Recently, Lawrence, Kansas, home of Missoura-beating KU, where Nerd Citizens Max, Mike, and Kris all went to school, has been heavily featured in two of the more prominent nerd shows on TV: Heroes and Supernatural. The brothers on Supernatural are from Lawrence, and recently, on this much-improved (although far-from perfect) season of Heroes, super fast, very hot, maybe-villian Daphne is from Lawrence, and Hiro, love-able Asian time traveler even goes to a comic book store there (imaginary, unfortunately), where fellow nerds Seth Green and Breckin Meyer work. Weird.

With the popularity that is Wii Sports, many other companies are trying to catch the craze by developing their own fitness game. There have been a few on the DS already that help with stretching and pilates, but EA is out to make the first Wii Fit competitor. Announced today is the development/release of “EA Sports Active” which will look to enhance your workout techniques through a 30 day challenge giving you a new 20-minute workout each day. Could be interesting to see if the home work-out craze is still going on when this comes out next year. Full press release below.

GUILDFORD, UK. – November 13, 2008 – Do you find there are too few hours in the day to run a household, hold down a job and fit in a workout? Or, are you just getting bored of the same old fitness routine? EA SPORTS™, a label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), today announced the development of EA SPORTS™ Active, an innovative new customizable and personalized fitness product that will get you motivated to move in the comfort of your home. EA SPORTS Active will launch exclusively for the Wii™ worldwide next spring.

Developed in collaboration with fitness experts, including Bob Greene – renowned exercise physiologist, author and Oprah’s personal trainer – EA SPORTS Active is perfect for the whole family, though designed specifically for women seeking a simple, fun and cost-effective way to achieve a healthy lifestyle. The product will be the first in a new line of EA SPORTS fitness and sports performance products in development to improve the well-being of people of all ages.

“EA SPORTS Active and our entrance into the fitness space is an exciting and groundbreaking milestone for EA SPORTS,” said Peter Moore, president, EA SPORTS. “As we continue to expand our brand, we have a real opportunity to redefine the home fitness experience with a more Western cardiovascular approach and exercises that will appeal to a diverse audience, getting people off the couch and into shape while interacting with our products in a way never before possible. EA SPORTS Active costs less than a gym membership, it provides a variety of exercises unlike a one dimensional in-home fitness contraption, and it delivers an interactive experience that you don’t get from a DVD – this is a true fitness revolution and a space in which we intend to be leaders.”

EA SPORTS Active features a wide variety of interactive activities combined into a circuit that target both the upper and lower body as well as cardio, and supports two players to allow family or friends to get fit together. EA SPORTS Active provides a new level of motivation with on-screen, real-time feedback on your workout such as calories burned, while also allowing you to adjust intensity levels. EA SPORTS Active will include two specially-designed leg straps that hold the Wii’s Nunchuk controller to track lower body movements, as well as a resistance band to support a number of upper body strength training exercises.

“One of the most frequent questions I am asked is how to get fit at home – especially from busy mums. EA SPORTS Active provides a fun and effective workout that targets your upper body, lower body, and gets your heart pumping in just 20 minutes a day,” said Greene. “It’s a great way to get moving when you can’t get outside or you only have a short amount of time at home. In addition, I like the variety of exercises that it provides – one of the many reasons it has earned the Best Life seal of approval.”

EA SPORTS Active features a “30 Day Challenge,” a fitness road map for players to reach their fitness goals with the guidance of a virtual trainer. The Challenge provides a new, 20-minute workout every time a player exercises, including clear instruction, feedback on technique and positive encouragement throughout the workout. Each circuit will feel different and increase in intensity as fitness levels improve to help you work up a sweat and work toward your fitness goals. Users can also create their own custom workouts that vary in activity, duration and intensity, and the Wii Balance Board will add functionality to many exercises.

EA SPORTS Active is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver. It has not yet been rated by the ESRB or PEGI; visit www.esrb.org for updated rating information. Media can find photos and a trailer of the game at www.electronicarts.co.uk/press. For more information, please visit www.easportsactive.com.

Image courtesy of videogamegeek

And it appears that hop production is up.  Reading the report, you’ll notice that crop yield is virtually identical, but the number of acres harvested has increased.  A 27% increase from 2007 is nice, but it’s hard to determine what effect it will have on actual hop prices.  As with barley, the cost to harvest and transport the crops to market is still rising.  Also, the demand for American hops is still increasing.  Since hop vines take over three years to begin full production, it’s possible that past shortages motivated farmers to increase their production and we’ll continue to see annual improvements.

The Hallertau region is harvesting right now as well.  Hopefully the Germans have had an equally good year.

Report courtesy of Clarence Beeks.

http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Oregon/Publications/Field_Crop_Report/crop%20reports/08_12cr.pdf

Since man first began brewing, he has tried to find ways to keep his beer from spoiling too quickly.  The more you can brew at one time, the less time you need to spend brewing.  This was important when every home brewed its own beer because the local water supply was somewhere between suspicious and rancid.  Also, the yeast in beer only lives between certain temperatures, so without refrigeration, brewing during the summer was impossible.

We can thank our innovative ancestors for the various styles we drink today, some of which will improve with age.  Anything that is bottle conditioned (you can see a small layer of yeast sediment in the bottom of the bottle) will usually evolve with time.  By storing your beer upright in a cool, dark, and somewhat humid space, the yeast left in the bottle will continue to slowly feed; and the flavors will continue to meld.  Also, the hops will mellow over time, so aging isn’t always ideal for hop bombs or fresh hop beers.  Barleywines, imperial stouts and porters, old ales, and lambics are all ideal candidates for cellaring.  Some beers will hit their peak at 3-4 years, others will continue to improve as long as their caps survive and don’t allow in any oxygen.

This is a hobby that requires great patience and attention, you can’t obsess about all the good stuff you’ve hidden under the stairs.  This winter, try buying some of these stronger beers and hide a portion away.  After 2-3 years, you can start pulling some out of the cellar to enjoy while you keep adding more to your stash.

Read more.

Episode XV: The boys are joined by Chicago comedian Jimmy Pennington as they talk shit on “Star Wars:Clone Wars”, discuss the current improv comedy scene, and try to determine why He-man is such a racist, this week on Nerd City.

Pictures and links after the jump…

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Our first female guest! Max and Ben welcome Chicago comedienne/airport baggage handler Chrysteena Lairamore to talk Hellboy, Hancock, Wizard World Chicago, and sex with Max’s relatives.  Featuring Mick Foley’s Big 5, this is one for the ages.  Foul-mouthed, funny, nerdy: This ain’t your grandma’s podcast.
PEACE!

Pictures and links after the jump…

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