Author Archives: Jonathan-Liu
Jump Into the Arena: Battle Blasters for the iPhone
The year is 3042, which of course means that there are death match tournaments. Fighters across the world strap blasters to their arms and shoot it out for fame and glory—or at least a high score on the Facebook Leaderboards.
Battle Blasters for the iPhone and iPod Touch is an arcade-style one-on-one shoot-out. There are six […] Continue reading
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Tagged arcade games, Electronic Geek, iPhone Apps, IPod Touch, review, shooter, Toys and Technology
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Singletasking: Just One Thing at a … Oooh, Shiny!
Are you a human being or a human doing? What matters more to you: who you are or what you do? Or let me phrase that another way: when you introduce yourself, how often do you start with your job and hobbies? And is there another way to define who we are separate from what […] Continue reading
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Tagged Armchair Geek, broadband, distractions, internet, multitasking, singletasking, wasting time
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Geekly Reader: The Brixton Brothers Book One
As a kid, I loved reading Encyclopedia Brown books, even when I was old enough that the mysteries were really simple to solve and I realized how absurd it was that Chief Brown needed his son’s help to solve cases. I didn’t read quite as much Hardy Boys, except for one summer when my younger […] Continue reading
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Tagged Armchair Geek, book review, Books, conspiracies, detectives, humor, kid lit, librarians, mystery
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Geekly Reader: When You Reach Me Wins Newbery
Congratulations to Rebecca Stead, this year’s winner of the Newbery Medal for her book When You Reach Me. I’d read WYRM (convenient acronym, yes?) back in October and kept meaning to tell you all about it, but now it’s official: it’s a great book.
Sixth-grader Miranda is a latchkey kid in New York City, and […] Continue reading
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Tagged Armchair Geek, book reviews, Grace Lin, kid lit, Neil Gaiman, Newbery Award, People, Rebecca Stead, sci-fi
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Robot 13 Comes to the iPhone
Robot 13, a comic about a skull-headed robot who fights ginormous monsters, is now available for the iPhone. This is Robot Comics’ first adaptation that incorporates transition effects and simple animation, making the mobile version more than just a cut-to-size version of the original.
As always, the first episode is free, so if you didn’t check […] Continue reading
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Tagged Comics, Everything Else, iPhone Apps, Robot Comics
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Learn Physics Fast With the Instant Egghead Guide
You’ve gotta love a book that follows “Chapter One: Matter” with “Chapter Two: Quantum Theory.” The Instant Egghead Guide: Physics by Brian Clegg and Scientific American does just that, and then continues on through chapters about Light, Relativity, Forces and Energy. The cover calls it “60-Second Science,” and each subject is a two-page spread that […] Continue reading
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Tagged Armchair Geek, book review, Books, Physics, Science, Science and Education
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Erfworld: Geekiest Comic Ever
Okay, I know, “Geekiest Comic Ever” is a big claim to make, considering there are other comics like “When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth.” But I had to get your attention somehow, right? And Erfworld is incredibly geeky in a fantastic way. (As opposed to geeky in a sci-fi way.) Here’s the plot: in the magical […] Continue reading
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Tagged Android apps, Armchair Geek, Comics, Fantasy, iPhone Apps, IPod Touch, kindle, Nintendo DSi, RPG games, Strategy games, The Internet
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HippoDict Chinese Dictionary for iPhone
When I was considering retiring my Palm TX in exchange for an iPod touch (no AT&T service in the rural area where I live, so no iPhone), one of my essential applications was a good Chinese dictionary. I speak Chinese fairly fluently but I’m not very literate; although I know how to use a dead-tree […] Continue reading
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Tagged Armchair Geek, Chinese, dictionary, Electronic Geek, iPhone App, IPod Touch, Language, Science and Education
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Build Your Own Dinosaurs With DinoMixer
Don’t you ever wish you could combine the head of a Triceratops, the body of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and the spiky tail of a Stegosaurus? (No? Okay, maybe it’s just me.) Now you can, without all the cutting and stitching or DNA manipulation! All you need is an iPhone or iPod touch. DinoMixer is a […] Continue reading
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Tagged dinosaurs, Educational, Electronic Geek, iPhone Apps, kids, Science and Education, Toys and Technology
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Chrononauts v. 1.4 Plus The Gore Years Expansion
What would you do with your very own time machine? Go back and forth in time, collect a few artifacts, make some changes to history that will result in a better present for you … same as everyone, right? But then, what if there are several other people with time machines, zipping around and fiddling […] Continue reading
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Tagged Board Games, card games, Everything Else, Fluxx, Looney Labs, review, Time Travel
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