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Slackstory posted a list of blogs and the characteristics of those who like them. You’ve bought food from ThinkGeek? Are we really that geeky? I didn’t even know ThinkGeek sold food (I tend to get my candy from the NeatoShop). There are plenty of other blogs listed, with even more in the comments, and you might get a kick out of what they say. Link
This epic musical geek creation is called the gAtari-a musical instrument which uses the extremely limited sound capabilities of the Atari 2600 to make the kind of music hardcore gamers will love, and parents will classify as noise.
I don’t fully understand how the device works, but here the creator cTrix attempts to explain how, and why, he came up with it:
The “gAtari” was my excuse to do something a little silly after I discovered that the Atari 2600 was more limiting than I realized! (31 pitches, minimal waveforms and only 2 channels!) I needed an EQ which could take a high voltage and drop it down to line level (Boss bass EQ) plus a way to hold loops between tracks and parts (Boss delay). So rather than have it “DJ” style config, I thought I make something a little more creative.
I hope the gAtari sparks a new trend in club music, doesn’t the sweet sounds coming out of this thing make you wanna get up and shake your rump?
–via GeeksAreSexy
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Illustrator Becca Whitaker has just finished her Geek’s 12 Days Of Christmas, a series in which she released one illustration a day for the last twelve days on her blog, and I love the image she chose to end the series!
These adorable illustrations would make a great coloring book, maybe something to think about for next year Becca? You can see the rest of the illustrations in the series at her site Becca’s Bombshells, where there is no shortage of geek love.
Link –via DesignTAXI
As part of a continuing series, Geeks Are Sexy posted a roundup of tattoos sent in by their readers. Kristina contributed her tattoo of Nikola Tesla. There are lots more, including many that are so geeky I don’t recognize them, but you might! Link
Do you have a LEGO Death Star hanging from your tree? Or a LEGO Millennium Falcon? You could, you know, because the web has instructions for putting these together from LEGO bricks you already have! They are part of a roundup Jill Harness put together on The 20 Geekiest Christmas Decorations Ever at Rue The Day. Some are handcrafted, some are available in the NeatoShop, and some, like these, will have your own personal touch. Link
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Tattoos have gone from subculture badge to trendy enough to be considered a societal norm. Geeks who were once afraid of their bodies, and getting tattoos on them, are now some of the most enthusiastic sporters of embedded ink.
Scientists are no exception, and they’ve joined the geek nation in adorning themselves with symbols of their passions in life, choosing imagery with a scientific edge in their body art compositions.
Check out the particularly good examples at the Popsci gallery link below, maybe you’ll be inspired to get some ink of your own.
Link –image from SCIENCE INK by Carl Zimmer. Published by Sterling Publishing © 2011
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Geek Ball – $7.95
Are you a geek in need of some cosmic advice? You need the Geek ball from the NeatoShop. This great little magic ball is fluent in geekish. Just ask it a yes or no question and be prepared to get a truly geeky response. Responses include things like: 404 Error, FAIL, Meh, and LOL.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Office and Desk fun!
Comments Off Thanksgiving is great, but let’s face it –sometimes it’s just not relatable enough for those of us obsessed with fantasy and sci-fi tales. If pilgrims and natives aren’t your thing, then turkey, cranberry and pumpkin might not cut it either. For those of you who are thankful for good contributions to geek culture, here are a few ideas to make your own Thanksgiving feast a little more memorable.
This fantasy epic is filled with so many delicious food and drink ideas that there is already more than one blog out there dedicated to creating the tasty treats in real life. Inn At The Crossroads is the best known of these blogs and the site even has a cookbook coming out soon.
For those looking to spice up their Thanksgiving with some kingly delights, may I recommend the Rack of Lamb in a Crust of Garlic and Herbs served with a cup of Salladhor Saans Hot Wine. If you’d like something a little more exotic for your main course though, the Grilled Snake, served with a spicy mustard sauce, looks rather delightful.
If you’re familiar with Dune, then you know that it is all about the spices. That being said, the two best recipes from this story are both beverages. Whether you prefer Spice Beer or Spice Coffee, I’m sure either one would make a great contribution to your Thanksgiving menu. Grumpy Frenchman suggests adding cinnamon to your beer for Spice Beer, but he also warns that that makes the foam go crazy, so pour accordingly. Meanwhile, GeekChill has a fantastic recipe for Spice Coffee that blends Chai tea, coffee and cinnamon –yum!
Middle Earth is awash with great food and drink, but because most of Tolkien’s stories take place on the road, we tend to hear about the ones that are good for travel…which are not necessarily the most delicious treats around. That being said, while the hobbits seem to tire of Lembas bread, it is certainly the most delicious travel-friendly bread around and The Geeky Chef has a great recipe to make your own.
As for The Hobbit, the many mentions of seed cake seem to indicate that it is certainly one of Bilbo’s favorite foods and Historical Foods has an excellent recipe based on the time period for which Tolkien based the setting for his classic tales. That means, this seed cake is about as close to what Bilbo would eat as possible.
How’s this for a collaboration-Neil Gaiman, his wife and member of the Dresden Dolls Amanda Palmer, electronic guru Moby and Stephin Merritt from The Magnetic Fields stop by the Late Late Show and played Science Fiction Double Feature from the Rocky Horror Picture Show!
–via ComicsAlliance
If the Industrial Age was ruled by industrialists and the Atomic Age
was epitomized by nuclear scientists working in secret government installations,
then the Information Age we live in today is surely the era of the geek.
Just take a look at the titans of industries (computer nerds), Hollywood
blockbusters (comic book superheroes), and pop culture (Interweb memes)
- they’re all geeky! But in order to live under the reign of our new geek
overlords, one must learn to speak like one.
Stephen H. Segal
(no, not that one)
is our guide in learning geekspeak. He has compiled and edited some 200
of the most powerful and oft-cited quotes from geek culture. His book,
Geek Wisdom: The
Sacred Teaching of Nerd Culture by Quirk
Books, is not only an invaluable guide into geekdom (or is it geekhood?
Help me out here, nerds!), it’s also indispensable if you have to go undercover
and penetrate a secret geek society.
For example:
“Fear leads to anger; Anger leads to hate;
Hate leads to suffering.”
-
Yoda, The Phantom Menace
Yoda was paraphrasing the first great African American geek, George Washington
Carver, who said a century ago: “Fear of something is at the root
of hate for others, and hate within will eventually destroy the hater.”
Carver, a scientist plying his trade in a time when the intellectual
inferiority of black people was simply assumed, knew something about suffering.
Born into slavery, kidnapped as an infant, threatened repeatedly with
lynching throughout his life, and rejected from school after school due
to his race, Carver eventually went on to become one of the best-known
American researchers in the biological and agricultural sciences.
Widely rumored to be gay, Carver spent his life confronting and overcoming
the fears of others, earning an iconic place in geek history. Yoda might
be the fictional guru we like to quote, but Carver is the real one whose
life reverberates through our culture.
“The spice must flow.”
-
Dune
Economic systems are bigger than people. That’s why distribution of the
precious mind-expanding spice, mélange, that is the lifeblood of
galactic society in Frank Herbert’s Dune must continue unimpeded.
That’s why, when Paul Atreides – the young nobleman who finds himself
hailed as a prophesied savior – asserts his messianic will over the hitherto-powerless
throngs of poor wretches living amid the spice mines of Arrakis, he causes
commerce to grind to a standstill across a thousand planets, bringing
the entire universe to heel.
more …
The Kings of Geek Metal, Powerglove, are back with another Batman related redux. This time around, they’re tackling the theme song to the animated series, and rocking it harder than it’s ever been rocked before! Check out the video, complete with classic video game graphics and the guys decked out in their most metal attire. It’s hilarious, and worthy of headbanging along to, but be warned-listening to Powerglove may lead to embarrassing moments in your own rock history!
Space Intruders Multi-Tool Keychain – $15.95
Are you a Geek in need of a new keychain? Why settle for ordinary when you can have an out of this world Space Intruders Multi-Tool Keychain from the NeatoShop. This fantastic keychain has phillips and flat head screwdrivers and also functions as a bottle opener. You know you want one!
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Keychains & Key Covers!
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The latest do-it-yourself project from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories is this footstool made in the shape of a 555 timer chip. It’s a heavy-duty design, made from plywood, glue, and paint. Link -via Laughing Squid
While some internet groups ignore their very existence, Forces of Geek addresses the growing visibility (if not growing numbers) of geek girls. We have always been here, and it’s nice to be included, or even noticed. FOG has posted a list of Geek Girl Commandments, loosely styled after the Biblical Ten Commandments. That is followed by the Geek Girl Bill of Rights, which says (in part):
I have the right to be taken seriously for my interests and not be accused of getting into video gaming, comic books, science, or other traditionally male-dominated geek interests to impress a guy.
I have the right to enjoy non-geeky things without losing geek cred.
I have the right to send angry emails to retailers that only offer geeky shirts in men’s styles and sizes.
I have the right to bare arms, abs, and legs. I can dress as any superhero I want to without being touched, harassed, or being accused of inviting sexual advances. I also understand that dressing provocatively will draw attention, and I will deal with unwanted but harmless attention with class and dignity.
Oh yes, there’s more, which you can read at the post. Link
This parody of the song “Born This Way” was inspired by the movie X-Men: First Class. -via The Daily What Geek
Are you bullied in high school because you’re a geek? Don’t worry, it gets better.
Many popular students approach graduation day with bittersweet nostalgia: excitement for the future is tempered by fear of lost status. But as cap-and-gown season nears, let’s also stop to consider the outcasts, students for whom finishing high school feels like liberation from a state-imposed sentence.
In seven years of reporting from American middle and high schools, I’ve seen repeatedly that the differences that cause a student to be excluded in high school are often the same traits or skills that will serve him or her well after graduation.
Examples abound: Taylor Swift’s classmates left the lunch table as soon as she sat down because they disdained her taste for country music. Last year, the Grammy winner was the nation’s top-selling recording artist.
Students mocked Tim Gunn’s love of making things; now he is a fashion icon with the recognizable catchphrase "Make it work."
J.K. Rowling, author of the bestselling "Harry Potter" series, has described herself as a bullied child "who lived mostly in books and daydreams." It’s no wonder she went on to write books populated with kids she describes as "outcasts and comfortable with being so."
(Yes, the title is inspired from the It Gets Better Project, which lets LGBT kids and teens know that things will get better … if they can just get through their teen years. Here’s a fascinating story about the project over at NPR)
Bug Eyes Geek Chic Toy Glasses – $1.95
Do you have trouble convincing people that you are a geek? Try the Bug Eyes Geek Chic Toy Glasses from the NeatoShop. Embracing a stereotype has never been so easy.
If you love the Bug Eyes Geek Chic Toy Glasses you will also love the Klutzo and Nerdtastic glasses.
Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Gag Gifts & Pranks!
Comments Off I recently posted a ton of awesome videogame cross stitches, but these are by no means the full extent of geeky cross stitches. This set may not appeal to gamers as much, but the projects are equally nerdy and just as intricate. Whether you prefer Star Wars, Keyboard Cat or Twitter, there’s certain to be something here to tickle your geeky side.
Fans of the British series The IT Crowd will instantly recognize Flickr user a440’s depiction of the the characters from the show’s intro, as well as Roy’s catchphrase, “Have you tried turning it on and off again?”
Craftster’s forums are always filled with excellent examples of geeky crafting, but when user Jessii shared two years of projects, it was hard to choose the best of all of her works. While her pieces featuring characters from Rocko’s Modern Life, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Futurama and Cowboy Beebop are my favorite, but I highly recommend clicking on the link to check out the whole post.
Over on the Sprite Stitch forums, user Liquid Karma (aka Deviant Art user Karma Pudding) shared a huge collection of her past projects which include the Megaman project seen in the videogame stitching post, along with these depicting characters from Futurama, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Full Metal Alchemist and the Star Wars inspired “Come To The Darkside We Have Cookies” (if you like that one, be sure to check out the similar shirt in the Neatoshop).
Sprite Stitch user Bamiyan is yet another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle fan and his Donatello cross stitch is yet another great take on the characters.
While this piece by The Autumn Society looks like it might belong in the videogames post, Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake are most certainly cartoon characters. There’s also a similar piece on the post with two Care Bears fighting it out.
If you like Pokemon, you’re sure to enjoy the cross stitching works of Deviant Art user Skyregabbro. There are plenty more at the link, but I chose Pikachu to display since he’s my favorite character.
more …
Those who spend most of their time programming in a certain language may find that it’s hard to shift gears to write a paper in English (or some other language non-geeks understand) for a class. “When you write your essays in programming languages, you really can’t have any typos.” See the rest of eight programming languages at Something of That Ilk. Link -via Geeks Are Sexy
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Yan Fortin, the webmaster at Geeks Are Sexy, has been working on a secret project for the past nine months and today unveiled …his new clone! No, we can’t leave it at that, because his mama deserves credit as well. Here’s the little storm trooper coming home in that big helmet he’s going to grow into. Congratulations from your friends at Neatorama! Link
One of the great things about the internet is that designers and manufacturers can find a specialized clientele, and consumers can find specialized items that locals stores cannot afford to stock. Case in point: jewelry that reflects your interest in the geeky worlds of technology, video games, science fiction, and other hobbies. Check out some awesome jewelry items in this list at Oddee, like these circuit board earrings. Link
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Looking at this list, I realize that the seeds that spawned the cult of the geek were indeed planted in the movies of the ’80s, as opposed to the rise of the internet in the ’90s.
For those of you who grew up at least in part in the eighties, you know that it wasn’t all about Molly Ringwald and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Though not all cinematic masterpieces, there were a lot of really fun movies that glorified the geeks of the day. Here are a few you could pick up for nostalgia’s sake – or especially if you missed the eighties, make sure you’ve seen these if you haven’t!
It’s all there -science, space, robotics, computers, and of course, socially awkward teenagers. Link
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Look! Even Bobba Fett is in the Christmas spirit, with a wrapped gift ready for Jabba the Hutt! This strange Christmas figurine also comes in a snow globe version. It’s part of a collection of 20 Geeky Christmas Decorations To Nerd Up Your Holidays at Oddee. Link
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Google has a new tool in which you can search the books that Google has digitized for a keyword and get statistics from as far back as the 16th century. The Google Book Ngram Viewer gives you data you can use to track the popularity of …just about anything. For example, Geeks Are Sexy looked as terms like “geek”, “computer geek”, and “computer hacker” to ascertain that geeks are indeed, gaining in popularity. Link
Need a cool ‘n cheap stocking stuffers for your favorite geek? Look no further than the geeky tools from the NeatoShop:
Micro-Max 19-in-1 (with snazzy metal gift box) $16.95
Utili-Key XT 8-in-1 ($9.95) and Screwpop 4-in-1 Keychain Tool ($4.95)
Credit Card Survival Tool ($3.95)
More Geeky Tools, Gift for Geeks, and Stocking Stuffers over at the NeatoShop
Geeks may be shy and incomprehensible at times, but they have a few things going for them that make holiday decorating much more interesting -and fun! Geeks Are Sexy has some suggestions for adding some pizzazz to your Christmas decorations.
Sure, you can buy ornaments right outside of a box. And that’s easy enough. But if you’re like me, you’d rather your tree represents what you value. You know, ornaments painted like the Death Star or a Cylon. If you go over to Michael’s or any other big name craft store, you’ll find a plethora of round, unpainted, ornaments. Use some acrylic paint (the stuff you use to paint your Warhammer 40K army should work fine, if you’ve got some of that about). This year, since we’ve got a major tree upgrade, I’m planning on making Death Stars, Cylons, Sauron Eyes, and Eyes of Kilrogg.
They’ve also got advice on lights, and don’t miss the Menger sponge gingerbread house. Link
If you want to really bring a smile to the face of the geek in your family, select a Christmas gift from a list compiled by geeks for geeks. In this guide from Geeks Are Sexy, you’ll find books that have passed the test -they stimulate the mind as well as entertain it! Link
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There are many familiar terms you read on the internet, but if they came up in conversation, you might not pronounce the words the same as other people do -because you’ve only seen them typed! Geekosystem has a pronunciation guide for 21 words and phrases that you may not have ever heard spoken out loud. But if you ever do, you’ll be correct. Take, for example, the word “Cthulhu”.
4) Cthulhu
Created by H.P. Lovecraft, Cthulhu is a humongous cosmic entity resembling a blend of an octopus, dragon and humanoid. Bordering on a ridiculous mishmash that would be found laughable in today’s horror scene, Cthulhu is still widely-known and loved amongst literature buffs and geeks the world over.
* The Mystery: Probably doesn’t need a list of common mispronunciations, but it’s safe to say every letter in the name other than the “l” can be pronounced one way or another.
* The Answer: Wikipedia says H.P. Lovecraft once transcribed the pronunciation as “Khlûl-hloo,” though didn’t pronounce it that way at other times. Now commonplace, the accepted pronunciation is “ka-thoo-loo;” that is, if you accept a pronunciation from a source other than the creator of the word. Lovecraft didn’t seem to have any consistent way of pronouncing it though, so we’re all better off settling on the common way described above.
You’ll also want to check out the best way to pronounce FAQ, Ubuntu, and meme, among others. Link
(Image credit: the NeatoShop)
No matter how much effort you put into a costume, it goes south when you find you are one of ten Batmen at a party -or even worse, a costume contest. Geeks Are Sexy has some ideas for costumes taken from movies, games, and literature that will be recognized by other geeks, but you’re almost guaranteed to have the only one of its kind. Pictured is an appropriate literary costume most of you will recognize right off. Link
Of all the “California Gurls” parodies you’ve heard, this one is most likely to hit home. Team Unicorn got together to sing the praises of “Geek and Gamer Girls.”
Yeah, this is another one of those Caligornia Girls parodies… but this one is really, really cool. Apart from starring the four sexy geekettes from Team Unicorn, the video also features a rapping Seth Green, Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff, and legendary comic book writer Stan Lee.
