Internet Blackout Day

Here's a quick Angry Aine post:

From the Fight for the Future's SOPA Strike site.

I'm glad Wikipedia opted to join the protests.

You're all geeks. You probably know it's the anti-SOPA blackout day. Normally, this is about when I would link you to some helpful Wikipedia article that would explain the context surrounding this event.  Wikipedia would give you a free rundown of the legal implications of the bill. It would link to other related articles about the protests so you could figure out why all the cat pictures went away. But today, you get to see what the world would be like without all that free knowledge. (Probably not a bad time to throw them a few bucks, now that I think about it).

Minecraft joins the blackout.

Maybe not all of you remembered the protests were today. Actually, if you're an insomniac like me, or you're waking up to head to work, you might be reading this before 8am. In which case, you may have a few frantic moments of Reddit before the blackout starts in earnest. Otherwise, you may have hopped on to MineCraft for "just one quick block," only to find the cutest SOPA blackout message I've seen so far. Oh, Notch. But of course, there are hundreds of sites joining in today. You'd be hard pressed to find someone not affected by the blackout.

A Softer World captured my feelings exactly.

I'm not going to insult your intelligence by lecturing you about how SOPA and PIPA are ... what's the term? "Fucking ridiculous." If you're smart enough to have turned on whatever device lead you to the internets today, you aren't likely to be a SOPA supporter. So you're already as pissed as I am that they're trying to shit all over everyone's right to freedom of expression in exchange for piles of money. Some writers are trying to keep cool and tactful when discussing this nonsense. I don't know how you feel, but I'm not interested in the "I understand why, but..." diplomatic articles. In my opinion, there is no acceptable excuse for these bills.



SOPA and PIPA are complete bullshit. Congress (and those paying them to support censorship) need to knock it the hell off. Period. End of goddamned story. If you want a more moderate, or less swear-filled, discussion about the bills, check Google... while you still can. When you've let your anger build to a good head of steam, write a letter to Congress.

Google: End Piracy, Not Liberty.

Cobra Commander Plans Base Over 395

A More Modern Cobra via AEPA Architects

All of these years I thought G.I. Joe was just a cartoon/comic.  Now let's get a few things straight.  This is an actual building proposed to be built in DC (one end of it). The first question on each of your minds is of course,  WHY?!? Followed immediately by WTF.  I'm not sure how this passed by whatever design review board it was submitted to, but they don't watch enough 80's cartoons.

Either that or there really is a Cobra Command that is burrowing into the heart of our country one US-China Capital Alliance at a time.  I can't get over how crazy / disturbing this is.  I'm tempted to make this my computer's background.

Here is a little background on what the building's purpose is meant to be (from the Washington Biz Journal).

A prominent D.C. architect is floating a proposal to build a massive global trade center atop Interstate 395 between K Street and New York Avenue NW, a project that may seem incredible and, perhaps, impossible, but one its designer says he can pull off.

Citing his resume — some 5,000 planning and design projects worldwide, including D.C.’s Chinatown Friendship Archway and the Wah Luck House — Alfred Liu, president of AEPA Architects Engineers PC, claims he can get the 10-story, 1.7 million-square-foot Washington Global Trade Center off the ground.

via DCist via Washington Biz Journal

UMD Students Break Man-Powered Flight Record

View more videos at: http://nbcwashington.com.

I... don't know why they did this (well other than "there's a mountain over there, so I'm gonna climb it"), but it's very awesome.  I kinda wish they got it to the point where they could get a higher level of lift and sort of fly around with it.  Regardless, this device granted them the record longest flight of a human-powered helicopter.


It's always good to see a local group of geeks getting together to create something fantastic. Ok, so we have no proof they are geeks, but they at least deserve geek props for this. Congratulations to UMD's Clark School Engineering for their accomplishment.


What have you done recently? :)

Students from the University of Maryland's Clark School of Engineering are now in the record books for the longest flight of a human-powered helicopter.

The human-powered chopper was airborne for about 12 seconds and took about 50 people to actually build the giant contraption.

The actual flight was back in July, but it took time for authorities from the National Aeronautical Association to confirm it was indeed a world record. 

via NBC Washington

Rock the House / Godzilla must have just awakened (Earthquake in NoVa?)

Checking around the nerdsphere locally I see that many many of the geeks I know in the DC area just felt a pretty decent earthquake.  I'd call it massive, but, well this isn't California.

If you get any updates on what the hell just happened let us know.  Seriously the building buckled here some people almost fell and I thought I was on the world's lamest but largest scale version of a kiddie rollercoaster.

Also, if this was caused by some sort of giant monster awakening.  I want pictures.

NBC Categorizes Any Group of Youngins as a 'Flash Mob'

Flash Monkey via Greenpeace Finland

So, I was reading an article put up by NBC Washington with a video clip talking about how a flash mob of young people walked into the store, stole a bunch of things then walked out.

*sigh*

Ok, a flash mob.  When most people who've heard of this internet thing, you know, that series of tubes you're using right now, when we talk about flash mobs we mean something very differently than they apparently do.  For me, when I think flash mob I think a large group of seemingly unconnected people who do one, usually very bizarre act, then disperse.  If that act is a crime, say, shop lifting, it's just a robbery.  A very casual one.  They probably should have been wearing shades.

The feeling the video gives me is that NBC thinks flash mob means "a group of young people".  You know, like a gaggle, if young people were geese.  Or a murder if they were crows... Ok, let's not let them know about that one, they might start using it also.

When did the term flash mob get so perverted in the public eye?  Yes, this is a deplorable thing that happened, but calling it a flash mob?  Will major news venues ever really ever understand internet culture?  Why aren't they just hiring younger more internet savvy people so they can ping them with questions every so often.  Maybe then they won't end up coming off quite as clueless as they do with this one.  Also, last I heard, flash mobs were more or less dead.  Which is sad to me, but still.  If they start using 90's slang next I'm digging out / buying parachute pants.

Well, thanks for the sad tear-laden laugh.

via NBC Washington

NOVA Has a Serial Butt Stabber on the Loose

A reasonably factual re-enactment by ViralBus

You didn't hear me wrong.   There's a rash of gluteous maximus penetrations going on around Northern Virginia lately.  If the DC area wasn't weird enough before.
So let me get this straight.  Someone thought it would be fun to walk into a mall with a box cutter and just lightly stab a random stranger?  I... I'm confused by even the very nature of this crime.  Bank robbing, ok I get, it's sexy seeming, Bonnie & Clyde and all.  But(no joke), why would you want a little poke and walk away.

Ok, I'm stopping there before I dig myself into a hole I won't be able to climb out of.

So be careful.  All jokes aside, that's pretty messed up.  I'll give this all of 5 minutes before 4chan makes it into a meme.

Here's the basics:

In the most recent attack, an 18-year-old woman was shopping at Forever 21 inside the Fair Oaks Mall at 5:30 p.m. Monday when she was distracted by clothing falling over. She told police that she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her butt and realized she'd been cut through her denim shorts with a box cutter or razor.

The atttacks began in February. In each attack, the victims have been women in their late teens or early 20s at retail stores. In each case, the stabbing follows some sort of distraction.

via NBC Washington

Space Sunday

Photo by FlyingSinger

There was a rocket that was meant to leave from Atlantic, VA yesterday that got delayed to today(might be fun to watch if you are near by there).

A company in Tyson's Corner(Space Adventures) is offering a services to get into the outer orbit.  

I thought that space was more or less done.  I mean  done done.  Then again if you have $50 million laying around I have a few other ideas that you could do with that money.  Saylinemygamingroomwithgoldandblingandthings.

Maybe we're getting closer to finally putting up a space station that normal people can visit... or a space elevator.  There are a lot of crazy things that many of us want to do, that would absolutely require space travel not be just the play thing of the rich.  The future, as always, is nerdy and exciting.

Then again, a teleporter would be nice too.  Scratch the space thing and begin working on that.  Stat.

via 9 News Now and NBC

Game Parlor Woodbridge Closes, Nerds Cry

Game Parlor Woodbridge's Old store front by We Need the XP

I heard some sad news today.  One of my old favorite gaming stores, Game Parlor,  had to close their Woodbridge Virginia location on Tuesday.  This store was pretty legendary in the Northern Viriginia gaming scene.  Well known for having a large gaming area, snacks, and a wide selection of games (I mean, a very wide selection of games).  Hosting games from Magic: the Gathering to Yu Gi Oh! to most everything Games Workshop has ever considered producing, that's not even covering the RPGs it hosted.  Fortunately their Chantilly Virginia location is still open.  You should check it out.  Lots of good stuff.

This leads me to a couple of thoughts.  I've heard of more than a few good Geek Central Points(GCP) going by the wayside fading off into the sunset, walking from the plains of battle... ok you get where I'm going here.  I know there are a lot of opinions, many of them very strong, about what makes one store shut down and what have you.  I'm not really going to talk about the difficulties / intricacies of running a gaming store.

Here at DC Geeks we're pretty big about Geek/Nerd community building.  Let's take a look at what makes a good GCP.

Full list after the jump.

Obama Gifted a Video Game He May Never Play

Witcher 2 cover art poperty of CD Projekt RED

So here's the skim.  President Obama, while on tour of Europe, stopped in to Poland to exchange epic high fives with Prime Minister Donald Tusk.  After that and a discussion about how awesome it is to lead a country, they proceed immediately into the gift exchange portion of the evening.


Among the items in Prime Minister Tusk was a copy of The Witcher 2.  Now... I see what he's getting at.  "We make video games too!  Look!  Be proud!"  Just seems... a little weird to me.  My recommendation is for President Obama to give a copy of Grand Theft Auto 4 to the next world dignitary he meets.  Hmm or maybe better, a copy of Team America World Police.


I'm all for cultural exchange and it's fantastic that gaming is being seen as a proper form of art (well enough to be included in this).  Still seems a little weird though.


Via (Kotaku)

VDOT Employee Proves Civ Ruins Careers

Civ IV box art belongs to 2k.  VG Crack dealers.

Now at first glance I was surprised that they event pointed out that he used sites like Wikipedia.  I mean for many of us that site is a Godsend delivered from on high (it's pulled my ass out of the fryer more than once).  But I suppose it was part of a bigger issue.

Ok, a little goofing off on the job I can understand... but how does someone think they can get away with 28 HOURS OF VIDEO GAMING ON THE CLOCK.  Granted, this is Civ IV we're talking about (not that horrible abomination sometimes known as Civ V).  I've had woken up out of a video game coma induced by it's sirens song at 5 in the morning (keyboard imprints on the face are less than attractive).

The audit said Bolick's game playing represented "excessive personal use on a consistent basis during work days." He spent most of his online time playing "Sid Meier's Civilization IV," an award-winning 2005 installment of Meier's popular turn-based computer game that allows players to build empires over the course of thousands of years in game time.

The biggest complaint I have with the description is that they don't mention that the man has an obvious drug problem.  And that drug is given out freely by that fiend Sid Meiers.  Perhaps we should be getting this gentleman therapy to help him quit the gamer crack rather than just reprimanding his horrible misuse of government funds.

28 hours?  I mean seriously.  WTH.

via [DCist] via [WashingtonExaminer]