Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

Iran Denies It’s Shutting Down the Internet in August, Merely Building a New One Next March

Iran has issued a strongly worded statement denying reports from yesterday that the country planned to shut itself off from the rest of the Internet. Quite the contrary—Iran is just building its own, closed version. Totally different! https://gizmodo.com/iran-hopes-to-be-rid-of-meddlesome-internet-by-august-5900524 Iran’s Communications ministry published a statement on its website (which isn’t available outside of Iran) that the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Qlocktwo W Watch Tells Time with a Word Search

Dials? Numbers? Child, please. When I read my watch, I read my watch. Digits and directions don’t even enter into the equation. And by equation, I mean words. The Qlocktwo W by Biegert & Funk replaces the traditional watch face with an LED-lit 110-letter grid. Pressing the button on the side of the watch illuminates…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Apple’s Working on a Flashback Counter-Attack

Apple announced today that it is hard at work, developing a means of scrubbing the Flashback.k Trojan from the 600,000 or so Macs it’s infected. https://gizmodo.com/new-flashback-trojan-variant-doesnt-need-a-password-to-5898516 According to a statement released today, Apple released a Java update on April 3, 2012 that fixes the Java security flaw for systems running OS X v10.7 and Mac…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Report: iTunes 11 Will Support iOS 6 and Actually Work with iCloud

According to a report by 9-to-5 Mac, Apple dev teams are already hard at work on the next major release of iTunes. Here’s what it could include Per 9to5’s sources, iTunes 11 will support iOS 6, the reputed operating system of the next iPhone. And, since Apple tends to only release major updates alongside marquee…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

NASA’s Hypersonic Airbags Shield Spacecraft in a Mach 5 Plunge

Getting probes to distant celestial bodies is the easy part. Landing the multi-million dollar machines on the surface without going kaplooie is an entirely different matter. To prevent a plummet to the surface, NASA employs hypersonic airbags to cushion Mach 5 impacts. Known as Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (IADs), these devices are essentially inflatable heat shields.…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola

$7 Million Space Shuttle Telescope Comes with Free Shipping

In 1990, the Broad Band X-ray Telescope orbited the Earth aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, gathering data on galactic and intergalactic X-ray energy sources. Now it just gathers dust as government surplus. Unless, of course, you’ve got $7 million and a hankering for some nifty NASA memorabilia. The BBXRT is not the sort of telescope…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola

Carriers Unite to Track Stolen Phones Nationwide

Cell phone theft is among the fastest-growing crime segments in the US and police commissioners from around the nation are fed up. So the FCC and the Big Four carriers are developing a nation lost/stolen phone registry. The database, which will be maintained by each carrier, will track all phones reported stolen and remotely deny…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Drifting Bikes, Floating Heads, and Things Not to Do in Mid-Air (NSFW)

Roll that spliff phatly, pack some fresh ice into the binger, and set the Volcano to “toastify.” It’s time for tonight’s Stoner Channel. We’ve collected our best high-times material for the discerning pothead so sit back, relax, and pass that shit on the left, yo. Click here for more hits from the bong. Tonight’s macro…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Iran Hopes to Be Rid of Meddlesome Internet by August

Iran has had it up to here with the Internet—Google’s easy access to information, iTunes’ funneling in of Western Media, and don’t even get them started on Stuxnet—all totally the Internet’s fault. So, to preserve theocratic rule in the modern era, Iran is cutting off the Internet. Like, completely. Iran has already taken steps to…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Rest of Your Furniture Only Wishes It Could Be as Awesome as This VHS Coffee Table

VHS might not be able to compete with digital media in terms of picture quality or audio fidelity but it had that feel, that soul, that only analog can provide. This coffee table captures the same sense of warm fuzz as analog technology, only in hand-crafted teak. Designed by T76 Design in Amsterdam and carved…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

America’s Navy Tests Its Missiles in the World’s Biggest Potato Gun

Ballistics testing for the military is an expensive proposition. A potato cannon, popular in at-home ballistics testing, is cheap. A new testing device developed by the Navy—a super-sized version of the spud gun—provides a low-cost alternative by simply shooting stuff out of a few pipes. Developed at the Naval Air Warfare Center in China Lake,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

San Francisco’s 1958 “Cyclone” Bus Duster

The 1950’s were perhaps the peak of American Culture. The Post-War economy was booming and a future of flying cars driven by robot housemaids was all but guaranteed. On the West Coast, one local transit authority even had a bus just for cleaning other busses. Known as the ‘Cyclone’ Coach Cleaner, “this modified Motor Coach…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Navy’s LIDAR-Equipped UAV Helo Hunts Pirates, Not Speeders

When it’s not busting cocaine smugglers or helping overthrow dictators, the Navy’s MQ-8B Fire Scout UAV will soon hunt for pirates. With lasers. https://gizmodo.com/pilotless-navy-helicopter-busts-cocaine-deal-during-tri-5516041 The Fire Scouts will be equipped with LIDAR imaging capabilites, the same kind used to map the Amazon rain forest and tectonic fault lines. It will bombard suspected pirate speed boats…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

What the Hell Is This Guy Wearing?

Is it a comically-large miner’s lamp? An homage to the Red Hot Chili Peppers? And why is he falling out of a plane? To show you how well this phone’s camera takes pictures, obviously. To promote the HTC One X, a skydiving fashion shoot was the obvious choice. So, HTC hired photography student Nick Jojola…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

$65 Emergency Clamps Seal Gashes Faster Than Tourniquets

Dr. Dennis Filips saw his fill of traumatic injury during his tours of Afghanistan with the Canadian Navy. His experiences there has led him to develop the ITClamp, an alternative to conventional tourniquets that glomps onto wounds and prevents bleed-outs. The ITClamp was inspired by hinged hair-clips—the spring-loaded ones with the interlocking combs. Say, as…

Health Andrew Tarantola

Rumbling Seats, Chic Weed Eats, and Various Things on Fire

Roll that spliff phatly, pack some fresh ice into the binger, and set the Volcano to “toastify.” It’s time for tonight’s Stoner Channel. We’ve collected our best high-times material for the discerning pothead so sit back, relax, and pass that shit on the left, yo. Tonight’s Grand Daddy Purple comes to us from reader Dillon…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Holmdel Horn: The Most Important Radio Antenna Ever

In 1964, two researchers at Bell Telephone Laboratories were desperately attempting to pin down a source of interference that their antenna kept encountering. Little did they know that their antenna, the Holmdel Horn, was picking up the first observable evidence of the Big Bang—cosmic background radiation. Horn antennas were first developed in 1941 by Alfred…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

What the World’s Biggest Cities Would Look Like with No People

Like a scene from The Walking Dead or Omega Man, photographers Lucie & Simon reduce some of the busiest places on Earth to barren landscapes. You can almost hear the oppressive silence but how did they accomplish this feat? https://gizmodo.com/the-quietest-place-on-earth-will-drive-you-insane-withi-5899502 The pair reportedly employed a neutral density filter, “normally used by NASA for analyzing stars”…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Three Drunk Canadians Get Naked and Ride a Shopping Cart Though a Car Wash

Whaddya mean it’s against the law to get drunk and joyride a shopping cart naked through a car wash, eh? According to police reports, the trio of twenty-year-olds in Abbotsford, BC had reportedly stripped down to their skivvies and set the washer to “Super Typhoon” before hopping into the cart and taking a bath sometime…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Man Paid to Punish Camera Lenses

There’s a science to stress testing products beyond just whacking them with a hammer. Researcher Norbert Wittekindt is responsible for ensuring that Carl Zeiss camera lenses are sturdy enough for any environment, even space. Wittekindt is the Head of Test Center for EMC and Environmental Tests for Carl Zeiss. To guarantee these lenses are up…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Andrew Tarantola

Iran Denies It’s Shutting Down the Internet in August, Merely Building a New One Next March

Qlocktwo W Watch Tells Time with a Word Search

Apple’s Working on a Flashback Counter-Attack

Report: iTunes 11 Will Support iOS 6 and Actually Work with iCloud

NASA’s Hypersonic Airbags Shield Spacecraft in a Mach 5 Plunge

$7 Million Space Shuttle Telescope Comes with Free Shipping

Carriers Unite to Track Stolen Phones Nationwide

Drifting Bikes, Floating Heads, and Things Not to Do in Mid-Air (NSFW)

Iran Hopes to Be Rid of Meddlesome Internet by August

The Rest of Your Furniture Only Wishes It Could Be as Awesome as This VHS Coffee Table

America’s Navy Tests Its Missiles in the World’s Biggest Potato Gun

San Francisco’s 1958 “Cyclone” Bus Duster

The Navy’s LIDAR-Equipped UAV Helo Hunts Pirates, Not Speeders

What the Hell Is This Guy Wearing?

$65 Emergency Clamps Seal Gashes Faster Than Tourniquets

Rumbling Seats, Chic Weed Eats, and Various Things on Fire

The Holmdel Horn: The Most Important Radio Antenna Ever

What the World’s Biggest Cities Would Look Like with No People

Three Drunk Canadians Get Naked and Ride a Shopping Cart Though a Car Wash

The Man Paid to Punish Camera Lenses

Smart Glasses Now Have One of the Vision Pro’s Best Features

Marvel Just Put ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2 in a Very Weird Place in the MCU Timeline

Trump Drops $1B to Kill 2 Wind Farms, Then Watches a Bigger One Go Online

Scientists Found a Weird New Way to Wash Fruits and Vegetables

White House’s Mysterious ‘Covfefe Moment’ Was Stupider Than We Imagined

Gym Bros Are Pushing Mystery Muscle Drugs Doctors Barely Recognize, Study Warns

The Head of HBO Explains What it Takes to Get a ‘Game of Thrones’ Spinoff Going

Elon Musk’s Lawyer Claims Jury’s 420 ‘Joke’ Proves He Didn’t Receive a Fair Trial

‘Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice’ Is a Genre Blending Delight

Leaked Anthropic Model Presents ‘Unprecedented Cybersecurity Risks,’ Much to Pentagon’s Pleasure

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees