Geeking Out

Tweet is now OED official (The Daily Dot) Painted memes are a classy look back at Internet comedy (The Mary Sue) Drunk guy tries to jump balconies, plummets 13 stories (Guy Code Blog) John Oliver reminds us that we can all just ignore Sarah Palin (Mediaite) Crowdfunding might be the new test of celebrity popularity (Flavorwire) Chris Kluwe watches mermaid documentary, hilarity ensues (SportsGrid) 4 Adventure Time apps to whet your appetite (GeekSugar) (Title pic via Reddit)

From Deviantart user Cakecrumbs: The cake aims to be a level-accurate depiction of levels 2.1 and 2.2. I chose those levels as it allowed me the variety to depict three different ‘places’ on tiers that could be joined relative to one another. I picked level 2 as I originally thought I could fit the whole level on the cake, but as I began I realised even these beginning levels were too long. The cake took about 5 days to finish. There was a lot more detail than I expected. Everything from the stripes on the pipes to the embossing of the stones took a lot of time. Everything is hand cut, mostly with a craft knife, and either embossed or painted (with edible ink) to add the details. It’s all fondant or marzipan, save for the coral and the waves, which are piped from royal icing. [Source: Cake Crumbs | Via OW]

Ommegang and HBO Global Licensing (the makers and bringers of the other GoT beer, Iron Throne) are getting ready to unleash a new ale upon the fanatics of the beloved television show called Take the Black Stout (named in honor of the Night's Watch). This heady brew of chocolate and caramel, with a hint of star anise and licorice root to give it a rich flavor, will most certainly taste just as good coming back up as it will going down (which, in my opinion, should be a factor in the flavor ratings). The art work on the bottle is done by A52 (the studio behind the opening credits of the show) which seems appropriate if you are into your television-centric beer looking authentic. Take the Black Stout will be released this fall. You can start preparing for Winter then.

Good customer service has become quite rare. That’s why I wanted to point out the excellent customer service I got from LinkedIn. They were incredibly helpful even though I wasn’t actually one of their customers. I used to have a LinkedIn account. It wasn’t something I used very much, and I had honestly forgotten that I had one. About a year ago, as you may recall, LinkedIn had a security breach and suggested that users change their passwords. When I went to do that, I realized that I used the service so infrequently that I had no idea what my password was. I managed to sort that out, and then cancelled my LinkedIn account. I just wasn’t using it. Since then, I’ve gotten email from LinkedIn that tells me that one of their current users wants to connect with me on LinkedIn. For a while, I just ignored them. This week, I got tired of it. Out of frustration, I sent a Tweet to @LinkedIn. I wasn’t expecting a response, but I got one. @LinkedInHelp replied with a link that I could click on to fill out a ticket that would stop the contact invites. Doing so would put me on their Do Not Contact list. I immediately filed a ticket. A few days later, I got yet another email from LinkedIn letting me know that one of their users wanted to connect with me. So, I sent another Tweet to @LinkedInHelp about it. The response was fast! @LinkedInHelp asked what my ticket number was, and followed me so I could sent them a direct message with the ticket number. Not long after that, I got an email from LinkedIn that said my email addresses had been placed on their Do Not Contact list. (I’d been getting contact requests at more than one address). This is impressive, especially considering that they knew that I wasn’t actually one of their customers anymore. Kudos to LinkedIn for great customer service!

The Airbus A380 is among the biggest stars of the Paris Air Show, but no less impressive is the sleek electric aerobatic trainer that is it distant cousin.

DreamWorks has made a deal with Netflix to provide the streaming service with 300 hours of original TV series. A spin-off series to the upcoming animated movie Turbo has been confirmed, and other Netflix-original shows based on DreamWorks characters are to follow. Yeah, this is real life. Netflix is hoping that this deal will make up for a dearth of content, especially when it comes to children’s programming. Its streaming catalog lost the rights to stream 1,800 titles last month, including many kids’ shows such as Barney and Bob The Builder, and more recently let its deal for Viacom content expire, taking away Netflix subscribers’ access to Nickelodeon shows like SpongeBob SquarePants. Amazon quickly scooped up Nickelodeon content for its Prime service after Netflix lost it. The episodic series Turbo: F.A.S.T., based on the upcoming DreamWorks animated movie Turbo, will arrive on Netflix in December. Turbo is about a snail who wants to race in the Indianapolis 500, slavishly following the Mad Libs Animal Movie Formula of (Downtrodden [Animal] Attempts [Improbable Activity For Their Species] And Succeeds Thanks to Quirky Friends and Belief In Self) that has worked wonders since Babe. That’ll do, snail. That’ll do. DreamWorks could be aiming toward making shows based on its popular movies like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Madagascar, but the animation studio also has the rights to some older characters from the Classic Movie library, such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Rocky and Bullwinkle, and Bill Cosby’s Fat Albert. DreamWorks is already making a film based on the time-traveling Rocky and Bullwinkle characters Mr. Peabody and Sherman. Netflix original content is becoming an increasingly weighty part of its overall business strategy. However, the DreamWorks deal is just one more ‘original’ product that isn’t quite original. Netflix revived an established product in Arrested Development, House of Cards was based on a previous series, and Hemlock Grove was based on a novel. We’ll really see if Netflix can compete with broadcast and cable TV when it has the confidence to make more risky investments in original content. (via Engadget) Meanwhile in related links Netflix’s “Streampocalypse” drops 1,800 titles Thanks for Arrested Development, but stay away from these shows, Netflix Finding Nemo sequel will center around Dory

Here at the digital ComiXology Submit camp we confront the dirty sea in Becky Cloonan’s Demeter, protect the secret family ingredient with the help of a witch and tune into some time travel, man! The leader in the digital comics space opened up the platform to indie creators back in March of this year. Writers and artists now have the chance to publish comics or graphic novels on the browser, tablet or phone using the Guided View technology. Comixology curates the submissions and soon the comic is put into panel by panel production for the viewer. The comics appear right on the digital store alongside all of the major publisher’s books. Demeter #1 Written and drawn by: Becky Cloonan Price: $0.99 Imprint: Ink and Thunder Digital Release Date: 6/19/13 Age Rating: 15+ Only BUY IT HERE Becky Cloonan (Buffy, Batman, Strange Tales) delivers Demeter, part of her one-shot short story series. This is a richly illustrated romantic tale in one issue of a maiden in a lighthouse and her passionate love affair with Colin. The sea does not forget the debts owed to her, and seeks to take back from Anna that which is most precious to her. Amazing art coupled with the tale that reads like classic literature makes for astounding comics. Hard copies can be purchased at Becky’s new webstore with options that include silkscreen covers and sketch editions. Read more »

Hint: it's something Axel Braun claimed his Superman movie has but Zack Snyder's doesn't. I genuinely wonder if that was the thinking behind it. Get More: Geek: Event Coverage, Full Episodes

I’ve been thinking about getting the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic game The Last of Us for a couple of days now, but now I know I’m getting it. Apparently all I need to be interested enough to buy a thing is for someone to explain it to me in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World references. Luckily Reddit user philtomato is looking out for the Pilgrim-obsessed people like me and put out this spectacular “Joel and Ellie vs. The World” mashup poster. Yes. Yes, this pleases me. If you enjoy this image, philtomato already has it available on a T-shirt at Redbubble, along with  many other wonderful mashups and pop culture references. That House Targaryen t-shirt is calling out to me especially loudly. Woof. Momma (of dragons) like. (via Reddit) Meanwhile in related links Here is a Monsters Univsersity/Revenge of the Nerds mashup Here is a Breaking Bad/LEGO mashup And here is a Star Wars/Jurassic Park mashup

Google filed a legal challenge today against gag orders that come with the FISA court orders it receives from the FBI and NSA, on grounds that the silence orders impinge on the company's First Amendment rights to speak freely about the data requests it receives for user data.