Hasta La Gadget!

Julian Oliver’s toy tank is a destructive weapon. You can’t even see its ammo, and it hits everything around it. That’s because it has a signal jammer that can block mobile phone signals within a 20 to 50 ft. radius. No wonder Julian calls it No Network.

No Network blocks signals sent via widely used standards, including CDMA, GSM and 3G. Based on the images on Julian’s website, I think No Network is based on Tamiya’s 1:35 scale model of the Mk 5 Chieftain. He didn’t say where he got the signal jammer, but it’s easy to find gadgets like that these days.

The tank is the second in Julian’s series of functional art that represent cyber warfare and cyber weapons. The first piece he made is the Transparency Grenade, which snoops around and sends the data it gathers to a remote server. Julian said he’ll make two more tanks: one that blocks GPS signals and another that blocks Wi-Fi signals. He should make a drone that shoots EMPs. Or sprays water. No Network? How about No Electronics?

[via Julian Oliver via DudeIWantThat]

What does Spidey do when he tires of swinging from skyscrapers and working for the Daily Bugle? He likes to take some time away, on his speed boat. His Spidey speed boat.

The problem is, this boat makes him stick out like a sore thumb and all of the villains also have boats, so they take it to the water and battle it out in an epic Marvel-meets-Waterworld event that should really be a blockbuster movie. However since nobody is out there to see it, it really doesn’t matter.

It always ends with Spidey getting a call on his cell from Aunt May, having to head back into the city and pick up some groceries.

[via Our Valued Customers via cosgeek]

I haven’t played The Last of Us yet – RIP, PS3, you served me well! – but from what I’ve heard about it anyone who’s played the game needs a massive dose of sunshine and rainbows afterwards. These plush dolls of Joel and Ellie should help.

These adorable post-apocalyptic survivors were made by deviantART member viciouspretty. She said that The Last of Us was the reason she bought a PS3. She’s made a lot of chibi-style dolls, but she got burnt out and took a break. Then her husband suggested that she make a doll of Joel, knowing that she loved The Last of Us’ male protagonist.

Look at those cute little bricks. They’re perfect for tossing at plush clickers. Of course, once she made a Joel doll she had to make one of Ellie. They go together like fungus-infected peanut butter & jelly.

I’m sad that I don’t get that comic book reference. Grab your supplies and head to deviantART to see more of viciouspretty’s work. Her Mass Effect dolls are good enough to be official merch.

[via ALBOTAS]

Talking toys are nothing new, but most toys simply spout off pre-recorded sound bites. Not Supertoy Teddy. He’s a teddy bear that can actually hold a conversation, i.e. it will listen to what you say and respond accordingly. It’s like Siri, but in a stuffed toy.

Supertoy Robotics, the company behind Teddy, also made Jeannie, a voice-activated virtual assistant app for Android. In other words, these guys know a thing or two about natural language user interfaces.

I’m not sure if the toy in the video was actually working or if that exchange was staged. What I do know is that the Supertoy Teddy will work like Siri and Jeannie. And it sounds a whole lot like Ted. When you speak to it, it will connect to several servers that will decipher what you said and send back an appropriate reply. It will supposedly understand 30 languages out of the box. How will it do all of that? According to Supertoy Robotics’ response to backers, you’ll need to place a mobile device inside Teddy to make him work. The device will run Teddy’s app and will be the one to connect to the servers.

The video below, which shows Teddy’s innards, should give us a better idea of how the toy will perform in real life:

Hopefully Supertoy Robotics will give a no-frills demo of the final toy to clear up any confusion and show people what it can really do. But if you’re already sold, pledge about $64 (USD) on Kickstarter to get a Supertoy Teddy as a reward. I wonder if Teddy knows the Thunder Buddy Song.

Because kids have such short attention spans these days, Hasbro has decided that Monopoly is too much for them. They are now releasing a half-hour version of the game, hoping that it can compete with texting, the internet, and their own 500 million versions of regular Monopoly.

This new version takes only 30 minutes to complete and it is called Monopoly Empire. This children’s version is fast-paced. A player can win just by collecting a certain number of assets rather than forcing his fellow players into bankruptcy.

Here’s an idea: Make a game that isn’t about real estate, paying taxes and going to jail. Monopoly is fun for like five minutes when you are a kid, until you start playing other games that involve hungry hippos or mouse traps. Plus…the internet. Best game ever.

[via Ubergizmo]