Prime Directive be damned! We need to give computers to the WHOLE WORLD so they can all listen to GeekMethod and become our lovely little sycophantic slaves - muhahahahahah! I mean, uhh… hi! Another glorious Tuesday, another update. Lots of cool stuff came out this week from ShmooCon, a hacker conference in Washington DC - specifically some great conversations about secure web development and the cultural ramifications of the One Laptop Per Child project. Of course, we also have gadgets, how to guides, exercise tips, odd news from around the world, and lots and lots of irreverent commentary.

Lessons for life, courtesy of GeekMethod: If you receive a package in the mail and it’s drippy, DO NOT OPEN IT. Unless it’s wrapped in Space Invaders wrapping paper, and then it’s totally cool. Probably. Colleen finally comes on the show - you’ve all heard me talk about my intrepid girlfriend, and now you can finally meet her. Yay! We spend some time discussing the maiden voyage of the A380, stupid people getting arrested with hilarious (and dare I say, sexy) results, tons of geek tips, R2-D2 mailboxes, and K-Fed’s hot new search engine.

Having the plague sucks. There’s all the coughing, and the fever, and that whole pesky death thing - what a pain. Regardless, we persevere and bring you the goods. I always like it when a lady joins us in the studio - I like the contrast in tone that it makes between her and the two of us. Not to mention that any girl is prettier than staring at Ryan for an hour, so that’s - you know - a bonus. However, Katie is of course exceptionally lovely and she joins us for Meth Labs, wacky inventions from DARPA, the most bad-assed moose you’ve ever heard of, and exploding laptops. We also discussed what we thought about Frank Miller’s 300, and why the DMV is most definitely Hell.

Seriously, let this be a lesson to ALL of us. Backup every website you ever touch religiously. Use the video game enthusiasts mantra - “Save early, save often.” And for the love of all that is holy, if you’re a sysadmin, and you’re mocing a site from one physical box to another; MAKE A FUCKING BACKUP. GRR On a happy note, we have tons of delicious news, tips, and all your favorite geeky goodness. We discuss sweet new video cards, cellular gear, linux jump drives, and spinny toys that will make your kids scream until they puke technicolor. We’ve also got info on the impending Nine Inch Nails release, Year Zero, and the alternate reality game marketing hype that surrounds it. We take some time to discuss why Microsoft really needs to step up to the microphone, and I bring some handy advice on how to get the most bang for your buck from cellphone sales people. I wanted to mention here that what I talk about in the show will most likely only work on third party cellphone stores - not so much if you actually go to a AT&T or T-mobile store - so keep that in mind. Good luck, and enjoy.