Half-Life 2 Headcrab Necklace Better Not Crawl onto Your Head

For weeks after I played Half-Life 2, I had nightmares about rooms full of headcrabs descending on me, and me trying to fight them off by flinging circular saw blades at them with my gravity gun. So the idea of wearing a necklace with a headcrab on it just give me the creeps. Plus, I’m a dude.

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But that didn’t stop jewelry artist Annika of Paranoia mit Sahne (which translates to “Paranoia with cream”) from making a headcrab-inspired necklace for those of you who find the little guys cute and charming. The necklace was handcrafted from Fimo and Super Sculpey clay by the artist, stiffened with wire, and topped off with acrylic painted details and a heavy-duty glaze coat. And no, none of that killed the headcrab. It’s still alive and well, and ready to climb up that chain and into your hair.

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If you find the idea of a wearable headcrab appealing, you can grab this thing over on Etsy for about $35(USD). Grab it before it grabs you.


Atari Paddle Earrings and Cufflinks Help You Breakout of Your Fashion Rut

I always wonder what became of paddle controllers. You know, like the ones that you used to play the Atari 2600 with back in the day. There are certain types of games – especially paddle ball and driving games – that lend themselves well to the single-axis analog control these primitive input devices provided. Well even if you can’t play your PS3 or Xbox 360 with a paddle, you can still have paddle controllers in your life, albeit as jewelry, not to play games with.

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These nifty little Atari 2600 paddle stud earrings were created by Catrina’s Toybox as a follow-up to her equally nifty Atari 2600 joystick earrings. These tiny paddles measure about 1cm in length, and are handmade from polymer clay and resin – along with a tiny Atari paddle sticker for added detail.

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They’re also available as somewhat larger (1″ long) cufflinks, so guys and girls can both get in on the retro paddle action. I always wanted to play Super Breakout in formalwear, didn’t you?

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Perhaps the niftiest thing about these mini paddle controllers is that they actually turn from side-to-side. You have to be careful with them and not spin them all the way around, as they are delicate. Not that I didn’t break one or two actual Atari 2600 paddle controllers in my time.

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Both the paddle controller earrings and the cufflinks go for $25(USD) a pair – which, coincidentally is about what you’ll pay for a pair of real paddle controllers. Be sure to check out Catrina’s Etsy shop for many more great geeky jewelry items to add to your collection – including some great Hostess Twinkie earrings, sure to last about as long as the actual snack cakes.


Atari 2600 Joystick Earrings are a Joy to Wear

Gamer girls with a taste for retro consoles will get a tiny thrill from these handmade earrings, done up to look like miniature Atari 2600 joysticks. I always loved the firm, digital feeling of the old 2600 joystick – it worked great for arcade style games.

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They’re made by Etsy seller Catrina’s Toybox, using polymer clay. She used a touch of paint to add the detailed directional markers, and even gave it that worn feel that used to always happen after your sweaty palms were resting on the joystick for marathon Pitfall sessions.

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You can get your hands (and ears) on a pair of these Atari 2600 joystick earrings for $25(USD) over on Etsy. Catrina says she’s got more geeky crafts in the works, so we’re looking forward to checking those out as well. Hopefully, she has some paddles on the way – I always enjoyed Super Breakout.


TonSchreins Turn iPad and iPod nano into Shrines

I’ve always thought that hardcore Apple fans were so serious about their dedication to the brand that it’s almost like a religion to them. So when I saw these shrines made for the iPad and iPod nano, I thought they were very appropriate.

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The ornate TonSchrein for iPad and iPod nano were created by Georg Dinkel, and they clearly elevate these gadgets to a level of fanaticism not seen before.

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The intricate details of the two shrines were made using polymer clay, and the iPad version houses a 2.1 sound system, while the iPod nano version is just a two-speaker mono setup.

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While the iPad version would work well as a mantle clock, the iPod nano version seems even more ridiculous to me, adding substantial heft to Apple’s diminutive music player, as it hides behind the doors of the shrine.

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You can check out more photos of the TonSchreins over on Dinkel’s website.