Category Archives: Culture

The Cult of the Six-Sided Die: Luck Culture & Games

Recently, I’ve been fortunate enough to get together with a few friends and try out the latest and greatest edition of Dungeons and Dragons. It has been some time since I’d crafted a character, fought dragons and rolled some oddly shaped dice. And it’s those odd dice that left me wondering a few things about luck, randomness and chance.
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Culture, Taste, and What We’re Thankful For

gg-thanksgiving

What we like can say a lot about us. As sociologist Pierre Bourdieu said, “Taste classifies, and it classifies the classifier.” The claim is that you’re born into a certain milieu, and that ends up influencing what you like. More interestingly, though, these tastes end up “classifying you” through your attitudes toward the tastes of others. You defer to those whose tastes you view as superior and look down on those who can’t match your own cultural cred. When this plays out, we have ourselves a class system.

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Thor’s Day: Norse Gods and Reboot Culture

thorsdayHappy Thor’s Day, everyone! You all know Thor, right? The majestic blond superhero with the hammer and the thunder? Or maybe the red-bearded god and lover of frost giants? Descriptions of the Norse god are vague and far-reaching across time and space. Why the disparity? And how in the world did he land in comic books?

The character known to us as Thor finds his beginnings in the oral tradition of Norse/Scandinavian mythos as the protector of humanity from the frost giants and other unnatural forces, the god (usually) second in power only to Odin. Characteristically wielding a mighty hammer, he served as the brawn to the other Norse gods’ brains. Continue reading Thor’s Day: Norse Gods and Reboot Culture

Exploring Earl Grey

gg-teaAlmost anyone who drinks tea has at least tried Earl Grey. Every brand makes its own version, and each has its differences in taste, smell, color, etc. However, it takes a truly refined palate to really appreciate and compare these often subtle variations. While we lack such a thing here at the Geeky Gentleman, I still decided to try my own blind taste test of some common brands found at your local supermarket. Continue reading Exploring Earl Grey