If you ever thought real life should be more like the video games we play, you're not alone. At the very least, you definitely have an awesome friend in Caleb Kraft, senior editor at Hack a Day. He made a real homemade version of the fire breathing piranha plant from Super Mario Bros. It's incredible. Read More >>

Remember the now-ubiquitous bullet time effect in the Matrix? That technique requires dozens of cameras and other expensive gear, but JPL engineer, inventor and Gizmodo friend Mark Rober, figured out how to do it for just a few quid. Read More >>

Apparently, this week's theme is dangerous DIY props because as a follow-up to the frightening 80,000-volt Thor hammer we now have an equally terrifying replica of the Dead Space Plasma Cutter. As far as prop design and attention to detail go it's beautiful, but the use of a pair of 1,500-milliwatt burning blue lasers has us cautious about recommending this as a DIY. Read More >>

Iron Man has finally returned to cinemas, inevitably leaving a lot of us lusting for our own set of red and gold armour  But it turns out that billions of pounds, a genius IQ, and the magic of Hollywood aren't required to realise that dream. At least, not for these brilliant amateur creations. Read More >>

We support authentic cosplay as much as the next superhero-loving blog, but this recreation of Thor's Mjolnir hammer that's capable of generating 80,000 arcing volts is just straight-up scary. Read More >>

If your daily commute has become mundane and boring, you can easily spice things up with this clever hack that makes it feel like you've just jacked someone's ride. All you need is an old screwdriver — the more worn it is the more convincing the effect will be — and a car key you're willing to hack to bits. Read More >>

Have you always wanted a computer overlord to watch your every move? To trap you outside the airlock, or attempt to kill you in your sleep? Well, now you can build your own. It even looks the part too. Read More >>

When's the last time you really felt like a badass on a bicycle? Probably when your training wheels came off around the age of six. Well, fortunately for you, bike and oversized object enthusiast Richie Tremble has figured out a way to feel that sense of wobbly danger once again: a 14.5-foot, towering beach cruiser he calls the StoopidTall Tall Bike. Read More >>

If you love yourself, your kid, your house, your life, you should have a helicopter ceiling fan in your house. We've seen aviation inspired ceiling fans before (and even an awesome inverted chopper fan), but this helicopter ceiling fan will always look like it's flying in your room while it's cooling it down. Read More >>

Google is offering users a new way of building maps, opening up its mapping tools for public use. You're able to edit existing data, or add your own routes, tacking unreported footpaths into Google's database, populating places of interest, filling in building detail and more. Read More >>

It may not be as easy as print, plug, and play, but designer J.C. Karich is proving that you can make a pair of working headphones with nothing but raw materials, a 3D printer, open source designs, and a little gumption. Read More >>

What with cloud storage becoming more and more affordable, chances are you've got a stack of old hard drives just laying around somewhere. At least one. You could just throw them away, or leave them to languish, or you could throw caution to the wind and make one into a cotton candy machine. Read More >>

It's useful for blasting dust, crumbs, and other crap off your keyboard and electronics, but those overpriced compressed air cans are almost as big a rip-off as printer ink. So here's a brilliant and relatively simple hack that makes a compressed air can refillable with a standard tyre pump. And just to highlight what's probably the most crucial step in this project: you'll want to make sure the can you're using is completely and thoroughly empty before going at it with a drill. [YouTube via Dooby Brain] Read More >>

Designer Jurgen Kuipers' plywood Sawyer lowrider bike is as awesome to look at as it probably is to cruise around the neighbourhood on. So much so that Kuipers has actually created a full-size, 1:1 scale model of the bike that comes packaged just like a plastic model kit. Read More >>

Those of use who know from experience can safely say there's nothing quite as much fun as a homemade rocket. But part of that fun is not getting your hands blown off. Nighthawkinlight has a fun, easy way you can get the best of both worlds, and "recycle" your old water bottles in a literal blaze of glory. Read More >>