“90210″ day might only happen once in history but my friend Spider‘s (of FEARnet and Powerman 5000) cameo on the show will live forever. Guys, take notes on the facial hair.

Maybe it was fated as such.

This past weekend, geek-friendly-and-founded Scott Pilgrim vs. the World underperformed against testosterone-fueled actionfest The Expendables and the more estrogen-laden Eat Pray Love, slogging into 5th place with around $10.5 million in earnings. So, what the what? For nerd culture enthusiasts and 8-bit generationers, Scott Pilgrim was going to be it – the funny, quirky movie based on an indie comic that could pave the way for more funny, quirky movies based on indie comics. Michael Cera was to be our skinnier, paler, less-bearded geek Jesus, or at the very least a Che Guevara revolutionary, sans hat and Marxist politics.

Is this death knell of nerd culture-based comedies that would be? I’d like to think of it more like an exposition of what could be. Like many, I thoroughly enjoyed Scott Pilgrim. It’s a funny romp cleverly decorated with a gamer sensibility, rounded out by quirky dialogue and a solid supporting cast – Kieran Culkin as Wallace and Ellen Wong as Knives, more or less, steal the show. Brandon Routh makes frosted tips look relevant again. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona was like the Edward to Cera’s Bella/Pilgrim: she’s equal parts frustrating and alluring as the goddess who pegged pants-wearing indie rock bass players daydream about. It had just enough gamer insider appeal to be accessible. So, that begs the question, why didn’t more people, um, access it?

Because as quickly as it is growing, this is still a small, niche’d world that has yet to garner the mass appeal of, say, an Eat Pray Love. So perhaps come as no surprise that the film was the weekend’s underdog – I’m sure Scott Pilgrim fans know a thing or two about what that’s like.

While I’m still not a huge fan of mash-ups, this one is full of win.

via Geekosystem

If you were sentient in the mid-to-late ‘90s, when mobile phones started becoming a consumer must-have, you’ll remember that one period when the trend was, essentially, the smaller the better. Before the rate at which you could upload a video to YouTube or whether a Facebook app was readily available were considerations, size seemed to be a huge (little) issue. I remember one commercial that featured a man and woman talking and marveling about “how small it is!” – “it” being a phone that was smaller than a playing card when collapsed. This, somehow, was a sign of progress. Then there was that scene from Zoolander. Remember?

@ 2:36

And then, at some point, it all shifted. Obviously, we’ve seen mobile phones move away from modest statures. Far away. Actually, running screaming in the opposite direction, as my recent visit to my cell phone retailer suggested. I went in, anxious to test out a new phone that’s been buzzed about so much, the guy at the store told me they didn’t have any in stock – it was just FLYING off the shelves! Only when I held the display model, I couldn’t get over that the entire thing was almost bigger than my whole hand. I could only imagine how ridiculous I’d look, pressing this thing against my ear, my hand barely covering its surface area. I pictured the bruises on my lobes. I imagined a member of the Na’vi people using it. That seemed more appropriate.

Thankfully, I tested out other models that fit readily into my hand and didn’t make me feel disproportionately small as a result. Goodbye magical Na’vi phone. Would’ve been nice to watch the “Double Rainbow” video on you but probably not worth the bicep ache I’d get as a result. Bigger always better? Note to gadgeteers: not always.

“People want to have narcissistic conversations with total strangers about the everyday minutiae of their lives. Why not build them a service that does that?”

The debate over Hollywood’s imperialism over the nerd world will undoubtedly continue as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World makes its theatrical debut this weekend. I’m not a huge fan of mash-ups in general, but the one below a) isn’t a standard mash-up, and b) shows that Hollywood and the nerd world can come together with amusing success.

via LA Times/Hero Complex.

The phenomenon known as Justin of the Canadian Biebers continues his unrelenting reign. 3D movie? Memoir? CARTOON!? Well, scratch the memoir.

via Geekosystem.