A new trick

No nerd is complete in his training without learning how to make a light saber. Sure you can go and pay 115 bucks for express and do the same effect but I managed to make a light saber using the open source software called LightSaber maker by LS maker 0.967 Beta. You can make a light saber with The Gimp also but the quality is much better than the Gimp( seeing how it is what it is made for) You can also find the tutorials to use it in read me text format through notepad or you can you just go to you tube where they have flooded the place with how to videos. Below is the quality you will get on the first attempt and the second. I am sure once you tweak it a bit you will be be than I am.
Also you can do frame by frame to make you little brothers who stick fighting in the back yard look like young Jedi Knights. The interface on LightSaber maker is over whelming at first but it does get easy to navigate. All in all I would give it an 9.