ThePowerGeeks.com

• 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
• Kickstarter site for UberDorkCafe, these places just don’t build themselves

JP – Listener Rob wrote in and said he follows us on FB and wanted to know why my nickname is ‘Zoda’ most of you may know I used to not be as mild mannered as I am today (look at the hair, the goatee which had two blond streaks in it, and yes… if you look closely my fingernails are all different colors)… I am a former pro In-line Skater. here’s a picture of me from back in the day skating a 7’ deep oval bowl in Rockford IL at The PIT skatepark. and here’s the story of my Nickname.

Jeremy 'Zoda' Puent

Deals of the Week / New Releases

• AMC Cult Classics 6 Movie Set! (UDG)
  • Zombies, Pirates, Vincent Price, Dennis Hopper for under $5.00!
  • All original casts! Night of the Living Dead, House on Haunted Hill, Carnival of Souls, Night Tide, Bluebeard, Chamber of Horrors
• http://www.votebundle.com/ (JP)
  • a new Mac Bundle is in the works, this time you can vote for 10 of 20 apps, the top ten will be in the bundle.
• New out on DVD this week and JP wants to see them both
  • Cop Out the Kevin Smith flick with Bruce Willis and Tracey Morgan
  • The Losers  - After being betrayed and left for dead, members of a CIA black ops team root out those who targeted them for assassination
• One last Freebie for MAC users (JP)
  • App Wall ScreenSaver… Just Like WWDC
    • For Free!!! moving App icons, select top Paid, Top Free, etc… and sit back and enjoy!

Geek Speak

• AntennaGate, Jobs explanation
  • Every smartphone has a problem with reception
  • $100 million spent on audio testing equipment, how can something be wrong?
  • We make mistakes (but not saying this was one)
  • Free Rubber Baby Bumpers for the world
  • Money back guarantee
  • In close, not our fault. All smartphones suck.
  • RIM  Response
  • next week Jeremy will give his experiences as his iPhone 4 will arrive by Friday

• Green Lantern Hi Res Costume
  • (SM) I actually like this redesign, the glowing stuff veins that radiate out from his symbol do it justice

SDCC Preview & Survival Guide! (UDG)
Survival first! My name is Natali and I’ll be your Fairy Con Mother
#1- COMFORTABLE bag of choice (backpack, messenger) A. for the haul of freebies, B. for the stuff you’re gonna buy there 3. for your survival kit.
Survival Kit:
1. WATER (plastic bottles only) You need to stay hydrated peeps
2. Energy boosts!  You’re gonna wanna hit w00tstock or some of the late night events, sleep is for the week during this epic 4 day weekend. Whether it’s energy shots, craisins… etc.
3. CAMERA- Don’t be proud. Yes you have an iPhone. That iPhone has a battery life peeps.
4. Chargers!!!! – Be it battery for cams, phone, laptop, you need it!
5. Tiny Power Strip- For realz, you snag an open outlet, you best charge all your stuffs.
6. Sketch Pad & Pens- if you’re hoping of any autograph or artist’s work.
7. Sunscreen- Seriously. The lines for some of the halls run outside. W/ no shade
8. COMFORTABLE SHOES (no these don’t go in your bag, they go on your feet)
9. Meds, Inhaler, etc. Passing out during The Guild panel doesn’t mean Felica will give you mo 2 mo. (There goes my super plan for next year… I’m out! JP)
Superman underwear Nothing will power you through the conference like having Superman’s emblem on your junk. Note: Con vets always pack a spare pare in case they see something that gets them so excited they crap themselves. (just cuz that’s funny stuffs)
#2- A Plan
Plot out the panels you really want to see. Rule out seeing a panel right before it if it’s not in the same hall. For the biggies a 3 hour line wait is not unheard of.
Don’t forget your shuttle schedule!!
Schedules for events change daily! Make sure you pick up the flyer they have all over w/ changes on them
How are you getting your loot home??
#3 Hygiene
San Diego heat + 140,000 people = O M Stinky G (x it by hangovers = yeah…. )
SHOWER & be kind, toss a stick of travel size deodorant in your survival kit! And Febreeze, Axe and all kinds of girly sprays all come in tiny lil travel sizes #justsayin
#4 The sign
The day you check into your hotel, on the back of the door- “HEY DUMBASS DO NOT FORGET YOUR BADGE”
#5 The Realization
There are three major things you need to realize before you start this adventure to mecca:
1. There will be an INSANE amount of people (if you’re crowd phobic) and you need to stand in line for hours w/ them.
2. You will NOT, I repeat NOT see everything on your list. It’s impossible.
3. Your main mission: Snag the fun badge. That’s it.
(JP ) come up with a treasure hunt list of things for you and your friends… IE Pic with Felicia Day, Pic with Wil Weaton, Photo with @GEEKGIRL at her Panel, etc… be creative

List of exclusive Con items!

Tech,Gaming, and Geek News

• Android’s IPad Killer? ICD Gemini (SM)
  • The features alone blow away the IPad
  • Widescreen, true 1080P
  • 2MP/5MP camera
  • Cell Service / SMS / MMS / 3G
  • SD Card Slot, USB Peripherals
  • Dual Speakers / Dual ambient mics
  • Micro USB for charging / FM Radio
  • Catch? August 2010
    • (JP) – that’s next month… since we saw and read about the Boxee Box and it still isn’t on the market yet, I doubt we’ll be seeing this in August of this year… maybe August of 2011!!! hahahah
  • http://www.alternatives2ipad.com/

• XBox 360 Gets New SKU’s, Kinect Priced at $150 (UDG)
  • Release set for Nov 4th, will come w/ Kinect Adventures
  • New version of Xbox will hit the stores on Aug 3 – $200
  • 4GB of flash storage  Slim’s styling with a matte finish.
  • Ability to store and save games on USB sticks most able entry-level 360 ever released and has WiFi
  • $300 bundle for both is great for newbs, but already hardcore XBoxers not likely to fork out $150 for a peripheral (personally I’d rather drop that on the 250gb slim)
  • 250gb version of matte finish? Bundle?

• PS3 Netflix going Discless (JP)
  • The rumor was that M$ had the lock with live on discless Netflix
  • Both Wii and PS3 both require discs to boot up the Netflix streaming
  • October will be new XMB discless update, will include seamless UI updates
  • Joins Hulu Plus as yet another streaming service competing for money
  • Netflix in Canada

• Starcraft cost $100 million dollars to make (SM)
  • Might seem like a lot but it’s guaranteed to make at least that.
  • Starcraft 1 is a national pasttime in Korea
  • Activision has 7 pillars of money making games, guess what they are?
  • Each pillar is expected to make half a billion to a billion in its lifetime
  • July 27th will be interesting. can they make $100 mill in a week

• Warrant withdrawn in Gawker, IPhone 4 case (UDG)
  • Jason Chen, reporter who “bought” IPhone 4 prototype, apt was searched and comps seized
  • Felony charges were / and still are / being pursued over the “stolen” IPhone
  • Gizmodo “cooperating” with DA, The warrant was withdrawn and comps / cameras returned
  • Still no charges filed but the info off computers could be subpoenaed
  • (SM) It’s still fishy to me how Apple is a member of the task force that asked for the warrant in the first place

• Zune Pass coming to U.K. (JP)
  • Finally brought forward because of Win Phone 7
  • All you can eat for essentially $14.99
  • Brought up to discuss when Apple will come w/ competition
  • Apple rumor of paid streaming service

• Military researches Soldier Exo-Skeleton (SM)
  • Here we thought Aliens and Avatar were far fetched…
  • Military developing computer driven exo-skeleton to help with heavy payloads for individual soldier, HULC
  • Jeremy, from experience, how heavy is a full load-out? (talk about whatever, WTF am I doing telling a professional soldier what to say ) (USMC handbook suggests approx 30% of your Body weight – usually a bit more 70 – 100lbs  on average which can severely hamper movement and agility)
  • Skeleton comes in 2 parts, upper and lower body, with a built in microcomputer to aid in the movement of the associated hydraulics built into skeleton
  • Allows soldier to carry up to 200lb with little exertion yet remain nimble enough to perform “deep squats, crawls, and upper body lifting”
    • JP – other thoughts. We’ve read about this type of suit or enhancement since we were kids. I have heard of experiments of prototypes for years… when the Segway came out I figured we were really close to something actually functional, because of the gyroscopes that would be needed to assist with a fully capable suit of this type. lifting and running jumping, the types of movements required on the battlefield and still be strong enough to withstand blasts and rounds shot at it, and add strength to lift, jump, etc… very cool. would love to try one out, see how steep the learning curve is.

• Cyberwarriors wanted, Apply within (UDG)
  • No country move vulnerable on the planet than the US
  • U.S. security officials say the country’s cyberdefenses are not up to the challenge
  • Huge shortage of computer security specialists & engineers up to doing battle against would-be adversaries.
  • there are now only 1,000 people in US skilled in handling most demanding cyberdefense tasks.
  • U.S. gov agencies and large corporations needs a force of 20,000 to 30,000
  • Nonprofit SANS (SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security) Institute outside Washington, D.C. provides traiing, but the demand for qualified cybersecurity specialists far exceeds supply.
  • And there’s China- the training of computer experts is a top national priority.
  • Most recent round of the International Collegiate Programming Contest, Chinese universities took four of the top 10 places. No U.S. university made the list.
  • One of the Chinese youths who won that competition had earlier been caught hacking into a Japanese computer, according to Paller, only to be rewarded with extra training.
  • U.S. Cyber Challenge, a national talent search at the high school level. The aim is to find up to 10,000 potential cyberwarriors, ready to play both offense and defense.
  • Starting with game cheats
  • the best way to defend a computer system from attack is to figure out how an adversary would be able to hack into it.

(JP – Funny this should be brought up this week with DEFCON next week in Vegas. A friend contacted me saying it was a bummer he was under an NDA and could not discuss how vulnerable major things in this country were and how surprised I might be if I found out….  me being me, I thought what could scare me… SCADA the system that controls nuclear power plants and Electric company interfaces, etc… so I Googled SCADA and Hacking, guess what, I AM Afraid.)

• Nexus One Discontinued (JP)
  • Ailing first party google phone officially nixed following disappointing sales (200k)
  • Unlocked phone, without subsidies, wasn’t being picked up by the general public
  • Android phone banner still waving with Droid X and HTC Evo, etc.
  • What ppl don’t wanna hear about IPhone vs. Android Sales (android higher)
  • 2.2 really makes for some interesting stuff, including wifi hot spot
  • (SM) What about unlocked phones WITH Subsidies?

• Amazon Sells more Ebooks that Hardcovers Q2 2010 (SM)
  • Amazon claims that digital books are outselling their physical counterparts
  • Q2 – 143 ebooks to 100 hard covers, Last month 180 – 100
  • Don’t toot your horn so fast 2009 projected numbers
    • hardback: $4.4 billion, paperbacks, $5.1 billion in revenue, audiobooks $218 million, and e-books just $81 million
  • Tripled sales of Kindle since pricecut ($260 – 190) Not hard numbers still

Intarweb Goldmine

• Guy smuggles 18 monkeys in girdle
  • Guy in Mexico City get stopped at airport for mysterious bulge
  • Authorities found EIGHTEEN tiny endangered monkeys in a girdle
  • 2 of the poor tiki’s were dead
  • His excuse? He didn’t want them to be harmed in his suitcase!!!! WTF
• Teacher who claims student tormented her with bunnies loses case (UDG)
  • German court tossed out the case of teacher against 14 yo pupil
  • Has a “paralysing fear of rabbits” claims girl purposely drew rabbits on blackboard
  • Two years ago (dif school) the teacher took a pupil to court and won- student had to agree to never again to claim that the plaintiff “freaked out” when she saw a rabbit or heard the word.
• I’ll let that happen when Donkeys Fly!!! ooops (JP)
  • Authorities in Russia investigate Animal cruelty regarding parasailing Donkey….. Yup… you heard me right.
  • Video from Southern Russia shows donkey braying in fear while forced to parasail for over an hour. WTF?!?!?!? Video at link.
• Which came First? The Chicken or The Egg??? we’ve got the answer and scientific proof!!! (JP)
  • Scientists in Britain claim to have proven that the Chicken came first, discovering an protein found only in a chickens ovaries necessary for the formation of the egg… so the egg could not exist before the Chicken!??!?!?

Extra Links

• 33 ft. Optimus Prime, For Realz!
• The most advanced sub ever
• Military Deploys Microwave Gun
• Facebook “Ghosts”

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

Sponsors

Wow4Cure.com

• Plans to play non-stop to level 40 and raise $10,000 for cancer
• Scheduled to take place Aug. 6th and they will continue playing if the donations keep coming
• Check out their website, we’ll talk more about them in the weeks to come

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!)