pencil on technabob...

Getting students to stay “on task,” as they say, is a constant challenge in the modern school, but one company thinks they have part of the answer. British design company Concentrate has just debuted a new age in the ABCs of reading, writing, and ‘rithmatic… but in this case, that means “already-been-chewed.” As in, their new pencils have been.

The…

Feeling musically inclined, but haven’t the time or knowledge to write sheet music? Now you can produce your own sonic creations simply by doodling on a piece of paper.

Designed by Adafruit (in collaboration with Jay Silver), Drawdio is an analog synthesizer circuit that straps to any soft-leaded pencil, and lets you crank out electronic sounds while you sketch. The…

If your kids aren’t getting beat up in school enough for your liking, then you could try your hand at these felt lightsaber pencil holders and see if that kicks it up a notch.

Seriously, this is a pretty cool idea, but there is one problem: they don’t actually resemble lightsabers. Staging them with Star Wars pencils is definitely helping, but…

This is a pretty sweet autonomous robot that employs pencil erasers as bumpers. It’s called No. 2, Champion Autonomous Mini-Sumo Robot (a name that just rolls off the tongue, no?)

It was made by David Cook (not the American Idol winner, though, it’s a different David Cook.) The process of making this bot is detailed, and I do mean detailed,…

These wacky mini panda bear shredders aren’t really big enough to destroy that second set of books you’ve been keeping for your business (let alone pandas), but they are perfect for getting rid of tiny pieces of paper you’ve written secret love notes on. As an added convenience, the desktop panda will sharpen your pencil while it shreds.

The little…

While the thought of someone writing on the screen of my Nintendo DS Lite with a Number 2 pencil makes me cringe, these clever styli won’t actually do any damage to your console’s delicate touchscreen.

The Official Nintendo DS Pencil Stylus really does look like a pencil, but has a soft tip that protects your DS screen from any scratches.…

Here’s a nice conversation piece for your desk… The appropriately named Cat’s Arse Sharpener ensures that your pencil gets a nice sharp point in the most disturbing manner possible.

Insert your dull pencil into the cat’s “third eye,” and it lets out a meow and sharpens your pencil. There’s nothing more I can really say about this, exect that all…

With all the talk about pixel shaders, normal mapping and HDR lighting, sometimes I just wish for a kinder, gentler time when 3D meant watching a bad science fiction movie through a pair of cheap, headache-inducing red and blue glasses.

Now you too can create 3D images using the classic red and blue method using this fun little kit. The…