30-day Geek Challenge | Day 11 - Favorite Movie

This post is part of my ‘30-day Geek Challenge‘.  As I stated, the order isn’t important, and I might not do one every day.  Feel free to make your own list, or copy mine and participate.  Should be a lot of fun!

Today's challenge is to name my favorite movie. There are so many, I can't name just one. So I'm going to give my top 5.

Coming in at number 5 is War Games, the 1983 edition. This was the first real hacker geek movie that I remember. There were plenty of nerdy computer movies, but this one was a little more real and not so nerdy. It was me in the 80's.

Coming in at number 4 is Star Wars,  Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. These are the originals, with the first release in 1977. Star Wars was probably the first real adult movie I remember seeing. I watched them at the Trolly Corners Theater in Salt Lake City, multiple times, and was amazed at the special effects and story. Thanks George Lucas.

Coming in at number 3 is Star Trek, the movie, 2009 release. This is such a great movie. The special effects are incredible. Zachary Quinto makes a great Spok.

My number 2 favorite movie is Star Trek: First Contact (and Generations, and Nemesis). The Generations series was great on TV and was very well done in a series of movies.

And my all time favorite movie is... Galaxy Quest. Yes, the Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver space comedy. Corny at times, but I love the story, and the termites, er, Thermians are awesome. Love Guy, Tech Sergeant Chen and Laredo.

read more...

30-day Geek Challenge | Day 1 - Very First Geek

This post is part of my ‘30-day Geek Challenge‘.  As I stated, the order isn’t important, and I might not do one every day.  Feel free to make your own list, or copy mine and participate.  Should be a lot of fun!

This one is pretty easy for me. My first geek experience was with my neighbor, who just so happened to work for a very large computer company. I apologize, I can't remember his name, but I have never forgotten how he changed my life.

I would say it was 1978 or 1979 (somewhere around there), he introduced me to... wait for it... the TRS-80! I was hooked. I wasn't really in a position to afford one of my own, so I spent as much time as I could hanging out with him and learning what I could.

I remember getting RadioShack catalogs and drooling all over the pages displaying the latest PC's. I would go into the stores, and stand there for what seemed like ever, just playing. I wanted one of my own in a big a way. I don't know what it was, but my brain just clicked. It was my calling.

My Father took my first geek experience to the next level, by coming home one day with a Commodore VIC 20. Far cry from a TRS-80, but it was mine. And I devoured it. Soon I moved to the Commodore 64. A little more power, a lot more fun. And I was on my way. More than 30 years has passed, and I'm still pounding the keyboards.

That was my first geek experience. What was yours?

read more...

30-day Geek Challenge

No, this isn't an April Fools joke, I really am posting. This is going to be fun, a challenge right up my alley. Thanks to my fellow geek Herlo, he's doing a 30-day challenge too.

This challenge may be difficult to do everyday, but I'm going to try. It's April 1st, so I figure one a day would give me 30 new posts. That's a great number. I will probably do them out of order because some of these will need more thought than others.

If you want to take the challenge, please leave a link to your post so I can see who's doing it too. The list below is one I took from Herlo, and it's modified for my taste/needs. You are welcome to do the same.

Day 1 – Very first Geek
Day 2 – Favorite Geek
Day 3 – Your Geek Inspiration
Day 4 – Favorite book / book series
Day 5 – Geek you feel you are most like (or wish you were)
Day 6 – Favorite Web Show / Web Comic
Day 7 – Favorite Board Game
Day 8 – Favorite Shirt/Hat/Shoes (Something you wear)
Day 9 – Saddest geek scene
Day 10 – Favorite TV Show series
Day 11 – Favorite Movie
Day 12 – Best alien /alien race ever
Day 13 – Geekiest quote/phrase
Day 14 – Current (or most recent) geek wallpaper
Day 15 – Favorite OS / Config
Day 16 – Favorite Developer
Day 17 – Favorite Hardware Vendor
Day 18 – Most Undesirable Tech Company
Day 19 – Favorite Gadget
Day 20 – Best! Videogame! Ever!
Day 21 – Favorite Vehicle
Day 22 – Favorite Tech Company
Day 23 – Favorite Language (coding language that is)
Day 24 – Geek Hero
Day 25 – Best Website
Day 26 – Your favorite number
Day 27 – Favorite tv opening theme song
Day 28 – Favorite Comic Book
Day 29 – Favorite Robot
Day 30 – Biggest Geek Wish

read more...