barbie

The Evolution Of The Mobile Phone in Media and Real Life

by Eric Limer | 2:18 pm, August 30th

If you are anything like the average person, your cellphone might as well be attached to you. However, hard as it is to believe, there was a time when that was not the case because cellphones didn’t exist. Still, its uncanny how accurately their future was portrayed in media like Star Trek and, in a bizarre sort of way, Get Smart. Then, as they became available on the market, they grew up in media alongside reality. It started with a $4,000 brick-phone, and now when we’re basically back to Star Trek communicators, except they’re real.

This handy infographic from Product Development Technologies illustrates all that and fills in the spots in between, when phones weren’t hilariously huge or awesomely futuristic. If you have a phone, you owe it to yourself to know about it’s ancestors and keep their memory alive. Also, knowing what year Barbie got a cellphone might win you a few bucks in a trivia competition or something.

Pick up the phone, history is calling!

O-femme-ded

Is There a Lady-Produced Content Shortage at Wikipedia?

by Jamie Frevele | 12:43 pm, January 31st

The vast majority of contributors to Wikipedia are male, according to a New York Times piece that studied the user-curated site. Not only that, but the “female-oriented” entries are generally shorter and less comprehensive than those authored by men, “for men.” Really? What, exactly, determines what women are interested in, and did the NYT really make fair comparisons? Um, no. That is the answer.

Read on...

together at last

Coming Soon: Mad Men Barbie Dolls

by Robert Quigley | 12:57 pm, March 10th

Attention, Mad Men fans: Mattel has heard your prayers for $75 Barbie and Ken dolls in the style of your favorite characters from the show, and they have decided to answer them. Mad Men characters Joan Holloway, Roger Sterling, Betty Draper, and (of course) Don Draper are getting the Barbiefication treatment, although the stick-thin Joan doll certainly belies New York Magazine‘s recent cover story on Christina Hendricks and the rebirth of voluptuousness.

Read on...

AND LET IT BE KNOWN

Barbie’s New Job: Computer Engineer

by Susana Polo | 5:07 pm, February 12th

There are 10 kinds of dolls in the world: those who understand binary, and those who don’t. Of the former, Barbie is now happily among them. Mattel has announced that they will release Computer Engineer Barbie in “winter 2010.” How did this come to be? How else?

By Internet poll.

Mattel decided to let the world decide on Barbie’s 125th and 126th career themed dolls; allowing visitors to their site to choose between Environmentalist, Surgeon, News Anchor, Architect, and Computer Engineer. Then, of course, the Internet found out about it. At this point we would hazard to say that it was a foregone conclusion.

Pic and more after the jump.

Read on...

14 of the Best Geekiest Beers

Given beer's pervasive place in human history, it's not surprising that the geeky pastimes of drinkers would eventually rub off on the beers themselves. The result is a veritable cornucopia of nerdy beers, 14 of which are right here.

Tweetosystem

James Plafke I am jealous Elmo got to make out with Kristin Chenoweth.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Eric Limer I swear under my breath A LOT. This must make people near by me very uncomfortable. That being said, I have no intentions of stopping.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max Court is now in session at the Burp Castle.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Eric Limer I don't look at my finances as often as I should which is the main reason why I don't often want to look at my finances.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max Desert PolyBus: The game where you drive to Reno and then die.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Eric Limer If I wrote a webcomic, every strip would be titled "Get it? GET IT?!"
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max Got chili oil on my hands and face. It hurts. A lot.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Eric Limer Suddenly I remember what I hate about PC gaming. Mainly never having a computer that can actually do it.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
James Plafke The halftime show taught me that football-watching men drinking beer who love seeing muscular men beat each other up really like to vogue.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max Pestering your friends at 8am is how you show you care, right? #hopeso
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Eric Limer Twitter is like RiffTrax for EVERYTHING.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
James Plafke I know global warming is scary, but not having a winter was pretty cool. I didn't have to spend money on shoes for the snow.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Eric Limer I hereby apologize to all persons --past, present and future-- who have the misfortune of hearing me "sing" dubstep songs.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max Even Facebook's Timeline thinks I could have done more with my life.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max I did that thing where Facebook turns your Timeline into a movie. Mine had pictures of ducks and foliage set to really dramatic music.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max "But I don't wanna go to the dog show!"
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
James Plafke People can't stop talking about Downtown Abbey. Is it actually good, or is the rest of TV so bad that comparatively, it isn't the worst?
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Eric Limer Awful is a funny lookin' word.
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
James Plafke Remember when soda cans didn't have the wide-mouth openings standard?
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply
Max Hopefully backsliding on my resolutions for self improvement will shame me into success!
- permalink
- favorite
- retweet
- reply