Millennium Falcon
description Yes, we owned the first Millennium Falcon toy, released back in 1979. Everyone else did, too, and Hasbro made all those flocks of the 17-inch craft from the same molds. Forms that finally, three decades later, have worn out. Luckily, Hasbro called in the original designer and let him go to town on a new version. On his to-do list: Make the cockpit actually fit four heroes — like in the movie, hello! — and use a dimmer switch so the lights flicker to better evoke the real ship’s sputtering engines. The updated vehicle is about a foot longer and, at $150, costs around $50 more than its predecessor. And, of course, the bucket of bolts still makes the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. 
Tim Fite: Fair Ain’t Fair Last year, Fite released a free Web-only album that established him as one of the most creative singer-songwriters around. This spiffy follow-up, recorded in his Brooklyn bedroom, is a savory blend of country, hip hop, blues, pop, and electronic music. What’s that? It sounds like we’re describing Beck? Don’t worry, Fite’s songs are earnest and funny enough to hold their own.
Bitstrips
description If Bart Simpson founded Facebook, it would http://www.bitstrips.com/ look like this. The site lets users create one-of-a-kind DIY comic strips using custom characters, colored backgrounds, multiple panels, and thought bubbles. (You can even design your own cartoon avatar.) Users post, share, and vote on their favorite funnies. 
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
description In the fourth chapter of Konami’s Solid Snake saga, the world’s oldest geezer secret agent is called back to the battlefield for one final special op. It’s full of the series’ trademark stealth gameplay and gripping drama. Finally, the PlayStation 3 faithful have a top-notch war game to call their own. 
Ben Burtt in WALL-E
description Another summer, another Pixar dazzler. This year’s entry: WALL-E, a sci-fi toon about a lonely doe-eyed droid. Sure, it’d be easy to wave off Pixar’s hit rate as the result of formulaic brilliance. But that sells its obsession short: Just listen to the dialog — those blips, whirs, and chirps created by Burtt, the Oscar-winning sound designer behind the voice of R2-D2 (and countless other Star Wars characters). Burtt came out of retirement to record more than 2,500 unique samples for the film (Star Wars made do with a paltry 800 sounds). 
Delete This at Your Peril: One Man’s Hilarious Exchanges with Internet Spammers Author Bob Servant found a new way to deal with spam: write back, stringing the schemers along with financial promises in exchange for outlandish requests. From demanding that Nigerian 419 spammers provide compensation in the form of diamonds and live lions to courting a fake Russian bride with a real emu, Servant’s communiqués may inspire you to come up with your own creative responses.
Olympus E-420
description Sick of lugging around bulky pro-grade shooters? Olympus has the fix. Its E-420 is one of the smallest (5.1 x 3.6 x 2.1 inches) and lightest (13.4ounces) DSLRs in the world. It also snaps 10-megapixel shots, has a high-contrast LCD viewable in direct sunlight, and features a supersonic wave filter that eradicates dirt particles from the image sensor, leaving most of its rivals in the dust. 
The Last Lecture
description Yes, we saw Randy Pausch’s last https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo lecture on YouTube last year, and yes, we cried, too. Now the famous talk has grown into this book, in which the genius computer-science professor imparts even more of the valuable lessons on living life that he learned by facing death like a true geek. One telling moment: Upon learning in his hospital room that he has just months to live, Pausch searches for a tissue and thinks, "Shouldn’t a room like this have a box of Kleenex? Wow, that’s a glaring operational flaw." 
Virgin America
description Imagine: An airline you look forward to flying. Flights on VA are inexpensive (first class is almost affordable), and in our experience, lines are comparatively short. Hungry? Press a button on your seat-back console and a sandwich arrives. Bored? Play Doom. Think the guy in 18B is cute? Text him. Here’s to a company whose services feel like they were designed by actual humans for actual humans. 
Tripletz.com
description Forget Hallmark; http://tripletz.com/ on-demand publishing has come to the greeting card. For about $5, your message (surely you can do better than Happy Birthday, Dad) is divided into three parts, which arrive on a triptych of postcards sent on three consecutive days. Feeling poetic? Write your own and earn $111 once 333 of your cards sell.
