What Are You Geeking And Why?

Well it's a quiet time for video games (unless you'rer a shooter fan) and movie stuff, and Nintendo stubbornly refuses to unveil their new console. So I figure it's time to set aside the new and shiny or hype machine and get a status check on what everyone is enjoying right now during the silence.

What are you currently geeking on and what draws you to it?

In the evenings I've been jumping around to a few different games, taste-testing to start deciding how I'll want to spend my time during the Extra-Life marathon (starting Saturday November th at 7am Pacific!), and then usually spending half or more of my time on Dragon Quest Builders, which can't always suck me in for an entire evening, but often does because of its great progression loop of crafting, exploring and looting.

I'm also chipping away one or two eps of Battlestar Galactica each week. Just got past the "New Caprica" stuff in season 2. LOVE the human drama of the show mixed with bleak sci-fi war action. Although if I remember correctly the series was at its best for me before New Caprica, so I'll be interested to see if I stay with it from here to the (non-sensical, pop-spiritual infected) ending of the show.

How about you guys?

Well, I just picked up an old bookcase for next to nothing, which I will be converting into a storage/display unit for my growing collection of retro computers over the next week or so - they've been dumped in boxes and getting in the way so far, so by necessity it will be more storage than display, but it will be fun dusting them off and finding them a proper home at last!

And of course there is Red Dwarf XI, which at its best has been about as good as Red Dwarf ever was (but man, watch one of the re-runs either side of the new episodes and you can tell how long this show has been around!)

That will be over far too soon of course, but then there's the month long word-vomit that is NaNoWriMo, which this year won't be a novel at all, but The Gospel According to Red Dwarf.

I fear that may be straddling the line between geekery and madness...

UKSteve wrote:Well, I just picked up an old bookcase for next to nothing, which I will be converting into a storage/display unit for my growing collection of retro computers over the next week or so - they've been dumped in boxes and getting in the way so far, so by necessity it will be more storage than display, but it will be fun dusting them off and finding them a proper home at last!

That sounds really cool! Any thoughts about getting them up and running? I wonder if there's an input selector you could use to hook them all up to a single monitor in the display to take people on a "Tour Of Computer History"! Sell tickets in your living room and you could REALLY weird people out with a crazy "sideshow" vibe. But then again that IS where the word "geek" originates!

Paeter wrote:Any thoughts about getting them up and running? I wonder if there's an input selector you could use to hook them all up to a single monitor in the display to take people on a "Tour Of Computer History"! Sell tickets in your living room and you could REALLY weird people out with a crazy "sideshow" vibe. But then again that IS where the word "geek" originates!

Yeah totally - I have about 7 working systems from 1981 to 1994 (along with a couple that don't work) - so that would be awesome! At the moment that range of technology means I need 3 different displays depending on which computer I want to use, so I think I'll settle for creating a space where I can have one set up, and let them all take turns to be gaming computer!

UKSteve wrote: I need 3 different displays depending on which computer I want to use, so I think I'll settle for creating a space where I can have one set up, and let them all take turns to be gaming computer!

Sweet! Please post pictures when you finish setting that all up!

I've got two geeky things going on right now... one is soon, the other is slow-burn.

First: I am going to repaint the children's boys' restroom in our church. Exciting, no? Well, I'm going to do it in a Japanese stylized waves pattern with a Japanese style whale, and make it Jonah and the Whale themed. Plus, I have my son and best friend (both artists) to help me out.
If that works out the children's ministry leader wants us to theme the whole children's wing.

The long burn? Rogue One and Logan. My hearts' on my sleeve with those two movies, and I'm guessing at least one will hurt. ...but the hope their trailers inspire? SO COOL.
Haven't seen the new Guardians one yet, so just pencil that one in as well.

Oh, I had forgotten this one:
Brett Dalton/Grant Ward, DB Sweeney/ Mike Pinnochio, Shawn Michaels/The Heartbreak Kid...
Yep, I'm geeking out to this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmCyA8jcSQ&feature=youtu.be

mikel.withers wrote:Oh, I had forgotten this one:
Brett Dalton/Grant Ward, DB Sweeney/ Mike Pinnochio, Shawn Michaels/The Heartbreak Kid...
Yep, I'm geeking out to this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMmCyA8jcSQ&feature=youtu.be

DUDE I will probably break my "geek theme only" content rules and review this! Just because supporting something like this could lead to higher quality expectations and results from Christian entertainment overall. If not for the numerous references to Christian belief I would have thought this was at LEAST a well-funded limited release mainstream movie. Doesn't give off the usual home-made, sterilized, "christian movie" vibe I'm used to. And I think their willingness to play with communion and passion plays, though sure to offend some, could be a good move. Got some legit chuckles out of me throughout the trailer and it looks like it's largely made up of really solid actors.

Thanks so much for posting this! Here's the embedded trailer for anyone interested:

Oh come on, you are telling me a movie with Brett Dalton, DB Sweeney, and the Heartbreak Kid in it isn't geeky in one way or another?

I'm facebook friends with Dallas Jenkins (son of Jerry B Jenkins the author of the Left Behind books) who is the director of this movie so I've know about this movie for a while and it's just cool when I see this trailer pop up everywhere.

Lately I have been...

Constructing this

   

Because it's addictive, somewhat creative and something I share with my kids.

Reading this

Because Kerry is one of my favourite authors and I've been really enjoying the series

Watching this

because Time Travel

and, like Steve, I'll be participating in NaNoWriMo, in which I will be
writing episodes 3 and 4 of this


but most special of all, I have been sharing some old Star Trek Games, like Star Trek 25th Anniversary, and TNG A Final Unity with my son.

The old game CDs still work great in DosBox.

Weeeeeeeellll...
I've found that I can still get sucked into Crusader Kings II from Paradox games.
It is so incredibly slow and unexciting, but I can't walk away (or go to bed) for some reason.
Rather than a strategy game, it is a Medieval Family Simulator with some strategy elements to it.

Scenario: it is 11 pm, and I realize I need to go to bed. "I'll just wait until my son comes of age and find him a good bride before I shut down."
1 am... "Just finish off this rebellion..."
2 am... "Raiders? Now of all times?"
3 am... "why is the screen so blurry?"
4 am... "this is really dumb, why am I still here?"
4:30 am, in bed... "I should have just..."

AdamCollings wrote:
Watching this

because Time Travel

Holy crap thanks for posting that! I totally missed the fact that this series had started and I'm watching the pilot TODAY!

mikel.withers wrote:
I've found that I can still get sucked into Crusader Kings II from Paradox games.
It is so incredibly slow and unexciting, but I can't walk away (or go to bed) for some reason.
Rather than a strategy game, it is a Medieval Family Simulator with some strategy elements to it.

Scenario: it is 11 pm, and I realize I need to go to bed. "I'll just wait until my son comes of age and find him a good bride before I shut down."

Dude, if you ever want to, Extra-Life is a built-in excuse for your family to put up with you playing that game all night long and sleeping in the next day!

Sounds like a sweet game, btw. Found this review of it for anyone curious.

Yeah, there is a TON of DLC for CK II, the only problem being it is still kind of costly. I just got "the old gods" dlc and it cost $15. It allows you to start in the 800's rather than the 1066, and allows you to play as pagans, including the Mongols, and it sets up a "tribal" government type.
The map now includes India and you can get a DLC pack to be allowed to play as Indian rulers, the "Sword of Islam" to play as Muslim, "Sons of Abraham" to play as Jewish, some merchant one to play as merchant republics, a Charlemagne one to start earlier still... one about the Plague, one that imagines Aztecs invading Europe instead of the other way around... even one that converts your CKII saved game over to Europa Universalis IV.
I don't know if I hate/love myself enough to get any more of those than what I have, but I'm tempted.