Something Awful has a funny photo montage of classic artwork, but with a Star Wars twist. Check it out here if you are a nerd.

I've always been interested in case modding - not quite enough to undertake case modding myself, but I do appreciate a good case mod when I see one. I ran across a link this morning that shows some pretty amazing examples of case mods, so I want to share it. Head over to PCWorld's article to check them out!
Some of my favorites are the Bender (from Futurama) case mod, the steampunk-themed PC (pictured above in this post), and of course, the obligatory R2D2 mod was my personal favorite. I'd love to see a case mod that looks like an old Atari 2600 or an old 8-bit Nintendo. I'd proudly display either of those in my living room!

This is a funny video I saw while doing a little internet surfing this morning. I'm definitely a much bigger fan of Star Wars than Star Trek, so I had a little chuckle while watching this.

Do you think this guy is going to see the new Star Trek movie? Hmmm. (see the pics of this guy's bachelor pad here). In other news, people who will most likely remain a bachelor.... :)

I'm a bit of a map nerd (if you ask my wife, I'm just plain old nerdy), so not surprisingly, I've come across a list of some neat Google maps. Cnet has an article here that lists a few that I found interesting. For these and other cool maps, check out the Google Maps Directory.

Any fans of high-altitude photography should check out this article on Make Magaizine's blog on the Meteotek high-altitude balloon project.

I ran across a pretty exciting idea for a video game cross-over today; a game that combines the old Doom universe with the Diablo series. It's certainly not a top-of-the-line game in terms of graphics or flashy efects, but given that I loved both of these games when they were originally out, this serves as a nice piece of nostalgia. And hey- since I've got two kids, I rarely get to play games any more, so anything where I can combine my fun with two old classics at the same time, I'm all for it. Check out the game here (still in early development at this time).

Try these musical statistics on for size! I found a funny link today that breaks down some of those inherent truths found in popular songs into nice pie charts and other assorted graphs. If you have trouble visualizing what a song might be telling you, or you're more into the whole being hyper-analytical thing, you'll enjoy this link. If you have the slightest sense of humor, you'll also enjoy them. My favorite is posted below:

I've recently been listening to a lot of bluegrass tributes to everything from 80's classics to Modest Mouse. And as cheesy and nerdy as that sounds, these songs I've been listening to are pretty damn good! Even though my title pokes fun at bluegrass, I have always appreciated it for the sheer talent that I've seen in almost all bluegrass musicians. No one 'type' of musician has really imporessed me more with their mastery of their respective instruments, and while my personal tastes lean toward heavier music, I can also appreciate great musicianship when I see it no matter what the genre. 

Float On - Iron Horse: The Bluegrass Tribute To Modest Mouse

I saw an article posted on Digg today that reminds me of the Terminator movies. It was about a robot that can mimic the facial expressions of a human. It is certainly a far cry from the fictional robots in that series, but hey - that technology had to get a start somewhere, right? Click here to read the article - there is a video in the middle of the page, just in case the photos don't give you enough of a creepy vibe.

Well, I'd like to think they did anyway. The post I'm referring to was one of my first ones on this blog, and it can be found here: *^%$@#~ Toy Packaging!

Today, Wired's Gadget Lab blog has a post dealing with the infuriating packaging that most things seem to be sealed into these days. I have to applaud Amazon, both for the frustration reduction as well as the environmental impact this could have. It totally makes sense that there isn't a need for theft-deterrant packaging if you're shopping online - how do you steal something from a webpage, right? If they suceed in this endeavor, I might have to put my need for immediate gratification on hold for the promise of not having to get the Jaws of Life to open every package I receive. Life is all about compromises...

UPDATE: More on this story today (11/21/08) at Inhabitat

I finally got around to uploading my pictures from Maker Faire! I was having too much fun to remember to take good pictures, but I got a couple of the highlights of the day. I wish we had more time to enjoy the festival, but alas, we had the Kids again, so time was limited. Hopefully next year the kiddos will be old enough to enjoy these things a little more and not need to nap as often. We'll see.... :)

Here is my Flickr page with the photos. Enjoy!

I'm so excited about this. I went ot my first Maker Faire last year when it came to Austin, and it was great! I didn't get to stay as long as I had hoped because I had my oldest son with me at the time, and he was only about a year old and fussy. Still, I saw some great booths and exhibits, some of which will be back this year (I hope).

A brief summary, from the website:

LEARN TO MAKE, CRAFT, DESIGN OR DEVELOP:
• Robots • Rockets • Bicycles • Alternative Energy Devices • Electronics • Crafts
• Circuit Boards • Sustainable Food • Musical Instruments • Wood Working
• Knitting • Eco Modding Cars • Kites • Special Effects • Sewing • and more...

Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things. So much to see, you will need 2 days to see it all!

Kudos to this guy. I know that technically, he's supposed to be doing his job (and isn't), but honestly, I think he's actually going above and beyond his duties.

I just hope that he is recognized in a positive way, and not only by a reprimand or demotion. Compassion seems to be going out the window lately, and it's guys like this that give the human race a good name again.

Kudos to you, Sherriff Dart! Please run for state or national office - I don't care if you are a Republican or a Democrat (or somewhere in between) - we need compassionate leaders in times like these, and you sir, have put your money where your mouth is.

See why I think he is a hero in this article on CNN.