#FollowFriday - @LN_Dragonsong: Writer, Actress, Artist, Podcaster, and Gypsy Pirate

This week's pick is someone special. I don't know how I've managed to neglect this person for so long. Maybe it is just that when you follow a lot of awesome people, you can't pick out everyone at once. And so someone who is very deserving of recognition ends up getting passed over far too often. But no longer. I am, of course, talking about the lovely and talented Laura Frechette, aka @LN_Dragonsong. But Laura isn't just my pick, she is Scott's pick, too. We both wrote her up at the same time. Thus Laura is our first Double Follow Friday nominee! This article is an amalgamation of what we each wrote.

#FollowFriday - @GraceBridges: Mystic wordnerd. Independent friend. Urbanite hermit. Head in clouds.

Part of me really wants to move to New Zealand. If the footage from Lord of the Rings is any indication it's positively gorgeous. Add to that the awesome tweeps I've met who're from that blessed island and I simply have to think that it's got to be as near perfection as any place on Earth. So with that, I want to introduce you to @GraceBridges.

#FollowFriday - @TRReed: Math Teacher, Podcast addict, Bitstrips artist, and Texan

Have you met @TRReed? And yes, that's not a typo. Or at least, it isn't OUR typo. If he typoed his Twitter name and never bothered to fix it, that isn't our fault. Or it could have just been that @treed got there before him, but I digress... Thomas Reed, our @TRReed, is a Math Teacher, compulsive podcast listener, and a proud Texan. He is also the creative mind behind a hilarious series of Bitstrips depicting scenes from the world of Social Media. In the past three years he has created 402 Bitstrips comics based on events in his on-line and off-line life.

#FollowFriday - @IndianaJim: Author of forthcoming WARS novella from Grail Quest Books, Host of The Adventures of Indiana Jim podcast, SF/F Geek

There are geeks and then there are geeks like @IndianaJim. I would feel safe in calling him a geek's geek or perhaps a geek among geeks. I mean come on, his Twitter handle is a tribute to the iconic Harrison Ford character and he produced a fantastic full cast Star Wars audio drama. I don't know that he's particularly a techie geek, but we've hardly let that stop us before.

#FollowFriday - @VG_Ford: Writer, Fencer, Podcaster and Pirate Captain

There is just something about a woman with her sword in her hand, especially when she knows how to use it. That certain air of danger that lends an extra allure. Enter @VG_Ford, fencer, writer, and scourge of the high seas! Oh, and she writes, too! Val has published two books with Dragon Moon Press: Not your Father's Horseman, and Dark Moon Seasons. She also writes a variety of short fiction for different venues, and podcasts. You can get some idea of what she does on her blog, http://vg-ford.com/.

#FollowFriday - @RhodesTer: Funny Man, Satirist, and Alien Implant Survivor

I blog occasionally in my spare time (explains the infrequency) and so I know how hard it is to put out a blog post that's timely or funny or interesting on some kind of regular basis. Today I want to introduce you to a blogger that manages to do all of the above, or at least enough of the above to earn a passing grade. @RhodesTer, aka Dave, is a San Francisco based writer who is even now writing about what life's like as a resident of that fair city. Knowing him there will be enough snark/sass/smartassery mixed in with the commentary to set it apart from other Bay blogs. You can find that blog here.

#FollowFriday - @NLowell: The Chuck Norris of Writing and Podcasting.

This Friday I am paying my respects to @NLowell, a writer, podcaster, and the creator of stories so good, they can only be referred to as podcasting crack. Nathan Lowell is a man who has become a legend in his own time. His prowess at completing projects draws the awe and envy of the podcasting community, and accounts of his exploits continue to grow in the retelling. He once won NaNoWriMo in 15 days, with a goal of 100,000 words. His name has even become a unit of measure to which writers aspire: the Lowell. Instead of uploading a new episode every couple weeks, he uploads them every couple of days, in four and 5 episode chunks. Which is fair, as listeners easily devour at least four chapters a day. He has raised the bar of the straight read to a new standard. And that is just the true stuff! For the latest news on his work, head over to http://solarclipper.com/.

#FollowFriday - @thegearheart: Wrtiter, Artist, Musician, Podcaster

Today's Follow Friday recommendation is @thegearheart. There are people out there who are criminally under followed. Now I realize that not everyone wants a thousand plus follows and I respect that. Still, when you've got someone as talented as Alex White running around on Twitter, you'd hope that he'd be a little closer.

"But wait," I hear you say, "who is Alex White and what is The Gearheart?"

#FollowFriday - @BrightEyedDyer: Dyer, Writer, Editor, Podcaster, She who brings fiction to fiber.

This week, I'd like to introduce you to @BrightEyedDyer, a writer, podcaster and podcast editor, and one of the most sought after dyers ever to grace Balticon. Sue Taliaferro, as she is otherwise known, not only dyes yarn, but she is known for creating the most striking color combinations. If you're into the fiber arts, you can find out more about that side of her by checking out her blog, Dyed Bright Here, or her Etsy store. But the most coveted yarns that she produces are the are the Balticon Limited Edition Colorways. These are special color sets that are each inspired by a specific novel written by one of the authors who frequent Balticon's literary track. The sets are released each year at Balticon on Memorial Day weekend.

#FollowFriday - @IdentityG: The Official Twitter profile of Identity Guard

I don't follow many "corporate" or commercial Twitter accounts. Life's too short and I have too many real people* to follow. The exceptions I make are... exceptional. Enter Identity Guard, aka @IdentityG. This Twitter account provides its followers with some really solid information on the latest scams and risks that pop up on the internet. They're very active in social media and have a podcast and blog where you can get additional information.

#FollowFriday - @Etherius: Podcaster, Shaper of Minds, and ReShaper of Bodies

Welcome back for another Follow Friday! This week I'd like to direct your attention to @Etherius, aka Chris Lester, high school teacher, podcaster, and creator of the Metamor City Podcast, and two time Parsec Award winner. Metamor City is a sci-fi/fantasy anthology set in a world where magic and technology work together. It is a city piled upon itself where skyways held up by magic and anti-grav divide the city into four social levels. Walking the streets of Metamor, you could meet gods, werewolves, vampires, psis, wizards, or even Eli's own prophet. A place where the citizens can accept an ancient threefold curse and reshape their very bodies, or live out their lives as mere mortal humans. Oh, and there is the occasional elf, too. Chris presides over an open world where he allows others to come in and act out stories in his world. These stories are done as full cast productions and paint a vivid picture of a rich world, and demonstrate how we strive to create our own certainties in a world where anything is subject to change without notice.

#FollowFriday - @jack_daniel: InfoSec Curmudgeon, Reluctant CISSP, and Amateur Blacksmith

The gentleman to the left is not an aging rock star, at least not in the traditional sense. As the blurb above suggests he is a well rounded individual and one well worth a follow. I got the opportunity to meet Jack (and yes I assume that's his real name) at BSidesATL, an open source security conference in Atlanta and have been following him since then.

#FollowFriday - @SimonPegg: Actor, Writer, and Silly Bugger.

If you thought perhaps I had been detained by the TSA, or hospitalized in a holiday traveling accident, then I am happy to report that I have only been detained by an insane holiday schedule. But it is still Friday, so there is still time for a Follow Friday post! This week I'd like to turn your attention to @SimonPegg, an internationally known character actor and author. Doesn't sound familiar? Well, maybe you know some of the roles he's played. Do you remember Tim Bisley from the TV series Spaced? No, too obscure, perhaps? How about Shaun from the 2004 cult classic film Shaun of the Dead? Or maybe you remember him as The Editor from the 2005 season of Doctor Who? Or Benji Dunn from 2006's Mission: Impossible III? That's the guy that helped Tom Cruise's character track down his girlfriend. Or you might have seen him as Nicholas Angel in 2007's hit comedy Hot Fuzz. But I imagine that most people will recognize him as Scotty from 2009's re-boot of Star Trek. And in a few days, you'll have a chance to hear him as the voice of Reepicheep in the upcoming movie The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Simon also wrote Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz, and a variety of other screenplays over the years. His quirky sense of humor has made him into an icon of British Comedy. You can find more about what Simon is up to at his official website Peggster.net, or via his new iPhone app.

#FollowFriday - @Braindouche: Audio Mad Scientist

Today's Follow Friday recommendation is Braindouche aka Meredith.

One thing I've never understood is following a bunch of people just... like... you. When I cast a tweet into the Grand Canyon of the Internet I don't just want an echo back. So I follow people like Mer.

#FollowFriday - @Brandg: Author, Web Programmer, and Operator for Cthulhu.

This week's Follow Friday features Brand Gamblin, aka @Brandg, a man who turned his back on the fast paced world of the computer game industry to work at making network security software easier to use. Oh, and he created what may be the most popular internet puppet show ever. That show, would naturally be the soul swallowing classic, Calls for Cthulhu. Oh, and he's a two-time NaNoWriMo winner. His first NaNoWriMo effort has been edited and polished and finally published as a free podiobook, an e-Book, and the print book Tumbler. His second novel, a steampunk adventure, is in the process of being edited, dragged over the coals, and whipped into shape. And he's doing NaNoWriMo again. Glutton for punishment. You can find out more about the thrashing and screaming at his web site http://brandg.com/. Oh, and he's one of the founders of the virtual convention DragonCan't.

#FollowFriday - @planetx: Uber-geek and Creative Beast

Today's Follow Friday recommendation is Jared Axelrod. His profile says that he's an inventor, an innovator, and a world changer. When you read someone's profile you can never be entirely certain that they are what they say they are. I can say that in Jared's case he is.

#FollowFriday - @StephenFry: Author, Actor, Erudite Gentleman, Twitter advocate, and i-Thing Enthusiast.

This week, the coveted Follow Friday position has been reserved by your humble editor for that most gracious and witty personage, @StephenFry. In many ways, Mr. Fry has been one of the major formative influences for geeks of my generation. In the early 1980's as my compatriots were emerging from the hormonal haze of high school, Stephen was beginning his career as an actor and a comedian. Moving from the madcap insanity of A Bit of Fry and Laurie, to the historical parody of the Blackadder series, to the ever-so-proper Jeeves and Wooster. Mr. Fry has been lurking in the background of modern entertainment, appearing in odd and unusual places such as A Fish Called Wanda, I.Q., The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, V for Vendetta, and Alice in Wonderland. And soon he will emerge again from the shadows of the entertainment world as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock Holmes older and much more intelligent brother. You can keep abreast of what he's been up to on his website, StephenFry.com.

#FollowFriday - @PhilRossi: Author, musician, dad blogger,

[For this week's Follow Friday, I'm turning the reins over to Scott Roche, our new Windows corespondent for the Blog. Take it away, Scott! - Editor]

Welcome to my first Follow Friday blog post for the Nifty Tech Blog! I follow a lot of people on Twitter, over a thousand at last count. That seems like a lot to me anyway. I'm not sure that if you get into the multi-thousands, that you're truly "following" all of them. But when it comes to #FollowFriday, when I do it, much like my awesome host I only recommend people that I follow closely and enjoy. Only the best for you dear readers!

#FollowFriday - @SpiritualTramp: Writer, Kilt Wearer, Podcaster, Member of Flying Island Press, and Nifty Tech PC Expert!

This week I'd like to introduce you to @Spiritualtramp, a talented man in his own right, and the first new Nifty Tech Blog Staffer! @Spiritualtramp, aka Scott Roche, is joining the Nifty Tech Blog staff as our resident Windows PC expert. Going forward you should be seeing a review from him on some Windows based technology about once a month, in addition to seeing Follow Friday mentions from him. But that isn't all! Scott is also the Director of Marketing and Assistant Editor of Flying Island Press, an online speculative fiction magazine. He is also an author in his own right with several stories available on Smashwords, as well as his Podcast Novel Archangel. Scott also lives up to his namesake by publishing his own blog of spiritual musings and observations at Spiritual Tramp. Scott is one of the Associate Producers for The Metamor City Podcast, as well as producing Flying Island Press' Flagship Podcast (In which I provided guest commentary on episodes 2 and 3). I'm surprised that he's got any time left after all that, but I'm glad to have him along.

#FollowFriday - @riznphnx: Writer, Podiobook Author, and Siren of Second Life

This week's featured Twitterer (Tweeter? Twitter? whatever...) was a Finalist in the Best New Speculative Fiction Podcaster category for the 2010 Parsec Awards. She is a mother of three loyal minions, an author, and a Jazz singer on Second Life. @riznphnx, aka Starla Hutchton, also published her first novel, The Dreamer's Thread, this summer and is talking about writing a second book. For more information on her book or her podcast, check out her website, http://www.thedreamersthreadnovel.com/. For more information on her, follow her on Twitter, and don't be a creepy, stalky type person.  Really.