geeks

Online apparel store Threadless has a new T-shirt called My Other Ride Is a Light Cycle. Clearly inspired by the retro Disney movie "Tron," it features a glow-in-the-dark print that will make it look like you have a glowing printed circuit board on your body when the lights go off.

This tee is perfect for those who love the old movie and are looking forward to the upcoming sequel, "Tron: Legacy." The shirt is available now online for $20 and will probably go well with the Adidas Adicolor Tron shoes and tracksuit from 2006.

(Source: Crave Asia … Read more

If you work on the Internet, it seems like you either love or hate April Fools' Day, which has become just about any tech company's excuse to make fake product announcements or attempt to mislead readers. This year was no exception: Though there was no "Hotelicopter"-like prank that actually fooled reputable news sources, fake news was more ubiquitous than ever.

Most of 2010's gags, to be honest, aren't all that funny if you don't get the tech industry in-jokes referenced. But a few, like the In-N-Out Burger prank in New York, were pretty darn good. Also worth noting: we haven't seen a single Rickroll.… Read more

Did you know that my birthday is less than a week from now on March 17? That's also St. Patrick's Day, which everyone celebrates by going out and getting wasted. I'll admit it, that's exactly my plan for my birthday/St. Pat's.

The smart people at Geek Squad, knowing it's my birthday (because I've collaborated with a PR person there in the past), sent me this wonderful cell phone recovery kit in the off chance I drunkenly drop my phone into my beer, a toilet, or, more likely, Puget Sound. It wouldn't be the first time.

What's in the kit, you ask? Everything you need to attempt to resurrect a dunked cell phone. And what better way to show it off than with a series of unboxing pics? Because for some reason people who read tech blogs love unboxing pics.

First off we've got a generously sized Tupperware container that can also be used for storage of last night's leftover lasagna. Inside we see a handy card that features the seven key steps for saving a waterlogged handset: … Read more

Bruce Fredrickson says the the router and video grabber from his company can be installed in less time than it takes to boil an egg. Fredrickson, who is chief marketing officer for No Geek Needed, says he's tired of having to go to neighbors' houses to help them install things.

The company's strategy is to make all the decisions for the user, giving people nothing to think about when they install the product, such as what type of security to add to their router.

In the tech industry, the terms "nerds" and "geeks" are thrown around a lot. For some, those terms are offensive. For others, they're endearing. And for some they are simply accurate descriptors for who they are. But a professor from Bennington College, who was recently profiled by The New York Times, believes that those two words need to be avoided at all cost.

According to David Anderegg, using terms like nerd and geek "perpetuate the stereotype" that nerds are "socially inept" and geeks are people with a "special expertise." … Read more

Wal-Mart is preparing to offer in-home tech support to its customers, according to Reuters.

The retail giant will partner with product-support firm N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, the report said. By the holiday-shopping season, all U.S. Wal-Mart stores plan to offer customers the opportunity to use N.E.W.'s service in their homes. Reuters said the service already kicked off this month in specified locations.

Wal-Mart will give shoppers the option of buying service plans "on a prepaid card, ranging from $99 to $339," Reuters said. The service plans will provide "basic television installation … Read more

Get ready to have your faces melted, because Brutal Legend finally comes out today for XBox 360 and the PS3. To quote Jeff, the game is a "metal fan's absolute fantasy come true." It stars Jack Black as the voice of Eddie Riggs, a roadie for a metal band that must fight off metal-infused demons to save the world. Unfortunately, Jeff has some criticism about the game that might influence your buying decision.

Speaking of video games, though, it just so happens that Uncharted 2 also comes out today exclusive to Playstation 3, although it's already garnering excellent reviews from critics, including our own Dan Ackerman. The game is essentially the male-centric version of Tomb Raider, a take on the Indiana Jones adventure-style franchise. The antihero of the story, Nathan Drake, acts as a treasure hunter and art thief for hire, and it's up to you to navigate him across the world as he battles through firefights and explores virtually limitless environments that add to the overall realism of the game. Can't decide between Brutal Legend and Uncharted 2? Jeff's got your answer on today's show!

Big congratulations goes out to Natali Del Conte for making onto Manolith's list of the 12 hottest geeky girls in tech! NDC joins the ranks of other Internet hotties like Jade Raymond, Jessica Chobot, Morgan Webb, and more, so be sure to take a peek at the list and let us know who YOU think is missing! Don't even think about nominating Wilson...he's booked solid for the next decade.

Finally, it's my turn to choose the Beck's Beer Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Pick! Today's band is Raisinhill, a couple of talented chums hailing from Redding, Conn., who play a modernized version of up-tempo jazz/rock fusion. The trio are all classically trained and use their wide range of talents to create their dancey jams.

We understand that today's generation probably isn't running to record stores to pick up jazz CDs, so we're hoping you'll keep an open mind with Raisinhill and appreciate their instrumental talents. Besides, any band endorsed by Mr. Belding, Ron Jeremy, and Napoleon Dynamite HAS to be pretty good. The songs of the day are called "Nameless" and "The Ridge." You can listen to both songs on their MySpace page. If you like what you hear, you can buy their self-titled album as well. Enjoy!

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Updated 7.28am PST Saturday, following requests from readers, with details of the dead man and the full picture of the computer.

I wonder how many of you already know where you would like your ashes to live in perpetuity.

In a Cupertino parking lot, perhaps? Or strewn on the steps of a certain academy of sciences?

I only ask because it seems that a geeky man called Alan seems not to have wondered about this. With the result that his eternally powdered life is now being spent inside a SPARCstation computer.

One assumes this is what they call a SPARC of respect.

A Flickr member called Sam 3.14, who appears to be Alan's brother, explained on the site that it was he who decided to place Alan's ashes inside one of the most precious creations under the Sun.

Sam described it thusly on his Flickr page: "I kept the floppy drive cover but for space reasons removed the floppy drive, hard drive, and most of the power supply. I left behind the motherboard and power switch and plugs to keep all openings covered."

Which seems like a wise and brotherly gesture.

Sam continued: "The case worked quite well at his memorial party. His friends and family were able to leave their final good-byes on post-it notes. Anyone who wanted to keep their words private could just slip their note into the case through the floppy slot."… Read more