Atlanta | Daddy Mojo

Horizon of Khufu is VR the way that you imagine its potential will become

Just under 30 years ago I came to Atlanta for a business trip and the client wanted to impress us by taking us to a “VR experience”. It was VR, but it was the mid-90s version of it that has us tethered via a thick cord that constrained our movement as we navigated a series of lines that were akin to Pong or a very primitive first-person-shooter game. Horizon of Khufu: Journey in Ancient Egypt is not that version of VR. This is a wholly immersive VR experience that puts you into old town Khufu. You do still have to wear the glasses. However, as an entertainment experience for the price point, it’s challenging to put Horizon of Khufu in a league with anything else.

Horizon of Khufu is what you knew VR could be. It’s a story-driven, interactive journey that takes you to Giza and back.

Ignore how you look with the headset on and jump into the water

MomoCon: A teen’s take on this all-age anime, manga and video games con

Our children have been going to Momocon since they were four and six. They were rabid about Pokémon for a year or two and gravitated towards board games, one of them has fallen in love with wrestling and both of them have always loved the cosplay that they see. Eight years on they were both very eager to go to MomoCon, but I wasn’t sure what would interest them the most when we got there.

As our children get older, their desire to go to MomoCon hasn’t stopped, but the things that they want to do there have changed.

Put Momocon on the calendar

Six Flags Over Georgia parking tips and a culinary trick

The current rage in our area for kids aged 14 and up is to go on roller coasters. I feel as if I’m 85 years old when I write that statement. Roller coasters and thrill rides are a constant and when I was 14 years old, much to the bewilderment of my parents, I wanted to go on them too. The bewilderment is still a constant, but this time it’s our 14-year-old who was slightly bemused (or secretly pleased), that I wanted to go on the rides now. Parents of thrill ride kids have it coming when they have to the chaperone and when it was my turn to visit Six Flags Over Georgia I did my homework.

We went to Six Flags Over Georgia and found the best, most affordable way to park. It was also a chance for us to utilize our go-to theme park eating strategy.

I love theme parks….and saving money

STEM, cosplay, jet propulsion and planetary geology at Dragon Con

Every August when I introduce myself to students I give them the FAQ about my life. One of the things that I mention to them is that I go to Dragon Con each year to play video games and listen to the scientists who are speaking. “Do you dress up like a dragon?” is what the smarmy response that a couple of the well-meaning, but curious kids will utter. This year when they asked I said “Yes, and I’ll be talking with jet propulsion specialists, NASA engineers, and others who have been integral in the outer space discoveries for decades to come.” I’ve been practicing my ‘yes, and’ method of shutting down or continuing conversations in the manner of improv comedy.

Dragon Con is much more than a Con. It’s a gathering of all things pop culture and one of the most accessible and entertaining science conversations that you’ll have access to.

Where can you dig all of this and speak science at the deep end?

Samurai at the High kindles wonder and imagination for the ages

There is something about samurai warriors that conjure up every corner of our imagination. Your age or sex doesn’t matter; it’s the thought of dozens of skilled warriors battling it out with thick wooden sticks, sharp swords, and body armor made from ancient craftsmen that feed that fire. Granted, adults of a certain age may also channel their inner samurai with a set of Ginsu Knives. More cerebral folks might study Japanese history and the evolution that samurai had over hundreds of years in Japan. Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller is on display until September 17, 2023, at High Museum of Art and is an exhibition that will entertain all of those camps and more.

Samurai: Armor from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller is a detailed exhibition on those warriors on display at High Museum of Art.

Keep Calm and Samurai on

Year after year, MomoCon just gets better

MomoCon 2023 is in the books and it marks the seventh time that we’ve attended with our children. They’re 13 and 11 now and the difference in how they’ve engaged with the con is dramatic and has kept up with the times. I’ll explain more about that in a moment, but one of the first things out of mouth, when I tell teachers or parents about MomoCon, is that it truly is an all-ages con.

MomoCon just gets better as our children get older. They’re able to dig into the anime or manga booths, watch wrestling, video game competitions and view the stunning cosplay.

Momocon is to be marked on your calendar every year

Harry Potter: The Exhibition in Atlanta, a wizarding time for all

You give Muggles a bad name, that’s the way the Bon Jovi song goes, isn’t it? I’ve seen one Harry Potter film and that was the one with the giant snake. I haven’t read any of the books, but I do enjoy a good time and theme park experience. Packed away with all of this Hogwarts lack of trivia I decided to check out Harry Potter: The Exhibition. Harry Potter: The Exhibition in Atlanta is happening in the peach state until April 16. It’s a traveling collection of movie memorabilia, costumes, and an interactive rabbit hole of all things from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

There be dragons here….and a couple of Muggles

Dragon Con is science, STEM, robotics and more for middle schoolers

It’s great to be able to attend cons again. Think of a pop culture interest and there’s a convention geared just for that. Dragon Con is a con that’s really unlike others. It’s held in Atlanta, Georgia every Labor Day weekend and every pop culture franchise that you can think of is there. Superheroes, middle earth, anime shows, television shows, and more are all represented by their fans or cast members of the shows. What about the science? The STEM, the brains behind the manufacturing of those costumes, real-world technology that goes into science-fiction, and those people who might be exploring space or the ancient history of Earth are not forgotten at Dragon Con.

A presentation on Mars at Dragon Con 2022 — Here’s a photo from Mars that you haven’t seen, unless you were at Dragon Con.

STEM, science, mars, dinosaurs, cosplay and more at Dragon Con