Yes, you read that title correctly. While it may not be the hoverboard we were all wishing for when we first saw Back to the Future 2, this is about as close as we have come yet. Jeez, I didn’t even know this thing existed and people are already breaking records on the thing?
Man, I gotta get me a hoverboard, stat.
(Story via LaughingSquid)
Tags: back to the future 2, Guinness book, hoverboard, hydro, Science, world records
[Source: Text from Superheroes]
The Kitchen Overlord herself, Chris-Rachael Oseland, is a huge geek.
HUGE.
She’s published cookbooks centered around The Lord of the Rings, “Settlers of Catan,” Steampunk, and her Dining with the Doctor sold over 20,000 copies in less than two years.
But as she puts it: It wasn’t the cookbook she wanted to make, so she’s turned to Kickstarter to help her raise the (bare minimum of) $9,000 she needs in order to publish a second revised and expanded edition.
Dining with the Doctor: Regenerated will contain 60 recipes from the original book, along with over 60 NEW recipes. There will also be a chapter for cocktails and a chapter for fish fingers and custard. There will also be an index that will be broken down by dietary restrictions and food allergies.
And if she meets certain stretch goals, she will also be able to include recipes for the 8th Doctor, the War Doctor, and a whole chapter on Dalek-themed souffles!
[via Geek Girls]
David Hasselhoff’s K.I.T.T. (Knight Industries Two Thousand) will be auctioned off on May 30th, 2015 by Christies as part of the Gumball 3000 motor rally. The car is a modified black 1982 Pontiac Trans Am, but unfortunately, it’s no Google car and won’t start talking to you if you ever shell out the six figure number it’s expected to go for.
The Gumball 3000 motor rally has reached legendary status in popular culture. Each year, international rally participants converge on the starting line to embark upon a 3,000-mile journey that spans two continents and seven cities.
[Via Neatorama]
Literally dozens of media outlets and writers have penned amazing and humorous and insightful articles on “the feminism of Mad Max: Fury Road.”
Never failing in its duty and pop culture relevance, tumblr has also done its part, becoming home to ‘Feminist Mad Max‘ memes, a playful, yet still serious, send-up of those “Hey Girl” memes featuring Ry-Gos.
I seriously can’t get enough of these.
[via tumblr]
So I get an email last week from a guy named Martin Raynsford. Seems he saw my post about the flamethrower guy from Fury Road. That very post ended with me saying: someone please make an action figure of this, stat! While Martin may not have had the means to do that, he came pretty damn close by building a Lego version of the flamethrower wielding Doof character from Mad Max: Fury Road, and he did it all USING Lego blocks. He hits me up and shows me his work, wondering what I think. What do I think? I think this belongs on GeeksAreSexy, my friend. It is a fantastic Lego representation of one of the coolest characters I have ever seen on-screen.
I mean, come on. Who doesn’t want this on their coffee table, just waiting to pump up other Lego toys as it calls them into battle?
Note all the perfect little details. This was not built from some Mad Max themed set. This was created by Martin from pre-existing Lego, which makes it even more impressive. Peep his site and check out the process (and some more awesome photos) here. Dude is clearly not lacking in talent or ambition, and obviously knows an iconic character the minute he seems them.
Oh, and keep in mind, he didn’t just stop at The Doof. You need to see his whole layout.
Hell, he even has these guys:
That, my friends, is the Lego win of the week (and the best Fury Road fan art we have seen so far!)
[Via Blogspot]
Tags: Doof, flamethrower guy, killer legos, Lego, Legos, mad max, mad max fury road, martin raynsford, toys
A solar-powered plane travelling round the world is about to take on its most challenging leg: the Pacific Ocean.
Solar Impulse 2 has so far made it from Abu Dhabi in the Middle East to Nanjing in Eastern China over six legs, all without using fossil-derived fuels. But its next leg, from Nanjing to Hawaii, will take at least five days without landing; the longest leg to date was just 20 hours.
As we covered earlier this year, the plane has a 72-meter wingspan — making it wider than a 747 — housing 17,000 solar cells. These power four electric propellers as well as charging four batteries for nighttime use.
On paper there’s no reason why the plane can’t make the next leg as in theory it could run virtually continuously at this time of year, given the sunlight hours. In practice, both the weather and human frailty could pose challenges.
Excessive cloud could mean the plane doesn’t pick up enough charge during the day to power it throughout the night. Mission staff believe the plane needs to be at around 93 percent charge at the start of the night to be certain of getting through to daylight again. The big problem there is that for a five day journey, there’s only so much reliance you can place in even expert meteorological forecasts.
The other possible challenge is that the pilot for this leg, Andre Borschberg, will need to be strapped to his seat for the entire five days. He plans to only ever sleep for 20 minutes at a time, during which vibrating armbands will wake him if the plane heads off course and requires immediate attention.
If the plane runs into difficulties anywhere other than the start or end of the route, the plan is for Borschberg to jump out with a dinghy, leaving the plane to ditch unmanned. The BBC explains that attempting to control the plane’s descent into the water would be too risky because of the possibility of electrocution.
Assuming Solar Impulse 2 makes it to Hawaii, fellow pilot Bertrand Piccard will take over for a four-day leg to Phoenix. After two shorter hops in the US, the challenge is set to conclude with two more five-day legs running from New York to Abu Dhabi with a break somewhere in Europe or North Africa, though the precise itinerary has yet to be set.
And that’s exactly the same situation as when people ask IT guys to fix their television or repair a defective photocopier.
[Source: The Odd 1’s Out Comics! | Follow “The Odd 1’s Out” on Twitter]
I am literally seething with rage right now. Nerd rage, too, which all you Hulk fans know is the most dangerous kind of rage to have. So why am I filling with boiling, lava-like rage right now? Because I cannot make it out to SDCC (San Diego Comic Con) and I just found out what the exclusive action figures will be at that event.
Amy Poehler and Tiny Fey Weekend Update collectibles. Can you even process how awesome that is right now? For someone like me who writes for a living, having those two brilliant women sitting on my desk spiritually pushing me to make more engaging content would surely up my game by a noticeable amount. Here are the specs for the rest of you:
Why just listen to the news when you get to play with it? That’s what Bif Bang Pow! had in mind when they created the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Amy Poehler / Tina Fey 3 3/4-Inch Action Figures Set of 2. Showcasing the detailed likenesses of both Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, this 3 3/4-inch set of figures showcases the leading ladies of laughter in their professional news anchor attire. The two SNL alumni come ready to deliver the news with the included fold-out diorama of the iconic “Weekend Update” news desk. This Entertainment Earth Convention Exclusive is limited to just 2,400 pieces.
Alas, my fate is writing about them. But you, you still have a chance….
[Image, story from ToplessRobot]
Tags: action figures, collectibles, comic con, I WANT!, rare, sdcc, SDCC exclusive, toys, weekend update toys
Admit it: If you grew up in the ’90s/’00s, you know that Hot Topic was basically the only place you could buy geek, sci-fi, and video game-themed apparel and accessories (& of course, “goth” stuff).
And lately, the store has struck deals with such influential and geek chic businesses like Her Universe and has even launched an Orphan Black clothing line, appearing to adapt to its aging clientele…or appeal to a new generation in an attempt to capitalize on the current and literal “geeks are sexy” niche.
That being said, I have no idea whether or not the announcement that Hot Topic will be purchasing ThinkGeek is good news, as obviously, it’s WAY too early to tell. Hopefully, the acquisition will be like Disney buying Marvel and Lucasfilm — one company may own, fund, and profit from them, but they operate as ‘separate’ entities & are allowed creative freedom.
[via The Mary Sue]