A lot of things happened at ROFLCon a few weeks back. I gained a new understanding for LOLCats, my faith in Rick Astley wavered, I was blinded - and changed forever - by Leslie Hall's gem sweaters and I sat in the back of a science lecture hall and did not fall asleep, just to name a few.

But I also got to meet a lot of cool people.

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.

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?

Get an energy bar and a Red Bull, it's time for the weekly dose of all things tasty, techy and pop-culture-y (yes, that is not a word.).

Time for to fire up The Scanner.

Looking for that perfect last minute Valentine's Day gift?
TOO BAD. The Scanner does not care about your lack of planning or romantic love and laughs at you.

Oh Scanner, you're so scandalous.

Was there something going on at Portland High School yesterday?
I drove past there and it looked like the entire city was trying to get in there.

There is nothing quite like the fear, tension and unease you feel when you're hosting a Super Bowl party and things go south for the home town team and you've got few fans for the opposing team in attendance.

I didn't know whether to hide the booze, knives and easily flammable furniture, or as a neutral party (Vikings Fan) appeal to reason.

Oh we're back and getting better every day here on the NXT desk. A quick note for those of you who have asked and those that are just observant – the podcast is not dead, it's just on a short hiatus. With the holiday and some scheduling things we've been off the rails for a bit here. We'll be back up next week.

And with that, let's get into the good stuff: bacon, fast cars, paintball and "Fight Club" the musical.

Mr. Jones got to run solo last week and no one got injured. I'd say that's a win–win.
But even I'm not lazy enough to take another day off and let him run wild for a consecutive week.

So I'm back, the second chair to Mr. Videoport Jones, and his picks of this week's new DVD releases.

So, what did I miss?

Sure you like to think your time is precious, especially at work, but come on ... don't fight your inner procrastinator.

Succumb to The Scanner, it will waste your time in ways you won't feel so bad about.

Aside from today's bacon news – and really, what could be more important to me – here's a tasty round up of the bizarre, funny and otherwise curious from this week. It's The Scanner: With subtle hints of boysenberry aftertaste.

I know most of you are in full-fledge Thanksgiving & family mode, which as they say is the reason for the season.

Still, I'm a firm believer in the power of moderation – in food, booze and family, especially this week. So if you're looking for a few minutes diversion, here it is.

It's time once again for that weekly dose of fantasy and reality that makes reaching the weekend just a little more fun.

Or at least its a enough of a dose to tide you over until the work day ends and happy hour begins.

It's the Scanner - where time wasters and news sit side by side.

It's been a busy week here at NXT, what with all the Democracy in action, late nights, meat pies and cocktails.

Wait, that's another story entirely.

Anyway, I haven't been around blog-town much this week, and for that I apologize. Not that anyone's looking forward to a daily dose of NXT, but what good is this thing if I don't update it regularly?

It's been a busy week here at NXT, what with all the Democracy in action, late nights, meat pies and cocktails.

Wait, that's another story entirely.

Anyway, I haven't been around blog-town much this week, and for that I apologize. Not that anyone's looking forward to a daily dose of NXT, but what good is this thing if I don't update it regularly?

Somewhere in that giant piano lounge in the sky, there is a serious Broadway revival going on and a fresh bottle of scotch has just been cracked open.

Here's to you Mr. G.

After a brief - one week - hiatus, The Scanner has returned, chock full of all the useless, hilarious, and necessary things you needed to know, but did not know you needed to know.

You know?

Because the Internet demands it, because pop culture stops for no one...tt's time once again for The Scanner - where we promise to never try and steal back our memorabilia.

It's time for the Scanner - where all your YouTube shame finds new life as "educational videos."

We've got a lot to run through today, not just the typical crop of YouTubes, but also the results of the week-long 'mustache voting!

It's the day before Friday - just think of the hangover before going to happy hour tonight. It's also means its time for The Scanner: Where shame is the only currency.

Thursdays mean The Scanner - Twenty-five cent wings and cheap sarcasm until 10 p.m.

If it's Thursday then it must mean time for The Scanner - it's like an intervention, only more fun.

It's Thursday, which means it's time for The Scanner - All the Internet, now with 20 percent less spam.

Yeah, you read that right. Girls Gone Wild, as in "reliably-sketchy-
always-getting-sued-for-not-getting-girls'-permission
-to-air-their-drunken-exploits" "Girls Gone Wild."

When someone says "the dude abides," what exactly comes to your mind? Do you scratch your head, look at them strange, or perhaps say back "the Dude abides."

The Weekly Scanner - enough pop culture and bizarre news to smuggle in a speeding lobster boat.

Remember - if you've got weird news, websites, events or anything funky you catch online, send it my way it'll get in the Scanner.

We got a lot to get through today, first off, I think I look ripe for a guest spot on the Simpsons:

The Weekly Scanner - enough pop culture and bizarre news to smuggle in a speeding lobster boat.

Remember - if you've got weird news, websites, events or anything funky you catch online, send it my way it'll get in the Scanner.

We got a lot to get through today, first off, I think I look ripe for a guest spot on the Simpsons:

Muggle what? Seriously, I have no idea what you people are talking about and I don’t care who eats a magical bullet in the new book.

Ok, maybe that was a little harsh – (especially from a man who debated the merits of "Transformers" – which was awesome by the way.) but I have remained largely immune to Potter-mania over the last few years.

We hear at The Skateboarding Times take our job seriously – to bring you the most up-to-date news on skateboarding, skate parks and the struggle against the anti-skateboarding establishment.

Ah yes, another summer Friday in Portland.

Bars, decks and all that is golden. Which begs the question again, what makes for a good summer time bar? I’m going to keep asking until we get a conversation going, and I know there are people out there who like to enjoy beer and assorted cocktails.

What? A day without some sort of skateboarding news? For a guy who didn’t skateboard growing up, I seem to be talking about it a lot lately.