Hasta La Gadget!

Check out the company guide book that employees at Nintendo receive. It’s a beautiful work of art. This guide gets handed out to people who get jobs at Nintendo.

These images come from Nintendo fan blog Before Mario. Apparently, Nintendo designs a new one every year. The 2014 edition takes visual cues from the company’s past as a producer of hanafuda cards. It features illustrations that show old-school Nintendo toys in hand-drawn style, and provides a detailed company history to new employees.

Apparently, you can still get one if you pass the first few stages of the hiring process, but don’t get a job. Consider it a parting gift.

This is beautiful nerdy stuff, but I can’t help thinking that Nintendo is looking too much like a wasteful government. They have having a tough time financially of late and yet they no doubt spend a ton of money on this kind of thing. Get your gaming act together first, then you can waste money and give out fancy gifts.

[via Kotaku]

Read any good books lately? Only the most masterful of storytellers are able to tell a tale that can touch readers and stir their emotions.

However, this tale entitled The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree Jr. got a little help from MIT. Dubbed as Sensory Fiction, it’s the latest in wearable tech that comes in the form of a book that you can “wear” and strap on to your body via a harness, so you can feel whatever it is the main character is feeling, too. The technology isn’t limited to emotions, as the reader can be made to feel physical sensations like warmth and coldness.

The harness is equipped with LED lights, small heating devices, a vibrating mechanism, and a compression system that tightens or loosens depending on what’s happening in the story.

Wouldn’t it be neat to have a book like this at your local library? Guess it depends on what the book is about.

[via Dvice]

Jeffrey Brown’s Darth Vader and Son and Vader’s Little Princess might be the cutest Star Wars retcon ever. The books feature a caring Anakin looking after Luke and Leia. Gentle Giant Ltd. is going to release a limited edition bundle of the two books, which will include adorable figurines of the Skywalkers.

The Darth Vader and Son sculpture depicts Anakin getting a Rebel Alliance necktie from Luke. It’s not like the Sith would have merch anyway.

The Vader’s Little Princess sculpture sees Leia make heart cutouts out of her dad’s cape.

The bundles will also come with copies of Brown’s sketches plus a full-color illustration printed on board. You can pre-order the bundles right now from Gentle Giant. Both the Darth Vader and his Son bundle and the Vader’s Little Princess bundles cost $150 (USD) each, but you can also get both in one set for $280.

[via Gotham News]

This beautiful Pokémon book was made by artist Kari Fry. It’s titled Field Guide to Kanto, and it’s just so beautifully done, that I want to sit with it for hours and take it all in. It has a full color map of the land as well as illustrations of the first 151 Pokémon.

Not only that, but she’s also included a description of each Pokémon. They can all be found in the Kanto region.

This book comes in softcover or hardcover editions. The hardcover includes a foil-embossed cover and a dust jacket that doubles as a poster.

Pokémon fans will definitely want to get their hands on a copy, but now for the sad news. The book is temporarily sold out. It’s okay though, because but you can sign up for the waiting list to be notified when it’s back in stock in mid-January. I’m sure it will sell out again quickly after that.

[OTL Gaming via Kotaku via Nerd Approved]

It’s a quiet book. One that will start your kids’ love for The Lord of the Rings early. The earlier you introduce them to the classic, the sooner they can be geeks in their own right.

This Lord of the Rings quiet book is a perfect starting place for their growing geekiness. This book tells the story quietly, hence the name, with little felt figures, felt pages and even lets your kids dress up Aragorn for adventure. How cool is that? Tolkien’s book was never this interactive.

If you want to make one for your geek in training, you can download the pattern for $10(USD) and make one yourself.

[via The Mary Sue]