Tuesday Odds & Ends: "Star Trek," Hitchhikers and "Good Eats"

It's a bit of a slow nerdy news day, but we do have a few highlights:

+ Looking for a good laugh? Check out the "Star Trek XI" gag reel that's been circulating. Zachary Quinto is quite adorable...and does a hilarious Scottish accent. Or was it Irish? Dutch maybe?



+ This week marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." And a new book, touted as the sixth installment in the series, has been released to mark the occasion. It's written by Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl series.

+ There's a new trailer out for "The Sarah Jane Adventures," featuring a few snippets of David Tennant's upcoming appearances. Sadly, there are also Slitheen, which just make me want to cry. Dumbest aliens ever created...



+ In the "well, that's nice of them" category, Fox has announced that it will air all 13 episodes of "Dollhouse" this season, mostly based on the show's decent DVR numbers.

+ NPR has a story on food wizard Alton Brown and ten years of his show "Good Eats," an occasion Brown is marking with the release of a new book on the series.

Nerd Man of the Month: Alton Brown

Foodie Alton Brown is a girl nerd's dream: he can cook for us AND explain all the cool culinary science behind what makes that food taste good. As the host of the Food Network's "Good Eats" and my personal favorite, "Feasting on Asphalt," Alton makes food and the chemistry of food seem like the most fascinating thing in the world. "Good Eats" is half-cooking show, half-Mr. Wizard and, uh, half-pop culture variety show. (Okay, maybe those should have been "thirds.") And with "Feasting on Asphalt," Alton took viewers on two inspiring and sometimes touching journeys to roadside diners and family-run restaurants along the side roads and byways crossing the U.S. and running the length of the Mississippi River.

As if that wasn't enough, Alton also serves as host of the American version of "Iron Chef," helping us forget the horror that was the first Shatner-hosted incarnation. And he's published three books -- I'm Just Here For the Food, Alton Brown's Gear For Your Kitchen (which makes me want every kitchen gadget ever invented...and I don't even cook) and I'm Just Here For More Food, all about baking.

Alton's true genius lies in making food seem accessible...and looking good in glasses. He shows, clearly and concisely, that good food is a science, one that can be deciphered with the proper amount of passion and study. Knowing and understanding food will make even the simplest concoction taste better. Plus, who doesn't love to take Alton's little biscuits of knowledge and toss them out at dinner parties. Thanks to Alton, we all look at least 20 percent smarter than we are.

Plus, you gotta love a guy whose website sells these t-shirts:


So far all these reasons and also because his website shows us how to safely deep fry an entire Butterball, the Park Bench is pleased to name Alton Brown as its January Nerd Man of the Month.