Offbeat

Remember the prank where you put the ring in a box and then that box into another box and then that box into another box and so on and so on? The person gets a huge box and, when the gift is finally revealed it is something small but awesome? Well this takes that idea and super-charges it. 30 Watt: Prank Packs are “fake gift boxes that appear to contain ridiculous products from clueless companies.” As the company explains, they are the “Perfect way to trick your friends and family during that special holiday. Just fill the box with whatever the…

Image courtesy of SodaHead Ask anyone who was playing Doom when it first came out on a gaming computer they bought with their own money, and they will all agree on one thing: shooters have been drastically simplified through the years. The expression ‘dumbed down for console kiddies’ is bandied about, and while it sounds harsh and degrading, the reality is that due to controller limitations and a more casual and social focus of console gaming, traditional PC gamers are often frustrated at how regressive pretty much everything but the graphics are in current generation shooters. Or, as the video…

Have you ever wished you could write that novel you’ve had rattling around in your brain for ages? Now is your chance – National Novel Writing Month started yesterday, and they have a great website with loads of resources to help you get started. Better still, there are plenty of tools to help you get started, loads of special deals (including on the awesome Scrivener Mac/PC app), help from other writers and so on. I have joined up (today) and just got started – and plan to do it all on the iPad. I am using iThoughts HD to outline…

Are you concerned kids toys coddle them too much? They’re all bright colors and happy people, but what’s the world REALLY like? Playmobil doesn’t want kids to just assume the world is all animal nurseries and magic princess castles — there’s a serious side too. So serious, in fact, that they want kids to play Security Checkpoint, just like mom and dad do at the airport! No, this isn’t a joke. It’s a real Playmobil set. Before you buy, though, be sure to check the reviews: 3.0 out of 5 stars Great lesson for the kids!, September 9, 2005 By loosenut (Seattle, WA)…

This month the world will cross over the 7 billion mark – more than 7 billion people alive at one time on the planet by estimates. That is an amazing number – when I was born 3.5 billion was a long way off, and even when I graduated high school we were nowhere near 5 billion. Yet in spite of dwindling fertility, global population growth continues unchecked. In ‘celebration’ of the milestone, SmartPlanet has put together a list of seven things to note about this population milestone: It took humans until 1800 for the world’s population to reach 1 billion….

Once again I am back with a Portal themed fan creation … but it seems that the little puzzle game truly inspires creative works in a variety of media! This time it is a mix of Relativity by MC Escher with a bunch of imagery from Portal. This is part of a larger set of art from a collection called ‘Fine Arts’ on Imgur Here’s a nice gallery of video-game-themed fine art remixes, including this curiously appropriate Escher/Portal remix. The collection has art including juxtapositions of classic arts with games like Mario Bros, Half Life 2, Grim Fandango … and…

I admit that I try to eat “real food” as much as possible, but I have certain weaknesses. For one, Pop Tarts. I have no idea why, since they have no flavor besides “overly sweet”, and I fully recognize they’re stamped out in a factory somewhere. Whenever I get really tempted by the siren song of rectangular strawberry-flavored goodness, I just remember the laundry list of chemicals and (usually) reach for real fruit instead. Luckily for me, iO9 has a very entertaining (and shudder-inducing!) list of the “10 Crazy Science Experiments That Wound Up In Your Kitchen“. I won’t spoil…

I really have no intent to make fun of the people in NYC as part of the ‘occupy Wall Street’ movement, as I think most hard-working Americans would agree that there are inherent problems in the shifts in distribution of wealth over the last 30 years coupled with the latest double-dip recession in which normal folks were trounced and thrown out of their homes while big investors and corporations were protected and bailed out. But that is a debate for a different day. That said – this item from Tauntr is just too funny to let pass – they are…