This is a homemade R2-D2 crash helmet lovingly constructed by artist Jenn Hall. However she is not REQUIRED to wear it, so don’t ask her if she licks bus windows (trust me, she took offense when I did). Tell me a little bit more about that sweet R2D2 helmet you’ve got. How did you make it? Did you start off with some sort of simple one and paint it? Initially, it was the ugly duckling of helmets. It looked pretty jacked up before I did my fairy godmother thing to it. It was an odd, dark maroon color and it had been used as a rental helmet, so it had sustained damage over time. Long story short, I did a lot of spray painting and clear coating. Okay, I want that. And not just so I can recreate the scene where R2 gets spit out by the Dagobah dragonsnake swamp-monster, BUT HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE? “Like a 6 out of 10.” Jesus, that’s it?! Well I’m not gonna do it if it’s less than a 7. “Is there a chance you’ll die?” Haha, a HUUUUGE one. “It’s an 11.” Awesome — ready my cannon. Hit the jump for a bunch more of Jenn modeling the helmet and a link to her personal art page.

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R2-D2 Crash Helmet: Please Tell Me You Made That To Get Shot Out Of A Cannon

Well done. Get it?! Like meat, yo! This is a meat smoker (”just like you, GW!”) designed and built to look like R2-D2 by Philip Wise (you’re smart — how do magnets work?). The droid was constructed out of an old 55-gallon drum and comes with everything you need to smoke a rack of tauntaun, including, but not just limited to: multiple temperature gauges, a beer bottle opener, and, a feature previously only seen on the Death Star — thermal exhaust ports . Just don’t go trying to stick your proton torpedo in one! “Why not?” Oh I don’t know, maybe because he’ll bu…actually — go for it, champ. “AYOWYOWYOWYOWYOWYOWYOW!” Well — what did you learn? “He wasn’t into it. Don’t think he’s gay like C3PO.” R2-D2 Smoker: May the (BBQ) Sauce Be With You [technabob] Thanks to dax, who’s allegedly tried Ewok before. Like eating or sexually?

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You’re Cookin’ My Meat!: The R2-D2 Smoker

Apple software engineer Andrew Carol (woman’s first name for a last name FTW!) went and built a completely functional Antikythera Mechanism out of LEGO . What the hell’s an Antikythera Mechanism? *GW casts copy/paste and goes to toast some Eggos* The Antikythera Mechanism, is, allegedly, the oldest version of a scientific computer. The Greeks, who used to be so clever that they never endured too much of a financial crisis, built it around 100 B.C. Somehow, it disappeared into history’s cracks, until it was unearthed from a shipwreck in 1901. It took imperfect humans another 100 years to work out that its purpose was to mechanically track the bodies that are in outer space in order to anticipate events up there that might affect life down here. Carol used 1,500 Lego Technic parts and 30 days to put together the 110 gears and other pieces of the re-creation. The two wings of Carol’s machine, each with four gearboxes, manage to make the same calculations as the original mechanism. Each gearbox makes one mathematical calculation. It’s funny how they call Andrew by his last name in the article and it makes it sound like he’s a lady. Also, that falsetto of his. But I’m not here to talk about girly-men, I’m here to talk about 2,000-year old gearboxes. Which — if the ancient Greeks could make gearboxes, then they must have had cars . The history books are wrong! THIS. CHANGES. EVERYTHING. But mostly just history books. Hit the jump for a worthwhile video of the device in action.

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2,000-Year Old Computer Recreated In LEGO

Look down — what do you see? A Cheeto -dusted penis? Wash your hands after snacking. But for those of you looking at a nonfunctional lower half , there’s new hope, all thanks to Rex bionic legs . After seven years of secret development and and $10 million of investment the high-tech unit was unveiled in Auckland today. The unit weighs 38kg and is operated by a joystick. It enables a wheelchair user to stand, walk and go up and down steps and slopes. Director Paul Dyson said the technology was unique and he expected sales to go from single digits per month, to dozens each month next year. the anticipated cost of a Rex unit would be US$150,000 abroad and about $150,000 locally. ”I knew deep down one day I’d stand back up. I’ll never forget what it was like to see my feet walking under me for the first time I used Rex.” *sniff* Heartwarming, isn’t it? It’s almost enough to make me not want to club them out from under the person using them. Almost. THIS IS GONNA HURT ME A LOT MORE THAN IT IS YOU. *thwack!* Oh — no that definitely hurt you more. Hit the jump for a five-minute video of the legs doin’ their thang.

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New Zealand Company’s REX Bionic Legs

You ever wanted to eat a PB&J out of R2’s head? Who hasn’t? And now you can thanks to this $11 lunchbox . Whoa,11?! You can’t even get a handjob candy bar for $11 anymore! There’s also Boba Fett and Darth Vader models (plus a ton of others) available if the little astromech droid isn’t doing it for you. He’s definitely doing it for me though. And by it I mean filming Leia while she changes. And no beep-booping — you blew our cover last time. Hit the jump for another shot of R2 and the other boxes.

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You’ll Never Have To Give Up Your Lunch Money Again: Sweet Star Wars Lunch Boxes