Friday, January 27, 2012

Things I need in my life: Star Trek Enterprise coffee table

And not just any Enterprise, but NCC-1701-C!
Holding your drink and back issues of Omni...boldly.
The Enterprise-C is one of my favorite Enterprises, I don't know why, but it is. I think it's partly because she's an obscure starship compared to its predecessors and successors, known primarily for its destruction while defending a Klingon outpost from Romulan attack. Yet at the same time, that one moment helped secure a long lasting peace between the Federation and Klingons. Also, the C was the first and only Enterprise* with a female captain.

Now on to the sweet part about this table: you can buy it on Etsy. If you have $3,100 burning a hole in your bank account, you can buy it here.

(h/t Nerd Approved)

*If we were counting the novels, then Demora Sulu would be the first woman to command an Enterprise, as she succeeded John Harriman as captain of the Enterprise-B after the events of Serpents Among the Ruins. Alas, the novels aren't canon, so Rachel Garrett is the one true female captain.

Commodore VIC-20 Home Computers, just $59.97!

Credit: reinap - Flickr.
It goes without saying that this thing probably could not run Crysis. Fifty-nine dollars isn't bad for a computer back in the 80s, when an Apple or other computer would run you into the thousands, even tens of thousands of dollars. For more info on the VIC-20, check out Old Computers Museum. There's also a dedicated community, because of course a computer would have a community thirty-two years after it's release.

(h/t The Retroist)

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Falcon Girl is the best Tank Girl pastiche ever

Credit: James Hance.
Tank Girl started life as a British comic drawn by Jamie Hewlett and written by Alan Martin back in the late 80s and was made into a movie starring Lori Petty in the same decade. James Hance decided to take the cult favorite and put a Star Wars spin on it. And here I thought Princess Leia couldn't get any cooler. You can buy prints here and here, depending on where you live and t-shirts are available here. Times like this make me wish I could buy stuff online.

(h/t The Mary Sue)

Monday, January 23, 2012

Breaking news: People are morons. Film at 11.

Credit: reddit.
What? I seriously hope whoever returned that controller is not out reproducing somewhere...

(via Dorkly)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on a TI-84 calculator? Damn, that's nerdy!

But according to Gamma Squad, a guy named no9sniper (probably an alias) in fact programmed his graphing calculator to play the popular RPG. Now granted, a calculator can't exactly run the real game, so he created a text-based version instead. Still, that is some damn fine nerding right there. You can check out the video of him playing it after the jump.



(h/t to Megamers)

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

For a loner, Batman sure has a lot of kids

Credit: Microbluefish.
With the exception of Barbara Gordon and Stephanie Brown, everyone else in that picture claims A Man Dressed Like A Bat as their father. Damian is another exception, though, since he isn't adopted and comes straight from the bat-loins.
It's not a stretch to figure out why he's adopted so many kids, despite his loner status. All of the kids that Bruce Wayne has adopted are orphans, like him. He was lucky though, because he was rich and had a guardian to raise him. The former weren't as lucky and probably would have ended up bouncing around from one foster home to the next, or even dead. I think they also act like his anchor to reality, something to keep him from going completely batshit insane (no pun intended). It appears to be effective, but not super effective.

For those who don't know who these people are:

  • Black: Cassandra Cain (Batgirl, Black Bat)
  • Purple: Stephanie Brown (Spoiler, Batgirl)
  • Orange: Barbara Gordon (Batgirl, Oracle)
  • Blue: Dick Grayson (Robin, Nightwing, Batman)
  • Yellow: Damian Wayne (Robin)
  • Green: Tim Drake (Robin, Red Robin)
  • Red: Jason Todd (Robin, Red Hood)

Monday, January 16, 2012

Amy Pond delivers a special kiss-a-gram to Batwoman

Credit: Michael Magtanong.
I wouldn't put it past Batwoman to order a kiss-a-gram and have a redhead in a Batgirl costume deliver it. Much like abusing Force powers, I would do this too.

(h/t The Mary Sue)

Lazy Jedi is really lazy

Then again, I would do the same thing if I had the powers of the Force. What? I'm not Peter Parker, I never had an uncle named Ben to tell me about great power and responsibilities.




(via Geeks Are Sexy)

Rejoice! For the mechanical webshooters are in Amazing Spider-Man!

Credit: Marvel.com
Awwww yeeeeah.

So clearly director Marc Webb or someone involved in the production of Amazing Spider-Man has sense enough to know that mechanical webshooters beats organic webshooters any day! Why? As Bob Leeper from Nerdvana points out, mechanical shooters add to and heighten the drama because not only can they jam, but the webbing comes from capsules that can be emptied during a battle, requiring Spidey to try and unjam or reload. Not exactly an easy feat if you have someone like The Lizard, Green Goblin, or Venom coming after you. With the organic shooters that we saw in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man movies and the comics, they don't have either problem and so it just lessens the tension.

(h/t Nerdvana)

DC Comics new logo just looks awful.

Yeah...

I think Ryan Bricken from Topless Robot sums it up best:
Well, I don't know that it makes me want to buy comics from them, but I might ask them to help find an aggressive business solution to managing my marketable paradigm in a fast-paced global economy. Their logo makes me think they'd be good at that.
It does look more like a logo for a marketing firm rather than a company that publishes comic books. Personally, I prefer their more famous "bullet" logo they used from 1976 all the way up to 2005.

I just hope Marvel doesn't try anything or god forbid, Dark Horse.

(Images via Bleeding Cool, DC Comics Database)

I'm starting to think that we shouldn't fear SOPA that much anymore

Because according to Kotaku, voting on the bill in the House of Representatives has been delayed and apparently won't proceed unless there's a consensus. This wouldn't be the first time that SOPA - the Stop Online Piracy Act - has been delayed. It was put on the shelf last month, ostensibly because of the holidays, but more likely because of the sheer opposition and shitstorm forming about the bill. SOPA, for those who don't know, would (provided it became law) empower the government to force ISPs to change the DNS infrastructure that the internet itself is built on in order to blacklist any websites accused of piracy or participating in piracy. The music and film industries are the primary supporters of the bill, while internet, tech, and video game companies fundamentally oppose it. Of course denizens of the internet also disapprove of the bill. The White House has also voiced its opposition as well, but only after it became apparent than the anti-SOPA crowd was prevailing. The opposition has been so intense that the other day Texas Representative Lamar Smith (Republican, douche rocketeer) stated he would water down the bill by removing that provision.

In truth, I don't think SOPA will ever be voted on. Instead, it'll be left on the shelf and like many poorly thought out or unpopular bills, forgotten. If that happens, then good riddance to bad rubbish.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Holy.Mother.of.God.: 19 foot tall replica of the Apollo 11...made out of Legos!

If that isn't mindfucky enough for you, then how about this? Ryan McNaught, the man behind this Lego madness, used 120,000 bricks to build it. All those zeros and that comma are accurate, folks. Additionally, he included minifigs (the little yellow headed dudes that come with some of the Lego playsets) as both Apollo 11 astronauts and ground crew. He even included a surprise cameo by two droids you might know.

Some of the things that these guys do with Legos are just insane. Awesome, but insane. I think this might be the most impressive Lego thing I've ever seen, let alone blogged about. I have to respect the dedication to their craft though, my hat's off to Ryan McNaught and all the others.

Check out a couple of more pictures after the jump.
I can't tell if that one astronaut is happy or losing his mind.
I think those might be the droids everyone is looking for!
You can check out the rest of the Lego madness on McNaught's Flickr.

(h/t The Brothers Brick via io9)

Thursday, January 12, 2012

For the Sith Ladies: Half naked Darth Vader

Credit: Ornia.
You're welcome.

(h/t Geekologie)

This Guns 'n' Roses Doctor Who shirt is the best thing ever today

Unfortunately, Shirt Punch is selling it for one day only and there's a little over nine hours left, so if you want it, buy it here. I may stop posting today because nothing else will top this.

(Picture via Topless Robot)

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

This Fiona the Human plush is algebraic

Credit: kittyzilla.
Made by kittyzilla, this doll - from one of my favorite cartoons, Adventure Time - is adorable as frak. I may have emitted a little kid sound when I saw it. Not even going to lie

You can check out the rest of her plushes and other handmade items on her website and be sure to check her Etsy too.

(h/t Super Punch)

These pictures show that droids have feelings too

Credit: Chris Gerringer

Credit: Chris Gerringer
Artist Chris Gerringer created some pretty awesome art prints featuring various droids from Star Wars expressing their emotions about themselves. I like the Viper Probe Droid and B1 battle droid. You can check out the rest here and buy prints here.

(h/t Nerd Approved)

Trust this Rage Comic and avoid the Brian Herbert/Kevin J. Anderson Dune novels

It's a long ass comic, so hit the jump to see it.

Credit: Rage-Comics.
I've never read any of the Dune novels birthed from the hellish abyss by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, but the general consensus in the nerd community is that they are godawful. Brian Herbert is like Christopher Tolkien, the son of J.R.R. Tolkien, he's in it for the money. Anderson will pretty much write anything if there's a paycheck involved, so there's no surprise there. Basically, stick with the original Dune novels and avoid the post-Frank Herbert ones like the goddamn plague.

The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe version of the Ghost Rider 2 trailer



(via Tor.com)

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Ukulele cover of First Aid Kit's "Our Own Pretty Ways" by Shayna Gibson and Olivia Hogan

I've never heard of First Aid Kit before seeing this cover of one of their songs, but Wikipedia says they're a Swedish duo who play folk music.. So why am I posting a cover of a song by a band that I've never even heard of before? Because A). I haven't made a music post since last week and before that, it was two months, and B). Ukulele song covers are the best kind of song covers. Enjoy.



(h/t I'd Rather Be Killing Monsters...)

Monday, January 9, 2012

We're being attacked by the Negaverse!

Credit: Alexa Domino.
Please take one of these!

The Akira movie just won't die!

Previously, I posted about how Warner Bros.'s white-washed clusterfuck adaption of Akira was more or less dead after the studio shut pre-production down. Now, Variety is reporting that WB hasn't quite given up on birthing the abomination.

As for "Akira," which has only "Tron: Legacy" star Garrett Hedlund locked, the studio is by no means pulling the plug. Insiders said a new writer will probably be brought on over the next two weeks to focus on character elements and particularly on the pic's look. While no one's yet been offered the job, studio is said to be eyeing Jonah Nolan ("The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises") and Michael Green ("Green Lantern").
And in related news, they're casting more white people to play Japanese characters!
WB prexy Jeff Robinov met with the "Akira" team to discuss several issues, including who would land the second lead opposite Hedlund. Choices had been narrowed down to Michael Pitt and Dane DeHaan, but the studio wanted to wait until after the holidays to decide. Now that decision will be delayed further.
I said it in the previous post about this, but it bears repeating: Fuck you, Warner Bros, fuck you.

(h/t Topless Robot)

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Femme Shephard from Mass Effect, Alphonse Mucha art nouveau style

Credit: Mwar.
I love Alphonse Mucha's art style and its many imitations online. Mwar hit a home run with this one. You can check out the rest of her art on her DeviantArt page and her Tumblr. You can also commission art on her website.

(h/t The Mary Sue)

Friday, January 6, 2012

Yet more Lego win! Hyperion Battlecruiser from Starcraft 2

I'm seriously considering adding a Lego tag since I keep posting awesome things people build with them. This time, it's the Hyperion Battlecruiser from Blizzard Entertainment's Starcraft 2.


Made by a chap named Sven Junga and made up of 15,000 Legos, this is definitely one of the best I have seen so far.


You can check out the rest of the pictures on Junga's Flickr.

(h/t Obvious Winner)

Awesome graphic of Link's shields from the various Legend of Zelda games

Credit: blueamnesiac.
I like the second and third shields on the bottom row; they remind me of the emblem of House Greyjoy's from A Song of Ice and Fire.

(h/t Loyal K.N.G.)

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Anyone got a spare 4 grand so I can buy this Eleventh Doctor sonic screwdriver?

The object of desire:

The preciouses...
Credit: QMX Online.

My response:
Credit: Three Word Phrase, by Ryan Pequin.
The reason it retails for $3,995 is because it's created by Nick Robatto, the prop maker for Doctor Who. Buy it here if you have the cash.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find a sugardaddy.

(via Nerd Approved)

Holy frak! Benedict Cumberbatch cast as the villain for Star Trek 2!

Can we all just agree that Benedict Cumberbatch is a very handsome man?
Credit: MaxUpdates.
 Holy crap on a cracker! That guy is sure making the rounds on the nerd circuit. First, he's playing Sherlock on the eponymous BBC series. Then, he's doing the voice of Smaug in The Hobbit, and now Star Trek! At the same time Noel Clarke, who played Micky Smith (Rose's boyfriend) on Doctor Who will also be in the movie as a "a family man with a wife and daughter."

(via Tor.com)

Praise the Lord, the live-action Akira movie is shitcanned

Saw this at Topless Robot and, after thoroughly getting jiggy with it, had to post it.

Warner Bros is pushing the pause button on Akira.
The project, which has been through several incarnations, is being shut down in the face of casting and budgetary issues. The production offices in Vancouver are being closed, with below-the-line talent and crew told to stop working. "Everybody is being sent home," according to an insider.
 Quote via The Hollywood Reporter.


I'm assuming that by "casting issues" they of course mean the fact that they completely white-washed Akira, a seminal manga and anime from Japan. It's true, instead of hiring Japanese and Japanese-American actors to portray Japanese characters, they instead went the "White is Right" route and hired Garrett Hedlund (of Tron: Legacy fame) to play the hero, Kaneda. Kristin Stewart and Helen Bonham Carter were also in negotiations to star, with the former being cast as Kei, Kaneda's love interest and the latter as Lady Miyako. The only actual Japanese person in the movie was going to be Ken Watanabe and that was only after Gary Oldman turned down the offer to play The Colonel.

I'm not even Asian, let alone Japanese or Japanese-American and even I'm offend by Warner Bros. blatantly racist dickmove. It's not like people in this country won't watch a movie with a non-white cast; after all, Slumdog Millionaire was a hit. Black Rain was another hit and it only had three white characters in a predominately Japanese cast. The Last Samurai also comes to mind. The American movie industry has to pull its collective head out of its ass and realize that the United States isn't populated only by whites and African-American, and making movies starring Asian, Latino, South Asian and Middle Eastern actors is perfectly fine.

Robin plays Dungeons & Dragons, consider your argument invalid

Robin vol. 2 #3.
Credit: Schwarbage.
I would read a comic series where Tim Drake (Robin, Red Robin from the Batman comics) and Young Justice play D&D or Pathfinder.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Steven Tyler, Weird Al Yankovic and Alice Cooper cover The Beatles' "Come Together"

The collab that no one saw coming.



A wild Mike Myers appears at 5:48.

(via The Nerdist)

This poster proves that Community's Inspector Spacetime is something that needs to exist

I wants it to be reals!
Credit: Sam Spratt Illustration.

"What is Inspector Spacetime?" You ask? Oh, you did ask? Too bad. Inspector Spacetime is a spoof of Doctor Who created for the popular-even-if-NBC-pretends-it-isn't comedy, Community. It appeared in the season three premiere of the show and the internet being the internet, a mock fan following appeared with an Inspector Spacetime Confessions on Tumblr and a page on TV Tropes. I would love for Steven Moffat to reference Inspector Spacetime on Doctor Who, the resulting nerdgasms would be epic.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Bob Anderson, the fightin' Darth Vader, dead at 89

Credit: FirstShowing.net
I'll admit that up until the other day I had no idea who Bob Anderson was. I never knew that someone other than David Prowse wore Darth Vader's garb whenever the Sith Lord threw down, but someone did and that was Bob Anderson. An Olympic fencer, he was initially hired to choreograph the lightsaber duels in the Star Wars Original Trilogy, but he soon stepped into Vader's shoes after Prowse couldn't quite get a hang of it. According to Mark Hamill, George Lucas wanted to keep a lid on this fact, but Hamill spoke out in 1983 and revealed Anderson's role. Apparently Hamill felt that the master swordsman deserved credit where credit was due.

"It was always supposed to be a secret, but I finally told George (Lucas) I didn't think it was fair any more," Hamill told Starlog magazine, referring to the legendary director and producer. "Bob worked so bloody hard that he deserves some recognition. It's ridiculous to preserve the myth that it's all done by one man."

Unfortunately, he still seems to have been overshadowed over the decades. He also worked on other movies such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, two James Bond films, and The Princess Bride.

I tip my nerd hat to you, Mr. Anderson. You made Darth Vader even more fearsome and cool.

(h/t Science Fiction.com)

Monday, January 2, 2012

I love nerds: hackers want to launch their own satellites

In order to protect the internet from governmental attempts to censors and control the internet, a group of hackers want to create their own satellite network.

...hackers at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin are dreaming of creating their own network of communications satellites and ground stations to forestall any attempt to control the internet.

And they could do it too. According to the BBC, hobbyists have put small satellites into temporary orbit, but then again, getting something as big as a communication satellite is going to be more difficult and expensive. Still, I like and support the idea.

The internet is something more than just cat videos and memes, it's the greatest invention since the telephone. It represents the best hope humanity has to bridge our differences and ensure freedom for every man, woman and child on this planet. The idea of any government giving itself the authority to control and subvert this resource is an anathema to me. An independent network would also render net neutrality a moot point, since presumably you wouldn't need to go through one of the big telecomms to access the internet. That, and imagine how bad ass it would be if they managed to pull it off?

Chaos Computer Club.

+1 to Nerdery: the Super Mario Bros SUV

Credit: Nerd Approved.
It's nice, but I think the TurtleVan has it beat.

Credit: PopHate.

I agree with Wil Wheaton on this

Wil Wheaton was on The Nerdist Christmas Special last week and had this to say about the Kardashians.



My thoughts after the jump.

I agree 100% with him. World's Worst Asshole that he is, at least Hitler did something to earn his infamy. What did Kim Kardashian do? She took a dick up her cooter on tape. The Kardashians epitomize everything that is wrong with American popular culture and culture in general. It's disgusting that people like her, her family, Paris Hilton and others make millions of dollars for doing nothing, while there are writers, musicians, artists who actually contribute to our society and culture and who will never be monetarily enriched by it.

What a fucking waste of space.