Here are the top 10 articles of 2010 by traffic:

1. Needles of Knitting +5: Using The Craft Skill To Its Best Advantage

2. GenCon 2010 Update: Castle Ravenloft Board Game

3. Coping With Being Single: Ur Doin’ It Wrong

4. Brainless Act Leads to Smart Decision

5. LiveBlogging: Dungeons & Dragons Experience 2010 (DDXP)

6. Top 5 Anime Speech Patterns that Drive Us Nuts

7. 5 Gosh-Honest Reasons Why Your Dating Life Sucks

8. Doctor Who: In Defense of Amy Pond

9. A Laugh and a Lesson: “My Girlfriend Gave Me Harpies”

10. If You’re Anything Like E, You Will Hate Dragon*Con

Top 10 Oldie-But-Goodie articles by traffic:

1. Choosing a Good Online Dating Username is Like Writing a Hit Song (2008)

2. Geeks Can Cook: Apple Pie Breakfast (#fit4gencon) (2009)

3. Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Date a Geek Girl (2008)

4. D&D At The Library: The Adventure of Little Rogue (2009)

5. Match.com Mysteries: How To Tell If Someone Is A Paying Member (2009)

6. Dinner and a Movie? Yawn. First Date Ideas That Are Different! (2008)

7. The Return of Red Dwarf: Still Flying High (2009)

8. e’s Soapbox: Why OkCupid Is NOT Ok (2008, and I’ve changed my mind since then!)

9. Acting Like A Gay Guy Helps You Get The Girl (2008/2010)

10. It Was Trash From First Hello: Fix Your Dating Email Subject Lines (2009)

How about you?

What was your favorite Geek’s Dream Girl article of 2010?

What other blog did you discover in 2010 that has rocked your socks?

Pull your tear-stained head out of your rear and play some Dungeons & Dragons, that’s what!

Top 5 Reasons Why D&D Will Help You Survive The Recession

1. Dungeons & Dragons can be a very cheap hobby.

Let’s face it, you’ve probably spent a ton of money on D&D already.  But do you really NEEEEEEED the newest supplement books?  Do you really NEEEEEEEEED the new minis?

If you’re choosing between buying food or D&D materials, choose food.  You can still play D&D just fine with the stuff you have.Also, depending on where you play D&D, you may be able to score free snacks!  Who doesn’t like free snacks?

2. Playing D&D takes up a lot of your free time.

Time is money, right?  Think of the stuff you could do to entertain yourself while you’re unemployed.  A lot of them involve spending money – even if it’s just money in gas to drive somewhere.Even a short D&D session is going to eat up a few hours of your day!

3. It’s a way to stay social when you don’t have a job.

One of the dangers of being unemployed is getting super duper depressed because you’re all alone at home with your cats.  Or dogs.  Or ferret.  Iguana?  Sounds sad, doesn’t it?

You’re all alone, you’ve memorized the daytime TV schedule, you find yourself getting worked up about the results of paternity tests on Maury.  Then you realize that you’ve done nothing all day.   You’ve done nothing all week.  You’re not even sure that you’ve showered in the past couple days and your underwear is suspiciously crunchy.

D&D gets you out there with other people.  Now, you may have D&D buddies with questionable hygiene, but at least you can have a variety of nerd whiff in the same room.

4. You’re not badass, but your character is.

Your real life may have  “adventures” like Standing in the Unemployment Line, Walking Around The Job Fair Shaking Hands, and Rewriting Resume Again.  In fact, not only are you LARPing in these adventures, you may be rolling lots of fumbles.Your life may suck, but your character will be a badass.  (Unless you roll poorly, in which case you really do suck.  Sorry.)

5. You’re not rich, but your character is.

Your bank account is doing poorly.  It’s really sad, actually.  Every time you pay rent or your mortgage, it hurts.  It hurts a lot.  You find yourself at the grocery store wondering if meat out of a can is really that much worse than fresh meat.  You’re pondering going back to your college diet of ramen noodles and PBR.  Heck, you could even sell your stove since ramen noodles can be prepared in a microwave.The good news is that your rogue has a ton of gold!  Gosh, do you want a new cloak that’ll let you teleport through walls?  Maybe a ring that grants you temporary invisibility?  Hmmm… so many things you can afford.  It’s like one of those awesome shopping sprees you used to see on TV where the kid got to fill like 5 shopping carts from Toys R Us.  Oh my gosh, do you remember those?  I was so jealous, weren’t you?

Your character is rich and can buy all sorts of cool things!  It’s way awesomer than your real life, where your biggest choice is between Nissin Top Ramen or Maruchan.

So get out there, America!   Play some D&D and ride out the recession with roleplaying.  Do it now or the terrorists have won.

(If you’ve liked this article, you might want to check out my article on Examiner.com about surviving the recession through online dating and loose morals.)

What can Watchmen teach geeks about dating?

Yep, we went there.

You ready for it?  There will probably be mini-spoilers, so if you haven’t seen the movie, go someplace else. (How about here?)

Read on, geek friends…

Top 10 Things Geeks Can Learn About Dating From Watchmen

10.  Sometimes good things come out of bad relationships.

We’re not condoning The Comedian’s actions.  But the bright side to things is that we got Silk Spectre II and she’s pretty awesome.   Try to see the silver lining to every past relationship, no matter how horrible it was.

9.  If you’re in bed with a woman, you need to have your mind 100% in the moment.

Sure, we know you CAN save the world and make love simultaneously, but just make us feel special, will ya?

8.  In the back of a car or a flying machine…  sometimes cramped is more interesting!

Get adventurous.  You never know if you don’t try.

(GDG is not responsible for injuries you incur from being adventurous.)

7.  Even though it’s gross to think about it, your parents teach you a lot about relationships.

Most of Rorschach’s issues stem from his mother.  Laurie learns that getting clear about her history makes her relationship with her mother and with Dan better. Dan has a semi-healthy father-son type relationship with Nite Owl I and he is one of the more balanced members.  Well, as balanced as a guy in a mask can be.

6.  Make sure people know who you are under your mask.  Or for the lady geeks, be more than just a pretty face, latex and stilettos.

Dan and Laurie didn’t care about each other because of their costumes.  Window dressing is only part of the equation.  Make sure you show who you are underneath it all.  (No, we’re not talking like Dr. Manhattan’s full frontal nudity.  We’re talking about your INNER beauty.)

5.  It’s great to be smart, but get too cerebral and you neglect the wisdom that comes from human interaction.

Dr. Manhattan had a hard time coming to terms with why he should bother to save Earth.  He’d lost touch with what it meant to be human.  Geeks, remember that your PhD is super cool, but it’s no substitute for hanging out with real people doing real things.

4.  Take the interests of your date into account when planning an outing.

Yes, Mars is beautiful, honey.   But I… can’t… BREATHE! Remember to keep your date’s interests in mind.   Things that are interesting to you may not be interesting to her.  A good relationship has balance and understanding.

3.  The button with the flames on it?  Oh yeah, it shoots fire.   What else was it supposed to do?

I’ve been telling you about red flags for a long time here at GDG.  People are surprisingly easy to read online if you know what to look for, so don’t be shocked when they turn out exactly as I predict them to be!

2.  Even if it’s for someone’s greater good, it’s best not to mess with their relationship.

Sure, Ozymandias managed to create world peace, but at what cost?  In dating, it’s best to avoid drama.  If your buddy and his girlfriend hate each other and you know she’d be happier with you, don’t try to break them up.  Really.  Trust us.

1.  You need not be a superhuman to make a girl happy.

No need to save the world, blow things up, or fly in a cool machine.  Really, all you need to do is make us feel like we’re important to you.

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Granted, most of my expectations aren’t grounded in any sense of reality, and are more influenced by books, movies and the fact that I’ve spent probably a year of my life in EPCOT and Tomorrowland.

Still, there’s nothing that says we can’t have an extreme goal to work toward.  So get on it, masterminds – I’ve been promised hover-scooters by 2015, after all!

1.  Flying cars – Yes, this is almost a future cliche, but it gets brought up again and again because it’s awesome.   High-speed mass transportation is cool, but a private, airborne transportation device is even better – bonus points if it looks like a flying saucer.  And think of the space we’d save once we can design highways vertically!

2.  Demonstrable Psychic Abilities – Come on, Duke, you’ve been supposedly working on this for how long?  I want to access all those super-powered parts of my brain!  God knows I could have used a little telepathy when I had my wisdom teeth out.

3.  Space-age Fashion – Denim was pretty life-changing and lots of doors were opened with polyester; I think we’re due another fabric revolution.  And since it’s The Future, naturally it will have to be silver.

4.  Robots – Will have to be monitored closely, of course, lest they take over the world.  In The Future, robots will perform tasks that are dangerous, stuff requiring treacherous depths, heights or chemical exposure.  However, I’ve read “The Veldt,” and I’ll keep them out of my house, thank you very much.

5.  Space Colonization – Those with an adventurous spirit will get to try living on the New Frontier – oxygen-lacking  wastelands.  Bonus points if it involves colonizing underground or on one of Jupiter’s moons.  Triple word score if they run into current occupants while they’re digging.

6.  Regen Tanks – The idea is, you get too messed up or too old, they throw you in a tank for awhile and you come out young and healed.  Not only would it render us effectively immortal, it would get rid of the wrinkle-prevention industry in one fell swoop.

7.  Immersive VR – Whether it’s a Holodeck or the Better Than Life game, this is a must for any ship in interstellar travel.  And while we’re on the subject of ships, I want those automatic slidey doors, too.

8.  Weather Control – We don’t need some idyllic paradise, but being able to lessen the strength of a hurricane or change the path of a tornado would sure be nice.

9.  Replicators - Really, I would be happy with any insta-food creator, but I’m calling it a replicator to include all the additional uses that were explored on that one show.

10.  World Peace – What?  Okay, so it’s a bit of a stretch, but we’ll need it if we want to negotiate as a whole with those Others out there (that will inevitably reveal themselves, in The Future).   Besides, if we have all these other advancements, is world peace really all that difficult?

There.  I said it!

When I saw this postcard on PostSecret, I had a good chuckle, because it could have been written by me.

So where does a geek hunt for a man?  On the internet, of course!

Top Ten Reasons To Hunt Geeks In Their Natural Habitat

10.  I get withdrawal jitters if I’m away from the internet for more than a few hours.  I need someone who at least understands this malady if he’s not afflicted with it himself.

9.  You won’t find many geeks out at bars or dance clubs.

8.  You can find the love of your life while playing Facebook games, blogging about your D&D campaign, IMing with your friends, and watching House.

7.  The girl at the Friendly Local Gaming Store feels slightly uncomfortable being in a place so awash with testosterone.  (You try being the only taco at the sausage fest!)  Try to hit on her here and you’ll be shot down.

6.  The girl at your D&D game is already taken.

5.  The single girl at your D&D game is nobody you’d want to see when you wake up in the morning.  Let’s face it, you’re only okay with your dwarf sleeping next to her elf. Or maybe she feels that way about YOU.

4.  Geeks usually make much better first impressions on paper than in person.

3.  Geeks are often people with busy schedules – we’re working, studying, blogging, gaming.   But there’s one thing we’re sure to check daily (hourly, every minute?) – email.

2.  Some geeks are shy folks that don’t always open up in person.   We’re more comfortable having first meetings over IMs and then moving into the real world when we’re confident that you really like us.

1.  Why shoot fish in the ocean when you can shoot fish in a barrel?

Looking to get a head start in your online dating adventure?  Why not have Geek’s Dream Girl find you compatible matches?  Did I mention you’ll also get some clever things to mention in your first emails to those girls?  That too!  Read all about it here.

I have to say, it was pretty badass. However, not being a geek of the comic book flavor, I wouldn’t know if it was rife with inaccuracies that would make other geeks poke their eyes out.

I was very appreciative of the fact that the sexual tension between Stark and Pepper never got resolved in a cheesy “yay, we just saved the world” kiss.

That, my friends, would have been lame.

Either way, instead of writing a review, which I am highly unqualified to do, I figured I’d give you this….

Enjoy!

TOP TEN REASONS I WANT TO DATE IRONMAN

10. Red suit. I’ve always been a sucker for redheads.

9. Repulsor rays keep neighbor’s dog from pooping in my yard.

8. I’d never have to worry about my safety if I was a hostage and a crazy person had a gun to my head.

7. Can lose myself in his glowy eyes.

6. Chinese takeout for dinner.  From China.

5. With strength like his, he could make any girl feel like she’s light as a feather!

4. Rearranging heavy furniture is a breeze!

3. The phrase “fly me to the moon” has meaning!

2. Two words: Toasted marshmallows.

1. Repulsor ray + annoying brats at the mall in Heelys = fun for the whole family!

You’ve followed all of my advice. You spiffed up your profile, you have good pictures posted, you’ve got your Custom Searches made, you’ve been spending 15 Smart Minutes a day reading profiles and writing emails, and what do you have to show for it?

Nada.

What gives? Here are the Top 10 reasons why she hasn’t responded to your email:

10. She doesn’t have a paid account.

• Seriously, there are a lot of girls who post a profile but don’t have paid accounts, so while they can see they have an email, they can’t read it.

9. She’s totally forgotten she has a match.com account or her life is hectic at the moment.

• You can check on her profile page to see when she last logged in. If it’s been more than two weeks, make a note of her username and check later to see if she’s returned.

8. She’s semi-seriously dating someone.

• It’s not so serious that she’d take the profile down, but serious enough that she’s taking a break from checking her email.

7. You clearly did not read her profile because your lifestyles clash.

• You work from 10 pm to 5 am, she works from 2 pm to 10 pm. You won’t even get to sleep at the same time!
• Your idea of a great time is white water rafting and she is the kind of girl who never gets her hair wet unless she’s in the shower.

6. Your email fast-forwarded to the future.

• Girls don’t want a marriage proposal in the first email, nor do they want to hear about the beautiful babies you would make together.

5. Your email implies that the only thing interesting about her is the fact that she is hot.

• Do we like compliments? Yes. Do we like being told we’re beautiful? Certainly! Is it creepy when we get emails that say, “U R hot. Email me.“? Yes.
• Instead of going that route, find something specific to compliment her about (beautiful hair, bright eyes, friendly smile), and then move on to talking about things she DOES, rather than is.

4. You have no pictures posted. Or, after viewing your pictures, she’s decided that you’re not her type.

• Take down the “myspace self-portraits” and the pictures of you with alcoholic drinks, other women, or your car.
• Clean up nice and have a friend snap some pictures of you in good lighting. One good picture is better than 6 mediocre ones.

3. You embody one of her deal-breakers.

• She is interested in men 25-35 and you are “a young 52.”
• She only wants to date other Christians and you are an atheist.
• You have two kids from a previous relationship and she doesn’t want children.

2. You sent the same cut-n-paste email to every girl and it’s THAT obvious.

• We can tell, you know. We can also tell when you use the same cut-n-paste email, but you paste in a few different words like an online dating email MadLib. Get creative and show us you really WANT to get to know us, will ya?

1. She doesn’t know why she doesn’t like you, but she doesn’t.

• Girls are picky. Sorry!

Got a great profile and getting lots of initial contact but no lasting relationships? Why not hire a Geek Girl to perch on your shoulder and help you take those winks to the next level?

9. She’s smart, maybe even smarter than you. When she sees the string of acronyms after your name in your sig file, she gets excited. Conversely, she’ll taunt you when her string is longer.

8. She won’t look at you like you have two heads when you complain about bandwidth, when you scream at your computer, when you’ve taken apart your Xbox, when you start sewing a costume to wear at GenCon…

7. She understands your nutritional needs. She bakes cookies and orders pizza for D&D nights. When you’re playing WoW, she’ll cut your dinner into bite-sized pieces so you can eat and heal the main tank simultaneously.

6. If she doesn’t share your obsession with Star Wars, she at least understands it. The idea of a room wallpapered with figurines intrigues her and she’ll pick up a lightsaber to battle you to determine who takes out the garbage.

5. Geek girls come in all shapes and sizes from pixie to Willendorf goddess. Their hair is spikey, bobbed, down to their waist, or in braids. They are not slaves to fashion, but march to the beat of their own drummer, even if that drummer demands they wear shirts with jokes about counting in binary.

4. She’ll love you for your smarts, and if those smarts net you a lot of cash, that’s just the icing on the cake. (Everyone knows a really good cake doesn’t need icing!) Her intentions are to find a lifemate, not a lifeline. Besides, she’s smart enough to make her own fortune.

3. She loves to learn about anything and everything, so life and love are never vanilla. Nuff said?

2. Her friends are other geek girls, who you can set up with your geek friends. Not only will you be a hero, all those geeks would make a great WoW guild or D&D group!

1. If you’re a geek guy, she’ll trust you. If you’re a regular guy, she has eyes and ears everywhere and when she dumps you, you’ll know why. You won’t be sure of how she figured it out, but if I told you, she wouldn’t be able to do it again.

Don’t have that geek girl of your dreams?  I can help you find her!

My ebook, You Geek, They Grok: A Geek’s Guide to Leveling Up Your Online Dating Game, is written by a geek (me!) to help other geeks (you!) find the love that lasts a lifetime. Click here to check it out.

Happy dating, geek friends.

• Let’s face it – women are visual creatures, too. We’re also cautious. We want to see your eyes and make our irrational judgments about you based on a 200 x 300 pixel space.
• It is amazing how many 20 and 30-somethings put up pictures of themselves drinking. It’s equally amazing how many men post pictures of themselves surrounded by women. (This does not make you “more credible” as a good date, in fact, it does the opposite.) Also bad? Tons of group shots when we have no idea which one is you.

How to fix it: Unless you have a very high profile job, please post a few pictures. Have a friend shoot pictures of you doing things you love, whether that’s reading a book, playing your trumpet, kickboxing, golfing… whatever you do. Then find a third friend – one that makes you laugh. Have a conversation with that friend while your photographer friend snaps pics of you being genuinely amused. A natural smile is a sure way to win over that special someone!

4. Your screenname is either boring or inappropriate.

• FloridaGuy79. Wow. Original. It makes you the same as every other 28-29 year old guy living in Florida.
• Sexy4ULove. Any name with “sexy” in it sends the message that you have one thing on your mind. You might as well change your name to LoveEmNLeaveEm.

How to fix it: Pick a screenname that reflects one of your passions. I’d be more interested in XboxHero79 than FloridaGuy79.

3. You don’t provide enough information in the “stats” of your profile.

• Many people rely on the “match” functionality of websites to show them the people they should date. Very few go into the advanced search functions (which I’ll talk about soon!).

How to fix it: Make your profile as search-friendly as possible by filling out as many of the stats as you can.

2. Your profile has so many spelling & grammatical errors that it’s nearly impossible to read.

• There are some very intelligent and worthwhile people out there who are shooting themselves in the foot because they have poor spelling and/or grammar skills. People will think poorly of people who write poorly. Make your first impression a good one!

How to fix it: At the very least, run your profile through Word’s spell-check and grammar check.

1. You have red flags waving!

• Do you whine about your previous relationships? Discuss your troubled family life? Complain about your job? Mention “game-playing” in a sense other than video/computer/board? Reveal things best left for at least the 3rd date?

How to fix it: Have someone who you can trust read your profile. Ask them to read between the lines and be brutally honest with you. If you can’t trust your friends, there’s always your friendly neighborhood Geek Girl!

Happy Dating, Geek Friends!

If you feel you’d like the eHarmony approach (without the eHarmony rejection!!) try match.com’s Chemistry service for help finding the match that’s best for you: