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

Ninja are so good at what they do that Very little is written about them. Well, shyeah! I’m surprised we even knew that they existed, that’s just how good they are.

Before news of these mighty warriors reached western shores, their characteristics were already steeped in mysticism and wild claims — all the better to maintain their cover and strike when one is least expecting.

But when popular media got a hold on such a novel idea, all the sort of iconographic garbage you can expect from commercialism started to dilute their true nature. That is why N is for Ninja, and why you should read on to find out why everything you thought you knew about them is wrong.

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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.

In the summer of 1993, a wondrous new phenomenon began with Mighy Morphin’ Power Rangers. This is a show which, in a way, continues today in vastly inferior shows also carrying the name “Power Rangers”. Here I will be discussing only “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers”, which is what the show was called for it’s first 3 seasons, when the Power Rangers wore the first iconic uniforms they did. This spans the era of the Dinozords, the Thunderzords and finally the Ninja Zords, which includes the first movie. It stops when Power Rangers Zeo starts, but it’s best not to dwell on such things…

The concept of the show was simple. When the Earth is threatened, 5 teenagers are given the ability to metamorphosise or “Morph” into … well teenagers in spandex of the same colour as the only colour they have in their wardrobe, which gives them the incredible power of dinosaurs and weapons which they use to fight their enemies. They use these to protect the city of Angel Grove, which is always the target of attacks. Each week consists of them dealing with some life problem, facing off against a monster, good guys morph, bad guy is grown, good guys call giant dinosaur robots, good guys win. Rinse, repeat.

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

Laputa is an island castle which floats in the sky. These days it’s most commonly thought of as the castle from the movie Laputa: Castle in the Sky by Hayao Miyazaki, but originally the story of Laputa was told as a minor part of the classic novel Gulliver’s Travels in which a similarly floating island carries the same name. There are similarities and differences between the two, both of which I’ll look at to try to give a complete picture of what Laputa really means.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky

So what is Gulliver’s Travels? It’s a fictional novel by Jonathan Swift from 1726, told in a narrative as if it were a retelling of real events from the travels of one Lemuel Gulliver. This story has been told time and time again, the most iconic image from it being that of a seemingly giant Gulliver being surrounded by the tiny people of Lilliput. Among the many places that Gulliver travels to in the book is the floating city of Laputa.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

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One of my favorite toy lines as a kid was M.U.S.C.L.E., which stood for Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere! Unfortunately, there was little to no story given to these bizarre two inch figures. One must look to its Japanese origins from the series Kinnikuman (literally ‘muscle man’) to really understand what M.U.S.C.L.E. was all about. That is why today is K for Kinnikuman.
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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.

What is this composite, amalgamated entity? If you’re a fan of anything Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, or generally geek, you’ve seen movies and/or TV shows by at least one of these three gentlemen — if not all three — even if you don’t know their names. Of the many things they have in common, the most obvious (and least important) is that all of their names start with “J”. I frequently can’t think of one without thinking of the other two. Together they are like some triune entity, the three faces of a Geek (not “Greek”) god.

Let’s explore their credentials together.

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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.

Surely Indiana Jones belongs in any list of the greatest characters ever put on film. Aside from the role as the (also list worthy) Han Solo, Indy is what defines Harrison Ford as a tough, charismatic actor.
He was introduced in the film “Raiders of The Lost Ark” and thats a great movie. But I’m going to focus on the movie where the character’s name actually appears above the title, “Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom”
I know this article series is supposed to focus on a lot of stuff that we as geeks either do or should respect. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is maybe the antithesis of that. We must know it so that we may learn its mistakes.
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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.

Top 5 reasons High Fidelity belongs in the Powet Alphabet: [Read the rest of this entry…]

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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