George Lucas once said that the Star Wars movies were “designed as silent movies.” His approach was to let music and visuals drive the story. Danny Boyd from CinemaStix explores this concept and whether watching the films without dialogue makes them even more powerful. If you ask us, it’s John Williams’ masterful scores that truly elevated the franchise.

Many inventions make you wonder how their creator came up with them. That’s not the case with Scott Salzman’s Desk Nest Cat Bed. It’s very clearly a cat bed stuck to a monitor arm. Can you make your own for half the price? If you have the skills, absolutely. But for everyone else, this might keep kitty off your keyboard. The bed rotates 360° and holds 25 lb.

Etsy store ResinArtYPCShop makes this soothing nightlight diorama featuring The Legend of Zelda’s Master Sword resting in a mossy green field. It measures about 6″ tall and 3″ wide, although the dimensions vary slightly across orders because each one is handmade. It comes with a 55″ cord with a built-in switch and is powered via USB-A.

We’d tell you the specs of the SL-1200M7B, but we all know what it’s all about. Technics teamed up with Lamborghini to create this slick-looking turntable. It comes with a Lambo badge slipmat and a vinyl record that contains engine growls of the supercar maker’s flagship models. The record is designed to look like a wheel from the Revuelto.

Hozo Design’s compact NeoRulerGO digital ruler can measure just about anything. Its tip rolls across straight, curved, or irregular surfaces, sending precision data to its built-in display. It also works as a scale ruler, with conversions for numerous Imperial and Metric scales. Pair it with the optional NeoPencil case for a longer grip and a long-lasting graphite pencil.

This wicked camper hat-turned-balaclava is from Peter Simmonds. He calls his creation the Hunter hat, and the color scheme is simply “Boba.” Like the Mandalorian that inspired it, it’s got a hell of a bounty on its head. Spring may not be the best time to cosplay as Boba Fett, but at least you can open the mask via its built-in zipper.

This trio of titanium pocket tools combines a pry bar with a flip-out mini knife. The tiny M390 steel blade comes in handy for cutting off price tags, opening boxes, and stripping wires. Each model has a sturdy pry tip, with various wrench configurations. The largest one, the Xbar Sid, provides greater leverage and has a built-in bottle opener.

Anker’s upcoming Bluetooth speaker is for people who often make calls in noisy environments, such as at home or in public places. The S600 uses AI to learn the sound of your voice and prioritize it in calls. Anker claims the S600 recognizes and cuts down over 300 kinds of background noise. Lifehacker tried a demo unit and came away impressed.

One hazard that crosses over many professions and activities is getting a splinter stuck in your finger. These precise metal tweezers are purpose-built for removing splinters, thorns, glass, metal, and other tiny things embedded in your skin. They’re made from stainless steel and retract into a brass handle.

Half as Interesting simplifies the math behind the underhanded free throw, AKA the granny shot. Popularized by NBA legend Rick Barry, the shot makes players shoot significantly better in exchange for looking like they don’t know what they’re doing. Even the greatest of stat stuffers couldn’t bear to stick with it. It’s a fun reminder of human nature.

Animal Well is a Metroidvania made by one man. It may look like an SNES game, but give it a chance and it will quickly lure you in with its creepy yet soothing aesthetic, creative interactions of puzzles and tools, and a world that creator Billy Basso promises will have gamers “discovering hidden puzzles for years”. Out now on Steam, PS5 and Nintendo Switch.

The cult classic The Room is best known for its stilted dialogue and scenery-chewing performance of actor/writer/director Tommy Wiseau. It turns out that if you chop up some of his choice words and sing them in the style of Prince, it gets much better. Nick Lutsko put this hilarious clip together a while back for Super Deluxe.

LEGO walks into Mordor with this incredible model of Barad-dûr, the Dark Fortress of Sauron. The 5471-piece set (#10333) measures 35.2″ tall and is packed with details like a dungeon and throne room, topped off with a rotating and light-up Eye of Sauron. It comes with 10 minifigures, including Frodo, Sam, Gollum, Gothmog, an Orc, Sauron, and Mouth of Sauron.

Thailand bladesmith Wanchana Kanrangsee makes this absolutely stunning chef’s knife using the San Mai steel method. Its 325 mm blade incorporates folded layers of stainless and high-carbon steel to create a bold, one-of-a-kind design. Finishing things off is an ebony wood handle with a titanium liner. A special knife for a special person.

YouTuber bijru reminds us of the passage of time and just how influential the iPhone has been. Watch him take an entertaining look back at the crazy form factors of cellphones in the early to mid-2000s. There were lots of hinges, odd shapes, and janky attempts at features that we now take for granted, like gaming or simply web browsing.

This rubberized mat is ideal for maintaining firearms, knives, pocket tools, and mechanical gadgets. Its divided trays keep parts and tools organized, while magnetic panels in its top right corner keep metal parts from rolling away. Its soft polymer surface resists damage from oils and has a non-slip backing, while built-in hooks make it easy to hang and store.

The Journey track Don’t Stop Believin’ made its mark on the pop charts, as a baseball team anthem, and playing on the jukebox in the final moments of The Sopranos. Now, hear it like you’ve never heard it before. Musician Frank Tedesco switched it up and played the melody in a minor key, which always makes things darker and more dramatic.

This flashlight is styled to resemble the kind seen around campsites in the mid-20th century. But instead of a dim incandescent bulb and D-cell or C-cell batteries, this model has a modern LED light source and is powered by a rechargeable 18650 battery. It’s made from aluminum and steel with a real glass lens. Barebones also makes a vintage-style lantern.

There are kits you can buy that add colorful ambient lighting behind or around your TV. We’ve played with a few, but none of them have the pinpoint color matching of Chris Maher’s DIY setup. In this video, he shows how he built his edge-lit system using addressable LED light strips, a WLED light controller, and the insanely powerful SignalRGB control software.

This premium USB-C controller provides a trio of programmable rotary knobs. The dual-direction knobs are machined from aluminum alloy and offer a click function. Atop its aluminum and acrylic case, you’ll find six buttons for assigning key presses or macros. It also features RGB lighting, an OLED layer selection screen, and compatibility with QMK/VIA.

DJ Cummerbund’s latest musical mashup pays tribute to three musical greats and a wrestling legend. The tune is a delicious bouillabaisse of sounds from Wham!, Amy Winehouse, ZZ Top, and Blink-182, resulting in the most upbeat song ever about a heavy subject. Bonus points to TonyZed68, the YouTube commenter who called her Amy Whamhouse.

This fun DIY kit from Robotime’s ROKR line lets you build a hypnotic wood and plastic marble run. It includes a motorized elevator to bring balls to the top of the track, and lots of twists, turns, ramps, and a high-speed spiral. Bundle it with the Night City marble track for a even larger display.

Here’s one for the gearheads. Let’s Learn Something built one of the craziest engines ever. He started with ten 2-stroke engines – the kind found in mopeds – disassembled them, then welded together their blocks. He then cut the whole thing in half to insert a ridiculously long crankshaft to drive its pistons. The finished inline-10 engine is a sight to behold.