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Bollard transformed into yarn Dalek

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 12 May 2013 12:41:05 +0000

Kevyn Jacobs snapped this knit (crocheted?) Dalek bollard cover at the corner of West Magnolia Street and Commercial Street in Bellingham, WA. No clue as to the manufacturer of said confection, but bravo.

#Knitted #Dalek bollard cover (Thanks, Hagrid!)

Assyrian Dalek, ca. 865 BCE

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 01:08:17 +0000

From Wikipedia: "English: A large wheeled Assyrian battering ram with an observation turret attacks the collapsing walls of a besieged city, while archers on both sides exchange fire. From the North-West Palace at Nimrud, about 865-860 BC; now in the British Museum."

File:Assyrian battering ram.jpg (Thanks, Justin!)

Just look at this awesome banana Dalek cookie.

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 17 Feb 2013 02:12:25 +0000

Just look at it.

Banana dalek, Sylvia Toth's box of custom bitmap shortbread cookies, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Knit scarf with a hidden TARDIS

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 22:26:29 +0000

From Brilliant Knitwit's Tumblr, an optical illusion TARDIS scarf, knitted as a gift. From the front, it just appears to be a striped scarf; at the right angle, the hidden TARDIS heaves into view.

Look at this scarf. Nothing here but stripes. Until you look at it from this angle…. (via Neatorama)

TARDIS dress is bigger on the inside

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:11:52 +0000

Jere7my sez, "This lovely young woman brought the house down at Arisia this year with her stunning "TARDIS Princess" dress. A "door" on the skirt opened to show the TARDIS control room, giving it the illusion of being "bigger on the inside"... I believe the creator/model is Sasha Trabane."

TARDIS dress. (Thanks, Jere7my!)

Etsy seller's awesome, 3D printed nerdy cookie-cutters

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 23 Dec 2012 20:00:15 +0000

Wired profiles Athey Moravetz, a game developer who quit the business to raise her kids, who built WarpZone, a massively successful Etsy store selling 3D printed, nerdy cookie-cutters:

While many homemakers have a secret cookie recipe, Moravetz has a small fleet of MakerBots. Her four MakerBot Replicators run simultaneously to keep up with the demand for her products. She says "I turn the bots on when I get up in the morning to get my daughter ready for school. So they turn on about 8 am, and they're running all day long from that point until an automated timer I've got them plugged into, turns them off at 3am. That way I can get in one last print started as I'm going to bed."
...Designing cookie cutters requires design skill — not every game character makes for a good cookie. Moravetz says "I had a lot of people requesting Dr. Who stuff — Tardis and Dalek specifically. A Dalek just doesn't read unless you include the inner detail — the silhouette is only readable to a certain degree. It needs the inner detail. But it needs a lot of small inner detail, and I try to avoid cutters going over three and a half inches in any direction. I made a four inch Dalek, but it took nearly two and a half hours to print, and when you're getting as many orders as I am right now, any cutter that takes that long to print is hardly worth it." Like Dr. Who, she outwitted the Dalek and now offers it for sale alongside the Tardis.

Maker Mom Builds Cookie-Cutter Empire With 3-D Printers [Joseph Flaherty/Wired]

Free, partial Tardis pinata

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:35:29 +0000

Free on Craigslist DC: a partially completed (and rather well-done) Tardis pinata.

FREE: homemade TARDIS pull-string pinata. My 6 year-old daughter wanted a Dr. Who birthday and as nobody in the US sells Dr. Who pinatas I made this one. Unfortunately I ran out of time so the door panels and windows are only on 2 sides and didn't get around to putting any of the signs on it but you are free to finish it as much or as little as you like.

TARDIS pull-string pinata (Tyson's/Falls Church)

New book about The KLF (and their Doctor Who connections)

David Pescovitz — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 18:10:57 +0000

KLF: Chaos Magic Music Money is a new eBook charting the strange journey of prankster musicians/artists Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty at the birth of acid house. The KLF (aka The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu aka The Timelords) emerged from a similar countercultural milieu of high weirdness that inspired bOING bOING, from Robert Anton Wilson and Discordianism to Dada, punk, and Alan Moore. Of course, The KLF are best known for either burning one million British pounds for a music video or their 1988 melding of Gary Glitter's "Rock And Roll (Part Two)" with the Doctor Who theme. Drummond and Cauty's connections to Doctor Who run much deeper than that though. Over at the Daily Grail, Greg Taylor explores the KLF/Doctor Who synchronicities in his article, "The Regeneration of Doctor Who."

Steampunk Dalek

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 19:19:16 +0000

About this spectacular wearable steampunk Dalek, BB reader Mark Dumont writes:

Electronics are contained in box at back waist containing arduino uno, 2 nine volt batteries, and small amp. Speakers are in ends of tube around neck and mic is on an earpiece. Arduino board powers eye stalk and dome lights as well as handles dalek voice modulation. I found the arduino sketch (source and circuit diagrams) can be found here, kudos to Andy Grove for the sketch. Originally created for my wife (the only dalek I will ever love) for the Time Traveler's Ball held at the Redmoor in Cincinnati 11/17/12

Photo Link. (Shared in the BB Flickr Pool)

Tenth Doctor costume tee

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 16 Nov 2012 23:46:57 +0000

ThinkGeek's done a Tenth Doctor "costume tee" that's pretty great. I'm assuming that all that detail is silk-screened with fool-the-eye shadows, and not actual additional material sewn onto the shirt's front (though that would be megaboss and someone should totally make it).

10th Doctor Costume Tee (via OhGizmo)

Would you eat the saddest Cyberman (if he was a cake)?

Jamie Frevele — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:45:48 +0000

What has a shiny exterior, is three feet tall, devoid of human emotions... and also edible? That would be this Cyberman cake, designed and available to buy (in the UK) from Truly Scrumptious Designer Cakes. Look at this thing. It's adorable. You would never guess, by looking at this cake-face, that this is a creature born from evil alien takeovers and the extermination of the human race. This Cyberman looks like a sweetie pie to me. Sorry -- sweetie cake. As cute as it is, it doesn't come cheap (£790, about $1,260). But it does come in a variety of flavors: sponge, toffee, chocolate, and lemon. I dare you to find a dalek cake with a face this cute. I triple-dog dare you. (via That's Nerdalicious)

Photo credit: Truly Scrumptious Designer Cakes

How to turn Barbie into a Weeping Angel

Jamie Frevele — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 23:03:15 +0000

The Mary Sue tracked down a new career for Barbie -- Weeping Angel. The DIY guide, originally found on Wich Crafting, shows how a simple Barbie (or a less expensive impostor) can become the fearsome Doctor Who villain using a few simple ingredients. (And also breaking Barbie's arms.) Consider this a suggestion for holiday gift-giving, in case you want to see if your child is smart enough to notice a missing toy from their collection. Heheheheh, don't blink, kiddies... (via io9)

Neil Gaiman's next episode of Doctor Who will bring back a classic foe

Jamie Frevele — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:53:50 +0000

We learned a while back that author Neil Gaiman would be returning to Doctor Who to write a follow-up to his Hugo Award-winning episode, "The Doctor's Wife." And now we know a little bit more about what he'll be writing about -- one of the series' most classic villains, the Cybermen, will be brought back by Gaiman for an episode later this season! Something else to keep in mind about the next time we see the Cybermen -- it will be the first time the Doctor's new companion, played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, will meet them. (We will finally meet her on Christmas Day, when Doctor Who's Christmas special airs on BBC!)

The episode, which will air some time next spring, will be directed by Stephen Woolfenden and will feature appearances by Warwick Davis (Harry Potter), Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders), and Jason Watkins (Being Human). The trio will be playing, according to BBC, "a band of misfits on a mysterious planet."

I always found the Cybermen to be one of the most creepy, dangerous, and heartbreaking bad guys on Doctor Who, so I would imagine that Neil Gaiman's take on them will make all of us cry for hours if he does his job correctly.

Photo credit: BBC

Neil Gaiman’s Doctor Who Episode Will Feature Return of Cybermen [Spinoff Online]

When Daleks pushed cigarettes to kids

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:53:12 +0000

Betcha didn't know that the Daleks featured in a series of TV and print ads that appeared in the likes of Children's Dalek Annual 1978.

Hello people of the past: you... seriously used Dr Who and the Daleks to advertise tobacco?

Nerdy custom dresses

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 01:13:27 +0000

Etsy's Lameasaurus Awesomesauce makes and sells these custom nerdy dresses, including R2D2, Tardis, Dumbo, Vader, Mickey, Snow White, and many others: "The dress is fully lined dress with a semi-fitted bodice and elasticized back, circle skirt that twirls and swishes beautifully. It is made of 100% cotton with the exception of detailing. The dress can be ironed and washed."

Lameasaurus (via The Mary Sue)

Doctor Who bathrobe

Cory Doctorow — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 22:17:53 +0000

Among the many delights and nerd confections for sale at ForbiddenPlanet.com is this 4th Doctor bathrobe, with integrated scarf. Magnifique!

Towelling Robe: 4th Doctor (via The Mary Sue)

Peter Jackson puts the idea of directing an episode of Doctor Who into everyone's head, everyone dies

Jamie Frevele — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:59:47 +0000

Okay, now, before we all (present company included) get too excited, let me state that this is not an official announcement, but merely words said by people out loud to the press. Matt Smith, who plays the eponymous character in Doctor Who, said that he'd love to sail over to New Zealand and film an episode of the show with director Peter Jackson. And then Jackson said, "Yeah, okay!" You might think that the new trailer for The Hobbit was the best Jackson-related news to happen today, but I'm telling you right now -- it's not. This "not-officially-happening-yet" Doctor Who news is. If we all clap our hands at the same time, maybe it'll actually happen. And an angel will get its wings.

Don't worry, I put your Hobbit trailer inside, too.

First off, where did this story come from? Fan blog Doctor Who TV featured a quote by Smith from an interview with New Zealand's The Waikato Times in which he stated that he'd love to visit New Zealand to shoot an episode of the show, and while they're all there, how great would it be if Peter Jackson was in the director's chair?

"I think it would be an absolutely wonderful place to film Doctor Who,'... Let's get Peter Jackson to direct [an episode] and go and make it in New Zealand. I would love to, I will campaign endlessly to come over and film there."

When asked by The Waikato Times for comment, Jackson said:

"I'm a huge Doctor Who fan, and I think Matt's fantastic. Just name a time and place, and I'll be there!"

And then all of geekdom exploded in joy.

Why would a Jackson-directed episode of Doctor Who be absolutely nothing less than amazing? Not because of his epic takes on J.R.R. Tolkien. Because of his horror comedy roots. That's right. Before all that Shire money, Jackson was responsible for some seriously, wonderfully demented flicks: Bad Taste, Dead Alive (aka Braindead), and Meet the Feebles. I'll include an honorable mention for Heavenly Creatures, which also contains tons of his classic twisted imagery that would translate beautifully into an episode of Doctor Who. All of these movies have a uniquely weird and grotesque style that would make for a formidable environment to host the Doctor and his companion, whether it was another version of Earth or another planet entirely.

But it's Jackson's sense of humor and demented whimsy that would make his episode of Doctor Who the most fun thing on TV. Jackson will freak us out, make us uncomfortable, and then break the tension with something truly unexpected (a walrus getting a blowjob) or mundane (a family of zombies having dinner... while falling apart). I'm telling you, this has to happen. It would kick ass. It would kick ass for the Lord.

Oh, here's that new trailer for The Hobbit:

Photo credit: Red.com

OMG! Matt Smith teases a Peter Jackson-directed Doctor Who episode! [Blastr]

Steven Moffat says the 12th Doctor on Doctor Who really could totally be a woman (maybe)

Jamie Frevele — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 16:20:30 +0000

Quick and thought-provoking item concerning a quote by Doctor Who showrunner Steven Moffat. Our current 11th Doctor, Matt Smith, is signed on through about 2014. But what about after that? During the Edinburgh Television Festival, Moffat fanned the flames on the rumor that our beloved Gallifreyan Time Lord could regenerate into a lady. "It is a part of Time Lord lore that it can happen. Who knows, the more often it is talked about the more likely it is to happen some day." And to that, I say sweet TARDIS in the sky, everyone keep talking about this. (via Blastr)

Possible spoilers: What NYC landmark might be making a creepy cameo on Doctor Who?

Jamie Frevele — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 17:41:12 +0000

The picture has already made the rounds on the internet, but in case this was the first you're hearing of this delightful Doctor Who news, I put it after the jump. Rumor has it, however, that a famous New York landmark (that is not in New Jersey, hint hint) might be making a cameo appearance in the show's upcoming seventh season as one of its most feared villains. And as we know, the Who crew were in New York earlier this year filming scenes that may or may not have been part of Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill's farewell episode, and that the Weeping Angels were involved in that episode. While this is truly exciting to read about, I'm more excited that I get to make -- hint hint -- Ghostbusters 2 references for the second day in a row. Picture and story after the jump, and I'll warn you: it's very cool.

According to the tabloid site Daily Star, New York City's most popular harbor chick, the Statue of Liberty, might be turned into a Weeping Angel for the Amy and Rory farewell episode. The accompanying picture seems to be 100 percent unofficial and not from the show, but gives us a really great idea of what the Doctor's beloved married companions might be facing in their final appearance. From Daily Star:

The Doctor and companions Amy and Rory travel to America to battle a new army of Weeping Angels.

And they get a massive shock when the 305 ft-tall statue in New York harbour turns out to be the biggest one of them all.

But it gets worse, because as we have learned over the past few months -- because Steven Moffat is the person writing this show -- the Ponds' encounter might be more tragic than usual. As the show runner has been saying since March:

“There will be a final showdown with the Weeping Angels.

“Not everyone gets out alive. And I mean it this time!”

So, all those times Rory died and came back? It's not going to be like that. Though Moffat doesn't name any particularly doomed names, does he?

If this is true, then this is a truly interesting and frightening use of the Statue of Liberty. I'm just wondering how she's going to make her move, and if they do, in fact, have Nikes in her size, Ray. Because I don't want her crumbling while making this kind of television appearance.

Look which famous U.S. landmark is a Weeping Angel on Who! [Blastr]

Backyard shed/Tardis

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 02:00:22 +0000

Einstein19 built this home Tardis shed and matching dalek ten years ago, but only recently published it on Tardisbuilders*. It's a magnificent piece -- I only wish I could access the Tardisbuilder forum where it appears, as I'd love to see the interior!

TARDIS shed and Dalek (via Neatorama)

*The existence of an online community for people who make their own Tardises is itself a rather wonderful thing, quite separate from Einstein19's considerable accomplishment

Doctor Who/Sherlock Holmes wedding bouquet

Cory Doctorow — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 20:57:56 +0000

What could be more romantic than a wedding bouquet whose flowers are made from the pages of Sherlock Holmes, and whose handle is a Doctor Who sonic screwdriver?

My Sonic Screwdriver Book Bouquet (via Neatorama)

Dalek impersonator performs "King of the Tardis"

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:55:33 +0000

Martyn Crofts's appearance on Britain's Got Talent is the best thing I've ever seen on TV: he put a pot on his head and did a wicked Dalek impersonation while singing (shouting) a version of Roger Miller's "King of the Road," ("King of the Tardis"). Britain does indeed got talent.

Dalek impersonator Martyn Crofts - Britain's Got Talent 2012 audition - UK version

Dalek dress documented

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 06:33:47 +0000

Somevelvetmorning made a beautiful Dalek dress and uploaded her work-in-progress photos to Imgur. Perhaps they can serve as a guide to your own dalekwear efforts. Also: matching hat!

Dalek Dress (via Wil Wheaton)

The Dalek Relaxation Tape (by Peter Serafinowicz)

Xeni Jardin — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 00:36:39 +0000

[Video Link] Created by Peter Serafinowicz.

HOWTO sneak an accelerometer-triggered Tardis sfx box into an elevator

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 23:59:59 +0000

The Sparkfun folks have a sweet recipe for building an Arduino-based, accelerometer-triggered Tardis sound-effects box into the ceiling of an elevator, noting that care must be taken not to freak out riders and precipitate a bomb-squad visit.

As it stands, the contraption works well enough (much like the TARDIS itself). But for those looking for perfection, there could be a few improvements. These are left as exercises for the reader:
Improve battery life using sleep mode. Right now the Arduino is on all the time, using about 20mA of current continuously. We’re got a pretty big battery attached to it (6000mAh), which gives it a lifetime of about a week, but the battery could last for months if the project went to sleep between playings. The Arduino can indeed be programmed to go to sleep, waiting for an interrupt signal (a pin changing state) to wake it up. And the ADXL345 accelerometer can be configured so that it sends an interrupt when an acceleration threshold is reached, so this shouldn't be difficult to do. In practice you can’t get down to microamps with a full Arduino board, since it will always be burning some current in the voltage regulator, power LED, etc. But with a bit of software and hardware hacking, sleep mode would definitely improve the lifetime situation.
Stop playing when the elevator stops. Currently, the TARDIS MP3 was edited so that it is approximately the length of an elevator ride, and the code plays the MP3 to the end before listening for further accelerometer bumps. But you could also end a longer MP3 when you detect that the elevator stops (or, since the MP3 chip has a volume control command, you could even fade it out!)
Bigger and better! Bigger speakers, disco lights and music, black lights... you can really go in any direction. Make us proud. But remember...

Elevator TARDIS (Thanks, Bruce!)

Stained glass Tardis

Cory Doctorow — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:23:00 +0000

Xandrigirly made this stained glass Tardis for a class. It's lovely work.

It's Bigger on the Inside! [TARDIS Box] [IMG Heavy!] (via Neatorama)

Improving on the knit Dalek

Cory Doctorow — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:14:29 +0000

I blogged "Extermiknit!", a knittable Dalek, back in 2007, but it turns out that an even cooler knittable Dalek of the same name was created on Feather and Fan in 2010, with an opening hatch containing a Kaled mutant, and here it is.

After completing the top of the Dalek as specified, I created an opening in the front by steeking carefully along the vertical line between the knit “instrument panel” and the purled rest of the midsection–just used some sewing shears and cut straight through the middle of the rightmost line of knit stitches, along the entire height of the midsection. I then carefully unraveled the stitches from right to left on the rows above and below the desired door area, to the left end of the “instrument panel”, and placed these two horizontal pairs of exposed stitches on DPNs.
This creates a kind of door flap, hinged vertically along the left-hand side. I sewed down the outer edge of the door with one yarn tail, and used a sewn bindoff and the other two yarn tails to fasten the top and bottom of the door flap. The door flap was now bound off and would not unravel.

FO: EXTERMIKNIT! EXTERMIKNIT! « Feather and Fan (via Making Light)

HOWTO build a Tardis, the adorable German schoolteacher way

Cory Doctorow — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:31:20 +0000

Sillysparrowness, a self-described "German teacher with a leaning towards silliness," described the process by which she came to build a beautiful, obsessively finished Tardis.

I built a TARDIS (Thanks, scottiep!)

Handmade TARDIS purse

Cory Doctorow — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:18:44 +0000

Etsy seller LIMOchi makes these killer "poly leather" TARDIS purses to order for all your time-travelling bits and bobs. The seller claims that they are, indeed, bigger on the inside than they are on the outside.

( Not an official Doctor Who product , made by fan, to fan )... Measures: 28 x 16 x16 cm In blue poly leather and rigid cardboard. Also some details can be custom made. Sent in a beautiful box DW themed.

TARDIS purse in poly leather (via Neatorama)

3D printed TARDIS gingerbread cookies

Cory Doctorow — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 15:47:08 +0000

Steve D's friend Maggie 3D-printed TARDIS cookie-cutters and he used them to make scrumptious gingerbread cookies.

Gingerbread TARDIS Cookies (Thanks, mistercliff!)