What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 02/13/15

Greetings! Here's what is going on in my world.

• Spider-Man in the MCU

This was big news for me this week. I had been hoping the rumors would come to fruition but I honestly didn't expect to have this be confirmed so soon. The details of the deal are interesting and seem to be a good, simple compromise for both sides. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been really consistent in their quality and it will just be awesome to have Spidey in the mix now (as well as his cast of supporting characters).

• Breaks

This weekend, I'm taking a trip out of town with my partner for Valentine's Day. We aren't going far nor are we doing anything spectacular, but it is a nice chance to get out of the typical day-to-day bubble. Even just going a few hours away for a weekend has a positive impact for my own wellbeing and productivity. I also have ACPA 2015 to look forward to next month and I'm working on trying to get away for breaks at least once month for the rest of the year. I want to visit friends and get out and explore!

• Minimalism

As I make my way in the adult world, I've been continuing my journey abiding as best I can by the tenets of minimalism. I'm trying to have only what I need since anything more will only weigh me down. This entails me being constantly critical and skeptical of the things I buy and do. I'm always donating, selling, or just consuming everything I have before I go off and get more things to clutter my life. I've been reading a book on this topic (review to come soon) so it has been on my mind quite a bit. I definitely go with the idea that a cluttered space is a cluttered mind. You can clear your mind and be less stressed if you get rid of what you don't need and go forth less burdened.

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Movie Review Monthly: January 2015

Welcome to this monthly wrap up of my weekly movie reviews!

This month had some cool independent movies as well as some captivating documentaries available to stream instantly via Netflix. Each week I hope to bring you a fresh new review of a great movie in the Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime streaming library. Recommendations are always welcomed!

• In a World...
• The One I Love
• Inequality for All
• To Be Takei

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What I Was Geeking Out About: January 2015

Welcome to this monthly wrap up of my weekly geek outs!

I’m always getting excited about a lot of stuff. Every Friday I share what I’m into and this is an attempt to serve it all up together in one place. Check out everything and hope you find something you like!

• Week of 01/09/15
• Week of 01/16/15
• Week of 01/23/15
• Week of 01/30/15

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Movie Review Monday: Burt's Buzz

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie is the 2013 documentary Burt's Buzz.

The film examines the life of Burt Shavitz, the interesting and unique man behind the popular Burt's Bees brand and his estranged relationship with the company that shares his name.

I felt compelled to check out this movie since it has a Maine connection (where Burt resides now) and I've used a handful of different Burt's Bees products over the years. I was curious how the person synonymous with this brand could have such a dysfunctional connection with it in reality.

The essence of the film is just a snapshot of Burt's life currently, and how he got to be there. His relationships with the Burt's Bees company, which is a global corporation, became strained after Burt felt at odds with this rapid expansion, which was pushed by his partner at the time. He left the company but still positively represents the brand at public engagements. This creates an awkward balance since he doesn't like what the company has become but he still supports it since it is still his namesake.

I liked this movie and Burt's message of simplicity. He lives a humble life but could have easily had much more. He was a wayward soul his whole life who did whatever he wanted to do however he wanted to do it. He lives on his own terms and keeps a minimalist, natural life which I can appreciate in an age where many people have too much, love too little, and are always looking for what they don't have and (think) they want/need.

Check out Burt's Buzz, streaming right now on Netflix!

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 02/06/15

Greetings! Here's what is going on in my world.

• Bob's Burgers

I just started watching this show on Netflix (link above) after hearing a lot about it. It seems like a show that is very popular on the Internets. It is quirky, odd, silly, and a pleasure to watch. It's the perfect kind of mindlessness for me to enjoy after work. I'll consume a few episodes and then move on with my evening. I look forward to continuing to binge through this series!

• New Tech City's Bored & Brilliant

I was recommended to check out this endeavor by a good grad school friend of mine. It is an effort to help people be more mindful and detach from their various smart devices. It recommends some easy tips that you can immediately put into action so that you can let go of the hold our modern technology has on us. I've started to do some of these things and it really does help. I'm still not where I feel like I could or should be, but doing some of these things are a great place to start.

• Medium

I've seen various random blog posts hosted on Medium over the years. It has a distinct, simple interface and now that I have started to ship some of my content from here to Medium, I've seen the publishing side of things as well. It is impressive in how simple but functional it all is. It tickles the minimalist part of my brain where it only has what it needs and it does that well. Nothing more or less. If you're looking for a quick and easy way to get into the blogging game, I'd recommend starting with Medium.

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Our Sustainable Energy Impact, By the Numbers

I've been searching for a while for a good infographic that captures the impact of saving energy, much like I did before with waste.

This one from the Mother Nature Network (albeit from a few years ago) serves to convey the point the best I've been able to find so I wanted to share it out to send home the point I always try to make that saving the environment, saves money.

One big tip I've found that isn't clearly represented on here is unplugging any electronic when not in use. An easy way to do this is by smart power strips that only draw energy when needed or just simply allow you to easily turn off multiple electronics (like TVs, game consoles, sound systems, etc) when not in use. Otherwise, energy efficient light bulbs (which you turn off when not needed), temperature control, and conserving water are great ways to save on electricity and help the planet while you're at it.

With everyone making small changes like this, we can make a big impact.

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Book Review: i, Geek - Confessions of a Geeky Mind

 

"So, to come to my core point: don’t limit yourself. Explore, try new things. Open yourself up to things that are outside your comfort zone. Learn. Live. And love more than just one genre or show."

I read through this book pretty quickly after it was recommended while doing a recent episode of my podcast. It was a book I hadn't heard of before and seemed interesting enough to me (especially since it is available for cheap on Amazon Kindle). The author, Joseph Dickerson, collects blog posts of his from around the Internets and curates them in this book under a few general categories like technology, design, Star Trek, and some others.

The book is a under 200 pages and I'll admit, even with it being very short, I skipped over some of his posts about user interface design, as it wasn't relevant to me at all. It is his day job and I know I like to talk about higher education so I can understand why he put it in there, it just feels out of place. I really enjoyed what he wrote about Star Trek (which is a lot of this book), since it feels a lot like what I have written and feel about the show and what makes it great. Frankly, the whole book feels like something I've been thinking of writing for a while now; simply a collection of my best blog posts curated around common topics.

Much like I have, Dickerson writes about the life lessons learned from a geeky life, and how we can all gleam some morsels of wisdom from video games, books, movies, and television. The above quotes is one of my favorites from the book. We could all use some time out of the ordinary, even if it is taking a chance on a new story (in whatever medium you prefer). I know I've found some awesome things by just taking a leap on something that just feels right.

Especially for the low price on Kindle, I recommend this book for a leisurely read on a weekend with a nice cup of coffee/tea. It has some worthwhile portions and I'm sure others will find certain sections more enticing than I did.

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Movie Review Monday: Food, Inc.

Welcome to another awesome edition of Movie Review Monday!

This week's movie the 2008 documentary Food, Inc.

I've heard about this film before and just never got around to seeing it. It got into my Netflix queue recently and I decided to finally just sit down and watch it. Focusing on the production of food in our nation, it is a harsh critique of the machination of the whole process, which has negative consequences for our health, our planet, and our collective souls.

What I appreciate about the points made in the film is that it isn't a movie trying to make you into a vegetarian or vegan. It showcases how we can responsibly raise meat as well as how all vegetables aren't created equal either. We should be conscious of what vegetables and fruits are in season locally as well as how animals are treated and raised. A big takeaway from the movie on this is encouraging people to go to their local farmers' market for more natural, wholesome, and responsibly raised food (and make sure they accept EBT!).

Our diets are a major aspect of our wellness and more people should have access to nutritious sustenance. Fast food and other artificial, empty meals are easier and cheaper for people to obtain. You should also make sure to drink plenty of water (get a glass refillable bottle!) and avoid things like high fructose corn syrup (it is in a lot more than you think). Vote with your dollars to support local, natural, and sustainable food options.

If you're looking for another good documentary about food, diet, and weight loss, check out Hungry for Change, which is a great look at our eating habits and how we can make simple, powerful, positive changes for ourselves and our families.

You check out Food, Inc. streaming right now on Netflix!

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What I'm Geeking Out About This Week - 01/30/15

Hey there! Here's what's going on in my world this week.

• The Wire

I'm getting back to working on this series, which is available in its entirety on Amazon Prime (it's also in HD, which looks great). I'm almost done season two and I just have to say it again, this show was ahead of its time. I'm sure there is way more to see which will further cement this feeling but I can start to tell already why this show is so revered. All the actors are awesome and the story is very well done, with great diverse characters to boot. Definitely get to it now if you've been waiting to watch it all like I have.

• Broad City

This is a relatively new series on Comedy Central which just premiered its second season (and also just got renewed for a third). It is executive produced by Amy Poehler and was a popular webseries before being adapted into a full television show. The premise is simply following the wacky antics of Ilana and Abbi as they live their lives in New York City. This is just one of the awesome set of shows that Comedy Central is building up, such as Workaholics, @midnight, and Drunk History. The first season is available on Amazon Prime.

• Comedy Bang Bang

This is an IFC series featuring Scott Aukerman and Reggie Watts in a faux talk show that plays off typical sitcom and talk show tropes to hilarious ends. I never really watched much of it until recently, as much of the show is now streaming on Netflix (click above). They have guests on the show and everything is mildly improvised and also just random and weird. I enjoy it and watch episodes when I need something mindless to watch. I'd put it in the smartly stupid category like Workaholics.

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Book Review: Smarter Than You Think

"We have to interrogate our most destabilizing new technologies and be aware of their dangers (economic, political, and social), to flat-out avoid the tools we find harmful—yet not be blinded to the ones that truly augment our thought and bring intellectual joy."

After having it on my list of things to read for a while, I recently finished this book by Clive Thompson that explores the positive influence technology is having on our lives. I found this book to be a refreshing, engaging, and relevant look at modern technology and this book is chock full of awesome numbers, figures, and stories that drive home the main points.

While any book about technology that comes out these days is instantly out of date once it is published, Thompson does well here to focus on the broad strokes of what current technology offers us and how it is helping us. He also focuses on communication technology which is of interest to me personally rather than anything too scientific. The fact that he fills the book with just the influence of communication tools further supports how it is changing the world in a massive way. The way we share information, how we learn, and how we are governed has changed dramatically in the past few years.

Some of Thompson's examples of are the revolutions happening in the Middle East, the numerous times a problem has been solved quickly by an online community, and just the sheer amount of information being shared on social media every day. We're communicating with each other more now than ever before, and that impacts our friendships, our families, and our work. Some jobs are being created, others are being made obsolete. We can know what is happening all over the world in an instant and also find communities of people who love what we're passionate about, no matter how niche it might be.

I am optimistic in general and also just love social media so I'm very happy to have been able to read this book and share it. It gives a lot of objective facts about how all these new tools are making our lives better in meaningful ways. I don't see any of it going anywhere soon so we are going to keep reaping the benefits of being more connected for years to come.

I wanted to share some of my favorite excerpts, so here they are:

"I calculate that we’re composing at least 3.6 trillion words daily, or the equivalent of 36 million books every day. The entire U.S. Library of Congress, by comparison, holds around about 35 million books."

"When you gaze with wild surmise upon the Pacific of strangeness online, you confront the astonishing diversity of human passion."

"The things we think about are deeply influenced by the state of the art around us: the conversations taking place among educated folk, the shared information, tools, and technologies at hand."

You can find Smarter Than You Think at your favorite book retailer!

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