Nerd News in Brief

Do they make a Twitter patch? Maybe some gum or something? I think I’m kind of hooked, and I sometimes wonder if I’ll be able to get off the stuff.

Unlike MySpace and Facebook and similar services, Twitter doesn’t ask much of me as a user. I basically just toss random sentences up at irregular intervals and the train keeps rolling. The people I’m following do the same and, failing the perpetual outages, everyone’s life is enriched by shared minutia.

Is it wrong that I care what @cdharrison had for lunch, what kind of song @triermusic is working on, or what @badddspellah thinks of those feet that keep popping up on BC’s shoreline?

Probably, but it helps pass the time.

• More of me: A new edition of the GeekDad’s HipTrax podcast, co-hosted by little ol’ me, is currently available. This episode features music from my man Random, new friend Mindscape Music, and Wizard Rock chanteuse The Butterbeer Experience, who I believed I referred to as “adorable.” That… um… that probably crosses some sort of line.
• Tag Team, back again: For those of you not keeping proper tabs on your RSS feeds, know that Letters vs. Numbers, your favorite rapper’s podcaster’s favorite rapper podcast, is back! After a lengthy delay, episode 6 went up Monday and, in addition to having an almost alarming amount of references to me, it features an amazing cover of JoCo’s “Still Alive” and that hot new MPFM joint the kids are so crazy about!
• I always forget the “h.”: Also from our Game Music 4 All friends, specifically Jephso, comes an interview with UK chiptune artist Pixelh8. It touches on Pix’s influences, the role of nostalgia in micromusic, and airport security hassles. Which, now that I think about it, has got to be a recurring problem for traveling chiptuners.
• Warp Zones Are For Pansies: I probably shouldn’t even be discussing this here, as I’m planning a more detailed post concerning the release next week, but let me just say that GM4A’s new compilation Welcome to World 2 is fuckin’ amazing! Ant favored me with a pre-release copy last week, and it’s what I would term “required listening.” Again, I’ll save my full impressions (as well as pricing and release information) for a later date, but it’s a phenomenal collection of some of your favorite VGM, chiptune, and nerdcore acts.
• “I’m a scientist.”: Earlier this month, hip-hop pioneer Grandmaster Flash released his memoirs, The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash: My Life, My Beats. In a recent Newsweek article about the book, Flash discusses his love of technology, his mechanical mindset, and his ceaseless obsession with collecting records, giving credence to the view that hip-hop is built on the backs of the geeky.
• This above all: Crank Them 3’s!: Also on the subject of hip-hop and book smarts comes these two links from Church. The first concerns a Forbe’s article about CD/educational aid Smart Shorties, and the second a similar product: Flocabulary’s Shakespeare is Hip-Hop, which should be pretty self-explanatory.
• Keys, like Alicia: Shael Riley has procured the necessary drum, bass, and guitar support he was looking for to again start gigging around his native New York, but he still needs a keyboardist. Are you a keyboardist? Do you live in one of the famed Boroughs? The give Shael a holler.
• Happy Bandiversary!: Fervent congratulations go out to Wizard Rock pioneers Harry and the Potters. This week Paul and Joe celebrate the 6th anniversary of the founding of the band. Please join me in wishing continued success to the brothers DeGeorge.
• Enthusiasm Levels Rising: Speaking of the Potters, today marks the first day of this summer’s Unlimited Enthusiasm Expo. For more information on this groundbreaking tour (featuring three amazing groups: Harry and the Potters, Uncle Monsterface, and Math the Band) see the official Web site. And for a sneak peak behind the veil, check out my recent post over at GeekDad.
• Haven’t I made this pun before?: In other Wizard Rock news, The Harry Potter Alliance has launched a new project simply entitled WRock the Vote. The goal is to have WRtV volunteers present at every Wizard Rock show of the season to help of-age attendees register to vote. If you’re going to be in attendance at any of these events, why not volunteer yourself?
• Oh, the humanity!: For those of you planning a WRock-free summer, may I suggest you attend a nice convention? There are, of course, several of these events that should be avoided at all costs, as my pal Matt was nice enough to point out. Hey, leave ROFLcon alone!
• Bits and pieces: Over the weekend, a new video by my pal Church hit Boing Boing. I submitted it thinking it would be cast aside like so much chaff, but Cory saw wheat. Delicious, nutritious wheat. Since the piece centers on DRM, a geeky topic relevant to many of us, and it also includes that lovable Larry the Cylon, I thought I’d end on it. Enjoy!