Mrs. Peacock, in the Study, with the Fountain Pen

So if you buy that three-hundred dollar pen I talked about last week, you're going to need some ink, right?  I propose something nice and spendy.  A bottle of Pilot Iroshizuku ink will be right up your alley.  It's the same brand, for one thing, and for another, it's just beautiful all around, price tag or no.

Picture via the Goulet Pen Company.

This particular color is Ku-jaku, or Peacock.  I got a sample of it recently and really, really liked it.  Look!  It's so pretty!  And not only that, the packaging for the Iroshizuku line is fantastic.  Look at that bottle!  It's not ugly, it's not gaudy.  It's just plain classy.  And the little string around the neck is like a little scarf that completes it!  Also, though you can't see it behind the lovely simple label, there is a little dip into the base of the bottle so that when your ink level gets low, you can still get your pen in deep enough to fill it.

Buy through the Goulet Pen Company for $28.

Yours truly,

Maureen

If Lisa Frank Had to Write a Letter...

Do you you think she would use this pen?

Picture via the Goulet Pen Company.  They're all beautiful people.

This pen.  I saw it and I said, "GLITTER."  It's not glitter, as it turns out; it's raden, and my understanding is that raden is a Japanese craft involving lacquer and shells.  I have no idea.  But in this Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen, it's like class and sass came together to appeal to both the adult and twelve-year-old inside me.

The Vanishing Point is one of the few fountain pens with a retractable nib.  The clip is at the end with the nib, which is a little weird, but most people work around it.  It's so you don't get ink in your pocket when you store it.  Pilot thinks of everything!  What would you write with your fabulous glitter VP?

Buy through the Goulet Pen Company for $304.

Yours truly,

Maureen

Pivot Power!

In an effort to stop having to buy things, I once bought rechargeable batteries and a battery charger.  It mostly helps, but finding a place to plug that giant charger in is not easy.  Enter the surge protector you'd think they would have invented long before now:

It's flexible!  You can plug everything into it!  It's a miracle!  Don't look at me like I'm a nerd--I know you have to charge your phone and plug in your printer.  You might even have an obnoxious nightlight that used to take up an entire outlet.  Well, let me tell you, those days could be no more, if we invest in this guy.

Buy through ThinkGeek for $29.99.

Image via the same.

Maureen

"I'm the Doctor."

Well, presently, Matt Smith is the Doctor, but now you can be too, with the technological magic of the sonic screwdriver universal remote control!

Nice, huh?  It looks just like the one from the show.  I'm pretty sure it doesn't have any moving parts, but I'm not picky.

According to the video, this is a gesture-based remote, so you wave it around to do things, and the light comes on and it makes sonic screwdriver noises.  AWESOME.

Plus, you have to sonic screwdrive your current remote to get the codes or something on there.

It's not available yet, but it will be at the end of August, so get in line now, because they'll go fast!  (And if that wait is a bit much for you, just remember it isn't fourteen years.)

Buy through ThinkGeek for $99.95.

Image via the same.

Geronimo!

Maureen

Super X-treme Mega History Heroes

Have you ever wanted something that you could never, ever have? Something that nothing short of a scientific miracle and controlled substances could hope to bring you?

Give me a moment while I heave a sigh.

We won't go into that today. But this, too is something I can never have:

Look at Anne Brontë's snarl! Boomerang book-throwing action! The Brontësaurus! The Brontësaurus.

And it is all a fake. These Brontë sisters will never be.

I suppose I will just have to settle for a Charles Dickens action figure for $8.95 through Archie McPhee. But how will that teach me to use my brain and make history?

Maureen

"I just want to start a flame in your heart."

I've told you all before about my fondness for the Fallout series of games. I've played the first three and completed the first two. I still have yet to play an evil character in any of them. It will be the ultimate challenge--I just can't bring myself to join the slavers or kill children. (Even if The Den is full of snot-nosed little thieves.)

In addition to a great gameplay experience, Fallout brings you a little something else: music. I was first introduced to The Ink Spots by Fallout. The theme tune for Fallout is the song "Maybe."

Fallout 2 features Louis Armstrong's "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," to which I did not need an introduction (we were acquainted previously), but it's worth including, because I like it.

Fallout 3 brings us back to The Ink Spots with "I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire." But there's more! With the game's addition of a radio, the soundtrack now features the Andrews Sisters, Cole Porter, Bach, Billie Holiday, and many more.

So today I covet the games I can't play and the games that have brought music to people who didn't realize they could like it.

And you can download Fallout and Fallout 2 for the shockingly reasonable price of $6.00 each at Good Old Games. But I'll save the coveting of GOG for another day.

Maureen

For Science!

Have you ever wanted to help real scientists do real science, but you're an English major? Or maybe your skills mostly consist of eating cheese and playing video games?

Well, never fear! There is a way that you, too can do science! And it is a game called Foldit.

Foldit is about folding proteins. I'm not going to give a protein lecture here, but apparently they fold, and the fact that they fold is very important to the protein-y work that they do, and computers are terrible at folding proteins.

So scientists decided to let people do it. They turned protein folding into a game, handed out some instructions, and let gamers solve problems that computers can't. I started playing Foldit years ago and got sidetracked for, well, years, but I'm back now and as bad at folding proteins as ever!

You can download the game for free at their site and get started immediately. Do not delay! You could be part of a cure for some terrible deadly disease!

For science!

Maureen

Baby, It's Cold Outside (Especially for Reptiles)

It really is! After a deceptively warm December, I have found myself shocked--shocked, I tell you--by the coldness of January. How ever will I keep warm?

A nice hat will do the trick for most people. Like, say, a beanie. Maybe in a nice shade of green.

Yes! That is what you think it is! A Donatello beanie! If you think Donatello is merely an artist, however, you are wrong, my friend. Donatello is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle.

Etsy seller Miss Pamela will make you one of these beanies--for any turtle--to order. And not only that, but they are convertible--the eye mask will fit nicely over your eyes, completing your disguise. (You may look a little like a green-and-color-of-choice Dread Pirate Roberts if you don't work on the rest of your disguise, though.)

Buy through Miss Pamela's Etsy shop for $30.00, but be prepared to wait. Everyone wants these.

Image via Etsy.

Cowabunga!

Maureen

The What We Covet Holiday Gift Guide 2011, Part 4: The Gamer

The fact of the matter is, if you have a friend who is a gamer, your friend will probably find ways to finance the habit without your help. A GameStop gift card might not go amiss.

But gift cards are impersonal. They say, "I know this one thing about you. Make sure you have a couple extra dollars. I'm going to pay for most of your next game."

There are some gifts, however, that say, "I know this one thing about you, and I did a little research, and because you probably have very specific tastes I'm getting you this instead of a game or something."

This joystick can help your gamer friend recreate the experience of playing Atari or arcade games from the comfort of a cheap Wal-Mart office chair! How cool is that? It's really cool. Trust me.

The joystick is also hackable, if your gamer friend is into adding buttons. Me, I'd just leave it be and play with the one button it has. But it gives your gamer friend options--button options, game options, USB port options!

One could also ask one's gamer friend what would be best. But Pac-Man is a ton of fun.

Buy through ThinkGeek for $24.99.

Image via ThinkGeek.

Maureen

Floppius Discus

If you were born after, say, 1994, don't pay this post any mind. You won't understand why I like this little spiral-bound journal so much.

It's made out of a 5.25-inch floppy disk! I can't say I really long for the days of the floppy disk. There are times when I fondly recall how handy they were. Once, Santa Claus stuffed my stocking with a super handy case for 3.5-inch floppies. It got a lot of use until I got my first flash drive.

I like this little notebook. This way I could use a floppy disk to keep track of things I write, just like I did in the fifth grade! Of course I primarily used 3.5-inch floppies. Not the point. This is a little more obscure. Kids these days won't have the first idea what it is. I recognize that I am coming dangerously close to sounding like a hipster. At least I don't wear skinny jeans.

Buy through AnotherMansTreasures's Etsy shop for $6.50.

Image via Etsy.

Maureen

People We Covet: Bill Nye

Bill Nye was my favorite science teacher. As a child I watched Bill Nye the Science Guy on PBS, along with other very educational TV shows. I don't remember what I learned in elementary school science class, but I do remember that inertia is a property of matter.

I watched Bill Nye long after cancellation of his show--I distinctly recall getting excited in eighth grade when the Bill Nye LaserDisc (LaserDisc!) came out and we watched that for part of science class.

Bill Nye doesn't just educate kids about science. He advocates science knowledge for all the people. I have to say I agree with him, because there are too many scientific claims out there that the general public cannot evaluate. Some are unwilling to evaluate scientific claims. I like to think more science education would open their minds a little.

Now, as you all go about your daily lives, I want you to remember: SCIENCE RULES!

Maureen

Ultra Nerd

Here in the United States, we love foreign food. I'm a fan of Japanese and Chinese food (among others, but those aren't important), and whenever I go out to such a restaurant, I enjoy using chopsticks.

"Maureen," you say. "Are you calling people who eat Asian food nerds?"

No. Some people are, but not all. I may fit into the "some" category there. I don't eat Asian food because I think Asian culture is so much cooler than American culture, but I am a nerd, and whenever I eat ramen noodles I try to tell myself that Naruto eats ramen, so it's cool. I don't watch Naruto, though, so I usually am not convinced.

At any rate, I would become extra nerdy if I used these chopsticks for my ramen:

These are Star Wars chopsticks. They come in Luke, Yoda, Darth Vader, Darth Maul, and Mace Windu.

I don't think anything more needs to be said.

But feel free to tell me whose light saber you would choose to wield! I'm still undecided.

Buy your own pair for $9.99 through ThinkGeek!

May the Force be with you,

Maureen

Image via ThinkGeek.

People We Covet: Jayne Cobb

I love almost everyone from Firefly. But if I had to pick just one, I would use completely arbitrary guidelines to eliminate most of the crew of Serenity and come out with Mr. Jayne Cobb himself.

Wash would also be acceptable, but Cate has already claimed him.

Jayne, the Hero of Canton. What is there to say about him? He always says what he thinks. Much of the time he doesn't think something appropriate, but one has to admire his ability to say what everyone is thinking sometimes.

He also impresses the audience with his fighting, his weapons, and his bartering skills.

It is my very favorite gun. . . . I call it Vera.

It should be noted that Jayne has a theme song. Do you know who does not have a theme song? Most people in the world. Jayne is Robin Hood in some parts of the galaxy, people. They write ballads about him.

He has a loving family, too, which I think any person would be happy to have. His mother knits. If we go only on those two facts, Jayne's family is identical to mine.

Cunning.

Now, do you see what I'm saying?

Maureen

Images via Firefly Wiki.

Winter is Coming

Hi, everyone! I volunteered to fill in for Cate this time. It'll be good for me. It'll build character.

Today I want to talk about--wait for it--books! Specifically the series A Song of Ice and Fire. You can guess it's a fantasy series, right? You may have heard of it; a television adaptation of the first book is on HBO now, and they are sticking these confounded HBO stickers on the covers of the all books, which is aggravating when you want your covers to match but not be torn apart.

This book is over eight hundred pages long. I've already torn it up enough reading it one and a half times.

I have to be honest. I own all of the books that are presently out, and I've only read A Game of Thrones and part of A Clash of Kings. It was summer, and I had to go back to school.

The world of A Song of Ice and Fire is an awful lot like medieval Europe, but with magic. The magic is minimal at first, only showing itself in the form of the creation of a wight in the prologue, and wonky seasons that last for years at a time. The magic becomes more apparent toward the end of the book.

The Seven Kingdoms are tenuously held together by King Robert Baratheon, who rebelled and took the throne of King Aerys II Targaryen. The first novel follows Eddard Stark, who participated in Robert's Rebellion and is now the Warden of the North; Jon Snow, Eddard's illegitimate son, who joins the Night's Watch, a small group of men who patrol the wall to the north of the Seven Kingdoms, keeping them safe from wildlings and other threats; and Daenerys Targaryen, Aerys's daughter, and whose brother Viserys wants more than anything to recover the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms for the Targaryens.

As the name implies, it gets pretty complicated. There are no elves, but there is plenty of intrigue, and a lot of death.

I recommend you read the book and then watch the HBO adaptation, which will show you just how bloody it all is.

Buy through Barnes & Noble for $21.33.

Hugs and puppies,

Maureen

Wormholes!

If you are around me enough, you will be present one day when I hurt myself. And when I do stub my toe or punch myself in the face or sneeze into the arm of a couch, I will probably say things like "heck," "dang," or "frell."

"What's this?" you think. "One of these things is not like the others."

That's because "frell" is a sci-fi swear. Most people you hear will say "frak," from Battlestar Galactica. I never watched BSG, so I am not one of those people. I watched Farscape.

The main character of Farscape is John Crichton, an astronaut who found one of those mythical wormholes we hear so much about and went through it. The other side of the wormhole was where all his adventures began, with aliens and living ships and traveling through space. It was a lot of fun, and one of my first introductions to science fiction, until it got canceled.

That happens a lot, apparently.

But anyway, now we can see what was! The complete series is available on DVD through Best Buy for $99.99.

xoxo,

Maureen

Segue from Whedon Week into...Felicia Day!

See what I did there?

Felicia Day is also the star of the online series The Guild. If you're not a geek like me, you may not love it as much as I do, but this blog isn't about what you covet, now is it?

Day portrays Codex, the only sane member of the MMO guild the Knights of Good. The other, crazier members of the guild are Vork, Bladezz, Clara, Tinkerballa, and Zaboo. They all have real names, except for Tinkerballa. Codex is Cyd and Clara is Clara. I only remember that because Codex is the main character, and Clara is Clara.

Through a series of unfortunate events, the members of the guild meet each other in real life, and wacky high-jinx ensue. It won't take very long for you to watch and find out what happens; each video is less than eight minutes long, and there are only four seasons so far.

The later ones include Wil Wheaton wearing a kilt.

You can buy The Guild on DVD, but since it's available online, you may as well watch it on Bing before you go spending money. It's not always safe for work, language-wise, and you really shouldn't be watching videos at work anyway.

Also, there are music videos.

Farewell'd,

Maureen

Whedon Week Continues

What combines Neil Patrick Harris, Felicia Day, and Nathan Fillion into one glorious musical package? Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, of course!

NPH portrays Billy, or Dr. Horrible when he's being beaten up by Fillion's Captain Hammer. Billy silently pines after Penny (Day), and when he puts on his lab coat and goggles he's planning how to get her heart by giving her "the keys to a shiny new Australia." During the short web series his current plan is to complete his freeze ray, which he will use to "find the time to find the words to" tell Penny how he feels about her.

He also intends to use it to cement his entry into the Evil League of Evil, an organization headed by Bad Horse, the Thoroughbred of Sin.

Billy's plans go horribly awry, however, when Captain Hammer, who is a jerk all the time, rescues Penny from a runaway van and they begin to date.

But what happens? You'll have to find out after you buy your own copy through Best Buy for $9.99. If only you had been a little faster; at one time it was completely free online. Alas!

xoxo,

Maureen

"You can't take the sky from me."

A while ago, I loaned my lovely Firefly boxed set to my little brother so he could watch it. Then, I wanted to watch it, and I didn't have it, and I was very sad. I'm still a little sad, but I'll be getting it back soon.

Firefly is a television show, sadly canceled after just thirteen episodes. It was brought to us by Joss Whedon, who also gave the world Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more recently Dollhouse and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. The short run of the show makes it an affordable boxed set, but also a depressing one. Firefly is a space western, which means I love it. I love westerns (one of my first loves was Adam Cartwright), and I love space (you've seen us talk about Star Wars, right?). So what happens when you put a western in space? Maureen has a case of the vapors.

Mal Reynolds is captain of the Firefly-class ship he named Serenity. His crew is a ragtag bunch of misfits, but they're like family, and they mostly take care of each other. Mal does some slightly illegal things with his ship, but he's a good guy, because the Alliance is terrible.

A film, Serenity, was made after the end of the show. I haven't seen this one yet, but I intend to. That will be a fine, fine day.

Buy Firefly through Best Buy for $39.99 and Serenity for $19.99.

xoxo,

Maureen

Checkmate, Mario

Some of us are intellectuals. Some of us study hard day and night so we will know all the answers and impress our friends if we ever see them. Some of us pursue activities that exercise our minds. Board games. Logic puzzles. Performance art.

But some of us just want the Super Mario Chess Set because we're nerds. We don't study chess. We're lucky if we can beat ourselves at the game. But we know how the pieces move, and we like cackling evilly while we knock over our opponents' pawns.

Also, we giggle a little immaturely upon seeing the Super Mario Chess Set and learning that Luigi is the Queen. That's just the kind of people some of us are. So of course we want this chess set. We also think it is fitting that at last Luigi has some power while Mario has to stay in one spot and wait.

Buy through ThinkGeek for $39.99.

xoxo,

Maureen

Gotta Catch 'Em All!

I have never actually tried to catch them all. It's a lot of effort, and far too much when the only person you can trade with is your little brother.

However, I do like to collect them, which is why I am really, really excited for the new Pokémon games, Black and White. I am also excited because of various updates to the games. Now the world is supposed to be 3D, rather than the 2D it has been forever, the Pokémon themselves move during battle, and there is a new fire/psychic type Pokémon that is available through April 10. If you want Victini, go go go!

I'm a big fan of fire types, and the only reason I don't have more psychic types in my teams is that Abra is so darn hard to catch. You need a quick claw and a pokemon with Mean Look, and it's just frustrating sometimes. So I'm pretty interested in getting Victini for myself.

But you might not know what I am talking about. This is a description of basically all Pokémon games. A child, probably around ten years old, gets his or her first Pokémon and goes off on an adventure, training and catching Pokémon and battling with gym leaders to earn badges, and eventually making it all the way to the Elite Four and the Pokémon League Champion! Also, there is Team Rocket or a Team Rocket-like group along the way, using Pokémon for dastardly deeds and being mean. The player character usually takes care of that, too.

If you like, you can imagine a happy world where Pokémon frolic happily in the grass, or you can imagine one where all Pokémon are fearsome wild creatures who will tear people apart without trained Pokémon to take them down.

Buy through GameStop for $34.99.

We hope to see you again!

Maureen