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iPad covers made from children's books
This Etsy seller has come up with a really great idea for iPad cases: Make them out of famous childrens' books. Seller chicklitdesigns has taken the covers of old printings of The Giving Tree, Cat in the Hat, and even Moby Dick, and turned them into cases for iPads, Kindles, and other tablets, available for sale right ow. Part of me is a little disappointed these books got ripped apart in this way -- there may come a time when we wish we'd had more of these titles around. But it's definitely a cool idea, and a very nice, homemade way to spruce up your iPad. The handmade-to-order cases start at around $79.99. [via Child Mode]
The Lawbringer: Tying up Etsy, Annual Pass loose ends
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, and esoteroic topics that slip through the cracks. Resolution is something we rarely get in life. People are cagey, issues are weird, and tying up loose ends is a business of winding down all its own. There are two fairly loose ends still waving in the wind out there that I had some more opinions on and thought you would be interested in the share. If you guys have any topics from The Lawbringer that you'd like to see reexamined, updated, or even be told the other side of, let me know. We can work something out, you and me. The first issue that comes up in my email all the time is from people selling items on Etsy that are based on or inspired by artwork, characters, or designs from World of Warcraft. It's its own cottage industry, as the secondary and tertiary markets open up around the stadium that is Warcraft. People making WoW goods often want to sell them and have many questions in that vein. What is right? What is wrong? Maybe I can shed a little light on the subject. Good afternoon: Love your column; not sure if you've answered anything regarding this type of thing before, but here it goes. I always wanted to open a restaurant/diner, regardless of the intense amount of work this endeavour would take, what if any would the legal ramifications of naming the restaurant after an inn from the World of Warcraft Universe or the items on the menu? Of course they wouldn't have the actual ingredients but it'd would be fun to have Raptor Eggs as a breakfast item for example. Was there not a column about people selling WoW inspired items via sites like Etsy and the like? Would it be similar? Would the laws vary if one were in a different country? Canada for example? If it has been answered before a link to the previous article would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!
Crapgadget: Spring Phling edition
As winter recedes, the Crapgadgets emerge from their hibernation as they attempt to separate fools and their money. Today's selection includes a ridiculous workaround to a ridiculous accessory, an iPad case that has lips like Jagger and a hook for, er, spinning your iPhone around like a Wild West gunslinger.Read - Our biggest regret in life is not being able to spin our $600 cellphone around on a $20 sticky coat hook.Read - We're expecting the iPad 3 to be able to recreate the title sequence of the Rocky Horror Picture Show without the aid of this case.Read - If you were into smartphones before they were cool and portable, you'll love the ability to carry around your over-sized retro handset on your jeans.Read - Nothing evokes the grace, beauty and power of Enzo Ferrari's engineering than these decade-old-spec flip-phones that kinda resemble a Ferrari 966, if you squint from a distance.Read - This "noiseless microphone" has two functions, and only one is to prevent your karaoke from annoying your neighbors.%Poll-73797%
Touch-sensitive Mario coin block lamp lights up our hearts
Interior design can be a challenge, especially when your passions in life aren't easily translated into creative and unique home decor. Gaming culture certainly produces its fair share of posters and wall decals, granted, but what if you're looking for something a little more elegant? What if you want your house guests to think "young professional," rather than "college bachelor?" For you, there is the Super Mario Coin Block Lamp from 8BitLit.Available for $74.99 at the company's Etsy shop, the lamp is made from laser-cut plexiglass and is illuminated by six LEDs. Switching the lamp on and off works exactly how you'd think, with each punch to the block's underside accompanied by an appropriate sound effect. Combine this thing with The Clapper and your apartment will be so smooth your guests will need guardrails.
Adorable Valentine's Day card templates from PaperRockScisorz
Despite previous indications to the contrary, the Joystiq Qrew is actually pretty keen on Valentine's Day. We're all hopeless romantics, but you don't need to be as in love with being in love as we are to recognize how precious, touching and clever these gaming themed Valentine's Day card templates are.Made by Etsy user PaperRockScisorz and available at her shop, these print-your-own card templates feature Pokemon, Dr. Mario, Sonic, Zelda and Portal motifs with cutesy sayings and pixel hearts at $2.75 a pop. It's an easy and inexpensive way to show your significant other that you care, assuming you're lucky enough to share your life with a person that loves games as much as you do. If you're not that lucky, well, maybe get them a gift card or something. Single people are advised to dress up like a member of their preferred gender and have a romantic candle-lit dinner with themselves in a mirror. Ain't love grand?
The Lawbringer: Mailbag 6.0 and Rogers updates
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Mathew McCurley takes you through the world running parallel to the games we love and enjoy, full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? Welcome to another exciting edition of The Lawbringer, where your questions about the esoteric topics revolving around WoW and MMOs potentially get answered, usually if the question is compelling. You know the drill -- ask a question, and maybe I can hash it out or at least point you in the right direction to get things under control. Mailbags are fun, and updates are even more fun. This week, we have a couple of questions from the mailbag and an update to the situation with Rogers Communications up in Canada. Remember back a few months ago, when the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission demanded that Rogers find a way to stop the admitted throttling of World of Warcraft data because it appeared to be peer-to-peer traffic? Well, the Canadian government wants a plan by Tuesday. More on that in a bit. Questions first, yes?
Razer Orochi crafted from oil and glycerin, scrubs your bod between frag sessions
When we first got wind of Etsy seller Digitalsoaps in early 2009, she had but a humble NES gamepad and a couple of other controllers to her name -- fast forward to today, and you'll find the bubbly entrepreneur doing a brisk business in all sorts of wonderfully geeky soap shapes. This $10 Razer Orochi mouse is the latest, and as you can see it's close enough to the real thing to trick your buds at the next LAN party. Sadly, this particular soap is a limited-time offer -- and moving fast -- but the seller also deals in a painstakingly detailed Xbox 360 controller, caffeinated shampoo soda bottles, and sudsy replicas of any classic Nintendo cartridge you care to name.
Icon Notebook: textual communication avenue for the Microsoft Word averse
It looks like a document. It's chock-full of documents. But not Microsoft Word documents. Only documents that could dream of one day being scanned in and converted to a Word document. It's the Icon Notebook, brought to you by the brilliant minds at Brigada Creativa, and it's on sale now for €6.95 ($9.34) direct from Spain. Which is a whole lot cheaper than a Word license, no matter the font you're talking in.
'The Collective' steampunk USB drive is the stocking stuffer Jules Verne always wanted
Miffed you didn't buy that $300 8GB steampunk USB drive we shared over the summer? Well, the good news is if you've got $395 worth of shillings lying around, Will Rockwell's 16GB steampunk USB drive christened "The Collective" is yours for the taking. Besides its J.J. Abrams-like name, particularly cool details to highlight include a brass manifold featuring four coolant pipes, a large framed cabochon which acts as a service light, and a faux-gauge made from a domed cover and watch hand. A storage tank serves as a cap for the drive and there's even a tiny plaque bearing Mr. Rockwell's engraved John Hancock placed smack dab in the middle. Last but certainly not least, the elaborate thumbdrive ships with a velvet platform and a glass museum case, so that all who visit may bask in its craftsmanship and finally see the rusted version owned by that Victorian-poser down the block as the tetanus carrier it really is.
iPhone-shaped soap smells like sausage
Sure, an iPhone-shaped soap bar is fun as it is, but surely there's something else that can be added to make it even more enjoyable, no? Etsy user twoeggplants decided to answer that question with a resounding yes, and is selling an iPhone-shaped bar of soap that just happens to smell like grilled meats while you use it. I kind of wish my actual iPhone smelled like grilled sausage -- I wouldn't want the grease on it, but the scent would be fine to have around. Apparently the scent can be customized, so if you'd rather have a more traditional soap smell (like, oh I don't know, something which smells like apples), you can go with that. It's also out of stock at the moment, which is usually what happens when something cool on Etsy gets discovered by a few blogs. But just the idea of a sausage-smelling iPhone soap is pretty fun anyway.
Console controllers meet iPhone, but not in the way you'd think
Etsy artisans GeekUnique have found a unique use for old console controllers: iPhone/iPod docks. The husband and wife team guts the old pads and retrofits them with official Apple sync cables. On offer: NES, PS1, N64 -- even a Zapper! They also mod game carts and ... 8-track tapes?
SiMo BoomCase vintage suitcase speaker rocks your androgynous hair style
Lube up the fixie and adjust your oversized glasses kids, the perfect hipster accessory for your journey of ironic self destruction has arrived. Created by the San Francisco-based Mr. SiMo, BoomCase is a series of portable speakers with batteries and headphone jacks pieced together from vintage suitcases. The one-of-a-kind case above features two main speakers and a top-side tweeter bunged into an old Samsonsite. The 8-pound case pushes a total of 30 Watts for up to 10 hours off an internal rechargeable battery when fed audio from your portable device's headphone jack. $295, that's how much. And for $20 more, Mr. SiMo will integrate a USB charger. Check the gallery for other variations although only the case above is currently for sale.%Gallery-102973%
Etsy Find: Mmmmmmmm iPhone
Just in time for the weekend, here's an awesome vinyl sticker for the back of your iPhone that has Homer Simpson taking a bite out of your favorite brand's logo. It's made by Etsy user apjam, and while I'm sure it's not quite, you know, ... legal, it is a pretty funny way to play with the logo design back there. If it sprinkles your donut (so to speak), you can pick one up for under US$5 (assuming they go back on sale at some point). I usually like stickers for the back of MacBooks -- they always look pretty good and stay out of the way. But an iPhone sticker? I guess it looks OK, but I toss my iPhone around far too much to leave a sticker untouched back there. I guess if it was held on well and I was careful, it would be alright, but I don't know if the visual gag would be worth all of the scratches and scrapes. Have you put one of these on your iPhone? [via Neatorama]
USB typewriter goes 'clackity clackity clack DING' (video)
You can keep your Optimus and Das Keyboard clickers: nothing compares to the pure, physical, carpal tunnel-inducing feel of a manual typewriter. If you want to bring that feel to your new-age gadget, Jack Zylkin can deliver it, able to convert your Royal Standard to USB standard, and plenty of other brands too. The system works by having the keys strike a board and create a circuit which is then piped out of a ubiquitous A-Type connector. A DIY kit will set you back $75 and at least a couple hours of your time (maybe more), while a ready-to-click pre-assembled model costs between $400 and $500. Given the intricate nature of the install we'd say that's probably the better bet -- unless you're particularly attached to your old manual. Video demonstration after the break.
Behind the scenes with the iRetrofone's creator
I really enjoyed seeing this retro handset base for the iPhone (even if I did mistake the shipping charge for the price -- sorry about that). Now, iPhone Savior has a nice piece up about the base's designer, Florida artist Scott Freeland. Since news about the set went live, he's apparently been bombarded by requests, and he's actually been working on making it easier to make them and deliver them to customers; he's currently working with two resin molds and has tweaked his process a bit. It sounds like the iRetrofone is already a successful product. When you hear what he has to say about the handset, it's not hard to determine why. The model is based on a 1937 phone, and Freeland says it hit him in the same nostalgic way it does most of us: "As a sculptor, when I need something in my life I make it ... That was the phone I had as a kid. I looked online until I saw a phone that looked like what I had, and then I made it." He's making more, too. As you can see above, he's got pink and clear models being made already, and he says he wants to make about six to eight more versions, including crazy ideas like "a skull with the iPhone in it." That one doesn't sound quite as, ahem, nostalgic, but it's still interesting. The iRetrofone is available on Etsy for US $195, and while it's on back order right now, the page says it'll be available in about two weeks.
iRetrofone Base: perfect for homes with cutting-edge GPRS reception
Still looking for that perfect iPhone dock? Struggling to convince ma and pa that ditching the landline really is the best thing to do? Freeland Studios is up for helping with both quandaries, as the handmade iRetrofone Base provides both a perfect resting place for your iPhone (or any phone, really) and a pinch of vintage to boot. Cast from resin with the utmost care, this here adornment can be ordered in both black and clear, though you'll have to wait around a fortnight for one of the $195 devices to actually ship. Up next? A resin-based bag phone holster for those who constantly lose their smartphone between the seat and center console. Thanks for repeating yourself, history.
Beautiful retro handset base for the iPhone
It's the weekend, which seems like the perfect time for a groovy retro item like this one. The iRetrofone is a handset base for the iPhone that brings an old-school aesthetic to your new-school touchscreen cell phone. We've seen cool handsets before, but this one goes all the way. Any iPhone can sit firmly in that space where the rotary dial would be, you can pick up a dialer app from the App Store, and then there's room for the dock to get plugged in, and the handset itself plugs into the headphone jack. "But Mike," you may say, "there's no actual value to that. All it does is make the slim and trim iPhone into a bulky mass of resin." And you'd be right. But the shape of that bulky mass of resin happens to bring back some excellent memories for me, of cradling a handset while chatting with friends and family, and hanging the phone back up when it had fallen off the hook, and carrying the base with me while pacing during an important call. While the item on Etsy is now sold out, if it was there, $15 would be a small price to I'd happily pay* to revisit those memories. [via TDW] Update: Whoops, $15 is the shipping -- the handset is $195, which seems much more reasonable for a custom-shaped piece of resin wired and ready to go. That's not such a small price, but the memories are still powerful.
Does Android dream of DIY cushions?
With the estate of Philip K. Dick up in arms over the slightest commercial reference to his published works, we may come to regret the above headline. But it's worth the risk to bring more attention to this lovely, handcrafted Android pillow. Covered in fleece and filled with fluffy polyester for a texture that creator Craftsquatch describes as "firm yet springy," the cuddly 12-inch square, made-to-order cushion can be yours for $20 before shipping. If only it came with dessert.
The most awesome iPhone stand ever made out of cutlery
That headline is probably a bit of an overstatement, since this is probably the only iPhone stand made out of cutlery. ForkedUpArt of North Salt Lake, Utah, is actually selling two different stands. ForkHead, who you see standing at attention at your right, and SpoonHead, ForkHead's smarter brother. Sold through our favorite iPhone accessory store, Etsy.com, the ForkedUpArt iPhone stands can be customized if you want, and according to the artist, "I'm making these guys as fast as I can." How much will one of these unique items put you back? About US$20, plus shipping. That's less expensive than some of the fancy-schmancy stands you can buy through more traditional sources, and let's face it -- these stands are really cool. [via iPhone Savior]
iPhone chalkboard lets kids be adults and adults act like kids
There's a huge world of creative, crafty people on Etsy.com, and we're always hearing about new Mac or iPhone-related products that have been developed. The latest, by Etsy shop owner and artist "PlayingGrownUp," is the cool iPhone Chalkboard (US$25.00 plus shipping), The chalkboard is hand cut and painted to look just like the iPhones that Mom and Dad use. It has a wonderful funky folk-art feel to it, which is exactly why I want one in my office. Judging from some of the pictures accompanying the iPhone Chalkboard, you can use either regular chalk or Chalk Ink markers to draw on the surface. The artist notes that she will customize orders, so if you'd like an iPhone Chalkboard showing one bar of AT&T 3G service or your favorite grouping of home apps, you might be able to have one made. There's no word from PlayingGrownUp on whether or not an iPad Chalkboard will be forthcoming after the end of March. [via iPhone Savior]
