One of the bigger stories of 2012 in gadgets was the success of the Ouya. The Ouya promises gamers a new type of game console that will be powered off the Android OS, and will retail for under $100 with free to play games, which could include thousands of titles, and serve as a  highly accessible development platform for small game developers everywhere.  It sparked a sizable wave of hype, and destroyed Kisckstarter records, as the idea of such a fresh game console took the public by storm, and had them throwing money at their computers to support it.

And now, not long after the release of the initial Ouya development kits, it appears the Ouya’s triumphant burst onto the gaming scene has left a gaping hole for other companies to join the party through. The latest, and most intriguing, is the Game Stick, a project of PlayJam. It’s intriguing, because it’s a console that is essentially just a controller and a USB stick that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port. From that simple set up, you have access to a substantial number of high profile Android based games available through the PlayJam Games Network service, as well as a host of additional titles the company are hoping to acquire from major Android developers.

Currently the creators of the Game Stick are looking for $100,000 on Kickstarter to start production, and are over halfway to their goal with 29 days to go.

2013 is set to be a huge, huge year in gaming, and you can’t belittle the Ouya’s role in that. Even if it achieves nothing greater than its current role as Kicstarter darling, the little system that could is proving that there is a market out there for a cheaper, simpler, open sourced gaming platform. While the Game Stick doesn’t appear to be quite on the same level of the Ouya as far as depth or available titles, it does offer further evidence that the indie and mobile markets are looking for a traditional platform that will allow them to stand shoulder to shoulder with the big boys to see how they measure up. At an expected $75 price point, the Game Stick may not prove to make that impact, but it could be a great way to get Android games on TV’s on a budget, and with minimal set up.

Thanks in part to dystopian sci-fi films that depict a world overrun by technology and devoid of natural elements, many people think that technology and the “green” world are at conflict.

Realistically though, responsible applications of modern technology could be greatly beneficial in helping nature, much as it has helped humans. For a great example look no further than the organization Back to the Roots who are constantly looking for new ways to help both individual users and companies like Whole Foods minimize their environmental impacts with products like a kit that can take coffee grounds and grow fresh mushrooms from them.

However, their most intriguing product is currently up for funding on Kickstarter, and it’s called the Home Aquaponics Kit. Basically it’s a fish tank with a small growing area atop for potted plants. The tank automatically filters the fish feces to the plants above to provide them with necessary nutrients needed for them to grow fuller. In essence then, you are getting a self cleaning fish tank that doubles as a personal home garden in one package.

As you’ve probably heard from that celebrity everybody wishes would shut up, or that activist girl you acted interested in for a while until you got…uninterested, we can all be doing more for the environment. The Home Aquaponics Kit not only allows you to contribute a little more green to your world, but if you’ve never cooked with truly fresh herbs, it lets you discover the flavors you have been missing.

It’s currently a $50 minimum contribution on Kickstarter to buy one of the Aquaponics (assuming the funding goal is reached), and for the urban gardener, fish enthusiast, or someone looking to just class up their apartment a little, it may prove to be worth it.