Star Wars Pin-ups!!

Yowza!

Pin-up recruitment posters, a la Star Wars, by artist Feng Zhu, who worked with Lucasfilms on designs for "Revenge of the Sith"...not that anyone is saying that "Revenge of the Sith" was a good thing.

See the rest here!

Sweet Nerdy Shirts from Etsy!!

Here's the facts.

MATH IS THE SHIT. I love me a good mathematical nerd. So in honor of that, here are a few sweet-ass mathish shirts to stick into your eyeholes.

Buy it!!Buy it!!
(look, a girl can rock one of these EVEN IF they aren't in lady-styles because its that awesome)

Buy it!!
(in a lady size...Einstein's theory of relativity. You might be thinking "but isn't that physics?" PHYSICS IS ALSO MATH, SHIT IS JUST MOVING AROUND. WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD.)

"I'm too tired to do a roundup" Roundup.

Roundupping is hard work, y'all. Here are a few little things, but mostly, I'm super sorry.

My new favorite thing:


Commixed, but amazing:

THIS IS HOW I FEEL (because it is true):
Again, truth. Any gamer can tell you that.



Batman talking to himself (thanks Adam West):






SOON there will be a teaser for our next Idiot Box. AND Lulu owes you all her thoughts about Star Wars, now that she's seen it. Seriously, bug her.

Nerdy Girl Style Icons Vol.3: Daria

Good news, nobody!

Nerd Girl Style Icon-ing is back! And without further ado, and much sarcasm, I present to you...

DARIA
"Don't worry, she's clearly overestimated my conscious. By assuming I have one at all."

Daria hails from the eponymous show which aired in the 1990s on MTV. She was originally created as a character on "Beavis and Butt-head", to sort of combat the boyish, potty humor with her dry sarcasm, but was so popular that she was given her own show. The show centers around Daria's highschool life, her best friend Jane, her crush on THE ABSOLUTELY DREAMY Trent, and surviving amongst her crazy yet endearing family.

Woo boy, doesn't that sound like a sitcom set up?

This show wasn't the only show in the nineties to embrace some female teenage angst; take for example Freaks and Geeks and My So-Called Life. The outcast genre disappeared for a little while, in the era of Mischa Barton (what was that show again?) and the advent of (bum bum bum) Reality TV, but has recently re-appeared on the big screen (more on that later). Still, since Daria's finale (the 90 minute "Is It Fall Yet?" back in the day), no show has filled the gap that this show left in it's wake.

New Logo?!

Yeah, we're going there. Take a look:

Leftovers Roundup.

Hi kids-

So, Miss Felix started a brand new job this week, and let me tell you... I don't get internet in my room. That's right, playas. I have to leave my bed to internet. Which means this week's roundup is all about leftovers I should probably get out of the fridge.

You get the metaphor. Anyways, please enjoy! Something will present itself to happen on Thursday, we promise.


First, Here is a little diddy about how Lucas is, well, a little sorry for the "prequel" Star wars movies.

CASSINI MISSION from Chris Abbas on Vimeo.

Also, this next video, is me. Oops!

Star Whatever.

STAR WARS, as told by Lulu.

So, its no secret anymore that I've never seen Star Wars. I know...I'm a huge movie nerd and that's one of those movies that EVERYONE has seen...but not me! Its not that I don't want to, it just has never happened, and now that I'm older I just never really felt the need to. But, like trying sushi, its something everyone should experience. And I feel like I'm missing out...I was pretty opposed to the idea for a while, because I'm a little apathetic.

There are three main reasons that I just don't give a shit about star wars.

1. I watch Family Guy. Therefore, I've seen their Star Wars episodes and have felt privy to Star Wars inside jokes and references and all that, as the entire cast of FG consists of "Warsies." (Like Trekkies, but from Endor.)
2. On that note, I know enough about Star Wars to get the inside jokes. Who doesn't? Its one of those things that just everybody knows. IN FACT, while we were recording Idiot Box (stay tuned), I referenced Star Wars like a pro. No one needs to know I've never seen it. I'm cool like that.
3. Lastly, and most importantly, there is already one "Star _____" in my life...TREK. Star FUCKING Trek. Captain Jean Luc Picard, and fuck you. Live long and prosper, bitches.

However, in the interest of experience, I'm gonna curl up and finally watch them, at the ripe old age of 24, and finally experience this phenomenon that is evidently some kind of a big deal or something.

So in my limited knowledge of Star Wars, here's the plot as I know it, before actually watching the thing.

Zelda (princess or no), and Fathers Day!

Awwwww...

Happy father's day!

Cake, etc.

Oh hey there everyone.

What day is today? It's Felix's birthday! What a day for a birthday! Let's all have some cake!

Points to anyone who names that reference.

There's more!

IDIOT BOX: PORTAL!

It's Thursday, and you know what that means: new post! Also, Saturday is mah bee day, so I'm feeling gifty. Here is my gift to you!

Give us some feedback in the comments, if you'd like, for our future play throughs!

Summer Roundup

Okay, yeah, I'm sorry for this roundup. It IS SO RANDOM.

However, it's got some good stuff! Promise!!!

And Thursday it looks like we might even have a video ready! So enjoy this!!!!!!!



Dr Who Related Art:


Fail vs. Flail:



I'd like to someday be as cool as this mom:



More amazing nail art:


Gamers, you know this is truth:


A GIF Loop of the most amazing beard ever.


Two hard core cellists play Welcome to the Jungle:



A clear reasons Wonder Woman got canceled:





If this doesn't make you miss the 1990's, nothing will:





An AMAZING superhero short made on $300:




A Nerd "Sex Tape" (no real sex, don't worry. No real nudity, either, but probably NSFW):




Best Dr. Who-related comedy yet:

Okay, so I'm a little obsessed with Portal

....but there's a girl in it! TWO, kinda!



The greatest fan video for Portal EVER made...also starring: a girl!

And I'm just saying... You propose to me with this, and you'll get a yes, regardless of the question or any related details. I will also accept Pokéballs.

Sweet T-shirts actually made for girls

Finally, some more nerdy apparel for girls!

Buy it here!

Buy it here!
(Maybe not quite a T-shirt, but whatever)

Buy it here!

Buy it here!
(can't say I'm a huge fan of the color or sizing, but this idea is awesome. We here at 8-bit Runway are not above stealing awesome ideas. <3)

Warning the British that they aren’t going to be taking away our arms.

Here at 8 Bit Runway, we think a lot of people are dumb. It has less to do with politics than it does... well, clear stupidity. This isn't a political blog, so we won't chastise you for most things, but history is totally different.

Remember Sarah Palin? You've probably heard that she made a fairly large blunder pertaining to our 'Merican History (is that the right word?). According to many sources, she said [Paul] Revere warned the British "by ringing those bells, and makin' sure as he's riding his horse through town to send those warning shots and bells that we were going to be sure and we were going to be free, and we were going to be armed." (Is it just us, or does this read like a second-grade account?)

The real truth? She's seen the new season of Futurama, which we are the most excited for.

Speaking of Portal...

(because you should have already been talking about it...)

Not only do Miss Felix and I have what some would regard a treat for you in the near future (some might regard it as an assault on all things holy, but...well, its a little of column A, and a little of column B [shout out!]), but I found something super mega awesome-possums today on the intarwebs. Sugar and Vice released these bad boys on their Etsy page; they're acrylic laser-cut Portal-Man earrings. Regrettably I'm an individual with stretched ears (even though they're just a pansy-ass 2G) and therefore cannot partake....

...So you should go buy them!

How to be an Asshole at the movies.

Greetings, somebody!

So while this blog isn't necessarily focused on movies (or anything particular, really), I'm a big freakin' movie nerd. Guilty. So I found something interesting a little while ago, as an avid follower of Roger Ebert's journal in addition to his reviews (both are delightful), as it was mentioned in one of his entries. With the popularity of torrenting and stealing shit from The Man, a lot of us aren't going out to see movies as much anymore.

(I mean...not ME...cause I would never download something...ever...ehem. And I know none of you would either, darling readers...both of you.)

Anyway, with the advent of 3D technology, movie theaters have the option of either upgrading the equipment that they have, or using projectors that have a detachable 3D lens that can be added or removed depending on the needs of that particular show time. Seems like a good idea...that way, you wouldn't need to have dedicated theaters just for 3D movies (and I'll go ahead and reserve my opinion on 3D in general), but you would still be able to take advantage of huge summer blockbusters that feature debris flying into the audience's faces, or whatever it is that happens in those. HERE'S THE PROBLEM...

Now, I'm not going to insult anybody working in a movie theater, and a job is a job, and I've had my share of some shitty ones. That being said, movie theaters are often staffed by high schoolers kids who need a job after school, someone in need of a paycheck and not a career, and those without alternative vocational training. What I mean is that while I'm sure at the Cannes film festival, there are some bad-ass professional projectionists, you're not likely to see the same level of expertise at the local Regal Cinemas, just like you're not likely to see any four-star chefs behind the counter at a Taco Bell. One of the more popular models of projectors is the Sony 4k, and while it has a detachable lens that, on paper, is super convenient, the lens is too goddamned difficult to remove or add by your average joe/theater employee. So what winds up happening is they just leave the lens on whether the movie is in 3D or not.

In layman's terms, a normal lens for a normal movie allows all of the light to go through, and you have this awesome bright shiny picture to look at. When you show the same caliber or movie through a 3D lens, the lens has this big polarizing that absorbs about 50% of the light, making the resulting image dim and dull. The technology is technically compatible but there's a big reduction in quality. Here's an example of what I'm talking about:
The right half has a 50% reduction of brightness, while the left is the original image. Now, if you didn't have them right next to each other, you might not notice the difference, but here you can see there is a drastic drop in quality. With alternatives like the aforementioned torrenting, Netflix, Hulu, HBO and whatever, going out to see a movie is, by comparison, kinda really expensive, and you're paying that money for a decent experience. If you're seeing a dim version, you're being cheated out of your admission price. To make matters worse, it can be as much as 85% darker. I mean, you could play it safe and find a theater that doesn't use digital, doesn't use Sony products, or still lights their films traditionally...

Good luck with that.

Here's how you can tell if you're viewing a regular movie through a 3D lens. This is from Matthew Humpries at Geek.com, originally posted in Ebert's entry:

• The title of the movie listed by the theater will have a "D" after it if it is being shown on a digital projector

• If you are in a D movie, look at the projector window when seated. If you see two stacked beams of light it is a Sony projector with the 3D lens still on.

• A single beam of light means no 3D lens, or a different make of projector that doesn't have the issue

• If you see the two beams, then get up and go complain. You paid good money to see the movie, so make a fuss until they either give you back that money or remove the lens. Seeing as that's an involved and time-consuming process, expect a refund.

I agree!

I'll be going out to the movies in the next couple of days, I'll be looking for the projector beam.

Roger Ebert's journal entry on the subject
An article on by Ty Burr from the Boston Globe

Star Wars and Videos Roundup!

This week, I stumbled on a whole mess of Star Wars goodness. Here are some awesome images for you, followed by some very awesome videos I think you should check the heck out.

I can't wait for my mom to see this!


I dislike NOTHING about this.

I have a birthday soon, and this is what I want.

Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!

Oops!


Yeah, Yeah... but it is so good!

Wait for the end of this movie, it'll getcha.

Dirt Devil-The Exorcist from MrPrice2U on Vimeo.

A TED talk about happiness:

I need this printer:

And, um, hipsters and D&D:

Zero Charisma Teaser from Andrew Matthews on Vimeo.

Please refer to our previous post if you're curious about the lack of posting. We promise it will be worth the wait.

Substance and stuff

Okay okay okay okay okay okay.

We want to say oops (oopsoopsoopsooooooops).

We've been very busy finishing our play-though. If we get more than 25 "likes" on our facebook page and over ten followers, we'll totally pre-release the first five minutes of the play through.

We know you have Gmail and facebook. We're creepy like that!

Tell yo friends, tell yo neighbors, tell yo strangers!

The things you see...

Good News, ANYBODY!

I was recently introduced to some people who own one of the most beautiful pieces of technology made. Care to see?

Behold:

What could be more beautiful? Nothing.

I will be awarding 10 points to whoever can identify this game (WITHOUT the cartridge reference above):

Turns out I'm pretty terrible at it, at least against the boys who play it constantly. So many not terrible, just less good?

Terminology is hard.

In other news, we're finishing up the full version of our Idiot Box: Portal. I hope everyone enjoyed the little teaser I put together. None of that was fabricated, it all happened spontaneously.

...yes, even the part about the kilts.

Idiot Box!

Lulu and I are working on a new edition to our regular segments, called "The Idiot Box", where we play through each other's favorite games, and you get to hear the hilarity that ensues. We're currently using my built-in laptop camera for filming so it's a little... special. Here's a teaser to get you excited!!!

T Shirt Surgery Vol. 1

So in a recent bitch-fest, Felix and I were discussing the absolute lack of fairness when it comes to nerdy apparel...all of the cool shirts are in guy sizes! Not only that, if you're lucky enough to find a retailer on the internet outside of Hot Topic, they're likely out of any female size and will be until the next rapture.

So, if you're a lady (like myself) and need some sort of video game related shirt, you're forced to take matters into your own hands.

Since not all of us are lucky enough to get fancy with a sewing machine (more on that later...I swear, I'm not an old lady...or am I?), we have the option of hand-sewing or, if you're not cool with that either, seeking out no-sew shirt alterations in order avoid looking like Lady Sovereign. (not that I don't love you, Lady S-O-V!)

This is an easy, no-sew strategy to turn a boxy looking boy shirt into something a little more feminine (and dare I say a little racy).

You start with a boy shirt somewhere close to your size (I wear a Boys 8), preferably with some sweet-ass video game character.

You cut off the sleeves at a diagonal, like so.And cut the back into a square...its very important that you leave the collar of the shirt intact, and leave it attached at the sides. If you haven't already figured it out, we're making a halter top.And then with whats left of the back, you're going to cut a bunch of horizontal lines, and then cut them all straight down the middle. This is how you're going to make you fancy new halter top fit your body; its easiest to do this while you're wearing it, but pull the pieces until the top is fitting snugly to your body, and then tie each corresponding piece together in a double knot. You can trim off the ends if you please.

At this point, I like to deepen the neckline (this makes it look more like you're wearing a sweet-ass shirt, and not a lobster bib). You can either leave the collar as it is, in a loop, or cut it to knot it like you did with the pieces on the back.

And the result...
(back detail)
Try it out, whydon'tcha!

Nerd-girl Style Icons Vol. 2: Wonder Woman

That's right, we're going there. Enter:

WONDER WOMAN!

The Kick-assiest of super heroines

Wonder Woman is a Princess of the Amazons, also known as Diana of Themyscira. Originally created by William Marston to be "tender, submissive, peaceloving as good women are," combining "all the strength of a Superman plus all the allure of a good and beautiful woman."

Silly Women, with their thinking.

To be fair, Marston also said he wanted Wonder Woman to be a "distinctly feminist role model whose mission was to bring the Amazon ideals of love, peace, and sexual equality to a world torn by the hatred of men."

In the early years of Wonder Woman (Marston named her Suprema originally), you can find many allusions to bondage- Wonder Woman often physically restrained her enemies, as you can see for yourself:

That's how I learned to do it, too.

Later, Wonder Woman grew to be a well-liked super heroine. In 1975, Lynda Carter portrayed "The New, Original Wonder Woman".

Great Hera!

Set during WWII, it followed closely the original plot of the comics. Since the show, there have been several remakes, as well as a just-nixed NBC TV show. They probably stopped production because Kevin Kirkpatrick (who is otherwise a genius in my book, as the makeup artist for titles like True Blood, The Wolfman, Nightmare on Elm Street and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) decided to redesign the classic Wonder Woman costume into something more... horrifying.

AH!!!! GET IT AWAY!

Then they modified it to looks less horrifying last minute because of the outcry on the internet (waita go, guys!), though the picture is still pretty terrible.

I can't figure out what's going on here...

Sure, DC Comics also recently re-designed/ re-conceptualized Wonder Woman's image, they did something that's quite popular these days, which is doing a "gritty reboot". What happened here is something I don't quite understand- from all American super heroine to some kind of... biker chick? Wearing Spiderman's shirt-come-corset?

No.

So what does this all mean?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Because any good nerd girl knows that there is only one Wonder Woman costume, and it stands proud in red, white and blue... and gold.

STYLE STAPLES:

• Red top
  
• Star-spangled blue bottoms (sometimes panty bottoms, sometimes a skirt)
  
• Red Boots
• Gold cuffs
• Lasso of Truth (optional)
  
• Power stance (not optional)
  

PRACTICAL APPLICATION:

As previously stated, I'ma go ahead and say no white stars on blue background bottoms. Seriously, guys. Jeans of some sort are acceptable, preferably jean shorts, like your daisy dukes (you have them, I know you do). A simple red shirt and gold belt will suffice in lieu of red strapless corset (but if you own that corset, please, rock it). As I don't have any red boots, I chose to go with a more subtle approach- white knee high socks and chunky wedges. Red socks are preferred, of course, but I also do not own any of those.