You have to hand it to Etsy seller Chrystal Doucette, she really knows her audience. She understands that the right mix of nostalgia, quirkiness, and fine craftsmanship is the key to the heart (and wallet) of any (credit) card carrying geek. That’s probably why her store specializes in soap cast into the shape of video game paraphernalia. Consoles, controllers, cartridges, companion cubes, Rubik’s Cubes; they’ve all been cast in soap. That’s not all: Many of the soaps come in such appetizing flavors as Mountain Dew and grape soda. She even has a collection of caffeinated, pop-scented shower gels. If her work has one flaw, it’s that much of it relies on stickers — making them prettier to look at than to use. That said, it’s a pretty amazing collection. See more pictures, after the break.

David Calvo is something of a Rubik’s Cube master. From solving two cubes simultaneously, one in each hand, to solving a cube blindfolded, he’s done it all. Well, most of it. That being the case, it looks like he’s started to work juggling into his repitoire, giving him the most impressively useless “other skills” section of any résumé in history. Of course, knowing the guy’s background, it was probably harder for him to get a hang of the one-handed juggling than anything else, but it is still impossible not to be impressed. What’s next? Who knows, but I am excited to find out.

When it comes to speed solving Rubik’s cubes, I feel like we must be coming up on the physical limits of speed. Records are being eroded constantly and it just has to stop somewhere, right? Just this May, the record was set at 6.24 seconds, only to be beaten in June with a 5.66 second run, and now, the CubeStormer II is upping the ante with a 5.35 second run. Seriously, how much faster can it possibly get?

The CubeStormer II, as you might be able to guess, is a LEGO Mindstorms project and utilizes the tried-and-true smartphone-operated robotic solver format. The really impressive part of the CubeStormer II is how fast it goes. Seriously, I could watch that thing solve cubes all day long. If a human can beat this record, they very well may be the last superhuman to have that honor.

Video after the jump.

At yesterday’s Kubaroo Open in Melbourne, Australia, Rubik’s Cube prodigy Feliks Zemdegs set a new world record for speed, solving a 3x3x3 cube in 6.24 seconds. Zemdegs — who is 15 years old — had set the past three world records.

(via BoYT)

A Megaminx is essentially a dodecahedral Rubik’s Cube–that’s 12 faces and 50 total moveable pieces. For comparison, the regular Rubik’s Cube has 6 faces and 20 moveable pieces. If having 6 more faces and 30 more moveable pieces than a regular Rubik’s Cube weren’t enough, on top of a less scary 6 color format, the Megaminx also comes in a 12 color format. So, what does one do when faced with solving the terrifying 12-faced, 12-colored, 50-pieced dodecahedron? Make a computer do it. Uploaded to YouTube by user ARMFlix, the above video shows a LEGO Mindstorms NXT construction called the “Megaminxer,” which when coupled with an HTC Desire running a custom Android app, solves the Rubik’s monstrosity. The HTC Desire takes a picture of each face of the Megaminx, processes the scrambled colors, works out the solution, then tells the Megaminxer’s controller via Bluetooth how to manipulate the dodecahedron in order to solve the puzzle. Basically, fancy computer magic.

(ARMFlix via Engadget)

By sculpting a brain surface around a regular Rubik’s Cube, Jason Freeny created this fully functional Rubik’s Brain. Cue jokes about wrapping one’s brain around the idea.

(MoistProduction via Super Punch)

This isn’t normally how we make the games are art argument, but… we applaud your commitment to literal thinking.

(David Alvarez has two other game supply mosaics that are just as impressive, using good old six-sided dice and playing cards.  I chose this one because it is relevant to my interests.)

(via Wired.)

Pac-Man is Moleskine (Kotaku)

Miyamoto Wants to Make A Rubik’s Cube? (Eurogamer)

This Deer Made Out of Typewriter Parts is Adorable, Actually (Jeremy Mayer)

Hello Kitty R2-D2 (Yodaflicker)

Mark Zuckerberg on Oprah (Cindy W)

Avengers Hulk Will Be Mo-Cap (Blastr)

Samus and the Colossus (David-Hsu-Yen)

(pic (click to embiggen) via Wondermark.)

All Rubik’s Cubes solvable in 20 moves (Cube20)

Skype files for IPO (WSJ)

Gorilla plays Nintendo DSi XL (Escapist)

MTV hires $100k/year Twitter jockey (Runnin’ Scared)

Real Life Meeting Between Obama And Saints Startlingly Similar To Video Game Version (SportsGrid)

Vintage Tokyo subway manners posters (Pink Tentacle)

Install Flash on your iPhone the easy way (RWW)

Bonus video: Lando Calrissian Blaxploitation film:

In a commercial for Drench’s Juicy Spring Water, which consists of spring water with juice mixed in, a man with a Rubik’s Cube-like head listens to music, sips a juice drink when his head is freakishly misshapen, and proceeds to twist the six components of his face around. Thirsty yet?