Category: Arts & Culture

ThinkGeek’s most dastardly device to date + $10 off

from ThinkGeek:

Attention geeks far and wide!

Did you know that tomorrow is Ada Lovelace Day? The only daughter of poet Lord Byron, Ms. Lovelace wrote the very first computer program, inspired by Charles Babbage’s analytical engine. Wherever you are tomorrow, show some love to the self-rescuing code princesses you know. Buy ’em some Fritos and raise a can of Mountain Dew in Ada’s honor.

Hooray for girl geeks!

Oh Noes. It’s the TV Poltergeist!!
TV Poltergeist Phantom Prank Device
Following in the footsteps of ThinkGeek’s other delightfully evil electronic prank devices… the TV Poltergeist will annoy the crap out of your friends and enemies by turning their TV set on and off at random intervals every 5-20 minutes, 24 hours a day, for weeks on end. Perfect for interrupting lame sporting events, obnoxious video games, moronic sitcoms, and poorly written movies! Simply hide the TV Poltergeist somewhere in the same room as a TV and turn it on. Keep a straight face & enjoy the chaos you have unleashed. 😀

Take $10 Off — Allow us to enable your evil plans
Since you’ll be picking up a TV Poltergeist to make with the spooking and the gnashing of teeth and the pulling of hair, we figured you might like a coupon code that will enable you to grab the other goodies you’ve been ogling. Once you’ve filled your cart with devious delights, use the code BOOTUBE to save $5 off $25+ or $10 off $40+ orders from now through 11:59 pm EDT on Friday, 3/26/10.

Find more What’s New items at ThinkGeek!

Split Reason: March 2010 Newsletter

from Split Reason:

Welcome to our monthly newsletter for March, 2010! We’ve recently upgraded our website to bring it from sometime in 2003 all the way up to 2010, and it’s about time! We’ve reduced shipping rates and also added a few bells and whistles along with a complete face-lift. For more information you can read this.

To keep the excitement moving we’re running a random draw to give-a-way some free SR apparel! Are you a Jedi, or a Sith? Tell us what you would do if you could harness the force and you might win some free gear!

Don’t forget about Win Wednesday, the competition is heating up and since you guys are so smart, the trivia question settings are going from beginner to HARDCORE! Follow us on Twitter for a chance to win! It’s a perfect opportunity to test your geek I.Q.

If you’re not a member of our Facebook page, you should be! We’ll be serving some refreshing promotions in the weeks to come and this is the best place to find them! Now on to our new products…

Save the Murlocs: Fun Facts Contest

from Save the Murlocs Foundation:

Thank You!!
First off, we want to thank everyone for the spreading the word about the plight of our majestic amphibious friends. They are still in terrible danger, but thanks to your efforts, a few young murlocs still have a place to call home.

Fun Facts Contest
As our way of showing our extreme gratitude, the Save the Murlocs Foundation have worked with J!NX and D.E.H.T.A. to bring you the FUN FACTS CONTEST! Just visit our Facebook discussion page and share your stories and anecdotes about murloc living, and you can win a $50 J!NX Gift Certificate!

Remember, you CAN make a difference!

The Greatest Deal in the Universe

from Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls:

Galaxy Girl Dolls now for 20 bucks less!!

FAO Schwarz has lowered their prices on merchandise including SERIES 1 MILKY WAY AND THE GALAXY GIRLS DOLLS!

Originally priced at $49.99, you can now get your MWGG favorite: Milky Way, Venus, Mars, Pluto, and Jupiter for only $29.99!!! Not only that, but to celebrate the Easter season, FAO is offering free shipping on purchases of $99 or more!

You can’t find a better deal than that anywhere in the entire Solar System. Try it. Go ahead. I dare you.

Quantities are limited, so order now before this deal vanishes into space.

Over and Out!

Mother Earth

Dark Horse Announces C2E2 Convention Exclusive! Collectors Rejoice Over All-New Domo Qee!

from Dark Horse Comics:

Dark Horse Deluxe, the product arm of Dark Horse Comics, has announced a special exclusive variant in their popular line of toys based on fashion and viral superstar Domo. The Domo Qee figure is unique to the Hong Kong–based toy company Toy2R and has been a massive hit since the line was launched in 2009.

The debut Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) will be held at McCormick Place, located at 2301 South Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Dates are April 16–18, 2010.

The convention exclusive features Domo covered with a Hawaiian-style print, setting it apart from previously released figures in the series. Only 1,200 of this special variant have been manufactured, and they will be made available to both casual fans and collectors at the Dark Horse Comics booth in the exhibit hall on a first-come, first-served basis.

“We made a Domo Qee exclusive for Comic-Con International in San Diego last summer,” Dark Horse’s vice president of product development, David Scroggy, recalled. “We were surprised to find it had sold out by the end of the first day of the show. We made even fewer of them this time around, and as this promises to be a very well-attended first-time event, we advise attendees to drop by early if they are interested in owning one.”

The release of the C2E2 variant closely follows the on-sale date of the second “mystery box” series of Domo Qee toys, which are scheduled for release on March 31, 2010. This “blind-box” assortment features figures individually packed at random. The only way to know which is inside is to purchase it! In the Domo blind-box assortment, figures are sold in counter displays of fifteen, and each display box of fifteen figures is packed into a master carton of four cases.

The special two-inch version of the lovable mascot turned iconic viral superstar from Japan’s NHK television network is growing in popularity in the United States. Dark Horse was an early licensee of Domo, under the auspices of licensing agency Big Tent Entertainment, and has already produced sold-out limited editions of Domo as various sizes and colors of flocked vinyl figures, stationery, journals, and sculpted magnets. Party lights, sticky note books, and other new Domo items are on tap for summer.

Starting from a very unusual place as an advertising icon, Domo’s unique look and personality have catapulted the character from four hundred television spots in Japan into one of the Internet’s biggest sensations, sparking worldwide recognition. As the poster child for personalized, user-generated content, Domo has been able to transition from popularity within Japan to a worldwide following, spawning countless fan-made images, websites, and videos, along with a first-ever licensed product line including plush, toys, fashion, and collectibles selling at major trend retailers nationwide.

Help Beatrix’s Esther raise money to educate and empower girls in Africa!

from Dante Beatrix:

Beatrix is proud to support Camfed International, an organization dedicated to educating girls in Africa and empowering them to become agents of change in their communities. Every dollar from the sale of our Esther the bunny t-shirts will go to support this important cause.

Get the NEW Giddy Up MIMOBOT + Infectious iPhone skin + FREE Shipping now!

from Mimoco:

Introducing GiddyUp, Grand Prize Winner of the Infectious x MIMOBOT Design Challenge, by Hila Rosenberg Arazi!

Special thanks to all the entrants for participating and to Infectious for hosting the Design Challenge!

Hila’s whimsical, dreamy illustration makes for a killer MIMOBOT and includes fun GiddyUp themed digital extras like wallpapers, icons, avatars, and a screensaver!

GiddyUp MIMOBOT
Order Now!

GiddyUp Infectious iPhone skin
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FREE Shipping on orders over $75*! Click here for more info.

Life and Death Continue to Hang in the Balance in the Comedy and Action Manga Series “Rosario + Vampire: Season II”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, lets fans quench their desire for stories of the undead with the premiere of the sequel to Akihisa Ikeda’s smash hit manga series Rosario + Vampire. Rosario + Vampire: Season II will be published under the Shonen Jump Advanced imprint and hits stores nationwide on April 6th with a “T+” for Older Teens rating and a MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

In this action filled series, average teenager Tsukune accidentally enrolled at a boarding school for monsters — no, not jocks or the popular kids, but bona fide werewolves, witches and other unnamable denizens from his wildest nightmares! On the plus side, all of the girls have a major crush on him. But on the negative side, all the boys are so jealous they want to kill him! And so do the girls he spurns, because he only has eyes for one of them — the far-from-average vampire, Moka. Still, on the plus side, Moka only has glowing red eyes for Tsukune. But on the O-negative side, she also has a burning, unquenchable thirst for his blood!

“They’re sexy, they’re undead and unlike any student body you’ll find!” says Elizabeth Kawasaki, VIZ Media Senior Editorial Director. “The popularity of the vampire genre has exploded in the wake of films like Twilight and TV shows like True Blood and The Vampire Diaries, but it’s also long been a favorite subject for manga. Rosario + Vampire: Season II continues to find Tsukune’s life at Yokai Academy anything but normal. Readers will want to hold on tight to the page, and their souls, with this exciting new action comedy release from VIZ Media and Shonen Jump Advanced!”

Creator Akihisa Ikeda debuted in 2002 with the four-volume magical warrior fantasy series Kiruto, which was serialized in Japan in Monthly Shonen Jump magazine, which later went on to feature Rosario + Vampire beginning in March 2004. Rosario + Vampire also spawned an animated series and a drama CD, produced by studio Gonzo.

For more information on this title, or others from VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.

VIZ Media Announces the Exciting Finale to “Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka” Manga Series

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media will be releasing the much anticipated final volume, Volume 8, of Naoki Urasawa’s manga masterpiece Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka on April 6th.

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka is a modern reinterpretation of the work by the master of manga, Osamu Tezuka. In an ideal world where man and robots coexist, someone or something is after the seven great robots of the world. Interpol assigns robot detective Gesicht to this most strange and complex case — and he eventually discovers that he is one of the targets!

In the final volume Atom is back, and the fate of the earth is in his hands! Now that Atom has all the answers to the unsolved mysteries around Pluto, Bora and more, he’s prepared to put everything on the line. With the memory of his fallen brethren — Gesicht, Mont Blanc, North No. 2, Brando, Hercules and Epsilon — etched deeply into his heart, Atom is headed for one last battle to save the world!

Naoki Urasawa’s career as a manga artist spans more than twenty years and has firmly established him as one of the true manga masters of Japan. Born in Tokyo in 1960, Urasawa debuted with Beta!! in 1983 and hasn’t stopped his impressive output since. Well-versed in a variety of genres, Urasawa’s oeuvre encompasses a multitude of different subjects, such as a romantic comedy (Yawara! A Fashionable Judo Girl), a suspenseful human drama about a former mercenary (Pineapple ARMY; story by Kazuya Kudo), a captivating psychological suspense story (Monster), a sci-fi adventure manga (20th Century Boys) and a modern reinterpretation of the work of Osamu Tezuka (Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka; co-authored with Takashi Nagasaki, supervised by Macoto Tezka, and with the cooperation of Tezuka Productions). Many of his books have spawned popular animated and live-action TV programs and films, and 2008 saw the theatrical release of the first of three live-action Japanese films based on 20th Century Boys.

No stranger to accolades and awards, Urasawa is a three-time recipient of the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award, a two-time recipient of the Osamu Tezuka Cultural Prize, and has received the Kodansha Manga Award. Similarly, Monster has been nominated three times for the Eisner Award in America. Urasawa has also become involved in the world of academia. In 2008 he accepted a guest teaching post at Nagoya Zokei University, where he teaches courses in, of course, manga.

Pluto: Urasawa x Tezuka is rated “T+” for Older Teens and has a MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 Canada. For more information on this and other titles from VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.

Weta News: Avatar podcast and a new Sword!

from Weta:

Exciting times! As many of you know, we are just about to take delivery into our warehouses of the first of our Miniature shields, the Numenorean. They look fantastic and we’re about to start processing pre-orders. This is something we’re really looking forward to, as it’s the first tangible evidence that we have truly returned to Middle-earth and our “collectible roots”.

SPECIAL OFFER! Buy two Dr. Grordbort’s Books and get a Miniature Raygun for US$10!
For a week, we have put together a special package for those who want to acquaint themselves with the wonderful world of Dr. Grordbort’s. When you buy Greg Broadmore’s two beautiful and hysterically funny Dr. Grordbort’s Contrapulatronic Dingus Directory and VICTORY, you get your first collectible Miniature Raygun, the Mini Victorious Mongoose, for US$10 (usually US$49)! And not only that — we throw in four postcards, one of which will be signed by Greg Broadmore. Start your Raygun collection here!

Listen to the Weta Cast Episode XV — Avatar Special
Listen to Richard Taylor and some of the designers and workshop crew talk about Avatar. Also an excerpt from an interview on Fictional Frontiers and LOTS of news! All you need to listen is a pair of headphones or speakers! Listen to it here!

Strider’s Sword now available for order
The second sword in the Master Swordsmith’s Collection of swords from The Lord of the Rings is now open for orders in our shop. It follows Anduril, which sold out in the first week. Three edition numbers are available for new collectors — first come, first served!

Neil Gaiman visits the Weta Cave
Neil Gaiman, the science fiction and fantasy author of short stories, novels, graphic novels and comics came to see us at the Weta Cave last week! It turns out Neil is also a huge Doctor Who fan.

Follow Weta Online! Twitter | Facebook

VIZ Media Launches VIZ Anime, a New Official Web Destination for Some of the Hottest Anime Content

from VIZ Media:

In a significant news announcement, VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has detailed the launch of VIZ Anime — a brand new, free-to-use interactive web destination that will become a permanent home to some of the company’s best-loved animated series as well as new content which will be added on a weekly basis. VIZ Anime is accessible at: VIZAnime.com.

VIZ Anime kicks off with more than 400 episodes from hit series such as Bleach, Buso Renkin, Death Note (complete series), Hikaru no Go, Honey and Clover, InuYasha (complete series) and InuYasha: The Final Act, Nana, Naruto (complete series) and Naruto: Shippuden as well as The Prince of Tennis. The site will also be the future web home for many other eagerly anticipated anime series set to launch later this year!

Episodes can be streamed for free with new ones being added weekly. A variety of interactive social networking tools and features also help foster an official online home and community for VIZ Media anime fans allowing them to connect on and discuss favorite shows, and offer ratings and opinions of various episodes. New functionalities will be added regularly.

  • Users can “follow” as many series as they like and choose to be notified each time a new episode is released, as well as keep track of the last episode they’ve watched. This makes it easy to stay current on series like InuYasha or Naruto, which feature more than 100 episodes.
  • Users can comment on individual episodes and also meet and interact with other fans, invite friends to join, ask questions and debate plot twists and characters, voice their opinion on what’s happening in a particular series, and also find out what else is going on across the anime and manga spectrums.
  • Users can rate their favorite episodes by using a “Like” button on each episode page. They can quickly access a list of all the episodes they’ve similarly liked to compare how other users have liked an episode.
  • Users can make a personalized profile page to keep track of the episodes they’ve watched and enjoyed, the series they’re currently following, and comments they’ve made. Mail tools can also be used to send private messages between individual users. Privacy controls let users decide what information is shared publicly and who is able to send them messages.

“We’re committed to developing VIZ Anime as a premiere online destination, and hope to offer a real community for VIZ Media fans to interact with each other and share their love of anime,” says Ken Sasaki, Senior Vice President & General Manager of VIZ Media. “We will also utilize the site as a means of two-way communication to better understand what our fans enjoy most and want, and how they engage with anime and manga online. With a lot of content to select from, VIZ Anime will become a favorite site to visit again and again!”

For more information on VIZ Media or VIZ Anime, please visit VIZAnime.com.

“Dawn of the Dreadfuls” Book Trailer

from Quirk Books:

First there was the Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters trailer.
Now, we at Quirk Books would like to give you even more Regency-era drama, delivered with some intense martial arts and brilliant brain-eating action.

a Book Trailer by Dirty Robber,
based on the novel Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls by Steve Hockensmith,
starring Anabella Casanova, Cameron Cash, Martin Roe,
and several thousand gallons of blood.

Irreference TV on YouTube

Get the first chapter of Dawn of the Dreadfuls free for your e-reader.