Hasta La Gadget!

As a kid, I’d always see my grandma rocking one of her grandkids to sleep in her lap on her rocking chair. (Yes, I was one of those grandkids, although obviously I wouldn’t be able to see myself if I’m the one being rocked.) Somehow, seeing that implanted the image that one day, I’d be rocking a baby to sleep in a rocking chair too. In this case, it won’t be my baby (because I don’t have one yet!) but my sister’s.

One thing I noticed lately is how heavy my niece is now, so my arms feel like they’re about to fall off after ten mere minutes. So when I saw this awesome Rocker Cradle woodworker Scott Morrison, I just knew it’s something like-minded people would love.

The concept is pretty obvious: the adult is supposed to be in the seat, and the tiny tot lays beside you. Of course, it’s more comfortable for the baby if you line his or her space with some bedding or with a blanket.

When everyone’s all set, start rocking and start your very own family tradition. Just make sure the baby’s tucked in securely and that you don’t rock too hard, or else you might find yourself covered in baby barf.

[via BookofJoe and Well Done Stuff via Laughing Squid]

The original Paperboy was ahead of its time. While other arcade games in the 80s featured spaceships or medieval warriors, Paperboy only had, well, a paperboy. So it’s fitting that this homage to the game uses cutting edge technology. PaperDude VR harnesses the powers of the Oculus Rift, the Kinect and the Kickr power trainer, even though you can achieve a more realistic experience with, I don’t know, a bicycle and rolls of paper.

PaperDude VR is a pet project of Globacore, a company that specializes in interactive installations. Globacore is making the game using Unity and Photoshop. The game requires you to throw virtual newspapers at mailboxes to score points. As with Paperboy, you have to do this without crashing your bicycle, only this time you’re actually pedaling on a bike. The Kickr detects your speed and can adjust the bike to make it easier or harder to pedal. The Oculus Rift provides 360º visibility and the Kinect tracks your hands and arms.

Globacore said they’re planning to improve PaperDude VR by adding features like obstacles and other nuisances to avoid, an online leaderboard and even a replica of the training course at the end of levels in Paperboy.

[via Prosthetic Knowledge]

Mattel’s Magic 8-ball toy has 20 answers, each one printed on a 20-sided die. Jason Poel Smith of DIY Hacks and How-Tos thought that that was 40 answers too few, so he made his own version of the fortune-telling toy that can have up to 60 possible answers. And he can cheat with it.

Smith could have used a 60-sided die – I know, I’m as surprised as you are! – but he opted for a more elegant solution. He split open a magic 8-ball and put a digital picture key chain inside. This way he can edit the toy’s answers by plugging the key chain to his computer via USB. I bet he placed 57 positive answers.

Shake your browser and turn it over. Outlook good? Then bring out your toolbox and head to Instructables.

[via MAKE]

To celebrate the launch of their fastest ŠKODA car ever, the Octavia vRS, the company has something for dads who want their toddlers to travel in style. This baby stroller is called the vRS Mega Man-Pram and it has the same styling as a ŠKODA car.

Your toddler is going to pushed around in luxury. It is much taller than any conventional baby carriage, at two meters high and has wing mirrors, hydraulic suspension, oversized brake calipers, anti-stress grips, headlamp beam and 20 inch alloy wheels. It also has adjustable lumbar support and nice upholstery.

This baby carriage came into being after a survey conducted with 1000 dads when asked what they wanted to push their kids around in.

Check it out in action, along with some other manly new things in the awesome ad below:

[via Damn Geeky]

I was just thinking about picking up some new pillows for our bed, since I think I need something with a little more support. While a good firm pillow can help you sleep better, I don’t think that sleeping on a log is particularly good for your head and neck. That is, unless it’s this plush log pillow.

The Log Pillow is made by Kikkerland, and it looks like the perfect place to catch a nap while lying on your couch, bed, or in your sleeping bag in the woods. Thankfully, it’s not filled with hardwood, but instead it’s packed with the type of polystyrene beads you’d find in a bean bag.

It measures about 15″ long and 6.5″ in diameter, and sells for $18(USD) over at Fredflare. Or you could just go buy some firewood and try and put your head on that.