#EpicWin: Talk Nerdy To Me, Lover Unveils the Top 10 Nerdy Moments Of 2011
#TalkNerdyToMeLover's @JennHoffman
Ahhhhhh… the end of a year. 2011 was filled with so many epics wins. (And some epic fails we will just pretend didn’t happen. Move it along…nothing to see here…)
With video games such as Modern Warfare 3 receiving budgets bigger than most Hollywood movies and reading tools and gadgets such as the Amazon Kindle and iPad making being well-read and tech savvy “cool” again, the revenge of the nerds is taking place, one epic moment at a time. Since 2009, TNTML has provided social commentary of technology, pop culture, dating and everything else relevant to nerd culture. This year the staff at TNTML chose their tops picks of epic nerdy wins.
We loved all these moments, so in no particular order TNTML presents:
TOP 10 EPIC NERDY WINS OF 2011
Z) Boyfriend Proposes by Hacking Zelda
When two nerds find love it’s a beautiful – and ridiculously geeky thing. After meeting in college, Bay Area gamer Amber Mani (AKA Amani2) got the surprise of her life when her boyfriend of six years proposed to her via video game. The dorky duo were playing the original Legend of Zelda together on an emulator, when suddenly something very strange came up on the screen. During the part when you enter the cave there is typically an icon of an old man who says “It’s dangerous to go alone. Take this.” Instead, her wily boyfriend hacked the game and replaced the usual generic words with a marriage proposal of epic proportions. When she looked up to react he was kneeling and holding an 8-bit heart container made out of Legos with a ring inside. The answer, of course, was yes. Will there be a Zelda themed wedding? Geeky Gamers everywhere are holding their breath to see the outcome of this union.
Y) Video Game is Released: People Go Missing. The Release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
We were hesitant to put a “product” on the list, but trust me – the second one of our friends got their dirty little mitts on this game they would go missing for days. It’s like: Want to see your gamer boyfriend/girlfriend disappear for a month? Give them a copy of Modern Warfare 3. MW3 sent Call of Duty fans into a frenzy when this updated version of the multi-player video game was released in November 2011. At an estimated $200 million, the launch budget was bigger than many A-list Hollywood blockbusters. According to sales figures the investment was well worth it. Activision reports sales for the game grossed over $400 million in the first 24 hours, and eventually reached in the billions, making it the biggest entertainment launch of all time. When mainstream Hollywood budgets start getting funneled into geeky stuff like gaming – it’s gotta make the list.
(And this was SOOO tough to choose between COD and Skyrim! But feel free to talk about who had the "bigger" year in the comments)
X) Nerdy White Kid Kills “Look at Me Now”
When the Kansas City comedian and rapper David McCleary Sheldon AKA “Mac Lethal” posted a You Tube video rapping to Chris Brown’s “Look at Me Now” while cooking pancakes in his kitchen, he had no idea he would become an overnight internet sensation. Now with over 14 million views, interviews on CNN and several offers for record contracts, Mac Lethal helped build street cred’ for goofy white guys everywhere.
Which leads us to…
W) Texts from Bennett: That Same Nerdy White Rapper Guy Fools Everyone with Tumblr (Or Does He?)
In addition to being a successful “Nerdcore” rapper, Sheldon is also responsible for a ridiculously funny Tumblr called "Texts From Bennett" where he purports to chronicle text message conversations between himself and his younger wannabe gangster cousin Bennett. While most people say this was just a big prank and Bennett is not even a real person, David Sheldon maintains that the conversations are totally real. Hmmmm…. TNTML calls BS on the authenticity of the messages, but either way, calling Vincent Van Gogh the actor from Old School? Brilliant!
http://textsfrombennett.tumblr.com
V) Occupy Wall Street Gets a Library
When the #OWS protest was first dismissed as a “rag tag” group of misfits who were just whining about the economy, nobody knew the movement would become a focal point of news stories, political campaigns and overall pop culture this year. So when members of the New City Outpost decided their camp should have an official library, the overall intellectual value of the protesters an educational boost. Or at least it looked like it did. The story of the #OWS library (which has since been dismantled) can be seen on Stephen Boyer’s blog “The People’s Library.” Maybe they should have just all shared one giant iPad or Nook. It is a collective movement, right?
https://peopleslibrary.wordpress.com/
U) Oh Wow: Steve Jobs Dies, Becomes Patron Saint of Inspiration
Steve Jobs knew he made significant contributions to the tech world, but when he passed away on October 5, 2011, even he probably couldn’t imagine how much of the mainstream world would grieve so deeply over his death. From thousands of news stories, blog posts and tweets, to thoughtful tributes and an epically poignant and insightful eulogy from his sister… People. Went. Nuts. NUTS. The outpouring of sympathy showed that he not only changed computers, but he overhauled the way we view these special people who are passionate, brilliant and dedicated enough to bringing us new ideas that change our lives forever.
T) Odd Future Gets Weird: The Year Punk Rock and Hip Hop Met Nerdcore
Odd Future frontman Tyler the Creator has been known to blur the lines of hip hop, punk rock and outright geekery. Wearing oversized glasses, striped knee socks and t-shirts displaying images of evil lasercats, you might say his style is more about channeling Steve Urkel than Johnny Rotten. Nevertheless Tyler, who is straight edge (no drugs, no alcohol), grabbed headlines by winning an MTV VMA, gracing the cover of Spin Magazine and most recently for being arrested at the Roxy for stomping the shit out of the sound board when his music was unexpectedly cut off during his set. In the fall it was announced they have a sketch comedy show in production called Loiter Squad airing on the geek cult favorite Adult Swim on Comedy Central. Promoted almost exclusively through word of mouth and via the Odd Future Tumblr, this genius type of performance art is what you get when you cross early adapters with a punk rock attitude. TNTML salutes you for letting your freak flag fly. Golf Wang!
S) Social Media Goes Hollywood
Ain't it true!
A movie about social media wins and Oscar? So. Much. Yes. Who would think a movie about Facebook would become one of the most award winning films of 2011? Not only did The Social Network win the Best Motion Picture Golden Globe in January, The Social Network also received eight Academy Awards nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay and topped nearly every major film critic’s list as the number one film of the year. Now if we can only get Zuckerberg to get rid of that creepy “poke” feature Facebook will have an even bigger win for 2012.
R) Comic Book Culture Evolves with Miles Morales and Womanthology
What’s up with all the white dudes dominating the super-hero market? Hopefully that won’t be the case for too long. Two major graphic novel breakthroughs happened in 2011 and the girls of TNTML couldn’t be happier.
First, this August, Marvel introduced Miles Morales, a half-Black, half-Hispanic American teenager who debuted in the pages of "Ultimate Fallout" No. 4. Nerds of all creeds and colors got to geek out twice as hard when it was rumored that Community’s Donald Glover may be playing the Morales character on the silver screen.
Second, a totally rad chick proved there is interest and support for female roles in comics. Womanthology, a collection of comics by women curated by artist Renae De Liz, raised over $100K on Kickstarter in only 30 days. What’s even crazier is that she only asked for $25,000 for the project, showing that the support was even larger than she thought it would be. Even more bad ass? Celebrity cult film and comic favorites Kevin Smith and Neil Gaiman donated to the project, giving girls in graphic novels even more star power behind their cause. Kick ass!
Q) Watson Beats Human Contestants on Jeopardy
Are our laptops, cell phones and ipods secretly conspiring to rise up, band together and kill us in our sleep? When computers become smarter than humans it can be scary. Or totally awesome. AI proved to be a real threat when IBM’s artificially intelligent supercomputer, beat both of the human challengers winning more than three times the amount of money as the people. Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, two of the most successful contestants on the show were left in the dust by Watson. Peeps better start warding off the hostile robot take-over by studying up on their Potent Potables ASAP.
So….
We hope you enjoyed our fun little list of memorable nerd moments for 2011. There were so many things to geek out on that we couldn’t include everything. Portal, Dr. Who, Batman, The ThunderCats revival, Siri, you winning the Florida state chess championship, your 94 yr-old grandmother singing “I Will Survive” on YouTube… blah blah blah… we know. That’s why we want YOU (yes YOU!) to leave your favorite nerd moments of 2011 in the comment section. So have at it! And enjoy the rest of your year.
<3 @TNTML
#nerdsunite
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