This weapon is your life.

I'm just now getting around to posting this entry, showing an attraction that has garnered attention on several Web sites I've seen. One person posted it on my Facebook wall after I'd already seen it on the New York Daily News.

It's a high-powered laser that can burn flesh. Also, its makers — who are either living in some sort of isolated cave and had no idea that they were replicating a pop-culture icon or Star Wars fans with a sense of humor — gave it a very familiar appearance.



Check out the lightsaber ... er, laser pointer here.

Compare it with a few real lightsaber props.



If you're interested in one geek's page-long explanation of why a lightsaber is a physical impossibility, click here.

Slice it up, fuzzball!

There are at least ten quasi-clever Star Wars references I could make about the bear in this video. I could go with the ubiquitous "The Force is strong with this bear"; I could say something like "Who's scruffy-looking?" I could go with "Fish, nuts, berries — a Jedi craves not these things." Or maybe: "Judge me by my fur, do you?" How about "What an incredible new stick you've discovered!"



Or maybe I could just tell what's going on in the video. Like many internet memes (the "Star Wars kid" comes to mind), what started as somebody with a stick has become somebody with a lightsaber. Still, this was is particularly cool, and not only because the bear can now chop your head off.

The bear, Claude, lives at the Asa Zoo in Hiroshima, Japan. Some people doubted the authenticity of the original video (the one without the lightsaber edited in), but a zookeeper apparently verified that it was real, that Claude really was twirling a stick in his claws. The zookeeper says that the staff encourages the bear by giving him 15-meter sticks to play with.

Watch the video here.

Fifteen minutes of awesomeness, part 2

The next trailer is for The Force Unleashed II. When last we saw Darth Vader's secret apprentice, he had just sacrificed himself to badly wound Darth Vader and the Emperor. Here we see that he's back again — somehow. We don't really care to worry about how in the worlds he survived that encounter, only that he's exhibiting some pretty sweet moves. Check it out:

Fifteen minutes of awesomeness

A little bit of balm exists now for those who harbor frustrations with the prequel trilogy. Do you wish you could watch some good, old-fashioned action unhindered by banal dialogue? It only lasts a combined fifteen minutes, but here are three trailers for upcoming Star Wars video games, three trailers that rank in the "awesome" range.

First, we've got two trailers for the upcoming MMORPG The Old Republic. I'm not much for MMORPG games (think World of WarCraft), but these trailers are pretty excellent.



I don't own the rights to any of these videos, which are probably owned by Lucasfilm Ltd. and their respective video game labels.

Because I could only post two videos at a time, check out the next post.

Wretched hive of scum and villainy

Sportswear company adidas has launched a new campaign using Star Wars to promote the FIFA World Cup. Now, I live in the USA, where the soccer world cup is watched by approximately three people nationwide, but the addition of Star Wars elements promises to make me at least gaze curiously in the general direction of any TV where the World Cup might be playing.

The commercial integrates David Beckham, Snoop Dogg, and other stars seamlessly into the Mos Eisley Cantine scene. Check out the video and the wizardry behind the amazing integration of two galaxies here.

Lost in a galaxy far, far away ...

If you're like me, a little part of you died a few weeks ago when Lost ended. The many parts of Lost's legacy have been lauded by commentators and fans alike, but there's one aspect of the show that doesn't get the recognition it deserves. That aspect? A consistent effort by the producers to throw in as many Star Wars references as possible.

Hugo "Hurley" Reyes, the show's main source of comic relief, provides the bulk of Star Wars references. However, the homages to Star Wars don't end there. From a strategically placed Millennium Falcon toy to thematic similarities, the references abound.

Consider, for instance, the scene where Sawyer strangles Anthony Cooper:



Look at the lighting and the expressions on faces.

The exhaustive list of Star Wars references can be found here.

Icing on the cake

A good girl is one in a million. A good girl who will let you put an AT-AT on your wedding cake has got to be one in at least a billion.

Check out this cake. Bride Rebecca Dudeiros had a friend who made this for her — including little Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma figures and Ewok Cupcakes. How romantic is this? I hope her groom is a Star Wars fan as well.... If not, her most attractive qualities are wasted.