Happy New Year!

Happy new year! I hope your winter solstice festival of your choice was pleasant.

We're at that point in the year when the W00tstock possibilities are endless. The #w00tstock hashtag has gone quiet on Twitter. The official web site hasn't had an update since the October and November shows. The wiki continues to tick over nicely. Right now, the chances of a UK tour are as high as anywhere else (well, possibly with the exception of Los Angeles and San Diego :-)

Make sure you keep on spreading the word, liking the videos on YouTube and elsewhere and generally keeping the dream of W00tstock UK alive!

Also, if you want to get a taste of what W00tstock UK might be like, check out the "Uncaged Monkeys" tour this April and May. Robin Ince, Prof. Brian Cox, Dr. Ben Goldacre and Simon Singh present a night of SCIENCE!

A Very W00tstock Halloween

It's going to be an intense Halloween weekend for our American cousins on the East Coast and in Texas, with four W00tstock shows scheduled for New York, Boston, Austin and Dallas. That's in addition to last night's show in Los Angeles which, if the Twitter traffic is anything to go by, was a great success.

Make sure to track W00tstock on Twitter and check the W00tstock Wiki for photos and videos. As dressing up seems to be a requirement, there should be some geeky outfits around!

Breaking News!

It is with a heavy heart that I type these words, as news filters through the Internet that Wil has quit W00tstock, citing Storm's "dickishness" and the fact that he spilled beer on Wil's Munchin cards. Allegedly.

We wait to hear whether Paul and Storm and Adam can negotiate a contract with Wil's last name. Fingers crossed!

Hopeful Arr

Last Thursday saw an announcement about two new W00tstock shows, 2.5 and 2.5.1, both in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall on September 16th and 17th. As always, if you're going to be there, grab your tickets and get ready for an evening of awesome.

There was also news of dates (to be confirmed) in October and November, for the East Coast and "elsewhere". Now, before the "squee's" get too loud, also tucked away in the announcement was this comment:

"Sorry, UK; we love you, and you’re definitely in our hearts and long-term plans; but it’s probably just not feasible this year."

 So "elsewhere" presumably equals "Canada". Dejected Arr.

The UK is in the long-term plan? Hopeful Arr! I think most people would agree that a W00tstock show this year was far beyond our expectations, but knowing that we're in there somewhere gives me enough motivation to press on.

So, the carrot has been dangled. Let's get W00tstock into people's hearts and minds and make sure that when the announcement does come, we're going to be filling those shows to capacity!

Triple Figures And A Question

After a month and a half of steady growth, we've reached our first milestone. As of today, we have 102 Eventful Demands for W00tstock in the UK. That's over one-fifth of all the Demands for W00tstock! This is a tremendous achievement. Well done, everybody!

What now?

Tell your friends about W00tstock. Send them links to the video clips and to the performers' sites. Get people excited about the possibility of W00tstock UK.

And now for a new angle. Back before W00tstock 2.4, Molly Lewis sent this reply to a tweet from @d_olsen:

"There may be a UK W00t in the future, but I probably wouldn't be able to afford joining them."

This got me thinking. Molly's such an integral part of W00tstock now that it wouldn't feel right without her being there. If it would ensure we got to see our favourite geek culture performers and they got to come over here and perform, would people be willing to club together and help out with / cover her costs? It's just a suggestion, so your comments on this would be greatly appreciated.

That Was The W00t That Was

The Web was alive with the sound of w00t last Thursday as geeks and nerds, geekettes and nerdettes, braced themselves for the Awesome Foursome (Fawesome?) that are Wil Wheaton, Adam Savage and Paul and Storm, and the arrival of Wootstock 2.4, San Diego.

I managed an entire night's sleep before The Captain's Wife's Lament wrapped the show at around 8.35am UK time and the flood of photos and videos began shortly after, as tired, wired audience members began maxing out San Diego's wi-fi networks.

While I was expecting to have to go find the best bits myself, I've been saved the trouble by the wonderful work of YouTube user GeekyPleasures, to whom I would like to extend many thanks and much appreciation! And now, for your delight and delectation, W00tstock 2.4:

W00tstock 2.4 - San Diego - Thursday July 22nd

Starts - 7.30pm

Ends - Sometime around the heat death of the universe, if past shows are anything to go by.

Guests -

• Singer / songwriter Marian Call
• Real rock star drummer Jason Finn (Presidents of the United States of America)
• Writer Matt Fraction
• Comedian Chris Hardwick ("Web Soup", the Nerdist podcast)
• Singer / songwriter Molly Lewis
• Artist Len Peralta
• Astronomer, lecturer and author Phil Plait ("Bad Astronomy" blog)
• Rifftrax stars Bill Corbett, Kevin Murphy and Mike Nelson
• Magician Jamy Ian Swiss

And special surprise guests!

Tickets (for you lucky people who'll be in town) at http://bit.ly/w00tstockSD!

I'll be trawling YouTube and Flickr for the highlights from the show. In the meantime, why not show your support for W00tstock UK and Demand It with Eventful.com.

If you're going to San Diego Comicon, have a superb time! If you're going to W00tstock, excuse me while I sit in the corner and beat a green-eyed monster into submission. Oh, and have a great time, because you will, obviously.