Harry Potter Joins The Geek Force
We are proud to announce that one of the most active members of our Geek Force Reserves team has decided to accept the call and move up to the big leagues. Mr. Harry James Potter, formerly of the Cupboard Under the Stairs, now respected Auror for the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Magic, has joined the Geek Force Five. Effective immediately, GeekForceFive.com will reallocate the resources formerly employed to cover news on View Askew Productions to bring you an in-depth look at the stories being told about our newest member, both in print and on film.
Leave a note in the comments to welcome Mr. Potter to the fold (or to tell me that I’ve lost my marbles, and that the team is going all to hell).
Silent Bob and Steve Jobs Resign from Geek Force Five
Over the weekend, I tearfully accepted the resignations of two of the founding members of my Geek Force Five.
- Steve Jobs is pulling Apple out of the GF5, citing the declining importance of this particular Apple geek to the company’s plans for world domination. And...
- The man known as Silent Bob has opted to retire from active duty after suffering through the public humiliation of his latest film breaking his personal best at the box office, but only by the slimmest of margins (i.e., the seven bucks I spent on my ticket).
One of the vacant spots has already been filled, and an announcement about the phenomenon stepping in is forthcoming. However, we’re doing something somewhat different with the other vacancy. For the first time ever, we will have a place as a member. I know that sounds strange, but consider that the literary agent who rejected my novel last year specifically pinpointed my ability to write about place as a strength. More on that development is forthcoming as well.
This is sure to be an exciting week in the history of the Geek Force. Please do stay tuned for more as it happens.
(And please rest assured that we’ll still offer Apple and View Askew coverage from time to time. We’re just moving them to the Reserves section to give some of my other obsessions a chance to shine.)
Topics: Apple, View Askew
Top 25 Most Played Songs in 2008
The New Year’s Eve post was something of a tradition on my old blog, so it seems only fitting to me that I continue the tradition on this first New Year’s Eve of the Geek Force Five era. I’ll be back with some pretty substantial (and, I hope, exciting) announcements about the future of the site in the coming days. In the meantime, here are the top 25 songs I listened to the most in 2008 (according to Last.fm).
- “Crushcrushcrush" by Paramore
- “Everything I’m Not” by The Veronicas
- “Never Again” by Kelly Clarkson
- “Misery Business” by Paramore
- “That’s What You Get” by Paramore
- “Dreams" by Letters to Cleo
- “Summerlong" by Kathleen Edwards
- “Free" by Plumb
- “The Pretender” by Foo Fighters
- “Discipline" by Nine Inch Nails
- “It’s a Shame About Ray” by Lemonheads
- “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry
- “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry
- “Runaway" by Avril Lavigne
- “Let The Flames Begin” by Paramore
- “Hot" by Avril Lavigne
- “The Moneymaker” by Rilo Kiley
- “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” by CSS
- “Over It” by Katharine McPhee
- “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
- “Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z)” by Rihanna
- “Echoplex" by Nine Inch Nails
- “Clothes Off!!” by Gym Class Heroes
- “Caught Up In You” by .38 Special
- “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” by Dropkick Murphys
Whereas last year was the year of Nine Inch Nails and the Pluto Tapes (if you want to see last year’s list, beg for it in the comments), this year is all about Paramore. Four of their songs appear on this year’s list, making it absolutely clear that I am still very much a pop bubblegum whore.
It’s also worth noting that the trend of me becoming more and more “out of it” continued this year. Last year, only nine of the twenty-five songs were songs released in 2007. This year, only four of the songs that made the list were released in 2008.
Lastly, if there were a “Most Listened to Album of the Year” it would probably be, despite its length, Ghosts I-IV by Nine Inch Nails. I’ve listened to it in full nearly every week since it came out early in 2008 (sometimes twice a week). I hope that redeems me in your eyes.
At least a little bit. 
Topics: Nine Inch Nails, Geekforce Reserves
Worth Your Consideration #021
The “Worth Your Consideration” column is finally legal, just in time to sip some livened-up eggnog and give to you, constant reader, a veritable Santa-sized stockingful of linkage love.
- Jennifer Aniston’s recent anti-Angelina ranting be pissing off most people, but Hugh Hefner ain’t mad at her. The Playboy founder told Extra that Jen’s nude spread for GQ looked like it belonged on the cover of his own magazine.
- And, speaking of bared breasts, they can also, apparently, sell washing machines. Well, only if there are lots of them. And only if they’re attached to beautiful skydiving models.
- Toplessness has not been a ladies-only phenomenon this past fortnight either. Here’s a shocker: our President-Elect is, relatively speaking, pretty cut. His abs aren’t quite a six-pack, but he ain’t sporting no pot belly neither.
- Oh, and he is also Time’s Person of the Year. That news comes courtesy of our old friend Jason Kottke.
- Also from Kottke: a Periodic Table of Awesomeness. Bacon is #1 and Samuel L. Jackson, despite never having appeared in a Kevin Smith film, is #37. Weird.
- Also weird: The trailer for X-Men Origins: Wolverine is available exclusively on MySpace. Why MySpace, man? Haven’t we established that Apple’s Trailers Site is the place for movie previews.
- The place for parodies of the Bush shoe-throwing incident: Best Week Ever.
- On a totally separate note: I finally stop subjecting myself to the weekly torture that Smallville has become over the past three years, and now they have to go and make it good again? The preview for the second half of their latest season features The Legion of Superheroes, flying Clark, angry Doomsday, and naked Lex. Guess I’m going to have to catch up and tune in.
- The filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will span fifty-four weeks, according to producer David Heyman. They’re still debating on where to split the story (Hallows will be released as two films) but may have found “an emotional and very truthful” place for the break.
- Apple debuted two video ads, one of them featuring a cute talking rabbit. Thanks to TUAW for the link.
- But, if you like your Mac vs. PC action a bit more violent, check this bit of YouTubeage. It’s done in the style of Transformers, and if that doesn’t pique your interest, then you’re not really a geek.
- Speaking of YouTubeage, TUAW provided a link to this wicked pissa montage of Apple history. It condenses 30 years of awesome into 3 minutes and is definitely worth your consideration.
- Moving on, MacNN reported this past week that an Iron Man video game has come to the iPhone. I haven’t played Iron Man: Aerial Assault yet, but I plan on plunking down eight bucks for it just as soon as, well… just as soon as I have eight bucks. Which might be next year, for all I know. Stupid economy.
- SimCity has come to the iPhone, as well. That’s another ten bucks down the drain. They just knew that I couldn’t resist it, didn’t they? TUAW has a review.
- Also in the making me spend more money than I have department, Marvel released their full slate of solicitations for March 2009. Just when I thought I was going to be able to kick my comic book habit, those bastards reel me back in with stories about who will be the next Sorceror Supreme, and news that the Sisterhood of Evil Mutants is finally assembled and ready to destroy the X-Men once and for all (I’m still holding out hope that they’ve duped Firestar into joining and that she’ll somehow escape their grasp and rocket to new levels of superstardom as a member of the X-Men or something).
- It’s Christmas and I’m getting tired, so let’s finish this puppy up…
- Apple announced that their appearance at 2009’s Macworld Expo in San Francisco would be their last appearance at Macworld. They also announced that Steve Jobs would not give his customary keynote address. Apple fanatics promptly lost their shit, but TUAW provided a sane look at why this decision was probably inevitable.
- In crossover news: Who knew that Nine Inch Nails was using a MacBook Pro and Logic Studio to replace racks of equipment on their latest tour. I certainly didn’t. To think that this tour was so much more awesome than usual, but that they used so much less equipment to make it happen… That rules.
- This does not rule: Nine Inch Nails wrapped up their Lights in the Sky tour, and are currently prepping for a final wave of dates before calling it quits for the foreseeable future. There was news recently that Lights in the Sky would not be captured on film, which most NIN fans who had the pleasure of seeing the show would say is a total travesty. But there is also news that fans who attended the Las Vegas show are assembling a fan-made DVD. The project even has a Website: This One’s On Us (a reference to Trent Reznor’s comment, on the release of The Slip earlier this year, that that one [The Slip] was on him).
- In Lost news: Jack finally shaves and The Powers That Be answer questions in these clips provided by DarkUFO.
- Also: lots of people in Dharma jumpsuits that I never thought I’d see in Dharma jumpsuits can be seen in these pictures snagged by Dark and his associates.
- AND, a new promo is out that made me go, “Huh? What?!?”
- AND, cute postcards, direct from the island, are begging me not to be a stranger, and reminding me that the island cures what ails me.
- Oh, and there’s a Lostpedia interview with Michael Emerson, too.
And yeah, I think that’s where I’ll call it a night. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and all that.
Topics: Apple, Lost, Nine Inch Nails, Marvel Comics, Geekforce Reserves
Geek Force Utterz #062 - The End of the Stevenote
In today’s episode of Geek Force Utterz, I talk about why I’m starting to think that summer might actually be a better season than winter, and about why I think we should have seen the announcement that Apple is ceasing it’s MacWorld Stevenotes coming. Listen in via the embed above, or by visiting Utterli.com.
