If you’re going to raise geek children, it’s a good thing to have geek friends.

Saturday was the twins 3rd birthday party. The first present opened was an Imaginext  Pirate Ship by Fisher-Price

It has Pirates.

It has ZOMBIE Pirates.

I mean, come on.. how much geekier can you get than that? I’m sure it was easy for Mike and Sam to actually pick this item out, because, truth be told, Mike is a 3 year old himself. He was as excited about playing with it as they were.

Connor took one look at it, opened one of the accessory packs (a skeletal shark) and decided he didn’t want to open any more presents. He had the one he wanted.

The ship has ‘action points’ on it, allowing for things like raising the anchor, or firing the cannons. You put the pirate in the appropriate place and turn it, and then the magic happens. Very cool indeed.

He played with it all night Saturday, and all day Sunday (except for the time when Alia had the captain and they were fighting over it). I’m sure, even as I write this, he has his ‘Captain Hook’ fighting against the zombie pirates.

Last night, Alia wouldn’t eat her meatballs. But, when the two-headed dragon chariot decided to eat the ‘dragon food’, she was right behind him. Finished the whole plate. That didn’t give the dragon the strength needed to survive the onslaught of the zombie pirates though.. At this point, whatever toy Connor is holding is the one that wins.

I soon got mauled by two children snarling and growling at me, pretending to be the dragon. No sympathy from the wife, who sat there chuckling that I brought it on myself.

I did, of course, and that makes it all the better.

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A LETTER FROM JOSS WHEDON
Dear Friends,

At last the time has come to reveal to you our Master Plan. BEWARE! Those with weak hearts should log off lest they be terrified by the twisted genius of our schemes! Also pregnant women and the elderly should consider reading only certain sentences. Do not mix with other blogs. Do not operate heavy machinery while reading this blog. You must be this tall to read. ‘Kay?

Joss Whedon? Neil Patrick Harris?  Nathan Fillion? Felicia Day?

Come on.. how can you not be all over this…

Thanks michelf (michelf)…for tweaking my geek

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I’ve been meaning to write about Improv Everywhere for quite some time now, so I guess there is no better time than the present.

Improv Everywhere is, at its core, about having fun. We’re big believers in “organized fun”. In the process we bring excitement to otherwise unexciting locales and give strangers a story they can tell for the rest of their lives. We’re out to prove that a prank doesn’t have to involve humiliation or embarrassment; it can simply be about making someone laugh, smile, or stop to notice the world around them.

Sometimes their missions involve lots of people and sometimes just a few.

They first caught my attention when I read about their Best Buy visit in April 2006. Folks showed up at Best Buy dressed in blue shirts.

The idea for this mission was submitted by a stranger via email. Agent Slavinsky wrote in to suggest I get either a large group of people in blue polo shirts and khakis to enter a Best Buy or a group in red polo shirts and khakis to enter a Target. Wearing clothing almost identical to the store’s uniform, the agents would not claim to work at the store but would be friendly and helpful if anyone had a question.

Most recently, their Mobile Desktop adventure made me laugh. The geeky ones really draw me in.

For our latest mission, three agents entered a Starbucks one by one with their own giant desktop computer and CRT monitor. They bought coffee and worked at their computers as if they were laptops. One computer even had a Wi-Fi card installed, enabling our agent to surf the web.

I was at a Starbucks recently picking up a Chai. I don’t stop there regularly (probably because the local one is a pain in the ass to get to by car on the wrong side of the road), but I had a gift card I’d received for doing some friend-based computer support. Sure enough, in my 3 visits to empty the card there was always at least one person with a laptop sitting there and working.

You should also read up on the MP3 Experiment (they have actually done 4 of them now). It’s a great creative idea that has a very unique experience for those involved. Everyone gets an MP3 track ahead of time (they are not allowed to listen to it). When they get together, they all start the track on their portable players at the same time. It’s a combination of music, simon says, and other activities to get the crowd to interact with each other based on ‘timing’ everything just right — and knowing that people won’t be in sync.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my other non-geek favorites though. Red Heads.

For our latest mission, over 50 redheads rode the subway together and protested a Manhattan Wendy’s for their “racist logo.”

The visual impact of that one with them all on the subway and the poor chap who walks into their car totally oblivious is funny as well. Dunno why that’s my kind of humour, but it is.

Hey Murray, being the actor/geek/writer that you are, I would think this kind of thing would be right up your alley — and close enough to get involved in.

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Found via GeekDad:

Gen Con Files Chapter 11

So what does the bankruptcy mean for the world’s oldest gaming convention? According to the company’s press release, the show’s still on for 2008. But still, not an encouraging sign for the gaming world.

I haven’t been in a few years since the kids were born, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t planning on going back!

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Alrighty. Before you  watch the the below video(s), I ask you to skip this entry if you take your Christianity seriously enough that you can’t appreciate a little humor. It’ll probably offend you as much as the previous statement did, so it’s better that you stop reading my entries altogether.. because I appreciate humor.

This is a funny animated video which has the nativity scene being visited by some LARPers. You’ll appreciate it if you are a gamer, or know any, or like to make fun of nerds, or are one, or ever uttered the phrase “We should’ve wandered around outside and leveled up!” etc…

IM IN UR MANGER KILLING UR SAVIOR

After it was posted, there are the typical YouTube Responses. What’s funny is that several of them are email responses the designers received, animated as if they were replying. The replies are just as funny as the video. It makes you wonder if they are true responses, or just made up ones to make it even funnier.

Response #1

Response #2

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Somehow in my ‘haste’ to return to a normal working week after my training a few weeks ago, I forgot one of the best things I brought back.

Compliments of my friend Erich, I would like to introduce you to:
Will it Blend

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http://revver.com/watch/180341/flv/glow-sticks/

I chose to show you that video, but I highly recommend watching both the Don’t Try This @ Home and Try This @ Home series of videos. You can see interesting blends such as Bic Lighters, an iPhone, Chuck Norris, a Crowbar, a Rake, and of course the Tilapia.

Now, I’m not sure I’d ever buy a blender that costs hundreds of dollars, but as far as a marketing gimmick to get you talking about their product, this is a good one. I won’t say never. However, while I can justify spending that kind of cash on a Dyson vacuum which I use regularly and know it’s worth the price, making the occasional peach smoothie doesn’t cut it for me.

Current Mood:  impressed

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