Girly Geek Things

This Cute of the Week is just another reminder that knitting is totally rock ‘n roll, and that I totally need to learn it:

Boo the Bat – knitting pattern available from Mochimochi Land.

One word: BOOKSHELF.

If you haven’t bookmarked Bookshelf Porn it as your browser homepage yet, do it now.

If only, I often think, there were some way to convey to random strangers my complete and utter devotion to all things geek, yet also maintain my unusual and peculiar obsession with pretty dresses. And lace. Oh won’t somebody please find a way to combine these two divisive parts of my personality? Some method of giving people fair warning of my liability to descend into mad rantings about the lack of audible dialogue in the leaked Dark Knight Rises prologue footage at any given moment, while also letting me swoosh around like a fairy? Anyone?

Batman always did have good dress sense.

Fear not, The Vintage Doctor is here to heal all your nerdy fashion woes. And the clothes are custom-made to fit your figure too, so there’s no good reason not to get one – unless a little thing like the $185 price tag puts you off, but who can put a price of geek chic? Of course, there are other many other nerdy themes to choose from if Batman isn’t your thing (in which case, have you seen The Dark Knight? What’s wrong with you?) – from The Little Mermaid to The Nightmare Before Christmas.

And, of course: Star Wars.

Wacom’s Inkling pen is the perfect post-christmas present to yourself if you have fond memories of drawing doodles in class and showing them off.

As adults, fewer people appreciate our doodled masterpieces, but there is hope for those wanting to transform overnight from a doodler into a (commercially paid) artist/graphic designer.

You can doodle your way to artistic professionalism in normal pen and ink during meetings, and Inkling’s pen will record your movements, so you only need to upload the recorded digital image which you can then manipulate into a masterpiece.

By giving you freedom to roam and draw in ink as usual, Inkling lets you become friends with Photoshop gradually, even if you cringe at the mere mention of a ‘layer’.

Okay, if layering is your thing, Inkling allows you to record your drawing as virtual ‘layers’. Even though you are working on the same paper in ink, you can rearrange or delete parts of your work virtually later. Trippy.

Play.com has it for pre-order, priced at around £150.

This is what the world needs. A notepad. For the shower. Waterproof. Because we all know what it’s like to have the best ideas in the shower and I, for one, cannot even count the times I thought of something I desperately needed to remember while showering, only to find I’d forgotten it as soon as I’d hung up the towel.

Available from AquaNotes.

So here you go. Genius invention. Get it. And who knows, once you can take notes in the bath you might even, someday, finish that novel you started in first year of uni…

This past weekend I made the ultimate surprise purchase of awesome: Skull and crossbones shaped ice cube moulds! (Made even more awesome by the fact that they were only a quid each, from Poundland.)

The thought of frozen water did not even cross my mind, of course. When I spot something like funky shaped ice cube moulds, my one and only though is… FUNKY CHOCOLATES!

Like these:

And since I was in the mood for experimental baking anyway, my skullcandy chocolates ended up on top of white chocolate cupcakes with boozy blackberry and sloe gin icing.

I have also decided that 2012 will be the Year of the Experimental Cupcake. Lined up for phase 2 are penguin shaped ice cube moulds and blue food colouring. So stay tuned.

Ah, the pursuit of happiness. A source of much philosophising over many centuries – when it’s all dead easy, really. Luckily, designers Alex Koplin and David Meiklejohn have laid down a super straightfoward guide for seekers of happiness on a very pretty poster.

Available from Moodgadget.

Christmas is drawing nearer, it’s freezing out there…about time for the second round of our gift guide! We love our food, and some of us love to make it too, so this part is all about things that will look shiny under the tree and also add some awesome points to a lucky person’s kitchen.

Image from Giggles Galore.

Breakfast boost
Getting up sucks, and even more so if there’s a day at work looming at the end of it. Make someone’s day with a breakfast set that will remind them of the good old days, when getting up merely meant dragging ourselves to the nearest console…

Seen at getDigital.

Don’t you dare forget the milk
Now here’s something that makes pen and paper look so retro: A fridge magnet that lets you record video memos. How frickin’ awesome is that?! And no more excuses for an empty fridge from anyone!

Seen at Play.com.

Chop it like a pro
One for wannabe-ninjas and friends you don’t trust much with a knife. This karate chopper applies instant comic book style to any kitchen and tackles lettuce with a black belt.

Seen at GAMAGO.

Safe, in style
The perfect present for any budding kitchen geek, these old-school pixel hand oven mitts will keep cooks at every level safe and stylish.

Seen at Monsterstuff.

Season-bots
Can you send the salt over please? These salt and pepper robo-shakers aren’t just super cute, they’re also wind-up so you can send them marching across the table. There’s just no end to the awesomeness of robots.

Seen at Suck UK.

The cake of awesome
Give this Space Invaders-inspired cake mould to anyone who remembers playing games before Guitar Hero & co were invented, and they’ll proclaim you the queen of Christmas. Guaranteed.

Seen at IWWOT.

No messing with these cookies
Ninjas = awesome. Cookies = awesome. Ninja cookie cutters for baking enthusiasts (or cookie lovers) = total Christmas gift win!

Seen at getDigital.

Ok, now how awesome is this?! You can be all snug and comfy on the sofa and still feel like a superhero. Just throw on this Slanket-inspired blanket which comes with sleeves, allowing you to carry out vital missions such as changing the channel or eating cake while staying nice and warm.

Amazon doesn’t actually have the Batman print in stock at the moment*, but alternatively you can be Wonder Woman, Superman or Spiderman**.

 
* How dare they, nearly ruined my headline there!
** What’s clearly missing here is a doggy-sized Spiderpig blanket for our pets!

Let’s start the week with some urban art from Germany: The They Live project, by a chap called Timm Schneider, shows what a difference a pair of eyes (and a cookie) can make. Me love!

Check out the project it its full awesomeness on ich bin KONG.