Geek culture

All the cool kids are getting their munchies by air these days.

South African music fans are getting beer from the sky. A research group developed and tested the Burrito Bomber. Domino's UK drafted an octocopter to deliver a couple of pepperoni pizzas. Now, all we need is sushi in flight to make this a bona fide trend. Looks like our order is up, up, and away.

Sushi chain YO! Sushi has introduced a "burger" made with rice patties and sushi-style ingredients like prawn, tofu katsu, and nori seaweed. The chain's London restaurant in the Soho district decided the delivery method needed to be just as unusual as the food. Thus the "iTray" was invented. It's a flying waiter outfitted with a special food tray and controlled by an iPad.… Read more

We are finally reveling in an influx of details on the fresh rival gaming systems of Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One. While the two consoles share a physical resemblance, they diverge in a lot of ways. One major difference involves the handling of used games.

Sony has said there will be no restriction on the PS4 used-game market, while Microsoft is placing restrictions on selling and sharing games.

Microsoft's new policies have given Sony an opening to promote the PS4 as a friendlier alternative to the Xbox One. That has resulted in a tongue-in-cheek video released on the official PlayStation YouTube channel, titled "Official PlayStation Used Game Instructional Video."… Read more

When Apple turns over part of its oh-so-important Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address to an unknown startup, you can be sure Tim Cook and Co. think they're dealing with some very cool technology.

That was very much the case with Anki, which was handpicked for a coveted slot as the poster child for what unknown developers can do with iOS. During its time onstage, Anki showed off what at first appears to be a simple toy car racing game, but what in reality might be the most advanced intersection of consumer-grade artificial intelligence and robotics ever.… Read more

To the delight of many gamers at E3 on Monday, EA DICE showed off Star Wars Battlefront -- a next-generation "Star Wars" video game that uses the Frostbite 3 graphics engine. DICE uses the same graphics engine in Battlefield 4.

As the 30-second trailer kicks off, you can clearly see a snowy tundra on the ice planet Hoth, presumably set during the battle seen in "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back," or perhaps a different time in the canon. … Read more

A forgotten anniversary can add a lot of friction to a relationship. Apparently, setting a calendar alert is just too much effort for some people. Those same people might need a Remember Ring, a concept ring from Alaska Jewelry that heats up as an anniversary approaches.

The ring is designed to give a 24-hour heads-up notice about the impending anniversary. It does this by heating up to 120 degrees, enough to be noticeable, but not enough to make you scream. … Read more

Now that Google Glass is in the hands of developers, it seems like everybody wants a smartphone connection on their specs. That pesky $1,500 price tag is a little annoying, though. Let's say you don't need all the fancy Glass features, like an eyeball-level display, camera, directions, search, and voice commands. If you're satisfied with just notifications, then you may soon be able to connect your smartphone to your glasses for $25.

The NanoGlass Indiegogo project from EmoPulse consists of a small Bluetooth device that attaches to the side of a pair of glasses. A fiber optic strip extends toward the front, just enough to show up in your peripheral vision.… Read more

There are heaps of RPG miniatures available. It's easy to find muscled warrior dudes, cloaked wizard guys, armor-clad knights, and masculine beasts. It's less easy to find the ladies, especially ones wielding mighty weapons.

The RPG miniature options for women players (or anyone playing with a woman character) are about to explode with the overwhelming funding response to the Raging Heroes: The Toughest Girls of the Galaxy Kickstarter project. The miniatures come from an experienced French company and are geared for science fiction war game scenarios.… Read more

There's a whole world of fan-made "Star Wars" furniture out there. A lucky fluffball has anAT-AT cat condo. A fortunate child has an X-wing fighter bunk. A talented furniture maker created an X-wing coffee table. Now, a handy maker has built an AT-AT liquor cabinet that combines "Star Wars" love with steampunk aesthetics.

The Emperor's Cabinet was created by Colin Johnson, a Vancouver artist who crafted the piece from plywood, mahogany veneer, and glass. Artfully laid solid-brass trim lends a distinctly steampunk look to the cabinet. The side of the AT-AT opens up to reveal plenty of storage for bottles of Alderaanian brandy, Hedrett oil-rig whiskey, and Gralish liqueur.… Read more

You may have occasionally encountered a certain dead-eyed stare from a Transportation Security Administration operative.

He might not like your name, your shorts, or the odd bulge in your jaw. So he stops you and asks deep questions, such as: "What do you have in your pockets, sir?"

Peter Mayhew, the 7-foot-tall gentleman who played Chewbacca in "Star Wars," discovered the boys from TSA had a different preoccupation -- whether his lightsaber cane was a dangerous weapon.… Read more