Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

Back in the 1990s a team of engineers created a device called the iSmell. This unusual gadget used scent cartridges to simulate a wide variety of aromas, which could be triggered through computer code. The iSmell ultimately failed due to lack of market interest, but I always thought the idea that you could create anything from the smell of hot chocolate to pepperoni pizza just by mixing chemicals was pretty fascinating.

Among my many geeky pursuits, two of my favorites are classic arcade games and LEGO. So when I stumbled onto this collection of custom LEGO arcade machines, I had to bust open the piggy bank (aka my PayPal account) – since that’s where I save my spare change to buy stuff that I don’t NEED but that I really WANT. These minifig-scale arcade machines come from eBay seller The Brick Show Shop, who has lots of awesome custom LEGO sets in their shop.

If you’re ready to meet your maker, please have a seat, take a number and wait your turn. The Grim Reaper will see you shortly. Actually, you’re already sitting on his lap. Surprise! It’s time to die.

Did you know the giant space slug that lived inside that asteroid in The Empire Strikes Back was called an Exogorth? Me either. You learn something new every day. Well, now you can have your very own Exogorth to keep on your desktop. The guys at prop company Regal Robot created this awesome sculpture of the massive monster as it pokes its head out of its rocky home attempting to eat whatever might land in its gaping mouth.

When it comes to unusual vending machines, Japan is the place that always comes to mind first. After all, this is the country that gave us machines that vend bananas and fried chicken. But this particular vending machine isn’t notable for what it vends, but what it’s made out of. What you’re looking at is a full-size, working vending machine that’s made primarily out of cardboard.

When I worked in the corporate world, I think my time was equally split between sitting in mindless, unnecessary meetings and staring at massive spreadsheets. While I consider myself to now be an expert at manipulating PivotTables and complex Excel macros, I by no means love spreadsheets.

When it comes to things we can do to mitigate the risks of the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing is definitely at the top of the list, right up there with wearing masks, washing your hands, and not touching your face.

If you love the retro look of pixel art, check out this little desktop accessory that not only can display custom pixel art, but can play music and work as an alarm clock, among other things.

Among classic arcade and console games, light gun shooters are some of my favorites. The problem is that the technology used for older video game systems required the scanning beam of a cathode ray picture tube to detect where you were pointing the light gun.

Some people like to use their time on the toilet to read books or surf social media on their phone, while others use it to solve crossword puzzles. But I’ve never heard of someone trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube while sitting on the pot.

You know what makes a good drink coaster? A good old 3.5″ floppy disk. But real floppies have moving parts and irregularities that can make them less than ideal surfaces for balancing some glasses. Never mind that they just don’t look as cool as these colorful pixel art floppy coasters. Artist Tsvetelina Mihaylova aka PXLprincess makes these 3.5″

The idea of using solar panels to give electric cars a little extra boost is nothing new. In fact, the 2020 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has a solar roof that helps to run its electronics, and can give it a couple of extra miles of driving range each day.

The Millennium Falcon is best known for its ability to do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. But did you know it’s also good for cutting parsnips? Or chopping onions? Or julienning carrots? Well, it is if you pick up this Millennium Falcon cutting board from Promi Design. This $50 cutting board the perfect addition to any Star Wars geek’s kitchen, and would look awesome alongside your X-Wing Fighter knife set and R2-D2 measuring cups.

Since it’s a fictitious creation, nobody really knows what a Kraken looks like. But the one thing we can all agree on is that the thing is a gigantic sea monster, and almost certainly has tentacles that it uses to snatch ships and drag them to the bottom of the ocean.

If there’s one food that I could eat on a whim just about any day or time, it’s pizza. My personal favorite has to be Lou Malnati’s here in Chicago, but I also love a jumbo New York style slice, an ultra-thin Italian brick oven pizza, or one of those crispy 8-corner Detroit slices from Jet’s.

The game Animal Crossing: New Horizons is all the rage with Nintendo Switch players these days. If you’re a fan of the series, then here’s a cool way to store and display your game system. Etsy artist Violet Senpai makes these awesome 3D-printed Animal Crossing island docks, which have been lovingly painted to look like they came right out of the popular world-building game, and look great alongside your Amiibo characters too.