Before I depart…

Tomorrow is Baby Day.

Okay, I’m not sure if that is a wholly crumulent holiday, but it is when I expect the arrival of the latest edition to the Family Z. But before I begin boiling water and gathering clean towels, let me take care of a few last minute announcements.

First and foremost: Nerdapalooza ’08! Hot off the (virtual and/or totally imaginary) press is info from my pal Hex. According to the press release I have in-hand, last night on the live Nerdapalooza podcast, “it was announced that both LogicOne and MC Frontalot are confirmed for the July show of Nerdapalooza Southeast 2008; that the other tentative large-scale nerdcore show (INFO2k8 ) will be merged with Nerdapalooza; and that tickets [are now on sale and have been set for] $25 for the entire weekend.” Be forewarned that there are only 300 tickets available for purchase and that ticket prices will certainly rise as the event’s date draws nigh. Check out the Nerdapalooza blog for further details.

Next, let us take a moment to mourn the loss of another geek icon. Visionary sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke passed away yesterday evening. At 90, he had lived a full and exciting life, and, as the writer of such nerdy touchstones as 2001: A Space Odyssey, he no doubt trashed better fiction than most of us will ever even conceive, much less commit to paper. Clark was a futurist who wrote about our tech-heavy era years before even the faintest glimmer of this digital world took shape in the public eye. Moreover, he always endeavored to keep the science in science fiction. Not that's nerdcore.

And lastly, on what I at least hope is a happier note, the latter half of this week should see not one, but two births within my little family. No, Em isn’t having twins. (And damn you for even thinking that!) In addition to a new baby, we will also be welcoming to the world a brand new podcast. With the help – and, indeed, at the urging – of Ken Denmead, my friend and editor from Wired, GeekDad and Hipster, please! have activated their Wonder Twins powers to bring you another geeky music podcast. GeekDad’s HipTrax is a bi-weekly mini-cast that features a small, family friendly selection of songs from the realms of nerdcore, geek rock, chiptunes, VGM, and Wizard Rock, as well as a little dialog about the artists and their respective scenes. I like to think of it as a more accessible alternative to my long-running Radio Free Hipster: the Nintendo Wii to RFH’s Sega Dreamcast, if you will. Episode 1 should premiere later this week with a kick-ass new theme song from Canadian Beat Ninja Snake Eyes. Keep an eye on the Geekdad blog in rapt anticipation.