...A TIE Fighter for the Littlest Stormtroopers...Koi Thieves Use Google Earth to Spot Carp...Downey Jr. Halts a "Rampaging Robot"...Multi-Dimensional iPods...


Not only is it the worst Photoshop involving kids and a Star Wars-themed playpen that I've ever seen, it's also the worst slogan for one: "A wonderful soft play area that will really make you feel like you're riding in a tie fighter!" Cuz like no it won't. At best it will really make you imagine you're in one, which is different. And it's TIE Fighter, as in "twin ion engines." Sheesh. [Play.com via NerdApproved]


You're not going to believe this, but thieves are using Google Earth to locate unseen koi ponds that contain valuable carp specimens. That's right: Some people actually value those overgrown, muck-eating goldfish. It might have been a decent post if the snoops had been hunting for something a little more exciting, like used gardening equipment. As such, these blokes, along with their not-remotely-conspicuous cooler and oversized net, get dumped in Remainders. [Telegraph UK]


"Iron Man Saves Film Extra From Rampaging Robot" was the headline that caught my eye, but it turned out to be a case of distinctly human error. Apparently, on the Iron Man 2 set, when Robert Downey Jr. yelled "Cut! Cut!" during a shoot, everybody looked around to see an unnamed extra lying on the ground where an evil iron dude had just landed. The extra broke his hip, but is apparently on the mend. Or all of it could have been made up. [contactmusic.com via Robot Living]


AppleInsider says the next Nano and Classic iPods might get this crazy "multi-dimensional scroll wheel," spotted in a September Apple patent filing. As intriguing as it is, I see this more likely to appear virtually on a touch LCD or OLED. As a clickwheel, it seems like there'd be too many nonintuitive motions to remember. Besides, I can see how a swipe across the front could be used for quick iPod browsing, I don't see how "pinch" zooming will go over, no matter how big the next Nano's screen gets. [AppleInsider]