Chris Pirillo » star-wars

LEGO AT-AT Fun

Chris — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:24:16 +0000

LEGO AT-AT Fun is a post from Chris Pirillo

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The LEGO AT-AT is the All-Terrain Armored Transport, seen in Return of the Jedi and The Empire Strikes Back. This is actually my third major LEGO build. The first was the Star Destroyer, which was given to me by a friend. The second was the Death Star, which friends helped me build a few months ago on my birthday. The coolest thing about the AT-AT is that it is motorized! Just flip a switch and watch it take off across your room. I happen to think it’s probably the coolest thing I’ve seen all year. I’m just not so sure that Pixie would agree.

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My Birthday Present: Building the LEGO Death Star

Chris — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:31:58 +0000

My Birthday Present: Building the LEGO Death Star is a post from Chris Pirillo

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About a year ago, I bought myself a LEGO Death Star. I never have put it together, since I know it’s going to be a huge undertaking for any one person alone. I decided to invite a few friends over to help me build it for my birthday this year!

It’s a 3800-piece Special Edition kit, and I never even opened the box. I did do the unboxing for you all on the camera, so I’m sure you’ll want to check that out.

Mona is one of the friends helping me with this build, and was also the one who was holding the camera for this particular video. She doesn’t really care so much about the Death Star. She’s interested in the Minifigs. She has this odd obsession with Chewie, and her reaction to looking at the Minifigs on the box was a hearty: OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG (you get the drift). They’re cute, I suppose. But I’m a guy. I’m into the Death Star itself – and the Darth Vader Minifig, of course.

I originally uploaded this video to YouTube the day before my birthday, in the hopes that everyone would join us live to watch us working on building the Death Star. We had well over 1000 people watching at several times throughout the day, and that was great!

Thank you everyone who joined us live on Sunday, and special thanks to all of you who stopped by to help me build!

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LEGO Unboxing

Chris — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:18:00 +0000

LEGO Unboxing is a post from Chris Pirillo

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When was the last time you played with LEGO? What did you build, and did you keep your creation? I bought myself a LEGO Death Star kit for my birthday last year. I never have put it together, because I knew it was a massive undertaking. However, I had friends over for my birthday this year to help me with the build! I know I’m not the only one – do you still build with LEGO?

When I got up this morning, there were over 700 people watching my empty desk! They were waiting with baited breath for me to start unboxing! You might remember when I built the LEGO Star Destroyer that my friend Datalore bought me last year. Sadly, this unboxing isn’t going to be very exciting. There are just instructions and bags of little LEGO parts in there. The excitement will come with the actual building.

There are 3800 pieces in this kit! Holy cow that’s a lot of LEGO Bricks!! I know my friend Mona is excited over the little Chewie figurine, and can’t wait to see it. The manual is huge – it has tons of pictures and pages. I think it’s as tall as me!

Inside of the main box, there were a few smaller boxes. Inside of those boxes are tons of little baggies full of little LEGO bricks! Holy cow the baggies aren’t numbered. I know right now it’s going to take a long time to get this thing built. The Star Destroyer had numbers on the bags, which made it MUCH easier! Argh!

What do you think? How long do you think it will take us to get this thing built?

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Happy Birthday Video

Chris — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 03:01:54 +0000

Happy Birthday Video is a post from Chris Pirillo

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When is your birthday? Mine was on Sunday, and a I had a few friends over to celebrate. We had some excellent food, great conversation – and tons of fun working on building my LEGO Death Star. What’s your most memorable birthday? What about your ideal birthday? I have to say this was definitely my ideal for a perfect celebration.

I was joined by a few friends for this auspicious occasion. Michelle has done a few game review videos for us recently, so I’m sure you remember her. Mona has been helping me and the rest of the team put things together for Gnomedex. Ellen is another friend who stopped by for a few hours.

And of course, I was lucky to have my friend Traci lead the birthday singing via Skype! Doesn’t she have an amazing voice?!

I won’t be telling all of you what I wished for, because then it won’t come true. Let’s just say… if it does, it’ll be awesome!

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Toledo Vader

Chris — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 13:21:04 +0000

Toledo Vader is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I bet you never knew that Darth Vader had an evil brother named Toledo, did you? And I also bet you didn’t know that Toledo Vader is so infamous that he has a road named after him. It’s quite true, I assure you. Toledo Vader Road is found right here in Washington, and leads to a town named after him!

I love to travel, and I love to drive. What I really love is to find silly things along the way that helps make the trip less monotonous. What fun games and silly things do you do to help pass the time in a car or plane? What are some crazy road or town names that you’ve come across in your travels?

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Red and White Darth Vader Figures

Chris — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 01:40:53 +0000

Red and White Darth Vader Figures is a post from Chris Pirillo

I’ve been collecting Darth Vader merchandise for the past few years, and I stumbled upon a white Darth Vader this afternoon. This Vader was a part of the “Infinities” comic book series which illuminated alternate realities for the original trilogy. The red Darth Vader is a Holiday figure. I’m not sure if there are any other Vader figure colors out there – but if you know of one, please let me know.

The Road Not Taken (with Yoda and a Dog)

Chris — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:19:59 +0000

The Road Not Taken (with Yoda and a Dog) is a post from Chris Pirillo

I was asked to read Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” poem in the voice of Yoda – scroll down to watch the video. I didn’t do too bad! I’m hereby challenging you to do the same (and record the video for posterity, of course). If you don’t want to talk like Yoda, try another character voice impersonation.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

You will know it is time to press the play button when you hear R2-D2 beep, like this…

The Force is Strong with this USB Hub

Chris — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 01:51:37 +0000

The Force is Strong with this USB Hub is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I am a USB addict, that’s a well-known fact. I have so many devices, I have to keep a handful of USB hubs on my desk at all times. I also happen to be a Star Wars fanatic, as well. What if I could mix the two together?! Well, I am now the very proud owner of a Darth Vader USB Hub from my friends at ThinkGeek!!!!

When we were just younglings, that breathy evil space-samurai used to give us nightmares. Now, though, Lucas has turned him into a simple misunderstood uberjedi with a few mechanical upgrades. Still, that lovable 7 foot-tall misanthrope is the coolest Jedi ever, and it was about time we turned him into a USB Hub.
480 MBps of digital connectivity in a simple four-port USB 2.0 hub sits on your desk, just oozing sithy malevolence. Plug in your flash drives, scanners, and other devices, and he’ll frighten you with those iron-lungs of his.

I am literally the coolest kid on my block! Heck, I’m probably the coolest one in all of Seattle! This thing is simple to operate, just plug it in and you’re off. The USB connecting cable is permanently attached, which is great. I’ll never lose it!

It just doesn’t get any Geekier than this. I am one happy dude tonight.

Aquarium Style Decorative 4-Port USB Hub

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Corey Vidal and Me

Chris — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 07:51:51 +0000

Corey Vidal and Me is a post from Chris Pirillo

I recognized his face right away, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“Where have I seen you before?”

He’s, like… one of the most talented people on the face of the planet. Certainly, more talented than me (and that doesn’t take much, admittedly). If the name “Corey Vidal” doesn’t ring a bell, perhaps “An a cappella Tribute to John Williams” will.

And if you haven’t seen the video yet, it’s up for a People’s Choice Award this year – for a very good reason. If you’re a fan of Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Jaws, ET… or any of John Williams’s compositions, then you’re going to fall in love with Corey (in a strictly platonic way).

Corey’s apparently on Twitter, too – so start following him there to find out what he’ll do next.

The Gift of LEGO, Star Wars and Games

Chris — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 12:24:32 +0000

The Gift of LEGO, Star Wars and Games is a post from Chris Pirillo

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A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to go on a shopping spree at Sears, using $500.00. I could do anything I wanted to, and decided to buy toys for kids who otherwise wouldn’t have any this Christmas. Now I have the chance to give one of you some toys, as well.

Many of the toys I found at Sears made me remember my own childhood. I know the kids who will receive the toys Ponzi and I bought would otherwise not have gotten them. I can think of no better way to spread joy than to give things away. Ponzi and I were like kids in a candy store, running through the aisles and checking everything out. We were literally giddy! When we dropped them off at the donation site, the people there were just as excited as we were.

Now IZEA is going to allow me to give you a gift bundle worth $500.00! There are three different bundles you can choose from if you win. You can choose:

LEGO Wonderland – A variety of LEGO toys and books.
Star Wars Smiles – Filled with Star Wars toys and games!
Family Game Night – Several different family board games.

You can enter up to three times! Here’s how:

Leave a comment stating which bundle you want, and why, in Receiving the Gift of Giving. Understand, it’s only on that post where your comments will count. Commenting here isn’t gonna do you much good, unless you really want to leave a comment here for another reason.
Post to your twitter account if you have one, making sure you include – #Sears @chrispirillo http://bit.ly/giftwish – and whichever bundle you desire in your tweet.
Make an entry in your own blog if you have one, making sure you link back to this particular post URL and mentioning which bundle you want (and why). I register most trackbacks after I’ve received at least one click from your permalink to mine.

So there you have it… another giveaway! Good luck to everyone!

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Star Wars Prequels vs. the Original Trilogy

Chris — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:08:35 +0000

Star Wars Prequels vs. the Original Trilogy is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Ramakandra’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

The Star Wars prequels are just as good as the originals.

That’s right. You read correctly. The Star Wars prequels are just as good as the originals. So many people have decried, insulted, attacked and derided the films – including Chris Pirillo himself. I am here to give you the top five reasons why those people are wrong – and why these films are incredible pieces of cinema.

Reason number one: you know when Dr. Phil says that couples don’t fight about what actually upsets them? Instead they just choose topics to fight over, like clothes on a floor, or doing the dishes? Does that remind you of anything? People argue over topics, when talking about the prequels. Not the movie itself.

“The acting is no good.”
“The scripts were terrible.”
“Jar Jar Binks is annoying.”
“I don’t like the CGI.”

They find any justification for dissatisfaction, but what they are really upset about is their own inability to enjoy the movies like they did as kids (on an innocent, awestruck level). They want their youth back. And when Star Wars doesn’t provide that, they get angry – angry at themselves. You don’t see seven year-old’s moaning and wailing about the quality of dialogue. They just enjoy the movie. Just like so many of you did as youngsters. You ignored the flaws in the original Star Wars films because you enjoyed them. George Lucas was never the world’s greatest wordsmith, and never claimed to be. Episodes 4, 5, and 6 don’t exactly read like Shakespearian sonnets, but people willfully ignore as much when bashing the prequels.

Reason number two: real Jedi. Not old men past their prime, or half-robots, with all their spirit sucked dry by the Emperor – or sissies from Tatooine who started their training when they were thirty. Real Jedi. Qui-Gonn Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi at their best. A ballet of lightsaber wielding protectors of peace and justice, who dispense of Sith and all the other troubles of the Old Republic. Nobody is looking at those battles and doubting their impressiveness, and if you are: you’re lying. This is what the romance of the Old Republic was all about. Before the dark times. Before the Empire.

Reason number three: the story. I don’t know how many times i have heard the “bad story” excuse. That doesn’t hold water with me. It’s a different kind of story than the originals – a political story of subtleties. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad… just different. And it has plenty of action and romance to sustain the duration of the exposition. This brings me to the next bone of contention.

Reason number four: the love story. Common criticisms include…

“I don’t believe they are in love”
“They seem so awkward together”
“That dialogue is so phony”

What, you mean like… every other teenage romance film on the face of the planet?! Throughout the entirety of human existence?! These were kids in love! The awkwardness is intentional. The naievity was well thought out, and the consequences of their immaturity clearly explained. Its not a plot hole! It enriches the story four-fold!

And finally, my fifth reason. The prequels tie the entire saga together. They explain why the events (of the movies you claim to love) happened. You should be thankful that George Lucas still cares about his creation when so many other filmmakers would have lost all interest. The deleted scenes indicate that George wanted to go more into the creation of the rebels, since he didn’t have time for it the first time around (Territory that will likely be covered in the live action TV show, which will most likely be somewhat like the Young Indiana Jones show). This provides more story for those who want it – but if you don’t want it, you don’t have to watch it.

Star Wars is one of the greatest sagas in cinema history.

So, don’t sour the experience for the kids who haven’t seen it yet – with your negativity and bitterness because it didn’t turn out the way you wanted. Because, in the end, this is George’s story – from his imagination. That is what made you love it in the first place.

Would You Like to Build the LEGO Death Star with Me?

Chris — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 09:11:27 +0000

Would You Like to Build the LEGO Death Star with Me? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I am addicted to LEGO. I have been since I was a kid. I’m also addicted to Star Wars! So, it was a no-brainer that I would rush to buy myself the LEGO Death Star. (LEGO has it on sale right now for $199.99!) However, this thing is just huge, with a bazillion pieces. BrickCon is beginning on October 1st. That’s not very far away. I want to get this built before then. Do you want to help me? There’s no way I could get it ready in time on my own.

If you’re an actual friend of mine, check out my Yahoo Event page. I’m not going to allow just anyone into my home, so make sure you’re someone I actually know. No offense to anyone, but realize that I have to protect my safety, my home and my family.

I’m building the LEGO Death Star. While you’re free to RSVP or watch this event, I will only be inviting a handful of people over to my home to build it with me. The hope is to have ‘er done possibly in time to show it off at Brickcon at the end of the week.
If you’d like to help build this in person with the rest of us, sign up here. I will select and contact the participants manually, so don’t ask. :)
Chances are, I’ll only select locals – because I’m not going to house anybody. It would be helpful if you threw into the kitty for food and beverage throughout the building process, which may go on 24/7 until complete.

So if you qualify, and will be in the area… let me know if you want to hang out and help build the Death Star!

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Are You Also Addicted to LEGO?

Chris — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 05:34:17 +0000

Are You Also Addicted to LEGO? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Yep, this is a LEGO Star Destroyer space craft I just finished building. Isn’t it just gorgeous? Datalore gave me this kit as a gift when he visited the US recently for the Gnomedex conference. I was super excited, because I would likely never have bought it for myself. I’ve never even truly had a LEGO kit before. I had some LEGO blocks, sure. But I was such a deprived child. I had a Star Destroyer, but it wasn’t something I built myself.

Build the most awesome ship in the Star Wars universe! The Imperial Star Destroyer is the massively huge, incredibly powerful heart of the Emperor’s fleet. Manned by the top crew in the Imperial Navy, the Star Destroyer was heavily armored and bristling with turbolasers and tractor beam projectors. One Star Destroyer alone was enough to strike fear into an entire star system!
Now you can add the Imperial Navy’s best-known and most powerful ship to your LEGO Star Wars collection! Measuring an impressive 37” by 23”, this model dwarfs any LEGO Star Wars ship ever produced. This beautifully designed and one-of-a-kind collector’s item comes with a special display stand and collectors card. Also includes an exclusive Rebel Blockade Runner Mini-Model, so you can recreate the opening scenes of Star Wars IV: A New Hope!

So I’ve had the kit for about two weeks now, and it was just sitting in my office. I’ve been busy, you know! I was feeling stressed out last night, so I grabbed the box and started building. I worked for hours, until I couldn’t see straight anymore. I slept for awhile… then I was up and at it again. Building this was addictive to me, and almost an obsession to finish it.

I’m very happy with what I created. It’s insanely cool. I didn’t have LEGO Star Wars growing up, because they didn’t even have them. You’re never too old for LEGO bricks, nor too old for Star Wars. Not only did I have fun doing this, it was also a great stress reliever. I think I’ll end up putting it up on top of my hutch, with the back facing out. I mean, really. Isn’t that just a gorgeous rear end on this ship?!

The other reason I bring this up, is that building LEGO kits can honestly be a bonding experience. It’s something good for a parent to do with a child, or even a grandparent with a grandchild. The sense of accomplishment I have right now is just huge. That is something you can share with a child, once you’ve had a great time building it. Spending the time working on a craft project like this can also pave the way to opening conversations you might not otherwise have had.

Why grow up? You’re never too old to indulge your inner child and play.

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Are You Creating a Star Wars Fan Film Video?

Chris — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 07:01:54 +0000

Are You Creating a Star Wars Fan Film Video? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I admit it. I’m a Star Wars Fanboy. I’ve loved it since I was a kid. I collected Star Wars memorabilia throughout my childhood. When I got an email from Alex the other day, I had to check it out. It’s a Freeware app for Mac OS X that will allow you to generate your own title sequence for your own Star Wars fan work. Maybe you’re doing a Brickfilm, or a Star Wars fan film. This is going to be the easiest way you’ll be able to generate the imagry for it. Star Wars Title Sequence Generator (or simply SWTSG) is simple to use, and creates excellent looking finished products for you.

SWTSG is a free Mac app that will help you to easily generate the visual portion of the Star Wars title sequence.
So you’re making a Star Wars fanfilm, and you want that authentic-looking, opening yellow text scroll? Plus all the other nice frills that go along with it?
You’ve googled the internet for tutorials that show you how to do those things, but it seemed like a lot of hard work, using expensive software packages that you didn’t want to buy? And even then the results were a little bit less-than-authentic looking?
At ease, my fellow Jedi! The Force is with you. The search for your movie’s opening is over: with the SWTSG app you can make a super-authentic looking opening sequence, super easy.

I triple-dog-dare you to find anything on any operating system that is so easy to use, and fun. Even if you don’t like Star Wars, you have to admit that this is really cool. I’m so happy that this was passed along to me. You can even check out the tutorial if you do happen to need any help.

Keep sending me your recommendations for cool apps and websites to check out. I have a great time playing with and testing everything, and love passing on the good ones to all of you.

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Luke Skywalker Wants a Wii

Chris — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:58:17 +0000

Luke Skywalker Wants a Wii is a post from Chris Pirillo

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A few months ago, I had a bit of fun with an Open Source utility called MacSaber. I remember hearing someone saying that the WiiSaber had come along, causing the same sound effects. The WiiSaber author is the same one who created the MacSaber program I had so much fun with. Being a huge Star Wars and Luke Skywalker fan, I HAD to try this!

By the way… did you know Luke Skywalker himself is a Pirillo fan? Mark Hamill… you know you want to play WiiSaber with me.

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How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

Starting at just $3.99/month, web hosting from GoDaddy includes 99.9% uptime, 24/7 support and free access to GoDaddy Hosting Connection, THE place to install over 30 FREE applications sure to help you get the most from your hosting plan and Web site. Enter code CP2 at checkout, and save an additional 10% on any order.

Plus, as a friend of Chris Pirillo, enter code CHRIS7, that's C-H-R-I-S and the number 7, when you check out, and save an additional 10% on any order. Get your piece of the internet at GoDaddy.com.

VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

This feed is fueled by Lockergnome Online Shopping and Coupon Codes

Before you shop next time, see if we have a coupon first.