They’re kinda like legos with all the shapes you can make, but they are complete spheres, and they stick to each other, or your refrigerator, super easy. Made from rare earth magnets they are super powerful and super addictive some people even forget their cigarette addiction. Whaa!?!

Buy your set of 216 Bucky Balls from ThinkGeek today. Watch the video to learn more about how awesome these little shiny balls really are.

More hands on video action of Bucky Balls available at PerpetualKid. Only$29.95!

Shop for more Science themed Geek Toys ->

Mable’s favs on the Geeky list:
- Miracle Berry Fruit Tablets: Everything tastes sweet now! (WTF Miracle Fruit?)
- The Vampire Seduction Handbook: hold still for a minute will ya.
- Beating Heart Stress Relief Pillow: for those rare nights alone.

This is only a small sample of the rad gifts available at ThinkGeek right now. Choose from other nerdy gifts like plants that grow to say I love you, electronic assisted t-shirts of love, lots of caffeinated themed goodies, and plenty of novelty breath mints for those old school gamers and cupcake lovers. Visit V-Day Gift Guide now.

Star Wars certainly doesn’t explain the product this way, but look at the kid’s face in the commercial. That’s one chill padawan.

In case you’re wondering more about the technical details, here’s how it works:

“The wireless headset reads your brainwaves through dry sensor technology and can determine the differences between alpha, beta, gamma and delta waves. This allows a chip inside the Force Trainer to use an algorithm to interpret the data and translate it to physical action, which in this case moves the Training Sphere into different sections of the cylinder.”

$89 (was $119.99)

Related: Lumen “cedar tree” lamp & Lumen “bloom” lamp

Both of Wild Divine’s products combine biofeedback data with an enlightening interactive format. Their flagship product, Healing Rhythms is described as a “guided training program” and is better suited for adults and teens. The Passage: Journey to Wild Divine is presented as a beautiful interactive game and is adventurous fun for all ages. (There is another game – Wisdom Quest – that can also be used with The Passage.) Here’s a video clip of The Passage:

Even if you have never meditated before, the very act of watching your biofeedback levels will begin to bring you into a state of calm. Playing with the games will bring anyone into a deeper state of inner peace. The manufacturers don’t talk about the health benefits much, but that’s the part I find especially amazing. The biofeedback unit measures the Heart Rate Variability, and HRV is the best predictor of future mortality and morbidity than any of the standard risk factors (cholesterol, smoking, exercise levels, etc). That means using a Wild Divine product helps us learn to be relax while transforming our health, too. Now that’s holistic health care.

Besides the game versus training format of the two systems, my research shows one other consideration. The Passage game system does not come with detailed graphing abilities, but separate Grapher Expansion software is available. This is the package I will be purchasing, because I want the flexibility of lots of game play but still have the option to just quietly watch my body’s rhythms. Plus, I can add the Wisdom Quest game later if I want.

This certainly isn’t the only way how to meditate, but it is an innovative new tool that promises to open humanity’s understanding about the body-mind connection. Have you tried any of the Wild Divine biofeedback products? We would love to hear your feedback!

Image courtesy of Hector Landaeta.

Set the stage for your magical getaways (a.k.a. books) with this whimsical book shelf that utilizes dense elm wood as well as Indian root and trunk materials for outer decoration. Finally something to hold all your Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and other nerdy fantastical escapes!
There is also a matching Root Wine Rack for those who like to live dangerously and drink while reading.

Now where will you set your book down while you get up to get your wine from the favorite reading spot? On this
Branch & Glass Side Table of course! Yep, with branches working together to support the snazzy glass top it looks like nature is here to serve you. A matching Branch & Glass “Console” Table (whatever that means) is also available.

Last but not least on today’s list is … say it with me kids … a STOOL! Yay for stools! (pun intended).
OK now that’s out of the way what else can be said about these reclaimed wood stools? Well they are made of wood, beautiful Japanese teak in this case, and they are great for an impromptu sit down, or end table, or they can even be magical chairs out in your secret garden.

It’s pretty much perpetually sunny here in San Diego, CA, but if I was living in an area that had winter to make me stay indoors, I’d be sure I had some eco-friendly nature inspired furniture to help keep me company.

“During the holiday season we tend, as a whole, to consume more. And, in doing so we create more… waste, that is. The following is a short list of ideas to help you reduce, reuse and recycle this season.

• Purchase living gifts such as house plants, garden seeds or potted trees that can be transplanted in the spring.
• Reduce waste by offering homemade food items or personal services as gifts. Baking cookies or preparing a meal a week for someone who would appreciate the help are two examples.
• Reuse holiday wrapping: use old maps or pages from newspaper comics for wrapping gifts.
• Reuse good quality, nearly new items as gifts or as donations to less fortunate individuals and families. Local charities can help distribute these items.
• If your celebration calls for a Christmas tree, compensate for the harvest of your tree; arrange to plant a new tree in your yard or neighborhood next spring.
• Give gifts that promote eco friendly life style changes. For example: cloth napkins and tablecloths, cloth or string shopping bags, a compost bin, gift certificates to resale shops, lunch boxes, reusable or biodegradable picnic plates, cups and utensils, recycling bins, or any gift made from recycled materials.

To preserve the spirit of giving, don’t try to give too much. Less “stuff” means less waste and a healthier environment for everyone.”

Article courtesy of San Diego’s organic and vegetarian Ocean Beach People’s Co-op.

Sprite covered
Rainbow Brite shirt

Freaky Mumm Ra
Thundercats shirt

Candy covered
Care Bears shirt

The characters were usually cloaked in goofy outfits and had funny sounding names, but they all has a pretty serious mission; Rainbow Brite and the Care Bears kept vitality and love in the world, GI Joe was battling global “terrorists”, the ThunderCats prevented an ancient mummy from controlling the planet, and He-Man and She-Ra were defending the entire universe. We never watched the animated offerings from Lucas, but the Star Wars movies were so influential for us and that plot also involved protecting the galactic from evil. 80s kids were definitely presented with some mature themes and we loved it.

Ninja Turtle
costume shirt

Nobody puts Baby
in a Corner shirt

Darth Vader
costume shirt

Of course the 80’s were also influenced by the Me Generation mindset so we also ended up with fantastically silly or mundane plot lines. The Ninja Turtles were kind of a hybrid, as they fought off potentially multidimensional domination by evil, but they also used surfer slang and ate ice-cream topped pizza. (Which, by the way, is absolutely delicious. Thank you TMNT for prompting me to try that back in the late 80’s.) And then we’ve got a boatload of movies like Dirty Dancing where the drama stems from coming of age and a simple need to dance. Goonies, Ghostbusters, and Back to the Future were also some “heavy” 80s movie offerings that tickled our imaginations as well as funny bones. It was an amazing time for media and for just being a kid.

All things considered, I’m really grateful that I got to spend my adolescence in the polarized yet magical decade of the 80’s. How about you, fellow 80’s children?

Ghostbusters
costume t-shirt

Delorean Back To The Future shirt

Goonies shirt

RELATED: 80s Clothing for Women, 80s Clothing for Men, our main 80s Clothes Store, and Vintage Metal Lunchboxes

Their stunning art trays come in 3 different themes; vintage ladies, animals in nature, and hybrid human/animals attired in exquisite vintage clothing. The imagery is simply amazing, but it’s the colors that really grab me: brooding, muted shades with splashes of vivid color. Everything they make is truly a hybrid of modern and classic. Better still, the laminated trays are made from a recycled wood core!

And lest I forget to mention their newer offerings: furniture shaped like the lower half of an animal. The Basset Stool and Dog Stool (both shown above) are available in black or red. Joe the Polar Bear book shelf measures nearly 4′ tall and is super limited edition.

All but 4 of the trays offered at Burke Decor include Free Shipping in the USA.

A couple months ago a friend emailed to tell me about a berry that I “might be interested in”. She pointed me to the now infamous NY Times article about the “Miracle Fruit“, and I proceeded to flip out. For those of you who haven’t been introduced to this truly magical berry, it makes sour things taste sweet and food in general just tastes better. How exciting is that? It contains a substance called “miraculin” that binds with your taste buds for up to 2 hours of “everything tastes like heaven” fun. Wow, talk about a natural sweetener. Sign me up!

But there’s just one problem: availability. Wikipedia says Miracle Fruit was documented way back in 1725, yet it only gained popularity in America in 2008, thanks largely to the “flavor trippers” referenced in the NY Times article. Without a solid growing infrastructure in place, it’s been really difficult to obtain the berries or the packaged tablets. Most retailers run out of stock for months at a time! I tried to find some seeds so I could grow my own, but at the time nobody had any stock available.

This morning I opened up an email from my homies at Think Geek and almost fell out of my chair when I saw they are now selling Miracle Fruit tablets! The date on the email said it arrived yesterday, but by the time I arrived at their site they were already sold out and taking backorders. Noooo! But since Think Geek is located in the USA (unlike most retailers) and has amazing customer service, I’m just going to backorder a couple packs now. What can I say, I have an insatiable sweet tooth and the idea of sucking on a lemon and having it taste like candy is too novel to resist.

Every story I’ve heard about Miracle Fruit has been funny and amazing. If you’ve tried this miraculous berry, please share your story in the comments. I’ll report back when my shipment arrives

PS- I predict that this berry is going to be so instrumental in getting people to eat healthy. We’ll start by eating a miracle berry before a big leafy green salad – you know, so even the most picky tastebuds can “tolerate” real food. Then we’ll only need a half berry as our bodies become used to eating well. Then one day we’ll realize that we don’t even need to “flavor trip” anymore. Did this idea occur to anyone else?