Gadgets, Gizmos, and Games for Geeks

A few years back we talked about the Star Trek TNG Captain Picard Facepalm bust. Picard gave Star Trek fans many things to like and perhaps the most Picardian thing he did was usher in the facepalm meme that we all find useful when someone does something so stupid that words fail us.

Whoa, nice rack! If you are a big-time chess fan, hang up your coat on this cool wooden chess board coat rack. It’s a big checkmate in the home decor wars. It was created by Etsy seller CreativeHolz.

One of the more exciting parts the final season of Game of Thrones so far has been Jon Snow riding on a dragon. Before you get mad about spoilers just realize, the name of this toy itself is a spoiler, so don’t blame me.

Furniture all tends to look the same. unless you make it out of airplane parts, anyway. Check out the BAe-146 Cowling Chair made by Plane Industries. It will make you feel like you are flying while sitting still.

The Xbox Game Pass is a pretty good deal and if you buy the new digital-only Xbox, it will be where you get most of your games. Microsoft has announced what’s coming soon to the Xbox Game Pass, and there’s some really good ones in there.

Animated flip books are usually pretty cute and simple. This one, however, is complex and terrifying. The artistry that went into this creation is just inspiring. In this flip book, no one can hear you scream.

Those of you who looked at that massive custom Harry Potter Hogwarts diorama, and want to build something a little less ambitious, LEGO has announced that it is bringing a series of new, official Harry Potter kits to market.

I never watched Transformers Beast Wars, but I may have to check it out now because this Takara Tomy Transformers Masterpiece MP-43 Megatron Beast Wars figure looks pretty damn awesome. It’s from the Japanese version of Beast Wars and was officially released in Japan last month.

While its been drilled into our heads lately that straws are bad for the environment, apparently, those Q-Tips you use take like a billion years to break down and they are hurting wildlife in the sea as well.

Here in the states, the big electronic gadget exhibition is CES. But in Europe, its the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, aka IFA (pronounced “eee-fah”). Each September, the show kicks off in Berlin, Germany, showcasing a wide variety of technology in consumer electronics, personal care and health technology, home appliances, and much more.

These days, everyone has a big flat-panel television somewhere in their house. While the internal speakers on TVs have improved quite a bit in recent years, the sound quality is never what I’d call “cinematic.” For true home theater sound, you need either a multispeaker surround sound setup, or one of the various soundbars on the market.

This interactive toy for lets Iron Man fans live out their Marvel fantasies in a connected way. The UBTECH Iron Man MK50 is an officially-licensed robotic toy that can be programmed to follow your commands via a mobile app.

What do you do if you’re into the goth scene and your friends invite you to the beach? Finding a black swimsuit wouldn’t be an issue, but I’m not sure you’re allowed to walk around with a tan.

While the SEGA Dreamcast and Genesis were arguably their most memorable consoles, the 32-bit Saturn was quite fun to play too. I spent many a day flying through the skies on the back of a dragon in Panzer Dragoon II Zwei.

When it comes to Star Trek, I am Team Picard. That said, I do like the new Star Trek films as well. Action figure collectors and Star Trek fans will want to add this impressive Jean-Luc Picard action figure to their collection.

Hey, nothing but the best will do for my butt. That’s why I’m looking forward to this luxurious new toilet paper. Quilted Northern Luxury 4-Ply Toilet Paper looks like it even comes in a special can, which is fitting since you will use it in the can.