Friendship Algorithm T on Amazon

Is it just me, or is The Big Bang Theory ripe with casual clothing-ready ideas. We've seen the Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock/Knock-Knock-Knock Penny! T-shirts, the Bazinga! Hoodie and now we get The Frienship Algorithm T-shirt.

One more thing to add to the Knerd-Must-Have-Now list.

Speculative Love: The Art of CELENG

With Valentine's Day a mere 2 weeks away -- and me being a romantic Knerd at heart -- I thought it appropriate to post some Sci Fi/Fantasy art that pays tribute to the day of martyred saints.

First up is The Sacred Rose, by CELENG. This artist has quite a few decent pieces, though the one below has me scratching my head while causing me to feel a funny in my pants.

What are the chances the Hawke sisters would get it on? And why isn't Bethany a romance option in DA2? Would the game hurt with a little Lannister-ish loving thrown in? I don think it would. But what do I know?

Kermit and Miss Piggy Pwn Fox News

Remember when Fox News (Eric Boiling along with guest Dan Gainor) accused the new Muppet Movie of being a vehicle for the bike-ridding pinko hippie Left? Well, the Muppets turned the tables around during their international release tour.

First Class Sequel? Yes, please!

Looks like the cast of the Xmen: First Class sequel has been locked and loaded, my friends. And that means more Jennifer Lawrence in blue paint and short skirts. What more could a Knerd want?

Mayor Rainman Ford: It's definitely about subways.

In response to accusations that he overstepped his authority when it came to killing Transit City, Mayor Rob Ford responded, "It's all subways, it's all about subways."

When pressed further, Ford said, "I was elected on subways, they want subways, I was out (at a mall in Scarborough) on Saturday, people want subways, that's it".

"It's all subways, it's all about subways," he reiterated, after being asked whether or not Toronto City Council will vote on the matter.

Mayor Ford refused to answer any more questions, saying it was almost 12 o'clock and he had to go home to watch Judge Judy.

Mayor Ford's New Clothes

According to the Toronto Star, City Councillor Joe Mihevc solicited the opinion of a respected Toronto law firm in regards to Mayor Ford's decision to hash out a new transit plan and axe Transit City without a vote from council.

This is just another example of Rob Ford's penchant for building his own reality; ignoring the facts and taking the term "His Worship" to mean he can do whatever the hell he wants. He claims to represent the "Tax Payer", but far too many tax-paying Torontonians find Mayor Ford's policies, "efficiencies" and general personality to be repugnant. He tries to kill Transit City, saying it will save money, when his new plan will actually cost Toronto more.

Mayor Ford has come to believe that he's clothed in the will of the people of Toronto. But the events of the last year or so have proven that Rob has tailored himself an outfit made from a mix of libertarian and suburban dreams. And that combination of materials, my friends, does nothing at all to hide the fact that Mayor Ford is a poor Mayor indeed.

Polaris 26: Wil Wheaton Will Be In You!

This year marks the occasion of two very knerdtastic events. The first being my joining the TCON/Polaris Marketplace department. The second -- which is a much bigger slice of knerd pie -- is the news that Mr Wil Wheaton has agreed to be a Polaris guest. Yeah, completely negates the first bit of this post, I know.

Of all the TNG crew, I most wanted to be like Wesley. I mean, he was brilliant, had a hott brilliant mom and got to flirt with Ashley Judd (rawr). His choosing to live with the Dorvan V Native American settlement to learn from the Traveler was an excellent plot choice which added to the character's appeal and gave Wesley Crusher a fitting farewell.

Mr Wheaton has this certain "Je ne sais what" that makes him stand out from the rest of the Enterprise D crew. You see it come out when he's in an episode of The Guild or Big Bang Theory. Hell, it's even obvious when the dude rolls a D20.

Okay, so the video above doesn't actually show Mr Wheaton rolling a D20, but if you're gonna watch the whole game you need to start at the beginning.

That's enough fanboying for now, I believe. But, in case you missed it, I'm super psyched Wil Wheaton's going to be at a con I just happen to help run.

No Kiss For Super Mario

And now, Brave Readers, time to power up with Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Comedy.

Looking For A Few Good Knerdy Men & Women

Announcing L.O.K,'s 2012 Most Epic Cosplayer. If you're a Knerd who likes to get their cosplay on, submit your photos to tilionandarien@hotmail.com and I'll feature the creme of the best in my weekly Most Epic Cosplayer post.

Fans will then vote for their favourites (via the Comments section) and 3 winners (male, female and trans) will be chosen on January 1st, 2013.

Can't wait to see what you've got, my fellow Knerds. Good luck.

Serenity Bank Heist Money Pack. Shiny.

This slice of the Verse comes with a map of Reaver territory, as well as 12 exact replicas of Alliance Scrip. You do the job, you get paid.

OCSTA: You're Here, You're Queer, You're Going To Hell

Leanne Iskander's not impressed with OCSTA's queerphobic Guidelines

In an attempt to defy the heart and letter of Ontario's GSA/Anti-Bullying legislation, the Ontario Catholic Schools Trustees Association (OCSTA) has released their guidelines as to how Catholic School boards GSAs will be operated.

"Activism, protests or advocacy of anything that is not in accord with" Catholic schools' faith will not be allowed. Students will also be denied the chance to counsel each other. Any club started must be labeled a "Respecting Differences" group, with all discussions filtered through the Church's queerphobic dogma (via teacher supervision). This is in addition to OCSTA president Nancy Kirby's earlier comments that all such clubs will not be allowed to be called GSAs (again, in violation of the spirit of provincial legislation).

Nancy Kirby: "No GSA for you! Come back, one year!"

"There is a lot of room for interpretation in the language. Other schools don't have these guidelines," Leanne Iskander, founder of Catholic Students for GSAs, said when talking to Xtra! "This is worse than I expected".

Will Shazam Ever Make Movie Magic?

In talking to Newsarama, Geoff Johns spoke about the possibility of a Shazam (Captain Marvel) movie:

"There's always a possibility for Shazam. There's always talk about Shazam. And I can't get into the specifics of that, but yeah, there's hope for Shazam."

Well, that clarifies everything, don't you think?

More Land of Knerd© Marketplace Party News

So, I've scouted the party's potential digs and come away with some knowledge:

The space can hold up to around 400 people (decent size). I figure we'll be able to have the actual market space consist of 30-40 (number adjusted after figuring in final costs) 6' 6" x 4' booths (which will include one 6' table and two chairs). Party hours have been shortened, as well, as the facility will be occupied during the morning/early afternoon.

That means we're looking at a 5-11pm party, which gives Knerd guests plenty of time to mix, mingle, buy and sell all sorts of fandom goodies.

Oh, and the reason I'm calling this a Marketplace Party is simple: Because that's what it is. There will be music, food (all non-vendor guests will be asked to chip in $5 for food and drink), game tournaments, cosplay and myriad other entertainment.

Well, friends, that's all I've got for now. I should know more in a couple of days, then throw up a new post once I've confirmed the details.

No Torchwood In 2012. Sigh.

While talking to Cultbox, Eve Myles of Torchwood ( and Dragon Age II, of course), said she'd like it if the series could have clear cut finish.

"Nothing's going to happen in 2012, I know that much for sure. But who knows what will happens in 2013? Maybe a movie, to kinda draw a line under it? [The fans} deserve Torchwood to go ahead with something else to draw a line under it...for the fans to have a bit of closure."

"I think it would be nice to be back in Wales. That's where it was born and maybe it would be nice to end it there.

Yeah, that's John Barrowman in La cage Aux Folles

"John [Barrowman} is very much on the same page as me, in that if and when they need us, they can just pick up the phone and we will be there before they've even put the phone down, because it's something we love doing.

Batman By Gaslight

Well, Gotham By Gaslight may never see the light of console, but we can take some solace in this Batmantacular bit of fan art by insanepoly.

Darth Newt's Moon Madness

While at a Brevard County, FLA (home of the JFK Space Center) Holiday Inn, Darth Newt announced his plans to colonize the moon by the year 2020. "We will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American," the Sith Presidential candidate said.

"How could we build a bureaucracy this big and get into a period where we rely on the Russians, while we watch the Chinese plan to surpass us, and we sit around bureaucratically twittling our thumbs?"

"We will have commercial near-earth activities that include science, tourism and manufacturing, that are designed to create a robust industry precisely on the development on the model of airlines in the 1930s, because it is in our interest to acquire so much experience in space that we that we clearly have a capacity that the Chinese and Russians will never come close to matching."

Newt's entire speech can be seen in the above video.

Land of Knerd© Market Party

Announcing the upcoming  2012 Land of Knerd© Market Party (date/location TBA).


At the one-day event, Knerds© can come chill with local artisans, comic creators/illustrators, dealers of various nerdery, and engage in various tournaments (Munchkin? Magic? Candy Land?). 

The event will run from 10am-10pm on a Saturday, ending with the showing of a classic Sci Fi/Fantasy movie.

If you're a maker/dealer of fine nerd items, and would like to inquire about a table ($30), please email me at tilionandarien@hotmail.com. Oh, and I'll be hocking nerdtacular books there, too.

A TVO Treat: Prisoners of Gravity on Queer Sci Fi

Okay, Sulu wasn't gay, but what if he had been?

This post was inspired by my current twitter conversation with @scottdagostino, @AureliaCotta and @eva_starlily on how minorities are represented in media. It began with us discussing that io9 article I mentioned earlier, with Aurelia saying she wished more average autistic/disabled kids were featured on TV.

Scott then mentioned that Sci Fi has always been ahead of its time -- implying that, through speculative fiction, other genres are challenged to include characters (autistic, disabled, queer) in their story lines.

That, of course, reminded me of an old Prisoners of Gravity episode where host Rick Green talked to authors/comic book artists who had created queer protagonists. This was back in 1994 -- and on TVO (a provincially-funded TV station in Ontario, Canada).

I won't say more on the subject. Instead, I encourage you to watch the episode here:

Why We Need Autistic Super Heroes

Alphas' Gary Bell is a hero kids autistic and not can look up to

This post is in response to io9's "Why do we want autistic kids to have superpowers?"

Now, I'm not autistic -- nor do I know anyone who is. That being said, I can only tell you why I want people on the Autism Spectrum to be included among such heroes as Superman and Green Lantern: Because those kids need heroes just like them.

Having heroes like Gary Bell (Alphas) also shows that those on the Spectrum can function quite well, thank you very much. And when it comes to perpetuating stereotypes, I prefer that the world of entertainment err on the positive side.

So, I hope to see this trend of autistic superheroes continue, expand to the point where it won't even be an issue.

Councilor Frances Nunziata Tries to Cock Block Backyard Chickens

Despite pleas from Councilors Mary-Margaret McMahon and Sarah Doucette for debate/examination of information on Torontonians who own backyard chickens, Councilor Frances Nuziata moved to defer the issue indefinitely.

"If you want to have chickens then buy a farm, move to a farm," said Nunziata, adding that the whole topic was "ridiculous".

Two Teens Get High the Scientific Way

New Market teens, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, have recently made their mark in Canadian Space Agency history by sending a Lego @MarcGarneau some 24 kilometres above sea level.

The budget for this endeavour cost around $400 CAD, making it one of CSA's most expensive projects to date. No word on whether or not the two 17-year-olds will be attempting a second launch -- though, there is talk of sending a Lego @simonpegg and @nickjfrost to Mars.

"For two 17-year-olds to accomplish this on their own is pretty impressive," said Uof T Astrophysics Professor, Dr. Michael Reed. I would have to agree. I mean, most 17-year-olds that I see can barely keep their pants up, let alone launch a balloon some 80,000 feet into the air.

Pegg and Wright Prepare For Potential World's End

@simonpegg and @edgarwright have begun working on what many believe to be the third movie in the "Three Flavours Cornetto" trilogy, "The World's End".

In actuality, the talented director and his actor amigo have learned of an imminent dalek invasion and are hastily throwing together a plan that will, hopefully, result in defeating the evil robots' efforts to destroy the Earth.

Still Think New DKR Catwoman Costume's Meowdiocre

So far, I've been underwhelmed with what I've seen of Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Selina Kyle/the Catwoman costume. Perhaps I'm a little biased, though, as the only movie Catwoman//Selina for me will always be Michelle Pfeiffer.

Granted, the new action figures revealed today (from Idle Hands) give us the best glimpse we've seen of Selina's get up, but I'm still left unconvinced of the costume's potential to stand out as a fan favourite.

What's your call, fellow Knerds©?

To Russia, With Knerdy Love.

If I ever LARP (and, by Thor, one day I will), I want someone like Russia's Iza Privezenceva on MY side.

And now, for those of you who give a shit about classic literature: Moby Dick Toilet Paper. For only $999.00, even.

CausePlay: Why One Girl Likes to Get Her Cosplay On

I am officially moving my blog back onto Blogger, my friends. And for my "first" post, I thought we'd take a brief look at cosplaying.

Now, this is mostly for those of my followers who've no idea what cosplay actually is -- or have only the most elementary understanding of this part of Knerd© fandom.

Kudos to those who spot Reboot's Mike The TV.