Combining Star Wars Day (May the 4th be with you) with Sydney’s real estate obsession – here’s how to calculate the cost of Yoda’s hut.
And don’t forget it’s Free Comic Book Day today as well.
May 042013
May 242012
I’m not sure that geeks really require a day for being proud; but, given there is one, it would be remiss of me to fail to point out that day is tomorrow: 25 May.
Not much happens locally apart from the usual cringe-inducing, stereotype-reinforcing articles in the press. Last year though the Day did get a mention in Parliament which I’ll quote below. The ellipsis covers his quoting of the geek pride manifesto created some years ago in Spain. A document so awful that I refuse to quote or link to it. I do like Peter Phelps’ final line though, it’s so lovely to be endowed with “general awesomeness”.
Today I raise a matter of most serious importance. Today is Geek Pride Day, which is an initiative that claims the right of every person to be a nerd or a geek. It has been celebrated on 25 May since 2006, honouring the premiere of the first Star Wars film on that date in 1977. It shares the same day as three other science fiction fan holidays—Towel Day, for fans of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy; Star Wars Day, as previously mentioned; and the Glorious 25 May, for fans of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld.
…
Geeks and geekettes, today, on this most glorious of days, the world salutes you and bows down before your general awesomeness.
The Hon Peter Phelps MLC, Member of the Legislative Council
NSW Parliament House, Macquarie Street Sydney
On a far more practical level, last year Kinokuniya offered anyone wearing a towel 20% off their book purchases. To quote the immortal words… “There’s a frood who really knows where his towel is.”
May 042012
Today is Star Wars Day – May the fourth be with you….
So it seems to be a good time to mention Novus Ordo – the Star Wars Costuming Alliance of Australia. Novus Ordo is Australia’s premiere Star Wars costuming group, “for people who own and proudly wear all types of costumes from the Star Wars universe, ranging from Rebels to Stormtroopers, from Jedi to the evil Sith, Bounty Hunters, and Citizens of the Old Republic and the New Empire.”
They take this stuff pretty seriously and produce some fine-looking costumes. Sadly their website is more old order than new and needs some work so it’s a little hard to track down photos of what they look like. If you trawl through the forum pages, though, you will get the idea.
Novus Ordo participate in all sorts of activities, including attending volunteer charity and fund raising events and ‘trooping’ at Conventions.
And Star Wars Day on May the 4th? Well the first recorded use was to congratulate Marget Thatcher on her election in 1979. When Margaret Thatcher was elected Britain’s first female Prime Minister on May 4, 1979, her party placed an advertisement in The London Evening News that said: “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.” Which of course leads to a whole different place in costumes – the Margaret Thatcher mask.
