by Bob Suicide Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Gadgets For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life. (image) 1. The Star Wars Wampa Rug ($99.99) or Taun Taun Sleeping Bag ($99.99) Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside a TaunTaun it's SO delightful. Cozy up and get your geek on with some of the greatest... more

by Bob Suicide

Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Gadgets For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life.



1. The Star Wars Wampa Rug ($99.99) or Taun Taun Sleeping Bag ($99.99)

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside a TaunTaun it's SO delightful. Cozy up and get your geek on with some of the greatest plush reproductions from the best movie in the series.



2. Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter ($19.99)

Take your cooking where it's never been before. It's a great stocking stuffer. And, made with the same level of quality that Starfleet expects from all of its ships.



3. Lego Death Star Tree Ornament (Approx $18-28.00)

Order the parts from Lego and let the force be with you as you build a superweapon capable of destroying all other Xmas ornament competition.



4. Uncharted 3 CE for PlayStation 3 ($74.99)

You can never go wrong with a quality collector's edition and the Uncharted 3 CE was one of the best of the season. It's like 4 gifts in one!



5. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for Xbox 360 ($49.99)

And, speaking of video games, your loveable nerd's holiday isn't complete without Spike's Game of the Year: Skyrim. You may never see them again after the holiday. But, you'll know they're happy wherever they are -- battling dragons. EFFING DRAGONS!!!



6. Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 ($264.95)

What programmer doesn't want a robot butler? Or a robot alligator to guard the house? Give your geek a Mindstorm and they'll build you something better, faster, stronger – but beware, this is how Skynet starts. Hey, it may be the end of the world, but it's the thought that counts!



7. Portal 2: Light Up PotatOS ($29.99)

Remember when you were a kid and you did the potato-as-a-conductor-for-light experiment. Well, now, kids (big and small) can not only make a potato give light, you can make it insult you too -- just what you've always wanted!



8. Munchkin Quest the Board Game. ($37.11)

Remember when you used to play D&D with your friends for hours, I mean days, on end? Well, add witty cards (and sometimes lots of Cuthulu), grab some friends, and relive the magic! And, while your at it, get the iPhone/Android app for extra perks!!!



9. 8-bit Glasses ($390.00)

They're super-pricey and hipsters might adopt them ironically, but the geek with cash and class can admire the retro- grooviness of these 8 bit specs.



10. Star Wars Motorcycle Suits ($1,150.00)

I don't really have to sell you on this one. The Dark Side sells itself.


[Bob Suicide Gets Intimate With Her Wampa]


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Some SuicideGirls have been modeling for the site for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or even 10 years. We thought it would be fun to show you a look back and some of the SuicideGirls throughout the years. The first girl we thought of who has definitely changed over the years was Sash. When Sash started with the site... more

Some SuicideGirls have been modeling for the site for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or even 10 years. We thought it would be fun to show you a look back and some of the SuicideGirls throughout the years. The first girl we thought of who has definitely changed over the years was Sash.

When Sash started with the site she had one bow tattoo on her lower back. Now she has even more tattoos than I can easily remember. She has worked at HQ for 5 years now and handles all tech support for us and anything else we need.

Here is Sash in her first photo set Phone Sex from 2006







Here is another set from Sash from 2006 Sushi with nearly 16,000 comments this is the second most commented set on the site of all time.





Sash from her 2007 pin-up photo set Mattress in which she debuted her sleeve tattoo featuring blood, lace and ribbons.





From her 2008 pin-up photo set Unwind



From her 2009 photoset RedRum shot by Alissa





From her 2010 photoset Angeles





From her 2011 pin-up photo set Get Wet



From her 2011 Pin-up photos Haunted.



From her 2011 pin-up photo set Room 224



From her 2011 Pin-up photos Nirvana







Hope you enjoyed the beautiful Sash.

Become a member TODAY to see all 27 nude pin-up photo sets of Sash - http://suicidegirls.com/join/

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman) Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane... more

by Steven-Elliot Altman (SG Member: Steven_Altman)

Our Fiction Friday serialized novel, The Killswitch Review, is a futuristic murder mystery with killer sociopolitical commentary (and some of the best sex scenes we’ve ever read!). Written by bestselling sci-fi author Steven-Elliot Altman (with Diane DeKelb-Rittenhouse), it offers a terrifying postmodern vision in the tradition of Blade Runner and Brave New World...

By the year 2156, stem cell therapy has triumphed over aging and disease, extending the human lifespan indefinitely. But only for those who have achieved Conscientious Citizen Status. To combat overpopulation, the U.S. has sealed its borders, instituted compulsory contraception and a strict one child per couple policy for those who are permitted to breed, and made technology-assisted suicide readily available. But in a world where the old can remain vital forever, America’s youth have little hope of prosperity.

Jason Haggerty is an investigator for Black Buttons Inc, the government agency responsible for dispensing personal handheld Kevorkian devices, which afford the only legal form of suicide. An armed “Killswitch” monitors and records a citizen’s final moments — up to the point where they press a button and peacefully die. Post-press review agents — “button collectors” — are dispatched to review and judge these final recordings to rule out foul play.

When three teens stage an illegal public suicide, Haggerty suspects their deaths may have been murders. Now his race is on to uncover proof and prevent a nationwide epidemic of copycat suicides. Trouble is, for the first time in history, an entire generation might just decide they’re better off dead.

(Catch up with the previous installments of Killswitch – see links below – then continue reading…)

**PLEASE NOTE: THE WAS AN ERROR IN THE NEWSWIRE AUTO IMPORT ON THE LAST CHAPTER. IT HAS NOW BEEN UPDATED AND CORRECTED. PLEASE THEREFORE BE SURE TO READ THE END OF THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER HERE, BEFORE CONTINUING ON BELOW.**



[THE KILLSWITCH REVIEW – CHAPTER SEVEN, PART ONE]

[THE SOCIETY OF THE LAST SUPPER]

[Previous Chapter]

Main Street was dark and deserted: no signs, no cars, no people in sight. The sleek Jetstream Corvair pulled up a couple of blocks before Sinatra, hoping to avoid Triad surveillance. If someone was watching, they would identify DeAngelo’s car. Haggerty had taken the precaution of switching to the driver’s seat at the slotway, just in case, and hoped that Triad technology did not include night vision.

We’ve got ten minutes before DeAngelo is scheduled to arrive, Haggerty linked to Elsa as he emptied his identiplate, com, the defaced black box, and anything else that could identify him as Jason Haggerty into a storage bin beneath his seat.

Jason, I’m worried about you going in alone.

We need evidence regarding the origin of those stolen boxes, and I’m praying it’s in there. I’ll be out as soon as possible. He handed the stunner to Elsa. If anything happens, defend yourself. Then turn yourself in to the Feds and show them the recordings and the unit we confiscated at the pairplex.

Elsa accepted the stun warily. Please be careful, Jason.

“I will,” he said aloud. Meanwhile, go through that notebook and see if it offers any clues to Regina’s whereabouts. People. Places. Anything.

Haggerty dosed a celtrex and handed Elsa the pillcase, then got out of the driver’s side of the car in DeAngelo’s tuxedo and headed toward Sinatra. They’d agreed that Elsa would linger long enough for him to get safely inside the club, and then drive down Main a few blocks in the opposite direction to a factory where she could park and wait for his return.

At Sinatra, Haggerty stopped before a battered warehouse with a smallish, peeling reproduction of DaVinci’s famous mural on the deteriorating wall. He was still alone, but had no doubt that he was being observed now and was glad that the dim lighting revealed DeAngelo’s face and not his own. The plastiche technician had done an excellent job; he felt confident at least about his appearance as he calmly entered the building.

He descended a staircase to a gleaming, expensive, well-maintained hypersteel door — a stark contrast to the derelict appearance of the rest of the building — and knocked.

“Please slot your invitation into the receptacle,” a genderless electronic voice requested.

Haggerty inserted the plasticine card engraved with Sasha DeAngelo’s name in flowing script. Scanners whizzed. A small light above the reader switched from red to green and the door slid back, revealing a huge doorman who looked more like an ape than a human.

“Welcome to the Last Supper Club, Mr. DeAngelo,” he said. His manner was soothing but he projected brute strength. Haggerty thought he must be an ex-footballer, perhaps the one Sharyn had mentioned. His face seemed somehow familiar. Haggerty pitied the young man; normal people couldn’t develop like that and the enhancements made to footballers came at a heavy price. With all the permutations lavished on his DNA since childhood, he wouldn’t live much past fifty. Telemor treatments had yet to solve the damage to the individual’s cell-replication cycle.

Haggerty stepped onto plush red carpet. “I hope I’m not late,” he told the doorman.

The ape indicated a small security arch. “If you wouldn’t mind passing through the scanner?”

Haggerty made it through without setting off the alarms Corbin’s autostun would have triggered. His stomach growled; too much celtrex on too little food. It was just as well that his best lead had brought him to a restaurant.

“This way, sir.”

The ape led him to the hostess station. The hostess was one of the most beautiful creatures Haggerty had ever seen. Lithe and dark, she looked to be of Cambodian or Thai descent, her shimmering blue-black tresses fell to the waist of her bolero-type garment and sheer trousers. She regarded Haggerty calmly with large, liquid sapphire eyes. Haggerty’s suspicion was confirmed as she extended her hand and he felt the weight differential. She was too perfect to be human.

“Good evening, Mr. DeAngelo,” she said, her well-tuned mezzo-soprano tinged with vibrato. “Your table will be ready soon. I’m here to answer any questions and explain the rules.”

“Thank you,” he said.

“The first rule is, once you enter the club you may have anything that you like.”

“Anything?”

“Anything. Your courses will proceed as you wish, when you wish. If you see a performer you’d like to pair with, simply ask and it will be scheduled, as long as it does not interfere with the wishes of other guests. You’ll know who they are. They’ll be wearing white roses, like this one.”

She pinned a white rose to his shirt front — a real rose.

“The second rule is that you dose as instructed.”

Haggerty’s interior alarms went off. “Happy Sticks?” he guessed, then cursed himself for saying anything.

“You are well informed. Most guests don’t know what drug we use.” If he’d aroused her suspicions, she didn’t show it. “Do you also know the procedure?”

“I don’t,” he admitted smoothly.

Though Sharyn had seemed to come down from the drug’s high relatively quickly and appeared clear-headed by the time she’d got into the cab, Haggerty preferred not to compromise his ability to reason even temporarily. But he might have no choice.

“You dose at regular intervals,” the hostess continued. “It keeps you level and enhances the pleasure.”

From behind her station she produced a small box and placed it in his hand. It looked like a slightly smaller KV unit, only it was white with a bright amber button and half as heavy, no doubt due to its lack of armswitch and recording apparatus. It occurred to him that the thing might be loaded with the same toxin used in the triple presses. But no doubt killing customers would have an adverse effect on return business.

As he followed her into the club, Haggerty searched for an acceptable way to protest. Surely some customers changed their minds when confronted by the reality Haggerty now faced. Then again, the club was run by the Triads. It was likely that patrons knew beforehand that drugs were involved, and still likelier that the android and the ape directly behind him — each far stronger than a normal human — were there in part to dissuade procrastination, by whatever means necessary. And even if they allowed him to leave the club, that meant the end of his investigation and probably any chance to clear his name. On the other hand, he was expected to dose more than once. Could he withstand the effects enough to keep his wits about him?

They halted at a curtained doorway. The hostess pulled aside the curtain, revealing a small alcove containing a very good replica of a nineteenth-century chaise lounge. “One press equals one dose,” she said. “We find it is best if you are seated, or even reclined, for the initial press.”

The hostess and the ape regarded him intently as he settled onto the chaise. She handed him the white box.

There was no turning back. Haggerty pressed.

The number “1” registered on the unit display as the button clicked down and a dozen microfibers injected the drug through the pores of his thumb, a cool, tingly sensation. A few seconds later, warmth emanated from a glowing ball in his chest and sang along his veins — not unlike celtrex but better, more intense. Celtrex dulled emotional and physical pain. This stuff banished it completely. Pleasure flooded his body, suffusing every nerve. He lay on the chaise moaning, a wide grin on his face.

Then pain clenched his vitals. He convulsed and began retching the minimal contents of his stomach into a silver basin the hostess had ready for him.

“This is natural on your first dose,” she said reassuringly. “It won’t happen again.” She mopped his brow with a cool cloth fragrant with rose water.

“In a few minutes it will be as if this hadn’t happened at all,” she murmured soothingly. “You’ll find your second dose even more pleasurable, with no aftereffects whatsoever.”

At length, Haggerty’s convulsions subsided. The basin was nowhere in sight. “I hope so,” he said, exhausted.

The hostess smiled. “I assure you, Mr. DeAngelo, you won’t be disappointed.” She turned to the ape. “Brian, please escort our guest to the washroom and help him clean up, then see him to his table.”

She turned to Haggerty. “Enjoy your stay with us, Mr. DeAngelo. I will let you know when it is time to dose again.”

* * *

Excerpt from The Killswitch Review, published by Yard Dog Press. Copyright 2011 Steven-Elliot Altman.

Steven-Elliot Altman is a bestselling author, screenwriter, and videogame developer. He won multiple awards for his online role playing game, 9Dragons. His novels include Captain America is Dead, Zen in the Art of Slaying Vampires, Batman: Fear Itself, Batman: Infinite Mirror, The Killswitch Review, The Irregulars, and Deprivers. His writing has been compared to that of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Michael Crichton and Philip K. Dick, and he has collaborated with world class writers such as Neil Gaiman, Michael Reaves, Harry Turtledove and Dr. Janet Asimov. He’s also the editor of the critically acclaimed anthology The Touch, and a contributor to Shadows Over Baker Street, a Hugo Award winning anthology of Sherlock Holmes meets H.P. Lovecraft stories.

Steven also bares ink on his body, and is bi, as in bi-coastal, between NYC and LA. He’s currently hard at work writing and directing his latest videogame Cursed Love, an online free to play gothic horror RPG from Dark Hermit Studios, set in Victorian London. Think Sherlock Holmes, Jack The Ripper and Dorian Gray mercilessly exploit the cast of Twilight. Friend Cursed Love (Official Closed Beta) on facebook and you can have fun playing out this tawdry, tragic romance with Steven while the game is being beta tested!

Diane DeKelb-Rittehouse spent several years in Manhattan as an actress before marrying her college sweetheart and returning to the Philadelphia area where she had been born. Diane first worked with Steven-Elliot Altman when they created the acclaimed, Publisher’s Weekly Starred-Review anthology The Touch: Epidemic of the Millennium, in which her story “Gifted” appeared. Diane has published a number of critically acclaimed short stories, most notably in the science fiction, murder, and horror genres. Her young adult fantasy novel, Fareie Rings: The Book of Forests, is now available in stores or online.

Interested in buying a printed copy of The Killswitch Review? Well, Steve’s publisher Yard Dog Press was kind enough to put up a special page where SuicideGirls can get a special discount and watch a sexy trailer. Just follow this link to KillswitchReview.com and click on the SG logo.

* * *

Related Posts:
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter One, Part Four
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Two, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Three, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Four, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Five, Part Three
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part One
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Two
Fiction Friday: The Killswitch Review – Chapter Six, Part Three

Some SuicideGirls have been modeling for the site for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or even 10 years. We thought it would be fun to show you a look back and some of the SuicideGirls throughout the years. The first girl we thought of who has definitely changed over the years was Sash. When Sash started with the site... more

Some SuicideGirls have been modeling for the site for 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or even 10 years. We thought it would be fun to show you a look back and some of the SuicideGirls throughout the years. The first girl we thought of who has definitely changed over the years was Sash.

When Sash started with the site she had one bow tattoo on her lower back. Now she has even more tattoos than I can easily remember. She has worked at HQ for 5 years now and handles all tech support for us and anything else we need.

Here is Sash in her first photo set Phone Sex from 2006







Here is another set from Sash from 2006 Sushi with nearly 16,000 comments this is the second most commented set on the site of all time.





Sash from her 2007 pin-up photo set Mattress in which she debuted her sleeve tattoo featuring blood, lace and ribbons.





From her 2008 pin-up photo set Unwind



From her 2009 photoset RedRum shot by Alissa





From her 2010 photoset Angeles





From her 2011 pin-up photo set Get Wet



From her 2011 Pin-up photos Haunted.



From her 2011 pin-up photo set Room 224



From her 2011 Pin-up photos Nirvana







Hope you enjoyed the beautiful Sash.

Become a member TODAY to see all 27 nude pin-up photo sets of Sash - http://suicidegirls.com/join/

by Jensen So, you may or may not remember, but a little while back I did a blog on here with Chris a.k.a. Ocell (of FoodWeChew.com/) about bagel making. Well, we decided to have a reunion and make doughnuts! We are both big fans of breakfast pastries. And holes. And breakfast pastries with holes. So... more

by Jensen

So, you may or may not remember, but a little while back I did a blog on here with Chris a.k.a. Ocell (of FoodWeChew.com/) about bagel making. Well, we decided to have a reunion and make doughnuts! We are both big fans of breakfast pastries. And holes. And breakfast pastries with holes. So we made some. I liked making blogs with Chris because A) he usually makes things while I just stand around and take pictures/throw in commentary and B) he is precise and by-the-book with cooking and I’m scattered and more willing to try things that will potentially turn out fucked up but could also turn out amazing. Actually, I think I’m like that with most aspects of life. But anyway, we’re the good cop/bad cop of cooking.

He found this recipe on AllRecipes.com and we only changed one thing. We also halved the recipe, which you can easily do at AllRecipes automatically.

What You’ll Need

Doughnut Ingredients:

2 (.25 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk

1/2 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1/3 cup bacon grease

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 quart vegetable oil for frying

***

Icing Ingredients:

1/3 cup butter

2 cups confectioners' sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

***



Preparation:

So we start to put together all of the ingredients and Chris goes, “I don’t think I have shortening. What is shortening?” And I tilt my head to the side and say, “Whaaaaaa? You really don’t know? Do you know what Crisco is?” I was literally amazed. It made me realize how much of a fatty I am for being so extremely familiar with Crisco. We ponder for a second and Chris says, “Do you think bacon grease will work?” And I say, “YES. BACON GREASE WILL WORK.” And he pulls a fucking jar of bacon grease out of his fridge, like this is a normal thing to have lying around. And thus, bacon doughnuts were created.



To start, you just mix the yeast and water in a bowl. We were a bit worried about this because his yeast was a little old and it didn’t get super fizzy like the recipe said, but it turned out fine in the end. After this is done you mix in the rest of the ingredient (sans the flour), then slowly add the flour in. I tried to knead the dough with my hands and it was a sticky disaster (another thing that had us worrying that the doughnuts weren’t going to turn out), but then he kneaded (well, sort of kneaded) it together with a wooden spoon and it turned into that nice texture we were looking for.



After the dough is a nice firm, fluffy looking texture, you let it rise for a bit. I don’t remember the exact amount of time; just wait for that shit to get nice and puffy.



Once the dough is puffy, you roll it into a long rod (I’m having bagel déjà vu here and feel like I shouldn’t recycle the “rod” job I definitely remember using last time). You’re supposed to use a doughnut punch (cookie cutter looking thing), but who the heck has a doughnut punch? We just stretched them into circleish squares, and they turned out just fine.



This is just a recipe break to post a picture of my second favorite cat, Chris’s kitty. SO. FUCKING. CUTE.



Mix all of the icing ingredients together over heat. The icing starts out looking really gross and sickly, but it turns into the super sexy sugary pile of awesomeness. Don’t freak out when it starts out all chunky and gross!



So you fry up the doughnuts until they’re golden brown, then slather them in that sexy icing you just made. Leave them on a rack to cool/let the icing harden. If you want to get crazy, you can put another layer of icing on them after the first layer is dry. That’s your call, bro.



I ate the fuck out of a doughnut.

So moral of the story, a lot of things didn’t go exactly as planned with our doughnut making extravaganza, but they still turned out super delicious. So if you’re worried about trying them out, don’t be! Because I’m pretty sure anything full of bacon and butter and sugar and carbs is going to turn out fucking amazing. That’s the last blog Chris will be working on with me (I mean, unless you guys can come up with more breakfast pastries with holes), so say bye and give him a big thank you :]


Related Posts:

Doing it with Jensen: Ridiculous Chocolate Peanut Butter Phyllo Bar
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Doing it with Jensen: Playing With 2 x 12 Inches On Video
Doing it with Jensen: Fried Chocolate Pies
Doing It With Jensen: Rockin' No-Sew T-Shirt Pillows
Doing It With Jensen: Haz A Cheeseburger Cupcake?
Doing It With Jensen: Chocolate Chip Beer Waffles
Doing it With Jensen: Homemade Hot Chocolate
Doing it With Jensen: Tangled Yarn Bulletin Board
Doing It With Tara: Jello Shots. Literally.
Doing It With Tara: String Lamp Thing
Doing it with Tara: Fluffy Balls
Doing It With Tara: Guess Who
Doing It With Tara: Chocolate Bacon Frostin
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Doing it with Tara: Macaroni and Cheese
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Doing it with Tara: Space Invader Magnets

by Nicole Powers The perfect presents for the #99Percenters that #Occupy a special place in your heart. (image) 1. V for Vendetta Guy Fawkes Mask ($5.40) Gotta start with the basics, and at this price it makes for a great stocking stuffer! (image) 2. Israeli Civilian Gas Mask w/ Nato Filter ($20.25) …And... more

by Nicole Powers

The perfect presents for the #99Percenters that #Occupy a special place in your heart.



1. V for Vendetta Guy Fawkes Mask ($5.40)

Gotta start with the basics, and at this price it makes for a great stocking stuffer!



2. Israeli Civilian Gas Mask w/ Nato Filter ($20.25)
…And for the kids: Israeli Civilian Children’s Gas Mask w/ Nato Filter ($16.42)

For those situations when a Guy Fawkes mask won’t cut it. This anti-gas gear was issued to Israeli civilians to face off against Saddam Hussein and his BFF Chemical Ali, so should be up to the job if you find yourself in the vicinity of Pepper Spray Cop. They provide NBC (neuclear, biological, chemical) protection, have a water intake port (for hydration without tears), and come with one sealed filter.



3. OWS Bandana ($16.50)

A super stylish, multi-purpose, pocket-sized anonymizer / accessory that's “perfect for protecting yourself from sudden dust storms and outbreaks of authoritarianism.”



4. Marmot Limelight 2P ($199.00)

Quick to set up and take down, this lightweight tent is ideal for those unexpected 3 AM evictions!



5. Get Out Of Jail Free Card ($0-$5,000.00+ depending on DA and/or judge)

Nothing says “I Love You” like bailing someone out of jail. Print this card out and give it to the person you’d like to take liberties with, or become a Secret Santa and donate to your local Occupy Bail Fund.



6. ReVIVE Series Solar ReStore External Battery Pack with Universal USB Charging Port ($27.99)

The only thing worse than being arrested is having your smartphone die while it’s happening. With this device, you can make sure you’re fully charged (while keeping it green), so you don’t miss capturing those special moments.



7. Parrot AR.Drone ($299.95)

Whose drone? Our drone! This quadricopter comes complete with an onboard video camera and can be controlled via iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, making it ideal for getting a bird's eye view up on your Livestream. Though the price may be a little steep for most 99 percenters, it’s still a hell of a lot cheaper than the drone our military lost behind enemy lines recently – and at this price you won’t need to suffer the indignity of asking for it back!



8. Civil Unrest Lego Set

Occupying Lego Land is a great way for the 99% to express themselves this holiday season. Though Slate.com’s prototype Legotti Park-inspired “Civil Unrest” Lego sets haven’t quite hit stores yet, you can order the Mobile Police Unit and Earth Defense HQ as featured in their “O.W.S. Riot Brigade” and “Arab Spring” packages direct from Lego.com/.



9. Vultures' Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates, and High-Finance Carnivores by Greg Palast ($17.79) and Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss ($11.55)

Vultures’ Picnic is an eye-opening crash course on why we #Occupy, while Emergency serves as a primer on how to keep yourself safe while doing it. And if the NDAA passes, and an unlimited stay in Guantanamo Bay or at your local FEMA camp doesn't appeal, it also offers some great tips on how to break free from handcuffs and get out of dodge.



10. Tyranny Has a Witness by Shepard Fairey / Obey ($75.00)

Based on a photo taken by Yuri Kozyrev/ NOOR for Time Magaine, this powerful 18 x 24 inch screen print is signed and numbered (being a limited edition of 450). It’s also a gift that keeps on giving, since a portion of the proceeds will go to Human Rights Watch.


Thanks to JackalAnon, EisMC2, Colinism, OakFoSho and ZDRoberts for assisting with this list. XOX



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#OccupyLA -- A Remarkably Civilized Society
#Occupy You Must
The Start of OccupyLA
Why Aren't We Seeing More Prominent People Coming Out In Support of #OCUPPYWALLSTREET?

by Nicole Powers The perfect presents for the #99Percenters that #Occupy a special place in your heart. (image) 1. V for Vendetta Guy Fawkes Mask ($5.40) Gotta start with the basics, and at this price it makes for a great stocking stuffer! (image) 2. Israeli Civilian Gas Mask w/ Nato Filter ($20.25) …And... more

by Nicole Powers

The perfect presents for the #99Percenters that #Occupy a special place in your heart.



1. V for Vendetta Guy Fawkes Mask ($5.40)

Gotta start with the basics, and at this price it makes for a great stocking stuffer!



2. Israeli Civilian Gas Mask w/ Nato Filter ($20.25)
…And for the kids: Israeli Civilian Children’s Gas Mask w/ Nato Filter ($16.42)

For those situations when a Guy Fawkes mask won’t cut it. This anti-gas gear was issued to Israeli civilians to face off against Saddam Hussein and his BFF Chemical Ali, so should be up to the job if you find yourself in the vicinity of Pepper Spray Cop. They provide NBC (neuclear, biological, chemical) protection, have a water intake port (for hydration without tears), and come with one sealed filter.



3. OWS Bandana ($16.50)

A super stylish, multi-purpose, pocket-sized anonymizer / accessory that's “perfect for protecting yourself from sudden dust storms and outbreaks of authoritarianism.”



4. Marmot Limelight 2P ($199.00)

Quick to set up and take down, this lightweight tent is ideal for those unexpected 3 AM evictions!



5. Get Out Of Jail Free Card ($0-$5,000.00+ depending on DA and/or judge)

Nothing says “I Love You” like bailing someone out of jail. Print this card out and give it to the person you’d like to take liberties with, or become a Secret Santa and donate to your local Occupy Bail Fund.



6. ReVIVE Series Solar ReStore External Battery Pack with Universal USB Charging Port ($27.99)

The only thing worse than being arrested is having your smartphone die while it’s happening. With this device, you can make sure you’re fully charged (while keeping it green), so you don’t miss capturing those special moments.



7. Parrot AR.Drone ($299.95)

Whose drone? Our drone! This quadricopter comes complete with an onboard video camera and can be controlled via iPod touch, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices, making it ideal for getting a bird's eye view up on your Livestream. Though the price may be a little steep for most 99 percenters, it’s still a hell of a lot cheaper than the drone our military lost behind enemy lines recently – and at this price you won’t need to suffer the indignity of asking for it back!



8. Civil Unrest Lego Set

Occupying Lego Land is a great way for the 99% to express themselves this holiday season. Though Slate.com’s prototype Legotti Park-inspired “Civil Unrest” Lego sets haven’t quite hit stores yet, you can order the Mobile Police Unit and Earth Defense HQ as featured in their “O.W.S. Riot Brigade” and “Arab Spring” packages direct from Lego.com/.



9. Vultures' Picnic: In Pursuit of Petroleum Pigs, Power Pirates, and High-Finance Carnivores by Greg Palast ($17.79) and Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Strauss ($11.55)

Vultures’ Picnic is an eye-opening crash course on why we #Occupy, while Emergency serves as a primer on how to keep yourself safe while doing it. And if the NDAA passes, and an unlimited stay in Guantanamo Bay or at your local FEMA camp doesn't appeal, it also offers some great tips on how to break free from handcuffs and get out of dodge.



10. Tyranny Has a Witness by Shepard Fairey / Obey ($75.00)

Based on a photo taken by Yuri Kozyrev/ NOOR for Time Magaine, this powerful 18 x 24 inch screen print is signed and numbered (being a limited edition of 450). It’s also a gift that keeps on giving, since a portion of the proceeds will go to Human Rights Watch.


Thanks to JackalAnon, EisMC2, Colinism, OakFoSho and ZDRoberts for assisting with this list. XOX



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(image) by Laurelin Winter is coming. Maybe I have been way too involved in reading the Game of Thrones series, but that phrase has been running the show these past few months. Winter is coming, cold weather, boyfriend season. It’s time to stockpile your nuts in anticipation of frozen ground, time to... more

by Laurelin

Winter is coming. Maybe I have been way too involved in reading the Game of Thrones series, but that phrase has been running the show these past few months. Winter is coming, cold weather, boyfriend season. It’s time to stockpile your nuts in anticipation of frozen ground, time to find some people to hibernate with, someone to snuggle with to save money on that heat bill. Whatever the reason, winter IS coming… and so far I think my stockroom is looking alright.

My best friend looked at me the other day and cautiously asked if she could tell me something. I said of course, and she slowly said, “I don’t think you’re over your ex-boyfriend.”

I laughed. “What was your first clue?” I said.

“Thank God,” she replied. “Well, you never came out and said it, so I didn’t want to bring it up.”

She’s right, although I feel like I always bring it up. For some reason lately his name has never been far from my mind, and even now, months later, I feel almost worse off than when it had just happened. It doesn’t make sense to me; it’s not like we had this incredible connection that I felt left a hole in my life. I have managed to maintain a normal work relationship with him, I have managed to keep calm when I need to and to keep a smile on my face. But I guess I never really had that healing ‘out of sight out of mind’ time period, and for some reason my mind is starting to play tricks on me, making me think I made a mistake. Making me wish that things hadn’t ended.

It’s not like I haven’t been dating and trying to move on. I went on a coffee date with a stranger, I’ve marched into the bar across the street and given my number to a bartender that I’ve always thought was cute. He called, and we’ve been meeting for drinks here and there, but in the back of my mind I think I’m doing it just for the challenge. When I go out with any of these guys I truly am looking for a connection. I don’t want to randomly hook up. I don’t even mean to stockpile for winter, it’s not nice. But all of a sudden I’m feeling wishy-washy, and for whatever reason on the first date we’re holding hands, and I’m smiling sweetly but really, I’m screaming, “WHO DOES THAT? GET ME OUTTA HERE!”

The other night after getting drinks with one guy (and a ride home from another) I decided to return a phone call from a far off ex-boyfriend, he had been calling during the date and I kept pushing him to voicemail.

“How was your date?” he asked.

“It was alright,” I say. “I miss you,” and I mean it. This guy and I are strictly friends now, and he moved to Los Angeles recently. We talk on the phone often, but he is greatly missed.

“Get in a cab and come to the Park Plaza hotel,” he says. “I’m in Boston.” Two minutes later I am back in a cab and heading downtown at two a.m., certain the cab driver thinks I’m a hooker. I pull up outside the hotel and walk through the doors into the most beautiful lobby I have ever seen. Crystal chandeliers hang from cathedral ceilings and music plays softly, drifting around the biggest Christmas tree I have ever seen. I walk to the tree and look around until I hear him call my name, and we just hug for a few minutes. I feel like I’m in a movie, a good holiday heartwarming moment. He was someone who left a hole in my life when he left, and sometimes a hug from a friend at two a.m. in front of a fancy hotel Christmas tree is just what you need to feel whole again.

I spend the night, but we just talk and fall asleep. I laugh to myself going over the day in my head, a full shift at work, a burlesque ballet performance, drinks with one guy, a lift home from another, back in a cab to meet another at a hotel at three a.m. My best friend’s words echo in my head and I say them out loud to my friend and he nods knowingly. I’m not over my ex. I feel like I’m taking a huge step backwards. I shouldn’t have gone out with any of these guys, it’s not fair to them. I’m not really giving them a chance, I’m just trying to fill a space where something is missing. I sigh and snuggle up, the hotel room is cold, and winter is coming.

***

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Ti West is becoming a major name in horror movies. His 2009 film The House of the Devil harkened back to 1980s atmospheric horror, to the point where it was available on VHS in a big plastic shell case. He’s been invited to speak on panels, such as 2010’s South by Southwest Film Festival panel “Directing... more

Ti West is becoming a major name in horror movies. His 2009 film The House of the Devil harkened back to 1980s atmospheric horror, to the point where it was available on VHS in a big plastic shell case. He’s been invited to speak on panels, such as 2010’s South by Southwest Film Festival panel “Directing the Dead” joining Zombieland’s Ruben Fleischer and Cloverfield and Let Me In’s Matt Reeves. He memorably spoke about the awkward moment where you have to direct a naked woman to show her breasts.

His new film, The Innkeepers, premiered at this year’s SXSW. After continuing to play festivals like The Los Angeles Film Festival and Fantastic Fest, the film comes to homes via VOD on December 30 and a theatrical release February 3. The Innkeepers is a horror comedy about two clerks at a defunct hotel’s last weekend in business. Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) pass the time by speculating about ghostly inhabitants and attempting to record EVP.

Claire’s slapstick bumbling and Luke’s sarcastic comments are a change in tone from the popular House of the Devil. The Satanic cult movie was made up of silence and nary a laugh. West has also directed The Roost and Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever although he disowns the latter because it was taken away from him in editing. He also directed segments of next year’s films V/H/S and The ABCs of Death.
Midway through the festival in Austin, West and I didn’t have a full night’s sleep between the two of us. I was going on three hours and he just barely had me beat. Those are the glorious moments of film geekery, where you just push through the exhaustion on pure adrenaline because you just have to keep talking about movies.

SuicideGirls: Last year on the “Directing the Dead” panel you said when you had to ask an actress to do nudity, it reminded you that that's a human being.

Ti West: Yeah. I do mean that but I don’t mean it in a “That’s a person, that’s offensive” kind of way because I don’t care about that. I mean it as in when you actually say it to someone, you realize you’ve just said that out loud and you’re like, “This is weird.” You just feel like a creep is what I’m getting at. It’s an odd situation to be in that when you’re not in it seems like oh, it’s just business as usual. Then when you’re actually there being like I have to tell her, it’s not even like because she knows she’s going to be naked, but I’ve got to tell her, “You’ve got to turn your boobs more to the camera,” you’re like oh man, this is weird.

SG: I found it a compassionate point of view because it’s a staple of the genre we love. Should we feel a little guilty for enjoying naked boobies?

TW: No, I don’t think so. I’m just saying it’s just awkward to do it. As the person doing it, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it, it’s just when you actually say it out loud, and maybe this is just me being weird and insecure about it but the times that I’ve had to do it, it’s one of those I can’t believe I have to go up to this girl and be like, “You need to turn more this way because we can’t see.” They never care. Everyone’s always fine with it but it’s just you realize what you’re doing when you ask that.

SG: My take was you were being compassionate.

TW: I think that’s ultimately where I come from.

SG: Of course we hear stories of bad producers forcing naive young actresses to do it, but I take a positive perspective that that’s a cool girl, she’s sharing her hot body with me on screen, so thank you, lady. Maybe it isn’t always like that.

TW: It’s just weird because it’s people everywhere. The whole thing is just awkward. Whenever anyone says, “Sex scenes are so awkward to shoot,” it is. It’s just a weird thing to be doing. It’s part of it but it’s odd.

SG: When you’re doing a horror movie set in a hotel, is that dangerous territory?

TW: Well, I’ll tell you that the first time we put the camera on a steadicam and walked down the hallway, I was like, “Oh, shit.” Because you can’t not. As soon we did it, as soon as he walks down that hallway you’re like, “Oh man, The Shining.” What can you do? I tried to stay far away from that stuff. I think other than a few visual things like that you can’t avoid, I think we’re a standalone thing. But yes, that’s one of the greatest movies ever made. I’m uncomfortable making a movie that’s similar to a movie like that.

SG: They still make exorcism movies though.

TW: That’s true. I feel like movies, sometimes they use similar bell type sounds and you’re like dude, what are you doing? I don’t know. When there’s a movie that good, it’s best to just leave it be.

SG: Did you want to use humor this time around?

TW: Yes. House of the Devil was a movie about a girl that was just bummed. So I was just like I don’t want to make another bum out I don’t have any money kind of movie. My whole goal with this movie was to make something that was charming. I have had every kind of part time day job ever and I really like those relationships you have with people. They’re not your friends, they’re your coworkers but you spend eight hours a day with them and you develop these quasi-friendships with them and it’s usually snarky and there’s usually a lot of humor in there. That’s really where it came from is to really try to make a charming movie about these minimum wage jobs that turns into a horror movie.

SG: Charming is a good word. I described it as campfire style. The scare is part of the fun.

TW: I can see that. Certainly when she tells the ghost story especially but I like that hanging out, you’re just kind of making conversation because what else are you going to do? Then you kind of develop this rapport based on that. That’s what I thought these two characters having spent so much time just sitting at a desk together.

SG: Even just as far as the joy of being scared, versus the intense disturbing horror movies.

TW: Yeah, again, House of the Devil is a girl who’s bummed out and then it’s a Satanic cult and it’s violent. I’d just done that so I wanted to make something that was a little bit more kooky and mystical and go down that not really fantasy, but a little bit more abstract field and have humor and have kooky wacky like screwball comedy stuff, but still have it be scary, which is like an odd combination but I felt like the contrast of those two things would work well.

SG: Speaking of mystical, several movies this year dealt with the interconnection human beings have with each other and the afterlife: Source Code, Insidious, the documentary I Am. What do you think makes so many filmmakers explore that metaphysical theme right now?

TW: I think because even if you’re a skeptic, there’s some inkling that there might be some truth to that. Nobody really believes in vampires. Nobody really believes in werewolves. Nobody believes in zombies, but ghosts are something that’s like I don’t think I believe, but maybe. I think there’s something about that that audiences and filmmakers, your own mortality, there’s something you can’t help being sort of interested in that. That’s to me what’s always been interesting about ghost stories. That’s why I think those movies to me are always the scariest movies, because I don’t really believe they’re going to happen, but I’m not 100% sure that they won’t. I’m in the high 90s but there’s that little percent, whereas I have no fear of zombies breaking in here ever. So that’s just entertainment to me. It can be well done craft or social commentary but it stops there. Whereas the ghost thing I think hits everybody more personally. Also anyone that’s had anyone in their life die, that’s a really trying experience and that’s something you think a lot about, like what happens? It’s not even necessarily in a religious way. I guess like you said, in a metaphysical way.

SG: Have you explored that deeper in real life, any reading?

TW: I had a friend that used to listen to a lot of Deepak. Me having to always hear her tell me about Deepak, Ekhart Tolle, some of that made it into the Kelly McGillis character because I would hear all these things about consciousness and all this stuff. I cannibalized some of her ramblings to me and put them into there.

SG: What are your favorite obscure horror comedies?

TW: Ah, I don’t know because there’s not really that many that don’t go into the weird outrageously silly Troma territory. This isn’t totally a horror movie but Death Race 2000 is a great comedy dark movie. Eating Raoul is a great dark black comedy with horrific elements. But just straight up ones, there’s not too many. The Burbs is awesome. The Burbs is one of my favorites. It’s genius and it’s not straight up horror but it sort of is because it’s the creepy neighbors but The Burbs is probably the answer I’ll go with. Forget Evil Dead II. Let’s go with The Burbs.

SG: Are you drawn more to horror movies as a movie viewer?

TW: No, I have 1000 DVDs and the minority is horror movies but I do like provocative stuff. So I’m always going to respond more to that. I just feel when stuff is the same, another Transformers movie, another Fast and Furious, other than some effects, there’s nothing in that movie that’s going to be new to me. I’ve said this a bunch of times but Steven Soderbergh had a really good quote when they were like, “How come you’re taking some time off from making movies?” He said, “I just can’t get excited about another over the shoulder shot.” It’s like something else needs to excite me so I’m always looking for edgier more provocative movies that give you a visceral reaction because so much doesn’t anymore.

SG: Do you have Blu-rays?

TW: I don’t have a lot, I have maybe 10 to 20.

SG: What movies are in your main rotation, DVD or Blu-ray?

TW: Well, I did this interview for Criterion for the Hausu DVD and they gave me a stack of DVDs. So my beginning of Blu-ray was just all Criterion stuff. I was watching a lot of that, rewatching Videodrome and all that sort of stuff. I bought Scott Pilgrim which I like a lot. Because of Netflix I get everything on Blu-ray whenever it comes out and it’s a fantastic format. As far as DVD stuff, my purchase of DVD has slowed, much like everybody, has slowed down over the years.

SG: We don’t need to own anymore. There are all sorts of sources of instant movies.

TW: My Blu-ray player is a Playstation and I got it because of the Netflix Instant thing and that just blows my mind. I think that’s amazing. The more stuff that gets on Instant, I have this floor to ceiling thing of DVDs that I just look at like, “I don’t even need these.”

SG: What are your perennials?

TW: Golden Child, The Burbs, Karate Kid, Teen Wolf. Movies I grew up with. 48 Hours, Beverly Hills Cop I watch all the time. I think it’s great. There’s something about those movies, it was the last bit of not lowest common denominator. They weren’t attempting as much. It was before all the test screenings. 48 Hours is a comedy but also an action movie, but also really dark and also just really well written and really well shot by Walter Hill. How often do you get a really well known gritty director to do a Nick Nolte/Eddie Murphy buddy comedy racial tension action movie? It’s like whoa. That just doesn’t happen anymore. Those are the movies I grew up with and I really like that stuff.

SG: What is on your stack to be viewed?

TW: There’s a bunch of Criterion things that I haven’t seen. Friends of Eddie Coyle, I haven’t watched that yet. I might be pretty caught up. I don’t have a stack, I don’t think, of stuff to see. When I was in New York finishing all the sound for the movie, I was in a hotel so I would just sit and watch tons of stuff. I watched the whole Sopranos season so I caught up with that. I’d never seen that before. I got really into TV box sets because I like the long form of it.

SG: Do you ever go through your collection and pull stuff out to get rid of?

TW: No. The collector element in me, I hold onto it.

SG: I’ve had Cabin Fever 2 on my stack for two years and I still haven't gotten to it. Should I watch it?

TW: Uh, I guess. It’s not my movie. I’m sure there’s things in there that could be amusing. Yeah, I don’t know. It doesn’t bother me. I’m long passed it at this point but it’s a bummer, it’s a shame.

SG: But you know how it goes, you might want to watch it to see what you're talking about, but then it just sits there.

TW: Actually, you should watch it. Here’s why. The way that you brought that up knowing the history of it, it’s totally fine. If you didn’t know the history and you were like man, I loved your movie and now I’m going to check out this Cabin Fever one you made, I’d be like, “Don’t!” Because then it’s like you’re going in thinking this is going thinking this is going to be like those. Then you’re going to be like oh, what happened here? The fact that you are educated to know that there were problems and I tried to Alan Smithee it and all that stuff, then you can watch it as a sort of experiment I suppose.

SG: I didn’t know that when I first got the DVD, but I've learned about the whole history of it as it's sat on my shelf.

TW: But knowing that, I would encourage anyone to watch it because everyone in that movie, I don’t dislike any of those people. Good for them. It’s just even people who really like that movie, I don’t feel comfortable taking any credit for it. That movie, I was editing it, it was going well and then everything I did they deleted and someone else started from scratch and re-edited it. I just think they missed what it was. Some people say, “How different could it be? It’s the same footage.” It’s like Dane Cook telling Seinfeld jokes. The material’s fine but the delivery is all fucked up. He’s giving you all this energy and it’s not supposed to be done that way. The material’s still funny but no one’s laughing. That’s how I feel about Cabin Fever. It’s a local band covering a famous song where you’re like, “This is the same, it’s just not as exciting.” That’s how I feel about it.

SG: The longer it gets the more I wonder why I haven’t just watched it yet.

TW: It’ll pop up on Netflix Instant and you’ll see it like that. The Alan Smithee thing would’ve been cool because I would’ve been part of that club. I mean, it’s not a great club to be a part of but at least I could be like historically, I’m in the Alan Smithee club. It’s very hard to get that credit though.

SG: They did a movie about that.

TW: I know and I think that killed the Alan Smithee, it makes it almost impossible to get it now. It’s no one’s real fault. It wasn’t Lionsgate. A whole series of things happened that just didn’t work out.

by Bob Suicide Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Geeky Books For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life (image) 1. Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side by Daniel Wallace ($62.98) It may not arrive in time for Xmas, but be sure to stick a preorder for the Book of Sith (out February 10, 2012) under the tree because... more

by Bob Suicide

Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Geeky Books For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life



1. Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side by Daniel Wallace ($62.98)

It may not arrive in time for Xmas, but be sure to stick a preorder for the Book of Sith (out February 10, 2012) under the tree because embracing the dark side with this multi-faceted tome will be well worth the wait!



2. Transformers Vault: The Complete Transformers Universe - Showcasing Rare Collectibles and Memorabilia by Pablo Hidalgo ($20.57)

Speaking of robots...how about ones in disguise? The Transformers Vault is filled with all kinds of nostalgic goodies for any die-hard fan who weeps at the mere mention of Bayformers, ahem, I mean that franchise that shall not be named.



3. ‪Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson ($17.49)

There's no denying that Steve Jobs defined a generation of gadget-lovers -- and often catered directly to us. This collection of vignettes culled from a series of 40 interviews puts his life and creative genius into perspective, and may inspire some wonderful New Year’s resolutions or dev. projects for 2012.



4.‪ Let the Right One In‬ ‬by John Ajvide Lindqvist ($10.85)

Sure, the original movie was amazing, and an American version was made (for better or worse), but the original novel is a wonderful gift to re-educate all those who think vampires sparkle.



5. ‪Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith ($11.19)

And, speaking of vampires and movies...Get it before the movie comes out so you can be up on all of the fanboy banter. I could never get into the Jane Austen novels. I'm just not a girlie girl. So, when Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came out I couldn't jump on the bandwagon. But, a hatchet-wielding vampire hunter who gives one hell of an address is right up my alley.



6. ‪Packing for Mars‬: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach ($10.85)

I'm a big fan of this author's witty take on in-depth research of interesting scientific topics. In fact, her book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is one of my all time Top Ten favorite reads! Cute, funny, and pun-ny, this book looks at the next frontier for space travel and gives you the 411 on how to prepare.



7. Why does E=mc2?: (And Why Should We Care?) by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw ($9.63)

This book is short and very easy to read. It's a great stocking stuffer or quick holiday read for those who want a brief primer on physics -- or to impress their friends at holiday parties (we all know what you're doing!).



8. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks ($7.99)

From all accounts, the movie sounds like it's going to destroy all of Max Brook's amazing work. So be sure to get this book for every geek you know so we can all enjoy the story as it was meant to be.



9. The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn and Tony Moore ($31.24)

Speaking of zombies and original stories thereof, be sure to give that zed-head you love the original Walking Dead story!



10. SuicideGirls Comic Book Series Vol. 1 thru 4 - Written by Steve Niles and Illustrated by Cameron Stewart ($7.50 for the set!)

I could be a little biased, but I think this makes a great gift. Buy it now, or accept the consequences…


[Above: Bob Suicide in Gears of War]


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by Bob Suicide Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Geeky Books For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life (image) 1. Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side by Daniel Wallace ($62.98) It may not arrive in time for Xmas, but be sure to stick a preorder for the Book of Sith (out February 10, 2012) under the tree because... more

by Bob Suicide

Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Geeky Books For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life



1. Book of Sith: Secrets from the Dark Side by Daniel Wallace ($62.98)

It may not arrive in time for Xmas, but be sure to stick a preorder for the Book of Sith (out February 10, 2012) under the tree because embracing the dark side with this multi-faceted tome will be well worth the wait!



2. Transformers Vault: The Complete Transformers Universe - Showcasing Rare Collectibles and Memorabilia by Pablo Hidalgo ($20.57)

Speaking of robots...how about ones in disguise? The Transformers Vault is filled with all kinds of nostalgic goodies for any die-hard fan who weeps at the mere mention of Bayformers, ahem, I mean that franchise that shall not be named.



3. ‪Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson ($17.49)

There's no denying that Steve Jobs defined a generation of gadget-lovers -- and often catered directly to us. This collection of vignettes culled from a series of 40 interviews puts his life and creative genius into perspective, and may inspire some wonderful New Year’s resolutions or dev. projects for 2012.



4.‪ Let the Right One In‬ ‬by John Ajvide Lindqvist ($10.85)

Sure, the original movie was amazing, and an American version was made (for better or worse), but the original novel is a wonderful gift to re-educate all those who think vampires sparkle.



5. ‪Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith ($11.19)

And, speaking of vampires and movies...Get it before the movie comes out so you can be up on all of the fanboy banter. I could never get into the Jane Austen novels. I'm just not a girlie girl. So, when Pride and Prejudice and Zombies came out I couldn't jump on the bandwagon. But, a hatchet-wielding vampire hunter who gives one hell of an address is right up my alley.



6. ‪Packing for Mars‬: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach ($10.85)

I'm a big fan of this author's witty take on in-depth research of interesting scientific topics. In fact, her book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers is one of my all time Top Ten favorite reads! Cute, funny, and pun-ny, this book looks at the next frontier for space travel and gives you the 411 on how to prepare.



7. Why does E=mc2?: (And Why Should We Care?) by Brian Cox and Jeff Forshaw ($9.63)

This book is short and very easy to read. It's a great stocking stuffer or quick holiday read for those who want a brief primer on physics -- or to impress their friends at holiday parties (we all know what you're doing!).



8. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks ($7.99)

From all accounts, the movie sounds like it's going to destroy all of Max Brook's amazing work. So be sure to get this book for every geek you know so we can all enjoy the story as it was meant to be.



9. The Walking Dead: Compendium One by Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn and Tony Moore ($31.24)

Speaking of zombies and original stories thereof, be sure to give that zed-head you love the original Walking Dead story!



10. SuicideGirls Comic Book Series Vol. 1 thru 4 - Written by Steve Niles and Illustrated by Cameron Stewart ($7.50 for the set!)

I could be a little biased, but I think this makes a great gift. Buy it now, or accept the consequences…


[Above: Bob Suicide in Gears of War]


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Whenever Nick Frost and Simon Pegg get together, funny stuff happens. They are best under the direction of Edgar Wright in Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Still on their own they make the magic happen, like in Paul which they also both wrote. In The Adventures of Tintin, Frost and Pegg work under... more

Whenever Nick Frost and Simon Pegg get together, funny stuff happens. They are best under the direction of Edgar Wright in Spaced, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Still on their own they make the magic happen, like in Paul which they also both wrote.

In The Adventures of Tintin, Frost and Pegg work under the tutelage of Steven Spielberg, so that’s not bad. The film is based on the Belgian comic books by Herge. They’re a big deal in Europe but their best known in the U.S. by comparisons to Spielberg’s own movies. The sprawling adventure of Raiders of the Lost Ark was compared to Tintin in reviews, sparking Spielberg’s interest in the original source 30 years ago.

Normally it’s easy to tell Pegg and Frost apart. Pegg is blonde and Frost has dark hair. What? What did you think I was going to say? In Tintin they are virtually identical. They each play the Thompsons, a duo of inspectors who bumble their way through attempting to help Tintin (Jamie Bell). Since the film is shot with performance capture, Frost and Pegg can control animated avatars who look nothing like themselves.

Frost was in New York for the U.S. premiere of The Adventures of Tintin, which has already opened to smashing success abroad. He got on the phone to talk about his work on the film, the upcoming Snow White and the Huntsman, his future collaborations with Pegg and Wright and just to make some fuinny.

Suicide Girls: This interview is for Suicide Girls.
Nick Frost: Oh yeah, I know your work.
SG: Are they your type of girls?
NF: Yes, they are my type of girls. I love a glossy black fringe. Sorry, I should’ve said glossy black bangs.
SG: Do you have a favorite Suicide Girl?
NF: I don’t, I’m so sorry. Pale skin, black bangs, tattoos, it’s all good.
SG: Can you tell the Thompsons apart?
NF: Yes, it’s all in the moustache. My moustache flicks up at the bottom and Simon’s doesn’t.
SG: What is your favorite Thompson Twins song?
NF: I think “Doctor Doctor.”
SG: Have you gotten that question a lot since you’ve played characters named Thompson?
NF: No, that’s the first time.
SG: Does the tone of Tintin suit your sense of humor?
NF: Yeah, absolutely. I think Simon and I and Edgar, let’s use Paul as an example. I don’t think that’s a very slapsticky film but I love slapstick. I think it’s probably the basis certainly of most cinematic comedy. The starting point of comedy in the cinema was slapstick so I love it. I love the physical comedy. It makes a nice change from all the wordy clever shit.
SG: Do you have any physical slapstick training?
NF: I don’t know. I fall over a lot. I played a lot of rugby and I love falling over for comic effect. I try not to think about it and just get on with it.
SG: Is there a little bit of immaturity in the comedy you like that has a place in Tintin?
NF: Yeah, absolutely there is. I don’t think comedy necessarily has to be pages and pages of dialogue. I think a single look can often be just as funny or a burb.
SG: Since you’ve done performance capture now, are you ready to be in Avatar 2?
NF: Yeah, absolutely. I’m waiting for Mr. Cameron to call me. I’ve got my own motion capture suit so I’m ready to travel.
SG: Is it nice to have a technology that allows you to not be you in a movie?
NF: I think that technology exists anyway. I’ve been working on Snow White and we have some fantastic prosthetics on that film so I think that allows me to not be me either. There’s more than one way to do this but the technology is now something that we’re doing more and more of. This style of it anyway.
SG: You’ve become a new dad in time for being in a kids movie.
NF: Yeah, I have. He’s five and a half months old. I think this will be the first film, this and I’ve just done Ice Age as well, I think those two films will be the only ones that I’ll let him watch at this point from everything I’ve ever done. I don’t think Shaun of the Dead is really suitable for a young boy.
SG: How are you making him laugh at five months old?
NF: There’s lots of this noise “Goo goo!” There’s lots of sticking your head out from the side, making him laugh from jumping out behind the door and going “Goo goo!” He’s pretty cool. He’s finding his laugh and he’s mega cute.
SG: When you were a kid, would you get in trouble for being a funny guy?
NF: Yeah, it has got me in trouble, never being able to be serious. I’ve changed a lot now but when I was a younger man, certainly in school I was more interested in making people laugh than learning my times table.
SG: Is there still a place for that or is there too much discipline and treatment for those tendencies in kids?
NF: I think there’ll always be a place for that kind of hijinks and tomfoolery. I think it will be a sad world if it was sterilized out of us. I always think the best teachers are ones that promote that kind of learning through comedy. I think kids want to learn more if they’re entertained. It’s difficult for kids to sit still and take in a large amount of information if it’s not put in a way that they can understand it and comprehend it.
SG: Have you started writing A World’s End yet?
NF: Edgar and Simon, there’s kind of a little draft out there at the moment and we’re all planning on putting time aside hopefully next year to do it. Watch this space.
SG: The draft you’ve seen, is it a good fit with Shaun and Fuzz?
NF: Absolutely. It’s written by Edgar and Simon so it definitely has their stamp on it and I won’t say more than that, but it’s very exciting.
SG: We’re just excited to see another one.
NF: Yeah, we’re excited to make it as well. I can’t wait to get going and film it.
SG: Are you going to jump in with a pass on the script?
NF: I don’t know. I don’t know how we’re going to do it. We’re having meetings and stuff like that but I just want to get involved at any level. Whatever they want me to do I’m happy to do it.
SG: Do you know what kind of character you’ll play?
NF: I’m not saying anymore. Stop prodding.
SG: Will you be writing anything else with just Simon?
NF: Yeah, we have two ideas that are in the pipeline. Again I’m not going to say anything about them but these are things that we want to work together. We like working together but we also like doing other stuff. We have an idea. I think we’re going to try and sit down next year and write that again but that will be something very different. That won’t be me and Simon playing mates. I think we can try and completely change it up. That’s what we’ll try and do.
SG: Speaking of other things, what kind of roles do you get to play in Snow White and the Huntsman?
NF: I am a dwarf. I am a kind of grumpy, grumpy dwarf. It’s great. We wrapped the film Friday. We had a real, real good time just hanging out, listening to Ray [Winstone] and Ian McShane tell stories of the old country. It was a good time.
SG: Were you a fairy tale fan growing up, and getting deeper into it as an adult?
NF: I was interested in a child. I always had a vivid imagination so these kinds of fantasy worlds and these realms that didn’t exist were a nice outlet for that kind of imagination.
SG: What do you think it is about this time right now that Snow White keeps popping up in different movies and TV shows?
NF: I think it’s probably the 75th anniversary. It’s 75 years, isn’t it, since Snow White? I think that’s why.
SG: Will that movie be appropriate to show your son?
NF: Yes, I think it is. We’ve seen about 20 minutes of it on set and stuff. It has a very kind of Lord of the Rings [feel.] It’s dark, it’s gothic, there’s great battle scenes. Kristen Stewart’s performance so far that I’ve seen is fantastic too. On top of that you’ve got lovely big Chris Hemsworth. Let’s wait and see. I think there’s a lot of expectation on this film. Rupert Sanders who’s directing it, it’s his first feature that he’s directed. I think he’s done a cracking job.
SG: How much did you and Simon geek out on the set of a movie with Steven Spielberg?
NF: A lot. Well, you know what, we geeked out inside or once we got back to the hotel for the evening. Then we’d geek out and we’d break it down and say, “God, that was amazing when Steven was talking about Close Encounters.” But I think if you were just to kind of geek out as a fanboy on set, you’d probably never get any work done. Also it changes the dynamic on set. I’ve been brought in as a performer and as an actor to interpret the script and to characterize Herge’s drawings so that’s what I’m there for primarily to do. But if in doing that I hear a wonderful story from Steven about Close Encounters then that is all the better.
SG: Did he have any great stories about 1941?
NF: Yeah, he did tell a few stories. I can’t really remember them all now.
SG: But all films, not just the most famous ones.
NF: Yeah, look. He is a storyteller first and foremost so it’s great just to sit and listen to him talk. It’s a real treat.

The Adventures of Tintin opens December 21.

by Bob Suicide Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Gadgets For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life. (image) 1. The Star Wars Wampa Rug ($99.99) or Taun Taun Sleeping Bag ($99.99) Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside a TaunTaun it's SO delightful. Cozy up and get your geek on with some of the greatest... more

by Bob Suicide

Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Gadgets For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life.



1. The Star Wars Wampa Rug ($99.99) or Taun Taun Sleeping Bag ($99.99)

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside a TaunTaun it's SO delightful. Cozy up and get your geek on with some of the greatest plush reproductions from the best movie in the series.



2. Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter ($19.99)

Take your cooking where it's never been before. It's a great stocking stuffer. And, made with the same level of quality that Starfleet expects from all of its ships.



3. Lego Death Star Tree Ornament (Approx $18-28.00)

Order the parts from Lego and let the force be with you as you build a superweapon capable of destroying all other Xmas ornament competition.



4. Uncharted 3 CE for PlayStation 3 ($74.99)

You can never go wrong with a quality collector's edition and the Uncharted 3 CE was one of the best of the season. It's like 4 gifts in one!



5. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for Xbox 360 ($49.99)

And, speaking of video games, your loveable nerd's holiday isn't complete without Spike's Game of the Year: Skyrim. You may never see them again after the holiday. But, you'll know they're happy wherever they are -- battling dragons. EFFING DRAGONS!!!



6. Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 ($264.95)

What programmer doesn't want a robot butler? Or a robot alligator to guard the house? Give your geek a Mindstorm and they'll build you something better, faster, stronger – but beware, this is how Skynet starts. Hey, it may be the end of the world, but it's the thought that counts!



7. Portal 2: Light Up PotatOS ($29.99)

Remember when you were a kid and you did the potato-as-a-conductor-for-light experiment. Well, now, kids (big and small) can not only make a potato give light, you can make it insult you too -- just what you've always wanted!



8. Munchkin Quest the Board Game. ($37.11)

Remember when you used to play D&D with your friends for hours, I mean days, on end? Well, add witty cards (and sometimes lots of Cuthulu), grab some friends, and relive the magic! And, while your at it, get the iPhone/Android app for extra perks!!!



9. 8-bit Glasses ($390.00)

They're super-pricey and hipsters might adopt them ironically, but the geek with cash and class can admire the retro- grooviness of these 8 bit specs.



10. Star Wars Motorcycle Suits ($1,150.00)

I don't really have to sell you on this one. The Dark Side sells itself.


[Bob Suicide Gets Intimate With Her Wampa]


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The Geek's Guide to Getting Down Vol. 4: The Blue Pill Or The Red Pill
The Geek's Guide to Getting Down Vol. 5: Experiencing Pon Farr? Bring deodorant

(image) by Bob Suicide Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Gadgets For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life. (image) 1. The Star Wars Wampa Rug ($99.99) or Taun Taun Sleeping Bag ($99.99) Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside a TaunTaun it's SO delightful. Cozy up and get your geek on with some... more

by Bob Suicide

Bob Suicide’s Top 10 Gadgets For The Naughty N’ Nice Nerd In Your Life.



1. The Star Wars Wampa Rug ($99.99) or Taun Taun Sleeping Bag ($99.99)

Oh, the weather outside is frightful, but inside a TaunTaun it's SO delightful. Cozy up and get your geek on with some of the greatest plush reproductions from the best movie in the series.



2. Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter ($19.99)

Take your cooking where it's never been before. It's a great stocking stuffer. And, made with the same level of quality that Starfleet expects from all of its ships.



3. Lego Death Star Tree Ornament (Approx $18-28.00)

Order the parts from Lego and let the force be with you as you build a superweapon capable of destroying all other Xmas ornament competition.



4. Uncharted 3 CE for PlayStation 3 ($74.99)

You can never go wrong with a quality collector's edition and the Uncharted 3 CE was one of the best of the season. It's like 4 gifts in one!



5. Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim for Xbox 360 ($49.99)

And, speaking of video games, your loveable nerd's holiday isn't complete without Spike's Game of the Year: Skyrim. You may never see them again after the holiday. But, you'll know they're happy wherever they are -- battling dragons. EFFING DRAGONS!!!



6. Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 ($264.95)

What programmer doesn't want a robot butler? Or a robot alligator to guard the house? Give your geek a Mindstorm and they'll build you something better, faster, stronger – but beware, this is how Skynet starts. Hey, it may be the end of the world, but it's the thought that counts!



7. Portal 2: Light Up PotatOS ($29.99)

Remember when you were a kid and you did the potato-as-a-conductor-for-light experiment. Well, now, kids (big and small) can not only make a potato give light, you can make it insult you too -- just what you've always wanted!



8. Munchkin Quest the Board Game. ($37.11)

Remember when you used to play D&D with your friends for hours, I mean days, on end? Well, add witty cards (and sometimes lots of Cuthulu), grab some friends, and relive the magic! And, while your at it, get the iPhone/Android app for extra perks!!!



9. 8-bit Glasses ($390.00)

They're super-pricey and hipsters might adopt them ironically, but the geek with cash and class can admire the retro- grooviness of these 8 bit specs.



10. Star Wars Motorcycle Suits ($1,150.00)

I don't really have to sell you on this one. The Dark Side sells itself.


[Bob Suicide Gets Intimate With Her Wampa]


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Not Really A Barbie Girl, In A Barbie World
Confessions Of A Hardcore Gamer: The Rise of My Nightmares –– That I’ll Be Petting Kinect Puppies Long After Sega's Zombie Horde Goes To Ground
Women Prefer Gaming To Sex – But There's a Frigging Difference Between Fragging and Farmville
Damn You Zuckerberg!
You Might Be A Nerd If…
Confessions of a Shy Gamer
Red or Blue, Wonder Woman's Boots Were Made For Walking
The Geek's Guide to Getting Down Vol. 1 (A Brief Introduction)
The Geek's Guide to Getting Down Vol. 2: Fragging and Other Group Activities
The Geek's Guide to Getting Down Vol. 3: Co-Op Mode
The Geek's Guide to Getting Down Vol. 4: The Blue Pill Or The Red Pill
The Geek's Guide to Getting Down Vol. 5: Experiencing Pon Farr? Bring deodorant

The makers of Star Trek can thank their lucky stars that the spacetime continuum isn't thought to be very continuous these days. The new Star Trek film turns its back on everything that Back To The Future ever taught us about time, and embraces the possibilities of infinite alternate universes that... more

The makers of Star Trek can thank their lucky stars that the spacetime continuum isn't thought to be very continuous these days. The new Star Trek film turns its back on everything that Back To The Future ever taught us about time, and embraces the possibilities of infinite alternate universes that come along with the relatively recent science of string theory.

In the domain of string theory, the paradox issues created by time travel are resolved by a split in the fabric of time, with new offshoots creating alternate futures. This non-linear vision of temporal theory, which is now favored by many scientists, has conveniently allowed Star Trek director J.J. Abrams, and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (who worked with J.J. on Alias and Fringe), to reboot the series and open Star Trek up to a whole new world of possibilities.

The character of Spock lies at the dramatic center of the alternate universe depicted in the new Star Trek movie, with Leonard Nimoy's original Spock traveling back in time to aid a United Federation of Planets inhabited by his younger self, played by Heroes' Zachary Quinto. In this timeline, which was created by the elder Spock's leap through time, the young Spock (and not Kirk) gets to kiss Uhura (played by Zoe Saldana).

In an otherwise utterly brilliant film, it's this one storyline that may have hardcore Trekkies and Trekkers up in arms. Science fiction fans might need to remind themselves that the word "science" comes before "fiction" in this genre, where multiple alternate timelines/universes are (quite literally) the way of the future. Fans can also console themselves with the fact that a Spock/Uhura relationship is perhaps not without precedent in Star Trek's hallowed canon -- as actor Karl Urban (who play Dr. Leonard "bones" McCoy) points out in the group discussion with Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto below.

Question: Obviously this Star Trek takes place in an alternate timeline and the younger Spock is very different from your Spock, he's much more emotional, much more human -- he has the relationship with the girl.

Leonard Nimoy: He does doesn't he? [laughs] I noticed that.

Q: How did you feel about that when you first read that in the script? Were you resistant to that?

LN: I'll tell you, I was bemused by it when I read it in the script. I was amazed by it when I saw it on screen. I thought it was incredible.

Q: Do you think it works?

LN:[/b[ Brilliantly. Don't you?

Q: Well I understand that Spock is half human and half Vulcan, and I guess it's more of a human Spock and less of a Vulcan Spock.

Zachary Quinto: I don't necessarily agree with you, I think there's a duality and an internal conflict because he's really split between those two halves of himself but I just don't think he's gained the kind of control over that duality that Leonard had when he played the character. That's the journey of this character. It's not that he won't arrive there. It's not that he possesses more humanity than Vulcanity, it's just he's juggling to define it.

LN: [laughs] That's great I love that. Write that, "Vulcanity" -- that's a new one!

Q:: Zachary, you play one of the most iconic of all the characters in the Trek universe. How intimidating was it for you to do that? And how much more so for you to do so with [Leonard] present? And Leonard, what do you think of the new Spock?

ZQ: I think all of us were faced with a certain level of intimidation stepping into these roles theoretically, although J.J. did a great job of diffusing that from step one, in terms of really dictating that we were encouraged to use the original performances as points of departure, but from there we were expected to develop our own points of view and perspectives on these characters.

And for me Leonard's involvement was only liberating frankly. I knew that he had approval over the actor that would play young Spock, so when I got the role I knew from the beginning it was with his blessing, and from that point we developed our own relationship. I was the first one cast in the movie. I got cast in June and we didn't start shooting until November, so over those months Leonard and I spent a number of times hanging out and talking about life and about the characters. Just getting to know him personally was incredibly freeing and helpful in the process.

LN: I think it's appropriate when the old timers walk on the set that everybody be intimidated. [laughs] It's classic. I used to be the kid on set and I was intimidated. Why shouldn't they be? [laughs]

Q: This relationship didn't exist at all in the series. Uhura never expressed any interest at all in Spock that anybody could see. How did you approach this relationship that was brand new to the Star Trek canon?

Karl Urban: If I may just express some of my Star Trek knowledge here, there was, I do remember, one particular episode where Spock was playing, what was that instrument?...And Uhura was singing and caressing his ears, and it was one of the most hypnotic scenes in the original series. So I think, while that relationship wasn't developed, it certainly was there in subtext.

ZQ: Snap! [laughs]...And for me the relationship really provided a great source of levity in the film between Kirk and Spock, between Kirk and Uhura. But between Spock and Uhura I think it provides a really interesting depth in that Uhura ultimately represents a canvas on to which Spock projects the emotions that he can't otherwise express.

I just think that dynamic for me was really rewarding as an actor, and the scene that Zoe [Saldana] and I played in the elevator was definitely one of the most present experiences through shooting, and that has a great deal to do with Zoe and her emotional availability and her openness, and it was such a comforting confined space that we were in.

LN: [talking to Zachary] What is it that Kirk says to you, I missed the line, when you're on the transporter and he says something and you say, "I have nothing to say about that." What does he say to you?

ZQ: He says, "Her first name's Nyota?"

LN: And you say?

ZQ:: And I say, "I have nothing to say on the matter."

Q: Leonard, did you have any hesitation going back to this after all this time? And was it the script, was it J.J., what?

LN: It was a combination of the script and J.J.'s enthusiasm, and then J.J. and the writers, [Roberto] Orci and [Alex] Kurtzman, talking about their sensibility, their sense of what Star Trek was all about and what the Spock character could be about. And frankly I had felt marginalized for a long time. I hadn't been asked to be involved in Star Trek for something like 17 or 18 years, and this felt like somebody said there's a value here that we'd like to take advantage of and do something with, and it felt good. It felt good. It felt like being, frankly, appreciated. I was happy to go back to work.

Q: What were your fondest memories of Gene Roddenberry?

LN: He was a brilliant complicated man and we had a complicated relationship. There were times when it was like a father /son relationship -- a typical, classic -- and sometimes it was great and sometimes it was really bad. Sometimes we disagreed strongly about certain issues. But obviously he was a very, very special mind.

Q: Zackary, did any of the Vulcanisms give you any trouble?

ZQ: I spent a little time actually training my hands to be able to do the salute. That wasn't something that came particularly easy, so I would rubber band my ringer finger and my pinky finger together and when I was driving around Los Angeles I would do little exercises....

Q: Somewhere in the press kit there's a quote from you, Mr. Nimoy, where you say that this Star Trek has the opportunity to go places that the original never accomplished. What are those things?

LN: When we were making the series I was always curious about what issues the writers were going to tackle in Star Trek that they could not tackle in other series, in other television. Those were the things that make Star Trek interesting for me. In this Star Trek, I think it's a question of vengeance. It's the defeatism and emptiness of vengeance.

That makes it meaningful to me. We tackled some very interesting issues all through the years, racial issues, economic issues, ecological issues, all kinds of very interesting subject matter, and I think that's what made Star Trek meaningful for a lot of people.

Writers were given an opportunity in Star Trek to tell stories about issues that they could not express in other television shows - and they did. They often came in and said, "I have a great feeling about this subject. I'd like to write a script that deals with that issue."

Q: Were you surprised that it took this long for the studio to recast the roles you guys had played before?

LN: I frankly didn't spend a lot of time thinking about that. I was busy doing other things. I simply figured that, for me, Star Trek was finished. I had done what I could and was asked to do, and it was over for me. When the First Generation's film came along I was left out of it and Kirk was killed. I think someone was sending us a message. [laughs] It's over for you guys, it's somebody else's games now, and that's the way it was for a long time.

Q: Zachary, in the film it seems that Spock has to strip himself of virtually every emotion. For this character what did you have to strip yourself of?

ZQ: I didn't really see it that way actually. I think Spock, I think he experiences deeply run emotions and I think that especially in the context of the relationship with his mother, I think there's a real depth of feeling. The only thing I feel I had to strip myself of was the ability to express it in a conventional way. I think that's really the dilemma of Spock ultimately, because if he doesn't feel emotion, then there's no conflict within him. So the conflict exists in the feeling, the deeply rooted and sublimated feeling of emotion without the opportunity to do much with it other than hold it, which is really challenging and can be painful.

Q: Zachary, you play two beloved characters, Sylar in Heroes and Spock in Star Trek. Do you foresee a backlash with either one of your fanbases?

ZQ: A fan war? Fan reaction doesn't tend to be something I attach myself to very much. I mean, I care deeply about the work I do, I'm grateful on so many levels for these contrasting and challenging opportunities that I've had in the past couple of years, but my focus is my work and people's reaction to my work falls under the category of things I have absolutely no control over. I would certainly love to invite my Heroes fans to join us on this journey and, don't be pissed, it's all good.

Q: Zachary, at the end of the original series it's perceived that Mr. Nimoy tried to distance himself from playing Spock -- he even wrote a book entitled, I Am Not Spock...

ZQ: I read it.

Q: Are you concerned at all about now being too associated with Spock as an actor?

ZQ: Well I think that was a different time. There was a stigma attached to science fiction that doesn't exist anymore. It's become so much more mainstream. I think also people's attention spans, for better or worse, have diminished significantly since that time. I feel like really it's incumbent upon myself to define what kind of career I want -- and for me that's a career of longevity and diversity. So now it's my job to hopefully utilize this exposure as a platform to do other kinds of work and enrich myself with other genres and to invite the avid fanbase of science fiction, of Star Trek specifically, to come with me on that kind of a journey now because that's the kind of actor I want to be...So...No!

Q: Leonard, how did [William Shatner] react to you being cast in the movie?

LN: Oh, I think he had mixed feelings but it's all worked out fine.

Q: Did you guys talk about your return to...

LN: ...No. We didn't talk about it.

Q: You got to talk to your young self in the movie. What would you want to say to your young self in real life?

LN: I think the scene with Zackary was a very good father/son scene, really. He's sort of been through it and is giving the best advice he can in a very brief scene. Not a lot of opportunity for that.

Q: Leonard, as well as staring in the first Star Trek series and the first six movies, you also directed. Would you like to go behind the camera again?

LN: No. No, I'm done with all that thank you. I never set out to be a director. After Spock had died, sort of, in Star Trek II, they brought me in for a meeting and asked if I'd like to be involved in Star Trek III, in the making of it, and I had been told that I should be directing. I took it as an insult because I thought what's wrong with my acting? But I thought maybe now I should do that and I said I'd like to direct the movie, and I suddenly found myself with a directing career which I had enjoyed and I had enough of it. I directed I think five or six films -- I had a good time.

I would like to say this that over the years one of the questions that I've often been asked is what contributes to the longevity of interest in Star Trek, and what makes it successful and so forth, and I think one of the things that's easily overlooked is the fact that all of the people on this Enterprise crew, all of the people involved in these various characters within Star Trek are highly educated and highly professional people. They're for the most part scientists, and they really know how to do their job and I think people admire that.

People may not be consciously aware of it, but you somehow sense that these are very professional people that know what they're doing and each makes a contribution to a solution of a problem. And while I have the opportunity to say that here, I would like to point out that there's a great authenticity in this movie, I think that you believe these characters, you believe that these people are professionals and that, I think, has something to say about the quality of the professionalism and talent of all the people that are playing these characters, that are portraying these characters -- there's a brilliant cast put together here. I'm an admirer of all of the cast in this movie. I think they've done a great job.