Nerd Survey: How do you watch TV

Howdy, Nerds and Geekgirls,

There will be no new Nerdy Top Ten today.  I started writing this as a This Nerd's Life, but decided at the last second to make it a new feature instead.  Thus, we here at Nerd is the New Cool, proudly welcome you to our first ever blog length Nerd Survey. 

I have from time to time posted quick Nerd Survey entries on my twitter feed (@nerdisnewcool) with minimal response, but this is my first long entry.

Background first.  My wife and I are contemplating booting the cable company out of the apartment, but aren't sure what to do from there.  There are a number we like but only a couple of must sees, Doctor Who being the biggest current show and Agents of SHIELD being the most important upcoming one.

So my question to you is: How do you watch TV shows?

1. The old fashioned way, on live TV
2. The new old fashioned way, on TiVo or some such
3. Buy seasons on DVD
4. Hulu or HuluPlus
5. Amazon
6. Netflix
7. Some other way

Anyway, I'd love to here from you, feel free to comment below or message me on twitter.

Until next time, Nerd is the New Cool, signing off.  

P.S. be sure to follow me on twitter @nerdisnewcool for the latest Nerd Surveys, This Nerd's Life Dailies, Quickies, and more Nerdy content.  

New Comic Day (Late): Rocketeer/Spirit

Howdy folks and welcome to the second edition of New Comic Day! That’s right, number 2.  And we are already a day late on the delivery schedule!  Go, Team NitNC!  Actually, if you swung by last week, then you know we are actually 8 days late, since we didn’t even have an edition last week.  That’s right, your old buddy Nerd Is the New Cool is on top of his game this month (year? Decade? Century? Oh, bother!).

Anyway, here in Nerdland, we had a killer storm – well a storm anyway – Tuesday night that kept me up, as well as the wife and our pride and joy the Nerd-Hound.  Mostly it was Nerd-Hound being up that cause the issues, we was scared and clingy and insisted on attention.  Regardless, I overslept on Wednesday and was playing catchup all day.  So, no trip to my Friendly Neighborhood Comic Shop for me.  But I made it today and here we go!!!

This Week’s Star Comic:

The Rocketeer & The Spirit: Pulp Friction 1

That’s right.  You read it correctly.  The Rocketeer!  The Spirit! Together in one blockbuster issue.  This is so awesome...

Such a letdown. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s good.  Bordering on decent even.  But it has all the elements of better than good – not the least of which is two of the greatest comic book characters of all time.  Beyond that, it’s written by Mark Waid, one of my favorite writers. 

So what went wrong?  Everything.  Paul Smith’s art is passable but it lacks both the crisp style of Dave Stevens and the pulp grit of Will Eisner.  It is very good art, very standard, very average.  I’ve seen worse.  But is “I’ve seen worse” enough? 

Even Waid’s writing is lackluster.  Again, I’ve read worse – in fact, I’ve read worse by Waid (I’m looking at you, Superman: Birthright) – but as a whole, Waid should be a shoe in for better than this, expecially considering this isn’t his first foray into the world of Rocketeer. 

Again I ask, is “I’ve seen worse” enough? Eisner is the legend.  Both in writing and in art.  They named an award after the man.  And Stevens is right behind him as an artist.  Literally.  When I comes to comic art it goes down like this:  Kirby, Ross, Ditko (shut up, Dad!), Steranko, Wrightson, Eisner, Stevens, Sale, Kane (shut up, Dad! – look at that same joke twice in the same sentence, I’m losing my edge already). 

As for the story itself, it is standard summer crossover fair.  Two heroes meet for the first time, naturally have a misunderstanding and fight.  The fight itself is awesome, but I won’t spoil it for you by describing it.  Needless to say, had Eisner or Stevens been sitting at the easel for this one, the fight alone would have been enough to win the book over for me, but Smith’s work left something to be desired and the fight had a less profound impact on me that someone else’s might have.   But please Hollywood, make an adaptation of this comic so I can see that scene in live action 3D! 

Aside from the issues discussed above, the comic was fun and enjoyable.  The classic characters are all here, Bettie Page…er, I mean the Rocketeer’s girlfriend Betty, The Octopus (or rather his hand), Commissioner Dolan and Ellen, Peevy…even Ebony draws and behind the scenes mention.  As I said, the fight between the heroes is classic (a bit cliché but this is a “summer blockbuster crossover” after all).  Ellen and Betty are both at their stereotypically ‘40s dame best. 

Had I had no prior knowledge of the characters, the book would have rated higher, had I bought it which would have been less likely.  As it stands:

3.5/5 stars.  Excellent jumping on point. 

Unrated but nothing too inappropriate so probably around T for Teen. 

            Other Noteworthy Titles This Week

Hunger 1 (Marvel)

Superman Unchained: The Director’s Cut 1 (DC)

Popeye Classics 12 (IDW)

Army of Darkness Hack/Slash 1 (Dynamite/Image)

Warlord of Mars 27 (Dynamite)

Until next time, Nerd Is the New Cool, signing off…

My Gaming Nerd Bucket List

OK, for starters bucket list was so an exaggeration, I probably just said that to get your attention.  I don’t plan on dying any time soon and I want this list checked off in the near future.  But what is this list you ask?

Simple, it’s a collection of the Tabletop Games that I want to spend some time playing – either playing games I’ve never played or doing something more with games I have, I’ll go into more detail about that in the individual entrees. 

So what are the games?  Well, I’m glad you asked. 

1.      Dungeons and Dragons – The premium Fantasy role-playing game (RPG).  It’s the RPG that other RPG’s dream about one day being.  I’ve played a little, both running through 1 player choose-your-own-adventure type games and DMing (that’s Dungeon Master-ing, for the unfamiliar – *waves* “hi mom”) a few short games with friends.  Now what I want to do is run a long campaign in the Points of Light/Nentir Vale setting or play in a campaign in a different setting – probably Forgotten Realms or Greyhawk – or do both.

2.      GURPS – Short for Generic Universe Role-Playing System is an RPG with no setting, it can be used to play medieval fantasy, science fiction, horror, adventure, crime, western, or whatever setting/genre the players choose, including time travel settings to bring the various options together.  I have never played GURPS but I’d kinda like to give it a try, either as player or as Game Master (GM). 

3.      Call of Cthulhu – There is a lot of ground covered by GURPS, including the ability to create player characters (PCs) and nonplayer characters (NPCs) that are compatible with the Cthulhu Mythos.  Thus eliminating the need for this Gaming System, yet it is still on here.  Why?  Because I still want to play it.  I am sure, after I play it a few times – and play GURPS a few times – unless I decide I really like this system much better than GURPS, I will start playing Weird Horror Campaigns using the GURPS system with this as a resource.  But I still want to try this first. 

4.      Cthulhu Live – A Live Action RPG or LARP, Cthulhu Live is sorta kinda not really but maybe like Call of Cthulhu.  It is set in the Lovecraft/Cthulhu mythos, often but not always in the Lovecraft 20s/30s era.  But rather than the pen and paper or miniature RPGs like CoC, DnD, and GURPS, Cthulhu Live is acted out.  Players dress the part go to locations and act out their characters rather than talking them out.  Using one of my local colleges or universities as a backdrop for Miskatonic University would be one interesting way to act out a scenario, but others could be found as well. 

5.      Fiasco – Ok, one last RPG.  Fiasco is sort of a pen and paper RPG.  No campaigns, just a quick story that takes about the same amount of time to play as a movie takes to watch.  In terms of content, they compare this game to Coen Brothers’ movies.  A game all about “powerful ambition and poor impulse control,” Fiasco is a GM-less RPG set at the “intersection of greed, fear, and lust.”  Basically, it’s bad things happen to bad people, everybody loses, and most everybody dies.  Not only do I want to play this, I want to write my own Playsets for it.  

6.      Munchkin – A card game that is similar to and making fun of RPGs – especially D&D –  made by the same folks who also make GURPS – D&D’s most important rival system.  In Munchkin, you play cards that give you races and classes, items, special abilities, etc. and fight monsters looking for treasure, in Munchkin it’s all about winning.  There are a number of spinoffs to Munchkin – I have the original game and spinoff Star Munchkin, which spends a lot of time mocking sci-fi franchises such as Star Wars and Star Trek (among others) and the RPGs based on them.  My wife and I both love Munchkin, and I would like to play a massive Epic Munchkin blender game with lots of sets and expansions mixed together.  (Note: Epic Munchkin is played to level 20 instead of level 10, and blender is when two or more versions are mixed together).  

7.      Catan – I love Catan.  My wife is “meh” about it and my parents aren’t big fans either – though they have only got to play it once and we weren’t able to play to a conclusion due to time constraints, so I may be able to recover them. I have the basic Settlers of Catan, the 5-6 Player expansion to Settlers, and Traders and Barbarians.  I want to get Seafarers, Cities and Knights, and the corresponding 5-6 Player expansions I need. Once I have everything I wanna play a couple of big games with several of the variants and scenarios mixed together, playing to 20 victory points instead of 10.  It would take potentially a long time to finish, but I like games that take a long time – unlike my wife, who will cringe when she reads this part.  

8.      Invasion from Outer Space – The Martian Game – I love Last Night on Earth – my wife doesn’t love it as much as me, but she likes it so we’re cool there.  But what does this have to do with Invasion from Outer Space?  I’m glad you asked.  The Three-Sided Game: Earth Overrun!  That’s right, if you own both Last Night on Earth – The Zombie Game and Invasion from Outer Space – The Martian Game, you can combine them and play a Humans vs. Martians vs. Zombies game.  The official instructions say you should play with either the IFOS Circus/Carnival pieces or the LNOE Small Town pieces but I say boo.  Place them together, forming a larger playing area, with two Human players (one playing the IFOS heroes, the other playing the LNOE heroes), one Martian player and one Zombie player.  Additional players could take up sides as is deemed most fair.  

9.      Power Grid – ok, this one isn’t so much for me as it is for my father.  He doesn’t know much about it, but he found it on Amazon and thought it looked interesting.  So I want to get a copy and play with him, mostly to get him to shut up about it.  

10.  Tabletop – yeah I know pipe dream.  But I want to be on Tabletop.   If anyone from Geek and Sundry is reading this, I would love to be on to play any of the above games or any other game you need players for. 

So there you have it, the ten games I’d most like to spend some time with in the near future.  What games do you like to play?  Leave a comment below or hit me up on twitter @nerdisnewcool. 

Also, a good resource for games is www.boardgamegeek.com.  Also, be sure to check out Tabletop starring Wil Wheaton Thursdays on youtube for game play videos. 

Until next time,

Nerd is the New Cool, signing off

This Nerd's Life

So, since last time I've done a few things...

Firstly, I bought an Xbox 360 and am on Xbox Live, both for the first time.  As I've said before, see our award winning blog entry Summer of the Nerd, I'm not a big (video) gamer.  So this is kinda a deal...something of a Real World Quest to add on some XP to up my Nerd Level.  

Secondly, I'm almost finished reading The Cases That Haunt Us by former FBI profiler John Douglas.  It's an interesting read, I especially enjoyed the sections on Jack the Ripper and the Zodiac.  If I don't get to lazy, I'll post a review on Good Reads and post a link in an upcoming blog.  But I'll probably get to lazy.  

Nextly, I started reading Game of Thrones.  Hopefully, this will get Katie Wilson to stop telling me over and over and over how great it is...hold on my wife is saying something...what?  No way... I am not an idiot...sorry for the interruption, my wife was trying to tell me Katie isn't talking to me directly in her blog, but it's prerecorded and everyone can see it...silly wife.  You know what I'm talking about don't you, person I'm writing this directly to... Anyway, Game of Thrones, I'm 225 pages in and it's pretty good so far.  Still haven't got to episode 3 of the HBO show yet, but, you know, eventually.  It's awesome and all, so...I'm just really worried about how my wife will react when...NO SPOILERS!...'cause she's crazy in the head...

Thenly (WTF's with all the "-ly" endings, Nerd?  You were an English major for crying out loud.  Knock it off...), my dad bought Last Night on Earth the Zombie board game...he took it home with him though...butt-head. 

Alsoly, Shadowman 1 came out it's awesome...go check it out...

Finally (I said knock off the "-ly" bullstuff...oh wait, that one's right, never mind ..), I went to Diwali Night: great show (singing, dancing, comedy), great food, and a great job by everyone involved.  Congrats to the Oklahoma State University Indian Student Association for putting together a great program.  Especially, to my kids - past and present who participated - who were part of this event.  You know who you are and I am very proud of all of you.   

And now back to our regularly scheduled Top Ten, already not in progress...

I was going to do a Top Ten Characters I want to see in the Justice League Movie, but that is a little more in-depth than I want to go tonight so will added to the "but that's another" blog list.  So this week, we're doing the whole no top ten thing this week.  

And I wanna hear from you...what have you been up to this last week?  Why didn't you write my blog?  Who do you think Jack the Ripper really was?  Why is a raven like a writing desk?  Should more words end in "-ly?"  Leave a comment below or hit up my twitter page @nerdisnewcool.

Nerd is the New Cool, signing off
  

P.S.ly, if Katie Wilson is reading this, you don't need a restraining order, I'm not actually crazy...but I understand if you get one.  

Top Ten Favorite YouTube Videos

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a bit of a YouTube junkie.  And while there are any number of channels I enjoy to frequent (Screen Team Show, Geek and Sundry,...) there are also great videos I've discovered just from random searches and clicking links.  

Here I present to you a very fleeting list of my all-time favorite.  I couldn't make this list again, for the videos listed would be quite different in a different moment.  Also, I excluded episodes of webseries for the most part (both number 7 and number 3 actually break that rule but both shows are non sequitur so I don't think I'm cheating too much) so The Guild, Walking in Circles, and Bite Me all didn't make the list, despite being   awesome.  

10. What is Deja vu? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSf8i8bHIns&feature=related) by Vsauce I actually discovered this one while searching YouTube for the the links to the other videos on this list.  I was already familiar with Vsauce from some of his other videos and from mentions by other YouTubers, but didn't have a favorite video of his.  This one really caught my eye though and became a "favorite of the moment" as I often experience "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French" and found this an interesting explanation of it.  

9. ASDF Movie 5 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCnj-uiRCn8&NR=1&feature=endscreen) by Cake Bomb (TomSka) OK, first off...don't tell my wife I like ASDF, I'll never hear the end of it.  She *loves* ASDF.  And she watches them over and over and over and over and...you get the picture.  I was actually going to put ASDF Movie 2 ("I like trains"/"Pie Flavor!"/"Die Potato!" "Not today") but then I found this new(ish) one that I don't think she even knows about (Mwahahaha).  Of course, now that I've told the interweb that she doesn't know about it, she's gonna tell me she saw it way long back before it came out a-go.  You'd have to know my wife.  Moving on now.  

8.  Charlie the Unicorn (aka Candy Mountain Charlie) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsGYh8AacgY) by FilmCow (this link goes to SecretAgentBob's feed which I think is the official version of the video).  OMG, but this video is annoying.  And how.  "Charlie."  Good gravy but I hate this video.  So you're asking yourself why did it make my list of favorites?  Because I hate it... but it's so funny.  "Shun the non-believer shun." "Aw! they took my frickin' kidney!" If you haven't seen it, don't watch it -- I mean, watch it -- but don't watch it.  I'm sorry.  *hangs head in shame*

7.  Top 5 Creepiest Giant Spiders (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ4QZNrI1ls) by TheEscapistMagazine part of the Top 5 with Lisa Foiles series.  Is anyone hotter than Lisa Foiles?  (bring back the blonde hair Lisa!)  If you don't already love Lisa with me you might also wanna check out this video (mostly for the introduction section - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whh-HkW3k2c&feature=relmfu) and, you know, all her other Top 5's and her current run on ReMag, oh and she's in some Black Nerd Comedy videos which is actually where I discovered her.  Here ends the ramble... As for this video, Lisa's countdown of Creepy Spiders, is bookend-ed by some hi-larious scenes of her being a girl about spiders - kinda reminds me of my mom...awkward.  This is only barely my favorite of my many favorite Top 5's and could easily have been another. 

6.  Harry Potter: How It Should Have Ended (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsYWT5Q_R_w) by HISHEdotcom and Starz Digital Media.  I love this video.  I've watched a whole lot of the other HISHE movies and none have been as good as this one (Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi are close, but most of the others are just stupid).  

5.  Batman vs. Superman trailer [Fan Edit] (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRmmjxX0yR0&feature=relmfu) by Russkafin Created from scenes from Tim Burton's Batman films and Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, among other sources.  It was followed by a not as good second trailer a couple of years later (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwBblTwtFFc).  I would have loved to see this movie get made back in the ninties.  Other Superman/Batman trailers have come along some good and some bad, but this remains the greatest.  

4.  Pokemon! Party Rock Parody http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOQI-YHwvyU by ScreenTeamShow a parody of LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem and one of ScreenTeam's many awesome "Geekodies" of which it was hard to pick just one.  See Donkey Kong Song (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6BMmJVzQIU&list=PL936D49D56E7ABD1D&index=28&feature=plpp_video) and Take a Nerdy Picture for Me (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBBJAk-egYU&list=PL936D49D56E7ABD1D&index=30) among others.  

3.  Scary Smash (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef2wnLL1s00) by Geek and Sundry.  The first episode of Written By a Kid (probably the only show on Geek and Sundry I like more than Tabletop), Scary Smash is intersecting scenes of a Kid telling a story and that story being brought to life I professional movie makers.  There have been other great - and a few meh - episodes of WBAK, but this one is still my favorite.  Also, best thing Dave Foley has done in years...

2.  The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WgT9gy4zQA) by (I think) AlbinoBlackSheep (which is the feed I got it from). My good friend @batchickcrazy introduced me to this a few years ago and it has had a semi-regular viewing ever since.  Godzilla, Batman, Chuck Norris, Abe Lincoln, its got everybody.  

1.  Grayson (http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_594699&feature=iv&src_vid=XiZuvJ48MZ0&v=QQyfQ7RMOXs) by Untamed Cinema (untamedc).  Aw, Grayson.  Where to begin.  The only Batman movie to even come close to standing up next to the Tim Burton/Michael Keaton films.  I would way more rather see this than any of the Dark Knight trilogy.  It makes me a little sad every time I watch it, cause it isn't real.  DC and WB, just let him make it for realzies.  It will be awesome.   Unless you've read the script.  Then it kinda sucks.  Don't read the script, only the trailer, just the trailer.  Trailer is awesome.  

So there you have them...my Top Ten YouTube Videos of the Moment.  Hope you enjoy them and give some likes and subscribes.  That's what keeps YouTubers going and their who keeps YouTube great.  

And now I wanna hear from you, what are your favorite YouTube videos?   Do you like or hate my picks?  Leave me a response below or on my twitter @nerdisnewcool.  

Bonus:  Not one of my favorites, but if you're gonna be a nerd blogger, writing a nerd blog about YouTube videos, you have to include Nyan Cat.  'Nuff Said.  

Top Ten...?

So I lost my flashdrive.  Less “lost,” more “misplaced,” and by “misplaced” I mean “lost.”  As in, it’s on the Island with Jack, Kate, and Sawyer.  I think the Smoke Monster may have it.  Which, if you have the Avengers Blu-ray you know, means it’s in SHIELD’s hands now. 

But I digress, the point is, my flashdrive, with my Top Ten list ideas, is MIA – also a lot of other important things like my most up to day resume and my other writings. Long story short (too late), I’m winging it. 

So I need to come up with an idea for a Top Ten, come up with what goes on that Top Ten, and then write it up, proof read it (Why start now?), put it in blogger, and publish.  All by midnight.  No problem, sounds easy, that’s still hours away…   

Three Hours Later

OK, I got nothing.  I have been planning on doing a Top Ten Hottest Nerds list but I have one pretty mapped out on my flashdrive and wouldn’t want to have to start over, plus Top Ten Hottest needs pics and I’m a little scared of getting sued for using somebody else’s copyrighted images for that so I’m still working on the logistics there but hey, stay tuned.  It’ll happen. 

Also, I’m still on the whole Countdown to Halloween thing (10 Days to Go!), and that isn’t exactly a Halloween themed Top Ten.  I’d need something more like the Top Ten Goriest Slasher Movie Deaths or the Top Ten Most Ironic Horror Movie Deaths.  Oh, or maybe the Top Ten Best Horror Movie Nude Scenes do a little homage to Joe Bob Briggs and the breast count from his Drive-In Movie Reviews.  But no my mom reads this and I can’t go be talking about Boobies and Booties (unless that has something to do with pirates). 

I could to my Top Ten Favorite Scooby-Doo Episodes or the Top Ten Looney Tunes Cartoon Shorts – of the monster ones of course – but with my last list being Halloween Cartoons, that might be a little too soon. 

I’ve also thought about doing a Top Ten Greatest Horror Comics list, but I just can’t bring myself to do it, I haven’t read enough of the ones that really need to make it to do the list justice – I’ve read very little Warren (Creepy, Eerie, etc.) and even less EC (Tales from the Crypt et al).  Kinda related, but less Halloweenie, I could do a Top Ten Comics That Should Be Made Into Movies But Won’t Be – definitely have to work on the title for that one – I’m sure it would have several horror titles on it but still one Halloween enough. 

More on subject would be a Top Ten Reasons Allison Scagliotti Should Play Cassie Hack (#AllisonScag4Cassie).  But other than she’s awesome I can’t think of anything off hand. 

So, I just don’t know.  Guess I’ll just get started on my old stand by…The Top Ten Reasons I Didn’t Write My Blog This Week…

But in the mean time, I wanna know what Top Ten lists you want me to write, either from the list above or just from out in the ether. Leave a comment below or on my twitter page @nerdisnewcool. 

Also, because as said before, she's awesome, you can follow Allison Scagliotti on twitter at @allisonscag

Nerd Is the New Cool, signing off.  

The Summer of the Nerd

I’ve always been a nerd… I think.  I might be a geek instead.  I’ve recently discovered that either I don’t know the difference or there isn’t one. 

I’ve seen stuff online that basically says a geek is a high functioning nerd.  A nerd is an obsessed, intelligent, socially awkward person and a geek an obsessed, intelligent, not socially awkward person.  On the other hand, I’ve heard a geek is a more socially awkward, less intelligent nerd, or that a geek’s intelligence is limited to technology.  I’ve also read that a geek is obsessed with multiple things “nerdy” and a nerd with only one or two specific things, but I’ve also read the exact opposite of that two. 

Regardless, I identify myself as a nerd, mostly because I’ve always identified myself that way. 

My nerdy obsessions have always been limited to a couple of areas (comic books, horror and sci-fi movies, some cult TV shows) and I’ve never gotten into many others (video games and the whole gaming community have always been outside my area – I got an NES back when it was still cool, but my most recent game system purchase was a GameCube and when I bought it Wii, PS3, and X-Box 360 had all been around for a while). 

This summer though, I’ve been starting to expand my geekdom and nerd culture.  So, this week on Nerd Is the New Cool, I’m showcasing my Top Ten New Nerd Obsessions (in no particular order)

Conan the Barbarian

This one may be a little further back than “summer” but I recently started reading a collection of Robert E. Howard’s Conan short stories, and it has dominated my kindle ever since.  My current Conan obsession stems out of my long standing Lovecraft/Cthulhu obsession and this as a whole works well with my other new obsessions below. 

YouTube

Aw, YouTube, how have I lived without you?  Ok, that’s not true.  I have been watching YouTube for awhile now: Candy Mountain Charlie, The Guild, and Bite Me have long been in my browser history, but only recently did I truly become a YouTube junky.  Blame ScreenTeam’s Pokémon/Party Rock video.  I found it one night while watching the Party Rock music video, 6 hours later, I’d watched a ton of ScreenTeam and Black Nerd videos, plus discoved Felicia Day’s Geek and Sundry channel.  Now such nerd worthy names as Katie Wilson and Lisa Foiles have joined the ranks of my YouTube subscriptions. 

And speaking of Geek and Sundry…

TableTop

Wil Wheaton’s YouTube show about tabletop gaming has led to a number of purchase from Hastings, Barnes and Nobles, and Amazon, and a very long Amazon Wishlist to boot.  I have now watched every episode of the show and plan on continuing into the future.  Anyone needing birthday or Christmas gift ideas for me should check out the show, I want basically everything they’ve played plus more…Settlers of Catan and Munchkin are my top two wants.  I have bought both Zombie Dices and Star Munchkin and have played them both dozens of times already. 

Dungeons and Dragons

Also, brought on by TableTop, D&D is the quid-essential tabletop game.  Though a nerd/geek classic, I never played it largely due to its bad rap as a “satanic” game that leads to murder, witchcraft, and suicide, rumors that in recent years have largely faded way. 

I’ve recently purchased the basic set, the “Red Box,” and have downloaded a couple of adventures/modules off the internet.  My wife and I have both played the solo adventure from the Red Box and have a few friends – all also D&D virgins – lined up for our first campaign. 

World of Warcraft

Talking about (tabletop) gaming naturally lead to talking about video gaming.  Several of my friends play WOW, but it was one of my wife’s coworkers who, calling me out on not playing, got me too start.  I’m not sure what I think of the game, it isn’t the funnest thing I’ve ever played but it is good, mindless entertainment.  I downloaded the free version and my wife upped me to the “battlechest” – the basic game and first two expansions. 

Hot Nerds/Geeks

Ok, I’ve always been obsessed with hot girls, and geekiness is hot.  But this summer I’ve discovered some truly hot nerds.   ScreenTeam’s Angie Griffin, Lisa Foiles, Katie Wilson, Katrina “ActionFlickChick” Hill.  Yet, one more reason I’ve become a YouTube junky. 

Twitter

Is Twitter still nerdy? I’m not sure, but I’m more into twitter than I ever was facebook, probably because facebook is all funny cat pics (funny since YouTube is largely funny cat videos). 

Game of Thrones

This is another one of those, I’m not sures.  We rented the first two episodes and now I want to see the rest of the first season, but I’m not sure I like it.  I haven’t finished watching it yet so we’ll see.  I’ll let you know. 

The Summer of Valiant

Yes, I know, I said I was already into comics, but it had been months since I picked up a new issue before this came out.  It was my dad who started getting Valiant, both the classic 90s version and this new one.  I’m also picking up Hit Girl and Before Watchmen but so far I’m not impressed with either of them. 

So, last time I ended up with about 20 on my top ten list, so to balance out the universe I looks like I’m going to stop at 9.  I’d like to say this was intentional symmetry on my part but I’m just hard up to think of a 10^th entry.  Oh well and Say “La V.”

Now, I wanna see your nerd obsessions both old and new (or even your take on the nerd and geek definitions).  Let me know in the comments below or on my twitter page @nerdisnewcool. 

Nerd Is the New Cool, signing off.