{"id":9451,"date":"2013-12-05T17:10:24","date_gmt":"2013-12-05T22:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/2013\/12\/04\/"},"modified":"2013-12-05T17:10:55","modified_gmt":"2013-12-05T22:10:55","slug":"geek-month-in-review-november-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themagicalbuffet.com\/blog1\/?p=9451","title":{"rendered":"Geek Month in Review: November 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

by JB Sanders<\/p>\n

On to Turkey Day!<\/p>\n

Castle for Sale \u2014 Cheap!<\/a> <\/Strong>
\nAt only $179,000, I mean cheap. Nestled in the Helderberg mountains of New York State, this little artistic ruin is a perfect get-away retreat.<\/p>\n

Tiny Robots<\/a><\/Strong>
\nHere\u2019s a company making modular robot parts you fit together to create any robot you can imagine. And have a module for. Check out the video, it\u2019s pretty cool.<\/p>\n

Interactive 3D Interface<\/a><\/Strong>
\nBehold another glimpse of the future \u2014 or a really odd off-shoot that never goes anywhere. Tough to say sometimes. Scientists at MIT\u2019s Media Lab have developed a primitive interface for interacting with digital objects in 3D \u2014 not holograms, actual physical moving objects. Watch the video.<\/p>\n

Elon Musk\u2019s Hyperloop Supertrain<\/a><\/Strong>
\nNew York to Montreal in 35 minutes? Yes, please.<\/p>\n

Dr Who at 50<\/a><\/Strong>
\nThe show started 50 years ago, and is still going, making it the longest-running SciFi show on Earth television. Here\u2019s a nice retrospective of the show, focusing on the TARDIS, from the BBC.<\/p>\n

Real Photos, or Miniatures with Perspective?<\/a> <\/Strong>
\nTake some very cool model cars, add some fake terrain, and then get the perspective JUST right in front of some real buildings: what do you have? Some amazing photos.<\/p>\n

Not the Most Ideal Writing Situation<\/a><\/Strong>
\nStill, the data collected should be interesting. A Dutch writer is donning a cap full of electrodes every time he sits down to write his latest novel. Scientists plan on pouring over the data collected this way, and then doing the same thing to 50 readers as they peruse the novel. What will they find?<\/p>\n

Thousand-Year-Old Forest Discovered Under Glacier<\/a><\/Strong>
\nIn Alaska, scientists have uncovered a forest that last saw the light a thousand years ago. <\/p>\n

Full-Scale Millenium Falcon Built for Star Wars VII<\/a><\/Strong>
\nWhat do you call that? It\u2019s not a model \u2014 maybe a \u201creplica\u201d? Anyway, JJ Abrams had it built (so the rumor goes) for filming. It\u2019s a 1:1 scale set.<\/p>\n

Abandoned Sites Ready-Made for Your Villainous Lair<\/a><\/Strong>
\nYeah, ok, it\u2019s another Cracked article, but it\u2019s so, so much fun! Villainous HQs nearly ready for move-in. Just need to add that laser fence.<\/p>\n

Amazon Brings the SciFi<\/a><\/Strong>
\nWant that really cool new smart-phone? Don\u2019t want to wait for it? Order it with Prime Air shipping, and watch the helicopter drone drop it off in 30 minutes. Think I\u2019m talking about some futuristic science fiction world where electronics, books or any other smallish item can be delivered in the same time the pizza delivery ninjas can get you a hot pizza? Nope. Amazon is really actually working on delivery drones, and a promised 30 minute delivery time. Watch the video.<\/p>\n

$\"\"$ <\/a> About John:<\/strong>
\nJohn’s a geek from way back. He’s been floating between various computer-related jobs for years, until he settled into doing tech support in higher ed. Now he rules the Macs on campus with an iron hand (really, it’s on his desk).<\/p>\n

Geek Credentials:<\/strong>
\nRPG:<\/strong> Blue box D&D, lead minis, been to GenCon in Milwaukee.
\nComputer:<\/strong> TRS-80 Color Computer, Amiga 1000, UNIX system w\/reel-to-reel backup tape
\nCard games:<\/strong> bought Magic cards at GenCon in 1993
\nScience:<\/strong> Met Phil Plait, got time on a mainframe for astronomy project in 1983
\nHis Blog:<\/strong> http:\/\/glenandtyler.blogspot.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"