Avenger Vision

Alongside the 3D release of The Avengers movie, theaters will have collectible 3D glasses available for purchase. This is what they look like:

While I think they're cool, doesn't the Thor one look like it has a Spiderman theme? And then the Captain America ones are pretty much just...blue. It's a little underwhelming. The Iron Man ones are cool, though.

Game of Thrones Teaser Trailer

HBO finally aired a significant teaser trailer for the next season of Game of Thrones (which premieres on April 1st). I've already watched it twice, and it was a lot more exciting than the previous teaser HBO released (though I suppose teasers are supposed to get more exciting the closer you get to release day). Everything seems significantly awesome, if I do say so. I was a little disappointed we didn't see Brienne of Tarth or Davros Seaworth (though we could have seen Davros because my apartment is way too bright for the dark scenes on Dragonstone, but I doubt it). I also think that showing Pyat Pree/the warlocks from Qarth's House of the Undying, with their blue lips, could be a sweet scene for a teaser trailer.

Anyway, without further ado, here is the video:

And here is the previous trailer, if you haven't seen it:

There's no words in Elvish, Entish or the tongues of men for this awesomeness

IGN reported today that Turbine has announced a new expansion for Lord of the Rings Online--Riders of Rohan. Characters can now reach level 85, and characters will be able to participate in mounted combat AND meet the Ents of Fangorn Forest.

I only dabble in playing LOTRO, so I haven't felt the need to invest in the Rise of Isengard expansion. However, the Riders of Rohan expansion has me excited, and I will probably start playing LOTRO more and buy this expansion when it comes out in the fall. This news, the Hobbit premiere in December, plus the LEGO news reported last week, has made me one very happy Tolkien fan this year.

Procrastination = Pretty Sci-Fi Jewelry

It's only a day later and I'm procrastinating again, this time by looking at pretty sci-fi geekery jewelry on etsy. I was a little disappointed by my A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones findings, but this search is proving to be much more rewarding.

First, Annie Nygard of the shop SpiffingJewelry has made several Firefly quote necklaces. This one is my personal favorite, but there are a few to choose from. Of course, if you get this you probably couldn't wear it to class.

I also love her Han/Leia jewelry and I am getting this snitch necklace for my boyfriend's sister, who is graduating college this spring. Or maybe for her birthday, if it's before graduation (I forget when it is. Oops.)

In honor of the upcoming release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3-D (not that this is really something we should be honoring), here are some pit droid earrings, which I found absolutely adorable. They are made by Sue Clark and available in her OutFromMyAttic store.

However, I would have to buy this AT-AT necklace, which would go excellently with my recently altered AT-AT tank (I'll have to put a picture of it up once I get it just right). I'm a sucker for an AT-AT, and I'm not sure why. Maybe they remind me of giant, mechanical puppies? I don't know. Anyway, this cute necklace is made by cassasstrophe and for sale at her shop of the same name.

I was always a little bit more of a Trek girl than a Wars girl, though, so here's something I actually squealed over when I found it: a bat'leth necklace. Apparently, the artist, Lindsey Woodward, and her boyfriend are regular con venders--here's hoping I see them sometimes. Their store is TwoTree and their business is Two Tree Illustrations. I'd suggest checking them out--their account suggests that the Vegas Star Trek Convetion would be a good place to start! The store looks amazing, and I want this. so. bad.

Also, they have Borg cube earrings. Squeal again.

Like most other living, breathing individuals, one of my favorite sci-fi video games is Portal. And, since it is so popular, that means that etsy is full of AMAZING pieces. The turrets are some of my favorite...characters... in Portal (mostly because they're polite enough not to hold a grudge when I KO them), and these earrings are excellent.

They're made by knil and for sale in the shop, also called knil. The whole shop is definitely worth a look--it's full of Zelda, Skyrim and Kingdom Hearts merchandise.

Also, while it's technically horror, Resident Evil has a definite sci-fi element to it (I mean, the whole premise is based on the horrors of biochemical engineering). YellerCrakka has come up with the perfect way to show a friend how you feel with these T-Virus and anti-virus friendship necklaces. Of course, if you really cared you'd probably have to give them the anti-virus. You could probably just say you really like blue and keep it for yourself, though, just in case. Once again, the entire shop is worth browsing. It's full of wondrous geekiness, plus some steampunk goodies.

I should probably start doing some of my school work (and work work) now, so have fun browsing!

Resident Evil 6 Announced

      I have good news and bad news.

      Capcom has officially announced Resident Evil 6. That may be the good news--the truly good news, in my opinion, is that you once again get to play as Leon S. Kennedy (and Chris Redfield too). It is said to be released on November 20, 2012.
      Ok, now savor that for a minute.
      The bad news is that each playable character (Leon, Chris, and a yet-unidentified mercenary) has a companion.
       I do sometimes appreciate the companion characters--after all, it allowed my brother and I to play co-op in Resident Evil 5. However, it is only while playing co-op that I appreciate these characters. I hate that they have annoying voices, I hate that they can't manage to be useful, and I hate that they always chase you around with green herbs. I had to force Sheva to use a useful weapon by taking away all of her non-useful weapons because otherwise she wanted to do nothing but stun rod everything, including the chainsaw zombies. I died about a hundred times trying to get through that area until I realized that was what she was doing--using a stun gun and picking up all the ammo, leaving me with none.
      I'm pretty sure Sheva wanted me dead.
      So now, in Resident Evil 6, we get a split-perspective story line (that will undoubtedly meet up at the climax) and three different companion characters (to hate). Were any of the companion characters ever popular? And by popular, I mean appreciated by players that didn't just like to check out the female-shaped pixels. I don't think the answer to this question is in the affirmative, which makes me wonder why these characters keep popping up in Resident Evil games. I do appreciate the ability to play co-op, but I'm not sure it's enough to justify the resentment these companion characters instill in me. What's your position on the companion characters? Does the co-op ability make them worthwhile?

Etsy Treats for the A Song of Ice and Fire Geeks

My currently-reigning obsession is George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (better known as Game of Thrones to the layman). So, since I am sick and not in the mood to do any political science tonight, I decided to go on etsy and post some of my favorite A Song of Ice and Fire crafts for you fellow fans. I know that as soon as the month rolls around and/or I get paid, I'm going to snag some of these.

This first one is a decal for your laptop, car or anywhere else. Artist Benjamin Daniels of the PerfectlyAligned shop sells a lot of different decals for different areas of geekery, but this is one of my favorites.

Shop owner Jerry Amsterdam (shop jerryamsterdam) has made these coasters for most of the main houses of A Song of Ice and Fire. 

Excellent, right? You can get these in Baratheon, Targaryen, Stark, Lannister, Greyjoy, Tully, and Arryn.

This is a Greyjoy coffee mug (it also comes in Stark, Targaryen and Baratheon) hand-painted by Veronica Sherwood and sold in the GeekCraftee Store. I think that the detail in this painting is excellent work!

This is a necklace with a hand-made dragon egg pendant. It's probably the best one I saw on Etsy, made by Candice Bates and in the sbuderfly store. 

That's all for tonight. Here's hoping I'm more active this week than I was last week!

Space-saving AND Timey-Wimey

     When I move out of my apartment at grad school and (probably) back into my parents' house after I graduate, I will be giving some of my furniture to my sister (who is moving into a house for her senior year in college). Since I will be losing some of my stuff--and will need to redecorate my room at home--I was looking for some cool furniture that reflects both my need for space and my personality.
     Speaking of space, I found it. And I use space in two different ways.
     This was posted back in December on fanboy.com and was created by user msmuse1 and msmuse1's dad. I wonder how much it would cost to commission one and get it sent from across the pond. I think it's absolutely brilliant, and that my Gollum statue (from the Extended Edition of The Two Towers) would look just as much at home in there as msmuse1's.