By Chris Scott Barr

We all love LEGOs as that awesome part of our past where we could make anything out of blocks. There is now a way to bring that nostalgic part of your life with you wherever you go when you eat. The Snack & Stack utensils are a set of three pieces of silverware with stackable lego-esque handles. These can fit into your lunchbox, picnic basket, satchel, or purse.

Even if they’re not right you for you, they’re awesome for kids, and very easy to keep track of. When it comes to kids, finding the mini version of everything they own and keeping it together can be a pain, so things that stack are definitely a blessing. This set will likely take up less drawer space and will be a lot of fun if you add other LEGOs to them. At $22, these easy to find utensils are worth every cent.

[ FredFlare ] VIA [ Coolest-Gadgets ]

So it’s not really accurate to say that like Scrabble, Simon is the lastest Hasbro game to get the electronic treatment because Simon was actually one of the first electronic games on the market back in the 80′s. But this updated version called Simon Flash certainly expands what the original Simon was capable of. Not to mention making it far more portable.

Simon Flash is composed of 4 blocks that light up red, blue, yellow and green, and in addition to letting you play a traditional game of Simon where you repeat an ever expanding sequence of colors, the cubes include other game variants too. Like the classic peg-based game Mastermind, for example, where you work to figure out a secret color combination in a set number of moves. There’s no word on when Simon Flash might be available, but your safe bets are sometime in the Summer or just in time for the Christmas holidays.

[ Pocket-lint - Simon Flash hands-on ]

I’m sure these days there must be thousands of different kinds of LEGO pieces, and while it might not be used that often in the themed sets you can find at stores today, the 2×4 brick is still considered to be the iconic representative of the LEGO kingdom. And now you can keep one on your person at all times with this LED light keychain.

I know at one point or another we’ve all accidentally stepped on one of these sharp cornered pieces, so I can say from experience that carrying one around in your pocket probably isn’t super comfortable. But do it for nostalgia’s sake! And with a flashlight always close at hand there’s a chance you may never accidentally step on a LEGO brick again! So it’s got that going for it too. From the looks of it one of the studs on top doubles as the power button, and like the real thing you can even stack multiple lights/bricks together. $9.99 from Perpetual Kid.

[ LEGO Block Key Light ]

By Chris Scott Barr

The future is a tricky thing. It’s almost impossible to predict just how it will turn out. Movies try their hand at it, but are rarely anywhere close to be being correct. I’m not just referring to the technology, but to the fashion as well. Take for instance the shoes Marty McFly wears in Back to the Future II. It’s possible that we may actually end up with shoes that lace themselves by 2015. However, I doubt they’ll look quite as hideous as the one pictured above.

What you see is one of the actual shoes worn by Michael J. Fox while filming the movie. That thing is butt-ugly. Ugly or no, it is a piece of movie history, and it (and its mate) can be yours. That’s right, this pair of shoes is going up for auction in the very near future. You’ll need to tap into that nest egg you’ve been saving up though, as the footwear is expected to fetch $12,000-$15,000. Personally, I’ll just wait for a better-looking pair that actually work.

[ Profiles in History ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Mr. Potato Head has been around since the early 1950′s, entertaining millions of children with his interchangeable parts. But what if he hadn’t been created in the 50′s, and instead in the alternate universe of the Steampunk world? One crafty artist spent some time thinking on this very topic, and ended up with Sir Spudnik.

This bizarre specimen is a real Mr. Potato head base that has been covered in metallic and brass-like parts. Artist Sarita Maria felt the need to take things a couple of steps further by creating a mock wanted poster, and a very DaVinci-like blueprint for the toy. The best part is that she detailed the entire process over on her Instructables page.

[ Instructables ] VIA [ GearFuse ]

By Chris Scott Barr

We’ve written about the shoes from Back to the Future II on more than one occasion. Mostly because it’s one of the few “futuristic” technologies that might have a chance of being made by 2015. A little while back we showed you a custom shoe that was made using an Arduino board. It was cool, but not exactly practical for wearing. So who do we look to for a real pair of these self-lacing shoes? Nike.

Yes, the company that “made” those sneakers in the movie have actually patented the idea. Specifically, they’ve received a patent for:

An article of footwear with an automatic lacing system is disclosed. The automatic lacing system provides a set of straps that can be automatically opened and closed to switch between a loosened and tightened position of the upper. The article further includes an automatic ankle cinching system that is configured to automatically adjust an ankle portion of the upper.

The patent goes on to describe the means by which the footwear will be powered. It seems that they’ve chosen to use a pair on induction chargers with a docking station to recharge them. It makes sense, as you’ll probably be putting them back in the same spot every night. So who wants to take bets on whether they actually get these puppies out in the next five years?

[ WIPO ] VIA [ Gearfuse ]

By Chris Scott Barr

You really have to hand it to the guys at ThinkGeek, they know how to do April Fool’s jokes. Google always puts on a good show as well, but there’s one very important difference between the two: ThinkGeek actually brings some of their gag products to life. My favorite of these is the Tauntaun Sleeping bag. While to most, the thought of curling up inside the carcass of an alien creature might be unappetizing, many geeks thought differently. So many, in fact, that this farce ended up becoming a reality.

Much to the excitement of Star Wars fans everywhere, the company got the go-ahead from Lucasfilm to produce the sleeping bag. For a cool hundred bucks, this functional piece of geeky culture could be yours. But the real question here is whether or not it was going to be quality. I mean, you don’t want to order something expecting the awesomeness of Yoda, only to find a Jar-Jar sitting in the box. Well that’s where I come in. I currently have one of these in my possession, and I’ve slept on it. Hit the jump and I’ll give you the full scoop.

Looks

Looks? It’s a friggin’ Tauntaun! It looks as good as they advertised, if not better in person. It’s a bit wrinkled from shipping at first, but the microfiber material doesn’t stay that way for too long. There are a lot of little details to be appreciated here. From the head, and saddle to the lightsaber zipper and intestine-printed inside. All of your friends will look upon it with envy. Unless they’re Trekkies, in which case you can simply tell them to get the hell off your land.

Comfort

When you’ve finished drooling over your latest piece of Star Wars memorabilia, you might actually want to consider sleeping on it. It is a sleeping bag after all. The Certificate of Authenticity that came in the box assures me that it is suitable for “surviving the harsh climate of the planet Hoth.” I was unable to test this out, as reliable transportation to the Outer Rim Territories is hard to come by.

The sleeping bag itself is rather comfortable to sleep in. The soft fabric provides a nice cushion, and it has its own built-in pillow. It kept me warm, but when you’re sleeping in a place that’s 70-ish degrees, that’s not exactly saying a lot. It will be fine for summer camping trips, but don’t expect to survive sub-zero temperatures.

It’s deliciously geeky, and it’s comfortable. There’s really little else to ask here. The material seems to be of good quality, so if you’re the kind of person that would actually buy a Tauntaun Sleeping Bag, then your $99 is well-invested.

[ ThinkGeek ]

And I thought they smelled bad….on the outside.

Note: Doesn’t actually smell bad on the outside, or inside.

By Chris Scott Barr

Back to the Future promised us a lot of cool technologies in the year 2015. Of course with only five years to go, it doesn’t look like we’ll have flying cars, hoverboards or Mr. Fusion. We may, however, see those self-lacing shoes that Marty McFly sported on his trip to the future. (Let us hope that they’re a bit more stylish at least.)

One Instructables user was tired of waiting for Nike to develop the self-lacing technology, so she did it herself. It operates as follows: “step into the shoe and a force sensor reads the pressure of your foot and activates two servo motors, which apply tension to the laces, tightening the shoe. A touch switch reverses the servos.”

It may be a bit bulky for practical use, but it’s one hell of a start. I’m positive that by the year 2015 these could be made small enough to be easily concealed, and Nike could be stuffing them in every shoe they make. If you’re content with the design as it is, or want to try and improve on it, she has listed step-by-step instructions over on Instructables.

[ Instructables ] VIA [ Gearfuse ]

The year 2015 is slowly creeping up on us, which means there isn’t a lot of time for certain promises to be fulfilled. Flying cars, self-lacing shoes and of course, hoverboards. We’ve yet to see any real improvements on these technologies in the last 25-years, not enough to make me think we’ll see any of these in the next five years at least. The only way we’re going to get close to owning such things is to build awesome replicas, like this hoverboard.

Unlike most replicas I’ve seen, this board has one very unique feature. It actually hovers. Sadly, it only does so when placed upon a very special pedestal. It uses a pair of electromagnets and a laser system to keep it in place an inch or two in the air. It’s not powerful enough to hold the weight of a person, only around 4.5lbs. Still, just sitting there it looks like a perfectly functional hoverboard. Is it a perfect replica? No. Would it still be awesome sitting in your house? Yes.

[ Crealev ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Chris Scott Barr

LEGOs were a staple in almost every geek’s childhood. I still have mine, and continue to collect more over time. If you’re an exceptionally devoted LEGO fan, why not transform your laptop’s keyboard into a set of those wonderful little bricks?

An Etsy user named openandclose has offered up sets of stickers that look like LEGO bricks. Stick these on your keys and you’ll be overcome with nostalgia every time you pull out your laptop. A set will only run you $15, and the creator says that they’ll easily come off and not leave a mess, should you choose not to use them.

[ Etsy ] VIA [ Gearfuse ]