Archive for November, 2009

Pour one out for Sheldon Dorf, founder of Comic-Con

Today’s New York Times features the obituary of Sheldon Dorf who died on November 3rd at the age of 76.

Dorf is the man responsible for founding Comic-Con which started as a small gathering of comicbook nerds in 1970 and has blossomed into a a phenomenon that attracts over 126,000 attendees. For many nerds, attending Comic-Con is a religious pilgrimage.

There’s a Shel Dorf Tribute site filled memories of Dorf and offers a great glimpse into the history of comicbooks and how one man influenced an industry.

RIP Mr. Dorf, you changed pop culture and that’s an amazing feat for any human.

P.S. Totally unrelated, but worth a mention. Today is World Usability Day. Make sure to give your favorite UX designer a hug.

Filed under Web Culture

Open House: We’re hiring (heavily)

This Friday the 13th from 3:30 – 6:00 p.m., we’re holding a casting call for Nerdery-wannabes and secret admirers to come and check us out, and vice versa. If you’ve ever thought about working at The Nerdery, first and foremost, it’s a good gig. The Internet seems to have considerable staying power and mastering its ways can be lucrative. We’re busy. It’s fun. So there’s all that. Please RSVP.

Here’s the who, what, where, when and why. Our jobs page has a list of open positions and video testimonials articulating what it’s like to have filled said positions.

Recruits, you’ll be able to make the speed-dating rounds in meeting representative nerds, including: our founders; front-end developers (XHTML/CSS/JavaScript); backend developers (.NET, Java, PHP); ActionScript developers (Flash/Flex); sales and marketing staff, including sales engineers; software development managers; our dogs.

If you follow The Nerdery at all you’ve come to know things about us that you wouldn’t typically associate with a normal workplace. So here’s yet another inside scoop for ya: working here is your best shot at qualifying for Pentathanerd. In fact, at our inaugural Summer Games, Nerdery residency was the only path to glory, however, it’s rumored that at-large competitors might be invited to partake in the Winter Games. But even so, working here gives you unfettered access to the finest Pentathanerd training facilities you’ll find anywhere in the world (Trinidad/Tobago? Not even close).

Friday’s dress code: Surprise us. Last week was all over the map when it comes to “business” attire. Sure, it was Wolf Shirt Friday, but some also observed Formal Friday, Argyle Day (admittedly not on most calendars), and there was a smattering of Hawaiian shirt loyalists and even a few interesting combo platters. So come as you are – but please come.

Filed under Events

Friday Links: Feeling grumpy is good for you, and other news

Filed under Links

Great Moment in Nerdery: November 5, 1955

It was on this day in 1955 that Doctor Emmett Brown slipped off the toilet seat and invented the Flux Capacitor that would make time travel possible. Happy Flux Capacitor day!

I don’t know, what do you call it?

redbrick

Today, The Morning News has a charming piece on The Common Nomenclature for Lego Families, where they discuss how families who play with Legos have come up with names for the individual Lego pieces, and how these names are unique to each individual family (make sure to take a gander at the PDF at the end of the story).

Every family, it seems, has its own set of words for describing particular Lego pieces. No one uses the official names. “Dad, please could you pass me that Brick 2×2?” No. In our house, it’ll always be: “Dad, please could you pass me that four-er?”

And I’ll pass it, because I know exactly which piece he means. Lego nomenclature is essential for family Lego building.

In my family, the piece in that thumbnail would be called a Red-8. I’m not sure what the official Nerdery nomenclature is, but chances are Jess the official Nerdery Lego mailer could tell you.

Filed under Links

King me, augmented reality

I’ve always been a bit frightened by the plastered, menacing grin of the Burger King (zoiks – there’s like nothing behind his eyes) – and now, Crispin Porter + Bogusky has helped His Highness bestow power unto all to turn a buck into a double cheeseburger through the spooky magic of augmented reality. Long live the King.

Macy’s has seen the future

Or at least they thing they have. Check out this ad that ran in Philadelphia papers today. I wonder if they’ll wait to see the actual outcome of the World Series before firing anyone.
macysoops
(found on Ad Freak)