How You Can Help Peter David

Photo CC-BY-SA Derek Hofmann

Geekdoms of many colors have spread the word by now about Peter David’s stroke in the final days of 2012. His wife Kathleen has been posting updates on Peter’s site about his status. Today she writes to explain how we as fans can help Peter and his family:

Even though we have health insurance we have co-pays and the like. And since this stroke fell at the end of the year, we have all the new co-pays to deal with (I can honestly see those of you who have had to deal with this nodding your heads). And there are things that the insurance company just won’t cover (more head nodding). So we are at the beginning of what is going to be a very expensive year even though we are only 4 days in.

The most direct way is to buy his books from Crazy 8 Press or from Amazon or Barnes and Noble websites. These are books that he gets the money from directly and the most per book.

Because of their higher returns to the author, she specifically directs supporters to:

  • Pulling Up Stakes Part 1 and Pulling Up Stakes Part 2 — These are ebooks available for as little as 99 cents. Crazy 8 Press seems to be getting slammed right now, presumably with supportive fans, so here are the Amazon and Barnes and Noble links to them as well.
    Sick of vampire books? Movies? TV shows? Yeah. So are we. Sick of the entire unlife of vampires? Yeah. So is Vince Hammond. Unfortunately, Vince is in it up to his (wait for it) neck. Because Vince is a young vampire hunter who lives with his vampire hunter mother in an entire community of vampire hunters, who in turn are part of a cult of vampire hunters going back all the way to the French Revolution, which many believe to be an uprising of the poor against the rich but was actually a massive purging of vampires from the French nobility (hence the guillotine).
  • The Camelot Papers — Available in ebook or print-on-demand paperback. If that link doesn’t work, here it is on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
    A powerful ruler who’s considered by many to be simple-minded and vacuous and has serious father issues. A no-nonsense, polarizing woman who favors pants suits and pursues dubious agendas involving social needs. A remarkably magnetic leader of men with a reputation as a skirt-chaser. A scheming, manipulative adviser who is constantly trying to control public perceptions. A man seen as the next, great hope for the people, except there are disputes over his background and many contend he’s not what he appears to be.
  • The currently released Hidden Earth Saga (a third is in process): Darkness of the Light and Heights of the Depths
    Crazy8 lists only the Nook version, but Darkness of the Light is also available in print and Kindle versions on Amazon, as is Heights of the Depths.

Whether you love comics, Star Trek, Babylon 5, or sci-fi novels, there’s almost certainly something in his prolific bibliography to touch your geek interests. Peter David was one of the first geek authors I fell in love with. At my first con, I sat in a huge ballroom for some popular guest I no longer recall behind a family with two small children. When the panel ended, the wife asked the husband if he knew where his panel was. I didn’t think much of it until I went to the next panel I wanted to see, which was Peter David. Lo and behold, I’d been sitting behind him for the last hour and had no idea.

I still laugh when I remember asking him to sign a book afterwards. I said I’d bought a new copy because I was embarrassed to show how tattered the original was. He said, “I’d rather see that one, since it means you love the book and aren’t just going to sell it on eBay!” (The next year I brought the tattered one.) He ended his panel by encouraging those who had come to see him to stay for a young, new writer with the undesirable spot of the last session on the last day of Dragon*Con.

His wife Kathleen I’ve mostly encountered from costuming and puppetry panels at Dragon*Con. I haven’t sewn a costume seam in years without hearing her in my head complaining about costumers who create something beautiful and then don’t clip the threads at the end. (I’m clipping, I’m clipping, I promise!) They’re both tireless contributors to so many facets of geekdom. If you’re a longtime fan, this is a chance to support someone who has influenced your fandom(s). If you’d never heard of Peter David until a few paragraphs ago, this is a chance to discover a writer you won’t regret meeting and to help a fellow human in the process.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Back to top

Can 2013 Beat The Amazing Year of Movies That Was 2012?

 

I can’t remember a better year to be a geek and a movie lover than 2012. The Avengers crammed a pile of our favorite superheroes together onto one screen, and the summer iced that cake with The Dark Knight Rises. Love or hate the high frame rate, we got The Hobbit. Musical lovers got Les Mis while the friends they dragged along got Wolverine, Catwoman, and General Maximus (who next year turns into Jor-El) singing with a side dish of Borat and Bellatrix Lestrange. Talk about a strange dinner party. There were Nazis on the moon, time-traveling blunderbusses, Mandingoes, and for the love of John Carter, a vampire throwing a horse at Abraham Lincoln.

That’s a tough act to follow.

I’ve seen more movies this year–and in theaters!–than maybe any other year of my life, certainly any other year since I had children. I’ve been steeling myself for a while to accept that it was a special year and that 2013 just won’t be the same. It couldn’t be. Could it? There’s only one way to find out. Let’s look at what’s coming. It’s time for a movie year throwdown.

CATEGORY

2012

2013

PROJECTED WINNER
Sci-fi and futuristic Looper, John Carter, The Hunger Games, Prometheus, Men in Black 3, Resident Evil: Retribution, Chronicle, Cloud Atlas, Iron Sky Star Trek: Into Darkness, Elysium, Ender’s Game, World War Z, After Earth, Dark Skies, The Host, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Pacific Rim, Riddick, The World’s End 2012 was a pretty good year, even if we’d had nothing but Looper, The Hunger Games, and Cloud Atlas. But 2013 is ready for the sci-fi smackdown with our next entry in the Star Trek franchise, the next Hunger Games, Pacific Rim, Ender’s Game, and the long-awaited World War Z. Edge: 2013
Fantasy The Hobbit, Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, Jack the Giant Slayer, Oz: The Great and Powerful, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones You either loved or hated The Hobbit, and despite having two of the most amazing costume designers ever to put their work in front of a camera, neither of 2012′s Snow White stories was much to rave about. But they looked promising a year ago, and 2013 could tank just as hard. Tentative edge: 2013
True story/history-based (however loosely) Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Argo 300: Rise of an Empire Is 2013 the year that forgot history, or have I just not found those films yet? And I had to take one that really should be in the next category just to give one to 2013! Clear edge: 2012
Comics-based, graphic novels, and superheroes The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider-Man, Dredd Iron Man 3, The Wolverine, VS (All Superheroes Must Die), Man of Steel, Thor: The Dark World, Oblivion, I Frankenstein, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Kick-Ass 2 The summer of The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises was a huge contribution to this great year for movie geeks. But by sheer numbers and the return of Hit Girl, it’s edge: 2013.
Animation Wreck-It Ralph, Brave, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman, The Lorax, The Secret World of Arrietty Escape from Planet Earth, Planes, Monsters University, Frozen, From Up on Poppy Hill, Despicable Me 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Epic There were the good times. The times of Brave and Wreck-It Ralph. And then there were the lesser times. There was Frankenweenie, which was like a very, very, very long version of its trailer. I’m not dying of anticipation from much of the upcoming list, but I’ll give it tentative edge: 2013 for optimism and a big-screen Mr. Peabody & Sherman.
Documentary Indie Game: The Movie, We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, Jiro Dreams of Sushi $ellebrity, Unity, Bronies: The Extremely Unexpected Adult Fans of My Little Pony We Are Legion was both a moving story for those who already knew it and a solid introduction for those who didn’t, and I’ve heard great things about Jiro. But it’s hard to compete with the words “John de Lancie goes to BronyCon.” Edge: 2013
Toy-based Battleship G.I. Joe: Retaliation Game-peg-shaped torpedoes or round two of something that wasn’t any good the first time? Draw. And a request to stop making movies based on toys, unless it’s Jenga.
Remakes, re-releases, and “haven’t we seen this?” Total Recall, Dark Shadows, Finding Nemo 3D, Monsters Inc. 3D The Evil Dead, Carrie, Jurassic Park 3D, Top Gun 3D, The Little Mermaid 3D, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 3D, and Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 3D I’m tenuously interested in The Evil Dead remake, but is the new movie motto, “If you can’t make something good, make something old 3D”? Edge: 2012 for Johnny Depp in excessive makeup over 100-foot-high Anakin nostrils. (Possible reconsideration after Top Gun volleyball scene in 3D.)
Other interesting bits not covered above but worthy of note Skyfall, The Cabin in the Woods, Django Unchained, Safety Not Guaranteed John Dies at the End, Noobz, Much Ado About Nothing, RED 2, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Horror Whedon or Shakespeare Whedon? Bond or RED? Edge: 2012, due to a lack of Tarantino in 2013.
And the winner is… Giving half points for a “tentative edge” and none for the draw, it’s 2012 with 3 points and 2013 with 4 points. Anticipated winner: 2013

I’m sorry, 2012. You were great, but it looks like you just might get taken down by 2013. Your obituary will tell how you were the Year of the Whedon, giving us both The Cabin in the Woods, dripping with Whedonosity in a commentary on classic horror tropes, as well as The Avengers, the third highest-grossing film ever. (In 2013, we’ll get his take on Much Ado About Nothing, with a lineup of the Whedon favorites, from Nathan Fillion and Amy Acker to Alexis Denisof and Tom Lenk.) You were the year of too-fast-to-count video-game cameos. Of the 50th anniversary of Bond. Of what may be Quentin Tarantino’s most controversial work–and that’s saying something when it’s a guy whose last film was about Nazis and had a title with two intentional misspellings that he preferred not to explain.

2013, you’re looking pretty. Captain-Chris-Pine-Kirk kind of pretty. And Pacific Rim kind of stunning. (Don’t let me down, Pacific Rim.) We’re going to be dropping in on Oz and going on a quest for the Golden Fleece with a bunch of half-bloods. You want superheroes? Like IronManWolverineSupermanThor? We won’t be able to recover from that many abs on display until Arrow gets cancelled. We’ll try not to get the vapors, because there are Jacks to keep straight. Tom Cruise will be playing a guy named Jack, but not Jack Reacher (that was 2012), and not Jack Ryan, which is 2013, but a whole other movie, which also has Chris Pine. The Girl on Fire will be on her Victory Tour, and it looks like the whole of Hollywood is coming along. (Did I mention Q goes to BronyCon?)

Once that’s through, I’m not holding my breath for two years of greatness to stretch into a three-year run of awesome, but we can hope. May the odds be ever in our favor.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Back to top

Keep Your Legs Warm With Geeked-Up Tights

Despite my protests, summer always leaves eventually. I live in the southern US, so I can pretend for a long time, but come January, I have to face it. It’s just plain cold. There are only two ways to make that better: gingerbread lattes, which leave after Christmas, and funky tights, which are always your friend. Here are a few of my favorites.

TARDIS tights (and dress)

Black Milk Clothing is known for awesomely geeky threads. You’ve probably seen their R2-D2 bathing suit. In the past, their tights have included space invader and Tetris themes. Right now what you can pick up are these police box leggings that may remind you of a certain favorite Doctor. There’s also a matching dress.

Image credit: Black Milk Clothing

The more bold among you may be interested in their muscle tights or mechanical leggings, for the full steampunk look.

Mass Effect

It’s not too hard to come by N7 t-shirts, hoodies, and even wallets, but there are no official leggings like the ones Etsy seller Peachykiki is making:

Image credit: Etsy seller Peachykiki Continue Reading “Keep Your Legs Warm With Geeked-Up Tights” »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Back to top

AppCrayon: Fine Motor Skills Technology

Image from DanoToys

The AppCrayon by DanoToys is the first stylus I’ve ever seen with a triangular shaft designed by teachers and therapists for use by kindergarteners still working on their pencil writing grips. The stylus is plastic, slightly over sized and has a bit larger tip then most styluses making it perfect for kids. This stylus feels very much like a triangular crayon, but looks different enough that a child should confuse a real crayon for the stylus on the screen. Its designed with a small loop on the back to attach to a lanyard or hook if there are worries about misplacing it. The stylus is completely universal so even though it was designed in conjunction with an Apple app, the stylus can be used with over 300,000 apps and is compatible with nearly every touchscreen device. The AppCrayon was designed by educators for educators. DanoToys offers a special discounted classroom pack for teachers interested in using them in their curriculum.

My son has problems with his fine motor control, he can only fist-grip writing utensils. We’ve worked with him in therapy, but with crayons and pencils he gets easily frustrated when using a tripod grip, because he doesn’t have enough wrist and finger strength to create marks on a writing page. My son also adores his iPad time. When I found this stylus in my pre-holiday shopping adventures, I thought it might be worth a try for him. In conjunction with the AppCrayon the DanoToys team has developed a free app for Apple devices to practice letter writing, AppCrayon. A second Apple app, Little Sky Writers, runs at $1.99 on the Apple App store, but with three levels of difficulty, three airplanes to personalize, and voiced by by comedian and star of Nickelodeon’sTM Big Time RushTM Stephen Kramer Glickman, it’s well worth the cost. There is a $.99 Little Sky Writers if you plan to use the app on only on an iPhone. Once your child has mastered the game, they’ll receive a certificate of completion and the option of posting it to your Facebook page.

When I sat my son down with the stylus and app for the first time, he was completely enthralled as I had expected. New things are exciting! I was impressed how he really had to think about how to hold the stylus and while I did have to remind him a few times how to hold it properly, he managed to keep a tripod grip for nearly an hour. I was highly encouraged! After buying a second stylus, the first one having been destroyed by one of my boys biting the rubber tip off because they thought it was food, I carefully watched my son use the stylus. With each use he would revert to the fist grip but would correct himself as if the stylus war more comfortable in the tripod position. I’m overjoyed at the sight of seeing him writing correctly. Of course this isn’t a true fix to his grip issues, but it is a great way to reinforce the proper grip anytime he plays on his iPad.

I’d highly recommend the AppCrayon for any child with a touchscreen device, especially for young ones still practicing a proper pencil grip.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Back to top

This Week With the GeekMoms

Rachel Cericola will spend the weekend using two of her new toys: an elliptical machine and a pasta press. (Yes, they sort of cancel each other out.) She’s also determined to clean out the rest of the post-Christmas clutter. Her family has been in an “everything must go” mode and she really doesn’t want to lose the momentum.

Ariane is happy the holidays are over so she can go back to a normal schedule, a normal budget, and a normal diet. Now, if only the Christmas decorations would pack themselves away…

Corrina’s oil company didn’t refill the tank, so the first event of 2013 was building a fire until an emergency delivery could be made on Tuesday afternoon. In the meantime, she decided to add up her 2012 accomplishments, as she was feeling particularly ineffective. Turns out 2012 was a pretty good year. 180 posts. 3 books. One comic and more on the way. Anniversary trip! Comic Cons! 2013 had better get its act together soon to measure up!

Dakster Sullivan is working on her must read comic book reading list this week. She’s eager to add more titles, so if you have any suggestions, leave her a comment and let her know. She’d love to hear your suggestions!

Laura is heading off to Silicon Valley to do some interviews, then plans to mosey a bit in SF. Just when she gets used to warm weather she’ll head back east to 10 degree nights and lots of snow. Which is good because she loves snow.

Kelly Knox is re-adjusting to life wearing glasses after 10 years of perfect vision thanks to Lasik. GeekMom Cathe’s recent post on how cool glasses are inspired Kelly to get her eyes checked, and she’s glad she did!

Melissa Wiley is celebrating the launch of her latest early reader, Inch and Roly and the Very Small Hiding Place, the sequel to Inch and Roly Make a Wish.

Tags: , , ,
Back to top

The Cliffs of Insanity

I regularly read Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback on SI.Com and Gregg Easterbrook’s Tuesday Morning Quarterback on ESPN.com. What I love about both columns is that they’re not just about football, they’re about myriad other things King and Easterbrook are interested in, like microbrews or the economy or even politics.

That inspired me to create this column, which I hope to write for publication every Friday.

The first obstacle I faced was naming the column. Friends at Gail Simone’s Forum on Jinxworld helped me out and the winner, supplied by CutterMike was “The Cliffs of Insanity,” a reference, of course, to The Princess Bride. And perhaps reflective of how many things tend to run around my brain.

Often, there are bits and pieces of stuff I think GeekMom readers would love but I don’t have time to write a whole post. (This is not laziness. I just added it up and I wrote over 180 blog posts last year. O_o!) I’m particularly interested in the role of women in superhero comics, as it’s been a passion all my life and I find myself commenting on various controversies over the week on other sites but I never find the time to post them here. Then there are the bits and pieces I come across and love but never make their way into a post. Now they will.

And to kick things off….

Coolest Mainstream Cover spotted:

It’s a cover to Fearless Defenders #2, a new team of female Defender that includes Misty Knight, Valkyrie, and Mirage/Dani Moonstar. The first issue of the series releases next month. I will have to consult GeekDad Jim MacQuarrie to check if Dani’s bow is functional.

Girl Comic Readers Are Unicorns Moment of the Week:*

DCWomenKickingAss’ List of the Worst of 2012 for DC Women.

There’s not a facepalm big enough for some of these decisions, particularly turning the peace-loving Amazons into rapists and child-slavers. No, I’m not making this up. I wish I were. Want to see the relevant scans?

Continue Reading “The Cliffs of Insanity” »

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Back to top

Dark Horse Comics’ Star Wars #1 Puts Leia in the Pilot’s Seat

Star Wars #1 Preview Image © Dark Horse Comics

On January 9, Dark Horse Comics kicks off a brand-new Star Wars monthly series. While that isn’t normally anything groundbreaking — Dark Horse has been publishing Expanded Universe stories for years — the comic book series launching next week is titled simply Star Wars and already promises to be something special. Set between the films A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back, the new ongoing series brings back Luke, Leia, Han, and the rest of our friends in an all-new story.

Star Wars #1 Preview Page Courtesy © Dark Horse Comics

Writer Brian Wood, who impressed me recently with his other new title, Mara, explained his thoughts on the story of the series in a December interview with Newarama. Most enticing of all is Wood’s comments on Princess Leia and how he approaches her character in Star Wars #1 and beyond:

Leia spends a LOT of time in an X-Wing here, as a pilot equal in stature to Wedge and Luke, and close in skill. If there’s anything “controversial” in what people already know about my story, it’s this idea that Leia is a fighter pilot. That she ISN’T one, actually, since we’ve never seen her doing it.

I simply applied logic to the situation: If we, here, learn to drive at age 16, why wouldn’t someone in Star Wars learn how to fly as a coming of age thing? Luke did, as a farm boy. Wedge did, working his parent’s gas station. Why not Leia, a daughter of privilege? She can handle firearms, she basically takes over her own escape from the Death Star. She survives torture. She BEATS torture, actually. Later we see her on speeder bikes, fixing the Falcon, shooting more dudes, and so on. It’s almost insulting to suggest she can’t fly an X-Wing, the Rebellion’s fighter of choice.

With the focus on our beloved characters rather than just space battles (although there will be some of those), not to mention art by Carlos D’Anda and a cover by Alex Ross, this is the most excited I’ve been for a new Star Wars title in any medium in years. Swing by your local comic book shop January 9 to pick up a copy of Star Wars #1.

Tags: , , ,
Back to top

3 Lego Chima Games for 2013

In 2013, Lego Legends of Chima will get a trio of video games across a variety of platforms. Image: Lego.com.

Lego recently introduced its Chima line, which combines a slew of magical animals and the classic story of good and evil — with a little friend and family bonding thrown in for good measure. It’s already getting some play in the latest Lego Club Jr. magazine, but that’s just the beginning of what will soon become the toy line’s latest empire. Lego and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment just announced plans to release a trio of Legends of Chima video games throughout 2013.

The Chima line will include construction sets, vehicles, TV content, and more. Some of that “more” will include the new games, which will debut throughout the year, across a variety of platforms. At this point, however, that line-up does not include any at-home consoles.

First up is Lego Legends of Chima: Speedorz, a racing mini-game that’s now available on Lego.com and through the iTunes App Store. Produced by TT Games and 4T2, the game allows players to race against Chima characters, battle through Chima locations, and “unleash the power of CHI” all in the name of their Speedorz.

Hopefully, that game will keep you busy until the summer. That’s when Lego Legends of Chima: Laval’s Journey will put Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita users in the middle of “an amazing adventure.” Standard DS users will have to wait a few months to embark on the journey; TT Games says that the non-3D DS version won’t start selling until the fall.

Around that same time, the Lego Legends of Chima Online portal will launch. This is a free site designed for kids to game in a safe, but incredibly immersive environment. Developed by WB Games Montréal, this freebie allows users to built and customize a kingdom in the world of Chima, take on missions, use Lego bricks to build weapons and gadgets, and much more.

All three of the games tie into a reward system known as the Chima Vault. Players can earn points in any of the Chima games and redeem them in the Vault for new content.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Back to top

Even In Utero, Babies Know Native Language

Image by Natania Barron, CC BY SA 3.0. My daughter, a few days old. Apparently already prepared for Shakespeare.

Having one of the younger babies on staff, it’s no surprise that I’m often drawn to baby news. While the vast majority of it is usually rather snoozeworthy, I was quite intrigued by recent research indicating that even in utero, babies understand their native language in contrast to foreign languages. Now, maybe this isn’t too surprising for many geeky moms out there, but it does shed some light on our rather impressive human brains which, while still developing, are capable of remarkable feats. From the article at Pacific Lutheran University:

The study tested newborns on two sets of vowel sounds – 17 native language sounds and 17 foreign language sounds, said [research co-author Patricia] Kuhl. The researchers tested the babies’ interest in the vowel sounds based on how long and often they sucked on a pacifier. Half of the infants heard their native language vowels, and the other half heard the foreign vowels. “Each suck will produce a vowel until the infant pauses, and then the new suck will produce the next vowel sound,” said Kuhl.

In both countries, the babies listening to the foreign vowels sucked more than those listening to their native tongue regardless of how much postnatal experience they had. This indicated to researchers that they were learning the vowel sounds in utero.

“These little ones had been listening to their mother’s voice in the womb, and particularly her vowels for ten weeks. The mother has first dibs on influencing the child’s brain,” said Kuhl. “At birth, they are apparently ready for something novel.”

This language recognition is particularly notable during the last ten weeks of pregnancy. So expectant geek parents out there, mark your calendars. At 30 weeks in, you might want to consider which other language you’re going to start speaking to keep that developing brain sharp: Quenya, Klingon, or perhaps go for Middle English?

[via PopSci]

Tags: , , , , ,
Back to top

How Couch to 5K Got Me Running

Image: play.google.com

I’ve never been very fond of exercise. When I was a kid, I’d prefer staying inside with a good book over running and playing outside. I did participate in several sports when I was younger like soccer and softball, but I didn’t like them. As I grew to be an adult, I found myself moving around less as most of my jobs had me sitting at a desk all day. I’ve tried all kinds of fitness programs and apps for weight loss, but none really worked for me until I started Couch to 5K.

Couch to 5K is a program for people who lead a sedentary lifestyle. It eases you into running and starts out slow. During the first week, you alternate jogging for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds. From there, each week has you running a little longer with less walking in between.

I started Couch to 5K a few years ago when I first heard of it. My daughter was still a baby and I was a stay at home mom. I got a fancy jogging stroller and tried really hard to get started. But what derailed me was trying to juggle a stopwatch to time how long I was supposed to run while driving the stroller. It was very difficult and I didn’t even get past the first week.

This fall, I found a Couch to 5K app so I decided to give it another try. I started in August by running up and down my hallway because it was far too humid in North Carolina to start running outside. I use the C25K app on my Android phone, which works really well because it tells me when I should start and stop running. I haven’t used the music part of the app because I usually turn on the Phineas and Ferb Pandora station instead. My daughter will join me while I’m running or just dance to the music in the living room. It’s a good way for both of us to get moving.

So far, I’m at week 5, which has me running for 8 minutes without stopping. It doesn’t sound like much but it’s a huge improvement from when I started out. Illness and the holidays got in the way of my training in the last month, but I’m still able run for quite a long time. As part of a New Year goal, I’ll be doing Couch to 5K three times a week again.

Running has been a challenge because I’m really out of shape, but I feel great once I’m done, and I’m getting more fit as I continue with the program. My first goal is to run a local 5K by the end of the year. My big goal is to run in one of the 5K races at Walt Disney World. I have a friend who runs in a lot of the Disney races and it looks so fun. Lots of people dress up in special costumes designed for running. There are even Disney characters along the race route that runners can stop and get their picture with, so it makes it more fun than a regular 5K. I’m really hoping to be able to do one of the Disney races around my birthday next year.

I never thought I’d be a runner, but it’s easier than I thought it would be thanks to Couch to 5K. If you are trying to find an exercise program as part of a New Year’s resolution, I’d highly recommend using Couch to 5K!

Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
Back to top

Pimp Your Pictures With the Insta Etch A Sketch App

Insta Etch A Sketch can turn almost any digital photo into an Etch A Sketch drawing. Image: Rachel Cericola.

Ever taken a photo that looked so good, you wondered what it would look like as an Etch-a-Sketch? Um, anyone?

Well now you can turn that favorite family portrait into a true work of art — an Etch-a-Sketch work of art. Freeze Tag has developed Insta Etch A Sketch, a new app that can transform almost any digital photo into an Etch-a-Sketch drawing.

Designed for the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, Insta Etch A Sketch allows users to pimp old and new digital pics into an Etch-a-Sketch. Tap the camera icon on the left to use the in-app camera or choose an existing photo that’s stored on your portable. Tap the Etch-a-Sketch button on the right, and the picture will “etch” right in front of your eyes.

Insta Etch A Sketch also has “insta” access to Facebook, Instagram, Flickr, Twitter, and email, so you can easily share those weird creations with friends and family. There’s also an option to save the image right to your iOS device.

Like working on an actual Etch-a-Sketch, this app has a learning curve. Depending on what’s going on in the photo, you may have to tweak the level of detail, shading, and/or other settings. It probably won’t create something that’s frame-worthy, but it should create a nice conversation piece — and a cheap one, too. The Insta Etch A Sketch app is currently on sale at the iTunes App Store for 99 cents.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Back to top

Drafts App Decreases Inertia, Increases Productivity, Sends Thoughts to ‘Net

Drafts logo

The Drafts app enables all sorts of text-based input and simplifies sending to a wide variety of apps.

We are a little closer to instantaneous thought sharing with Drafts, an ingenious app for iPhone and iPad that lets you write ideas, appointments, emails, notes—willy-nilly, in a single, clean message space and then select the destination app it is targeted for, either after writing or at some later time. Click a button to send directly to email, Facebook, Twitter, Calendar, Evernote, Dropbox, or to export text to any app that handles text files. You also have the opportunity to create formatted email or other content with Markdown, a structured markup language, and you can preview its HTML output.

For those of you with a serious goal to improve productivity, look to the combination of Drafts and IFTTT (If This Then That): a workflow customization and rules service that allows you to automate an action that depends on a “trigger,” so you can, for instance, use IFTTT to automatically post to a social media platform any email authored in Drafts that was sent to a specific recipient, or with keywords in the subject.

I like using Drafts on my iPad to capture thoughts and notes without worrying about their final disposition. … A thought begins to appear, I click over to Drafts and start typing in its lovely clean space. I can decide at the end what app (or apps) to send it to with a single click, or I can stack up thoughts in a virtual pile of notes that is searchable and in chronological order, saving them to deal with later. A bonus is the character counter: I never need to wonder whether 140 characters have been written (and I simply click to send the composition to Twitter).

If your material has links, or contact information, you can click on the “Link mode” to make that material active and clickable, right in the message space. This mode is very handy for converting “dead” text to active links; I sometimes paste blocks of contact or web addresses into Drafts for quick access to clickable links. Agile Tortoise, the maker of Drafts, also makes the Terminology app, which works with Drafts to provide a set of dictionary features if you have both apps (I didn’t have Terminology to test their coordination).

Drafts is a great pipeline for organization and communication—its simplicity bypasses the inertia that blocks a message or a jot at its inception, going immediately to a productive endpoint. Drafts subdues the resistance to the commitment and structure of opening an email or calendar and typing all those fields, or finding just the right app and jumping through its hoops. One caution is that Drafts, in the hands of your offspring, could allow them to send material to the target apps, since it is so easy to export or send a post with a simple click. Drafts is available from Agile Tortoise in the App Store for $2.99/iPhone and $3.99/iPad.

I received a copy of Drafts for iPad for review and did not review Drafts for iPhone.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Back to top

Wild Kratts Get “Lost at Sea” on January 21

Wild Kratts “Lost at Sea,” a one-hour special premiering Monday, January 21 on PBS Kids. Courtesy of © 2012 Kratt Brothers Company

PBS Kids’ Wild Kratts follows the animated adventures of zoologists Chris and Martin Kratt. The Kratt brothers have been bringing the exciting world of animals to kids’ TVs for years, including the hits Kratts’ Creatures and Zoboomafoo. Their latest offering, Wild Kratts on PBS Kids, features Chris and Martin introducing each show with a live segment, then switching to the cartoon capers of the Wild Kratts team as they use science and technology to explore creature habitats.

On January 21 the Wild Kratts venture into the ocean depths for the one-hour special “Lost at Sea,” where they will encounter blowfish on the coral reef, dolphins playing in the waves, and more. “Lost at Sea” features two brand-new episodes, “Blowfish Blowout” and “Speaking Dolphinese,” where the Kratts use their creature power suits on rescue missions for their undersea friends.

My daughter is a huge fan of Wild Kratts, and although the show features seemingly fantastical creature powers, I can always count on the Kratt brothers to teach her something new. In every episode Chris and Martin Kratt share age-appropriate science facts and even recent animal discoveries. In fact, the episode “Speaking Dolphinese” taught me a thing or a two about dolphins. Wild Kratts continues to be an ideal introduction for young kids into the world of animals, with a perfect mix of humor, adventure, and science.

The world premiere of Wild Kratts “Lost at Sea” airs on January 21 on PBS Kids, followed by a DVD release on January 22.

A promotional screener was provided by PBS Kids for review purposes.

Tags: , , ,
Back to top

GeekMom: Comic Book Corner — January 2nd, 2013

MLP Issue 2 Preview \ Image Courtesy of IDW Publishing

MLP Issue 2 Preview \ Image Courtesy of IDW Publishing

Happy Comic Release Day! Welcome to the first installment of GeekMom Comic Book Corner in 2013! This week, we look back at My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Mara #1 where we recap our adventures in comics for the week.

Dakster Sullivan — My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #2

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is one of the few comic books I read that I can share with my seven-year old son. This is the first series he’s reading that has cliff hangers at the end and it’s taken him a little getting used to.

This issue follows our favorite ponies as they continue their adventure to rescue their friends. The younger ponies are driving Queen Chrysalis crazy and she is just as excited to get rid of them as the Mane Six is to rescue them. They find their way into a cave and, while making their way through, run into a troll who has a love for ponies. After winning over the troll, the ponies face another enemy that threatens to tear them apart and set them on their own individual journeys to find their young friends.

Continue Reading “GeekMom: Comic Book Corner — January 2nd, 2013″ »

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Back to top

Binge TV Nights

binge watching, series to binge,

Geek TV binge. (CC by 2.0 flickr.com/photos/meddygarnet)

 

It’s already dark before dinner. No one wants to scrape ice and snow off the car windshield to go anywhere. So, many evenings we wrap up in couch blankets and indulge. Binge-watching is a great way to experience a TV series. We find it impossible to keep up with quality programming, especially when there’s so much to do during the warmer months. That’s why in the winter we seek out a few new-to-us series to enjoy.

We recently watched The Last Enemy. This five-part BBC mini-series stars Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch as a reclusive math genius who reluctantly returns to Britain for the funeral of his estranged brother. There he discovers his brother is survived by a widow. Questions about his death leads to chilling information about a government surveillance program. While the ubiquitous government intrusion is quite believable, Cumberbatch’s character is somewhat less so, perhaps because he overcomes not only his shyness but an obvious obsessive disorder in record time. Still, the series builds in intensity and the ending is perfect, while leaving room for a sequel. The series led us to some great discussions about privacy, security, and rights. Violence and understated sex. Teen and up.

Occasionally we zip through a few episodes of Archer. This animated series, now in its third season, parodies all things Bond while constantly spoofing politically correctness. It’s set in an international spy agency run by Malory Archer with a small cadre of employees, most notably her son and top spy, Sterling Archer. The first few episodes are lukewarm but the writing sharpens to wonderfully absurd humor. We find ourselves snorting with laughter as we watch and end up spouting Archer quotes afterwards. Graphic violence, sex, and language. Older teen and up.

We’re currently enjoying Murdoch Mysteries. This Canadian series is in its sixth season. Set in Victorian-era Toronto, it mashes steampunk and Mythbusters with mystery. Yannick Bisson plays the scientific-minded and resolutely ethical Detective Murdoch. Each crime is solved with the help of early forensic techniques or newfangled technology. The first episode is too ambitious, solving an electrocution death while fitting in the War of Currents between AC and DC plus Nikola Tesla plus a whole cast of characters. The series definitely gets better. I love the intelligent dialogue, artful costumes, and yes, Yannick Bisson’s dark brown eyes. My family enjoys the improbably convenient scientific breakthroughs and the characters’ speculations about potential uses for these new techniques. Although there’s a crime to solve in each episode, any violence is tame and sex is discreetly referred to as “trysts,” in keeping with the times. Pre-teen and up.

We haven’t decided on our next series, probably Continuum but we’ve discussed Fringe, Carnivàle, Little Dorrit, Supernatural, Rome, Misfits, Boss, Torchwood, and Psych, although someone in my family would be happy to simply re-watch Sherlock.  Whatever we decide, I know we’ll be warm, together, and entertained. Yay for binge TV nights.

Tags: , ,
Back to top

From Cardstock to Costume with Pepakura

Start with basic card stock and a printer full of ink, add lots and lots of patience and you, too, can craft a costume right out of Ironman, Halo, or Warhammer. My youngest son recently discovered a paper craft program called Pepakura, and subsequently discovered that hobbyists and cosplayers are using the program to create full-scale helmets, armor, and weaponry. His latest project is a Mjolnir Mark 4 helmet from Halo.

Paper pieces cut out and ready for construction.

Continue Reading “From Cardstock to Costume with Pepakura” »

Tags: , , , , ,
Back to top

Happy New Year From GeekMom!

Batman, Jim Gordon, Batman: The Animated Series

Batman & Jim Gordon celebrate the New Year. From DC’s Batman Adventures.

Here, here!

Happy New Year!

Tags: , , ,
Back to top

Take a Trip Through Google’s 2012 Doodles

Can you spot all the Google Doodles from 2012 in this picture? Let us know how many you can find! Image Capture: Patricia Vollmer.

1 Jan 13 UPDATE: HAPPY NEW YEAR! Now that the Google Doodle has moved into the archives, you can check it out here. The New Year’s Day’s doodle shows the party having ended…what a mess!

Today’s Google Doodle is a fun one! I won’t talk too long about this one, since you need to hurry up and take a look at it before midnight! Click all over the image and you’ll be pointed to several dozen of 2012′s Google Doodles!

Want to learn more about Google Doodles? Check out the link to the history of the Google Doodle, as well as their gallery of past Doodles, many of which are regional in nature and might not have been seen in your own country.

Tags: , ,
Back to top

Zeenii Promises to Deliver Fun to Your iPad Every Week

Zeenii Prototype Screen © Tabbed Media

Is your school-age kid a thinker, maker, or explorer? Take a look at the Indiegogo fundraising campaign for Zeenii, an app that aims to help children  explore science and technology with new content delivered to your iPad every week.

Developed for 7-10 year old children, Zeenii will feature fun content that they’re interested in, including space exploration, animals and creatures, and more:

Every week brings fascinating topics with several ways to learn about that topic: interactive features, videos, digital projects, and offline projects. We encourage kids to play an active role in their community and the world, and safely connect them to their peers for inspiration and ideas in our curated, moderated galleries.

Zeenii sounds like a great way to even get your kids interested in current events, as weekly updates can deliver timely and age-appropriate information on topics like the Mars Curiosity Rover and other up-to-date happenings in the scientific world.

GeekMom Amy Kraft is on the team developing Zeenii, and all of us here at GeekMom can’t wait to see it come to life. Visit the Indiegogo campaign page now for more information to help this fantastic project be funded.

Tags: ,
Back to top

Alternatives to the New Year’s Resolution

Popularity, photo by pasukaru76 via Flickr Creative Commons

What’s on your list of goals for 2013? Photo by pasukaru76 via Flickr Creative Commons

I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for challenges. Add the word “challenge” at the end of any dumb idea and you’ll find me jumping up and down, yelling “Challenge accepted!” I’m actually really not competitive, just easily excited about doing something new — even if it’s doing something old in a new way. Which is just a nice way to say I get easily bored.

When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, I’m torn. I like that it’s a new challenge, but at the same time there’s something fundamentally flawed about it. A year is a long time to focus on one single resolution. Sure you want to eat healthier, but you also want to save money, declutter the house, do more craft projects, and learn Japanese so you can watch your favorite manga in its original language. To assign disproportional importance to a single goal isn’t a balanced way to live life. On the other hand, if you set resolutions left and right willy-nilly, you’re bound to forget a few — or do a miserable job at all of them. There’s just no winning.

So this year, why not challenge yourself in an entirely different way? Here’s a list of alternative challenges if you’re over the whole resolution thing.

Continue Reading “Alternatives to the New Year’s Resolution” »

Tags: , ,
Back to top
« OLDER POSTS