Well, I have seen many strange and odd USB devices, but this one really takes the cake.
A finger skateboard? Dude, I just did a 360° just with my fat fingers!
Well, I have seen many strange and odd USB devices, but this one really takes the cake.
A finger skateboard? Dude, I just did a 360° just with my fat fingers!
This is the real thing! From the product description:
Plays "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme" at the end of temperature taking.
So when you hear music in your ass Spongebob is ready to tell you your temperature. Isn’t merchandise a wonderful thing!
Pat Robertson would have loved this - Spongebob is for the Gays.
Poor old Barbie - and many other cultural Icons - you are no longer the coolest (girly) toy around. I wonder if people will remember Darth Vader, Pac Man, Mutant Ninja Turtles, He-Man, Pokemons, Godzilla or King Kong in a 100 years?
I think the Wooferang was actually made for people like me - who have NO dog, but want the illusion of playing ‘fetch’ with their furry friend.
The is something square in the state of Denmark - and it’s called LEGO. This fantastic invention celebrates it’s 50th Birthday today. There must be billions of bricks and also billions of happy kids out there who grew up with this inspiring toy.
I also loved to play with LEGO - it was an universal toy - only limited by your imagination and your parents wallet. Most of all it inspired you to do something yourself and literally ‘built’ upon your imagination - and improve your dreams with your growing skills. It’s one of the few toys that grows with your understanding of the world and your own capabilities. You may start as a toddler with the huge bricks, because you are yet too unskilled to handle the smaller ones. Then you get into ‘normal’ mechanical LEGO - and later into electrical or even electronic LEGO.
Meet your giant LEGO overlord …
LEGO appeals stronger to boys than girls - but since LEGO introduced it’s small figures, themes and TV & movie merchandise it has a stronger social component - that its more for the little ladies.
Today I feel a bit that LEGO has lost it’s way a bit - because there is too much based on ‘themes‘ licensed from Movies and TV shows. There are too many ‘fixed’ or ‘limited’ parts that are no longer universally usable. Also programmable LEGO and now LEGO computer games are heading into a totally different direction. But the good old bricks are still there and won’t disappear any day.
One of the oldest and best known LEGO images.
I have one more complaint: LEGO is still bloody expensive. Buying a small city sets you back a fortune (like 149 Euros!!!). Very pricey for a few pieces of plastic - even for today’s high oil prices. So LEGO made itself a rich kids toys - because you only parents with a lot of money could afford big or more rare sets for their offspring.
Sooner or later LEGO’s copyright will diminish - and other companies are allowed to produce the bricks much cheaper and bring new ideas into the game.
One thing I also like to mention are Brickfilms or LEGO movies. There are many LEGO stop motion movies on YouTube and other sites.
Adult LEGO fans have produced an entire subculture of videos, nasty imagery and other crazy stuff for us grownups.
Is that a brick in your pants - or are you just happy to play with me?
Groups on Flickr show that LEGO has developed into a new symbolic language and tool to create scenes and messages that range from funny to absurd and totally extreme.
So LEGO has evolved into a cultural vehicle that allows adults to use them like hand puppets to tell their stories that are understood by the whole LEGO generation. Like Sesame Street or Star Trek LEGO has become a cultural icon and language that can be easily used and understood by almost everyone. These are our modern caveman drawings and stick figures. The LEGO figures are primitive and simple representations of ourselves - but extremely flexible and potent as actors.
LEGO as an universal image language for nasty social and political messages. A cultural icon to comment on other icons.
I am pretty sure that back in 1958 Ole Kirk Christiansen never expect such a global and cultural impact of his little bricks.
More? LEGO @ Wikipedia, Psycho Lego clip and Spiderman Lego clip
Many great scientists and artists started their dreams and passions as kids - being inspired or challenged by their environments, families, teachers and toys.
Today’s digital gimmicks are killers - they kill the imagination of kids, because they create PERFECT fantasy worlds. Our minds needs a vacuum too fill it with our own ideas. If we get overwhelmed with ’stuff’ we stay lazy and just consume …
Love H.P. Lovecraft? Love cool Toys? Then head over to Dreamland Toyworks - they have some nice plastic paypals for you and me.
I think these are fucking brilliant! 
The only way to take over the world … when you are a kid. Too bad they really can do it today with their computers.
I love LEGO! Every time I visit someone with kids I try to build something with it. I don’t like the modern LEGO stuff with figures and special parts that won’t fit together with everything else. The best thing Denmark developed apart from depressed princelings.
More? Wikipedia entry
Big Jim was huge in the 1970’s till early 1980’s - finally a more sophisticated doll for the guys. An action hero - not just a military figure (toy soldiers had been around forever). Big Jim and his ‘offsprings’ could do amazing stuff - like there karate chops when you pressed the button on his back and the bulging biceps.
Today Big Jim seems completely forgotten and compared to todays superpowered robots and combat creatures he looks almost like a pacifist.
More? Big Jim @ Wikipedia and article on BigRedToyBox.com
Thinkgeek.com is my favorite Nerd Shop on da intranets. They always have the coolest and weirdest gadgets. So these rubber weapons really made my day. Just make sure to watch the painful nerd fight video on the product page.
Don’t forget to buy also a proper Chainmail shirt while you at it.
