Behold the prettiest, geekiest thing we've ever seen: The Lilypad Arduino.

This is a microcontroller board you can sew into/onto your clothing. That means you can use it to make your clothing do crazy electronic things! We would perhaps program it to make the phrase "Styledash is in contol of this T-Shirt" flash on and off on a t-shirt! Ha! Next stop: world domination.

I'll be the first to admit, I'm an absolute gadget junkie. When I travel, I have to dedicate an entire bag just for my electronics (MacBook, various portable hard drives, iPod, digital camera, digital video camera, GameBoy DS, chargers for all of the above).

But as much as I love gadgets, I hate gadgets that look like gadgets. You know what I'm talking about, cold, bland, corporate. What's worse, if you happen to have a lot of like minded friends, a night out can end in a game of "which BlackBerry is mine?" because they all look the same!

For me, geek chic is all about breaking the stereotype that geek = boring. This is where Skinit.com comes in. Skinit offers a way to both protect (from scratches and scuffs anyway) and add a touch of personality and pizazz to your cell phone, MP3 player or laptop. Most major brands and models are represented and each skin is custom cut for each device. You can even get a customized skin for your Guitar Hero guitar. Talk about geek chic!

Prices range from about $15 - $30 US and you can either design your own skin or use one of the hundreds of themed options. I've used Skinits skins in the past and they are not only easy to put on, when you do decide to take them off, they don't leave any residue on the device itself.

I just ordered two skins for my BlackBerry Curve, Gonzo from The Muppets and something pink to match the rubberized gel case I have already. If you don't want to lose your phone or iPod in the crowd, and want something geeky to match - check out Skinit.

Geeks are known to be socially awkward, especially when it comes to talking to members of the opposite sex. So, what is a geek to do once he or she is ready to pop the question? Well, if both sides of the couple happen to be geeks, things might be a little easier to manage.

Just take a look at these USB engagement rings by designer Jennifer Flume. The idea is that a couple can exchange lovey-dovey data with these flash drives. And yes, those are Swarovski Crystals. The rings also come with necklace chains, in case you're not particularly fond of wearing your thumb drive on your finger.

I love all the flash drive mods that have been appearing over the past year or so. The more creative, the better! I can't get too excited though, because this is just a design concept and isn't on the market. Until then, stay pasty, indoors and painfully anti-social, geeks.

[via Neatorama]

As we covered last week, an ironic/kitsch t-shirt is an essential part of any geek chic ensemble. Although the line between "hipster" and "geek chic" is admittedly blurry (and for guys especially, there is tons of overlap), the best geek shirts are a little more specialized than your standard vintage logo tee. Think vintage computer software company logo tee.

Below are five of my favorite online shops to find geek chic shirts for both men and women (it is significantly harder to find great "geek chic" shirts for girls). Have a favorite geek chic t-shirt shop? Leave your suggestions in the comments!

The Stores:

• Threadless.com
• Jinx.com
• 80stees.com
• Insanelygreattees.com
• ThinkGeek.com

Remember five years ago, when blogs were for uber-nerds, and only the truly obsessed checked their MySpace more than once a week? Times have changed. The increasing popularity of social media sites like YouTube, Facebook, and Flickr has taken what used to get you beat up after math class, and turned it into fodder for the fashion-forward set. The SXSW Media Conference brings the hippest tech nerds from around the world to Austin, TX, for two weeks of trendsetting mayhem. Styledash is on the scene, bringing you all the hot looks from the festival.

The South by Southwest Conference is a hub of activity, emerging technology, and the latest and greatest bands, films, and ideas. Naturally, it brings together brilliant minds in music, film and interactive technology, and some of these people know how to dress. Leave the Hawaiian shirt at home- when on a business trip or at a convention, you can up the fun and comfort without losing presentation. Take tips from these guys- how to dress down and still be all business.

Since when did catwalk models start dressing like robots from Star Wars? At first glance, this might look like an uber-nerdy sci-fi fashion convention, but the photo is from an honest-to-goodness runway show. Industry big wigs who attended the event called the looks "edgy, aggressive and urban," but I think most normal people can agree this woman looks half hipster, half C-3PO (the whiny British robot from Episodes IV, V and VI who was always scared he was going to die).

Other designs in the collection look like Stormtroopers (the dudes in white outfits who worked for Darth Vader), the Terminator, and the outfits from Tron.

Ever since the rise of blogging, social media, etc, it's been cool to be a nerd -- but this is taking geek chic to a whole new level. May The Force be with you if you try dressing like this in public.

Ever been to outer space? Ever planning on going? Obviously you'll need to know what to wear when you're hanging out with all those aliens -- that's why a bunch of nerds some extra-terrestrial enthusiasts created Spacestyle 2007: A Giant Leap for Couture.

BoingBoing TV ran a hysterical segment on the event, in which you get a sneak peek at all the interesting, odd, and downright unfortunate intergalactic fashions. The best part is listening to the two fashion experts BBTV found to comment on the event (they were mostly unimpressed).

As you'll see from the video, this is incredibly geeky stuff. However, you never know what'll inspire mainstream fashion. With the increasingly popularity of Web 2.0, retro gaming, and geek chic, how long will it be before weird alien fantasies start showing up at H&M?

Sure, the t-shirt at right looks cool. Bold graphics, cute design elements, and a reference to Twitter (a trendy new social networking website) -- how geek chic!

Oh, but there's more. The "Reactee" can give anyone who sees you updates on your life. All they have to do is send a text message to the number on your shirt, and they'll get a pre-designated text back from you.

You could use this as a walking billboard for your favorite cause -- like an "Obama For President" shirt that sends people campaign information -- or as a way to promote your band's website while you're busking on street corners. The above example sends your latest Twitter update -- so however you were feeling the last time you used your computer can now be available in real time to anyone you pass on the street.

[via Shiny Shiny]

I know, on more than one occasion I've bemoaned the fact that people like Paris Hilton use dogs as accessories, but that was before I saw this completely awesome dog costume.

I'm not sure if it would look right on any other breed of dog, but if you are a pug owner, you should buy this immediately. Even if you're not a big Star Wars dork (like me), who would walk your dog in this outfit every single day, you can still keep it for special occasions -- like Halloween, or your local Star Wars convention, or...something.

May The Force be with you.

[via Neatorama]

Remember how awesome it was when you first played Zelda, and the world was so mind-blowingly huge that you had to track your progress on a map?

Now you can relive your gaming glory days with this new belt from NerdyShirts that's totally geekchic. The belt depicts the map from the original Legend of Zelda game, complete with Link (the game's main character), holding his sword. Plus, it comes in a tin case fashioned after an old Nintendo cartridge -- awesome!

This will go great with your other uber-hip retro-gaming gear -- like the joystick belt, Mario Bros underwear, or NES controller cellphone.

Admit it, you love being a dork.

Thank goodness the '90s are back! I was born in 1983, so the whole retro '80s thing was fun, but more or less lost on us younger 20-somethings. But now we've finally moved into a decade I can remember, and my childhood has officially become cool.

I love that grunge is back, but the trend I'm even more excited about is retro-gaming. People are modifying old bits of Nintendo gear and out-dated Nintendo images, and turning them into clothing accessories -- or, in this case, the coolest cell phone you've ever seen. Not only does the phone pay homage to the days you spent whoopin'' Koopa's butt, but it's totally functional.

Unfortunately, you can't buy the NES controller phone, as it's currently one of a kind. However, the guy who made it has mercifully laid out some very detailed, step-by-step instructions on his website. So, if you have a little time, and don't mind ripping apart an old controller, you can make your own!

If you decide to try this and you can actually make one that works, please send photos.

Ok, so it's about 1,000 degrees in Texas right now. The kind of nasty, damp heat that makes you sweat just by standing around.

For the most part, I try to brave the conditions by hanging out inside whenever possible, but for those times when I do have to head outdoors, maybe I should get myself some air conditioned clothing. Kuchofuku, a company that specializes in air-con lifestyle products, has an entire range of options from pants, jackets and work shirts for men and women -- all complete with dual fan action to keep you feeling cool even when it's hot, hot, hot!

The only problem is, while Kuchofuku's clothing may help you feel cool, it makes you look like a total dork. The fit, the colors, the designs -- even that little patch for the fan -- scream "I am even less sexy than your high school biology teacher."

But when the temperature is 110, chances are, you aren't looking all that sexy anyway, so maybe it's worth a short.

Amidst all the hype for both the fifth Harry Potter movie, and the series' final novel, you'd expect to see Harry, Ron and Hermione's faces plastered all over the place -- but do they belong in style magazines?

Teen Vogue thinks so, as they featured the trio in what looked more like a fashion shoot than a movie promo. The magazine even created a "special fashion timeline" so you can see how the star's style evolved over the years -- both on screen and off.

And the Brisbane Times tells us that Potter-inspired fashion has infiltrated the muggle world in a number of ways. The first big impact Harry had on the fashion scene was making small, round spectacles cool again; and now the whole cast is influencing the recent "geek chic" trend, with their preppie, boarding school attire. Capes and hooded robes have also been spotted on runways this season.

Personally, I think it might be the other way around -- that pop-culture fashion has influenced both the actors and the costume designs for their characters -- but who knows? Maybe the magic of Harry Potter really is taking over the world -- one fashionista at a time.

With the emergence of Web 2.0 in mainstream pop culture, and the emergence of uber-nerdy pastimes like retro-gaming, one thing is clear: it's cool to be a geek.

And what could possibly be more geeky than Star Trek?

Therefore, Gary Sekulow wins the award for most awesome interior design scheme ever, thanks to his shockingly realistic recreation of the Star Trek set -- re-invented as his home theater. He collected back-lit panels from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Voyager (two of the series many incarnations), and got the captain's chair from Star Trek Enterprise, along with a bunch of props from the many Star Trek movies. Then he hired a local home theater installer to put the whole thing together.

It's a little too sci-fi for my taste, but it's easily the most impressive example of geek decor I've ever seen.