war

I've been a sucker for "Star Wars" merchandise ever since I had to get a second C-3PO action figure as a kid because I wore all the gold color off of my first one. My first kiss was with a friend named Arnie, who made my nerdy young heart beat with a sweet collection that included an X-Wing Fighter. My brother and I had matching stuffed Ewoks.

I still get a kick out of "Star Wars" swag today because of the creativity that goes into it. Fans almost always get it right when they do things like build a carpet-covered AT-AT cat condo or custom-painted Stormtrooper My Little Ponies complete with helmets and belts. These things have heart.

But this brings me to the limited-edition $120 Nestle "Star Wars" coffee makers that will be available only in Japan. You can choose between a Dark Side coffee maker with Darth Vader on it or a Rebel Alliance coffee maker with C-3PO on it. Pretty much all Nestle did was slap on some graphics and change up the colors on its regular Barista coffee machine.… Read more

If you're the kind of person who can remember when you first heard Darth Vader speak the words, "I am your father," you'll want to be in Seattle starting next week.

That's because on December 13, the Ltd. Art Gallery there will begin exhibiting "Who Shot First," a collection of more than 40 artists' "Star Wars"-themed works.

The artists "will be displaying their own unique interpretation of these classic films," the release for the show reads, "drawing upon the characters and themes that have inspired them since … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Pizza Hut commercial from "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" VHS tape ~ 1990.

- Invite-only girls club OnLulu is the Carfax for new boyfriends.

- Collector shows off huge Apple collection, iOS not included.

- Virginia woman is sued for $750,000 after writing scathing Yelp review.… Read more

While Americans are all trying to blow out their electrical circuits with insane light displays, Canadians are busy creating elaborate edible gingerbread structures. A gingerbread "Star Wars" Millennium Falcon is blowing away the competition in Canada's National Gingerbread Showcase 2012.

The insanely elaborate creation comes from the Canoe Brewpub in Victoria, B.C. The spaceship appears to have landed on Hoth, judging by the presence of tons of shredded coconut snow and a Wampa. Chewbecca also lounges near the ship. … Read more

Happening now, in a galaxy in which you are in... It is a period of online commerce. Action figures, arising from an auction, will be won by a top bidder in a first victory against the Galactic eBaypire.

You may have some "Star Wars" action figures left over from childhood. You may even have a bookshelf full of figures. You probably don't have 1,950 of them, but eBay seller ranchoobiwan does. You can buy them if you're brave enough to jump into the auction fray.

The loose figures range from vintage collectibles from 1978 all the way through toys manufactured in 2011. Most still have their original accessories. Money raised from the sale will go to support Rancho Obi-Wan, a nonprofit museum dedicated to "Star Wars" memorabilia.… Read more

This week, Xbox rumors are back, making Karyne hyperventilate; Google might release its own Chromebook by the end of the year; and we have a very bad feeling about these "Star Wars" rumors.

As you know, Disney purchased Lucasfilm recently, giving it the rights to the "Star Wars" franchise. (On a side note, George Lucas took all the profit from the sale and donated it to charity to improve American public education. Seriously, he is the greatest American alive.) But fans everywhere are letting their imaginations run wild, worrying about what Disney will do to the … Read more

The haptic feedback that improves touch typing on Android smartphones is going to cost Google -- and it may soon cost other Android manufacturers, too.

Google confirmed today that it has settled a patent-infringement lawsuit with Immersion, a touch-feedback technology company, for an undisclosed sum. Immersion filed the suit in February in an effort to block Motorola Mobility phones from being imported into the United States. The suit was filed before Google closed its purchase of Motorola for $12.5 billion.

"The successful resolution of this case is a critical step in our overall strategy of enforcing and monetizing … Read more

Knitting, once seen as a hobby reserved for fleet-fingered elders, has become an awesomely nerdy pastime. This movement has resulted in such creations as knitted frog dissection kits, knitted Princess Leia buns, and customized knitted geek Converse.

Etsy seller PrettySneaky's store is full of wearable knitted nerd art sneakers. The shoes are made from classic Converse high tops with hand-knitted uppers crafted from wool yarn. … Read more

When "Star Wars" first came out in 1977, block-long lines were common outside theaters everywhere.

People were entranced by George Lucas' space opera, his tale of the struggle between a rebel alliance and an evil empire bent on domination of the galaxy at all costs. But how much did fans of the film -- and its sequels -- know about Lucas' inspirations?

Did they know, for example, that the film was full of allusions to the Vietnam War? Or that nuclear weapons were a model for the power of the Death Star? Or that the resistance of Princess … Read more