Help me celebrate one year of geekiness!

Kentucky Geek Girl is celebrating a one year blogiversary! Help me celebrate the birth of this blog (as well as my own birthday, which was May 26) by participating in my first ever giveaway! Lyndsay at Dragon Chow Dice Bags has donated a credit to her online store. That's right, you, the winner, can take home a dice bag of your very own, handmade by Lyndsay herself!

Stuff That Doesn't Suck (5)

Stuff that doesn’t suck is a meme hosted by Pam at Bookalicious where we graciously share with you the things that we come across in a week that don’t suck. This includes a variety of things from books to music to youtube and even more. Feel free to join in on the comments or on your own blog.

Cell phone that doesn't suck
I became an Apple fangirl upon the release of the original iPhone, though I didn't jump on the ownership bandwagon until September 2009. My iPhone purchase was a plain ol' 3G right after they brought the price down to $99 for a 2-year contract renewal. I thought I was pretty boss, not going to lie. Over the last couple of years, I started to see the emergence of the Android operating system. I was definitely a fan of the faster processors and multi-tasking capabilities of the phones.

When I dropped my iPhone and shattered the screen, I decided that I'd wait out my contract and get an Android. Well, my phone decided that it'd make my decision for me. As a result of me dropping it, it started shutting off randomly without the ability to turn it on for minutes at a time. So, last weekend I made the decision to go phone shopping. I did a bit of internet research and settled on a Samsung Captivate. It's a lovely little phone. Android 2.2, AMOLED screen, multi-tasking, all of the things I love and more.

Say goodbye to my old sucky phone:

And hello to the new non-sucky Samsung Captivate!

Web video that doesn't suck

Playing D&D by S.J. Tucker is a song from her album Mischief. It's awesome, y'all. The video features clips from The Gamers: Dorkness Rising which was released by Dead Gentlemen Productions and ZombieOrpheus Entertainment. I love D&D, it's my RPG of choice and this was a great addition to the newly released "Roll a D6" that emerged on Youtube a few weeks ago. I'm going to write about Dorkness Rising in its own post because it's just that cool. Meanwhile, check out this awesome video.

T-shirt that doesn't suck

I got a DM on Twitter from the folks over at Group Quest the World of Warcraft podcast that I won a giveaway and I got to choose a $15 credit to J!NX, the awesome online store that sells World of Warcraft merchandise. I immediately went over to the site and took a look at the inventory. I was torn between a Warrior class shirt or a Horde pride shirt. Then I saw this. 

My favorite color is purple. I love epics. I have to have this shirt. As soon as I get the info about my store credit, I'm buying that sucker.

Okay folks, that's it for now. What hasn't sucked for you this week?

Welcome back to Blogspot!

I was reflecting on where the blog started and I decided that I wanted it to return to its true home. I'll buy the KentuckyGeekGirl.com domain someday, I promise, but for now we'll just be here at the .blogspot.com address and I'm okay with that. This change signifies big and awesome things to come and I'm really glad to be back here!

Stay tuned for upcoming details about the giveaway in conjunction with Dragon Chow Dice Bags. I'm really excited!!

Be sure to like Kentucky Geek Girl on Facebook and follow me at @geekgirlinky!

Blizzard has cross-realm dungeoning in the works for World of Warcraft

Last summer, I gave my response to the World of Warcraft Real ID system. Earlier today, World of Warcraft Community Manager Nethaera posted an announcement on the WoW forums that unveiled Blizzard's plan to introduce functionality within the game that would allow players on different servers to group for dungeons. There has been some speculation within the community for awhile that Blizzard may roll out with this at some point. It is certainly something that players have wanted and hoped for. While all of my friends (when we consistently played) were on Shadow Council, I do have many friends from another guild on Durotan that I would love to have played with at some point. This feature, which would be available as part of the Real ID functionality, would allow a group leader to initiate invitations to players on other servers and go through dungeons.

As this is a fairly complex service to develop, we don’t have a release date to share quite yet. It’s important to note that as with some of the other convenience- and connectivity-oriented features we offer, certain elements of the cross-realm Real ID party system will be premium-based, though only the player sending the invitations will need to have access to the premium service. We'll have more details to share with you as development progresses -- in the meantime, you may begin to see elements of the feature appear on the World of Warcraft PTR.

~Nethaera

This is all of the information that has been released about this so far. Nethaera did say that only the player initiating the invitations would need to have the paid service, but do we really need to pay for this? Will they bundle it in with our normal subscriptions? Hopefully we'll get some more news soon. I have the PTR downloaded so I may check it out at some point. Thankfully, you do not have to have an active World of Warcraft subscription to play on the PTR. Many players were gifted 7 free days of play time last week and I used that so now my account is frozen again. While I do not have plans to resubscribe any time soon, I'll keep everyone up to date on the news.

Other World of Warcraft news:

• Patch 4.2 on the PTR now - Wow Insider


• Blizz-Con tickets on sale this Saturday - Blizzard.com

Check back with Kentucky Geek Girl for more World of Warcraft news!

Would you pay a premium for cross-realm play in World of Warcraft? Leave a comment below!

Your Friendly Local Game Shop: The Rusty Scabbard

I believe there is a strong community of folks in the gaming and comic book world that needs to be cultivated. Your Friendly Local Game Shop (or Your Friendly Local Comic Shop) will provide a way for me to highlight such places and give an in-depth review of the store based on the following criteria:

• Initial Impressions 
• Customer Service 
• Atmosphere 
• Selection 
• Value 
• Online Experience 
• Overall Score 

Join me as I venture to these meccas of geekdom.

820 Lane Allen Rd (Garden Springs Shopping Center)

Lexington KY 40504

859-278-6634

Hours: M - Sat 11 am - 9 pm

Sun 1 pm - 6pm

Website

Facebook | Twitter

I have been a customer of The Rusty Scabbard for four years. My first set of dice came from there – a Christmas present from my best friend to get me into the spirit of gaming – and I have had many enjoyable experiences shopping there. I have spent countless occasions looking for the perfect set of dice or the miniature that so closely resembles what I envision a character to look like. It, for many years, has been the preeminent gaming store in Lexington. I ask that you let my review speak for not only my experience, but that of others as well.

Initial Impressions: 2/5

The store's décor reminds you of a role-player's basement from the 80s. It's dark, dingy, musty and not very inviting. We were greeted rather suspiciously by a female employee and the staff member agreed (very relucantly) to let us look around. The Scabbard has been in business since 1982 and have spent the last fifteen years at their current location. The posters and advertisements for games such as Warhammer are faded from exposure to sunlight and quite dated.

Atmosphere: 1/5

The lighting is dim and doesn't highlight the products very well, creating a dark mood. There were a few people at table in the front of the store and they seemed deep in game. A few more were in a large room to the back. It was nice to actually see people there, many time I have entered what seemed like a ghost town. The staff member I talked to said that the store was founded for gamers, by gamers with a mission “to make them [gamers] happy.” She said that they want people to enjoy themselves, bring their friends and have a good time. I didn't get a sense of that, however, when I was at the store. Frankly, the mood was fairly depressing.

Customer Service: 1/5

While there are several people I have encountered recently in visting the Scabbard, only one has seemed genuine in asking me if there is anything I need. Others have seemed like assisting you is a chore. Maybe it's just helping you in person, because when I called and spoke with the same female employee for a price check a day after visiting, she was reasonably friendly. She wasn't able to immediately discern my needs, but once she understood what product I was looking for, she was nice enough.

However, the biggest issue that I have with their customer service at this point is their special order policy. While the staff member that I spoke with upon my last visit assured me that they place special orders, their biggest problem is actually contacting the customers to let them know that their dice have arrived. Two close friends have placed special orders within the last year, of the two, we are only aware of one set of dice that arrived at the store, and that is because we saw them for sale as general merchandise. I am appalled at the fact that they have completely dropped the ball in the customer service arena.

Selection: 4/5

If there is one thing that can be said about the Rusty Scabbard is that it is a tried and true gaming store. They an extensive selection of RPGS, board games, card games, war games and gaming supplies in stock. They carry titles such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Warhammer 40,000, Munchkin, Call of Cthulhu, Dominion and Game of Thrones. There is a large supply of miniatures which is quite impressive and hobby items are for sale as well. There aren't many opportunities to take a game out of a box and try it, however. The open games that they have actually belong to a weekly board-gaming group and you have to ask for permission. It would be nice if they had more open board-gaming.

Value: 5/5

Their prices are fair. It is a small, independently owned store and their prices are comparable to other stores as well as MSRP.

Online Experience: 3/5

Their website has said “Rusty Scabbard Coming Soon” for as long as I can remember. They do all of their marketing through Facebook and route their feed through Twitter. I would suggest opening up their website or putting more inventory details on their Facebook page.

Overall Score 2.6/5

As I said before, I have been a customer of the Rusty Scabbard for four years. It was a happening place, then, people gamed there all the time and it was the gaming store in Lexington. I am not the only person who has taken issue with the downgrade in the quality of service and lack of vibrancy in the store. The store could feel so much better if they changed the décor or ripped up the dusty, grimy carpets. One would think that like a fine wine, the store would have gotten better with age, but it is sadly no longer the “Friendly Local Game Shop” it once was.

As a long time customer, I am disappointed in the lack of professionalism the Rusty Scabbard has been showing lately. I recently placed a special order and never received any follow up or notice that the item was in. This has happened to others I know so when I went in to the store, the item I ordered was available in the general merchandise. Even more than a customer let down is the negative atmosphere; the female employee will not allow you to browse on your own without her watchful eye; and it isn't a helpful hovering. It's sad to see the state of the business decline but they are bringing on the negativity through their own service or rather...the lack thereof. ~ Leila M, Lexington

Have you been to The Rusty Scabbard? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

View my other images of the store on Flickr.

Check out my last installment of Your Friendly Local Game Shop here.

Stuff That Doesn't Suck (4)

Stuff that doesn’t suck is a meme hosted by Pam at Bookalicious where we graciously share with you the things that we come across in a week that don’t suck. This includes a variety of things from books to music to youtube and even more. Feel free to join in on the comments or on your own blog.

Advice Show on the Web That Doesn't Suck
My Brother, My Brother and Me is an advicecast where three real life brothers answer the hard hitting questions like "What's the difference between anorexic and balsamic?" with wit and wisdom. Justin, Travis, and Griffin McElroy pull questions from the comedy platinum mine that is Yahoo! Answers as well as internet submissions. I listened to it for the first time this week, though I've seen Griffin tweet and Facebook about it before and I must say that I've been missing out. Some of the questions are weird and some are just downright absurd, but the McElroy brothers are funny and insightful with their answers. I'm definitely subscribing to the podcast and will go back and listen to the episodes that I've missed. Justin and Griffin are both editors for Joystiq so check out their articles over there!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HzagQwQgou4]
This a brief sampling of what their show is all about.

Little Boy Singing to Lady Gaga That Doesn't SuckI love Youtube videos. I'm kind of addicted, actually and I'm really sad that I didn't find this first. Lady Gaga posted this the other day on her Facebook account. She's been very supportive of people singing her music, especially kids. I love Lady Gaga and I think she's really very talented, albeit a bit crazy. Timmy has a Youtube channel called TheManiaMusic. His first upload was a rendition of Bad Romance in his kitchen which seemed kind of spontaneous, but his later videos are much more calculated. In his latest video for "Judas" he's on point. The kid is actually very good, my coworkers and I agree that he's much better than Britney Spears, if that qualifies anything. He has great pitch and time and can dance and sing simultaneously, which again makes him top Britney Spears.



This is an abbreviated edition of Stuff That Doesn't Suck, mainly because I forgot to put one out on Saturday, even though I said that Saturday wouldn't be the regular day to do it. Oops. Anyway, I'll be back for another post later this week. In the meantime, what hasn't sucked for you this week?

#FreeGaryGannon Update

So I know a lot went down over the course of late Thursday evening. I know that there have been some clues in and out of game (and I can't really participate in that since I'm not playing right now) Sadly, I wasn't really around to follow the twitter, but I logged into Facebook just a few minutes ago to see this video had been uploaded.



Not gonna lie, it's pretty damn creepy.

A #FreeGaryGannon campaign has been set up to urge Blizzard (or whomever is responsible) to release Gary from their clutches. There’s a tumblr page and you can follow along on twitter by searching #FreeGaryGannon. Also check out the feeds of @akamikeb, @devolore, @irljasmine, @gamebreakertv. Stay tuned to Kentucky Geek Girl for more updates on what I'm deeming as GaryGate. You can also like my new Facebook page!

New info on #FreeGaryGannon

There is new speculation among Gamebreaker.tv fans as to the party responsible behind our beloved ginger's disappearance. Some are saying that Coco himself wanted Gary taken out. Others are saying that Darnell, host of BlizzBlues on Gamebreaker.tv, is responsible. Others on the Gamebreaker.tv forums are referencing a countdown on the screen behind MikeB. Could that be countdown to Gary's kidnapping? Could this have been an inside job?

A #FreeGaryGannon campaign has been set up to urge Blizzard (or whomever is responsible) to release Gary from their clutches. There’s a tumblr page and you can follow along on twitter by searching #FreeGaryGannon. Also check out the feeds of @akamikeb, @devolore, @irljasmine, @gamebreakertv.

Legendary 27: Free Gannon

User @Rhonyzul tweeted me this: “@bardicmelody http://tinyurl.com/6z6r8dc I think we’ve found Gary.” There is apparently a new video which implicates Darnell. Unfortunately, the network I'm on now will not allow me to access youtube.

Latest Battle.net forums post: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2483748474?page=1

Stay tuned for information as it becomes available. Let's just hope that the hair is still in tact and they've allowed him to keep an argyle sweater for warmth. If he's in Pit of Saron, it might be pretty cold.

Is Blizzard to blame for Gary Gannon's disappearance?

I've been following Gamebreaker.tv for a few months now and I enjoy watching their web shows This Week in MMO and Legendary, which covers World of Warcraft.

Even though I'm not playing Warcraft right now, I like to keep up on the news and events. Legendary's hosts Gary Gannon, Mikeb aka Fony from Zam.com's BFF Report, and Josh Allen aka Lore from Tankspot's Weekly Marmot and PST, represent three major demographics in WoW today, casual player, PvPer and hardcore raider, respectively. On Legendary, the guys cover topics such as upcoming patches, class changes, and sometimes even their own speculation as to the future of World of Warcraft and Blizzard in general. But has this speculation finally raised the ire of Blizzard Entertainment? Is Bashiok, Community Manager for the World of Warcraft forums, responsible for Gary Gannon's disappearance? Before we get into that, let's talk about what happened during the Legendary live broadcast on Tuesday night.

Legendary, the World of Warcraft show, tapes live on Justin.tv weekly at 9:30 PM Pacific Time. Gary, Mike and Lore broadcast from their respective locations, but in particular Gary is live from the brand new Gamebreaker.tv studio. On May 3, at around 45 minutes into the broadcast, the live feed suddenly went dead following Gary's statement that World of Warcraft was growing too "fat." This came after the trio discussed the Bashiok's claim that there is a lack of resources for new raid content and that Patch 4.2 will only bring the 7 bosses of the Firelands raid.

Just about half way into the show, the feed cut out. I was thinking, Well, maybe I should just reload the page. No dice. The chatroom was going crazy. Jasmine was trying to calm everyone down as they figured out where Gary was. Then, the speculation began. Blizzard didn't like Gary's comments and decided to take him out. Just two days after the announcement of the raid on Osama bin Laden's compound, many folks in the chatroom said that Blizzard staged an invasion of the Gamebreaker.tv studio. It turns out that Gary's internet was cut, but then later it was announced that the power was out too.

Mike and Lore were eventually able to bring the feed back up briefly and they were donning their tinfoil hats, the significance of which is so Blizzard can't read their minds. Groups of players went in game and staged rallies in Garrosh's room on server Arthas. Since I'm not in game right now, I couldn't attend, but I followed along in the chat room for awhile.

A #FreeGaryGannon campaign has been set up to urge Blizzard to release Gary from their clutches. There's a tumblr page and you can follow along on twitter by searching #FreeGaryGannon. Also check out the feeds of @akamikeb, @devolore, @irljasmine, @gamebreakertv.

As a witness to the atrocities of 5/3, I can just say that I am scared for Gary's safety. I'm not sure what kind of dungeon Blizzard has Gary in, but if it's anything like Halls of Stone, he's in for a lifetime of pain and misery.

Legendary 27: Free Gannon

***UPDATE***

Shortly after I posted the link to twitter, user @Rhonyzul tweeted me this: "@bardicmelody http://tinyurl.com/6z6r8dc I think we've found Gary."

The link contained within the tweet is to a youtube video. This youtube video:



I will keep everyone up to date on the events surrounding Gary's disappearance.

Latest Battle.net forums post: http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/2483748474?page=1

New Green Lantern Trailer Released

The folks at Yahoo! Movies have just posted a new trailer for the live action adaptation of the DC comic book Green Lantern. In the movie, set to be released on June 17, Ryan Reynolds (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Definitely, Maybe) plays test pilot Hal Jordan who is gifted a green ring from a dying alien. It's revealed that Jordan has been chosen to be the first human Green Lantern, a member of an intergalactic legion the mission of which is to keep peace in the universe.

Remember, that Reynolds is set to play Deadpool. The character of Wade Wilson was first introduced in 2009's X-Men Origins: Wolverine and buzz quickly began about him portraying Deadpool in a stand alone film. The script, cast list, production crew, has stalled several times, but IMDB lists it with a 2014 release. How will Reynolds overcome the Marvel vs DC contractual obligation?

I'll admit, I'm a comic book n00b, but I love a good superhero movie. I think in the coming weeks, I'll brush up on my Green Lantern knowledge in preparation for the release.

Are you excited to see Green Lantern? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and by the way, here's the new trailer!

Stuff That Doesn't Suck (3)

Stuff that doesn’t suck is a meme hosted by Pam at Bookalicious where we graciously share with you the things that we come across in a week that don’t suck. This includes a variety of things from books to music to youtube and even more. Feel free to join in on the comments or on your own blog.

Blog That Doesn't Suck

Chronic Geek is a blog written by 8-Bit Emma. She is a college student studying Information Systems Technology. Her blog features her loves of comic books, zombies, gaming, music, and Doctor Who. Not only does her blog feature things about herself and her life, but it also spotlights some of her favorite geek finds. She is an insightful writer and I like that way she incorporates her own photography in her blog. She participates in blog memes such as Fishnet Friday and recounts some pretty epic events like her trip to Brewfest 2010 and refurbishing an arcade game cabinet. I think Emma is awesome and I look forward to her blog posts and tweets.

Movie Trailer That Doesn't Suck

Okay, so if you're like me, most or all of your adolescent life was spent in the company of Harry Potter and the students of Hogwarts. I'm sad to see this epic series come to an end, but I'll tell you, this trailer does it justice. It looks absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to see this movie.



TV Theme Song Cover That Doesn't Suck

Just go with me on this one. I'm a fan of theme music. If I had my own personal theme, it would be a bouncy, light-hearted ditty and there'd probably be some ukulele in it. Anyhoo, the folks at Nerdbastards posted this on their site and it was too epic not to share. I'm not watching Game of Thrones until I've read its literary namesake, but I will attest that the opening theme is awesome. This guy created a heavy metal version of it and uploaded it to youtube on Friday. Bask in the awesomeness.



Adorable Puppy Dog That Doesn't Suck

Just because I felt like we needed another video from youtube, here's a video that a friend posted on our gaming group's message board. Actually, this isn't the version he posted, it's actually a better version. I could not help but smile when I saw this adorable pug.

What hasn't sucked for you this week?