Nick Kwek visits the National Space Industry Hub in Sydney. Read...

I don’t know about you, but I love the holidays. The decorations, the hot cocoa, the snuggling under a fuzzy blanket with my Kindle. Yes, the holidays are great—save for the absolute madness of shopping malls. So, what do I do? I go shopping online. (Surprise!) And this year, I’m adding my own nerdy self to the holiday shopping list. I love all sorts of gadgets and gaming, and my friends and family do too. So, I went digging online for the perfect nerdy presents. Bottom line: I’d buy all these for myself in a blink. I’m PCWorld’s daily deals writer, so I did my best to focus on value, and zeroed in on top-rated products before sharing them with you. Play cards with the Lich King – Bicycle World of Warcraft playing cards Bicycle These are absolutely drop… dead… gorgeous! I’m annoyed I didn’t find this 3-deck collection of WoW playing cards a couple of weeks ago when I bought the Burning Crusade deck, because I bet the others are just as gorgeous. The cards are beautifully drawn, well made, and you’ll just love how all the characters are made. The set includes three decks for Warcraft Classic, Burning Crusade, and Lich King, as well as an acrylic display case if you want to keep them together. View at Amazon Press play — SK2 Magnetic Levitation Bluetooth Speaker YFLSTR They don’t specifically say what inspired the design of this super cool levitating Bluetooth speaker, but we can all see it, right? It’s like you can already hear the Imperial March blasting through, right? Anyway, this is a levitating speaker and if that’s all I said about this product, it should be enough, because how cool is that? The speaker features a battery that’s good for more than 10 hours or music playback. When that runs out, you just take it down and use the Type-C port to recharge it. Magic! View at Amazon Coolest charger ever – GravaStar 65W GravaStar I’m sorry, I recommend Anker and Baseus and Ugreen aaaaal day long — and they’re absolutely awesome and powerful and well made. But none look as cool as this GravaStar Alpha65 model. This is simply simply something else. Featuring two USB-C ports and one USB-A, you can recharge all your gear, from smartphones to tablets to laptops. Under the hood, this particular model uses GaN technology, which means it’s more energy efficient and doesn’t heat up as much. Oh, and the prongs fold! View at Amazon Gather ’round and strategize — Asmodee Sid Meier’s Civilization: A New Dawn board game Asmodee Civilization has to be one of the most iconic games ever and has been around for more than three decades. There are multiple games in the series, so it’s no surprise that a board game also joined the line. The game is recommended for ages 14 and above and you need between 2 and 4 players to get a round in. You’ll spend a couple of hours having fun directing the course of your very own civilization, deciding how much they develop scientifically and culturally, and just how far you’ll take military production. View at Amazon Bring the tavern at home — The Düngeonmeister Cookbook Jef Aldrich/Jon Taylor How many times have you read a book, played a game, or watched a movie and wished you could try some of that tavern food mentioned? Well, the Düngeonmeister Cookbook aims to help with that, delivering 75 recipes you can share with friends. This D&D cookbook will guide you through making Dwarven Battle Pasta, Icy Burst Bananas, or Spicy Devil’s cupcakes. Those Mimic Munchies look absolutely amazing and I’m pretty sure I’ll be making them soon. Just cross these off as you host LAN parties and DnD sessions; everyone will love them. View at Amazon Take Pac-Man everywhere — My Arcade Pac-Man Pocket Player Pro My Arcade How cool is it that you can take Pac-Man with you anywhere you go? This legendary video game has been around for decades, and it’s been a part of many of our lives since we were kids, running around eating all the dots while avoiding those annoying ghosts. This thing needs four AA batteries or can be powered via USB-C. And while I picked Pac-Man because it’s one of my personal favorites, the same shop also sells editions for Street Fighter, Space Invaders, Ms PacMan, MegaMan, and Galaga. There’s also an Atari version with 100 separate games. The best part is these handhelds are quite affordable, with the most expensive one going for $40 right now. If you want the Pac-Man version, however, it’ll cost you only $30. View at Amazon Be on time — Nixie Tube Clock ClockTeck Do I even have to explain why I’d buy this in a blink for myself my friends? Look at it! How cool does this thing look?! The retro-future-looking tubes can tell the time in regular monochrome, or you can go RGB and bring color to your life. There are so many modes to choose from, it’ll be hard to pick one. This LED clock is a replica of a Nixie vacuum tube clock, making it much more affordable than the $300 versions you need to order from Eastern Europe. It can be linked to your local Wi-Fi, so it will always tell the time perfectly. You can also set up alarms and switch between a 12 and 24-hour format. If you guys want to get me one… just saying. This model from ClocTeck is $70 at the time of writing with no active discounts. View at Amazon Add magic to your bookshelf — Criolpo book nook kit Criolpo If you’re a book dragon who can’t help but always add new books to the cart, then you’re going to absolutely love this Criolpo Book Nook. I’m going to have to be completely honest here and say that I’ve already fallen for the cuteness of the book nook trend and bought one. The kit is not yet complete, but I’m working on it. I cannot wait to have it on the shelf between two heavy books and to light it up. It’s basically a 3D wooden puzzle. You assemble it yourself (and that’s more than half the fun!) to bring a miniature world into your home. What’s not to love? This one in the image above is $34 at the time of writing, but it’s on sale. If you want a more cyberpunk model, you can certainly find one of those too. View at Amazon We have arcade games at home — Foosball table Best Choice Products Now, don’t tell my husband, but I actually got him a foosball table for Xmas. Shh! This thing looks great, and it will be so much fun to play over the holidays. It’s perfectly sized for gamers of all ages, and even features two cup holders for, ehm, beer hot chocolate? You can play this one 1v1 or 2v2, so you can have tons of fun with friends. It also comes in multiple colors, so you can pick whichever matches your furniture better. It’s only $120 to get right now since it’s 25% off. Now, I have to figure out how to ensure my husband doesn’t read this article… View at Amazon Dungeons and Dragons (and dice) Zhoorqi/Medikaison Can we even talk about nerdy gifts without listing a few cool dice sets? We really don’t think you can. There are so many options out there that we’re having a hard time picking. My kid really loved these LED light-up rechargeable dice (I mean, fair, they’re gorgeous), while I’d go for something more practical like the metal dice on the right, especially since you can actually roll the dice in the box. Whatever floats your boat! There’s an endless list of possibilities when it comes to DnD dice sets. View at Amazon May the Funko Pop be with you — Darth Vader Funko Pop Suggesting Funko Pop figures for a present seems like a “duh” situation, but here we are — how about a Funko Pop with Darth Vader? If they’re into Star Wars, this one’ll definitely be a hit. But then again, Funko Pop has about a gazillion models for just about any fandom, from Stranger Things to Wicked, from Scream to Pokemon, sports teams, anime, Disney, music artists, Marvel, Harry Potter, and soooo much more. They’re pretty affordable, too. This Darth Vader one is only $10 right now. View at Amazon Play with energy — National Geographic Circuit Maker Kit National Geographic So, is this Epic Circuits Science Kit theoretically meant for kids? Sure. Does that mean you can’t have fun with it as an adult? Absolutely not! National Geographic has some insanely fun STEM kits, including this one where you can set up over 120 projects, figuring out how circuits work and more. You can even create songs or make cool light shows, and that’s fantastic at any age. Embrace the kid inside and snag one of these Nat Geo kits for $44. View at Amazon LEGO! — Boost Creative Toolbox 17101 LEGO Who doesn’t want LEGO as a gift? I mean, I don’t know anyone who’d pout over receiving a set like this? Especially this set. I actually bought this a while back, and it’s absolutely amazing. Insanely fun to play with, since you can build one of five models and then hook it up to a tablet and have fun. You can get the little robot to move in certain patterns, and then rebuild it into Frankie the Cat, or into a funky guitar to play music. The LEGO Boost Creative Toolbox is definitely pricey, but it’s a set you can have fun with for years to come. You can even pretend you got it for your kids… as I did. View at Amazon Rest your wrist — Strebito mini electric screwdriver set Strebito If you’re always tinkering with computers and other tech at home (or you know someone who is), then getting one of these 70-in-1 electric screwdriver kits makes perfect sense. The electric mechanism is powerful and will handle all those pesky screws in a blink. There are 64 magnetic bits in the set, so you can be sure those tiny screws won’t get dropped in the void, forever lost somewhere in the computer case. There are three torque levels to choose from, but you can also use it in manual mode if need be. The best part is that you can charge it via the USB-C port. Oh, and it’s only $50. View at Amazon DIY a tiny computer — RasTech Raspberry Pi 5 RasTech There’s an endless list of things you can do with a Raspberry Pi. This RasTech kit is absolutely tiny and it can be such a cool DIY project. The kit features a Pi5 8GB board, a 65GB card, two card readers, a cooler, a case, a power supply, and several cables. There’s even a tiny screwdriver in the pack, but you can always just get the Strebito electric one we mentioned just now. So, whether you want to turn your dumb TV into a smart one or you want to make an old-school gaming emulator, this kit is fantastic. Check out more awesome Raspberry Pi projects you can have fun with. View at Amazon Old school gaming, tiny mode — Retro mini Arcade Game Arcade Classics Hey, remember those big arcade games we used to play? Well, you have adult-money now, so you can get one. Joking. I mean, you can, but this $20 Retro Mini Arcade is probably the type of thing you could purchase without too much drama, right? This tiny handheld game console lets you use joysticks to play Pac-Man, Tetris, WWE, or Ms. Pac-Man. I mean, you could say they’re for kids, but we know who’s really going to play with them. View at Amazon Neat, organized, and pixelated — Numskull Minecraft gaming accessory locker & storage stand Numskull Listen, whatever your age, this Numskull Gaming Accessory Locker is absolutely cool. It’s shaped as a Creeper, and it’s (of course) Minecraft-green. There are four controller holders on the sides, and a “head” holder for headphones. There’s room for up to ten DVDs inside the locker, and the little drawer on the bottom can hold cables, remotes, and other accessories. You can set this thing up next to your console or on your desk and have everything within reach. There are other theme variations available too, like Harry Potter, Fortnite, or Sonic, to name a few. They’re all about $30. View at Amazon Bring your projects to life — Bambu Lab A1 mini 3D printer Bambu Lab Man, I have soooo many projects I could get done with a 3D printer. It’s something I’ve been waiting to get for a while, holding off mostly due to lack of space. But if I were to get one right now, it’s this one: the Bambu Lab A1. I have a friend who reviewed a ton of printers and he’s talked about this one several times. It’s not too big, it’s well-priced, and it’s also fairly quiet, AND it can print in color! View Deal Make it fly — DJI mini 4K drone DJI Haven’t you always wanted a drone to fly across an awesome landscape to record gorgeous video? Can’t just be me! This DJI Mini Drone captures 4K video, which is absolutely amazing considering just how your vids will turn out. Not only will the videos look gorgeous, but they’ll also be steady, given the 3-axis gimbal stabilization. The coolest part is that this drone is absolutely tiny. How tiny? Well, it weighs under 249 grams, and it fits in the palm of your hand. Just imagine what cool vacation vids you’ll capture. View at Amazon Germs be gone — PhoneSoap 3 phone sanitizer PhoneSoap Did you know how disgusting your phone is? You touch that thing all the time, you place it everywhere without worry, you take it with you anywhere you go — it’s so full of germs it might as well be a petri dish. Well, this portable phone sanitizer offers complete disinfection with the help of UV-C lights in just 10 minutes. You can take this with you anywhere you go since it features a battery, and you can recharge it with a USB-A or USB-C cable. Easy peasy! One of these is only $68 right now. Just think how useful it’s going to be to you, your family, and all your friends. Perfect stocking stuffer if you ask us! View at Amazon Read...

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According to Microsoft, it has made over 35 new themes for Windows 10 and Windows 11 available in the Microsoft Store. This means that a total of over 400 themes are now available for Windows users to personalize their computer. Microsoft is now collecting all these themes in a new section in the Microsoft Store app. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Microsoft writes: “We’re starting to roll out a new Themes section in the Microsoft Store on Windows, where visitors can quickly find curated and trending themes to customize their Windows devices with a single click. We’ve heard from so many of you that you want your PC to feel like your own.” Each theme includes multiple wallpapers and color schemes. So you’re not just changing the wallpaper, you’re changing other aspects of the Windows experience. Some examples of the new themes (description from Microsoft): Sea of Thieves Official Theme: Bring the ultimate pirate adventure game to your desktop with the official Sea of Thieves theme. Includes 7 high-resolution wallpapers depicting the vast, open world of Sea of Thieves. Become a pirate today. World National Parks: Visit some spectacular national parks around the world. Travel to India, New Zealand, Canada, Chile and many other countries with this free 18-piece theme set for Windows 10 (the lead image for our story is from this pack, editor’s note) Ethereal Escapes: Bring peace to your workday with the “Ethereal Escapes” theme from Picsart. This set includes five stunning, nature-inspired wallpapers featuring gentle landscapes and misty horizons. Geometric Tales: Playful shapes and soft colour gradients come together in a world of vibrant geometry – where spheres, blocks and ribbons create scenes full of curiosity and charm. A free theme with four images that is cheerful, imaginative and playful. Microsoft presents more new themes in this blog post. You can find even more Microsoft themes here. You can select and configure the themes in the Windows settings. Microsoft is gradually rolling out the new themes to all users together with the new Themes section in the Microsoft Store app. This new area may not yet be available for your Windows PC. Important: The images may only be used as desktop backgrounds. If you would like to suggest your own artwork as a theme to Microsoft, you can do so using this form. Read...

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