Han Solo in Carbonite desk

I've been a fan of Han Solo since the roguish spice smuggler first appeared in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, blaster pistols blazing to save the Empire. Or more rather, his skin. So if you're a hardcore fan of the Millennium Falcon's captain, step away from this. There's only one piece out there of Solo frozen in carbonite (Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back), custom made by Tom Spina Designs for a client seeking a combination desk and art piece. So look, but no touch.

Still, if the Force is with you, in addition to a healthy chunk of change to bribe the design house, you won't get an exact copy, but who's to say there won't be A New Hope?

However, as we reckon Solo would wryly say, "I've got a bad feeling about this" (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, before the walls of the trash compactor start to close). So best to suck it up and settle instead for this tutorial on how to make your own Han Solo in Carbonite chocolate bar.

Via BoingBoing

Go Dirty Harry with these egg fryers

This would have been the sort of kitchen gizmo one would expect Martha Steward to market during her term in prison. Missed business opportunity aside, those sick of the stereotypical heart and Hello Kitty cookie cutter molds that perpetuate the domestic kitchen scene can check out these stainless steel gun egg fryers from UrbanTrend. You not only get to fire up your eggs with some fun shapes, you now have ammo to get your kids to eat up their breakfast. Say, can anyone identify those gun shapes?

Via popgadget.net

SpaceStation desktop organizer

As I type this blogpost, I can hardly see my desk because of the mess of cables. My headphone wires are strewn between my speakers and keyboard, a couple of USB cables are found on my left connected to the computer, and more often than not, I'm charging some mobile phone or handheld using a charger that will emerge from the power strip found behind my monitor.

Those who find such an arrangement an eyesore (like the colleague who sits beside me) will like the SpaceStation from Bluelounge. This desk organizer for laptop users cleverly hides cables and has an integrated four-port USB hub. Its raised feet make it hover slightly above the table, so the ends of your cables can peek out from the front or sides when you need to use them. Another added convenience is a paper/cardholder on the right side, good when extracting information from cellulose-based documents.

The SpaceStation isn't cheap at US$79.95 and comes in either black or white. The good news is the US dollar isn't that strong these days, and Bluelouge offers reasonable international shipping rates. Ultimately, you can't really put a price on neatness, can you? For me, I'll stick with my mess. It gives people the impression I'm working hard--even when I'm really only browsing the Internet for gadgets like this one.

Click for more images, including a "before" shot



Via Cool Hunting

Nubrella: We come in peace!

Who says the humble umbrella hasn't gone places? Remember the NanoNuno Umbrella with nano technology? Or the windproof designer SENZ brollie?

In fact, there's even a whole slew of weird umbrella inventions intended to give them their second wind. Which leads us to the latest, the nubrella (US$59.99), which personally sounds like a spore culture.

This umbrella of the 21st century touts itself as "the ultimate weather protector". It claims to "stop rain, wind, snow and extreme cold", "keep your head, face and shoulders drier than ever", and blow you over with its "first true handsfree umbrella in the world", all thanks to a new patent-pending shoulder straps and offset handle design.

Which is all good, if you don't mind looking like a goldfish-bowl Martian right out of Mars Attacks!, while the other two-thirds of you attempt to keep dry and warm. "We come in peace! We come in peace!"

Spin cotton candy from candy

Could life get any sweeter? Well, yes, if you're in Japan where the spirit of innovation still lives on despite global warming issues, environmentalists whaling, erm wailing, about the country's conservation shortcomings and declining birth rates. Life goes on, and in this sweet instance, here's a home candy floss maker with a novel spin (US$159). It spins cotton candy not with sugar syrup, but from hard candies.

Just mix and match any confectionery candy and experiment away, from Gobstoppers to Glacier Mints. Better yet, go for the sugar-free variant and get away with this guilt-free. For a peek at how this works, check out the video on the Japan Trend Shop site.


Thanks to popgadget.net

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