geek skills Archives - Page 2 of 3 - Austin's game writer central

Hilton Hhonors Royally Botches Password Security

How Not to Handle Password Security Recently Hilton’s Hhonors loyalty program asked me to reset my password in their attempt to increase security. Makes sense, after high-profile security breaches at several online websites like Target.com. They dangled a 1000-point reward for early action so of course I hopped over and reset my password. Today I […]

I For One Welcome Our New Tolkien-Savvy Late Night Overlord, Stephen Colbert

All Hail Stephen Colbert, Tolkien Overlord Stephen Colbert is a walking, talking Tolkien robo-freak? Who knew? I mean, he is the epitome of the talented, charming uber-nerd, but I for one had no idea his credentials were quite so authentic. Colbert turns out to have major Tolkien cred, although sadly his secret supergeek origin story is […]

Bing Wants You To Eat a Motsu Pod

As some of you know, I do a fair amount of work in the world of Local SEO or “LSO”. That is, I help clients optimize their data so that they appear in map search engines for phrases like “Detroit florist.” Today I was greatly amused by some of the categories Bing provided for businesses […]

Back Up Wordpress to Google Drive? Careful!

Just a quick little rant about backing up your Wordpress blog to Google Drive. I love this idea, but at the moment it’s an example of why you can’t always trust what you read in a quick Google search. Dig deeper, my geeks. There are two Wordpress plugins that you’ll see scattered around in the top […]

PS3 Controller Problems

Game Industry Denizens – Not Immune to PS3 Controller Problems My PS3 controller’s started to cause me problems lately. It’s the “random dpad button presses” problem. I’m putting along, just trying to destroy digital things in my little fantasy worlds, and suddenly my avatar is changing weapons like a dervish and insulting all of my […]

Newsflash: The Earth Isn’t Round

Hey, Somebody Sat On My Planet! Kids, today we’ll talk about things astronomical, because videogame writers are such geeks. First up, take a look at this lumpy dumpy planet we live on! I mean, I never expected Earth to be a perfect sphere, but this is an abomination. Newsflash: the earth isn’t round or square. […]

Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza Makes Gamers Happy

Papa Murphy’s Pizza Experiment a Huge Success Take ‘n’ bake pizza from Papa Murphy’s has always been close to my heart — I used to feast on it when I lived in Northern California, back when I worked at Rocket Science and 3DO. So when Papa Murphy’s approached me to ask if I’d be willing […]

Siri Says: “Email Sent!”

Hilarious Siri video from some dude on Vimeo. This is what happens when two iPhone 4s’ talk to each other.

Making a Cardboard Camera

Dad, this one’s for you. This is what I call an extraordinary level of effort and precision. The thing actually works, but good luck on getting the film. You’d have to process it in a trash barrel or paint bucket. Kiel Johnson’s Cardboard Twin Lens Reflex Camera Time Lapse from Theo Jemison.

Spam to Gold: Ditch Your Spam for Kids

Change Spam Mail Into School Lunches Spam mail is good for something! What a shock. Chipotle has a great new benefit to improve school lunches, and it involves spam. Spam to gold! Once Chipotle gets 500,000 spam emails, they’ll donate $50,000 to The Lunch Box, which means lots more healthy food for school kids. Check […]