MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning?
David Merrill works on Siftables, tiny computer blocks that interact with each other to make networks (and music)
BgPatterns is the perfect tool if you are looking for a background pattern for your themes. Of course you can create stunning patterns with creativity but these kind of tools are for the ones who want a quick solution or doesn't have skills to do it from scratch.