Nerd News in Brief

Today is, of course, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a time to reflect on the life and accomplishments of a true champion of civil rights and nonviolent activism. I'll save my snark and smartassery for the post itself, and instead use this intro to plug Random's track "306." Ran's stated many times what a hero and motivating force Dr. King has been throughout his life, and this is certainly a fitting tribute. Give it a listen.

And now, on to my regularly scheduled foolishness.

• The Bestestest: MC Lars was among those who shared their picks of 2009 with the MTV Music Blog. K.Flay made his list, as did STD and Bowling for Soup. Not exactly surprising choices, but solid props across the board.
• You're the Tops: Also making appearances in Best of '09 lists were The Protomen's Act II: Father of Death album and Rivercrest Yacht Club's single "The Tuck." Robots and transsexuals, that about sums up the past 12 months.
• The Brown Recluse: Looking forward to this year's releases, none have me quite as excited as Navi's GRAYSCALE. Set to drop digitally tomorrow (January 19th) and physically in the near future, it's the triumphant return of a cat I've been following since the earliest days of Rhyme Torrents. The former Myf was nice enough to hook me up with an early leak, and I think it'll easily please both nerdcore fans and hardcore heads alike. Check out the RT announcement thread for a taste.
• Skins: For the first time in the history of the band, Uncle Monsterface will perform with a live drummer on Thursday, January 21st at The Church in Boston. Come out and welcome Spooky Old Eric to the Monsterfamily!
• C-O-N-spiracy: Is there a link between the Harry Potter series and franchise movie director Christopher Columbus's Young Sherlock Holmes? This blog post from 2005, drudged up by our own Church H Tucker (by way of Irish Independent News) claims just that. The game is afoot!
• Fangirl and Chum Chum: Speaking of Potter, Total Film's 2010 Blog Award for Best Sci-fi/Fantasy Blog has seen a lot of WRocker and Twi-fan love/hate. Thankfully, at present at least, that bastion of all-around geekiness Io9 seems to have pulled ahead in the polls.
• Never-Ending Story: And also on the WRock front, Matt lets us know that The Whomping Willows is putting together a street team to help him transition from library-based touring to straight-up DIY house party gigging. Also looking towards the future, it was also announced that, upon graduation, Lauren Myrtle will be joining him on a never-ending tour.
• Wooly Bully: This is turning out to be the year of the gamer sweater. Witness the glory of the 8-bit Mario sweater-vest. Only to be rivaled by this collection of wearable hand-made arcade classics.
• Love by the Numbers: Did you know you can apply the Drake equation to discover why you don't currently have a girlfriend? Peter Backus does, and he even shared his findings.
• Dream Job: In case you somehow missed it, Penny Arcade is hiring an associate designer. If you have the relevant skills and live in/would be willing to relocate to WA, get on that shit. Oh, and Tycho, if you want to start a music netlabel and need an A&R guy, holler atcha boy!
• Keep on Keepin' On: Back in the reality, the Rhyme Torrents community has just dropped the 9th iteration of its ongoing compilation series. Two discs strong, this one continues in the proud tradition of including the guys you know as well as the cats you'll be talking about tomorrow.
• Kombat Kore: Somewhere, Shael Riley is writing a stirring ballad about this cat's tattoo.
• Bigger on the Inside: Next month, the 21st incarnation of Gallifrey One, North America's native Doctor Who convention is all set to rip up LA. And, among guests like Bob Baker and Nyssa, homegrown VG Rockers Tanuki Suit Riot will also be on hand.
• Basic Pleasure Model: While most of us assume that all the real tech news of this month came from CES, ABC Australia reveals that the weirdest development came from the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo. Ladies and gents, a true futuristic sex robot.
• I'll Hold Out for 16: Meanwhile, Kotaku reports that a new Toyota concept hybrid was shown at Detroit's International Auto show that was designed specifically for "the 8-bit generation." I find this new marketing moniker charming, confusing.
• Pixelated: Chip music fans and artists would do well to turn their attention to the forums at ChipMusic.org. This new community, built on a bedrock of inspiration and encouragement, should prove a welcoming home for seasoned vets and newbs alike.
• Mum Mum Mum Mah: Closing out this first NNIB of 2010 is none other than my pal (and recent collaborator) Superpowerless. It's the video for Supe's Lady Gaga cover. It was directed by FL artist Jaylyn Coffin, and features Oliver and B-Type lightsaber dueling and rocking the fuck out in public places. If only you could read their poker face!