Apr 242012
 
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Every spring, the indigenous nerd population of Long Island flocks to the Suffolk County campus of Stony Brook University for I-Con, a geeky gathering that has very little to do with endocrinology. Here, some engage in rituals known as “panels,” each with its own topic, in which panelists and audience members sometimes compete fiercely for dominance. Some take part in a display of plumage known as “cosplay,” in which they dress as characters from a movie, video game or TV show that they enjoy, possibly in order to attract a mate. Rare and exotic creatures known as “guests” move silently among the con-goers, sometimes pausing gracefully to sign autographs or give interviews. Finally, there is the dealer floor, a social gathering place where merchants build elaborate nests with the shiniest implements they can find. Join the guys in The Rag-NERD-rok Crew for an exciting glimpse at nerds in their natural habitat: I-Con!

(Get to the part of the show notes where I drop this ridiculous conceit after the break!)

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Feb 282012
 
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In the nail-biting conclusion to our four-part geek history retrospective, Meyer gives us the lowdown on Star Wars, Erik discusses the contributions of Shigeru Miyamoto to the world of video games, Ryan drones on and on about the works of horror novelist Stephen King, and Alex pontificates on Dungeons and Dragons. After the break, we try out a new segment in which we keep it brief by imposing a ten word limit on our barbed opinions. Then, a sketch! It’s one heck of a gosh-darn good time, trust me!

(Show notes after the break.)

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Jan 312012
 
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This week’s episode of Rag-NERD-rok is a continuation of the discussion we began last week covering geek culture in The 20th Century. We’ll talk about the rise of “The Big Three” of sci-fi, Orson Wellesinfamous War of the Worlds broadcast, Universal Studios’ iconic horror films of the 1930s and ’40s, Walt Disney’s early work, and The Golden Age of comic books. After the break, we conduct an off-the-cuff Will interview, plumbing the depths of his psyche with the most random questions we can conceive of.

(Show notes after the break.)

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Jan 202012
 
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Once upon a time, in the tiny village of Morp, there lived a group of well-meaning monsters, each a pillar of the community. They lived in peace with the villagers until the day when Sir Steel Hardwood, an intrepid adventurer, arrived in town with his faithful assistant, Gary, to mercilessly slaughter them. Add to this mix the decrepit necromancer, Professor Darkmeyer, his inept apprentice, Kel Lynchpittance, and Kel’s lupine familiar, Peewee, who want to capture Sir Hardwood’s squire and steal the prize he won by slaying the dragon, a scroll with an incantation that can break the curse that Kel accidentally placed on himself and Peewee. It’s a story that only five nerds could come up with, a tale of adventure, obscenity, and idiocy that (we hope) will have you splitting your sides with laughter.

So grab your +3 swords of flaming death, don your genuine replica chain mail, and enjoy this drunken Fiasco Actual Play!

(More info after the break.)

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Dec 212011
 

Great Scott, Rag-NERD-rokkers! I’ve missed my post two weeks in a row now! Whatever shall I do with myself? (Please don’t answer that.) Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to scout out anything in the way of nerdy news this week because I’ve been hard at work editing the Rag-NERD-rok Life Day Special, which is going to be the most heartwarming episode we’ve ever produced, hands down. As a token of my deepest apologies, please accept the following video of an old guy getting down with his bad self to The Party Rock Anthem. Happy viewings!

(Video after the jump.)

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