Final X-Men: Days of Future Past Trailer!
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsjtg7m1MMM] I've gotta say, these trailers are making more and more excited for this movie to come out! Looks pretty awesome!
What do you think?
Networking at a National Conference: An Introvert's Tale
I wanted to share some of my brief thoughts, reflecting back on my experience at the recent 2014 ACPA National Convention in Indianapolis. To preface this all, I think I am horrible at networking in the traditional sense. I am very bad at going up to someone cold and striking up a conversation. I need more context to go on to keep the chat going somewhere beyond basic small talk (which I most often loathe). However, when I was at ACPA, I was able to utilize social media, namely Twitter, to serve as the groundwork for meeting a bunch of awesome people. Twitter was able to allow me to have some reference point to go up to people, introduce myself and say what I fan I was of their work, the content they share or even create themselves. My understanding is people love to talk about themselves or at the very least enjoy the praise so sharing my enjoyment of what they do online and asking questions about it served me well with anyone I ran into. It was great for both of us too to just be able to meet someone in person that you have engaged with for a while online. I even had lunch with someone at ACPA that I had known from Twitter chats. It was so cool!
I know for sure I would not have been able to have as many successful meetings at ACPA without Twitter. I owe it a lot and certainly advocate for it as a strong tool to foster in person connections and then maintain them afterwards. It's an extension and evolution of the business card I feel like. Definitely jump on to Twitter if you haven't already or be sure to engage with it more if you have joined. There is so much potential for community building within it and to learn from a network of people around the country and world (for more details on this point, check out Josie Ahlquist's recent blog post that I shared entitled "The Power of Networks").
Why Geek Pride is Important
If you know me, you know that this topic is a major one for me. I just had a thought to formally write on my feelings after having finished Rutgers Geek Week at the end of March, connected with fellow student affairs nerds & geeks at ACPA in Indianapolis, and speaking on my learning for my final project in my graduate program. The latter event made me feel very strongly that this discussion is important.
When I was presenting, during the final question and answer period, I was challenged a lot on the branding I've chosen and using the moniker of "geek" as a badge of honor. Some were confused, others were wary due to negative stereotypes of geeks and nerds such as being "know-it-alls" or nonconformist or antisocial. It was hard to deflect and absorb everything in such a setting, since I didn't want to blow back on it too much since I needed to pass this presentation to graduate. I felt emotionally gut punched about it afterwards since I didn't expect such an antagonizing stance towards that out of everything I talked about and felt as though it hit to the core of who I am, making it all seem like it was foolish.
The work I and others try to do in this space is important. Geek pride is important because it fights bullying just because someone is a little different. Geek pride is important because it means creating a world where anyone can be proud of what they're into and pursue a life of passion. Geek pride is important because anti-intellectualism is dangerous for the future of our country. What I want to do is uplift all the awesome parts of what being a geek or nerd means; the passion, the community, the lessons and morals we hold dear that make us good people. I want to get away from the negative stereotypes and create spaces where people geek out about anything and everything they want, whenever they want, whether it is cars, comics, clothes, or consoles (tried really hard on that alliteration).
So here's to geeks, nerds, dorks, and dweebs. Make sure to bond with your closest friends for Geek Pride Day, which is on May 25.
Thanks for stopping by and keep spreading the good word.
The Power of Networks
I certainly second this sentiment!
Movie Review Monday: How to Lose Friends and Alienate People
Hey there, everybody!
Welcome to another installment of Movie Review Monday, where I turn you onto something cool that's streaming instantly on Netflix. This week's film is the 2008 comedy "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People" with Simon Pegg and Kirsten Dunst.
In my efforts to showcase a variety of different films, this movie (based on a memoir by Toby Young of the same name), is a more crude comedy while still being clever. I usually go for something less low-brow but with Pegg starring the lead role of Sidney Young, a lovable oaf who navigates the world of the celebrity glitterati, he makes the adventure endearing in classic Pegg fashion. Dunst is a solid supporting role as well as a jaded, conflicted colleague of Pegg.
The whole movie is a subtle satire of Hollywood culture, which I appreciate, poking fun at the vapid nature of it all and the self-feeding nature of the tabloid industry. Megan Fox stars as the stereotypical person famous for being famous and is the foil for Pegg's temptation to lose himself into that empty world.
So check out this movie for a different sort of comedy than what I usually recommend. It's a solid Pegg vehicle and something you can check out mentally with for a bit.
Come back next week for another recommendation!
What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 04/11/14
Oh Hey! Welcome to another weekly installment of what's on my geeky brain lately! I'm thinking green this week in honor of Earth Day coming up and spring finally having sprung. Let us get to it!
- Spring!
So this is a small, minor, simple geek out here. It is FINALLY warmer outside so I'm excited to be able to walk around with birds chirping, the sun shining, and there just being more positive energy around. It's funny how a change in weather can affect people. I look forward to getting to the beach next month and spending some quality time here around Jersey exploring before I depart after graduation(!).
Back in the day I blogged on the topic of sustainability (linked above). It's something that I'm passionate about and I work into my daily habits everywhere I can. Being mindful of what we use and waste is a huge step in the move towards preserving this cool planet, which I'd like to maintain since I keep all my stuff here.
- The Cloud!
A big part of what I think will help with the aforementioned sustainability push is working more off the cloud. This means virtual storage such as Dropbox, Evernote, OneDrive, Google Drive, etc. It's a great way to collaborate, be more productive, and save space since you don't have to lug papers around. I am a strong advocate of utilizing the cloud and will continue to sing it's praises. I'm personally a big fan of Evernote and Dropbox. Perhaps a topic for a future geek out...
Keep that geek pride strong! Have a great weekend!
Movie Review Monthly - March 2014
Salutations good people! To help the good content from the site coming to you, I'm going to curate my movie reviews just like I am going to do with my "geeking out" posts so that you can easily get what I've been posting each month. This past month, I reviewed the following awesome movies!
- Craigslist Joe
- Our Idiot Brother
- The Cabin in the Woods
- Sleepwalk with Me & My Girlfriend's Boyfriend
- Dr. Strangelove
Stream these fine films today and come back every Monday for a new recommendation!
Take care!
What I Was Geeking Out About - March 2014
Hey there everyone! I'm trying to make sure you all get to see all the awesome stuff I put out and make it as easy as possible at the same time, so here's a listing of the geek out posts I did in the month of March. They include such cool things as the School of Greatness Podcast, Harry's shaving supplies, Workaholics, and the Veronica Mars movie. Enjoy!
Appreciate the support as always!
Movie Review Monday: Flight
Hey folks!
This week I look at the recent 2012 drama "Flight" starring Denzel Washington in the leading role as Whip Whitaker, a morally ambiguous pilot who saves a plane full of passengers during a dangerous accident. Only after is the heroic Whitaker questioned about his capabilities during the flight when the cause of the crash is explored. We as the audience know he is an alcoholic and drug user, but Whitaker is able to lie his way out of responsibility and the film follows the insinuating emotional turmoil of our protagonist as he comes to grips with his life and choices.
Flight is a powerful movie. Denzel brings it (as he always does) so that you are rooting for him one second and frustrated with him the next. A brilliantly diverse supporting cast surrounds Denzel but the movie is all about his character's emotional journey throughout the course of the plot. It is a strong dramatic story we go through, learning new details about Whitaker and about the impact of the crash on people's lives, upping the stakes of Whitaker's lies. He can only smooth talk his way out any responsibility for so long. The ending is one I enjoyed quite a bit; the emotional catharsis is what all movies should strive for.
I recommend Flight for anyone looking for a strong dramatic night in with Netflix. It was a strong award season contender when it came out and rightfully so. If you haven't seen it yet, add it to your queue today!
Hope you enjoy and see you next week for another awesome streaming recommendation!
What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 04/04/14
Good day to you, fellow geek and/or nerd! Here is what is on my mind for this week.
I am very excited about this movie and all the positive buzz it has going for it. It's certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and after revisiting Cap's previous cinematic adventure not too long ago, I'm really amped up for this movie! I'm going with my partner to go see it tonight so expect to hear my thoughts on social media afterwards!
- Indianapolis
I visited Indy for a few days this past week for the 2014 ACPA National Convention and it was awesome! The convention itself was a lot of fun but being able to visit this cool city was a consistent highlight. There was cool restaurants, neat architecture, the weather was beautiful, and the city was very clean. I even visited a neat comic book shop, Downtown Comics, where I picked up a new Spider-Man comic (I'm geeking out about him a lot lately).
- Coffee
Coffee is generally something I geek out about, as it gives me life quite often. I want to specifically highlight a new initiative within the awesome TOMS family (the ones who make the cool, socially good shoes); TOMS Roasting Co., which provides ethically sourced coffee and in exchange, helps give clean water to those in need. I got a sample at the aforementioned ACPA conference and was excited to hear about this new endeavor for a company I love (I own two pairs of TOMS shoes already and plan on getting more). I'll have to let you know what I think when I get to try more of their stuff.
Thanks for stopping by! Keep it real, my friends!