toys

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7 Toys (and T's) Definitely Made for Sharing!

For some reason I can't stop seeing "Red." From Chairman Mao skateboards to Frederich Engels comic books, socialism seems to be taking over over the kid's aisle. In fact, I have no doubt that Senator McCarthy (bless his soul) is rolling over and over in his grave just thinking about these products. Oh well. I guess one good turn deserves another. The following are 7 faux-socialist products definitely worth waiting in line for. 1. Create-A-Commie If you love fascism's... READ ON

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Dungeons and Dollhouses

Livejournal user Obelia Medusa built this intricately detailed miniature recreation of Frodo's hobbit house, Tiny Bag End. You can see the progress of the project here, and lots of pictures of the final result... READ ON

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X-treme Pogo

I just saw a video of this newfangled pogo stick on CNN, and thought it was pretty darn incredible. Apparently, the stick gets users 5-7 feet off the ground (instead of the traditional 1 foot max vertical) because the new edition has abandoned the traditional spring system for air spring. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but the videos are pretty astounding. People seem to be able to leap over cars, and walls in a single hop, and they even seem to be free-style pogo-ing with almost... READ ON

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Gentlemen, Start Your Vacuums

There's no doubt the Roomba has taken the chore out of carpet cleaning. Unfortunately, however, it isn't nearly as much fun as the new Trak Vac racecar vacuum cleaner. While the T.V.R.V.C. (as no one calls it) can operate just like your regular robo-vac (meaning without your supervision), it also comes with a remote control function—allowing you to speed your vacuum around the jagged racecar turns of your ottoman while picking up any crumbs along the way. Better yet, the pimped out... READ ON

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A New York state of morning

I remember when my cousins from Bombay first came to visit us in the leafy suburbs of Delaware, and couldn't fall asleep because it was too quiet. It's strange how certain sounds comfort you, and not being able to hear people bustling in the streets, and cabs and traffic honking/screeching into the wee hours, somehow felt really uncomfortable to them. (By contrast, everytime I went to India, it was the complete opposite, and it took me weeks to fall asleep through the racket). In any case, if... READ ON

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Sony to create Segway-like skateboard?

According to NewScientist's Tech Blog, Sony has applied for a patent to create a new style of skateboard in the Segway model. The electric skateboard is outfitted with two large motorized wheels on either end of the board that are powered by pressure sensors. The patent also has room for variation, where beginning users can outfit their boards with 2 additional electric training wheels, while show-offs can use one board under each leg-- almost like electric rollerskates. Should be interesting to see how... READ ON

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What Santa Isn't Bringing You

CNN Money just did a fantastic gallery on hot toys for rich brats, (aka things I'd have to sell a kidney just to make a down payment on). Here are some of the inane highlights from the... READ ON

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Why I will be hanging out in front of my fridge for the next week

If Magnetic Poetry and your kindergartener's refrigerator art work has lost its charm, perhaps it's time to invest in something that will put that geeky smile back on your face: Frigits Deluxe. Equipped with all sorts of magnetic funnels, tunnels and catapults, as well as a few marbles, the toy effectively turns your fridge into a whizzing, whirring Rube Goldberg machine. And while the toy will inevitably lead to bad jokes from "friends" about how you've lost your marbles, those sort of comments are... READ ON

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Paint like Picasso!

Since Friday afternoons tend to drag on, I'm supplying you guys with yet another fantastic time waster: Mr. Picassohead! The online toy lets you explore your inner-artiste (the extra e is for pretension), and create e-mailable artwork for your friends and loved ones. It's basically a point-and-drag Picasso toy with various lips, noses and faces, but definitely an easy place to waste time. Best of all, you can sign the work in his style, and place it in the gallery (or in our comments section below).... READ ON

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Internet Kaleidoscope Toy!

I think this is a slightly dated toy from internet guru zefrank (there's an updated version on his site which I'm less crazy about), but what a time waster! Simply drag the shapes into your canvas, and watch how they look in a kaleidoscope. It's a lot more fun than it sounds (to me, at least). Anyway, since I've got the word kaleidoscope up here, I decided to look up the origins on wikipedia, and this is what I came up with: "Known to the ancient Greeks, it was reinvented by the Scot Sir David Brewster... READ ON