ThePowerGeeks.com » l4d2 http://thepowergeeks.com The Power Geeks Radio Show Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:11:02 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 The Power Geeks #44 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/03/the-power-geeks-44/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/03/the-power-geeks-44/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 03:56:30 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16384 This week on The Power Geeks, we talk about Han Solo Soap, Geek TV Returning, Multi-monitor support, Flash not dead (yet), all this more.
@geekgirls, @jpuent
(JP) AND MMA Fighter + Uber Geeek, FRANK TRIGG IN DA HOUSE
(iKDR) Shout out to listener @KatieDoyle – Happy Birthday today ?

Gold Sponsor:

LuxuryLaneSoap.com of @KyleeLane fame :)

  • 20% off all her store. code = POWERGEEKS
  • HAN SOLO SOAP GIVEAWAY!
  • Post a comment on our FB page about this episode
  • Smarmy remarks welcome
  • We’ll pick a random winner from the comments just prior to next week’s show!

Geek Speak

Geek TV New and Returning? (JP can lead this discussion)
  • V (Returned yesterday) (@PhysicistLisa had a truely different take on the relationship between Ana and Lisa) check Twitter from the 31st if you want to know what she thought!
  • Stargate Universe (returns starting Friday)
  • Survivors (the BBC show we talked about last week Started season 2 this week on a new night Tuesdays)
  • The Big Bang Theory (Did you know Sheldon is a fan of TPG on Facebook!!!!?!?!?!) and “Blossom” will be appearing this week as his GF-iKDR
  • Warehouse 13 will be back this summer too… they started filming a little over a week ago. I can’t wait! Meh-iKDR
  • Fringe !!
    • Listener’s What are you watching that we aren’t talking about and maybe we should be watching?!?!?!

Multi-Monitor Gaming, when will it be widely supported?

  • 6 monitor video card now available commercially
    • (JP) This actually made me drool a little… and of all days… today my monitor died!
  • Key talk points:
    • A lot of game support windowed mode, but this doesn’t take advantage of SLI (2 chips or card working as 1 to generate 1 picture)
    • Full screen is annoying when you have that second monitor there and have to alt-tab just to respond to something in twitter
    • Not enough games support spanning across multiple screens (Id is really good about this, among other select few)
    • LCD monitors have come WAY down in price… compared to the past
Venn Diagram to explain the difference between Nerd, Geek, Dork and Dweeb
Where do you fall?
I am clearly a Geek (JP) me too (iKDR), I am total Nerd (SM)

Deals of the Week / New Releases

  • 20% off the whole store at LuxuryLaneSoap.com. Just enter POWERGEEKS when you go to check out.
    • (SM faves) STAR WARS, Han Solo, Yellow Submarine
  • 20$ off 1 EA game in their store
    • Get BC2 for $30… (Dragon Age, Mass Effect 2, Dante’s Inferno)
    • Only works for 1 game, so choose wisely grasshoppa
    • PAXEAST842 = code
  • Heroes of Newerth Open Beta
    • Defense of the Ancients turned into a full game
    • Surprisingly in-depth PvP gameplay
    • No code needed to get into the now open beta

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

  • MW2 DLC new Maps the Stimulous package hit Xbox 360 Yesterday (JP)
    • It’s 1200 Microsoft points ($15) which is a lot for DLC but totally worth it in my humble opinion
    • It did however cause some pretty big problems for Xbox Live yesterday. I downloaded everything fine. played two maps (new) and then could not connect to the new maps again the rest of the day/night. The group I play with regularly just gave up and went back to Ground War with the regular maps… we’re gonna try again tonight.
    • I ran through a few of them on my own and am excited. Happy to have Overgrown & Crash maps back. Stoked for Salvage; my fav so far out of the new ones

  • Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions to be unveiled at WonderCon (iKDR)

    • Saturday, April 3, Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions will be featured in an afternoon panel hosted by the likes of Marvel writer Dan Slott, Spidey voice actor Christopher Daniel, Activision senior producer Meghan Morgan and creative director Thomas Wilson of developer Beenox Studios

    • takes a new approach to chronicling the webbed hero’s exploits that comes closer to his comic roots

    • “an exciting new universe never before seen in Spider-Man video games,” featuring “unique, unexpected worlds,” and the reveal of two “new” villains

  • Flash to be part of Chrome (SM)
    • Apple says “No”, Google says “Why not?”
    • Google will distribute , update, and consume fully within its browser to better contain security issues
    • Seeing it as a good bridge between HTML5 and H.264 which is coming in future
    • Also looking to improve its browsers by promising resources to the Netscape Plugin API
      • (JP ) is this Google trying to look nice while playing both sides of the fence? they own UTube and are pushing for HTML 5 video on it so what’s really going on? More in the war with Apple using the press to their advantage to look like the good guys while playing both sides?
  • IPad Sells out before launch? (JP)
    • Hundreds of thousands already sold and Apr. 3 isn’t even here yet
    • Best Buy will be your only non-apple seller that will have the device at launch
    • Analysts are predicting 2.5 million – 5 million to be sold this year alone
    • (kindle has sold 3 mill units to date)
    • For those wondering, IPhone still dominates the mobile phone market (but android catching up)
  • Rumor: Verizon to get IPhone (iKDR)
    • The Wall Street Journal is just barely reporting that a CDMA iPhone will be introduced this fall, possibly  September, and that Apple’s exclusive relationship with AT&T “appears set to end.”
    • Reported by “The Apple Blog” – same source as the IPad leak in the WSJ – Yukari Iwatani
    • “Nothing cures network congestion like a million people taking their business elsewhere…”
    • Still threadbare but gaining steam… and a company name.
    • At&T = 3.6 mill subscribers as compared to Verizon = 3.8 mill
    • Facts and rumors sorted
  • Other OS Support Going Away From PS3 (SM)
    • PS3 had the ability in the “Fatty” days to install Linux as a second OS
    • My friend had it, It was nice for web browsing and multimedia sharing
    • Sony took away this option with the “slim” line but maintained support in older models
    • Now, inexplicably, that feature will be totally gone as of April 1, 2010
    • Gone, back up your stuff on that partition because if you update, no access for you
    • SHAZZAM! your data is now bricked  Sony cites “security issues”
Intarweb Goldmine
  • Who put the sexy into little kids video game? (iKDR)
    • Mom of a 9 yr old girl went to Big Lots in Tacoma and thought she was buying an “E”-rated game, which is rated suitable for everyone.
    • Instead of opening a Petz monkey game where kids raise and care for monkeys, her daughter got an eyeful of the T (teen)-rated “Sprung”
    • according to Amazon – Sprung: A Game Where Everyone Scores – meeting, flirting and hooking up as you engage in a risque, daring adventure with sexy singles
  • Airline Attendants pose NUDE after not getting paid (SM)
    • Flight attendants aren’t paid for 9 months
    • Get sick and tired of waiting for their embattled company to pay
    • Pose nude for calendar made inside airplanes
    • thats definitely one w ay to get an execs attention :D
Extra Links

Contact Info

Sponsors

http://luxurylanesoap.com, @KyleeLane, GORGEOUS, IMAGINATIVE, HANDCRAFTED, GEEKY Soap
  • Can I say any more superlatives? You will love her products.
  • (We Do! They’re Geekalicious! but don’t eat them… they are SOAP!)
]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/03/the-power-geeks-44/feed/ 2 The Power Geeks #40 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/03/the-power-geeks-40/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/03/the-power-geeks-40/#comments Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:53:12 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16351 This week we talk about PSN snafu’s, BBC cutting Internet content, Facebook making Beeellions, and Netflix on your Iphone? all this and more on this weeks show.
my friend @jeremylyons found that the #8 app in the top free apps is an animated “sex position game”. sheesh, i guess animated is okay. And here’s my official cheap plug for my new tweep @girlfromcanada (iKDR)
Official planning a TweetUp during the San Diego ComicCon: Check out the FB Event Page, details on the way :)
SM – Happy B-Day JP!!!!!

Deals of the Week / New Releases

  • Background Music for YOUR Life (iKDR)
    • The Personal Soundtrack Shirt from ThinkGeek is an amazing new wearable audio solution that features a working speaker embedded into the front of the shirt. When you push the appropriate button on the pocketable remote you get music or sound effects appropriate for any situation
    • as seen on BIG BANG THEORY!
  • Supreme Commander 2 Demo Hits Steam
    • The current iteration of a beloved classic (Total Annihilation) is on its second iteration.
    • Better emphasis on fluidity and performance, instead of total eye candy
    • TA literally made me quit the original Starcraft
  • New DVD Releases (iKDR)
    • Neverending Story, Clash of the Titans, 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Where the Wild Things Are, 2012,(JP – The Hurt Locker came out last week… pick this up!!!)

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

  • M$ Taking off Gloves against Google (SM)
    • Came out on blog stating that the whole impetus for yahoo deal was Google.
    • “we are concerned about Google business practices that tend to lock in publishers and advertisers and make it harder for Microsoft to gain search volume.”
    • “Microsoft would obviously be among the first to say that leading firms should not be punished for their success,” Heiner wrote,”Our concerns relate only to Google practices that tend to lock in business partners and content (like Google Books) and exclude competitors, thereby undermining competition more broadly.”
    • Their argument? Sheer scale makes Google anti-competitive (pot meet kettle? – now that’s what I was saying the whole time I read through this)
    • Lawsuit by Apple against HTC, but really aimed at Google
  • PSN Locked out for Older Consoles (JP)
    • People with non-Slim PS3′s were reporting that they couldn’t play online, and select offline, games
    • Error: 8001050F would not allow them to connect to PSN
    • The temporary fix? don’t turn on your console  (how on Earth would this qualify as either a fix or a workaround?? Epic Fail- JP)
    • Now its back, after 24, everything is back to normal, serverside fix for clock problem
    • Heavy Rain just released and users reporting issues – release day patch was a dud
  • Portal Sequel Hinted (SM)
    • Mysterious patch d/led off STEAM with patch note: “changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations.”
    • 26 radios around the levels that give off different clues from morse code to formulas
    • Consensus seems to point towards the antagonist GlaDos having transmitted herself outside of the Aperture science facility, which means a possible sequel
    • (SM: Literally a 474 page forum thread over on STEAM about this very thing)
  • BBC Makes Deep Cuts in Internet Department (kdr)
    • The Conservatives are up in arms that the massive amounts of free online content make it harder for smaller retailers to compete
    • BBC is citing cost-cutting measures and ways to “focus” licensing fees
    • “The point of the reductions is not to diminish the service we offer to the public, but rather to focus the license fee and the creative energy of the BBC on delivering the highest quality and the maximum public value.”
    • Real impetus involves an upcoming election, and the newspapers and magazines grousing about investment in that new fangled “Intarweb”
    • (SM) Should a company change its business model just so that others don’t have to change theirs?
    • some are predicting this to backfire as it might not be enough to placate those up in arms.
  • Steam heading to MAC (JP)
    • Steam is coming to Mac. Not just Steam, though. Judging by these awesome teasers released by Valve, so are Half-Life, Portal, Team Fortress 2 AND Left 4 Dead
  • Facebook on Track for $1BB in Revenue (SM)
    • Made $700MM last year, on track to whomp that figure this year
    • Their virtual currency still in beta phase and has only reaped a lowly $10MM
    • Whats Facebook’s secret? (Kristin and then JP)
      • (iKDR) with features like virtual farming and finding my pimp name, FB is an obvious win LOL
      • FB transends generations – promotes community building thru groups and fan pages, allow people of all ages to stay in touch with friends and family and reconnect with classmates and collegues, provides fun and addictive gaming platforms, real time news sources, etc.
        • (JP) I think this is not just generation related but user type related, power user, gossip, gamer… there is enough here and it doesn’t lock you into a certain way to use it… keep up w/ friends, play games with them, etc… it’s up to you
        • I actually know some friends with more than one account for different types of interactions ( a family account, a friend account, and a professional account – although they admit that one is going dead as most of it is being done on Linkd in now)
        • I think it’s great they have been able to monetize it like this too… if only Twitter could get it in gear and monetize it without hurting the users…
  • Don’t Press F1 in XP (SM)
    • Hole in IE that allows a script to run in the help files after a user presses the help key.
    • Moral of the story? Don’t press F1 when in IE (some sites can prompt you to do it and then the script executes)
    • (SM)Patch forthcoming, yet another reason I run chrome
  • Charlie Miller (Security Expert Pwn2Own Winner repeatedly) says best way to stay secure? Don’t install Flash (JP)

    • In your opinion, which is the safer combination OS + browser to use?

      That’s a good question. Chrome or IE8 on Windows 7 with no Flash installed. There probably isn’t enough difference between the browsers to get worked up about. The main thing is not to install Flash!

      so whether using Chrome or IE he says Win7 with either of these as long as you don’t use flash… you’re pretty safe

    • This guy won the contest each year for several of the last years in a row and is very well known in the industry.

    • The Skinput system beams a keyboard or menu onto the user’s forearm from a projector housed in an armband.

    • An acoustic detector, also in the armband, then calculates which part of the display you want to activate.

    • uses 2 technologies: detect ultralow-frequency sound produced by tapping the skin with a finger, and microchip-sized “pico” projectors now found in some cellphones
  • Netflix hints at an IPhone App (JP)
    • Survey sent out asking if ppl would be interested in watching the same movies on Iphone as they do on other devices
    • The catch? Wi-Fi only
    • Can we say IPad prep?
    • Owner had 185+ video games just lying around in the basement, heard about an old game selling on EBAY for $13,000 and decided to look through his collection
    • The winning game… NTSC Stadium Events which was released in the USA and quickly discontinued
    • (SM) ok, why can’t I get that lucky… seriously? wait, I think I have an extra copy of E.T. for the atari 2600 somewhere. wonder how much that is worth…
    • haha, i have a CD of old Apogee games like Duke Nukem and Commander Keen…whaddya think my chances are of mega bucks??
    • Electricity-generating device that takes fuel and air and turns them into power.
    • Fuel is mixed with oxygen and then a reaction is triggered through an electrolyte layer to create electricity. The actual fuel cells are primarily built with compressed sands. The fuel is interchangeable, although natural gas seems to the fuel of choice currently.
    • Green technology (low emissions) and it has the potential to power an entire home with a box that can fit in your hands.
Intarweb Goldmine
  • Self-Destructing Text Messages (SM)
    • Called TigerText – costs per month and a client on both ends but your text messages will “destruct” based up on rules that you create
    • Can even set up a “destroy on read”
    • Totally named before the Tiger Woods debacle, but he definitely shoulda used this
    • (kdr) If i find this on my partners phone, I’ll just assume… I don’t need to read.
    • dude, if i find this on my geekguy’s phone, it better be about some super top secret alien/conspiracy/indiana jones stuff, or *something clever here*
  • Boy Genius Creates iPhone App (iKDR)  (hahaha.. might wanna change the title.. I was like… I’ve had the Boy Genius App for a long time Boy Genius Report app that is)
    • As 10-year-old Lim Ding Wei blasts alien space ships on a computer screen in his living room, his father Lim Thye Chean looks over his shoulder proudly.
    • The game is the latest in Ding Wei’s repertoire of mobile applications, which include the hit Invader Wars 1 and Doodle Kids that has registered more than half a million downloads since it was posted on the iPhone App Store last year.
  • Man electrocuted after urinating on downed power line (this one is no longer linked) – (JP)
    • While it’s never a good thing to make fun of someones passing… this could be a darwin award winner here…
    • After crashing his car into a power pole he got out to relieve himself and evidently didn’t see the downed power line
      • (or maybe he thought let’s see what happens?)
Extra Links

Contact Info

]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/03/the-power-geeks-40/feed/ 0 The Power Geeks #33 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/01/the-power-geeks-33/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/01/the-power-geeks-33/#comments Thu, 14 Jan 2010 05:13:14 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16293 Intro

Shout out to Listener Shane from MN. thanks for the kind words and keep listening. (JP)

Deal of the Week

  • 2 Amazon Deals: Wii Mature Games for $13 (from @custompcmax: answering @fyrgurl’s question)
  • ThinkGeek having a Sale (up to 83.347225% off)
    • Red Swinlgine Stapler, Spycam Lighters, Crayola Executive Pen, Rubick’s Cube Salt n Pepper Shakers
      • They also have a RED inflatable 20 sided Die!!!! So big it rolls 40 is the tagline!!! (JP)

Geek Speak

Also from CES WebApps coming to your TV from VuDu (JP)

  • Partnering with manufacturers likeMitsubishi, Sanyo, Sharp, & Toshiba
  • Add a streaming Movie service and apps by the hundreds including:
    • Pandora
    • Flickr
    • Picasa
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • AP
    • New York Times
    • Dailymotion
    • Stock Quotes
    • Weather
    • NBC Nightly News

    Also Quick note about the U1 Hybrid we discussed last week which I feel stole the show at CES…  (JP)

    • When you detach the tablet part… the base running windows 7… continues to function as a pc
    • so if you have it attached to a monitor… you’re actually getting 2 for the price of one!

PopBox – another Star from CES (JP)

  • Take Syabas’ Popcorn Hour C-200, the much-loved streamer of choice for AV nerds.
  • Now make it smaller, add Netflix support and a far superior interface,
  • cut the price from $300 to $130. That’s the Popbox.
    • Not the Hackable beast that is the Popcorn Hour… that stays in the lineup
    • This is for normal average everyday joe’s at home!
    • Simple, and cheap! very nice….
Boxee Box – the other white meat at CES (kdr)

  • Boxee was software based on the open source project XBMC (Xbox Media Center)
  • Which streams video to your TV from the Web and other sources
  • Partnered with DLink to create a hardware device to sit “ON TOP OF” your A/V pyramid or stack… (This is important)
    • Keep this in mind when you look at the odd shaped, yet somewhat sleek box  — err boxlike shape…
    • the list of compatible files is comprehensive:

      Video: Adobe Flash 10.1, H.264 (MKV, MOV), VC-1, WMV, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, AVI, Xvid, Divx, PCM/LPCM, VOB

      Audio: MP3, WMA, WAV, AIFF, FLAC, AAC, DTS, Dolby Digital, Ogg Vorbis

      PHOTO: JPEG, TIFF, BMP, PNG   —- Basically you name it you got it…

      • Stream local files from USB HD or SD cards… OR
      • Connect using Ethernet or 802.11N wireless to stream Net content.
      • Very Simple and cool remote also made waves:
      • Looks a lot like an Apple remote on front… but…
      • Flip it over for a full keyboard
3DTV – Do we really want it? (SM)
  • We talked about 3D TV’s channels last week
  • Is this “Novelty” or do we really see a value-add?
  • (JP) Explain all the caveats – different glasses, types of panels, players, scarcity of content
  • “3D ready TV’s” (Plasma vs LCD vs OLED)
  • 3D blu-ray players are forthcoming (PS3 will just need a software update)
  • (SM) Explain TV watching habits
    • Channel surfing, very little dedicated watching, feels Niche and are people willing to pay premium?
  • (kdr) 3D on PS3 – possible okay for watching tv, but will I get migraines from gaming?
    • i feel weird after playing guitar hero for too long (is that just me?) (Nope I have trouble looking at objects after a long session – JP )
    • CNET says no. Although in the future, in addition to the firmware update, gamers will need to purchase a Sony LH or HX series 3D-capable TV to get everything working correctly

(kdr) also concerned about long term eye strain (speculation)

  • dark polarized glasses coupled with 3D images for 2+ hours could take major toll, how often could the 3D features actually be utilized?
  • plus i dont wanna look like i have a collection of blue blockers
  • Could nasty projector setups become a thing of the past?
  • Special Intel Processor (i5 & i3 suite), special device drivers, special receiver, = voila, instant connect to a screen for your laptop
  • Are there 2 many moving parts and is it too proprietary? How many years before we see this catching on?
  • (kdr) super cool, but I already own a lappy – will they come out with an adapter to enable this feature for my current laptop?
Sixense – 3D Motion Control on PC before the Consoles
  • Microsoft has Natal, Sony has their Wand, both use camera(s), both not released yet
  • the PC has “sixense”, a double wand system that uses electro-magnetic sensors (black tower and 2 wands) (not released yet either)
  • Razer has picked it up and is pimping it, Valve is a premier partner
  • True 1-1
  • But will PC users really want this? (seems like it would be very awkward, from the demo at least -kdr)

Green Gadgets from CES (kdr)

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

Google Not Filtering Chinese Site Anymore (SM)

  • Google has always gone by the saying “Don’t Be Evil”
  • Experts were baffled when in 2006, Google bowed to the Chinese gov’t and filtered their searches
  • They had a choice: stay outside the great firewall of china w/ no filtering, open an office in china and filter
  • They chose to filter with the idea that better performance would lead to more ideas being processed
  • Apparently, Google has about faced and will be unfiltering their searches, which will mean they will need to close their office IN China
  • Attacks on gmail from within China caused the soul-searching
  • Will this change the way other businesses interact with China? (optional, don’t have to get into it if we don’t have time)

(kdr) Facebook wants to fund computer science PhD students

  • FB is offering fellowships to students pursuing PhD-level research in computer science
  • $30,000 stipend for nine months
  • only string attached: is research focus needs to be directly applicable to Facebook

Intarweb Goldmine

  • 9th Annual “Pantless Subway Ride” (SM)
    • Saw this on the news and was thinking Monday when I took the train into the city for meetings… “Thank the lord that wasn’t today!” – JP
  • Santa Fe Wi-Fi Fears Keep Getting Weirder – kdr
    • residents attempted to get all public Wi-Fi hotspots banned stating the APs irritated their supposed “electromagnetic allergies”
    • the group tried to use the Americans With Disabilities Act
    • one member is even trying to sue his neighbor for not turning off his electronic devices & stating this is causing him to be homeless!

Extra Links

Sponsors

Doghouse Systems
- New System – Under $1000 – Still handcrafted with care
DoghouseSystems VS
-Performance in WoW is still great: 40 Frames / sec @ 1920 x 1280
-Don’t forget their laptop which has 2 graphics card built in, the mobius, at a mid-line desktop price
-If you want all the bells and whistles, they can handcraft that too, just call them up during normal business hours, they’ll talk with you, find out your needs, and recommend the system that you need (not the one that costs the most)
-877-DHS-DHS2 (347-3472)
]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/01/the-power-geeks-33/feed/ 2 The Power Geeks #32 http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/01/the-power-geeks-32/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/01/the-power-geeks-32/#comments Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:56:32 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16277 Intro
CES kicked off in Vegas yesterday, but really got underway today… so this week and next we’ll have lots of new gadget and game goodness for you.
So I hear that Kristin hates Jeremy’s guts for beating here in Bejeweled Blitz

Geek Speak

Apple Tablet Rumors Reaching Fever Pitch (SM)

  • Google China’s ex-ceo gets into the act
  • Some reporting its an e-book reader only, others reporting screens from 7″ to 10″, $600 – $1000 price range variant, OLED possibilities, etc., etc., iSlate,
  • CNNMoney.com reports that the Apple tablet may not be the gadget of the future. The problem with hand held tablets – they’re middle-of-the-road devices having better functionality than smaller gadgets but not enough functionality to replace your PC. -kdr
  • Is this just gonna be another Newton disaster?-kdr
  • Textbook possibilities
  • Dual OS plus Dual Function = Hybrid “Ideapad U1 Hybrid”
  • Screen detaches and functions as touch screen tablet type running custom linux
  • then snaps back into case to attach to notebook keyboard and intel processor in base to launch and run windows 7 in seconds
  • click  see this thing run… VERY IMPRESSIVE

HybridTablet

Bryan Singer to Direct X-Men: First Class

  • First off, Do we care? Was the first movie the definitive x-men movie?
  • Bryan’s Filmography (BSG, House, X2, X-Men, Superman Returns (writer), House (producer))
    • Directed- Xmen awesome, Xmen 2 not as awesome (classmates drama a little hokey, kinda annoyed with Jean’s Gray’s drama, Wolverine back story starting)
    • D&W -Superman returns – not my fav, unmemorable story, waaay over the top, Brandon Ruth was perfect Christopher Reeves clone
    • D -Usual Suspects – one of the best movies evar
    • D -The Triangle (tv miniseries) really great and wished it had run longer
  • They’re talking about doing away with the Magneto backstory movie, is that a good thing? (boooo!)
70 Minute Review of How Bad “The Phantom Menace” really was (NSFW- Language)

  • Short reader’s digest version
  • No Identifiable characters, no plot, no charisma, no acting, = bad movie. Period.
  • Best quote’s according to JP
    • I watched this with a team of cheerleaders and they came to one unanimous decision, if I let them stop watching and leave, no one would tell on me.
    • we’ll call them jedi’s too… I mean people call me a murderer even though I’ve never been caught (scream in background)
    • Basement tour to show toys his grandkids leave laying around… you see bones from at least a couple people and a chick tied up to the wall… as he’s just walking around… pointing out stupid Star Wars toys
    • Obviously you’ve never had to suffocate a hooker who’s trying to escape from your crawlspace before..

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

New From EyeFi just announced today… EyeFi Pro X2 8GB card with 6 times the speed (JP)

  • These are fantastic cards with built in WiFi plus they can work at hotspots all over
  • they will upload your pics (and Videos) automagically to your home PC and a photo sharing site of your choosing (they work with a lot)
Amazon Kindle Copyright Hacked: PDF Books Up for Grabs- kdr

  • According to Gaj-it.com, hackers have claimed success in cracking copyright protections on Amazon’s Kindle eReader,
  • eBooks to be exported to other devices.
  • The eBooks will take the form of a pdf file, allowing it to be easily shared around the Kindle community and other file supporting devices.
M$ confirms the Xbox Natal will ship by Holiday 2010 (SM)

  • Previously discussed Project Natal the interactive piece for the Xbox 360 will ship for the holiday season…
  • no date or pricing announced yet
  • That is all
3D Channels Coming for TV (SM)

  • This will be a hodge-podge of Sony, Discovery, and IMAX. Each contributing different things. 24/7/365 3D programming
  • Catch? You’ll need a 3D enabled TV and it won’t be out until 2012
  • ESPN 3D – 80 or so Sporting events in 3D, testbed for ABC, DISNEY – 2010
  • Other new stuff: Samsung just unveiled a 7mm TV (previous was 23mm and record was 8mm by Phillips)
  • Watch out for OLED tech which should hit in prototypes by end of year
  • Current market? Sony has a 9mm

Kick-Ass the movie! – kdr

  • Directed by Matthew Vaughn – previously directed such gems as Layer Cake and Stardust…
  • produced kick ass movies like Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch (two of my favs – JP)
  • KICK-ASS tells the story of average teenager who decides to use his affection for comic books as inspiration to become a real-life superhero. Suited with his super hero name — Kick-Ass — he assembles a costume and gets to work fighting crime. There’s only one problem: Kick-Ass has absolutely no superpowers.
  • April release

Geek-Cycling (geek girls network plug if that’s okay)

  • GGN has prepared a snazzy list of great ways to recycle your old geek-ware including a Mac bed, mother board wall art & more
  • (JP – I have a recycled PCB Business card case, and recycled PCB coasters) :)

Deal of the Week

Intarweb Goldmine

Man Pays 330k Real Dollars for Virtual Space Station

  • I need to design something ridiculous and fake (I mean Virtual) to sell to rich idiots!

Website Kicks “Fatties” Out After Holiday

  • There is actually a site for “beautiful people” only
  • User voted, moderator approved
  • User complaints that ppl (5,000+) were getting fat over the holiday’s so profiles were set back to “applicant” status
  • Most came from the U.S.
  • I, of course, immediately submitted myself to the site because I’m beautiful and I know it :D

Kid literally goes CRAZY when he receives an Xbox360 as a gift – kdr

  • Jeremy literally camped out in 10 BELOW 0 temperature
JPuentCold

who's the wookie next to you?? -kdr

  • I then insisted that the Manager take down and give me one of the Xbox 360 Balloons they had in the Best Buy claiming it was the least he could do:
Me that morning outside Best Buy with my new 360 and my Xbox Balloon... yeah... that's how I roll! ( I promise I DID NOT scream like a girl though!)

Me that morning outside Best Buy with my new 360 and my Xbox Balloon... yeah... that's how I roll! ( I promise I DID NOT scream like a girl though!)

Contact Info

  • On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent and Kristin is @GeekGirls
  • email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com

Sponsors

Doghouse Systems

- New System – Under $1000 – Still handcrafted with care
DoghouseSystems VS
-Performance in WoW is still great: 40 Frames / sec @ 1920 x 1280
-Don’t forget their laptop which has 2 graphics card built in, the mobius, at a mid-line desktop price
-If you want all the bells and whistles, they can handcraft that too, just call them up during normal business hours, they’ll talk with you, find out your needs, and recommend the system that you need (not the one that costs the most)
-877-DHS-DHS2 (347-3472)

Jinx
- Lifestyle apparel for your inner-geek
- Men’s, Women’s, all sizes
- Specific Collections? They got them,
- World of Warcraft – Home is where the hearthstone is, Baby-T = “My other stroller is [Epic]“, Tanks, Your Welcome
- They even have hats – Quest-giver hat
- Stickers, Patches, Pins
- Go online jinx.com or call them @ 1-888-JINX-COM - 888.546.9266

]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2010/01/the-power-geeks-32/feed/ 2 The Power Geeks #27 http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/12/the-power-geeks-27/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/12/the-power-geeks-27/#comments Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:21:34 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16210 Holiday Gift Ideas
Tech

Non-Tech

Goofy
  • Nothing says loving like a marshmallow shooter (Steven)
    • In camo no less. Better than a nerfball gun because YOU CAN EAT THE PROJECTILES IF STARVING!
    • Not guaranteed to ward off Zombies in case of apocalypse, you need a real gun for that.
  • G2 Night vision goggles (Jp)
    • For those that didn’t buy the MW2 Collectors edition
    • Binos
    • Only $60, rig to attach to head not included
  • Phantom Key Stroker (Steven)
    • Attach to victims comp and random caps, garbage, mouse moves will happen….
  • Outlandish
    • Lunar Land (JP)
      • I also have some ocean front property in AZ for sale…. uhhh… you interested?
      • Very much bogus claims about legal rights for lunar land… but why not get an expensive piece of paper…

    ThinkGeek Annoy-a-Tron 2.0 (Steven)

    • For the practical joker in your life…
  • Absolute Must have….. (JP)
    • TaunTaun Sleeping Bag
    • This is very cool, started out as one of Thinkgeek’s April Fools Day jokes… demand for orders was so high… they actually had them made
    • Love the details… Zipper pull is a lightsaber so it looks like you’re slicing it’s belly open!!!

Deal of the Week

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

  • LED and CFL Bulbs Better than Incandescent
    • Yes, there is finally a credible study that proves this theory
    • (steven)wait, hold the presses, didn’t we already pretty much know this?
    • The study included the so-called high manufacturing costs
    • Total lifetime (from manufacturing to disposal) incandescents use 5x more energy
    • Total for manufacturing of the “high-tech” bulbs? 2%
  • Apple owns most and least efficient computers (Steven)
    • according to sustit.net
    • Macbook air and Mini were the best in class
    • Desktops and ultra compact, not so good.
    • IMac was 6th in efficiency
    • Apple Mac Pro desktop is the third least-efficient desktop, costing £107.45 (about US$178.76) per year to power it.
  • Ban Hammer Wielded in MW2 Already (JP)
    • 2,500 ppl got the ban hammer on the PC due to a surge in questionable activity
    • No dedicated server = better monitoring? I still think there are plenty of ways that ppl will cheat
    • no Cheaters!! I’m onboard

Intarweb Goldmine

Contact Info

  • On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent and @FueltheFighter
  • email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com prcole@fuelthefighter.com

Sponsors

Doghouse Systems

- New System – Under $1000 – Still handcrafted with care
DoghouseSystems VS
-Performance in WoW is still great: 40 Frames / sec @ 1920 x 1280
-Don’t forget their laptop which has 2 graphics card built in, the mobius, at a mid-line desktop price
-If you want all the bells and whistles, they can handcraft that too, just call them up during normal business hours, they’ll talk with you, find out your needs, and recommend the system that you need (not the one that costs the most)
-877-DHS-DHS2 (347-3472)

Jinx
- Lifestyle apparel for your inner-geek
- Men’s, Women’s, all sizes
- Specific Collections? They got them,
- World of Warcraft – Home is where the hearthstone is, Baby-T = “My other stroller is [Epic]“, Tanks, Your Welcome
- Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser – selling 1000 of limited T (designed by the kids from their local club) with EVERY Penny going to the charity (JP)
- They even have hats – Quest-giver hat
- Stickers, Patches, Pins
- Go online jinx.com or call them @ 1-888-JINX-COM - 888.546.9266

]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/12/the-power-geeks-27/feed/ 0 The Power Geeks #26 http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/11/the-power-geeks-26/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/11/the-power-geeks-26/#comments Thu, 26 Nov 2009 04:17:56 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16204 Geek-Speak
  • V Talk
    • WTH! March 2010???
    • What will Ryan Nichols tell his girlfriend when the little v is born… (will it go down different than the original)
    • Whats each of your grades so far on the writing and acting?
    • Is it just me or is Father Landry the most interesting char on there?
  • Star Wars Old Republic MMO
    • Takes place 3,500 years before Darth Vader
    • Claims to be Story-based and not just “grinding”, Each character promised a story
    • You will be able to play a Jedi which were prevalent in those times
    • Sith against Republic
    • Bioware creation (same ppl who did baldur’s gate, dragon age: origins, etc) so they are very used to writing epic stories)

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

  • LED Tattoos one step closer to reality!
    • Tiny chips with LED’s mounted on silk screens that can be attached to a power source within the body get inserted under the skin
    • Your skin basically becomes a filter of sorts
    • Will probly be very primitive at first, functional displays to show the blood levels, check on specific nerves, etc
    • Imagine the possibilities once they refine the technique!
  • M$ Tries to buy the News
    • “Traditional News” is in trouble, subs declining, etc.
    • Rupert Murdoch, the president of News Corp., (WSJ, LA Times, NY Times, etc) is looking for alternative income sources
    • Enter Bing. M$ search engine. Not afraid to buy search market share (yahoo search purchase?)
    • Looks to be offering money for News Corp. to delist their sites from Google
    • Won’t be able to buy off all the news out there, but its an interesting twist in the google / M$ battle
  • First Malicious IPhone worm in the wild
    • There have been a few worms out there, but the first malicious worm has surfaced the netherlands
    • Difference between viruses, worms, and trojans
    • Targets Jail-broken Iphones, installs various back doors if you hadn’t changed the default admin pw, and then goes to town on other IPhones on the provider
    • Since jailbreaking involves SSH, it targets only those types of IPhones
    • Fix? Reset it to factory default (non jail-broken)
  • Stuck in motion amazing video technique
    • There are a few semi-inexpensive options 3 new cameras from Casio and a couple from Nikon that start to get up into the semi-pro range…
      • Amazing videos at this site, the technique was discussed in a recent episode of this week in photography and blew me away…
      • These are shot using high speed photography which when played back at regular speed becomes slow motion
      • short clips appear as living moving 3d pictures to your mind
      • The author has some really neat how to notes on his site.
        • I like the part where he says you have to move the camera 10 x’s faster than you think you do, and he admits you’ll look like an idiot
          • But you really can’t argue with the results
          • If you’re looking for something really cool to get the geek in your life… a camera mentioned here might do it!

Holiday Gift Ideas

Deal of the Week

  • Official Atari 2600 Games for FREE!
    • Very cool… when this was announced yesterday the site kept going down it was getting hit so hard… seems to be more stable now…  very fun!
Keep listening for more contests to come.

Look for more contests to come in the future…spread the word… the more listeners we get… the more stuff we can get to giveaway to you guys!

Intarweb Goldmine

  • Lady Loses Benefits over FB Photos
    • Diagnosed with Clinical long-term depression
    • Given disability benefits
    • Insurance company investigated and saw her in a bikini on FB looking happy
    • Stopped giving money…
  • Laptop Steering Wheel Desk. WTH!
    • And here you thought texting and driving was bad…
    • Its a desk that attaches to your steering wheel, so that you can use your laptop in the car
    • See where this can go all wrong? Sure, in the right hands it could be useful, but so are cell phones….
      • I may begin drafting a letter to my congressman to try and make this illegal now before it catches on… it’s just dumb enough to be the next big thing

Contact Info

  • On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent and @FueltheFighter
  • email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com prcole@fuelthefighter.com

Sponsors

Doghouse Systems

- New System – Under $1000 – Still handcrafted with care

-Performance in WoW is still great: 40 Frames / sec @ 1920 x 1280
-Don’t forget their laptop which has 2 graphics card built in, the mobius, at a mid-line desktop price
-If you want all the bells and whistles, they can handcraft that too, just call them up during normal business hours, they’ll talk with you, find out your needs, and recommend the system that you need (not the one that costs the most)
-Use Code “TPG” for free shipping
-877-DHS-DHS2 (347-3472)

Jinx
- Lifestyle apparel for your inner-geek
- Men’s, Women’s, all sizes
- Specific Collections? They got them,
- World of Warcraft – Home is where the hearthstone is, Baby-T = “My other stroller is [Epic]“, Tanks, Your Welcome
- Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser – selling 1000 of limited T (designed by the kids from their local club) with EVERY Penny going to the charity (JP)
- They even have hats – Quest-giver hat
- Stickers, Patches, Pins
- Go online jinx.com or call them @ 1-888-JINX-COM - 888.546.9266

Which version is better, you decide...

Which version is better, you decide...

Don't Make Me Pull My Sword on You To Prove I'm Right...

Don't Make Me Pull My Sword on You To Prove I'm Right...

]]> http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/11/the-power-geeks-26/feed/ 1 The Power Geeks #20 http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/10/the-power-geeks-20/ http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/10/the-power-geeks-20/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2009 03:47:55 +0000 DarthMolen http://thepowergeeks.com/?p=16169 What We Are Playing

Steven – America’s Army 3, Bejeweled Blitz, the usual   (JP – has account merger ? for SM)
JP – No time for games this week. (ok maybe a couple on my iPhone… but nothing new!) But My son got his first tooth today!

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

  • Apple Locking Out Jailbreakers (JP)
    • Apple changing boot rom to block 24kpwn exploit that allows hackers to “unlock” the 3GS
    • “Unlocking” is breaking it open so you can use other app stores besides the one apple uses, and other networks besides AT&T
    • Apple estimates that of the 4 million unlocked phones 38% of them use pirated software
    • First time Apple has ever had to change a boot rom in the middle of production
  • Facebook Now Has 30,000 Servers (SM)
    • Added 20,000 servers in 18 months
    • Guess how many images they store? 80 billion images (20 mil x 4 sizes)
    • Storage isn’t the problem, its delivery w/ 600,000 photos served a second
    • 25 terabytes of log data daily (1000x the mail delivered by USPS)
    • 230 engineers for 300 mill users
    • All of these crazy numbers
    • Farmville reached 60 million users
  • Start your car from your iPhone??? (JP)
      • That’s right there’s an App for that too…. a really crazy expensive one… when you add in the additional hardware and yearly service fees
        • The SmartStart can either be installed separately for $499 or mated to an existing remote starter for $299
          • plus $30/yr service fees, but hey… it can unlock the doors too!
  • Nintendo preparing new handheld (SM)
    • Rumors already rampant, NVidia has won a contract to deliver a big upgraded chipset for the next-gen DS
    • Nintendo TS (Tegra System)
    • Its the same chip that is in the Zune HD
    • Some claim that the new chip will be at least as fast as the Wii but with HD capability
    • The chipset should be backwards compatible with current DS games, whether nintendo supports that or not… (I suspect they’ll not include a DS slot and make u buy the games over again on the DS Store)
    • Should be unveiled late 2010

Geek-Speak

Deal of the Week

    Contest

    We had our final winner in the Triazzle Giveaway last week… but fear not faithful listeners…

    I was contacted today by the developers and Nov 1st they are going to be releasing a special Holiday edition $0.99 but we will have codes to giveaway!!!

    Look for more contests to come in the future…spread the word… the more listeners we get… the more stuff we can get to giveaway to you guys!

    Intarweb Goldmine

      Next Week

      samandmax

      Next week Jeremy will be working on a review of new DLC Game on XboxLive Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space by TellTale Games

      Sticking with our Zombie Theme: Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space pits the Freelance Police against the surreal and supernatural, with the duo facing off against a demon-possessed Santa Claus, gigantic robots, and an emo vampire amassing an army of rave-loving zombies.

      Contact Info

      • On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent and @FueltheFighter
      • email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com prcole@fuelthefighter.com

      Sponsors

      Doghouse Systems

      - New System – Under $1000 – Still handcrafted with care
      DoghouseSystems VS
      -Performance in WoW is still great: 40 Frames / sec @ 1920 x 1280
      -Don’t forget their laptop which has 2 graphics card built in, the mobius, at a mid-line desktop price
      -If you want all the bells and whistles, they can handcraft that too, just call them up during normal business hours, they’ll talk with you, find out your needs, and recommend the system that you need (not the one that costs the most)
      -877-DHS-DHS2 (347-3472)

      Jinx

      - Lifestyle apparel for your inner-geek
      - Men’s, Women’s, all sizes
      - Specific Collections? They got them,
      - World of Warcraft – Home is where the hearthstone is, Baby-T = “My other stroller is [Epic]“, Tanks, Your Welcome
      - New Sticker This week (JP)
      - They even have hats – Quest-giver hat
      - Stickers, Patches, Pins
      - Go online jinx.com or call them @ 1-888-JINX-COM - 888.546.9266

      ]]>       http://thepowergeeks.com/2009/10/the-power-geeks-20/feed/ 1