A couple of months ago I got into a discussion with a friend who was trying to determine the difference between a geek and a nerd.  So while I proudly claim both monikers as my own, here is my description of both and how they pertain to me.

Geek – A geek is someone who is passionate about something to the point that they study it intensely.  For these people there is simply no end to the amount of knowledge they can have on their subject(s) of passion.  Do you know someone who could quote the all the Star Wars movies in their sleep?  How about someone that lives and breaths D&D and can provide any given rule at a moment’s notice.  Or even someone who knows every stat on their favorite sports players.  All of these people are geeks!!

Nerd – A nerd is someone who has a general thirst for knowledge.  They want to learn and do so at any given opportunity.  They enjoy the random article feature on Wikipedia just for the sake of new knowledge.  They not only ask questions but go and read until they find the answer.  Documentaries and history shows are their favorite programs.  Hermione is the epitome of a nerd, her thirst for knowledge knows no bounds.  Do you know someone that reads text books for fun?  Someone who reads everything they can get their hands on?  Who assigns themselves subjects to do reports on?  All of these people are nerds!!

So the main difference is that a Geek focuses on a subject or handful of subjects, while a nerd simply wants to learn everything they can about everything.  The other difference is that a nerd is more likely to only pull out their knowledge as needed, while a geek will happily jump up on their chosen soap box and pontificate on their given subject(s) for hours on end.

I am a geek when it comes to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.  We are heading there again this December and I can’t wait to make my 8th visit there.  I could go on and on about everything there, but I will save that for another post.  There are plenty of gamer type things to write about, probably more than you guessed.

I am also a nerd.  I used the cash my grandma gave me for my 18th birthday to buy my own copy of the Calculus text book we used in high school such it was so well written.  When I was a kid I would assign myself subjects to study over the summer, such as owl pellets, Norway, or ice skating.  In fact I taught myself Calculus I the summer before my senior year in college.  I have tutored several people in math because I enjoy algebra the way people do crossword puzzles (which I also enjoy).   This is a lot of why I could be successful getting my bachelors degree through Portland State’s online program.

Hopefully this helps some to clear up any confusion you might have on the words nerd and geek.  It should also put me clearly in the nerd category with a touch of geek, a position I have learned to be proud of over the years.  So where do you fall on the spectrum, and if you are a geek what are your topics, if you are a nerd what proves that?

Our Switch

About 1-1/2 years ago we realized that we were wasting money every month paying a cable bill just for fun.  The realization came on night when we looked around and discovered that no one had turned the cable on in a whole month.  What a waste of our money!

At that point we were already Netflix members as I had signed up when I took a Film and Politics class at Portland State University.  Since we were watching a movie a week and they had almost all the movies in their collection it was a good investment.  When we gave up cable we switched to Netflix for our TV viewing entertainment.

In all honesty we have not missed out cable at all.  I should share that we are not a sports watching family so there were no games for us to miss out on, and even for you sports people out there I hear that this year the Superbowl will be live streamed online so there are really no excuses anymore.

6 Benefits to Streaming

Since we gave up cable we have noted some benefits to our lives that had both been expected and unexpected.  Here is our list:

1) No more cable bill.  Even with the changes to subscriptions that Netflix has undergone the savings is considerable, especially as we dropped the DVD portion when they split them (we weren’t watching them anyways).

2) No more advertisements at Christmas time.  I have two school aged kids and while they hear about stuff from their friends they are shielded from the onslaught of commercials for the latest chunk of plastic or useless electronic that barrage our favorite shows come fall.

3) No more political ads.  For us this has been a great and unexpected benefit, especially heading into an election year like this one.  Right now we are having a special election for a new Senator and since we haven’t seen adds our decisions are based on what is on the ballot, their websites and our voter’s guide.  This allows us to make a decision without hating the idea of voting due to negative ads before out ballot even shows up.  For us this is a good thing.

4) No more missing the show.  This is great for all of us, if you doze off or have to run a kid to an event before the show is over there are no issues, just watch it later.  Sure you get this with DVR but then you probably have a higher bill than I do.

5) I know what the kids have been watching.  They have the chance to cruise the available shows and movies on Netflix and there are some that they are simply too young to watch.  Since everything you watch kicks over to a “Recently Watched” section we all know what each other is watching.  A much easier way to keep tabs on things, though my kids haven’t tried watching anything they shouldn’t.

6) Exposure to new shows.  I have found that documentaries that interest me are far easier to come by then they used to be with my cable provider.  This also means my kids have gotten into “How It’s Made” that they would have been unlikely to run across before our switch.

Do you stream?

While it is not the best answer for everyone, the switch to streaming TV has been great for us.  So tell me, have to switched to streaming and if you have what benefits have you seen, if not, why not?

by my daughter in Kindergarten

Creativity is essential

While not everyone will agree, I feel that one of the greatest gifts you can provide for your child is the ability to be creative.  Thinking with a creative mind allows a person to not only develop novel solutions to a problem they are faced with, but also imagine what might happen should a certain course of action take place.  In our world there is quickly developing a divide between those that can imagine novel solutions and those that are the sheep that follow.  While both are required in society, in my case I don’t follow all that well or happily.

Raising creative kids

So, if I think raising your child to be creative is so important how do you go about doing it?  To start I would like to say that I am not an expert on raising kids; this is just one mom’s opinion on the matter.  What I suggest and do myself may or may not work for your family, kids or yourself, all we can do is try.

That being said, I think the first and most important step to raising creative kids is to have creative parents.  It is far easier to approach things from new angles when you live in a setting where you see the adults doing so all the time.  This is why my kids are welcome to sit at our gaming table and listen to the group try to figure out how to solve the latest challenge the GM has thrown at them.  This is also why we discuss problems that we have at work or with school at the dinner table, trying to find the best way and share our different approaches we have tried in the past with each other.

I think that the best way to bring out the natural creativity in any child (or even adult for that matter) is to ask “what if” type questions.

a drawing by my son in 3rd grade

Such as “What if your rubber duck could swim on its own, what would it do?”, this gives a young child the chance to imagine a clear picture and respond with an answer.  Now comes the hard part, respect your child’s answer by either expressing approval or by asking a question to get more information.  It is critical that you allow them the freedom to answer with something that isn’t even logical, especially when they are younger then school-age.  If their rubber duck would turn upside-down and swim with its feet in the air using its wings to paddle, then respond with a “Neat”.  Don’t shut them down by pointing out that ducks can’t swim like that.  Creativity is about imagining those things that are, combined with those things that aren’t, to generate a newness.  We cannot be creative and endlessly bound by our current reality at the same time!

My creative kids

As a result of letting my children be free-thinkers they are often praised for their creativity.  Of course there are times, such as school assignments, where we have to reign in that creative thinking some so that they can conform enough to pass.  It is a fine line to walk, especially with my daughter who is very free thinking.  In the end though, I find that it is worth the struggle.

I find that because of their creativity my children are constantly looking for ways to rework the world into something new.  Our dining/game room has 2 bookshelves in it primarily dedicated to art supplies, our recycle bin is regularly scrounged through for the latest creative endeavor.  In fact, just yesterday my son looked at his old twin mattress we are getting rid of and since it is too worn for use, he asked if he could take two of the springs from it so he could attach them to his shoes.  As you can see I work to keep up with them as they surprise me with questions I am at best half prepared to hear.

Lego creation by my son

So what do you do with this?

Start asking your kid questions about “what if” with no wrong answer.  Buy them blocks and Lego sets and let any style of car or rocket ship they build be awesome, and join them at it even if you aren’t very good in your eyes – they will think you make cool things.  Watch clouds go by and decide what they look like, cats or elephants or flying monkeys.  If they create a new creature and draw you a picture, provide approval and reinforcement by asking them what its favorite food is.  Anything you do that allows them to make new things adds to their creative pool, giving them the means to move past how it has always been to how it could be.  That is, after all, how we turn our wishes into reality.  And while you are helping your child be creative, help yourself to be creative as well.

For many of us our Library is an untapped resource for getting our geek on.  Today I started small and borrowed my first DVD’s from the library.  So, for the price of nothing beyond the taxes I pay anyways, I brought home 4 movies that we can watch for free.  Today’s focus for my movies was Disney as I am a huge Disney animated geek.  We watched some older Goofy shorts that my kids giggled at heartily and The Great Mouse Detective (Mystery in the Mist Edition) which I hadn’t seen in ages and my daughter hadn’t seen at all but rather enjoyed.

Next I am planning to cruise through the online catalog and find a video game or two that look interesting and put them on hold.  One of the down sides is that many of the more popular games are usually on a wait list, but on the upside I can easily place them on hold from the comfort of my home and get a friendly email when my name eventually makes it to the top.  This will allow me to play a variety of games without the expense of buying them.  If I find I really like the game I can go pick up my own copy, otherwise I can just play it until my time is up, then return it all for free!!!

In addition, I know a number of libraries in my area that are also are supporting Manga and anime clubs, in addition to board game nights for the teens, kids and families.  What a great, free resources us geek families have in our local libraries!!!

I discovered Sheri S. Tepper as an author when I was in middle school.  My mom had taken me to the Downtown Portland Public Library and in the Young Adult section I found the book Jinian Star-Eye sitting on the display racks.  The cover intrigued me, and the Title and short synopsis cinched it and I took the book home.  I tore through it like crazy and completely fell in love with the character of Jinian as well as the world in which she lived.  I ended up checking out the book several more times during the years in Middle and High School.  Honestly I can’t even remember how many times I read the book before I discovered that it was really book 9 of a 9 book series.

So begin my love affair with all of Sheri S. Tepper’s Sci-Fi/Fantasy books.  I have virtually all of them, though some of her first works are harder to come by these days.  Due to my school schedule over the last couple years, as well as the rest of life, I have fallen behind on reading her latest works though I am starting to get caught up.  Right now I am reading The Fresco, which is proving to be yet another excellent book.  While I love her style of writing and how she tracks the story from several different angles by jumping between characters from chapter to chapter eventually bringing them together as the story unfolds, I also love her underlying themes.  Her themes resonate strongly with me especially those about how we treat each other, what it means to be a creature that is truly part of our world, and even what it means to be human as well as how we treat the planet we call home.  I find that her works really cause me to rethink how we as humans are managing, or not, ourselves and what could be done to fix many of the social ills we suffer from.

If you are looking for a new author to try out in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre then I highly recommend Sheri S. Tepper, My favorites are Beauty and Gate to Women’s Country, though The Fresco and The Family Tree might be an easier jump in for some people as they take place on Earth.  I know I am one of her biggest fans, I named my daughter Jinian after the book that started it all for me.

My dad’s ash spreading

As you may know from previous posts my father passed away in March of this year. Tomorrow would have been his 67th birthday and we will be gathering as a family for a spaghetti dinner and to spread his ashes. All of this brings to mind some research I did a few years ago into the options of what one could do with a set of human ashes beyond keep them in a urn on the shelf, or spread them to the land, ocean, air or space. Here are some of the ideas I found online, some are just ideas that I have been proposed, while others are viable solutions for your use today.

A White Gem from LifeGem

Make a gem from ashes

You can turn the ashes from your loved one into a gem made by LifeGem. These gems come in a variety of colors, and require a pretty good investment of funds as well. For some people this would be a great way to keep the memories of your dearly departed near you at all times. Not really my thing, but I have never been a big jewelry girl.

Make artwork from ashes

Travels to Paradise Cremation Ash Painting

There are artists out there that can use some of the ashes of your loved one to help create a work of art that can be hung on your wall or put on your mantle as a memorial to your dearly departed. They use some ashes to make their works of art. Not sure what I would get a painting of for my father, so we will just be spreading him around the yard instead. It is an interesting idea though, if you are looking for an artist then I suggest checking out Art in Ashes.

One artist, Wieki Somers, is using a 3D printer to turn human ashes, and some other ingredients I am sure, into works of art for an exhibit. Read more about it on designboom.

Plans for the future

Now when my husband dies, assuming he goes before me, I would love to turn his ashes into a set of gaming dice. With the advent of technology in the coming years I figure it shouldn’t be too far fetched when the time eventually gets here. As for me, I want my ashes spread by a great, mossy tree in a forest far from any water source. I get majorly sea sick and would hate for my ashes to make it to the ocean before they are mulched back into the earth.

Boffer combat

My first encounter with boffer combat was through my college boyfriend playing a home grown LARP (Live Action Role-Playing) Game.  We wore period style clothing, and used boffer weapons for combat.  Our group played each Sunday at Mt. Tabor Park in Portland, OR.  It is actually where I got to know my first husband, who still plays boffer LARPs just different games.  In fact my kids have their own boffer weapons as well.

However it seems that all of the strange looks we got at the park were for nothing as boffer has now gone mainstream.  NERF has introduced a line of boffer weapons called N-Force.  I checked them out online and then in the store the other day and took a good look at the Nerf N-Force Battlemaster Mace Axe.  While the construction is safe enough for most kids to play with, I would still have to say that they are not as well padded as the boffer weapons typically used in a LARP setting.  Add this together with the lack of set safety rules that are part of a boffer LARP, and you could end up with a bit of modern-day boffer bruises.

Despite my concerns over the potential safety risks with these weapons, I think that they would be awesome if combined with a bit of boffer combat rules, such as no head or groin shots.  It is nice to see that another element of our gamer world has hit the mainstream.  It just goes to prove that the geeks shall inherit the earth.

Image courtesy gilderm

I am rather excited to find that some serious attention is now being given to the need for interstellar travel capabilities. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA for short, has teamed up with a branch of NASA to set the ball in motion. It is call the 100-year Starship Study. There will be a symposium on the subject in late September in Orlando, Florida and about 150 people will participate. They will be chosen based on panel proposals and speaking abstracts that are submitted through their site.

It is great to see that they are finally working towards this and so seriously too. If you check out the release from DARPA on this you can see how serious they are. There will be discussion not only on what new technology will get us to the nearest star but also how we choose who goes, how do we deal with the ethics of it, how do we sell the idea to the general masses, cryogenics, and a lot more.

In the end they are looking to seed a company that is created with the purpose of making this happen in the next 100 years. Personally I am hoping for some of the technology created along the way to improve my life. Mostly I really want a faster way to get from my home to Orlando, Florida for my favorite vacations as the plane ride is the only downside to my Walt Disney World trips. Maybe we will be able to say “Beam me up” by the time they head to the stars.

Looking for a way to make sure your young, or freaked out, lost child can get back to your caring arms?  I know when we have taken our kids into crowded places like conventions, zoos, or bigger places like Disney World we are always trying to keep an eye on them so they can’t get lost.  But as all parents know some kids are simply slipperier than others, for those that may get separated from you, here is a product I found tonight that can help.

Temp Tattoo for kids

It is a removable tattoo with the means to write your cell phone number on it.  No more need to take a sharpie to their arm when you to the Country Fair to be sure that a concerned adult can call you to claim your lost little one when a separation occurs.

According to the write up on Think Geek, the tattoo is highly durable and can last as long as two weeks.  They also suggest using it for things like medical conditions and food allergies when dropping your kids off in the care of another adult that may not know, like a B-day party.  The only downside I see is that it takes a special pen to go with it, guess you better set it all up in a zip-style baggie so you don’t lose it.

So cruising my favorite Science News site tonight I stumbled on what is being dubbed the future of computers.  Especially in regards to smart phone technology I can see this coming fast, but then doesn’t all the tech come fast these days?

A group has developed a flexible phone that duplicates the myriad of features that a smart phone has, though it adds another way to interact with the device in that you can bend it in a variety of ways and you can program the response the phone will have to these various bends.  Here is the link to the article on Science Daily which first caught my eye.

Here are a couple of videos from You Tube that show off the tech.  I can’t help but think the arm mounted one is the start of Shadowrun type arm computers.  Another step closer to Shadowrun being our reality, what Corp will you work for?

Snaplet: A Flexible E Ink Wristband Computer That Senses Its Shape by Human Media Lab

Paper computer shows flexible future for smartphones and tablets by Human Media Lab