Geeky parents have been known to do some pretty great things for their kids. From staying up late playing video games together to getting awesome custom-made toys, kids of geeks have it made.

YouTuber “VideoPapa” made this crazy-fun hovercraft for his son. He doesn’t give a lot of information about its construction, but he does say it’s made from polystyrene insulation board, and it seems to sport a small blower motor.

The homemade hovercraft doesn’t have a propulsion or steering system; rather, VideoPapa uses a string to steer the craft as he runs up and down the street.

If you wonder whether a simple home-brewed hovercraft could possibly be any fun, just listen to the laughs and squeals of the little passenger in the video. Sadly, it would probably take a much larger motor to levitate a grown-up.

The post Cool Dad Made a Working Hovercraft From Household Stuff first appeared on Gajitz.

If there are two things that just about every geek loves, they are LEGOs and vintage technology. Talented designer Chris McVeigh combines the two into some very cool little sculptures that we have already added to our Christmas wish lists.

From analog phones to Polaroid cameras and early Apple computers, McVeigh expertly fits together the little blocks to create some very realistic miniature replicas.

McVeigh designs all of the models himself. As if that weren’t enough to give us geeky shivers, he photographs them all himself as well.

For fellow LEGO enthusiasts, McVeigh offers plans for all of his creations for free on his website. And if you don’t happen to have a dream stash of LEGO blocks just sitting around your house, he also sells build kits including all of the parts you need to make these magnificent little figures.

The post LEGO Crazy: Awesome Blocky Replicas of Retro Technology first appeared on Gajitz.

We miss giant arcade machines. Playing games on iPhones is alright, but it doesn’t have the immersive thrill of burying your face in a screen, manipulating the joystick, mashing buttons and being deafened by various beeps and buzzes. ThinkGeek must feel the same way, because they’re introducing a tiny arcade machine you can wear on your wrist.

The Classic Arcade Wristwatch is an itty-bitty version of a Galactic Defenders arcade game. Although it doesn’t function as an arcade game, it definitely functions as a watch. The joystick doesn’t do anything, but the red button lights up the watch’s display with red lights and makes an awesome “PEW!” sound.

The face of the watch is definitely the best part. Instead of second, minute, and hour hands, the watch sports space rocks in place of the hour and minute hands, and a spaceship in place of the seconds hand. Normally we’d make a joke here about watching time fly, but we’re too busy scrounging up $50 in sofa change to buy one.

The post Travel Back in Time With the Classic Arcade Game Watch first appeared on Gajitz.

If you are as old as we are, you may have fond memories of the screechy sounds of dial-up modems. Remember waiting for the modem to dial out and listening to the beep booop beeeeeeeeeps before you were finally connected?

We’re definitely better off with modern technology, but it’s a nostalgia thing. Think Geek feels the same way, and they are now carrying a product that recreates those eardrum-piercing sounds of yesteryear.

The Music Modem is a novelty synthesizer that plays older modem sounds, newer modem sounds, or regular, boring music sounds. One of the main selling points is the annoyance factor: play a long series of modem noises and you’re sure to get under people’s skin. But we think you’d also be able to create some pretty awesome tunes with this little box of nostalgia.

The post Miss the 90s? This Synth Lets You Re-Live the Dial-Up Days first appeared on Gajitz.

This sweet little framed picture is more than just art on the wall. It’s a throwback to the pixel art of the past, with a bit of a high-tech twist. PIXEL is an interactive picture frame that displays pixel art and animations via LEDs hidden behind a two-way mirror. PIXEL was created by Al Linke, who is raising funds on Kickstarter to start producing the cool toy.

The display is made up of 512 or 1024 LEDs (depending on the model you have). Images are created by changing the colors and brightness of each LED – kind of like next-generation Lite Brites. The pictures and animations are controlled by free Android apps – there is currently no iOS version, but that may change in the future. Linke worked with several pixel artists to create art just for the PIXEL project, but you can also display your own pixel art creations.

When you want to change the art on your PIXEL, you just choose the picture or animation from your Android device and the change is communicated to the PIXEL via Bluetooth. The entire project is open source, meaning that developers are free to create their own art and other functions.

One of the coolest features of PIXEL is its proximity sensor. With certain art, the picture or animation changes once someone steps close to the frame. This function can be used to play games (like a Magic 8-ball app) or just to surprise unsuspecting visitors.

When the device is not in use, the PIXEL just looks like a regular mirror hanging on the wall. As seen above, there is an app called Complimentary Mirror that uses the proximity sensor to sense when someone is gazing into the mirror and give them a confidence-boosting compliment.

The post Interactive Picture Frame Brings Pixel Art to Life on Your Walls first appeared on Gajitz.