Season 5, Walking Dead Trailer

Ooooooh yeah baby, it is coming! The Walking Dead will soon be back amongst us.

Who will live? Who will die? I cannot wait to see the undead drama unfold!

Season Premier is Sunday October 12th at 9 PM EST.

Lord of the Rings, fly on the eagles fool!

Ever wondered why the members of the Fellowship of the Ring didn't just fly over Mt Doom on eagles and drop the ring into its fiery depths?

Well read the following and you will realize something very special. Share this page with others after you've read it all.

The Superhero Workout + How to be a Real Superhero

I wrote this mostly for amusement. I highly doubt anyone will do it.

Every superhero needs to stay in shape so how do you do it? [As per Batman, Green Arrow, Punisher and any of the other non-superpower heroes.]

First, the fundamentals...

#1. Cardio, Weightlifting = Speed + Endurance + Strength. A good superhero will want a combination of all three. This means a lot of time spent sprinting, jogging and lifting weights in the gym.

#2. Versatility. Being able to swim and hold your breath a long time might be an asset. So a goodly amount of swimming will help build muscle, endurance and speed too. Consider any activity that is exercise that boosts your survivability as a prerequisite for becoming a superhero.

#3. Healthy Food. Pop-eye eats his spinach and so should you. A healthy and strong body will never be attained by eating donuts and potato chips. Eat smart, eat healthy and your body will build muscle faster, burn fat and sugar more efficiently, and become a more effective crime fighting machine.

Next lets talk style... What style of superhero do you want to be? Martial artist, strongman, amazing archer, lone ranger?

To do any of these things much of your training needs to focus on that one goal. Thus the martial artist (a la Batman) would need to spend years building their martial arts talent. Same goes with the strongman building their strength, the archer their aim, or the lone ranger his skill with lasso / pistol.

After all the physical conditioning is done, then there is the matter of actually finding criminals. If you read any of the mass media reports of young men and women dressing up like superheroes and going on patrol what you realize is that they spend most of their time rescuing kittens from trees and helping elderly people across busy streets. (Boy Scouts and Girl Guides be warned, these superheroes are on your turf!)

Anyway, it seems to me the more logical way to find criminals is the same way police, Batman and similar superheroes do it. This means stake outs, solid investigation work, surveillance, looking for hot spots of criminal activity.

Motorcycle gang grow ops, port and border drug/gun smuggling operations, known members of the mafia, and possibly putting the squeeze on money-launderers working for the mafia (mafia run charities used for laundering money).

But hey, to be taking on organized crime you'd have to be either very brave or very smart.
Here is the trick to all this. Superheroes operate outside the law anyway, which means they can use techniques police would never use.

This means you can employ tactics the Joker (the Dark Knight version) would use. Burning arrows and gasoline are cheap and a quick way to remove a grow op.

Or you could just report to the police the location of the grow op. They might find additional clues if you do NOT burn it down.

In other words you would be "Surveillance Man" who sneakily finds out things and then reports them to the police. That kind of vigilante behaviour police probably would not mind so much.

But what if you get caught by the baddies while installing your surveillance cameras or while staking them out like a private investigator?

Option 1 - Run away. Use a faster mode of transportation if possible.

Option 2 - Swim away, especially if you are really good at it. Most people suck at swimming and will be unable to catch up. (Plus bullets slow down quickly when they hit the water.)

Option 3 - Fight then Flee. This is the proverbial "kick them in the groin and then run away" tactic. See options 1 and 2 over again.

Option 4 - Take a stand and fight. This could get you killed and should only be used as a last resort.

And I think this is why we don't see real superheroes in the world. Most people are:

A) Too nerdy to understand what it takes to be a "real superhero".
B) Lack the physical skill or strength. 
C) Don't exercise or eat properly.
D) Have no clue about how to actually spy on crooks or catch criminals.
E) Have inflated opinions about themselves but are actually cowards at heart.
F) ALL OF THE ABOVE.

Having lots of money (as per Batman or Iron Man or Green Arrow) is certainly an asset for any superhero, but in reality having lots of fancy gadgets are completely unnecessary.

A "budget superhero" like "Surveillance Man" could be equipped with a fair number of gadgets that include:

Taser
Binoculars
Spy Surveillance Cameras (pens and other small objects that have hidden spy cameras in them).
Brass Knuckles (which are illegal in some countries, FYI)
Pepper Spray Wrist Watch or Bracelet

They could even make their own version of the "Black Power Glove" (a la Boondocks) which uses taser batteries as the electricity source. They are basically "taser gloves".

So lets be perfectly clear.

There are plenty of "affordable" gadgets out there for any would-be superhero who wants to have lots of gadgets.


I have not been able to find any "exploding arrows" for sale online (probably because shipping explosives in the mail is illegal), but people could make homemade versions using a simple impact ignition switch and some C4 explosives. (Which means learning how to make explosives.)

Just don't drop the darn things.

So the potential to eat well and exercise is there. The gadgets are there. The real trick is whether there will ever be someone smart enough, strong enough, and brave enough to actually become a superhero.

And lastly modest enough to never brag about it to their significant other.

IMDB user thinks Lord of the Rings is ripped off from Harry Potter...

"Overall, I like Lord of the Rings. However, I do feel that Tolkien kind of rips off Harry Potter in many ways. There are several parallels, such as elves, dwarfs, wizards, goblins, trolls, magic (especially invisibility), etc. Sauron is referred to as “Dark Lord” just like Voldemort is. There is also the elder white-haired bearded wizard who serves as a mentor, Gandalf, who is reminiscent of Dumbledore. Some of the character names are similar, such as Wormtongue as opposed to Wormtail, too. There is even a gigantic spider (Shelob) at the end of “The Two Towers” that reminds one of Aragog from Chamber of Secrets. I even noticed that the plots of both series begin with the protagonists’ birthday. Now I see that Tolkien, this unoriginal bastard, is coming out with The Hobbit in December. This would be fine, but why didn’t he just write this book first to begin with? I still like Lord of the Rings, though–don’t get me wrong–but I wonder if Tolkien has ever said in interviews whether he borrowed elements from Harry Potter. I’ll be watching the extended DVDs later this week and I think he’s featured on the commentary track, so I look forward to that."

- IMDB user.

Response. Wow. Almost as dumb as the Deer Lady on the radio.

Toronto Indoor Archery Range

Hey there Toronto nerds who love archery!

Toronto is getting an indoor archery range which will be located in the Davisville / Leaside area.

The range will be open during the winter and have heating, running water, washrooms and daily maintenance to target butts. It will also have air conditioning in the summer.

So if you want to get your archery on without sweating in the sun or freezing in the winter, now is your chance.

The indoor range is offering a limited membership. This means you need to sign up for a waiting list to become a member and only so many people will be accepted as members.

Annual membership fee is $800 + HST.

To sign up contact cardiotrek@gmail.com for details.

Archery lessons will also be available upon request.

Archery equipment kits will also be available for purchase for those new to archery.

The range will have a separate lane just for crossbow enthusiasts (making this indoor range the only crossbow range in Toronto).

The range can also be rented out for LARPers, bachelor parties, birthday parties and more.

Membership will be limited. Sign up NOW to get on the waiting list.

According to my source, depending on demand additional locations may be opened and members will be able to use their membership card at more than 1 location. It will be just like a gym membership except for archery buffs.

Angry Game of Thrones Fan + Reactions to the Mountain Vs the Red Viper

Apparently this guy has not read the books (and is horrible at spelling). Game of Thrones fans who do not read the books have the funniest reactions.

Plus below, video reactions to watching the Mountain Vs the Red Viper.



And below, Tyrion's shocked face.

The Book of Mormon - A musical for nerds

Do you love South Park?

Well then chances are likely you will laugh your a** off if you watch the Book of Mormon theatre production.

Because what is better than watching a hilarious satire about a man who invented his own religion and convinced thousands of people to follow his crazy new religion? Well, you turn it into a musical...

:)

The Flash - New TV Show Extended Trailer

Below is the the trailer for the new TV show "The Flash" - which was hinted at during several episodes of "Arrow".

Nerds are smart, but do they have good spelling or grammar?

I admit it.

I am a nerd with a fondness for perfect spelling and grammar.

And I am going to stop and nitpick some of my fellow nerds out there (and regular non-nerd people) who apparently cannot spell.

And apparently does not know the differences between there, they're and their. The last one isn't even pronounced the same.

Here is a quick and easy way to remember. It is so easy. I cannot understand why so many (stupid) people cannot figure this out.

There and Here. Locations.

They're and They Are. Contraction. They're over there. See the difference?

Their dog is stupid. Ownership / Possessive. Their dog. Her dog. His dog. My dog. Our dog.

I am pretty sure we were all taught the differences for these in grade 4 or so. And yet regularly I see people screwing up.

Give you an example.

I saw a graphic on Facebook earlier today which used the word "hero's", which is possessive. eg. The hero's sword, the hero's armour, the hero's stallion that he rides on into battle.

Except what the person who made the graphic was actually trying to say was heroes. They had confused the plural of hero with the possessive of hero.

And now that graphic is all over the internet (thanks to Facebook sharing), with the spelling wrong.

It is not like spelling or grammar is hard or anything. They're easy. Simple. You just follow the rules.

I have a sneaky suspicion however that the people who are misspelling words and messing up their grammar never learned how to write a proper essay in high school. They might have even gone to university in Toronto, New York City, Boston or some other location with multiple large and well respected universities... but they were probably cheating on tests and using an essay writing company to write their essays for them. Or at least hiring someone to do the editing and proofreading.

These days anyone can hire someone else to write an essay, write their resume, dissertation, or even do ALL of their course work for them.

In theory you could hire someone else (if you were wealthy enough) to attend school for you, do all the work for you, and the teacher would never know it is not you because they would see the same face in the classroom all the time.

After all, when you do get out in the real world and start working in an office job, do they really care what your grades were? They just want you to have a degree in whatever.

Most of the people in office jobs have english degrees, communication studies degrees, psychology degrees, etc. They're not working in the field they studied for. They are just pushing papers in an office tower, doing whatever they are told to do.

It is a wonder that we even bother to go to university. People do it because it helps them to get a job or a career, but the vast majority of people end up in a field unrelated to what they studied or pushing papers in an office.

Which makes me wonder what happened to me?

I didn't cheat. I wrote my own essays. I did all of the work assigned to me. And now I run my own business and am pretty successful at it. (And while it is not directly related to what I studied, it is loosely related to it because it is creative.)

I guess that shows the difference between the people who did their own work and the people who cheated / hired someone else to do it. The cheaters wind up in boring jobs and the self-reliant people start their own businesses and become successful.

Food is like religion, part 2 - Vegan Nerd Foods

See my previous post, Food is like religion which basically delves into topics like the Church of Bacon.

When it comes to vegans and other non-meat eaters however what you find is that it truly is like a religion for them. For the vast majority of vegans, vegetarians, pescetarians, etc is that their primary motivation for being a vegan/etc is that they are doing so for ethical reasons, namely their love of animals.

For vegans their love of animals extends so far that they won't even have animal byproducts, whether it be eggs, milk, honey or even food colouring made from insects (apparently there is a red food colouring made from the crushed shells of beetles).

As part of my search for Nerdy Foods I have therefore decided to devote this page Vegan Nerd Foods...

And I am separating this into two parts, One - Nerd Foods you can purchase at a restaurant, and Two - Nerd Foods you can make at home.

Part One - Restaurant Nerd Foods

Exhibit A - Veggie Burgers - Honestly you cannot get much more nerdy than a hamburger. Nerds love their hamburgers, so being able to have a veggie burger ranks up there.

Exhibit B - Smoothies - Who doesn't like smoothies??? eg. Rawlicious is a raw food restaurant in Toronto which sells a huge variety of smoothies made out of nutmilk. So nutmilk, various ingredients for flavour = very tasty and nutritious.

Exhibit C - Specialty Desserts - Nerds have a sweet tooth, so to use the example of Rawlicious again they also sell desserts like macaroons, cinnamon snowballs and cheesecake. Not very healthy in some cases, but still healthier than the average nerd who lives in his parents' basement and eats Cheetos daily.

Smoothies from Rawlicious

Part Two - Homemade Nerd Foods

Exhibit A - Vegan Drop Scones - I found these on the website nerdsandnomsense.com and they look both easy to make (great because nerds are lazy) and delicious. Nerdsandnomsense.com is apparently a food oriented nerd website. Sound familiar? Their website apparently has a bigger emphasis on food than mine does, whereas mine has more emphasis on nerd culture. The recipe for vegan drop scones is on their website here.

Exhibit B - Scallion Buttermilk Biscuits - I am noticing a trend here. Nerd foods tend to be in the shape of cookies... coincidence? I think not! I found the recipe for Scallion Buttermilk Biscuits on "vegan nerd love". So there are apparently plenty of other foodist nerds out there. Now if only they used Darth Vader cookie cutters to shape them...

Exhibit C - Homemade Smoothie - This is easily my favourite choice when at home. Strawberries, bananas, milk or nutmilk (I am not a vegan so I don't mind normal milk in my food). I also sometimes toss in some yogurt or ice cream. To each their own.

:)