Tag Archives: geek

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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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: DODOcase for iPad 2

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DODOcase Sticker

Sleek. Elegant. Sophisticated.

You could use those three words to describe the DODOcase for iPad 2, but then I’d be forced to call you a pretentious schmuck.

As soon as I got my iPad 2 I knew exactly which case I wanted for it—the DODOcase. I’d read the glowing reviews about it on blogs like Engadget and TUAW, but (more importantly) it fit my own personal criteria. I wanted an iPad case that would do the following:

  1. Look great
  2. Protect the front and back of my iPad
  3. Not announce to the entire world that I have an iPad

I’m happy to report that the DODOcase succeeds on all counts.
For the uninitiated, the DODOcase looks like a large Moleskine notebook.

DODOcase Front

DODOcases are made using traditional bookbinding processes right here in the good old US of A. The do a fantastic job of telling their own story here.

For about six months I’ve been extremely satisfied with my DODOcase purchase. The other day, however, I noticed that the bamboo frame of the case had a large crack in one of the corners and was precariously close to falling off completely.

I wrote a quick note to customer service describing the issue and explaining my concern that the case hadn’t lasted longer. I also and attached the image below to my note.

IMG00124-20120103-1733

One minute later, I had a response. That’s not a typo. That’s not an exaggeration. Let me say it again. One minute later, I had a response.

The email was from a real, live human being who apologized for the problem, thanked me for sending them the picture and provided full resolution in their first communication.

The customer service agent advised me that super glue might work, but also offered to send me a replacement. I chose the latter and three days later I had my new DODOcase.

DODOcase Bookplate

DODOcase Bookplate

Ever since advent of overseas call centers fueled by large corporations’ rise in apathy over the care of the people who buy their products and services we have come to expect poor customer service. Sadly, a company that cares about those who pay its bills is the exception and not the norm.

DODOcase is that exception. They are the Nordstroms of iPad cases. They sell fine products at a premium, but not only are you getting an excellent product, more importantly, you know that they will stand by their products and treat you right.

I’ll warrant that my DODOcase gets at least as many stares as my iPad itself. Everyone compliments me on my handsome notebook and if when they get the chance to look inside they’re even more impressed.

Are you willing to pay more for a premium product or premium customer service? Have you found a company or product you like that offers both? Sound off in the comments below.

All images are from my flickr, unless otherwise noted.

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Quick Tip: Reorganize Channels on Your Roku Homescreen

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Image via PDFuu.com

One of the things I love about the Roku is its ability to add and remove channels on-demand. Beyond just Netflix and Hulu Plus, this means that I have a much more granular level of control over what access to entertainment we have in our home.

One thing I struggled with in the past, however, was organizing my home screen—whenever I added a new channel there just didn’t seem to be a quick and easy way for me to get it placed in an order that made sense to me.

Roku 1
Image via my flickr.

You see, when you add a channel to the Roku it doesn’t ask you where you want it. Your new channel is unceremoniously plunked at the far left.

The only way I could figure out how to reorder my channels was to delete them and add them again in the order I wanted them to appear. This wasn’t very elegant or efficient.

So, after a highly productive two minute chat online with Roku’s Tech Support, I resolved the issue and would like to share the results with you.

Just Press *

  1. Using the Roku remote, browse to the channel you want to move.

Roku 2
Image via my flickr.

  1. Press the Options button (outlined in red).

Roku Remote
Image via my flickr.

  1. A popup menu will display. Select the option to “change channel position” and press the OK button.

Roku 3
Image via my flickr.

  1. A dashed line will appear around the channel’s icon. Press either the Left or Right buttons on your remote to position the channel.

Roku 4
Image via my flickr.

  1. When you’re satisifed with where the channel is press the OK button.

Roku 5
Image via my flickr.

  1. Repeat steps 1-5 as needed. Smile smuggly, knowing that your Roku channels are finally in precisely the order you like them.

Roku 6
Image via my flickr.

According to the Roku Tech Support rep, this feature isn’t documented in either their manual or on their help site (I did check beforehand). Please also note, this tip works only with the Roku XD and XDS models.

Did this help you love your Roku a little bit more? Sound off in the comments below.

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Who Said Sketch Comedy Was Dead?

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Sketch Comedy is most definitely not dead (despite all attempts made by Saturday Night Live over the last ten years to kill it).

If you want confirmation, look no further than this brilliant clip from BBC One‘s The One Ronnie—My Blackberry Is Not Working!.

Wow—I loved that!

The writing is great, the timing is fantastic, and the performances were hilarious.

"It's goodnight from me." "And ...

Image via Wikipedia

There used to be Two Ronnies, but one of them passed away, unfortunately. The surviving Ronnie, (Ronnie Corbett), is a beloved comedic icon in his native UK.

I’ll definitely be looking for more of both the One and the Two Ronnies.

What did you think of that clip? What’s the funniest sketch you’ve seen lately? Sound off in the comments below.