Zombie Iceland

Till I actually heard the audiobook version of World War Z, I never thought anything about the book. If I had an irrelevant bucket, it would have been placed there. A few minutes into the audiobook, though, I was hooked. Big time.

Today, I was reminded of the story when I heard about this book called Zombie Iceland. If my memory serves me well, Iceland was not a location covered in World War Z. However, if and when the zombiecalypse does happen, I am pretty sure the country will not be spared. They may not bear the brunt of the problem with their climate and all, but they will surely have their share of undead experiences.

So what makes Zombie Iceland interesting? (Aside from the fact that it is about zombies, that is.)

The book is actually a story of how zombies come to be – in Iceland. Here’s a short preview into what you can expect.

Following an accident at the construction of a new Icelandic power plant, there is a short but intense burst of sulfur gone sour. Reports of a mysterious illness amongst the plant workers begin to spread as they infect friends and family through cannibalism. Even worse, the sick rise from the dead and can only be killed once their brains have been damaged. Now the gritty undead wander the streets of Reykjavík and a group of misfits struggle to survive in “Zombie Iceland”.

So if the source of zombies were to be Iceland, we can all blame “sulfur gone sour” for this. Of course, there has to be a hero – or a group of them – and the story has to showcase their spirit, grit, and courage. While we don’t know just how the story will end (presumably with at least one hero surviving), the interesting thing is that Zombie Iceland is more than about zombies. It also has the goal of showcasing what Iceland has to offer the traveler. People who may want to visit Iceland in the future – zombiecalypse or not – will find a lot of tips and advice in the book. Footnotes are included that shed light on cultural practices in Iceland, food, history, as well as places of interest. If you are the market for a travel guide to Iceland, I think that Zombie Iceland is a better choice than your average travel book!

Kharkov Video Card Museum

Are you a geek who likes to travel? I think that most people would love to trot the globe all the time if only time and money allowed them to do so. For many, though, a carefully planned trip or two each year would have to suffice.

If you’ve been bitten by the travel bug, and you are lucky enough to have the resources to hop on a plane as much as you want, here is the perfect destination for you – Ukraine. Now the Ukraine has a lot to offer the ordinary tourist in terms of natural and cultural attractions. ForeverGeek is not a travel web site, but this Ukrainian attraction has got to be in any geek’s bucket list: the Kharkov Video Card Museum.

Museums are always an interesting destination as you get a glimpse of a world that you normally don’t see everyday. This is the first time I have heard of a video card museum, though, and boy, do I wish to go to the Ukraine if only for this!

The video card museum started out as a the result of Alexander’s (aka SArd) passion for video cards. Many of you can probably relate. Buy a computer. Pay particular attention to the graphics card. Upgrade to a more powerful video card so you can play awesome games. Buy a new computer with a new graphics card. Upgrade the video card again. And the cycle goes on and on. That’s exactly Alexander’s experience. The big difference is that he actually went one step further and established a museum where you can see something like this.

Kharkov Video Card Museum Corner

Kharkov Video Card Museum Details

All day today, Metallica’s “Wherever I May Roam” was playing in my head.  (Perhaps the song being listed 10 times on my On-the-go Playlist had something to do with that.)  While I was enjoying the music and the words as I roamed the streets of a strange city, my back was telling me just how much of a hassle it has been to lug around my laptop and all the other stuff that usually go with it.  Then I had to deal with the fact that the battery died on me after sitting at Starbucks all afternoon.

That “ordeal” led me to looking up backpacks that might make it easier on my back, and look what I found!  Up there you see what they call the Trek Support Backpack.

Obviously, the backpack is meant to provide comfort and safety – not for you, but for the precious babies that you have inside.  This backpack can fit a laptop (up to 15 inches) and four other gadgets such as iPads, iPhones, e-book readers, MP3 players and so on.  Two reasons I decided to take a closer look at this bag – in spite of the many other options out there:

1. It has a built-in rechargeable battery, which is supposed to last 7 hours and can charge whatever gadgets you have in the bag.
2. It is designed in such a way that it can be easily opened for security checks, can be seen below.

For any traveler, these two things are essential.

The drawbacks?

1. That built-in battery is sure to add more weight (which is what I was avoiding in the first place).
2. I am not sure the looks appeal to me.  The blue could be darker, for sure.
3. It doesn’t look like I can put anything else in the bag.  Then again, with all those gadgets, do I need anything else?

Oh, and did I tell you that this backpack has NOT been manufactured yet?  The idea is that they makers are getting people to commit to purchasing the bag (crowdsourcing anyone?), so it is currently only on pre-sale for $130.  If you can’t wait to get a travel bag for your gadgets, then forget this.  If you really like the idea though, head on over to the site.  Me, I think I’ll go look around for something else.

For sure, you understand just how much of a hassle it can be to have all your gadgets stuffed into a bulky bag; not to mention the power cords, connecting wires, and the accessories. Finding the right gadget amidst the mess that is your bag can be totally frustrating; carrying a bulky bag even more so. Enter the SCOTTeVEST.

It’s dubbed as a man’s vest, so I don’t know if women can wear it; but I really don’t see why not! It comes in various sizes, and sells for $100. Now, THAT could be a problem for some.

Personally, I thought that the promotional video was fun to watch once – just the thought of having so many gadgets handy amused me – but I am not sure if I would wear the vest. Would you?

With the MU Space portable pillow-bed, however, you can at least have the comfort something nice to lay your head on. Of course, since it is also a portable bed, you will have a layer of comfortable material between you and the hard bench (or floor). More than that, however, you also get the added plus of listening to music! There are rotating speakers inside, which will pipe in music to relax you as you wait for your flight. The unit is USB and memory card compatible.

As you can see from the picture, MU Space is easy to carry around, being a whole unit on its own. The casing actually reminds me of a bowling ball case or a makeup kit. To be honest, it doesn’t appeal to me that much – in terms of looks anyway; however, the idea of having a bed and pillow PLUS music (with no headphones, by the way) is just impossible to resist. And even if you don’t plan on traveling anytime soon, you can always stash the kit in your workstation and catch some zzz’s during your break!

Good thing for us, we can find all sorts of gadgets and toys to lessen the headache that traveling can bring. Here are some of my favorites – some I have and more on my wish list.

1. Apple iPod or any mp3 player. I was having second thoughts about writing “any mp3 player” as most people I know will not accept anything but an iPod, but the point is to have music to soothe you or to pump you up while waiting for your flight or while you’re trying to get over your fear of flying.
2. Kindle or any other e-book reader. I do not have a Kindle, although I wouldn’t mind getting one this Christmas. What I use is the PSP, and it works perfectly well. There’s nothing like reading to pass time!
3. Netbook. A MUST. It combines the functions of items 1 and 2 plus more. Having a netbook handy can help you tune out the crowd as you watch movies, surf the net, write, listen to music, or play a game. I also like to lug around my USB wireless Internet dongle with me as I have no assurance of access to the Internet everywhere I go.

And what’s on your geek travel bag?

Written by John Graham-Cumming, The Geek Atlas showcases the most significant places on earth. Significant in what way? Well, this travel book’s full title is The Geek Atlas: 128 Places Where Science and Technology Come Alive.

The title pretty much sums up this great piece of work. It features locations in the world wherein discoveries in science, math, and technology were made. Lest someone say that these discoveries are mere things of the past, the book also features places where more recent discoveries occurred and locations where significant studies are currently happening as well.

To give you a bit of a teaser, how would you like to visit these places?

-Bletchley Park in the UK, where the Enigma code was broken
-The Alan Turing Memorial in Manchester, England
-The Horn Antenna in New Jersey, where the Big Bang theory was confirmed
-The National Cryptologic Museum in Fort Meade, Maryland
-The Trinity Test Site in New Mexico, where the first atomic bomb was exploded
-The Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, California

I don’t know about you, but I AM SOLD. Get a copy at Amazon for less than $20.

They have a total of nine in their list, here are the most appealing to me.

Hotel Gansevoort
Located in the meatpacking district of New York, rooms don’t come cheap here. But then, you get free WiFi, 42-inch LCD TVs, CD players, alarm clocks with iPod docks, in room safes, and Wii consoles by request. Can’t beat that, can you?

Seattle Hotel Monaco
Considered a boutique hotel, this is relatively low-tech compared to many. The main selling point for me is their Guitar Hero social hour, from 5:00-6:00 pm. Perfect time to relax before going out for the night!

Peninsula Tokyo
Of course, we can’t talk about hi-tech without mentioning Japan. This hotel has all the hi-tech amenities that one can ever want. From nail dryers to fax machines to espresso makers to heated toilets – ultimate hi-tech luxury!

Pod Hotel
For the budget traveler in NYC, this hotel sounds perfect. Rooms start at less than $100 but you get iPod docking stations, LCD TVs, and their Pod Community Blog, which is a veritable treasure trove of information.

Check out the whole list here.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California is known for its sunny beaches but did you know that it is also home to the country’s main center for studies on Mars? For those of you who are into space travel and the Red Planet, then the JPL is the place to be. The tours are free (yes!) for anyone who wants to go on one.

Tsunami Research Facility
Head on over to the Oregon State University in Corvallis if you want to understand how a tsunami wreaks havoc. It is no laughing matter but if you have that yearning to learn how this powerful force of nature works, then the country’s largest wave basin is the place to visit. You can even take a look at real life experiments here.

Great Ape Trust
Where did human beings come from? Were we created by God or did we evolve from apes? No matter what your personal conviction may be, interacting with the world’s smartest apes is something that you just cannot pass up on! Go to Des Moines, Iowa and visit the 13 apes living in a 230-acre preserve. This tour is not for free – you have to be a member of the Trust and shell out $50 for individuals or $100 for families. Not a bad price for the experience, I think.

What is your idea of a great geek vacation?

You should not wonder why I chose to share this nifty gadget with you: the Sat Nav Shoes. I think that this pair of shoes is the ultimate gift for any traveler, or someone who is “directionally challenged” like me.

So how does it work? Firebox says that all the stuff that makes it cool (technology wise) is found in the left shoe. If you lift the tongue of the left shoe, you will see the control unit. What you need to do is input your starting point and your destination. No, you do not have to spell out the whole address. What you need are the postcodes.

And how will you know how to get to your destination? The shoes give you feedback in two ways. The first one is reminiscent of a video game: you have an LED DNav Bubble on the front of the shoe. It will blink and point you in the direction, and if you go the wrong way, you’ll hear it go BEEP. Obviously, the shoe also has speakers – waterproof- built in. The other way it gives feedback is through a Bluetooth headset.

Pretty cool, huh? Go get yourself a pair at Firebox for 129.95GBP. Sizes 8, 10, and 12 in stock.

One, the first thing that I did when I was done checking in was to see the farthest that the WiFi signal would reach. Obviously, I figured it out pretty quickly as I am online now and posting, right?

Two, my Tweeter has been busy since I left early this morning for the airport. Sometimes I used my phone, sometimes I used my netbook. But from the airport to the ferry boat, I have been Tweeting the hours away.

Three, I actually found myself a nifty gadget, a USB modem that allows me to connect to the Internet wherever I may be, as long as there is a mobile phone signal. I got it because I know how WiFi availability is so unreliable outside the city and the prospect of having no Internet for a full work week was just too unpleasant.

Four, my camera has been used a lot - and it’s the just the first day! Now you may say that this is not unusual, right? I have to say, though, the main thought in my mind as I take pictures is how nice they would look in my blog….

Enough said. And I guess that’s what geeks do while on vacation. What do you do?

My regular GPS unit just tells me when to turn and when to just drive a straight line… I see here that the Navigon 7300T with Scenic Routes. This is the KING of all GPS features so far!

For the first time, NAVIGON combines its highly praised Panorama View 3D and Landmark View 3D features in one device, the NAVIGON 7300T. This gives the user a real 3D experience showing surrounding landscapes as well as important landmarks. Panorama View 3D brings a true 3D experience to the NAVIGON 7300T’s map using NASA terrain height data to provide geographic guidance complete with rolling hills and digital elevations. Landmark View 3D shows hundreds of richly-textured 3D landmarks across the U.S. and Canada such as the Empire State Building and the White House, as well as sports stadiums from coast to coast.

It’s expected to start selling by October 2009, with a US$500 tag or hopefully a little lower.