The Geekdads

It's the first day of Geekmas, and the GeekDads have some great giveaways!

It's the first day of Geekmas, and the GeekDads have some great giveaways!

It's the first day of Geekmas, and the GeekDads have some great giveaways!

It's the first day of Geekmas, and the GeekDads have some great giveaways!

It's the first day of Geekmas, and the GeekDads have some great giveaways!

It's the first day of Geekmas, and the GeekDads have some great giveaways!

It's the first day of Geekmas, and the GeekDads have some great giveaways!

Ken and I really struggled to find a way to celebrate the 100th episode of GeekDad HipTrax without simply rehashing a bunch of stuff we’ve already featured. After some careful deliberation we submit for the approval of our longsuffering listening community the following collection which we have dubbed “The HipTrax Definitive 10.” It’s 10 songs from 10 distinct artists that truly encapsulate what the geeky music meta-community is all about, and it includes old and new tracks like: “It is Pitch Dark” by MC Frontalot A classic cut from the Godfather of Nerdcore originally included in our 10th episode. “Paperman” by Adam WarRock A brand new song from the new face of pop culture-obsessed hip-hop. “Take it from Me” by Kirby Krackle This Mega Man tribute comes from the Seattle geek rockers’ phenomenal E for Everyone. “Light Up the Night” by The Protomen Another Mega Man cut that’s also a classic throwback; this piece from the all-original VGM rock opera outfit is surely one of its finest. “Out on the Floor

Ken, Jonathan, and Matt chat about the rumored NASA Mars announcement, going crazy with holiday lights, the season's best movies, and more. Enjoy! GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum, Jonathan Liu, Z and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a biweekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

Ken and Matt chat about the upcoming holidays, Windows 8, the new TSR, and more. Enjoy! GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum, Jonathan Liu, Z and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a biweekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

As we creep slowly toward our landmark 100th episode (not to mention this year’s 12 Days of Geekmas), Ken and I take a moment to catch up on three new and notable releases. Sit back and enjoy: “Kiss My Bits (ComputeHer Mix)” by 8 Bit Weapon 8 Bit Weapon and ComputeHer recently put together a compilation spanning 14 years of chiptune magic. The 8 Bit Weapon Collection 1998-2012 weighs in at an impressive 56 tracks, and it’s available for download now via Bandcamp. “Act I – To Live is to Love” by Adam WarRock Last month Adam WarRock worked with Opera Memphis to shrink the four acts of Puccini’s La Boheme down to at tight four track hip-hop EP. High culture and pop culture collide in this fascinating display of narrative lyricism. “Sunny Days Again” by Shnabubula Shnabubula’s Fading Light consists of 10 improvised piano pieces that the artist recorded during a very trying personal period. Though originally intended as little more than disparate exercises, they actually fit together into a truly moving mus

Ken, Jonathan, and Matt chat about the Apple announcements, Wreck-it Ralph, and more. Enjoy! GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum, Jonathan Liu, Z and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a biweekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

In this edition of GeekDad HipTrax we take a break from our regularly scheduled Halloween merrymaking to talk with a very special guest, musician-comedian Mike Phirman! We also rock out to: "Chicken Monkey Duck" by Mike Phirman From Mike's own The Very Last Songs I Will Ever Record (Part 1)comes a slice of barnyard funk suitable for your next rural social function. "Moose Lodge" by Hard 'n Phirm Hard 'n Phirm, the comedy duo consisting of Phirman and his pal Chris Hardwick, does not exactly create what we would consider family-friendly music. And yet I was able to find a cut from their release Horses and Grasseswith only one minor swear! #gome

Ken, James, and Chuck chat about the Curiosity Rover, the Dragon space craft, home automation, and more. Enjoy! GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum, Jonathan Liu, Z and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a biweekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

Halloween comes early on this edition of GeekDad HipTrax! Receive ample tricks and/or treats from: “Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance – Successor of Fate” by Videogame Orchestra European netlabel Pterodactyl Squad and Greek electro-chip duo Videogame Orchestra kick the show off with a little Castlevania action. This track is available as part of the free-to-download release Last But Not Least. “King of Brains” by Zombie Lou Zombie Lou’s Greatest Hits is an entire album based on a classic gag from the You Don’t Know Jack videogame series. It is also awesome, season-appropriate and free. “Fear of the Dark” by Sam Haynes Check out Sam Hanyes’ Halloween Carnival, a great collection of creepy electronica perfect for haunts and costume party soundtracks. Then check out the latest from the artist behind Sam Haynes, Cheekyboy.

Ken and Matt chat about the iPhone 5, The Hobbit, and more. Enjoy! GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum, Jonathan Liu, Z and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a biweekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

Some podcasts are content to simply take over the world, but here at HipTrax we have grander designs; we are gunning for the entire universe! Reach for the heavens with: “Birds, Stars, Pigs and Quasars” by The OneUps The OneUps latest, Intergalactic Continuum, is a funk-fueled journey through the stratosphere with stops in Hyrule and Funkotron. It’s available now at Bandcamp for a cool 10 bones, or you can check out the band’s official merch store for the physical version. “Space Dojo 1 (Double Dragon 1 – Mission 2)” by Jake Kaufman Jake Kaufman is likely better known in VGM circles as virt – or, if you prefer, “that guy who composes the soundtracks for all my favorite games.” Recently he added the Double Dragon Neon OST to his already impressive discography, alongside such fan favorites as Contra 4 and Shantae: Risky’s Revenge. It’s also available now via Bandcamp as a pay-what-you-want release. “The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z” by Tribe One Last weekend I caught Tribe One (along with

Ken, Matt, and Jonathan chat about PAX Prime, Thor 2 casting rumors, and make a few Apple announcement predictions. Enjoy! GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum, Jonathan Liu, Z and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a biweekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.

With PAX Prime and Dragon*Con now behind us, we can finally get back to… whatever it was we were doing. I mean, I’m sure it was important. Or something. Memorialize the bygone con season with: “Be My Stalker” by The Doubleclicks So I’m not saying this song is about me, but I’m also not sayin’ it ain’t, you dig? Be sure to catch the sisters Webber out and about this fall alongside the one and only Molly Lewis on The Ladies of Ragnarok: Tour 2012. I may or may not be sneaking into their van to collect DNA from their hairbrushes as part of a convoluted cloning scheme. “Theme from Star Trek” by Andrew Allen The Smooth Federation all-jazz Star Trek tribute is easily one of the coolest projects I’ve ever encountered. And I owe it all to longtime friend of GeekDad and veritable musical birddog Dave the SalesGeek! “Back To Me” by Dual Core Dual Core’s latest full-length All the Things was released last week, and it immediately shot to the top of the Bandcamp sales charts. This is particularly telling, as I can

Ken, Matt, and John Jonathan chat about the loss of Neil Armstrong, the Apple/Samsung verdict, and our excitement about the new Joss Whedon TV announcement. Enjoy! GeekDad.com is the parenting blog at Wired.com, edited by Ken Denmead, Matt Blum, Jonathan Liu, Z and Chris Anderson. It is a community of like-minded geeky parents writing about our experiences raising our kids in the digital age, and about our obsessions with technology, family-friendly projects, and pop-culture. The GeekDads podcast is a biweekly discussion of anything and everything that impacts us as geeks and parents.