nerds

Nerds Mourn Passing of Social Network that Isn't Facebook and Isn't Even Dead

Nell Jensen · 01/30/12 08:56PM

What is a "Bebo?" Is it a) a new Internet nickname for Justin Bieber (my first guess) or b) a social network you have never heard of as a result of its stint as an AOL property that was sold at an $840 million loss? According to a lot of unexpected weeping on Twitter, it's the second of these two things. The site unceremoniously went dark and left everybody (including the site's original co-founder) confused about what had happened for several hours before a seemingly drunk company spokesman got around to clarifying that the actual problem was, ahem, "a technical clusterfuck."

Famous Rapper Wreaks Havoc on College Bar by Demanding Drinks for Free

Maureen O'Connor · 09/20/11 12:19PM

It was the coolest of times, it was the crappiest of times. B.o.B., a famous rapper, came all the way to Ithaca to play a show at Cornell University. This was, according to locals, cool. But then he went and ran up a $1,060 bill at a local bar, and refused to pay the waiter. This was, according to locals, not cool. The Cornell Daily Sun reports:

The Best Reason to Visit Reddit Is No More

Adrian Chen · 08/25/11 04:51PM

We often give popular link-sharing site Reddit a hard time for being a hive of pale overexcitable nerds, but there is one reliably interesting section of the site: Ask Me Anything, where the famous and unknown alike take questions from random commenters. Unfortunately it was just shut down.

Model Kicked Out of Comic Con for Being Too Sexy

Maureen O'Connor · 07/25/11 12:21PM

There is a limit to how close cosplay can get to foreplay at Comic Con. Nerd babe and America's Next Top Model winner Adrianne Curry says she got kicked out for showing an "illegal" amount of butt cheek. She had to tie a shirt around her waist to get back in. Meanwhile, this completely naked NSFW Daenerys (is that a mistletoe above her crotch? dragon?) perseveres. Comic Con: Getting closer to a live action fetish porno everyday. [Superficial, @AdrianneCurry, images via Bauer-Griffin]

Let the Annual Comic-Con Parade of Freaks Begin

Brian Moylan · 07/22/11 04:07PM

Every year at Comic-Con, San Diego's massive nerd fest which is happening all weekend, we see all sorts of photos and footage of the geeks and fanatics dressed in their overly ornate costumes for the occasion. Well, if that's what you really want to see, who are we to keep it from you?

Tattoos for Nerds

Ryan Tate · 07/13/11 04:47PM

If you're getting a tattoo of a mouse pointer, robot or digital watch, it should probably be temporary, like the ones sold by Brooklyn startup Tattly. Digital devices are all about volatile memory and "undo" options, after all.

Google Bids Pi Billion on Patents

Max Read · 07/02/11 12:05PM

Was everyone at Google stoned when the company was placing bids on a collection of Nortel Networks patents that it could've really used? Because here are three of their bids: $1,902,160,540; $2,614,972,128; $3,141,592,653. Yes—that last one is Pi billion dollars.

Watch the Winning Moment of the 2011 Scripps National Spelling Bee

Matt Cherette · 06/02/11 10:32PM

"Cymotrichous" is defined as "having wavy hair." But for 14-year-old Sukanya Roy—the winner of this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, which just wrapped up outside Washington, DC—it means $25,000 cash, a $5,000 scholarship, a $2,500 bond, a Barnes & Noble Nook, and the title of the best middle school speller in the country. Video of Sukanya's triumphant moment is above.

Our Future Military Leaders: Nerds Smoking Fake Weed

Hamilton Nolan · 02/28/11 11:58AM

It must suck so bad to go to one of these allegedly prestigious military service academies. Besides being hazed by crewcut goons and receiving a trip to Iraq as a graduation present, you can't even smoke real ganja. So weak.

Is This the Biggest Video Game Freakout Ever?

Matt Cherette · 02/12/11 09:33PM

Here's a video of a guy playing StepMania, which is like Dance Dance Revolution for computers. Standard, right? Nope! Shortly after he starts, our future Anger Management student begins freaking out over his mistakes—that's when things get good.

Zachary Levi Has Nerd Pride

Sarah Prial · 11/30/10 04:21PM

Zachary Levi was the guest on Lopez Tonight, and George Lopez called him out on loving video games. Levi being the dashingly handsome, smart, funny man (call me?) that he is, defended nerds. He's a proud one! Nerds are sexy.

If You Loved Lord of the Rings, You'll Like Game of Thrones

Richard Lawson · 11/29/10 01:04PM

Here's a trailer for the new HBO spectacular Game of Thrones, a relatively magicless fantasy series based on the popular novels by George R.R. Martin. It concerns a world where seasons last for decades, and everyone's upset.

Nation's Archivists Rise Up Against the CIA

John Cook · 11/11/10 01:26PM

The Department of Justice was too scared to prosecute the CIA for deliberately destroying evidence that its employees illegally tortured terror detainees. But fear not: The National Archives and Records Administration is still on the case.

Man Invents Robot To Buy Him Presents

Ryan Tate · 11/08/10 05:21PM

A PhD student in New Zealand has invented an internet "bot" to automatically shower him with gifts by buying cheap items in online auctions. Because computer friends, you see, do not forsake you.

This Kid Knows World of Warcraft Better Than Its Creators

nightintern · 10/26/10 04:26PM

At Blizzard's recent video game convention, BlizzCon, a kid at a Q&A knew the World of Warcraft story better than the people who wrote it. How about that! Witness a man who has achieved a legendary level of nerdiness, inside.

Kenny Powers Knows His Types of Image Files

Whitney Jefferson · 10/11/10 06:00PM

When a gigantic banner with Kenny's face is unveiled, Kenny F*cking Powers isn't okay with the end result. It's grainy and the resolution is off. Inside, Kenny Powers explains the difference between .jpg's and .tiff files.