Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

When it comes to robots, most of them are powered by batteries or plug-in electricity, which in turn drive servos or other motors. But if you’re trying to build insect-sized robots, it’s tough for them to get around them without an external power source.

Those familiar red 7-segment LEDs are designed to each display an individual digit, or if you’re 8-year-old me, maybe to string together some letters, like “8008135” that I used to think was me being clever with my old Texas Instruments calculator.

Those of us who grew up playing video games back in the 1980s have a special place in our hearts for the pixel art characters from the 8-bit arcade and home console world. From Pac-Man to Dig Dug to Donkey Kong to Galaga, game artists had to really stretch their creativity and imagination to give us memorable and identifiable characters using the most primitive of blocks and limited color schemes.

Sometimes things are just a little too far away for you to reach with your monkey paws. While you could just move your lazy butt off of the couch, you could also just use one of those reacher claws you sometimes see old people using.

Since the advent of e-mail, the internet, and text messaging, the need for amateur radio communication has definitely diminished. But there’s still a small but dedicated group of enthusiasts out there who enjoy communicating via amateur radio, also known as “Ham radio.”

Did you get a boo-boo on your finger? Don’t be normal and wrap it in an ordinary Band-Aid. Instead, be a surrealist and protect your cuts and scrapes with a slice of pizza. No silly, not actual searing hot pizza.

Unless you happen to be in a seaplane, if your airplane lands in the water, you’re probably in big trouble. The only other exception is if your airplane is actually an inflatable pool float, like this air-filled jumbo jet.

If you’ve ever owned an iPhone, you know how expensive they can be. So you can imagine how much it would cost to decorate a fence with thousands of them. Apparently, that’s what one guy in Vietnam has done, embellishing the exterior of his house with iPhone after iPhone.

I’ve never been a fly, so I don’t know what it’s like to be eaten by a carnivorous plant. Suffice it to say, I’m sure it’s rather unpleasant. Still, I’ve always been fascinated by these plants that can open and close to grab their lunch, and then digest them for nutrients.

Do you love Star Wars? Well here’s something new you really need to add to your collection. Yes, kids, it’s an official Star Wars tauntaun magnet, courtesy of the creative minds at Regal Robot. Based on Han Solo’s trusty steed on the ice planet of Hoth, this hefty magnet measures 3″ tall, and is cast from solid polyurethane resin and handpainted to bring out all of the details of the tauntaun’s head.

Do you have a path or driveway that gets really dark when the sun goes down? You could install traditional path lighting to help guide your way, or you could make the ground beneath your feet glow in the dark, which looks much, much cooler if you ask me.

If you really want to stand out at a rave, you dress up in fluorescent colors and then stand under the black lights. But if you want to take your illumination to 11, there’s a new material that could up your visibility even more.

Normally, printed circuit boards are green and rectangular or square in shape. But these unique circuit boards come in colors like yellow, orange, and blue. Beyond being colorful, they’re designed to be taken apart and assembled into wonderful little robots.

Back in the 1970s, there was a ridiculous pair of pimp shoes which had goldfish in their see-through heels. Now, there’s a modern take on that design which lets you fill up the bottom of your shoes with whatever strikes your fancy.

One of the most pesky and persistent enemies in the Super Mario universe is the Piranha Plant. These little buggers like top pop up and chomp down on your butt just when you think you can get across a jump.

If you’re going to have to wear a face mask to keep from spreading germs, it might as well be something interesting, right? Well, I can’t think of anything better than this Alien facehugger mask to prevent the your nose and mouth droplets from escaping and infecting others.