Early NX Concepts Show the Enterprise that Might Have Been. I have seen a few concepts for the NX class that have been out there, but I stumbled upon this little guy on Reddit, and thought it was worth sharing.  Just to jog your memory, Star Trek Enterprise was the last of the Star Trek TV shows, and although not bad (in my opinion) it was critically panned, both from the outside community and the Star Trek base. The most common concept I usually see is the one above, which I pulled from the great Memory Alpha site, which is kind of a mix of the traditional federation saucer (see the location of the bridge) a Defiant class (solid hull construction) and the Pheonix, Dr. Zefram Cochrane ship seen in Star Trek First Contact (check the warp nacelles and the way in which they are connected to the hull.) I never really disliked the NX, although it did always bug me that really it was just an Akira flipped upside down, but the design never really stuck with me as did any of the Enterprises, Voyager, or the Defiant.  This new, to me anyway, concept at least seems to bring it in line with the Star Trek Mythos, it looks like a Federation star ship, hell, it looks like an Enterprise.   Imgur
May 24, 2013 VIEW POST
Pinball and What I Have Learned I had a cool opportunity to hang out with my buddy Blake and help him film his upcoming documentary Shoot Again:  The Resurgence of Pinball.  I have done a lot of work with Blake on some of our own stuff for our office, but this is the first chance I had to work with him on one of his own projects.  It was fun, I had a chance to get a better understanding of what he does, but I learned much more about Pinball. Ill be honest, I don’t know much about pinball.  I like playing pinball machines (or “pin’s” as they are apparently called), Im not terribly good at it, but they are fun, more so than most arcade games, I think.  There is a tactile sensation of moving a physical object through a game field, and feeling the machine move and react to you and your actions, that simply cannot be replicated in virtual games. Anyway, Blake’s documentary looks at pinball’s come back, and through my two hour interaction with his subject, who owns the largest private collection of “pin’s” in North Carolina, I learned of the downturn of the industry, and the new buzz that is guys like Jersey Jack whose machine “Wizard of Oz” and upcoming machine “Star Trek” are set to put pinball back in the main stream. As a (still) 20 something, a child of the 90’s growing up in the Nintendo generation, all I have to do is look around and I can see that new found interest in the medium from guys like me, just go to Lost Ark and compare the pinballers to the guys at the arcade machines.  Its a fun topic, and something that I was not aware that people were so passionate about.  As a Geek I appreciate all forms of Geek-ness, and it was refreshing to meet this guy, a grandpa who has done very well for himself financially, discuss “forums” and “meet-ups” and “haters” as he scours the Internet for new and exciting opportunities to better his collection.  Be sure to check out Blake’s Facebook page for more pictures, and updates on his documentary.
May 23, 2013 VIEW POST
May 17, 2013 VIEW POST
MisguidedGeek’s First Pathfinder Campaign:  GAME OVER I havent posted about my first Pathfinder Campaign in a while, so I thought I would update and, unfortunately, conclude this series.  To be quite honest, there hasnt been much to report, I have just been gaming, moving along, learning the system, and getting comfortable with the role playing dynamics.  It has been fun getting to know this new type of game play as well as my fellow role players,  Unfortunately, our GM is moving away from our fair city, so we have ended our game quite unceremoniously.  I havent quite decided at this point if this will be my first foray into table top RPG’s, or my only attempt in this genre.  There are definite things I like, the customization, the role playing dynamics, meeting all the other gamers, just to name a few.  However, there are just as many draw backs, the confusing game play mechanics, the sometimes awkward meet ups, and the very slow, plodding pace of the game. Whats the old adage   ”Its not the destination but the journey” or something like that?  This was indeed a journey, i put myself out there, tried some new and excited things, and came away with a better understanding of an area in the geek realm which I was unfamiliar with.  Dont fret, Jex still lives, thanks to the fact that I registered him with Paizo, however I have a feeling he will be taking an extended vacation before returning to his Pathfinder ways.
May 16, 2013 VIEW POST
NBC Brings More Bite with Dracula Long time reader Bedour Al-Sharrah sent me the below tweet: I had not yet seen the trailer for NBC’s new Vamp Drama Dracula, buy my initial reaction was “Do we really need more vampires clogging up our airwaves?”  We have the Twilight movies, Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Vampire Diaries, Being Human, which I am admittedly endeared with, and this isnt even counting the various monster shows and movies out there currently (aka Grimm). At some point we have to reach some pre-prescribed limit of how much blood sucking that can be out there, until the whole genre just sucks right?  So, I checked out the trailer, and based on this quick look at the new show, I see things I like and things that make me nervous. LOOKS GOOD The pedigree.    Written/Directed by Dan Knauf (Carnivale, Supernatural, also comic book writer), but some episodes will also be directed by Andy Goddard (Downton Abbey) and Steve Shill (Dexter).  These are some well traveled, experience folks who have seen success in storytelling in this genre and time period.  I also like the premise, rather than do what so many are doing, Vampires today, this is a re-imagination of the original text, Bram Stoker’s Dracula.  If it is able to keep the intensity and dread, and forboding air of the book, I think it will be a great show.  Also, I love seeing Nonso Anozie In anything (GOT, Conan). DO NOT LIKE All though I put emphasis on the pedigree, I really dont think that means much any more.  Just because a name is put with something, does not mean its defacto going to be awesome (Moffat excluded).  And although the premise looks interesting, I can already see some over done tropes emerging (flashbacks, vampires fighting on roofs, mysterious puzzles) that make me nervous that his is just going to be another love/action/drama, to fill up NBC’s lack luster Friday night line up. This is merely one Geeks humble opinion, check out the trailer below, let me know your thoughts in the comments or tweet at me as Bedour did with your thoughts, @Misguidedgeek.  Look for Dracula this fall on NBC.   Thank you to Bedour Al-Sharrah for brining this to my attention, for your sake I hope its amazing, but from what I have seen so far I am nervous.  Have something you would like me to weigh in on?  Leave me a comment in a post, use the “Ask” feature built into the blog, or hit me up on Twitter or Facebook.  
May 15, 2013 VIEW POST
May 14, 2013 VIEW POST
Gearing up for Heroes Con 2013! I was recently reminded that we are only about 4 weeks away from Heroes Con 2012 “America’s Favorite Convention.” I have bee meaning to do this for some time, but I have been throwing around some business card ideas, hopefully to better keep in contact with all the great people we will meet in Charlotte. Let me know what you think, as well as if you are planning to attend the con. BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW
May 9, 2013 VIEW POST
Meet Caitlin from Contagious Costuming! I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Caitlin this past weekend at Free Comic Book day over at Acme Comics, and I was absolutely blown away by her take on Thanos.  There were a ton of great cosplayers out this year, see my last post for some additional images, but in my very humble opinion, Lady Thanos took the MisguidedGeek prize for Cos-Of-The-Day!  Simply phenomenal work, great attention to details, just check out that head piece, the make up, and of course the chin!  Nice work all around, done by someone who, I picked up quickly in my short conversation with her, is passionate about their craft and thrilled to be a part of this culture.   Caitlin is not alone in her passion for all things geeky here, and I think she is a testament to the often unseen, but always present, nerd culture in my home town of Greensboro North Carolina.  I am thrilled when I see our local dens of geekyness get some national and regional recognition, like Geeksboro, and Acme Comics (Eisner nominated and host of the first Comic Book City Con).  Caitlin thinks this is the “nerdiest city in NC”, a statement which I wholly agree with.   I thank Caitlin very much for letting me share a little about her.  To learn more, or to see more shots of her Thanos, check out the Contagious Costuming Facebook Page, as well as the Cosplayer Chronicle video my buddy Blake did from Distractotron!
May 8, 2013 VIEW POST
Free Comic Book Day 2013 Left Overs Well another FCBD is in the books, and yes the haul was great, but one does not go and wait in line for nearly two and a half hours JUST for a bag of free comics.  You go for the people, to see old friends and make new ones.  I have been going to FCBD for more than a few years at my local shop, but every year seems to be better than the last.  The excitement, the comradeship, the fact that comic books, as simple as they are can bring a very diverse group of people together.   As one can see in the video above (Check me out at 2:51) you see parents and children, old folks and young, cosplayers, geeks and nerds of all ways shapes and backgrounds.  I had the distinct pleasure of spending the day with my pal Tim from NorthStateNerd and my pal Blake, the man behind Distractotron and BeatDownBoogie, and I ran into Xombirick, one of the kingpins of the Wicked Radio Network, of which this humble bog is a proud member of. I also met a ton of cool folks (one of which I plan to highlight later this week) and of course, got my comic fix on.  All in all, it was a great day to be a geek!  Check out the album below for some additional images, some are from me, but the better ones are from Distractotron’s Facebook Page (GO LIKE IT!)
May 6, 2013 VIEW POST