I’m seriously  wondering if the speakers will break if it plays stuff like Children of Bodom or Lamb of God.

But if by “acoustically dead” it means that porcelain and cork don’t absorb sound, then metalheads can enjoy their favorite bands with these babies. Can someone explain the acoustics of porcelain to this poor writer?

gSelect sells the porcelain speaker set for $500 (USD); unfortunately it’s out of stock as of this writing. You may want to head on to its product page anyway so you can leave your email address and be notified when the product is available again.

[via likecool]

Now what sort of incense would burn well inside of Darth Vader’s ceramic head? Let’s see, maybe some lavender or patchouli? Nah, I think the dark side deserves something more pungent – perhaps something woody or musky. And I always thought that stormtroopers should smell like coconuts. Why? Again, I’m just weird that way. Both Darth and Stormie hold incense coils, and can even be used to burn those mosquito-repellent coils. I thought Mosquitoes would just explode in mid-air at the site of this Sith Lord and his trusty soldier.

But seriously… Maybe if the Empire had been burning incense in the Death Star all the time, they would have been more mellow, and they would have invited the Rebel Alliance over for a brownie and macramé party instead of trying to blow them up. Can’t we just all get along?

If you really want a pair of these, you can grab the set over at Amazon for $49.95 (USD).

And a damned fine R2-D2 coffee cup it is, complete with a removable dome that’ll keep your coffee warm when you leave it sitting on your desk. For the time being, CubeWorks’ ceramic R2 mug is only available in Japan, but I’m hopeful somebody will decide to import some so I can finally satisfy my Starbucks and Star Wars addictions in a single maneuver.

I found these over on Japan’s Tanomi hobby site for ¥1800 (appx. $20 bucks) each, but by they time to pay to ship something this fragile from Japan, I’m betting you’ll be paying more for shipping than the mug itself cost.

Technabob geek gift tip: Goes great with this Star Wars Coffee T-shirt.

[photo via Japan Star Wars]

These ceramic pigs from Japan’s I.D.E.A. feature a full-range speaker in their bellies. The only thing tastier than pork bellies is amplified pork bellies! Mmmm.

They’re available in black, white, and shiny gold, but you really want the pearlescent pink one, don’t you? Of course you do. My favorite thing about the piggy speaker is the skinny little tail that doubles as the connector for your media player. Oink!

Currently, I.D.E.A. Pig Speakers are only available in Japan, where they sell for ¥4,725 (appx. $50 USD).

I just want to put that Spider-Pig song on my iPod, hook it up, crank it to 11, and put it on infinite repeat.

Designed by Kouichi Okamoto with ceramicist Daniel Jo, the Water Clock consists of a small fired clay base topped with a pair of magnetic spheres. A pair of powerful magnets underneath the delicate clay surface move the tiny orbs in a circular path to tell the current time. While the spheres are magnetic, they’re actually buoyant, so if you fill up a glass with H2O, the “hands” of the clock actually float on the surface of the water. Each of the spheres can be placed into any dish, plate or other vessel you happen to have lying around.

And while all the designer’s pictures show the clock working with crystal clear water and delicate china, I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t make your own clock using beer, wine, orange juice or Donkey Kong Jungle Juice swimming in a Dixie Riddle Cup. That’s the true beauty of this thing.

The Water Clock is available over at Generate for $299 (USD).

Spinning Hat’s Plug Mug features an ingenious design that ensures that only the person in possession of the watertight drain plug can partake of a cuppa without ending up with a scalding hot lap full of liquid. And you’ve got no reason to feel guilty if that were to befall Susie Secretary when she walks off with your cup. If the bright exclamation mark and stop sign and gaping hole in the side of the mug aren’t sufficient warning, she fully deserves what she gets.

You can grab the Plug Mug over at UK gadget shop I Want One of Those for £9.99 (Appx. $14 USD.)

Perhaps inspired by the oh-so-awesome Ms. Pac-Man bathroom, this piece entitled Perpetual Pac-Man would look great in any game room. Or if you’re a serious retro gaming geek – hanging in your bedroom. Of course, it might freak me out to see Blinky staring back at me with his googley eyes in the middle of the night; “Don’t eat me, man. Eat the cherries! Eat the cherries!”

Created by Donna over ArcadeArt, Perpetual Pac-Man measures in at 20″ (w) x 8″ (h) and is handcrafted from acrylics and urban ink on canvas, then hundreds of individual colorful tiles made by the artist herself.

It’s just one of many fun old school arcade-inspired pieces over in ArcadeArt’s Etsy shop. Be sure to swing by and check it out.

I was just minding my own business (shopping online) this morning when I came across this great R2-D2 cookie jar. The hand-painted ceramic R2 stands about 12-inches tall and flips his lid, letting you put all your tasty baked morsels inside the little droid.

Now go figure that there’s a warning on the product page that reads: “The Star Wars Collectible Cookie Jars are intended for decorative and collectible purposes only. They are not intended to hold cookies or any kind of food item.” I don’t know about you guys, but I think I’ll take my chances on contracting lead poisoning if I can keep my cookies in R2’s head.

Cookiehead R2-D2 can be found over on Amazon for $39.99.

While it’s officially being called a “stein” thanks to its flip-top head, the ceramic Dark Lord mug is perfect for those of us who like a really big cup of coffee.

The oversize mug has a 24 ounce capacity, more than enough joe to keep you buzzing all morning long. Of course, you’re not allowed to add any cream or sugar, as Darth only drinks his java black.

If you prefer a different kind of buzz, you can always fill it with beer and bring it to toast at next year’s Oktoberfest.

The Darth Vader Stein is available from Amazon for around $14 USD.

Created by Taiwan’s MOD Design, Reset Cups are larger-than-life versions of the “Ctrl-Alt-Del” keys, typically used to reboot or login to your Windows PC. Each set of three key cups ship with a matching circuit-board embossed tray (which sort of reminds me of TRON for some reason). MOD will be making them in both a white-on-black and black-on-white version, so you can match them with the color of your keyboard.

Other than the fact that MOD showed off the Reset Cups at the recent Maison + Objet design show in Paris, there’s no further information on when or where you’ll be able to buy these yet. I guess for now, you’ll have to settle for pressing the Ctrl-Alt-Del keys on your PC over and over agin.

[via Electric Pig via The Daily Dairy]

With a retro style reminiscent of a 1950s robot movie (or Jemaine and Bret dressed in tin foil wrapped cardboard boxes depending on your point of view), these nifty bedside lamps are actually made out of ceramic with a metallic silver coating. The lamps measure about 17″ tall, so they’re substantial enough to put in your living room if you’d rather not worry about a pair of robots coming to life and killing you in your sleep. And now, enjoy this brief musical interlude…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

(If you’re feeling more whimsical, you can put some mutton chops and chunky black glasses on the left one, and a scraggly hair helmet on the other.)

While I’d rather that the robots themselves lit up, I think I can forgive the ugly bulb and lampshade sticking out of the top of its head. Available from Urban Outfitters for just $30.

[via GeekSugar]

Tetris Tiles come in a variety of shapes inspired by the classic arcade puzzler, and let you create unique patterns on any wall or floor. Just like the game, it’s up to you to interlock them to fill in every single spot. They come in just about every color under the sun, and are made from fine Italian ceramics.

Tiles are custom cut to order by their UK creator and it takes about 3 to 4 weeks for delivery. Ready to decorate? Just drop the guys at Tetris Tiles an e-mail to place your order.

[via DesignMilk via Apartment Therapy]

Designed by artist Amy Allison of Soda by Amy, each porcelain robot vessel features the likeness of a robot man, woman or child. Since each one is hand built, they’re all slightly different shapes, sizes and textures. Thanks to their simple design, you can use ‘em for sipping coffee, organizing pens and pencils or as a flower vase. And yes, they’re lead free and dishwasher safe, so drink up!

Amy’s robot cups range in price from $16 to $20 each. While they’re not shown on the Soda by Amy Etsy shop at present, I’m sure she’ll be happy to accept your orders if you drop her a message. Think of it as a secret club that only we know about.

Italy’s Nacsound has created a line of speakers which look like something you’d find in a contemporary art museum (or at least a high-end furniture store). From the tabletop Omni (shown above), to the ceiling-to-floor suspended Kayak (shown below), Nacsound isn’t kidding around when it comes to their daring modern aesthetic.

Nacsound’s crafts the svelte speaker enclosures from materials such as clay or aluminum, then covers them with bold finishes including reflective copper, shiny platinum, blue/gold patina, matte graphite and black. The speakers themselves are made from innovative materials such as ceramics, aluminum and silk to produce room-filling omnidirectional sound.

Another speaker in the line is the elegant, minimal Zemi ceramic orb speaker which can be either hung from a ceiling cable or placed on a tabletop in a matching base. Luscious.

Of course, this kind of style never comes cheap. Nacsound speakers range from about $1,000 to $4,500 each. If your Italian isn’t particularly molto bene, North American distributor Sonance has English language  product information up on their website.

[via Tendance High Tech]

These old-world Bavarian beer mugs were hand-formed from clay and relief-printed with Mario’s familiar life-giving mushrooms.

Unfortunately, these handcrafted 1up mugs aren’t available in stores, and were only made in a limited edition as gifts for clients of design publication Die Krieger des Lichts (aka Warriors of the Light).

I’ll personally buy a six-pack for the first person who manages to get their hands on one of these and sends it my way.

[Tint via Flickr]

Created by Italian street artist Enrico Bertorelli — better known as Pixel Pancho — the Boot I series is a limited-edition ceramic art piece that’s a great addition any robot junkie’s collection. Only 29 each of the yellow and green robots have been made, so they’ll be a real collector’s item if you manage to get your hands on one.

I haven’t been able to find out how to purchase these little guys yet, but there is an Online Shop link over on the Superego website.

[via designboom]

The WMF1 Coffee Pad takes a single portioned coffee filter and can brew up a fresh cup of Java in about 1 minute. The compact coffee maker features a clean white design, with a choice of four accent colors: kiwi (green), mango (yellow), berry (red) and stone (dark grey). And yes, it includes the perfectly-fitted ceramic mug. The brilliantly minimal design even won a 2007 red dot award for its creators.

At this point, the Coffee Pad is only available in a European 220-volt configuration, so you’ll need a power converter to use it here in the States. It’s available now from French online retailer Singulier for €139 (appx. $198 USD).

The appropriately named Big Bang 44mm All Black Carat watch may have traditional analog dials, but its design is anything but conservative. Featuring an all black face with all black dials, it’s just too cool for words.

The self-winding chronograph is made using incredibly high-end parts, including a ceramic case made from the same materials used in Formula 1 race cars. A precision Swiss movement made from 252 individual components means you’ll never drop a second of time.

Oh yeah, you might not notice them at first, but those little trapezoids gracing the watch’s 18-carat white gold bezel are actually 48 individual black diamonds, totaling 2.8 carats in weight. With a street price of around $47,000, it’s out of reach for us mere mortals. For the rest of us, we’ll just look and drool.

[via Watchluxus]

The MusicMug from I.D.E.A. is a ceramic enclosure with a special (un-amplified) speaker that’s optimized for playback directly from the output of your iPod. Apparently, the china construction is key to the speaker’s sound reproduction. It’s available in the U.S. from the MoMastore for about 40 bucks. And no, you can’t put your coffee in it.