Batman and Darth Vader battle it out with light sabers while riding sharks. Does it get any better than this? Liz Marek of Artisan Cake Company made this for her husband's 26th birthday. Link -via the Daily What

The second of six films in the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back, was released on May 21st, 1980. Many regard this film as the best of the lot. Ars Technica takes a look back at this amazing film, including the reasons why it turned out the be so different from the others and some trivia you may not have ever heard.

Watch the opening scenes with Han Solo at Echo Base as Harrison Ford chews the scenery with glee. "Then I'll see you in hell!" he calls to another soldier after being told that it's suicide to go after a lost Luke Skywalker. Kasdan knew how to write for Ford's charms, and Han Solo steals the scenes he's in.

Mark Hamill suffered a car accident before filming began, which lead to the Wampa attack and healing process in the film to explain his scarred face. Skywalker seems lost in the movie, nearly dying on Hoth and fighting his impetuous nature during his training with Yoda. Near the end, he is soundly beaten by Darth Vader in their first confrontation, losing both his hand and a piece of his soul when he finds out why Vader has been hunting him with such single-mindedness.

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The little yellow guy we all know and love is 30 years old! Launched on May 22nd, 1980 in Japan, the game Pac-Man swept the world within just a few months. The Guiness Book of World Records lists it as the most successful coin-operated game ever. To celebrate, Google has unveiled an interactive logo that is a playable Pac-Man game. Just click the "insert coin" button on the Google homepage, or wait ten seconds for the game to start automatically. Click the "insert coin button twice, and Ms. Pac-Man will load (play using W A S and D). If you use iGoogle, you'll need to go to Google's classic homepage. The game will be available until 11AM US Eastern Time Sunday, or until midnight Saturday night in Japan. Link -via YesButNoButYes



As you can see, it involves papier-mâché. What should you do with it once you've gone through this step-by-step photo essay? You might laugh when you see! Link -via b3ta

Angie Stevens draws scenes from her life as a mother every day, or at least every day since her third child was born two years ago. Some pictures are funny, some poignant, and some tell a story, but all are a joy to see. Link to story. Link to artist's site.

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The sounds of little Max's day make up the rap by Wax, Herbal T, EOM, Andrew Kurchinski, and Yesica Rodriguez. Herbal T is Max's dad. Adorable! -via The Daily What

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Five-year-old Jack made a video to impress his idol, champion trial rider Danny MacAskill (whom you can see here). He impressed me! -via Metafilter

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Yes, Mom, I know where it's been. That's where I took it! -via Daily Picks and Flicks

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Tasha and Ciara carry on a preschool conversation about their futures in American Sign Language. Follow the subtitles and see that "girl talk" is the same in any language! This was recorded at the Deaf Children's Society of BC. Link -Thanks, Marion!

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This is going to be so neat the next time you hand an apple to your child! If they ask you to cut it, just tell him/her you already did. Then enjoy their puzzlement as they try to figure out how you did it. This video is from our own David Israel.  -via Geeks Are Sexy

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Frans Hofmeester strung together video clips of his daughter Lotte’s face taken every week from birth to twelve years old. Yes, this kind of thing has been done before, but this is a little different. Using video instead of still pictures highlights how much little girls talk while getting their picture made. -via Buzzfeed

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A cover of the Rammstein song "Sonne" (sun), performed by the Children Medieval Band. The three siblings are 10-year-old Stefan, 8-year-old Olga, and the amazing 5-year-old Cornelia playing drums better than most adults. If you really don't like Rammstein, skip ahead to about 3:30 where they pick up new instruments. You can see more of their musical performances at YouTube. Link -via reddit

This particular review was deleted from the Amazon product page, if in fact it was ever posted there. But it speaks the truth! There are more reviews at reddit. Link

Just look at this adorable tableau from The Chawed Rosin. It's the children's book I Am A Bunny illustrated by Richard Scarry, recreated with a marshmallow Peep! See a photo essay following the build process. Link -via Everlasting Blort

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The "Kangaroo class" at the Sullivan School in Seoul, South Korea performs Randy Newman's song "Short People." They may be short, but they will get taller someday! They were supposed to sing this song with frowning faces, but they had a hard time keeping the smiles down. Iowa native Peter Strutt teaches English School of Rock-style to his 4-year-old students. See more videos of the class performing songs by David Bowie, Janis Joplin, and more at banjois' YouTube channel. Link -via Everlasting Blort