Hasta La Gadget!

Are you one of those folks who live building up stuff in the world of Minecraft, brick by brick? Assuming you have answered in the affirmative, then here we are with the rather quirky $24.99 Minecraft Light-Up Redstone Ore which would definitely be an instant hit with with Minecraft fans. After all, basically anything you can dream up of building, why not do it with pixels? Inspired by Minecraft and made by ThinkGeek, the Minecraft Light-Up Redstone Ore works this way – you need to tap to activate light in low, medium, and bright shades, and it is guaranteed to keep pigmen out.

I guess you can more or less say that this is THE night light for fans of Minecraft, and needless to say, this is also an officially licensed Minecraft collectible so you need not worry about someone knocking on your door in the wee hours of the morning to ask you about purchasing knock-offs. Made out of ABS plastic, it will glow with internal LEDs, and is powered by a couple of AA batteries.

[ Minecraft Light-Up Redstone Ore copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Eternal September is now somewhat of an antiquated term, but its relevance as a concept is nonetheless alive and kicking on the internet today. Once upon a time, September was the month when a whole new group of individuals — primarily college students — were introduced to Usenet discussion boards, and many took a few bruises as they were introduced to online etiquette. Eventually, tightly knit digital communities became unable to cope with the deluge of new users, and it’s said that online discourse has never fully recovered. So the saying goes, we now live in Eternal September.

As proof that not all hope is lost, developers and educators are now collaborating on a project known as MinecraftEdu, which aims to teach digital citizenship in the classroom. Through virtual interaction with others, the game exposes students to a wide variety of concepts such as ethics, privacy, research and safety. From there, educators are able to use the in-game experiences to lead discussions that focus on protecting oneself and taking responsibility for one’s actions. In effort to reinforce these concepts, developers are also integrating quizzes and lesson reviews into MinecraftEdu. Much like the real world, Minecraft’s open-ended style is thought to demonstrate that an online community is what you make of it, and as development progresses, perhaps we’ll all come to benefit from its lessons. In the meantime, you can stick your nose into these forward-thinking classrooms with the video below.

Continue reading Educators battle Eternal September by teaching digital citizenship with MinecraftEdu

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Source: Fast Company

So you’ve created all kinds of masterpieces in Minecraft, but it’s a shame that you can’t enjoy them off your screen – and that makes you sad. Well, cheer up nerd-boy. Now you can take your Minecraft creations from the screen and enjoy them in 3D thanks to the Minecraft World Exporter tool.

You can use this tool to download the data, then you can upload it to FigurePrints, a 3D printing company who will make your fake world real. If that isn’t enough they also do World of Warcraft models and Xbox Live avatars too. Prices vary for the models depending on size and complexity, so you’ll need to install the app and upload your design to get an cost estimate.

Pretty soon you will be able to bring your entire gaming life into the real world. But at least for now, you will still have to go back into the virtual world to play with them.

[via The Daily What via Neatorama]

Creepers always ruin your hard-earned progress in Minecraft, and it’s time to take revenge.  Don’t be a cotton-headed ninnymuggins, get the Creeper Coffee Mug, which has the face of your (least) favorite Minecraft monster printed on its side.  Whether you enjoy jumping up in fear whenever you look at your coffee mug or if you plant to take a sledgehammer to the thing, everyone at work will appreciate your sense of style, and it’s not because of the skinny tie your wearing.  “But everyone said they liked my skinny tie!”  They also said you looked like Jabba The Hutt when you dressed up as the green lantern last Halloween.

As you can see, the Creeper mug isn’t your typical coffee mug, but it is your typical “captured a Creeper and DRILLED A HOLE THROUGH ITS SKULL TO CREATE A RESERVOIR FOR MY COFFEE.”  While that may be a little harsh at the moment, next time you strike diamond and then get destroyed by a Creeper, revisit your thinking and make another judgement.

You can pick up this wonderfully geeky coffee mug for about $21(USD) in about 3-4 weeks, but you can pre-order it now to ensure your satisfaction in the future.  Not everything involves instant gratification, you know, and patience is a bird-chew.  “Is it?  Is it a bird-chew?”  I believe it is, my friend, I believe it is.  Cleaned it off my windshield yesterday.

If you’re looking for some more Minecraft fun, check out the Periodic Table of Minecraft and the Real Life Minecraft Blocks if you’re cool enough.

[via: That’s Nerdalicious]

This super awesome post was written by Jack, lead blogger at Cool Gizmo Toys, a great place for geeky stuff.

Tis the seasons for ghouls, ghasts, and perhaps most importantly, candy. Halloween is right around the corner, and to celebrate, Mojang and 4J studios have released a pack of 55 Halloween-themed skins for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition. The skins were put together by a number of different studios, including Mojang, 343 Industries, and Rare.

Even better is that this skins pack is cheap – we’re talking just 160 MSP, of $2 for those of you who prefer real-world terms. All of the money made from this DLC will be going to charity, so not only can you get 55 Minecraft skins on the cheap, but you can feel good about the fact that the money you paid will be going to a good cause. PlayXBLA says that the profits will be split up four ways, going to Block by Block, SANDS Lothians, Child’s Play, and Macmillan Cancer Support, and you find out more about each by clicking here.

The list of skins is long and varied, with a number of different developers (both indie and big-time) contributing to this pack. Have a look at the full list below, which includes the developers and each of the skins they’re responsible for:

• 343 Industries: Vampire
• 4J Studios: The Grim Reaper, Devil, Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummy, Werewolf, Ghost, Evil Wizard, Bride of Dracula, Bride of Frakenstein, Ghoul, Scary Clown
• Army of Trolls: Dracula, Frakenstien, Pumpkin, Skeleton, Mummy, Wolfman
• Climax Studios: Zombie Businessman, Cyclops, Evil Clown, Evil Robot, Vampire Girl, Grey, Headless Horseman, Lizard Man, Scarecrow, Scary Nom, Mad Scientist, Skeleton, Witch Doctor, Zombie
• Mojang: Evil Robot
• Owlchemy Labs: Zombie Jack Lumber
• Press Play: Evil Lemmy, Evil Max
• Rare: Gregg the Grim Reaper, Ancient Mummy, Zippy Zombie
• Ronimo Games: Zombie Lonestar
• Ska Studios: Cyborg Pumpkinhead, Mara
• Tequila Works: Mining Unit 010, Jacko, Bonny
• The Behemoth: Hatty
• Toylogic: Happy Zombie Cleric, Happy Zombie Mage, Happy Zombie Warrior
• Twisted Pixel Games: Captain Zombie, The Gunstringer, Ms. Splosion Man Mask, Skelly, Splodeton

That certainly isn’t bad for just $2, but to be honest, we think 4J could have charged more, considering the fact that 55 skins are included in this pack and the profits are all going to charity. The pack goes on sale today, but if you want it, you’ll have to act quick – it’ll only be available until November 26. Are you picking up the Halloween Skin Pack for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition?

[via PlayXBLA]

Minecraft Xbox 360 gets 55 Halloween skins, proceeds go to charity is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
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