There’s just something about simple, physics based flash games that gets me every time. And this cute little game over at I Am Bored has me hooked. Entitled Red Remover, the concept is simple. Fellow the directions and remove the proper bricks. Sounds simple, but things get pretty complicated relatively fast.

There are 45 levels, including some hidden bonus stages. Though I do recommend turning the music off, especially if you’re at work.

Red Remover via Neatorama

Photographer extraordinaire and all around awesome guy, Steve Weinik, sent this video over to me… and oh man, does it have my imagination reeling. 3D projection on buildings?! Awesome. From the video’s description…

Impressive and stylish projections on buildings, a renewing way of communicating. For those who want to carry out a message in a striking and visually attractive way with guaranteed exposure: 3D Projection on buildings is the communication tool of 2009, and what an impact!

NuFormer Digital Media develops high-skill 3D video mapping projections. These 3D projections will be custom-made to fit any specific building and will be exposed by a battery of powerful projectors.

Can’t you just picture this on some of the buildings down in Old City? Let’s get this here. Come on. It’ll be fun.

3D Production on Buildings
www.vimeo.com/4238052

I am not a fan of Halo. Not so much because it’s a bad game — as a First Person Shooter it’s rock solid –but because I was mislead about Halo‘s supposedly deep and engaging storyline. Halo is a lot of things, but strong plot-wise? I don’t think so – far from it.

And while the latest push against the Covenant, Halo 3: ODST, is rife with military shooter tropes, Bungie has finally infused Halo with something largely missing from the franchise: personality, character. Namely, they injected Halo with a healthy dose of Nathan Fillion, who lends his voice and likeness as Gunnery Sergeant Edward Buck. If Nathan Fillion was something found on a spice rack, creative types would add a dash of him to everything. Said everything would then pop with smarmy charm and wit. And sex appeal.

This is the power of Nathan Fillion. He turns unbelievers into believers. He feeds the poor and he clothes the naked. And steals hearts while narrating Halo 3: ODST trailers.

Now I’ll be first in line to pick up Halo 3: ODST on September 22, in lieu of my “blah” attitude towards Halo. And it’s all thanks to Nathan Fillion. If, after watching this trailer, you aren’t sold on ODST, well, then you have no soul and I must say Good Day, Sir. Good Day, Sir!

Or Madam. ‘Cause we here at Geekadelphia ain’t sexist.

Comics! Rawrrrrrrr!

While this event is happening until September, the Autumn Society is looking folks who’d be interested in being a part of the con. Do you create your own independent comics? Well, the AS are putting on an alternative comic convention on Sunday, September 13th If you make comics, zines, art books, whatever… you should be a part of this. It’ll be the first PACC ever.

Score some more deets on the Autumn Society’s blog. Can’t wait for this event.

And come on, Emily G at PW Style. Give geeks some credit. Not every Comic Con is loaded with Trekkies.

Philadelphia Alternative Comic Con
Sunday, September 13th, 2009

Last week I was listening to a podcast discuss the Japanese zombie film Versus it was only released in 2000, and eventually the topic turned to what most discussions about foreign movies eventually turn to in America, what could be fixed with an American remake.  This conversation troubled me and reminded me of a book I recently finished, The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell.  I bet you are probably wondering how a book on the Massachusetts Bay Colony Puritans would remind me of a movie about killing the undead with samurai swords? It’s simple, in the book Sarah Vowell discusses American’s constant need to fix things that are foreign and in our eyes broken, and how through the years this attitude has sometimes not yielded the greatest results. Dark Water anyone?  We have always thought as Americans, “We can fix it and we can do it better!”, but I honestly think we should know when to leave well enough alone.

I have always wondered why we can’t just appreciate a foreign film for what it is – foreign. With their exotic dialogue and strange cultural eccentricities, they are a window in to our neighbor’s houses and should be seen as that.  This thought came into my head while I read that they were “remaking” the Swedish vampire masterpiece Let The Right One In. A movie I could see no faults in other than the fact that it is indeed – a foreign film. The film had high production values, a great cast and the DVD and Blu-ray release features a rather good, well-voiced dub track. So, what’s wrong?  Why do we feel the need to tinker with what some consider, “one of the best vampire films in the last few years”.  Because, we can do it better! I had entertained the idea when thinking about this post, of doing a Top Ten Worst American Remakes. But the sad thing is, usually due to the crime against the original no one is inclined to see the original source material. Either that, or sometimes the studio buys up the rights to the original film and quietly “sits on it” so comparisons can’t be made, then unceremoniously dumping it DVD after their remake has failed miserably.
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Geeks love robots. It’s true. We like building them, playing with them, living in fear of them, and allowing them to make us cry in the movies. Tattooed Mom knows this, and as one of the best geek hangouts in Philadelphia, they’re catering to this robot love with a Make Your Own Robot event this Sunday.

As you can see on the flyer, from 1PM until 11PM, you can score a 16oz Pabst for $1, and then, create your own Pabst Robot at their craft table. Sounds like a good time to me. I wonder if the Pabst Robots will rise up, and battle their creators? It’s possible. Watch out, folks.

Make Your Own Robot @ T-Moms
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009
www.yelp.com/biz/tattooed-mom-philadelphia

Mario Pipe Graffiti – I love street art like this. So clever.

How To Make Your Own Nuka Cola Caps – This is a must craft for Fallout 3 fans.

WHOAAAAAAHHHHH! – These dudes make me ashamed to be from New Jersey. Language NSFW. Turn your speakers down.

Madmen Yourself – Why not?

Sexy Comic Con Cosplay Roundup – Oh come on, like you aren’t even a little curious.

Pac-Man 30th Anniversary Zippos – These are awesome. I’m definitely ordering one.

Have some links to share? Shoot us an email or send us a Tweet!

Links via Neatorama, Super Punch!, Geekologie, ALBOTAS,

One thing I have noticed about comics on the Amazon Kindle is it’s honestly slim pickings. I mean you figure with a pure digital format and the success of the Amazon Kindle you would have, well more than there is honestly. There are some comics and manga out there for the Kindle but since they weren’t produced with the Kindle in mind they don’t translate so well, because of the size of the screen and how it handles gradations and blacks.

Well, Archaia Entertainment is going to start produce original graphic novels for the Kindle format, which will be available from the Kindle store. You can download and read them on your Kindle, your iPhone or you iPod Touch. They are starting with the title Tumor by from Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon. You can get the first chapter for free today with chapter 2 being released the week of August 3rd, and each subsequent chapter will be released every three weeks. I downloaded the first chapter myself to check it out and found it to be a good story as I would expect from Archaia, and they made good use of the real estate of the Kindle screen. It was easy to read the text, which with most comics on the Kindle is my biggest complaint. (more…)

I’d love to say something like “it’s not everyday I get something free in the mail to giveaway” but let’s face it. It is everyday. Cause this is Geekadelphia, and we roll in swag for fun. Sometimes I lean outside of my row-home and scream “LET IT RAIN!” while showering people in free electronics, video games, and high definition televisions. That’s just how I do.

But onto the item at hand. This awesome LED Lenser.

Today in Geeky Giveaways, I’ve got an awesome P7 Flashlight from LED Lenser. The kind folks over at Coast sent me one of these little guys, and I’ve gotta say, this is one amazing flashlight. Why? Let’s discuss.

First of all, this flashlight is designed for tactical and professional use… or professional tactical use! This handy gadget was made with law enforcement and extreme outdoor types in mind, and isn’t your standard “trying to find junkfood at 4am in the kitchen cabinets” kind of flashlight… though it’ll certainly do that. Trust me, I tested it. It found my Doritos quite quickly. They were delicious.

The light has a run time of 78 hours on just four AAA batteries, with a beam distance of over 700 feet. With a quick turn of the headlamp, the light goes from a focused spot beam to a huge spotlight, creating one of the brightest lights I’ve ever seen on such a small flashlight. The casing is aluminum, water resistant, and it uses a super bright LED bulb, which doesn’t get hot.

Honestly, I was planning to keep this for myself, considering it’s the perfect little light for hikes through Fairmount or camping out in the Poconos, but hey, I like to share.

These little guys retail for nearly $90. For you, dear readers, it’s free. Leave a comment in the post saying what you’d use the flashlight for. Camping? Spelunking? Shadow puppet shows? Annoying coworkers? Shining beams of light into the opposite baseball team’s eyes? I’ll select a comment at random and send you the flashlight. Easy as that. The winner will be announced next Thursday, August 6th.

For more information on these flashlights, hit up the official product website. And check out the gallery of photos after the jump!

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I fondly remember when the first Red Faction came out on the PC. It was my freshman year of college, and my suite-mates and I would play it over the LAN network, screaming at one another through our dorm’s paper thin walls. With the introduction of GeoMod technology into gaming, Red Faction delivered an entirely new, refreshing experience into the FPS genre that, in my fine opinion, has yet to be emulated in any other series. A lot of games have tried to use terrain altering components, and ultimately failed. Fracture, anyone? After time, you’d think this component would run stale, especially after three games. It doesn’t. And here’s why:

Red Faction: Guerrilla takes GeoMod to a whole new level, leaving the first person perspective of the original two games and delivering a third person, Gears of War style experience. Instead of using a missile launcher to dig your way into the ground or through mountains, RFG uses the technology on buildings. From tiny crates, to large bridges, to colossal-sized constructs, everything built by human hands can be broken down and demolished. As buildings tumble to the ground, they fall apart realistically. Slam your sledgehammer into the ceiling of an office building, and watch as the ceiling caves in, taking the next few floors with it. Place some bombs on opposite sides of a bridge, and watch as it crumbles down, taking a small army along for the ride. The physics are incredible.

However, does excellent gameplay, stunning graphics, and realistic physics make up for poor story telling and uninspired characters? Read on.

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First off, here’s the big question. Robot Chicken Star Wars or Family Guy Star Wars? It is a question for the ages that will no doubt cause a great deal of debate. And what better place to debate this important issue, then at a Robot Chicken event, here in Philadelphia?

The Robot Chicken crew bring their show to Philadelphia in two weeks on Wednesday, August 12th, and they’re bringing the Gym Class Heroes with them. Seth Green will be there, as well as Breckin Meyer and Matthew Senrich.

Now, the event is going to be held at Jamz Roller Skating. I’ve never been there, but the name makes me think of those ridiculous pants from the late 80′s. Remember those things? Sure you do, because you wore them all the time. I’m looking at you, Chris.

Anyone plan on going? Sound off in the replies.

Robot Chicken in Philadelphia
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
www.adultswim.com/presents/robotchickenonwheels/map/index.html#Philadelphia

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) recently released its rating summary for Bioware’s upcoming RPG Dragon Age: Origins and we’ll just say it’s… somewhat jarring. According to the ESRB, the title will not only include the expected relationship meta-game that Mass Effect featured, but a brothel in which players can shack up with men, women, transsexuals, and even (brace yourselves) animals. It should go without saying that the title received an M rating.

Now, Bioware has toned down its sex scenes since the troubles of 2008, but something akin to a brothel mini-game deserves some discussion. Now don’t get me wrong, I have no issue with some lovin’ in video games, but it should at least enhance the tone of the storyline whether it be comedic, dramatic or anything in between. The sex scenes that were the result of the relationship meta-game in Mass Effect, while optional, tastefully enhanced the dramatic nature of the title’s plot by bringing its characters together romantically. We’ll have a bit more discussion and some questions for you, loyal readers, after the break.

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