John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

Yoda doesn't wait for the luggage carousel

For more chuckles, check out these other Star Wars-related ads. 

 

Star Wars bloopers

Posting mainly for our son, as well as, well, anyone who finds an AT-AT walker bursting into flame funny, or a droid that can't get its mojo going. 

 

For your little Sith disturber

Who said sunshine and lollipops had to be good things? Bring out the dark side with Death Star lollipops. (As seen on Laughing Squid.)

The best Star Wars video I've seen in a while

This is pretty sweet: a little boy celebrating his Star Wars-themed birthday party finds Darth Vader, and then challenges and (of course!) vanquishes him ... and then finds out Vader is his dad, a U.S. Navy sailor on a surprise visit home. 

Not quite the "Luke, I am your father" scene, but adorable. 

If Darth Vader went to Norway ...

Edvard Munch's The Scream gets a Star Wars makeover. As seen here. 

Who better to judge a particular Pink Floyd record?

Two Darth Vader-Pink Floyd jokes within two weeks? Sure. 

This one was spotted on Wil Wheaton's Tumblr. 

Darth Vader and Boba Fett chill to some classic Floyd

Saw this on Facebook today, and had to share. A great strip from Brevity. 

Aren't you a little tall to be a stormtrooper?

Today's TeeFury design speaks to me. (And I have the numerous headbumps to prove it. At 6'6", it's no picnic learning that some doorframes, signs, drops, etc., are more dangerous than others.) 

Who shot J.R.(2-D2)?

It makes a bit of sense: mash Star Wars with its late-Seventies cousin, Dallas. 

If the Empire had safety signs

This is today's shirt from TeeFury. Nick has ponied up for an order. 

Whoops-tini!

The TeeFury shirt today showcases the Jawas from Star Wars, as they pick up an Android rather than R2-D2. 

When they call it a Harry Potter Nation, they're not quite kidding

The online fan community for Harry Potter exceeds the population of Canada. Other fanbases? Not quite as impressive, but no small business at all. 

As spotted on I Can Has Cheezeburger, at least its sci-fi branch. 

Downward-facing droid

Yoga poses, for the Star Wars set. Click here to see the set, featuring Sith lords, bounty hunters and bodacious princesses. 

 

Pop your cork, and uncork the universe

[Surf’s Up, as published in the St. John's Telegram on Thursday, February 16, 2012.]

We’re going to hop, skip and jump around the digital neighbourhood, with stops for wine lovers, music buffs and aspiring Star Wars villains. 

Let’s not waste a second.

 

Darth Maul Me
The re-release of the Phantom Menace didn’t exactly stir my excitement, but I have to admit I had a laugh with this free app available from the official Star Wars site. Take a new picture or one from your library, make some taps and tweaks, and voila: you have the red, tattoeed and horned face of a Sith master. (Or Sith apprentice, to be precise.) It’s even more fun with kids.
 

Natalie MacLean: Wine Picks and Pairings
Based in Canada, MacLean has earned a global reputation as a wine writer, and now has an app to complement a growing list of publications. Her newest book is Unquenchable, which focuses on bargains in the wine store; MacLean will be in St. John’s soon to promote it. The app is free, although you can pay for full access to reviews. A great feature: a barcode scanner that you can use while browsing at the NLC. MacLean also offers exhaustive suggestions for finding a good wine to match your food, and vice versa.

One Brilliant Bottle
A couple of years ago, St. John’s novelist Kevin Major undertook an ambitious blogging project: picking one wine each week, and producing a small essay about it. Each was illustrated with rich photographs. The idea was to do 52 wines (Major specializes in organic and biodynamic selections) in as many weeks. Encouraged by the response, Major kept it going for another year. Now that 2012 is underway, Major has happily decided to keep updating the site, and few would be upset that the new entries come at a more leisurely pace. It’s one of my weekend reading pleasures.

Coffee Music
Here’s a blog in a similar vein. Creator Josh Hooten intends to take a photograph every day this year of a coffee as he enjoys it, with a note about the music he’s listening to at the time. These happen to be two of my most favourite subjects, so I am a little biased. A daily pace is a bit of a grind and Hooten has been struggling to keep pace, although I intend to keep checking … in part for some random musical inspiration as I enjoy my own coffee break.

Valentine Abbey
Valentine’s Day may have come and gone, but Downtown Abbey fans will relish these amusing virtual cards, any day of the year.

40 Noises that Built Pop
From Word, the excellent British music magazine, here is a tribute to specific noises that made rock music what it is, from the sweeping glissando on a piano (think of the opening sound of Abba’s Dancing Queen) to the power chord (thank you, Kinks) to the fretless bass (a little jazz making its way into the rock world). The best part? You can play an audio sample to hear precisely what each entry is describing. 

Donna Ramsay Photography
Ramsay was among the recent winners of the Newfoundland and Labrador Bloggers’ Choice awards, in the photo category. Her blog showcases her work, particularly in portraits, and largely in black and white. The drawback? It’d be nice to see more frequent updates.   

Scale of the universe
Play a little big bang theory from the comfort of your own home, with a slider that shows you things that are small (an earthworm) or incredibly small (the nucleus of an atom, which is many times larger again than other options) and things that are large and then incredibly … well, you get the picture. Consider it bit of mind-blowing activity to put everything else in perspective.

John Gushue is an editor with CBC News in St. John’s. Twitter: @johngushue. 

That vulgar robot

I spotted this on a friend's Facebook feed last night. Bet you'll think about this next time you hear Artoo beep! 

Back to the Phantom Menace

I didn't much care for Star Wars Episode 1 when it came out the first time, and yet I found myself trekking out to the theatres today (during a nasty rainstorm, no less) to see it. Why? Well, Nick was keen; he's seen the film, but the chance to see it on the big screen, and in 3D no less, was pretty appetizing.

It's still definitely my least favourite of the Star Wars films. The dialogue (never George Lucas's strong suit) is wooden to the point of being hilarious, and the casting errors are glaring. Even the crawl at the beginning causes groans, with words like "taxation" and "trade" and "Congress" featured prominently. (Really? Taxation? Ooooh. Gripping.) I still find Jar Jar Binks and the trade federation characters uncomfortable with how accents and racial characteristics are used.

It was fun, though, to see the light-sabre battles again, and I remember being amazed at the time with how digital effects had progressed. They're less spectacular now, but the set pieces are pretty exciting.

But I did notice one element this time that had escaped me before. In the credit roll, you'll see that Jabba the Hutt is played by ... Himself. Nice.

 

Yoda one for me

Or, from the official Star Wars site, Valentine's Day cards you can print yourself. Awww. 

Star Wars gets a League of Gentlemen combover

Funny ... especially with Chewbacca getting that late-Victorian grooming. 

As seen here. 

 

 

Reimagining a poster for Return of the Jedi

One of a collection of posters that reinterpret the Star Wars movies. As seen here. 

Vitruvian Wookiee clock

The missing element, I guess, for having Chewbacca tell the time for you would be a growl at the top of the clock ...

As seen here, a U.S. company that also makes clocks featuring other pop culture icons, from Mario Bros. to the Rolling Stones lips logo. 

The gingerbread AT-AT

Not sure what makes the AT-AT walker from The Empire Strikes Back so likely to bring Christmas to mind, at least for some people, but it does. A couple of years ago, we liked one T-shirt design we bought a shirt for each member of the family. Today, I saw this: a gingerbread recreation. Published here. 

To Tatooine and beyond

Boba Fett gets a Toy Story makeover in today's shirt from Teefury. (As always, the design is available for one day only, at least here and at the $10 price.) 

Star Wars freeze-mob in Times Square

It's not Coruscant, but Times Square is a decent place to draw a crowd for a special event; after all, one is always there! For the launch of the Star Wars: The Old Republic game, dozens of folks in costume showed up and ... well, you can watch for yourself! 

Darth Vader, a flash mob and Carol of the Bells

Darth Vader and a Santa hat is cool enough, but add a study hall and then a flash mob of a choir chiming through Carol of the Bells. Fantastic. 

(Meanwhile, did you catch this local flash mob choir, shot at the Avalon Mall this month?) 

Gingerbread AT-AT

I am completely expecting the gingerbread maker in our house to be able to replicate this for me. (Wishful thinking, no?) 

As seen here.