Toys and Games

How-To:  Make great big stuff

How-To: Make great big stuff

I’ve had this long-standing concept for a theme restaurant where everything–tables, chairs, utensils, food, condiment dispensers–is like 30% bigger than normal. The idea is to make you feel like a kid again. We’d call it “Tiny’s.” (And yes, we’re still seeking investors. Also waitstaff suffering from gigantism.) Look for one soon in a strip-mall near you. Believe me, you won’t be able to miss it.

In the meantime, if you just can’t wait for the experience, you could always start filling up your house with great big versions of the stuff you already have. Instructables has just posted a cool round-up of tutorials on how to do just that. Shown uppermost is user Tetranitrate’s giant match. And yes, as the middle photo shows, it does (or did) actually work. At bottom, last but in no sense least, there’s user indymogul’s giant sandwich, which I think was part of a Halloween costume or something. But who cares? Giant sandwich!

Fiction science:  Aliens, Predator, and Mega Shark infographics

Fiction science: Aliens, Predator, and Mega Shark infographics

The second graphic explains the physics behind what Boing-Boinger Jimmy Guterman has described as “the greatest scene ever in the greatest movie of all time,” viz. the destruction of a cruising jetliner by the eponymous “Mega Shark” from Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus. You may be interested to know, for instance, that Mega Shark’s air attack requires that it break the surface of the water with a velocity of 710 km/hr, which is faster than a bullet train but not quite so fast as a Tomahawk missile.

Lego conference table

Lego conference table

This 4×9′ boardroom table was created for Ireland’s Boys and Girls advertising agency by fellow Dubliners agbc architects. It is, essentially, a 7-stud thick slab of random Lego bricks topped with a piece of tempered glass. More details and photos are available here. A timelapse video of its construction, (inevitably set to the not-so-soothing sounds of the William Tell Overture), is available on YouTube. [via Dude Craft]

Jet ski + jet pack = “Jetlev”

Jet ski + jet pack = “Jetlev”

It looks dangerous and is, reportedly, incredibly expensive, but there is no denying the near-maximal awesome factor of the Jetlev Flyer. Power comes from a four-stroke engine in a small “boat” which drags in the water behind/below the flying harness, and to which it is tethered by a big yellow hose that supplies high-pressure water and prevents the operator from exceeding a safe altitude. [Thanks, Alan Dove!]

Lego that makes you want to cry

Lego that makes you want to cry

And not in a good way. I have blogged about scary Lego before, but the capacity of the AFOL (“Adult Fan of Lego”) community to twist everybody’s favorite happy Danish building toy into Bosch- and/or Giger-esque abominations has pushed darker boundaries since then. This godawful* thing by prolific and talented builder Mike Foy is just called “The Void,” and, if I may suggest, belongs on the cover of some trendy modern edition of a very old and very evil book full of unspeakable things. [via The Brothers Brick]

How-To: Crane arm game

How-To: Crane arm game

Instructables user marc.cryan made this remote controlled crane arm, useful for turning your house into one giant pluckable toy pit. Watch in the video how even a small child can operate it, for maximum adorability. Now you can get back all the satisfaction lost from years of unsuccessful arcade claw games.