:skyecade online

My de.lic.ious tag cloud, spruced up by Wordle.

Click to enlarge.

     

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I came across this podcast by accident. It’s called Hardcore History, and I’m completely addicted.

The host, Dan Carlin, talks about all kinds of historical events and the impacts they had on the world, but he does so from unusual and thought provoking perspectives.

Unfortunately (and yet fortunately), the episodes are so in depth that only about one is produced a month. Believe me, they’re well worth the wait. Each episode runs about forty minutes (give or take ten minutes) and focus on topics ranging from Hitler to the Great Depression to the Bubonic plague. But again, these are not your typical history lessons. — I’ve listened to everyone.

Here is a list of the first fifteen episodes. I pulled these right from Dan Carlin’s site. I hope he doesn’t mind.

Show 15 - Desperate Times (.mp3 41:57, 30 Aug 2007)
The tough economic climate after the First World War fostered the growth of radicalism around the world. Did it also create tougher people? Dan looks at the connection between tough times and the “Greatest Generation”.

Show 14 - The Macedonian Soap Opera (.mp3 49:23, 18 Jul 2007)
When Alexander the Great bequeathed his empire “to the strongest” he set off a funeral contest that shook the world for decades. Murder, marriage, intrigue,and drama all feature prominently in the story.

Show 13 - Bubonic Nukes (.mp3 47:30, 13 Jun 2007)
What would happen if half the population died in a short period of time? Dan looks at the Black Death and other plagues that created almost apocalyptic conditions in the past…and maybe in the future.

Show 12 - Steppe Stories (.mp3 58:34, 8 May 2007)
Blood-sucking Scythian warriors, tattooed ice mummies, Amazons killing so they can mate, pot smoking head-hunters, scalp-taking, koumiss-drinking Mongols, Turks, Huns, and Aliens. What’s not to like?

Show 11 - Thoughts on Churchill (.mp3 53:45, 11 Apr 2007)
We almost called this show “Things about Churchill that have interested Dan”. Dan takes a look at various elements of the dramatic life and career of the great British leader.

Show 10 - The What-Ifs Of 1066 (.mp3 47:31, 13 Mar 2007)
How might history have been changed if the events of the momentous year 1066 had turned out differently? Dan examines Normans, Vikings, Saxons, Bastards, Conquerers, Confessors, Godwinsons and Hardratas.

Show 9 - Darkness Buries the Bronze Age (.mp3 33:43, 16 Feb 2007)
What was the cause of the collapse of the Bronze Age? War? Famine? Natural disaster? Sauron the Dark Lord? Dan looks at all the potential villains…except for Sauron.

Show 8 - Scars of the Great War (.mp3 40:34, 27 Jan 2007)
Dan looks at the shock and awe caused by the First World War and marvels at how connected we still are to the empire-shattering effects of the conflict contemporaries simply referred to as The Great War.

Show 7 - The X-History Files (.mp3 31:55, 27 Dec 2006)
Napoleon is supposed to have said that “History is a set of lies agreed upon”. With that in mind, Dan looks at some of the alternative and pseudo history ideas that many people embrace.

Show 6 - Shield of the West (.mp3 59:04, 08 Dec 2006)
Spartans, Athenians, Persians and references to Star Trek all make appearances in this look at the dramatic and extremely consequential Greek and Persian wars.

Show 5 - Meandering Through the Cold War (.mp3 48:29, 14 Nov 2006)
Dan meanders through a conversation about causes and effects of the Cold War without ever talking much about the actual events of the conflict.

Show 4 - Romancing The Tribes (.mp3 31:43, 24 Oct 2006)
Native American chief Tecumseh and Gallic king Vercingetorix both tried to unify their tribal peoples to face overwhelming foes. Dan examines the romance of their lost causes.

Show 3 - Organization of Peace (.mp3 42:09, 4 Oct 2006)
The early 20th century League of Nations stood for peace, cooperation, disarmament and international understanding. What happened?

Show 2 - Guns & Horses (.mp3 34:53, 12 Sep 2006)
The West is Mike Tyson and the East is Muhammad Ali in this episode as Dan mixes Art Bell, with Hans Delbruck in this look at a possible reason for the military decline of the near East.

Show 1 - Alexander versus Hitler (.mp3 16:45, 27 Jul 2006)
Dan compares the way the modern world sees Adolf Hitler with the way history views Alexander the Great and wonders if the two men weren’t more alike than different.

     

Filed under: Reviews, Zen Geekery
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Finally, something worth watching on Joost. Check it out. I should probably tell you that I haven’t logged into Joost in quite some time, so this might be old news, but it’s great news nonetheless. Now all they need to add is Thundercats, Mask, TMNT, Silverhawks, Star Blazers, G.I. Joe, and Voltron — and I’ll be reliving my cartoon glory days. I also liked the Snorks. Don’t judge me!

On a related note, “Transformers the Movie” still holds the title of most incredible animated movie ever made, followed ever so closely by Titan A.E. and the Secret of Nimh. Oh, and all of Hayao Miyazaki movies. That guy’s pretty impressive.

     

Filed under: Geekculture, TV / Video, Zen Geekery, Movies
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If I had more space, the title would have read, “The top five greatest female characters in a live action science fiction movie and / or television series.” But that’s just obnoxious. — Okay, here we go…

Seven of Nine

“We are the Borg.” - My personal favorite. She is also what prompted me to create this illustrious list. I’ve been on a Star Trek Voyager kick for the last month or two and have decided to re-watch all the old episodes in chronological order. I never realized how utterly boring the show was until they added Seven of Nine to the cast of characters in the fourth season. This buxom Borg made the pain of enduring the previous seasons well worth it. Seven is a by far one of the more interesting characters I have come across in realm of science fiction.

Star Trek: Voyager

Kara Thrace

“Frak.” - Battlestar Galactica is, without a doubt, my favorite television show ever to be aired. When I first heard that they were remaking the original series, I was ecstatic. When I heard that the part of “Starbuck” was going to be played by a women, I was worried. Maybe even a little offended. But all my fears and doubts were laid to rest the moment I actually watched the show. Kara Thrace is a more complex version of the former Starbuck. She is also far better looking and much tougher than her male counterpart ever was. Sorry Dirk, Kara for the win.

Battlestar Galactica

Princess Leia Organa

“I recognized your foul stench when I was brought on board.” - For all of you younglings out there still daydreaming about Padme, stop it. She couldn’t hold a candle to Princess Leia Organa (Skywalker) (Solo). At age 20, this young spitfire was the leader of the Rebel Alliance against the well established and all powerful Galactic Empire. She even told Grand Moff Tarkin that he stank, right to his face. Let’s see Padme do that! Oh, and this is all while she was being escorted by the Dark Lord of the Sith, the most feared being in the universe. Don’t be fooled by her cute little buns people. By that I mean hair buns naturally. This princess is the kick ass mother of all sci-fi women to follow. Except for Padme of course, who actually is her mother…

Star Wars: A New Hope - Empire Strikes Back - Return of the Jedi

Leeloo

“Multipass.” - Every geek, male or female, has had a crush on Leeloo at some point in their life. Perhaps it’s her flowing orange hair or the fact that her whole outfit looks like one big distorted belt. Maybe it’s her cute incoherent babble or her innocent blue eyes. No, it’s more likely the fact that she could kill you without even breaking a sweat. Sweet and deadly, sort of like a twinkie.

The Fifth Element

Trinity

“Dodge this.” - Finally, this brings us to one of the most celebrated female characters in the realm of science fiction, Trinity. The Matrix spawned a slew of iconic figures and Trinity is at the top of that list. Clad in latex, this cyber-goth-goddess is one hacker that isn’t to be trifled with.

The Matrix - The Matrix Reloaded - The Matrix Revolutions

And there you have it, my top five greatest women in sci-fi list is complete. This list was not an easy one to make mind you. Quite a few of my favorite sci-fi vixens didn’t make the cut for various reasons. Take the women of Firefly for instance. After BSG, Firefly could be my favorite TV series, and a lot of that had to do with the great cast, both male and female. Alas, I didn’t feel that as individuals they could bump anyone off this list. Sorry girls. Below are some of the other gals that almost broke into the top 5, but were snubbed out at the last minute.

The Runners-Up

	Sarah Connor - Terminator 1 & 2
	Max Guevera - Dark Angel
	Mystique - X-Men 1, 2, & 3
	Ripley - Alien, Aliens, Alien 3, & Alien Resurrection
	Lara Croft - Tomb Raider 1 & 2

Discuss or post your own list here…

     

Filed under: Top Fives, TV / Video, Zen Geekery, Movies
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I was surfing around last night and I came across this site.

Finally!

I guess I’m done. It’s been nice knowing all of you. I’m going outside now.

     

Filed under: Links, Zen Geekery
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I’ll write this tomorrow…

     

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Have you ever been sitting at your desk thinking to yourself, “Man, I wish I brought my Ninja mask to work today.” Yeah, me too. Well thanks to the teachings of Ninja master Vern Reid, there is a quick and easy way to create your very own Ninja mask using an ordinary T-shirt. MacGyver would have been proud.

Behold!

     

Filed under: Geekculture, Zen Geekery, How To's
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It’s time to geek out a bit! I have compiled the following list which represents the 5 greatest sci-fi ships of all time. A bold endeavor I know, but I’m up to the task. Here they are in no particular order.

That’s it. Do you dare disagree with my sci-fi expertise? Post your own list here.

     

Filed under: Top Fives, TV / Video, Zen Geekery, Movies
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Not only is the Office one of my favorite television shows, but in this episode they are playing one of my all time favorite games. Hilarity ensues.

     

Filed under: TV / Video, Zen Geekery, Gaming
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I weigh 210 pounds on Earth, 79.3 pounds on Mercury, 190.4 pounds on Venus, 34.8 pounds on our moon, 79.1 pounds on Mars, 496.4 pounds on Jupiter, 192.3 pounds on Saturn, 186.6 pounds on Uranus, 236.2 pounds on Neptune, and a measly 14 pounds on Pluto.

Next time someone asks me how much I weigh, I’m going to tell them I fluctuate anywhere between 14 and 496 pounds depending on the day. Oh yeah, and what planet I’m on.

How much do you weigh?

     

Filed under: Links, Zen Geekery, Random Bits
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