Nerd News in Brief

So what're you doing this weekend?

Oh yeah! Orlando. Nerdapalooza. 48 hours of geeky bliss.

Well, take lots of pictures for me. And I mean lots of pictures. I wanna see the bands, the crowd, hell I wanna see what you eat!

You are my eyes and ears, friends, so please serve me well.

• Help a Sister Out: Let me start things out on a serious note; Jonny Nero asked me to direct everyone's attention to a crafter donating her skills to help a friend in need. Medical bills and prostheses are expensive, and a cool pirate/steampunk-esque bracelet for 7 bucks seems more than fair.
• Say No More: I've already said my piece concerning MC Lars's "Death of Nerdcore" post, and I imagine that even before I wrote my epistle many of you were already sick of the topic. Still, I think it'd be worth your time to check out a couple of posts over at Frontalot's BBS regarding the continued debate. Specifically those from Wheatus's Brendan Brown and Brandon Patton (AKA Blak Lotus). These cats drop some serious knowledge.
• Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: Speaking of Front and Lars, both will be playing AfterCon (along with YTCracker) in San Diego on the Saturday night of Comic-Con week. Tickets are available, but I reckon they'll go fast!
• Happy Anniversary!: John Anealio has just celebrated the one year anniversary of his Sci-Fi Songs blog. And he was even nice enough to categorize his musical offerings in one easy post. Head over there and download to your heart's content.
• Baby Daddy: And congrats are also in order for my friends the Brilliant Gameologists. It appears as though they are expecting a new addition! Get the full scoop in their recent podcast, and then grab their newest offering for a glimpse at the show's mission statement.
• Super Heroic: Thanks to a nod from a certain Dave the Knave, Hipster, please! got a mention on Comic Book Resources. This led to some nice traffic and an intro email from sci-fi rockers Americans UK. They record their adventures in song and comic book form, and both are fuckin' awesome. Check 'em out.
• I Need You to Need Me: Church points out this post regarding Cheap Trick's recent 8-track release. Trust me; this will be far more relevant after Shael's Nerdapalooza appearance.
• Road Trip!: And speaking of 'Palooza, I Fight Dragons are vlogging their epic drive from Chicago to Orlando. The results thus far have been quite amusing. Take a gander.
• Wang Dang Doodle: Another Nerdapalooza alum, my pal mCRT, recently dropped his new album The Penis Monologues. Rob describes it as "a concept album, revolving around the art of the dick joke," and I'd say he hit it square on the head. Pun intended. Download all 18 tracks of its utter foulmouthery, including "The Aristocrats" (which got a nod from Penn Gillette), at mCRT's site.
• Feel Good Hit of the Summer: And while this isn't at all nerdcore, I would highly suggest you cop Atmosphere's new freebie EP Leak at Will. Much love to Shael for shining the light on this one.
• Big Chief Sauerkraut: Who knew that Germans love historical cosplay? Geek Studies' Jason, that's who.
• Our Full Potential: Also from Church comes word that, apparently, we are destroying mainstream journalism. I have never been prouder.
• Dumbledore is Gay, and That's OK: And if that one's just not inflammatory enough for your liking, witness Newsbusters picking a fight with the Harry Potter Alliance. Because, y'know, the last thing you want is for art to inspire young people. (Nod to the always helpful @pediagirl for the link.)
• Experience Democracy: Producer extraordinaire Snake Eyes has a submission in the current Atom Films Star Wars fan movie challenge. Vote for "Bad Day for Vader" not just because it's made by one of our own, but because it is wicked awesome.
• He is the Man: On the subject of our proud people, looks like geek metal icon Scott Ian will be writing a two-issue Lobo comic for DC. Even cooler, it'll be illustrated by Sam Keith!
• Big Time: Did you notice that GameUniCon got a mention at USA Today's site? No? You should really pay more attention to shit like that.
• He Won't Always be This Way: And our own Jonathon Coulton also scored a sweet appearance on a local NYC morning show last week. See him rock "The Future Soon" over at the YouTubes.
• How Many Mr. Fantastics Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?: In other YouTubery, my old friend Brooks points us toward Dr. Victor Von Doom's comedy debut. I find it wholly unsurprising that this went down in Baltimore.
• 8 Bits of Spunk: And taking us home on this Nerdapalooza weekend is an amazing Superpowerless remix of The Lonely Island's "Jizz in My Pants." I wasn't overly fond of the original, but this take is shit hot!