Excited con-goers wait to get in at Zenkaikon 2010

Break out your sailor fuku and your cat ears! Our favorite local Philadelphia anime convention Zenkaikon is back for another weekend of panels, guests and cosplay!

It’s hard to believe this is only the con’s 5th year in existence. I fondly remember the days when the entire convention was held in two tiny hallways.

Zenkaikon has since grown into quite the affair, bursting out of those two narrow hallways and taking over most of the Valley Forge Scanticon Hotel in King of Prussia. Zenkaikon was a great time last year, despite some of the overcrowding issues. And as the convention has proved year after year, it can only get better.

Shopping away at Zenkaikon

The convention will run this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 18th to the 20th. The con will feature guests like voice acting  extraordinaires Vic Mignogna and Todd Haberkorn with musical guests Gelatine and Rose Noire.

Registration is a mere $55 for the entire weekend, $25 for Friday and Sunday and $35 for Saturday at the door. Get there early whichever day you plan to arrive so you have plenty of time to register.

See you there!

Zenkaikon 2011
March 18th – 20th
www.zenkaikon.com

Scanticon Valley Forge Hotel
1210 1st Avenue, King of Prussia, PA 19406
(610) 265-1500
www.scanticonvalleyforge.com

Ah, flashlight tag. The wonderfully frustrating game that involves a lot of people screaming “I GOT YOU” and “NO YOU DIDN’T” back and forth through out the night.

Back in December, the folks behind Get Out Philly (and our BFF Julia Haaaays), organized a chilly game of flashlight tag in Washington Square Park. Now that the weather is getting warmer, they’ve got another scheduled, this time in April.

The lights go on come Saturday, April 16th. Come prepared with your own flashlight, and bring a dollar or two to donate to Get Out Philly. Some of the Geekadelphia crew will be playing. We’ll be the ones with the lightsaber flashlights.

You can RSVP for the event on Facebook. See you there.

Flashlight Tag in Washington Square Park
Saturday, April 16th
RSVP here on Facebook

That’s right, it’s time for another Midnight Movie @ the Troc! This time we have partnered with Sushi Typhoon and the great folks over at Funimation to bring you the instant cult classic Aliens vs. Ninjas. We’ll be screening it on Saturday, April 2nd.

This film not only keeps the promise of its namesake, but also is a lot of fun to watch. The film tells the story of a band of ninja warriors, led by a ninja named Yamata, that witness a giant ball of fire drop from the sky and crash into the forest.

When the warriors return after looking for the object and clashing with one of the aliens, they discover that the aliens have wiped out their entire ninja village. Yamata and the survivors swear vengeance, and a battle ensues that is not to be missed.

The event (as usual) is 21+ and $3 will get you in, and get you either a bag of popcorn or a beer.

Check out the slightly NSFW trailer below and see you there!

Special thanks to Ben over at graphitebite.blogspot.com for creating an awesome poster for our event. Be sure to check his site!

Last week, the Philadelphia Science Festival unveiled its latest program offerings. From a special lecture hosted by a famous author at the Wistar Institute to informal Q&A’s with an acclaimed inventor at the Franklin Institute, there are a number of new events happening at the two week long celebration of science.

I’ve pasted a listing of the new events below. For more updates, visit the official Philadelphia Science Festival website.

It’s Personal: The Fight Against Cancer in a Carcinogenic World with Siddhartha Mukherjee
Wednesday, April 20, 2011, Time TBD | The Wistar Institute
Best-selling author Siddhartha Mukherjee (“The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer”) and a panel of the city’s top cancer researchers dive into a discussion on this long-feared illness and explore the question of how close we really are to understanding and curing cancer.

Dean Kamen & Hacker’s Field Day: The Future Belongs to Innovators
Wednesday, April 20, 2011, 6pm/4pm | The Franklin Institute
Discuss the importance of innovation, science, engineering and technology to the future of our society with acclaimed inventor, entrepreneur and engineer Dean Kamen. The 6pm discussion is part of an afternoon Hacker’s Field Day where hackers, craftsmen and engineers – hobbyists and professionals – join forces in a competition to solder/hammer/drill/invent their way to the top.

Raft Rally
Saturday, April 23, 1-4pm | Independence Seaport Museum
Don’t miss this opportunity for your family to learn about the physics behind buoyancy as you receive a lesson in your building your own floating rafts! Prizes will be awarded to the best craftsmen.

Critical Decision Making: Science, Religion and the Law
Saturday, April 23, 2pm | Community College of Philadelphia
Join Judge John E. Jones, who presided over the 2005 Dover, Del., School District “intelligent design” case, as he shares his perspective on teaching evolution in the classroom and talks about the critical issues that led to his final decision.

A Whole New World: Augmented Reality and Redesigning the Familiar
Tuesday, April 26, 2011, 6-8pm | Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Van Pelt Auditorium
What is Augmented Reality and what will an augmented future look like? Learn more from panel of experts that includes cutting-edge artists, software developers, gaming specialists, sociologists and social historians. Following the panel discussion, attendees will reassemble outdoors for an interactive demonstration and virtual art tour that blurs the line between the real and the virtual.

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In this week’s Comic Roundup, we see if the new Venom and inFamous series are worth your time and look in on Batman Incorporated.

Venom #1
By Rick Remender and Tony Moore

I have never been a huge fan of the “Let’s turn the bad guy into a good guy” plot device. It always seemed cheap and never led to a good story. However, it was quite the rage for awhile and its poster child was Venom. Somehow he went from being one of Spider-Man’s best villains to becoming a “Lethal Protector” or some such garbage. It never was very clear to me how that happened. Well, I guess Marvel felt that there needed to be more Spider-Man related books, because Venom is back in his own title again.

I’m going to be frank withy you; this is not a great start to the series. The Amazing Spider-Man Point 1 issue last month was leaps and bounds better than this first issue. The plot by Remender, which throws us right into the action with Venom on a mission in Europe, is unimaginative and boring. He also seems to want to turn Flash Thompson (the new Venom) into something of a sad sack, or a Peter Parker 2.0. Been there, done that. My bigger problem is with the art. Moore’s work on The Walking Dead was a treat for the eyes. Then why does his art here seem confusing and amateurish? He draws a great Venom, but the rest leaves a lot to be desired, which is very surprising.

This is just a first issue, so I will give it a fair shake before I write it off. But the book had better get a lot better sooner rather than later or Venom is going to end up in the 3 for a $1 box at the comic shop.

Final Grade: C-

Batman Incorporated #3
By Grant Morrison and Yanick Paquette

Grant Morrison’s work on Batman has been a case of either you love it or you hate it. There has not been a lot of grey area on the matter. I, for one, have really enjoyed his new take on Batman and where he has gone with the story so far. With Batman Inc., we now enter the third phase of his master plan and I am happy to say the plot is coming together very nicely indeed.

For this issue, Morrison continues to tell the story of Gaucho and Batman’s efforts to make him a part of Batman Inc. It is an entertaining story that begins to provide some clues as to where he is planning to go with the book and what the future may hold. The book has a very Morrison Doom Patrol feeling to it mixed with a more standard super hero sensibility. It is a nice combination that will remind you of his work on JLA. The art by Paquette seems to get better with each issue and he draws one of the better looking Batmen of the current crop of artists working on the books. Also, he can draw a mean tango.

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The Adjustment Bureau suffers from something most films seem to lately, which is overstating the obvious and spoon-feeding the audience; when sometimes simply a wink and a nudge would suffice. In this case, I’m talking about all the thinly disguised religious allegory.

Don’t get me wrong the film’s first 3 acts are amazing and really draw you in. The love story is engaging, the actors have some great chemistry together and the film is beautifully shot. It’s only during the fourth and final act when the film starts to fall apart and lose all plausibility.

The film is often compared (at least in the trailer) to Inception. But what made Inception so great is it left it the audience to make the decision for themselves, about what they thought the ultimate resolution of the story was. The Adjustment Bureau does the exact opposite. It takes something that could have been really smart and spells it out, which breaks the spell that it crafted so well in the beginning.

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Local creator Rob Reilly knows all about self-publishing after putting out his own indie comic hit Convention Confessional, as well as working within the major comic book business as the artist of the Shrek serial. His past proves his ability to produce dynamite work while his newest project looks to be right on track with its’ predecessors.

A.K.A. Is Reilly’s newest series, a 4-issue series that Rob describes as “grindhouse” in nature. This crime comic tells the story of Guy Doyle, ruthless bodyguard of one of the most notorious crime bosses in New York. When he gets the order to kill Adrian Truelove, a famous gang leader who fathers a child with the mob bosses daughter, a hunt for Truelove ensues and a story that’ll leave you wanting more with each tension filled issue begins.

To aid in breathing this story to life, Reilly and writer of the series, Steven Walters, have teamed up with Kickstarter to raise the costs for full color and lettering production. Walters and Reilly offer the promise that any money provided by backers of this project will go towards paying kick-ass letterer/designer Jeff Powell (who also happens to be one of my Halo: Reach MP buds!) as well as colorist Giuseppe Pica.

Donating makes you a “backer” and this comes with perks based on how much you pledge. For A.K.A., backers whom donate as little as $10.00 will receive a PDF of the finished book while a pledge of $250 will get you the entire printed series, a sketchbook and actual art from the series! Once you are a backer, you are also privy to many behind-the-scenes videos of Reilly’s artistic process available on the Kickstarter site.

You can help A.K.A. Comic see the light of day by donating to the Kickstarter project here. Do your part and support local creative talent by contributing to this one of a kind comic!

Yeah. This is happening.

In a press release issued by our friends at The Hacktory, the hacker space is hosting another (they did this before?) sex toy hacking workshop, inviting curious folks to come fiddle with a variety of naughty gadgets, “from DIY floggers to vibrators that vibrate in Morse Code.”

Maggie Avener of the Prometheus Radio project will start the workshop with a quick talk about a few of the projects she’s been working on, and then guests can share ideas and start work on their own projects. No technical know-how is necessary.

This clearly 18+ event at the Hacktory goes down (heh heh) on March 20th, from 1pm to 4pm, with the workshop running 1pm to 3pm. The entrance fee is $20.

For more information, visit The Hacktory’s website.

The Hacktory
1524 Brandywine Street (19130)
www.thehacktory.org

I love the Big Lebowski. Love it. The film has elevated itself into a cult phenomenon. Action figures, books, artwork, and… yes, festivals honoring the flick. Lebowski Fest hits cities across the country every year, and Philadelphia is always on the list, representing with our bowling alleys and often drunken, costumed fans.

This year, I’m incredibly proud to announce that Geekadelphia will be presenting this year’s Philadelphia Lebowski Fest, on June 3rd and 4th. Two full days of Lebowski goodness.

Here’s a break down of what’s going on and where.

Friday, June 3rd @ the Theater of Living Arts
The first day of Lebowski Fest: Philadelphia will feature a screening of the Big Lebowski at the Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA) on South Street. Chiptune sensation Chipocrite will be playing songs from soundtrack, remixed into 8-bit chiptunes. Doors open at 8pm, show kicks off at 9pm. A dance party and a chance to see the film on the big screen? Awesome. Unlike a lot of the screenings we’ve held at other venues, this event is ALL AGES. Win. $15 in adv, $18 day of.

Saturday, June 4th @ North Bowl
What would Lebowski Fest be without bowling? Visit Northern Liberties’ North Bowl for the bowling bash. Guests can look forward to bowling, trivia, contests, and more. This event is 21+, and runs 8pm to Midnight. $25 in adv, $30 day of.

What else is going on at the TLA? What else do you get with your $25 admission to the bowling party at North Bowl? Are celebrities attending? What are the prizes and giveaways? Look. I’ll be honest with you, Geeks. We’re still ironing out the details. But I’m just way too excited, and had to share the news with you.

In the coming months, we’ll be giving away tickets, hosting a wealth of contests, and inviting our blogging friends to host their own giveaways. Interested? Email me.

Mark your calendars, kids. RSVP on Facebook. Get ready to celebrate. Huge thank you to LiveNation, the TLA, and North Bowl for making us a part of this.

For tickets and more, visit Lebowskifest.com

The folks over at SCVNGR invited us out to their press conference yesterday morning with some big news. Big news for this company seems to be the trend. Despite being around less than a year, the location-based mobile game startup has already made some impressive accomplishments. Most notable: surpassing 1 million users in record time for any checkin service and acquiring $15 million in funding.

I was always impressed with SCVNGR in their ability to literally change the game. If you haven’t already tried it, SCVNGR is probably the most fun you can have in the big world of mobile checkins. Beyond the simple geo-located checkin, there’s a sophisticated gaming mechanic of trivia questions, taking photos and other challenges to earn points. Their creativity and love of gaming elements takes shape once again with LevelUp. What’s that? Well, in short, it’s new type of local deal. I know what you’re thinking. There’s already Groupon, LivingSocial and countless other clones.

The new LevelUp app is a daily deal with a game layer. It helps businesses by promoting loyalty. Deal sites like Groupon and LivingSocial have been pretty good at providing one thing thus far: a massive influx of first/one-time customers. LevelUp aims to change that by creating more incentive for customers, the ability to unlock better deals as you (wait for it), level up. Unlock all 3 levels and you go from good, to better, finally to land with the best deals. Sounds like a good thing for everybody involved. But it gets better, what happens if nobody really cares and doesn’t give a damn about leveling up by making repeat visits/purchases with a business? Well, the folks at SCVNGR/LevelUp don’t get paid. That money goes to selected charities, seriously.

LevelUp launched simultaneously in our fair city of Philadelphia, as well as Boston just yesterday. You can sign up right now at theLevelUp.com and snag yourself a $5 coupon for $10 worth of food at Philly’s favorite burger joint, the unforgettable PYT. Should you decide to make this a one and done deal, the cash the startup would’ve netted ends up going toward Teach For America.

Will we one day see an incorporation of the location-based checkin game and this gaming-based daily deal? Maybe. They’re still waiting to see if this one will be as much of a hit as their first app.

Meanwhile, they’re heralding its arrival. Literally.

Paul the new comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, is finally hitting US screens Friday, March 18th. If you’re reading this site you have no doubt seen either Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz and know these guys rarely disappoint.

Paul has been doing very well since it opened in the UK on Valentines Day and it’s about time it debuted across the pond. For those not familiar with Paul the plot goes something like this:

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost play two sci-fi geeks whose pilgrimage takes them to America’s UFO heartland. While there, they accidentally meet an alien who brings them on an insane road trip that alters their universe forever.

Hot Fuzz was their take on the American action film. Shaun of the Dead was their take on the zombie film. With Paul, Pegg and Frost give their spin on the alien adventure sub-genre film. You know, like ET.

Want to see Paul early? Just so happens we have 25 tickets to an advance screening at the Ritz Five, March 15th. If you want to check this film out for free, leave a comment with your favorite alien adventure film. We’ll pick winners at random.

Check out the trailer below!

Evernote is amazing. No geek is safe in this world without it. Its mobile apps are only as limited as your imagination. Its desktop versions bring the staying power of a time capsule and the searching power of a database to your fingertips.

Okay, fine, I’m a fanboy.

One of the many simple but useful features of the service is the ability to email notes into your Evernote account. In this post I’ll list the simple steps you have to take to starts sending an RSS feed into your Evernote account, with some help from Instapaper.

Instapaper is a service that lets you bookmark long articles for later reading offline. It reformats those articles in a clean, mobile-friendly way and has advanced features like discreet folders and Kindle integration. If you use Longform.org and Instapaper together… you will never be without great stuff to read.

Now let’s feed your Evernote account some tasty Instapaper links. Directions after the jump.

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