Author: Mark Wilson

Since the iPad came out, I’ve been waiting, trembling, for a killer pinball app. The Pinball HD falls well short of pinball nirvana, but there are worse ways to drop $3—especially in the App Store. More »

I always imagined fairies as pansy Disney cartoons. But Gwenael Nicolas’ ‘Sparks’ lamp paints a different picture—one of a brazen, orbicular creature of light that leaves sharp crystals in its wake. [designboom] More »

“There is no elastic. There is no fold-over flap. The case doesn’t even have the little bit of extra room that the one that Sprint is promoting…it’s just a simple zip-up case that resembles a poor man’s clutch purse…” [Gear Live] More »

Assuming the next generation Kindle and Nook stick with E Ink as their display provider, this video highlights what’ll be new: Animation and nearly double the contrast ratio. More »

We already knew what was inside the iPad, but I must say, it’s still a bit of a letdown that zero gnome skeletons were revealed in this shot. [gigazine via CrunchGear] More »

Artist David Karave: “I saw these dummies as experiencing the vague alerts, and the anxiety and the paranoia that we normally feel as a society, in place of us, and thereby saving us.” [CrashingAlert via DarkRoastedBlend] More »

“What image would you like on the cake, sir?” “I’ll shoot you the URL.” And with these simple, misunderstood words, an epic cake wreck was born. So what was supposed to be on the cake? This: More »

For this week’s Shooting Challenge, the topic will be something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time…something our photographic community has proven expansive and adventurous enough to tackle: HDR (high dynamic range) photography. More »

A month ago, the world saw Apple as equal parts North Pole and KGB—unpredictably innovative and notoriously secretive, they were a force wielded by nothing less than magic. Then, an elf got loose. More »

This is a real ad found in 1982 comic books— coincidentally, the same year I was birthed by a cylinder of Tinkertoys. [flickr via CavalcadeofAwesome via Neatorama] More »

“Insufficient media coverage…Upscaling makes porn unexpectedly upsetting…When used as murder weapon, oleophobic coating does not completely eliminate incriminating fingerprints.” Read additional less common—but completely valid—iPad complaints from The New Yorker here: [The New Yorker] More »

Beep boop boop boop boop boop boop boop beep. Hello? Yes, this is Mark Wilson…calling from my phone. My dog phone. More »

Fellow arm sleepers, a new dawn is upon us. For just $100, we can alleviate the several tons of pressure that our massive craniums place upon our arms. That, or our pillows now have a hoagie compartment. [HammacherSchlemmer via NerdApproved] More »

Anyone can build Optimus Prime out of an old semi and a glint of All Spark. But it takes a true craftsman, a visionary, an auteur (and OK, maybe a clown) to build him out of balloons. More »

Some pictures capture a moment. Others capture a story. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, I asked you to stage a scene. Your results were sometimes funny, sometimes beautiful, sometimes sad and always worthwhile. More »

Today, the formerly Japan-exclusive Wii Classic Controller Pro ($20) arrives to American stores. It’s basically a recreation of Sony’s Dual Shock (which is basically a beefed up SNES pad), with double rows of shoulder buttons and dual analog sticks. [Nintendo] More »

Just as I discover the $45 TRON hoodie (a combination of my two favorite things short of “pork fornication,” which just sounds bad), I discover it’s sold out. Some t-shirt sizes are still available, however. [Threadless via TheDailyWhat via DVICE] More »

Want to know when your pre-ordered iPad will arrive? April 30th. If you planned to buy one from an Apple Store? That’ll be the same day, starting at 5pm. PM. So sleep in, nerds. More »

Space imagery traditionally celebrates a sense of wonder and thrill of the unknown. But the ‘Houston, We Have a Problem’ t-shirt chooses a shocking, cryptic aesthetic. $25 (or less with discount code ‘TAKE40’), if that’s your thing. [PublicDomain via boingboing] More »

In this Bloomberg report, we get a brief look at McDonald’s own DS employee training software that’s used in Japan. It’s like Cooking Mama, just a lot more depressing when you “win.” [Kotaku] More »