craft

A special Valentine's Day episode of Crave featuring robots, champagne, littleBits circuit boards, and zombie chocolates. Plus, X-ray leggings, spider battle bots, hoverboards, Star Wars crafts, and a peek at the perfect date movie, "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter."

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George Lucas has just released his version of "Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace" in 3D, but c'mon--the guy believes Greedo shot first. Why not make your own little Star Wars universe?

For around $20 or less, supplies from your local arts and crafts supplies store can put you well on your way toward creating your own Star Wars-themed puppets, cat toys, tissue box covers, flower vases, and more. In the first of a Crave series based on projects from Bonnie Burton's "The Star Wars Craft Book", a crack team of crafters fights … Read more

With Instagram, any boring photo is only a crop, filter, and tilt-shift away from becoming a piece of art.

Some might argue that such laziness through filtering discourages true photographic creativity, but there's no denying the Internet's obsession with the photo social network. If anything, it's a satisfying break from Facebook.

Even though it's only available on the iPhone (for now), many businesses have cropped up to provide services that augment what Instagram offers. From Stitchtagram pillowcases to photo magnets, there's no shortage of Instagram paraphernalia.

As a person who appreciates the printed photograph, here'… Read more

TOKYO--How important is the feel of your favorite tech toy? If you're sick of plastic, you won't be barking up the wrong tree with a visit to Japanese wood crafts producer Hacoa.

I'd wanted to see Hacoa's stuff ever since its crushworthy wooden keyboard from a few years back.

So when I heard that Hacoa had opened its first exclusive shop in Tokyo recently, I had to drop by and see what they'd brought back from the forest. Japan has few natural resources but lots of woodlands, as well as a rich tradition of woodcraft. … Read more

Crafted lets you play a 2D version of the megapopular game Minecraft, using many of the same sounds and graphics--so much so that we're surprised it's still available in the iTunes App Store.

Mojang's Minecraft has achieved a huge following for its open, sandbox style of gameplay, letting you manipulate every block in the world. Once you've gathered the right materials, you can make picks for mining, axes for chopping down trees, torches so you can see at night, and a whole laundry list of other items.

Crafted offers a similar experience, but all in 2D. … Read more

Regular readers will recall that I am a fan of almost anything Star Wars-related. So when news of "The Star Wars Craft Book" showed up in my inbox this morning I started thinking about all the things that could keep a nerd like me busy.

Sure, I get a lot of my nerd gifts from the wonderful people at Think Geek, but sometimes you want to give someone something with an "I made this!" feel to it, and that's what this book is all about.

It has such crafts as the Chewbacca sock puppet, the Cuddly Bantha, and the Hanukkah Droidel. (I want all of those.)

I'm not particularly crafty, but I'm going to give this a try and see what I can make. It comes out March 29, but is available for preorder for $12.02 at Amazon. For the number of geeky gifts I can get out of this, it's for sure worth the price. I might even try to come up with my own. Who wants a Sand People sock puppet? Anyone? … Read more

Activision Blizzard's two strongest franchises helped the company have a stronger financial showing in 2010.

The video game publisher announced yesterday that it generated over $4.4 billion in revenue last year, up from the nearly $4.3 billion it tallied in 2009. It was able to nab a profit of $418 million last year, nearly quadrupling the $113 million profit it posted in 2009.

Even with help from the recently released Call of Duty: Black Ops and World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the company reported that its revenue slid in the fourth quarter to $1.4 billion, compared with … Read more

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Facebook will soon release auto-photo tagging software

MetroPCS is rolling out 4G networks like gang busters

Google's newest Chrome browser is apparently ready for business use

Google is in trouble in France for findings of anti-competitive practices

A porn company shows off 3D role-play sex simulation using the Microsoft Kinect. I know I promised a video but it looks to have been removed from YouTube. Sorry!

A new plug-in electric tricycle will make you super cool on your urban commute

Miles Davis' music has always been a feast for the ears, but now it can reach all five senses: hearing, seeing, touching, smelling, and tasting.

It's the release of Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" in a "40th Anniversary Collector's Edition" box set that inspired the album's new sensory explorations. The set comes with a 48-page book; three CDs (two CDs containing the original 94-plus minutes of music with six bonus tracks); a third CD with a previously unreleased concert by Davis' group with Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette, Airto Moreira, and … Read more