Designer Will Shannon’s Chalk Chess set is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of just creating an impromptu board on the sidewalk using chalk, the pieces themselves are also made from chalk. I had no idea they even made black chalk. Who knew? Pieces range from 1.5″ tall (pawns) to 3.5″ tall (kings).

And while you can use the pieces themselves to create your game board, you’re likely to wear them out pretty quickly that way. I’d go ahead and throw a couple of pieces of regular chalk in the game box to preserve the playing pieces.

Oh, and this goes without saying – you probably don’t want to play with these in the rain. While its manufacturer, Suck UK is currently sold out, you can find The Chalk Chess set over at Useful Things for $19.95 (USD).

I know that most schools have already made the switch to whiteboards, but there are still hundreds of thousands of schools that still use chalk and blackboards because it’s the cheaper option (but do correct me if I’m wrong.) So a neat alternative to plain old erasers? The Chalkeeper.

It’s a concept design by Yonggu Do and Eunha Seo that basically sucks in spent chalk (aka chalk dust) as you use it to erase the writings on the board. When enough chalk dust has been collected, a new piece of chalk will be molded and subsequently spewed out, ready for re-use. I’m not sure about the quality of the recycled piece of chalk, but this definitely is an interesting concept.

I don’t think it’s something that chalk makers will go crazy for, though.

[via Yanko Design]

I can’t imagine a bigger pile of fail than getting my iPhone all caked with chalk dust. This stuff makes you sneeze and is really annoying when it gets on your hands.

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This thing even fails on its basic premise. What is the point of being able to write down notes on the back of your iPhone when you have an endless digital notepad inside the iPhone itself? That’s like carrying a paper day planner to hold your iPhone.

[via Gadget Review]

The Wipeout chalk dust pistol comes with special “chalk darts” which can fire up to 30 shots per cartridge. Keep in mind that the Wipeout uses a spring-loaded mechanism instead of air pressure and fires chalk-tipped soft foam projectiles – so don’t expect to shoot your victims from more than a few feet away.

That said, it’s definitely a better toy for tagging your cube-mates than for pwning your friends on the paintball field. Think NERF paintball.

You can grab a twin pack of Wipeout shooters, along with 6 colorful chalk darts, two pairs of goggles (so you won’t shoot your eye out, kid), and a practice target over on Amazon for $36.66 (USD). Refills will set you back about $8 bucks.