We are LIVE on Ustream . Tonight we talk all things IPhone, Government oversight issues, new DVDS, and idiots in the intarweb goldmine

Intro Jeremy
Natali is out due to technical difficulties

Items of Interest

• DIY Star Wars Valentines
• Star Wars Job Chart
• Awesome PC Mods

Gold Sponsors:

Natali’s Etsy!!!

• Need your noms????
• @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go
• Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Bark Maul, or Hothballs, every sweet tooth needs to try them out
• Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go

• Convention Schedule
  • Milwaukee Anime Con – Feb. 18-20
  • C2E2 – March 18-20

Big Exciting News… We are very close (depending on Apple) to being able to test and release our first iPhone app!!! (@JebsApps) it’ll be Movie History… with lots of new features (that we can’t make androids do… yet) but both will be getting a huge update to the Database!!! and right on the heels of that will be Geek History with a bigger update to the Database!!! So… More Geekiness… = More GeekyGoodness!!
Get yours today if you have an Android for only $0.99 to keep up with facts like:
Today in MovieHistory 2/9/2001
Saving Silverman starring Jason Biggs, Jack Black, Steve Zahn, Neil Diamond and Amanda Peet is released  (I love that movie! Hilarious!!)

Deals of the Week / New Release

• Choose Your Own Doom (JP by way of UDG)
  • This is a new take on the Choose your own adventure books we loved as kids… and I for one, am super stoked…
  • This is a Choose your own adventure Zombie Apocalypse story!!!
• DVDs
  • Paranormal Activity 2 - Supposedly creepier than the original but I have yet to see the movie
  • Uncle Buck (blu-ray) – CLASSIC!!! Instant buy if you love John Candy or comedies in general
  • Thelma and Louise (Blu-ray) – One of Scott Ridleys most compelling stories. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis are PERFECT together. 20th anniversary and I plan to see this again soon

  • I Spit on Your Grave DVD

  • This is a remake of one of favorite classic horror flicks… Interested in seeing this one

• Doctor Who: The Movie DVD

• I haven’t seen this one yet… but it’s Dr. Who… so it’s a must pick up!
• and one last I had to mention…

• Alice in Murderland

  • It’s a direct to DVD horror flick… but it does come with the tag line… through the looking glass and straight to hell!!!
• so it actually made my list!

Geek Speak

• Should Gov’ts be given veto power over top level domain names? (Please Read)

  • Gov’t wants capability to set up international power that allows countries to veto any new top level domains
  • 1 vote against would deep six the name
  • some upcoming suffixes? .car, .health, .nyc, .movie, .web
  • ICANN, a U.S. based company currently oversees the process
  • Trade Commission statement: “has merit as it diminishes the potential for blocking of top level domain strings considered objectionable by governments. This type of blocking harms the architecture of the DNS and undermines the goal of universal resolvability (i.e., a single global Internet that facilitates the free flow of goods and services and freedom of expression).”
  • Also a possible block to other international countries protesting that its a US based company that is overseeing the procedures
  • Discuss

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Look Into Our Eyes and We’ll Tell You What You Want to Eat
  • Riddle me this: A device at the supermarket scans your face and tells you what you might like to eat tonight. Now or Future? (closer than you think)
  • Kraft is planning such a device to be installed at the store
  • Scans your face and determines, gender, age, race, etc and then selects a probably recipe that you might like
  • Obviously face recognition can’t tell food allergies, special needs, etc
  • Combine that with online Kraft iFood Assistant account and favorites from KraftRecipes.com and you can start to see an actual product
  • The whole thing is powered by two Intel Apps that enable face recognition
  • No identifying information stored, all done real time

• HTC invests 40 million in OnLive (JP)
  • On its Web site, HTC said that it had invested into Saffron Digital, a London-based video delivery service that has optimized its services for mobile devices. The company will remain in its London headquarters and the management team will be unchanged, it said.
    • So why do we care? They also do OnLive the streaming video game service… and this could mean…
    • A potential HTC investment could imply that OnLive gaming is headed for tablets.

• AOL Buys Huffington Post
  • Online Newspaper that uses old school reporting in a new medium
  • Purchased by the AOL conglomerate for $300 million in cash and $15 million in stock
  • (SM) Smart ppl to ask for all cash from a shrinking company
  • Arriana Huffington, co-founder of news site, is the new president editor-in-chief of all AOL online content
  • Obviously with purchases of TechCrunch, Endgadget, Mapquest, and now Huffington, AOL is trying to position themselves as an online media provider
  • Claim to reach 250 million ppl worldwide with their content

• Charity Trying to buy Used Satellite (JP)
  • We take Internet access for granted here in the U.S. and in other places
  • 3rd world countries still don’t have a large penetration due to lack of infrastructure and technology
  • AHumanRight.org is trying to raise funds to purchase satellites and make a free network that spans the globe
  • First plans to station satellites over 3rd world countries as a first step in placing infrastructure to enable free Internet access
  • Needs $150k to start all the legal and lay the groundwork
  • Targeting Terrestar-1 which was owned by said company before they filed for bankruptcy
  • Another similar satellite sold for $23 million (5 billion to build and launch)
  • “Re-inventing the wheel isn’t something we would wish upon anyone, but William Kamkwamba’s story provides an example of the information disparity slowing down progress for the brightest minds,” said Grammatis. “William couldn’t afford the US$80 per year it cost to attend school so he spent his time at the library instead … over the span of four years he re-invented the windmill to provide himself with electricity. He shared his first Google experience with journalists: ‘He said, Do you know Google? and I said, What animal is a Google? And when I Googled windmill I found there was millions of applications! I said, Where was this Google all this time?!’”

• Verizon breaks record with IPhone pre-sales
  • Sold out in the first day, most coming in first 2 hours
  • Largest and fastest sale in company history
  • These were all sales to current customers
  • Sales to new customers start Feb. 10
  • Walmart Set to sell Verizon IPhone
    • Feb. 10, same as anyone else
    • 600 stores initially
  • Wanna switch? Ebay willing to pay for your IPhone
    • Next 2 weeks paying cash for used smartphones (feb 22)
    • $200 for IPhone 3GS, Droid X, Galaxy S, HTC Evo 4G
    • $500 for pristine IPhone 4
  • Devils in the Details for the Verizon IPhone
    • Verizon is installing a network throttling service on their whole network (called optimization by them)
    • Means, they could slow down everyone’s connection if too much data is being shoved through (Jp – and according to side by side tests… it’s already slower than and AT&T iPhone 4)
    • New data usage agreement: any extraordinary use of data will see a slow down in their data-transfer speed for remainder of month AND next billing cycle
    • So are these really “unlimited”??? Advertise what you sell folks
    • Termination fee from Verizon was raised to $350 from $175 ($325 by AT&T)
    • No more “stay loyal” discount
  • Verizon IPhone found with Universal Chip
    • recent breakdown of Verizon IPhone shows new silicone
    • Same chip as Droid Pro, allows both GSM (t-mobile,etc) and CDMA
    • Lacks the crucial SIM card slot however to differentiate between carriers
    • Still, its a building block towards a singular IPhone model
      • (also still lacking dual antennaes needed to use both sides of the chip in question) but just like a camera in the ipad… I bet it’s coming in the next version (JP)

• Hackers hack NASDAQ (JP)
  • Hackers have repeatedly penetrated the computer network of the company that runs the Nasdaq Stock Market during the past year, and federal investigators are trying to identify the perpetrators and their purpose, according to people familiar with the matter.
  • The exchange’s trading platform—the part of the system that executes trades—wasn’t compromised, these people said. However, it couldn’t be determined which other parts of Nasdaq’s computer network were accessed.
  • Anyone who understands the affect the markets have on the economy should be worried at least a little… remember the small crash a couple years ago and the recession it sent us into…
    • just imagine that on a much larger scale… They need to get this locked down better and quickly.

• IPad 2 in Production??? (SM)
  • WSJ is reporting that the new IPad is in production
  • Faster Processor, front-facing camera for video conferencing
  • Thinner and lighter, same resolution
  • Only available through Verizon and AT&T at first
  • Since debut last april, sold 14.8 million units
  • Experts plan for Apple to sell 28 million of device
  • Already their market share has decreased, further reductions to only 50% predicted by 2013

• RockBand sold, MTV Games out of business (JP)
  • MTV games has ceased publishing operations according to sources…
    • Label behind Rock Band officially out of the publishing game, but “has not been completely dissolved,” according to reps.
    • The cessation of publishing effectively marks the end of MTV Games’ four-and-a-half-year experiment with the gaming industry. It began in September 2006, when MTV parent Viacom bought Harmonix for $175 million dollars plus a generous bonus structure. However, initial success gave way to unprofitability by 2009.
    • No mention was made of the MTV Games “incubation” substudio created in collaboration with prolific film producer Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean).

• Play Music, Smack your Friends (SM)
  • You no longer need 15 bikini models to make a human orchestra (done with conductive paint on models dancing around and closing circuits by “touching”)
  • Takara Tomy plans to release a toy that when you and your friend touch, if you touch each other, sounds will commence
  • (SM) You can see where this is going right? Slap party = instant orchestra!
  • Basically when touching someone, you close a circuit triggering a note
  • Only bummer? notes don’t get louder the harder you hit

(JP – imagine this same story if he shot the vids with 15 of his geeky dorky guy friends instead… think anyone would have picked it up and ran with the story… he’s a good marketer if nothing else… )

Intarweb Goldmine

• Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned… and knows google
  • Guy breaks up with girl, girl gets back at him
  • Girl gets mad and posts Meme’s all over google search
  • When you searched his name, a pic w/ captions would come up
  • Like a Virgin, Every man’s Prison Dream, Mulan, To be or not to be, loljk I can’t read
  • They’ve been trying for weeks to get them out of the search, to no avail
  • Lesson? Don’t piss a geek girl off that knows how to manipulate google

• Only 39% admit they curse out their computers
  • In a recent survey by Avira security, 61% of computer users out there have deluded themselves into thinking they don’t cuss at their troubling pc
  • 39% of them were honest and said that they did…
  • I want to know how many of our listeners would lie and say they don’t cuss out their computers…

• Rocket Found, Turned into Police Station
  • Imagine this, you’re strolling along in the park and you see a metal cylinder on the ground, curious you stroll up to it, only to find out it looks very similar to the MW2 RPG round head…
  • Here’s your options: Do you back away slowly, calliing 911 and get a bomb disposal unit, B) do you pick it up, sling it in the back of your truck bed, and then bring it to the pow-lice station to show them
  • Yeah, the genius in Lake City, FLA did just that, turning it into a police station after finding it in a park
  • Prior military police officer identified it as a live, high-explosive military round (M427 rocket w/ 2.3 lbs of composition B, a mixture of TNT and semtex)
  • U.S. Navy bomb disposal had to come pick it up after closing off main street for proper disposal

• Lady dies after Butt Implant
  • Lady flies all the way from the UK after finding a killer deal on Butt implants
  • This is where you inject silicone directly into you to enlarge the gluteous maximus region
  • Strolls into a hotel room for the procedure and then later dies after being transported to the hospital
  • First off, A HOTEL ROOM SHOULD BE YOUR FIRST INDICATOR OF TROUBLE
  • second off, PLASTIC SURGERY IS NEVER CHEAP
  • third off, IF YOU HAVE A HOOKER IN THE NEXT ROOM TURNING TRICKS, YOU PROBABLY WANT TO TURN AROUND AND GO BACK
  • It was a killer deal all right :s

Extra Links

• Costumes based on Anime Figures
• Superman Classic

Contact Info

• On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen, Jeremy is @jpuent, Natali is @UberDorkGirlie
• email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com and uberdorkgirlie@thepowergeeks.com (yay!)
• And Become a Fan

Sponsors

Shiny Lines

• What: Shiny Geek Jewelry, clothing and other bits & bytes, made by Geeks for Geeks.
• Why: Geeks, Nerds & Gamers alike deserve to shine at their very best, on and offline.
• 10% off power rings
• Who: @aDigitalAngel & fellow nerds at ShinyLines.com

Get Shinylines in Gold Sponsors

• ShinyLines Power Geek Rings!!!
  • I’m almost giggly with anticipation!!
  • Check out shop.shinylines.com for more product -OR-
  • Send darthmolen@gmail.com an email saying you want this ring. If there’s enough interest, we are going to make this available to the public

Luxury Lane Soaps

http://luxurylanesoap.com, @KyleeLane, GORGEOUS, IMAGINATIVE, HANDCRAFT ED, 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!)

We are LIVE on Ustream . This week we talk Verizon Iphone, Government conspiracies, Chinese devils 4 real, and HAN SOLO in Firefly!!! It’s real, believe it…

Intro JPuent
Intro Natali

Take a moment to express our condolences for those lost this past weekend in Arizona, and thanks to those that stepped up to stop the mad man. Remind yourself that time in this life is short… be grateful for those that are important to you and take a moment to tell them.

Items of Interest

Your very own IPad Arcade
Very Special Thanks to @missClareJordan
She is an amazing Artist, A Geek Girl extraordinaire, Star Wars Geek… and awesome Tattooist…. if you’re out on the East Coast looking to get some work done… Visit her at No Regrets in Naugatauk, CT Follow her on twitter… and look for some big Geeky artsy things from her this summer…. Over the holidays she did this… to @JPuent
Ender’s Hand Prints Tatt’d by @MissClareJordan !!!!

• Han encased in Carbonite in every Firefly?
  • The way freakin’ awesome @Amy_Geek girl from the illustrious Geek With Curves has found one of the coolest things ever. Just when you thought Firefly could not achieve more awesomeness…it turns out there may be a Han encased in Carbonite in every episode.
  • And she’s hunting them down. Check out her post!

Gold Sponsors:

Natali’s Etsy!!!

• Need your noms????
• @UberDorkGirlie’s etsy is the way to go
• Whether it’s Woookie Cookies, Bark Maul, or Hothballs, every sweet tooth needs to try them out
• Need a present and don’t want to bake? then Natali’s Etsy store is the way to go

• Today in Geek History
  • JebsApps (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 1/12/1997  HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer) The HAL9000 became operational according to the 1992 Film 2010
  • 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
  • Or check out their new app Movie History

• Convention Schedule
  • Milwaukee Anime Con – Feb. 18-20
  • C2E2 – March 18-20

Deals of the Week / New Release

• DC You-niverse Goes Live (udg)
  • You know you’ve always wanted to slip into some Super Hero tights and strut around like your favorite one. Now, here’s your chance. Well kinda.
  • Say hello to the now live DC Universe Online. Start with an entry-level gig at Wayne Enterprises. Clock out of work for the day and on goes the costume  and off you go to beat up some bad guys. Maybe chat up a Wonder Twin at a kegger Sat night or chill on Sunday while you’re icing some plasma burns and paging through the latest edition of The Daily Planet.
  • At some point in all our lives we wished we could slip into a DC Comic, live in DC Universe.  And now we can. The backstory is a bit twisty. Geek Chic Daily says “think time travel, alien overlords and a dead Superman” But, the animation is awesome. You go hero or villain and you can completely create and customize your character. Then you get to pick an iconic DC Character (like Superman, Batman, Lex Luthor or the Joker ) who sends you on assignments and group missions. There are also alternate gaming options that let groups of players square off against each other or you can throw down as your fave DCer.
  • You have no idea how much I wish this was Mac compatible. *pout*
• Green Hornet Release – BRUCE LEE LIVES!!!
• New DVD/Blu-Ray Releases, 2nd week of January
  • The Social Network (Natali’s new heartthrob)
  • Dances With Wolves Blu-Ray -
  • For you Picard Lovers – MacBeth (with Patrick Stewart)
  • Rob-Roy on Blu-Ray – For the Ep. 1 lovers out there (liam neeson) all two of you

Geek Speak

• Big Red announces it will have the iPhone 4 starting Feb 10th
  • The good, the Bad and the Ugly of the announcement
  • No Data while Voice is in progress – What does this mean to you?
    • Guess we won’t see that ad touting iPhones ability to send emails or update reservations and check movie times while on the phone with a friend anymore…
    • 1st time Apple will manage a product with 2 different user experiences
      • This may prove to be a bigger deal than people expect… it may frustrate some customers and affect Apples stellar customer service experience. Part of the great service has been not having to sit through endless questions about what you’re using, service, etc…. as it has always been a known quantity… no longer the case.
  • Not an iPhone 5 as some had suspected
  • Hot Spot ability from day 1, unlimited data plan
  • no pricing announced yet
  • redesigned antennae so no repeat of Antennaegate
  • has facetime and retina display
• So who will this hurt? Who thinks AT$T (not JP) what about who thinks it’ll hurt Android on Verizon the most?
• App Devs are hoping this will mean a big boon to them.
• What other changes are/ have come to Verizon in preparation for getting the iPhone?
  • Elimination of New Every Two program and early upgrade allowances
  • it would seem they are about to become the new AT&T… hahahhaa

• Verizon iPhone- For Real This Time (udg)
  • It’s finally official. iPhone 4 will be available on Verizon starting next month.
  • The good: 16GB version will only cost $200 with a 2-year contract. The Verizon iPhone will offer a mobile hotspot to which up to 5 devices can be connected and rumor has it (via the WSJ) unlimited data will be FREE. Oh and they’ll have it in white.
  • The bad:  Your new shiny will NOT run on Verizon’s new ultra-fast 4G LTE network and (like all CDMA phones) you cannot use data while on a call. While Verizon’s Dan Dee swore otherwise during the press conference, many speculate that Verizon has the capacity to withstand the additional burden from millions of iPhone users.
  • Pre-orders start Feb 3rd, it launches live on the network Feb 10th.

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Gov’t doc to limit leaks, leaked (JP)
  • Ahhh, Irony of all Ironies, The document to get more security and prevent future leaks in the Gov’t was leaked to MSNBC…
  • After WikiLeaks debacle, its understandable that they wanna plug the leaky boat
  • In short, document wants the agencies to
    • audit their systems for compliance to classified laws
    • audit their system for leaks
    • audit possible changes to the system to fix problems,
    • acquire resources to complete said changes,
    • and hire psychiatrists and sociologists to determine who might be a probable leak problem

• Obama administration suggests online unique Internet ID (SM)
  • Obama is planning to hand authority to create over the ability to create an Internet ID for every online American
  • It’s “the absolute perfect spot in the U.S. government” to centralize efforts toward creating an “identity ecosystem” for the Internet, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard Schmidt said.
  • Announced at Stanford, the administration is drafting what they call the “National Strategy for Truested Identities in Cyberspace”
  • “We are not talking about a national ID card,” Locke said at the Stanford event. “We are not talking about a government-controlled system. What we are talking about is enhancing online security and privacy, and reducing and perhaps even eliminating the need to memorize a dozen passwords, through creation and use of more trusted digital identities.”
  • Details still sketchy but the Gov’t wants the private sector to take the lead on the initiative
  • Emphasizing Voluntary and Competitive
  • Trying to say there would be no centralized storage, but how?
  • You always have to have a trust authority somewhere…
  • Thoughts??
    • This is just a half step away from putting chips and barcodes on us to track our every move and listen in to our conversations and thoughts…

• Chinese Auction Site Sells 50,000 Stolen iTunes Accounts (udg)
  • 50,000 of reportedly hacked iTunes accounts have been found on Chinese auction site Taobao, but the company claims it is unable to take action unless there are direct complaints, according to news reports.
  • The Global Times reported last week that as many as 50,000 illegally obtained iTunes accounts were sold on China’s biggest consumer auction site. The Beijing-based newspaper also interviewed a seller who admitted the accounts were hacked but did not reveal how they were obtained.
  • Taobao, however, said that to protect its users, it would not be taking action until it has received a formal request. In a statement carried by BBC, the company said: “We take all reasonable and necessary measures to protect the rights of consumers who use Taobao, of our sellers and of third-parties. Until we receive a valid takedown request, we cannot take action.”
  • Yesterday the accounts were finally taken down. It is not clear whether it was due to complaints from those that purchased them or from pressure from Apple to remove.

• 3DS could hurt childrens eyes??? (SM)
  • Nintendo recently announced on their website that the 3DS could hurt growth in kids eyes under 6 years of age…
  • HUH, WHA???
  • Their fix? There’s a 2D mode, and take hourly breaks for ppl over 6
  • the 3DS claims to allow 3D gameplay without glasses
  • They’re hoping the warning won’t hurt sales too much
  • Sales start Feb. 26 in Japan ($300) and continue in March for the US
  • (SM) Does anyone at Nintendo have a kid? When was the last time they did anything a parent asked them to do 100% of the time?

• Park Chan Wook debuts newest movie- shot solely on iPhone 4 (udg)
  • (sm) damn I saw this and was gonna post… beat me 2 it (that’s right punk!!! >;-) )
  • With titles behind him like I’m a Cyborg, But That’s Ok, Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Park Chan-Wook’s movies are used to making headlines.  This time it’s not for his flair for violence. The director has paved yet another new path in cinematography but solely using the iPhone 4 to shoot his newest project.
  • It’s a 30 minute short called Paranmanjang, which loosely translates into “a life of ups and downs.” Everything from finding shooting locations to auditions to the documentary on the making of the film was done via the iPhone 4.
  • Park’s younger brother told the International Business Times that iPhones allowed for more angles and edits in the film since more cameras could be used. Park himself added to AP that the lightweight portability of the camera made a difference.  He attached different lenses to the phone, adding it was just like making a regular movie.
  • The total project came in around $130,000 to make and will hit Korean theaters on January 27. The WSJ said that KT Corp, the wireless operator that distributes the iPhone in South Korea, paid for the production costs.
  • But, it’s Park, so he made sure that, though it was sponsored by a corporation, his vision was not censored in any way. So, if the synopsis of the film, which revolves around the Korean ideas of life and death, is correct the short keeps in line with Park’s eerie, yet poignant storytelling techniques.

• Microsoft considering bringing Kinect to PC (SM)
  • Basically say “when time is right” i.e. when 360 sales peter off
  • Why should you care? Think of being able to control your set-top box with just hand gestures
  • Actual virtual keyboards anyone?
  • Well, somebody is going to beat M$ to the punch, namely the guys who designed it for them in the first place
  • The original designers already beat them to the punch
  • Primesense and Asus are partnering to bring this to your living room
  • Also developing a SDK for other developers to bring it to the desktop

• Orb BR Turns Any Networked Blu-Ray Player Into a Streaming Set Top Box (udg)
  • Got a network-connected Blu-Ray player? Got $20? Then, thanks to Orb, you can have yourself a streaming set-top box,
  • Orb’s latest product is a $19.99 disc that you pop in to your Blu-Ray player which will turn any network-connected player into an Orb station which can be controlled with the company’s free apps (yeah, like from your iPhone) or the Orb Caster software for the PC or Mac.
  • Once you’ve popped in the disc, you can access streaming content from the likes of Netflix, Hulu,YouTube, Comedy Central, Amazon Video On Demand and more… at either 720p or 1080p resolution, which officially makes this $20 disc better than the $99 Orb TV, which can’t do 1080p.
  • “The combined cost of a Blu-ray player and Orb BR software is less expensive than most of the other Internet TV solutions, like Boxee and Google TV, while providing more capabilities,” said Joe Costello, CEO of Orb Networks. “With more than eight million connected Blu-ray players and 40 million PS3 players already in homes, the market opportunity for Orb BR is huge.”
  • To help consumers easily find and watch their favorite shows, the Orb controller app features a powerful and easy-to-use global index of TV shows. Consumers can type in the name of the show they want and then Orb quickly finds the show, without requiring the user to specify its source (e.g. Hulu, ABC, CBS, etc).
  • The Orb BR is planned for a late February sale and will be available via orb.com

• Geek Squad Gets Halved (udg)
  • Best Buy is reportedly snipping the white ties of hundreds of agents, shutting down seven of its 16 Geek Squad service centers.
  • WEWS Ohio reports a Cleveland-area center, which has about 100 employees, is one of the seven affected, and will close down April 29. According to the story, 45 employees at the Cleveland-area facility will lose their jobs.
  • Citing an unnamed source, WEWS reports laid off employees will be allowed to apply for other job openings in the company, but have no guarantee of continued employment. Employees who will be laid off must stick around until April 8 to receive severance packages.
  • According to the source, company officials told workers on a conference call Friday morning the layoffs have nothing to do with money, but everything to do with consolidation and better work efficiency.
  • Friday evening, Best Buy’s public relations department released the following statement:
    • “Today we notified the 45 employees at our small service center in the Cleveland area of our plans to consolidate service centers and repairs operations. The changes in the volume and types of products handled through these facilities has forced us to consider ways to better streamline our operations and be more relevant to the needs our customers have today.
  • Personally, I can’t help but wonder if this has something to do with Best Buy’s sad attempt to finally jump aboard the Apple train. Geek Squad isn’t authorized to do any hands-on work on Macs. Or maybe it’s just because most American’s are becoming more tech savvy?

• Intel to pay NVidia 1.5 Beeellion dollars (JP)
  • Results of a lawsuit that was filed against each other in 2009
  • Intel claimed NVidia couldn’t build processors past Core 2 Duo (i3,i5,i7)
  • For example, 2nd gen Macbook air, used NVidia chip with an Intel Core 2 Duo
  • Nvidia still blocked, but now gets a huge chunk of change from Intel to use their patents
  • (in other Chip related news) AMD CEO resigns – Meyers had just taken over the job in 2008
    • Surprise to the whole industry
    • Prepare for the guessing games as to why he did this, since on one really knows what it means…

• Mac App Store Update (udg)
  • Last week I reported some doom and gloom in regards to the launch of the Mac App Store. I’m quite happy to say that all of that seems just silly now.
  • Prices- Firstly, the articles I’d read and cited listed really cheap prices for apps. Browsing the store, I see quite the contrary. There are so many apps I really want (both personally and professionally), but am going to have to hold off on because they are much more pricey than initially thought. But, all seem quite worth it!
  • Developers win! (Or as we like to call it “The Steam Principle rings true) In an article on MacDaddyNews.com, LittleFin Software stated “When the Mac App Store launched, I had high hopes. But nothing could have prepared me for what happened on January 6. Our home inventory App, Compartments, had been selling at a steady, average pace—we were selling between 6 and 10 copies a day, at $24.95 each. We decided to lower the price to $9.95, in hopes of attracting a larger audience at the start of the App Store. What happened next blew us away. Apple liked Compartments. They featured it as a Staff Pick, and listed it prominently on their Great Mac Apps page. The effect: On January 6, our little home inventory app went from a few sales a day to an astounding 1,500 sales on the first day of availability in the App Store. Through Saturday,it has maintained sales over 1,000 per day (Sunday stats haven’t been posted yet). Our other app, Chronicle, was not featured by Apple. Even with no promotion, Chronicle is still selling 80 to 100 copies a day—about 10 times its usual sales volume, and it’s on the way up. Of course, the price for Chronicle is half what it was before. But rather than hurting us, the lower price is helping us.”
  • 1 million apps sold in first 24 hours
  • Hacked Already (but don’t fear)
    • Surprisingly, one method that hackers discovered to play illegitimate Apps on the Mac was basically a cut and paste. Downloading a paid App from an illegal location, and then replacing the receipt and signature files with those from a free App sometimes allows the App to run. Apple recommended that App developers implement a measure to avoid this simple crack (which they gave them!), but some apparently haven’t been listening.
    • Cracking group Hackulous, known for breaking Apple’s iOS DRM, has also developed a more thorough Mac App Store crack called “KickBack,” but doesn’t want to release it just yet. The group says: “Most of the applications that go on the Mac App Store [in the first instance] will be decent, they’ll be pretty good. Apple isn’t going to put crap on the App Store as soon as it gets released. It’ll probably take months for the App Store to actually have a bunch of crappy applications and when we feel that it has a lot of crap in it, we’ll probably release Kickback.” Hackulous added that it doesn’t want to “devalue applications and frustrate developers” right away.
  • I’m really looking forward to the continued growth of options available on Mac Apps.

Intarweb Goldmine

• Man With Ace Bandage on Head Terrorizes Neighborhood as “Wandering Mummy” (udg)
  • Guy in Fairfield, Texas, got his jolliies wrapping himself up with an ace bandage and showing up at peoples windows.
  • When you answer the door, the mummy flees (that’s how you know it’s not a real mummy)
  • Mummy still at large
  • Fess up Steven, it’s you, isn’t it??? >;-)
  • (SM) I will fess up to wanting my mummy, but not to being one

• Don’t Drink and Backhoe Kiddies (JP)
  • DUI’s aren’t just for ppl who drink and then drive a car folks..
  • 11:50 pm on Sunday in California, police get a call of a single car accident
  • After response, guy drives up in a backhoe to pull out the ford mustang from ditch
  • Police get suspicious, guy blows hot, and gets arrested for 2 counts of driving under the influence  (oh yeah… and allegedly driving without a license on top of it)
  • Don’t drink and drive folks… and SERIOUSLY, leave the large construction equipment at home…
  • If you crash your car, imagine what crashing a backhoe would do!

• Pay Up, Or Fido Gets It- Really??? (SM)
  • Village in Switzerland, Pop, 2,245 human, 280 dogs
  • $50 yearly tax on owning a pet
  • How have they figured out to get ppl to pay their dog tax?
  • If you don’t pay, they’ll euthanize the dog….
  • Thats ONE way to get somebody’s attention
  • Authorities have received death threats over this

• The Devil Had Horns and Now So Do The Chinese (udg)
  • When you think about horned creatures, a few come to mind instantly: rhinos, bulls, unicorns, the devil. Now you can add at least a couple of Chinese people to that list.
  • China’s Huang Yuanfan, 84, says that over the past two years, a small bump on the back of his head has turned into a horn that’s nearly 3 inches long. “Doctors say they don’t know what caused it, but if they try to take it off it will just come back,” he told the press. “I try to hide it beneath a hat, but if it gets much longer it will be sticking out the top.”
  • Last year, Zhang Ruifang, a 101-year-old from China, made news when a second horn began emerging from her head. Her first horn had already grown 2 1/2 inches. Zhang embraced her new look and told reporters that she was eager for the second horn to match the first in size. She refused offers to remove the horns.
  • China has produced a number of other elderly horny folks in recent years. In 2007, 93-year-old Ma Zhong Nan flaunted a 4-inch horn growing atop his head. He paid little attention to it until it became itchy, at which point he sought help.
  • That same year, 95-year-old Xiou Ling made headlines for a 6 1/2-inch horn that jutted out of her forehead and curled downward over her face. It had been growing for four years.
  • And in 2006, Zhang Yuncai of China’s Xingyang county felt what he thought was a pimple on his head. Eventually that “pimple” got bigger and bigger until it developed into a 2-inch horn-shaped bump. Doctors removed the strange growth free of charge.

• NY: Bringing A New Meaning To “Flash Mob” (SM)
  • Yes, this is a total play on words
  • 10th anniversary of the breezy event
  • Here’s the 411, ppl board the subway, and then strip down to their colorful underwear and ride around
  • Organized by Improv Everywhere
  • Purpose: “incite scenes of joy and chaos in public environments”
  • Participants were asked not to stretch, pole dance, or do anything other than to take off their pants

• Why A Christmas Story Should Be Required Viewing (JP)
  • Woodward Fire dept was called out at 7:24 and found an 8 yr old boy with his tongue frozen to the pole of a stop sign
  • Why did he do it? because his “older brother dared him to”
  • My guess? His older brother was a fan of our favorite movie
  • A water bottle saved the kids tongue…
  • Apparently, there was another kid in that town with the same problem shortly thereafter
    • My guess… these kids came from the shallow end of the gene pool

Extra Links

• Microsoft investigating Win 7 Mo Phantom Data Usage

Contact Info

• On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen, Jeremy is @jpuent, Natali is @UberDorkGirlie
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• 10% off power rings
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We are LIVE on Ustream!!! This week we talk Stan Lee vs. the Supreme Court, Tokyo game show recap, possible facebook phone?, and a couple IPhone apps that might interest you… this and much more

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

Items of Interest

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!!!

• Golden Pic and Golden Pic Lite for Android devices

• • Both are available in the Android Market for Android devices running 1.5 or later
  • Lite is a free version (ad supported) with slightly limited functionality
  • Full version is only $1.99 USD
  • Go Buy it! or try it, then buy it!

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• Cheap Xbox Live & Free Halo Reach Goodie Promotion (udg)

• • Cheap 12 Month Xbox LIVE Gold + Free Halo Reach Noble 6 Avatar Helmet Promotion Has Kicked Off!

• • Microsoft is currently offering new and existing Xbox LIVE Gold customers the option to add 12 months of Xbox LIVE for $29.99.  This is 50% off the rate of $59.99 per year, which is set to start in early November 2010!
  • In addition to the $29.99 deal, Microsoft is throwing in a free Halo Reach Noble 6 avatar helmet with this offer.
  • Just simply fire up your Xbox 360, and this offer will be available on the blades…
  • Finally, Microsoft is having a free Xbox LIVE Gold weekend.  This free weekend offer will run from September 17 – 20th…

• HUGE SQUEE!! DEXTER IS BACK! THIS SUNDAY!! (udg)

• • Yeah, my man Dexter is back, starting this Sunday night. Tune in and become addicted like the rest of us. After last season’s finale I can’t wait to find out how they handle this season!

• Watch Clone Wars Online
  • What if you don’t have cable or the Cartoon Network???
  • You can watch each episode of all the seasons online!!!

Geek Speak

What if? “Warning labels for Relationships”

• What if everyone had an RFID, a scanner, and a piece of software that could read the possible future relationship of the person that you scan?
• “Sex would be great but you will eventually hate her love of her cats and leave her” (UDG)
• Corrolary:  ”sex will be great but you’ll eventually get freaked out because the cats like to watch” (SM) -Theres nothing wrong with loving cats!! (iKDR)
• “Sex will start out bad, but get better. He lies when he’s nervous, but you will know because they are obvious and harmful. You will eventually leave him for his best friend.” (iKdr)
• “Run. Run far and run fast” (UDG)
• “she is a big flirt but horrible in bed and neighs like a donkey, but she makes great lasagna” (SM)
• “Her screechy voice will drive you to drink but your children will be cute” (SM)
• “He says he loves you, but he’s secretly dating 10 different women all over the place. “ (UDG)
• “She says she loves Star Wars but later on you find out that she is a trekkie in disguise sent to infiltrate the 501, in the which you are a member”

• Mature Games To Minors Supreme Court Case Has A New Defender: Stan Lee (udg)

• • The date has been set, November 2nd may be a day that lives in infamy, for gamers at least. On November 2nd the United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear California’s appeal to keep their 2005 video game law related to selling video games to minors.
  • According to the Supreme Court of the United States Blog, the case is dubbed Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association and will be heard on November 2nd. The Supreme Court will be looking at the ECA’s (Entertainment Consumers Association) argument for why they believe the law is unconstitutional, due to it being poorly written and leaving the chance of it threatening American’s right to free speech, which ultimately harms the gaming industry.
  • In an open letter published on the Video Game Voter’s Network website, Stan Lee has thrown his support behind the game merchants of this infamous case which will give a federal ruling on whether it is constitutional to prohibit minors from purchasing violent games.
  • Lee makes very appropriate comparisons between the current mainstream worry about children playing violent games and the same fears about crime and horror comics in the nineteen fifties.  Hopefully the public’s fears of video gaming can be resolved without a restrictive self-imposed system of censorship that artistically hobbled the industry for a decade and a half.
  • In encourage you to read all of Stan’s letter for yourself.
  • “Why does this matter? Because if you restrict sales of video games, you’re chipping away at our First Amendment rights to free speech.”– Stan Lee
  • Dear Supreme Court, if Stan Bad Motha Trucka Lee says it, it is so.
  • (SM)…They do so despite the fact that the industry has a remarkable rating system in place already and all new consoles have parental controls — both of which help parents ensure parents are in control of what their children play. But you can help fight the battle against politicians.

• Bogus Study on Violent Video Games
  • In that same corrolary, there are studies like the following:
  • Here’s the whole study: Young men were asked to play a violent video game and think about it constantly for 24 hours straight had a tendency to think more violently (duh)
  • The other duh? if you didn’t reminisce, you didn’t experience more violence…
  • more minutes of play = greater aggression? or does the aggression last longer than 24 hours if you constantly think about it

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Tokyo Game Show Recap (udg)

• • Attracting record attendances of over 200,000, this year’s Tokyo Game Show proves to those doom-mongers who insist that the games industry is dying in Japan that it’s not. But it is having to evolve in order to serve the contemporary global audience – an audience that hasn’t been brought up in arcades playing the giant Sega, Namco, Capcom and Konami coin-ops. So what did this year reveal?  Here are my top 3 picks!
  • The return of Radiant Silvergun! Once heralded as one of the finest games for the Saturn system, it never received an official western release – we had to wait for its successor, Ikaruga. Until now. Radiant will be coming to Xbox Live next year, complete with enhanced visuals and online co-op.
  • Mikami + Suda 51 = Shadows of the Damned! It’s long been known that Resident Evil creator Shinji Mikami has been collaborating with Grasshopper Manufacture, the crazed developer behind Killer 7 and No more Heroes, now we know what they’ve been up to. Due to be published by EA next year, Shadows of the Damned is described as a psychological action thriller, follow hard-bitten, motorbike-riding demon hunter Garcia as he rides into Hell to save his lover. Okay, so it sounds a little like Devil May Cry meets Ghost Rider, but with Mikami and Suda 51 at the helm, we can at least expect stylised visuals, weird ideas and gore aplenty. Plus, revered Silent Hill scorer Akira Yamaoka is providing the soundtrack.
  • The thing about Yakuza and zombies…Fans of Sega’s Yakuza series didn’t know what to do with themselves when the publisher announced the latest iteration in the series, subtitled ‘Of The End’. Instead of a contemporary drama of gangland strife, it’ll be set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, infested with zombies. The game still stars orphanage-owning hard nut Kazuma and will feature the trademark mini-games… but now they’re mini-games with zombies. How freakin awesome is that??

• DX 10/11 for Linux (SM)
  • up until recently, you played games on linux through a windows emulater called wine
  • Wine used a DX translator that turned instructions into OpenGL, it was slow, it was clunky
  • Wine currently only has access to DX 10
  • Enter Gallium3D (currently written by VMWare), they are committing to supporting DX 10/11 on Linux through their drivers… which is a HUGE deal
  • All of this support will be Open Source
  • 26,000 lines of code were involved in the making of this miracle

• ‘No Reservations’ Host Anthony Bourdain Writing Graphic Novel For DC Comics (iKDR)
  • Anthony Bourdain – acclaimed chef, food author, world traveler and television personality best known for “No Reservations,” his globe-trotting Travel Channel series that shines the spotlight on the world’s greatest culinary treats.
  • Robot 6 discovered a pair of interviews in which Bourdain revealed that he’s in the midst of working on a graphic novel for DC Comics tentatively titled “Get Gyro,” a story that takes his obvious passion for food and sets it within a high octane comic book world.
  • “It’s about ultraviolent food nerds.”
  • “It’s a gourmet slaughterfest, sort of like ‘Fistful of Dollars’ meets ‘Eat Drink Man Woman.’”
  • Could be out as early as next year

• T Mobile Blocking Selected Text Messages?? (udg)

• • EZ Texting claimed Friday it would go out of business unless a federal judge orders T-Mobile to stop blocking its text-messaging service, the first case testing whether wireless providers can block text messages they don’t like.
  • They claim T-Mobile blocked the company from sending text messages for all of its clients after learning that legalmarijuanadispensary.com, an EZ Texting client, was using its service to send texts about legal medical marijuana dispensaries in California. “T-Mobile subjectively did not approve of one of the thousands of lawful businesses and non-profits served by EZ Texting,” according to New York federal lawsuit.
  • Comes as the company just announced it was raising its texting prices & amid a fierce debate surrounding net neutrality, with net giant Google claiming that wireless carriers should not be bound by the same rules as wireline carriers.
  • Even the New York-based texting service acknowledges that the case raises novel issues. “At the very least, EZ Texting has raised serious questions about the legal ability of a wireless service provider, T-Mobile, to block its customers from exchanging text messages with EZ Texting’s customers,” according to the suit.
  • EZ Texting offers a short code service, which works like this: A church could send its schedule to a cell phone user who texted “CHURCH” to 313131. Mobile phone users only receive text messages from EZ Texting’s customers upon request. Each of its clients gets their own special word. A party supplier might get “PARTY.”
  • Wait, so these are even people that have OPTED IN to receive these texts? Jinkies!!

• Facebook working on a phone?? (SM)
  • Sources close: Working on software and contacting 3rd party to build hardware
  • Following in the the steps of google and even microsoft
  • Facebook wants access to your contact lists among other things
  • They’re in total denial but various signals point towards their entry:
    • Hardware manufacturers have been contacted
    • 2 employees are said to be working on the project
    • 1 dev who helped build firefox (Hewitt) and another who worked on chrome (Papakipos)
  • oped on possibility

• Star Wars: Vader Yourself: The Force is weak with this one (iKDR)
  • a Lucasfilm-licensed app that makes your spoken words sound like the big man’s–in theory, at least.
  • Modeled after the control panel on Vader’s chest
  • To make a recording, you tap the Record switch, provide a filename, then start speaking. You’re instructed to use a loud, menacing voice
  • When you’re done, you’ll hear Vader’s trademark heavy breathing, followed by a slowed, deepened version of your voice. The expectation: that you’ll sound like James Earl Jones. The reality: you don’t. There’s no metallic undertone, no computer-generated Dark Sidey-ness.

• Apple Approves VLC Video Player (SM)
  • Why are we reporting on yet another app to the millions in the app store?
  • This one supports a bunch of different video formats that the built in player does not support (divx and avi’s anyone?)
  • Based on the desktop version of VLC
  • File conversion can be hit or miss sometimes through itunes, its nice to be able to have something for free where you don’t have to convert
  • Making video viewing on the IPad easier could gives their rental service some competition, at least from the hardcores that DL their own stuff
  • Also what happens if 3rd party apps can use “AirPlay” a built-in service that allows other IOS devices stream to the AppleTV

• Dear Twitter, Next Time You May Wanna Listen (udg)

• • Hai, yeah Twitterz, when peoples tell you that your stuff is broke DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
  • For a few hours yesterday morning, the homepage of popular microblogging service Twitter became one of the most dangerous places on the Internet, as a glitch in the way Twitter deals with Javascript code (specifically the onMouseover command) allowed  malicious users to hijack your Twitter account and your web browser just by mousing over a link in your timeline.
  • Twitter’s fixed the problem now, but you might be surprised that the bug was first reported to Twitter over a month ago by a Japanese developer called Masato Kinugwa, who discovered the XSS vulnerability on August 14th and then rediscovered it in the “new” Twitter when it was launched last Tuesday.
  • Since Kinugwa was not getting anywhere reaching out to Twitter itself, Kinugwa set up an account yesterday called RainbowTwtr which showed how the XSS weakness could be used to turn Tweets into different colors.
  • Quickly, though, Kinugwa’s idea was picked up by people who recognized the vulnerability could be used far more maliciously: Scandinavian developer Magnus Holm, who resigned the code so that it would retweet itself. At first, Holm didn’t think the worm would scale, but soon enough, it exploded exponentially… leading to the onMouseOver apocalypse users of Twitter’s homepage experienced yesterday.
  • So, I’m wondering who at Twitter got the flogging for this one.

• Shaq a Hacker ?? (iKDR)
  • NBA star Shaquille O’Neal is at the center of an explosive new lawsuit accusing him of computer hacking, destroying evidence and indicating that he attempted to frame an employee by planting child pornography on his computer
  • Shaq’s former employee Shawn Darling filed the suit for intentional infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and civil R.I.C.O. (a racketeering charge) on August 3, in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

• Shaq hacked into the voicemails and phone systems of Darling and Vanessa Lopez, a mistress who is currently suing O’Neal. He deleted Lopez’s messages and changed her password.
• O’Neal used his law enforcement contacts, both active and retired, to obtain restricted information about one of his mistresses, Alexis Miller, while he was involved in a legal battle with her.
• Shaq threw a personal computer holding much of this evidence in the lake behind his home.
• Shaq conspired with active law enforcement as well as ex-members of law enforcement to frame Darling for a criminal offense and destroy any evidence that Darling might have against O’Neal.

• The REAL Geek Mafia? Aka ANGELGATE (udg)

• • Why weren’t Kristin and I invited???  *You know why*!!
  • TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington dropped an enormous bombshell on the Internet last night: he alleges that a secret posse meets every month in San Francisco to collude and price-fix, and this lil mafia is comprised of “nearly 100%” of early-stage Silicon Valley investors.
  • According to Arrington — who apparently walked in on the group at a local wine bar — they discussed how to hold down the valuations that members assign to early stage companies and start-ups, as well as how to block venture capitalists from investing in companies that outgrow them, as well as how to undermine startup incubators.
  • Arrington says: “This isn’t minor league stuff. We’re talking about federal crimes and civil prosecutions if in fact that’s what they’re doing. I had a quick call with an attorney this morning, and he confirmed that these types of meetings are exactly what these [collusion and price fixing] laws were designed to prevent.”
  • I should note at this point that Michael Arrington, who is a former lawyer himself, is highly reputable. How he found out such information from a meeting he was ousted from though seems a bit suspect. He claims he was tipped off to a meeting of the group at the restaurant Bin 38 in San Francisco, barged in, was kicked out, and then later spoke to three attendees who detailed how the angels are colluding to combat the growing power of startup incubator Y Combinator. Given the seriousness of the charges being made, why would anyone talk?
  • One of the meetings’ attendees, well-known Valley investor Dave McLure, responded with a profanity-laden tirade in which he he called the charges “bullshit” and accused Arrington of sensationalism. “The agenda was drinks, good food, & shooting the shit,” McLure wrote. “It wasn’t to collude, to price fix, to put out a hit on [Y Combinator founder] Paul Graham, or generally bust a cap in any founder’s ass.” McClure did not return a request for comment.
  • Right now these charges are being made solely on hearsay, but if they can be proven, well I suspect McLure will be dropping A LOT more F bombs.

• Intel to charge $$$ to unlock processor features (SM – via Custompcmax)
  • Small pilot program that puts Intel’s age-old marketing at forefront
  • Users will get an option to turn on hyperthreading and upgrade the cache
  • How much? $50 – best buy or yourself can do the honors
  • DLC Hell for hardware? Its already there why not give it to me anyways
  • (SM) Intel has been doing this for years. They’ll make a processor and then deactivate features and call it something different

Intarweb Goldmine

• Luke, I am NOT your father (udg)

• • An alleged robber of the Get & Go Mini Mart wore a Darth Vader mask when he threatened the clerk with a butcher knife and demanded cash about 1:35 a.m. Sept. 13, according to Ferndale police.
  • That’s not what the suspect looked like when he walked in the front door, according to store videotape.
  • That’s right, Jamie Carlos Hernandez, 41, is a maroon. The video tapes show he entered the store WITHOUT sportin’ the Vader mask, then show him donning his way too cool for his goofy ass disguise, walking up to the counter and waving a knife at the clerk.
  • Yeah… Jamie… you are so not worthy.

• Pope Astronomer Willing to Baptize Alien
  • Guy Consolmagno Is willing to preach to any intelligent life we might find out there
  • “Any entity – no matter how many tentacles it has- has a soul”
  • Would he baptize an alien? Only if they asked
  • (SM)What if they tried to eat him first?
  • Readily admits that the odds of this happening are very minute (ya think?)

• Cocaine stolen from trunk, so man calls 911, police say (iKDR)
  • When alleged drug dealer Steven Dragon found out that a half a kilo of cocaine had been stolen from the trunk of his car, he panicked: he dialed 911 to report the theft.
  • What he didn’t know was that police had taken the drugs themselves as part of an undercover sting targeting the Two-Six street gang,  according to a federal complaint.
  • A record of the 911 call he made says he told the dispatcher, “Somebody robbed my car when the police had me. . .they took my keys and everything.” He fled before police arrived but moments later, he called an alleged accomplice on a wiretapped phone and told him, “I just got f***ed, so hard,” according to the complaint.

• Swan Dancing Robot Moves People To Tears?
  • 3.2’ robot with 19 joints allows it to dance a “tear inducing” rendition to Tcaikovsky’s “Swan Lake”
  • Involves both fiery and gentle dance moves to a 4 minute coreographed piece
  • Who knew robots could dance?
  • We’ve talked about “robot partners”, “robot helpers” now why not robot dancers!

Extra Links

• Just Say No To Nerd Rage (udg)
• Shuttle hauled to launch pad for last time
• Star Wars Stuffies
• Twitter Bug Fixed

Contact Info

• On Twitter: Steven is @DarthMolen and I am @JPuent Natali is @UberDorkGirlie
• email us: darthmolen@thepowergeeks.com and jpuent@thepowergeeks.com and uberdorkgirlie@thepowergeeks.com (yay!)
• And Become a Fan
• Follow our guest host Kristin on the web geekgirlsnetwork.com and on twitter @geekgirls (yes yes, im in the plural)

Sponsors

Prof. Mordarm’s “The Wandering Geek Con Journal”

• Kickstarter Project by Lorenzo R.(aka @Prof_Mordarm), create a useful medium to inform people of Geeky Cons across the U.S., both big and small.
• Series of physical journals that will be written in and by the geeks, the panelists, the cosplayers, the vendors, & the fans. Everyone & anyone at a Con can write in this journal Allowing good, bad, and geeky experiences to liv on
• When enough content is gathered, these experiences will be published into easy to read (online, PDF, & hardcopy) editions each year. It will be the Geek’s version of the Farmer’s Almanac, but for Geeky Cons!
• To help get your own TWGCJ and/or support or if you have questions, check out the Kickstarter @ http://kck.st/cNUADw & also follow the project creator on Twitter for updates.

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And now introducing a new section – Holy SteamPunk Batman

• Steampunk ‘Victorian Organ Control Desk’
• 8GB Steampunk USB drive is a functional art prodigy
• Artist Makes Steampunk Gizmos Out of Dead Animals

• 

  Is it powered by steam?

Geek Speak

• Pro’s of PC gaming
  • No real DEV hardware kit needed (this is extra cost)
  • No need to go through a third party to get to your customers
  • Pretty wide open how you publish and what kind of game you can write
  • Steam, facebook, popcap, Stardock, and even storefronts through traditional publishers
• Con’s
  • Very Niche because of cost of rigs for real high end gaming
  • Hard to write for hardware that is constantly changing, you kinda have to pick your lowest common denominator of hardware
  • Piracy is rampant because of the lack of control of the platform
  • No real standards to be able to target to control your development costs and QA costs
• Discuss!

• IPad Sells 300,000 on first day
  • Hollywood is digging it so we gotta dig it 2, right?
  • iBook vs. Kindle App, one reason I would buy into the IPad
  • This is a reminder that I need to check the IPhone OS 4 news Thursday
  • Penny Arcade gives a cogent and non-biased review of the IPad
  • Scott Kurtz IPad Breakdown
  • Also Just on it’s heels… iPhone OS 4.0 event Thursday April 8th… News to be had next week! Apple not resting on their laurels with just the iPad
  • Comic App (me wanties but are they really going to release their whole catalog….)

• Most companies block game sites
• Guess what sites I found open: ESPN.com, WSJ.com, USATODAY.com, mtv.com
• What do you consider the best solution, limited time to surf? There are companies that issue a certain amount of ‘free time’ to browse whatever you want
• some that block access to certain sites, some that monitor without telling you… and some (though few) that do nothing
  • This actually goes to one of my pet peeves… trying to get technology to enforce random rules instead of managers doing their jobs… (JP)

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• TPG Giveaway of ScrAPPbook for iPhone to someone who has a US account iTunes and an iPhone. Details here. (JP) You can go buy it in the App store for only 99 Pennies!!!

• Threadless is having a sale, tees starting at $9 !

• New to DVD:

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• T-Mobile Planning $350 rebate for IPhone Users?
  • Trade in any IPhone, and get a $350 in-store credit
  • Not available at all retailers but here’s how it works
  • Any working Iphone, turn it in and you could walk out with an HD2 w/ either a contract or no-contract for $100
  • HD2 is currently running WinMo6.5 but it’s been certified for WinMo7
  • Q: Is anyone crazy enough to trade in an IPhone?

• Ham Radio Operators 700,000 Strong
  • Why show this on a tech show? How u going to communicate during a Zombie Apocalypse?
  • ham radio’s aren’t quite as sexy as IPhones but they can be fun + THEY DON’T REQUIRE ANY INFRASTRUCTURE OTHER THAN AN ANTENNA AND A BASE UNIT
  • All you have to do to get certified is take a course and a test (they did away with the morse requirement recently)
  • The ultimate communication piece for your zombie kit!!!

• Net Neutrality Not Enforcable in Court
  • FCC came down hard on Comcast because they were slowing down P2P traffic on their routers
  • Sanctions imposed  in 2007 because Comcast was violating a 2005 “Internet Policy Statement” that included freedom from traffic discrimination
  • Comcast complained to the courts, the courts ruled that the statement was just a policy and not enforceable “aspirational, not operational”
  • Thoughts?
  • (SM) Congress needs to give the FCC teeth already against this type of stuff

• Privacy Ruling For Personal Email in Workplace
  • Most sane ppl can pretty much assume that everything done in the workplace is free game for IT to monitor
  • (JP) If you don’t you’re smokin something
  • A case came to the courts recently that was found in favor of the employee and their privacy
  • Supreme Court of New Jersey, Marina Stengart vs. Loving Care Agency (stengart was allegedly fired and then sued for discrimination)
  • Loving Care Agency happened to capture some emails that went out on their system through yahoo to her lawyer and used them as evidence
  • Not so fast, Courts found that she had a reasonable expectation of privacy because it was password protected and not saved on that computer\
  • Thoughts?
  • (SM)Call me cynical, but my employer already blocks all the webmail sites :s

• AOL Dumps Bebo after paying $850 mill
  • bought in 2008 for a colossal sum, $850 million, back when it was still AOL / Time Warner
  • It was a huge social networking site in the UK and Australia. AOL planned to use it to compete against Facebook
  • Never took hold in the US, AOL is going downhill anyways, so AOL is bailing, up for sale
  • Another tool for sale from the AOL portfolio? venerable ICQ (SM: my first IM client back in the day)

• HP Slate specs, price and video, they are doing it better than the iPad
  • Specs:
    • 1.6GHz Intel Atom Z530 processor
    • 8.9-inch 1024×600 capacitive multitouch display
    • 1GB RAM
    • Intel UMA graphics good for 1080p playback
    • and unlike the iPad, it has an SD card slot, SIM card tray for optional WWAN, USB 2.0 port, & inward-facing VGA webcam and an outward-facing 3MP camera
    • Weighing almost at par with the Wi-Fi iPad, the Slate will be priced at about $549 for the base 32GB flash memory storage version, and about $599 for the better 64GB version

• Someone Remind George Lucas that he’s NOT a comedian! (JP)
  • After the film prequels, the cartoon and the live musical experience it was only a matter of time before Star Wars was repackaged as a sitcom.
    (SM: Don’t forget the ever so forgettable “Christmas Special”
  • Producer, Jennifer Hill, said “With the team we’re establishing, Matt Senreich and Seth Green, it’s going to be really fun and funny to the public.”
  • Altho still in its early stages, Brendan Hay, who writes for The Daily Show, has been appointed to lead a team of up to ten writers.
  • Lucasfilm said in a statement that the series would “look at the saga’s characters with a playful and irreverent tone”.
  • i say – stop ruining the things i Love!!!!
  • SM: don’t forget that this will be animated… yeesh. Star Wars comedy can work, see Robot chicken and Family Guy

• Report: AT&T Helps Apple Fix iPhone Woes (SM)
  • with (long-standing) rumors that Apple may soon end exclusivity with AT&T and launch a Verzion version of its popular smartphone, AT&T is ramping to beef up its network in an effort to satisfy users.
  • As part of improving iPhone users’ experience, AT&T worked with Apple to reduce strain on its network, according to the WSJ.
  • AT&T reportedly flew its people to Apple’s California offices to give Apple designers a crash course in wireless networking, which ended up in regular meetings between the two parties.
  • As a result, the WSJ report says iPhones put less load on AT&T’s network when they need to find the closest cell tower or check for text messages.
  • Part of a so-called 100-day network improvement plan, AT&T added new network spectrum to help with traffic handling and repositioned antennas in many locations to aid reception in office towers.

• Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Game Headed to the App Store (iKDR)
  • The 2009 mashup novel, which combines zombies with the classic novel Pride and Prejudice, has been turned into an iPhone and iPod Touch game and is set to be released on the App Store “by April 2010.”
  • here’s very little detail about the game outside of the screenshots; the press release describes the game as combining “exciting gameplay, 2.5D graphics

• Kid Breaks Asteroid High Score
  • Kid sat for 3 days straights

• Underachieveing AT-AT’s – a very funny comic (JP)

• Nintendo releasing Google Wars Game in Japan on Wii
  • Group of 4 guesses which search term is more popular on google
  • adaptation of “google fight” which returns number of hits…
  • Sound scintillating? I didn’t think so either. Good thing they don’t plan to port

• Top Mac Terminal Easter Eggs (JP)
  • In honor of Easter I thought I would point out some Easter Eggs of a more geeky nature
  • My two favorites are… Tetris and the Calendar of important Historical dates that includes some from middle earth
    • Although I just tried the calendar one again and the tolkein dates are gone… I wonder if they were taken away in the latest update of MAC OSX??
• Shibaura Institute of Technology shows off ‘robo-skateboard’ (iKDR)
  • Segway-like mechanism to let you ride it by simply pressing down on the front or back and turn by leaning left or right
  • tops out at a mere six miles per hour & is a whopping 33 pounds, which explains the retractable luggage-like handle for carrying it around
  • developers are trying to get the price down to about $1000 for its release in 2013

• Kid Racks Up $1400 Debt in FarmVille (iKDR)
  • Time to add FarmVille to the list of internet addiction scares after a 12-year-old UK boy has amassed £905 in FarmVille debt
  • The debt — which is equivalent to about $1400 USD — was racked up in all of about two weeks’ worth of gameplay
  • Moms bank didn’t see any red flag b/c the purchase was on Facebook, and not a “suspicious” like a gambling site

• 3D Sonar Image of Russian Sub
• A4 Processor Teardown (IPad processor)
• Diary Case for IPad
• Feudal Star Wars Art
• Geekcast Radio
• The USB Boys – Episode 7(Geek Girls)
• Smart Spending: Getting Rid of Old Gadgets

Contact Info

Sponsors

What We Are Playing

Cole- Bejeweled- Yes I finally gave it a shot! (aaaand you hated it ), Phone upgrade

Jeremy – Tiny bit of ODST and then fighting being sick for days

Steven – BREWFEST achievement WOO! Bejeweled blitz! totally addicted.

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• FCC Backs Net Neutrality (abbreviated speech) (SM)
  • Full Speech Here
  • what is Net Neutrality? “ISP’s cannot slow down a specific type of traffic and allow others free reign”
  • Even went as far to declare all broadband should be “net neutral”, including cell phones

• U.S. Wireless Could Be in ‘Crisis’ by 2015 (JP)
  • All those smart phones don’t “magically” pull down data, they need bandwidth, (otherwise called spectrum)
  • One of the promises that the FCC made when shutting down analog TV, was to free up bandwidth for such purposes
  • Well, the carriers have formally requested more bandwidth from the FCC, 800Mhz more to be exact (currently there is 400Mhz available)
  • What about the open access initiative that the FCC is requesting of all the carriers? Well, they already required that of Verizon when they gave them a chunk earlier
  • FCC has already promised to push that openness to all the carriers

• Blizzard COO Buys Piece of Steeler Pie (Cole) 18:00
  • A large corporate exec has plenty of options for their millions right?
  • Paul Sams decides to become 1 of the 10 owners of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers
  • (Steven) So thats where all that cash from WoW subscriptions went

• Microsoft Releases Virus / Spyware Cleaner (SM)
  • Microsoft Security Essentials is available for Windows XP 32-bit (8.61MB), Windows Vista/7 32-bit (4.28MB), and Windows Vista/7 64-bit (4.71MB)
  • Ars is giving it  clean bill of health declaring it “less intrusive, clean interface, and pretty decent at security”
  • Symantec on the other hand is trashing it as a “poor product” that will “never be up to snuff.” Meggers added, “Microsoft has a really bad track record in security.”
  • Be warned: It does a “genuine” check on your OS to make sure your legit before installing
  • (steven) I installed this myself
  • (JP) I’ll be holding off a while longer before I sign on (don’t trust M$)

• Spawn HD720 It’s like a slingbox for your consoles!!! (JP)
  • hook up most any major console and play on a laptop or pc (or even MAC running windows)
  • share your console with a friend to play against them
  • 200 bucks street price right now
    • 1 drawback…. untill games are able to run from the HD w/o a disc in you are limited in what you can play by what you loaded before you left the house!

Geek-Speak

• Judge rules against GPS trackers on cars without warrant (SM)
  • Says that its illegal “search and siezure” (the capability for a cop to stop with reasonable suspicion and search your car and then impound if necessary)
  • Previous rulings have stated that cops can use beeper tech to track but ruled that GPS is much more powerful and will need a warrant
  • Good? Bad? Indifferent folks?

• Best 8 bit video games played (SM)
  • Steven
    • 1) Zelda – how many hours did I plunk down into this simplistic dungeon crawler? too many. I still can’t find my way out of that forest maze though
    • 2) Contra – smooth graphics (for that time), engaging gameplay, same screen co-op. My cousin owned it. I still remember the cheat for 99 lives to this day…
    • 3) Gauntlet- I love the wizard in this… I fell in love with the arcade version of this and to find it on my beloved NES? cmon. I never did get to that 100th level though
  • Jeremy
    • 1. Space Invaders – I spent my first all night gaming session when I was in the 4th grade trying to get to level 100 on this game (in the 4th grade!)
    • 2. Contra – best two player (co-op) game around back them… so much fun with a friend
    • 3. Track & Field – I spent so many quarters on this and can still wield a pocket comb fast as can be!
      • (Super Mario was gonna make my list too… but eh… let’s not all be lemmings… hehehe)
  • Cole
    • 1) Super Mario 1,2 & 3 – Proud to me a Mario lemming! I spent far too many hours of my childhood learning all the secrets that I still remember
    • 2) Wizards and Warriors- Does anyone else remember this nintendo game? Used to scare the crap out of me as a kid but I played anyways
    • 3) Pitfall- Classic Atari adventure game that went on and on and on…..

Product Reviews:

• Virtual Echo App
  • Be among the first to check out VIRTUAL ECHO, the new application that takes Echo out of the Dollhouse and brings her to your computer. Interact with Echo and explore elements of the Dollhouse like never before.
    • I am sooo excited about this… can’t wait… although with the ratings from last week’s premiere for season 2 I’m worried about the show! go tune in to see Dollhouse on Fox Fridays (JP)

• EarPollution Noise isolating Ear Buds with Microphone by iFrogz
  • I love noise cancelling ear phones… I have a nice pair of Large headphones by Phillips for this purpose that are great…
    • but not so great for everyday use.. (too big to carry and where everywhere…)
    • I have a set of Phillips ear buds that are supposed to be noise cancelling, but fall very very short in this realm….
    • These new iFrogz are great at this, great sound, great fit… much more confortable than my others… and they have a MIC built in…
    • Which is awesome for when I get calls while listening to Music.
      • I would rate these a 4 out of 5 and we have a PAIR to giveaway to a lucky listener…

Deal of the Week

• Immortal Defense for $3
  • An abstract tower defense game with some jamming music
  • There’s a demo 30+ levels
  • Sale ends Oct. 4

Contest

We have two contests running this week… 1 for a pair of iFrogz for iPhone or Blackberry and 1 for a Triazzle iPhone code

For the headphones, the first person to email jeremy puent with what Cole does for a living (imagined or otherwise) gets the pair of awesome earphones

We have 1 more codes to give a way to lucky listeners with iPhones….
so let’s say the first two people who email or twitter me with the costume Cole wore to her Star Trek convention we talked about in an earlier episode will win.
Must have an iPhone and a US iTunes account to redeem the Code for the game. Triazzle, a wonderful puzzle game we have talked about in a few different episodes..

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

Never wanted a controller more than right now

Professional pics to come….stay tuned!

(Steven)WoW, and more WoW. Did I mention WoW? 2 world achievements to get, Brewfest and All Hallow’s Eve. Working towards “What a long strange journey” which awards a really fast mount

Jeremy – 4 little words… O D S T !!!!! Baby!