Geek culture

Huston Huddleston is playing a seminal role in the "Star Trek" universe right now. It's OK if you don't recognize his name. He didn't appear in any of the television shows. He hasn't been on-screen or working behind the scenes of any of the movies. He is, however, captaining a massive project that, when finished, will be a source of delight to "Star Trek" fans everywhere. He's rebuilding the bridge of the Enterprise.

In late 2011, Huddleston was working above a Paramount office in Hollywood, confessing to a colleague that he would never be able to turn his living room into an Enterprise bridge. "Be careful what you wish for," his colleague said.

"He took me to a warehouse that had a Paramount-built Enterprise D Bridge from "Star Trek: The Next Generation," made in 1997 for display (after the original had been destroyed), that sat outside for five years and was about to be destroyed," Huddleston tells Crave.… Read more

The Lego franchise of video games has built itself up on the backs of family-friendly fare like "Harry Potter" and Marvel superheroes. Fan Brian Anderson has now taken us to the dark side with a video parody showing what it would be like if "Breaking Bad" were done up as a Lego game. And it's awesome.

The video throws in some spoilers from the first four seasons, but it's free from any fifth-season tip-offs. It starts with choosing your character, ranging from Jesse Pinkman to Saul Goodman.

We get Walter White in street clothes and follow along as he collects money, gets into a scrape with sidekick Jesse, and builds a mobile meth lab. This might not quite qualify as fun for the whole family, but it's sure a hoot for "Breaking Bad" fans.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Check out Marc Maron's new memoir, "Attempting Normal."

- Marc's IFC show, "Maron," starts May 3 at 10 p.m.

- Listen to Marc Maron on Howard Stern.… Read more

Getting the straight word about the next "Star Wars" movie might be tougher than trying to escape out of a Sarlacc pit, but director J.J. Abrams has let loose a juicy tidbit about who may compose the score -- John Williams.

The impromptu revelation occurred during a "Star Trek: Into Darkness" press conference in Berlin on Monday, as Abrams fielded a question about the possibility of composer Michael Giacchino -- who has worked extensively with Abrams on previous ventures -- taking on "Star Wars." After speaking a few sentences about Giacchino's brilliance, Abrams threw everyone a curve ball and name-dropped Williams. … Read more

Sometimes, "Star Wars" family stickers just aren't enough. You need to make a bigger statement. That's when you need to turn to "Star Wars" car-wraps and really get in-your-face with your fandom.

The partial wraps from FanWraps come in a multitude of different flavors. You can get a leaping, light saber-wielding Yoda, a stern-looking Darth Vader, a ready-for-action Boba Fett, a cuddly R2-D2, and a comic-book version of slave Princess Leia, among others.… Read more

Our sweat plays an important role in regulating body temperature. For athletes who get into really intense workouts or who have to perform in hot climates, it would be a dream come true to be able to amplify the cooling power of their own sweat. In a way, athletic gear company Mission has figured out how to do just that.

There are lots of technical fabrics and cooling solutions on the market, ranging from those kerchiefs you buy at the state fair and soak with water to wear around your neck, to shirts that wick moisture away from your skin. Mission creates towels, arm sleeves, helmet liners, hoodies, and skull caps. That all sounds pretty standard, but what makes it a bit different is the high-tech fabric involved.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Google Glass has been jailbroken, able to record while showing no activity and using secret gestures.

- Netflix said to eliminate hundreds of classic titles.

- White men wearing Google Glass.

- Hey Google Glass, are you recording me?

- Yes, you can tweet from Google Glass.… Read more

When trying to survive a harrowing near-death situation in a video game, it's likely that looking away from the action -- even just for a moment to check your health -- could mean certain doom. To avoid this gaming conundrum, Reddit user Bfayer created his own real-life video game status bar in the form of a 3-foot transparent tube filled with water and color-changing lights that shift based on his character's health (or mana, etc).

Bfayer calls his device the "Liquid Lifebar," which currently only works with the side-scrolling exploration game Terraria. The demo video shows the creation of the Lifebar and how the water rises, falls, and changes color according to his character's status as he fights monsters. … Read more

Kitchen showrooms are full of massive, shiny appliances meant to be strewn liberally about in a large kitchen. Most of the world, though, doesn't have that kind of space to spare for ovens, microwaves, refrigerators, kitchen islands, stovetops, and the like. The Clei Ecooking kitchen minds its manners and limits itself to a very compact space.

The Ecooking station is sleek, modern, and modular. It was created by Italian designer Massimo Facchinetti for Clei, a company specializing in transformable furniture. The company's creations are intended to make the most of small spaces like apartments and lofts.… Read more