10 ways to geek out this Halloween

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It goes without saying, in this day and age, that geeks know how to party too. Halloween is no exception. But forget dressing up as an iPod--that is so 2005. Here's a list of expertly planned ideas for Halloween '07 that will make you the center of attention (or at least ridicule) among any tech-savvy crowd.
Remember, if any of the options don't seem creative enough, you can make them a bit more edgy by adding some white face makeup and fake blood to "[url=http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9723086-7.html][color=#0048c0]zombify[/color][/url]" the look.
[i]Captions by Caroline McCarthy, CNET News.com[/i]
Credit: Larry Koteff

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[b]10. Lolcat[/b]
You knew this one was going to make it on here somehow, right? If you like things that are cute, fuzzy, and obscenely nerdy, consider making the Halloween party circuit dressed as a lolcat. In case you aren't familiar with this Web trend, it refers to those goofy photographs of cats with grammatically dubious captions written on them. Come on, we know you've seen them.
So here's how you do it: obtain a cat costume, or make one yourself, depending on how much effort and money you want to put into this getup. Then wear a caption around your neck, preferably in the form of a large sign or sandwich board. The contents of said caption are up to you, but proper lolcat grammar is requisite. Suggested phrases include: "I can has," "invizible," "oh noes," "do not want," and "it has a flavr." If you're really lucky, maybe when you go trick-or-treating someone will give you a "[url=http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/][color=#0048c0]cheezburger[/color][/url]."
But if the idea of dressing up like a lolcat for Halloween appeals to you, by all means do it now: this viral Web trend is gonna be so-o-o over by this time in '08.
Credit: icanhascheezburger.com


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[b]9. Burning Man freak[/b]
Burning Man, the annual arts festival in the Nevada desert, has gained notoriety as a temporary hotbed of escapism and chemically induced excess for hordes of Silicon Valley types who are usually all about business. Now more than two decades old, the once-underground event is mainstream enough so that you could dress up as a crazed Burning Man devotee for Halloween and have some well-informed people actually get the theme.
Essentially, with this costume you can do whatever you want as long as it involves wacky face paint, bizarre hairstyles, and preferably as little clothing as possible. Carry something like a bongo drum, a torch, or a live rabbit. If you really want to be accurate, fake a sunburn too. (Don't get a real one. That's bad for you.) Read lots of [url=http://www.boingboing.net/][color=#0048c0]Boing Boing[/color][/url] in preparation.
For the record, CNET News.com does not advocate public nudity, even if you're in really good shape.
Credit: Declan McCullagh/CNET News.com


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[b]8. Blog moguls[/b]
Silicon Valley types, especially if you're built like 6'4" refrigerators, consider going as [url=http://www.techcrunch.com/][color=#0048c0]TechCrunch[/color][/url] icon Michael Arrington. This, optimally, would involve emulating his famous photograph in the now-defunct [i]Business 2.0[/i] magazine: pinstripe suit, politician-worthy tie and plenty of cigars and Monopoly money.
If you schmooze with New York's digital media crowd, on the other hand, Halloween partygoers would probably interpret an Arrington costume as an attempt to dress up like a hedge fund douchebag. They'd be more likely to laugh at a costumed rendition of Gawker Media mogul Nick Denton. After all, this [url=http://nymag.com/news/features/39319/][color=#0048c0]lengthy [i]New York Magazine[/i] take[/color][/url] on the snarky gossip blog underscores the fact that all you really need to do to dress up as the Morrissey-esque Denton for Halloween is to stick a large pumpkin on your head.
Credit: Business 2.0 (Michael Arrington), Nickdenton.org (Nick Denton, photograph by Matt Haughey)


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[b]7. Leave Britney Alone[/b]
If you'd like to dress up as a Web celeb [i]du jour[/i] but don't live in one of the urban tech hubs where people actually know who Michael Arrington is, here's one for you. If you dress up as Chris Crocker, the flamboyant young MySpace star whose tearful [url=http://www.news.com/8301-13577_3-9781292-36.html][color=#0048c0]"Leave Britney Alone" tirade[/color][/url] earned him a handful of talk-show appearances, just about anyone who regularly visits YouTube will know exactly who you're supposed to be.
For the full Crocker look, dress like an [i]America's Next Top Model[/i] reject, and wear plenty of makeup. Make sure your mascara and eyeliner are sufficiently streaked to make it look like you've been crying.
And, of course, carry a picket sign printed with the powerful rallying cry of "Leave Britney Alone!"
Credit: YouTube/Chris Crocker


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[b]6. Dancing Mark Cuban, and partner[/b]
If you're anything like me, you eagerly tuned in to the ABC reality show [i]Dancing with the Stars[/i] to see if billionaire entrepreneur and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban could cut it on the dance floor, but just as quickly tuned out when you realized how nauseating the flashy, glittery prime-time program actually is. But flashy, glittery, and nauseating typically make for great Halloween costumes.
A trip to the nearest thrift store should yield a sufficiently appropriate imitation of one of the ridiculous outfits that Cuban has worn while boogieing on TV. Some of the things he's been spotted in are brown coattails, sleeveless black shirts and pinstripe vests.
The most important part of a Dancing Mark Cuban outfit, however, is the dance partner. Mark's busty blonde cohort Kym Johnson tends to look even more ridiculous than the "bouncing bionic billionaire," sporting skin-baring sparkly ensembles that might have been plucked out of a figure skating tournament circa 1987. Guys, you shouldn't have a problem finding a date willing to look that ridiculous--it's Halloween, after all.
Credit: ABC


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[b]5. Steve Jobs and an iPhone[/b]
Here's another couple's costume: iconic Apple founder Steve Jobs and his perfect match, the iPhone. Jobs is an easy one: just throw on a black turtleneck, slightly too-tight jeans and New Balance sneakers. Dressing like an iPhone requires a bit more artistic talent, but it shouldn't be too difficult. Just get some black sheets or cardboard, and some construction paper for the pretty touch-screen buttons. You Apple nerds are supposed to be all "creative" and stuff, right?
Make sure you hold hands--all night long.
Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com

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[b]4. Software pirate[/b]
Real software pirates are mostly pretty boring-looking. And dressing up as a high-seas pirate is horribly overdone by now. But who says you can't do both?
This outfit should be a haphazard mashup of eye patches, [url=http://www.defcon.org/][color=#0048c0]Defcon[/color][/url] badges, tricorner hats, worn-out T-shirts from [url=http://www.thinkgeek.com/][color=#0048c0]ThinkGeek[/color][/url], and a treasure chest of trade-show swag. Instead of a pistol, carry an awesomely nerdy Super Soaker, and if you're of legal drinking age, make sure to mix your Captain Morgan with an energy drink worthy of late-night hackathons.
A parrot who can rant in [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet][color=#0048c0]l337-speak[/color][/url] would be a fine addition, too.
Credit: James Martin/CNET News.com

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[b]3. The dot-com bubble[/b]
Wow, there sure are a lot of tech companies out there. Whether you're an optimist or a pessimist, you've got to admit that some of these cutesy-named start-ups, still chubby with the baby fat of early-stage venture capital, aren't going to make it through '08. That's kind of a grim thought to most. But turning grim thoughts into corny costumes is what Halloween is all about! So how about dressing up as Bubble 2.0?
Here's how to make the costume. Bust out that collection of Web 2.0 logo stickers (we know you have a box of them, don't lie), inflate a number of Flickr-hued balloons, and chuck the stickers all over them. Dress in Silicon Valley business-casual (jeans, sandals and a blue button-down shirt). Carry the balloons around.
Then you have a perfect pick-up line for good-looking partygoers you might encounter at Valley-area Halloween soirees: "Wanna help pop the dot-com bubble?"
(Photo: [url=http://www.informationarchitects.jp/webtrends2007][color=#0048c0]Information Architects[/color][/url]' interpretation of the Web's top companies in the manner of Tokyo subway maps.)
Credit: Information Architects Japan


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[b]2. Googler[/b]
Google has become just about as famous for its (allegedly) happy-go-lucky employee culture as it has for, well, revolutionizing a whole lot of stuff on the Internet. So much, in fact, that any well-informed audience could probably tell exactly what you were if you chose to dress up as a Googler for Halloween.
Wear jeans with bright, primary-colored sneakers and a Google T-shirt. Don't have one? Try the [url=http://www.googlestore.com/][color=#0048c0]Google Store[/color][/url]. For a hat, wear a striped beanie with a propeller on top. If you can find a Razor scooter somewhere, that's a must, since Googlers [i]really do[/i] ride them around the office--and you can hang your pumpkin-shaped candy tote from the handlebars.
If you'd like to be [i]really[/i] insidery, drape a cuddly toy snake around your neck. [url=http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-6172913-7.html][color=#0048c0]Remember Kaiser[/color][/url]?
Credit: Maggie Reardon/CNET News.com

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[b]1. [i]Second Life[/i] avatar[/b]
2007 was the year that saw virtual world [i]Second Life[/i]'s splendid rise and precipitous fall from favor in the fickle eye of corporate America. Once hailed as the next revolution in social interaction, marketing, branding, and commerce, the Linden Lab creation is now considered by many to be kind of a joke. (To be fair, [i]Second Life[/i] supporters do have a point when they say that advertisers rushed in without knowing what they were doing.)
But one thing's for sure about [i]Second Life[/i]: it makes for a great Halloween costume. Throw on all the lace and leather you own, provided it doesn't cover too much skin. Maybe even a pair of wings--avatars can fly, after all. And if you want to make it explicit that you're a newbie, put a box on your head. (That's a telltale sign in-world that an avatar doesn't know how to "wear" objects.)
Credit: Caroline McCarthy/CNET News.com