Nerd News in Brief

In addition to being a geek and a dad, I am also a GeekDad.

Writing for a Wired.com blog is a lot of fun and sounds really impressive on a resume, even though it doesn't exactly pay a lot. And let's face it; in this economy does anything really pay a lot?

I mention this – the GeekDad blog, not the horrid economy – because we're actively searching for new dorky parental-types to join our happy family. If you meet both criteria, check out this post by Editor Ken Denmead for further details.

And in the meantime, here's your Nerd news in Brief.

• Still Mega: Our own Random got some love from the Wired.com crew earlier this week in a major way. This Underwire interview was even featured on the front page! We call that being "frontpaged" in the biz… because we are not particularly adept with crafting jargon.
• Still the Man: And please be aware that Ran's Mega Ran 9 album is now available via iTunes. Why not buy the most accessible geeky rap album in history from everybody's favorite purveyor of downloadable music? (Okay, not everybody's, but you catch my drift.)
• Back Then: And once you've snagged that, Epic-1's new EMPulse release 1 Mixtape should also be summarily copped with the help of a super-secret password. It's four tracks of crunchy goodness featuring guests like Random, Masu of Krondor Krew and The Spork. Also, it is the shit! I figured I should mention that.
• Orlando Bound: Have you noticed the recent flurry of activity around the Nerdapalooza blog? That's because A) my pal Anthony has stepped in to help keep the site updated and B) tickets are now on sale! Exciting, no? There is also a new FAQ, for questions that are asked. Frequently.
• What You Doing This Weekend?: And speaking of festivals, don't forget that Bent Fetsival 2009 kicks off today at The Tank in NYC. If you dig hardware hacks, circuit bending or DIY electronics, there's plenty of tech-y goodness going on all weekend.
• They Said it Couldn't Be Done: We can call our boys home, folks. You see, funky49's Starblazer has finally brought piece to the Middle East. Pictures from its highly successful Afghani launch party are available for your perusal. One love.
  
• Jurassic Folk: Church knows the only thing that nerds love more than music is dinosaurs. Thankfully, these two great tastes taste great together. Behold The Late Cretaceous. Check out their demo tracks. Groove to another crazy musical concept that actually works. Scratch your head at one blogger's blatant jab at WRock. Wait; what?
• The Sorcerer, Stoned: Also from Church comes this link to a FOXNews story about Crabbe getting popped for possession. Those wacky Slytherins!
• Early and Often: I Fight Dragons is up for a best local band award at Chicago's Metromix.com. Go and vote for them. They are the deep dish pizza of American nerd rock.
• Enter Sandman: This edition of Geek Ink is brought to you by Brilliant Gameologist Meg. The pieces are all Gaiman inspired, so we can even call if Lit Ink.
• One of Us!: Matt points us to a great interview concerning the reason Tennant and Davies are leaving Doctor Who. It is especially relevant because of the bit about Doctor Who Confidential outperforming an FA Cup match. Trust me; you'll find it empowering. Peep the geeky goodness.
• Looks Familiar: Tim, of Mutant Pop, recently tossed up a tweet concerning Dorky Yearbook, and I was instantly enamored. Give it a gander and reflect on your own misspent youth.
• Imposter: Hold the fuckin' phone! This ain't MisterB!
• +1 vs. Nicotine: MC Frontalot is trying to cut down on his smoking with the help of a classic table-top RPG convention: the saving throw. Read on to discover how a simple d20 can reduce your risk of cancer, high blood pressure and heart attack.
• A Badass Game: And taking us home this week is a young lady rapping about D&D. Now I know you're excited, guys, but please keep your swooning to a minimum and hold all proposals of marriage 'til the end of the song.

So Sorry

Question: Know what I like?

Answer: Fanvids! And Uncle Monsterface!

And now you can get both in an easy-to-swallow capsule.

Check it out, and then go give YouTuber TheExperimentalFilm some love.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 64: Retrospectacles (Podswap '09 Edition)

For the sake if consistency, I've elected to finally add my early April podcast to the feed.

That edition was, for the uninitiated, podswapped to my friends at Brilliant Gameologists as an elaborate April Fools' Day joke. I reckon everyone's already picked it up from over there, but I figured I'd toss it up here just for good measure.

I've previously elucidated regarding this best-of, but even those show notes have been lovingly copied/pasted. Because you truly mean that much to me.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 64: Retrospectacles Size: 52.5 MB Running Time: 57:23

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"

For those keeping score at home, I've been rocking this bad boys since RFH episode 15.

Track 1: MC Frontalot – "Gonna be Your Man"

Originally included in RFH episode 10.

Z's 1st interlude: "I tend to cast a wide net."

The reason I tend to have such a loose definition for what constitutes nerdy music is that our culture is amazingly malleable. Nerds, despite the often narrow constraints of the outside world, are delightfully varied.

Track 2: Optimus Rhyme – "Train in Vain (Live)"

Originally included in RFH episode 6, and available free on the Nerdcore Under Cover compilation.

Track 3: The Fine Print – "Strawberry Jam"

Originally included in RFH episode 29.

Track 4: Totally Radd!! – "Shark Attack Day Camp"

Originally included in RFH episode 12.

Track 5: Cheapy D – "Ass & Tetris"

Originally included in RFH episode 30.

Track 6: Southside – "Vibrate"

Originally included in RFH episode 52.

Track 7: The Sprites – "George Romero"

Originally included in RFH episode 32.

Track 8: The Weasel King – "Luna"

Originally included in RFH episode 38.

Track 9: Snake Eyes – "Transformer (Sara Connor's Wild Ride Mix)(Maja vs. Lou Reed vs. Traci Chapman vs. Brad Fiedel)"

Originally included in RFH episode 40, and available free on the Old Nerdy Bastard compilation.

Z's 2nd interlude: "My favorite songs are often those that mix a lot of these elements together."

It's one thing for a song to be nerdy because it's created by nerds or because it references cultural touchstones or even because it employs a tech-heavy means of creation, but it's quite another thing for a song to be nerdy for all those reasons.

Track 10: e. gibby and slackmaster d – "10 year Old (Lullaby Dub)"

Originally included in RFH episode 33.

Track 11: Harry and the Potters – "Blood of Prince"

Originally included in RFH episode 48.

Track 12: Computerization – "1.14me"

Originally included in RFH episode 45.

Track 13: Jonathan Coulton – "First of May"

Originally included in RFH episode 43.

Track 14: Elsonso – "The Geomancer"

Originally included in RFH episode 37.

Track 15: The Grammar Club – "Balloon Flight"

Also originally included in RFH episode 37.

Z's final interlude: "A look at the cultural manifestation of nerdy music from the proverbial trenches."

Which are much tidier than the actual trenches.

Track 16: Jay-Zeezer – "Bonnie and Clyde and El Scorcho"

Originally included in RFH episode 1.

Boy, all that talk about this show not being in my feed seems sort of out of place here, doesn't it? And I imagine all that "this is what nerd music is" stuff is a little redundant as well. But that's okay.

We can all use the occasional refresher course.