Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

The Batmobile has been in the news recently with the reveal of the version that’s expected to appear in Matt Reeves’ upcoming Batman movie. While Batman’s new sled looks like a muscle car on steroids, previous versions were much more based in fantasy.

If there’s one thing you can count on in the Star Wars universe, it’s that if you build a big round killer space station, it’s sure to have some kind of major weakness that can be exploited to blow it to smithereens.

As the miniaturization of electronic and electromechanical components continues to improve, so does the ability for engineers to create tiny robots. I recently came across this miniature robot that’s roughly the width of a U.S. penny, but is capable of relatively complex movements.

For many of us, working from home is the best option for getting things done while preventing the spread of COVID-19 and other nasty bugs in the workplace. But not all jobs can be performed off-site, and sometimes in-person collaboration is required.

She may not look like much, but this fire pit has got it where it counts, kid. Normally, if you saw giant flames shooting out of the Millennium Falcon, you’d think it was curtains for Han and Chewie.

It’s not easy being a slacker. Say you are at your desk on a Zoom call and you start dozing off. It’s such a pain to hold your hand up to your chin and prop your head up so that you can sleep, but still look like you are working.

There is nothing cheesy about the Death Star – especially if you lived on Alderaan. But that didn’t stop Disney from making a fully-operational cheese board that looks like Darth Vader’s killer spherical space station. Unlike the actual Death Star, this one is crafted from rubberwood, and holds a set of cheese utensils inside: a cleaver, planer, fork-tipped knife, a spreader (and a Stormtrooper.)

When it comes to retro gaming systems, SEGA made some of my favorites, including the Master System, Genesis, and Dreamcast. Long before modern mobile devices, the Japanese video game company created one of the first full-color handhelds, the SEGA Game Gear.

Among the many pop culture robots to ever be created, Bender Bending Rodríguez lands a place plainly in the top 10 of all time. Futurama’s snarky, belligerent, and occasionally sympathetic robot companion has a fond place in many a geek’s heart.

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.

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.

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.

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.