Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

Back before COVID-19, I used to love going to the massage therapist to have the knots and kinks worked out of my perpetually stiff back. Now, the idea of being locked in a room with a virtual stranger putting their hands all over me is kind of worrisome.

Since it first landed on the scene back in 2014, the Apple Pencil and its successor Apple Pencil 2 have brought a tremendous amount of creative freedom and expression to the iPad. Now, it appears that a future Apple Pencil might add a great new feature, the ability to sample colors from the real world.

As vehicles increasingly become showcases for technology on wheels, autonomous driving is becoming closer to a reality – especially for commercial purposes. We’ve been seeing ride-hailing services and delivery companies testing out self-driving vehicles for a while now.

When it comes to Star Wars movies, many of us agree that The Empire Strikes Back was still the best of the nine film Skywalker Saga. Among its many contributions to the lore of Star Wars were the tauntauns that Luke and Han rode around in the snow on Hoth.

Sparkling water usually comes in zesty flavors like lemon, lime, grapefruit, or cherry. While I do love me some marshmallows, the idea of bubble water that tastes like the sugary treat seems a little odd to me.

Spring is sprung, da grass is riz, I wonder where dem boidies is? Well, actually, it’s the sweaty, 90º+ part of summer here at the moment, but after seeing these adorable papercraft birds, I couldn’t get that old poem out of my head.

Strapping a GoPro onto your pet can result in some pretty amusing video footage. But what if you prefer insects to mammals? There’s no way you could fit a regular action camera onto one of those, unless it’s one of those giant bird-eating spiders you find in South America maybe.

I love LEGO, and I love Nintendo games, so when I first heard the two companies were partnering up, I thought it could result in some really great collaborations. While the first LEGO Super Mario kits were definitely targeted to little kids, and not overgrown kids like me, their newly-announced set is definitely up my alley.

Depending on the breed of dog you have, they can look pretty tough all on their own. But if you’ve got a chihuahua or a pekingese and are looking to give your furry pal a meaner look, then may I suggest some leather dog armor.

One of the many things that’s cool about the Nintendo Switch is how people are coming up with creative ways to dock the handheld. Most of the docks I’ve seen keep the screen hidden. In this case, the dock turns the Switch into a tiny pinball machine instead.

Given all of the things that Disney has purchased over the years, we’re surprised they have yet to buy Nintendo or at least the Pokémon franchise. If they did, they’d probably create some crazy Star Wars / Pokémon mashup merch.

Technology and efficiency are definitely two things you’ll encounter in abundance when you visit Japan’s modern cities like Tokyo and Osaka. Now, FamilyMart one of Japan’s biggest chains of convenience stores (aka “konbini”) is aiming to increase its efficiency by adding robots to its staff.

I like to think that I’m a pretty clean person. I take a shower at least once or twice every day, use deodorant, brush my teeth regularly, and don’t roll around in the trash like Pigpen.

Eggs. I love them scrambled, over-easy, in an omelette, on top of a burger, poached, or boiled. And potatoes aren’t too shabby either, but they’re just not as healthy for you as eggs are. Well, now you can enjoy potatoes with your eggs without the added carbs, thanks to these Mr.

Like many of you, I love to play retro arcade games. I even have a custom built MAME cabinet in my basement for when I’m craving a little game of Pac-Man, Dig Dug, or Donkey Kong.

I’ve been fortunate enough not to have needed a COVID-19 test yet, but my friends who have had one have described the part where they stick that swab up your nose as incredibly uncomfortable – as if the thing could touch their brains.