When it comes to kids movies, genre movies, and action movies these days, the video game tie-in is pretty much guaranteed (even, eventually, in the case of The Avengers). And for the most part, if a tie-in video game is good it’s a pleasant shock rather than an expected outcome. So it should be no surprise that there’s a Brave video game tie-in in the works, and that it, well… doesn’t show a high level of visual polish.

At least those were my feelings at the beginning of this trailer: “Ugh, those textures. Oof, that fabric rendering.” But then Merida started shooting fire arrows just like in Diablo III, and the little kid in me kind of screamed “I WANT THIS FOR MY BIRTHDAY,” and if I had a young sibling they would be getting this for their next gift and then I’d take my “turn” and never give them the controller back.

(via Geeksugar.)

On the list of “things I need that I never knew I needed,” Portal rings are now sitting at the top. Designer Chris Myles has created a series of nifty rings in the image of GLaDOS and her personality cores. Cake, and grief counseling, will be available at the conclusion of this post. 

Not everything has to be us versus them but a great song is a great song. I’m the One That’s Cool is the latest music video offering from Felicia Day and her crew from her webseries, The Guild. And it should totally be on the radio. I’m serious. It was stuck in my head after about 60 seconds. It may even be destined to surpass their previous Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? song. I’m the One That’s Cool debuted on Day’s new Geek & Sundry channel, which you can read more about here. Enjoy!

Senior Representative of the United Federation of Planets Nyota Uhura stopped by the White House last night as part of an on going series of talks about the United States’ space presence in the future.

Well, actually, Nichelle Nichols, the actress who plays Uhura and who has worked with NASA for years, helping to recruit female and minority personnel, including Dr. Sally Ride and Colonel Guion Bluford, the first American woman and African-American person in space, had the opportunity to stop by the White House Tuesday night and meet the President, since she was in town for a NASA event. Here’s two simply awesome things from her Twitter:

Months ago Pres Obama was quoted as saying that he’d had a crush on me when he was younger. I asked about that & he proudly confirmed it!

President Obama also confirmed for me that he was defintely a Trekker! How wonderful is that?!

(via The Hollywood Reporter.)

Previously in Nichelle Nichols

• We Added Uhura to our Logo Lineup!
• How Martin Luther King, Jr. Saved Star Trek
• Nichelle Nichols Almost Played Spock?

Yeah, don’t imply that amphibians would have a particular insight into Newt Gingrich. Come on, Stephen. Also can I simply express admiration that the Colbert Report writers remember fondly both Guy Smiley and Kermit’s early history as Sesame Street’s premiere investigative reporter.

(via Bleeding Cool, who also have a guide on how to watch this video if you’re not in the US.)

Paramount and MGM have been working together to produce a musical remake of the 1983 classic, Valley Girl. The most recent news — besides the news that this is happening at all — is that they’ve found a director, and there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of him. Clay Weiner, best known for directing commercials, lobbied heavily for the gig and landed it after using his time off to create and produce a video mashup of all the song that appear in the film. And now we’ll get to wonder: Who could score the role that made Nicolas Cage a star?

The St Valentine’s Day Pashmob from Zoe Shacklock on Vimeo.

The woman who was named Hollywood’s highest grossing female director, Jennifer Yuh Nelson, can add another honor-notch to her belt: She was named Best Director at last week’s Annie Awards, which honors achievements in animated films. Rango won Best Picture, and if you thought that this is where The Adventures of Tintin would catch a break … you were mostly right.

I’ve got nothing but respect for the DIY/open source community who take conductive thread, LEDs, and Arduino boxes and make them into marvelous little working crafts. I find it all a bit above my metaphorical pay grade. However, if there was anything that was going to convince me to learn how to rig a circuit, it would be the project that Dia forwarded to us yesterday.

It’s a fur-lined leather gauntlet that can roll 100, 20, 12, 10, 8, 6, and 4-sided dice with the flip of a switch and the shake of a forearm. It combines my love of tabletop with my desire to live in the future where we all poke our wrists to get things done.

Oxford’s geology department’s cake depicting Earth’s entire geologic time spiral presumably tastes better than the rock layers it represents, and is somewhat more fresh than the time periods it showcases.

At least, we hope so, because we’d really like a slice of the Precambrian period, if you please.

(via BoingBoing.)