As you know, at The Nerdery we really dig the periodic table, just take a peek at our About Us page. So you can understand why we’re really pumped about Sam Kean’s Slate project Blogging the Periodic Table of Elements. He’s just started the project so you need only catch up on Antimony, Hydrogen, Selenium, Vanadium, Copernicium, Nitrogen & Phosphorus, and Lithium. And you should! It’s really fascinating trivia.
“Despite its obscurity, probably no element on the periodic table has as colorful a history as antimony. Money, madness, poison, linguistics, charlatanism, sex—pretty much every theme that runs through the periodic table can be found in Element 51.”
While most of the country spent the long weekend celebrating our nation’s birthday, there was one small pocket of Minnesota where the words “Independence Day” were spoken almost exclusively in sentences that also included the words “Jeff Goldblum.”
Inspecting the Bloomington Sheraton parking lot on Saturday there were subtle clues to the uninitiated that something was afoot. The woman in blood spattered scrubs rummaging through her trunk, the smoking porch filled with people discussing the new Captain America costume, the fact that the mud spattered Bronco had a vaguely threatening, but pleasantly sing-songy poem about car hygiene signed “Bad Horse” in lieu of the traditional “clean me.”
To those in the know, these were all omens pointing towards Minnesota’s biggest scifi nerd mecca, CONvergence.
This was my first time at CONvergence, so I’m going to leave the in-depth dissections of the panels, flame wars over costumes, and general fanboyism to the professionals (check out #cvg2010 on twitter). But I will say that it was a remarkable experience and one that had to be seen to be believed. While the full four-day experience may be too much for all but the most committed of nerds, it’s worth checking out when it rolls around again about this time next year.
My two favorite photos from the event:
Pictured from L to R: some girl, Chewbacca, Bountyhunter Leia (background), Jesus.
Wolfman curls up with a good book in the reading lounge on the 22nd floor.
On March 26, 2009, a more youthful Luke Bucklin was named to the 40 Under 40 list published by Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. And ever since that day, Luke has made darned sure everyone knew this to be true. While Biz Journal has kept its ear to the ground, Luke has gone out of his way to clumsily work his 40 Under 40 talking points into conversations with friends, colleagues, clients, family, passersby…
As Luke’s fortieth birthday approached, the publication sent word to him that he would have to renounce this particular feather-in-his cap upon reaching his fifth decade. Time has come today. This is probably why I heard him shout “This reeks of $#%^!&* ageism!” from his office the other day. Or perhaps it was the DMV calling to tell him he had to turn in his vanity plates.
Then came a letter from the FAA telling Luke to “please consider the world your no-fly zone until you retake your pilot’s license testing.”
Then came The Pentathanerd Committee’s “free advice memo” urging Luke to “please refocus your Pentathanerd gold medal aspirations toward The Senior Tour” (any sports fan can tell you Luke is the reigning Pentathanerd Boggle champ from the previous Summer Games).
But still, without coming right out and using the term “in decline,” some have seen this coming. The paparazzi recently shed harsh light on Luke’s mid-day naps in The Nerdery’s nooks and crannies.
Luke claims this photo was actually shot during the wee hours of the Overnight Website Challenge. We report; you decide.
In the recorded minutes of a recent executive team meeting, Luke wondered aloud, “As a Founding-Father of The Nerdery, shouldn’t my face be on currency?”
In a hastily commissioned poll, 73% of registered voters said this hairdo makes Luke appear “more presidential.” However, 88% of those under 40 said he looked like an old codger (completely unsolicited feedback; not even a survey question).
“I’ve found the secret to keeping my boyish looks forever: tanning!” he told his handlers. But it was too hot and he preferred the great indoors.
Pictured here fake-baked in arguably too much orange makeup (Luke will perhaps claim this facelift was not self-inflicted, and rather, it happened to him in while taping a Comcast Newsmakers segment for CNN’s Headline News).
It was a good run but it’s over. Happy fortieth birthday, Luke. Consider the strong second act of Betty White – hotter than ever. There has to be a “50 Pushing 50″ list looking for a man of your good standing in the community. The campaign begins anew. Who’ll second my nomination?
Giving people laser eyes is obviously a valuable service. For five bucks, friend-of-The-Nerdery Dave Annis from Zeus Jones will doctor your photo with laser eyes. We caught up with him the other day as he was laughing all the way to the bank.
Q: Where did this idea come from and why are we, as a people, better for it?
A: I don’t think I came up with the “idea” for Laser Eyes. I think Laser Eyes has always been and will most likely always be. We’re not better for it; we exist because of it.
Q: Without giving away all your trade secrets, how do you do it?
A: Outer Glow.
Q: How many laser photos have you sold? We’ll do the math on how much you’ve made.
A: To be honest, I started Laser Eyes as a way to get out of the marketing business but quickly realized it was much more satisfying to simply give away Laser Eyes…also not a lot of people want to pay for it.
Q: Do you get much repeat business? Can you name names on who’s ordered the most laser photos? Do you think this person has a problem, or can they quit anytime?
A: There have been a couple repeat “buyers.” Laser Eyes is a lot like hard drugs. You start with just a taste, then you need more. The next thing you know you’re outside staring at the sun hoping to pick up a few gamma rays.
Q: What do you say to the customer willing to pay $4.99 and not a penny more?
A: Impressive negotiation skills.
Q: Get any calls from people who think you’re a really cheap Lasik eye surgeon?
What kind of nerds would we be if we didn’t remind you that Sunday, March 14 is Pi Day? The worst kind of nerds, nerds who don’t celebrate their culture. Also, it’s also Albert Einstein’s birthday. Two very justifiable reason to throw a party. You can celebrate with a ThinkGeek Pi-Tini, and after a few of those you can start singing songs about Pi.
The Bottle Cap is an integral part of The Nerdery’s culture. Think pep fest + show & tell + beer. It’s a chance for the nerds to pass out props, share the coolest project that just launched, and to tip back a few beers in honor of our own badassery (if you’ve ever had the honor of attending the Bottle Cap you’ll know that the word [or is it a phrase?] ‘badass’ is bandied about quite often).
As The Nerdery has grown so has the mountain of bottles and caps. And even though nerds are often mistakenly stereotyped as pasty-faced gremlins who shun the outdoors, that’s just not true. We love the Earth. We dig it so much that we even have a Green Team that sends us all kinds of tips on how we can save energy and be a little nicer to the planet we call home.
To support that green effort, we switched to kegs of beer rather than our traditional bottles. It was tough taking the bottles and caps out of Bottle Cap, but with the kegs we’re no longer filling the recycle bin or wasting beer. And, as you’ll see from the video, we even use glass pint glasses instead of plastic cups. It’s more efficient all around.
So in the interest of educating you all on the proper way to pour beer, we offer you this short instructional video.
The video features Joshua Beardsley, Nerdery Brewmaster, reporting by Andrew Watson, and the intro musical stylings are courtesy of our own Kai Esbensen.
The Nerdery spent today celebrating Thanksgiving as it’s meant to be celebrated-with food, drink and timelapse videography. Wanna see what it looks like when nearly 80 people descend on a 120 lbs of turkey, 60 lbs of potatoes and a literally bottomless basket of cornbread muffins? Check it out below.
WARNING: if you’ve seen Paranormal Activity these videos might creep you out but don’t worry, there are no ghosts in The Nerdery (well, maybe a few).
