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7 Geeky Vacation Spots For Summer Travels

Anna Monette Roberts — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:11:11 PDT

Take some of that hard-earned PTO, and plan a Summer vacation that speaks to your geek style: peep Japan's latest and greatest, choose your favorite sci-fi convention, or check out theme parks that are anything but ordinary. Click through, and let the vacation inspiration begin!

Source: Flickr User rendomthoughts and The Consortium

Lord of the Rings Travel Posters

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:01:21 PST

Got a hankering to revisit The Lord of the Rings before The Hobbit hits theaters later this year? Besides reading the books, you could also decorate your walls with a few Lord of the Rings travel posters. Made in retro propaganda-style, these posters would make a handsome addition to your Hobbit hut in the Shire. Or wherever your home resides.

Click through to see each from Rivendell, Rohan, and of course, Mordor.

10 Cheap and Easy Dates For Sci-Fi/Fantasy Film Nerds

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:30:00 PST

Does sitting down with your favorite sci-fi novel, fantasy movie, or comic book sound better than dropping a boatload of cash on a Valentine's Day dinner date? You're not alone. These 10 geeky date ideas are two things - awesomely cheap and easy to pull off for your kindred sci-fi and/or fantasy nerd. Cheers to you!

Throw a Star Wars party for two.
Make some Lembas bread together and watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Whip up a batch of Cloud 9 mojitos (complete with mason jar glasses) and have a Battlestar Galactica marathon.
Bake some geeky sweets using Star Wars-themed cookie cutters.
Gift a geeky cookbook and try out a recipe together.
Create your own cocktail and top it off with nerdy ice cubes.
Take in a killer sci-fi classic at your local drive-in.
Make a pink Captain Picard cake to celebrate Valentine's Day and your mutual love for the captain who is number two in your heart.
Make some Earl Grey tea and watch a Star Trek marathon.
Rewatch the first season of Game of Thrones or start a book club for two and reread the series together.

14 Geeky Languages to Learn With Your Love

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:15:00 PST

Love may be a universal language, but we're not sure that phrase includes the sci-fi alien races and fantastical creatures that rule the far depths of the galaxy, who express love in words beyond our human comprehension. When you're thinking of a unique way to woo your valentine this year, plan a tutorial to learn together one of these 14 geeky languages. While several of these Trekkie, Tolkien, or computer gaming-inspired languages have enough depth to warrant a university level class, many are not fully realized, so have fun discovering select words and phrases to bring to future geeky date outings.

Wookie - Made up of three dialects, the main Wookie language is Shyriiwook. As you'd expect it consists of lots of barks and grunts, but don't you dare say that to Chewbacca. The Star Wars Christmas Special has detailed examples of this mystifying tongue.
Klingon - The language of Klingons, the sometimes ally of the Federation, is arguably the best known of the imagined star languages. Described by its Hollywood creators as gutteral in tone, dedicated Trekkies maintain the Klingon Language Institue, preserving the galaxy's "fastest growing language."
Vulcan - Known as the language of Spock, one version of Vulcan looks like musical notes. Much of the language is available online today as Gene Roddenberry was insistent when making Star Trek: The Motion Picture that the Vulcans receive their own linguistic treatment.
Romulan - As biological cousins of the Vulcans, the Romulan language is difficult to differentiate from Vulcan to the untrained ear. The Central Institute of the Romulan Language ensures you get the right training to one day know the difference.
Cardassian - Residents of the Alpha Quadrant, Cardassians are a fearsome foe of the Federation. Little is known of their language, maybe because of its rectangular-shaped letters and script.
Andorian - The blue-skinned moon species from Andora appeared throughout the Star Trek series and would of course show up in the directory of a PADD.
Elvish - With a background in linguistics study from Oxford, Tolkien did not take the creation of the Lord of the Rings languages lightly. Based on Welsh and English, you can study Liv Tyler's Arwen in the film trilogy for pronunciation and read the many online Elvish resources, including an English to Elvish dictionary.
Dwarvish - Also called Khuzdul, Tolkien is said to have drawn inspiration for the secret language of the Dwarves from Hebrew, reflecting many of the same sounds and structure. As many Lord of the Rings languages, it's been almost fully realized and you can study up with the Dwarvish dictionary.

Check out even more languages to geek out over after the jump.

Life Lessons Learned From a Hobbit

Kristy Korcz — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:37:00 PDT

This week may be Tolkien Week, but today is officially Hobbit Day! Hailing from the fictional world of Middle-earth, Hobbits have been described as relatives to man but coming in a much smaller package. And just because they aren't human (or, well - real), doesn't mean you can't learn something from their adventures in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Here, we take a look at a few lessons you can learn from the pint-sized creatures.

It pays to have friends - Throughout The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, Gandalf, Bilbo, and Frodo Baggins are surrounded by friends, family, and allies that help them along their journeys. Without those friends, they may not have survived. Stay true and kind to your friends; you may never know when you'll need their help.
Money is not the most important thing in life - In The Hobbit, we learn that dwarves would rather starve than share their wealth. But as the leader of the Dwarves, Thorin, was on his deathbed, he realized the error of his ways too late: "If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." True that, Thorin. True that.
Don't judge a book by its cover - Or a person's strength by their stature. Let's face it - Frodo is tiny, but he was able to complete his task of destroying the ring when other, much stronger men couldn't. The amount of one's passion, will, and strength has nothing to do with their size.
Appreciate the little things - There's a scene in The Lord of the Rings when Frodo, Sam, Pip, and Merry meet Aragon in a bar in Bree. Pip orders a beer and is totally astonished when one arrives in a full pint. Appreciating the small things in life, whether it's happy hour with your best gals or the fact that your phone takes and sends pictures to this thing called the Internet in five seconds flat, makes the tough times seem not so tough.
Say yes to adventure - Bilbo Baggins wasn't looking for adventure in The Hobbit, but once he followed his own journey, he ended up with wealth that he used to make his friends and family happy. In turn, making himself happy. If you say no to unknown tasks and callings, you might miss out on a big opportunity to be happy.

What have you learned from the fantasy series? Share in the comments below!

4 Lord of the Rings-Inspired Destinations

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 08:12:00 PDT

If daydreams about life in Middle Earth keep you distracted from work, get away from the grind completely on a Lord of the Rings-inspired vacation. Since the film trilogy was filmed in director Peter Jackson's native New Zealand, the picturesque countryside is the top destination for fans. Off-the-beaten-path hotels, tours, and even a volunteer opportunity will have you feeling at one with J.R.R. Tolkien's vision.

5 Facts About the Fictional Middle-Earth

Kelly Schwarze — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 04:24:00 PDT

J.R.R. Tolkien created a vast and complex world when he wrote The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The setting for these stories, a land called Middle-earth is rich with its own languages, myths, races, and cultures. With the guidance of The Origin's of Tolkien's Middle-Earth For Dummies ($16), we've noted five facts about this fictional world that came straight from one man's imagination.

Hobbit origins - Despite Tolkien's statements that hobbits are in no way related to rabbits, the similarities are striking. Both live in holes, have furry feet that are fine shoeless, Bilbo Baggins wears a waistcoat reminiscent of the Alice in Wonderland's white rabbit, and several characters in The Hobbit remark on Bilbo looking like a rabbit.

Gandalf - Wizard Gandalf the Grey's name originated from the Dvergatal ("Tally of the Dwarves") section of an ancient Norse poem called the Völuspá. The Dvergatal includes a list of dwarf names, many of which are seen in the The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings series, including Gandálfr, Fíli, Kíli, and Bombur.

Language - As a professor of Anglo-Saxon and proficient in over a dozen languages, Tolkien put a huge emphasis on linguistics in Middle-earth. He created languages used in his books, including Quenya, which has similarities to Finnish and is the language of the Elves.

For more about your favorite fantasy realm follow the break.

Lord of the Rings Goods to Accessorize Your Life

Kristy Korcz — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 03:10:00 PDT

Whether you knew it or not, this week is Tolkien Week! In celebration, we're rounding up themed home goods, stories, and facts you may not have known about the man, the stories, the myth. First up, celebrate by picking up some of these Lord of the Rings goodies from Etsy. I can't think of a better reason to shop for handmade crafts.

Geek Shot: Stay in the Shire For a Lord of the Rings Vacation

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 03:11:14 PDT

In desperate need of a vacation? If you're the adventurous type who just so happens to love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, you can journey north, my friends, and stay in the Hobbit House of Montana - complete with a miniature Shire and a replica of Bilbo Baggins's home. Guests can rent out the well-appointed Hobbit House at $245 per night.

Built into the side of a knoll, the Hobbit House is stocked with a king-size bedroom, Blu-Ray-equipped HD TV, WiFi, satellite radio, and a designer kitchen. Not bad for a Hobbit. Check out more images of the Shire in the gallery!

Geeky Cookbooks For Getting Your Nom On

Michele Foley — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:22:44 PDT

An easy way to inspire someone in the kitchen is to give them a cookbook they'll love. If you're a geek, that means cooking up the kinds of things you'd find in sci-fi, comic books, and fantasy novels.