Things I Learned @ Toy Fair 2014 #4: There’s A Dreamland Fairy in Your Future…

ToyFair2014

Dreamland Fairy_01Dreams can come true (with a little parental assistance)! The other cool dreamland product I say at Toy Fair won’t be out until later this Spring, but it’s a really neat idea on a few levels. Cassie Slane and Ami Van Dine, two moms created Dreamland Fairy after their six year old daughters came thought up the idea of a fairy house that they could keep in their rooms.

“Now what does one DO with a fairy house?” you ask? Well, since you’re a little behind the times and I’m a nice guy, I’ll let you in on the big deal because I happen to like it when you read my posts… Continue reading

Feeling Peckish With a Pen (or Fork)? Open Up a Kanamit!

to serve man 

So, I had a silly dream about that classic Twilight Zone episode “To Serve Man” and woke up feeling extra hungry for some reason (that episode usually has me feeling the opposite). I was also curious as to whether someone actually went to the trouble to create and translate that infamous Kanamit book into something readable just for fun. Or whatever “fun” one could get from such a tome (no spoilers here!). A quick search reveals that the fine folks at Entertainment Earth just so happen to carry a blank Kanamit Journal so YOU can write up your own take on that tome and try to slide it onto the shelf at your local public library. Or you can get all collect-y and go whole hog with a signed copy packed up in a collectible tin case with a Kanamit of your very own to cuddle.

Somehow, “cuddle” and “Kanamit” don’t quite fit together, but hey, it’s a small comfort considering humanity’s fate in that episode… Hmmm. I need to go find some food. Back in a bit…

Larian Studios Makes Marriages Merry With A Bit Of Divinity: Original Sin

 
Well, this is a pretty neat Valentine’s Day post for you warm-hearted Kleenex-carrying freaks out there who get all weepy at the drop of a hat. I’ve heard of like-minded gamers proposing in all sorts of online only games and I think I even recall proposals given by game developers for fans of certain titles. However, I believe this is one of the first proposals I’ve seen made by one person for another using a game editor. I still haven’t gotten around to buying or playing Divinity: Original Sin yet (hey, my backlog is killing me!) Okay, I’ll admit it… I’m a kind of (shh!) hopeless romantic at heart (shhhh!), so this stuff makes me grin inside (I can’t let the world see me smile much – it hurts my curmudgeonly image a bit).

Okay, I’m not THAT cranky and this is pretty sweet. LESSON: video games aren’t all about running around and killing each other dead and some are even wonderful at allowing players the freedom to pull off super cool stuff like this. Well, congratulations and best of luck to the happy couple and everyone else who’s going to be hitched because of their love for Larian Studios and their excellent game!

Men Aren’t Useless #103: Behold, The BRIEFCASE ARCADE!

BusinesscadeHey, last week I heard some loud ladies on the street say that “Men are useless!” and while I do indeed agree we are on some fronts, sometimes we knock it out of the park big time. Er, at least as far as making cool as hell stuff goes. Well, cool stuff that doesn’t involve actual explosives, booze or some sort of automatic magazine pin-up dispenser as an all-in-one solution to multiple non-problems.

I don’t even know who Travis Reynolds is, but he’s my *new* best friend because he has created the (ta-dah!) Briefcase Arcade or Businesscade or Briefcade. Some call it the “Arcase”, but that sounds kinda lame (to me at least). Oh, it’s not built completely from scratch, mind you – that would be TOO genius and make him automatic King of the Known Universe… Continue reading

How To Use The Internet (A Primer for Really Stupid People)…

I'm with stupid It’s come to my attention over the years that a LOT of people don’t know how to use the Internet properly. Not that I really care, mind you… it’s just that it tends to get in the way of me enjoying the damn thing as it should be used. If you’re using the Internet correctly, this post is completely meaningless and you can stop here and go about your day as usual.

For the rest of you out there fumbling and bumbling about making fools of yourself everywhere you click and post (and not knowing you’re a total idiot while doing so), read on below the jump for two small but helpful tips (there are a lot more, but these two will help about 86.7% of you having issues, the national average) and leave the top of your head unscrewed so the learning juice can sink in and grow something other than weeds and poisonous mushrooms… Continue reading

Toy Fair 2012: Loog – Because Everyone Needs A DIY Guitar…

There were a lot of musical instruments at Toy Fair geared to kids, but, NYC-based Loog Guitars was probably my favorite booth to drop by. Loog creator, founder and CEO Rafael Atijas was there (dressed more like an average guy and not like a stuffy CEO, by the way) with his Kickstarter-funded creation drawing much interest at the show. From the quality (and simply finished) wood in three body styles to the plain yet distinctive packaging and adult-sized neck option,this is something that’s a great DIY gift for anyone wanting to get into the instrument. While there have been kid-sized guitars made for ages, the three-string Loog is wonderfully cool because you assemble it yourself. And that assembly is amazingly simple, as you can see in the above video.

If what you see gets you thinking your kid (or perhaps even you) might want one of these nifty kits, well… you know what to do (click on that link above, of course). Currently, only an acoustic model is available, but I know there’s some creative hacker out there that’s going to electrify his or her Loog and show it off soon enough…