We geeks love our gadgets. We get bored with simple office instant messaging to co-workers. We get creative. But of course our creativity ties back into our computers and a USB port. It started with ninja-geeks and weapon-shaped USB flash drives. However, that was not enough to spice things up around the office. The USB arms race began and sneaky office warfare has never been the same. Some USB weapons are fun to shoot at your office buddy, but some are used to strike fear in your cubicle neighbor’s heart. Guard your office, guard your room, guard your computer. Here are 17 USB “weapons” made by geeks for geeks, from FAIL to fantastic.

USB Ninja

(image credits: geekstuff4ugeekstuff4u)

Awaken ninja-geek with these weaponized USBs. First there is a USB knife, a Kunai shaped USB thumb drive with 2GB of storage capacity, a great solution for the Ninja spy. Or how about a Shuriken shaped USB which also holds 2GB of storage capacity that you can sneak out of the building or can throw the star to kill your opponent?  These are perfect for the ninja-geek.

USB Bullets, Grenades, Chainsaws, Bombs

(image credits: walyou,gadget4all,i.Saw,ubergizmo)

These are a few more USB weapon wannabes. The flash drive shaped like a large caliber bullet offers geeks both fashion and 1GB of function, plus it might put a bit of a scare into those people who see it. As in don’t anger that geek!  More on the fail side are these brightly colored Grenade USB drives, but they do offer 4GB of memory. These next two should frighten your co-workers at the very least. The i-Saw is USB 2.0 compatible and offers a vicious five-volt trickle of destructive chainsaw power. The Bomb USB is one flash drive that we don’t think people would want to carry around in airports as they might actually get held up by airport security.

USB Tank Missile Launcher Steps Up Office Warfare

(image credits: OhGizmo)

There is no better way to annoy a co-worker than with a barrage of tiny foam missiles with a RC tank that can deliver a payload at a distance from up to 12 feet. It can also be remotely controlled via the included ‘USB Tank’ PC software that allows you to steer the tank and raise of lower the missile launcher. This might offer you some level of deniability since you’ll never be caught holding a remote. There’s no camera on board so you’ll need to have a line of sight in order to properly steer it into position, but it does have a wireless range of about 25 feet to give you a tiny head start when the inevitable and immediate retaliation begins.

USB Powered Gun

Here we begin a tour of USB-powered guns. Get ready to launch your flying foam missile attack on annoying co-workers. These do take some creative thinking, made by geeks to be appreciated by geeks. Those are some things all the USB weapons have in common. We’ll leave it up to you if a USB weapon is fantastic or fail.

DIY USB-Controlled Servo Squirter Water Pump

Straight from a nerd-kit, here is a DIY USB-controlled water squirter weapon. The steps are laid out in great details when you watch the video. The main plus factor to this USB gun is that it does more than fire foam darts or missiles. For example, your co-worker would be surprised to be blasted with water. Or if you have a cat that won’t stay away from your computer, pow-squirt! Kitty should then run away.

Missile Laucher (Lanciamissili) USB

This is a Lanciamissili USB weapon. The USB missile launcher is remotely controlled by a PC with a web cam.That’s right, a barrage of foam missiles and then retribution will be forthcoming from your geeky co-workers. Basically, these USB weapons are all the same, point, fire and shoot. You are free to decide FAIL or fantastic.

Laser-Guided USB Missile Launcher

This USB weapon uses a laser pointer and a web cam. The software tweaked with some custom Visual Basic lines of code equal a laser-guided USB missile launcher.  When a laser pointer is moved into the field of the web camera, the gun turret will move to point and fire its missiles. A person might wonder why you are pointing your laser at them, but they won’t wonder for long  before your missiles attack them.

Wiimote USB Rocket Launcher

This USB weapon is a rocket launcher that uses the Wii remote tilt function to control the launching missiles. Whether or not that pushes this USB rocket launcher from FAIL to fantastic is not clear, but if you are a Wii gamer and would like a USB weapon, then this one might be for you.

Battery of USB Missile Launchers

Clearly this was devised by some ticked co-worker intending to exact a little vengeance. Not a mere USB weapon that launches deadly foam missiles, but instead an entire battery of USB weapons. This is moving closer to fantastic if for no other reason than the chaos it would clearly create in the office.

USB Machine Gun and Rocket Launcher

This modified USB rocket launcher shoots infrared machine gun rounds and foam missiles. One other major difference with this USB weapon is that it was created to do more than wreak office destruction or family chaos. The machine gun can be calibrated to shoot down any remotely controlled toy plane or helicopter.

USB Missile Launcher Pimped to be a Weapon

So we’ve tried to be nice and tried to be polite up until now. This one might have more potential to launch sharp pointy weapons. Put it near to guard your computer privacy and it might work as a deterrent. Yes it gets points for being a USB weapon. Otherwise, FAIL.

USB BB Gun Turret Demo

Straight out of the Virtual Crib is an active defense system. It’s close to deadly and USB-controlled. The creators of this USB weapon suggest that if someone is breaking into your house, you don’t wait for the police to arrive. Instead you drive the thieves out of your house with this USB BB gun. This is much closer to fantastic, shooting BBs and not mere foam projectiles, but the next one is a clear winner.

Auto Targeting Turret Sentry

Now this USB gun is awesome! This one is fantastic! Watch the video and then you too will be wanting one. Lucky you, there is still time before Christmas.

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Body modification is a broad category that covers anything from socially acceptable ear piercings to culturally mandated circumcisions, but there’s a small niche in this category that involves the most extreme manipulation of the human body. Some trendsetters treat their bodies like a work of art and some cultures are simply handing down tradition, but all of the following examples are shocking in their own way, so brace yourself. Here are 10 shockingly extreme body modifications that aren’t for the faint of heart (or stomach).

(Images via arkangel666, qeana, renzo_dinali)

Society has become used to seeing angsty teens with bad tattoos, but as society’s boundaries broaden, those who push against the limits continue to pave the way for the rest of us. Technological innovations now allow for the insertion of silicone based implants that won’t affect the body’s normal processes, but stand out in a way that would be hard to match with any tattoo. From horns to clovers, just about any shape can be slipped under the skin.

(Images via janicesaucier and kevinspraggett)

Tongue splitting is incredibly painful and the resulting wound is in turns hideous and prone to infection. Once the tongue has healed, however, you’re left with something surreal: a tongue that works as two. Some find it hideous and disgusting, but nobody can deny it’s interesting to see such a mundane part of the human body transformed into something spectacular.

(Images via michellekfamilysafe, tattooedfolk, madeofchalk)

When one thinks of piercing, the first object that comes to mind is not typically a stainless steel hook, but to some, it is. Suspension requires that several heavy duty hooks attached to wires are pierced through the skin. The biggest danger here is that not enough hooks will be used… resulting in a tear. Suspension looks grisly, but is apparently much less painful than you’d expect. It’s a staple for any dark underground show.

(Images via jcvigi and catpeters)

Corset piercings are a unique twist on a typically benign adornment. A series of piercings are placed in two parallel rows down the back, side, or legs (or anywhere else you can think of), and a ribbon is woven back and forth to create a beautiful design. One can change the ribbon to suit the occasion, turning one’s body into an unusual and creative accessory.

(Images via Lemmy_Caution and haabet)

Scarification is still frequently used in Africa for decoration and to mark the passage into adulthood. Children have tribal designs cut into their faces, chests, and backs, in order to show they are man enough to withstand the pain without uttering a single noise. These marks help tribes identify friend or foe, and are considered aesthetically pleasing. The technique is slowly making its way across the globe, though scarification in the United States and Europe typically takes on a different aesthetic that involves more flat red scars, and less raised bumps.

(Images via mimik and chilombiano)

Kavadi is a structure held into place on a devotee’s body to venerate the Tamil god of war. There are several ways for believers to show their devoutness, from the mundane (carrying jugs of milk) to the more exotic (fire walking). Some choose a more extreme path and prepare for 48 days before their rites. These believers have over 100 metal spikes placed through their skin in a formation that allows the Kavadi structure to remain in place on their body.

(Images via bme)

Just as some people have an innate desire to become the other sex, some have the seemingly random desire to become an amputee. These people are often straight-laced in every other facet of their lives, but cannot escape the need to have a limb removed. Since no doctor will perform a medically unnecessary amputation, most of these people have to take things into their own hands (and garage). When the need becomes uncontrollable, a tourniquet is tied around the limb, and once numbness sets in, they begin cutting. Afterwards, they’re left with a sense of relief that is not shared by friends and family.

(Images via paulnaidu and whappen)

Even the most common forms of body modification can be taken to their extremes. In a world where 2-4 ear piercings are the norm, and then, mostly on women, people love to push the limits by piercing anything and everything they can. Some choose to pierce uncommon areas, such as genitals, whereas some decide that more is better, and shoot for the moon. The most pierced woman has over 1,000 piercings on her face alone.

(Images via mainlinenation, uihealthcare, ufl)

Teeth decorations vary and span from inlaid jewels to teeth filed to points. Some like to sharpen teeth to look more like a vampire, while others show their wealth by having them all coated in gold. In Africa, some tribes file teeth into points, and knock out others, to show the participant has made the journey from childhood to adulthood. Just as in scarification, it’s important for the child to show no pain.

(Images via rudiroels, allposters, aestheticsbodymod, nygus)

What looks like disfigurement to some, is the height of beauty to others. Members of the Mursi tribe in Ethiopia judge beauty by the size of a female’s lip plug. Girls begin placing plugs into their lips at a young age and slowly increase the plug size until the lip is stretched to a surprising degree. Women have to be careful not to increase the plug sizes too quickly, as someone with a broken lip will never find a husband. It’s thought this tradition began as a way to avoid having women stolen during raids by other tribes, as their members would not find the modified women attractive.

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By now, we’re all used to seeing graffiti and public art in urban and suburban settings. We’re so used to it, in fact, that we typically walk right by without giving it a second glance. But would you be able to ignore graffiti if it were done in a medium or a method you’d never seen before? These 11 innovative artists are stepping up the standards for graffiti and public art by doing it in ways we don’t usually see, but just might notice. Some of them are pure brilliance and sure to catch the attention of even the most jaded city-dweller.

Buff Diss

If you saw Buff Diss‘ work on the street, you might be inclined to think it was paint. But the crisp, clean, bold lines give it away: he works in sticky tape. The Australian artist uses masking tape and electrical tape to lay his images down over streets, walls and windows, making it at once 3D and part of the urban landscape. He’s shown his unusual graffiti style in galleries, but his street art is what’s really amazing. It’s definitely got a graffiti flavor to it, but it also has a decidedly playful feel.

Poster Boy NYC

If you’ve taken the subway in New York in the last couple of years, you’ve probably seen some of Poster Boy’s work. He’s an anti-consumerist guerrilla artist, meaning that he takes the advertisement posters that are so prevalent in subway stations, uses a razor blade to liberate their components, and rearranges them into new messages. He’s been called New York’s answer to Banksy, though his pieces seem more pointed and anti-consumerist than Banksy’s. He’s said that there will be no capitalizing on his newly-found fame; no books or gallery shows are in the works. It’s rumored that Poster Boy isn’t a single person, but rather a subculture movement fueled by the work of many. We may never know the truth, but Poster Boy’s work is inspiring the New Yorkers (and Internet denizens) who see it to think twice about ubiquitous advertising. Visit his Flickr stream to truly appreciate the genius behind his subversive poster reorganizations.

Jim Denevan

Drawing in the sand may not seem to have much in common with graffiti. But Jim Denevan’s intricate and organic sand drawings take hours to complete, require great skill, and are even more impermanent than spray paint on a wall. He may not have to hurry or work in darkness for fear of getting caught, but Denevan’s California sand drawings get back to the heart of public art: creating something for everyone to enjoy and asking for nothing in return. He does his drawings free-hand with a large piece of found driftwood, using no measuring devices of any kind, and they are so large-scale that viewing them effectively from the ground isn’t always possible – almost like sand-based crop circles. He’s been known to walk as much as 30 miles in the production of just one piece.

Benoit Lemoine

With so many street artists taking themselves ever so seriously, it’s good to see one who seems like a prankster at heart. French artist Benoit Lemoine created this zipper tape so that he could add zippers to whatever public spaces were lacking zippers. Imagine what you could do with a big roll of industrial-strength urban zipper. While we’re sure police wouldn’t be thrilled about long strips of tape appearing on every surface imaginable, the tape is presumably removable, making it an impermanent but completely fun form of graffiti.

Posterchild

Posterchild does, as the name implies, work with posters and stencils – but those are nothing new. Some of his most distinctive work has been the planter boxes he built and installed in unused flyer boxes, newspaper boxes, and telephone booths. His unique form of guerrilla gardening uses existing unused structures that are otherwise simply wasted space. He plants flowers and trees in them, turning them into something beautiful and unexpected. His most well-known – and most imitated – project, though, is the Super Mario Brothers Blocks he constructed and hung around Windsor, Ontario in 2005.  The Canadian artist has a ton of other public art projects on his website that are definitely worth a look.

Color Me Katie and Googly Eye Cru

Even the staunchest of public art opponents couldn’t argue that these googly eyes do anything but cause smiles. Engineered by the always-adorable photographer and street artist Color Me Katie, these eyes, with a bit of tape on the back, were put onto random objects to give them instant personality and charm.

We don’t know if Color Me Katie is involved with the Googly Eye Cru, but they, like her, work in Brooklyn and enjoy slapping adorable eyes onto otherwise-mundane objects. Their extensive photographs prove that they’ve eyeballed just about everything with a flat surface.

Sam3

Sam3 is a Spanish artist whose gigantic silhouette graffiti has been seen all around Europe and in South America. His incredible graffiti has been well-loved for a long time, but his cardboard sculptures are just as amazing. These installations in London, Sao Paulo and Murcia are all made of cardboard and all use public spaces to illustrate the social problems of over-surveillance and homelessness.

D. Billy

D. Billy’s irreverent art reminds us all to be just a little more playful in our daily lives. His “site interventions” involve putting colorful tape, cardboard and even balloons into the dull urban landscape. Spelling out onomatopoeia or just making something ugly into something fun, his public art is impermanent but definitely draws second looks and laughter all over Brooklyn.

Jeremy Novy

To Milwaukee artist Jeremy Novy, public art is about using public spaces to send a message. He understands that the typical art gallery visitor is educated and wealthy, but the majority of the population may never intentionally seek out art. He creates public works that make his city a better place to live while bringing a bit of the arts to everyone, regardless of income or background. Seeing problems such as abandoned telephone booths and boarded up buildings, he created solutions involving overlaying pictures on the disused objects.

SpY

The streets of Madrid have seen SpY’s graffiti and public art around since the 1980s. His work has run the gamut from simple graffiti to the complicated repurposing (and reinstallation) of street signs and public bike racks. His goal is to break the monotony of urban dwellers and bring a moment of laughter into an otherwise ordinary day.

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How many different ways can you upcycle a dumpster? In a project called ‘Skip Conversions’, eco-conscious artist Oliver Bishop Young proved that what used to be grimy, unsanitary trash receptacles can be transformed for a myriad of uses including swimming pools, skateboard ramps, gardens and even public toilets.

The Goldsmiths University graduate created a stunning urban art project that highlights the versatility of what many people consider a single-use item. It brings together guerilla installation art, recycling, upcycling and freeganism.

Part of the charm of this installation is its accessibility, with converted dumpsters located on public streets, giving passersby a chance to not only change their perceptions of what dumpsters are for, but interact with the upcycled art.

Simply adding a custom liner and some water gives dumpster diving a new meaning, while a few pieces of bent plywood and tape create a miniature skate ramp. A rug, television and seating create a cozy little living space, soil and seeds bring some color to urban environments and a bed of grass becomes an impromptu stage.

Though the project is no longer active, ‘Skip Conversions’ is a great example of just how creative people can get with adaptive reuse, literally transforming trash into treasure in a way that also unites communities for fun outdoor activities.

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Chilean artist and designer Sebastian Errazuriz never fails to amaze viewers with his offbeat and sometimes bizarre designs and art installations. His urban art has been seen all over Santiago, while his innovative product designs have long been a favorite of design blogs. His projects have won numerous awards, and Errazuriz himself has received a Fulbright grant, a Chilean Presidential scholarship, a New York University scholarship and a Deigo Portales University scholarship.

“The Crane” was a large-scale art project erected in Santiago. The twenty-story crane was decorated with 1200 light bulbs as a kind of massive night light, in the tradition of espanta cucos (children’s lamps that frighten away monsters).

“The Tree” was a rather beautiful public art project in the middle of Chile’s National Stadium. A 30-foot high living magnolia tree was planted on the spot where, some 30 years ago, dictator Pinochet tortured political prisoners. A week-long exhibit saw the stadium opened as a public park; at the end of the week, a friendly soccer game was played in front of 15,000 spectators with the tree still in the middle of the field.

Errazuriz’ “The Cow” was a public spectacle that caused many people to leave their places of work just to see it. A cow was saved from the slaughterhouse, then given a home on a recreated farm on top of a ten-story building. The building was within view of the city’s financial and political headquarters.

But Errazuriz’ talents don’t lie only in urban guerrilla art. He is also a designer who has made some of the most fascinating designs in fashion, furniture, household items and zany novelty items. Above are two pieces from his “Out” series: a birdcage made from a shopping trolley and a fishtank made from a water cooler. In everything that Errazuriz does, he challenges people to see everyday objects from a different angle. These two sculptures are excellent examples of how items that we see everyday can take on an entirely new life under the right circumstances.

This dress made entirely of zippers is a fascinating project from Sebastian Errazuriz. The 120 zippers that make up the dress are able to be opened and closed in many configurations, allowing the wearer to customize the dress in seemingly endless styles. It can go from respectable knee-length halter dress to daring two-piece tube-top-and-miniskirt effortlessly. If only all fashion was this adaptable.

Until now, if you wanted to wear a faux fur coat you were stuck with a coat that looked like real fur or was made of ugly plastic fibers. But the teddy bear coat dreamed up by Sebastian Errazuriz would ensure that you are kept warm, stylish and exceptionally cuddly. (Don’t worry, though – the bears in the coat all died of natural causes.)

The household items dreamed up by Errazuriz probably wouldn’t have any place in a home filled with children, but for those of us with a slightly offbeat sense of humor they are perfect. These are just a few of the creative designs that won Errazuriz the honor of being named as a top emerging designer by I.D. Magazine.

These innovative seating options probably mean that the designer’s house is a very interesting place to have afternoon tea. The bicycle seat bench, the stool with suction cup feet, and the chairs with injured legs all seem like seats straight out of an Alice in Wonderland-like world.

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