Hasta La Gadget!

Now here’s an easy way to get people in your house to turn the lights off when they’re leaving the room or have no use for them: Star Wars Luke vs. Vader switchplates. To be honest, they’re quite simple, so you can make them yourself if you have the time and the materials.

But if you don’t, then you can always pick one up at Etsy shop KeepCalmandTurnItOn. The switchplates are inspired by the epic protagonist and antagonist match-off in the hit Star Wars franchise: Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. When you need to turn on the light, flip the switch up to the Light Side. When you’re ready to leave the room, hit the switch down and head on to the Dark Side.

These Star Wars switchplates sell for just $6.50(USD) each.

[via Incredible Things]

Nothing is more comforting or relaxing than taking a long, hot shower at the end of a very long and tiring day. But are you showering just a wee bit too long for the good of the world’s remaining water supply? Apparently, the recommended time for a shower is seven minutes.

Every second over that would mean that you’re just wasting water. At least that’s the assumption the team behind the Uji Shower are working with.

The Uji is a shower head with built-in LED lights and a timer. It starts out with a green glow, which slowly changes to red when your seven minutes under the shower are up.

Brett Andler, one of Uji’s co-creators, explained: “It encourages [people] to take shorter and more energy efficient showers. By letting people become aware of how long they’re in the shower, we’ve actually been able to cut shower time by 12 percent.”

Good point. I’m definitely willing to find alternatives for stress relief in order to make sure future generations still have ample water supply. Are you?

[via NPR via Dvice]

Everything’s bottled or canned these days. Even unusual stuff like air, unicorn meat, inflatable beach balls, and sand. Yep, you read that right: sand.

It seems pretty crazy at first, but it makes sense, if you think about it. I mean, the beach is usually so far away and it’s always no fun, with the huge crowds and all. So if you can’t go to the beach, then why not take a part of it with you?

Brookstone has come to the rescue with their version of sand. It looks and even feels like the real thing, but it behaves like Silly Putty. Just push, mold, and pat to form it into your desired shape. Making sandcastles and sand sculptures has never been easier. The best part? You can do so in the comfort of your own home or even in your office!

Sand is available for at Brookstone for $25(USD).

[via Werd via The Awesomer]

Playtime doesn’t have to be so tiring for parents. I mean, you already spend most of your time at home picking up after the kids, feeding them, doing their laundry, and helping them with schoolwork. So it’s only fair that playtime is easy on you, the parent, while still being fun and hopefully education for your child.

I’m not so sure on the educational part, but the Street and Railroad Playmat Shirt will definitely let you take a breather for the entire duration of it.

The shirts are basic tees with colorful railroads printed on the back. So all you have to do is lie down, face-flat, on the ground or on your bed, and let the shirt do all the playing. Just hand your kids some toy cars, LEGO bricks, and toy soldiers, and let them have some fun on your back – and give you a back massage – while you read a book or take a quick snooze.

The Car and Railroad Playmat Shirts retail for $22(USD) each and are available from Etsy seller bkykid.

[via NOTCOT via Gizmodo via Geekologie]

If you watch movies and trailers fairly frequently, then no doubt this shirt will look familiar to you. Its design is based on the Motion Picture Association of America’s (MPAA) film rating review system that informs viewers if what they’re watching is safe for all audiences or not.

It doesn’t copy the entire notice, of course.

Rather, the designer behind it, New Zealand-based artist Barn Bocock of How to Carve Roast Unicorn, made a few choice changes to the text. The layout remains almost entirely the same, though.

Barn calls the design ‘The Following T-Shirt’, which is pretty apt for what it is.

The Following T-Shirt is available to purchase online for $30, and as it says, it’s rated “T” for Teerrific.

[via Gamefreaks via Laughing Squid]