So while looking over at IO9 I found something that made my Halloween.  It’s Stan Lee reading Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven over at QuickStop Entertainment.  Click here so you can go enjoy one of the greatest minds in literary history reading one of the greatest minds in literary history.

Happy Halloween, boys and ghouls!

Have a great time begging for candy, candy, candy! From all of us in the Shakadoo family, we hope your Halloween is scary and fun!

Rings have been a very popular hiding place for hundreds of years.  The infamous poison ring, a ring with a hollowed-out compartment for storing, err, poison, is one of the more common fashion accessories for the scheming medieval wench or dastardly duke.  These days, the hip way of destabilizing a country isn’t through regicide, it’s through electronic warfare.  Instead of a ring full of poison, you might want to have yourself a skull ring full of 2gb of evil data, with this custom-made USB skull ring from Geek Stuff 4 U. 

Of course, I don’t believe anyone should be so stupid or crazy as to cause harm to others with anything, even if it is an awesome ring.  However, I am a firm believer in the theory that everyone should carry around a USB memory stick or two.  The skull ring is way more expensive than a standard 2gb flash drive, but it’s also way more awesome.  Is awesomeness worth an extra $150?  Totally.

One of the traditions of Halloween is the carving of pumpkins.  I know I’ve carved pumpkins for many years, especially as a child, and I’ve always wondered why we would cut up something that makes such a delicious pie for a decoration.  I mean, I’m sure it’s all part of the grand tradition of wasting food, but why pumpkins, why October, and why not any other kind of vegetable? 

Well, the New York Times answers all these questions and more in their City Room blog entry The Tale of the Green Jack-o’-Lantern.  It’s a must-read for anyone even remotely curious about the origins of the obscure and amusing Halloween tradition of using big orange pumpkins as decorations, instead of just something to munch on.  On behalf of Irish immigrants everywhere:  you’re welcome. 

I know it’s not terribly musical, but it is the most famous horror theme music in history and it is Halloween soon, so why not run with it? That’s one of the things I appreciate most about John Carpenter. Not only is he a writer and director, he also composes music for all his films. Most of it is really, really good, too.

When I get my ultimate home theater system together, of the many framed movie posters I intend on having as decoration for the Theater Room will be the poster from Halloween. I went to a guy’s house once and in their basement, they had this poster on the wall and that’s kind of what got me started on the kick to collect and frame movie posters. I have some really good ones; unfortunately, I don’t have them framed and they’re kind of getting beaten up. BUT, when I win the lottery, I can just buy new posters and have them framed no problem.

I know it’s not terribly musical, but it is the most famous horror theme music in history and it is Halloween soon, so why not run with it? That’s one of the things I appreciate most about John Carpenter. Not only is he a writer and director, he also composes music for all his films. Most of it is really, really good, too.

When I get my ultimate home theater system together, of the many framed movie posters I intend on having as decoration for the Theater Room will be the poster from Halloween. I went to a guy’s house once and in their basement, they had this poster on the wall and that’s kind of what got me started on the kick to collect and frame movie posters. I have some really good ones; unfortunately, I don’t have them framed and they’re kind of getting beaten up. BUT, when I win the lottery, I can just buy new posters and have them framed no problem.

While it’s not gadget-themed, and while I normally don’t do Feel Good Friday here at Shaktronics (since I already do Musical Monday in an attempt to make my own cool meme), I just had to pass along this awesome song and awesome piece of machinima.  It’s yet another Jonathan Coulton/Spiffworld collaboration, much like re: Your Brains.

We’re getting closer and closer to Halloween, and in the spirit, I made some purchases over at Amazon.  Namely, I picked up the 20th Anniversary edition of Child’s Play and the Chucky Killer Collection, which contains the other four Child’s Play/Chucky movies.  I also own Stuart Gordon’s Dolls and plan on picking up some of the Puppetmaster movies eventually.

I love movies about killer toys.  Actually, I love movies about killer anythings.

While it’s not a Halloween-related item, this Dali decal mentioned over at sister site Shak In Style reminded me of something else Dali-themed that I came across in my travels through Internetville.  Inspired by Salvador Dali’s 1931 painting The Persistence of Memory, these handmade wooden clocks keep perfect time while still looking awesomely surreal and melty.

That’s one of the coolest things about Etsy.  People have been making awesome stuff for years, yet nobody has been able to get it out and sell it (or find it and buy it) until the internet came along.  Make sure you head over to PragmaticEffect’s Etsy shop and pick up one of these awesome molded clocks before they’re all sold out!

One of the staples of science fiction has been gigantic creatures.  From Col. Glenn Manning to the Japan-stomping Godzilla, science in movies always has a way of messing up, big time.  (Sorry about the pun, by the way.)  The end result of science gone horribly wrong is some sort of giant creature running amok.  Well, Bill Rebane, you too can have your own giant spider invasion with these helpful hints from the creator of that very spider you see perched menacingly on the roof of that otherwise lovely home!

That’s an awesome construction, especially at night.  The best part of the whole thing is, for my money, the fact that he made it out of an old lawn chair, some pipe tubes, and lots of duct tape.  All it took was a little time and a lot of creativity.  That just goes to show you that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get some awesome results.

That’s what Halloween is all about, and why I love the holiday.  You get a chance to reconnect with that little kid who built a fort out of the couch cushions once again.  You can be or do anything, live out every fantasy you’ve ever had about being a vampire or scrapping with Frankenstein’s monster.  We spend all our grown-up lives being rational and smashing our dreams down because it’s too hard, or risky, or whatever. 

For one day a year, just go out and play.  Forget about the bills, forget about the economy, forget about your awful job and just be a kid again.  Play some pranks, watch scary movies, eat too much candy and give yourself a stomach ache!  You can get back on your diet when you have to go back to the real world. 

Image:  MAKE

Ray Villafane is known for making the creepiest carved pumpkins in the world.  If you haven’t seen his work, and you haven’t sliced up your own Halloween decorations yet, head over to TrendHunter and make sure you check out his awesome work.  If you’re not inspired, then you must not have any real Halloween spirit. 

Ray is also a great sculptor of things not pumpkins, too, so head over to his official website and check out his incredible work.  His sketches are incredible, as well.  The guy’s just an all-around genius!