Geeky
Virgin Mobile claws back TBT hashtag
Twitter nerds will understand this. Hashtag humor. It’s a niche category.
Click the image to go to the referenced Instagram pic of Trampled by Turtles playing at a Virgin Mobile event. Our boys are growing up. *sigh*
When at Krenzen Service Center …
My way of passing the time yesterday at Krenzen . . .
Take advantage of the huge curved blackboard set up next to the waiting area – a great way to pass the time while the Honda gets serviced.
Community Education: Hanging with Hams
I’m working my way through the options in Community Ed, and the gem this semester has to be Introduction to Amateur Radio. (more…)
UMD Grad Dr. Brian Kobilka Wins Nobel Prize for Chemistry
Brian Kobilka, a 1977 UMD Chemistry graduate, has won a share in the 2012 Nobel Prize for chemistry. Dr. Kobilka can be heard in an interview with a representative from the Nobel Organization at nobelprize.org. (more…)
Photog seeking props
I’m working on a little side project, more or less some product shots. I’m looking to borrow a few items that I haven’t been able to turn up while thrifting which has been mind boggling seeing as how they are pretty common items. Well, for the most part. I think I should only need these for a day, two tops. (more…)
What a week for nerds!
What a week for nerds! Sept. 11 was the sellout Nerd Nite at Teatro Zuccone.
Nerd Nite, organized by Jer Nilsen, Crystal Pelkey, and Adam Brisk, is nearly a religious ritual for me.
(It helps that Reverend Lee attends nearly every one. If you haven’t read this pastor from United Church of Two Harbors‘s recent column about upcoming constitutional amendments, you haven’t heard what the voice of religious conviction sounds like, when it is committed to the search for truth, rather than its presumption. See here or the Lake County News Chronicle for more.)
Nerd Nite is where I take new Duluthians to find community, to experience people who share their passions and their humor. (more…)
Get your geek on for fall
Fall is in the air and a young nerd’s fancy turns to thoughts of gaming! (more…)
The Perilous Inlet 1 & 2
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqlQXrBMkcM
[Part two of this video series is no longer available.]
(Regular readers may recognize the first couple of minutes of part 2 as I already released those, teaser-style, not too long ago. Now the gruesome conclusion may be shown.)
Is that the lift bridge?
Is that the lift bridge at 2:56? I also thought the fireworks scene looked vaguely Duluthy at first but on second and third glance I don’t see how it could be, the bridge is in the wrong position related to the fireworks unless they are coming from Superior. Anyone else care to take a stab at it? (more…)
What’s a geek to do in town?
I’m going to be moving to Duluth in the next couple months and was wondering what kind of nerdy stuff is around town.
What’s the best computer store in town for components? Somewhere where they’ll know what a GTX680 is. Are there any hacker/maker clubs? I’m also interested in volunteering; does anyone know of a computer refurbishing program? Are there any local tech websites or handouts?
I know there are more nerds like me; what are you up to?
He got married but … you get the presents!
If you haven’t become a member, or even if you have, check this sweet deal out on Blacklist’s Beer+Art Project! Only a few more days left to back this Kickstarter project and make it happen in Duluth! (more…)
Minnesota Flood 2012: Is that the best name we’ve come up with for it?
It seems to me the best local storm names tend to be tied to a holiday or otherwise significant date:
Leap Day Snowmageddon 2012
The Geek Prom Blizzard of 2008
The Halloween Megastorm of 1991
The Great Thanksgiving Blizzard of 1983
Following that tradition, our recent flood would be the Summer Solstice Flood of 2012. But I haven’t heard anyone call it that, and it’s been over a month.
What are you calling it? Any good ideas? Maybe if we come up with a good one there will be more federal relief money sent our way, so perhaps we should work the word “disaster” in.
Duluth National Citizen Survey 2012
The results of the Duluth National Citizen Survey are now available. Click here to open the PDF.
The report provides the opinions of a representative sample of residents about community quality of life, service delivery, civic participation and unique issues of local interest.
- 78 percent of respondents felt the quality of life in Duluth was “excellent” or “good.”
- 56 percent of respondents felt Duluth was headed in the right direction.
- 72 percent rated Duluth’s image or reputation as “excellent” or “good.”
Tallest Structure in Duluth
Here’s a question to contemplate: What is the tallest standing structure within Duluth city limits?
Here’s what I was thinking for determining this: The tallest height should be relative to the starting point of the structure in the ground. So a structure that begins on a higher elevation does not have advantage. Also, “ground” can be defined as the Lake bottom, so a structure could begin on the Lake bottom, but the footings (or anything underneath the ground [or Lake bottom]) wouldn’t be part of the equation.
The Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge is pretty high (177 feet), but other higher buildings and structures are clearly in view.
Another Geek Prom rip-off?
[This post originally linked to phoenixcomicon.com, which is no longer a functioning URL.]
Looking for some sports geeks to join a fantasy football league
Some friends and I are trying to put together a new fantasy football league for the 2012 season. Most of us don’t spend a lot of time with other sports fans and we’re having trouble getting enough people together. I thought this might be a good place to look for participants. Also, we’d like most of the teams/participants to be from the Twin Ports area. We’ve yet to establish fees or specific scoring rules for this league and you’d be involved in that. We’re mostly creative types, music geeks and/or musicians who enjoy professional sports and hope to find similar people but would like to hear from anyone who’s interested. We really only ask that you’re excited about fantasy football and you’re not an asshole (sexist, racist, homophobe, etc.).
If this sounds like something you’d enjoy, contact us at footballtwinports @ hotmail.com. Please don’t express interest solely in the comments section. I’m sure the comments will mostly be about how football is dumb, we’re lame and soccer is cooler, so I probably won’t bother reading the comments.
Thanks!
Hang gliding in Duluth
Have you ever seen someone hang glide in Duluth?
I think I did once, but it might just be a weird dream I had back when I was kid. What I remember is that I was at the Little League baseball end-of-season carnival/Olympics, or whatever it was, at Wheeler Fields. It would have been about 1984. I think I saw some guy launch off the hillside where “The Wall” is on Skyline Drive, and then land on one of the baseball fields at Wheeler.
Is hang gliding just a dying sport in general, or is there something about Duluth — maybe the lake winds are too unpredictable and strong or the hills aren’t high enough to produce a good “ridge lift” or whatever — that makes hang gliding here rare or impossible?
And whatever happened to the guy with the hot-air balloon?
Exploring Lake Superior by Submarine
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-q0T5FyxAc
Jim and Allen Richardson of Gonzo Science explore Lake Superior in a two-man sub.
Summer camps for area kids into technology
With the Duluth East Daredevils robotics team again going to nationals this year and high school robotics teams now also at Denfeld and Marshall, how can kids get started in robotics before high school? (more…)
Scenic Ice Station Zebra, MN
It's a long story, and not that funny. But here it is, anyhow.
Instagrammers PDD?
There are 50 million users on Instagram but there are no Perfect Duluth Day hashtags? Duluth iger’s, you need to get on this. It’d be a great place to curate creative shots of D-town.
Nerd Nite Road Trip Edition
Below, a selection of photos from Nerd Nite Road Trip Edition. (more…)
Lake Recreation
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkIo2pDLx-g
Nerds make turn to charity
Adam Brisk, Crystal Pelkey, and Jeremy Nilson are among the engines that make Duluth a more interesting place. As founders of Duluth Nerd Nite, they serve up entertainment on a regular basis that also helps sustain one of our most important resources, the Teatro Zuccone. And they have been invited to consult in Minneapolis, a town that has yet to experience awesomeness that is Nerd Nite.
At the next event, Saturday at 7:30, they are bringing a new dimension to Nerd Nite: (more…)