transformer

As much as we like Mimobot drives, and especially their latest Halo family, they wouldn't last a day once our kids got their mitts on them, which they would surely do. But there's a way to revel in your inner (or outer) geekdom with a USB key more discreetly while paying homage to Transformers to boot.

A 2GB Decepticon and a 1GB Autobot are available only in the U.K., according to GeekAlerts, for some unknown reason. Either will easily hold its own in the USB-bot community at large. And they also can be worn on one's … Read more

Now that the Transformers movie debut has long past, you might have expected some welcome relief from the torrent of product merchandizing that led up to the release. Not so fast, Sparky.

The "Optimus Prime Convoy" iPod stereo dock has only just begun to ship in Japan for the not-so-cheap price of $150, according to SlashGear. For that kind of money, though, we thought it only fair that the entire system transform; apparently only the truck cab becomes robotized. We're no Transformer experts (thank goodness), but that seems to be cheating a bit. Maybe it's an … Read more

Could this one-of-a-kind truck be in the next Transformers movie?

Oh, come on. You know a super-duper-mega-blockbuster hit such as Transformers is destined for sequels. In fact, one of the best things about it was the overwhelming believability of it all.

Just kidding. We all know that green-screen alien robots fighting over the Hoover Dam with a hefty dollop of inane dialog and epileptic cinematography pushes the limits of incredulity. But that's part of the fun.

As much as I loved the movie--I thought it was an exhilarating, ridiculous thrill-ride--the fact that all the vehicles were based on real … Read more

Here's one way to transform a special occasion into something even more special. And, quite possibly, get a stomachache in the process.

Nashville's French Confection cake shop created this impressive Optimus Prime cake, using Rice Krispies treats, brownies, and cake to make the edible robot.

The Autobot-themed cake was special-ordered by Morgan Valentine for her husband's 30th birthday party. You're a lucky man, Mr. Valentine.

The bakery's repertoire is pretty impressive. Other nerd-worthy cakes (see below) include The Simpsons, a delicious six-pack of Coke, and Yoda.

[[Via Boing Boing.]]

You may have heard that Transformers director Michael Bay, in his infinite wisdom, decided to exclude the beloved Soundwave character from his film (the poor guy took the news pretty hard). I guess the kids today don't care about portable cassette players, even ones that turn into gigantic robots capable of blowing your head off with a sonic concussion cannon. As a side effect, the film's merchandising machine is not cranking out any affordable Soundwave toys for us to clutter our cubicles. I even resorted to buying this cheap piece of crap. Japan, as usual, has the solution. … Read more

In our steadfast effort to cover all things technologically urgent and culturally important, e.g. the Transformers movie, here is the latest development.

On Monday, McSweeney's, the Web publishing arm of San Francisco author and famous eccentric Dave Eggers, published "A Letter to Optimus Prime from his Geico Auto Insurance Agent," penned by John Frank Weaver. It details the particulars of 27 claims made during the month of June and the parameters of coverage and "reasonable use" for a truck and trailer.

You have to read the original for the riotously strained legalese and in-depth … Read more

Since the Transformers movie has inspired much coverage by CNET and Wired I figure I am well within my rights to chime in with a posting about a revival of girls' 1980's pop culture.

It's hard for even me to believe this, but the camp classic Xanadu has been reincarnated as a Broadway musical, opening today. When Xanadu came out as a movie in the summer of 1980, the story of Olivia Newton-John as a Greek goddess coming to life in Venice Beach probably didn't make a lot of sense to anyone over the age of 18. The plot was pretty incoherent and the heroic goal was to open a roller disco, after all. But if you were a 12-year-old girl, the story gave you plenty to do for the rest of the summer as you wrapped your barrettes in ribbons, put on your leg warmers, and roller-skated around the block for the thousandth time. The movie's low-tech special effects were actually a plus, because it was easy to pretend you were a wall mural coming to life with your friends.… Read more

Imagine you're a huge automobile manufacturing company. (Imagine harder! You're a complex of buildings, factories, offices and... Oh, never mind. Bad metaphor.)

OK, specifically: Imagine you're a marketing exec at GM. Now imagine the ginormous year-end bonus you're going to get as a result of your collaboration with Paramount Pictures and toy-maker Hasbro on this summer's Transformers movie. Are you imagining swimming in cash? Good job.

All of the Autobots--the "good guy" Transformers battling to keep humans safe from the "bad guy" Decepticons--are robots that turn into vehicles manufactured by General … Read more

As colleagues Will Greenwald and Neha Tiwari have noted, the new Transformers movie will mean big bucks in the toy and games market. But not everyone can get away with wearing an "Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet" to work, let alone past most conscious security guards.

So Haier is making it possible for so-called mature adults to show their allegience to bot culture with a laptop. Granted, it's basically a G70 notebook with a decal, as Engadget notes, though it does have a 17-inch screen, 2GB of memory and a 120GB hard drive. It also looks kind … Read more