Every geek needs two things to start the morning off right: a quality coffee mug and a fresh T-shirt. Fortunately, Ars Technica now sells both, so you can leap from your bed to confront the forces of file corruption, homeopathy, and state-sponsored malware in style with some sharp Ars Technica merch!

Long ago, when the Ars staff collectively had more hair, fewer graduate degrees, and no children, we first offered merch in the form of shirts, hoodies, and the infamous Ars sumo. Running the merch store then was a thankless job because it meant filling one's garage with boxes of tiny foam wrestlers and XXL hoodies, along with making endless runs to the post office. As we expanded into the interstellar media empire that you know and love today, the leftover boxes of merch were quietly shot into the sun.

But we've always had a soft spot in our hearts for Ars logo shirts—and everyone needs a mug. So when Creative Director Aurich Lawson began batting around a few design ideas, the staff got excited. We hope you will, too.

We're keeping the relaunch of our merch store simple: just two T-shirt designs and a mug. (Each would make a terrific holiday present for that special geek in your life.) Items are high-quality print-on-demand products that can be shipped anywhere in the world. The T-shirts are $20 each; the small version of the mug (11 oz) is $15 and the larger version (15 oz) is $17.

We will gradually add more offerings over the coming year, but here are the three launch designs.

Nuke it from orbit









Sometimes the only way to be sure is to nuke the aliens from orbit. Direct from the Ars Technica Orbiting HQ to your kitchen cupboard, this spiffy mug features separate front and back designs, is dishwasher and microwave safe, and comes in 11 oz and 15 oz sizes.

This could be a real short trip







Wear your Ars pride in an understated fashion while making the leap to hyperspace. Punch it!

The understated design is available on Bella + Canvas 3001 unisex shirts in three colors (asphalt, deep heather, and white) and plenty of sizes (everything from S-4XL). The shirts are 100 percent combed and ring-spun cotton (except for heather, which contains some polyester). They run towards the fitted side—but aren't as slim as American Apparel. You might want to size up if you like a loose fit.

Behold the mysterious moonshark











Ars Attacks! What do these mysterious brains want? Why is the FCC warning citizens to avoid contact? And what in the world are they doing with that moonshark?

Our second shirt design is a touch more whimsical. It's the same Bella + Canvas shirt as above, available in S-4XL and in five colors: white, asphalt, dark grey heather, red, and true royal (blue). You can even pick up a V-neck version!

The store

A final note: we're launching these items in our own new storefront. Despite testing, it's always possible there will be occasional glitches with the ordering and payment process under Ars-level load.

We're here to help. Please contact us at merch@arstechnica.com with personal issues, problems, questions, or concerns. If you have more public comments or questions, feel free to leave them in the discussion below, which we'll be monitoring.

We hope you enjoy the return of Ars merch. Look for even more goodness next year—and if you have any amazing ideas for products or designs, let us know!