Cosplay Copyright

There's currently a war being waged in the fashion industry that could have massive ramifications for costumers and cosplayers: can a pattern for an article of clothing be copyrighted?

On January 19th PublicKnowledge.org reported on the case: Star Athletica and Varsity Brands are going toe-to-toe, with VB claiming parts of their designs can be copyrighted due to functionality and SA arguing that the designs are creative in nature and are not eligible for copyright status.

How does this affect costumers and cosplayers?

If the Supreme Court rules that the owner of the original design can sue another creator for having a design that simply looks nearly identical, that can cause a lot of problems for the people who create replicas. That would mean Disney/Lucasfilm could be able to sue you for those Jedi robes you made, or Bungie could come after you for that Halo armor you sculpted.

While it seems far-fetched that the ruling could go that far, it's not unheard of for larger companies to target costumers, like when Fox went after everyone independently selling replica Jayne hats.

Hippo Birdy Two Ewe

Design by Monkey Minion Press

As of January 1, 2016 we turned three years old. TXTrekkieGurl (then known as Dalek Chick) and I decided one day out our mutual love for Sci-Fi and crafting and various other interests and hobbies that we should just start a blog and talk about the things we like. We've covered a lot of topics, from geek-themed drinks to speaking Klingon to crafting how-to's to convention kits (both basic and for cosplay). We've also discussed geeky birthday, holiday, and wedding gift ideas.

We currently have 156 posts, this one will be 157, and we have over 10,000 pageviews from various different countries. We've had a lot of unique opportunities with this blog, including conducting interviews and becoming very good friends with a lot of the folks at Trek Radio. We've been able to do so many really neat things and it has been incredible.

But, of course, none of this would have been possible without you! All of you, whether you've been reading from day one or if you've stumbled across us in your search for something specific - thank you!

Happy Holidays!

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Solstice, Festivus, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and/or Boxing Day, we hope you have, or have had, a wonderful holiday season. We'll see you guys in the new year!

Gift Exchange

Howdy Nerds!

Today is my Sci-fi Annual Christmas Party, and we do some similar to the chinese Gift Exchange but we called it " Ferengi Gift Exchange" 

Here are some the of the rules of the event. 

1.     “What if I don’t want to participate, for whatever reason and you can’t make me ‘cause you aren’t the boss of me!”  If you do not wish to participate, there is no pressure there.  You are free to talk amongst yourselves or heckle those as they wrestle one another for gifts.

2.     The value of the gift you bring should be between $15 to $20, and should be something someone would actually enjoy receiving.  This is NOT a White Elephant event.  Please make sure it is something everyone would appreciate.

3.     That being said, please remember we have young ones so nothing that would cause them to seek therapy for years to come.( This an be removed if you want to be adult only) 

4.     Bring your gift wrapped or in a gift bag. Got to person in charged and he/she will give you a number to participate.

5.     As Amy Pond once said “Here’s where it gets complicated…”

Once the gift exchange starts, we will draw numbers from a hat.  The person with the first number drawn goes up and may choose any gift on the table that they want.  You must open it at that time for all to see.  If you really like it, you may elect to pay $1 to INSURE the gift against theft by the others.  If you are hoping for a possible trade later on, please be seated.

The next person whose number is drawn has the option to either select from the unopened gifts or if they really like your gift, and it has not been insured, they may steal it from you.

The person who has their gift stolen may then either choose from the unopened gifts or steal someone else’s gift.  *A gift may only be stolen *TWICE**.

This process will continue until all the gifts have been opened and finally claimed

Now the money we earn from "insurance" goes to out Adopted Family. But you can choose what to do the money,give it to a Charity, make a prize for a gift, keep it.. 

Let's us know your Christmas Party games and present swamping.

Stay Geeky

~ TXTrekkieGurl 

Community and Giving

CWHL Twitch stream schedule (times are CST)

 
As I've mentioned in various other posts before, I'm a pretty big fan of Rooster Teeth (I'm 03K64Firefly on the RT site - big shock there, right?). They put out a lot of great content, from the Halo Machinima Red vs. Blue to the RWBY anime to the motion picture Lazer Team. However, one of the truly great things they do each year is the Extra Life 24 hour stream to benefit Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and this has caused a ripple effect throughout the RT community.

Many of the RT community members hold their own 24-hour charity streams to raise money, and there's currently one happening today. As of 9am CST this morning, my lovely friend Audrey and a few others began their stream benefiting Children With Hair Loss, Inc. and it goes until 9am CST tomorrow morning. Their main goal is $500, but I'd like to see them surpass that; head over to the Twitch stream to see what shenanigans they're up to, plus they have really neat things to give away, and it's all for the kids!

CWHL is a non-profit organization that provides human hair replacement and hair care packages to children with varying conditions, including cancer and Alopecia among others, with the goal of being able to provide their services to families that are financially challenged.

Geeky Gifts 2015

With Christmas, Hanukkah, Boxing Day, and various other holidays coming up next month, it's time to delve into the fanatical, frenzied, and chaotic world of gifts. I work in retail; trust me, I understand why you just let out that guttural, and possibly feral, groan (or scream). Shopping during December for anything can be a major headache - and working it isn't exactly a picnic, either.

So here are some ideas to get you jump-started:

1. ThinkGeek - ThinkGeek has a little bit of something for everyone, from kids to tactical gear aficionados to gamers to science buffs (in fact, my order just arrived this past Wednesday of a few gifts I've already purchased from TG - I'm a huge fan of getting gift shopping done and out of the way).
2. Quantum Mechanix - Quantum Mechanix, or QMx, hosts various amazing items. From Firefly/Serenity to Star Trek to Star Wars to Battlestar Galactica (and quite a few other themes in between), they're likely to have something the geek in your life will adore.
3. Entertainment Earth - Entertainment Earth is easily one of the largest online retailers for all things geek, nerd, and pop culture.
4. Rooster Teeth - Rooster Teeth, the Austin, TX-based company behind the Halo-themed Machinima Red vs. Blue, the RWBY anime, and the feature film Lazer Team (in US theaters January 27, 2016), has a US/International store, a UK store, and an Australia/New Zealand store full of awesome things.
5. T-shirts - all of the above have t-shirts, but if you're looking for something a little more original, any of these various sites could be what you're looking for: TeeFury, teeVillain, Cosmic City, Once Upon a Tee, TeeTurtle, Devotees, Big Damn Browncoats, TeeMinus24, Qwertee, The Yetee, Shirtoid - NOTE: some of these are 24 hour sites, meaning the designs are only available to purchase for 24 hours. It is a good idea to always make note of the artist and see if they have their own site with the design available for purchase, just in case.
6. Trinkets and Baubles - If you're still not quite finding that perfect thing, or if you're looking for something with a more personal touch, Etsy might just be the way to go. Etsy is full of treasures, and when you really start digging to find what you're looking for, chances are you're likely to find it.

Test your knowledge

Howdy,

Have you always told your friends you know more about a certain series or movies then them? Well, I have the website for you.

Sporcle.com is a website with quizzes. Some are easy and some are super hard. Just type in anything from Sci-Fi to History and there will different quizzes and games to play. Its a great time killer, too, and makes you really think. I've done most of the Star Trek ones, but I always have a brain fart. You should try it out!

Let us know how you did - Tweet us, Facebook us, Heck! even Email us!

Stay Geeky!
~ TTG