Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

Designer Love Hulten has created some truly amazing pieces of retro-inspired technology, from arcade cabinets, to computers, to giant LEGO replicas. Love’s latest build is unlike any that has come before it. The EvoBoxx is a visual synthesizer that’s designed around the classic cellular simulation Game of Life.

Now you can dress like a samurai without any of that bulky metal or leather armor to weigh you down. Yes, this is the first samurai armor I’ve ever seen that says “no glue or scissors required.” The Kacchu cardboard samurai armor is available in two styles: bright red armor based on famed warrior Sanada Yukimura’s iconic outfit, complete with reindeer horns, or a dark one inspired by Date Masamune’s.

Raspberry Pi computers have been quite the revolution for makers, encouraging experimentation and creativity thanks to their low cost and compact size. And while the tiny computers are by no means high-end in their processing power, they continue to get faster with each generation.

Remember how mind-blowing the movie Inception was? This table is just as mind-blowing. It was made by Stelios Mousarris, a furniture designer in Cyprus. It was inspired by the movie and is just as weird. More specifically, it was inspired by the twists and turns in Christopher Nolan’s science fiction thriller.

Creative director Matthew Stevenson said that when they were kids, he and his brother were frustrated by the confusing maze that is Metroid. Recently the title’s pun with the DC Metro came to his mind, and with it his childhood frustration. 

If Darth Vader was into crunchy snacks with hulls that get stuck between his teeth, you better believe that he would use this awesome popcorn maker. When you aren’t using it, the bowl clamps over the top to complete a cool and shiny Death Star sculpture sitting on your counter.

I’m always amazed when I see people playing bagpipes. That weird sack with pipes sticking out of it looks so complicated that I can’t believe anyone could master it. I’m just not musically gifted I guess.

LEGO makes a huge number of really cool kits. But if you want to make your LEGO constructions just that much more awesome, check out these lighting kits from Vonado. The New York-based company custom designs lighting sets for off-the-shelf LEGO kits, giving models an even more finished, dynamic, and engaging look.

If you want to make a cake that looks like a motherboard, you may have struggled in the past. Maybe it came out looking more like a motherboard after a fire. Well, Los Angeles baker and author Rosanna Pansino of Nerdy Nummies is here to help.

Despite its primitive looks, MineCraft is an immensely capable game-building tool. Over the years, I’ve seen some insanely creative and complicated levels built using the game’s blocky elements. Recently, one enterprising MineCraft fan created a really amazing thing – it’s a playable version of the game that lives inside of a chest inside of the game.

The video games of old, like Super Mario Bros. and Tetris had some of the best music ever. But would we even recognize them if the music were played backwards? Listen and find out. Musician Stemage created a digital album featuring several memorable NES game themes performed in reverse.

Despite what the Discovery channel, JAWS, and Sharknado might have us thinking, most sharks are pretty decent creatures, and aren’t in the ocean just to chomp off your legs. They’re also very useful creatures, providing a home for your sushi, fruit salads, coffee and tea.

We’ve seen Deadpool take all sorts of forms, from a dog to a kid to a duck. But I can say with 100% certainty that this is the first time I’ve come across Deadpool in ice cream form.

Do you drink cans of soda to keep motivated during the day at work? You could get up from your desk and walk over to the vending machine, but that requires too much effort. What you need is your own desktop soda vending machine.

Whether you’re a karaoke fanatic or just like to sing in general, your neighbors probably don’t appreciate your voice nearly as much as you do. Well thanks to our friends in Japan, there’s a solution! This ridiculous looking contraption is designed to let you sing as loud as you want, but without disturbing others around you.

Christmas might be 6 months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about what gifts to buy. Funko is showing off what could be the best stocking stuffer of 2019, a pair of PEZ dispensers based on the holiday classic A Christmas Story.