Geek Toys: star trek tri-dimensional chess

The more I research into the toys that Sheldon and the gang owns and enjoys in The Big Bang Theory, the more I think that their occasional implications that they are poor/have a limited amount of funds is really a load of hogwash.

In season 1, episode 11, also known as The Pancake Batter Anomaly, the show opens up with Leonard and Sheldon going through a battle of tri-dimensional chess on a very elaborate and visually complicated board, with Sheldon ending the game with his hilarious line: "Must be humbling to suck on so many different levels."

The game itself dates back to in 1907, then called Raumschach (German for Space Chess), by Dr. Ferdinand Maack.

But it faded after World War II.

It made a real comeback and popped back into the minds of nerds everywhere when Spock was seen playing it in the original Star Trek. The game actually played a pretty pivotal role in the actual show in fact.

That chess set is the version that Sheldon and Leonard is seen playing on in the show.

This set of Star Trek Tri-dimensional chess is a Franklin Mint exclusive, meaning that they're the only makers of this set. And it is beautifully assembled with actual 24 karat gold and sterling silver plated chess pieces, truly demonstrating the art and the beauty of the game as a whole.

But as you can guess, it is anything but cheap.

In fact, if Amazon is any indication, it retails for at least $315.00 CDN dollars!!! And that's without taking shipping into consideration.

Still, how beautiful would this look on atop a book shelf, awaiting for your next attempt at conquering a three-dimensional battlefield?

Only reason why I looked it up.

Though if you ask me, as far as games are concerned, I think I'll be sticking to the regular 2-D versions. They're not as fancy looking... but they're cheaper.

FANeXpo 2012: cosplays on day 3

Marvel Superheroes cosplayers act out a scene

With help from the Masquerade and by sheer numbers of people alone, costumes and cosplay on Day 3 (Saturday) of FANeXpo is always at its best and most interesting.

Granted, the costumes largely pale in comparison to those that often come out at Anime North or the more fan-driven conventions out there, but with that said, there is still much to look at and enjoy on the Saturday when we speak of costumes.

First things first however... my COSTUME OF THE DAY!

This is a fabulous cosplay of popular radio talk show host Ruby Rhod - played by Chris Tucker from the 1997 sci-fi movie The Fifth Element. The construction was flawless and the cosplayer had the flair and the knack to pull it off with respect. Bravo!

And that image really does sum up for me the kind of things you can find at this convention that really doesn't come to light at any other, and it is that people can be a fan of anything and dress up as anything and still fit into the spectacle of the show. The ideas and fandoms aren't restricted to Anime, or Fantasy, or Sci-fi or any of the other major genres. A few years back, me and a bunch of friends showed up dressed as CSI (based off the then hit television crime drama) and I couldn't begin to tell you how popular that costume was with people.

And this is really what separates the cosplay at FANeXpo apart - it can be from anywhere and anything and still find people who will fall in love with you because of it.

So pictured here are some of the cosplays I found, saw and enjoyed the most, but with restrictions. 

One being my camera, which is a digital point-and-shoot (that has problems with clear pictures when indoors) after failing to get a proper SLR from my school before the convention. The second is the sheer mass of people often made it hard to stop those to take pictures of.