Geeks Gone Pro » Geek Fun

Geek Fun: Lego Time!

geekcoach — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:05:12 +0000

My family and I are big fans of Legos. I even did a Lego post in which the savvy geek defeated the evil political co-worker! Remember savvy geek with the sword of knowledge?

For some more geeky Lego fun, check out this story at PC World of “Our Favorite Geeky Lego Creations“.

Fun stuff!

Geek Fun: Geeks propose marriage with style

geekcoach — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 10:00:18 +0000

It should warm the heart of any geek to check out the Geek Marriage proposals over at Mashable.com. Not surprisingly, they tend to involve a lot of computer hacking and technology. My favorite is #10 the LOL Cats proposal.

For a laugh, check it out:

http://mashable.com/2010/07/03/geekiest-marriage-proposals/

Geek Fun: Geeks versus Unicorns

geekcoach — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 10:00:12 +0000

OK, contrary to the title ot this post, it is not actually a smackdown of geeks versus unicorns. This post is actually about geeks versus lawyers FIGHTING ABOUT unicorns. Yes, as preposterous as it sounds, this is about geeks and unicorns and lawyers. Sounds like the start to a bad joke…

It started as a joke – specifically as an April Fools Day prank. But leave it to lawyers to squash the fun.

There is trouble brewing between the geeks at ThinkGeek.com and some legal eagles. ThinkGeek is a great site full of off-beat products targeted at, you guessed it, geeks. I’ve written about them on this blog, and I spend lotsa money with them.

On April Fools Day, ThinkGeek advertised a new product – unicorn meat. This meat promised to be “an excellent source of sparkles”. Supposedly dying unicorns were tended to in a hospice run by nuns and fed on candy corn and massaged with Guinness. After death, they were turned into this delightful, spam-like product.

But here’s where the trouble starts. ThinkGeek also labeled this product as “The New White Meat”. Call out the lawyers! Sure enough, the National Pork Board sent an official trademark violation and cease and desist letter to ThinkGeek.

Whew! Thank goodness that those lawyers earned a lot of money to save us from trademark infringments and unicorn meat!

Check out the original unicorn meat ad and a copy of the legal cease and desist letter here.

On a side note, this story gave me an extra chuckle. I happen to run another site focused on kid literature called unicornstuff.com (currently under revision). This very rare, might I say magical, intersection of geek news and unicorn news allows me to re-use a post. Woo Hoo! That is as rare as a lawyer with a sense of humor.

Geek Fun: 50 Worst Inventions

geekcoach — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:00:49 +0000

For a laugh, check out this article at Time Magazine. It is “The 50 Worst Inventions“. The inventions range from some like the Segway that were supposed to change the world (but didn’t) to Clippy the most annoying Microsoft helper in the world. Some are serious like subprime mortgages and agent orange.

Check it out and decide which is your favorite!

Geek Fun: “Keep your Geek On” T-Shirts

geekcoach — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:00:00 +0000

Over at Wired, the GeekDad folks have a great post on Star Wars themed t-shirts. That is a tuxedo that any geek can get behind!

Check it out at : http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/05/wearing-this-bow-tie-isnt-so-bad/

Have a happy and safe holiday weekend!

Geek Fun: Etsy Geekery

geekcoach — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:00:39 +0000

If you are looking for unique gifts or art or household items, there is a great site called Etsy.com. Etsy is a marketplace site for artists of all types. They have everything from knitting to wood working to candles.

I was especially interested to notice that they have an entire section called the Etsy Geekery. I love it! The influence of Geeks strikes again!

Fun geekery products include things like a clock made of a computer hard drive and a solar powered bug bot.

Check it out to find some fun stuff!

Geek Fun: Superheros & Statistics

geekcoach — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 10:00:59 +0000

Wired Magazine has an amusing article about Geek superheros. For a laugh, check it out.

The same issue of the magazine has an insightful article about statistics. The article is called, Clive Thompson on Why We Should Learn the Language of Data. It does a nice job of explaining how people need to understand data and statistics in order to understand claims about topics like global warming and the economic recovery.

The article reinforces a truth I learned in graduate school – statistics and data can be manipulated to prove almost any point desired. To have truth in data and science, it is important to choose valid and reliable measures, justify the ones being used and interpret them objectively. If a statistical study does not explain the source of the data and any assumptions made about the data, you should interpret the results with suspicion. Manipulated data should not outweigh other evidence and common sense.

Geek Fun: Video Games Gone Wild

geekcoach — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 10:00:39 +0000

A geek friend sent me a link to a unreally funny short (2.5 minutes) movie. It is called Pixels and is by Patrick Jean at One More Production. It is hosted on Vimeo.com.

If you grew up playing Atari video games like Pac Man and Space Invaders – you’ll get a kick out of this movie! As a former Tetris addict, the Tetris building sequence was my favorite. I laughed out loud!

Funny stuff – check it out at: http://vimeo.com/10829255

Geek Fun: No Whining with an iKid

geekcoach — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:11:14 +0000

On the lighter side, consider a recent post from GeekDad about a new iPhone application. You can create a kid and nurture him or her – and it is all virtual. Just shut down the app when the whining get out of control. Just think – no work-life balance conflicts. You can care for the kid when your Outlook schedule allows for it. I’m not ready to trade in my 3-D kids yet, but you gotta admit, the iKid has its advantages.

Friday Fun: Muppet Madness Tournament

geekcoach — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 10:00:03 +0000

Calling all geeks! For those not interested in March Madness basketball there is a site offering Muppet Madness.

It is a knock down, drag out fight between the Muppet Show characters and Sesame Street muppets. The second bracket is between The Rock and other muppets.

I don’t know much about the Fraggle Rock team or the “others”. But the Muppet Show versus Sesame Street showdown is intense. Cast your vote to see if the Grouch beats Big Bird or if Ernie and Bert can take down The Count. We’ll report back with the Final Four.