So the Geeks And Nerds Fair, a hugely anticipated event, has finally hit the grid, and it is rather good indeed. If you’re a proud Geek or Nerd in real life then you will really appreciate the time and effort that has gone into producing this event, and the quality products that you’ll find on sale. There’s a predominately Sci-Fi vibe to the event, with nods to Star Wars and Doctor Who, as well as the obligatory Harry Potter inclusions and a few old school references as well.
I’m a total Geek so wasn’t really paying much attention to the Nerdy stuff but I can vouch that Nerds are well accommodated here, although the event seems to be predominately Whovian, which is to be expected because it began during the Doctor Who 50th weekend. I sure as hell ain’t complaining! You’ll find all sorts of Who-related gubbins, from Tardis teapots, to necklaces as well as the celebrated range of Whovian inspired outfits from Damien Fate. If you want to be Doctors 11 and 12, or the companions Rose Tyler and Amy Pond, then at last , courtesy of Damien’s mad mesh skills, you can be. Damien’s costumes are fantastic re-imaginings of the clothing worn in the show and the ladies outfits in particular stand up to being worn in their own right. They’re pricey, but if you’re a committed Doctor Who fan these outfits are essential additions to your wardrobe.
This is quite a compact event , ripe for photographs (look out for the Dalek and K9!) and I came home laden with goodies. I particularly loved SECOND SPACES array of power strips and cables, joypads, cartridges and the Tardis pencil-holder. MISH MISH have produced two fantastic collectibles based on famous, nay, iconic Sci-Fi characters for the event, Mr. Spoon (NOT the guy from ‘Button Moon’) and Princess Donut. The best thing about these is they look just as awesome in their packaging as they do out! Something else that I really love is the ‘Bird Nerd’ set from LARK. As usual, Sienia has failed to disappoint with her creations and has used beautiful textures in her work. These have been applied with a delicate touch, which has added to the realism of this set. Everything a bird watcher would have in their fancy is included; Binoculars, field guide, calendar, and other assorted bird-watching finery, including an astonishingly pretty desk.ISON clothing are well represented at the event too. and the Wookie bag. I have raved about ISON before on these pages, and guess what, I’m doing so again. They’re selling a sweater/shirt combo at the event that you can manage via a hud. This means that you can change the shirt textures, and also choose to display an embossed logo on the chest area of your sweater. It’s fantastic; no issues when worn and fits straight out of the box, which is exactly what you need! I’ve never had any issues with ISON clothing and I don’t think I ever will, they’re just such a good brand:) Finally you MUST check out Elephante poses at the event. They’re super-creative, enabling you to suggest motion perfectly in your snaps. There are a number of pose-packs from Elephante (and other equally awesome pose-makers) at the event but I must draw your attention to the ‘When We Were Young’ pack which I am using for these images. These are Gacha winnings and evoke whimsy beautifully. You can take a cheeky peak at all of these items and more by checking out the Seraphim coverage of the event.
Finally, while we’re on a Geeks & Nerds trip, Strawberry Singh’s weekly Meme challenge was all about the same subject this week. Here are my answers!
1. What do you consider yourself to be? Geek? Nerd? Dork? None of the above? All of the above? I’m a Geek for sure; but there is also a nerdy side to me too. I adore History, and Archaeology, especially Ancient History. Egyptology is probable my favourite topic, and I pay an annual pilgrimage to the British Museum to get my history fix. (This year we saw an exhibition there about Herculaneum and Pompei which was pretty spectacular.)
2. What was the first computer you ever owned? The first computer I ever owned was a Toshiba MSX! It was BRILLIANT, but was a bit of a niche item in the UK. MSX never really caught on like Spectrum and Commodore, which was a shame because it was pretty superb for the time graphically if I recall correctly!) I used to buy MSX magazines and my Father and I would code in the games . It would take an afternoon to type in all the code and by the end all we would have achieved would be a crappy tank rolling across the screen, but it was a huge bonding experience. I used to buy my games on tape from a market stall on Chesterfield market. They were Mastertronic games, and I’d zoom home happily to insert them into my tape recorder and play them. To think, these days kids won’t experience the joy of loading a game from tape. Remember the sound it made? “Deeee-doop. Deeee-dodopdkddopdkdpskspsss….” There was nothing worse than waiting ten minutes for a game to load only for it to crash as well…
3.When and how did you first get on the internet? I think I first got onto the internet in 1996. I had a website and my own domain at one point that I just used to stick crappy photos and shitty gifs on! I used to use a program called ‘Pirch’ for IRC chat, and would spend my evenings chatting to people all over the world on that.
4. Which Geek fandom do you subscribe to? LOTS of them! I love Sci-Fi, and am a huge fan of Star Wars, Star Trek, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica and Fringe. I also adore The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad. I collect comics and Catwoman figurines, as well as erm…My Little Pony plushies! In fact I love so many things it’s scary! I wear tees and hoodies that declare my love to all around me and I am a very proud 40 year-old geek indeed.
5.Star Wars or Star Trek?
Are you kidding me?! BOTH!!!!!
6. How Geeky are you? Apparently I’m 74% Geek, and I’m quite chuffed by that result because it was a tough quiz! I don’t think I’ll ever change, indeed I hope that I don’t. I love being a geek and being passionate about it, even though it really can be very alienating. (never has a phrase been more apt!) Mind you, I live with a Geek. My fella collects Arcade Machines and is a World Champion after all, so I doubt that I’ll ever change!
Kittywitchin' 