Brilliant Japanese Sushi Chef Oki Carves Grand Moff Tarkin Out of Vegetables!

Oki is a sushi chef who, is his own words, does his best every day to make sushi and delicious food. He's also my new personal hero after his last week of creations alone! Check out this delightfully inventive Grand Moff Tarkin - or as Oki likes to call him "Man of Death Star" made completely out of vegetables.

Oki has this to say about his creation:

He cause many people pain. But.... He is a legendary top Commander. He may be a bad person. But... We thank for his existence. We love him.

And his newest work is a plate that recreates the battle of Hoth and features a glorious AT-AT (pronounced @ @ ! YEEEAH!).

These images are really just a tease - please read his own comments and see all of his process pictures at My Sushi World.

Who Knew The Zoo Was So Lewd? (NSFW-ish)

I took my family to the Philadelphia Zoo today. We've been there dozens of times before. We're longtime members and supporters of the zoo, and I even worked there as an intern in college. Usually it's a pretty wholesome place, but today it was downright filthy.

Click through the break to see the sex, nudity and shit that was displayed for children of all ages to see.

ZOMG! There's a Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig Game!?

For 30 years The Empire Strikes Back was my favourite film - and then I saw Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig, and everything changed. Beautifully shot, and with a scene-stealing cast of monkey and pig newcomers the film tugs at your heartstrings like a skillful hillbilly plucking at a banjo. And best of all, its original score is to die for. Who can forget the infectiously catchy Parry Gripp tune that underscores this masterpiece? Let's watch it again right here, now with an obnoxious banner ad that links to the game that I'm just about to talk about:

It's still pretty breath-taking, isn't it? So imagine my shock/awe/delight when this morning I awoke to discover that there is now a Baby Monkey Riding Backwards on a Pig videogame where you, the player, can put yourself inside the skin of both monkey and pig and relive this tender moment again and again and again...

After the jump, I'll show you footage from the game, give a hands-on review, and share an untapped new monkey video that we can build a media empire fortune upon.

Wait?! That's made with a GameBoy?

Chipmusic. It's the formal/fancy term for 8-bit music. For most, the first tune to come to mind is the ever-so-popular Mario Bros. theme. Beep beep boop.

Whether you're a chip fan or not, theres something for everyone in this nostalgic, techy genre. For some, it brings back memories of their favorite games of the day. For others like myself, its just another genre of music that can be found on my iPod. The wonderful thing about chip musicians is their selfless attitude towards music sharing. Chip musicians are always throwing their music out there for the world to hear. To them, it's just as fun as the games that inspired it.

Tremble Before the Might of (Kre-o) STARSCREAM!!!!

First off, I'd like to say hi and thank-you to the various members of Fruitless Pursuits for inviting me to contribute to what is bound to be an extremely amusing, internationally spanning waste of time!   Those are my favourite kinds!!  And Mike Taylor (who let me in the door here) also told me I could steal posts from my own blog.  So in lieu of doing any actual work, here's the last post from Stryder's Dementia.  It's surprisingly relevant to the topic at hand. 

At TFCon (the local Transformers convention here in Toronto, Canada...read about it HERE) last week the Hasbro rep mentioned a new line they are releasing of Transformer-themed, Lego-like building blocks called Kre-o.  When I saw some at Toys R Us the other day I figured I'd give them a shot, so I picked up Starscream.  

Tremble before the might of STARSCREAM!!!!

The blocks themselves are nearly indistinguishable from standard Lego blocks and obviously would work well with them.  They aren't doing anything too fancy.  Of course, robot hands and heads are not too standard, but otherwise there are no big surprises here.

Read on after the jump...

Get off the internet!

Look what Anastassia Elias is doing with paper rolls while you are wasting your life!

You can see many more of her amazing creations here, and more art here. She also has a blog (where she's currently posting amazing and creepy portraits) and you can buy prints of her work (including beautiful photos of her cut-outs) at Society 6.

Our Week of Reading!

If you were to just glance at our contributor photos then it might startle you to know that most of us can actually read. But read we can and must! Although our comprehension of what we're reading varies.

Find out exactly what some of the Fruitless Pursuits team have been reading and recommending this week after the jump!

Up Close And Personal With The New Lego Star Wars Minifigs

I've been itching for some new Lego sets lately, and I've been scouring the toy aisles at Target at least a few times a week. I picked up 3/4 of the Heroica sets a few months back, and a ton of minifig Series 3 and 4 before that, but I haven't gotten any solid sets in a while. I think the main reason is that I really just want the minifigs.

Tonight we headed back to target and a few new sets immediately caught my eye. First I saw a pretty large Cars set, which I think I kind-of like. I might buy the entry level $10 set just to have it in my collection. But then I noticed City sets that I don't remember seeing. After that, I turned and realized the Star Wars section was almost all new sets. Here is a rundown (and lots of images) of the new, newly re-made, or new-ish Star Wars minifigs.

Batcopter Strikes! Why So Seriously Slack with Security!?

Christopher Nolan, are you for real? Seriously, what is happening on your set over there?! People really ARE rioting and running amok and shooting everything that you shoot on Dark Knight Rises 1:1 with their iPhones. It's like watching the behind-the-scenes blu-ray bonus features a year before the movie is even released! I feel like I've already seen the film twice! Are your security guys asleep on the job, or has all the hype caused you to descend completely into madness?

This time it's amateur footage of what has been confirmed as a Bat-Copter flying through the streets of Pittsburgh (CGI blades will be added in post-production):

Mr. Nolan, here's my advice to help you tighten up your ship/shit. You've got Christian Bale on set, and he's not in front of the camera ALL the time. And if he absolutely loves screaming at crew members then imagine what he's capable of doing to a gawker with a camera-phone. Put Batman himself in charge of security and watch these leaks subside to a rapid halt as Bale clogs them with his fists!

Nothing Says Holiday Cheer Like a Golden Shower

In case you hadn't noticed, one of the ways I intend to contribute to Fruitless Pursuits is via specific 'articles', cause I want to have focus when I am over here. I intend to call one of these articles A Closet Full of Crap. Essentially I chose this title because I have a Basement Full of Shit, but A Closet Full of Crap sounds much better.

'NATCH.

I am a Hoarder. A pack rat. Always have been. Probably always will be. It actually serves me well. Especially now, since after leaving Palisades Toys in 2005 to move my family to Ohio, then starting a company and watching it fail, I've been wandering aimlessly with no direction, having another job in the collectibles business that fizzled out after only one year, then more aimless wandering and some freelance. And the ONLY thing that has sustained my family throughout this entire roller coaster ride has been selling bits and pieces of that expanding and contracting pile of stuff.

So why not explore some of it? Because some of it is not only interesting, but some of it has STORY.

National Robot Day is Tuesday 16 August 2011

I've just been informed that this upcoming Tuesday, 16 August 2011, is National Robot Day. To celebrate, we will be going to work dressed as cardboard robots. In fact, my company is encouraging it.

So, I have two questions for you - 1) How should I design my cardboard robot suit for this celebration? and 2) What will you do to celebrate National Robot Day?

The results of my last robot creation. The results were a huge success for science, but disastrous for fake Elvis.

Clogging Up the Servers 2: Hot Toys SDCC Batman Pre-Order About to Go LIVE.

Hong Kong toy company Hot Toys make uber-realistic, creepily accurate action figures with real pores and follow-you eyes. Their high-quality coupled with their exclusivity has caused much collector longing and hand-wringing, and has scored Hot Toys all the huge, popular licenses (like Batman, the Marvel movies, and now Star Wars). I own the Scarlett Johanssen from Iron Man 2 and The Comedian from Watchmen and they are so realistic that he ACTUALLY GOT HER PREGNANT.

So when this incredibly kickass and over-accessorised Christian the Maniac Bale from Batman Begins...

... was released as a limited exclusive at the recent San Diego Comic Con, collectors went batshit insane and climbed all over each other and shrieked like hellish banshees to get their meaty paws on them. Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway) they sold-out quickly and were soon appearing for upwards of US$600 on ebay!

But if you weren't there, or were there but ended up with nothing but a torn shirt and a tear-stained face, then you DO have a very limited second chance. TONIGHT. Find out more and see more amazing pics after the bat-jump!

Clogging Up the Servers: What the Hell is MineCon?!

You've heard of Blizzcon, right? Blizzard Entertainment's annual convention where Warcraft players across the globe pay $200 a ticket to actually rub against each other? It sells out every year in a matter of seconds - and by all accounts is a huge and sweaty success. So it makes sense then that the blocky, pixellated, digging and bashing game sensation Minecraft - which has earned creator Notch a hundred-thousand-billion dollars - should spawn its own MineCon. The inaugural event takes place in Las Vegas over two days in November and the Internet is going crazy as punters attempt to purchase $99 tickets right NOW.

Smears, Multiples and Other Animation Gimmicks

There are very few Tumblrs I look at regularly. In fact, so few it might actually be just this one. My wife very briefly had this one, which she should be encouraged to resurrect.

What was I saying? Oh right, so there's a technique in animation called 'smears' where the animated character/whatever is blurred to exaggerate movement, but of course you see the frame for a fraction of a second and all of the frames run together and you don't register some really crazy drawings made by animators.

Well this wonderful Tumblr, Smears, Multiples and Other Animation Gimmicks, posts these bizarre images. Here are a few of my favourites, but do head over there and check out the full collection.

 

This is the best thing.

Project Runway Recaps: S09 E03

 

Well, Project Runway episode 3 happened, and I watched it, and I drew stupid pictures. You can read this even if you don't watch Project Runway, because it's funny!

Spy Vs. Spy 50th Anniversary Toy Project

To celebrate 50 years of Spy Vs. Spy, artists were sent blank Spy figures to customise. The results are being posted daily on the Mad blog.

Happy Birthday to Us!

Did you know that our baby, Fruitless Pursuits, is a week old today!? I know that in relative terms that's not very old - we're still a red, angry thing that screams all night for attention and shits itself - but what an achievement to have even survived this far (without murdering each other about the preferred pronunciation of AT-AT).

We've had 50 posts by 9 contributors and had 21 members join the site (half of which were those aforementioned contributors). But it's a start! Thanks for your support and be sure to tell all your friends!

Thank Gif It's Friday

From Gif Buffet via Cute Overload.

Pop Goes the Cherry

In High School, or maybe it was College I can't remember exactly, I knew a guy named Kenny.

So did a lot of you I'm sure, but I have a better reason for telling you. His last name was Hymen. I shit you not. Of course his nickname throughout his entire existence was Kenny 'Buster' Hymen.

Why wouldn't it be?

His parents should have been hauled off to prison of course. I mean, you gotta have a certain responsibility for what you name a kid when you have a last name like Hymen and you haven't had the self-respect to change it. You have to be able to connect ALL dots to what the possible end result of any shortened version of the first name is combined with your fucked-up last name. Shameful...just shameful.

Why is Kenny 'Buster' on my mind today?

Because I had to figure out some way to 'Pop the Cherry' over here, and whenever I think of that phrase, I think of Kenny. And since I knew I'd have to come out swinging, I wondered what I might want to wear for my first day on the job.

Find out what it is after the jump...to LIGHTSPEED bitches!!!

A Step Back to A Step Ahead: "Old"

Two years ago I tried my hand at a 365 photo a day blog called A Step Ahead of the Composition. This was the basic premise:

Every day has a different theme. Every day, a photo needs to be taken that follows the daily theme and posted here. Every photo needs to be taken the same day as its daily theme and posted here during that day.

At one point the blog had about 20 or so contributors, including a large variety of folks who contribute here. The blog was a success in the sense that it was completed, however unfortunately it was not by me. For whatever reason, I fell behind in posting, and then it became overwhelming to play catch up, and then it became embarassing, and then I was humiliated to have abandoned what I started and to have someone else pick up where I left off and complete it. Whats worse is that I never went back to see what was there until now.

I'm posting the photos from today two years ago to reshare them with you. Some are pretty fantastic, others inspired, more for the sake of the project. While two years is not as impressive as say...10 years, it's interesting to look and compare how much things have changed.

"This is a very typical scene in our house... old food. mold on fruits, vegetables, bread, etc... this is my daughter, starla's, birthday cake... she turned 11 two+ weeks ago... gross, right?! & i realize i may be kicking myself tomorrow when i'm trying to find another 'fungus' to photograph..."

More after the Jump...

A Plush AT-AT?!?! Plus A Few Hoth Related Debates

Impressive. Most impressive.

A friend of many friends, Steff Bomb, makes super high-quality, hand-stitched, designer plush. She's made miscellaneous food items (note: my second food related post today), inanimate objects, and the occasional Star Wars creation. Recently, Steff made Han Solo's Blaster as an exclusive for the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, a/k/a C2E2, and the AT-AT above is part of Stitch Wars Strikes Back, a handmade Star Wars art exhibit opening tomorrow night in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

Thundercats 2011 is Surprisingly Good!

The original He-Man series was horrible enough, and I loved He-Man like the oiled, barbarian, body-builder father-figure I never had. So with interest in the He-Man cartoon continually waning, I had zero investment in its cheap knock-off Thundercats - in fact, as a child lurid-musclebound-scifi-fantasy-snob I never even owned a single Thundercats toy.

 And then, several years ago, a genius think tank decided to reboot He-Man with "ZOMG!MOREAWESOMEDESIGNS!" and punches that actually connected. And it was STILL pretty dull and shittily written, especially when compared to other cartoons of its time.

But wait! What's this!

So when it was announced that they were rebooting Thundercats this year - with an anime twist - my eyes were rolling so far that I could draw you a detailed diagram of the inside of my head. And then, despite these hollow protests, I INEXPLICABLY watched the first two episodes. Was it any good? Surpisingly: "hell" and "yes".

My Computer Died! So Here's the TEN MOST AWESOME IMAGES ON MY EXTERNAL DRIVE.

With this site less than a week old my goddamn computer has imploded (probably from stress) leaving me nothing but a lot of unsolved problems. I have other devices for basic Internetting but without it I can't edit images, make comics, record or edit podcasts. It also means I can't do photoshoots. Luckily all my files are backed up many time, but I have been cruelly cut off from my most primal passions and forced to clumsily type on this tiny, impractical Linux netbook that makes me feel like a mighty giant.

It's going to make posting new stuff challenging, but I refuse to let it stop me. So to celebrate the death of my laptop, and to lift my rapidly eroding morale, here are the TEN MOST AWESOME IMAGES ON MY EXTERNAL DRIVE:

Food Fight - Upcoming Card Game From Cryptozoic

Cryptozoic are the makers of the World of Warcraft card game, and one of the upcoming The Walking Dead board games. They have a few more games coming out this fall, as well as comics and trading cards, but Food Fight looks like it will be my favorite.

O.M.F.G.! Homage to M.U.S.C.L.E. on Kickstarter!

Do you remember M.U.S.C.L.E.? Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere? Randomly packed figures of tiny flesh-coloured freakish wrestlers? In the mid-eighties I had these things coming out of my ears (probably literally) and could not enter a store with a family member without leaving with a packet of them.

Image from here, where you'll find tons of other vintage pictures.

 Look at those lil' buggers! It's like being pile-drived by fleshy nostalgia!

Well, our very own Taylor led me to a Kickstarter project where the artists at October Toys (George and Ayleen Gaspar) are making an original series of five figures entitled O.M.F.G. (Outlandish Mini Figure Guys) which are a wonderful tribute to M.U.S.C.L.E.

See pics of them after the jump!

The Sexist Adventures of the Fantastic Four!

Apparently Fox only has a couple of year window to reboot The Fantastic Four movies before the rights will revert back to Marvel Studios. And quite frankly they better pull a pretty magnificent rabbit out of their hat after the lazily directed, unambitious abominations that were the first two films. But don't fret, Dear Reader, because you may be shocked to discover that the original source material is actually pretty good! Pretty GREAT in fact! I absolutely adore the original Stan Lee and Jack stories beginning in 1961.

Until very recent times, belligerent comic fans balked at the idea of a modern superhero film being a presented as a period piece. But this year alone we've been treated to both X-Men First Class (set in the sixties) and Captain America: The First Avenger (set in World War II) so believe me when I say that a sixties Fantastic Four is the only way to go! Plus you like Mad Men, right? Well then! I rest my case.

However, we should be prepared that many attitudes have changed since the sixties, but that does not mean that the screenwriters should shy away from them in a period piece. In fact I say let's embrace those wacky backwards opinions especially in regards to the team's single female member Sue Storm. Have no idea what I'm talking about. Here's a quick primer on the team and their powers:

Mr. Fantastic got stretching powers because he was a fat child and thus had stretchmarks all over his thighs and stomach. The Thing got turned into rock because he's as big and as stupid one. The Human Torch turns into fire because he was fired from his job at Wendy's. And the Invisible Woman turns invisible because, well, take a look for yourself...

Much more after the jump!

Board Game Movies That Are Actually In Production (And A Fake One Too)

There are a few board game movies coming out in the next few years. The Battleship trailer is working it's way around the internet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDMXkPfxjOc). There's a Monopoly script out there (with the Parker Brothers as characters), and I've read brief concepts for Candyland and Ouija.

Similar to Luke's Tintin post earlier, the idea of a movie based on a board game instantly puts people off. For example, see the Battleship film Wikipedia page that I stumbled across earlier today.

Star Wars XXX Parody Looks Funnier Than Meet the Spartans.

The latest in a string of relatively large budget XXX parodies is a film very close to my heart. Star Wars is finally being given the reverent tribute it deserves.

The first teaser trailer is completely work-safe, hosted on youtube, and actually a lot funnier than you'd probably expect.

New Marvel Comics RPG?

It may have been announced over the weekend, but I just learned of Margaret Weis Productions getting the Marvel Comics RPG license. If you are unfamiliar with Margaret Weis, She is one-half of the creative force the produced the original Dragonlance trilogy of novels set in the D&D world of Krynn, a world full of Dragons that up and disappeared one day for a long while, as well as a number of hugely unsuccessful projects that over the years have been received by great fanfare and then went nowhere.

Marvel Comics are full of angsty teenagers who suddenly realized they really were the beautiful unique snowflake they always wanted to be and now have to deal with the consequences that come with it. Along the way they manage to alienate everyone who ever loved them/hated them/was also a beautiful unique snowflake. Also, it gave birth to Stan Lee being fucking awesome

Yet More Dark Knight Rises Leaks All Over the 'Net.

Seriously, who is running security on this thing? I'm beginning to think that the entire film is being made out of spy footage. We've already watched about half of it and it still has a year to release!

This time Aint It Cool News is running photos from the other day's Stadium Shoot that Jacinta posted about which reveal Tom Hardy's pumped-up, baldy Bane taking the reins as Gotham's spokesman for Heinz delicious tomato ketchup:

AND GOTHAM! BUY SOME GODDAMN DORITOS WHILE YOU'RE AT IT!!

More after the jump!

New Tintin Poster Continues to Irritate Disinterested Internet.

I grew up reading Tintin! I love Tintin! All the way from his Something-About-Mary rigid hair, all the way down to the pants tucked into his socks! I also love Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson. In fact, my ideal existence would be like classic sitcom Full House except my three dads would be Spielberg, Peter Jackson and Tintin!

HOWEVER, I am an Australian and our school libraries are stacked high with Tintin graphic novels. Sadly in some countries, such as America for example, they were not so lucky as most of their books were cleared out of their libraries to make room for the horses. Apparently the mere mention of Tintin leaves some Internet posters confused, bewildered, and sometimes even angry!

First let's look at the brand new poster for the upcoming Adventures of Tintin movie which clearly reveals their cherubic CGI faces:

Looks like a rollicking, classic, serial adventure to me! Also notice the involvement of Andy Serkis, John Williams, Steven Moffat and Edgar Wright. It all sounds pretty solid, right?

Now let's analyse what the folks in the feedback sections are saying:

DC leftovers.

The all new relaunched DC titles are getting closer with some of the old titles already seeing their final issues. There's a lot of talk out there about these new titles but there a more than a few that DC seemed to forget to reboot.

Here are just four examples:

Red Leader vs Gold Leader: A Study in Effective Leadership

Yesterday I was involved in a discussion that resulted in me responding with "Red Leader, standing by" which was met with the rest of the team sounding off in a similar fashion and falling in line accordingly. Thinking about it afterwards, I wondered if I should have responded as Gold Leader due to the fact that the discussion had to do with a group whose team colors were actually gold.  This was immediately followed by trying to remember if Gold Leader died. Clearly, this required more attention to detail and a thorough analysis of the situation than the task at hand, and an copious amount of research must be done.

The title of Red and Gold Leader is not one to take lightly, as it requires cunning, tactical experience, luck, grit, and a bit of gumption, each with its own long history. However, this is where the lineage splits. My thorough research took me deep into Wookiepedia where I spent moments learning everything there was to be had pertaining to the recorded history of these two legendary titles, as to grow, we must learn from our past.

We start with red.

Roll the Credits!

Cartoonist and animator, Gene Deitch, director of an Academy Award winning cartoon Munroe as well as Tom and Jerry and Popeye and plenty of other cartoons, has launched what he's calling a 'living book.'

Flavor Flav, Dee Snider 1985 Music Video Unearthed

Glorious Bounty: The Sticky Goat Affair

I just now posted the last page of the second book of Glorious Bounty.

If you didn't know us before this blog started, or if you generally zone out when Luke or I are talking, Glorious Bounty is a comic written and coloured by Luke Milton and drawn by me. It's about four hapless bounty hunters. It's a sci fi comic, it's funny, and it's not really what you think it's going to be reading what I just wrote.

Clicking will make me bigger!

Lego Builder Battle To The Death!

Myself and Luke Milton are going head-to-head to see who is the better Lego builder, and you are all invited! Both of us collect and adore Lego, but neither of us really build much beyond our store bought sets.

So we're having a challenge.. 

• Theme: Non-Star Wars Space Films
• Limitations: Must be made up of Lego products only. Minimal image enhancement via photoshop, etc. 
• Due Date: Sunday 8/14 at midnight EST.

Crafty Englishman Makes Stormtrooper Helmet Out of Cheese.

If you didn't know, I'm a part-time stormtrooper. No, I'm not affiliated with any organisation, but I do own a full, movie-accurate set of armour and I often put it on at home and cry. Anyway, Andrew Ainsworth is the English gent who claims to have created the original stormtrooper helmets from A New Hope, and has just been in an epic court battle with Lucasfilm who tried to block him from selling them in England (he won). (The headline of the linked article paints Lucasfilm as the "dark side" although I'm a 100% George supporter and don't blame his dudes for trying to protect his shit. You don't put a stop to this and then suddenly everybody is genetically engineering ewoks and then we have a serious getting-eaten-by-ewoks problem on our hands).

Anyway the following video shows Ainsworth's entire helmet-crafting process from start to finish. I must admit that despite being a stormtrooper enthusiast I couldn't get through the whole thing, although I did find it absolutely fascinating that he appears to sculpt the entire helmet out of cheese.

And then I make a joke about him polishing his helmet.

Thanks to www.toplessrobot.com for the heads up.

Enchanted Doll - Highbrow craftsmanship just reached a whole new level of creepy [NSFW]

I don't even remember how I stumbled over these. I first found the Enchanted Doll galleries a few years back, then promptly forgot how I found them. And then, a month or so ago, I re-found, suddenly struck by inspiration and googling a few phrases.

(NSFW after the break)

My New Pop-Culture/Burlesque Photography Site.

Since the beginning of the year when I upgraded my camera, I've been doing my darndest to self-learn photography. I've been able to do 26 shoots this year so far, with a wide variety of models and it finally seemed like a good time to move all these from my cluttered personal site and give them a more focused home of their own.

The Gotham Rogues take over Heinz Field

While I must admit I've been staying away from spoilers for The Dark Knight Rises, this little titbit of info did grab my attention. Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers NFL team, was used as a shooting location for TDKR this past Saturday. The Gotham Rogues were facing off against the Rapid City Monuments, and some of the current Steelers list got to line up for the home side. Since Saturday some pretty amazing video and images have come out of the shoot, including an image of the playing jersey tweeted by the North Carolina Tar Heels QB Cameron Sexton:

Some minor spoilers under the cut.

Kickass Lego Custom Creations!

I'm kind of becoming obsessed with Lego over again. I say "again" because I had a lot of it as a kid (my first Lego was pre-minifig!) and then I sold it all. And then about ten years ago I got a couple of Star Wars sets. And then I sold it all. And then I got the giant Death Star, and I've recently picked up a couple of the newest sets. 

But what really amazes me are the custom creations that are being churned out and shared on Twitter. These guys must seriously be insane-genius engineers who think in five or six dimensions. I have no idea how you even begin to plan out models like these, nor how you would even start to gather up all the necessary pieces - IN ALL THE RIGHT COLOURS! My head is spinning right now. I am incredibly jealous that I have not developed this skill and am astounded that Lego is not yet a recognized course of study at University.

A few custom creators instantly spring to mind, starting with this recent piece by Iain Heath who is Ochre Jelly on Flickr...

In the immortal words of Ryan Reynold's Green Lantern. "I KNOOOWWW, RIIIGGHT??!" And it's not even just the fact that he has managed to create accurate, instantly recognisable models of the Adventure Time cast TO SCALE with each other, but just how brilliant is the diorama design in general? And how the hell is that rainbow unicorn thing staying up there?

Lots more after the jump!

Admiral Ackbar Watch: Hipster Ackbar/Ackbar Origins

If you don't know already, I am a massive advocate for Return of the Jedi's trap-detecting Admiral Ackbar.  I mean talk about an inspiration! Here's a guy that took the most fruitless of pursuits and turned into a crate of pineapples! Yes, I'm talking about a humble lobster relying on nothing but his own hard work and initiative to climb out of the tank and become a full-fledged kickass space Admiral. And I'm telling you folks, if a lobster can become an admiral then anyone is capable of anything. A baby could become President of the United States and a tadpole could become a lingerie model! All it takes is a good attitude and some greasy elbows.

So I was quite thrilled when a thoughtful friend sent me this image earlier this afternoon. I don't know where this was on sale (or if was ever even available) and sure, it's mispelled, but damned if I don't wish I had it. That's an understatement. I want to be buried in it.

But don't go yet! There's so much more...

Kickin' It Old School

The other day I discovered a stack of books that caused me nothing but pain and torture in days gone by. Yes, that's right. REQUIRED READING MATERIAL. I did English Literature in high school, which was wonderful in that it started my life-long love of Shakespeare, but bad in the respect that it was brain-smashingly hard and almost resulted in me failing Year 12.

Most of the required material is incredibly tedious when you're 16, so I was actually really surprised to find I still had these books. The only one that appears to be missing is Hedda Gabler, but I had such a special hate for that book that I suspect it may have met a fiery end post-graduation. I've decided to revisit these now that I'm somewhat more 'mature' to see if they're any more enjoyable. Except Hedda Gabler. Just reading the synopsis on Wikipedia almost put me into convulsions.

See what I'm getting myself into by visiting my list of page-turning pain at The Wall of Nerd.

Colbert Suq's It Up

I've seen this video floating around various places recently, and even though I only watch The Colbert Report occasionally, this made me laugh A LOT (Though that may reflect more on me than the actual video).

Technically SFW but...well, you'll see what I mean.

Star Wars Night At The Camden Riversharks Baseball Game

Last night I ventured into the depths of Camden, NJ (2009 most dangerous city in America!) for a baseball game. I think the Camden Riversharks are a minor league team.. but I didn't really go to see them. I didn't go to see their opponents, The Road Warriors. (I don't know where they are from, but someone at the game said they are from "nowhere".) I was there because it was Star Wars night. The only night I could catch a Stormtrooper and a Scout Trooper together saluting the flag during the Star Spangled Banner.