There's a contest for everything...

Awesome- Biennial Beard and Moustache Competition:   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1187350/Pictured-Bearded-wonders-gather-hairiest-contest-world.html

Toshiro Mifune

I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to top this one, but it needs posting. Chances are, if you think of the word "samurai" you're thinking along the lines of the myth that Mifune brought to life. Surly, drunken, battle-hardened with a heart of gold, he was the centerpiece of classic Samurai movies such as Kurosawa's "The Seven Samurai","Yojimbo" and "Rashomon." I'll leave the reader to source more detail from Wikipedia and IMDB, but I don't think there's an argument convincing enough to remove this guy from the hall of badassery.

Aziz Ansari

For taking on IMAX. He's sick of the upcharge for the IMAX digital movies that are the same size as a traditional movie screen. I agree: the IMAX name (unadulterated) should only apply to the 72 foot screens.

Aziz's blog on the topic Warning: he has a potty-keyboard.

Mr. T

'Nuff said.

Is Wil Wheaton a badass...?

You're sort of being wedged into a conversation I've been having with my brother. He wanted to know why I joined the Wil Wheaton fan page at facebook. I explained that Wil's keynote at Penny-Arcade Expo 2007 was eye opening. He has a lot to say about people my age and how we interact vis-a-vis gaming and fiction. He was also a welcome addition to the D&D 4e podcasts with the PA guys.
So Nick says, "so you'd have Wil on your badasses blog if he had a moustache?" In fact, Wheaton can be seen sporting some kind of all-over 5 o'clock shadow above (and his digital self on his blog includes said whiskers). But I'm not sure he qualifies as a badass. Entertaining? Yes. Clever? Surely. But I don't know that just being an entertainer is sufficient for badassery... So I'll let you decide:

Pros-
* Recurring character on ST:TNG
* Main character in Stand by Me (watched this a few months ago, Richard Dreyfus is really the weak link)
* Interesting keynote for PAX 2k7
* D&D 4e podcasts
* Tweets
* Blogs about being a compulsive autobiographer/parent/actor/invitee to ST:TNG related events/guest speaking at cons
* Writes a tech article for Suicide Girls... sorry, no link.
* This from his special screening of the new Star Trek movie

Cons-
* ST:TNG character annoying enough to earn moniker "Weasley Crusher"... let's face it, that's still huge points against.
* Hasn't really done much else professionally to warrant badass stamp and gaming as a hobby isn't really sufficient to qualify
* And then there's this (EDIT: to add that the wife and I just saw the new Star Trek and, well, his expression is valid- still geeked out, though :) )

It's up to you, faithful reader.... review the evidence and vote accordingly

Are you a badass, too?

Faithful readers- do you have a moustache and/or beard? Are you in some way a badass? Send me a reasonably sized pic that at least shows your 'stache (preferably while you're doing your badass thing) and not more than 150 words about why you're a badass- maybe you'll end up on the site too.

Teddy Roosevelt

What better place to start the list of badasses who were known for their facial hair?

Here's the rundown:
* Still the youngest person to assume to office of President
* Distrusted big corporations and dissolved 40 monopolies
* Cowboy
* Survived assassination attempt in 1912
* Explorer
* Conservationist (set aside Devil's Tower as the first national monument)



Verdict: Badass

EDIT: TR themed motivational posters from "The Art of Manliness." I'm not sure if I'm a fan of the blog, but I AM a fan of the repost.