerds galore...

Hey Meggles, we should have a Jurassic Park marathon sometime!

The Beaver / RPG

2011-06-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

Connecting to server…

Looking for someone you can chat with. Hang on.

You’re now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!

A word of advice: “asl” is boring. Please find something more interesting to talk about!

Stranger: Hello!

You: You see a beaver in the distance lumbering towards you, a menacing glare on its face. You are armed with duct tape, a balloon, a spare set of shoes, and nailclippers. What do you do?

Stranger: Hmm..

Stranger: Give me a moment, Sir or Ma’am.

Stranger: This is a pondersom question!

You: The beaver is getting closer with each passing second, but luckily it appears to have a broken foot

You: This slows it down somewhat

Stranger: First! I remove the shoeleaces from the shoes.

Stranger: Then I proceed to throw the lace-less shoes at the beaver, one by one, to distract it

Stranger: Next, I use the laces and duct tape to attach the balloon to my head.

You: The beavier is angrier and more determined to attack

You: It is drawing near

Stranger: As it is a good sized balloon with helium, the loss of weight of the extra shoes lifts me off of the ground.

You: The beaver jump at your rising figure, snapping at your toes, but luckily you are high enough to avoid its rabid attack

You: Now you are rising above the treeline, still with nailclippers and ducttape

You: You will continue to rise unless you figure out a way to get back to land

You: the wind picks up and blows you eastward, towards what looks like a wooden hut

Stranger: I use the nail clippers to snip the balloon string. I fall on the roof.

You: You land on the roof, which then cracks and sends you falling into the shack below. You are not badly injured.

Stranger: PHEW.

You: The shack appears to be abandoned. You are in a small dusty room.

You: There is a door to your left, and a peice of paper next to your feet

Stranger: I pick up the paper to read it.

You: It appears to be a faded map, with one corner missing. It may lead to treasure.

You: It is too dark to make out much more.

Stranger: I moved to where the hole in the ceiling is, to let in some light on the map.

You: You see a crude drawing of a house, presumably the shack you are in. A dotted line rises north, across what may be a river, and then turns sharply east where a thick black X is revealed.

You: The door is still to your left, and you are armed with duct tape, nai clippers, and a ragged balloon is still strapped to your head. You also have the map.

You: You hear some thumps at the door

You: Then a scraping sound

You: After a few minutes you realise that it is the beaver, trying to eat through the door.

Stranger: I look around to see if there are any other doors that lead outside.

You: There is a boarded up window to your right, and a pile of scraps directly below it.

You: The scrap pile is covered in dust, so it is difficult to discern what exactly is in the pile.

Stranger: I kick aside the scraps to reveal what is underneath.

You: You get a splinter in your ankle.

You: Underneath, you see a crowbar, a lighter, and some rusty bent nails

Stranger: pick up the crowbar and the lighter, and pry open the boarded up window,

Stranger: *.

You: Piece by piece, you pry the boards away. Sunlight trickles through a cracked window.

You: The gnawing noises at the door are getting louder and more insistent

You: The window is now free of boards.

Stranger: I jump out the window and take off running.

You: You jump at the window, and realise the glass was still there. Ouch. Because it was cracked, it shatters and you are left bleeding.

You: You make it through the window and limp hurridly away from the shack. The sun is beginning to set

You: You still are grasping the map in one hand, and the crowbar in the other.

Stranger: I check to make sure the nail clippers are still in my pocket, and the duck tape and string in my hair

You: All items are acocunted for.

You: accounted*

Stranger: Lovely.

Stranger: Lighter?

You: In your pocket with the nail clippers

Stranger: Also lovely.

You: You look around and find yourself in a clearing. You hear water rushing in the distance.

You: Behind you, you hear faint angry squealing noises. The beaver must have finally eaten its way through the door, only to find you had escaped

You: It is angrier than ever and determined to hunt you down

You: It is a rare known fact that beavers, particularly rabid ones, have a very keen sense of smell.

You: After some sniffing around, the beaver finds your scent and starts hobbling angrily in your direction

You: You are starting to gather dust.

You: The beaver is now very close, and it smells your blood. It hungers.

Stranger: (sorry, vanished)

Stranger: I turn around and hold the crowbar like a baseball bat, ready to defend myself.

You: The beaver leaps at you, squealing as though it were possessed

Stranger: I swing the crowbar, aiming for its head

You: Roll to determine outcome of crowbar swing? Y/N

Stranger: Y

You: (1=worst, 12=best)

You: 9.

You: You swing at the beaver’s head and connect. Not hard enough to kill it, but the creature is momentarily stunned

Stranger: I flee.

You: You run towards the sound of rushing water, remembering that there may be some special treasure if you follow the map

You: You eventually reach a river, which is rushing pretty rapidly. It is narrow but deep.

You: The beaver has regained control and is limping towards you, making a strange screeching noise

Stranger: I do not dive in, for beavers are slow on land but fast in the water. I run down the bank, looking for a way to cross the river.

You: You run eastwards along the bank, and soon come across a delapitated wonden bridge. It looks like it could fall apart at any minute.

You: wooden*

You: However, for now it still stands.

Stranger: I attempt to inflate the balloon again

You: The balloon has a small hole in it.

You: All the helium has escaped

You: The beaver is once again gaining on you

You: It is excited by the prospect of killing you. It would be able to feed its family a feast like never before!

You: Typically this beaver eats smaller creatures. It is a carnivore beaver. However, driven by hunger and sickness, it is determined to land a great meal.

Stranger: I make a daring leap across the bridge, praying that light feet will prevent it from breaking.

You: You land halfway across the bridge on a semi-sturdy plank of wood. There are large gaps where the wood has rotted away. Contiunuing with your momentum, a second leap takes you to the end of the bridge

You: You foot falls through, but the rest of your body tumbles forward onto land

You: Your ankle is twisted and cut, but still usable.

Stranger: I hobble up, using the crowbar, and continue running.

You: You consult the map and realise you must be close to the treasure.

You: You run eastward a bit farther when you stumble over a shovel

You: You trip and fall.

You: Behind you, the beaver contemplates the bridge in a rare act of brains over brawn

You: The shovel is laying over what appears to be a fresh mound of dirt,

You: .

Stranger: Oh dear…

Stranger: Sir or Miss Stranger?

Stranger: You have led me on a thrilling quest, but I am afraid that I must remove myself from this website. I have homework I must complete, and bed to attend to.

Stranger: I thank you greatly for the adventure you provided. It was most entertaining!

Stranger: And thus…

Stranger: I find myself unable to get up, even to use the shovel

You: very well. The ending was that you found an arsenal of weapons such as a flamethrower, shotguns, etc with which to kill the beaver. Success!

Stranger: : D

You: Thanks for playing along :)

Stranger: !

Stranger: Of course!

Stranger: Do you find many who are willing to play?

You: Not too many hehe

You: Good luck with your homework :D Take care and don’t dream of beavers. Ciao!

You have disconnected.

Nerds are helpless vs Attractive Women

2011-06-24T20:58:00.000-07:00

Yes, so true...

Nerd Vs Geek, Dork and Dweeb

2011-06-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

Huzzah for nerds! We're better than the geeks, dorks and dweebs!

Metric = Nerdy?

2011-06-24T20:54:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGY - The metric system is apparently too good for the US, Liberia and Burma... Or do Americans just think using a 10 x 10 x 10 system is too logical and therefore nerdy?

Or maybe Americans, the Burmese and Liberians are just stupid?

Never there when you need him...

2011-06-24T20:53:00.001-07:00

Show me your Nerd Love!

2011-06-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

What do men / women really mean when they say they like quirky / nerdy people?

Nerds doing Homework

2011-06-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

Imagine you are a teacher and your student brings you this. Totally deserves an A+ this year, right? Maybe. Or maybe they just used Google Translate and then wrote the symbols from that by hand. Either way, one smart cookie.

Computer memory 1980 vs 2010

2011-06-24T20:44:00.000-07:00

TECHNOLOGY - Yeah baby. Show me your 32 GB of space.

Who is more Nerdy? IT Staff or Accountants?

2011-06-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Hey yall!

This article is just for fun... gits and shiggles if you know what I mean.

But anywho, seriously... who is nerdier?

IT Staff or Accountants?

Well, its such a tricky question...

You see IT staff work with computers... so in theory they should be pretty nerdy right?

But accountants work with numbers constantly, and they do work ON computers... and since accountants are pretty boring at the office, ye gotta figure they are anything but boring in their private lives, right?

You know, Mr Tweed at work... goes home and he becomes Super Toy Railroad Construction Man!

The same thing with the IT guys... sure they like their computers and gadgets, but what happens when they go home? Dungeons and Dragons Online? Do they invite friends over and play Magic the Gathering? Do they watch the latest episodes of Big Bang Theory repeatedly (like I sometimes do...)?

Or do they go to the archery range? (Seriously, a whole lotta of IT guys at the archery range... its like golf for nerds. Note: I have yet to meet an accountant at the archery range however.)

The point I am trying to make is that accountants and IT staff don't sit at home in their sunrooms reading Agatha Christie novels... (Agatha Christie to me is the epitome of boredom.)

And then again they're not exactly jumping and down to go play basketball, baseball, hockey on the Rideau Canal when its iced over and slapshot a puck through some Ottawa windows... although frankly, hitting hockey pucks or baseball balls in the direction of 24 Sussex does sound quite entertaining.

Well... how about we let the INTERNET decide which is nerdier... lets pick two companies, one which does IT staffing Toronto and the other with Toronto accountants. I say Toronto because at least then we narrow the field for local bias. ie. Cleveland accountants might be more boring than Las Vegas accountants, for obvious reasons.

Next we go to their websites and see which website looks nerdier.

The accountants apparently like row boats, or in this case sculling.

The IT staffers apparently like to shake hands and sit around drinking coffee, occasionally stretching their muscles judging by the one girl flexing.

Next we do a Google image search of their domain names:

Accountants

VS.

IT Staff

Difficult to say which looks nerdier.

Post your vote in the comments section!

Rule 34 and the Rules of the Internet

2011-06-01T07:35:00.001-07:00

TECHNOLOGY - Rule 34 - If it can be imagined, somebody has turned it into porn. See the image further below for the full "Rules of the Internet". Nerd culture... its kind of pathetic and depraved at times.

Celebrities Who Play Dungeons & Dragons

2011-05-16T11:40:00.000-07:00

ENTERTAINMENT

Mike Meyers says he used to play D&D on Inside the Actor’s Studio.

Vin Diesel, a longtime D&D player, wrote an introduction to the book "Thirty Years of Adventure: Celebrating Dungeons and Dragons".

Judy Dench was introduced to the game by Vin Diesel and continues to play.

Matthew Lillard has played D&D for charity.

Basketball player Tim Duncan is a long-time D&D player.

Robin Williams has played D&D for charity, but also plays at home with friends.

Kevin Smith is a long time D&D player and Dungeon Master.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were introduced to the game by Kevin Smith.

Daryl Hannah

Jesse McCarthy

Lauren Graham

Actor/Director Jon Favreau (Iron Man) credits D&D for much of his storytelling prowess.

Joss Whedon played D&D in college.

Stephen Colbert was a big D&D player as a kid and still plays now.

Ewan McGreggor plays D&D.

Will Wheaton played D&D when not on the set of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Sarah Silverman Show’s Brian Posehn has played weekly for years.

Weezer front man Rivers Cuomo sings about his “Dungeon Master’s Guide” in his 1994 song “In the Garage.”

Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance told Rolling Stone that he shopped for Dungeons & Dragons supplies rather than partying while on tour.

The lead singer of Marcy Playground, John Wozniak, has played D&D since he was a kid even though his parents forbid him.

THOR - Four Stars out of Five

2011-05-12T11:40:00.000-07:00

ENTERTAINMENT - Want to see a fun, action packed comicbook-based film (and based on a Norse god)?

Well, then I recommend Thor.

Saw it yesterday, I give it four stars out of five.

Without ruining the plot for you, I am just going to say I enjoyed the plot, the action, the romance and the ending.

Don't forget to sit through the credits and watch the extra scene at the end.

For more May films, see May Movie Trailers.

D&D Alignments

2010-12-06T23:07:00.001-08:00

Origins: Rakshasa and Yeti

2010-08-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

The first report of a Yeti sighting by a Westerner was in 1832. B.H. Hodson, a British representative sent to Nepal, saw a creature that attacked his servants. The locals in Nepal called them "rakshas", meaning demons.

Rakshasas aren't described as being ape-like (unlike the modern myths which compares yeti to Bigfoot or Sasquatches), but instead describes the rakshasa as being more cat-like in its facial features. Rakshasa demons appear in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology and are usually evil and deceptive, known for their ability to hide or become invisible (or at very least blend in with their surroundings). They are also described to be shapechangers.

Another reliable report happened in 1925 when Greek photographer N.A. Tombazi was part of a British geological expedition in the Himalayas. He spotted a creature moving across some lower slopes who looked like a human being and was walking on two legs, but wasn't wearing any clothing. "It stopped occasionally to uproot or pull at some dwarf rhododendron bushes," he said. "It showed up dark against the snow and, as far as I could make out wore no clothes."

The British expedition later found 15 footprints in the snow. The Himalayas locals called it the "Kanchenjunga demon."

Two British mountaineers in 1951, Eric Shipton and Micheal Ward, also found and photographed footprints measuring between 13 and 18 inches long. Tracks in the snow however are difficult to interpret because the melting of the snow often makes tracks larger and misshapen.

In Dungeons and Dragons terms the yeti and rakshasa are very different... one being a mindless beast that ambushes people in the snow... the other is a demon-shapechanger with magic.

Neither is correct. The creature, based on N.A. Tombazi's description, is most likely a harmless herbivore.

Poetry in The Simpsons

2010-05-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

The Simpsons has always been rife with intellectualisms, and here are a few examples of one of my favourite hobbies (poetry) crossing paths with one of my favourite shows.

Bart reads "Tyger" by William Blake.

Probably the most famous of literary references on the Simpsons - The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe.

<p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;Watch &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.fanpop.com/spots/halloween/videos/2450364"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Simpsons Version of Poe's "The Raven"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; on &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.fanpop.com/"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Fanpop&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Homer's "Rapping Tomato" poem

Lisa's "Meditations on Turning Eight" poem

Meditations on turning eight, by Lisa Simpson from Federico on Vimeo.

Poetry + Spiderman = Win

The New Dorks

2010-03-13T04:33:00.001-08:00

EMBED-The New Dork (Entrepreneur State of Mind) - Watch more free videos

It's our anthem!

Not be confused with this.

Audiosurf

2010-03-07T04:47:00.000-08:00

As I begin to consider my next PC purchase to replace the four-year-old P4 fossil currently sitting on my desk, I'm starting to think about all of the PC games I've been missing out on recently.

Recently, just out of curiousity, I was looking at apps made specifically for the click-wheel classic iPod. I was first of all struck by the face that they range from Trivial Pursuit to Pac-Man (not a huge surprise there) to Sonic the Hedgehog. I've never owned a click-wheel iPod, but I intend to borrow one just to see how these games work.

One game I was really impressed to find though was Phase. It's a simple rhythm game by Harmonix that uses your iPod's music library to generate levels.

Since I don't own a classic iPod (the one and only device Phase is available on), I immediately searched for any similar games on other platforms. I immediately came up with Audiosurf.

My current PC would likely suffer a stroke if I tried to run it, but I can't wait to play it later on when I finally get a new one. Here's a sample:

As I begin to consider my next PC purchase to replace the four-year-old P4 fossil currently sitting on my desk, I'm starting to think about all of the PC games I've been missing out on recently.

This morning, just out of curiousity, I was looking at apps made specifically for the click-wheel classic iPod. I was first of all struck by the face that they range from Trivial Pursuit to Pac-Man (not a huge surprise there) to Sonic the Hedgehog. I've never owned a click-wheel iPod, but I intend to borrow one just to see how these games work.

One game I was really impressed to find though was Phase. It's a simple rhythm game by Harmonix that uses your iPod's music library to generate levels.

Since I don't own a classic iPod (the one and only device Phase is available on), I immediately searched for any similar games on other platforms. I immediately came up with Audiosurf.

My current PC would likely suffer a stroke if I tried to run it, but I can't wait to play it later on when I finally get a new one. Here's a sample: