Geeking out

We’re livid over the ridiculously unfair BS that was the birth control hearing in DC. It’s so frustrating that we’re almost at a loss for words. These events are like a scary glimpse into a creepy dystopian future people like Margaret Atwood write about.

Now then, onto this week’s other news:

  • We want to wish LeVar Burton a very Happy Birthday! The Reading Rainbow host and Star Trek: The Next Generation actor celebrated his 55th birthday yesterday (2/16). Set phasers to we love you!
  • At the Border House, How Not to Write About a Transgendered Person is a must-read. The author of the guest post, Anna Anthropy, will have a book out soon, taking apart gaming culture and the video game industry from a perspective outside of the cultural mainstream.
  • This is a great story on female programmers, making a space for themselves and getting more women involved in a male-dominated industry.  It’s disappointing and incredibly telling, however, that the “More Links from Around the Web” section at the bottom (which must be meant as a “Related Stories” kind of feature) is all about sexy cosplay, beauty tips, and titillating advertising.
  • The National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian is getting a major update, in order to better reflect the reality of Native American history and community. As it is, we seem to be taught that Native Americans were like a magical race that lived off the land, contributed little to the world at large, and then died out. The improvements aim to portray a living community and culture that had a major effect on the world, and is still very much part of the US.
  • Like everyone else, our heads are exploding from the idea of a Doctor Who/Star Trek: TNG crossover comic book. It’s a mixture of nervous excitement waiting for a dream come true, and a queasy feeling of dread over a possible disaster. Only time (har har) will tell.
  • The international trailer for The Amazing Spiderman was released the other day. Most of us are old enough to remember the 2002 version and it feels so recent that a reboot seems almost absurd. However, the trailer is pretty good, so our interest is sparked. At any rate, you can’t go wrong with Emma Stone.
  • There’s also the trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter! Battle axes, vampire slaying, and stove pipe hats? Yeah you classy, Abe!

    Rudolph as Donatella Versace

  • We can’t wait for Maya Rudolph to host this week’s Saturday Night Live!
  • The owners of the Alamo Drafthouse movie theaters in Austin, TX, made famous last year for their clever reprimand of an obnoxious movie goer, are hoping to turn a long boarded up theater in San Francisco’s Mission District into a Drafthouse. If all goes to plan, locals will be able to enjoy late night cult film marathons while drinking beer and eating yummy foods in a Deco theater.
  • Out this week is Studio Gibli’s The Secret World of Arietty. Based on the classic children’s book, The Borrowers, the film tells the story of the 4″ tall Clock family, who live their lives by borrowing the little bits and pieces that people won’t miss. Their world is turned upside down when their daughter, Arietty, is discovered by a human.
  • Battlestar Galactica coasters!

This is not so great:

You'll know where to find us

  • Waking up to an e-mail with the subject line “Michael Bay to Reboot Ninja Turtles” is reason enough to go back to sleep, dreaming of a better world.
  • Laughing at this scathing review of House of Lies, which seems to completely miss the point of the show. If we wanted to watch A Very Special Episode of television every week starring generally good (read: boring) people, we’d go back to the 90s and cue up 7th Heaven.
  • CBS has cast Johnny Lee Miller in the pilot for its new series, Elementary, a modern day re-imagining of the Sherlock Holmes stories… Really, now?  Miller and the star of BBC’s Sherlock, Benedict Cumberbatch, worked together on Danny Boyle’s stage production of Frankenstein. This is all just a little bit too weird, and BBC producers clearly aren’t pleased.

What’s on your radar this week?

Check out our previous Geeking Out posts.

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