12.29.2006: Some games are basically just a timer, and you compete with yourself to see if you can better your previous score. How quickly can you recognize and click to catch thirty-three?

12.27.2006: Now that Christmas has come and gone, your house is probably strewn with empty boxes that once held your loot. What can you do with them? Why, build a cardboard castle!

12.25.2006: Merry Christmas! The day of presents and new toys sometimes brings you computers and broadband access. Rejoice, the internet is full of toys like Roxik's drag-and-drop.

12.15.2006: The rules and gameplay are simple, the graphics are horrible, the music makes you turn your speakers off, and it's politically incorrect. Curse the gamer urge to keep leveling in AfroFly.

12.13.2006: Home theater systems do well with the gadget-loving geek crowd. Now you can watch movies and play videogames from the comfort of a self-contained multimedia bed: The RUF-Cinema.

12.11.2006: Even after fifty years, people still have strong feelings about UFOs. Do pictures really prove their existence? See what you think after reviewing UFO Evidence's photo catalog.

12.08.2006: Sure, it may be an advertisement for a brand of curiously strong breath mints, but that doesn't take away the fun or the challenge of hitting the target with The Great Flying Mintini.

12.06.2006: Computers can run hot, and geeks use a variety of methods to cool them down. While some run hotter than others, trust the internet to show you how to build a water-cooled laptop.

12.04.2006: Star Trek is part of geek heritage, but the amount of detailed background information available on the internet can be staggering. Such as this map of the United Federation of Planets.

12.01.2006: One of the original arcade classic video games is Asteroids. But what about the story of the game itself? What about the poor asteroids? Now it's time to get even with Asteroids Revenge!

11.29.2006: As with all kitchen appliances, there are blenders, and then there are blenders. Going beyond simple kitchen tasks, demonstrations show what the device is capable of at Will It Blend?

11.27.2006: All web sites are there to be read by somebody, but few depend on their viewers alone for content. One site asks you to put postage on a picture and mail it to them: Postcard Polaroids.

11.24.2006: After spending a couple of days eating and hanging out with the family, you're probably ready to go crazy. Take some time out to relax and bust a move with Puzzle Bobble.

11.22.2006: Two geeks, a black car they're supposed to drive from Albany, New York to Seattle, Washington, and... four and a half rolls of painter's tape? It's the amazing Audi adventure.

11.20.2006: Digital clocks used to be the rage, but analog is back. Although nothing lasts forever. Now you can be cool by combining the two using this tutorial to create an analog binary clock.

11.17.2006: Magnetic letters can be an entertaining way to leave a message. But the more people that use them at once, the more it seems like "someone keeps stealing my letters".

11.15.2006: If there's one instrument every wanna-be rock star can play, it's the air guitar. But how do you turn those gyrations into actual music? With wireless sensors and the air guitar shirt.

11.13.2006: Pixelblocks is a product that lets you meticulously create images, a pixel at a time, just like a computer does. Someone had enough of them, and the time, to re-create Minesweeper.

11.10.2006: It's been argued that geeks use more of their brains because they do a lot of multitasking. It just might be concentration and hand-eye coordination in the Irritating Game.

11.08.2006: Hardcore gamers are always looking for that extra advantage to help them gain the edge over their opponents. Wow your friends and get extra kills with the Fanatec heäd$h0t (review).

11.06.2006: An age-old problem of geeks is how to get exercise while tying in to their enjoyment of computers and video games. One way is to turn your exercise routine into Tetris weightlifting.

11.03.2006: While there are some interesting features, like gravity and a "force feedback" screen, the basic idea is just to shoot everything. Move, shoot, and save the galaxy in Pixel Blaster.

11.01.2006: It's always interesting when geeks do artistic experiments. For example, assign tone values to colors, move them in a pattern across a strum line, and you get a chromatic music box.

10.30.2006: There are a lot of pictures of cats on the internet. Also, online language evolves quickly, constantly forming new terms and catchphrases. Put the two together and the result is geek cats.

10.27.2006: One disadvantage of the internet is that last month's "classic" can become this month's "new and improved". See what kind of brand new mess you can build playing the New Sand Game.

10.25.2006: Sometimes the internet reminds you just how far technology's come. The video games you fondly remember have changed since you played them. Thankfully, there's Game Evolution.

10.23.2006: There are many things in this world that are subjective, so it often helps to get someone else's perspective. Share your opinion and see others' at the Best Stuff in the World.

10.20.2006: It's pretty easy to navigate a maze game, staying on the proper path and avoiding all the obstacles. Unless, of course, the playing field's extra dangerous and rotates, as in Disorientation.

10.18.2006: By now, the process of running a computer in cooking oil is old hat in geek circles. All that time modding your oilputer can make you hungry, so why not use the computer to fry chips?

10.16.2006: Going to the bathroom is a fact of life, and not one that usually involves a lot of designer inventiveness. Until now. Release your inner hummingbird or bee with floral urinals.

10.13.2006: Different games require different skills — reflexes, problem solving, critical thinking. This one just tests your memory; remember the game board and recognize new symbols in Picto.

10.11.2006: You're on the internet, which means you have a web page. You want something cool for your page, but don't know what or how. Never fear, now you can easily add Google Gadgets.

10.09.2006: A lot of artists use paper, but usually as a means to display their art, not to actually be their art. Prepare to be amazed by what artist Peter Callesen can do with a single sheet of paper.

10.06.2006: The developer says, "It's not a game, it's a toy." But when you play, it doesn't always have to be a game; sometimes it's fun just to see where it goes in Line Rider (an example).

10.04.2006: It's the time of year when people are starting to work on their Halloween costumes. Although some people go to greater lengths than others when it comes to a Wolverine costume.

10.02.2006: Geeks often spend long periods of time behind their computers, so it's no secret that they don't get a lot of exercise. Now it's possible to exercise and compute with the Geek-a-Cycle.

09.29.2006: When it comes to first-person shooters, there's something comforting about the simple point-and-click interface. Especially when the graphics are as killer as Stickman Madness.

09.27.2006: There are lots of battery-operated devices in today's gadget-centric world, requiring all kinds of batteries. So how does an active geek stay powered? With USB rechargeable batteries.

09.25.2006: Clouds are very common. We see them every day to the point that we take them for granted. Sometimes, though, they can form in ways that take our breath away: strange clouds.

09.22.2006: Sometimes a game takes features from other games that you would never imagine were compatible, and puts them together. But somehow it works when you drive the Krazy Kar.

09.20.2006: Rich people can often be eccentric, especially if they aspire to own something unique. But one collector went to great lengths, as documented by his instrument, The Hippo Girl.

09.18.2006: We're used to seeing computer-generated, or CG, images. But people are always pushing the edge of what can be done, as seen in these competitions for the most beautiful CG girls.

09.15.2006: In order to continue advancing in a game, you often need finesse, puzzle-solving skills, and sometimes luck. How long can you last against a non-stop, ever-increasing Onslaught?

09.13.2006: When you hear "blog", most people think of an online diary or a platform for opinions or ranting. Some people use blogs in entirely new ways, such as the street art project Little People.

09.11.2006: A founding principle of the internet is sharing information. But some share too much. You can find all kinds of interesting materials when you Google for confidential "do not distribute".

09.08.2006: When it comes to classic video games, who can forget Tetris? Hum the theme song and any gamer will be able to name it. But to show it can be improved, you can play 3-D Tetris.

09.06.2006: The fact that George Lucas changed his Star Wars movies is not in dispute, but whether the changes are improvements or blasphemy. Check out frame comparisons of Episode V.

09.04.2006: An automat is part restaurant and part vending machine, and was popular in the US in the mid-20th century. The first new automat in years has opened in New York: Bamn is reviewed.

09.01.2006: Pong was one of the first and one of the simplest video games. How do you improve such an icon? You might be surprised how hard it is to play against yourself with Paddle Power.

08.30.2006: A Venn diagram is a mathematical tool used to show logical relationships between different sets. When you combine them with philosophical insight and humor, you're Indexed.

08.28.2006: Lacing your shoes can be far more complicated than you might think. Mathematically there are over 2 trillion combinations. But, more realistically, here are 31 ways to lace your shoes.

08.25.2006: Chess is one of the oldest games, but still has a large and loyal following. There are many chess sites, but one lets you keep abreast of things like chess boxing while playing chess online.

08.23.2006: Photographic artists are "limited" to real-world objects, making it difficult to come up with something new. And yet, somehow they do. Such as this collection of melting ice cream treats.

08.21.2006: One of the amazing things about art is someone's capacity to innovate, both in what they choose to create and the medium they use to create it. Behold, it's San Francisco in Jell-O.

08.18.2006: Remember the old arcade classic Tempest, where you navigated various type of tubes shooting bad... things? This Flash game rewards a different kind of accuracy: Spin It Up.

08.16.2006: If you get enough data, you can model almost any conceivable topic. StateMaster is an awesome site that ranks various US states in numerous categories, such as tooth loss.

08.14.2006: Is it an invasion of privacy? Is it a way to understand some AOL users' internet searches? Or is it just entertainment? Regardless, the latest net obsession is the AOL Search Logs.

08.11.2006: Flight simulators are fun, especially ones you can play at work in your browser. And while it can be a bandwidth hog, it's a lot more realistic to explore in Google Maps with Goggles.

08.09.2006: So many people have internet access at work that it's no wonder they spend so much time surfing. Hide your habit and make web sites look like Word documents with workfriendly.

08.07.2006: Creatures rising up and taking over the world are a staple of science fiction. But could it really happen? Observe the results of a bizarre Swedish population explosion of tent caterpillars.

08.04.2006: Some games are nothing but shoot-'em-up fun, and this one is no different. Except that you can buy upgrades galore. Defend against the stickman attackers in Storm the House 2.

08.02.2006: Stop-motion animation is a new fad on the internet. It's amazing what can be done by combining long-exposure stills and light sources. Be sure to click the "read more" links on PikaPika.

07.31.2006: Cats have a way of adopting people. And the cat demonstrates its gratitude to those people in the form of gruesome "presents". The graphic results of one such cat is What Jeff Killed.

07.28.2006: Sudoku, the math puzzle game, is the current rage among all age groups. But what really spices up a game? Playing it against an online opponent. It's time for Sudoku Combat!

07.26.2006: When you look at a picture, what is it that interests you? When asked to, where will you point and click, and how will your selections compare to other peoples'? Take the click survey.

07.24.2006: Both little kids and big kids of all ages love a treehouse. But not all are just boards nailed up in a tree. Some are designed like and rival the price of real houses. They're TreeHouses.

07.21.2006: Most memory games require you to remember locations to match up pairs of symbols. This one's a bit different: you memorize and duplicate the white dot pixel pattern of Zyrx.

07.19.2006: One of the principles of design is "form follows function". But what happens when you adhere to that mandate and the function still functions? You end up with direction and balance.

07.17.2006: An well-linked internet classic is the worst theme park ever, Fantazy Land. But moving from head-shakingly awful to eerie and even artistic, it's an abandoned theme park in Japan.

07.14.2006: You can't get much simpler than a balancing game. Move the mouse back and forth, and attempt to keep the object (in this case, the pointer) from falling over. It's Mouse Balancing.

07.12.2006: Take an already-lightweight alloy, create a nanotech, uniform "closed-cell" structure, and the result is energy-, vibration- and noise-absorbing, and 100% recyclable: aluminum foam.

07.10.2006: Geeks take pride in creating innovative mods for all types of hardware. Usually that means computers or cars. One engineer has built an amazing street-legal jet-powered VW Bug.

07.07.2006: If you're a gamer, you've played Super Mario Brothers. But you've normally been at regular speed and on the side of good. Try playing with the perspective and speed of Bullet Bill.

07.05.2006: Most everyone has heard, and perhaps even mimicked, the unique fast-talking style of an auctioneer. You can listen to recordings of the past World Livestock Auctioneer Champions.

07.03.2006: If you've watched Survivor, it seems simple enough. But how do you open one at home? It's interesting that there's an entire domain for how to open a coconut. Dot com.

06.16.2006: Boggle is the game with a grid of random letter cubes you use to construct words from adjacent letters. But there's no need to play the old school way when you can play Weboggle.

06.14.2006: Graffiti is random scribblings by someone intended to be seen by others. What do you get when you combine it with a live display on plasma screens and phone text messaging? Wiffiti.

06.12.2006: The words "balloon artist" usually conjur up images of a clown at a birthday party or a mall making flamingos and wiener dogs. But a true artisan can do more than that: balloon art.

06.09.2006: The first "interactive" game was Dragon's Lair, with laserdisc "animation", where your actions could mean success or failure. The very low-budget web version is Dungeon Escape!

06.07.2006: An artist has many different ways to define his or her work, such as the subject matter or the medium used to display it. Or sometimes, its size. Marvel at the microscopic masterpieces.

06.05.2006: A lens is a molded piece of transparent material that refracts (and normally focuses) light. Amazingly, correctly shaping ice allows you to light fires and take pictures.

06.02.2006: Like most games, this one gets harder as you level up, with more and more bad guys. Unlike most, though, it has upgrades. And there's something satisfying about Dry Fire.

05.31.2006: There is an accepted style to anime that includes big eyes, wild colored hair, and often catgirls. See what happens when celebrities and photo editing combine to make reality manga.

05.29.2006: M.C. Escher was famous for using perspective to create 3-D optical illusions in two dimensions. Rob Gonsalves uses some of the same techniques to create two seamless images.

05.26.2006: It's one thing to see a robotic arm, on a car assembly line, say, or a Mars rover, but it's quite another thing to control even a simple one-jointed arm. Can you master the roboclaw?

05.24.2006: People become famous for all sorts of reasons: politics, theater, music, or just being in the right place at the right time. But they all, eventually, die. It's easy to find their graves.

05.22.2006: Tattoos are becoming more popular, but they're not all tribal designs and butterflies. In this world of questionable pop art, some people, inexplicably, decide to have really bad tattoos.

05.19.2006: Most miniature golf games are just about angles and power. But an innovative design gives you a more realistic third person experience, rotating camera and all, in PowPow's Mini-Golf.

05.17.2006: Many people are actors, but not everyone can act. The core of the thespian craft is not just a matter of delivering lines; sometimes the face says it all. Especially if it's a finger face.

05.15.2006: Database experts know that large accumulations of data let you find all sorts of relationships. For example, enter two search terms and see which is more popular in Google Trends.

05.12.2006: Some games are all about speed and perception. But not many use that as the basic premise for the game itself. Brace yourself to recognize and react quickly in four second fury.

05.10.2006: Ergonomics experts know that carpal tunnel problems are caused by reaching for your mouse. Two inventors put their heads (and input devices) together to create the combimouse.

05.08.2006: For geeks, case mods are nothing new. And neither are accessories made of wood. But when you put the two together, as EcoGeek found out, you get surprisingly wooden computing.

05.05.2006: It's deceptively simple: avoid the cubes with your pyramid thingy. But the aircraft-like banking and constant path decisions make it tricky to control and tough to master cubefield.

05.03.2006: To many, art is a kind of food, a feast for the senses. The skilled few are adept at combining both of these, creating art that is food. You can consume these incredible edible cakes.

05.01.2006: What do you get when you take an ordinary, everyday snack item, and then duplicate it (usually from scratch) so it's five to ten times the original size? You learn how to Pimp My Snack.

04.28.2006: MMOs are one of the fastest-growing genres in the gaming market. The challenge of playing with others over the internet cannot be ignored. Especially with a classic game like Pong.

04.26.2006: Many people collect things, although some are more dedicated than others. But the self-appointed few take it farther than the rest. Such as this incredible House of Beer Cans.

04.24.2006: Most of us take it for granted that we can go camping or fishing or hiking when and where we want to. But disabled people are not so lucky. Unless they have the incredible Tank Chair.

04.21.2006: Sometimes the novelty of a game isn't the concept (a bouncing ball), but how the controls work (moving the "floor" target grid). How long can you keep the ball bouncing in Poom?

04.19.2006: Books are not just literary art; they can display visual art as well. But not in the way you expect. Creating hidden images on the ends of gilded book pages is called fore-edge painting.

04.17.2006: Whether in paintings or sculpture, many artists make life-like reproductions of the human form. But there don't seem to be any that do it with such creepy realism as Ron Mueck.

04.14.2006: While some might consider this a game, it's actually a full-blown recreation of the first real people's personal computer. It's in German, but it's still the Macintosh SE simulator.

04.12.2006: True collectors are a bit compulsive, sometimes bordering on the obsessive. Like the guy that has collected, starting with his birth year, most every type of North American license plates.

04.10.2006: In a bizarre stunt that has been recognized by both Ripley's Believe It Or Not and the Guinness Book of World Records, a regular baseball becomes the world's largest ball of paint.

04.07.2005: One of the standards of gaming is the platformer. Here's one that combines hand-drawn characters and environment with tactile, realistic controls. It's the Fancy Pants Adventure.

04.05.2006: You've played first-person shooters like Quake and Unreal Tournament. Now it's possible to make it a more interactive experience and take it to the next level with VirtuSphere.

04.03.2006: With all the pictures on the internet, it's nice to know you can still find some that make you smile. But is it possible to overload on cute? Find out at Things That Make You Go Aahh.

03.31.2006: What's better than making a message in the snow for your friends? Having an adorable Antarctic avian slide around and do it for you! Create your own penguin snow message.

03.29.2006: Some major internet sites have an interface that geeks can program to. One example is the popular photo-sharing site Flickr. Have fun adding your own captions to photos with Bubblr.

03.27.2006: Usually, in order to sing the blues, you have to be able to sing and play the guitar. Not to mention having the low-down blues. The internet removes the barriers with desktop blues.

03.24.2006: There's the comforting, spacey music. There's the easy way "you" spin around and move through the water. And the ruthless way you eat everything to get ahead. It's Flow.

03.22.2006: There are practically no limits to what geeks will do when using computer power to solve everyday tasks, such as the standard household bar. Behold the Automated Bar.

03.20.2006: People enjoy free stuff, but not many are willing to make the effort and see how much they can receive. One man decided to see what he could get with the Free Stuff Experiment.

03.17.2006: If there's one thing guys like to do, it's blow up stuff with tanks. It start with Atari Tanks and continued with BattleZone. Stay true to those vector graphic roots with Turbo Tanks.

03.15.2006: Have you ever done a "horse blow"? You know, keeping your lips together and blowing out air forcefully to sound like a horse? If so, then you'll appreciate the pictures at Blowers World.

03.13.2006: Sometimes it's hard to bridge the gap between two cultures who speak different languages. Especially when the translator takes things too literally, as in this Chinese menu.

03.10.2006: The game is unfailingly simple and the sound is a little creepy. What's the point, then? There's just something about beating the odds and extending your streak in Guess Which Hand.

03.08.2006: On the old Batman TV show, there was a concealed switch and sliding bookcase to hide the batcave's secret entrance. Add one to your home by installing a hidden passageway.

03.06.2006: While many buildings can seem bland, some are designed to be unique, both inside and out. Like the world's most unusual buildings and perspective-painted interiors.

03.03.2006: For those of you who suffer from OCD, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (or, more correctly, enjoy Obsessive Compulsive Order), you'll have high score on Monk's Mind Game.

03.01.2006: It's not unusual to have an interest in old military manuals. What is unusual, though, is meticuously reproducing a Japanese training manual by posing and photographing maid dolls.

02.27.2006: It's no secret that geeks love Star Wars, and the web is littered with their tribute sites. But they also appreciate satire and memes. Such as The Star Wars Photoshopping Project.

02.24.2006: It may be a simple game from a site that contains more than you should probably know about, but the disorienting 360-degree play can really tax your sense of direction. It's 2 Deep.

02.22.2006: Rejection is hard to take, but sometimes it's hard to dish out, too. Now you can give a stranger the brush-off by giving him or her a rejection email address on a Paper Napkin.

02.20.2006: Sometimes questionable things are done in the name of science. What is the purpose of this strange experiment? Who are these men? Luckily, there's a happy ending for the flying pig.

02.17.2006: Some games go beyond just the mechanics of gameplay and add a bizarre or unusual twist to the design. For a different (and difficult) experience, try the giraffe-milking game.

02.15.2006: Many people are looking for a way to profit from the internet, from donations for fake boobs to advertising. So don't blame a guy trying to trade up to a house from one red paperclip.

02.13.2006: Charles Babbage is considered the father of the modern computer, designing the first computational engine. Here's a geek that has built a replica, with a twist: the Lego difference engine.

02.10.2006: Sometimes a very simple game can be fun. Especially when it comes in increasingly complex versions. So choose the version, from autoplay to deluxe, of Poke Alex in the Eye.

02.08.2006: Once you think you've explored the variety of media that artists can use to express themselves, along comes someone that combines gore with ordinary yarn. It's extreme knitting.

02.06.2006: The internet is a great way to keep a photo diary, allowing one to relive a certain event over and over. For example, when Eric puts on a jumpsuit, recreates the diet, and is Elvis for a day.

02.03.2006: The popular photograph-sharing site Flickr has an interface that programmers can access. One has created an online photo game, that you play live against others, called fastr.

02.01.2006: The futuristic designs and in-your-face advertising of the late 50s to early 60s is cool and sometimes funny. Get your retro laughs at the spookily focused Plan59 with their demonic tots.

01.30.2006: Some artists can create amazing images through photography. One uses a special lens and depth of focus to make reality look like miniature models. His name is Olivo Barbieri.

01.27.2006: Here's a surprising test that really examines two separate traits: How smart are you, and how ethical are you? To find out, don't Google and solve the intelligence test, parts one and two.

01.25.2006: What's the best thing about Google Video? The fact that, whether you've seen them before or not, if you can find them online or not, someone has linked the Best of Google Video.

01.23.2006: What does someone do when they work at a library and have access to all sorts of old books that are earmarked to be thrown away? You make furniture! Specifically, the book bar.

01.20.2006: You've probably played snake on a cell phone, grabbing food while maneuvering your ever-growing snake. But trying upping the ante and playing Psycho Techno Hypno Kitten Snake.

01.18.2006: Programmers hook into, and then customize, accessing aerial photographs on the internet. You can scroll and zoom, but also rotate and see lattitude and longitude. It's Flash Earth.

01.16.2006: Sometimes it's amazing what computers can do. And with the internet, they can bring that amazing right to you. Like finding a song by using your spacebar: it's The Song Tapper.

01.13.2006: Here's what happens when you combine someone's bizarre (dis)taste for Brussels sprouts with Tears for Fears' hit song Shout. Save the dinner (diner?) from the Attack of the Sprouts.

01.11.2006: Everybody loves sock monkeys. But in today's world, diversity is the name of the game. Don't settle for the same old sock monkey when you can have a unique Sock It 2 Me!

01.09.2006: You can still find some pretty old cameras at pawn shops and garage sales. Amazingly, many still have undeveloped film after all these years. View the found photographs.

01.06.2006: Sometimes a game is so pretty, the interface so interesting, that it takes you a while to understand how it's played. Part art project and definitely confusing, it's the Falling Sand Game.

01.04.2006: One of the amazing things about the internet is that you can find almost anything for sale. For example, you can accessorize with decades-old high-tech style: 1970s watches.

01.02.2006: It's the start of a new year, and everyone's thoughts turn to the future. Keep your chin up and look on the bright side with sites like Rose Colored News and Great News Network.