Where's the Doctor? book from Penguin Books

Artist Jamie Smart has been drawing intricate, elaborate “Where’s Waldo?” style pictures featuring Doctor Who‘s title character for a new UK magazine called Doctor Who Monster Invasion, and now Penguin Books has combined many of her 20+ images into a single tome. Let’s take a peek inside…

In each issue of Monster Invasion, there’s a special section called “Find the Doctor,” which features one of Smart’s pictures. Every one of her pictures has the Doctor, Amy, and Rory (and various other winks to Who fans) hidden among hundreds of members of one of the show’s many aliens. We’re talking entire alien races, depicted on their home worlds or motherships, that are known to include:

• Cybermen
• Daleks
• Judoon
• Ood
• Silence
• Sontarans
• Weeping Angels

Where’s the Doctor? compiles about twenty of these full-color pictures into a single hardback book. It retails for £8.99 (about U.S. $14), but Amazon.co.uk is selling it for £5.39 (U.S. $8.50). Below are a few previews of the book’s interior pages.

Where's the Doctor - Cybermen

Where's the Doctor - Ood

Where's the Doctor? - The Silence

Geek Dad Mad Scientist

Everyone kid wants to be a mad scientist, right? Maybe not, but I think it is safe to say that there are many parents who will not hesitate to encourage their kids if they want to be geeky. Or want to be a mad scientist when they grow up.

I remember the delight and excitement that was palpable in the air every time science fair period came around when I was a kid. While I was not the most innovative or creative person in class, it was always interesting to research projects that seemed cutting edge back in those days.

If you are now a parent, and you want to hone your child’s scientific skills, I have got the perfect book for you. We were fortunate enough to have been given a review copy of “The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists”, and boy, did I have fun going through it. While I am not a parent, I do have nephews and little cousins left and right; and I know that if I were their parents, I would not hesitate to grab a copy of this book.

What’s in there that gets me all excited? Memories of working on science projects aside – not to mention MacGyver moments – this book has tons of experiments that can be done by parents and children together. It’s not all about school stuff, too. The cool thing is that many of the projects detailed in “The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists” can be done just because you can!

From the get go, I was impressed. I don’t know about you, but wouldn’t a project to extract your own DNA excite you as well? The book has four major sections:

• Experiments for Moonbase Alpha
• Inside the Mad Scientist’s Kitchen
• Apocalypse Survival Science
• Fun With Fire and Electricity

From mind control to themodynamics to calories to a MacGyver radio to potato guns – there is no doubt that this book will keep you and your kids occupied for a while. And don’t worry if you think that you might not know everything. You’re guaranteed to look cool in front of your kids because the book provides practically everything you need to know to carry out the experiments. You might even be surprised and learn a new trick or two!

Learn more about “The Geek Dad Book for Aspiring Mad Scientists” and where to get it from their web site.

The Brick Bible, by Brendan Powell Smith

The nice peeps over at Skyhorse Publishing sent over a copy of The Brick Bible for us to peruse, and you don’t have to be a believer to enjoy its LEGO greatness. Take a look at a few choice pages from the book.

Master LEGO builder Brendan Powell Smith has spent the last decade creating nearly 5,000 scenes from the Bible using LEGO bricks. You’ve probably seen his website, The Brick Testament, or at least heard of his amazing dedication to his craft. This lush, full-color, 272-page tome shows imagery taken directly from the Bible’s text, in LEGO form.

The book isn’t as comprehensive as the website; some bits are skimmed over here and there, and the book only covers the Old Testament. And true believers might be a little taken aback by some of Smith’s admittedly cheeky depictions — some of which you can see in the photos below. But the book is (mostly) very faithful to the Bible, and any creative liberties come straight out of the fun, lighthearted spirit of LEGO itself. Non-believers, fear not: Smith, the book’s author, is an atheist. The Brick Bible has been his longtime obsession because he believes that both the devout and the skeptical should at least know what’s in the Good Book, regardless of what they believe about it.

Don’t be deceived into thinking this is just a collection of LEGO images; the work behind these pictures is just astounding. I can’t even imagine the amount of time it must have taken to create these thousands and thousands of LEGO scenes. The book is available now at book retailers everywhere.

Growing up, you probably had your own favorite quiet book. You probably thought it pretty cool. I bet, though, that your favorite quiet book will not measure up to this awesome find of a quiet book: the Star Trek quiet book!

This Star Trek quiet book is the brilliant creation of blogger juliebell, who is getting ready for her own baby. Naturally, a quiet book is in her list of things to do for her child, but she didn’t want just any kind of quiet book. She wanted to try her hand at making a quiet book that is sci-fi themed. And, according to her (and to the hordes of Trekkies out there), what can be more fun than Star Trek in the sci-fi world? And so the Star Trek quiet book was born.

Star Trek Quiet Book Cover

Star Trek Quiet Book Page 2

Star Trek Quiet Book Meet the Crew

Star Trek Quiet Book Vulcan Salute

There are so many more awesome pages in this quiet book that can help calm down kids and help develop their skills as well. See the entire Star Trek quiet book on juliebell’s blog.

'My Little Geek' by Andrew & Sarah Spear, and illustrations by Edit Sliacka

As a proud father, I understand the importance of teaching my kids about the things in life that really matter. You know, stuff like robots, video games, and computers. To help them learn, there’s now an ABC book just for kids, called My Little Geek.

Written by Andrew & Sarah Spear, with fantastically whimsical full-color art by Edit Sliacka, the book takes you through the ABCs of geekdom, with entries like “A is for Android,” “B is for Binary,” and “C is for Caffeine.” It’s available for around $20 from both ThinkGeek and MightyApe, which seems a little pricey for an 18-page kids’ book, but the inside pages look adorable, as you can see below.

There’s also a $2.99 matching game app for iPad that serves as a companion to the book (not a replacement).

Pages from 'My Little Geek'

Pages from 'My Little Geek'

Pages from 'My Little Geek'

Minifig Turns 30

Is there a correlation between AFOLs and the love for reading? There must be at least one study out there that we just do not know about, but it does not matter. If you are an AFOL, whether or not you love to read, you will want this coffee table for Christmas. Or even for an early Christmas present.

The book is titled The Cult of LEGO, and that is pretty much self-explanatory. Written by John Baichtal and Joe Meno, The Cult of LEGO will be released in November of this year and is 304 pages worth of LEGO goodness. Just in case those names do not exactly ring a bell, Baichtal is of Wired’s GeekDad renown while Meno is the founder of BrickJournal. That ought to tell you that this book should be worth more than something.

So what can you see in the illustrated book? People just like you who consider LEGO to be an integral part of their life. From the publisher’s page:

People like professional LEGO artist Nathan Sawaya; enigmatic Dutch painter Ego Leonard (who maintains that he is, in fact, a LEGO minifig); Angus MacLane, a Pixar animator who builds CubeDudes, instantly recognizable likenesses of fictional characters; Brick Testament creator Brendan Powell Smith, who uses LEGO to illustrate biblical stories; and Henry Lim, whose work includes a series of models recreating M.C. Escher lithographs and a full-scale, functioning LEGO harpsichord.

If that is not enough to get you all worked up, how about the following?

• A life-sized Stegosaurus and an 80,000-brick T. Rex skeleton
• Detailed microscale versions of landmarks like the Acropolis and Yankee Stadium
• A 22-foot long, 350-pound re-creation of the World War II battleship Yamato
• A robotic, giant chess set that can replay historical matches or take on an opponent
• A three-level, remote-controlled Jawa Sandcrawler, complete with moving conveyor belt

The mere thought of these should be more than enough to get any AFOL excited! And even if you are not a hardcore LEGO fan, this book is a great Christmas gift idea for those who are and for kids. After all, it is never too early to get kids into LEGO, don’t you think?

Reserve your copy now at No Starch Press for $39.95 for the print book plus a free ebook in PDF. If you want the PDF only, it will cost you $31.95. That’s a no brainer!

If memory serves me correctly, there was even a question (or poll) going around on Facebook asking people to indicate how many of the books they have read. Or maybe that was another list.

In any case, NPR’s best fantasy and science fiction books list is quite impressive, and I have to admit that I have a long way to go – both in terms of science fiction and fantasy. I do, however, recognize a vast majority of the titles and authors, so much so that I have an idea as to what book I might be interested in or what book I should not even think about opening. Now if you are new to science fiction and fantasy or you are only now discovering the wonders of these genres, then you might have been a wee bit overwhelmed with the list that NPR released.

Don’t be embarrassed to admit it. A hundred books seemingly randomly presented with only a brief description – anyone would be confused where to start!

You can thank the guys at SF Signal instead. They have taken a humongous task upon themselves and came up with an awesome flowchart that serves as a guide to NPR’s best fantasy and science fiction books. The cool thing about the flowchart is that it does what a flowchart is supposed to do – guide you step by step so that you will eventually reach an endpoint, which in this case is deciding on which book to read. It starts with asking you whether you want to read a fantasy story or a science fiction story. What better place to start, yes? You can even find a book if you can’t make your mind up!

Here’s a peek – the chart is too big to be seen on this page, so please click for the full size.

Flowchart for NPR's Fantasy and Sci-Fi Book List

So tell me, which book is next on your reading list after seeing the flowchart for NPR’s best fantasy and science fiction books?

Zombie Iceland

Till I actually heard the audiobook version of World War Z, I never thought anything about the book. If I had an irrelevant bucket, it would have been placed there. A few minutes into the audiobook, though, I was hooked. Big time.

Today, I was reminded of the story when I heard about this book called Zombie Iceland. If my memory serves me well, Iceland was not a location covered in World War Z. However, if and when the zombiecalypse does happen, I am pretty sure the country will not be spared. They may not bear the brunt of the problem with their climate and all, but they will surely have their share of undead experiences.

So what makes Zombie Iceland interesting? (Aside from the fact that it is about zombies, that is.)

The book is actually a story of how zombies come to be – in Iceland. Here’s a short preview into what you can expect.

Following an accident at the construction of a new Icelandic power plant, there is a short but intense burst of sulfur gone sour. Reports of a mysterious illness amongst the plant workers begin to spread as they infect friends and family through cannibalism. Even worse, the sick rise from the dead and can only be killed once their brains have been damaged. Now the gritty undead wander the streets of Reykjavík and a group of misfits struggle to survive in “Zombie Iceland”.

So if the source of zombies were to be Iceland, we can all blame “sulfur gone sour” for this. Of course, there has to be a hero – or a group of them – and the story has to showcase their spirit, grit, and courage. While we don’t know just how the story will end (presumably with at least one hero surviving), the interesting thing is that Zombie Iceland is more than about zombies. It also has the goal of showcasing what Iceland has to offer the traveler. People who may want to visit Iceland in the future – zombiecalypse or not – will find a lot of tips and advice in the book. Footnotes are included that shed light on cultural practices in Iceland, food, history, as well as places of interest. If you are the market for a travel guide to Iceland, I think that Zombie Iceland is a better choice than your average travel book!

That’s Not Your Mommy Anymore is not your usual children’s book, but it is perfect for parents (or aunts, uncles, whatever) who just can’t get enough of zombies. While I do have a very low threshold for anything zombie-related, I appreciate a good zombie story. And from what I have seen of the preview, this zombie book for children hits the spot. The front cover alone is enough reason to consider getting the book!

That's Not Your Mommy Anymore Cover

That's Not Your Mommy Anymore - Normal Mommy

That's Not Your Mommy Anymore - Zombie Mommy

Get the paperback or Kindle copy at Amazon for less than $10.

I’ll come right out and admit it: I’m hopelessly obsessed with The Hunger Games. I started reading Suzanne Collins’ masterful trilogy this year, and found myself unable to stop. Yeah, there’s a love triangle, but it’s the anti-Twilight. Because these teenagers don’t have time for long, emo talks about their feelings. They’re too busy being forced to kill each other for sport.

Hunger Games is set in the futuristic, post-apocalyptic world of Panem, an area situated on what used to be North America, and divided into 12 Districts. The Districts are subservient to a totalitarian Capitol that forces them to send two “Tributes” — a male and female teenager — into these brutal, televised games once a year, as a reminder of a rebellion long ago that went bad.

thecapitol.pn website

You probably already know that a movie version of The Hunger Games is currently being filmed (right here in my home state of North Carolina!), with Jennifer Lawrence in the lead role and Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit) directing. A teaser trailer for the movie just debuted at the Video Music Awards on MTV over the weekend, but didn’t really show much. Lionsgate, which is funding the future blockbuster, has launched a viral campaign for the film at thecapitol.pn, and it’s pretty darn cool.

It’s a website as created by the Capitol as a place for Panem residents to get information. Fans of the books can go there and login using Twitter or Facebook, and be assigned a District. (Each District is home to a different industry — like textiles, electronics, or mining.) The more people that login to your assigned District, the sooner you will all receive your District passes. It’s not clear what these passes will get you, though it seems likely it will be deeper access to the Capitol website. (I got assigned to District 3 — Electronics — which I suppose is fitting.)

Can’t wait to see what else Lionsgate comes up with to promote the new movie!

The Brick Bible

I grew up with my mom telling me and my sister bed time stories from the Bible – both the Old and the New Testaments. I think I found the Old Testament stories more fascinating. How can one not? The creation of the world. King David. The parting of the Red Sea. There are so many riveting stories in the Old Testament – no wonder I didn’t have problems with bed time as a kid!

Now, Bible stories have just taken on a new twist. The Bible in LEGO. How about that? The project is officially called The Brick Testament and is considered to be the largest illustrated Bible in existence. Now this is where I have to give you the figures. More than 3,600 illustrations that retell over 400 stories from the Bible. How cool is that, really?

This project is the baby of Brendan Powell Smith, and it started out as a web site. It got really popular – how can it not? – and now, you can actually buy it in book form. I can already imagine cool parents holding the book at night, lulling their kids to sleep with a story or two.

Here’s a sampling of the images from one of my favorite stories – Noah’s Ark and the Great Flood.

Obviously, I only picked out some pictures. The whole story involves lots more images, and boy, did I enjoy myself! Just in case you need the story retold: God talked to Noah and told him that He was going to send a flood to destroy the bad people on Earth. He tells Noah to build an ark that will keep him and his family – along with animals – on safe. The flood comes and drowns everyone not inside the ark. After the flood, the sun comes out and they all get out of the ark.

One has to be honest about the Bible in LEGO – it is definitely not your usual Bible picture book. Even the wording may be controversial for some. Still, I think that this book would make one cool addition to any personal library. The Brick Bible: A New Spin on the Old Testament is available for pre-order on Amazon. Other Bible in LEGO books by Brendan Powell Smith can be purchased on Amazon as well.

Star Wars: The Blueprints

Star Wars fans, there is no other book that you will want to buy this year after seeing what the guys at Epic Ink have in store for you! They are releasing a collection of blueprints and photos of many of the things you have fallen in love with. The book is called “Star Wars:The Blueprints” and it comes with a custom made case and a a certificate of authenticity. (You never know – they can make copies of everything these days!) The case is actually beautiful – especially with the book inside.

Star Wars The Blueprints in Case

I have the feeling that what’s inside is what’s going to give you a serious case of goosebumps. Or whatever it is that you experience when overly excited.

Jedi Starfighter

Jedi Starfighter Blueprint

Is that impressive or what?

Millennium Falcon Blueprint

Millennium Falcon Blueprint

From cakes to beds, the Millennium Falcon has been the inspiration for so many creations. Take your creation (whatever it is!) to the next level by making sure it is based on this blueprint!

Yoda’s House Blueprint

Yoda's House Blueprint

In case you are planning on settling down and building your house in the near future – here’s an idea!

R2D2 Blueprint

R2D2 Blueprint

This is an image of actual pages from the book. I can already imagine countless R2D2 projects cropping up…

Now imagine hundreds of blueprint goodness in one book! Even a non-Star Wars fan would not fail to appreciate the craftsmanship epitomized by this book. And in case you are good with your hands, you might even be able to build something from the book!

Take note of the important details: only 5,000 copies will be printed – each and every copy hand-numbered. Furthermore, the first 125 copies are signed by Academy-Award® winners for Best Art Direction (Star Wars, 1978): art director Norman Reynolds; art director Les Dilley; and set dresser Roger Christian. Naturally, these signed copies cost more than the rest at $1,000. Unsigned copies will go for half at $500.

Serious Star Wars fans with dough to spare – head on over to Epic Ink and pre-order your Star Wars:The Blueprints now. They will ship starting the 15th of September.

To promote this year’s Dutch Book Week, an advertising agency named Van Wanten Etcetera created this series of posters about autobiographies. The images, named “Written Portraits,” are comprised of books that sport the sculpted visages of their authors. The pages of the books are the real deal, using text from the depicted author’s actual autobiography.

But despite how realistic they look, Dutch ad agency Souverein (translates as “Sovereign”) created the sculpted book images entirely via computer.

That’s what’s considered cool these days in LA, according to the guys over at Styleture. They recently featured some bars which feature the perfect theme – libraries!

Bookworms who might otherwise feel “a bit” uncomfortable in your run-of-the-mill bar will definitely feel at home in these lounges. Instead lighting fixtures that will make your head hurt, you can bask in the relaxing library-like setting. Instead of flashy wall decor, you will be greeted with welcoming shelves filled with books; and the books are real, too!

The Wellsbourne is one of the bars that is offering this new experience. Doesn’t that look beautiful?

From what I have read, the seats are ultra comfortable. The management has also put a lot of attention to detail – down to the checks (or bills) that come in the form of miniature novels.

Another beautiful place is The Library Bar.

Now tell me that won’t entice you to go out for a night of socializing? Heck, you do not even have to socialize for real. In my book, just going to a place like that and enjoying your drink is enough to be labeled as someone having a life!

Needless to say, this is one of the trends that I don’t mind, and I’m willing to bet my bottom dollar that the conversation you’ll have in these bars will be lightyears more stimulating than those you’ll find in other bars.  Bet?

It really is not a secret just how much I get excited about The Song of Ice and Fire series, and much like other fans, I have been awaiting the premiere of HBO’s take on the story. They released a teaser earlier this year, and that was enough to get me all worked up. You can just imagine how enthralled I was with this video showing more insights about the making of the show.

A little background for those yet unfamiliar with the series. Considered high fantasy, the story is set in a world that is not that different from our own, but is totally not restricted by geographical boundaries as we know it. This makes for a realistic enough setting, but also allows for imagination to run freer. Politics, sex, drugs, war, dragons – it doesn’t get any better! Here, see it for yourself.

As far as I am concerned, I think they did the casting very well. For the most part, the characters look pretty much how I pictured them in my head. Only Jaime Lannister – played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau – didn’t meet my expectations. I thought that he would have been fairer and “prettier”. As for Ned Stark – played by Sean Bean – I think they did excellently.

The sets and costumes will definitely make you stare. The attention to detail is amazing, and since there are no real historical references to stay true to, the artists behind the production really went all out.

Needless to say, I am wishing that it were Spring 2011 right now. In the meantime, I shall keep these words in mind:

“My sweet summer child, what do you know about fear? Fear is for the long night, when the snows fall a hundred feet deep. Fear is for the winter.”

Here are some photos from the making of Game of Thrones to further whet your appetite.

A good book with simple wording and excellent illustrations – how much better can it get? Add the magic touch of Google and the creativity of Christoph Niemann, and you will have something brilliant in your hands. That’s exactly what the book 20 Things I Learned About Browsers and the Web is.

For many of you, the contents of the book will probably not be new. It answers “life’s simplest questions” such as:

• What is a cookie? (You know full well that it’s not what you steal from the jar when mum is not looking.)
• What is this thing called cloud computing? (Yes, we hear and read about it left and right, but not everyone knows exactly what it is about.)
• Web apps are…?
• What’s the difference between HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and so on?  (Is there a difference?)

Believe it or not, the average person (even one who may claim to be a chic geek) may not know the exact answers; furthermore, many might be too embarrassed to actually come out and ask the questions!  If you are one of those, there is no need to be embarrassed – just visit the book’s site and read the whole thing yourself!

You know what is really cool about the book, though?  The illustrations that accompany the text.  They were done by artist Christoph Niemann, whose illustrations have impressed countless readers of The New Yorker, Newsweek, Wired, The New York Times Magazine, and American Illustration.  To be honest, I didn’t know about him before I stumbled upon the book, but from what I have seen and read now, this guy is one heck of an illustrator!  Here’s a little taste of his work. This one’s from the book. (Disclaimer: Any screenshot I show you will not do the work any justice.)

Here’s another one, which I absolutely love.

If you find some free time in your hands, you really ought to check out this book.

Around the time that Towers of Midnight was released, though, Brandon Sanderson posted some photos of WoT action figures on his Facebook wall – yeah, I am so into these books; and as expected, the crazy WoT person in me couldn’t help but drool. Non-WoT fans may not be able to relate to the characters, but these figures are still worth looking at if you like toys in general.

This action figure of Thom (Thomdril Merrilin) is not exactly how I imagined the character in my head, but it does look pretty good.  I like how his coat is closer to “reality’ (my own version, at least).
Now I can only assume this, but I think the creatures at the bottom are trollocs.  The red hair guy is Perrin Wolfeyes – I wish the photo were clear enough to see if the eyes are true to the story!  The flashy looking guy at the right is Matt, who has all the luck in the world.

I really like how they put a lot of detail into the making of the women. I am pretty sure that the girl on the left is Nynaeve (my favorite character!) but I can’t say for sure who the other one is.  Care to guess?  And, of course, there is no doubt as to who the crimson-clad guy is: the Dragon Reborn himself, Rand al Thor.

Now if I could only find out how to get my hands on these!

Here’s the twist: one of them is real! The other four are all made by talented, artistic fans. But one of these redesigns is actually in use right now by publisher Bloomsbury in the U.K., where all seven books have been re-released. The idea is to “appeal to the next generation of readers who did not grow up with Harry Potter.”

Can you guess which cover collection is the real one? (Click the images to zoom in.) The answer is at the bottom of this page.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

Alright, got your guess?

Ready to find out the true covers?

…

…

…

If you guessed #3, you’re right! Bloomsbury released all seven books in paperback format with these new covers on November 1st. The covers are by artist Clare Melinsky.

Credits for the other collections:

#1 is by M. S. Corley.

#2 is by Michela Monterosso.

#4 is by Marissa.

#5 is by Megan Barrow.

Which one’s your favorite?

If you’re into furniture, consider yourself warned – these beds look utterly delicious! (IF beds can be called that.)

This is called “feel seating” and is made by animi causa, a company based in Tel Aviv, Israel. Made of softballs that are interconnected, this bed can be converted into a sofa, or practically anything that you want it to be. I guess your imagination’s the limit?

If you’re a vampire – or you have illusions that you are one – then this Star Trek casket will be perfect for you. Actually, it might do insomniacs like me some good as it is sure to shut out all the noise and light. This bed is actually meant to be a casket (inspiration: STAR TREK II: The Wrath of Khan), but who says what you can and what you cannot use as a bed anyway?

This last bed gets all my votes.

Books, books, and more books! How can you go wrong with a bed that doubles as a book shelf? But, where’s the bed?

Inside the casing! Isn’t that just awesome? When it’s time for me to get a place of my own again, I think I know what my bedroom will look like.

This illustrated book is filled to the brim with photographs of (literally) tiny things that we might be taking for granted.  The book features the art of the colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM), wherein the original subjects have been magnified.  The number of magnification?  Some go as “low” as 22 while others go as high as 22 million!

Here’s a sampling of what’s in store.  This is the book cover, with the technologically-inclined ant holding a microchip.  The image has been magnified 22 times.

Have you ever paid any attention to dust in your home? If you’re like me, you probably never notice it – until you get a “sudden” asthma attack. Those who border on the obsessive when it comes to cleaning would probably be able to describe dust (its properties, its effects, etc.) in detail, but I assure you, no description will come close to what Mr. Broll has captured below.

Now I dare you tell me that that isn’t awe-inspiring!  Apparently, what we see is an image of household dust containing an assortment of things including cat fur, synthetic and wool fibers, a pollen grain, plant, insect scales and an insect.  Can you identify which is which?  It’s amazing what 22 million times of magnification can do!

Here’s another image that caught my attention.  For some reason, it reminded me of StarCraft. ;)

This image is far from what I thought it was, though.  It actually is cigarette paper, the blue stuff being crystals that are added to the material to keep the cigarette burning once lit. At least I got the crystal part right!

For more previews, check out the article at The Daily Mail.

The new edition of the book is due to be released by Firefly Books before the end of the month.  If, like me, you want a copy when it does come out, set aside USD19.95.

Together with Subterranean Press, the two guys worked on this project, which is interestingly quirky – to say the least.  It all started earlier this year when Scalzi had a “vision” of himself as an orc and Wil Wheaton as a warrior in a clown sweater, riding a unicorn pegasus kitten.  You see where this is going?

That vision has since then turned into a reality, with several well established authors joining the fray.  What Wheaton and Scalzi did was to ask artist Jeff Zugale to put the mental image to paper, so to speak.  The result? That image up there.

The fun doesn’t end there, though.  They made an “appeal” to authors to dig deep and share what they think it happening in the photo.  One author who took on the challenge makes the chapbook particularly enticing – Pat Rothfuss, author of Name of the Wind, easily one of the best fantasy reads today.

You can download the e-book for FREE from the web site, but make sure you make a donation.  Proceeds will go to the Michigan/Indiana affiliate of the Lupus Alliance of America, a non-profit organization. Now I gotta go and check it out myself.

So anyway, this time, a book has been published about Facebook – if not exactly about Mark Zuckerberg. (I just now realized how his last name can take on an entirely different meaning if the first letter was pronounced differently…)

The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company That Is Connecting the World (Simon & Schuster, 372 pages, $26), is written by David Kirkpatrick and takes on a more meaningful approach to the story that surrounds Facebook. Unlike the movie, the book doesn’t limit itself to how Facebook was founded or how Mark Zuckerberg was a klutzy geek way back when.

Still, it seems that journalist David Kirkpatrick did quite well in making the birth of Facebook exciting, which I am sure it was anyway. For example, did you know that Zuckerberg received $10 million – anonymously – four months after the site was launched?

The book also takes on a more interesting topic: how the social network has impacted the lives of people around the world – that includes all of us, who probably do not go a day without Facebooking. See, the noun has even become a verb!

So Mark Zuckerberg may not be our favorite guy, but I think that I just might get my hands on this book. I’m a bit short on reading material anyway. Interested?

The evening of July 21st marks the start of Geek Mecca. Otherwise known as San Diego Comic-Con International.

If you’re going, then take it from someone who’s been many times: there’s a lot you need to know before you get there. Being non-savvy about Comic-Con‘s ins and outs could be costlier than you can imagine. There’s more to see and do than any one human being could accomplish in a single week. Endless panels to attend, a giganimous exhibit hall that can take days to explore, tons of free swag to acquire, free movie and TV screenings to go to, contests and prizes, autographs to get, role-playing games to play, late-night parties, a masquerade ball, and lots more. And don’t even get me started on how hard it is to find a hotel room that won’t bankrupt you.

There’s no way to do it all, but you can maximize your Comic-Con experience and soak up everything possible in five and a half days’ time. Need to know where to score the best swag? Or whether a long line is worth waiting in? Or where to eat? Where to park? Where to get away when the crowds get to be too much?

The Unauthorized San Diego Comic-Con Survival Guide is the answer. Comic-Con attendees have needed this for a long, long time.

The pocket-sized guide book, written by my good friend Doug Kline, is available to order now, and it costs just $7. And believe me when I say, the Force is strong with Doug. If you want to know how to meticulously prepare for your adventure at Comic-Con, how to survive it once you’re there, and how to recover when you return home, this little book is the treasure trove you’ve been waiting for.

Yeah, I’m a bit biased. Doug’s my pal and he even asked me to write the Forward for the book. But I don’t get anything for recommending the book to you; I’m just someone who’s benefited from Doug’s convention-mastering talents. He is the one, Neo.

For more information about this must-have guide book, visit sdccsurvivalguide.com, or follow updates about it on Twitter.

It saddens me that there seems to be a dearth of fantasy TV series. We had the Legend of the Seeker, which isn’t really a favorite of mine; but it was still something! You’ve probably heard of the cancellation of the series by now – a real disappointment to Terry Goodkind fans out there.

Still, there are a couple of series to look out for. I have just finished watching the second season of Merlin, and yes, I have been Merlinized. Never mind that the plot is quite different on many points from the popular version of the legend. The TV show itself is something to behold. The third season should start sometime soon.

Here’s the clincher: The Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin are being made into TV shows as well! The news is that the first book, The Game of Thrones, is already being filmed for HBO. While initial reports say that the pilot would be aired in March of this year, more recent updates tell us that it will not be till 2011. No matter, at least there is something to look forward to.

Any other fantasy TV shows you can recommend?

Say what you will about Episodes I-III of the Star Wars series, one thing they did very well was the lightsabers. Right off the bat they were slicing through doors, turning robots into victims of a laser-formed ginsu knife, and let’s not even get started about Darth Maul’s double-sided piece of awesome. It was one of the neat things about those films.

So what better way to keep all of that Star Trek fan fiction you’ve been writing in one place than with a pair of lightsaber bookends? That’s right, you too can have it appear like your books are the victim of a Sith lord’s lightsaber, all for just $49.99. But wait, there’s more! Once you install a pair of batteries, just flick a switch and watch the lightsaber glow! Still not cool enough? Then go buy something else, I really don’t care.

Seriously though, I have this empty bookshelf over my desk right now and I’ve been looking for things to put on it and add some personal flair at the same time. I’ve thought about Futurama figurines, Legos, but now, maybe I’ll consider something like this. It’s got just the right mix of Geek and cool all in one.