Geeks Explicitly

You probably have a geek in your life and maybe you can use some ideas for what to buy them this holiday season.  This episode covers 15 gifts perfect for any geek.

The idea of the holiday gift guide started in 2006 with Jonathan’s other show Wargaming Recon.  You can see what past Holiday Gift Guides were for that show.

The Geeks Explicitly list covers a variety of fandoms, products, uses, and even locations.  It has something for your kitchen, your home, the office, to wear, and to play with.

We hope you will find this list to be useful.  Don’t hesitate to tell us what geeky gifts you’re wishing for, by leaving a comment.

15 Geeky Gifts for the Holidays

Doctor Who Sonic Screwdriver $39.95

Star Wars Voice Activated R2-D2 $279.77

Nerf N-Strike Stampede Machine Gun $49.99

WIFI & USB Cufflinks $250

Computer Icon Throw Pillows $29 ea or $149 for entire collection

Star Wars Logo Earrings $24.99/pair

Star Wars Han Solo in Carbonite Ice Cube Tray $5.99

Han Shot First T-shirt $17.99-$19.99

Doctor Who TARDIS Light String $19.99

Doctor Who Dalek to Victory Poster $8.99

Minecraft Sticky Notepad $9.99

Serenity Keychain $11.99

LEGO Mini Storage Boxes $3.99-$4.99

Instacloth Towel in a Tablet $5.90 for 32 tablets

Minecraft Magnet Sheets of Blocks $19.99

Mailbag

Tell us what geeky gifts you’re wishing for by e-mailing [email protected] or leaving a comment on this post.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

This podcast is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Noble Knight Games.

The post GE24: 15 Geeky Gifts for the Holidays appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

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What game lets you dig for diamonds, build a home, and battle monsters?  Minecraft of course.

Minecraft is sweeping the internet with its sandbox style of play, which allows players to build fantastic creations before hiding from the monsters that appear at night.  Everyone from Wil Wheaton on down love and play this game.

Jonathan is the newest fanboy to share some Minecraft resources for beginners.  If you’re just starting out and need tips on how to survive your first night this episode is for you.  Long time player with hundreds of hours under your belt?  Listen for some of the inspirational resources.  Never considered playing the game?  Maybe this episode will change your mind.

6 Helpful Minecraft Resouces

Minecraft official site

Minecraft-Crafting.net

Minecraft Video Tutorials

Paul Soares Jr’s Minecraft Youtube Channel

Minecraft Gallery: Isengard

21 Amazing Minecraft creations

Mailbag

Listener Jared tells what geeky thing he likes to do during a hurricane.  “When the power goes out, pretend it is the zombie apocalypse and make a plan for survival.”

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

This podcast is made possible through the generous sponsorship of Noble Knight Games.

The post GE23: Minecraft Resources for Beginners appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE23: Minecraft Resources for Beginners appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

If you came here looking for the show notes for our episode covering Minecraft, Jonathan gave you the wrong URL. We are very sorry for this. Please go to GE23: Minecraft Resources for Beginners.

Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc and devastation across a multitude of communities.  It killed people.  It caused power outages.  It flooded homes.  Not every hurricane is that devastating but they all negatively impact the standard things geeks love to do like watch cult classics. This podcast episode shares 5 geeky things you can do during hurricane.  Always, always, always make sure that your loved ones and yourself are safe first.  Then, consider the items on this list as a way to pass the time. 5 Geeky Things to Do During a Hurricane

5 – Shadow Monster Wars!

4 – Design a funny webcomic

3 – Play your favorite board game by hurricane lamp

2 – Play Argyle & Crew by Ben Gerber.  Buy the rules for $2.99

1 – Finally you can play the marathon Cube of Death tournament

MOST IMPORTANT – STAY SAFE!  Be Red Cross Ready.

TCPN Newsletter

Each month, or thereabouts, our newsletter will be e-mailed to recipients. It features information about the TCPN podcasts, behind the scenes peeks, contests, giveaways and more. Don’t miss out, sign up for the newsletter. Didn’t get our first newsletter? Don’t worry, you can read it at your leisure.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast: Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month. Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page. Also, listen to us on iTunes! Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com. If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network. Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE22: 5 Geeky Things to Do During a Hurricane appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE22: 5 Geeky Things to Do During a Hurricane appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

In the Simpsons Reverend Lovejoy’s wife Helen is known for saying “What about the children?!  Won’t somebody please think of the children!?”  This is exactly what Ben Gerber, Scott Lazzari, and I did on October 20, 2012.  We participated in the Extra Life 24 Hour Game-a-thon to raise money for children who need medical help.

The funds we raised, over $900, all go to Boston Children’s Hospital to provide medical treatment for kids regardless of their family’s ability to pay.  Ben explained why he chose Boston Children’s Hospital as his beneficiary and I also shared my reasons for picking Children’s Hospital.

This podcast episode doesn’t have a Top 5 list, it doesn’t debate whether Captain Mal Reynolds is cooler than Captain Han Solo, and it doesn’t mention Star Wars.  What it does is share the story of how Ben, Scott, and I helped a bunch of kids by gaming.

We gamed for 24 hours and we played an assortment of games.  You can read the play by play on the Liveblog chronicling the hours of gaming.

Games Played

As promised in this episode, below you will find a list of games that we played.

Ascension (iPad)

Ticket to Ride (iPad)

Nightfall (iPad)

My Alphabet card game

Hungry Hungry Hippos

My Singing Monsters (iPad)

Masters of Orion 2 (PC)

Mi Gato se Incendia (My Cat is on Fire!)

Disney Sorry

Carcassonne (Android)

Quarriors

Upgrade Wars

Bang!

Talisman

Family Business

Monopoly Deal

Zombie Dice

Thunderstone Gateway (iPad)

Caylus (iPad)

Elder Sign (iPad)

Farmville 2 (Facebook)

NHL ’12 (Xbox 360)

Where’s the Water? (iPad)

Plague, Inc. (iPad)

Angry Birds (iPad)

Angry Birds Seasons (iPad)

Angry Birds Rio (iPad)

Angry Birds Space (iPad)

European Assault (miniatures game by listener Tidal)

Star Wars Empire at War (OS X)

Thank You Supporters

I couldn’t have made this big of a difference without the help of each of you. Special thanks are owed to:

Battleground Games & Hobbies including its owner Derek Lloyd

Brian Gregory, co-host of Game Night Guys Podcast – listen to Predicaments VCR Game Episode for his message of support

Henry Hyde, editor of Battlegames Magazine who runs his own blog Henry’s Wargaming

Tidal, a listener, who donated his 1/32 scale plastic army men rules European Assault.  He blogs at Company of Plastic WWII Toy Soldiers and War Games

All the family and friends who donated, encouraged, supported, spread the word, or otherwise helped to make this a fun event

A HUGE thank you to my wife for always supporting my interests and my gaming

TCPN Newsletter

Each month, or thereabouts, our newsletter will be e-mailed to recipients. It features information about the TCPN podcasts, behind the scenes peeks, contests, giveaways and more. Don’t miss out, sign up for the newsletter. Didn’t get our first newsletter? Don’t worry, you can read it at your leisure.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE21: 24 Hour Game-a-Thon appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE21: 24 Hour Game-a-Thon appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

Star Wars. Those two words are more evocative than many in the English language. Episode 20 goes Star Wars crazy with 5 of Jonathan’s favorite Star Wars novels. So, take this list with you to your local library, favorite book store, or online ebook vendor.

5 Favorite Star Wars Novels:

Thrawn Trilogy by Timothy Zahn

X-wing Series by Michael Stackpole, Aaron Allston

Black Fleet Crisis Trilogy by Michael P. Kube-McDowell

Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry

The Courtship of Princess Leia by Dave Wolverton

Honorable Mention: Tales From Mos Eisley Cantina edited by Kevin J. Anderson

TCPN Newsletter

Each month, or thereabouts, our newsletter will be e-mailed to recipients. It features information about the TCPN podcasts, behind the scenes peeks, contests, giveaways and more.

Don’t miss out, sign up for the newsletter.

Didn’t get our first newsletter? Don’t worry, you can read it at your leisure.

24 Hour Game-a-thon Fundraiser

Jonathan is joining Ben Gerber to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital. Please read all about it, and please consider donating, by going to Extra Life! Play Games, Heal Kids – I’m joining Ben Gerber and I could really use your help and support.

Don’t forget to listen to Episode 18: Top 5 Kurosawa Westerns, if you haven’t done so yet.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE20: 5 Favorite Star Wars Novels appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE20: 5 Favorite Star Wars Novels appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

NOTE: IF YOU CAME HERE BY GOING TO TROLLITC.COM/GE19 EXPECTING TO FIND THE SHOW NOTES FOR JONATHAN’S 5 FAVORITE STAR WARS NOVELS, YOU’RE GONNA HAVE A BAD TIME. JONATHAN IS A GOON WHO MESSED UP. EPISODE 20 CONTAINS HIS 5 FAVORITE STAR WARS NOVEL. JUST CLICK THE LINK AND YOU’LL BE TAKEN TO GE20: 5 FAVORITE STAR WARS NOVELS. SORRY FOR THE CONFUSION.

Science Fiction takes us to places we’ve never been while we interact with familiar characters and stories. Brent Newhall and Jonathan discuss some of their favorite Sci-Fi TV shows.

This episode’s topic was prompted by the sad passing of actor Michael O’Hare who played Commander Jeffrey Sinclair on Babylon 5.

Some of our favorite Science Fiction shows:

Ghost in the Shell

Babylon 5

Neon Genesis Evangelion

Star Trek DS9

Firefly

Futurama

Battlestar Galactica the Reimagined series

Dollhouse

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Brent had many more, which he’ll gladly share with you. Be sure to visit his website where you can send him all your hate mail responding to his statement that he thinks it was good that Firefly only existed for one season.

TCPN Newsletter

Each month, or thereabouts, our newsletter will be e-mailed to recipients. It features information about the TCPN podcasts, behind the scenes peeks, contests, giveaways and more.

Don’t miss out, sign up for the newsletter.

Didn’t get our first newsletter? Don’t worry, you can read it at your leisure.

24 Hour Game-a-thon Fundraiser

Jonathan is joining Ben Gerber to raise money for Boston Children’s Hospital. Please read all about it, and please consider donating, by going to Extra Life! Play Games, Heal Kids – I’m joining Ben Gerber and I could really use your help and support.

Don’t forget to listen to Episode 18: Top 5 Kurosawa Westerns, if you haven’t done so yet.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE19: Favorite Sci-Fi Shows with Brent Newhall appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE19: Favorite Sci-Fi Shows with Brent Newhall appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

Akira Kurosawa defined the American western film and he did so with his Sengoku-jidai samurai films. This episode pays him homage.

Jonathan reveals the Top 5 Kurosawa Westerns. These are cinematic masterpieces.

5-Throne of Blood

Kagemusha

The Hidden Fortress

Yojimbo

Seven Samurai

TCPN Newsletter

Each month, or thereabouts, our newsletter will be e-mailed to recipients. It features information about the TCPN podcasts, behind the scenes peeks, contests, giveaways and more.

Don’t miss out, sign up for the newsletter.

Didn’t get our first newsletter? Don’t worry, you can read it at your leisure.

Don’t forget to listen to Episode 16: 5 Great Soundtracks, if you haven’t done so yet.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE18: Top 5 Kurosawa Westerns appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE18: Top 5 Kurosawa Westerns appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

Ben Gerber & Brent Newhall cover for Jonathan while he’s engaged with real life stuff for his first home.

Brent and Ben sneer at real life, preferring to spend our time on the internet. Where it’s virtual, and friendly. They do what comes naturally, which is talk about themselves.

They discuss their upcoming projects, talk a bit about board game design, and Ben also does a month in the life of a indie publisher, where the cover about the numbers. Total units “sold” (including free stuff), total gross and total net $$$ and the fact that a lot of people who get a free copy to review it, don’t end up reviewing it.

Many thanks to Ben and Brent for covering for me while I was indisposed.

Don’t forget to listen to Episode 16: 5 Great Soundtracks, if you haven’t done so yet.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE17: Meet Ben and Brent appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE17: Meet Ben and Brent appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

Not everyone movie has a great soundtracks. Bad movies can have amazing soundtracks and amazing movies can have sucky soundtracks. Stay tuned til the end for the Mailbag segment.

Jonathan reveals 5 Great Soundtracks. These soundtracks should appeal to various types of geeks.

Star Wars

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Juno

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Clerks.

Mailbag

Many thanks to Paul, Mike W. and Mike P. for their thoughts about other great graphic novels to read. They suggested:

Maus

Sin City

Transmetropolitan

Earth X

Criminal (by Ed Brubaker)

Richard Stark’s Parker (by Darwyn Cooke)

Beasts of Burden (by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson)

Nexus

Jimmy Corrigan

Tales to Thrizzle

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Thanks also to Jared for his feedback expressing how much he likes the top 5 list episodes, the Cube of Death episode and his desire that Geeks Explicitly had a longer running time.

Don’t forget to listen to Episode 15: 5 GREAT Graphic Novels, if you haven’t done so yet.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE16: 5 Great Soundtracks appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE16: 5 Great Soundtracks appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

What do you picture when you combine reading and Geeks Explicitly? Graphic novels of course. 5 Great Graphic Novels to be more precise.

Jonathan reveals 5 Great Graphic Novels. They contain no superheroes, are not manga, and steer clear of non-fiction.

Bone by Jeff Smith

FABLES by Bill Willingham

Usagi Yojimbo by Stan Sakai

Sin City by Frank Miller

Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan

Jonathan also recommends that you visit No Flying, No Tights. That is a fantastic graphic novel resource run by a Massachusetts librarian as a one-stop shop for librarians, and everyone else, who want all things graphic novels.

Don’t forget to listen to Episode 14: Zombie Dice Review, if you haven’t done so yet.

You’ll want to check out Jonathan’s other podcast:

Wargaming Recon, historical wargaming podcast with new episodes on the 2nd & 4th Monday of the month.

Be sure to tell your friends about Geeks Explicitly. You can contact us by e-mailing [email protected], follow us on Twitter @GeeksExplicitly, or Like our Facebook page.

Also, listen to us on iTunes!

Many thanks to Jeremy Kostiew for creating our logo. Check out his work at MightyNightGaunt.com.

If you like Geeks Explicitly, then you’re sure to like the other shows on the Troll in the Corner Podcast Network.

Our intro song is “I Wish I Were” by Matthew Ebel. Please give his other music a listen at www.matthewebel.com.

The post GE15: 5 GREAT Graphic Novels appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.

The post GE15: 5 GREAT Graphic Novels appeared first on Geeks Explicitly.