SIDESHOW BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA 2024

One of my favorite shopping sites, Sideshow Collectibles, is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA taking place March 18 - 22, 2024. From the Hot Toys Quarter Scale Iron Man Mark III that guards my desk to the life-size replica of The Child (aka Baby Yoda) incorporated into a lot of my Star Wars themed social media posts, products I've let my geek side show with products picked up from Sideshow Collectibles. 

Enjoy a week of fantastic activities for Sideshow's Birthday Extravaganza starting off with a Live Stream on YouTube at 11am PDT showcasing new product announcements, highlighting special discounts and giving away some cool stuff. Plus, each day during the week 30% Off Select Items - 30 new items each day!

Here is a calendar of Birthday Extravaganza festivities taking place March 18th through the 22nd:

Happy Birthday Sideshow!

COMET TV SOLAR ECLIPSE GUIDE + GIVEAWAY

On Monday, August 21, 2017 there will be a stellar event taking place in the sky over much of the continental United States when a solar eclipse will occur.  My friends at COMET TV don't want A Geek Daddy's readers to be left in the dark about this incredible occurrence so they've create a special solar eclipse resource guide on their website for us to share with you.  WHEN THE MOON THROWS SHADE -- AN ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ECLIPSING describes what a solar eclipse is and provides instructions on how to view it safely.  There really is some great information here!

While visiting the COMET TV website check out what new movies they are airing in August.  They are always broadcasting different rotations of classic horror and science fiction films.  This month's films for example include An American Werewolf in London and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

An American Werewolf in London 

One of the greatest horror films of all time is headed to COMET! Check out John Landis’ often imitated but never duplicated 1981 classic, An American Werewolf in London, and discover why it’s always a good idea to “stay off the moors.” The film airs on COMET on August 18 at 8pm ET/PT, and again the following night  (Friday, August 18) at the same time.  Check COMET TV's schedule for additional broadcasts.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers 

 Most of the time, we’re not big fans of remakes. But once in a while, a remake comes along that vastly outshines its inspiration. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, the 1978 reboot of the 1956 sci-fi thriller, is one of those remakes. Not only that, it’s maybe the best remake ever made, and with stars like Donald Sutherland, Jeff Goldblum, and Leonard Nimoy, it’s not hard to see why. The invasion begins on August 25 at 8P/7C, with an encore airing at 8P/7C on August 26.

GIVEAWAY

Also don't miss out on the COMET TV solar eclipse themed giveaway A Geek Daddy is hosting.  The prize pack contains:

1 - “Total Solar Eclipse” Collectible First Day Issue Stamp - Straight from the USPS this is the official commemorative first day issue stamp.

1 - Comet USB Charging Bank - Do you want to snap a selfie and oh no, you only have 10% power left? Fear not, Comet has you covered. This awesome charger is the perfect save for any emergency situation!

1 - Comet Embroidered Hat - An official Comet TV hat is perfect for any ensamble. It will protect you from the sun, while you look more stylish and awesome than you already are!

 1 - Comet Cooler Bag - This fun portable travel cooler is the go-to gear for your sodas, snacks and anything else you want to put it in. Take it to the park when you’re about to watch the eclipse and let your beverages stall chill and frosty, just like you!

 1 - Limited Edition Comet SPF 30 Sunscreen Squeeze Pouch - We can’t let you get toasty out in the sun! This limited edition SPF 30 sunscreen pouch can go in your travel bag and let you avoid a nasty burn!

For a chance to win it please follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter and retweet the embedded message below before 11:59 pm ET on August 22, 2017.  Must be a US resident over 18 years old to participate in this promotion.

Follow @Geekdad248 and RT before 8/23/17 for a chance to win a SOLAR ECLIPSE themed prize pack from @WatchComet #ad pic.twitter.com/xRFNW0p4jJ

— A Geek Daddy (@GeekDad248) August 17, 2017

COMET TV is an overair broadcast network that can be tuned in with a digital antenna that specializes in science fiction and horror programming.  You can watch COMET TV in the Metro Detroit area of Michigan via digital antenna on Channel 19-7.  CLICK HERE to see if COMET TV is broadcasting in your area.  If not, COMET TV can also be viewed for free by utilizing its app on Apple TV and Roku or watching its live website stream at CometTV.com.

If it is cloudy or rainy on August 21st or you just can't get outside to view the solar eclipse NASA will be live streaming video from the international space station and prominent locations across the United States.  CLICK HERE to view their live eclipse feed.  Or of course you could always watch what is airing on COMET TV instead!

Disclaimer & Rules:  A Geek Daddy has not been financially compensated for this endorsement or hosting the giveaway but was provided the same items being provided as a prize for personal use. The prize is provided by COMET TV and A Geek Daddy is hosting the promotion as a benefit to our readers. Must be a US resident over the age of 18 to participate.  One entry per mailing address and winner will be randomly selected from all eligible entries.  If you have already won this prize through another blog participating in this promotion, your entry will be disqualified.  By participating in this promotion you waive any liability of any kind against the publisher of this blog. Winner is subject to eligibility verification. No P.O. Boxes allowed for delivery of the prize. COMET TV will be responsible for shipping the prize to the selected winner.  A Geek Daddy is not responsible for delivery of the prize.

Grab a MoonScope to view Sunday's rare super moon eclipse

My daughter loves to solve puzzles and tinker with things so it seems a career path in engineering or science might be something to keep in mind as she progresses through school. While many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields provide interesting and financially lucrative career opportunities these jobs also are dominated pretty exclusively by males which has to be an issue of concern for the father of a little girl who doesn't want to see her future limited from pursuing any endeavor she may choose. According to research from the National Girls Collaborative Project (NGCP), women make up 47% of the overall workforce in the United States but only 28% of females have jobs involving science and engineering.  Researchers looking into this huge workforce differentiation have had the insight that boys tend to have more activities and play time as children that relate to STEM so they tend to consider these fields more interesting and fun than girls do.  Therefore parents and educators are being called out to become more engaged in encouraging girls to have fun with STEM at an early age so they may have more of an interest in growing up to become a future computer programmer, scientist, or astronomer.

As a parent of a young daughter myself, I was thrilled to discover the Nancy B Science Club from Educational Insights that makes STEM topics fun by encouraging girls to engage in exploring and learning through a variety of cool scientific gadgets.  Nancy B Science Club products include among other things a black light illuminator kit for science sleuthing activities, binoculars with a built in compass for exploring parks and nature trails, a microscope to examine the intricate detail of things in the world around us, a Stir-It-Up Chemistry Lab to experiment on how things react and a MoonScope to gaze into outer space.  These science club products are actually designed by "Nancy B" who is a science product designer, former science teacher, and an all-around science enthusiast who want to inspire girls to share her passion for science, technology, engineering and math.

My daughter was so excited when I brought home a Nancy B's Science Club MoonScope for us to check out the upcoming super moon eclipse.  This is a very rare phenomenon taking place from approximately 10:11 to 10:47pm E.T. on Sunday, September 27, 2015 where you will see a giant red moon.  That night's full moon will appear about 14% larger than normal creating a "super moon" effect because it will at the closest point (known as its perigee) in its orbit of the Earth.  It will also appear blood red in color during the total lunar eclipse; which is when the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon.  Our planet blocks most of the sun light from illuminating the moon at this time, but some light does  reflect through the Earth's atmosphere giving the moon a red tin similar to the effect you see in the sky during an evening sunset.  How great is that to start off the Halloween season with a Blood Moon to have a teachable moment with your children and get them excited about science!



So we put together the Nancy B's Science Club MoonScope and tested out calibrating and focusing the lenses to make sure it was ready to go so we wouldn't have to be monkeying around getting it ready when wanting to view the big event in the night  sky.  It's instructions recommend putting it together during the day and testing it out on some objects like trees to make sure it works properly and to learn how to focus the lenses without it being dark out.  Everything worked great and we're ready to go for Sunday night!

The MoonScope, which has received The National Parenting Center's Seal of Approval, does a remarkable job of providing a clear view by magnifying the night sky by 18x to 90x through transferable 20mm and 4mm all-glass eyepieces.  The MoonScope requires 2 AA batteries to power a red light at the base of its tripod that isn't used for the function of the telescope but rather provides a way for kids to reference the included activity journal without hurting their night vision. I found the MoonScope, which was a 2014 nominee for Best Educational Toy of the Year by the Toy Industry Association and received a Silver Honor from the Parents Choice Foundation, easy to assemble and most importantly my daughter found it easy to use when she tried it out.

The only thing that took her a bit of getting used to was looking through one eye to see through the MoonScope's eyepieces, which I have to admit I'm not very good at either.  Make sure to take advantage of the pre-aligned finderscope next to the eyepiece on the MoonScope to line up your targets as it can be difficult to find things just by using the telescopic lenses.  The finderscope even has a glow-in-the-dark ring on it to help you target things in the night sky which we thought was pretty neat.  Also you will want to have a table or something sturdy to place the MoonScope on because its tripods aren't very tall making it challenging at times to get the right angle for a view if you don't have something to prop it on.

So we checked everything out during the daylight, gave it a test run the other night, and we are ready to go for viewing the Super Blood Moon!  Don't miss out because the last time there was a blood red super moon was when I was a third grader in 1982  - in fact since 1900 it has only happened 5 times (1910, 1928, 1946, 1964 & 1982) - and it won't occur again until 2033.  You don't want to wait another 18 years for another chance to get a glimpse of this special astronomical event. 

For more information about the MoonScope, visit nancybscienceclub.com

If you don't have a MoonScope of your own to view the Super Moon Eclipse with, NASA will have a live feed from 8:00 pm through 11:30 pm ET streaming views of the eclipse from the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, California, Adler Planetarium in Chicago, and Fernbank Observatory in Atlanta, Georgia among other locations across the United States.  NASA solar physicist Mitzi Adams will discuss the eclipse and answer questions from people on Twitter using the hashtag #askNASA during the broadcast.

** Disclaimer:  A Geek Daddy received a complimentary Nancy B's Science Club MoonScope to review.  The opinions in this post about the product are my own and a positive review was not mandated for this blog to receive the product.  **