Um, how cute is this for a coder girl? Present company excluded, I only have one or two cool developer gal pals and it’s no secret that the scales tend to tip 70/30 in the field. That’s usually not a big deal, but it seems that boys get to have all the fun with the geeky retail.

I actually don’t know how new this is… and it’s probably because I stopped checking ladies retail online before they did their site re-design, but …. it would appear that Think Geek finally got their act together and have some new shirts for gals! The new shirts are cute, too. Dig this girly sports tee that’s a nod to Douglas Adams, this witty interface tee and the HTTP undies I’ve wanted forever.

Also, this is probably the first of a few times that I’ll be finding myself wishing my new non-techy boyfriend would A) get the joke B) get me the shirt. I realized this after I saw his neighbors doormat, laughed… and explained it to him. He teases me a lot, but it’s fine: I like twitter, tabbed-browsing, InDesign, PHP, syntax jokes and –yes– I’m very opinionated about typefaces. If you ask me, I’m Jessica freaking Rabbit.

But hey, what can I say? I’m a self-rescuing princess. I’ll just end up ordering it and a million other things if I go back on Think Geek, anyway.

And, um, I’m a medium-large for anyone else who’d like to take this matter into their own hands.

Art by Julio Ossa / Design by Matt Cavanaugh

At the last First Friday event at Brave New Worlds, the city’s favorite comic shop hosted The Autumn Society’s Ode to the Golden Age of Comics, which featured a wealth of classic comic era inspired art. While there, I turned to several of my friends, and lamented on how I’d love to see a video game inspired gallery from Philly’s talented art collective.

Well, someone must have heard me (was it you, Chogrin?) because this Friday, the Autumn Society presents 8-Bit & Beyond, and I couldn’t be more excited. Especially after seeing this amazing Castle Crashers piece. I’m showing up early to purchase that jawn. Awesome.

This also marks the last art show of the summer, so come on out. It’s your last chance to score some art from some of Philly’s best and brightest illustrators. The event is even going to feature live music from Doctor Octoroc. Nothing like rockin’ out to some chiptunes.

Want to see more of the work on display? Score a sneak peak here. I can’t wait.

8 Bit & Beyond @ Brave New Worlds
Friday, August 7th, 2009

This weekend, DIY Days hits Philadelphia for the first time. Presented by the WorkBook Project, DIY Days aims to answer a wealth of questions regarding the creative class and the shifting in distribution systems. Filmmakers, musicians, game producers, writers, artists… if you’re a storyteller, creative type, or a techie living in Philadelphia, this all day panel and workshop is for you.

The day sounds a lot like an un-conference, with free form activities, open panel discussions, and networking galore. Speakers include folks like Scott Kirsner (Wired Magazine), Chuck Wendig, Leah Kauffman (editor of Phrequency), Geoff DiMasi (P’Unk Ave!), and filmmakers like Arin Crumley and Michael Monelle (Blair Witch Project, anyone?). A complete list is available on the event’s Facebook and website. Have a look!

DIY Days runs all day, from 9:15 until 6PM, followed by an after party and mixer til 8.

Score some more info on the event at the official website. See some of you there! Thanks for the heads up, Mark!

DIY Days Philadelphia
Saturday, August 1st 2009
www.diydays.com/philadelphia

And now, an actually Gchat conversation with myself and Chris Wink of Technically Philly.

Me: You know, I hate when I find something that looks like a cool story… but I have no idea what it is!
Christopher: Like?
Me: Check this out. Look at that. I know I should write about it on Geek… but what is it, exactly?
Christopher: Oooooh.
Me: I know, right?
Christopher: That is your post!
Christopher: “I don’t know what this is… but how do I not post it?”
Me: Great idea!

I’ll be honest, dear readers. I really don’t understand art. This isn’t to say I don’t think it’s awesome. Because it is. Especially when our boys (and girls) in the Autumn Society are making it. And this piece of work, while I don’t fully grasp the concept behind it… is still seriously awesome.

Working with Philadelphia Fabric Workshop and Museum, artist Jean Sean used 22,528 recycled computer keycaps and 192 custom keycaps to create this unquestionably geeky sculpture. The keys spell out, line by line the email correspondence between the artist and fabricators regarding the creation of the piece. As a result, the sculpture documents its own making. Now THAT is awesome.

“The project speaks to the pervasiveness of email in our lives, while commenting on the fact that, despite the modern technology of virtual communication, our written language is linked to the tactile sensation of moving our fingers over an outmoded typewriter system.”

… neat!

Check out some more snaps of the piece here, and read up about the artist on the official website.

Sweet Keyboard Art
www.sweet-station.com/blog/?p=4938

Chrono Trigger characters by Christina Winterburn

Ah, Faith. Not only do I heart you and your wonderful gaming blog, I happen to adore your Etsy shop, where you create some truly stunning Perler bead art. And because of this, I am going to write about it. Starting… now.

Behold, Pixelated Creations, the brainchild of Christina “Faith” Winterburn, who you might know from The Girl Gamer and Destructoid. Faith creates perler bead art inspired by original video game sprites from Nintendo and Sega, Probably the most impressive, however, are her creations inspired by LucasArts games.

Sam & Max, Ben from Full Throttle, Zombie Le Chuck and Guybrush Threepwood from the Monkey Island series, and the evil, mighty Purple Tentacle from Day of the Tentacle are just a handful. Check out her Flickr for more.

As of this posting, she’s got a sale going on, where Final Fantasy VI & VII pieces are 3 for $10, and keychains and bag tags are Buy 1, Get 1 Free. Awesome.

She even makes custom orders. Interested? Contact her through her Etsy shop. And be sure to visit her blog.

Pixelated Creations
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5213545

This painting has been aound for months apparently, but last night was the first time I have ever seen it. Titled “Bad Mutha Wizard”, artists Dave Macdowell created this great piece of art and it definitely proves that anything Samuel L Jackson is in instantly becomes awesome. Check out more of  Macdowell’s paintings at his site.

Thanks to Jason

A day after the announcement of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, return from the dead, Robert Kirkman, creator of the awesome comics Invincible and The Walking Dead, released a press statement regarding the release of Invincible #63. If the statement is to be believed, this is really a big deal, and not because Kirkman is telling us so:

All I’m saying is INVINCIBLE #63 reorders should be double or triple over all retailer’s orders combined plus fifty thousand,” Kirkman stated. “I even heard President Barack Obama might call a press conference to discuss the contents of this very special issue, because there may be something of national interest in there. Also, every newspaper ever could possibly make it a front page story. Who knows?! All I can say for sure is every single human being on the planet, regardless of whether they read comics or even know what they are, will definitely be extremely interested in this issue, maybe even enough to buy a copy!

Consider me sold! However it doesn’t stop there as Invincible #63 promises to be much more than just a comic.

Hit the Jump for more! (more…)

Wow.

I am officially smitten with Fortunate Sky’s Etsy shop. Along with selling other steampunk themed jewelry, like this cool looking crescent moon here, this Atlanta resident specializes in these gorgeous pocket watch necklaces.

Perhaps what’s most surprising about these pieces, is how affordable they are. At first glance, these necklaces look like they could cost some serious coin. However Fortunate Sky (I’ve emailed her to get her actual name), sells these pieces for under $100.

Have a look and see for yourself!

Pocket Watch Necklaces via Super Punch

Next week is a rocking week for DIY geeks in Philadelphia. There’s not one, but TWO different 3D printing workshops happening right here in Philly. These machines are the little brothers of professional 3d printers, and using one you can print out, as 3d objects, pretty much anything you dream of. If you want a little 3D copy of your own WOW character on your desk, or a Stormtrooper helmet to keep pencils in (or anything) stop on by one of these workshops, and make something!

Fab@Home 3D printing workshops

Fab@Home creator, Evan Malone will give a workshop on 3D Printing and 3D Modeling for the Fab@Home Fabber. Attendees will be able to work hands-on with the Fab@Home machine. The workshop is Wednesday, June 17 from 6 to 8PM at Klein Art Gallery (3600 Marrket St. Philadelphia, PA). Please RSVP to the Klein Art Gallery (via facebook) as space is limited.

MakerBot 3D printing workshops

The MakerBot workshop is happening at Hive 76 and is starring MakerBot founder Zack Hoeken. The class is Saturday June 20th, from 1PM to 5PM at Hive 76 ( 915 Spring Garden, Suite 500, Philadelphia PA). You just need to show up on time, and with a laptop, and we do the rest. We’ll teach you everything you need to do a first design, and a first printing using the MakerBot. Tickets for the 4 hours class are $25 (or $5 for students).

The dudes at Brave New Worlds… well, they just know what’s up. They throw awesome events and manage to involve some of the city’s most talented folks each and every time. Back in April, we saw Joker’s Wild, a stunning gallery chock full of Jokery goodness. This time around, we’re getting an 80′s nostalgia gallery, from the very same illustrators, the Autumn Society of Philadelphia.

Like their email blast says, BNW and the Autumn Society are doing a great job of “teaming up in order to bring great geek art to the masses.” The art will be on display all month, pending I don’t buy it all.

So yeah, head on down to the city’s best comic shop on First Friday, June 5th, to catch the show in the BNW’s Old City Lobby. I’ll see you there. Oh, and keep your eyes open. Word on the street is you might see some proton pack wearing busters of ghosts. If you can’t figure that one out, you’re no longer invited.

Brave New Worlds
45 N. 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA
(215) 925-6525

8static June is this Saturday, at the usual place. This month Tonylight is in from Italy, and he’ll be wrapping up the night with his unique style (warning: link contains hipsters and geeks dancing). Of course, before you get that far, you’ll have heard A_Rival from LA, Chromix out of NYC, and our own Cheap Dinosaurs. And maybe (just maybe) you might find yourself dancing.

If just watching isn’t enough for you, show up at 7:00 for a free workshop on glitchNES (open source circuit bending software) with it’s creator, NO CARRIER (Don Miller) . The software causes NES graphical glitches similar to hardware circuit-bending. It can be abused to create really stunning patterns and effects.

Another First Friday, another new gallery showing at Brave New Worlds. This month, pop culture of the 80′s. Everything ranging from Thundercats and Transformers, to Back to the Future and Ghostbusters. The 80′s to put it bluntly, were awesome!  That is why the 80′s is this month’s theme for the Autumn Society of Illustrators. Some of the pieces that I have seen are incredible and I can’t wait to see all of them this Friday. Hopefully you guys can make it down to Old City and check out these drawings in person.  After the jump are a few illustrations from Tom Whalen, Pat Kinsella, and Minder Singh. The promotional art above was done by Chogrin.  So come on down to Brave New Worlds this friday at 6pm to check out this cool exhibit!

Brave New Worlds 45 N 2nd St.

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