The secret to a really effective desk toy is that it has to blend into your office. A pinball machine in the corner is just going to tell your manager you’re probably not getting a lot of work done. But a pen/tablet stylus made of magnets opens up a whole new world of slacking off, with your boss being none-the-wiser.
Andrew Gardner’s unique creation originally started life on Kickstarter, raising an impressive $US800,000+ by the time the campaign ended. And a year later, it’s finally available for sale to anyone who loves to fidget their way through meetings or conference calls.
So what can you do with it? Besides writing and poking away at a touchscreen device without leaving fingerprints, the Polar Pen disassembles into thirteen extra-strong neodymium magnets that canbe stacked, re-arranged, and assembled into whatever you can think of. It’s impossible to explain exactly why a bunch of magnets are entertaining, and that’s probably part of why they just are.
Like any good desk toy a lot is left to your imagination, but with enough of it you can even build yourself a crude working electric motor using materials you can probably find in the stock room. Imagine how much of your work day that little project could kill.
The Gun Metal and Silver versions of the Polar Pens are available now for just $US40, but if you’ve got a taste for the finer things in life and prefer gold, that version will set you back $US5 more. And it should probably go without saying that these pens are definitely not a gift for kids, but we’ll say it again anyways: These are not designed for children, unless that child happens to be in their forties and staring down a long boring Friday afternoon full of paperwork. [Polar Pen]