Geek Media Round-Up: August 31, 2010
Art
- Doryfour has posted a gallery of an amazing Matchstick sculpture of Minas Tirith.
- Why people wear labcoats.
- Yoda Head Cake
- Young Darth Maul by Bobby Chiu.
Comics
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Archive for August, 2010
The Particle Physics Song
The CERN Choir sings about the Higgs Boson in the Particle Physics Song.
Free Fiction Round-Up: August 30, 2010
Audio Fiction and Podcasts
- Listen to “Personal Jesus” by Paul Di Filippo at Starship Sofa.
- Listen to “Some Zombie Contingency Plans” by Kelly Link at PodCastle.
- Listen to “Variations on a Theme” by William Meikle at Escape Pod.
Comics and Graphic Novels
Flash and Micro Fiction
- Read the flash fiction “Alpha Genomics Inc” by Rebecca Anne Renner.
- Read the flash fiction “Copycats” by Duncan Shields at 365Tomorrows.
- Read the flash fiction “Princess” by Jeremy C. Shipp at Brain Harvest.
- Read the microfiction “Reaping” by Pam Farley at Candlelight Stories.
- Read the microfiction “I Don’t Believe In Fairies” by Benjamin Jacobson at Big Pulp.
- Read the microfiction “Mike (My Second Roommate)” by Adam Armour.
This Day in Geek History: August 31
1831
Charles Darwin visits his uncle, Josiah Wedgwood II, to discuss his father’s opposition to his voyage aboard the HMS Beagle. Darwin is enthusiastic about the opportunity, but his father considers it a waste of time that would only delay his son’s anticipated career in the clergy. Darwins uncle will write a letter to Robert Darwin, reassuring him of the value of such a trip, and ultimately changing his mind.
1842
The U.S. Naval Observatory, one of the oldest scientific agencies in the U.S., is authorized by an act of Congress. Its primary task is to act as a depot for the Navy’s charts, navigational instruments, and chronometers, which are calibrated by timing the transit of stars across the meridian. Visit the agency’s official website.
1880
Thomas Edison is granted a patent for an “Electro-Chemical Receiving-Telephone.” (US No. 231,704)
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Geek Quote of the Day
When the time came a few years ago to find an Inuktitut term for the word “Internet,” Nunavut’s former Official Languages Commissioner, Eva Aariak, chose ikiaqqivik, or “traveling through layers” (Minogue, 2005, n.p.). The word comes from the concept describing what a shaman does when asked to find out about living or deceased relatives or where animals have disappeared to: travel across time and space to find answers. According to the elders, shamans used to travel all over the world: to the bottom of the ocean, to the stratosphere, and even to the moon. In fact, the 1969 moon landing did not impress Inuit elders. They simply said, “We’ve already been there!” (Minogue, 2005, n.p.). The word is also an example of how Inuit are mapping traditional concepts, values, and metaphors to make sense of contemporary realities and technologies.
- - Report: Travelling Through Layers: Inuit Artists Appropriate New Technologies by Katarina Soukup, 2006. Published in the Canadian Journal of Communication.
Geek Media Round-Up: August 30, 2010
Art
- Homer Simpson vs Army Of Darkness via Another100Days.
- Neil Gaiman’s Sandman meets Inception’s Saito.
Comics
- Interview: Buffyfest podcast interview with Mariah Huehner and David Tischman, the new writers of Angel’s final arc at IDW.
- Kyle Starks counts down a list of ten Avengers you do not want on your team, ending with Hank Pym.
- The New York Post broke this morning, not only will Bruce Wayne be returning to a new set of Batman duds, but his first sidekick, Dick Grayson, will continue to fight crime on the streets of Gotham as Batman of “Batman Inc.”
- Techland suggests 10 Star Wars Comics You Should Read.
Books Releases for the Week of August 30, 2010
Hardcover Book Releases
The 39 Clues, Book 10: Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Scholastic Inc. (ISBN-13: 978-0545060509) Length: 176 pages
Throughout the hunt for the 39 Clues, Amy and Dan Cahill have uncovered history’s greatest mysteries and their family’s deadliest secrets. But are they ready to face the truth about the Cahills and the key to their unmatched power? After a whirlwind race that’s taken them across five continents, Amy and Dan face the most the difficult challenge yet- a task no Cahill dared to imagine. When faced with a choice that could change the future of the world, can two kids succeed where 500 years worth of famous ancestors failed?
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This Day in Geek History: August 30
1831
Charles Darwin replies to the letter from Reverend Henslow, telling him of the offer to sail on the HMS Beagle. Darwin had learned natural history from Henslow, who had recommended him for the unpaid position as a naturalist. Darwin told Henslow that his father would not permit him to leave on such a the voyage. Meanwhile, his father had written to his brother-in-law, Josiah Wedgwood II, about his concerns regarding the proposed two-year voyage.
1963
A new telephone hotline connecting the Pentagon in Washington D.C. and the Kremlin in Moscow is first activated and tested. It will provide a direct two-way communications channel between the American and Soviet governments in the event of an international crisis. The hotline is installed in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis, one year earlier. During the incident, messages sent between President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev required five or six hours each way for transcription, transmission, translation, and delivery. This new hotline could cut down the delays in sending messages from hours to minutes, but it will only be used for emergencies. Read the rest of this entry » » »
