empire

PETALUMA, Calif.--Driving along the back roads of this idyllic, easy-going Northern California town, you'd never know that behind the walls of one of the most unassuming buildings around is perhaps the best collection of geek memorabilia in the world.

Welcome to Rancho Obi-Wan, Steve Sansweet's homage to his life's passion -- "Star Wars," a non-profit museum dedicated to serving "the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of [the films'] memorabilia and artifacts." Formerly Lucasfilm's head of fan relations and a Los Angeles-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Sansweet … Read more

The top of the Empire State Building isn't just for King Kong anymore. CNN is getting together with New York's iconic tower to display today's election results from way up high.

A vertical LED meter on the spire will visually count up electoral votes for each candidate from more than a quarter mile above the street. Obama and Romney will each get two sides of the tower. Obama's tally will light up in blue while Romney's will light up in red.… Read more

Mini Empire Plus is a strategy game that could be described as being a combination of Risk and Farmville. This fun game offers a great user experience with a well-designed interface that lets you get started right away.

For users who have already played strategy games, Mini Empire Plus's controls and actions will be a no-brainer, but we liked the in-game guidance that helps new users get acclimated. The first launch takes you to the Stone Age so you start building your virtual empire. From there, you can start taking on other players. You can choose your method of … Read more

Into history-based real-time strategy games and possibly dressing the part while playing them? Then you'll surely appreciate this week's giveaway prize, an ancient helmet (well, an ancient plastic helmet anyway) -- signed by the Age of Empires Online development team, no less.

Age of Empires Online, the latest installment in the Age of Empires series published by Microsoft Studios, lets you start your own Greek civilization and expand it from a village to an empire while playing with friends online.

The game came out last year and got a big update a few weeks ago when developer Gas … Read more

Zombie Lane is a freemium simulator-style game that's part FarmVille (iOS) and part "The Walking Dead." It's got the addictive elements of an empire-building simulator, plus all the undead charm of a zombie apocalypse. In other words, it's something of a dream come true for me, minus one major element (I'll get to that later).

In Zombie Lane you are one of a handful of survivors, fending for your life as zombies rip your neighborhood to shreds. Armed with only a shovel and a few shotgun shells to start, your goal is to reunite … Read more

Beware the mighty Wampug!

Kristen, a friendly veterinarian with a knack for arts and crafts, transformed her puppy into Luke Skywalker's worst nightmare.

"Every year I make a new costume for my pug Chubbs and this year was no exception," reads the YouTube video's description. "This year she became the dreaded Hoth Wampa from The Empire Strikes Back!"

OK, so "worst nightmare" is a stretch. But imagine a swarm of Wampugs. They would be... still pretty adorable.

This story originally appeared on CBSNews.com. … Read more

Unable to visit the ice world of Hoth in the Outer Rim Territories? Check out these Wampa-inspired shoes by Adidas Originals.

During the first few scenes of "The Empire Strikes Back," Luke Skywalker checks out an asteroid, but gets more than he bargains for after an 8-foot-tall Wampa slaps him across the face.

After gaining consciousness in the ice creature's lair, Luke uses the Force to regain his lost lightsaber and pulls a Ponda Baba on the Wampa's arm. Now you can sport some fresh kicks representing the albino monster, which will surely be a hit with the ladies.

Adidas describes the shoes--officially known as Campus 80s Wampa--as made with horsehair, with contrast red stitching, a Wampa tongue badge, and a laser cut Wampa logo. So fly.

The shoes aren't on sale yet on the official Adidas Originals Web site, but they should appear there soon. Other notable pieces in the Adidas Star Wars Fall/Winter 2011 collection include the Hoth shoes, Forum Low RS AT-AT shoes, and other hideous but incredible items.

(Via Sneaker Freaker and My Wampa) … Read more

Wilson's still gone in China rehabilitating baby pandas, so this yuletide episode of The 404 Podcast features me and Jeff going through the movies and film trends that struck a chord in 2010.

Follow along with us as we the best (Inception, Social Network, Hot Tub Time Machine) and the worst (Prince of Peria: The Sands of Time, Devil, Legends of the Guardians) movies of the past twelve months!

Hope you're having a great holiday, and look forward to another 404 yuletide episode coming your way soon!

One of the most talked-about uses for Twitter has been as a free marketing and outreach mouthpiece for nonprofits, particularly those with otherwise limited resources. But a new survey about the most "engaged" charity organizations and nonprofit foundations on Twitter--meaning how big a following a charity has as well as how much it interacts directly with followers and is talked about by other Twitter users--indicates that it's still big, powerful nonprofits that have the most muscle in social media.

The survey was conducted by Empire Avenue, a start-up that translates social-network activity and following into a "… Read more