by Bob Suicide

Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Gadgets For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life.

1. The Star Wars Wampa Rug ($99.99) or Taun Taun Sleeping Bag ($99.99)

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside a TaunTaun it’s SO delightful. Cozy up and get your geek on with some of the greatest plush reproductions from the best movie in the series.

2. Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter ($19.99)

Take your cooking where it’s never been before. It’s a great stocking stuffer. And, made with the same level of quality that Starfleet expects from all of its ships.

3. Lego Death Star Tree Ornament (Approx $18-28.00)

Order the parts from Lego and let the force be with you as you build a superweapon capable of destroying all other Xmas ornament competition.

4. Uncharted 3 CE for PlayStation 3 ($74.99)

You can never go wrong with a quality collector’s edition and the Uncharted 3 CE was one of the best of the season. It’s like 4 gifts in one!

5. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for Xbox 360 ($49.99)

And, speaking of video games, your loveable nerd’s holiday isn’t complete without Spike’s Game of the Year: Skyrim. You may never see them again after the holiday. But, you’ll know they’re happy wherever they are — battling dragons. EFFING DRAGONS!!!

6. Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 ($264.95)

What programmer doesn’t want a robot butler? Or a robot alligator to guard the house? Give your geek a Mindstorm and they’ll build you something better, faster, stronger – but beware, this is how Skynet starts. Hey, it may be the end of the world, but it’s the thought that counts!

7. Portal 2: Light Up PotatOS ($29.99)

Remember when you were a kid and you did the potato-as-a-conductor-for-light experiment. Well, now, kids (big and small) can not only make a potato give light, you can make it insult you too — just what you’ve always wanted!

8. Munchkin Quest the Board Game. ($37.11)

Remember when you used to play D&D with your friends for hours, I mean days, on end? Well, add witty cards (and sometimes lots of Cuthulu), grab some friends, and relive the magic! And, while your at it, get the iPhone/Android app for extra perks!!!

9. 8-bit Glasses ($390.00)

They’re super-pricey and hipsters might adopt them ironically, but the geek with cash and class can admire the retro- grooviness of these 8 bit specs.

10. Star Wars Motorcycle Suits ($1,150.00)

I don’t really have to sell you on this one. The Dark Side sells itself. 😛

[..]

by A.J. Focht

The first official teaser posters for The Dark Knight Rises have been released. The posters feature Batman’s shattered helmet and Bane walking away. This would be a good time to remember that Bane is known as ‘the man who broke the bat,’ however, Bane supposedly isn’t the only villain at play in the film…

The first teaser poster for The Amazing Spider-Man has also been released. The film will be released on July 3, 2012, and the poster more than hints that it will tell ‘the untold story.’ With Gwen Stacy cast in the film, I really hope that this film sets up for the famous “Death of the Stacy’s” storyline.

Upping the movie posters ante, the producers of Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance released several posters to promote their film which will hit screens in February 2012. Designs vary from the artistic to the simplistic, with one notable one being based on the classic cult movie poster.

At the rate Hollywood is producing superhero movies, it’s very likely there could be a Black Widow movie on the way. Especially in light of the fact that Scarlett Johansson has come out saying she would be interested in signing on for a movie primarily featuring the heroine. There is nothing in the works at the moment, but Johansson has made it clear she’s up for a return to the roll.

“I love playing the Widow. I think she’s got a very interesting past, a lot of storylines to explore, and certainly Kevin [Feige, Marvel Studios’ president] loves that character … I think that Marvel has a very personal relationship with their fans, and I think if the fans want it, and the audience wants it, nothing’s impossible. I would love to explore that option as well. Like I said, I love the character and it would be nice to see something nice and gritty.”

Plans to move forward with Thor 2 are progressing swiftly. The Hollywood Reporter has released the names of two potential directors looking to fill the void left by Patty Jenkins. Alan Taylor and Daniel Minahan are both being considered for the position. Marvel has also shortened the list of potential script writers; the new list includes Robert Rodat and Roger Avary.

If you thought the Transformers series was over, you thought wrong. For better or worse, Michael Bay is back at it and in final negotiations to direct a fourth film in the series. Bay has been assembling a cast for the project and it looks like formal details will be announced shortly.

Following the Men in Black 3 teaser poster which was released last week, a trailer has also hit the YouTubes. Seems, in order to fight the alien menace this time, Agent J is going to have to go to back to the past and enlist K’s help.

Despite all of the talk about Khan appearing in Star Trek 2, Simon Pegg has gone on record as saying he has heard no talk of Khan in the film. As far as Scotty is concerned, there is no Khan in the movie, and he even thinks it might be a little tacky for them to do Khan as he has been done in previous films.

Spike TV held the 2011 Video Game Awards (VGA) this last week. Amongst a flurry of trailers for upcoming games and comic award presenters, twenty-five awards were given for to the best games of 2011. Batman: Arkham City took four of the awards including Best Xbox 360 Game and Character of the Year for the Joker. The big winner of Game of the Year was The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Their studio, Bethesda Games, also took Studio of the Year. Blizzard also used the VGAs to premiere the opening cinematic for the much anticipated Diablo 3.

Finally, George Takei, better known as Sulu, has a message for everyone re. the current Star Trek vs. Star Wars war. To recap, the recent battle was started by William Shatner, who proclaimed that Star Trek was superior to Star Wars in a video that did the rounds on YouTube. Carry Fisher then posted a few rebuttals in response. Now Takei is calling for an alliance. Instead of focusing our frustrations at our other ‘star-brothers,’ he asks that we work together to defeat the evil that is Twilight.

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World…

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)

[..]

by A.J. Focht

The first official character bios for the Avengers movie have been released. No big surprises here, just most of what is already known about the movie’s all-star superhero cast. Regardless, it’s a great way to familiarize yourself with any characters you might not be completely sure about, like Hawkeye.

Continuing the trend of rebooting superhero movies, David Slade has given an update on his upcoming Daredevil flick. Slade announced that Brad Caleb Kane has finished the first draft of the script and that more news would come in the new year. The original Daredevil film was better than some superhero movies, but it was by no means up to standards that superhero movies try to uphold these days. Hopefully the reboot will fix that.

While DC comics are still successfully pushing their New 52, Marvel has plans to move forward with another one of their giant world events. Raising the stakes — which is difficult since comic book events normally are quite apocalyptic — Marvel is waging an all-out war between the Avengers and the X-Men. After Phoenix Force return to Earth to seek a new host, Hope Summer (Cyclops and Jean Grey’s daughter), the Avengers want to quarantine her, and the X-Men refuse to let them without a fight – gripping stuff!

While there is no word on the upcoming Metropolis project, it looks like there will be more Smallville, kind of. Bryan Q Miller is writing a new novel that tells the story of what happens to the cast afterwards. While there is no official word on this, it seems an awful lot like this novel could be the means of transitioning into the upcoming Metropolis project.

Lots of news coming from the starship Enterprise. First off, rumors of Benicio Del Toro playing Khan have been put to rest. But in light of this news, it’s been revealed that Peter Weller (RoboCop) has officially joined the cast of Star Trek 2. His role is currently unknown, but this sci-fi legend is a welcome addition to the cast. That’s not it either. Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League & Entourage) has also joined the cast, and will play a new character in the canon. Despite all the news about Star Trek 2, producers are apparently going to great lengths to keep details of the production secret, with prominent cast members such as Chekov and Sulu, being denied access to the script.

On to the Ender’s Game movie. Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) is in negotiations for the female lead. This is the second major cast announcement in as many weeks. It’s fair to assume there will be plenty more where those came from as Ender’s Game is set to release on March 15, 2013.

Iron Man screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby have completed the script for the next Tomb Raider film. The original portrayal of Lara Croft by Angelina Jolie is being tossed aside. “For me it’s re-inventing the wheel a bit, it’s a reboot. We’re going back before she was Lara Croft,” said producer Graham King, talking to Digital Spy about the nature of the origins-style screenplay.

Anyone else getting sick of the reboots yet? ‘Cause another prominent sci-fi classic, Starship Troopers is also getting a reboot – just 15 years out from the original!

The iconic Jaws ride at Universal Studios is being removed and replaced with the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. The attraction will be build along the same lines as the original in Orlando, which has proved to be so successful that Universal Studios and Warner Bros. have decided that it will be augmented with a large expansion.

Finally, 2012 looks like it’ll be a big year for Joss Whedon. With the release of the Avengers already on the books, Whedon recently revealed he has completed another project, Much Ado About Nothing. Now there’s a third movie in the lineup. A poster for a Whedon project called Cabin in the Woods has just surfaced, and was followed up by the release of an official trailer. The film is looking like it could be a fantastic sci-fi/horror movie, and will premiere on April 13, 2012.

by ExAddict

Listening to: “Cinema” w/ Benny Benassi [Maurizio Gubellini Remix] [feat. Gary Go] (Available on iTunes)
Dispatch Location: @OrangeYYZ, ING Direct Cafe, Toronto

Hipster (from Hipster.com) is an application not unlike Instagram which applies filter effects, lighting screens, text, GPS integration and borders to all your iPhone or iPad photos and makes them available in your custom photo stream on Hipster.com and is instantly exportable among other social media platforms including Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, Facebook, and Foursquare.

The unique thing about this “program” (although I recognize we are diverging from the use of that term) is that the app presents photos as postcards. I like the general look of this as it is presented in my photo roll on the Hipster.com website. I prefer this Hunter S. Thompson-inspired layout rather than the boxy square-tab presentation offered by Instagram. The postcards are better suited for writers or journalists augmenting their tweet-style with “notes from the front” as the GPS functionality looks tight as hell if you are broadcasting reality or your pseudo-reality.

While Instagram weighs in with a mighty 1783 ratings versus just 10 for Hipster, I prefer the latter for ease of use. User settings and menu options are easier to manage in Hipster compared with Instagram, and I also enjoy that my tweetstream is updated with references to #Hipster, which makes me feel, well, like a #Hipster. Plus, it’s one of those apps that instantly logs on with your Facebook ID meaning no extra password nonsense.

There are 14 sweet postcard filters to start with and the developer emailed me this week to tell me that a new batch of postcards would be available soon, including Christmas-themed styles. There is a certain adventurous fun to being the first in your area to populate the Hipster website with your own local postcards. I hope you can appreciate this app. It’s super fun for writers and us citizen journalists!

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World…

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading after the jump…)

[..]

by Damon Martin

2011 was 12-months of non-stop action in the comic book industry. More and more movies are being adapted from comics, while genre TV shows are seeing their ratings go through the roof. For example a whopping 6.6 million viewers tuned in for the mid-season finale of the AMC adapted series The Walking Dead.

DC launched the New 52, which essentially scrapped every single comic they had going and restarted all the titles back at issue one with new storylines and new origins. Marvel killed a Spider-Man (although it was in their alternate ‘Ultimate’ universe) and re-launched popular characters like Daredevil, while still trying to build back The Avengers.

Though it was a long and crazy year for comic books, these are the titles, artists, and writers that I felt stood head and shoulders above the crowd.

Best New Series: The DC 52

I know, I know, it seems like a cop out to choose 52 comics as the best new comic of 2011, but what DC did by rebooting their entire catalog of comics was a brave and dangerous move. They risked alienating long time readers with their attempt to lure new fans. But judging by the millions of issues sold in just the first few months, the brain trust at DC are currently look like geniuses.

Headed up by the marquee series Justice League, written by DC wunderkind Geoff Johns and art legend Jim Lee, the DC 52 series has content that appeals to the everyday fan, as well as edgier, darker material for those looking for a little bit more blood between the pages.

The stand-outs for the new 52 include Gail Simone’s take on Batgirl, which has been a fantastic read thus far, as well as Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man, which has become one of the best ongoing series in the DC universe. In addition to the successful re-booting of the Green Lantern, with the evil Sinestro wearing the green ring of will once again and Hal Jordan trying to earn his way back into the corp, Geoff Johns has managed to make Aquaman a character people can follow again.

Overall the DC 52 has been a great success for the comic giant, and they deserve this award for having the guts to risk it all. Fortunately, the gamble paid off, and they came up big winners.

Honorable Mentions: Green Wake, Ultimate Spider-Man

Best Writer: Joe Hill

A few years ago Joe Hill may have been best known as the son of legendary horror author Stephen King. Fast forward to 2011, and though he may have got off to a faster start by standing on the shoulders of a giant, with his work on Locke & Key, Hill’s now setting the standard for writing in comics entirely on his own merit.

A labyrinth of characters are interwoven into this book about a family that moves into a house with an elaborate set of doors and keys that open into different worlds, while an evil spirit continues to haunt them.

The biggest crime perpetrated against Hill may be that Fox bought the rights to Locke & Key as a new ongoing series. After a pilot was made, Fox decided to scrap the project in favor of other shows. I had the pleasure of watching the pilot at San Diego Comic Con 2011, and I can say with certainty that Fox made a huge mistake not picking this up. Hill has continued to make Locke & Key one of the most enjoyable series on the market today – his storytelling is nothing short of brilliant.

Honorable Mentions: Nick Spencer, Robert Kirkman, Jason Aaron, Mark Waid

Best Artist: J.H. Williams III

For the second year in a row no less! J.H. Williams III really has set the bar for comic book art in recent times. His stunning art is beautiful on page after page of DC’s reboot of Batwoman, and his work continues to excel in every issue. He pushes the envelope in everything he does – so much so that comic book artists all over the world are paying attention to what he is doing. Williams captures the spirit of his characters with every picture and frame within a book, and truly knows how to showcase emotion so no explanatory words are necessary. It might be hard to move on from Williams in 2012 if his work continues along this same stellar path.

Honorable Mentions: Francis Manapul, Gabriel Rodriguez, Jim Lee, Joe Eisma

Best Ongoing Series: Morning Glories

The knockout winner for the 2012 Book Of The Year goes to Nick Spencer and Joe Eisma’s creation Morning Glories, which was an honorable mention for best new series in 2011. It’s been hailed as the Lost of comic books – there’s a whirlwind in every issue leaving you absolutely begging for more. It’s a series that has an ending in sight as Spencer has said the run will go around 100 issues, putting it in line with another classic book, Y the Last Man.

Most believe Morning Glories will be headed to television within the next couple of years, and there’s no doubt why. Spencer’s story about a group of special teenagers sent to a prestigious high school where the teachers are actually abusive overlords, hiding a deep secret within the walls, is captivating, mind-boggling, and awe inspiring.

From one issue to the next, Spencer leaves your eyes widened and your jaw dropped, and when accompanied by Joe Eisma’s perfectly placed art, Morning Glories is a tour de force that quickly draws you in and never slows down.

When my comic pull is given to me at my local store, nothing hits my eyes faster when I get home than Morning Glories. It’s the first ongoing series that has captivated me this way since Robert Kirkman began writing The Walking Dead several years ago. If you pick up no other book in 2011, Morning Glories is the one to try out.

Honorable Mentions: The Walking Dead, Locke & Key, Uncanny X-Force.

So there you have it loyal readers, the best of the best in comic books for 2011. I expect 2012 to be even bigger because The Dark Knight Rises will hit movie theaters and I’m sure it will be a huge hit. A new Daredevil comic will hit stores in 2012 as well, with an all-star cast on board for the writing and art, including longtime scribe Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Mack. And with the digital age upon us, the comic book industry is entering a whole new world in 2012, and bigger things are sure to be on the horizon.