Sci-fi

Hover Boards, Holy Grails and TIE Fighters Fill Hollywood Prop Auction's Geek Memorabilia Motherlode

For sci-fi and comic book movie fans, it doesn't get much better than right now. This week has brought both Dark Knight and the Watchmen trailer, and later this month, the Profiles in History auction house in Hollywood is opening up the prop vaults from just about every classic film over the last, oh, fifty years and isn't stopping until everything is gone, gone, gone! Marty's hover board? Check. Capt. Kirk's phaser from Search For Spock? Yep. The actual holy grail from The Last Crusade? Oh yeah! No shitty replicas here—all are the actual props used on screen, and they can be yours. But those are just the beginning. More »

3:00 PM on Fri Jul 18 2008
By John Mahoney
17,648 views, 58 comments

Latest by CrashingOut: Whoa, I think someone somewhere is going to bid highly, get sniped, and then go home and cry because they didn't get the Baron's hat. I guarantee you someone will put themselves in that position @LindsayJoy's MBP is into S+M: come more »

cake

Millennium Falcon Cake Can't Hyperspace, But is Best Birthday Cake Ever

This Millennium Falcon was never going to do the Kessel Run... but it might just qualify as the most awesome birthday cake ever made. I mean, look at the detail! Made by Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, one lucky guy received it this weekend... and can you guess his generous brother's profession? Yup, you were close: it's as a sysadmin. I just hope he appreciated it, since I know an armload of people who'd weep with joy if this arrived on their birthday. Particularly if it were cunningly combined with LED birthday candles for special lighting effects. There's another pic below, if you haven't seen enough. More »

7:41 AM on Wed Jul 16 2008
By Kit Eaton
40,814 views, 69 comments

Latest by AdmNaismith: @Kaspir: So, so true. more »

clips

This is What Living in a Sci-fi Movie Feels Like

By Brilldea, this "living room" has been loaded with LED-backlit paneling to add "ambiance." In reality, they've constructed a sci-fi nightmare suitable for some sort of legitimate sequel to Kubrick's 2001. It's a bit freaky, but what's even more freaky is that we can actually do this stuff. Here's the video: More »

9:15 AM on Tue Jul 1 2008
By Mark Wilson
10,480 views, 23 comments

Latest by VakeroRokero: @kingjoeyjr: That a pretty awesome setup you made! but I got a question, do you drive a yellow submarine? more »

usb

Official Star Wars USB Hubs May be Best USB Products Ever

Forget Dr Who's TARDIS, sci-fi USB hub fans (come on... you know who you are) are going to go bonkers over these official R2D2 and Vader USB hubs. R2's head moves, he lights up and emits genuine Star Wars sound effects every three minutes, while Vader just seems to have the sound effects and glowing eyes. *Shiver*... menacing. Of course they also have four full-speed USB sockets on the front, and come with three feet of USB cable. Available in July for around $66... but that's in Japan, USB hub fans. [JapanStarWars via Technabob]

6:09 AM on Thu Jun 26 2008
By Kit Eaton
7,546 views, 15 comments

Latest by Human Bomb: @ultim8fury: DING! You gain +1 to awesome! more »

iron man

Origami Iron Man Has a Reasonable Handicap

A real Iron Man would be too powerful for this world. That's why origami artist Brian Chan used a bit of restraint while constructing his own super suit and utilized only one piece of paper for the fabrication. Our own Jason Chen calls it "beef jerky man." Takes one to know one, Jason! Here's a shot of just the tiny mask: More »

1:00 PM on Tue Jun 24 2008
By Mark Wilson
15,065 views, 23 comments

diy

DIY Lightsaber Makes Attacking Whiny Jedi Nerds More Authentic

For those of us that saw footage of the drunken Darth Vader attack and found ourselves slightly disappointed by the... well... un-Star Wars-like nature of the Sith Lord's weapon, Instructables has a DIY kit to ensure that our next drunken rampage is truly worthy of the Dark Side. More »

10:00 AM on Sat Jun 14 2008
By Elaine Chow
18,682 views, 17 comments

Latest by VENAT0R: worthy of the darkside MY ASS! thats a BLUE lightsaber! what kind of sith has a BLUE lightsaber?! im totally making a RED one, drinking a few (read: thirty) beers and raisin' some HELL on those annoying neighbor kids! whos coming? more »

almost sci-fi

Sonic Crystals to Make Homes, Cars Completely Soundproof

A new technology presented in the New Journal of Physics may lead to completely soundproof homes, cars, or any other space using a meta-material called sonic crystals. One of the developers, who is not Reed Richards but Dr José Sánchez-Dehesa of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, says that this "acoustic cloaking will deviate sound waves around the object that has to be cloaked." More »

7:25 AM on Fri Jun 13 2008
By Jesus Diaz
5,281 views, 41 comments

apparel

WeRobot Shirt Pays Homage To Our Robotic Overlord Celebrities

How many times have you been walking around SoHo when you spot a robot celebrity trying to play it cool? You tap him on the shoulder and are like, "You're the Robot from Lost in Space!" And then he turns around and...how embarrassing. It's just a gumball machine with some hosing stuck to the side. Wait, no, it was the Robot from Lost in Space! See? It gets tricky.

That's why we need this WeRobot shirt, featuring 51 silhouettes of the world's most famous robots. The only thing they're missing are the names, which is exactly what the comments and your wasted Friday at work are for. [product via botjunkie]

9:15 AM on Fri Apr 18 2008
By Mark Wilson
10,839 views, 108 comments

gadgets

Sci-Fi Movie Inspired Gadgets That Have Become a "Reality"

PC Mag has put together a list of 10 movie inspired gadgets that may or may not have been the inspiration for some modern day devices. While some of the associations may be thin at best, there are definitely some plausible connections there. Still, a flashlight ain't no lightsaber and an all-terrain skateboard ain't no Back to the Future hoverboard. Fortunately, there is glimmer of hope that the latter may be a reality somewhere down the line. Hit the link for the full list. [PC Mag]

9:00 PM on Fri Apr 11 2008
By Sean Fallon
11,201 views, 12 comments

television

First Entirely Green Screen Show Coming to TV

Sci Fi has announced that they'll be producing Sanctuary, television's first entirely green screen show. Its plot explores the possible existence of shadow-hidden mutants living among us (which doesn't sound like the worst fodder for CGI overload, though a weather drama might have required a lower budget). With the ever-dropping price and simultaneous growing capabilities of computer graphics and compositing software/hardware, it's almost surprising that someone (outside of Hollywood) didn't beat Sci Fi to the punch. But one thing's for sure: this trend is far from over. And there's a strong possibility of rain, too. [tvfodder]

10:27 AM on Thu Apr 3 2008
By Mark Wilson
4,852 views, 39 comments

Latest by n/a: Waitaminnit - I used to work at a TV station were we aleady had an all-greenscreen show. We called it "daily news". more »

art

Whirlygig Emoto Steampunk Motorbike Has Electric Motor, Will Steam Your Face Off

You Steampunk fetishists are being spoiled today; first it was the Clarinet Gun Mod and now you have a freaking Steampunk motorcycle. The Whirlygig Emoto by Tom Sepe is so many awesome things in one, it really is amazing it is permitted to exist; it's a motor biking, steam throwing, electricity utilizing, Sci-Fi bag of fantastic. The motorcycle is built on a 1967 Tote-Gote frame, has a 15bhp electric motor and generates a pulses of gushing steam whilst driven, all thanks to a rear mounted boiler. Yes, it has a damn boiler affixed for the crazy effect. More »

3:30 PM on Sun Mar 23 2008
By Haroon Malik
6,776 views, 22 comments

Latest by n/a: GIZMODO INTERVIEW: "I've just seen your excellent Steampunk Motorbike Mod, and I was wondering if you could answer a few questions on the topic for Gizmodo.com?" Q1: We imagine a lot of people see your bike and say, "WTF!?" So, our first more »

battlestar galactica

Letterman's Top Ten Reasons to Watch Battlestar Galactica's New Season

With just two weeks to go before the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica hits the Sci-Fi Channel, the cast's big hitters appeared on David Letterman last night to give us ten reasons why we should watch the first episode on April 4. Number Six was good, but Saul Tigh, at number five, was even better. Get. Em. Off! [YouTube]

8:30 AM on Fri Mar 21 2008
By AddyDugdale
12,055 views, 38 comments

sad

Arthur C Clarke Dies, Probably Headed Back to the Stars

[Biography of Sir Arthur C Clarke]

6:30 PM on Tue Mar 18 2008
By Jesus Diaz
9,783 views, 70 comments

Latest by skulldriveshaft: CAN WE PLEASE GET A ULTRA HIGH RES VERSION OF THAT PICTURE?!?!?!?! or at least a t-shirt that contributes to his foundation? [www.clarkefoundation.org] more »

sci-fi shades

MyVu Crystal & Shades Pay Homage To Sci-Fi Vision

Sci-Fi eyewear lovers are finally getting more options when shopping for new shades with MyVu's release of two new models, Shades and Crystal. Both models are geared toward watching video on the go, with what MyVu describes as "glance-down technology with true situational awareness." With this "glance-down tech" these glasses are even closer to mimicking their Sci-Fi alter-egos, as you might have see on IO9's Gallery of Sci-Fi Vision Systems. We had our own Benny Goldman testing out the new models, and sadly he didn't have many words of praise.

More »

6:09 PM on Tue Jan 8 2008
By Christopher Mascari
8,011 views, 17 comments

Latest by n/a: ok yes Im a geek, that said. If I could try them for my self first, and could afford them, I would definitely rock these. These would be great for passing the time on the train to school. more »

announcements

Gawker's Sci-Fi Blog io9 Launches Today Like Hulk Out of a Phone Booth

Oh, Annalee Annalee, let us count the ways we love you! First, because you are the editor of io9, our new sister blog on science fiction, double feature, oh oh oh. Second, because you bought good old Ferrigno's Hulk on DVD. Third, because you did a post about a scene in which Banner turns into Hulk after getting excited by a phone company operator in a bad, not-green way (I have wanted that so many times myself.) Fourth, because you mentioned "lady trucker friend" and "Lily Tomlin" in the same phrase... I could go on and on, but I won't waste any more time: Gizmodians, head to io9 for a wonderful world of science fiction, where everyone goes around in tinfoil underpants or no underpants at all. [io9]

7:11 AM on Wed Jan 2 2008
By Jesus Diaz
3,229 views, 21 comments

Latest by friktionn: haha, damn operators. sometimes they're so annoying. that's a good enough reason for anyone to get angry. more »

pseudo-steampunk

Steampunkish Stormtrooper, Boba Fett and Alien Look Almost Scarier Than the Originals

Just what you want to see when you're doing the shopping at the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai &mdash three badass Steampunk nasties in the Al Jabber art gallery. Gallery below.

More »

3:11 AM on Wed Sep 5 2007
By AddyDugdale
17,952 views, 15 comments

Latest by Trackback: Baggers: world's first automated restaurant - PopgadgetSteampunkish Stormtrooper, Boba Fett and Alien Look Almost Scarier Than the Originals - GizmodoJeeves for your gadget charging needs: Frontgate's Charging Caddy - Shiny ShinyNBC says goodbye to Apple, hello to Amazon - CraveMercedes more »

stand back, bidders

Buck Rogers Gun, Sold on Ebay

A pistol from the late '70s TV show Buck Rogers just fetched $2,750 on eBay. Twelve inches in length, the gun features a microswitch to light up the clear tip. My initial impression: Damn, this thing is cheap-looking. And then I remembered a trip to the Star Trek museum in Vegas, and how cheap phasers looked in person. And then I remembered watching TNG after that trip, and how cheap the phasers looked on TV. So really, who are we to judge sci-fi show props? [ebay via uberreview]

9:45 AM on Mon Aug 6 2007
By Mark Wilson
3,262 views, 18 comments

Latest by AdmNaismith: There are hero props and standard use props. Hero props have as many bells and whistles a necessary (but rarely any more than that) so as to look good in a close-up. Regular props really are just chunks of more »

adventures in lighting

Martin Carujo's Sci-Fi Recycled Lamps

You crazy people love lamps, whether they're the coolest lamps ever by Frank Buchwald, or these pretty darn cool recycled lamps by Martin Carujo. Martin creates each lamp individually from junk he finds, and gives them the "work of art" touch that puts them over and above standard cool lamps you buy at the store. More »

4:45 PM on Sat Apr 28 2007
By Jason Chen
1,949 views, 9 comments

Gizmodo

Lightning Review: Maximo iMetal iPhone Headset

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