Archive for June 2008

Do you prefer your robots cute, soft and able to hold your stuff? Me too, and that’s why I am enjoying the Robot a Day project from Canadian crafter Erin Wilk, aka Etsy seller anatomyofaskirt. Each weekday Erin creates a new, limited edition ‘bot made of vinyl, with convenient flip-top zipper head.

With all the buzz surrounding the impending Apple WWDC show, it was only a matter of time before pictures of Steve Jobs and some new i-Things would leak to the ‘net. So I’m happy to bring you this exclusive first look at Apple’s latest breakthrough in miniaturization.

The venerable Commodore 64 is well known among the electronic music community as a synthesizer modder’s dream machine thanks to its robust SID audio chipset. But most of the mods I’ve seen end up looking just like an old C64 and all the cool stuff is going on under the hood.

I have a tendency to prefer my sound systems to be heard, not seen. After all, isn’t it all about the audio? But I recently came across a speaker line that even the most ardent of design snobs would be proud to put in their living rooms.

After you decked out your Rock Band rig with a light show and smoke machine, I bet you thought you added all the cheap theatrics you’d ever want. But when I saw these light-up drumsticks, I knew there was just a little more you could do to crank your performances up to 11.

What better way to literally wear your (Duck Hunt-smitten) heart on your sleeve than with this vinyl NES Light Gun cuff? You can purchase this sexy/nerdy item from bettydeath on Etsy for 20 bucks. She’s clearly a little quirky.

Now that we’re down to just two leading party candidates for the 2008 U.S. presidential election, it looks like a couple of new upstarts have tossed their brightly colored plumbers’ hats into the ring. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m definitely voting for the Mario/Luigi ’08 ticket.

When I think of airbags, I picture them inside the car. But what if we equipped cars with outer airbags to protect pedestrians? That’s exactly what Toyoda Gosei (an offshoot of Toyota) has done with these prototypes: they’ve equipped cars with camera and radar sensors to detect pedestrians and (presumably) activate the outer airbags to protect anyone within range of the car.

I always wondered what Pac-Man and his entourage did when they weren’t busy chasing each other around that maze. Thanks to the wacky and warped mind of illustrator Scott Campbell, we finally get a glimpse of Pac ‘N Pals outside the confines of their familiar corridors.

Somewhere around 3 or 4 in the morning, at the deepest point of my R.E.M. sleep, my orange tabby insists on jumping into the bed, meowing incessantly, as he plots to claw my eyeballs out. Now I’ve got a whole different way for a cat to freak me out and jar me awake from my slumber.

In a not-too-obvious attempt to avoid a cease and desist letter from Taito’s copyright attorneys, these fun video game inspired lamps go by the nom de plume “Space Intruderz”, rather than the “Invaders” moniker more befitting these pixelated luminaires.

If you’ve been searching for fun affordable art that features those convenient shortcut keys, this might be your lucky day. Clever Brooklyn graphic designer Christopher David Ryan has created the Command print series for his online shop, My Little Underground.

LunaBlocks are giant Lego-like blocks that you can use to make furniture! LunaBlocks were designed by Thierry Nahon & Philippe Landecker, who say they are all about “the transformation and enlargement of bricks used in building games for children.”

John over at Boing Boing Gadgets dug up this awesome video from the classic Sci-Fi comedy show Mystery Science Theater 3000. Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot debate the pros and cons of PCs and Macs in a debate that still seems relevant nearly 17 years after this hilarious clip made its debut.

This (somewhat creepy) 3D anime lass is actually hiding a nefarious secret- behind her back lurks a dastardly PC mod! Um, wow, I guess if you’re really lonely and have a lot of time on your hands this is a good idea.

Someone (who I’ll dub Crafty McCrafterson) created this charming Grand Theft Auto IV cross-stitch which uses embroidery thread to express that age old chestnut “Only those who die get closure. The living do not.” Awwww. So sweet!