GeekSugar

D.A. Makes a Deal With Gizmodo

GeekSugar — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 07:30:00 PDT

Earlier this year in a now-infamous story, Gizmodo editor Jason Chen got his hands on the next iPhone months before its scheduled release. Rumors flew wildly around the Internet about where it came from as the story was revealed piece by piece in a saga dramatic enough to become a movie.

Now, the search warrant previously issued for Chen's home has been revoked. A California district attorney withdrew the warrant upon agreement with Chen's lawyer that he would voluntarily provide any information the state was looking for in its seizure of his computers, phones, and other devices. As soon as the information on the devices is verified, Chen will (finally) have his property returned. It was taken away by authorities in April, after the search warrant in question was issued. While the investigation is still far from over, the Gizmodo editor should be able to breathe a little easier knowing there's no longer a valid search warrant hanging over his head.

Geeks We Love: Jason Chen of Gizmodo

GeekSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 10:04:54 PST

Shows like Beauty and the Geek give male geeks a bad rep. I have news for you folks, not all geeks think pocket-protectors and worn corduroy pants are trendy. In fact, I know plenty of fellas that showcase the very best of geekiness: smarts, passion, chic clothing, success in their field and the ability to program your TiVo, computer or Blackberry when you’re not in the mood. In an effort to celebrate this month of love, I have put together a series of interviews with some of the most interesting geeky guys out there to prove that geeks are just as lovable as A-list actors.

When it comes to guy gadget sites, Gizmodo.com has earned a reputation as a go-to source for all things geeky - combining breaking news, gadget reviews and a saucy grown-up nerd attitude you can’t help but love. The site’s cool content and buzz is created by a team of geeks that are dedicated to keeping the rest of the world updated on the inner-workings of the gizmo world around the clock and not afraid to admit how many hours they spend playing Xbox or cruising the internet. Among these fearless techie leaders is Jason "JC" Chen, a technology writer/associate editor for the site, who is known to make a "Wii in my pants" joke now and again. While Jason is happily attached, he agreed to share some of his secrets with us. To find out what makes Jason such an alluring geek,

GS: So, tell my few readers that haven’t heard of you a little about yourself…
JC: I've been a freelance tech writer for Gizmodo.com for about a year. Before that I was a software engineer working at various startups in the Bay Area, two of which were an online music startup and a network appliance startup. I got in to the business because I love technology, I love writing and I love comedy writing, and after seeing Gizmodo I thought that was the perfect intersection of the three.

GS: Tell me the geekiest thing about yourself:
JC: Getting tickets with a buddy for and then attending the grand opening of the Star Trek ride in Las Vegas. It was pretty awesome, I have to admit.

GS: And what’s the geekiest thing about your significant other:
JC: Other than dating me? Probably being more obsessed than me with World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XI when we were playing that.

GS: Wow, sounds like you’ve met your match. When did you guys meet?
At work, about three years ago, back when I was a software engineer.

GS: And now for our High Fidelity moment, what are your Top 5 Favorite Gadgets?
JC: MacBook Pro, Cingular 8525, Xbox 360, iPod, and the Zune

GS: What about the Top 5 Luxury Gadgets You Really Want:
JC:Mac Pro, 30-inch Dell or Apple Cinema Display, iPhone!, Sharp's 108-inch LCD, TiVo Series 3

GS: Your first computer was a:
JC: I'd probably have to say a 286 if we're talking PCs, but I had one of those top-loading Nintendo Famicoms back in the early 80s when I was a kid.

GS: What are your favorite websites?
JC: Penny Arcade, pbfcomics.com, Boing Boing, Digg, TV Squad, Fark, Lifehacker, Kotaku, and of course Gizmodo.

GS: What is your Valentine’s Day plan?
JC: It's still early, I need to have a plan already? No seriously, I have no idea.

GS: Okay, now the age-old question - who makes the final decision when it comes to gadgets for the home?
JC: I do, but she has a lot of say - but can be overridden with a veto!

GS: Who solves tech problems at home?
JC: Me, again. She's not all that technical despite being a software engineer. Once I have something set up the way I like it, I don't like to fiddle around with it for fear of causing me hours of work again.

GS: Are you going to buy an iPhone?
JC: Definitely! I'm going to buy a Zune Phone when it comes out as well. I love smartphones (I have a Windows Mobile smartphone now) so the iPhone looks great. I love not having to carry around two devices when one will do.

GS: How do you feel about people calling you a “geek?”
In my teens I didn't like it so much, but I've come to be comfortable with the fact that I'm a geek. Geeks are becoming kinda cool now, so it's actually working out quite well. No delusions of grandeur though - I'm still a geek.

GS: How many hours do you spend online a day?
JC: I'm pretty much wired all the time with my phone and my laptop, so I'd probably say all the hours that I'm not sleeping, I'm most likely online. I'm probably going to have my face melt off from radiation before I'm 40.

GS: How many hours does your partner spend online a day?
JC: About eight hours a day, and all of that is at work. She doesn't do much online stuff at home.

GS: What is one geeky habit you’re trying to quit?
JC: Playing so much Xbox 360, I'd have to say. My nearly 24,000 Xbox 360 gamerpoints shout to me that I need to play less.

GS: So, are you the Beauty or the Geek in your relationship?
The Geek, for sure.

GS: What has been your (or your significant other’s) greatest contribution to the tech/blog industry – don’t be modest.
JC: Well I did break exclusive Zune images and stories before its release, but I'd have to say the greatest contribution to the tech industry is sticking a Wii, a PS3 and a Zune down my pants.

Want more Jason Chen? Check out his archive at Gizmodo.com! Want access to other Geeks We Love? Check out Om Malik of GigaOM!

Announcing the 2012 Critics' Choice Nominations

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:05:11 PST

Award season is officially around the corner, which means the nominations are coming in droves now. The Critics' Choice nominees feature some of the same contenders we've been expecting, like The Descendants and The Artist, but also has a few surprises. Namely, Martin Scorsese's Hugo has emerged as a force to be reckoned with, leading the pack with 11 nods.

Brad Pitt's got not one but two movies up for best picture, with Moneyball and The Tree of Life, not to mention a best actor nod for himself. The Help also cleaned up with eight nominations. On a personal note, we're excited to see some of our favorite 2012 comedies getting some recognition, like The Muppets, Horrible Bosses, and of course, Bridesmaids.

The show doesn't air until 2012, but check out the full list of nominees when you

BEST PICTURE
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ACTOR
George Clooney, The Descendants
Leonardo DiCaprio, J. Edgar
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame
Ryan Gosling, Drive
Brad Pitt, Moneyball

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, The Help
Elizabeth Olsen, Martha Marcy May Marlene
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Charlize Theron, Young Adult
Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn

See the rest of the list when you

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kenneth Branagh, My Week With Marilyn
Albert Brooks, Drive
Nick Nolte, Warrior
Patton Oswalt, Young Adult
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Andy Serkis, Rise of the Planet of the Apes

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Carey Mulligan, Shame
Octavia Spencer, The Help
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Asa Butterfield, Hugo
Elle Fanning, Super 8
Thomas Horn, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Ezra Miller, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Saoirse Ronan, Hanna
Shailene Woodley, The Descendants

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
The Artist
Bridesmaids
The Descendants
The Help
The Ides of March

BEST DIRECTOR
Stephen Daldry, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Alexander Payne, The Descendants
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Steven Spielberg, War Horse

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius
50/50 – Will Reiser
Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
Win Win – Tom McCarthy, Story by Tom McCarthy and Joe Tiboni
Young Adult – Diablo Cody

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, and Jim Rash
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Eric Roth
The Help – Tate Taylor
Hugo – John Logan
Moneyball – Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin, Story by Stan Chervin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
The Artist – Guillaume Schiffman
Drive – Newton Thomas Sigel
Hugo – Robert Richardson
The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki
War Horse – Janusz Kaminski

BEST ART DIRECTION
The Artist – Production Designer: Laurence Bennett, Art Director: Gregory S. Hooper
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 – Production Designer: Stuart Craig, Set Decorator: Stephenie McMillan
Hugo – Production Designer: Dante Ferretti, Set Decorator: Francesca Lo Schiavo
The Tree of Life – Production Designer: Jack Fisk, Art Director: David Crank
War Horse – Production Designer: Rick Carter, Set Decorator: Lee Sandales

BEST EDITING
The Artist – Michel Hazanavicius and Anne-Sophie Bion
Drive – Matthew Newman
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
War Horse – Michael Kahn

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
The Artist – Mark Bridges
The Help – Sharen Davis
Hugo – Sandy Powell
Jane Eyre – Michael O’Connor
My Week With Marilyn – Jill Taylor

BEST MAKEUP
Albert Nobbs
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
The Iron Lady
J. Edgar
My Week With Marilyn

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8
The Tree of Life

BEST SOUND
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Hugo
Super 8
The Tree of Life
War Horse

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
The Adventures of Tintin
Arthur Christmas
Kung Fu Panda 2
Puss in Boots
Rango

BEST ACTION MOVIE
Drive
Fast Five
Hanna
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Super 8

BEST COMEDY
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid, Love
Horrible Bosses
Midnight in Paris
The Muppets

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
In Darkness
Le Havre
A Separation
The Skin I Live In
Where Do We Go Now?

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Buck
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
George Harrison: Living in the Material World
Page One: Inside the New York Times
Project Nim
Undefeated

BEST SONG
“Hello, Hello” – performed by Elton John and Lady Gaga/written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – Gnomeo & Juliet
“Life’s a Happy Song” – performed by Jason Segel, Amy Adams, and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“The Living Proof” – performed by Mary J. Blige/written by Mary J. Blige, Thomas Newman, and Harvey Mason, Jr. – The Help
“Man or Muppet” – performed by Jason Segel and Walter/written by Bret McKenzie – The Muppets
“Pictures in My Head” – performed by Kermit and the Muppets/written by Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis, and Chen Neeman – The Muppets

BEST SCORE
The Artist – Ludovic Bource
Drive – Cliff Martinez
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Hugo – Howard Shore
War Horse – John Williams