Philly Tech Week

This Friday begins Philly Tech Week, a week-long celebration of technology and innovation.  Whether that’s building techie things, picking up new skills, discussing how technology impacts our fair city, or learning how to be a tech entrepreneur (or just playing quizzo), there will be something for the geek in each of us.

Saturday and Sunday is Light Hacking Weekend.  Play with analog techniques that explore light, drawing and perception; build portable camera obscura or a periscope; play with interactive installations; build your own light sabers (you heard me); and play light Pictionary with long-exposure camera shots.

Were you ever jealous that only children get to have light-up shoes?  (Don’t lie.)  Your day has come!  Evolved Footwear took a navy and pink pair of women’s Nike Air Max and fitted them with pink lights in the heel.  Leave them on, have them flash (fast or slow)—either way, you’ll get a lot of jealous looks from other adults too long denied light-up shoes of their own.  Yours for $165.

Feel like laughing?  Next Thursday, Geekadelphia and Laughs on Fairmount are bringing something new to Philly Tech Week. Watch a colorful cast of characters as they’re pitted against each other in the premiere of The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth: A Comedy Throwdown.

Looks like a smackdown to me!  These Batman Chuck Taylors by Converse and DC Comics have all the hallmarks of a comic battle royale: Whak!  Boom!  Stop him!  The old Batman logo is on the tongue, and the Bat Signal glows yellow on the inside of the shoe.  Yours for $40 from Converse; or $60 if you prefer Wonder Woman.

But most importantly, and I am very serious now, this Friday night THEY ARE PLAYING TETRIS ON THE CIRA CENTER.  Hurry and sign up for your chance to play a round!  Even if you don’t get chosen, there will be food trucks and a beer garden and lots of fun.

Do, do do do, do do do, do do do… you can just hear the music when you look at these, can’t you?  These slip-on shoes are painted with all the classic Tetris pieces, with a game in progress on the toes.  These are a size 10 and are available for $20 from Etsy seller JessiesPieces, but I bet she could do a custom order for you if you have smaller feet.

Tech geekery never looked so fun, so you should really check out one of the many events going on between Friday and April 12.  There are a lot of female-centered events on how to make it in the tech industry, in addition to all the fun stuff, so if your career path lies there it might be especially worthwhile.