Author: somegeektoldme@gmail.com

The Six Nations Rugby Championship: Part 1 of 2

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn SportsLeave a comment

Before I conjure up some more literary magic, I would like to take a fraction of your time to acknowledge some deaths.

1.) Over 30,000 Iranian civilians and anti-government demonstrators have been killed by the Iranian Republic Security Forces since December 2025, in what can only be described as massacres.

2.) Legendary comic book artist, Sal Buscema, died on 23rd January 2026, aged 89. He worked for multiple companies across his long career, having created fantastic characters like Rebecca and Brian Banner, Lady Deathstrike, Grandmaster, The Invaders, Hyperion, Helmut Zemo, U-Foes, Time Variance Authority, Rom the Space Knight, and the Wrecking Crew, among many others.

3.) The recent storm that hit the North Island of New Zealand has resulted in the deaths of nine people, through flash flooding and two landslides.

4.) The beloved actress and comedian Catherine O’Hara passed away on January 30, 2026. Among her many famous roles, my personal favourite was Cookie Fleck in Best In Show. O’Hara had the knack of making any character, especially the unlikable ones, very likeable.

I don’t have any inspiring things to say, other than my family and I are very sorry to hear of their deaths, and to send our condolences and deepest sympathies to their loved ones.

In New Zealand, both national and regional governments have numerous questions that require answers from the media, the public, and grieving families.

My thanks and apologies for bringing this up.

Moving on, I wrote another non-award-winning blog post last week regarding rugby, American football’s older and hotter sibling. I mentioned that I was going to discuss the greatest rugby tournament outside of the World Cup: The Six Nations Championship. I aim to provide my followers with things they didn’t request, except for the three followers this is written for. They know who they are.

So, like Fozzie and Kermit, we need to keep movin’ right along into The Six Nations Rugby Championship: Part 1. For all my non-rugby supporters, I’m sorry/not sorry. Prepare thyself!

Credit: Guinness Six Nations/Love Belfast

Every year, a fantastic rugby tournament begins that runs from February to April. It’s called the Six Nations Championship, or the Guinness Six Nations Championship, and it comes in three different flavours, Men’s, Women’s and Under-20s.

The Six Nations, as the tournament is commonly known, involves, get ready for it, six nations that are England, Wales, Scotland, France, Italy, and Ireland1. It’s one of the world’s oldest international tournaments.

Once again, I need to interject myself into something that I am actually writing. Since I’m an All Blacks supporter, it may have crossed your wonderful mind as to why I’m writing about the Six Nations. That is another superb question from you, you’re getting so good at this! I’ll do my best to give an over-complicated answer; nothing but the best on Some Geek Told Me.

The All Blacks compete in an annual tournament with three other countries (The Rugby Championship), but before that, it was with only two other countries (The Tri-Nations), which first started in 1996. I love watching and supporting the Rugby Championship, but it pales in comparison to the Six Nations.

Credit: Guinness Six Nations

For me, the Six Nations is the greatest rugby tournament outside of a World Cup, and this is coming from a New Zealander! As a kid, I was enthralled by learning about the tournament, which was called the Five Nations. Obviously, watching delayed coverage, or at the very least, highlights of the games from the other side of the planet, gave me a taste of how other countries played and managed rugby.

It was always interesting to see rugby from a different perspective, which included the size of the stadiums, the singing, respecting the kicker, the age and tradition of the tournament, as well as the rivalries. I soon discovered my love of the All Blacks also transferred into being curious about what our opponents were doing.

As time marched on, my fascination with the tournament became more defined, because as an All Blacks and Black Ferns supporter, following the Six Nations was logical; if your rivals smashed each other up in an annual competition, wouldn’t it be prudent to gauge how they are performing and to see what they’re up to?

Even now, as a fully-grown man-child, watching the Six Nations makes me ask two questions: Who do I want to win? or Who do I want to lose? It also poses more questions if one particular team is performing well: Could the All Blacks beat them in their current form? but also, If the Black Ferns played them next week, who would win? I love the Six Nations.

I’ve finished my interjection, so we’ll return to the spot where we left off. Thanks.

The tournament has a long, rich and proud history, so I’ll do my best to explain it properly. When discussing the Men’s tournament, it first began in 1883, when it was known as the Home Nations Championship2; which included England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. A few years later, an argument about whether a try should have been awarded resulted in the nations establishing the International Rugby Football Board, now known as World Rugby.

From what I understand, England was not happy that Wales, Scotland, and Ireland had formed a new club, and they refused to join. This hilarious incident meant that England was excluded from the tournament from 1888 to 1889, which in turn meant the tournament did not take place. However, by 1890, everything was worked out, and the tournament had restarted.

The format for the Hone Nations continued until 1910, when France was allowed to join the tournament. As you can guess, with an extra nation in the mix, management decided to change the name of the competition to the Five Nations Championship, because, you know, five nations were playing.

The First and Second World Wars meant that fielding international-level rugby players was a little difficult, along with the country being at war, so from 1915-1919 and 1940-1946, the tournament was not played. It’s worth noting that in 1932, France was banned from the competition because of rumours and allegations of various misconduct3 and they were only allowed to rejoin in 1939, but the Second World War prevented them from physically returning until 1947. 

From 1947, the Five Nations Championship marched on until 1999, because Italy was now asking to join the tournament. They were accepted, so in 2000, the Five Nations Championship was renamed again, thus becoming the Six Nations Championship, with the addition of Italy. France is the defending champion.

The 2025 Guinness Women’s Six Nations launch in London. Credit: Guinness Six Nations

The Women’s tournament followed the same trajectory as the Men’s, but the time period is smaller. The tournament started in 1996, which was named the Women’s Home Nations Championship, which included exactly the teams as you would imagine: England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.

In its format, the tournament lasted three years, until in 1999, you guessed it, France was added to the tournament, changing the name to the Women’s Five Nations Championship. And because history likes to repeat things, this version of the competition lasted only three years, before Italy was introduced into the tournament in 2002, turning the Women’s Five Nations Championship into the Women’s Six Nations Championship. Bet you all of Trump’s orange makeup that you didn’t see that one coming. England won the tournament in 2025.

As for the Under-20s tournament, they started in 2004, but it was called the Six Nations Under 21s Championship, and this lasted until 2008, when they changed the age restriction, which allowed another tournament to have yet another name change. So, the Six Nations Under 21s Championship became the Six Nations Under 20s Championship. Nothing to see here, move along, move along. However, like the Men’s competition, France is the current holder of the title.

In the tournament, each team plays five games, alternating between home and away matches. The following year, the home advantage is reversed for each matchup. For example, the Men’s game between England and Scotland in 2025 took place in England, but in 2026, the England vs. Scotland game will be held in Scotland.

Just because I can, I’m going to list the stadiums that are used in the competition4:

England: Twickenham, London, seats 82,000

Wales: Principality Stadium, Cardiff seats 73,930

Scotland: Murrayfield, Edinburgh, seats 67,140

Ireland: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, seats 51,700

France: Stade de France, Paris, seats 81,330

Italy: Stadio Olimpico, Rome, seats 72,690

The points system for the Six Nations is standard, but with a few quirks:

  • A win gives a team 4 points. (Yay!)
  • A draw gives a team 2 points. (Oh, stink!)
  • A loss gives a team 0 points. (Oh, the shame!)

There are also bonus points to be awarded, which come in handy if teams have the same win/loss records.

  • Scoring four or more tries in a match, gives a team 1 extra point. (Yay again!)
  • Losing by 7 points or fewer, gives a team 1 extra point. (Sweet!)
  • If a team wins all of their games, which is called the Grand Slam, they are automatically given 3 extra points.

At the end of the fifth round, the team with the highest total on the points table wins the championship.

Many trophies are competed for during the different tournaments, which, ironically, is exactly what we will be discussing next week with The Six Nations Rugby Championship: Part 2. Cool bananas!

In my humble opinion, the Six Nations Championship is arguably one of the greatest annual sporting events on the planet, and if you ever get the chance to watch a game, do yourself a favour and do it.

Well, that’s it for another week. Do you follow the Six Nations? What’s your favourite moment? Who will win in 2026? As always, please let me know.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, remember where you put your keys, and I’ll see you next week for the second and final blog post about the Six Nations Rugby Championship. The excitement is building!

1 When discussing Ireland, I am not referring to the Republic of Ireland, but the actual island of Ireland, which consists of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. At the international level, rugby is one of the few sports that represents all of Ireland, unlike football, which has Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland teams. This is reinforced with the cross-border flag for the Irish Rugby Football Union, which incorporates both countries, the Republic of Ireland (controlled by the Republic of Ireland) and Northern Ireland (controlled by the United Kingdom).

2 When discussing the Home Nations in rugby, it is in reference to England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, collectively known as the Home Nations.

3 France was accused of many things, but the main offence was fielding professional players, when at the time, rugby was an amateur sport. Rugby finally went professional in 1995.

4 France also has a second stadium that they sometimes use for the tournament. It’s the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Villeneuve-d’Ascq, in Northern France. Its capacity is 50,180.

One of the most important jobs in New Zealand is up for grabs

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn SportsLeave a comment

Before I launch into another fascinating lecture, I do need to point out that I realise that only about three people will be interested in the aforementioned lecture today. I get it, seriously, I do. Not everybody is perfect, but we can still try.

To the three people who fit into the intersection of a Venn diagram featuring following rugby and following Some Geek Told Me, you are going to love today’s blog, as well as the next two.

To everybody else, from the bottom of my geek-laden heart, I’m very sorry about today’s blog and the next two weeks. Please forgive me.

Warning: this is not a hit piece. It may seem like it, but it’s not.

Scott Robertson before the All Blacks v England Test at Twickenham in 2025  (Source: Getty)

For the three people who have stuck around, thanks. As you know, I enjoy sports, especially rugby, or to be precise, rugby union. I have talked about rugby several times on this delightful platform to express my love for the game, but also to explain the rules, because they can be complicated, even to a veteran supporter like myself.

To continue listing things you already know, like a preschooler detailing the events of a movie to you, forgetting that you just watched it with them, I’m a New Zealander, so I support the Wallabies.

Nah, I did that to see if you were paying attention. No, I’m an All Blacks supporter, which also means I support the Black Ferns. Just in case someone new has accidentally wandered in and started reading this blog and has no idea what those terms mean, the All Blacks are the name of New Zealand’s Men’s National rugby team, while the Black Ferns are the women’s. Savvy?

In Aotearoa New Zealand, we often say that the three most important jobs in the country are the All Blacks’ coach, the All Blacks’ captain, and the Prime Minister, in that order. We take rugby very seriously; it’s part of our national identity. It’s madness. As I’ve mentioned earlier, I have discussed my love for rugby, All Blacks, and the Black Ferns before, but I have not discussed this scandal/conundrum that has rocked the country. Sorry, I’m building up the tension, and don’t need to, but it’s fun.

On 15th January 2026, the All Blacks’ head coach, Scott Robertson, was fired from the position by New Zealand Rugby (NZR). That in itself is nothing new; professional coaches get sacked all the time. Football coaches in England get sacked every other Tuesday. What’s remarkable about this firing is that Robertson is the first All Blacks coach to ever be fired.

Let’s back up and lay the scene. Robertson had a very successful reign as coach of the Canterbury Crusaders, having won five Super Rugby titles and two Super Rugby Aotearoa titles in seven years. Robertson was named All Blacks coach in March 2023, in an unprecedented move, because of two reasons: 1.) The All Blacks coach, Ian Foster, was still in the job, but he was leaving at the end of the year. 2.) 2023 was a World Cup year, one of the most stressful times in the four-year cycle of world rugby.

So suddenly, the All Blacks had one head coach on the field, and one on paper; one in the present and one in the future. Anyway, the All Blacks made it to the World Cup Final, but were defeated 12-11 by their ancient nemesis, South Africa, aka the Springboks. Foster left the position after the World Cup, as planned, and Robertson took over. For a large section of New Zealand’s rugby community, Robertson was hailed as a potential saviour. The All Blacks had not won the World Cup since 2015, so Robertson had four years to transform the team and bring glory to the country.

Ardie Savea, Codie Taylor and Beauden Barrett perform the haka ahead of the International Test Match between New Zealand All Blacks and England at Eden Park on July 13, 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Now I am going to be honest about something. Over the last 10 years, the All Blacks have had a few setbacks. Some were small, some worrying, and some were humiliating and embarrassing. I won’t go into details; you can look them up yourself, but these issues have been difficult for me to view, believe, and accept.

Having said that, the All Blacks and Black Ferns, like us supporters, don’t focus on the number of wins; we focus on the number of losses. It’s not about how many games we win, it’s about how many games we lose. It’s a small but subtle difference and an insight into how we New Zealanders view the game.

Over the last two years, Robertson was in charge of the All Blacks, but he was sacked two years into a four-year contract. What happened?

It’s complex, but I’ll do my best to be balanced. At the end of 2025, NZR held an end-of-season review. We are two years out for the next World Cup, so we need to know that the team is on the right track. However, after talking to many people, like players, Robertson, and others, it was agreed and decided upon that it would be in the best interests of the team if he left.

Of course, this has led to many theories about the dismissal, but it has also caused the public to confront two questions: Why did Robertson have to leave? And was it the correct choice?

Obviously, I haven’t read every piece of information written about the review, nor the real findings; I’m not even sure if that’s public. In that regard, I’m going to attack these questions, but I’ll base the answers on facts, and not opinions.

The key reasons for Robertson to stay:

  • He guided the All Blacks to 20 wins from 27 tests over two years (10 in 2024 and 10 in 2025).
  • He had a winning rate of 74% with the All Blacks.
  • He is a very successful and creative coach.
  • The All Blacks won a home series over England 2-0 in 2024.
  • The All Blacks took second place in the 2024 Rugby Championship.
  • The All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup in 2024.
  • The All Blacks defeated England (for the third time in a year), Ireland and Italy on tour.
  • The All Blacks retained the Hilary Shield in 2024.
  • The All Blacks finished third on the IRB world ranking in 2024.
  • The All Blacks won a home series over France 3-0 in 2025.
  • The All Blacks won the Dave Gallaher Trophy for the first time since 2018.
  • The All Blacks defeated South Africa (the world champions and number one-ranked team) at Eden Park in 2025, as the All Blacks haven’t lost there since 1994.
  • The All Blacks retained the Bledisloe Cup in 2025.
  • The All Blacks took second place in the 2025 Rugby Championship.
  • The All Blacks defeated Ireland, Scotland, and Wales on tour.
  • The All Blacks have beaten Ireland (ranked 1st/2nd in the world) three times in a row (twice under Robertson).
  • The All Blacks became the IRB World Ranked Leader in 2025, for the first time since 2021.
  • The All Blacks finished second on the IRB world ranking in 2025.
  • He was only two years into a four-year contract.
  • The World Cup begins in October 2027.

The key reasons for Robertson to leave:

  • The All Blacks lost seven tests over two years: 3 x South Africa, 2 x Argentina, 1 x France, and 1 x England.
  • Argentina defeated the All Blacks for the third time in 2024 and got their largest score against them.
  • Argentina defeated the All Blacks for the fourth time in 2025 and the first time on home soil ever.
  • France achieved a three-match winning streak over the All Blacks, for the first time since 1995 (one under Robertson).
  • South Africa achieved a four-match winning streak over the All Blacks, for the first time since 1949 (twice under Robertson).
  • The All Blacks’ tour of South Africa in 2024 was the worst South African tour since 2009.
  • The All Blacks suffered their worst defeat in the team’s history, losing to South Africa, 43-10 in 2025.
  • In 2024, the All Blacks lost the Freedom Cup for the first time since 2009.
  • France retained the Dave Gallaher Trophy over the All Blacks for the first time ever in 2024.
  • South Africa retained the Freedom Cup over the All Blacks for the first time ever in 2025.
  • The last time the All Blacks won the Rugby Championship was in 2023, having previously won the title four years in a row.
  • The last time the All Blacks finished 2nd in the Rugby Championship was in 2015.
  • England defeated the All Blacks for the first time since 2019, and their first win at Twickenham against the All Blacks since 2012.
  • The All Blacks lost the Hillary Shield to England for the first time since 2012.
  • Two All Blacks assistant coaches left under Robertson’s leadership: Leon MacDonald in 2024 and Jason Holland in 2025.
  • The last time the All Blacks lost four tests in a year was in 2022, when previously it was in 1998.
  • Not benching older players and playing younger players.
  • Failing to win the Grand Slam for the first time since 2010.
  • For not giving the captaincy to Ardie Savea.
  • The All Blacks were ranked 1st in the world for only four weeks.
  • The media had reported that players were dissatisfied with Robertson.

Ultimately, no matter what the sport, coaches can only select, train, and prepare their players, they can not go onto the field, and play the game for them. Far too often, when a team is not performing well, the blame is usually placed on the head coach, bypassing player responsibility.

New Zealand’s Quinn Tupaea (R) is tackled by Australia’s Ryan Lonergan (L) during the Rugby Championship match between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park in Auckland on September 27, 2025. Picture: Shane Wenzlick/AFP

Now, everything I have listed on both lists is accurate and true, but was firing Robertson the right choice? I honestly have no idea, I don’t know. I know the reasons to keep him, just as much as I know the reasons to let him go.

Regardless of how I feel, which is just confusion more than anything else, I am stunned. No matter how you feel about Robertson, this was an unexpected and unprecedented move from NZR to fire him. His firing can be viewed as both a positive and a negative thing.

The positive points are:

  • The aura around the All Blacks has slipped, and teams are no longer afraid of them.
  • Robertson was supposed to save the All Blacks, not make things worse.
  • It was great that NZR had discovered and admitted the problems, and had tried to solve them, well before the 2027 World Cup.
  • You can’t expect to stay as head coach after suffering the team’s heaviest defeat in its history.
  • Finding another coach as soon as possible will give them and their coaching staff the time to prepare the players for the next two years, with the World Cup in 2027.
  • Yes, indeed, the focus should not always be about the World Cup, but the reality is that the All Blacks have not won it since 2015.
  • The public’s expectations and standards are high, and NZR needs to meet them.
  • With South Africa, Ireland, France, Argentina, and England now consistently defeating the All Blacks, the NZR must take strong action. It is essential to support the new generation of New Zealand coaches to restore the All Blacks and the Black Ferns to their dominant position in world rugby.
  • Player satisfaction is important, and they need to be listened to.

The negative points are:

  • Apparently, a 74% winning rate is not good enough for the All Blacks anymore.
  • In 1998, when the All Blacks lost five matches straight (the team’s worst losing streak), head coach John Hart was not fired, nor did he resign.
  • Some All Blacks coaches who had a lower winning rate than Robertson after two years, were not fired.
  • No All Blacks coach had ever been sacked before.
  • Robertson deserved to stay until after the World Cup, just like all the other coaches, post-1987.
  • In some international circles, people are saying that New Zealand is in disarray, and Robertson’s firing shows the world that New Zealand Rugby is out of ideas, lacks creativity, and does not back their coaches.
  • The next coach will be under a gargantuan amount of pressure from the press and the public to perform.
  • Will the public ever get to read the 2025 All Blacks end-of-season review?

Being a coach of any sport is difficult, but being the coach of a national team, playing their national sport, takes it to the next level. I love the All Blacks and the Black Ferns, I do. However, two things need to be said:

1.) Over the last 10 years, both teams have had amazing wins and some terrible losses. It could just be me, but things are not totally clicking for the teams, for whatever reason. Playing professional sport is a gift that these players can only do for a small window of time, and they are humans, just like us.

Maybe it’s an illusion, whether the state of rugby in New Zealand is in decline, but it is something we need to discuss and find answers for. I don’t know, I’m not smart enough to answer that question. The Black Ferns have a new coach with Whitney Hansen, and the All Blacks will have one soon, so there is always hope.

2.) Regardless of how New Zealand is playing and operating the game at the men’s and women’s international level, the rest of the world has caught up to and, with some teams, has even surpassed us. In the men’s game, South Africa, France, Ireland, Argentina, and England are deadly, and all of them will be a threat at the World Cup.

As for the women’s game, England, Canada, and France are leading the way, being able to regularly beat us. You have to give these teams credit because they have worked their arses off to be where they are. Well done, seriously, as a New Zealand rugby supporter, that is high praise.

DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND – JULY 06: All Black Head Coach Scott Robertson talks to the press following the International Test Match between New Zealand All Blacks and England at Forsyth Barr Stadium on July 06, 2024 in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Joe Allison – RFU/The RFU Collection via Getty Images)

At the time of writing, the new All Blacks coach has not been named, but whoever it is, they are going to need support. They did not get Robertson fired, so I hope people remember that.

New Zealand rugby supporters have a long tradition of being arrogant with an inflated sense of superiority. I found it hard not to fall into that trap, having lived in the United Kingdom, while the All Blacks were losing to England. It can sometimes be very humbling as a supporter of New Zealand rugby, but that’s life.

I feel sad for Robertson and the rugby community, because it’s not a great look for a national coach to be fired. As I said before, I have no idea whether letting Robertson go was the right choice or not; I can only hope that both the All Blacks and Black Ferns can pick themselves up and go again. I don’t have blind faith in them, but I do have faith, and that’s enough.

I can only hope that the resetting of coaches for both teams will be beneficial to us, but also to themselves. I want them to be in the news for the right reasons, but it’s not up to me. If they win, I love them. If they lose, I still love them.

It’s good that rugby is strong and competitive at the international level in both the men’s and women’s games. It really is, because to be the best in the world, you need to beat the best in the world, because…you know…I bleed back.

I hope this lecture has made sense. Do you have any thoughts about Scott Robertson being sacked? As always, please let me know.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, don’t let your friends threaten to take over another country, and I’ll see you next week, where we are going to discuss the greatest rugby tournament outside of the World Cup: The Six Nations Championship! I know you can’t wait.

Tour of the Solar System: Pluto

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

To mark the 60th anniversary of Batman premiering on ABC, and bringing Gotham’s live-action citizens into our living rooms, I thought I would celebrate by launching another Tour of the Solar System entry.

Sorry, what’s that? Did you just ask what the Batman TV show and the Solar System have in common? Absolutely nothing, of course. As a student of history, superheroes and space, what else was I supposed to do?

In other news, one of the world’s most sought-after projects is back for 2026! No, it’s not about Kim Kardashian’s new clothing line. No, it’s not about Alex Jones’ new “Anti-gay frog” cream. No, it’s not about a new Salt and Vinegar/Pizza chips variant, though that does sound amazing.

The truth is harder to accept, but the astronomy content that would never be introduced into schools and universities has returned! Yes, The Tour of the Solar System has returned! Yay, I mentioned it for a second time.

I know the world has either stopped taking its medication, or it needs to start, so it is forgivable if you have missed the thrilling entries of this project. The previous entries are:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

11.) Jupiter

12.) The Galilean moons

13.) Saturn

14.) Titan

15.) The Moons of Saturn

16.) Uranus

17.) Titania

18.) The Moons of Uranus

19.) The Literary Moons of Uranus

20.) Neptune

21.) Triton

22.) The Moons of Neptune

23.) The Kuiper Belt

Our last tour stop brought us to the Kuiper Belt, so today’s lecture will be about one of the first denizens we are going to meet there: Pluto. We have a lot to discuss about this distant ice ball, where a not-so ancient grudge will hopefully not break into a new mutiny. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, get ready for another awkward amateur academic attempt aimed at astronomy. Prepare thyself, for we are going to Pluto!

Enhanced color view of Pluto using images from New Horizons Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) and color data from the spacecraft’s Ralph Instrument. (Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute)

So, here we are at Pluto. Before we venture on, I need to address the grumpy elephant in the room. I’m going to say something that I’ve mentioned previously during this project, but it needs to be repeated. Pluto is not a planet, but rather a dwarf planet. Now, I’m going to leave that statement there to marinate, and we are going to discuss this later.

However, in the meantime, we are going to treat Pluto as a planet during this tour stop until the proper time when we are going to have an intervention. So, going forward, we are treating Pluto as a planet, until we don’t. Clear as mud? Awesome, let’s continue.

At best estimates, Pluto was formed 4.5-4.6 billion years ago, similar to the outer planets, or gas giants. Pluto is a Trans-Neptunian object (TNO) because it orbits the Sun at a greater average distance than Neptune, but it’s also a Kuiper Belt Object (KBO), because, you guessed it, it’s located in the Kuiper Belt.

Pluto’s name and its discovery are connected, but not in the traditional sense. If you can cast your mind back to Neptune’s tour stop, you will remember that Neptune was the first planet to be discovered through mathematics, as predicted by calculations based on observations of Uranus.

For years after Neptune’s discovery in 1846, scientists believed there was another planet, just waiting to be discovered, beyond Neptune’s orbit. This was because of the observations made of Uranus and Neptune. This undiscovered planet was named Planet X, coined by Percival Lowell. In hindsight, this was a pretty boss name, since science-fiction writers liked using it later on.

Anyway, scientists kept looking beyond Neptune with increasingly advanced telescopes and building new observatories, like the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It was founded by, wait for it….Percival Lowell. The job of finding Planet X at Lowell Observatory was handed to Clyde Tombaugh in 1929.

Using an astrograph, which is a telescope that can take photographs, Tombaugh spent his time taking photographs of various sections of space beyond Neptune and comparing them to detect movement. Eventually, this painstaking mission succeeded in the discovery of Planet X on 18th February 1930, after which the news was released on 13th March 1930.

When naming this new planet, the tradition was to give the planet a name from Roman mythology, but as you know, Earth and Uranus are the exceptions. The public’s response to the first planet to be discovered in 84 years, and the first in the 20th century, was to flood Lowell Observatory with names. Minerva, Cronus, and Pluto soon became the most popular.

As I understand the story, an Englishman, Falconer Madan, read about Pluto’s discovery in the newspaper to his family at breakfast. Listening to this was his eleven-year-old granddaughter, Venetia Burney. She suggested the name Pluto, taken from Roman mythology, as Pluto was the brother of Jupiter and Neptune. Pluto was the god of the underworld, and his Greek equivalent was Hades.

Madan worked at Oxford University, so he passed on the suggestion to Herbert Hall Turner, an astronomy professor, who, in turn, passed it on to the staff at Lowell Observatory. A vote was taken, and Pluto was declared the winner, with the name being published to the public on 1st May 1930.

Sorry, that was a long-winded explanation about Pluto’s discovery and name. I’ll try to be more concise, though I can’t make any promises.

Pluto’s polar area. Image credits: NASA/ESA.

Pluto is a small world, as it’s even smaller than Mercury. It has a diameter of 2,377 km, which makes Pluto only about 1/5th of Earth’s width. Pluto is also smaller than the Moon; however, it is larger than Ceres. Size, like time, is relative.

Pluto’s orbit of the Sun can be quite staggering, along with the distance. We have mentioned this before, but many planets have elliptical orbits in the Solar System. Earth has one, even though it’s slight, we still have one. Pluto’s orbit, on the other hand, is out of control. Just ask the Chemical Brothers.

Pluto’s perihelion, which is its closest point to the Sun, is about 4.43 billion km, while its aphelion, the furthest point away from the Sun, is about 7.37 billion km. This means Pluto’s average distance from the Sun is about 5.9 billion km, and it has an average orbital speed of 4.743 km/s. It’s not a shabby speed, but the Millennium Falcon could still smoke it.

Like all of the planets past Jupiter, the Sun’s light will take a lot longer to reach each world because of the gigantic scale in distance.

Light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth; in comparison, it takes 5.5 hours to reach Pluto. That’s the same amount of time you could watch Kill Bill: Volume 1, Kill Bill: Volume 2, and Army of Darkness back-to-back.

Pluto’s rotation is nothing to laugh at, because its rotation is part of its identity. One Plutonian day, which is the time it takes for Pluto to make one full rotation, is equal to 6.375 Earth days, which is 153 Earth hours. That’s intense.

As for a Plutonian year, the length of time it takes to make one orbit around the Sun, well, brace yourself because it is the equivalent of 248 Earth years. To understand what that time scale means, since its discovery in 1930, Pluto won’t make a full orbit of the Sun until 2178.

Also, 248 years ago, when Pluto was roughly in its present location in time and space, Captain James Cook and his crew became the first Europeans to visit the Sandwich Islands, later named the Hawaiian Islands; and the American Revolutionary War noted two key moments: the Treaty of Alliance was signed, and the Valley Forge encampment was in its second month. The slave population in the United States at the time equalled about 22% of the total American population, while the world’s population in 1778 was between 750 million and 900 million people.

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft captured this image of Pluto’s surface shrouded in atmospheric haze. (Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

I mentioned this fact while discussing Neptune, since it’s a very important piece of information about Pluto. It has an orbital angle of over 17°, relative to Neptune’s orbit. This is an oddity because it means, for a short amount of time, 20 years, compared to the universe, of course, Pluto goes inside of Neptune’s orbit.

The last time it happened was between 1979 and 1999. So, that meant from 1979 to 1999, Neptune, not Pluto, was the furthest planet in our Solar System. To make it even crazier than a wedding in Las Vegas, this 20-year cycle has started again, with Pluto currently inside Neptune’s orbit.

Pluto spins with a 120° angle relative to its plane of orbit around the Sun. That doesn’t mean much, until you learnt the fact that, similar to Uranus, Pluto spins on its side, as well as having a retrograde rotation. Pluto does enjoy being weird.

And speaking of being weird, since its axial tilt is so high, Pluto experiences seasons that last for centuries; Westeros has nothing on Pluto. In addition to this, because Pluto is billions of kilometres away from the Sun, the world would be the perfect holiday location for Mr Freeze. Temperatures range from -238°C to -218°C, averaging around -225°C. Seriously, that’s mad.

The thin atmosphere of Pluto is nightmare fuel as well, which consists of nitrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, acetylene, ethylene, and hydrogen cyanide. Life as we understand it would not thrive or survive on such an inhospitable cosmic creation.

Even though Pluto is, for all intents and purposes, devoid of life, it still has some interesting features on the surface, which is littered with craters, valleys, plains, and mountains. It features names like Brass Knuckles, Wright Mons, Piccard Mons, Voyager Terra, Hayabusa Terra, Cthulhu Macula, Sputnik Planitia, Tombaugh Regio, and Al-Idrisi Montes. Pluto also has mountain ranges called Tenzing Montes and Hillary Montes.

Bonus points for anybody who can identify the origins of these fantastic names. New Zealanders and sci-fi fans have a small advantage, sorry.

A black and white image of Pluto captured by NASA’s New Horizons shows a mountain range with peaks reaching as high as 3,500 metres above the surface of the icy body. (Supplied: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI)

We have reached the part of the tour stop, which can make certain worlds a little sensitive about the next two topics: rings and moons. Sadly, Pluto does not belong to the rings club, though Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Sauron, and the Mandarin are members.

As for moons, yes, Pluto is allowed into this VIP section of the Solar System. It has five moons, whose names are just as bad arse as Pluto’s features. Their names are Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra, but we will discuss them next time, since they are just as odd as Pluto. I love it.

It’s this part of the tour stop that I would present some quirky or interesting facts about Pluto. That being the case, there’s nothing more important than what I’m about to discuss. I’m sure if you cast your mind back to the start of this outrageous and boorish piece of science communication, we have been treating and discussing Pluto like a planet, but it’s really a dwarf planet. Correct? Great, let’s get into it.

This is another long-winded story, but I’ll try to jazz it up for you. Since Pluto was discovered in 1930, it had enjoyed being classified as a planet. It was in all of the textbooks, and you may have learnt about it at school, with the planet acronym, Mercury/Venus/Earth/Mars/Jupiter/Saturn/Uranus/Neptune/Pluto, which covered some hilarious mnemonic phrases.

However, not all scientists agreed that Pluto was a planet, mainly because of its size, since there were moons larger than Pluto, like Ganymede, Titan, Callisto, Io, Europa, Triton, and even our amazingly named moon, The Moon.

Another argument was about Pluto’s orbit, which, if you remember, cuts inside Neptune’s orbit. It was thought that planets should not be able to do this, so along with other arguments, there was a debate about Pluto’s planetary status.

Things changed in 2005, when a group of astronomers discovered a TNO and named it Eris. This new world was being touted as a possible tenth planet, but there was a problem: it appeared to be slightly larger than Pluto.

This presented the astronomers of the world with a problem: what do we call these small worlds like Pluto, Eris, Sedna, and even poor old Ceres, which are not moons? If they are not planets, what are they? They decided to solve the conundrum once and for all by having a meeting. A very special meeting.

Later that year, a group of 19 members of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) got together to discuss and sort this mess, and hopefully to come up with new planetary classifications and definitions. If Science were a Lego game, then the IAU would be in charge of astronomy and doing all of the digging to get those sweet mini-kits and studs. They did this by dividing the worlds into three groups: planets, dwarf planets, and small solar system bodies.

Image of Pluto from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft showing different compositions of ices as different colors. Image credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute.

In the third tour stop, I discussed the differences between a planet and a dwarf planet. I mean, if you’re in a nightclub and you want to buy a world a drink, you want to know whether you’re doomed to fail with a planet or a dwarf planet; am I right? Different strokes for different folks.

I’m repeating myself here, but the IAU definitions of a planet are as follows:

1.) Is in orbit around the Sun.

2.) Has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium.

3.) Has “cleared the neighbourhood” around its orbit.

The first is obvious: the planet must orbit around the Sun.

The second talks about the planet achieving hydrostatic equilibrium, which is just a nearly round shape.

The third is about when a planet orbits the Sun; it must be the most dominant gravitational object in that orbit. It means the planet needs to be able to sling or clear the neighbourhood of any other smaller objects in its path.

Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune all meet these criteria. However, if we apply these criteria to Pluto, things get serious. It passed the first and second, but Pluto failed the third criterion, as it hasn’t cleared the neighbourhood in its orbit.

This was mainly because, once again, its orbit cuts inside of Neptune’s orbit. It also has a quirky orbital dance with Charon, one of its moons; and its location in the Kuiper Belt, as it is surrounded by other icy worlds.

Pluto’s status as a planet was revoked, thanks to the IAU swiping left. So if Pluto wasn’t a planet, then what was it?

Don’t panic, for the IAU was here to save the day, and to tidy up their own mess. Enter the brand new classification of dwarf planets, which had not three, but four criteria.

1.) It must orbit the Sun.

2.) Has enough mass to be round.

3.) Has not cleared the neighbourhood around its orbit.

4.) It must not be a natural satellite (moon).

When graded against these four criteria, the IAU swiped right on Pluto and was reclassified as a dwarf planet, along with many others. Ultimately, it meant that the bouncers let Earth, Ceres, Mars, Eris, Saturn, Pluto, and the rest into the nightclub, but once they were in, they divided the worlds into two separate rooms, so they could party and dance with their own kind. Buy one drink and get one free is always popular, especially on noraebang nights.

Yes, it seems cruel and petty to do this to Pluto, but in the pursuit of scientific accuracy, sadly, it needed to be done. I mean, it’s not like Pluto has feelings, right? Right?!

Anyway, it’s one of the reasons that Pluto and Eris don’t get along, especially after a few drinks. Poor Ceres has to play referee, and the Sun, the manager of the nightclub, just ends up threatening to kick both of them out if they can’t behave themselves.

It’s hilarious that Pluto blames Eris for the declassification/reclassification debacle, when in reality, it was Earth’s fault for demanding to talk to the manager. What a Karen move, Earth!

And that brings another thrilling episode of the universe’s least recommended astronomy project to a close. “Some Geek Told Me’s Tour of the Solar System is a masterpiece in science communication,” said no astronomer or astrophysicist ever.

What’s your favourite fact about Pluto? As always, please let me know. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. If you don’t push your own boat, no one else will, so if you want to follow someone new, visit my wonderful, but dull Twitter and Mastodon, accounts.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, continue watching videos where ICE agents slip on ice, and if you ever repeat any of the information I write about, and someone asks you where you learnt it, just say, “Some Geek Told Me.” I’ll see you next week for some rugby!

References:

NASA: Pluto Facts. https://science.nasa.gov/dwarf-planets/pluto

Wikipedia: Pluto. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pluto

To control another country, or not to control another country, that is the question

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Geography, People, Politics

As fans of this highly informative blog will undoubtedly know, I’m somewhat of a fan of William Shakespeare’s work. I’ve talked about his work before on this beloved blog, but one day I will discuss the villains, because, in my humble opinion, there’s nothing greater than a Shakespearean villain.

Now, you could be sitting on public transportation as you read this, or maybe in the bathroom, and you would be forgiven if you think I’m going to talk about Shakespearean villains today. Alas, no, not today.

I’m bringing up the term because, once again, in my humble opinion, someone last weekend exhibited actions worthy of being called a Shakespearean villain.

Well, that’s not fair to Iago and Richard III, is it? I mean, they could challenge Trump to a battle of wits, but … oh, you know the rest.

I was honestly going to write a Tour of the Solar System post, but each time I looked at the news, the OCD in me wouldn’t let it go, so here we are.

Unless you have been living in a shoe, I’m discussing the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores by United States forces, after they attacked the capital, Caracas, on 3rd January. At the latest count, at least 57 people were killed in the attack. Like I said last week, it’s an interesting way to start 2026.

This also covers Trump claiming that the United States is going to “run” Venezuela, along with opening up its massive oil reserves and selling them, in addition to prosecuting Maduro in the United States court system.

I’m not here to debate the legality of what Trump has done, purely because I’m not an expert in international law. If I were, my topics would be far more exciting! Trump’s actions can be measured against the United Nations and/or any other international legal body. However, my Spidey-sense has been tripped, and is ringing like a school fire alarm.

Today’s rant will be of interest to roughly only 8% of my readers, but it’s about my hopes and fears regarding the situation.

Credit: Ferguson

Let’s start with the most obvious statement, which I’m going to repeat:

Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro

I’m not going to sit here and list the crimes Maduro has committed against Venezuelans, as they are well documented. Along with former president, the late Hugo Chávez, Maduro has run Venezuela into the ground, and the shenanigans involving various Venezuelan presidential elections have also been well-reported.

So, I’m going to reinforce this point that Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro. They are free of his extrajudicial killings and suicidal financial policies. This, of course, seamlessly brings us to my hopes for Venezuela, because I want to focus on the country first.

My hope for Venezuela is, quite simply, that Maduro’s removal will give them hope. Depending on how much money is created from the sale of the oil, if it happens, of course. Regardless, I hope it is pumped back into the country and its people.

I came across a social media post from a man in Venezuela who stated that people in the West do not understand what it was like living under Maduro’s regime, as it was a time of great despair. He mentioned that if Trump wants to take their oil, he can, because at least the money would bring some financial benefit to the country.

That’s tough to read and argue against.

Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro

My other hope for Venezuela is with the new President, Delcy Rodríguez, the former Vice President. Assuming the US government “allows” her to function in this role, or the opposition leader, María Corina Machado, does not take the job, or if she is just waiting for Maduro’s return, there are a lot of expectations and responsibilities now resting on Rodríguez’s shoulders.

Rodríguez has been involved in previous policies, but not all of them, that have crippled the country, so she’s in a rare position to redeem herself and the government, to Latin America, the world, but mainly to Venezuela. Her government can craft new laws that will lift Venezuelans, and not continue with the same or more Maduro-style policies that have damaged the country.

With Maduro’s removal, there is a possibility that the country could divide and fall into civil war, or it could bring the nation together with steps toward a brighter future for Venezuela.

I hope that Rodríguez is up to the task, because the country has suffered enough. She can bring them hope against inflation and corruption. What’s going to happen? I have no idea, but we can still hope.

Venezuela is better off without Nicolás Maduro

Alright, those are my hopes for Venezuela, so what are my fears?

As I mentioned just before, Venezuela could tear itself apart if it and the world are not careful, but I believe the country will survive. It will be rough, but no worse than the years under Maduro, which have given them a new strength. I am not too fearful for Venezuela’s future. No, it’s what happens outside of Venezuela that gives me fear.

I said before that this blog post is not going into the legality of Trump’s actions towards Maduro, or “seizing” control of the country, or threatening to sell off Venezuela’s oil reserve. Far better writers, reporters, activists, lawyers, and journalists can do that.

Are Trump’s actions illegal, and will the US government suffer no consequences, or are Trump’s actions legal? I don’t know which one scares me the most. This has led me to a revelation; regardless of whether Trump’s actions were legal or not, and whether Venezuela will thrive or not, I fear that this is only the start.

Let’s begin with the United States, because it’s an obvious choice. We are going to play a game and pretend there will be no legal consequences from the international community for Trump and the US government over Maduro’s capture and “seizure” of Venezuela. With me so far? Great.

So, if Trump is allowed to capture a leader from a sovereign country, because that country has resources that the United States needs, what is stopping them from doing it again? What happens if they decide that taking control of Greenland needs to become a reality? While they are at it, maybe taking over Panama to secure the Panama Canal seems like a great idea to strengthen American interests.

Hell, let’s secure Cuba, Haiti, as well, though, securing Colombia is another super idea too.

The problem here is that no matter how it is justified, the world may look at the United States and think, “If they’re allowed to do it, so are we.”

Following Trump’s and the United States’ new foreign policy of 21st-century annexation, we can only guess at what the upcoming chaos could be. Imagine if Russia captured Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or China secured Lai Ching-te, because they followed the United States’ example.

Israel takes Palestine, China annexes Taiwan, Nepal, and Bhutan, and Russia absorbs the former USSR states of Ukraine, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

Maybe North Korea decides to unite the Korean peninsula and invades South Korea. Maybe India decides that Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are better off under Indian control. Maybe Sudan thinks that South Sudan has had its fun and its time to come home.

It could be that Egypt takes North Africa, while Nigeria absorbs West Africa. In other parts, Central, East, and Southern Africa descend into carnage. As for the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf, that could be a royal rumble, with land and oil on the line, involving multiple nations.

Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines could start fighting over islands, with Australia and New Zealand concluding that all Pacific Island nations need to be under their control, to protect everybody’s future.

Where would this strategy of a real-world game of Risk take us? Carving up regions in Antarctica and the Moon? The new land-grab would destroy everything and everyone. Trump just has to do it again, or another world leader decides that their neighbour has a nice pair of resources, and it starts. This, of course, is assuming that no country fights back.

Another possibility is what if one country decides that another country would be better off under their control, but the surrounding countries, or even the world, steps in to stop them? What if a conflict between two nations spills over and engulfs the region or the world? I mean, Russia is already knocking on NATO’s door.

It’s possible this could happen. Highly unlikely, but still possible. I fear that the wrong leaders are surrounded by the wrong people, being told the wrong advice, that if they don’t act and claim what they want from another country, someone else will.

To me, this is madness. It’s just madness. I don’t know how this is going to work out, because I doubt even Trump knows. All I know is that this, if it hasn’t already, could go sideways very quickly.

I’m glad that Venezuela has the opportunity to move forward, since the country has been lacking hope for a long time. Whatever happens next, I hope that world leaders, even my government, whom I trash-talk a lot, manage to calm the situation down, so clearer heads will prevail. Maybe.

Well, this is not exactly how I thought we would be starting 2026, but like many things in life, they are out of our hands; though it’s still nice to know that not everybody agrees with the sparkly new Donroe Doctrine. To quote Pope Leo XIV, “War is back in vogue. And the zeal for war is spreading.”

What are your thoughts on the situation? As always, please let me know.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Before I depart to have UMC1 and UMC2 kick my arse once again in Monopoly, I thought I would continue the depressing tone of 2026.

I’d like to remind you all to continue discussing the situations I’ve mentioned, as well as those in Palestine, Congo, Sudan, and Ukraine. The ongoing riots and the deaths of protesters in Iran also warrant our attention.

The universe loves and needs opposites, which are being played out across the Earth. War has Peace, Hate has Love, Ignorance has Compassion, Apathy has Empathy, and Sour Cream and Chives has Salt and Vinegar, so don’t lose hope. And with that, I’ll see you next week.

2026 is off to an interesting start

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Blogs, Comics, Literature, Movies, Politics, Social Media, Sports, Television

Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.

All of the staff at Some Geek Told Me are ready and raring to go for 2026. Another Gregorian Calendar year is spread out like a large, inviting beanbag, tempting us with comfort to trap us.

Many things are coming out this year that will evoke a range of emotions and feelings, filling therapists’ offices. Well, not all of them. There are things I’m looking forward to, and some that will make me squint my eyes and cross my fingers.

Over the past few years, I’ve published a version of this blog, and while it may not be entirely original, I believe it’s important to have things or events to look forward to. I also hold onto the hope that it’s all going to work out. Just to clarify, these are not New Year’s Resolutions, but rather Great Expectations for 2026.

And just like anything that happens on this wonderful corner of the internet, there are some rules. I have discussed them before, but let’s go over them.

1.) Just because an event is on the list does not mean I will get to experience that event in 2026. A book might be released in April, a movie might come out in July, or a TV show might be released on a streaming platform that I don’t currently subscribe to, so I may not read and watch them until 2027 or whenever. Also, I can’t watch every single sports game either; I wish.

2.) Some dates could be confusing because of time zone differences, but they are subject to change.

3.) Against popular belief, I don’t know everything. There will be information about an event that hasn’t been released yet, which I could be interested in, but if I don’t know about it, I can’t add it to the list.

4.) Hopefully, Sour Cream and Chives will finally be banned and labelled a plague on humanity. Dreams are free, aren’t they?

Two last things to note: I know the world is a crazy, but beautiful place. People are suffering for different reasons all over the planet, so this post is not ignoring that fact, but rather highlighting some positive and/or interesting things that are coming up in 2026, at least to me.

It also pays to remember that I’m a middle-aged, weird, straight, married white male, living in the South Pacific. The things you’re looking forward to could be very different from mine, and that’s alright.

So, what is there to look forward to in 2026? Let’s begin now, shall we?

Credit: Suncatcher Studio

Let’s start with you, the reader, and what you can expect from New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website in 2026.

  • More spelling mistakes.
  • More grammatical errors.
  • More badly chosen topics.
  • More comic and manga blogs.
  • More blogs that are arguably not funny.
  • More movie previews/reviews.
  • More We Didn’t Start the Fire historic references.
  • More Tour of the Solar System posts.
  • Images and photos that are loosely connected to a post.
  • Possibly more Trump posts.
  • Hopefully, more science-related content.
  • The annual posts about Star Wars Day and Free Comic Book Day.
  • Fingers crossed, to finally start the animals blog posts.
  • Continue to increase subscribers (At the time of writing, I have 242 followers/subscribers across three social platforms. Jealous much?)

I’m sure there are more things, but my media spokesperson said any more information could incriminate myself.

With that, let us move on to other subjects.

Politics

All general elections around the world are important, but these elections I will be following very carefully. Listen to me, talking like an expert.

  • Nepal: General Election (5th March)
  • Vietnam: Parliamentary elections (15th March)
  • Republic of the Congo: Presidential elections (22nd March)
  • Hungary: Parliamentary elections (Expected on 12th April)
  • Peru: General elections (12th April)
  • Libya: Presidential and parliamentary elections (Expected in April)
  • Colombia: Presidential elections (31st May)
  • Lebanon: Parliamentary elections (Expected in May)
  • Ethiopia: General elections (1st June)
  • Haiti: General elections (30th August)
  • Russia: Parliamentary elections (Expected in September)
  • Brazil: General elections (4th October)
  • Israel: Parliamentary elections (Scheduled for 27th October, but will likely happen earlier)
  • United States: Midterm elections (3rd November)
  • New Zealand: General Election (To be confirmed, but no later than 19th December 2026)
  • South Sudan: General elections (Expected on 22nd December)

Sport

There are always watching and following the teams that I support, and one day I’ll write about that, but these single games don’t count. It’s just tournaments and competitions that I’m focusing on, because they include my four favourite sports. I am a New Zealander after all.

Rugby Union:

  • Men’s and Women’s Six Nations Championship (February-March and April-May)
  • Men’s Inaugural Nations Championship (July-November)
  • All Blacks’ Tour of South Africa (August-September)
  • Women’s Pacific Four Series (Dates to be confirmed)
  • Black Ferns Home Series against France (October)
  • WXV Global Series (Dates to be confirmed)

Rugby League:

  • NRL (National Rugby League) Competition
  • Rugby League World Cup (October-November)

Cricket:

  • ICC Men’s T20 World Cup (February-March)
  • ICC Women’s T20 World Cup (June-July)
  • New Zealand Men’s Tour of India (January)
  • South Africa Men’s tour of New Zealand (March)
  • South Africa Women’s tour of New Zealand (March-April)
  • New Zealand Men’s Tour of England (June)

Football:

  • African Cup of Nations (December 2025-January 2026)
  • 2025-2026 UEFA Champions League
  • 2025-2026 English Premier League
  • 2025-2026 A-League
  • FIFA Men’s World Cup (June-July)

Movies

These movies are all coming out this year, and I’m going to hopefully watch them at the cinema or at a later date on a streaming service. Maybe. I’m also very aware that a lot of these entries are adaptations, remakes, or sequels. There are a lot of superheroes and science-fiction choices, sorry.

  • Wuthering Heights (11th February)
  • Hoppers (6th March)
  • Project Hail Mary (20th March)
  • Animal Farm (1st May)
  • Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (22nd May)
  • Supergirl (26th June)
  • Minions 3 (1st July)
  • The Odyssey (17th July)
  • Spider-Man: Brand New Day (31st July)
  • Coyote vs. Acme (28th August)
  • Clayface (11th September)
  • Sense and Sensibility (21st September)
  • Digger (2nd October)
  • The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping (20th November)
  • Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (26th November)
  • Dune: Part Three (18th December)
  • Avengers: Doomsday (18th December)

Television

Like the movie entries, I would like to watch these shows; it just depends on which streaming service they are on, because we don’t own a television. Basically, what I’m saying is that whether or not I can watch the TV show, it’s on the list because I want to watch it. As you can see, these TV shows are aimed at me.

  • Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (January)
  • A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (January)
  • Wonder Man (January)
  • Lanterns (Mid year)
  • VisionQuest (Date to be confirmed)
  • Spider-Noir (Date to be confirmed)
  • Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord (Date to be confirmed)
  • Star Wars: Visions: The Ninth Jedi: (Date to be confirmed)

Music

I have no idea. Seriously, I suck.

Literature

Comics

Apart from the monthly titles and mini-series I’m already reading; which don’t count, there aren’t a lot of choices.

  • Saga is returning with #73.
  • The Crown: A Tale of Hell #1-2 (Hellboy mini-series)
  • Any Marvel/DC crossovers like Superman/Spider-Man and Spider-Man/Superman.

Manga

Just like the comics, I read some manga titles, so they don’t count.

  • Star Wars: Visions: Tsukumo (July)

Fiction and Non-Fiction

I am embarrassed to admit this, but my to-be-read piles have grown out of control. I now have four piles of books, so because of this, I have not researched any fiction or non-fiction books that are being released this year. I’ve become a dragon hoarding treasure, except the treasure is books. I’ve decided I need to read more books from my piles before purchasing any new ones this year. However, I might still give in if something truly captures my attention.

Honourable Mentions

  • The Commonwealth Games (July-August)
  • Free Comic Book Day/Comics Giveaway Day (2nd May)
  • Star Wars Day (4th May)
  • Any new species discovered.

I know the list is boring, and I also know there are more important things in life than movies, sports, and comics, like capturing a leader of a sovereign nation. Don’t be like the United States, I’m looking at you, Russia and China. It could just be me, but I’m starting to think Donald Trump doesn’t take the FIFA Peace Prize seriously at all.

Have I missed anything? What are you looking forward to in 2026? As always, please let me know. Thank you for reading, subscribing, and following Some Geek Told Me in 2025, and may it continue in 2026. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, the Earth is not flat, and I’ll see you next week.

Happy New Year MMXXVI

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People

Midnight has passed, and we can say goodbye to 2025 and welcome its new sibling, 2026. Hopefully, 2026 will be kinder to everybody than 2025, so let’s see if we can make that happen.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

I’m still on holiday, so don’t expect too much from this well-articulated blog post. My Twitter and Mastodon accounts are still running, so drop by and roll your eyes at the content, because…I don’t really have a decent answer, sorry.

I’ll be back on Monday, 5th January, so until then, Happy New Year and look after yourselves.

Merry Christmas 2025

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People

Jingle bells, Batman smells,
Robin laid an egg,
The Batmobile lost its wheel,
And the Joker got away!

From everyone in the Some Geek Told Me office, we wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I know how it sounds, but thank you for reading, following, and subscribing to this blog. This venture could not exist if people didn’t read it, so thank you.

As you know, I have started my holiday break away from New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website, as I’m going to get my arse kicked playing board games with UMC1 and UMC2. I’ve taught them too well. My Twitter and Mastodon accounts will still have daily posts, as I plan them three weeks in advance, so visit them if you miss me.

Look after yourselves and your family, and I’ll see you in 2026.

Free Comic Book Day vs Comics Giveaway Day

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics

2025 is drawing to a close, not just in this reality where we live on a globe,1 but also on this informative, insightful, and popular blog. That being the case, I wanted to share some news that, in my candid opinion, is a quirky mix of fascination and pettiness.

Since the word in the title heavily implies that I’m a geek, which is correct and true, Some Geek Told Me strives to include content about comics from time to time. And as any follower of pop culture will know, the first Saturday of May is Free Comic Book Day (FCBD).

This event takes place all over the world and celebrates pop culture through cosplay, providing free comic books, typically at comic book stores.

Every year, I usually write a blog post about it, which also includes a few posts on Twitter and Mastodon, just to celebrate this event. That in itself is not particularly newsworthy, I mean, a comic-reading geek who loves FCBD; what a shock! Breaking news, the Pope is Catholic and water is wet!

Bear with me for a few more moments, because like Columbo or Monk delivering their theory, I’m going somewhere with this.

Around November, six months before the event, the comics published for FCBD from the Gold and Silver Sponsors are promoted through various media outlets. This allows retailers and customers to begin their planning.

Ok, thanks for that interesting titbit, Scott, but what’s that got to do with the price of Tesla stock?

Good point, and I do love your questions!

Image by Thio ardiansyah from Pixabay

After a recent announcement, next year’s FCBD is going to be wild. Now, that could be a positive or negative thing, as it’s going to introduce a feud that could rival Coca-Cola vs Pepsi, Adidas vs Puma, McDonald’s vs Burger King, Conservatism vs Progressives, or Flat Earthers vs Gravity.

Some people say there is a Salt and Vinegar/Sour Cream and Chives rivalry. I would say unto thee, nay. There is no rivalry, because one is clearly superior to the other. I beseech you to search your heart, to know which one I speak of.

As always, some much-needed context is needed to explain a truly bizarre and petty showdown.

Since its inception in 2002, before Facebook and 6-7 took over the world, FCBD was owned and operated by Diamond Comic Distributors. Diamond, as it was also known, was founded in 1982, just in time for Krull. It was a massive distributor that worked with retailers by supplying comic books, toys, and anything else pop culture related, not only in North America, but around the world.

Along the way, Diamond purchased other companies and brought them under its corporate umbrella. The way I have understood it, Diamond had a monopoly when it came to comic distribution. Now, a few interesting things happened in the recent past that concerned Diamond and had immense repercussions.

In 2020, DC Comics revealed that they would be splitting from Diamond and giving their business to Penguin Random House, UCS Comic Distributors and Lunar Distribution. Remember Penguin and Lunar, because those names are going to come back and haunt this blog post.

Marvel Comics and IDW Publishing followed DC’s move in 2021 and shifted their business away from Diamond, and gave it to…wait for it…Penguin. I’m not an expert on comic book distribution, but I know deals and counter-deals were done with these companies across the distribution industry; however, these break-ups hurt Diamond.

Credit: Diamond Distribution/Universal Distribution

In January 2025, Diamond filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and some of its assets were eventually sold to two companies: Universal Distribution and Ad Populum. The two companies divided the assets and started taking control of the various operations, among multiple lawsuits.

During the year, things got worse for Diamond, with layoffs and more companies like Dynamite Entertainment, Dark Horse Comics and BOOM! Studios cut ties with them. This resulted in more of Diamond’s companies having to be sold off.

Sadly, in December 2025, Diamond moved from a Chapter 11 case to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which, as I understood it, meant liquidation. Whether this could have been avoided or not, I have no idea, but this is the result: the rights to Free Comic Book Day and its name were purchased by Universal Distribution.

Basically, if Diamond owned FCBD, and if Universal Distribution now owns Diamond, then Universal Distribution owns FCBD as well. Just like how 20th Century Fox owned the rights to the Alien franchise, but Disney now owns 20th Century Fox, so that means Ellen Ripley is technically a Disney Princess.

FCBD is happening on 2nd May 2026, so going forward, Free Comic Book Day is now owned and operated by Universal Distribution, but this decision is not universally loved.2 With me so far? Great, because cue the pettiness and rivalry.

At the time of writing this blog, the 2026 edition of FCBD is going to look a little different. Do you remember Penguin and Lunar? Their return to the conversation is now imminent.

The way I understand the upcoming debacle is that while Universal was working with publishers to arrange the 2026 FCBD comics, Penguin did not reach a deal with Universal about the distribution of the comics. This also covered the use of the FCBD name.

This has culminated in a snowball filled with money and comics. On the same day that Universal released information concerning the first wave of publishers involved in 2026 Free Comic Book Day; remember the same day, Penguin released a statement outlining that the publishers connected to them and Lunar will be creating their own “Free Comic Book Day” event.

Credit: Penguin Random House

The new event is called Comics Giveaway Day (CGD), and what can only be described as a gangster move from Penguin and Lunar, the event is scheduled for 2nd May. I know, right? Planning to do a separate and independent event celebrating comics and pop culture is one thing, but it’s another to set on the same day as FCBD!

The CGD comics will have their own logo, as well as age-appropriate banners, like the FCBD comics.

As the crow flies, two events are competing to hand out free comics to us at local book stores on 2nd May 2026. One is Free Comic Book Day, which is being run by Universal Distribution, including current sponsors like Archie Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Image Comics, Mad Cave, Oni Press, Titan Comics, Rekcah Comics, Vault Comics, and Udon Entertainment, but also Upper Deck and Wizards of the Coast.

The second is Comics Giveaway Day, being organised by Penguin Random House, which features publishers like BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Ignition Press, Kodansha Comics, Marvel Comics, Penguin Young Readers, RH Childrens Books, Ten Speed Graphic, Tokyopop, and Wattpad Webtoon Studio.

The CGD sponsors and comics have been revealed, but at the time of writing, the FCBD sponsors have been revealed, but not the actual titles. All of the sponsors for the FCBD and CGD comics are subject to change, with more sponsors expected to be added.

I live at least 200 km from a comic book store, so how the 2nd May’s events are going to look like for retailers and customers is up for debate, because things could change.

For all we know, sponsors could swap to the other event, which would only add chaos to an already messy break-up. To me, it’s like your parents have broken up and planned two separate birthday parties for you, each at the same location, at the same time, and on the same day. As I said, it seems quite petty and ridiculous. Entertaining and interesting, yes, but still petty and ridiculous.

Will Comics Giveaway Day become an annual event, or will it only last one year? Are you Team FCBD, Team CGD, you don’t mind which one, or you don’t care at all? Will you be attending an event on 2nd May? As always, please let me know.

And that brings the final blog post of 2025 for Some Geek Told Me to an end, at least in the long-winded version. The next one will be coming out on Thursday for Christmas, but it will be much shorter. From there, my Christmas break begins, where I’ll be stepping away from this blog for a holiday. I’ll talk more about that on Christmas Day.

Also, because of the difference in time zones, New Zealand is currently UTC+13, so don’t panic if you receive the post on Christmas Eve. I haven’t got it wrong.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, ask Santa for the unredacted Epstein files, and I’ll see you on Christmas morning.

1 Here’s a shout out to Eratosthenes.

2 The pun was very much intended.

Is there anything better than the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace? Hold my beer.

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Politics

I had originally planned to write about something else this week, but after learning about a particular piece of news, the die was cast, and the decision was no longer mine to make.

Just in case you’re a very unlucky person and have not been following the news, there has been a recent development in the administration of peace in the United States. The United States Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., which is run by the United States Congress, has been unselfishly renamed after everybody’s favourite world leader, as the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Naming a building after yourself is rather classy, especially if it’s a government building.

This compelling and authentic move reflects President Trump’s desire for peace in the United States and around the world; except for Yemen, the European Union, Venezuela, Portland, Iran, Mexico, Canada, Chicago, and Greenland, but they don’t count.

To prove this point, President Trump was awarded the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize recently, which in no way panders to his fragile ego. That is just garbage, spun by fake news outlets that believe in accountability and justice.

Like President Trump, I am very humble, and I would like to acknowledge The Daily Show for giving me the idea for this informative article. Credit where credit is due. On behalf of 100% of the staff at Some Geek Told Me, I would like to thank The Daily Show for the inspiring idea, as well as President Trump for pursuing peace, because he can stop wars that don’t even exist! What a role model!

Credit: BBC & Getty Images

Because President Trump is a bastion for peace in a world that seems divided by President Trump, I have collected some other clinics, institutes, academies, and other learning centres that could be renamed, like the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.

Sadly, I was born outside of the United States and away from President Trump’s bigly protection, so some of my selections may not be familiar to my international readers, but my New Zealand readers will understand.

And with that, let’s turn the page and begin now.

  • The Christopher Luxon Entitlement Academy
  • The Winston Peters Centre of Cultural Diversity
  • The Brian Tamaki LGBTQIA+ Appreciation Institute
  • The David Seymour Food Nutrition Clinic
  • The Pauline Hanson Centre of Islamic-Awareness
  • The Vladimir Putin Geography Academy
  • The Kim Jong Un Institute of Human Rights
  • The Viktor Orbán Centre for Free Speech
  • The Alexander Lukashenko Institute of Democracy
  • The Bashar al-Assad Anti-Corruption Institute
  • The Benjamin Netanyahu Anti-Genocide Centre
  • The Xi Jinping Institute for the Protection of the Uyghurs
  • The Nigel Farage Centre of Tolerance and Inclusion
  • The Kristi Noem Gun Safety School
  • The JD Vance Museum of Furniture
  • The RFK Jr Centre for Preventable Childhood Diseases
  • The Marco Rubio School of Fawning and Grovelling
  • The Sean Duffy Centre of Climate Change
  • The Lauren Boebert Gender-Affirming Clinic
  • The Marjorie Taylor Greene Institute for Autism Awareness
  • The Ted Cruz Free Abortion Clinic
  • The Elon Musk Family Planning Clinic
  • The Jeff Bezos Centre for Independent Book Sellers
  • The Bob Iger School of Business Ethnics
  • The Patrick W. Smith Academy of Accountability
  • The Darren Woods Museum of Environmental Disasters
  • The Anthony Hopkins Academy of Method Acting
  • The Neil deGrasse Tyson Flat Earth Centre
  • The Jonathan Pie Anti-Profanity School
  • The Alex Jones Meditation Institute
  • The Nicholas Cage Institute of Marriage Counselling 
  • The Rassie Erasmus Centre of Sports Ethnics
  • The Neymar School of Acting
  • The Cristiano Ronaldo Centre for Modesty and Humbleness

And I would like to close with a post humorous choice:

  • The J. R. R. Tolkien Memorial Institute for Concise Writing

So, how did I do? Did I miss any selections? As always, please let me know.

I hope you liked this week’s rant as much as I liked writing it. Next week will be the last proper blog post before I head off into the sunset for a much-needed break, since running a highly successful blog takes its toll.

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the Supergirl trailer, and I’ll see you next week.

Geographical Misconceptions: Part Three

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Geography

I seem to be on a roll of adding to the diverse range of my previous blog posts. In 2021, I published the first Geographical Misconceptions blog post, and two years later, I published the second. Since it appears it takes me two years to create one of these, which is the same rate at which a Sonic the Hedgehog movie is released, I thought I would continue that tradition.

To recap what I’m talking about when I mention misconceptions, I’m referring to a piece of information that people believe to be true, that in reality is false. But before I continue, why should I care about misconceptions that are geographical in nature?

To be honest, some misconceptions are innocent and localised, but others are widespread. When I hear misconceptions, they grind my gears, so the Vulcan part of me is compelled to insert logic into the conversation and to push back against the misconception. 1

The biggest talking point is that I don’t want adults continuing to spread the incorrect information to other adults, but mainly I don’t want children being taught these misconceptions, because they will grow up believing them to be true, have children of their own and continue to spread the misconceptions. That and eating Sour Cream and Chives. Kids need to be aware of the dangers of that flavour, since “Fair is foul, and foul is fair”. 2

So, let’s pull up our socks, step into our gumboots and traverse into the unknown that is a Some Geek Told Me blog post, and discuss some geographical misconceptions that get my undies in a twist. Lead on!

Image by Gundula Vogel from Pixabay

The Amazon is the longest river in the world

Anybody repeating this misconception could be forgiven, because it’s a close call. The Amazon River is one of the longest rivers in the world, spanning a whopping 6,400 km across seven countries in South America. However, this would be a strange misconception if the Amazon were, in fact, the longest river in the world.

The Amazon River is the second-longest river in the world. The gold medal goes to the Nile River, which stretches across 11 African countries, roughly 6,650 km.

Nile River basin and its drainage network. Credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

I need to add two points to this misconception: Firstly, it’s worth noting that rivers are constantly changing because of different environmental factors, and it can be problematic to decide and identify where a river starts, especially its source.

The second point is that there seems to be a campaign to crown the Amazon as the longest river, because the lengths are disputed, along with the fact that the Amazon has a higher discharge volume. Until the title has officially been stripped from the Nile, it’s still safe to say the Nile is the longest river on the planet.

Aerial view of the Baḥr Al-Jabal (Mountain Nile) and Juba, South Sudan. Credit: Frontpage/Shutterstock.com

New Zealand is an island/New Zealand only has two islands

I’m obviously biased here, but having lived in other countries, the subject of New Zealand consisting of only one or two islands is not a new misconception to me. Occasionally, the question would come up, and I would have to politely and tactfully explain the truth.

To set the record straight, New Zealand, like many other nations around the globe, is made up of several islands. Granted, the two main islands are the North Island (Te Ika-a-Māui) and the South Island (Te Waipounamu). The South Island is larger, while the North Island holds about 75% of the population.

During the last ice age, about 18,000 years ago, the two islands were connected by a land bridge when sea levels were lower. When the ice age ended, the land bridge was submerged when the sea levels rose, which resulted in the formation of the Cook Strait, the body of water that separates the two islands.

Located off the southern coast of the South Island is Stewart Island (Te Punga o Te Waka-a-Māui), which is the third largest island in the country. New Zealand consists of over 600 islands, including the Subantarctic Islands. Approximately 16 of these islands are inhabited. Therefore, it’s wrong to say that New Zealand has only one or two islands.

Map of offshore New Zealand islands. Credit: Department of Conservation 

Istanbul is the capital city of Türkiye

Can you name any city in Türkiye other than Istanbul? Istanbul is the most well-known Turkish city the world knows, so it has to be the capital city, right? The computer says no. 3

Like many cities on Earth, Istanbul is the most famous city in its country, or even the largest, but these two factors do not automatically mean it’s the capital.

Istanbul has a population of about 15 million, which works out to be roughly 18% of Türkiye’s population, so it is large, but it’s not the capital city; although it was the capital of the Ottoman Empire until 1922. That honour goes to Ankara, with a population of 5.2 million, and it’s been the capital of many empires over the years.

After the Turkish War of Independence and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the Republic of Turkey was formed. Ankara was officially made the capital on 29th October 1923, since the administration of the country was moved from Istanbul to Ankara.

Ankara, the capital city of Türkiye. Credit: Türkiye Visa

The Himalayas are the longest mountain range on the planet

This is an easy misconception to believe, because it makes sense that they would be. Firstly, the Himalayas are the world’s highest mountain range, averaging 6,000 to 6,100 m. It’s rather obvious when nine of the ten highest mountains above sea level are found in the Himalayas, especially with Mount Everest, the highest mountain on the planet above sea level, measuring 8,848.86 m.

But, we were asking about the longest mountain range on the planet, were we not? Correct, because it’s not the Himalayas; it’s the Andes. Stretching along South America’s spine, it covers 8,900 km through Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela, and is 200 to 700 km at its widest. The Andes are the longest mountain range above sea level on the planet.

Now, if you were paying attention, I mentioned something odd. Similar to Mount Everest being the highest mountain in the world above sea level, the same can be applied here. The Andes are the longest mountain range in the world, but only above sea level.

The longest mountain range on Earth is actually underwater: the Mid-Ocean Ridge. The Mid-Ocean Ridge is found around the world, as it is interconnected by plate tectonic boundaries. These underwater ridges are part of a global Ocean Ridge system, which covers every ocean.

The mountain range is continuous, and it spans over 65,000 km, making it several times longer than the Andes. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge alone stretches 16,000 km. So to clarify, the Andes are the longest mountain range above sea level on the planet, but the Mid-Ocean Ridge is the longest in total.

The Andes mountain range as seen from a plane, between Santiago de Chile and Mendoza, Argentina, in summer. Credit: Jorge Morales Piderit.

The United States of America only borders two countries

This is yet another misconception, which, in my humble opinion, is quite understandable, why people would think this is true. Yes, the United States of America does indeed border two countries, notably two land borders.

The infamous Southern border, where apparently the world’s supply of drug dealers, criminals, rapists, and murderers enters the United States, which borders along the southern end of the continental United States and Mexico.

The Northern border, which you don’t need to be a brain surgeon to understand, shares two borders with Canada. The first and most obvious border is on the northern side of the continental United States. The second border with Canada is shared through Alaska, because, as we all know, “Alaska is part of the United States.”

So, to recap, the United States shares borders with Mexico and Canada, though they are land borders. And this is where the misconception comes into effect, because the United States also has maritime borders, or water borders.

It shares a maritime border with Russia, yes, I said Russia. It’s a de facto boundary between the two countries across the Bering Strait, because of Alaska’s location and position relative to Russia’s easternmost islands.

The United States also have many dependencies, territories and islands in the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. This results in the United States having maritime borders with The Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Japan, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Federated States of Micronesia, as well as collective and/or disputed borders with Jamaica, Haiti, Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, Sint Maarten, the British Virgin Islands, and Anguilla.

Because some of these countries are dependencies and territories of other countries, the United States, by extension, also shares maritime borders with Venezuela, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

A map to the 1990 USA-USSR maritime boundary agreement. Credit: Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.

How did I do with explaining these geographical misconceptions? Do you have any of your own? As always, please let me know.

And that is another blog post for another week. Just to give everybody a heads up, my Christmas break is coming up soon, where I will take the second of my two annual holidays away from New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website. The dates have to be confirmed with the staff, but I’ll let you know soon.

Also, if you can’t back yourself, nobody else will, so in that vein, I would like to remind everybody that my Twitter and Mastodon accounts still exist, so please drop by. I’m aiming to one day get 50 followers on Twitter and 200 followers on Mastodon. I seem to be more popular on Mastodon than Twitter, though the reasons are probably, like Destruction, Desire and Dream, endless.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2027 Rugby World Cup schedules have been recently drawn, so I’m still processing New Zealand’s games in both of these tournaments. I may have to post a reaction to them. Maybe. Are you happy with either draw or Netflix’s monopoly purchase?

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, don’t commit war crimes, and I’ll see you next week.

1. It’s always nice to sneak in a Star Trek reference.

2. Like wise for Shakespeare references as well.

3 In 2022, the government of Turkey officially changed its name to Türkiye, which was adopted by the United Nations.