Not Your Average Geeks
pbpancho
This user hasn't shared any biographical information
Posts by pbpancho
D&D Encounters
Jul 10th
If you’ve always wondered exactly how Dungeons & Dragons worked, but weren’t willing to buy the books and actually run a game with some friends, D&D Encounters is a great way to get a taste at minimal cost to yourself.
Encounters are held Wednesday nights at local game stores all over North America. All you need is to show up with dice (although depending on the store you may be able to borrow some your first time. If now, they shouldn’t run more than $5 or so). You are provided with a character sheet, and will be grouped with 4-5 other players for that nights encounter.
TED on Lego for grownups.
Jul 10th
This is an excellent TED presentation by a slighty crazy seeming Hillel Cooperman. It does an excellent job of summarizing the adult lego experience.
Start your weekend off right will a little Super Contra Bros. Or maybe some Megamario.
Jun 25th
Jay Pavlina from Exploding Rabbit has released an updated version of his Super Mario Bros. Crossover game, which adds a few new characters. I now have a prayer in hell of beating SMB, as long as I can use the scattergun from Contra.
Character select screen
Play the game at http://supermariobroscrossover.com/
I sure wish we had subways in Minneapolis.
Jun 24th
I really like taking the train in Chicago and DC, it’s a shame we don’t have anything like that here. Plus, if we had a subway we could do this.
And get sued to hell and back when someone stubbed their toe.
Silly nerd, Lego is for kids
Jun 24th
I still play with Lego. I’m 25. And I am not the only one. While I my Lego hobby ocassionally gets me some good natured ribbing from friends, and the nickname Legomaniac from my paintball buddies, for the most part people seem to think it’s actually pretty neat (this includes women, somewhat surprisingly).
Anyone who can’t get past the preconception of Lego as something that is just for kids needs to check out the Brothers Brick or some of the Lego creations posted on Flickr every day.
Things like Angus McClane’s Cubedudes
Originally uploaded by MacLane
Toy Story 3, aka Pixar at their best.
Jun 23rd
Run, don’t walk, to your nearest theatre and see Toy Story 3. Preferably in 3D.
On Father’s day, after I cooked some excellent slow cooker chicken fajitas for my parents, the three of us went to see Toy Story 3.
It was definitely the best of the series, and I’d go as far as saying it cracks my Top 10 movies of all time list. I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seemed that they used a lot more real toys in this latest installment. This led to nonstop, “Hey I had one of those!” moments for me. Hell, they finally had Lego in the movie, as well as Duplo!
Toy Story 3 also takes on a darker tone than its predecessors at times. It may be scarier for kids that way, but it definitely worked better for me. One great scene emulates classic escape films like The Great Escape
All Pixar films have a short that comes before the movie, and Night & Day, which came before Toy Story 3, was one of my favorites. It really takes advantage of the 3D effect, and was really just icing on the cake.
Go see Toy Story 3. I really can’t recommend it enough.
Good news everyone!
Jun 23rd
Futurama returns tomorrow night! I know I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. There will be two episodes to start off the full 26-episode season. I hope most of you have seen the newer Futurama movies
This week also heralds the return of the BBC’s Top Gear for season 15. Here is part of their review of the new Ford Fiesta from a couple seasons ago. Enough said. Do what you need to do to watch this show.
What is a nerd really?
Jun 23rd
Photo by Flickr user Sarah Sitkin
The Merriam-Webster dictionary still says the following:
“an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person; especially : one slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits”
That probably sounds close to what you think of when you hear the word nerd, but I think that is outdated at best. Nerds in Real Life is all about being a nerd (or a geek, or anything similar) without falling into the classic stereotype. It’s also about finding and appreciating the nerdiness in all kinds of things you may never have suspected. From gadgets to gaming, photography to fashion, and beer to books, we’ll cover it all. I hope you enjoy our site, and that you learn something, find a new interest, or rekindle an old one, and just maybe we can help shake up that stereotype.
We will be writing about what we know best, and sharing some of our hobbies and passions with you. We will also have guest writers contribute on topics near and dear to their hearts. And don’t be afraid to let us know what you want to see more or less of, just drop us a line at NerdsIRL@gmail.com any time, we’d love to hear from you.
Dungeons and Dragons comes out of the basement.
Jun 22nd
When you hear the words Dungeons & Dragons, your mind probably goes straight to something like this:
That’s what I thought of for the first 24 years of my life, so I can hardly fault you for it, but more recently I’ve learned the truth.
About a year ago Richard started nagging a bunch of us to try D&D with him. He’d bought the new 4th Edition books and was itching to start a game. He’d also just bought a house, so he had the perfect place to host it. Eventually five of us agreed to give it a try and the adventuring party was born (I actually missed the first session, but was there for #2 and onwards). One of the things that really helped build our enthusiasm was listening to the podcasts of the creators of the Penny Arcade and PvP webcomics playing D&D. If you haven’t played before, they give an excellent idea of how the game works and are absolutely hilarious.
These days, seven of us meet at Rich’s house once a week, order pizza, consume beer and Elizabeth’s baked goods, and continue the adventure. Richard started as the Dungeon Master, for taking the party from level one to four or so, where Justin took the reins and brought us to level seven. Currently I am DMing the official “Pyramid of Shadows (Dungeons & Dragons, Adventure H3)
We use Lego minifigs instead of pewter miniatures to represent our characters and enemies. This allows for plenty of customization. Below is a group photo of the party as it stood when Justin was DMing. Today we have swapped several characters out, but this should give you an idea of how it works. We also use a Chessex Megamat for RPGs and Miniature Figure Games (34 in x 48 in)
From left to right, the part is as follows.
Not pictured is Fortuno Velut Luna (elven ranger), played by Justin, who was DMing at the time. He is now back in action.
There will definitely be more to come on the subject of D&D, so make sure to check back for updates!
All about Matt
Jun 20th
Matt has been a nerd all his life. He’s an airplane nerd, a Lego nerd, a science fiction nerd, paintball nerd, photography nerd, and lately, even a D&D nerd.
When he isn’t geeking out and building Lego with the other members of TWINLUG, or playing in the weekly 4th Edition D&D game, he is running his own photography business and writing freelance. NerdsIRL is his latest and greatest creative outlet.
