Nexus Q Aims to Be the Center of Your Living Room

From Google I/O

Google I/O Conference Introducing Nexus Q

The Google I/O conference officially kicked off with the keynote this morning. They introduced the Nexus 7 tablet – already leaked before the conference, but they also introduced a Nexus something new. The Nexus Q aims to build on the connected entertainment environment. It’s a tool designed to allow you and your friends to control your home music and movie experience.

Hook the Q up to your TV or home theater, and you can use it to stream and enjoy content. You and your friends can use your Android phones and tablets to stream content from Google without going through a lot of authentication steps to connect. (I can already see the pranking possibilities here. Can you?) Google has intentionally made this device hacker friendly, so expect to see some interesting uses in the future.

Is this a Google TV killer? Since Sony, LG, and Vizio are all rolling out Google TVs, that would be a heck of a strategy faux pas by Google. (Not that they don’t make missteps.)  I think this is more a case of Google throwing stuff against the wall to see what sticks. The Nexus Q will be small and hackable, while the Google TV is intended as a full, self-contained Android device. Both are valid guesses as to how consumers want to enjoy content, and there’s a chance one or the other will take over. That is, unless Apple whips out something amazing that blows them both away.

The Nexus Q should be available for pre-order now for $299. It’s currently US market only. My advice is to wait for the reviews… and the hacks.

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GeekMom: Comic Book Corner — June 27th, 2012

Avengers vs. X-Men / Image: Copyright Marvel

Avengers vs. X-Men / Image: Copyright Marvel

Happy Comic Release Day! Welcome to another installment of GeekMom Comic Book Corner, where we recap our adventures in comics for the week.

Dakster Sullivan - Avengers Vs. X-Men Round 6

This past week I got my Avengers vs. X-Men fix. In round six of the twelve round series, we see what’s been happening since the Phoenix Five has taken control of things. Professor Xavier dropped by Pax Utopia to have a talk with Cyclops. I could feel his concern for Scott and the rest of his X-Men.

During the conversation we learn that Cyclops has convinced himself that he is making the world exactly the way Professor X always wanted. Professor X on the other hand, thinks the Phoenix Five is cheating and not allowing nature to take its course. I’m going to have to side with Professor X on this one. Mankind might go backwards sometimes, but we always find a way to move forward again. What the Phoenix Five is doing is not allowing mankind the opportunity to move forward at a natural pace.

We also see what’s happened to Hope since being taken by the Phoenix Five. Even though she’s been told she’s not a prisoner on Pax Utopia, she feels such a strong connection with the Phoenix that she can’t bring herself to leave. We later learn that although Cyclops says she is free to leave, when she finally decides to, he goes back on his word and tries to keep her on Utopia.

Maybe its just me, but it looks like the artists can’t make up their mind how old Hope is. In one issue she looks sixteen. In this issue, there are times she looks like she’s around ten years old. I can understand with all the stress she is under that she might start to look different in each issue, but the stress should be making her look older, not younger.

It’s no surprise to me that Scarlet Witch returned to help Hope. With everything she has been through, I could see her reaching out to help Hope. I’m curious to see how her involvement will change the tides of the fight.

Before this whole thing started, more than half of those polled said they would be on the side of the Avengers. With the latest development in how the Phoenix Five are changing it to be a Utopia for all man–kind, many readers are starting to switch sides.

I’m still on the side of the Avengers. The way the Phoenix Five is fixing the world is against nature and if the Phoenix ever leaves, mankind will slip back into its old habits.

Continue Reading “GeekMom: Comic Book Corner — June 27th, 2012″ »

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The Carousel of Happiness Spins with History.

Photo: Judy Berna

Sometimes you have to get off the beaten paths to find the real treasures in life. And if you happen to find yourself anywhere near Nederland Colorado, be sure to take that road less traveled. You’ll find the tiny town of Nederland, Colorado, tucked in the Rocky Mountains, just a half an hour west of Boulder. There are no stoplights in town, but there is a well used traffic rotary since three highways converge at that exact location. You’ll also find a small grocery store, an amazing locally owned pizza place and an alpaca store with the live mascot fenced in its front yard.

But the true treasure of Nederland is the Carousel of Happiness. It sits in the center of town, right past the rotary and if you don’t blink, you can’t miss it. It’s housed in a eco friendly building that is reminiscent of a circus tent, which should be your first clue that it’s housing something special.

The people who oversee the carousel, the small souvenir shop as well as the rotating animals, are kind and gracious. A ticket to ride is just one dollar but no one is turned away if they can’t afford to pay. The goal of the carousel, and its keepers, is the bring joy and happiness to all who wish to ride. It’s no accident that this specific carousel is giving rides to smiling children in this specific small town. It took a long road to get there. Continue Reading “The Carousel of Happiness Spins with History.” »

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Inspiring Teacher: Mister Craig New

Craig New. Image: Lake Cowichan Secondary School 1992-1993 yearbook

Here in British Columbia, today is the last day of classes. As I look back at this last year, I think it is very important to thank the teachers of British Columbia. I want to especially thank one teacher, Mister Craig New, who has been going the extra kilometre and inspiring students for decades.

This school year has been filled with a lot of challenges, both for students and teachers. The reason for this is a year long labor dispute between teachers and the provincial government, that finally reached a tentative deal late last night. As teachers are considered an essential service in British Columbia, they are not allowed to strike. Because they are not allowed to strike, during labor disputes teachers cutback on all activities that are considered nonessential, such as producing report cards, sponsoring extra-curricular activities, and teaching outside of class hours.

The last two times teachers’ contracts have been up for renewal, the government has legislated them back to work, after almost an entire school year where teachers, students and parents have to be extra patient with each other. Both my children have noticed the effects of how education has changed in the last decade, with my oldest remarking that more and more has been taken away from his classroom, to the point where, if it were not for a couple of extra dedicated teachers, he would not be receiving some of the supports he needs because of his ADHD and associated learning disabilities. One of these teachers is the aforementioned Craig New.

Before I tell you about Craig New, please excuse me while I brag about my oldest son who received a final mark of 92.8% in his Pre-Calculus 11 class.

Continue Reading “Inspiring Teacher: Mister Craig New” »

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AetherCon – An Online Gaming Convention

Image: http://www.aethercon.com

Conventions can be a lot of fun, but they usually take quite a bit of time and money for travel, rooms, food, your con badge and more. But now there is a new gaming convention, AetherCon, that will be taking place for free on the internet.

When I first got online in the mid-90′s, I remember there was an online convention that I lurked at. I think it was put on by the Sci-Fi Channel. I was intrigued by the thought but there wasn’t a whole lot to do. I love conventions and try to go to as many as I can every year, but that number seems to get smaller every year as other responsibilities take precedence.

So I was really interested in checking out AetherCon after I heard about it. This gaming convention will be offering a variety of table top role playing games. They will be using Roll20 which is a browser-based virtual table for table top gaming. There will also be a vendor’s room and Q&A sessions with gaming professionals. I decided right away that I wanted to attend and signed up for a couple of the games.

If you are interested, you can find out more information at AetherCon’s website. AetherCon will take place November 16th through the 18th, 2012. I am looking forward to attending and I will give a report on my experience after the con is over.

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Tokyo Heist – A YA Mystery

Image: http://us.penguingroup.com

Tokyo Heist by Diana Renn is a young adult novel that follows sixteen-year-old Violet, who finds herself in the middle of an art heist. Violet is swept to Japan and attempts to unravel the mystery of a missing and previously unknown Van Gogh painting. In the meantime, she must evade the Japanese mafia and her artist father out of danger.

Anime and manga are a big part of the story, as Violet is a big fan of  both. A budding artist, she writes and draws her own manga, Kimono Girl, throughout the book. When I was younger, I was a huge fan of anime which I think helped me enjoy this book even more.  While Tokyo Heist is mainly a mystery, it does highlight the strained relationship Violet has with her father.

The relationship grows and changes as the book goes on, which adds another level of complexity to this highly engaging novel.

Tokyo Heist is recommended for ages twelve and up. As an adult, I did enjoy watching the mystery unfold. I would recommend this book to any reader who loves mysteries, art, anime or manga. Tokyo Heist is available in hardcover, Kindle and Nook versions.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review purposes.

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GeekMom Mourns the Passing of Nora Ephron

Filmmaker and writer Nora Ephron would probably not have considered herself a GeekMom. But for this GeekMom, she was someone special:

  • Ephron, who wrote for New York and Ms. magazines, was one of the first journalists whose byline I learned to look for as a budding teenage newshound.
  • She was married for a time to Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein, another of my heroes (and turned that into a movie, too).
  • Though her films sometimes missed the mark (see above), she wrote one of the most memorable love scenes ever committed to celluloid — and it took place at a deli, between Meg Ryan and a sandwich.
  • She made blogging look important in a movie about TV chef Julia Child (herself a geeky icon to some).
  • She wrote two hilarious memoirs about New York City and growing older that simultaneously made me nostalgic for the city I once inhabited, and hopeful about the stage of life I am approaching.
  • And she was smart, funny, female and mainstream successful — a combination not often seen, even today.

Ephron, who was 71, died tonight in New York of complications of leukemia. RIP, Ms Ephron — GeekMoms everywhere will miss you.

Nora Ephron

“Secret to life, marry an Italian.” Nora Ephron and her husband, author Nicholas Pileggi in 2010. Image: David Shankbone/Wikimedia Commons

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Clothes Shopping is Easy and Fun… When Pigs Fly

Flying Pig Apparel has a Kickstarter. Logo (via http://flyingpigapparel.wordpress.com/)

I’m small by most measures. I stand only 4 feet 11 inches tall and weigh a little over 120lbs. Still, I’ve always hated clothes shopping because my size makes finding well-fitting, grown-up clothing hard to find. And anymore, I’m too old and too busty to shop in the ‘misses’ section.

Because fashion has always seemed to exclude me (and everyone else who isn’t tall and wispy), I’ve spent decades happily ignoring every message flung at me from that industry. I don’t care if ‘orange is the new pink’ or whether my shoes are chic. After a lifetime spent way out past the fringe of mainstream fashion, the only criteria for clothes shopping I have left are these: If it’s comfortable and won’t get me into trouble at work, I’ll wear it.

But I have it easy. I’m a size 4. Worst case scenario, I need to roll up my sleeves and have new pants hemmed a few inches before I can wear them without tripping over the excess. For many women, going well-dressed into the world isn’t that simple. Particularly not if they’d like to move freely and comfortably while they’re out and about.

In my opinion, the entire fashion industry needs to take a hint from Flying Pig Apparel, a women-owned company founded with the important goal of creating well-fitting, affordable active wear for plus-size women. They think – and I agree – that flattering, unrestrictive clothing should be available to women of all sizes.

Flying Pig Apparel is running a Kickstarter project to raise the funds to produce their first batch of made-to-order garments. I like the look of what they’re offering, and I hope their launch is a success. If, like me, you’ve ever had a hard time finding something to wear that fits right and looks good, you may want to their Kickstarter or share it with your friends.

Audre Norris with Flying Pig Apparel (via http://flyingpigapparel.wordpress.com/)

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Lego Build With Chrome Wins the Internet

Screen Capture of Build with Chrome

It’s time for Google’s I/O developer conference, and that means it’s time for lots of really fun, really cool announcements. If you’ve got kids or just really like Lego, you’ll love this – that pretty much includes everyone, right? Use your Chrome browser to navigate to Build with Chrome and start grabbing a piece of virtual Australia or New Zealand. The rest of the globe will still have to wait.

Once you log in, you can start building on your virtual property with virtual Lego bricks. You can publish, but that’s something you want to do when you’re finished. Once published, you can’t delete your creation, and you consent to letting Lego and Google use it for promotional purposes. Advertise away, Lego. This is just cool.

You can claim any chunk nobody else has claimed, but hurry because it’s first come, first served.

I got assigned a chunk of ocean, and the property next to mine was under construction about two seconds after I started. If it’s all full by the time you log in, you can still explore the virtual buildings others have made. There’s a moderation system in place to keep out the griefers, so theoretically it should be safe for work and kids.

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Original Steampunk Codex Outfit from The Flog is For Sale

Felicia in her Steampunk Codex Outfit © Clockwork Couture/Pixie Vision

Felicia in her Steampunk Codex Outfit © Clockwork Couture/Pixie Vision

Are you a fan of Felicia Day’s new Geek and Sundry show The Flog? Do you like the idea of helping a charity? Do you have $2,000 just lying about that you need a use for?

Worry no longer, I have the website you seek.

You may recall that a few weeks ago Felicia dolled up in steampunk finery for a photoshoot at Clockwork Couture. One of the outfits she wore was a custom steampunk version of her Codex costume from The Guild and now it is being sold off with a portion of the proceeds going to Hanaelah Horse Rescue. The original costume including all accessories can be yours for a mere $1,999.95 – so you’ll even have change from your $2000. Bargain.

The costume includes the hat, blouse, custom corset, skirt, wrist cuffs and necklace and is ready to ship out immediately. The sizes are all on the product page and don’t worry, it’s been dry cleaned since Felicia wore it – so no buying it to collect some Day-DNA for use in whatever evil schemes you may be concocting ok?

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Molecular Cuisine Kit from ThinkGeek: 100% Artificial Ingredients

Image: Kathy Ceceri

A while back I wrote about a book called Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter. One chapter I didn’t explore in going through the book with my kids was called “Modern Industrial Chemicals.” In it Potter discussed making gels and foams out of unexpected ingredients, along with other weird magic-show effects you could get with the right combination of additives. Since all the “chemicals” were hard to find in regular food stores — and since it all sounded so strange — I just let that aspect of geeky cooking slide.

There was another reason of course, and that is the feeling that artificial ingredients just ain’t healthy.

Now, I try my best to prepare meals using home-grown or local ingredients, with as little processing as possible. But the fact is, certain members of the family (who do not have to worry about their weight) tend to bring in a lot of junk food, so artificial ingredients are not unknown to us either. And being a fan of science in the kitchen, Potter’s book planted the idea in my mind that it’d be fun to play around with some of those artificial ingredients in their original form and see just what it is they do.

So when I saw something called the Molecular Cuisine Kit on ThinkGeek not long ago, I asked them for a review set to try out. Molecular Gastronomy, as it is also known, is a term coined in 1989 the late Oxford physicist Nicholas Kurti and the French chemist Hervé This. It quickly spread from a field of scientific study to a style of cooking. If you watch shows like Top Chef you have probably have some idea of what it can do. But even if it’s brand new to you, as it was to us, this kit will get you started on your own strange gastronomic adventure.

Continue Reading “Molecular Cuisine Kit from ThinkGeek: 100% Artificial Ingredients” »

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Women in Technology: Get With the Picture

Dakster Sullivan is a Woman in Tech! Image: Dave Liew

Dakster Sullivan is a Woman in Tech! Image: Dave Liew

As a woman in technology, I hear a lot about the lack of women in the field.

While I was in college, I noticed that I was usually the only female in the class. My teachers treated me the same as the guys and my male classmates never seemed to care that I was a woman. After I graduated and started attending events like Microsoft’s annual Tech Ed, I realized just how much of a minority women are.

The thing that keeps catching my attention, though, is how much of an issue people want to make out of it.

Believe it or not, the technology field wasn’t always a “man’s” arena.  It wasn’t until recent years that women became a downward statistic. A few of the reasons blamed for the decline are the fear of sexual harassment, women not being smart enough, and the tech world not being friendly enough to women.

Since these days there are more men than women in the technology-focused careers, I can understand the fear of sexual harassment and discrimination. I also understand that those same things happen in almost all careers and to both men and women. (Nursing comes to mind.)

Image: J. Howard Miller

Image: J. Howard Miller

I’ve had just as many negative experiences with women as I have men in IT. While at Tech Ed in 2009, I was approached with smiles from most of the men and with icy tones from many of the women. In one video taken at CES, a marketing booth babe made the comment that “I don’t know any women that would choose the tech world over say shopping, or cooking, or something like that.” Just goes to show the women can be just as sexist toward other women as men.

Some seem to believe that the lack of women in IT is because women are just not that good at computers and technology.

I once read that one reason you don’t see a lot of women programmers is because women are not good at it. Let me set the record straight; back when computers first started out, there were more women than men doing the programming. I’ve taken programming classes and passed with a high grades. The reason I don’t program is not because I’m not any good, it’s because I don’t enjoy it. The same could be said for other women and men that prefer other areas of IT over programming.

Continue Reading “Women in Technology: Get With the Picture” »

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Really, A Book Burning Party?

 

book burning to keep a library open,

Libraries are portals to new worlds (CC by 2.0 by gretchichi)

It’s not possible to overstate the importance of libraries as idea beacons, agents of literacy, and centers of community life. If you are not a regular library patron you’re missing out for at least nine reasons.

Today the public is ever more aware of what libraries have to offer. People who haven’t used a library since elementary school are flocking back to drop children off for enrichment programs or to get help with job searches. All sorts of awesome services keep them coming back. That’s why total library visits have increased 40% in the last ten years.

But the economy’s dragging heels badly scuff up library funding. The American Library Association (ALA) reports that about 60 percent of U.S. libraries have flat or decreased budgets, following three years of funding deficits in many areas. The situation is equally dire in the U.K., where ten percent of all library employees have lost their jobs in the last year.

Sometimes people resort to dire tactics when their local libraries are in peril. That’s what happened in Troy, Michigan when a 0.7 percent tax raise was necessary to keep the public library open. That measure was strongly opposed by anti-tax groups. To counter their influence, a Book Burning Party scheduled for a few days after the vote was widely publicized. See what happened.

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Should the historical horrors of book burning ever be used for short-term gain? Does the reverse psychology of this absurd ruse water down political discourse? We’d like to hear your thoughts.

 

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Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always – A Children’s Book

Image: http://us.penguingroup.com

Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always is a new children’s book by award-winning author and illustrator Tao Nyeu. This book is comprised of four short stories revolving around the ups and downs of friendship of two underwater creatures, Squid and Octopus.

Friendship is a complex subject and it can be one that is hard to grasp for very small children. As kids get a little older and form their own friendships, Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always can help mirror some situations kids will get into as they make friends. The stories cover subjects such as how to deal with disagreements, being there when your friend is upset, and what to do if you are a little different.

My daughter, who is three and a half, loves this book. She has had the same best friend since she was small (who is the daughter of my best friend). I think she related her friendship to Squid and Octopus’. Tao Nyeu‘s illustrations are very cute and really helps to bring the message of friendship in the stories across.

I would highly recommend Squid and Octopus: Friends for Always, especially for preschool and kindergarten ages.

Note: I received a copy of this book for review purposes.

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Last Chance To Win A Robotic Vacuum

 

robotic vacuum giveaway

Win the battery-powered one. (Image: L. Weldon)

There’s only one day left to win your own Neato XV-21 Pet & Allergy Automatic Vacuum Cleaner. To enter, go to the original GeekMom giveaway post and follow entry instructions by our June 27th deadline.

That’s tomorrow!

 

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Dave’s Geeky Ideas and Hockey to Stop Posting Content

 

A Browncoat Hockey Jersey and Jurassic Park Blu-Ray Case © Dave Delisle

A Browncoat Hockey Jersey and Jurassic Park Blu-Ray Case © Dave Delisle

This evening I heard some disappointing news: two of my favorite blogs will no longer be posting content.

Dave’s Geeky Ideas is a “dreaming-out-loud” blog where author Dave Delisle posts computer generated images of the geeky products he images, many of which I would happily pay good money for. His recent posts have focused on geek-themed TVs and stands, but it’s the various Blu-Ray cases that really drew me in. Dave’s concept for a S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier collector’s edition Blu-Ray “case” that can hold up to 50 discs is just mind blowing, but my favorite of all his ideas so far is the Jurassic Park Blu-Ray case – designed to look like the raptor cage at the beginning of the first movie.

Dave has also shut down his second blog, Dave’s Geeky Hockey, where he designed geek-themed jerseys. His recent designs included some of the main Game of Thrones houses and characters, as well as designs themed around Doctor Who, Firefly and Iron Man and many more. I’d been hoping (and also dreading) to see an X-Files themed jersey appear on the site; I knew I’d want one but also that it would have stretched my budget just a little too far to order one of the limited run custom designs.

Dave’s Geeky Ideas is a site that consistently posted new and exciting content. Whenever I saw that (1) in my RSS feed I knew that what I was about to see would be totally different from any other site. I will miss seeing the latest creative ideas on his blog that often made me think, “Wow, I want that in my house!” Farewell Dave and good luck in all your future ventures.

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The Dark Knight Rises Day is Coming to a Comic Store Near You

The Dark Knight Rises © DC Comics / Legendary Pictures

Head to your favorite comic book store on Thursday, July 19 to celebrate The Dark Knight Rises Day!

Comic retailers will be armed with a plethora of free Batman: Earth One Special Preview Edition comic books to hand out to visitors on a first-come, first served basis:

The free Batman: Earth One Special Preview Edition comic book features the first chapter of the highly anticipated graphic novel Batman Earth One written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank, as well as a preview of Batman Vol. 1 The Court of Owls, the New York Times #1 best-selling graphic novel collection of the hit series written by Scott Snyder and illustrated by Greg Capullo.

Not sure where your closest comic book store is? Use the Comic Book Shop Locator to find one near you.

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Between the Bookends at GeekMom

Between the Bookends

Book stack photo: Flickr user austinevan

It’s time for another look at the GeekMoms’ never-ending stack of books. Collectively, we sure manage to make our way through a fair number of pages, whether we’re reading them on dead trees or e-readers. This is what we’ve read this month.

Ariane finally gave up trying to read The New Cool by Neal Bascomb. It contained tons of neat facts, but she just couldn’t stay up awake long enough to progress through the story. It’s not entirely the author’s fault; Ariane needs high-adrenaline fiction to keep herself awake for longer than three minutes while reading in bed. As for the kid lit, this month Ariane and her daughter have thoroughly enjoyed these toddler-friendly titles: I’m Not Scared by Jonathan Allen, No Sleep For The Sheep by Karen Beaumont, and “Stand Back,” Said The Elephant, “I’m Going To Sneeze!” by Patricia Thomas.

the perfect gentleman

Center Street

Rebecca recently read The Perfect Gentleman but that was after both her kids stole the book and read it first. Rebecca was very curious about what kept two Christian American teenagers intrigued with a memoir about a Muslim in England. This is the story of a boy who doesn’t fit in, so he tries to define himself by being all things GOOD and BRITISH. The style is humorous and self-depricating. The author is honest in his faults and young innocence. My two teens picked up this book because the cover photo is so amusing, but the both finished reading it because Imran writes exactly how he was as a child and teen- no excuses or adult reflection. As he matures, his introspection deepens, but is never boring. The racism and class issues of modern day Britain are appalling. But Imran is James Bond all the way- calm, cool, and rises above it all.

Sarah Pinault has the best husband. After listening to her lament about the lack of reading that has been accomplished since the baby was born in February, he surprised her for her birthday with something indulgent to read. Richard Russo’s Interventions is a devotional to the written word. Three shorts stories and a novella, Russo teams up with his daughter Kate in a fight against the digital age. Kate provides the illustrations for the four beautifully crafted volumes, in which Russo deals with mortality, marriage and the lines drawn between reality and fiction. In other reading, she can now recite Each Peach Pear Plum, and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, on command. Each Peach is from her own childhood and a delight every time, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, is a fantastic story but wears a bit thin after a while. We’re going on a new book hunt, we’re going to get a new one.

Continue Reading “Between the Bookends at GeekMom” »

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A Thursday Night Out with Hitchhiker’s Live On-Stage

Arthur, Ford and a Vogon on-stage © Hitchhiker's Guide Live

Arthur, Ford and a Vogon on-stage © Hitchhiker's Guide Live

On Thursday night I headed to Nottingham, towel in hand, to attend The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show Live! The show featured the original cast from the radio play, Simon Jones, Geoff McGivern, Susan Sheridan and Mark Wing-Davey as well as many new talents playing younger characters and extras. The voice of the book was played by Christopher Timothy (different actors are taking on the role during the tour) and the entire night was whole lot of fun.

The show was a mix of live action and audio effects. The cast walked around holding their scripts as this was technically a radio play that we could see, but they were in costume; Arthur is his dressing gown and Zaphod with his extra head, cunningly portrayed by an extra running around behind him with the head mounted atop a long pole. Slartibartfast arrived on-stage looking for all the world like Obi-Wan Kenobi but the stand out “costume” of the night had to be the unhinged creature Agrajag who was played by an extra running about with a large black umbrella which was rapidly opened and closed to create the illusion of a circular fruit bat-like being flapping crazily around the stage. It was all very, very silly. Also very silly were the sing-a-longs such as the Sirius Cybernetics Corperation’s theme song (“go stick your head in a pig!”) conducted by a Nutrimatic Drinks Dispenser. Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz’s poetry is another aspect of the show changing from night to night; the public were invited to submit their own terrible poems for the opportunity of having them included and a different one is read each night. Continue Reading “A Thursday Night Out with Hitchhiker’s Live On-Stage” »

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Implants to Make Us Smarter? An Interview with Amped Author Daniel H. Wilson

Author Daniel H. Wilson

Image: danielhwilson.com

Daniel H. Wilson’s latest novel Amped is the story of a world where electronic implants can make people so much better, stronger, faster than before that the rest of the population begins to view amplified people, or “amps,” as a threat. The hero, Owen Gray, had a neural implant installed after an accident left him with severe brain damage. But he’s still hounded just like those who received implants in order to give them an advantage at school and on the job. He escapes from his home in Pittsburgh and heads out to a trailer park in Oklahoma, where he’s been told he can find the one man who can help him harness his implant’s full potential.

Wilson, the author of last year’s bestselling thriller Robopocalypse (which Steven Spielberg is turning into a movie), holds a doctorate in robotics from Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. In addition to Amped, he has written several books of humorous nonfiction and a middle grade novel for kids, A Boy and His Bot, about a secret robot world hidden under a sacred Native American site. He lives in Portland, Oregon and is the father of a little girl.

On Monday on GeekDad I wrote a review of Amped. I also got the chance last month to talk with Wilson about his novels and the science behind them. Here’s what he had to say (you can listen to an audio excerpt of our interview below):

GeekMom: Your books all have an Oklahoma connection. How did you come to put robots and Native Americans together? It sounds like they’re almost different ends of the human experience.

Daniel H. Wilson: You write about what you know. It makes everything easier, and also more truthful. In this case, I grew up in Oklahoma, and I grew up in the Cherokee Nation and I’m a member of the Cherokee Tribe. Oddly enough, I know a lot about robots and Oklahoma, and so that’s what comes out in my writing.

There’s this heroic vision of Native Americans as being tied into nature, very organic and spiritual and human in a way that really robots offer a great contrast to. Robots have almost the opposite connotation. They’re inorganic, they’re logical and they’re “other.” I do get a lot of traction out of that contrast.

Continue Reading “Implants to Make Us Smarter? An Interview with Amped Author Daniel H. Wilson” »

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