floats. does nothing. floats.
Desk Toys
The Spinning Top That Refuses to Touch the Table
A gyroscope held in the air by opposing magnets. It spins, it hovers, and that is the entire specification.
Buy this nonsense$9.57$4.50(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)- magnetic levitation
- gyroscope
- desk toy
- physics toy
- ornament
- spinning top
What Is This Thing?
A spinning top and a magnetic base, arranged so the top hovers in the air instead of resting on anything. Start it spinning, place it in the field, and it holds position — turning, drifting slightly, touching nothing.
The gyroscopic spin is what keeps it upright; the magnets are what keep it up. Neither is doing any work on your behalf.
Why You Don't Need It
It levitates and rotates. There is no second function, no measurement, no purpose beyond the demonstration of its own trick.
It is also fussy. The balance point is narrow, and a top that is not spinning fast enough falls out of the field and clatters onto the desk.
Why You'll Buy It Anyway
Because objects that hover are quietly unreasonable, and watching one on your own desk does not get old as fast as it should. There is a specific satisfaction in getting the launch right after failing at it.
It is a physics demonstration that happens to be an ornament, which makes it one of the more defensible useless objects here. It teaches nothing, but it is visibly true.
Who It's Actually For
Desks, shelves and anyone who fidgets with the things in front of them. It is a reliable gift for people who like mechanisms — the same audience as the useless box, approached from the other direction.
Children find it fascinating and are usually bad at launching it, which is worth knowing before it becomes a shared toy.
before you click buy
Levitating tops take practice. Expect a frustrating first ten minutes and some listings that ship a plastic launch aid to help with it.
Strong magnets do not belong near cards, drives or anything with a magnetic stripe, and the base of this is exactly that. Give it a corner of the desk away from your wallet.
more things nobody needs
connected to nothing
Desk Toys
Four Cat-Paw Keycaps That Light Up and Type Nothing
A keyring with four backlit keycaps, each stamped with a cat paw. They click, they glow through the clear housings, and they are connected to nothing.
Buy this nonsense$6.66$3.06(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
the magnet is separate on purpose
Desk Toys
A Bottle Of Liquid That Grows Spikes When You Point At It
A sealed glass bottle of ferrofluid and a small magnet. Bring them together and the black liquid erupts into spikes.
Buy this nonsense$22.38$10.97(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
the sound comes from the arc itself
Desk Toys
A Tesla Coil That Turns Your Music Into Lightning
A small solid-state Tesla coil in an acrylic case. Play music over Bluetooth and the plasma arc carries it — the spark is the speaker.
Buy this nonsense$38.71$19.16(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
88cm. of dragon.
Desk Toys
The 88cm 3D-Printed Dragon That Ripples in Your Hand
An 88cm articulated 3D-printed crystal dragon. Dozens of hinged segments that flow like a wave and settle like a heavy chain.
Buy this nonsense$17.05$7.77(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
sound holding a thing up
Desk Toys
The Circuit Board That Holds a Bead in Mid-Air With Sound
Two ultrasonic transducers facing each other, standing wave in between, and a polystyrene bead suspended in the null.
Buy this nonsense$9.11$4.28(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)
the sea keeps moving after you stop
Desk Toys
A Ship Riding A Wave That Never Ends
A sealed block of two-tone liquid with a ship on the surface. Tilt it and the wave rolls; set it down and it keeps going.
Buy this nonsense$38.68$13.54(sponsored link, opens in a new tab)