Yes, the mask has been ripped off and it is plain to see that this whole time, nerdist.com was simply domain mapped over hardwick.typepad.com. Well not anymore! Please head over to the newly minted site. Also, please replace the old RSS feed here.
Good day to you, Typepad...
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I SAID GOOD DAY!!!
I know, this news is DAYS old. However, I can never resist the urge to post the drawing I made. I even went as far as to register icanhasstevezburger.com in the hopes of having you post LOLcat pics of Steve Jobs. The main problem is that there aren't as many pictures of Jobs as there are of cats. Oh yeah, about Steve not being at Macworld: I DON'T CARE. I don't need the Talking Turtleneck to tell me that the Mac Pros are being refreshed. I'm still gonna buy one. And as far as Apple extracting itself from a crying Macworld, zipping up its pants and turning around to say, "You were ok, Baby," it's not that much of a surprise. The whole convention thing is costly and not really necessary anymore. The same disenchantment happened to NATPE in the TV biz. They still have it, but it's not the crazy circus orgy it once was. Conventions are so pre-Vatican II.
Is a hadron a lazy bitch who won't do its work? If so, then the LHC is a large one of those. Black Hole enthusiasts will have to wait until Spring '09 to be crushed into a singularity after a recent electrical tantrum thrown by this 5-billion dollar Swiss celebutante. Described in schematics as "the part that looks like Optimus Prime's eye," the LHC is too cool at the moment to be entered by scientists but researchers feel that their "intense Frenchness" will warm it up and get them inside it in about a month, right before it takes the winter off for ski season. During that time, CERN officials will fill their days with "soft hitting contests," whereby an excessively hard punch will forfeit the match on the first try.
The Large Hadron Collider is ranked #32 in FHM's upcoming "Mechanical Sluts" issue.
Kevin and Olivia have been ordered to go to Japan and navigate its poisonous blowfish, unorthodox address system and Ninja Warrior course. In their stead I shall be co-hosting for two whole weeks. Joining me will be a mash-up of Alison Haislip and Layla Kayleigh. Which days will Alison be on? Which days might Layla pop up? These are questions which have the kinds of answers that your TV box can provide via your eyes and ears.
Why, look at that picture to the right...the strategically disheveled hair, #d83f20-colored shirt, the glazed-over eyes that are a window into a world where robots frolic with dinosaurs---THAT is a man who knows how to fill-in host a geek-themed pop culture show! If you disagree, you are invited to go STRAIGHT TO HELL for fourteen days until your precious regular hosts return!!!
My residency begins today, the Second of September. With your help, I can ruin that show to the point that Kev-Livia doesn't even recognize it when he/she gets back. I thank you.
*Attack of the Show airs every weeknight LIVE at 4 PST/7 EST on G4.
Steve Jobs totally got fudged in the buns by Bloomberg News yesterday, who accidentally posted his obit TK years ahead of schedule. "Whoopsie! Sorry we said you died!" All major media outlets write obits for famous people in advance, just to be on the ball the moment someone cops it. Accidentally printing SteJo's death (I just syncopated his name "tabloid-style") is kind of a boo-boo because that kind of thing could actually affect global stock markets, as opposed to say, Paula Abdul, whose accidental obit repercussions would be localized to the pharmaceutical industry at best.
I hope he's alive and well, especially so he can see my re-rating of the 3G iPhone today on AOTS.
What would your obit for Steve say?
I have a joke in my act about how "drinking is like pouring smiles on your brain." Now a new drug might be able to wipe that stupid grin right off it. A new drug currently in clinical trials attempts to bind to a receptor that blocks the good times you feel within the first half hour of your nightly boozing. This could dissuade some from having the second drink altogether, though the drug does nothing to quell the other effects of alkyhol such as hangovers, addiction or the need to fill a hopeless void. Obviously most people don't have a problem with drinking but for those who do, anything that contributes to sobriety is good. Unless killing sorority girls takes the edge off. In that case, it might be better to stay on the sauce.
As a side note, I quit the stuff five years ago and if you're the kind of person who muses to yourself, "Man, I sure wish I could be the kind of person who is satisfied just having one or two drinks every once in a while," then you think about it too much and should probably not drink. But, do whatever you want. I'm not your life boss.
Via [Discovery News]
I feel very punk. While covering the 16th annual Defcon hackers' convention in Las Vegas this past weekend for G4, I was escorted out of the premises. After shooting the intro to the piece, it was noted that the shot contained tiny, tiny people way off in the background and this ultimately violated their press rules. Even though no one in the frame was identifiable, it was still a no-no. Certainly not intentional on our part, but at that point it was too late...a couple of attendees complained and turned in photos of the infraction, and our badges were summarily revoked. The real bummer part was that I was mid conversation with Dan Kaminsky about how he came to discover the flaw in THE ENTIRE INTERNET when they whisked him away and showed us the door.
Now, I want to be clear about this: I bear no ill will toward Defcon. It was a fascinating gathering of some of the most creative minds in the world coming together to share ideas. For the most part, hackers are public servants who reveal fatal holes in our digital underverse for the purposes of protecting us from those who might have less than honorable intentions. The show floor was loaded with amazing stuff: a "Wall of Sheep," which listed the email and IP of anyone foolish enough to use the convention's unsecured Wi-Fi, lockpicking contests (analog hacking), a computery "capture the flag," and even a contest with a $5000 prize for whomever could sit through 30 hours of software presentations. Also, I was lucky enough to have a nice chat with Zack Anderson, one of the MIT students who tipped the world off to a security hole in the Boston public transportation payment system. A day before he was supposed to speak about the discovery, the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority obtained a court order which prevented him from talking about it.
Hackers are a really cool bunch. SUPER smart, but generally very personable and excited about their work. The drawback to hacking is the accompanying paranoia. Their trade has taught them not to trust anyone, particularly the press. Last year an undercover Dateline reporter was outed for trying to create some retardo exposé on the event. She was humiliated and that was hilarious. Unfortunately for us, the organizers failed to see that G4 was 100% on their side and our goal was only to celebrate the event and praise their work. As careful was we tried to be about what and where we shot (it was tough with all the restrictions), our efforts we're good enough. Ironically, we assumed the role that hackers are so often forced to take---being punished for trying to help. As we were led by security into an empty conference room, their tone was calm yet scolding. Security guards flanked the the door while they reviewed our footage, and then it was over.
All in all, it was a terrific event and I laud the organizers and the attendees. If you ever hear someone talk about "the real deal" computer brainiacs, they're referring to these guys. The tricky part for Defcons of the future is going to be trying to strike that balance between having a public event where everyone wants to be anonymous and having press coverage. My suggestion would be don't have press coverage.
One of the coolest elements of Defcon 16 hung around your neck---Make Magazine author and engineer "Kingpin" designed the electronic badges which could send and receive information through in IR receiver and store it in an SD card, giving other attendees the ability to hack your badge. With no card installed, the badge works as a TV-B-Gone. This was a very difficult badge to have taken away...
