Geek of the Week: Sarah

This week's Geek is Sarah, who had the best cake EVER for her 6th birthday.   

Behold:

My Little Darth [found here]

My favorite part of this cake is the Death Star symbol on the pony's flank. 
The best part?  Sarah has Darth incorporated on all her cakes!  Click the link to view her 4th and 5th birthday cakes (featuring the Sith Lord). 

Geek of the Week: James McAvoy

James McAvoy [found here]

Securing the role of Charles Xavier in the newest X-Men film, X-Men: First Class was a dream come true for James McAvoy, who watched the cartoons as a young boy.  McAvoy is also a devoted fan of the Lord of the Rings novels and loves science fiction.  In an interview with The Independent, he said, "[I have] a humongous all-encompassing passion for sci-fi: films, books, art, memorabilia - I'm a proper addict.  It dates from when I read The Lord of the Rings at ll, and after that I read Frank Herbert's Dune chronicles and watched things like 'Star Trek'."  His genre loyalty often influences his choice of roles - he appeared as Leto Atredies II in the Sci-Fi Channel film adaptation of Frank Herbert's Children of Dune and Mr. Tumnus in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.  He also has expressed interest in being a part of one of the J. J. Abrams-helmed Star Trek sequels and was, at one time, rumored to be playing the lead role of Bilbo Baggins for the 2012 adaptation of The Hobbit, which was supported by Elijah Wood (Frodo).

Geek(s) of the Week: Megan & Keith

Two very awesome people, Megan and Keith, are getting married on Saturday, June 11th.  I hope they have a wonderful time on their special day and a lifetime of happiness!

Geek of the Week: Grant Imahara

Grant Imahara (found here)

Grant Imahara is best known for his work on the "Mythbusters" team, but he is also a talented robotics engineer with a super cool resume.  After graduating from the University of Southern California, he worked for Industrial Light and Magic for nine years.  His work can be seen in several films, including the Star Wars prequel trilogy and the Matrix sequels.  He has also competed on Battlebots (with his bot Deadblow) and created Craig Ferguson's robot sidekick Geoff Peterson for "The Late Late Show".

Follow Imahara on Twitter (@grantimahara) and catch him on "Mythbusters" - Wednesdays at 9:00 PM (Eastern) on Discovery Channel.

Geek of The Week: Monday

On her Tumblr blog 6s & 7s, Monday shows off her knitting, needlework, and drawing projects and occasionally posts random pictures that amuse her.  She recently got a lot of attention (and rightly so!) for her adorable Companion Cube sweater.  She's also a comic book and anime fan, plays WOW, and is a major Trekkie, (She's got a "Next Generation" sweater in the works.)  I highly suggest following her blog, especially if you are geeky and crafty.  (Her ability to knit, cross stitch, and draw makes me very, very jealous.)

Geek(s) of the Week: The Flying Monkeys

The Flying Monkeys of Ames, Iowa (found here)

Let's hear it for mad scientist girls!  A Girl Scout sponsored robotics team (made up of sixth and seventh grade girls) in Iowa invented a prosthetic device that allows three year old Danielle to write with her fingerless right hand for the first time!  Their invention, which they call Bob-1, was entered in the FIRST Lego League (FLL) competition and worked so well, they won $20,000 to secure a patent!

 

Geek of the Week: Seth Green

Actor Seth Green is a geek from way back.  Early roles included Fred Glass in My Stepmother is an Alien and the young Richie Tozier in Stephen King's It.  Playing teen werewolf Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" earned him some serious geek cred and allowed him to go on to his most well-known role as Chris Griffin on "Family Guy" and to create his popular stop-motion animation show "Robot Chicken" for Cartoon Network.

Green is an avid gamer and has lent his voice to the Mass Effect game series as pilot Jeff "Joker" Moreau.  He is married to fellow gamer Clare Grant, a member of the geek girl group Team Unicorn.  Recently, Green was invited to attend the final launch of the space shuttle Endeavour.  Although the launch was delayed because of mechanical issues, he was excited to meet astronauts and to get the chance to participate in the historic scientific event.

Follow Green on Twitter (@SethGreen)

Geek of the Week: Adam Savage

Adam Savage is most widely-known as the energetic, fun-loving co-host of "Mythbusters", but he has a pretty amazing resume.  His father was a featured animator on "Sesame Street" and Savage provided voices for several of his father's characters.  He also appeared in a Charmin commercial as Mr. Whipple's assistant and as a drowning swimmer in the music video for Billy Joel's "You're Only Human (Second Wind)".  Savage eventually decided that he'd rather be behind the scenes, and has worked as a special effects artist, robotics engineer, and model builder for several films, TV shows, and commercials, including Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, The Matrix Reloaded, and Galaxy Quest.  He works, along with jack-of-all-trades Jamie Hyneman, on "Mythbusters" and is a featured performer on w00stock.

View Savage's full resume on his website, follow him on Twitter (@donttrythis), and, of course, watch him on "Mythbusters" (Discovery Channel, Wednesdays at 9 PM Eastern)

Geek of the Week: Jonathan Coulton

Jonathan Coulton (found here)

Jonathan Coulton is a former computer programmer and current musical geek genius.  He's a Yale graduate and has contributed theme songs to several TV shows, including Code Monkeys and Mystery Diagnosis.  Coulton is most famous for penning the extremely popular song, "Still Alive", played over the end credits of Portal.  Coulton is also the music director for "The Little Gray Books", an intellectual variety series created by "Daily Show" regular John Hodgman.  In September of 2005, he started a year-long project called "Thing A Week", where he wrote and recorded 52 musical pieces in an effort to boost his creativity.  Coulton licenses his songs under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial license, which allows people to use his songs for noncommercial projects.  As a result, his songs have been used in countless homemade music videos posted to YouTube.

You can get more information about Jonathan Coulton on his blog/website and follow him on Twitter (@jonathancoulton)

Geek of the Week: Tom Savini

Tom Savini (found here)

Chances are, if you've watched a horror film in the last 30 years, you've seen Tom Savini's work.  Called "The Godfather of Gore" and "The Sultan of Splatter" by admiring fans, Savini has done special effects on classic, influential horror films, including Friday the 13th, The Prowler, From Dusk Till Dawn, and several of George Romero's Dead films.


As a kid, Savini was fascinated by Lon Chaney and aspired to be a makeup effects artist/actor.  He spent his pocket money on makeup and practiced on his friends, much to the horror of their parents.  As an adult, he fought in Vietnam, serving as a combat photographer.  He would later use the carnage he saw during the war to create more realistic special effects on film.

He got his start working with Romero on the 1977 film Martin.  Soon other filmmakers (Dario Argento, Tobe Hooper, etc.) came calling and Savini became the go-to guy for gore. 

While he still does behind-the-scenes work and often appears in small roles onscreen, Savini spends most of his time running the Special Make-Up Effects Program at the Douglas Education Center in Monessen, PA.

I would kill to go here . . .

Geek of the Week: Bonnie Burton

Bonnie Burton

Bonnie Burton is a blogger, author, and girl geek extraordinare.  Several of her books have a Star Wars theme, including How to Draw Star Wars and The Star Wars Craft Book.  Burton wrote for Geek Monthly magazine and is the senior editor at Lucas.com.  She loves retro stuff and sports a Bettie Page haircut, cat-eye glasses, and fiery red lips.  (In other words, a girl after my own heart.)  She's also been paid homage to by the great Len Peralta, who featured her on one of his Geek a Week trading cards.

Visit Burton's website and follow her on Twitter (@bonniegrrl.com)

Geek of the Week: Dr. Michael Weissmann

Dr. Michael J. Weissmann

If you want to know about bugs, Dr. Mike Weissmann is the guy to ask.  He has an extensive resume that includes co-founding the Butterfly Pavillion and Insect Center in Westminster, CO, where he also worked as the curator.  He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Colorado in Boulder and his doctorate in Entomology from Colorado State University.  I had the privilege of interviewing Dr. Weissmann about his work and his love of bugs.

Tab:  Were you interested in bugs as a kid, or was it something that came about later?

Dr. Weissmann:  I was afraid of bugs as a kid.  My mom isn't fond of them, and as is often the case, parental influence is strong.  I was especially freaked out by spiders.  It wasn't until I got to college that I realized that insects and spiders are pretty cool, and the more you know about them, the less scary they are.  I guess that is true with many phobias - the more you learn about the item that you are afraid of, the less scary it seems to be.  I'm still a bit freaked out by pre-schoolers, but now that I have granddaughters they aren't quite as scary either.

Dr. Mike, circa 8th grade

Tab:  How did you decide to pursue entomology as a career? 

Dr. Weisssmann:   I didn't decide on entomology as a career, it decided on me.  I'm still not exactly sure how it happened.  I went to the University of Colorado to study aquatic biology.  My original intent (ok...here comes the uber-geeky part) was to study cryptozoology, specifically to approach the study of sea monsters and lake monsters (Loch Ness in Scotland, Lake Okanagan in Canada) from a more scientific point of view as an actual aquatics "expert."  In Colorado, we have no known lake monsters.  The aquatic ecology classes focused mainly on aquatic insects, and the more I learned about them, the more fascinated I became with them.  Most of the aquatic forms are immature stages of flying adults (for example, dragonflies start out as nymphs in the water).  While my course work showed me the wild world of aquatic immature insects, I was curious about the rest of the life stages.  A friend told me about the insect collection in the research portion of the University of Colorado Museum.  I love museums, but had never gone "behind-the-scenes" into the research collections areas.  In November of 1983 (wow, was it that long ago?), I went to visit the CU Museum and requested to see the insect collections.  The semi-retired Curator of Entomology showed me some of the drawers and drawers full of insect specimens, some of which had been collected nearly 100 years earlier.  I was hooked.  He reluctantly allowed me to do an internship there in 1984 (he said that he no longer offered that course, but since it was listed in the catalog, I was fairly insistent that he should honor that).  Dr. Url Lanham became my mentor that year, allowing me to learn Entomology in the old ways, one on one with the master, helping him in the field and in the lab.  After graduating with my Masters Degree in 1986, I was retained by the Museum to help in the collection as the Assistant Curator of Entomology, allowing me to continue mentoring with Url.  I found my niche.

Tab:  Was there an entomologist or another scientist that inspired you when you first started out?

Dr. Weissmann:  My father had a broad background in and love of natural sciences.  He pursued his interest in science by becoming a family physician.  When we took family vacations, it usually included visits to National Parks and National Monuments (he called it "visiting our property" as our taxes paid for them).  These trips taught us a love of nature.  In 5th grade, I was a goof-off in the library one day (most geeks get in such trouble at a young age when they are bored) so the librarian, Mr. Titus, put me in a corner and placed a book in my hand - "More Than A Legend" by Constance Whyte, my first introduction to cryptozoololgy and the Loch Ness Monster.  The following year, my 6th grade science teacher, Norma Kourey had a classroom full of living plants and animals, inspiring me to love living things and want to study them.  Several fantastic teachers throughout the years encouraged me to pursue my interest in biology, leading eventually to me walking through the doors of the CU Museum where I met my mentor entomology, the late Dr. Url Lanham.  When I left the CU Museum in 1991 to pursue my Ph.D. in Entomology at Colorado State University, I studied with two of the greatest entomologists of our time, Dr. Boris Kondratieff, and the late Dr. Howard Evans.  My education in science, and specifically entomology, was the best a bug geek could ever hope for.

More Than a Legend by Constance Whyte

Tab:  What about butterflies fascinates you?

Dr. Weissmann:  As insects go, they are OK.  Many people believe I love butterflies, just because I consult on butterfly exhibits worldwide, have a butterfly garden in our front yard instead of a grass lawn, and am often seen wearing t-shirts covered with butterflies.  Actually, butterflies are not my main interest and really never have been.  When I started at the CU Museum, the Hall of Life was full of dead specimens, so they allowed me to put a small insect zoo in a portion of the space, featuring live insects and related arthropods.  It was a huge hit.  In 1988, while visiting a large insect zoo at the San Francisco Zoo, I learned about a new exhibit across the bay in Vallejo - a butterfly house where visitors could walk in a greenhouse surrounded by live tropical butterflies.  I was excited by the experience, and became determined to bring that kind of experience to my home state of Colorado.  However, it was always about the insects.  To me, the butterflies were a great marketing gimmick to get people to look at the other insects.  Even people who dislike (or even despise) insects make an exception in the case of butterflies.  Once in the door to see the butterflies, it would be possible to throw in some education about the less-appreciated insects.  I hoped that if a bug-hater like me could be turned around at a relatively later age in life (I was in my 20s when I first went to the CU Museum), then an insect zoo with a butterfly gimmick might help others learn to appreciate the tiny world of animals all around them. 
 

Tab:  What is your favorite bug? 

Dr. Weissmann:  In keeping with my initial focus on aquatic zoology, I studied the Water Scorpion for my Masters degree thesis (not a real scorpion, but a stick-like, extremely well-camouflaged, predatory bug that lives in pond water here in Eastern Colorado).  My mentor, Url Lanham, taught me a love of wild solitary bees (not the typical European honey bee that most people are familiar with, but the native bees that were here long before the European imports - nothing against European imports, as my father is one, but our native bees are very diverse and fascinating insects!). For my doctorate, I studied the Giant Sand Treader Camel Cricket at Great Sand Dunes National Monument.  Both of these are special to me.  These days, in addition to consulting on butterfly exhibits worldwide, I spend my summers working with mosquito surveillance in Colorado, and have found a fondness for these fascinating animals.  When in El Salvador consulting on a butterfly farm project, I was bit by a mosquito that was, on a microscopic scale, far more beautiful than any butterfly I have ever seen - metallic purple, green, gold, and silver in color - MESMERIZING!

  

Water Scorpion

Great Sand Treader Camel Cricket by Eric C. Maxwell

Mosquito by David Scharf

Tab:  Are there any bugs that you don't like or are afraid of?

Dr. Weissmann:  Not really.  There are some that I treat with the respect that they deserve, due to their ability to injure me.  I don't play with Black Widow Spiders, although I use them in my education programs.  I am careful around most arthropods that bite or sting.  I'm more afraid of pre-schoolers - those 4 year olds bite, carry many diseases, and are often dirty, the opposite of a cockroach, which tends to be clean, doesn't bite, and rarely if ever carry diseases in the wild.  It is more important to use caution when picking up a pre-schooler than when picking up most arthropods, lest you get bit and have to get shots.  Bugs are not nearly as scary. 

Tab:  What are some of the most common misconceptions about bugs?

Dr. Weissmann:  Most people believe that the majority of insects are out to do us harm.  In reality, only a tiny percent affect humans in any way.  Most go on about their lives unnoticed by us, and certainly taking little if any interest in humans or what we do.  Those that carry diseases, bite, sting, or compete with us for our food tend to give all the others a bad reputation.  If humans were to disappear from the earth, life would go on pretty much as it was before.  If insects were to disappear, life as we know it would not exist.
  

Tab:  What is your favorite part about being an entomologist?

Dr. Weissmann:  I get to play with bugs!  I get to be a kid forever, turning over rocks and running across fields with an insect net to see what is out there.  Also, when you are an entomologist, it is OK to be a geek, in fact it is expected that an entomologist is geeky.  Most importantly, I get to share my enthusiasm and interest in nature with others in hopes that they may also get to see insects in a more positive light the way I was "converted."

Tab:  What is most challenging about being an entomologist?

Dr. Weissmann:  There is a lot of myth-information and myth-conceptions about insects and other arthropods out there.  Hollywood doesn't help any with some of the giant scary bug movies, and now with the Internet, misinformation about arthropods travels around the world at the speed of light.  Much of my time is spent countering that misinformation and replacing it with the facts whenever possible.

Tab:  What are you working on now? 

Dr. Weissmann:  In the summer, I work as Surveillance Manager at Colorado Mosquito Control, monitoring the 48 or so species of mosquitoes in the state, as well as the diseases like West Nile Virus that they carry.  The rest of the year, I do bug programs ("Dr. Mike's Bag of Bugs") at schools around the region, as well as lectures for various groups on different topics in entomology.  I also consult around the world on new insect zoos, butterfly farms, and butterfly houses, taking the knowledge gained from our work founding the Butterfly Pavilion and Insect Center in Westminster, Colorado, and applying it to other peoples' dream of creating similar facilities.  I'm also working on making sure my granddaughters (4 of them so far!) grow up learning that insects are okay, and being geeky isn't anything to be ashamed of either.

If you would like to hire Dr. Weissmann for speaking engagements or consulting, or have some bug questions of your own, you can find his contact information on the Kallima Consultants website.
 
*If you'd like the chance to be interviewed and featured on Geek of the Week, leave me a short note in the comments with your email!

Geek of the Week: Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton as Evil Wil Wheaton

If you were going to crown a "king of the geeks" or elect a president of "Geekland", it very well might be Wil Wheaton.  Not only has the actor/writer starred in one of the most beloved sci-fi series of all time,"Star Trek: The Next Generation", he also is the co-creator of w00tstock, a Lollapalooza-esque festival geared at geeks of all types.  Wheaton's first major role was Gordie LaChance, the hero of Rob Reiner's film Stand By Me, based on Stephen King's novella "The Body".  He went on to play the polarizing Wesley Crusher on the wildly popular "Star Trek: The Next Generation".  After "Star Trek", he starred in independent films, lent his voice to animated characters, and honed his writing skills on his blog.

Wheaton is a frequent guest at science fiction and comic conventions and he is experiencing a resurgence in his popularity, mostly due to recurring characters on Felicia Day's web series "The Guild" and CBS sitcom "The Big Bang Theory".

Wheaton's blog is always funny and thoughtfully written and his Twitter feed is an extension of his witty, humorous personality.  Follow him on Twitter (@wilw) or visit his blog Wil Wheaton Dot Net.

Geek of the Week: Dr. Robert Sapolsky

Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky

Dr. Robert M. Sapolsky is not your average scientist.  The curly-haired, bushy-bearded professor is a world renowned expert on stress.  In addition to teaching biology and neurology at prestigious Stanford University, he is the author of the critically-acclaimed book Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers*.  Sapolsky has spent the last 30 years studying the correlation of interaction and stress-related diseases among the baboon population of Kenya. He postulates that baboon relationships mirror basic human relationships, and by studying stress in baboons, he can infer the effects of stress on humans.

While working on his doctorate, Sapolsky discovered that chronically stressed lab rats had significantly diminished brain capacity when compared with non-stressed rats.  Specifically, chronic stress affected the rats' hippocampus, the part of the brain that controls memory.  In his work with baboons, he has also discovered that the animal's place in the social hierarchy affects the cortisol levels in the blood.  In layman's terms, the higher status the baboon has, the lower its stress level.  Sapolsky, along with his colleagues, discovered that the earlier a child experiences major stress in their lives, the greater effect it will have on their adulthood.

He has also taken the study of stress to a cellular level.  Telemiers are the "caps" that protect your individual strands of DNA.  As we age, the telemiers deteriorate, but Sapolsky noticed in his research that high levels of stress accelerate telemier deterioration.  It's fascinating stuff and Sapolsky is fascinating to listen to.  (I highly recommend the National Geographic documentary, Killer Stress, in which Sapolsky is featured heavily.)

*I will be posting a review of this book on Saturday.

Geek of the Week: Felicia Day

Felicia Day

Smart cookie Felicia Day got her start playing Scout in a community theater production of To Kill a Mockingbird.  In addition to being home schooled, she studied ballet and operatic singing.  She was also an accomplished violinist and was accepted to Julliard School of Music at 16.  Day decided to attend the University of Texas at Austin when they offered her a full scholarship and studied mathematics and music performance.  She graduated as a National Merit Scholar and the valedictorian of her class.

After college, she began an acting career that included a recurring role on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer".  In her spare time, Day was an avid gamer and used her experience playing MMORPGs to create the popular web series "The Guild".  After the privately funded first season became a huge hit, Microsoft agreed to fund future seasons.  Day also appeared as Penny on Joss Whedon's musical web series "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog" and continues to act in television and films.

Day recently announced via Twitter that she was working on a new web series.  The series will be based on the popular PC game Dragon Age: Origins and feature Day as writer, producer, and star.  Wil Wheaton, costar on "The Guild" and creator of geekfest Woostock, will also write and star in the production.

Follow Day on Twitter (@feliciaday) or visit her website/blog.

Day shows off her impressive pipes in music videos released to promote "The Guild":

Geek of the Week: Stephen Torrence

Stephen Torrence is a self-described geek who posts ASL (American Sign Language) videos for popular (and not so popular) songs on YouTube under the user name CaptainValor.  Torrence is hearing and was introduced to ASL through a high school friend who enjoyed signing with her mother.  He graduated from Texas Tech and minored in ASL.  He got his start making videos for his sign classes and they were so well-received, he decided to post them on the internet.  PopEater posted one of his videos and he ended up with over 18,000 subscribers. Torrence proves his geek cred by being a big Jonathan Coulton and Portal fan.

Here are my favorites of his videos:

Jonathan Coulton's "Re: Your Brains"

"Still Alive" (also written by Jonathan Coulton) from Portal

And here's an interview with Torrence by How Stuff Works

Geek of the Week: Simon Pegg

Simon Pegg

British funnyman Simon Pegg started as a stand-up comic, and after a few small television roles, landed his own series on BBC 4, "Spaced".  Along with co-star Jessica Stevenson, he wrote the series, placing himself in the role of Tim, a slacker graphic artist with dreams of creating his own comic book.  After working with Edgar Wright on "Spaced", the two decided to write a romantic zombie comedy (or "rom-com-zom"), which became the acclaimed Shaun of the Dead.  This film launched Pegg into the international mainstream, making him a geek icon and allowing him to live out some childhood dreams, including snaring a cameo in George Romero's Land of the Dead and appearing on a "Doctor Who" episode ("The Long Game" in 2005).

Pegg went on to do several films, including playing Scotty in the 2009 Star Trek reboot and voicing Reepicheep in the latest installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series, Voyage of the Dawn Treader.  Pegg's likeness was used to create the character Wee Hughie for underground comic The Boys, and he quickly became a fan despite the fact that the comic's creators had used his image without his permission.  He even wrote the introduction for the first compiled volume.

Pegg's latest film, Paul, also stars his frequent collaborator and best friend, Nick Frost (Mike in "Spaced", Ed in Shaun of the Dead, and PC Danny Butterman in Hot Fuzz), and centers on two comic book fanboys who have their own close encounter with a wise-cracking alien.

Pegg turns 41 on February 14th (tomorrow!) - wish him "Many Happy Returns" on Twitter @simonpegg.

Geek of the Week: George Romero

Image from Famous Monsters of Filmland

  George Romero, the father of modern zombie flicks, just celebrated his 71st birthday on Friday, February 4th.  Romero made several commercial short films (including one for "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood") before forming Image Ten Productions with several friends.  Their low-budget cult classic Night of the Living Dead set a precedent for zombie movies of the future.  While his "Dead" series is his best known work, Romero has also made several other cult favorites including Martin and Creepshow (his anthology collaboration with horror writer Stephen King).

Romero's films are known for their social commentary and he has influenced other horror directors, as well as cultivating the entire zombie genre.  His name is synonymous with "zombie" and his films have been referenced in everything from Shaun of the Dead to Stephen King's novel The Cell.

Geek of the Week: Maitland McDonagh

That's right, "Geek of the Week" is back! 

Girl geeks get very little love, so I'm pleased to present my "Geek of the Week": Maitland McDonagh.  McDonagh is a renown film critic who received degrees from prestigious Columbia University.  In addition to writing for several publications (including Film Comment, Film Quarterly, Premiere, Entertainment Weekly, and Fangoria), she has written several books on film and has appeared in numerous documentaries as a film expert.

McDonagh is a rare breed as far as critics go.  I discovered her while watching the Bravo miniseries "Scariest Movie Moments" and it was clear she knew her stuff.  Not only is McDonagh well-versed in the horror and sci-fi genres, she's a genuine fan.  Horror is one of her specialties (along with erotic films) and is heavily featured on her website/blog, Miss Flick Chick.  Her reviews are thoughtful and well written and she never pans a movie simply because it's geared for "low brow audiences".  Unlike most critics, she sees horror as an art form and dissects films of the genre as she would a highly stylized period piece.

Here's McDonagh, along with other women in the horror genre, discussing their affinity in a trailer for the Canadian documentary Pretty Bloody: The Women of Horror:

Geek(s) of the Week: Phineas and Ferb

Phineas and Ferb are step brothers who love to create wild inventions to stave off boredom during summer vacation. Phineas is incredibly smart, creative, and an amazing builder. He is helped by his equally inventive (but much less talkative) step brother, Ferb, who helps him realize his incredible visions.

Although they're cartoons, Phineas and Ferb are excellent role models for smart, imaginative kids.