...In Which We Try Again.

Apparently that last link I posted to my YouTube channel didn't work. Here we go again...




Hopefully this one works!

:heart: Cody

Video Killed The Radio Star...

Console killed the PC star, and now vlogging has killed blogging star. Not that I ever was much of a star, but it's so much easier to bang out a video on the random nerdy stuff I like (You like it, too, let's be honest....)... So, head on over to my vlog channel on YouTube: http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US&rdm=4mai37hri#/profile?user=codynootchies

<3 Cody!!!

Sometimes Life Happens

ANd it's forever before you post on your blog again. But here I am, posting away. Lots of things have happened. I am single, thinner, and going through rehabilitation to maybe rejoin the world of the living one day. Soon, nay, very soon I will have some actual blog post to post, but for now suffice it to say I'll be back really soon!!!

Ninjas. The Silent Awesome.

Ninja. Silent assassins. Noiseless mercenaries. Yet another thing popular culture seems to be enamored with. In these next few paragraphs, I have explored the internets and pulled together the knowledge on the origins of these faceless shadows of the night and why they are so danged popular in the now. First up, a history lesson.

The Shinobi Shuffle

Feudal Japan was not that nice of a place. Otherwise it would have been called peaceful and uneventful Japan. Wars and infighting were constant and bloody. During the "Sengoku Period" meaning roughly the "Age of the Country at War" Japan was in turmoil. Beginning with economic distress and argument over the succession of feudal leaders called shogun, and fueled by natural disasters and basic unrest the Sengoku-jidai was a rough time indeed. Spies, mercenaries, and other silent agents of war began to be seen more frequently around this time, most said to come from the Iga and Koga regions of Japan and, it is surmised that the word "Shinobi", (the word "ninja" was not used at this time.) a shortened form of shinobi-no-jutsu, was coined at this time. Other local and regional words were also used to describe these agents, who seemed to remain secretive and hidden which is probably the biggest reason why we do not know more about their beginnings. This secretive way of thinking would later become central to the principals of ninjitsu. Also, the ninja or shinobi would come to be more myth and legend than real it seemed. Beliefs that shinobi possessed supernatural powers such as flight, invisibility, and invulnerability as well as control over their surroundings and the elements enacted by Kuji-kiri (meaning "The Nine Cuts" a practice of hand movements representing nine principals: "Rin" meaning "Power";"Pyo" or "Energy"; "Toh" or "Harmony"; "Sha" or "Healing"; "Kai" or "Intuition"; "Jin" or "Awareness"; "Retsu" or "Dimension";"Zai" or "Creation"; and "Zen" or "Absolute".) would add weight to their mysterious and mythical status. Despite this, ninja or shinobi or whatever you wish to call them were said to come from the lower working classes such as farmers or general laborers. Surely many of their weapons show that idea is more true than not. Though we're not exactly sure from whence they came, we know where they are. In the mind, page and screen of modern man.

Ninjitsu and You or How The Hidden Became the Awesome



Ok. Admit it. A warrior who cannot be seen, smelled, touched, or stopped. It is a romantic, nay, awesome idea. Add a mysterious code of honor, and maybe a vow of silence and you have an ideal action hero. Since the Edo Period of Japan (The last shogunate before imperial rule was reinstated 1603-1868) pop culture has agreed. Tales of shinobi or ninja in novels and on the kabuki stage gave way to characters such as Sarutobi Sasuke who made his way to modern comic books, video games and television. Heck, Naruto fans, who knows, your boy Sasuke just might be a modern incarnation thereof. Characters like the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" and video games like the "Shinobi" and "Tenchu" franchises are surely things you have enjoyed yourself if you are reading this blog. There also seems to be a movement in art and geek culture that just loves the image of the ninja, many of them being chibi (a word meaning "Short person" or "small child" according to Wikipedia: "Chibi (ちび?, can also be written 禿び[1]) is a Japanese word meaning "short person" or "small child". The word has gained currency amongst fans of manga and anime. Its meaning is of someone or some animal that is small. It can be translated as "little", but is not used the same way as chiisana [小さな] (tiny, small, little in Japanese). A prototypical example of the former usage in the original Japanese which brought the term to the attention of Western fans is Chibiusa, a pet name for the diminutive daughter of Sailor Moon formed from Chibi Usagi ("Little Usagi").[2]
In English-speaking anime and manga fandom (otaku), the term chibi has mostly been conflated with the term super deformed or it can be used to describe child versions of characters.") or kawaii (Japanese for cute. Used by otaku most usually to describe super cute anime or manga characters. There have been waaaaay too many parenthesis in this post...) such as the "Wee Ninja" from ThinkGeek or the "Cute Ninja" T-Shirt from TopatoCo. The point, as it is, is that we seem to love ninja. They fascinate us. Most likely because they are silent, deadly and efficient, untouchable to a fault. In the economic and political stresses of the day, it is nice to look back on a honorable group of regular citizens who rose up and changed their world. Whether that is the completely true origin of the ninja or not, that's what I and a lot of other people would like to believe. Plus, when you squish 'em down and make 'em cuddly, they are cute as anything. So, ninja fans, continue to wear your Naruto headbands and practice your hand signs. Who knows, one day your ninjitsu skills may be needed to defend your country!

:heart: Cody

Hopes For 2010

Once again, it has been a while. I hope to get more consistent, and here come the excuses: I have been in a lot of pain, and I have lost seven of nine puppies in our newest litter... Seven of Nine... Dude I hated that show.... Had three more, this time from my dog... And my beautiful Willow died. What a cat she was. Enough of that. On to the blog's meat and potatoes after a small comment or two.... "THE BIG BANG THEORY" WON AN AWARD AT THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARDS!!!!!!! w00t!!! Secondly, I plan on becoming a professional gamer. Video games that is. Tips are appreciated...

So what are our hopes here at Geektrospective for 2010. Let's do a bullet list. GO!

- The Star Wars live action series. My hopes are that it will begin in 2010, though that doesn't seem probable at the current stage of things. I have heard release dates from 2010 all the way through to 2012... Hopes are that all of the nay-sayers are wrong...

- That Super Street Fighter IV will ship with an arcade stick... *Crosses fingers...*

- That when we get a house I have enough room for a trophy/gaming room which I plan to call the Batcave....

- That people with rapid fire mods on their melee button on ANY FPS get banned from breathing.

- That I actually get to go to "Anime to Fayetteville"...

- That my staff position at The Tulsa Comics and Anime Expo has nothing ot do with bathrooms...

- That I can get to Mountain Pine and dig my D&D books out of Harold's house...

- That I can get my wife what I want to get her for Valentines, even though it'll be late.

- That I can FINALLY beat the first "Gears of War" and "Halo 2". Yes, I've beaten Halo 3... There was a disc problem and, oh well...

- That I get a MacBook or preferably an iPad....

- That the new "Alice in Wonderland" doesn't suck. Has anyone saw it yet?

- That my puppy, Rorschach ("GIMMIE BACK MY FACE!!!" My wife named him... One more bit of proof that she is the most awesome girl ever...) gets as big as I think he will, and that he stops letting his little sister Nyx beat him up...

- Mostly that the Good Lord looks down on us and gives us a happy, healthy, loving, nerdy home where we may continue to be awesome in safety and sanctity. W00 for Jesus!!! ( I would've said "So we can continue to be awesome in Him, but that sounds both dirty and preachy all at once...)

Just a small list to prove I'm still alive. I swear a real article is coming soon. Please remember to follow this blog or be doomed!

:heart: Cody

GeektroGIFTS!

With Christmas quickly approaching, I thought it would be helpful to give a little insight into what the geeks of the world are going gaga over this holiday season. Geek is the word, I'm just going to help you understand the phonetics...

The Motorola Droid

All the tech savvy geeks out there seem to be losing their minds over the Motorola Droid that just dropped at Verizon. With a 3.7 inch touch screen WGVA 854x480 resolution, DVD quality playback AND capture, WIFI, full Google Talk and SMS/MMS capabilities, voice google search,thousands of apps, and a FULL QWERTY KEYBOARD(!!!) even hardcore Apple fans like myself would love to get their hands on one. Though Verizon's smartphone plans tend to be pricey AND required to operate this little digital powerhouse, that seems to be the only downside... Overall GIFT WIN: 8 out of 10. FUll qwerty FTW!

The Star Wars Force Trainer by Uncle Milton


Okay... Who hasn't wished they could use the Force? Now you can! Well, sort of anyway... The Star Wars Force Trainer by the Uncle Milton corporation monitors your brainwaves and uses them to control a small fan that lifts a "Jedi remote" into different parts of the sectioned tower. Depending on how focused your thoughts are, your Alpha, Beta, and Gamma waves power the ball higher and higher. Now you can be a Jedi Master in the comfort of your own home. It's also on sale for $59.99 at Amazon.com at the moment... Just don't try to use the Jedi Mind Trick to get out of that unfortunate holiday speeding ticket.... God, I'm corny... Total GIFT WIN: 9 out of 10.

Stormtrooper Mask Hoodie


Ok, so the first installment here has been a bit Star Wars heavy, but I'm a Star Wars nerd, and chances are, you or someone you love are, too if you are reading this... Likely you just peed a little. I know, this is the second most awesome hoodie right behind last holiday season's Boba Fett hoodie by Mark Echo. This particular hoodie is also enough to force me to lift my boycott of the Twilight infested Hot Topic and fight the seas of girl-pants-wearing Twitards to pick one up. With authentic styling mimicking the Empire's finest right down to the hood that zips in to a full mask for those frigid Hoth-like days The Stormtrooper Mask Hoodie is a must for your favorite fan of a galaxy far, far away, even if he is too short... GIFT WIN: 9 of 10 (Big guys should expect to spend an extra two bucks for a 2XL...)


Well, that's it for this installment. Check back in the next few days for the next load of luxurious loot for geeks of all shapes and sizes, until then may the Force be with you... *AHEM* (Insert sheepish grin here...)

It's Been a While

We've moved, lost a member of the family (Nana, our pit mix...), I've been denied AGAIN by the idiots at disability and so retained a lawyer... Life's been long and hard, and I haven't had the time or energy to post. I just wanted to let you all know that I am still around, and will soon be coming out with the "Guide to Gifts for Geeks": What's hot this season in geektroGIFTS!!!! A little more research, and I plan on doing at least two features a week from now till Christmas. See you then!