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While away at the Penny Arcade Expo this year, Chris, Qais and Jinny experienced sights that astounded the mind and delighted the soul. From the various video game offerings such as Spore, Starcraft II, Rock Band 2, Guitar Hero, Left 4 Dead, Little Big Planet and Shaun White’s Pro Barefoot WiiBoarding to the array of panels, concerts and ephemera featured at this giant geek gathering. This episode is devoted to covering the amazingness of PAX2008, which really proved to be the best. PAX. Ever. Reader questions are also answered in funny foreign accents.

The Weekly Geek

Qais, Chris, Jinny and Ross hit you this week with one very entertaining, very not safe for work podcast featuring a variety of subjects to amuse and delight. Spore released this week and we’ve got impressions and a discussion (ok, argument) about all the hype and why an 8 or 9 out of 10 isn’t a bad review score after all. We talk a little Castle Crashers, a little Soul Calibur IV, and discuss (argue) about video games’ tenuous link with science.

The Weekly Geek

There are huge advantages to having standardized hardware, but the obvious trade-off is that people with specialized needs will find them wanting for more. In the case of keyboards for example, certain tasks will require more frequent use of some keys, which may not be placed at the optimum position in the standard keyboard layout. That’s why geekhack forum member dmw is working on the Humble Hacker, a keyboard made especially for programmers.

There are many principles guiding the design of the Humble Hacker, including hand separation, versatility – the keyboard is fully programmable – and an alternate keyboard layout. Programmers and keyboard enthusiasts, if you recognize some elements in the Humble Hacker that are similar to other alternative keyboards, that’s because dmw was influenced by the best of them, including the TypeMatrix 2030 and the Happy Hacking Pro.

Now for the bad news. In the process of building the first prototype of the Humble Hacker, dmw realized that his invention is quite expensive, “rapidly approaching” the price tag of Art Lebedev studio’s display-filled Optimus Maximus keyboard. The case alone cost him 0 (USD), and the circuit board will set him back 0. Hopefully he’ll find a way to lower the cost and mass produce the Happy Hacker. Check out the link below or the product website for more info.

[via Geekhack via This 8-bit Life]

Technabob

Ever thought that a Dark Lord of the Sith would use a parasol to keep out of the sun? I suppose that the Dark Side prefers to stay in the shade, right? One artist decided to re-imagine a famous painting by Monet, featuring Darth Vader prominently using his umbrella.

It’s odd to me that the little kid looks identical to the one in the original painting. I probably would have changed him into a little Stormtrooper – but that’s just me.

The original Woman with Parasol was created by French impressionist painter Claude Monet back in 1875, and it’s currently on display at the National Gallery of Art, in Washington DC. It’s certainly a worth millions – if not priceless.

This Vader painting, on the other hand, was created by David Barton, and you can get a small (7.9″ x 10″) print of this piece of art via Imagekind starting at about (USD) Canvas prints start at .

[Limpfish via Jay Mug]

Technabob

It’s the battle of the blogs this week as your hosts are joined by the esteemed Nick Chester, Editor in Chief of Destructoid. We discuss the recent release of Rock Band 2 and how it holds up versus the original and the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour. But we don’t just talk about Rock Band! Okay, we talk a lot about Rock Band. But! We also discuss storytelling in co-op games, reinventing classics and why more “realistic” games made today may not stand the test of time, and Netflix origami! In addition, this podcast marks the premiere of our brand new theme song courtesy of the masterful Tettix, tunesmith extraordinaire. We also read your mailbag questions and announce a new contest. Don’t miss it!

The Weekly Geek

Hi! This week, Chris, Jinny and Ross sat down to discuss things that you may enjoy listening to. These things include Nintendo releasing a crazy amount of good games this week, whether or not World of Warcraft is work, if Portal may lose it’s funny and how to keep on gaming during a financial crunch. What is this I hear about a PAX-themed contest? Oh hey! Neat. Look, there’s a lot of things discussed this week. We just sort of have a conversation and it’s an interesting conversation. That’s what we do. In addition, you guys sent a ridiculous amount of mails this week for mailbag, so we read them all. Including the death threats. Yeah. Neat.

The Weekly Geek

If you’re in the market for a cool lamp, and are looking for something different from all the hyper-modern, linear looking LED lamps on the market these days, you might want to check out this unique table lamp from QisDesign.

The Aurelia Lamp is inspired by the shape and transparency of the Aurelia aurita, or Moon Jellyfish, but instead of being illuminated by environmental light (yes jellyfish don’t actually glow on their own,) this one gets its light from a ring of LEDs.

I just love the way the fixture casts its otherworldly glow. Each lamp is made from PMMA clear acrylic and measures 18.4″ (H) x 14″(W) x 14″ (D). The LEDs it uses are rated at 50,000 hours, so you won’t have to worry about them burning out any time soon. As an added bonus, the lamp uses just 18 watts of power, thanks to its energy-efficient lighting tech.

The Aurelia is available in three jeweltone colors, and it offers a three-way “touch ring” dimmer for adjusting brightness. It’s designed to work with circuits ranging from 100-240V AC and 50-60Hz – though I’m not sure if you need to buy different adapters depending on where you live.

You can find the Aurelia Lamp over at All Modern for 5 (USD).

Technabob

No matter which fantasy game you prefer, whether it is in a video game or an RPG boardgame, there are always characters with huge beards and a helmet. Dwarves instantly come to mind. In the old days, if you wanted to look like one of these guys, you had to buy a helmet and grow a beard for ten years.

Well, now you can just buy a crocheted version that takes care of both beard and helmet in one fell swoop. They look pretty awesome and instantly transform you into a fantasy character. These are handmade by LegendaryCrafts on Etsy and will cost you -(USD) depending on which one you want.

The beards are detachable thanks to two buttons on either side, just in case you feel like going beardless that day. They will even make custom pieces per your instructions. It’s a great time to be a geek, isn’t it?

Technabob

GodisaGeek.com’s First Look is back with fantastic1080p HD footage of the MLG Pro Circuit Controller, which is brought to you by Mad Catz.



For the full article, please visit our website at www.GodisaGeek.com

God is a Geek

This week’s podcast features Qais, Chris, Jinny and Ross discussing various ephemera floating about in the geek sphere. Do you have to have a high def TV in order to truly experience games these days, or does standard suffice? Will Penn and Teller’s upcoming tv show on video game violence actually teach us anything new? Why will the movie based on The Sims ultimately fail? Do MMOs ruin lives? Where do babies come from?

The Weekly Geek