Author Archives: Ammon

About Ammon

First I was there and now I'm back again.

A Special Towel Tip for Geek Pride Day

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May 25th is here again and you know what that means … you don’t, do you? Well, for the uninitiated, today is recognized by dozens of people all over the world as both Geek Pride Day and Towel Day.

Geek Pride Day
Image courtesy of ThinkGeek.

So, in honor of the festivities that doubtless are going on in at least one geek’s parents’ basement, here is my favorite towel tip.

Sorry if this is too much info, but when I work out I sweat buckets. I keep a towel handy to mop my face, my arms, and to wipe off my gym equipment. It doesn’t take long for the towel to become so icky that I prefer letting the sweat drip off my brow rather than using it to dry my mug.

Midway through a grueling workout you may feel a little hesitant using your nasty gym towel to wipe your sweaty brow.

Don’t Panic!

Towel Tip (Brown Betty)

The best way I’ve found to keep my towel drier and/or more hygienic is to designate one side to be used only with my face. For simplicity’s sake I always look for the tag and then turn over the towel—that side is designated for my face only. The opposite side is for my arms and the flip side is for gym equipment.

This is a simple towel hack, but I’ve found that it keeps things from getting yucky.

Gym rats, Steelers fans, and interstellar hitchhikers the galaxy over can all agree on one thing—the towel is about the most massively useful thing ever invented.

Do you have any geeky tips for today? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

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Seven Best Fake Names in Punk Rock

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The Ramones' 1976 debut album laid down the mu...

The Ramones’ 1976 debut album. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What is it about punk rock that continues to attract legions of young, middle class, American WASP fans? That’s a blog theme for another day. Today, I’m only interested in the best fake names in one of my favorite musical genres.

For reasons totally unbeknownst to me, punk rock has a plethora of colorful (usually black and blue) characters who decided that their given names weren’t hardcore enough for their edgy onstage personas. Here are the seven best fake names in all of punk rock.

1) Johnny Rotten

Johnny Rotten
Image via HiLobrow.

Johnny Rotten brought Anarchy back to the UK. He is mostly recognized as lead singer of The Sex Pistols, arguably the best punk group ever.

2) Rat Scabies

Rat Scabies
Image via Last.fm.

Maybe a name like Christopher Millar wasn’t dark enough to be a member of early British punk pioneers The Damned. I don’t really know if Rat Scabies was an attempt at humor or some disgusting ailment suffered by the former Millar.

3) Pat Smear

Pat Smear
Image via Billboard.

Before he was fighting Foo or touring with Nirvana, Smear was a member of highly influential Germs. Say what you will about Smear, but he had a great sense of humor. I can’t think of his name without thinking of Leslie Nielsen’s classic Naked Gun movies. “I must kill Pat Smear … ”

4) Sid Vicious

Sid Vicious
Image via Coolspotters.

Sid was bandmates with the aforementioned Johnny Rotten in the Sex Pistols. The story of Sid’s life and mutually destructive relationship with Nancy Spungen is a cautionary rock and roll fable. Drugs and humans—especially psychotic humans—don’t mix.

5) Lee Ving

Lee Ving as Mr. Body
Image via Avelyman.

Not only was Ving the front man of the hardcore punk band Fear, but he was also the first guy to get whacked in my favorite movie based on a board game; 1985′s Clue.

6) Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra
Image via ipass.net.

I remember drawing Dead Kennedys logos on my Pee Chee folders long before I knew anything about the band or their outrageous lead singer. This guy’s name is just plain whacky. I’m not sure what he was sniffing when he came up with it, but any guy who can pens lyrics about Star-Bellied Sneetches and rails against the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge is alright in my book.

7) Every Single Member of The Ramones

The Ramones
Image via Max’s Kansas City.

Consisting of Dee Dee, Joey, Johnny and a revolving cast of other guys (Tommy, Marky, Richie, Elvis, and CJ) whose last name was not really Ramone, the Ramones are often credited as the first punk rock group.

They proved that you don’t need to master more than three chords, write songs lasting longer than two minutes, or use your real name to be punk.

In the words of Cheech Marin:

“[it's] just punk rock. You don’t have to know how to play. All you just got to do is be a punk.”

Are there any other great punk rock pseudonyms out there? Sound off in the comments below.

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The Avengers: The Best Hulk Movie Ever

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Avengers #001

Sorry Spider-Man and Batman Begins; I’ve got a new favorite superhero movie. Today I saw the Avengers. Again. And guess what? It’s … still … awesome! This time I took Bongo & Lulabelle and they loved it, too.

Incredible Hulk #321

I’ve never been a huge fan of the Avengers. To me the team was always just the big three—Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor (none of whom were particular favorites of mine, but whose recent movies were all very, very good)—and a rotating cast of B-list superheroes who couldn’t hold their own titles.

Incredible Hulk #102

Why do I like the movie so much more than I ever did the comics? There’s one major reason and he’s the “ enormous green rage monster” who stole every scene he appears in. The physical humor that played through in his fight with Loki and later in his sucker punch to teammate Thor were priceless! I can’t remember laughing so hard during an action movie ever.

Incredible Hulk #006

Nothing against Eric Bana or Edward Norton, they’re both fine actors in their own right, but Mark Ruffalo played a better Bruce Banner than either of them ever were. I believed that he was equal parts genius and monster.

Incredible Hulk #314

Have you seen the Avengers, yet? What did What did you think about Marvel’s not-so jolly, green giant? Sound off in the comments below.

All images via Cover Browser unless otherwise noted.

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Marvel Comics Seven Best Super Hero Catchphrases

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Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972). Cover...

Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #1 (June 1972). Cover art by John Romita, Sr. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We’re going to see the Avengers tonight, so to commemorate the occasion I thought now would be the perfect time for me to post my all-time favorite super hero catchphrases.

I’ll be restricting this post to only characters from the Marvel Comics pantheon of heroes. So without further ado …

1)

Hulk Smash

What the Hulk lacked in the speech and brains department he more than made up for in brute strength and rage. Unable to eloquently express what he intends to do the simple “Hulk Smash” sums it all up.

2)

Clobberin Time

Aunt Petunia’s favorite nephew, the everlovin’ blue-eyed Thing was the main muscle of Marvel’s First Family of Comics—the Fantastic Four. This is the comic book equivalent of Popeye’s “That’s all I can stand, and I can’t stand no more!”

3)

Sweet Christmas

Luke Cage (AKA Power Man) was the first African-American super hero I remember that didn’t have the word black in his name—I’m looking at you Black Lightning, Black Panther, Black Goliath, etc. Obviously, he was written by guys who were neither African-American, nor had actually spoken to an African-American themselves or else they never would have made this poor excuse for a jive turkey of a catchphrase.

4)

Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth

I’m at a loss for what this actually means. I know what a host is, but I’ve never seen a hoary host. And don’t get me started on Hoggoth! It’s only memorable to me because it’s the only thing I remember Dr. Strange every saying.

5)

Spider-Sense

One of the best things about Spider-Man was that Peter Parker was an equally great character in his own right. At the heart of it all, he’s just a kid. He’s got amazing, spectacular, and sensational powers mind you, but he’s still just a nerdy, wisecracking kid. When he said that his senses were tingling you knew something was gonna happen.

6)

Avengers Assemble

Captain America may have said it first, but it’s been used by every other chairperson of the Marvel’s premier super squad.

7)

Nuff Said

Stan, the Man, Lee is a comic book legend. He penned nearly every single of the above idioms. What else can you say when you’ve said it all?

Well, true believers, there you have it—my list of the best catchphrases in all of Marvel Comicsdom. What are your favorite super hero quotes? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

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Favorite Things: PlugBug

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This past Christmas Santa was puzzled by one particular item on my wish list—the PlugBug from Twelve South.

PlugBug Dual Charger

PlugBug Dual Charger (Photo credit: Photo Giddy)

Now, I’d been a good boy, so despite his initial misgivings Santa obliged and Christmas morning had a shiny, red PlugBug waiting for me in my stocking. Since then, it’s earned a spot amidst my favorite things.

The PlugBug is a small device that slips on your standard MacBook Air/Pro power adapter to give it a turbo-powered USB charger. It provides a full 10 watts of power via the USB slot, so your iPad or iPhone charge much (much, much, much) quicker than leaving it plugged into your Mac’s standard USB slots.

PlugBug 1 (This Is My Boom)

Small enough to toss into your laptop bag, the PlugBug is great for those occasions when you don’t have enough outlets to go around for all your gadgets whether you’re at home, in the office, or on the road.

If none of this is making any sense to you, check out this video from the Twelve South.

It’s a little bitty, teeny weeny, thing they call the PlugBug…

When I first saw the PlugBug I knew I wanted one. The concept is so simple that I’m surprised Apple hadn’t thought of it themselves. If they don’t buy the company, they should at least license the idea from them. After using it (all the time) for the past few months I love it just as much as when I first received it.

PlugBug 2 (Warm)

If you’ve got a MacBook, an iPad (or iPhone), and $35 then you owe it to yourself to pick up a PlugBug. You won’t regret it.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

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Why Minor League Hockey Is Better Than the NHL

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Aeros 4 (Booster)

Last Saturday we went to see the Houston Aeros take on the San Antonio Rampage—two teams in the AHL, professional hockey’s minor league—and I loved … every … minute … of … it!

I used to think I did’t like hockey. It turns out though, that I just don’t like NHL hockey. Growing up, my Czech aunt took me to more than my fair share of LA Kings games. I always enjoyed the experience, but I never really cared about the actual game.

Despite the fact that I attended games regularly and even got to see the Great One play, I never became fan. After the game on Saturday, however, I’m convinced that it’s just the NHL I don’t like and not hockey itself.

My major gripes with NHL hockey games are that

  1. The games are too low scoring. Every game I’ve ever seen to was like 1-0 or 2, 0. I want to see goals!
  2. The NHL has legislated fighting out of the sport. Hockey without fights is just Men’s team figure skating.
  3. I always had trouble following the game. It doesn’t help that at NHL games good seats are so expensive. I can never see the puck from up in the nosebleeds.

Aeros 6 Cropped + Focus

So, how did the Aeros game change my opinion about hockey? The score was 5-3, there were a couple of decent fights, and we sat ten rows behind the goal without breaking the bank.

I don’t care that I don’t know the rules of the game, consider me sold on AHL hockey. I’ll be back for more.

Do you prefer professional or minor league sports? Who’s your favorite team? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

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Grab a Ton of Free Music from Google Play

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I love music. I listen in the car, when I work out, when I do chores—whenever I can. As such, I’m always on the look out for great music I don’t have to pay for.

Music Manager

Fortunately, the Internet is full of places to get free music. Some of them even let you download it legally, too!

Apple has a whole section devoted to music (and movies, and apps, etc.) that are Free on iTunes. Not to be outdone, Amazon lets you browse their MP3 Store for free downloads. Now Google is getting in on the game.

Enter: Google Play

If you haven’t checked it out already, be sure to head over to Google Play. Their interface is nothing special and the selection of music is no better than iTunes or Amazon MP3. However, they’ve got a much, much better selection of free music.

Head over to the Free Song Archive at the Google Play Magnifier Blog. Currently, they’ve got over 200 fantastic songs from the likes of Train, Social Distortion, “Weird Al” Yankovic, System of a Down, Mariah Carey, Shakira, Johnny Cash, Carrie Underwood, Whitney Houston, John Mayer, etc.

Google-Play-600x300
Image via freebee360

As a bonus, be sure to check out this playlist full of quality tracks from Radiohead, Snoop Dogg, Gorillaz, Daft Punk, and more Coachella Music Festival All-Stars.

What’s your favorite source for great, free MP3 downloads? Sound off in the comments below.

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