Yeh, I am still scratching my head too. I love Play-Doh as much as the next guy (I spent many a hour sitting at the kitchen table, merrily amused by the magic clay), but I am not sure if I would want to smell like it (or want my fiancee to smell like it, or that she would want me to smell like it, etc.). But, there must be someone somewhere that does (maybe Play-Doh collectors - if such a geek exists), because Hasbro is selling Play-Doh "flavored" perfume. $15 buys you the chance to smell like your childhood (or a kindergarten teacher). The perfume is being produced to celebrate Play-Doh's 50th birthday and comes in one ounce spray bottles. If anyone orders this stuff, shoot me an email at tips@geekingear.com to let me know how it smells.

Product Page [via MSNBC]
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I am a computer geek. Computers were my first true "geek love". So, its pretty safe to assume that I love computer/hacker movies (which I do). Here are 10 of my absolute favorite computer movies of all time. Some of them are seem ridiculous now that I am a grown up computer geek, but they still hold a very special place in my heart.

10. Takedown (Track Down) - The story of how Kevin Mitnik was captured. Based on a book written by a computer security expert about the Mitnik case, it is a little one sided. For the other side of the story, be sure to check out the documentary Freedom Downtime that was produced by the same people who publish 2600: the Hacker Quarterly. (Coincidentally, Freedom Downtime does not appear on this list only because I have not had the chance to see it yet.)

9. The Core - While not a hacker movie per se, it does have a memorable hacker character that plays a pivotal role in the movie.

8. The Matrix Trilogy - While they seem to be either a love them or hate them kind of series, the Matrix Trilogy is an excellent look at a world where computers have enslaved humans and hackers fight to save man kind. The best hacking in the series is in the second movie, The Matrix Reloaded, where a character uses nmap and a real life SSH hack to break into a computer network.

7. Johnny Mnemonic - While not one of William Gibson's better works, it is still an interesting story about a man who has to hack his own brain to survive.

6. Sneakers - About an penetration testing firm sucked into the world of international espionage, Sneakers is defiantly worth seeing, especially if you are a computer geek.

5. Swordfish - A great action movie featuring a hacker as the protagonist. Kick ass computer geek, need I say more. (Plus there is Halle Berry for geeks of the male persuasion.)

4. The Net - One of the first movies to deal with the concept of identity theft and the dangers of vendor lock in (though at the time I do not know if they were going for it). It is a great movie and defiantly worth watching. If you liked the Net, you may want to check out its straight to video, pseudo-sequel, the Net 2.0. It is more or less a rehash of the original, but it makes for a fun movie.

3. Wargames - Wargames is a modern classic. One of the first hacker movies, it is an enjoyable look back at old school hacking (even with Hollywood's use of creative license, there is still a lot to see). While some of the "hacking" is a little on the corny side (come on the password "Joshua" for a DoD supercomputer), it still is a great move after all these years. Plus as a bonus there is a scene that accurately depicts war dialing (infact the term wardialing comes from this movie) and using an acoustic coupler.

2. Antitrust - One of the best computer thrillers of all time. Its strong pro-open source message is especially heart warming for me. Though, even if you are not an ardent supporter of free and open source software, Antitrust is still a must see for any computer geek.

1. Hackers - The movie that launched a thousand script kiddies. Corny, yes. Laughably unrealistic, yes. But Hackers was the first hacker movie I saw that clicked with me. This movie is single handedly responsible for my pursuing a career in computers. While it may be silly at times (especially if you know much about computers and security), but its still a fun movie to watch and is my favorite hacking movie of all time.

Well, that's my list. Feel free to post your own favorites, or critique mine in the comments.

Update: As a commenter pointed out my description of Wargames was a little off on the description of the wardialing scene. I have corrected it, and thank you (whoever you are) for pointing that out to me.

Technorati Tags: movies top 10 computers hacking

For any geeks interested in numismatology, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing has pictures of large US currency (bills $500 and up) for you to take a look at. While not actively circulated since 1969, some bills are still in circulation (though most are probably in the hands of collectors) and are still considered legal tender. (Just in case anyone had any ideas, the images are not high enough quality or resolution to use to print yourself a new car, house, or island in the Caribbean.)

For Collectors: Large Denominations [via Digg]
Technorati Tags: geek numismatics money

Improv Everywhere (a New York based comedy group) invaded a Best Buy with 50 of their "operatives" all wearing royal blue polo shirts and khaki pants. All pretty funny, but I fail to see how having a bunch of people saying "I don't work here" and walking off is any different than the normal Best Buy customer "service" (and I use the term lightly) experience other than they weren't trying to sell overpriced accessories that no one needs. (Come on... a "gold" phone cable to increase modem speeds! There are MILES of copper between your walljack and the phone company, I don't think 5 feet of "gold" cable will help any. By the way, yes I did see a Best Buy sales person trying to sell some lady on a "gold" phone cable. I stepped in and played the good geek, but from what I have heard this is very common at Best Buy, especially if you are purchasing a low margin item. Sorry, rant mode off.)

Mission: Best Buy
Flickr Album
[via Gizmodo]

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