Author: RPadTV

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Coffee Talk #503: What’s Geeky and Nerdy in 2012???

While talking about fake geek girls in yesterday’s Coffee Talk, RPadholic N8R brought up an excellent point about gaming not being geeky anymore. Videogames are most certainly mainstream. Comic books — or comic-book movies, anyway — are definitely mainstream. Even the rules of fashion have changed. Isn’t it weird that many NBA players wear outfits that Steve Urkel used to rock in Family Matters? What do you think passes for geeky and nerdy in 2012?

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Cersei Lannister getting a divorce, Safari 6, or your favorite BBQ sauce, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

While talking about fake geek girls in yesterday’s Coffee Talk, RPadholic N8R brought up an excellent point about gaming not being geeky anymore. Videogames are most certainly mainstream. Comic books — or comic-book movies, anyway — are definitely mainstream. Even the rules of fashion have changed. Isn’t it weird that many NBA players wear outfits that Steve Urkel used to rock in Family Matters? What do you think passes for geeky and nerdy in 2012?

About a decade ago, my dear friend Rannie got swept up in the knitting craze that was blowing through San Francisco. I made fun of her for joining a knitting circle, but stopped the jokes after she made me a cool camouflage scarf. A few game writers I know enjoy LARPing (live action role-playing), which was portrayed as a nerd hobby in the movie Role Models. Some of my New York friends have taken their love of sports to a geeky level with their love of advanced stats. I distinctly remember trying to enjoy peanuts and a baseball game while two of my friends were arguing about the value of WAR (wins above replacement).

All that said, I’m not really sure how geeky or nerdy any of those things are. Considering that my life usually revolves around videogames, comic books, and mobile tech, I’m not in any sort of position to label anything as such. How about you? What do you think is geeky and nerdy in 2012?

Jimmy Fallon & Justin Timberlake: History of Rap

I just spent an hour watching “The History of Rap” clips from Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. I love it when Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake team up. “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” is one of my favorite SNL sketches of all time. When these guys get together, they produce a lovely combination of music and comedy. Besides, it’s just cool hearing medleys that include music from some of the best hip-hop artists from the last few decades…and also Vanilla Ice. Also, I love watching Questlove play drums; in my head I imagine that Dr. Cornel West is the drummer for The Roots.

Anyway, enjoy these two clips and let me know what you think (please!).

Voula Papachristou: Greek Olympian Banned For Tweet

Triple-jumper Voula Papachristou was booted off Greece’s Olympic squad for a racially insensitive comment posted on her Twitter account. Here’s the deal according to the NY Daily News:

While gearing up for her first Olympic games on Sunday, Papachristou commented on the reported influx of West Nile mosquitos in Athens. She tweeted in Greek, “With so many Africans in Greece, the West Nile mosquitoes will be getting home food!!!” Her tweet provoked a bevy of ill responses, and many Greeks called for her dismissal from the Olympic team.

The reaction her tweet garnered is a testament to the power of social media. I’m sure many Olympians have cracked many questionable jokes over the history of the Olympics, but a tool like Twitter shares inappropriate jokes with the world and leads to expulsion. Giving athletes — many of whom really shouldn’t be addressing millions of people — a platform can be a powerful thing. In Papchristou’s case, a powerful platform led to her demise.

To be completely honest, I had a hard time concentrating on this article. It should be about the power of social media and questioning if Papachrisou’s punishment was just…but the women is stunning! I lost at least an hour “researching” photos of Voula Papachristou. She triple-jumped her way into my heart. *snicker*

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Coffee Talk #502: Fake Geek Girls and Olivia Munn

From booth babes to cosplayers to television hosts, I’ve noticed this strange backlash towards women that are considered faux geek. Considering that many of us have nerdy hobbies that we’ve been ostracized for, it’s a little bit funny to hear about nerds complaining about women pretending to be nerds or not being nerdy enough. GeekOut’s Joe Peacock wrote a lengthy rant about ” pretty girls pretending to be geeks for attention”. My favorite part, naturally, was his take on our beloved Olivia Munn…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the release of OS X Mountain Lion, Cole Hamels’ enormous contract, or your favorite beach, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

From booth babes to cosplayers to television hosts, I’ve noticed this strange backlash towards women that are considered faux geek. Considering that many of us have nerdy hobbies that we’ve been ostracized for, it’s a little bit funny to hear about nerds complaining about women pretending to be nerds or not being nerdy enough. GeekOut’s Joe Peacock wrote a lengthy rant about ” pretty girls pretending to be geeks for attention”. My favorite part, naturally, was his take on our beloved Olivia Munn:

The growing presence of these Olivia Munn types in the geek community is creating dialog that isn’t helping anyone.

You have these models-cum-geeks like Olivia Munn and practically every FragDoll. These chicks? Not geeks. I think that their rise is due to the fact that corporations are figuring out that geeks have money, and they want it. But they can’t abide putting a typically geeky face on camera, so they hire models to act quirky and sell this marketable geekdom.

That bit about Olivia aside, Peacock’s post is interesting and passionate. There’s a lot I agree with, but there are some parts of his argument and overall sentiment that I can’t back. I also think he’s being tough on the Frag Dolls. I’ve met several of them and they were all gamer geeks. My old Reset co-host Kat Hunter was a Frag Doll and currently works for Blizzard, which makes her a geek godess. She would be insulted if someone accused her of being a faux geek…and then she’d own them in Halo.

For the most part, I’m not too bothered by women pretending to be nerds just to get attention. People pretend to be things they’re not all the time. Finding, forming, and accepting an identity is a difficult and fluid thing. One case where it does bother me is when the posers make things more difficult for the real deals. I’ve met a lot of female gamers that have felt unaccepted by some of their male counterparts. Fake geeks just make things harder for them. That makes me sad. Can’t we all just play with our lightsabers and get along?!?

 

NBA Baller Beats Soundtrack Listing

Majesco has revealed the complete soundtrack for the upcoming NBA Baller Beats. The game features a diverse group of artists including Cee Lo Green, Common, LMFAO, Queen, Young MC, Lady Gaga, Run DMC, Onyx, Kanye West, and more. NBA Baller Beats surprised me at E3 2012. I love the idea of a Kinect basketball game that’s controlled with an actual basketball. What I saw during the demo was lots of fun. Check out the video above to learn more about the game and see it in action. Now onto the soundtrack!

NBA Baller Beats full on-disc track list:

  • “Access Hollywood” – Consequence
  • “Autobiotics” – Calling All Cars
  • “Canon” – Justice
  • “Championship Fever” – Najee
  • “Disparate Youth” – Santigold
  • “Don’t Sweat the Technique” – Eric B. and Rakim
  • “Get Ur Freak On” – Missy Elliott
  • “It’s Ok” – Cee-Lo Green
  • “Music Makes Me Feel So Good” – Static Revenger
  • “Night By Night” – Chromeo
  • “O.N.E.” – Yeasayer
  • “Roll Up” – Wiz Khalifa
  • “Satellite” – Rise Against
  • “So Good” – B.o.B.
  • “Surf Hell” – Little Barrie

Previously announced tracks:

  • “Amazing” – Kanye West ft. Young Jeezy
  • “Another One Bites the Dust” – Queen
  • “Bangarang” – Skrillex ft. Sirah
  • “Blue Sky” – Common
  • “Bust A Move” – Young MC
  • “Chillin” – Wale ft. Lady Gaga
  • “C’Mon Catch ‘Em By Surprise” – Tiesto vs. Diplo ft. Busta Rhymes
  • “It’s Tricky” – Run DMC
  • “Let It (Edit Remix)” – Machine Drum ft. Melo X
  • “New Fang” – Them Crooked Vultures
  • “Obstacle 1” – Interpol
  • “Party Rock Anthem” – LMFAO ft. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
  • “Slam” – Onyx
  • “Stylo” – Gorillaz
  • “Tightrope” – Janelle Monae

Wednesday Housekeeping: Comments and Tweaks

More changes have been implemented into RPad.TV 3.0! More content, including images and videos, shows up on the front page. There’s a nifty menu bar at the top of the screen. The social media bar now floats on the left of the screen instead of under posts (it appears in individual posts only). Please let me know how you feel about these or any of the new features.

The biggest addition from last night was adding Disqus 2012 comments. On paper, your old comments should return some time this evening. However, I’ve never had a positive experience with comment importing/exporting, so I have zero faith that it’ll happen smoothly or as scheduled. Let’s see. On the plus side, Disqus 2012 has lots of cool features. Kindly play around with the commenting system if you have some time today.

Mariah Carey Getting $18-Million to Judge American Idol?

Mariah Carey recently revealed that she’ll be judging American Idol season 12. Rumor has it that she’ll be getting around $18-million for her criticisms and insights (and insane ramblings). According to People:

“Her deal is rumored to be just under $18 million for one year with an option to renew,” a source familiar with the negotiation tells People.

Season 12 should be quite a departure from the previous two, with Jennifer Lopez and Steve Tyler leaving the show. Mainstay Randy Jackson, the only original judge left, is rumored to be on the fence about returning. While I miss Simon Cowell’s acerbic wit and Paula Abdul’s drug-addled nonsense, Jackson was always the show’s glue. I can’t imagine AI without Randy’s overuse of the word “dog”, as well as his abuse of “blowing it out of the box” and “in it to win it!!!”.

What do you think of Mariah Carey joining American Idol? Any suggestions for a judge that would complement her?

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Two Funny Batman Videos

Still riding high from The Dark Knight Rises? If so then you’ll dig these two videos that poke fun at Batman. The first one is a gem sent from my pal Cat. It’s a College Humor tale of how Gotham’s hero (as portrayed by Christian Bale) got his silly voice.

Next is a reenactment of the climactic battle between Batman and Bane…with Burt Ward’s Robin thrown in for a laugh. This fine bit of fighting and flippancy was made by Above Average Network.

After you’ve checked out the videos, please share your thoughts on them in the comments section!

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig Against Uniform Advertising

Shortly after the NBA Board of Governors approved advertising patches on player jerseys, MLB commissioner Bud Selig was asked if baseball players would become walking billboards in the near future. Ever the traditionalist, Selig said no. He told ESPN:

You learn never to say never, but you know, with us, uniforms are really important. They’re history. You can close your eyes, and that Cub uniform, my goodness gracious, I can remember (that from) when I was 10 years old, and that’s a long time ago. And there’s the Yankee pinstripes, and the Red Sox and so on and so forth, so I’ve been pretty consistent on that.

I usually disagree with Selig on many things (not increasing the use of instant replay, expanding the playoffs, etc.), but I’m totally with him here. The major American sports leagues — NFL, MLB, and NBA — shouldn’t put advertising on their jerseys. Yes, there are millions of dollars to be had, but it’s not like that money will be used to lower ticket prices or make small-market teams better. This is one area where I’m (unusually) a traditionalist. Props to Selig for saying no on uniform advertising. It would pain me to see a Yankee jersey with a hot dog ad.

What do you think of Bud Selig’s stance on uniform advertising?

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