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'Star Trek' props prove pivotal to geek gal's past

It's Geek Pride Day. I'm celebrating by taking a look back through time at my collection of oddball "Star Trek" props and memorabilia excavated during a recent spring cleaning.

"Star Trek" was a bunch of television shows. It was a bunch of movies. It was also a lot more than that to me. I first became fascinated with "Star Trek" through watching reruns in the afternoons when I was in fourth grade.

I was a shy, quiet child, but suddenly I wanted to become either an astronaut or an actor, whatever would get me closest to the Enterprise the fastest. … Read more

Friday Poll: How are you celebrating Geek Pride Day?

It's no coincidence Geek Pride Day falls on the "Star Wars" anniversary, Towel Day for "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" fans, and a special People's Revolution celebration day for Discworld devotees.

Geeks have come a long way since "The Revenge of the Nerds" movies. IT staffing firm Modis' recent geek perception survey found that geeks are cooler than they were last year, with 54 percent of respondents rating geeks to be extremely intelligent (up from 45 percent last year).

The survey also found that 60 percent of geeks would be stressed out if their hard drive got wiped, compared with only 49 percent feeling that way about a relationship break-up. It's all about priorities.… Read more

Geek Sneaks: Wear computer code, constellations on your feet

They say the shoes make the geek... or something like that. You don't have to wear a GameBoy dress or glowing Tron T-shirt to radiate your geekiness, however. Just throw on the right pair of shoes.

Geek Sneaks from geek outfitter KlearGear.com are designed for code monkeys, scientists, astronomers, and engineers. The shoe design is a simple slip-on, but it's the patterns that really stand out.… Read more

Retro 1980s case turns iPhone into 'brick' handset

Once upon a time, only the coolest (and wealthiest) people had mobile phones, and those phones were the size of a large guinea pig. This magical time was known as the 1980s.

If you pine for the days when acid wash jeans and Phil Collins ruled America, then ThinkGeek's Retro iPhone Case is for you.

Slip your iPhone into this case and lose all pretense to having a sleek, modern telecommunications device. All of a sudden, you have a brick-sized 1980s phone to go with your "Miami Vice" pop-collar jacket and gelled hair.

This honkin' huge case … Read more

Panic Button Light Switch: Go ahead and panic

We've all had moments when we heard a mysterious shuffling in the dark. Or we got news that the in-laws were showing up unannounced. Or the Roomba finally became sentient and set out for revenge. Those moments call for a panic button.

The Panic Button Light Switch Replacement Kit from ThinkGeek will at least make you feel a little better in those moments before your Roomba sucks you into its robotic rotors of oblivion. … Read more

The 404 1,045: Where we're outed on Facebook (podcast)

We love Facebook pranks as much as the next guys, but not when it's coming from an anonymous source at Best Buy. As if we needed another reason not to step foot in the big blue retailer, we read this story about a Best Buy employee that posted a phony Facebook status update on a customer's phone. The message declared, "I am gay, I'm coming out," but there's one problem: the customer is straight.… Read more

The 404 1,033: Where we break records with Katie Linendoll (podcast)

Katie Linendoll returns to the show with big news! She recently entered the Guinness World Records book for slapping the most high fives in a single minute, leaving a certain clown in her dust. Check it out on "All Access Weekly," Katie's new show on Spike TV.

Katie always brings engaging talking points to the show (not to mention the best gifts), and today she has an opinion about the lack of women in the tech scene. She offers suggestions on how the U.S. education system can start a grassroots movement to expose young people to … Read more

Awesome 9-year-old's cardboard arcade gets flashmobbed

Remember on the first day of grade school when your teachers would ask you to come up to the front of the room and tell your classmates what you did during your summer vacation? Inevitably, there would be tales of frolicking at the beach, camping at national parks, and other cool activities, but we think 9-year-old Caine Monroy just might have the greatest story of all.

A big fan of arcades, Monroy spent his summer creating his own arcade (called Caine's Arcade, naturally) at his dad's auto parts store in east Los Angeles. Using cardboard boxes and the … Read more

Inflatable 'Star Trek' Captain's Chair: Sit long and prosper

I always thought an original-style "Star Trek" captain's chair would be my personal holy grail of memorabilia. Unfortunately, a really great replica costs $1,000.

Now there's an option that will only cost me $25 and a bit of lung power. The "Star Trek" Inflatable Captain's Chair from ThinkGeek arrived along with a slew of April Fools' products like the "Star Wars" Admiral Akbar Singing Bass and Electronic Hungry Hungry Hippos for iPad.

The inflatable chair, however, is very real. Before you get too excited, though, let's look at the fine print.

The chair is only rated to hold up to 120 pounds. That makes it suitable for child Star Fleet recruits, slim adults, or Captain James T. Bark, your 6-pound chihuahua. William Shatner and the majority of Trekkies are out of luck.… Read more

Artist creates Transformers-inspired theme park

Zhu Kefeng could be the biggest Transformers fan you'll ever see.

Inspired by the robots in the popular Transformers franchise, the 49-year-old Chinese artist led a team that built more than 600 giant sculptures using recycled automobile parts.

These sculptures, created over a period of 10 years, now reside at a theme park in Jiaxing City in China's Zhejiang province. Also known as Mr. Iron Robot theme park, it has since become a tourist attraction that's popular with kids. … Read more