What is a grail? If you google ‘define: grail’, the first response is “the object of any prolonged endeavor”.

I think that is probably the best description of what a grail is when it comes to its use in our geek dialect. In pursuing our individual interests, many of us have become collectors. Be it collectors of toys, games, books, comics, consoles, achievements or random paraphernalia for a particular area of interest. We acquire objects or milestones that are significant to us. For that very reason, G is for Grails.

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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Remember when cartoons used to be good? Back in the days between the original Power Rangers and whatever the hell umteenth spin-off they have run most recently, cartoons used to be well thought-out and fun for kids, while often having some aspects sprinkled about them that were meant for adult humor or reference. This meant kids and parents both could appreciate cartoons without realizing it. Warner Bros. was infamous for this practice, going as far back as the old Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck cartoons for the 60’s and 70’s. Fun campy cartoons that entertained the crap out of us as youngin’s, that have managed to have little surprises in store for us as we’ve grown up and notice subtle little quips that we’d obviously missed or not gotten when we were kids. As WB carried on, this habit did not waver. Enter Freakazoid!
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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Star Trek has created a wonderful universe for fans to enjoy, and all along the only theme reoccurring as consistently as a captain screwing ladies and technobabble is some kind of ship named “Enterprise”. With a seemingly limitless number of ships bearing that name, I will attempt to explore some of the more memorable ones, but before thinking about all those space ships, it’s important to note that many real vessels carried the name even before Star Trek revolutionized the world of science fiction.

``All those vessels were called 'Enterprise'`` - Star Trek: The Motion Picture

The above scene from the horrible “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” is just a glimpse of the many ships that have carried the name “Enterprise”. When thinking of the word as meaning an undertaking or endeavour, it is an inspirational word fitting for a starship, or a simple sea faring vessel. From the begining of the 18th century until today 15 ships of the Royal Navy have carried the name “HMS Enterprise” or “HMS Enterprize”, starting with a 24-gun frigate captured from the French Navy. This particular ship is featured in the opening credits of “Star Trek: Enterprise” as well as in Jonathan Archer’s ready room. A number of aircraft carriers have also carried the name. Many of these existed prior to Star Trek, but after the show’s great success, real ships would be named after the fictional Enterprise. This is precisely what happened when a huge letter writing campaign convinced President Gerald Ford to name the first space shuttle “Enterprise”. This shuttle unfortunately never did fly in space, though apparently it will in the Star Trek universe.

NCC-1701. No blody A, B, C, or D

Warning: If you’re one of those people who believe pro wrestling is real, or you’re confused about weather or not it isn’t, then you’ll want to skip past this review.

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Since the alphabet is the building block of our language, the Powet Alphabet is the building block of what makes us geeks.

Duke Nukem. Halo. Call Of Duty. Resistance. Killzone. Goldeneye. Bioshock. Deus Ex. Quake. Timesplitters.

The list of great first person shooters goes on and on, and each game has left its own unique stamp on the genre, weather it’s the RPG-like stat progression of Bioshock and Deus Ex, the cinematic realism of Modern Warfare and Rainbow Six Vegas, the zaniness of Timesplitters and Duke Nukem, or the multiplayer action of Halo and Goldeneye. However, all of these games owe their existence and popularity to one name: Doom. While ID Software’s classic didn’t create the FPS genre (that honor many would say belongs to ID’s previous effort Wolfenstein 3D), it helped shape the face of the genre for years to come. This article will take a look at the classic and its impact on gaming.
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Back when Midway was a part of the Nintendo 64 Dream Team, they promised an exclusive Nintendo 64 version of Doom that would take advantage of the console’s capabilities. In 1997 they delivered Doom 64, a continuation of the franchise (yes, even after Final Doom) that gave the game a brand new look while retaining the shoot-em-up action the franchise was known for.
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I’m one of the many who believe that video games not only can be a form of art, they can also be a literary medium. Want proof? Look no further than Silent Hill 2’s gripping narrative and try to tell me that that’s not on par with a Steven King or Clive Barker. Check out Ico’s emotionally moving story. Even Bungie’s Halo and Bioware’s Mass Effect have introduced players to science fiction universes on scale with a Star Wars or Battlestar Galatica. However, if gaming is to progress as an entertainment medium, it’s not enough to present an quirky art style or a deep plot. Gaming has to be able to explore taboo and even controversial subjects just like books, movies, and television shows do, even if they may get somewhat offensive or politically incorrect (which is why I was disappointed when 6 Days in Fallujah ended up being indefinitely postponed, but that’s another story). Of course I’m not saying that a developer should go out and create ‘KKK Lynchin’ Heroes’, but if and when done correctly, video games can provide a light with which to look at social issues that continue to affect us today. Beyond Good and Evil could be considered a commentary on the role of the press and the distribution of information during times when civil freedoms are being challenged, and Metal Gear Solid 4’s storyline about private military corporations can be considered a look at military policy, particularly in the wake of the Blackwater scandal. However, few issues have been more hotly debated than that of violence in our schools, and no one moment in our history better exemplifies the issue than the Columbine Massacre.

For those of you who don’t know the story, on April 20th of 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, two troubled teens who had apparently been bullied during their years in high school went on a violent shooting spree, killing over a dozen students and teachers. The media, parents/teacher groups, clergymen, and opportunistic politicians, unable to fathom that two white boys from a wealthy suburban community bought about something that apparently is only supposed to happen in the ghetto or a backwoods rural area (and with rumors of a so-called ‘trenchcoat mafia’ shut down), immediately set about finding things to blame the tragedy on. “It was because of easy access to guns!” “It was because gun control laws are too strict!” “It was Marylin Manson!” “It was violent video games!” “It was Doom!” “It was because of the evil liberals taking prayer out of schools!” “Where were the parents at?” “Why didn’t anyone see the warning signs?” With all the fuss in a search for a scapegoat, few even considered to take a look at the events in their lives that might have led up to the shooting. Enter independent developer Danny Ledonne. Using the program RPG Maker 2000, he created a game which places characters in the role of the shooters. By researching thousands of pages of news articles about the massacre, home videos the two killers made, and video news reports, Ledonne’s product gives an insight and paints a picture suggesting why such a tragedy occurred.

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Conan is currently in dispute as the 11:35pm host on NBC, as network decision makers want to bring back Jay Leno, who moved on from the position in 2009. As a respected comedy writer and performer with legions of fans around the world (especially in the geek community), its worth noting why we love him.

Here are some highlights from outside his talk show career: [Read the rest of this entry…]