Often placed on your desk to show off your sense of gay aesthetics, but also possibly left on your desk by someone who's trying to give you a hint. The condition resulting from loss of life, blood and common sense due to prolonged exposure to academia. This type of project is technologically unremarkable other than the sheer number of monkeys involved. Because, hey, lasers are cool. If you were around a Silicon Graphics machine in the early 90s, you'd understand.
Texture mapping makes everything cool.
Gum Monster , Ali An implement required for quick and dirty hacking. All Macgyver hacks are done with gum. An elegant, stylish, and sophisticated way of doing things.