Geek Dawn
March is almost upon us. That means we will soon see the end of cold and the return of warm. The indoor geekeries will take a back seat to the outdoor geekeries. Most importantly, the seasonal malaise will be blasted away by radiation from a ginormous ball of fusion in outer space. Listener and podcaster alike will be reenergized and motivated to make awesomeness.
Ask Rym & Scott
Today we have a letter from Loganator456.
Hey Rym/Scott!
Since you guys are running low on questions for the newsletter, I figure I'd send one your way.
In episodes past you've talked about high quality but not necessarily "nerdy" accessories/possessions/everyday things you guys tend to find and promote. For example, an Aeron chair for a quality office chair; Timbuk2 for a quality messenger bag; that lavender or rose scented shaving cream you found years ago when you first ventures into the old-style shaving, etc. In general just everyday things you buy or use that seem to be above-quality in terms of form or function. Of course, we all love the threads in the forum that ask what soaps we use, or what mouse/keyboard/headset we use, but what about everyday stuff we might not normally chat about? Ever find a particularly badass computer desk? Bookshelf? Towels? How about a nice-ass lamp, or other shit?
I found a badass razor-trimmer which is the Phillips Norelco Bodygroom pro. That trimmer is the shit. I also happen to find some really nice pillows that happen to be very cheap but comfortable from Sam's. It's that kind of shit that I think is cool, and any other little thing like that i think is awesome for sharing with other people. Hopefully I got across the type of stuff I was intending. Also, semi-related, but a "life hacks" episode would be cool if at all possible.
Thanks, keep up the good shit.
-Loganator456 from the forums
Well Loganator, way to weasel your own product placement into the newsletter. I'm sure Norelco will give you a promotion for the free advertising you got them. You can get away with this one, but next time you have to pay.
Like any person who is not an anarcho-primitivist, we buy things. If there is a particular product we are passionate about, we tend to let people know either in the podcast, forum, Twitter, or elsewhere. I can't think of a single product that I really like, which I have somehow accidentally kept as a secret. In most product categories there simply isn't something to strongly recommend. Sometimes there are many really good choices without one that stands out above the rest. Other times, there are all really bad choices, so just get the cheapest one that gets the job done. Does anyone really know of any particular towel that is way better than all the others? I usually just get the biggest and fluffiest towels available.
The only thing I can tell you is that I have recently been reviewing things on Amazon. When I have spare time I go back to my order history to find things I have not reviewed. You can see all of my Amazon reviews here. Lots of complete strangers on Amazon are finding these reviews helpful enough that they actually click on the button that says they found it helpful. If you trust my review more than a stranger's review, you can know that all of these are legit.
Anyway, thanks for the email. We still have a couple more of these in the hopper, but we really need more people to send in questions to keep this section of the newsletter alive. Just send an email over to geeknights@frontrowcrew.com and ask away.
Book Club - The Player of Games
I had a plan for my book club selections. I was going to pick books that I already own, but have yet to read. That way I could eventually read everything on my shelf. That plan failed because of this book. I was made aware of this series of Scifi novels known as the culture series by friends and acquaintances. Apparently it is about some futuristic utopian culture that GeekNights is striving for.
The Player of Games is actually the second book in the series, and it is about a guy who is the absolute best at playing games in that utopia. There could not be a book that is more GeekNights than this book. It may even be more GeekNights than
The Prince of Nothing
series. Reading the first Culture book,
Consider Phlebas, is not required to understand The Player of Games. I haven't read it. Then again, it couldn't hurt. The point is there is no excuse to skip this book club.
New Podcasts
A recent kickstarter brought this game to light. Apparently there was great drama, redesigning, and remaking. Still, this extensive drama would not happen if the game itself was of no consequence. Find out the deal with this very clever card game.
@sscastle on Twitter says "The @geeknights bookclub on Great Gatsby is a great breakdown on how to appreciate art that isn't your regular thing." If you haven't read the book, and plan to, you should probably hold off listening. Otherwise, what are you waiting for? And why have you still not read this classic of American literature?
Google Glass has created a huge controversy lately. People were arguing all over the place whether it was worthwhile or not. What astonished us most was the lack of vision most people have for the possibilities of having a HUD for life. Maybe listening to this can break people out of the spell and get them excited for our Ghost in the Shell future.
New Videos
This is the only new video we have right now. They only get a few hundred views, so we aren't going to put them out that often. Still, we have a bunch recorded, and will eventually finish the series no matter what. In a rare event, I actually watched this entire video. While recording it, I wasn't feeling that excited. After watching myself talk about Utena, I really wanted to watch and record a bunch more. This show is amazing, and I even helped myself discover hidden amazing things I've never seen before. No matter what you think of the aesthetic of this show or anime in general, watch the show and watch us discuss it.
Forum Weather Report
A thick fog has covered the forums due to the extreme lack of vision in the
Google Glass thread. I recommend a nice relaxing stay in the thread about
saunas.
Thing of the Newsletter
Closing
