Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

Not to be confused with the foam pool noodles my brother and I used to whack each other with like we were competing in the joust on American Gladiators, these collab pool floats from Jumbo x The Standard are actually giant inflatables in the shapes of different kinds of pasta.

Because who doesn’t want to hitch their wagon to Nintendo’s first return to movies since 1993’s unfortunate Super Mario Bros., Lush has teamed up with the video game giant to produce a line of bath products inspired by the upcoming Super Mario Bros.

The Smartflower solar energy system is a sculptural array of solar panels in the form of a flower that follows the sun throughout the day. Due to the system’s movement, it’s able to collect as much as 40% more energy than a comparably sized static solar panel.

The Big Boy is allegedly the world’s smallest fully functional bicycle, constructed and misnamed by YouTuber The Q. I would argue a “fully functional” bicycle should have a practical seat for actually sitting on, but what do I do know?

Because cats make everything better, the devoted modding community of racing simulator Assetto Corsa has added felines to the game, allowing players to drive speedy little kitties around the track at high speeds. Awesome, now do it for Mario Kart next.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Creative Machine Labs recently used their creative machines to 3D print slices of cheesecake; layer by layer the machine dispensed triangular troughs of graham cracker paste to hold other ingredients like peanut butter and Nutella.

Presumably inspired by a vision of the future after we clone dinosaurs and they start running amok, model maker Boylei Hobby Time constructed this Statue of Liberty vs. T-Rex diorama using two commercially available model kits.

In the never-ending quest to run the PC classic video game Doom on absolutely everything, YouTuber James ‘Ancient’ Brown managed to get the game playing on wearable ring. We’ve come so far. Perhaps too far, but there’s no turning back now.

After building a giant Nintendo DS last year, YouTuber BigRig Creates decided to mod the unit into the world’s largest Nintendo 3DS, complete with a functional touchpad, giant saucer thumbstick, and a 42″ 3D screen. My living room demands it.

The Meownooker Cat Toy Set from purr-veyor of unique pet goods Vetreska is a miniature pool table with felted balls and feather toys attached to the pool cues for your feline friends to play with. That’s fun.

Proving that, with enough ingenuity and the right pieces, it’s possible to build anything with LEGO, YouTuber Peter Knetter built himself a working LEGO Nintendo GameCube, complete with a matching controller. Of course, the hardware isn’t LEGO, he repurposed an existing GameCube’s guts for both the console and controller, but the case and power light and controller buttons and joysticks and everything else are all LEGO and Technic pieces.

Modeled after Thor’s mythical hammer Mjölnir, this 15.2 oz mug is sure to gain the favor of the god of thunder. Or, I don’t know, maybe piss him off for making his hammer into a novelty item.

Inspired by the throttle grips seen on motocross bikes, the Throttle Opener is a bottle opener with a rubberized grip in the style of a dirt bike. Plus, it opens bottles with the same wrist motion as operating the throttle, just like you’re revving a bike.

Since riding the Nintendo train is a very lucrative ride indeed, Red Wing Shoes teamed up with the gaming giant to create a real-life pair of Mario’s boots from The Super Mario Bros. Movie. These are those boots.

Designed to look like a Japanese bowl of instant ramen, the Soup Cat Bed available from Happy & Polly features a luxuriously soft interior, complete with a bottom cushion printed with noodles and egg and a velcro topper for keeping maximum warmth inside.

Ear candy: it’s second only to eye candy in terms of deliciousness, and both together are a match made in cavity heaven. And here, to provide both, is a video of YouTuber RugTrade tufting a large Kirby rug, complete with ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) audio to make your brain tingle.