ThePowerGeeks.com

We are LIVE on Ustream!!! Tonight we talk Star Wars 3D, Blonde Bimbos in Geekland, Minority Report Technology in real life, and Natali even slips in some Chinese conspiracy theories….

Intro Natali, Queen of Junkpunch,
Intro Queen of Jerkfaces, Kristin

(iKDR – does that mean that I am at the head of all the jerkfaces, like an army of them? are they my minions? does that then make me a jerkface? )

Items of Interest

• U Can B R2 2 (udg)

• • As most of you may know, Artoo was played by 3 foot 8 Kenny Baker.
  • Now you don’t have to let your height keep you from kickin’ it as our favorite lil droid.
  • YouTube user dmalford1 shows us the result of converting an old plastic bucket into the lovable R2, complete with internal cooling fans, LED, a rotating dome and even the appropriate bleeping, blooping Artoo sounds.
  • I don’t care who you are, it’s just freakin awesome.
  • (SM) this beats slave leia and comes close to cross-play Han

• My Next Piece of Bling (udg)

• • Spy chic that is actually useful.
  • $27.95, available in gold or silver
  • Find yourself in a dangerous situation? Mugger, angry ninjas, stalker? Use your thumb to release the safety latch and hello face full of pepper spray.
  • *Most likely not effective in Zombie attack and I will most likely end up accidentally shooting myself in my own face thereby making it easier for said stalker. (iKDR effective back up plan, throat punch!)
  • DO WANT (iKDR)

• IPod Neenja, We’ll buy 10 thank you!
  • Yep, it’s out, an IPod Nano that looks like ninja throwing stars
  • That way, if your friends don’t like your music selection, you can let them know how you feel about it.
  • Of course its a spook but, HAHAHAHAH! I want!

• Logan’s Run Lego Diorama
  • This thing is HUUUGE and it has all sorts of scenes from the movie set up in it
  • I <3 Lego Diorama’s. Some of the best I ever saw was at Celeb II, They did a giant forest endor, ewoks and all, and the geonosis arena scene….

Gold Sponsors:

UberDorkCafe

• Will be THE place for Geeks to hang out
• What is UberDorkCafe? It is the brain child and DREAM of Natali, aka @UberDorkGirlie from twitter, and it blends art + science = geek
• Place to hang, eat, have awesome kid parties (if thats your thing), or to get your gaming on
• Woookie Coookies – a piece of UDC before there is even a physical cafe
• first Piece revealed and accompanying t-shirt @hefnatron
• Ellen campaign!!

NYCC (iKdr)

• During the convention, we will all be busy waiting in lines, getting autographs, attending panels, waiting for bathrooms, and squeeeing over all that is awesome that time to meet those you have been friends with online and across the globe often takes a serious back seat. This Tweet-Up will be the perfect opportunity to hang out with friends you have made online and hopefully make some new friends.
• WHEN: Friday, October 8th @ 8:30 pm
• WHERE: Stitch Bar & Lounge 247 West 37th Street
• EPIC MUSIC: Kirby Krackle
• There is more to come so RSVP to the FB Events Page!
• GGN is looking for event sponsors. For more information on sponsoring this epic event, please email info@geekgirlsnetwork.com.
• *ThinkGeek Wampa Rug Giveaway!!!

• Today in Geek History
  • JebApps (owned by our own Jeremy Puent) released their latest app, Today in Geek History
  • Gives you factoids based upon date, spanning all sorts of geekiness
  • For example, did you know on August 29, 1982 – Meitnerium, atomic number 109, is first synthesized in Darmstadt, Germany.
  • This app is available for Android in a Lite version for free or a paid version, all on the Marketplace
  • Check out the lite version, but the paid version for .99
  • Also, Golden Pic and Golden Pic Lite for Android devices is on sale until Sept. 30

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• New DVD Releases
  • Robin Hood (not men in tights)
  • IRON MAN 2!!!
  • Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (Darkseid, need I say anymore?)
  • The Thin Red Line (Blu-Ray): A harrowing tale of Iwo Jima
  • Suck: A comedy centered on a rock’n’roll band that will do anything to become famous

• Please I can for to have the Iron Man?? *bat eyelashes* (udg)

• • I now declare Geek Chic Daily as having the bestest giveaways EVER. What are they giving away  now? Oh…. only a life size Iron Man.
  • Yup that’s right. As seen on display at the premiere of IRON MAN 2, the limited edition statue of ol’ Shell Head from the artists at Hollywood Artifactory stands over 7 feet tall on its base and has light-up eyes, palm and chest. Need an army of Iron Men?  ’Clean’ and ‘Battle Damage’ versions are also available for $3,999.95 each.
  • Ok, if you win, you gotta at least let me huggle him. I’ll be gentle. Ish.

Geek Speak

Star Wars in 3D

• Yup, you heard it right. Lucas is bringing all 6 of his most popular creations in 3-D to a theater near you
• TPM will launch in 2012 and then it will follow at 1 a year, that’s how long it takes for conversion to happen
• Most movie conversions have been utter failures for quality so it will be interesting to see if LucasFilms will break the paradigm
• It’s all over the place on the web… Discuss!
• (SM) Jar Jar in 3D – PPL will die (iKDR – i died just hearing that)

• How To Look Like An Ass in 5 Easy Steps (udg)

• • Where do women go looking for tips on how to land a geek in just 5 easy steps? Well AMD’s blog of course. I mean it makes perfect sense, right? No? Hmmm.. Well their Corporate VP of Product Marketing Leslie Sobon aparantly thought so.
  • I’m going to do something I don’t normally do on here- I’m gonna read you the whole article. Yup. It’s not long but it is painful. Buckle up and please try to remain seated until the ride comes to a full and complete stop. If you are anything like me, cover your right eye now because in approximately 10 seconds it’s going to begin to twitch like a motha trucker.
  • (article)
  • The comments back on this are just as eyetwitch inducing! Not only are there some that loved it, there are some geek guys that flat out said they didn’t want geek girls. They wanted chicks that were NOT geeky at all. *pout*
  • Me being me, I felt the need to post my retort. I did take a deep breath and delete my initial response of “Dear Bitch, Get a clue.” Instead I mustered the following:

“I tried to read this objectively. I tried to assume  you meant this as a joke that went really, really wrong.  The fact of the matter is as the Corporate VP of any type of MARKETING means you should know better.
There are a lot of comments telling you to ignore the negative comments. Being negative just to be negative without a point is unnecessary and by all means ignore those. I highly encourage you to take to heart though the fact that this just did NOT work at all. On any level.  I’m sure as a the Corporate VP of Marketing you do realize that the theory of “you got a reaction so good for you, that means people are reading you” is not always a good thing. This is one of those cases.
Someone not getting the “punchline” doesn’t mean that they are “not with the program” or need to “lighten up.” This article is insulting to geek guys, geek girls, women in general… need I go on? Though perhaps I don’t count because I happen to be a female geek who doesn’t live in the 1950′s, thinks geek guys are sexy as is and do not need to be packaged as an easy target if you bat your eyelashes and pretend to be interested and can also hip you on any of the NFL rules out there.
Bottom line- you managed to drive a pretty insulting blow to your target market. One that was certainly not funny and, to be frank, not even original.
I commend you for being a female and working in the tech industry. I give you kudos for using your voice, however wrong I think it may be in this instance, and putting it out there.  I only hope in the future you will think twice and use those both for a better purpose. “

• • I am proud to announce I further fought the urge to add “P.S. Fuck you” cuz I’m classy like that.
  • **Still awaiting moderation, yet others have been put through since??

• (SM) W.T.F.
• (iKDR rant time) AND…to make these ignorant generalizations about geek guys is so angering, not to mention the fact that her & her apparent audience are retarded bimbos.
  • “Ask questions. You don’t really have to understand what these questions mean..” I’d hope that our geek guys would know better than to get excited over a fakey conversation from someone’s who’s not only not really interested in anything that their about, but also only wants them for their computer fixing skills.
  • Heads Up Leslie, not all geeks know how to fix computers! Biotchole.
  • And geeks are passionate and knowledgable about many different aspects of culture, including sports!
  • So what… did she think that one IT guy at her job was cute, have a five second convo with him at the coffee machine, and then think I know “geeks” and should let everyone else know what I have discovered!?!
  • Boo to you Leslie. Stick to writing stuff you know about, like ice cream and The Hills or whatever the eff it is that you do know.

Biometrics are coming, how much is too much? (scary article)

• Leon Mexico Adopts Iris Scan Biometrics
  • City of 1 million ppl to adopt widespread iris and face scanning tech
  • Plan to erect large arches that can pick up 40 ppl per minute and identify them with IR scans
  • Sound like Sci-Fi? not so fast, this is in commercial production
  • Law enforcement first for security checkpoints
  • Commercial to come second with banks leading the charge with private companies next
  • Fingerprints only contain a few dozen identification points, Irises can contain 2000
  • Masks and sunglasses don’t deter either
  • Scariest part? They are endeavoring to make giant DB’s to help track movement of “watch-listed individuals”
  • Jeff Carter, CBO for GRI (the scanner maker) – “…we’ve even worked with three-letter agencies on technology that can capture 30-plus feet away. In certain spaces, eventually, you’ll be able to have maybe one sensor the size of a dime, in the ceiling, and it would acquire all of our irises in motion, at a distance, hundreds–probably thousands as computer power continues to increase–at a time.…If you’ve been convicted of a crime, in essence, this will act as a digital scarlet letter. If you’re a known shoplifter, for example, you won’t be able to go into a store without being flagged. For others, boarding a plane will be impossible.”
  • Passive vs. Active choice?
  • Opt-in vs. Opt-out?
  • Hello Minority Report!! (udg)
  • (iKDR) I want to be able to use my eyeballs to open up doors like the future was supposed to be. Also, can we get our own personal iris scanners so we as a way to avoid the crazy pants on blind dates? (as per last week’s discussion)

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• The hobbits are unionizing, asking for more beer (SM)
  • Del Toro has left the building and already there is more unrest
  • Apparently the Australia Actors union along with the Kiwi actors want to unionize and is squeezing MGM / Newline/Peter Jackson and his production company to be the first
  • Already SAG is getting in and advising actors not to work on the non-union production, essentially a “Do Not Work Order”
  • Jackson is threatening to move production to Europe
  • What this comes down to? There’s a pile of green and everybody is quibbling over it
  • (iKDR) Excerpt from my wall post about this article, hilarities courtesy of Steven Wesson:
    • Everyone would expect the Elves or Dwarves but no one expects harry foot Hobbits being pro Union until they strike and then it is all over
    • Third Lunch meetings and such

• Facebook Founder Ponies Up for Education (udg)

• • I will be the first to come forward and fuss about FB’s blatant mishaps/disregard in the privacy department. But Facebook Inc. chief Mark Zuckerberg, who at 26 happens to be the 35th richest American according to Forbes, has stepped up to donate $100 MILLION to assist schools in Newark.
  • Zuckerberg discussed the education project last Friday on the Oprah Winfrey show, the same day two films debuted: “The Social Network,” which opens the New York Film Festival, and “Waiting for Superman,” a documentary by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim about the crisis in public education.
  • “I’m putting some of my Facebook stock into a foundation,” Zuckerberg explained at a news conference Friday. “The foundation will then sell it off to raise cash, and then the cash will be used to fund the project, and the plan that the governor and the mayor are putting together, contingent on getting the results that we want to get and on getting the matching $100 million as well.”
  • You could speculate that the timing of the donation with the opening of The Social Network, which portrays the life of Zuckerberg less than favorably was a publicity ploy.  You know what?  It doesn’t matter. Even if it was, it’s going to an excellent cause. So, kudos to Mark. You have a free “get out of junkpuch free card” from me.
  • If you are in the Newark area- Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s start-up Square has set up a website for people to donate to the effort.  If you aren’t, I HIGHLY encourage you to find a similar cause in your area and donate or get involved.
  • If you have not read or heard about “Waiting for Superman”, please visit http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/ and take the pledge. Our public educational system is failing our youth. Period. To sit by and watch it just continue to happen is wrong. Be part of the solution folks.

• Netflix CEO: Opens Mouth.. Inserts Foot (iKDR)
  • Americans are paying $1+ more ($7.76 vs. $8.99) for Netflix Streaming
  • Commented to “The Hollywood Reporter” when asked: “How much has it been your experience that Americans follow what happens in the world? It’s something we’ll monitor but Americans are somewhat self-absorbed”
  • Has since apologized calling the quote “a joke”
  • The facts? Americans get 1 checked out DVD with that plan, Canadians have less of a selection when it comes to their streaming options
  • Other than the stupid quote, sounds like a non-issue
  • It’s important to note that the movie selection in Canada is slightly different due to licensing.  Also, Canadians don’t have the option of receiving DVDs by mail with their Netflix subscription.  But given the fact that Netflix dropped new DVD releases in favor of greater streaming, it still seems that the U.S.’s northern neighbors might be getting a bit better deal.

• All Your Intarwebs Belongs To Us (udg)

• • The US wants to wiretap the internets.
  • A bill that the Obama administration plans to submit sometime next year would require all communication services, even smart phones, Facebook and Skype, to be “technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order,” including “being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.”
  • Because of the shift from solely computers to communicate via the internet, federal officials claim this has caused an “erosion of their investigative powers.”
  • The FBI doesn’t view the proposed bill as an expansion of authority, but more as keeping up with expanding technology and avenues of communication
  • Many departments are in agreement something needs to be done to provide a solution for the dwindling surveillance but there is still many important facets of the proposed plan that are lacking in detail.
  • Some of the proposal’s likely requirements include:

• Communications services that encrypt messages must have a way to unscramble them.
• Foreign-based providers that do business inside the United States must install a domestic office capable of performing intercepts.
• Developers of software that enables peer-to-peer communication must redesign their service to allow interception.

• • Privacy isn’t the only concern here. Columbia University computer science professor Steven M. Bellovin, suggests that if communications technology is legally required to contain backdoors for government surveillance, hackers would have no problem finding and exploiting said backdoors.
  • If the bill is passed, one begins to wonder if more and more people will turn to software generally associated with protecting one’s identify in the peer-to-peer world with programs widely associated with blocking one’s own identity in regards to software piracy, and if those programs can even withstand government interference.

• • (iKDR) as far as I’m concerned, Facebook and Google Adsense has pretty much already “wire-tapped” my intarwebz, so looks like the Gov’t is just on the short bus of this over taking

• Google Voice Coming IPhone (SM)
  • After over a year of total limbo, there is indirect confirmation that this is on the way
  • It only took an FCC inquiry and then another 6 months
  • Only Apple explanation this whole time “duplicated functionality”
  • Both Apple and Google won’t confirm but TechCrunch (now owned by AOL) is claiming it as gospel

• Largest Simulated Cyber Attack To Date (aka We See You China!!) (udg)

• • In order to test the National Cyber Incident Response Plan and the new National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center, the Dept Homeland Security will hold the largest simulated cyber attack to date.
  • Named CyberStorm III, it began yesterday and will last 3-4 days depending on the response to the “attack.”
  • A complex but dynamic scenario that will be changing according to the various actions and decisions the players should provide a realistic assessment of the defensive capabilities that federal departments, intelligence agencies, private sector companies, various states and international partners can mobilize in the time of need.
  • “The point of an exercise like this is to lay yourself bare a little bit and get to the point where you break certain things,” Brett Lambo, Director of DHS’s Cyber Security division revealed to InformationWeek.
  • Another goal of this exercise is to see if the government and the private sector (especially those companies that manage critical infrastructure) can work together towards the common goal of keeping systems running.
  • Cyber Storm III participants, located in their real-world offices, will be receiving information and tools from the Secret Service headquarters. The information will be including fake log data and event history, and the tools might take form of drives infected with malware. Of course, many details about the exercise must remain secret until the very end, so that the players don’t form any expectations about its course.
  • The scenario has been developed to reflect the various possibilities and evolving threats that characterize today’s cyber world. According to Lambo, the threats will not affect only uptime but also integrity. “We’re trying to upset the chain of trust. We’re basically using the Internet against itself,” he said.
  • Is it wrong that I totally want to be a part of this??
  • (iKDR) yes yes, where do we sign up??

• Cell Phone News (iKDR)
  • Windows Phone 7 Will Not Support Tethering
    • ix-nay on the ether-tay, according to M$ probably because they are beholden to the carriers to make their handset.
    • IPhone initially didn’t have tethering either (or copy and paste which will be another feature WP7 won’t provide)
    • We’ll see once pressure mounts from the hardcores
    • and despite all this disappointing news, the Android phones are still full of win
  • Verizon Confirms Death of Unlimited Data Plan
    • Come on Verizon, I thought you were better than that!
    • AT&T was first, and we predicted here that the other major carriers would follow suit
    • Verizon Communications Officer “expects to soon start charging wireless customers based on their Internet data usage and introduce new plans with limits.” according to a Wall Street Journal Report
    • No specifics yet, but if you want unlimited $30 better get it now
    • in brief, dammit

• Microsoft moving ppl from Live to WordPress.com (SM)
  • M$ opens a blogging site Windows Live Spaces
  • FF to 2010, M$ admits they don’t want to compete
  • Hands Automattic, company behind WordPress.com, all their customers
  • 26 million customers use WordPress.com and 8.5% of web use WordPress
  • Current customers have 6 mo’s to migrate

Intarweb Goldmine

• Woman Fends Bear off with Vegetable (SM)
  • Midnight comes, you let your dogs out, and there’s a 200 lb bear at your door.. what do you do?
  • (why you grab the nearest zuchinni and start pounding) (iKDR thats what she said!!!)
  • Thats what This lady in Montana did
  • She opened the door, there was a bear 25 yds away, dogs ran at it, it chomped dogs, then muscled his way halfway through door and then she assaulted it with a large vegetable, it fled
  • I guess he didn’t want to listen to his mommy and eat his veggies
  • (iKDR) What’s the lesson here? Trying out a few…
    • Vegetables are dangerous!!! Run Away!!
    • Don’t mess with a woman and her zucchini
    • Bears and my cousin Jeff don’t like zucchinies
    • Stock in your local farmers market just went way up

• United Nations Appoints Official First Contact For Aliens. The Lil Green Kind.

• • IF Little green men land on Earth and demand: “Take us to your leader”, they’ll be brought straight to … Mazian Othman.
  • The little-known Malaysian astrophysicist, 58, has been appointed official “First Contact” for aliens by the United Nations. (iKDR – This is bullshit! I didnt get to vote on this. grrr)
  • She currently heads the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. And she is set to tell a conference next week that Earth has to prepare a response to any extraterrestrial tourists.
  • The UK Space Agency’s Professor Richard Crowther said: “Othman is absolutely the nearest thing we have to a ‘take me to your leader’ person.”
  • St Andrews Uni astronomer Martin Dominik added: “Any encounter with alien life would have major consequences and scientists cannot take political responsibility, so we need the UN to take the lead.”
  • As of last night, the aliens were not available for comment.

• MacGyver MD- Baby saved by Ziplock Bag (udg)

• • Born 14 weeks early and weighing only 14 oz., Lexi Lacey owes her life to some MacGyver inspired
  • doctors and a sandwich bag.
  • Lexi was so small at birth that even the tiniest insulating jacket was too big, but she fit into a plastic sandwich bag nicely. (iKDR mmmm delicious. is it appropriate to make all my dead babies jokes here? no? okay, fine)
  • ”The doctors told us they had never known a baby born as prematurely as Lexi survive. She was so tiny the only thing they had to keep her body temperature warm was a sandwich bag from the kitchen at Worcestershire Royal Hospital. – it’s incredible to think that saved her life,” says her mom.
  • Lexi is now 11-week-olds old and weighs 5lbs 6oz
  • (iKDR) Report From the Future: Lexi Lacey owns the most famous sandwich shop in North America, has her own reality show, and incidentally doesn’t actually prefer sandwiches)

• Facebook replacing Real News Outlets, First Submission – Abu Dhabi (iKDR)
  • (also, my house)
  • Seriously.
  • A study by Dubai-based marketing and communications agency Spot On Public Relation has concluded that there are now more people reading their Facebook news feeds that reading actual news in newspapers
  • The study found that there are now more than 15 million people using Facebook. Only 14 million newspapers are sold in the region including Arabic, English and French languages.
  • Facebook is now believed to be the number one method of communication and source for news in the area.
  • The largest number of Facebook users are found in Egypt with 3.5 million, far larger than the biggest newspaper. In the United Arab Emirates, which includes Abu Dhabi, a third of the population had a Facebook profile.