Once Upon a Geek

Here are 10 really cool Sci-Fi related gift ideas for geeks.  Today’s post comes directly from the MSN Sci-Fi Superfans blog.  Check it out by clicking here.  Thanks to my wonderful wife, The Irrepressible Gena, for sending me the link.

Valentine’s Day is this weekend and you may be on the lookout for something special for your sci-fi-loving sweetheart. Here are 10 ideas that are sure to please both men and women.

The Ladies of “Star Wars” Playing Cards

Hey, ladies. You probably don’t care for the Playboy poker cards your boyfriend pulls out when his pals come over. Why not compromise and get him some stunning playing cards with kickass “Star Wars” heroines on them?

“Star Trek” Cologne

From “Tiberius” to “Red Shirt,” there is a scent here to please everyone.

Personalized “Avatar” Canvas Art

Or why not personalize some wall art inspired by “Avatar” with your sweetie’s picture on it? Make him or her a Pandora native.

X Wing Pilot Hoodie

A warm, snuggly hoodie is a cute gift for both guys and girls and it doesn’t get any cooler than this X Wing pilot hoodie.

Fandango Bucks

Netflix Gift Card

Of course, date night is even more perfect with some privacy… so you could always just download something from Netflix.

Star Registry

Sci-fi fans are always looking to the stars, so why not honor your love by naming a star in their tribute?

I Love My Geek T-Shirt

Let’s face it, most of us sci-fi movie fans embrace the word “geek.” We have reappropriated the word, so show your geek love with pride on Valentine’s Day.

Princess Leia Slave Bikini

Better yet, the ladies can slip into even less at the end of the night. You can’t go wrong with some Princess Leia-inspired lingerie.

Flux Capacitor Replica

Show your true love that time with them is relative by gifting a replica flux capacitor.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!!

Here are some sweatpants I picked up back in 1995.  I really like the novelty of having “Property of Starfleet Academy Athletic Department” printed on them.  Most people don’t even notice what is printed on the sweatpants because so many schools print “Property of … Athletic Department” on their clothes.   Also, if you enjoy Starfleet Academy stuff, then dig up back issues of Marvel’s Star Trek Starfleet Academy comic book series from 1996-1998.  It was very enjoyable!

Here is a close up of the logo.

I’m such a dorky Trekker.

After more than a decade in the attic, we decided to give the old Star Trek: The Next Generation collectible card game a try.  Ed’s in town this weekend (pictured below in his “Nerd Herd” t-shirt from the TV series Chuck) and he decided we should tackle the game again after all these years. After procrastinating for hours, we finally cracked the decks sometime after midnight. Needless to say, this is not a game you can simply jump right into without reviewing the rules closely.  I cleaned Ed’s clock (or Romulan Outpost in this case) and we called it quits after one game.

Below is Ed building his inferior Romulan/Klingon deck.

Here I am trying to remember the rules after something like 14 years.  I suppose we could have bothered to read them before playing, but that would have taken all the fun out of it.  And we discovered we’re getting too old to sit on the floor for very long.

Finally, in going through my old cards we re-affirmed how insanely geeky I really am.  We came across two custom cards I produced myself for the game.   Check them out below.  I color-copied images, then literally cut-and-pasted them together.  Also, it appears I used my old Commodore 64 dot matrix printer for the text boxes.  How frikkin’ hilarious!  I’m such a dork!   As Ed has pointed out, he proclaimed my dorkiness long before these cards were stumbled upon.

Live long and geek out!

Great weekend coming up!  Lots of folks coming into town, including Ed, Serv, and Lore (the irredeemable brother).  In case you are wondering, the random picture above represents things we’ll probably get up to this weekend.  The new Star Trek DVD will most likely be watched (love the Enterprise shaped DVD case).  Lore and I will likely battle wits in a thrilling game of Bananagrams.  Ed wants to dust off our Star Trek: The Next Generation collectible cards from the mid-90s and give it a go again.  And the stuffed R2-D2 is there to represent all the Star Wars chatting that will go on with Serv.

In case you’re wondering, yes that is an original 1977 R2-D2 stuffed animal.  What can I say… I don’t throw things away.

Next Tuesday (November 17th), Paramount Home Entertainment will release STAR TREK on DVD & Blu-ray!!!  Hot dog!  I loved this movie and can’t wait for the release.  To capitalize on this release, several retailers are offering incentives for you to purchase your copy from their store (as opposed to their competition).

Here is a rundown so you can plan your shopping trip:

• Hollywood Video – Rent/Buy any Star Trek DVD and be entered to win an autographed poster of Uhura (Zoe Saldana).
• Transworld (FYE/Coconuts/Suncoast) – Collectible Steelbook packaging (shown below).

• Best Buy – Collectible Gift Set with four pack of badge pins (shown below).

• CVS – Consumer Offer. Buy $15 (or more) in itunes gift cards and get the DVD (single disc) for only $9.99 (First week only).
• Target – Limited Edition Collectible Starship Enterprise Packaging on both 2-Disc DVD and 3-Disc Blu-ray (shown below).

• Amazon.com – Star Trek Limited Edition Replica Gift Set (Three-Disc + Digital Copy) [Blu-ray] (shown below)

CANADA

• Best Buy Canada – 3-Disc Special Edition Blu-Ray Collectible packaging – Easily assembles to become a Star Trek U.S.S. Enterprise DVD Package! (same as Target in the US).
• Future Shop – Exclusive 2 Disc Steelbook Edition and 3-Disc Blu-Ray Steelbook Edition.
• HMV – Limited Edition Blu-Ray Gift Set – includes Star Trek 3-Disc Blu-Ray set with Digital copy and Four Replica Starfleet Division Badges.
• Wal-Mart Canada – Exclusive Lenticular o-sleeve package on the Star Trek 2 disc DVD.

Happy shopping!

After seeing three hours of Stargate Universe, I’m very impressed.  According to Wikipedia, the “industry” (whoever they are) has dubbed Stargate Universe as “dark and edgy”, a sentiment I would agree with.  It’s a solid show and I’ll continue to watch.

So far I’ve only seen the pilot and the first episode.  After seeing just the pilot, I felt it was incomplete and I wasn’t totally vested in the series.  While I enjoyed the concepts, it just didn’t feel right.  I chalked it up to new series jitters, but wasn’t sure I’d be coming back for more.  Then I watched the first episode. Now I would recommend any new viewers watch the pilot and the first episode together.  The pilot is entitled “Air” Parts 1 & 2, the first episode is entitled “Air” part 3.   After seeing “Air” part 3 it all came together for me.  Together it’s a complete story that encourages the viewer to come back for more.

Being a self-respecting Geek, I simply have to find things to pick apart about the show.  First, the show doesn’t feel like any previous Stargate series.  I jokingly refer to Stargate Universe (SGU) as “Stargate Galactica” with my friends.  The series creators appear to be going for the high-drama, super-high-tension, claustrophobia, shaky-cam, and folksy music from the recent Battlestar Galactic series.  That isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a big departure for Stargate.

Second, I find it ironic that the Stargate franchise has followed Star Trek’s path pretty faithfully.  Stargate SG1 = STNG (new planet each week); Stargate Atlantis = DS9 (fixed location deep in space); and Stargate Universe = Voyager (Lost in Space formula).  I guess that means the next Stargate series will be a prequel.  Maybe it will be about the Stargate program of the 1950s.  Given the Lost in Space aspect of SGU, Dr Rush is totally Dr Smith.  He’s also got some Gaius Baltar in him.  I like to call him Dr. Gaius Smith.

Third, while I like the character of Eli, it’s a little too obvious what he’s supposed to represent.  He represents two things: (1) the humor of the previous Stargate series, and (2) he’s supposed to be our geek-window into the show.  My guess is that some producer thought us geeks wouldn’t associate well enough with the characters, so they added someone like us in the show for us to relate to.  Again, I enjoy his character, but it feels a bit forced.

Fourth, I find nearly all the characters on the show interesting, with the exception of Chloe.  She doesn’t do anything for me and is already grating on my nerves.  I’m usually pretty accepting of characters.  I even find Lou Diamond Phillips character and the Dr Rush character interesting.  Both are jerks and I wouldn’t want to hang with them in real life, but on the show they are fascinating characters to explore.  Chloe… nothing, nada, zip.  Hopefully she’ll become more interesting, or fall out an airlock.

That’s really all the griping I’ve got.  I really dig Colonel Young, the commanding officer.  His willpower and presence is inspiring (and he looks like Stallone – cool!).  I also like Lt. Johansen, the field medic.  She’s tough and interesting.  I think her character has lots of potential.  The ship itself, Destiny, is really interesting and I look forward to learning more about it.

In conclusion, I like the show and will watch more.  I need to catch the two more recent episodes over on Hulu.

This post began life as an e-mail to my friend, Ed.  Thanks Ed for inspiring this post!

Today we are presenting the latest collection of geek related t-shirts from my closet.  This time around I’ve included some baseball caps and even one pair of new boxers.  For past entries featuring geek apparel, please click here.  These shirts are all fairly recent acquisitions.  Please note nearly all of these were gifts.  My wife has put a strict moratorium on buying myself anymore geek t-shirts as the closet is already bursting at the seams.  Happily my friends are under no such ban. 

This t-shirt and ball cap combination was a gift from Serv.  Notice how the colors on the Superman symbol are reversed.  I find that striking.  In fact, this hat has become my favorite to wear lately.  The shirt came pre-faded.

This Red Lantern t-shirt was another gift from Serv, this time for my birthday.  Can’t you feel it?  The shirt just radiates rage.  Rage!  RAGE!

Neat mega-print Batman shirt from Lore (the irredeemable brother) for my birthday.  I really like the Bronze Age styling of the image.

Hilarious Star Trek t-shirt from Lore (the irredeemable brother).  This gag still makes me laugh!

Neat Superman hat I’ve had for a while.  I picked it up at Wal-Mart of all places.  I really like the bold colors and that the hat is fitted.  Where there would normally be an adjustable strap on the back, it’s just solid fabric with the stitched Superman symbol shown in the insert.

This Ghostbusters shirt is actually billed as a “T-shirt Costume”.  I picked this up at Target last Halloween.  The slime glows in the dark also.  I’ve been slimed!

A birthday gift from my boss.  This shirt is hilarious!  I tried to make the image big enough for you to read all the various powers.  I think my favorites are, “Communicate with Fruit” and “Summon a Lamp… Once”.  LOL!

This Scooby-Doo t-shirt is another birthday gift from Lore (the irredeemable brother).  I really like the coloring on this shirt. The mystery machine is faded and everyone in the foreground is really solidly colored.  Just looks sharp.

A friend gave me this Star Wars ball cap about 15 years ago.  It’s served me well, even in the years before Star Wars was cool again.

I picked up this Unique Geek t-shirt prior to DragonCon to help promote the website.  The insert shows the back of the t-shirt.

Okay, I don’t normally post pictures of underwear, but this is an exception.  I already featured these boxers on FIRESTORM FAN, but thought they were worth mentioning here also.  I just picked these up last week from K-Mart.  While there are tons of DC Comics boxers on the market, these are astonishing because they include both Firestorm and Doctor Fate.  Seriously?!?!?  Firestorm and Doctor Fate?!?!?  Two of my favorite characters that have proven time and again they can’t support their own monthly comic books?!?!?  Two characters that almost no one in the general public would recognize?!?!?  You betcha!  The other characters (Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Robin, and even Green Arrow) aren’t surprising to see on apparel as they are fairly well known.  I just never imagined they’d make Firestorm or Doctor Fate boxers.  I’m thankful they have!  I will say it’s a bit awkward where they’ve placed Firestorm.  He’s right on the flap. Kinda creepy.

I’m in a Star Trek mood.  Here are some cool wallpapers featuring our favorite Starfleet ships.  I don’t claim ownership of any of these images, they were simply found while surfing.  Click on the images to enlarge.

The original Enterprise, circa TOS.  NCC-1701

The replacement Enterprise, circa Star Trek V.  NCC-1701-A

The first Enterprise in years that was not under the command of James T. Kirk, circa Star Trek: Generations.  NCC-1701-B

The lost Enterprise, circa STNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise“.  NCC-1701-C

The STNG Enterprise, circa the TV series.  NCC-1701-D

The second STNG Enterprise, circa the movies.  NCC-1701-E

The prequel Enterprise, circa the “Enterprise” TV series.  NX-01

The updated “classic” Enterprise, circa the new Star Trek film. NCC-1701

I’m not sure where this image came from, but it’s a gorgeous shot.  At first I thought it was from the new Star Trek film, but the design isn’t quite right.  Regardless, nice ship and breathtaking background.

The Defiant and Deep Space Nine.

Voyager under attack by a Borg cube.

A Borg cube.

The battle of Wolf 359, circa STNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II“

Geek long and prosper.

I had a fantastic birthday celebration this past weekend with my family!  I was out of town for work on my actual birthday, so we chose to postpone the festivities until the weekend.  The best present of all was seeing my children after being on the road for five days.

We started the birthday fun with pizza and cake on Saturday night.  I chose Papa Johns pizza, primarily because their breadsticks are nearly identical to the old Noble Romans breadsticks (my favorite back in the 1980’s).  Anyone besides me remember Noble Romans?

Then we moved on to the cake.  As you can see in the picture below, my kids picked out a Star Trek themed cake.  They know me too well!  Now the children are competing for playing time with the little Enterprise ship.  They also scored me a Superman balloon.  Sweet kids!

Sunday morning we got up early and drove to Wild Adventures theme park.  It’s only about 90 minutes away from our house.  We chose a trip to the park to celebrate my birthday because this year instead of tangible presents from my family, I asked for a group experience to remember.  As I get older, I typically buy the things I want.  I’d rather have a precious memory with my family than some DVD or toy.  We had a blast at the park!  I’d never been there and was surprised by all the great rides they had.  There were very few people at the park, so we had the run of the place!  Rascal, my nearly ten year old step-son, and I conquered all the major roller coasters right away.  While on one called the Boomerang, I found myself questioning our sanity.  There were some pretty frightening moments on that coaster.  I gotta say Rascal was very brave and a real trooper on those roller coasters.  He’s a champ!  I also took time for the family-friendly rides with my three year old daughter.  She was bubbling over with enthusiasm and excitement.

I noticed the park background music was almost all John Williams soundtracks; Jurassic Park, Superman, Star Wars, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc.  It was a bit odd given that none of the rides were related to those films, but really who cares.  It’s awesome riding some monster coaster with the theme to Superman blazing in the speakers!

It was a really great birthday that I’ll remember for years to come.  Well… at least until I’m really old and the Alzheimer’s kicks in.

Presenting another very special blog entry by my wife, The Irrepressible Gena!  Just a little background for you, my wife is not a geek.  She’s a wonderful (and gorgeous) normal person.  So I thought her perspective would be interesting to share here.  Without further ado, The Irrepressible Gena’s thoughts on DragonCon…

Labor Day Weekend … The weekend my husband looks forward to all year, to sleep in a hotel room with at least five other guys, eat junk food all weekend, and see science fiction celebrities, comic book artists and scantily clad women dressed as superheroes. I’ve seen the pictures… some of them should not be wearing those outfits. My mom, myself, plus our two children get a condo in Destin for the weekend and spend time at the beach, the pool and visiting my other relatives who are staying in a condo nearby. We have fun. It is my time bonding with my children and my mom. You see, I love the beach and Shag hates the beach (Editor Note: Names have been changed to protect the innocent. Believe me, there is no way my wife will call me Shag). Shag loves superheroes and science fiction, and my science fiction is Twilight, True Blood and Eureka. I don’t “get” his stuff, and he doesn’t “get” my stuff. They do say opposites attract.

Anyway, I know Shag has good time and he enjoys seeing his pals. He gets excited seeing Dirk Benedict, Lou Ferrigno (for the fourteenth time) and watching the parade (I have seen the parade before and it was pretty cool). I was excited this year that Eric Roberts was there (I am sure Shag is laughing at this) and some Twilight folks were there, too. The beach is my solitude. I look across the ocean and I am exactly where I want to be. Here is the catch, I don’t like being in the water. You see, there are things in the ocean – big things – that eat you and bite you. So my toes go in, and I hang out in my chair.

I like looking at Shag’s pictures afterward of all of the costumes. Some are pretty cool, and some I don’t quite understand. Why does some one dress up like Steve off Blue’s Clues at DragonCon? I’ve come to understand some of my husband’s science fiction addictions like Doctor Who. I watched some of the episodes with Christopher Eccleston and was quite upset when David Tennant came along. Then you get used to him and they switch him again! My kids like superheroes. Our daughter likes to wear her Supergirl costume and both kids like going to the comic book store.

I do realize that Shag could instead be an avid hunter or golfer instead of my geek. Then I would never see him and I would have dead animals hanging on my wall. For those of you who do not know me, I am an animal lover and a long time vegetarian. So, I think I will take geekdom, DragonCon and ONCE UPON A GEEK any day.

I do love him very much. He is the person I waited for all of my life. So, let him have his weekend with the guys in the tiny hotel room all snoring. Let him have his Incredible Hulk. I have him the rest of the year.