1) The plot of today's Star Trek related Google doodle (doodle archive) is "Kirk fights a Gorn again." I mean, we're obviously meant to think it's a light-hearted retelling of Original Series episode "The Arena", but ( Read more... )

It is all the buzz these days about how Joss Whedon's Avengers is on track to be the third-biggest movie of all time. A certain amount of contrary-minded people are talking about how with 2012 3-D ticket prices, that number is practically meaningless. (And it's all because of marketing and comic books suck and etc.) And then some of us with a ( Read more... )

Snuff, Terry Pratchett

Not bad, but bizarrely inessential, as Sam Vimes faces exactly the sort of minor foofaraw you picture His Grace getting into between books. THRILL as our hero discomfits rural gentry! GASP, as he faces danger, like twice! Somewhere off-page, Carrot and Angua are having an A-plot ( Read more... )

The thing about the lovely D. is that she's not a nerd*. And, and here's the bit that's inexplicable to me, has no nerd friends. You could walk into a barn full of Friends O' D. and start singing the Ballad of Jayne and they would look at you funny. I thought we as a race had evolved beyond that, what with the San Diego Comiccons and so on, but ( Read more... )

Me again. So, I have been to many places since the last time I had Internet; one of which is the Seattle Museum of Sci-Fi and Rock and Roll. As you can tell from me linking it, this is a real place. It's not one of those deals like the Kansas City Jazz Museum and Negro League Hall of Fame either, where two museums go halvsies on a city block and ( Read more... )

Premise: Acclaimed alternate history novel in which a 100%-fatal Black Plague kills Europe, all of it, bam. As of the mid-15th century, no more Christiandom*. The rest of the world spins on.

Why I thought it might be cool: Because I lurve alternate histories? Especially ones that do not involve Nazis and/or Confederates? I read the GURPS ( Read more... )

Premise: "3 billion human lives ended on August 29th, 1997. The survivors of the nuclear fire called the war Judgment Day", and then Linda Hamilton keeps talking for a while, Skynet, John Connor, etc. Basically, there were these two movies, you've memorized every detail of them, you've rewatched both monthly since 1991, you think 3 took ( Read more... )

Y'all were expecting clever seasonal rhymes full of wordplay and such. Pardon, I was preparing for, entertaining, and recovering from a visitor. You should still have jaw-dropping nerdly rhymes, though ( Read more... )

Ah, November, when hastily-conceived nerd mannah falls from the heavens as fast as toy companies can shovel it.

I call this picture: "Semi-canon"

( Or, American rights reserved )

Two quick video reports from the ongoing cultural exchange between America and the mysterious Orient.

West -> East

Some Japanese reminders why that one brand is for nerdy losers in Mac-u des, PC des.

West -> East -> West

The national sport of South Korea, now being rebroadcast with English-language commentary and analysis. In fact, they have ( Read more... )