It took a week and a half, but I’ve got my stuff and finally got internet hooked up.  I’ll slowly get back into the blogging routine, in between unpacking and setting up my new life in Chicago.

I bought a new TV (52″ Sony Bravia), got addicted to Prison Break, and beat Final Fantasy III on the DS.

I’ll be playing catch up on Geek-Out Moments for a while.  I’ll be back-dating them so if you’re eager not to miss one, make sure you subscribe to my feed.

Lost landed in our hearts and minds with a crash. The shocking premiere unleashed a treasure trove of mysteries inspiring a whole new form of addictive, serialized television. Lost has been unapologetically obtuse, complex, and insulting to anyone who doesn’t study the show’s mythology 24/7 and yet and turned its eccentricities into endearing quirks that only make the show more addictive and lovable. The complex characters, rich mysteries, and detailed science, from the numbers to the flashbacks, every second of Lost is pop culture gold to be over analyzed, memorized, and cherished.

Complete with an astonishing $60 million opening weekend, the blockbuster made a success of Marvel’s flagship franchise while cementing the name of comic books in Hollywood’s mind. After a long line of flops like Mystery Men and the atrocious Marvel films from the late 80’s, X-Men became the first classic comic film based on a well known property. Successes like Blade, Men in Black, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films had little association with the comics, but X-Men couldn’t escape its predecessor. Because of the film’s success, numerous comic movies went on the fast track. Spider-Man went on to become the fifth highest grossing film in history while Daredevil, X-Men 2, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and the Hulk will be released before July 2003. In addition, hundreds of other comic book films are in the works waiting to capitalize on the millions of movie goers who proved their loyalty with the X-Men.

The end of Buffy’s first year in Sunnydale brought the Slayer face to face with the season’s big bad. Buffy went to kill the Master once and for all, hoping to fend off the prophecy of her death and the Master’s rise, not thinking that it was she that helped free the Master. The Master fed on Buffy, killing her and growing powerful enough to free himself from his Hellmouth prison. Of course, death isn’t enough to stop Buffy. After some CPR and a nice bath (in sewer water), Buffy was stronger and more bad ass, trouncing the Master and showing the Slayer had more stories to tell. And we couldn’t wait

Carpel tunnel syndrome plagued the world of gaming after Diablo making obsessive clicking an all-night event.  The dungeon crawler gave gamers an unlimited amount of replay with randomly generated dungeons filled with more treasure, look, and demons.  And if the click-click-clicking craziness wasn’t enough, developer Blizzard innovated some of the earliest and best online multiplayer through Battle.net.  Computer gaming changed for the compulsively better thanks to Diablo’s simplistic single click controls and some of the most addictive gameplay around.

Following a few years after the first video game console, the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari’s 2600 helped kick the home console market into a blockbuster business. Launched in 1977, Atari had a slow start, but emerged as the most popular Christmas gift of 1979 thanks to the popularity of games beyond the expected Pong. Arcade ports and original creations flooded the system, making Atari the top name in video games and innovator in the home console market.

South Park began as an animated short down by Matt Stone and Trey Parker when they met at film school in the University of Colorado. Their low-budget animated short “Jesus vs. Frosty” captivated FOX executive Brian Graden who requested the duo make him a video Christmas card. Stone and Parker’s video became a huge online success and inspired the long running Comedy Central series. Since its beginning, South Park has become a staple of pop culture, a terrifying evolution of cartoons for adults like the Simpsons. Catch phrases to hit songs to pop culture references with real life relevance, South Park is our newest resources for telling us how to feel about everything else. South Park begins its 12th season this March.

I’ve moved into my new place in Chicago, though my stuff is still a week behind. I won’t have reliable internet for another week (I’m writing this post on my cell phone) so posting will still be irregular at best. Of course this happens when StumbleUpon sends me a week of record-breaking traffic. I’ll be updating Twitter for those who just need a Michael Sherrin fix. Anyone?

What happens when you lock a dozen geeks with unlimited money in a room and tell them to make something? Of course you get a doomsday device. Okay, so the Manhattan Project was not the proudest moment in geek history, but was a terrifying moment of what intelligence can do. It unleashed the most destructive force in the hands of non-geeks a.k.a. military generals and what do those guys know. For all its destructive power, nuclear weapons have also led to nuclear power - technology, however controversial.

Comedy Central, the channel starring vulgar 3rd graders and crank calling puppets, isn’t the first name in news, but the Daily Show is the standard to measure the rest by.  Jon Stewart took over for Craig Kilborn in 1999, just in time for the 2000 election.  For the next eight years, the Daily Show provided the sharpest political and media commentary this side of Carlos Mencia.  Uber geek Jon Stewart became an icon for teens and college students, inspiring a generation to geek out over politics.