Sorry for the one day delay, but my body may still be on ROFLCon-standard time. Things don't happen in the same time and space there that they do in real life. Trust me.

Regardless, here's this week's line-up of new DVD releases, including "The Golden Compass," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!," and the second season of "Friday Night Lights!"

As always the Stockton to my Malone, Videoport Jones is here to run plays.

It was somewhere around the 1 millionth Rick Astley reference when my eyes started to glaze over and a dull hum overtook my thoughts. The surroundings at MIT - a giant walking Firefox, guys in Anonymous masks, the inescapable glare of Leslie Hall's sweaters the gentle, ever-present smile of the Tron Guy and the other Branwndo-fueled insanity had all become too much.

I was ROFLCon-ed out.

The masks are symbolic, but also a necessity for Anonymous, the group/movement that has stepped up their criticism on The Church of Scientology over the last year.

Which makes it all kind of complicated, weird and spooky that they're sitting in a packed auditorium talking about their fight against Scientology.

It is a bit odd being back on a college campus, sitting in a cavernous lecture hall and not having a "did not study" cold sweat.

You break out of that after looking up on the chalk board, which has several stick figures performing inappropriate acts on one another.

It's not a big secret that I've never quite understood the LOLCATS and the whole phenomenon.

But it is a juggernaut. A big, cute, funny speaking juggernaut.

First session of the afternoon just wrapped up and I'm still digesting all the geekery and chumminess around this place.
Although I know almost no one here, walking around feels like you're at a party with a bunch of friends or acquaintances.

And I'm sorry I can't keep typing, "Chocolate Rain" just started playing somewhere though the halls and people are singing along.

"They're rainrolling us," says a guy next to me.

After a should-have-been-expected traffic delay and inevitable parking chaos I’m on the ground at ROFLCon 2008! HELLO CAMBRIDGE!

A beautiful day in Cambridge and we’ve got a room full of geeks, nerds, smartasses and a few geniuses all inside a slightly darkened room.

Ask yourself these questions:
- Do you respect the force of nature that is Chuck Norris?
- Do you enjoy Stuff White People Like?
- Do you find cute pictures of cats and grammatically challenged headlines?

If so, there's something going on at M.I.T. this weekend you might be interested in.

Grab a coffee and a cruller, it's time for a flavor shot of this week's Interweb offerings in The Scanner.

It doesn't have to be a cruller - it could be a bear claw. I'm just saying grab a snack.

We're a day behind, thanks to the holiday, but fear not, new DVDs take no breaks - especially for regional holidays.

Videoport Jones has stopped by to sort through the pile of this week's new films. He's nice like that.

We laughed. We cried. We jammed to '80s hits. We ate copious amounts of jalapeño poppers.

Thank you for coming out to the first Blogaversary and Meet-Up!

You've been waiting for it, I've been waiting for it. The beverages are on ice, the T-shirt gun I had the PPH lab boys whip up is primed.

It's the weekend and the NXT Blogaversary and Meet-up is here. Saturday night, 7 p.m. at Dock Fore. Stop on by the share some stories, meet some people or compare bacon recipes. Or just to tell me my writing needs work.

Best part - It's a wacky New England three-day weekend! I may not understand you Patriot's Day, but I'll accept you on my calendar.

Sit back and relax and let the Internets do the thinking for you - It's time for the Scanner.

Don't worry, this is not another shameless plug for the blogaversary and meet-up. I'll spare you that. Instead, it's a less shameless plug for a few local groups holding some sweet events in Portland tonight.

For the longest time I've been trying to think of a name for the regular bit we do on Tuesday with Dr. Videoport Jones on new DVD releases.

I like the sound of "Press Play," but do feel free to tell me if it's crap.

Anyway it's Tuesday, there are new DVDs to be rented and bought, so let's get on with the show!

So here's a bit of a confession: I have a strange obsession with the HGTV show House Hunters.

If you haven't seen it, here's the basic gist: Home buyer is in desperate need to move up and out and looks at three possible homes before making a decision.

Doesn't sound riveting, but it is, trust me.

Everyone's invited! This Saturday it all goes down. It's a chance for me to say thanks to everybody for reading and participating in the blog and making it great. I couldn't do it without all of you guys!

It's been a while since we've had a new podcast. I know, I know, we're so lazy and surly around here, it's amazing anything gets done on the NXT desk.

Just to make it up to you we've put together a good one - it's got heart, guts, fashion and youthful optimism. If you're into that.

I spotted the first sign of spring in Portland the other day. No, it was not a robin perched outside my window at Press Herald Plaza. No, it was not the city sidewalk cleaning carts. No, it was not college students defying the weather by wearing flip-flops.

Saw the first shirtless dude of the year walking down Federal Street yesterday.

This is what it's all about people - The Scanner. We all spend entirely too much time on the interwebs and want to share what we found.

Ain't that sweet?

I've been remiss in updating the NXT Hoops Challenge and Bracketstravaganza this week, mostly out of the sickness I felt after watching Monday night's NCAA final.

Tuesdays mean one thing around here (other than we're four days closer to the weekend) - a visit from Videoport Jones to talk about this week's new DVD releases and generally crack wise on society.

The whole adjustment from back page columnist to front page columnist has been an interesting one.

On one hand I feel more pressure to write about topics of interest to a wider audience - after all it's my face on the front page. At the same time a part of me says, "why change what you were already doing?"

But there are some things, like the always fun mix of college students and credit cards, that you can't really ignore.

Did you know today is Hug A Newsman Day?

No, I did not invent that. Just passing it along.

Also, hope you had a chance tonight to join me at the Maine Audubon Society in Falmouth for The Green Carpet: An Eco-Chic Fashion show put on by students from PATHS. As host I plan to use my best Project Runway voice. Although I don't think I've watched more than five minutes of that show.
Look for updates on the Twitter Wire.

"Hello friends, welcome to the tea party."

With those words almost a year ago today, we started on a fantastic voyage into local music, graffiti, zombies, video games, Rick Astley, mustaches, pirates and bacon.

The NXT Desk is ready to celebrate its first birthday.

There's a lot of stuff on the Internet. Luckily some of you spend as much time looking through the good and the bad as I do.

And that's how we end up with The Scanner.

Spring is in bloom (in theory) and with the turning of the seasons comes an annual tradition...award season.

Local business, local artists and local musicians are all coming into focus this month and it's time to celebrate some of the things that make it pretty great to live and work in this community.

The best part is - you get to decide.

We're back again, and we swear this time it's business.

Tuesdays are all about new DVD releases and our local expert, Videoport Jones is here to talk about what to look for on your next buying or renting spree.