Geek Chic at Magfest Pt. 3 - See My Vest

Welcome back. The hit list indicates people keep reading these articles, but not a single person comments. What gives? It's getting a little creepy.

Anyway, time for a personal passion of mine: Vests!

Justin Mishima and hat!

5. Justin Mishima

Justin here is another great example of the power of color coordination. Justin’s Panda hat is, well, cute. The rest of his outfit is not. The rest of his outfit is highly fashionable and somewhat dressy. 

So how does he make dressy and informal work together? For one, color coordination. The two-tone look carried throughout the entire outfit pulls it together visually. 

Every piece looks intentional and belongs. Second, he’s got a transition from formal to informal going. See how his sleeves are rolled up, his collar undone? The hat would seem more absurd, more out of place if his collar were buttoned up, if he were wearing a tie and his sleeves were unrolled. 

But by wearing his shirt in a more casual manner, the hat goes from absurd to a casual “I don’t care what anyone thinks” cool.

Chris' awesome Gentleman's
Emporium vest.

6. Chris Frederickson

Poor Chris here is the victim of my negligence. For several of the images in this story, I forgot that I had disabled the auto-focus on my camera. Chris is the first of several well dressed but sadly blurry people.

I was hesitant to approach Chris. I was worried he was in some costume I didn’t recognize. Turns out I was both right and wrong. The vest he is wearing he purchased for a Steampunk costume he wore on Friday of MAGFest. However he was such a fan of it he incorporated it into his everyday wear. 

What is truly fantastic about this vest, and is tragically obscured by my camera’s lack of focus, is that this vest has lapels. Most vests this days don’t have lapels. It’s a vintage look, though it is making its way back into fashion in high-end three-piece suits. 

The beauty of the lapel in the vest is that it replicates the effect of suit jacket even when you aren’t wearing one. It’s also a great look for men because the lapels broaden the v-shape of the vest and thereby broaden your chest and shoulders. The effect is to enhance the ideal male features, to make you look more masculine.

Chris got this vest at Gentleman's Emporium, a great site for men or women looking to put together a vintage Victorian era look. Visit the site, look around. If you don't bookmark it within five minutes, there is something wrong with you.

To put it another way, think of Superman as illustrated by Alex Ross, with his enormous S-symbol, and Superman in the Superman Returns movie with the diminutive S on his chest. Brandon Routh was ripped for that movie, but his Superman looked small and weak, because the Small S shrunk his chest. Alex Ross’s Superman looks like he has been mainlining horse steroids because the broad S broadens the chest and makes him look more powerful. Also because largely because Alex Ross paints his veins as enormous, engorged vines. It's disturbing.

Darrin and his fantastic
pink shirt.

7. Darrin
By now it’s probably become painfully clear that I like vests. I like them a lot. But it wasn’t Darrin’s vest that stopped me. It was the whole ensemble. Darrin here is a rarity at a geek con. He looks like he stepped out of a men’s magazine ad. 

He’s rocking a hi-end hipster aesthetic. Sort of the GQ/Esquire corruption of the hipster movement. And really, what movement is more deserving of corporate corruption?

Pink is a great color on men, but while it has been a staple of men’s fashion magazines for a decade now, it still is having a hard time making the jump to mainstream culture. I suppose men are too afraid it makes them look effeminate, which really works out well for those of us who have the balls to wear pink. 


It looks great, the ladies love it, and it’s rarity makes it a symbol of confidence. So keep on being afraid of pink, gentlemen. Darrin and I will keep on wearing it and laughing all the way to the lady bank. (No, there is no such thing as a lady bank.)

If you can’t see them, Darrin’s shoes are a bright green which goes great with his pink shirt, but since we are nominally discussing vests, let’s talk about the vest. It’s hard to tell from the photo, but the vest is a glen check pattern. Glen check, or Glen Plaid as it is sometimes called, is one of my favorite patterns in wool. Essentially, it is small check boxes within larger check boxes. The larger check boxes are usually done in a more subtle color and it creates a very striking and sophisticated look.


Now take a look at his buttons.There is a lot of confusion about buttons on vests. What I’m about to say also applies to suit jackets as well, so even if you never wear a vest, listen up. King Edward VII of England was, to put it kindly, extremely rotund. Being so heavy, he was unable to button the bottom button of his vest. Being the King, he was by default always in fashion. 


Not surprisingly soon all of his subjects began leaving their bottom button unbuttoned. Suit and vest makers took their cue and began designing the bottom button on vests and jackets to be decorative, and not to be buttoned. This is why you never, ever, button the bottom button on your suit jacket. The same rule does not apply to vests, however.

King Edward VII
(public domain image via Wikimedia)

Vests historically had six buttons, and the sixth button, in deference to King Edward, was always left unbuttoned. If you have a six-button vest you will notice the sixth button and buttonhole are spaced more widely than the other buttons, so that it can more easily be seen that they are not buttoned. Many modern vests only have five buttons. The fifth button does not have the wide spacing of a sixth button, and so in five-button vests the intention is that all five buttons be buttoned.

These button rules do not necessarily apply to women’s fashion. When it comes to button’s and women’s fashion, it is a no man’s lands of pure anarchy and I cannot be your fashion sherpa. Sorry.

I asked Darrin about why he was dressed as nicely as he was. He said he’d actually dressed down since the morning when he was in a suit. He says that MAGFest is a big event for him and his company, and so it is important to him to put his best face forward and to make a good first impression. 


When comparing himself to the MAGFest attendees wandering the con shoeless and in pajama pants Darrin said that being fashion forward means “I can stand out against all that. People will be a little more willing to come up to me and I will be a little more memorable.” Well said, Darrin.

In case you were wondering, Darrin does marketing consulting for X-Strike Studios.

Next we will be focusing on personal style and getting away from the more mainstream looks we have featured so far. We'll be highlighting punk and goth looks. Be sure to come back and check it out!

Review: Elephant Room

Louie Magic pulls off a daring stunt by wearing
socks with shorts (© Scott Suchman)

I never thought I'd find a show that could make me love all the self-conscious, awkward smarm of the 1980's, but (as if by magic!) Elephant Room has done just that. Set in a turquoise, shag-carpeted New Jersey basement, Elephant Room showcases the absurdist humor of these three semi-pro conjurers.

(L to R) Dennis Diamond, Louie Magic and Daryl Hannah(© Scott Suchman)

If there's one thing Elephant Room has down perfectly, it's timing. The cast knows just how long to revel in the uncomfortable silence before moving on to the next trick.


The lights come up, and the curtain rises on… an identical curtain on a smaller, raised stage. [Insert "yo dawg" meme here.] The nozzle of a smoke machine is thrust out under the edge and begins spewing white mist. The lights dim again as the troupe hurriedly rushes out to "magically" appear out of the haze when the lights brighten for the official beginning.


The opening sets the tone for what would be a comedy of errors, except that the bumbling is overshadowed by the cast's obvious competence as magicians. Just as I'd settled in to the idea that this was a play about magicians rather than a play by magicians, this happened:

(L to R) Louie Magic, Dennis Diamond and Daryl Hannah (© Scott Suchman)

Beyond the levitation and rapid-fire, three-at-a-time slight of hand tricks, the show includes a healthy dose of audience participation. Audience members have their minds read, are disappeared on stage, and fed magical omelets.


Caution: the first three rows may be stepped over, glitter bombed, or covered in paper streamers.

Dennis Diamond in Elephant Room (© Scott Suchman)

You know how you can judge a really good party by the red solo cups and general debris? By collegiate standards, this show is epic. The stage was littered not only with the aforementioned glitter and streamers, but also egg, a whiskey-colored fluid, fake snow, carrot stubs, and other odds and ends. And, like a truly epic party, trying to describe the antics afterwards never does the event justice.


So often, I list events like this in my "This Week in Geek" post, and they sit ignored at the top of the calendar. Don't let this one slip below the radar. To quote a very old xkcd, "Honor Monty Python: Promote surreal humor."


With that in mind, go see Elephant Room. Do it for every child who learned magic in the dark, "yucky feeling" back room of a toy store. For the love of every joyous moment of mullet-y goodness, go see this show. Besides, I only have one word for Daryl Hannah: Rwar.

Daryl Hannah (© Scott Suchman)

This Week in Geek 2012/01/29

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars. 

Longer Term

• Pub Trivia - Geeks Who Drink - Alexandria, VA - Sundays at 6:00PM
• Well, the Big Bang Theory has continually failed to teach me theoretical physics, but it has taught me that quizzing is serious business, and also awesome. Add a pub full of geeks, drinks, and you've got the basis for the brilliantly named Geeks Who Drink. If you're not free on Sundays, there's also Springfield (Tuesdays at 8:00), DC (Wednesdays at 7:00), and Arlington (Wednesdays at 8:00).

Like this, but full of geeks, beer, and trivia! (via Gordon Joly)

Wednesday

• Movie Night - DCGN Does Groundhog Day... Again - Washington, DC - 6:00PM
• And again and again and again... Just when I finally had "I Got You, Babe" out of my head after last year. I would argue that this movie is perfect for everyone. If you love Bill Murray (as well you should), it's 101 minutes of him doing insane things. If you hate Bill Murray (How could you?!), a good portion of that is him committing gruesome suicides over and over. And if you see it at Teaism, you don't have to be interrupted by Geico commercials every 10 minutes.

Thursday

• Board Games - The DC/NoVA Gamers' Guild - Ashburn, VA - 7:00PM
• Hoping to hone your Settlers skills before Prezcon? I'm always on the lookout for small, friendly gaming groups online, and this meetup group definitely seems to fit that description. Looks like things will really get going closer to 8:00PM, but the event is open to a few different groups. If you're interested, throw a quick RSVP on Meetup.

Flickr has introduced me to "Thurn and Taxis" (via Vizzzual).

Saturday

• Minis - Tabletop Miniature Games Demo Day (NOVAG) - Alexandria, VA - 10:00AM
• Minis can be seriously intimidating for beginners, so I love when groups do demo days like this. Even for seasoned players, this could be a great chance to check out a game if you'd like to see how it plays before sinking the money and hours painting. Here's a doc file of the flyer and schedule. And I have to give props for any event description that promises not only "rollicking fun and escapism" but also "a cornucopia of game demos."

Sunday

• More Gaming! - Euro Games with DuPont Circle Gaming Group - Washington, DC - 1:00PM
• Ok, DCGG, I'm going out on a limb here and forgiving your crimes against typography to promote your euro game event. (Hey, if I see a Comic Sans violation, and I don't point it out, they'll take away my Graphic Design degree. True story.) If I can be serious here for a minute, we're talking about Settlers. There's already a host of people attending, and it's easy to see why: delicious baked goods and a slew of good games.
• Edit: The internet tells me there's also some football game going on.

I just noticed that it's a very Virginia-heavy week. Step it up, Maryland and DC! Other weekly reoccurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky, CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours) and with the holidays over they’re back with a vengeance! For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.

MarsCon 2012

Since I had to go without my camera's SD card at Run For Your Lives, I've been a bit paranoid. I always check for my backup cards and cords in my bag, because I know that inevitably I'm going to do exactly what I did at MarsCon: forget the it again. But this time I was prepared!

Although I had forgotten my usual 16GB card, I had my backup card! I was beaming with pride until I looked down and read the cover: 128MB. The few photos I did get have been uploaded to the DC Geeks Flickr pool. Luckily, others stepped up. There are zombie portraits online until March 1st, and an awesome wrap up video by Pickleman.

In the event of a zombie apocalypse, you're getting tripped.

Instead, I decided that although I had fun busting ass trying to get to everything around MAGFest, I was just going to enjoy MarsCon. The Patriot hotel where MarsCon is held is about equal parts claustrophobic and intimate. I hit up this con every year, and although their array of guests and panels is always impressive, I tend to spend a lot of my time just meeting people and talking costuming. That's why their Safe Zone/Consuite is one of my favorite parts of the con.

A few events were the highlight of my weekend, though. I headed down super early for the Fishnet Inc Rocky Horror (like I always do) and happened to catch the tail end of Mikey Mason's performance. I'd only known him before because of his song "She Don't Like Firefly." He is incredibly funny, and it was a perfect lead-in for a night of Rocky.

I have to say, I love Fishnet Inc, and I make the Rocky Horror Show at MarsCon every year. I should have done the math when about 75% of the audience went up for the virgin sacrifice. Upside: the newb next to me thought I was hilarious. Downside: Almost no one outside of the front row knew the audience participation lines. Fishnet Inc threw as awesome a show as they always did; the audience just didn't meet them halfway.

On second thought, let me correct that. Fishnet was better than usual because of a bit of metahumor: a deliciously talented crossplaying, female Frank-N-Furter. I think we were halfway through "Sweet Transvestite" before I was sure she was a girl. By the end of the song, I was completely caught up in how brilliant it was. If you flip through the photos on their website you can catch pictures of the badass cast.

Don't have to sell me on how badass the Dark
Side is. I already play Sith.

My favorite event on Saturday was the Podcasting Panel. The panel moderator was Keith DeCandido of Dead Kitchen Radio, and the panelists were Alfredo Torres from Torres vs. Zombies, Helen Madden of Heat Flash (18+), and Jason Bayless from Zombie Popcorn, To sum it up in one sentence: Just go do it.

MarsCon was wonderful: small, fun, familiar. I know it's not strictly in the immediate DC area, but I've found that it's always worth the trip to Williamsburg. Thanks to everyone who hung out with me, and to the organizers for throwing another wonderful event.

Bonus Content! I wanna be a spaceman.

As you may have heard, NASA is advertising for Astronauts on Cragislist of all places (and USAjobs). I decided to apply. And since a friend threw my cover letter up on Reddit just before Reddit went dark for the SOPA protest, I may as well share it in all its glory, with you folks.

Teresa Gomez

NASA’s Resume Operations Center

Mailstop HS50

Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812

January 16, 2011

Re: Astronaut Candidate/American Hero

Announcement Number: JS12A0001

Dear Ms. Gomez:

We are a race of explorers. The quest into the unknown has yielded untold human and scientific achievements. I truly believe the path to world peace will be forged in the exploration of the stars. That is why I believe there is no higher or more noble calling than that of astronaut. I realize that none of my 10 years in higher education are in the hard sciences this position calls for. But surely, space needs poets, philosophers, and lawyers. I am all these things and I am prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to play my part helping man reach beyond our earthly tethers and to touch the face of God.

Before dismissing my application, please consider the following.

(1) I would be a great educator. My mother earned her PhD. in botany in the early 70s and instilled in me a deep love of science. I can help communicate NASA’s message that great scientific achievements are not restricted by race or age. Human achievement knows no gender or sexual orientation.

(2) I attended Euro-Spacecamp. It was an intensive 2 week training program that shaped my young mind and body to be an astronaut. When you consider I was 9 years old at the time, you might even say I was born to be an astronaut. Sure, my report might read “became nauseated during the Aerotrim and didn’t feel better for 3 days,” but it was the Belgians who were running the program. They’ve always been jealous of America’s fine astronaut specimens.

(3) I lived extensively abroad and studied more than 12 credit hours of international law in law school. As you no doubt already know, most aero-space law is governed by international agreements of which I am already familiar. In our litigious modern era, isn’t it irresponsible not to include a lawyer on every-space flight in order to shield NASA and the US Government against liability? You know the Russians who we are catching rides to Space with have got their legal team all over it.

(4) In the event that we must sacrifice our lives to destroy a meteor on a collision course with Earth, traveling with velocity sufficient to cause an extinction level event, no one is going to miss the lawyer who dies nobly saving the planet. People hate lawyers. So its win/win from a PR standpoint.

(5) I passed the bar exam. I am really quite intelligent and can memorize trivial information quite easily. I expect I can acquire a bachelor’s degree worth of science education in the roughly 50 minutes it takes a human occupied space craft to reach sub-orbital altitude. Also, I just researched that fact. Lawyers are great researchers. Part of NASA’s mission is research.

(6) My cousin, [Redacted], worked at the NASA Langely Research Center as a USRP Intern. If you can trust one of us, you can trust all of us!

(7) Finally, as an astronaut, I would make a great poster for 16 year old girl’s bedroom walls. Move over Justin Bieber, it’s time for science achievement to return to its rightful place at the center of our pop culture.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey A. Bartlett, Esq.

(Future) American Hero.

Geek Chic at Magfest Pt. 2 - Purses/Bags

Welcome back to week 2 of the 5 week Magfest fashion break down. This will be briefest entry in the series.

I realize this week is called "Purses/Bags," and last week was "Hats," but I assure you that purses and bags are not all I intend to discuss. The week by week topics are just convenient ways for me to group the interview subjects. But I discuss much more than the topic of the week with each person. So, let's get down to business with a subject I know almost nothing about...

____________________________________________________________________

3. Pixel Jane

I actually know Pixel Jane personally. She works for Studio Nasu, which you should check out even if you only have a passing interest in video games and comics. I have heard rumblings that she may start writing for DC Geeks soon, doing her own regular fashion piece. If you are enjoying these segments, I strongly suggest you sound off in the comments section and peer pressure her into writing for us.

Pixel Jane is among the most fashion forward geeks you will ever meet. Much like Ashley from last week, she seamlessly weaves her geek identity with more mainstream fashion. But unlike Ashley's look, Pixel Jane goes for a much more understated look. She is a mother of two, so she tries to keep her look PTA appropriate, but she also likes her fashion to say something about her personality.

In this photo she is wearing dark wash blue-jeans with a flared leg, a black shirt, and a white shawl. If you examine the shawl closely, you’ll see it has that the pattern on it is Asian dragons twisting and turning their way across the garment. She and her husband are anime fanatics and video-game enthusiasts. The shawl is a nice nod to that.

Now let's talk about the that bag. Pixel Jane says she grew up in a rock & roll household. She loves punk rock and expresses that interest in her bag. The bag is designed by Iron Fist, and she picked the bag up for $40 at Punk.com. Punk.com carries the whole Iron Fist line including purses, wallets, check books, shoes, belts, etc. The best thing about this bag is that, standing alone, it is overtly Goth, and yet she pulls it off in such a way it almost looks Orange County main stream. It must coordinating colors in her shawl.

Pixel Jane also put me onto a number of other geek and punk themed fashion websites (listed at the end of this article), including Loungefly. Pixel Jane then stopped me mid conversation to direct my attention to….

4: Camille Trejo

Camille, who was up from Richmond, Virginia, is conveniently sporting a bag by Loungefly. Camille told me the bag is normally $55, but that she bought as a Chirstmas present for herself on cyber-Monday and got it 20% off. That’s right. She buys Christmas presents for herself. Feel free to judge her.

The leather jacket, the punk bag, the animal print skirt, it screams Bronx tough girl, but she softens the image with the flower in her hair. Ordinarily it might not work, but it has such a latin flavor, matched in the Dia de Muertes bag that she pulls it off. Often it’s the small touches that really bring an ensemble together.

When I asked Camille why she bothered to put as much thought as she did into an outfit she was just wearing to a con, she told me she dresses like this everyday. She also said “I think self presentation is really important, and as an artist I like to express myself through my appearance.”

According to Camille, Loungefly was a vendor at last year’s Dragon*Con. If you are going to Dragon*Con this year, keep an eye out for them.

Next week, vests!

EDIT - Whoops! Forgot to include those links. Here you go, readers:

http://www.punk.com/

http://www.loungefly.com/

http://www.shopplasticland.com/

http://www.sourpussclothing.com/index.asp

http://www.toofastonline.com/

http://www.folterclothing.com/

http://www.shop-steady.com/

http://www.teemagnet.com/

http://www.thwipster.com/

http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/

http://shop.kitschnkouture.com/

MAGFest X (2/2)

MAGFest Round Two: Fight!

Last week's Blackout threw off my schedule a little bit. So I'm going to try and double up here for a few weeks to get back on track. Let me start by wrapping up my MAGFest posts.

I could go on about the panels at MAGFest, because although it is the "Music and Gaming Festival," they throw a hell of a media con. I mean, just check out GLaDOS reading a letter to Princess Celestia or The Super Art Fight!

But one only needs to pause for a moment of quiet reflection anywhere in MAGFest to remember that the real focus is… is… OOOAAAARRRRGH

*clears throat*… is video games. (Yes, I found and watched and time stamped every one of those links for you. Because I love you, my MAGFestians. If you can ride it out past the eight minute mark of that last video, you come out transformed. Yes, I watched all ten minutes. I AM IMMUNE!)

If someone could write a script that would play the roar at random intervals no shorter than two minutes and no longer than twenty, you too could experience the joys of MAGFest. Well, not really, but I do want to troll my next LAN party that way. I know a few attendees were annoyed by it, but I wound up fascinated. It's an offline, randomly-generated, aural meme, and it's really fun to do.

The game room is astounding. I couldn't get my camera far back enough to fit all of it in one shot. Here's my best try. Ooh, look! They had X-Men!

I was standing at the mid-point of the room, in front of the pinball section.

There were clusters of games so that the space was not claustrophobic.

The dealers' room and board game area were located in the other half of this room. At first, I was fooled by the scale. "Oh, the dealers' room is just one fourth of the space, it's not that many people." On Saturday afternoon, I learned how wrong I was.

I just wanted to go through and pick up business cards. That's it. Maybe one or two quick hellos, but mainly if they were selling something, I wanted a website. If they weren't, I wanted to know if they were interested in interviews so we could make a later pass with the camcorder.

This simple request quickly divided the vendors into people who were livid that I would dare window shop, and people who were immensely friendly and willing to make sure that I understood why they were blazingly awesome. I'm looking at you, Mighty Rabbit Studios, Hello with Cheese and Random Encounter.

My speedrun of the dealers' room took me about three hours. I had to find a second bag to carry all the business cards. Overall, the majority of my time was spent bouncing around these two warehouse-sized rooms. I tried to make all the concerts that I could, and I did check in on panels, and those did stand head-and-shoulders above many cons that I've attended. But that's not where the real soul of MAGFest is.

It's finding Super Mario and realizing it's so much harder than you remembered. It's staring at the pinball machines going, "They made a pinball game out of that?" It's coming across a game that you know only by referential internet humor.

It's REAL!? Kidding, kidding.

As with any con, the attendees really make or break the weekend. Regardless of Jeff's critiques of their attire, I found MAGFest to be full of friendly, outgoing, and moderate-to-seriously competitive gaming geeks. I loved the inside jokes that gave the con a unique feel. The ratio of games to attendees meant that you never had to wonder if there would be anyone around to play Small World, but there was never too long a line for DDR (and they were people you'd want to play with, or wouldn't mind waiting behind).

Of course, any large gathering of people produces some rather random or funny encounters. For a collection of hilarious stories, check out this post on the MAGFest forums. Here's mine:

The Gaylord's glass atrium elevators go up all 18 floors and are visible to the huge open area below. Around midnight on Friday, I was going back to my room to grab a forgotten bit of equipment when a tween leapt into the elevator with me.

"Hell yes! I've been waiting for one of these all night."

I looked around the otherwise empty elevator. "I'm surprised. I haven't seen one get crowded all day. What floor are you trying to get to?"

"Don't care what floor. Had to get a glass one. ELEVATOR PARTY!" and he started bobbing his head slightly in time to imagined music.

I got out on my floor, "Um, ok. Enjoy your elevator."

"Yeah, you too, you too, you too," as he slammed his hands over all the buttons, and the dance began.
--------

And that, geeks and nerds, is our 100th DC Geeks post. Thanks for reading. I can't wait to see what we're able to do in the next hundred posts.

This Week in Geek 2012/01/22

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars. 


Longer Term

• Museum - Unbuilt Washington - Washington, DC - Through May
• This exhibit is one of two "new to me" events on This Week in Geek. The museum is displaying the plans for many monuments and buildings which were proposed and rejected throughout the district. Beyond the obvious audience of architecture buffs, the exhibit sounds interesting for those of you looking for a setting for an alternate history game or novel.
• Rapid Prototyping - GMU Global Game Jam - Fairfax, VA - Friday through Sunday
• It sounds so simple: "Sign up as a jammer and make a game in 48 hours." Board games, video games, card games, it's up to you. Bring the Red Bull and the NoDoz (ok, maybe skip the NoDoz this year). Take all those game ideas that have been humming around in your brain, show up, and make it happen. There are events at UVA, VT, GMU, Universities at Shady Grove, and UMBC.

I asked the Internet for cool Lego pictures,
and e_chaya from Flickr delivered!

• Lego! - Lego Architecture: Towering Ambition - Washington, DC - Through September
• This is the second "new to me" exhibition. I think we can all agree: Legos are awesome. Before MineCrafters were set on filling the internets with replicas of all things in block-form, there were Legos. The show includes 15 buildings from around the world recreated in all their brick-y glory. They've also opened up a Flickr Group for amazing Lego structures.

Monday

• Elves - Middle Earth Mondays - Washington, DC - 8:00PM
• Here's one phrase that every geek can appreciate, "Costumes welcome." Whether you're at a midnight release, a convention, or a geeky movie night, it's always nice to find new places to show off that epic cloak you made. Give it a try: head out to Black Cat this week and see if that Evenstar replica doesn't help you strike up a conversation.

Thursday

• Museum/Gaming - Play! Pandemic - Washington, DC - 6:30PM
• The Koshland gets more awesome every time I visit their site. The exhibit that's linked to this event is "Infectious Disease: Evolving Challenges to Human Health" - which sounds like an awesome way to add realism to your zombie survival strategies. The event is $10 general admission and $7 for students. You can play on your own or bring a team.

Saturday

• Gaming - Video Game Day with the DC Anime Club - Washington, DC - 2:00PM
• Grab your favorite game and/or system, and go hang out with the DC Anime Club. If you don't want to set up a full system, there's also a Mario Kart DS tournament. Bring the blue sparks. Rules, etc are up on the events page. This event is for attendees 13+.
• Quizzing - Geek Bowl - Austin, TX - 7:00PM
• "You know what they do if they catch you cheating, right? They take one of your hands! Your buzzer hand!" - Venture Bros. Yes, it's in Austin. Yes, I'm still linking it because this is the largest live quiz in America. You can even try to win a dance off to earn back your entry fee! Last year, the top three teams took home $7k in cash. Get those buzzer reflexes in gear, contestants.

Angela Tchou has an amazing set of photos from
last year's parade.

Sunday

• Parade - Chinese New Year - Washington, DC - 2:00PM
• On Sunday, we enter a new year on the Chinese zodiac. Arguably the coolest and geekiest of the twelve animals, it's the year of the Dragon! Although there's a whole list of events and celebrations, The parade and festival down in DC's Chinatown look like they're going to be the largest. Check out the Flickr streams from last year's parade; it looks gorgeous.

An exciting week! Get to it! Other weekly reoccurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky, CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours) and with the holidays over they’re back with a vengeance! For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.

Geek Chic at Magfest Pt. 1 - Hats

Hello there DC Geek readership. Jeff here. That guy who wrote that non-sequitur of an article, “Why Occupy DC Matters to You.” You probably thought you’d never hear from me again. At least, I thought so.

I have a confession to make. When I wrote that Occupy article it was about something I was really interested in, but I slacked off so much that instead of putting together a well thought out piece, I just slapped something together out of guilt to fulfill a promise to a friend. Perhaps you noticed the typos and lack of structure? My writing, when not properly laid out ahead of time, has been described “like reading jazz.” I apologize. But I honestly thought that would be my one only contribution to DC Geeks. And then they showed me the number of hits my article got in two days, and suddenly I was hooked. I knew I had to make this a (semi) regular thing.

And just how many people did it take to make me feel like I had a fan base that would hang on my every word? What is the exact number of readers it takes to really ramp my ego up to something truly unbearable?

62.

Okay, so I’m easy.

Anyway, being a blogger means I have the freedom to write about anything. I owe nothing to no one. But with that power comes responsibility and so I shall aim for blog posts that are outside the norm. Or if I do blog on something you can find on another geek website, I'll try and find an original spin. Please comment and tell me how I'm doing.

Though I am sure this will not come as a big shock to any of you, the Geek crowd is notorious for being poorly dressed. When it comes to cons, it sometimes seems as if half the attendants don't even bother to bathe. The way most attendees dress, It is a surprise they are allowed to operate automobiles or open checking accounts. It’s shameful. Man landed on the moon in a spaceship with a computer no more powerful than a Commodore 64. That means my smart phone could run a manned mission to Mars and wage global thermonuclear war as background apps while I furiously try and beat my Angry Birds score. Not a year goes by without three comic book movies gracing the silver screen. The entire US economy, such as it is, limps along on blood infusions we give it. NO longer outcasts, Geeks are defining what rest of this country considers cool. It's the age of the geek. It's about time we begin to act and dress like it.

I don’t mean to be critical. The fact of the matter is, I didn’t always dress well either. I spent a substantial portion of my life awkward, shy, rocking a Beatles bowl but and high-water pants. No one is born knowing how to dress themselves. It is a cultural thing and it has to be learned. You would think that a sub-culture dedicated to cos-play and memorizing the tiny bits of minutia in their entertainment could casually extract this valuable knowledge from the air like a whale eating krill, but it just does not work that way. Maybe it is because we are too socially ostracized to ever learn, maybe we disdainfully reject that knowledge as part of a culture that put us down right up until the moment it realized it needed us, I don’t know. But what I do know is that there is no reason any reader of this blog can’t feel great and look great with just a little time, money, and attention.

With that in mind, I decided to do a blog entry on fashion at MAGfest, but I set some rules for myself.

(1) This is a best of; not a worst of. Geeks put up with people putting them down all the time, they don’t need it at their conventions or in their entertainment blogs. So no highlighting bad fashion choices.

(2) No Cosplay or LARP costumes – First, blogs on these are done to death at every convention and frankly, I’m tired of them. Second, this is about personal fashion, not putting on someone else’s fashion. So costumes are out. Which is a real shame because 9 out of 10 well dressed geek gentlemen at MAGfest were in Dr. Who costumes.

(3) For the love of god, try not use this article as a great excuse to meet cute gamer girls (FYI, it totally is).

(4) Names – People should be called whatever they like, so I asked everyone only to give me the name they want to go by in this article.

So, with that in mind, I’m going to go ahead and break one of the rules once and only once. Why? Because I ran into a girl in a bunny outfit and fish nets and I am not made of stone, people!

To the right here is Carrie Wink. Carrie was a vendor at MAGfest where she was selling geek-themed hats she makes herself. Which means she has graduated from amateur cospalyer to artisan. The name of her business is Athena’s Wink.

Now some of you are probably recognizing her as Bunny Samus. And if you do, I hate you. In my day, Reagan was President, we were selling weapons to Iran, and everyone thought Samus was a dude until the very end of Metroid—which was actually hard in those days; we played video games up-hill in the snow both ways—she removed her suit and our minds were blown. A girl? And a bad ass! It was a huge deal! And a one-piece swimsuit?! Scandalous!

Anyway, Carrie would probably be upset if I didn’t mention that her outfit is OC, which apparently is cosplay lingo for original outfit, meaning she made it herself. Yeah. She did that. What have you done recently? Also, it’s vinyl. Stretch vinyl. And, what is this here? Why, it is photo of Carrie and her husband looking freakin’ adorable. Sorry folks. She's taken.

And now, the REAL article!

We’re going to begin with hats. Hats used to be an enormous part of men’s fashion. It was said that a man was never fully dressed unless he was wearing his lid. The fashion didn’t begin to die until John F. Kennedy. JFK was young and sexy and every young person in America wanted to be a Kennedy. And that man had one luxurious head of hair which he refused to let lie obscured beneath a hat. And then they went and elected that man President. To try and grasp what the fashion revolution was like, try and imagine that Barrack Obama gets elected President, and three months later, after establishing that he and Michelle are the height of both cool and elegant, Obama decides his rippling Presidential chest should not be contained by shirts. Shirts would be done for. You’d never wear another shirt.

Curiously, the show Mad Men has brought back every other men’s fashion trope of the period, but hats have yet to make a strong comeback. They have been relegated to a fashion accessory of the somewhat eccentric. But that’s okay. Geeks are basically the embodiment of somewhat eccentric, and we’re bringing hats back, baby.

1.Blaze

For a long time, the only hat that any Geeks ever wore, and a lot of us wore them, was fedoras. And hey, I get it, Indiana Jones wore a Fedora. Fedoras. Are. Cool. But for some reason, Fedoras have fallen out of fashion and been replaced by the Top-Hat. And don’t get me wrong, I love the Top-Hat, but it is the Tuxedo of hats, it makes a bold statement, it should not be worn with some screen print t-shirt and ratty cargo pants! That is not a good look!

Anyway, Blaze here is up from Mississippi, and he may be one of the best dressed people of MAGfest. He was stylin’ in brown boat shoes, khaki slacks, a brown sweater with a single argyle pattern stripe down the left side, and this brown trilby hat. Blaze has a larger frame, but in selecting clothes that fit him in muted earth tones with a conservative style and clean lines, his outward appearance projects a casual cool and confidence that few larger men feel comfortable enough in their skins to project.

The ensemble projected cool, reserved confidence.

Anyway, it was his hat that drew me in first. The difference between a fedora and a trilby is that the trilby has a smaller brim. The hat is historically associated with British aristocracy and British horse racing. The trilby is the fedora of the upper class,

In choosing to wear a hat, Blaze said something about his personality. He identified himself as somewhat eccentric, and probably geek. But in selecting a trilby that matched his ensemble he also identified himself as a man of taste and refinement. And in eschewing the more popular top-hat, he is more trend setter than follower. I don’t know Blaze personally, I don’t want to say he is someone to aspire to be. For all I know, he kills kittens in his basement. But if you lean towards a fashion aesthetic that says relaxed and confident, but you aren’t comfortable with too much flash, trying to adopt Blaze’s style is a great place to start.

If you are looking to get a hat like Blaze’s, he purchased it while at MAGfest from Hats in the Belfry. Blaze reports he paid $80 for that hat, but Hats in the Belfry has their current semi-annual 60% off sale going on right now, and are also offering 25 hats for $25 or less, so now would be a great time to stop in and up-convert your wardrobe.

2. Ashley

Ashley represents the opposite end of the fashionable hat wearing spectrum. Her outfit was designed to garner attention. She wore black knee high boots, faded blue denim jeans, a bright red zip-up halter top that was designed to evoke the image of a corset, and a black suede hat with peacock feathers. Even her accessories are masterfully chosen. She paired her ensemble with an antiqued necklace and peacock feather hand fan, perfectly blending anachronistic elements with modern ones. The outfit is has just the right amount of steam-punk aesthetic to communicate Ashley, her tastes, and her personality, without being so garishly obvious about it as to become crass (like Football fans in over-sized Football jerseys).

I was so taken with how quickly she took to posing, the look of her outfit and how welcome it would seem on the streets of fashion Meccas like New York, and her overall comfort with the interview that I had to ask if she modeled. She does, but I can't make out from the audio recording of our interview what her modeling stage name is. Dragon Façade? The fan-boy in me really wishes it was Dragon Desaad. Anyway, those are you’re clues for tracking her modeling work down. And if you internet fan-boys and girls find her work, please share in the comments!

But back to the hat. I am not going to lie to you. I am in love with this hat. But I could never wear this hat. It just has too much flash. I like incorporating a little flash into my wardrobe, but to wear a piece this bold and pull it off you have to be supremely confident in your own sexiness. I imagine Ashley is. I mean, just look at her, and try and tell me you don’t melt.

Ashley got the hat at the Baltimore Comic-Con, but it is sold by The Blonde Swan. Most of their hats run $150-$190, but they are hand made from real leather, and totally worth the price.

As I mentioned before, the hat is suede, which for those of you unfamiliar with the fabric is leather the surface of which has been roughed, or napped, to give it a velvety soft feel. And stunning as the hat is (it really is), what makes it truly great is how it works with the rest of her outfit. She pairs it with a vinyl halter-top. Historically, fashion has generally deemed that your outfit be composed on entirely similar textures. Put another way, every item should be hard smooth textured fabrics, or soft textured fabrics. Smooth clean lines were more Spring/Summer, softer fabrics, like flannel, were Autumn/Winter. But certain fashion forward people, and why am I not surprised Ashley is one of them, are pushing boundaries by blending smooth fabrics with soft fabrics. The visual effect of soft lines against hard lines is striking and particularly effective in men's fashion.

Next time: Purses and handbags!

Wait! Next time? What do you mean next time?! Chill people. This thing was 30 pages in Word. It NEEDS to be broken up. But hey, regular content from me! If you knew me, that would shock you.

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Internet Blackout Day

Here's a quick Angry Aine post:

From the Fight for the Future's SOPA Strike site.

I'm glad Wikipedia opted to join the protests.

You're all geeks. You probably know it's the anti-SOPA blackout day. Normally, this is about when I would link you to some helpful Wikipedia article that would explain the context surrounding this event.  Wikipedia would give you a free rundown of the legal implications of the bill. It would link to other related articles about the protests so you could figure out why all the cat pictures went away. But today, you get to see what the world would be like without all that free knowledge. (Probably not a bad time to throw them a few bucks, now that I think about it).

Minecraft joins the blackout.

Maybe not all of you remembered the protests were today. Actually, if you're an insomniac like me, or you're waking up to head to work, you might be reading this before 8am. In which case, you may have a few frantic moments of Reddit before the blackout starts in earnest. Otherwise, you may have hopped on to MineCraft for "just one quick block," only to find the cutest SOPA blackout message I've seen so far. Oh, Notch. But of course, there are hundreds of sites joining in today. You'd be hard pressed to find someone not affected by the blackout.

A Softer World captured my feelings exactly.

I'm not going to insult your intelligence by lecturing you about how SOPA and PIPA are ... what's the term? "Fucking ridiculous." If you're smart enough to have turned on whatever device lead you to the internets today, you aren't likely to be a SOPA supporter. So you're already as pissed as I am that they're trying to shit all over everyone's right to freedom of expression in exchange for piles of money. Some writers are trying to keep cool and tactful when discussing this nonsense. I don't know how you feel, but I'm not interested in the "I understand why, but..." diplomatic articles. In my opinion, there is no acceptable excuse for these bills.



SOPA and PIPA are complete bullshit. Congress (and those paying them to support censorship) need to knock it the hell off. Period. End of goddamned story. If you want a more moderate, or less swear-filled, discussion about the bills, check Google... while you still can. When you've let your anger build to a good head of steam, write a letter to Congress.

Google: End Piracy, Not Liberty.

This Week in Geek 2012/01/15

A showcase of this week's finest geek and geek related activities for the week. Mark your calendars. 

Longer term

• Food - Alexandria Restaurant Week - Alexandria, VA - Through Sunday
• For foodies and aspiring cooking geeks alike, the Alexandria Restaurant week is a great chance to try a series of local eateries. "This 10-day gourmet event enables residents and visitors to enjoy tantalizing multi-course meals and distinctive treats prepared especially for the occasion showcasing the inventive culinary diversity offered throughout the city." And dinner for two is only $35.
• Theater/Magic - Elephant Room - Washington, DC - Through February 26
• You have to ask yourself: What would Neil Patrick Harris do? NPH is a notorious magic fan,  and really, who isn't? The Elephant Room sits at the crossroads of "a Styx reunion tour, the transcendental power of a 200-year-old Zuni shaman, and a dash of trailer park ennui… filled with off-the-wall magic." Check the link above for some clips and trailers. It's going to be legendary.
• Comedy - John Pinette - Washington, DC - Thursday through Sunday
• Does anyone else have a go-to stand-up show or album that you put on whenever you need to feel better, not think, and laugh at the same jokes for the hundredth time? For me, that's John Pinette. Please, if you haven't seen his Ewok impression, go watch it now. I need more people to understand this reference so that when I try and mimic it, I'll look less crazy. Definitely worth catching if you're a stand-up fan (or if you're allergic to gluten).
• Museum - Behind the Scenes: The Real Story of the Quileute Wolves - Washington, DC - Through May
• The Twilight Saga is polarizing, to say the least. It inspires the screech of fangirls, and the ire of the rest of us. Well, for those of you who are not pro-sparkle, know that the Smithsonian is on your side. Leaving aside (at least for now) the dangerous portrayals of "sexy" emotional abuse, the museum is questioning Stephenie Meyer's ability to portray Native Americans with respect and accuracy. So, in true nerd form, the Smithsonian is here to set everyone straight about the non-werewolf history of Quileute life.

Totally, probably a werewolf, maybe. (via Matt)

Monday

• Hobbits - Middle Earth Mondays - Washington, DC - 8:00PM
• Know how every time that you're going to sit down and watch the extended LotR something seems to come up? Star Wars: The Old Republic, Skyrim, and all those other gifts from Christmas, keep pulling you away, but shouldn't you make some time for that series that has stood by you for all these years? I understand, sitting around in your living room for twelve hours seems lame, so jazz it up. Hang out with the awesome folks at Black Cat, and enjoy the pitchers of discount beer (the tastiest beer of all). Remember, every time Gimli gets made into comic relief, everyone drinks.

Thursday

• Gaming - DCGN at Labyrinth Games - Washington, DC - 6:00PM
• It's that time once again: DC Game Night. The event, as always, is at Labyrinth Games. The event is open on Facebook, and the venue is awesome. There's already a few positive RSVPs to the event, so throw your name in there and head out for a bit of mid-week fun.

I wish my boardgame nights were this cool! (via cosmonautirussi)

Friday

• Burlesque - Skullduggery and Skin at the Red Palace - Washington, DC - 9:00PM
• I know that burlesque is not specifically geeky. But the Red Palace seems to have tuned in to the heavy overlap between the two subcultures. They throw together some awesome nerd shows on a pretty regular basis. As long as they keep the geek coming, I'll keep linking them. The performer this week is Dangrrr Doll. Check out her website if you don't want to take my word on her nerd cred (NSFW goes without saying).

Saturday

• Comedy - Adam Corolla - Silver Spring, MD - 8:00PM and 10:00PM
• There's still some tickets to this one. Please keep in mind the Fillmore is honoring tickets from the canceled November show.  He's a funny bastard and I'm shocked he hasn't sold out yet. Even if you can't make it, check out his Guinness World Record holding podcast. It looks like these are the last shows before his tour swings out to the West Coast, so see him while you can.
• Concert - Ozomatli - Washington, DC - 9:00PM
• Once again the 9:30 club has a great week of music with Ozomatli. If you keep up with the band's website, you know that some lucky person has just won not only free tickets to see the Saturday show, but to have brunch with the band the next morning. Now, you can't be that person, but you can drink like them. The Oyamel Cocina Mexicana will have a specialty cocktail in the band's honor until the 28th. Bring your ticket stub from the show for a free drink (if you're over 21).

An exciting week! Get to it! Other weekly reoccurring events are listed on our website (such as Rocky, CCG tournaments, crazy themed happy hours) and with the holidays over they’re back with a vengeance! For more information, check out the calendars at DC Geeks.