Tilted Twister - Lego NXT Rubik's Cube solver

This is pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen.

Lonelier than Estes Kefauver at a meeting of Murder Incorporated!

So, I saw this on the Simpsons, and it didn't make any sense at first, but it still doesn't, so I thought that I would put it on here so that people who were wondering can be puzzled with me. So anyway, in this episode, Grampa "Abe" Simpson says the quote that's my title and I went to the Wiki article about Estes Kefauver, and still had no idea why he would be lonely at a convention of murderers. I mean, wouldn't most normal people be lonely there? He seemed like a decent guy, but why not MLK or Ghandi or something? He hated organized crime, so maybe that had something to do with it, but I feel like this reference was a little to obscure for even me. And Wikipedia.

Jesus Children of America

So, I was going back and listening through Stevie Wonder's classic period which includes Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life (which every black parent I've ever known owns in one incarnation or the other), and just thinking about how prolific, inspiring, responsible, creative, and downright swinging they all are. Specifically Songs in the Key of Life, which is , without a doubt, one of the top ten albums of the last fifty years. It's mind boggling the way that Wonder mixes blues, jazz, pop, soul, and in some cases, crazy baroque waltzes to make this amazing album. Wonder was in the studio mixing, remixing and remixing the remixes for a long time before he released it to the public.

It's clear that the album is polished, and produced, but it doesn't sound boxed and it doesn't sound generic. It's everything and anything but. It's more like Mozart or Beethoven was given every piece of equipment in the modern arsenal of music making, and told to go make an album. It's original, uplifting and beautiful all at once, but so crisp, you could bounce a quarter off of it. This is very clearly the work of a musical genius. Innervisions is the same way, with the same soaring ideals, viscious beats and riffs, and lyrics that entertain and educate. I don't care what your race, or musical taste or age or gender is. All of the meaningless things that we use to box ourselves off and partition off our hearts and minds. I would suggest that every person hear some of these tracks and continue to claim that they're just innocent bystanders anymore.

How Geeky Am I....

This is just a compendium of my life's passions. And I love that about me. Feel free to click on the links, I worked hard making them so people who didn't know what the deuce I was talking about could find out, and those that do can share my love for all things geeky. If you recognize everything on this list, not only do you deserve a gold star, but we can be best friends now, CONGRATULATIONS!

I'm so geeky, I have a set of USB drives that I've named Mulder and Scully.

...Knows their full names were Dana Katherine and Fox William.

...As a kid, was going to name my first daughter Catalina Suzanne, from a character on the show Space Cases.

...owns every Xena COMIC ever made.

...Cried at the end of Serenity. (For reasons if you've seen it, are abundantly clear)

...Has several buttons on backpack: Lupin the Third, Classic Speed Racer (yes, there's a picture of Chim Chim), Bleach and Death Note.

...Has about three hundred movies, most of them old martial arts movies from 1978.

..Not only do I know who the Shaw Brothers are, but can name at least five of their most classic movies. (Honorable mention: Was thinking of naming two twin boys Run Run and Renmue.)

...Knows the significance of the number 42.

...Knows a Hoppy Frood always knows where their towel is.

...Can quote large chunks of Monty Python and the Holy Grail; verbatim. (I'm 37, I'm not old!)

...Has taken apart at least two computers. (Though only one has been successfully put back together.)

...Still has copies of Goldeneye and Perfect Dark on the N64, plus the console to play them on.

...Kicks butt on Goldeneye and Halo.

...Is willing to scream ROWSDOWER!!!! at random intervals.

...Uses frak, gorram, rutting and smegging in everyday conversation.

...Was in the chess club in high school. (I just sucked.)

...owns a couple hundred Magic Cards.

...regularly slays metal dragons in Brimhaven dungeon with my full mystic, or if I feel like meleeing, but abyssal whip, dragon skirt, and gilded rune platebody.

...knows exactly what that last sentence means.

...(Related to above) Could die happy with a draconic visage or dragon chain drop. (It will happen one day, I believe!)

...Actually like the Street Fighter movie.

...Yes, the one with Jean Claude Van Damme

...No, isn't brain damaged.

...Yes, just bought it on VHS.

...Still buys movies on VHS.

...Missing the action and drama of Honda Campus All-Star Challenge.

...Reads Penny Arcade, PVP, Hijinks Ensue, Thinkin' Lincoln, and at least twelve other webcomics.

...Knows what a Homestar Runner is.

...Likes the Cheat better.

...Celebrates Joss Whedon's birthday like it's a national holiday.

...Always wanted to be a Big Damn Hero. (And by extension, Can't Stop the Signal. Even if I wanted to.)

...Has actually edited a Wikipedia article.

...Will believe Wikipedia before own mother.

...Will be naming her son James Tiberius.

...Knew about the Kobayashi Maru before it was cool.

...Actually owns a book stating the majority of the Ferengi "Rules of Aquisition".

...Would rather be paid in latinum bars thankyouverymuch.

...Loves Voyager the best.

...Has written blog topics about any and all of these subjects, especially this one: A treatise on John Carpenter's masterpiece, "Big Trouble in Little China."

I could go on, but I'm going to quit while I still have some dang shred of street cred left. I could go much deeper in the darkest reccesses of my nerdity but I don't think most people are ready for this jelly. I love being a geek tho, I think we're some of the coolest, nicest people in the world, and I wouldn't change a thing about me for all the latinum bars in the 'Verse.

Cold Pool

You know who I hate? Jay F-ing Leno. I mean, will this guy just go away already? First off, this wanker Ben Silverman (who you just know wears a cell phone ear piece all the time and starts every sentence off with 'dude') cancels Medium to put on JL's new suckfest; "The Jay Leno Show", and then, well, it hasn't started yet, but I'm positive I'm going to have more to complain about when it finally does hit the ground dying. We were ready to say goodbye to old JL, you know? But he's like the guy, that you say goodbye to, cause, he's going out of the country for three years to join the Peace Corps. And you spend this wonderful night together, holding each other, and singing 'Save Tonight', and then you kiss passionately as he gets in his car to head to the airport. But then, two hours later, you need to get some beef broth and there he is, on aisle ten, because that a-hole forgot to pack deodorant. WHERE ARE YOU GOING THAT DOESN'T HAVE DEODORANT, ANYWAY??? WELL, I DON'T LIKE THAT ZIMBABWEAN DEODORANT! WTF DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING??? And I mean, on one level, you're kind of glad to see him, but on the other, you just wish he'd get on his f-ing plane so you can stop holding your stomach in for one g-d minute. Um, where was I going with this? Oh yeah, Jay Leno. What a tool.