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Behind the scenes with the world's greatest 'Star Wars' collection

PETALUMA, Calif.--Driving along the back roads of this idyllic, easy-going Northern California town, you'd never know that behind the walls of one of the most unassuming buildings around is perhaps the best collection of geek memorabilia in the world.

Welcome to Rancho Obi-Wan, Steve Sansweet's homage to his life's passion -- "Star Wars," a non-profit museum dedicated to serving "the public through the collection, conservation, exhibition and interpretation of [the films'] memorabilia and artifacts." Formerly Lucasfilm's head of fan relations and a Los Angeles-based reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Sansweet … Read more

Buy 1,950 'Star Wars' action figures in one fell swoop on eBay

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

One man's journey to create Obi-Wan Kenobi's lightsaber

It seems doubtful we will live "in a galaxy far, far away" in this lifetime, but we can at least build incredible homages to the "Star Wars" saga in the meantime.

One could say that Brad Lewis -- a BioWare senior visual-effects artist who works on the Star Wars: The Old Republic role-playing game -- wields a certain affinity for "Star Wars." After all, his personal blog Slothfurnace features systematic build guides for half a dozen previously created lightsabers that completely outshine those frail plastic toys that occupy countless toy shelves. … Read more

Swap your landline for Google Voice with an OBi

Google Voice has been the in-crowd's way to make and receive calls for a while now, but for the past few weeks I've been doing something with even more hipster cred.

I've hooked my Google Voice account up to an old-school landline handset that even my grandmother couldn't tell apart from Ma Bell, and I did away with the need to involve a PC or pesky things like phone bills in the whole process. Smells like freedom to me.

If you detect another VoIP product afoot here, you're right on the money. I've been testing the OBi100 and OBi110 for quite a while now.

The idea is actually pretty simple and will be familiar to many Skype or Vonage fans who use similar products. Basically, OBi makes small converter boxes that plug directly into your broadband router on one end, and a traditional landline phone on the other. OBi has its own voice over Internet Protocol service, OBiTalk, to connect to other OBi users for free, but the real selling point is using the box as a bridge to Google Voice and a handful of other services.… Read more

Lucasfilm changes original Star Wars trilogy again

Obi-Wan Kenobi may have been jolted out of his bed this morning by the millions of voices complaining about rumored changes to the original trilogy in the Star Wars Blu-ray collection, which will be available on September 16.

Entertainment blogger Devin Faraci was first to confirm with several sources that there will be several adjustments to the classic sci-fi movies: one for the original "Star Wars" (Episode IV), and two in "Return of the Jedi" (Episode VI). The New York Times has confirmed with Lucasfilm that changes are happening. To add even more fuel to the fire, there is video. … Read more