A Silent Movie Primer

Last week, news channels announced that one of Alfred Hitchcock’s long-lost silent films, The White Shadow, had been found. Only about half of the full print exists, but it is nonetheless the earliest Hitchcock work that currently exists, and you can watch it right here on the web. Alfred Hitchock is …

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It’s Black Friday. You probably need a Sonic Screwdriver.

At Omegacon last weekend, I was introduced to the Sonic Screwdriver. The center is Blue Curacao. Outside is a mix of orange H2Oh! and clementine vodka. The disposable dual chamber shot glass is something you can now buy in glorious bulk stacks for the price of a couple bucks. (I …

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A Tale of Holiday Cooking

My maternal grandmother was an interesting woman. Most of her decisions fell into one of two categories: badass and downright strange. In days when many grandmothers were still of the traditional sort that baked cookies and stuff, grandma was a businesswoman, a do-it-yourselfer, and a bit on the wild side. …

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Photos from Lakes Harriet & Calhoun

Back in October, I spent a lovely autumn afternoon walking around Lake Harriet with my friend, Jen Scott. I managed to snap some photos along the way. It was one of those perfect, crisp autumn days, perfect for wandering slowly and chatting. After that and I started driving home, I …

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New Geek Life: The Melissa and Mike Show

Once again, Paul and Richard have been reminded that they should not let Mike and me do the show by ourselves. As the show notes and title suggest, it’s hard to say that we went off the rails, as there were probably no rails to begin with. Anyway, please enjoy …

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The Grand Unified Puppy Theory of Relationships

Over the last few years, I’ve been mulling over the nature of human interpersonal relationships. I’ve started to see relationships between people — platonic, romantic, familial, professional, etc. — as an entity separate from the people who formed them. Oddly, I think this has become a very useful working model …

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Fantastic Fest 2012 Denouement

I had many little adventures on my way home from Fantastic Fest. I spent the Friday after Fantastic Fest lazily, mostly just puttering around the city of Austin. I had breakfast with Wendy at Kirby Lane before taking her to the airport. I wandered around some of the wild little …

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Dealing with Different Views

At Dragon*Con in September, I was pulled into being a guest on the Secular Buddhist podcast, speaking on the subject of communicating with people who don’t share your viewpoint. Since I am not a Buddhist, I’d like to believe that I was asked to participate because I’m used to speaking to and …

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The Great Geek Cosplay Debate

Every few months, a geek debate flares up on the social networks, about whether it’s proper in geek circles to cosplay (aka wear a costume) from a property that you do not personally know much about. Specifically, this debate often centers around “booth babes,” aka ladies who have been hired to work …

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The Art of the Power (Road) Trip

Many of you reading this already know I’m a die-hard fan of road trips. I love to travel in general, but I especially love driving to get to my destination. Often, the journey is at least as much fun as the destination, and I feel like I’ve earned my time …

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