Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

This Minifig Surfer Carves a Righteous Inky Wave

Italian graphic designer Alberto Seveso has added a twist to his recent Disastro Ecologico series. Dubbed, Ink Riders, this photo series combines a longboard-riding LEGO-man, ink, and water to mimic the motion of the ocean. https://gizmodo.com/this-beautiful-red-plume-is-your-next-desktop-backgroun-5869346 And no, you aren’t the only on who thinks that surfer looks suspiciously like Johnny Utah. [Alberto Seveso via…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

All of YouTube’s 1080p Videos Are Going 3D

For as much as everybody loves to hate 3D, there seems no end remakes and reboots touting it. Even YouTube is jumping on board, announcing today that all short-form videos uploaded in 1080p will automatically be converted to the 3D format. https://gizmodo.com/neil-degrasse-tyson-made-james-cameron-update-the-stars-5898287 The auto-3D feature is an offshoot from the one-click conversion that YT rolled…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Twitter Declares War on Spambots, Takes Tool Developers to Court

At long last, Twitter is taking steps to scrub its service of all those annoying auto-messagers by suing spam tool developers into oblivion. https://gizmodo.com/why-is-twitter-filled-with-stupid-spambots-5814818 With over 140 million active members, Twitter is a prime target for spambot shenanigans. However, the micro-blogging site argues that spammers hurt the service’s reputation and have left it with no…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Remixing Monsters, Hydroponic LEGOS, and Everybody Wants to Be James Bond (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. Tonight’s soft-focus weed porn comes to us from reader JH.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

LEGO Grow Lab

All images are ©Scott Parsley

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Early Football Helmets Were Super Effective Against Brick Walls

Because nothing sells a new helmet design like blunt force trauma, this wild-haired inventor demonstrates the head-piece’s protection against blows the old fashioned way—being bludgeoned by a local football club and running headlong into walls. Modern football helmet development began in the 1920’s with padded leather skull caps, however, these quickly proved too thin and…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Erickson S-64 Aircrane Is a Flying Swiss Army Knife

Most helicopters are one-trick ponies. They perform the thing they’re designed for very well and they don’t do much more. That’s not the case with the Erickson S-64, a versatile, capable vehicle that could be thought of as an airborne Ford F-150. The S-64 was originally developed in the early 1960s by the Sikorsky company…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

How Much Porn Does the Internet Hold?

For as much as we try to ignore and segregate it from our daily surfing, the fact remains that porn is the life-blood of the Internet. But how much sexy sex is actually moving through the series of tubes? https://gizmodo.com/icann-approves-xxx-domains-5783484 The answer is: tons. The world’s top porn sites—XVideos, LiveJasmin, YouPorn, Tube8, Pornhub—are on par…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Farming Sulfur on the Edge of an Acid-Spewing Volcano Is Just as Miserable as It Sounds

The sulfur in your match head comes from the earth just like any other ore. However, most other minerals aren’t still excavated by hand. From the edges of giant acid pools. The Ijen volcanos are located in East Java, Indonesia and offer a prime source for sulfur. Volcanic gasses condense as they move up through…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

3M’s Silicon Anodes Could Boost Gadget Battery Life by 40 Percent

Graphite is a common choice for anodes in Li-Ion battery systems but doesn’t store much charge for its bulk. However, 3M’s newly-devised electrode could boost battery life and replace the soft-carbon material for good. 3M’s new anodes are made of silicon-lithium alloy that promise a 20-percent increase in energy density when used with conventional cathodes.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Hunting Weed, Inventing Love, and Snoop Dogg Has The Single Best Idea of All Time (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. Only two words can describe tonight’s submission of Kolossus from…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

How To Make a Book Into an Incognito Stash Box

What’s the one thing you never hear from people who have just been burgled? “Those rotten sons of bitches stole all my books.” Nobody’s going to lift your Encyclopaedia Britannicas when there are OLEDs to be had. That’s why you should hide your precious valuables in the last place thieves think to look—the bookshelf. You…

Books & Comics Andrew Tarantola

High-Flying Turbine Blimps Could Cut Wind Electricity Costs By 65 Percent

Wind blows stronger and more consistently as you rise above ground obstacles like buildings, trees, and hills. This makes for a lucrative green energy source—assuming you can lift generators 1000 feet in the air. This Airborne Wind Turbine could well become the first. Altaeros Energies is currently developing the Airborne Wind Turbine (AWT). It consists…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Google Street View Takes a Virtual Tour of the White House

Fresh from a jaunt along the Rio Negro, Google is digitizing the interior of the First Family’s mansion. Now you can leisurely wander around the White House without being detained by the Secret Service. https://gizmodo.com/armchair-adventurers-can-now-take-a-street-view-tour-of-5895391 Google’s employing the same 360-degree HD cameras as it uses to document museums and art galleries for the Google Art…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Take a (Really) Quick Tour of the World’s Most Powerful X-Ray Laser

Yo’ coherent light source is so fat, it takes 37 seconds to trace the electron’s beam path—in fast forward. The Linac Coherent Light Source is no dainty piece of machinery. Its magnet-lined tracks stretch over the course of a half-mile and accelerate electron pulses to 99.9999999 percent of the speed of light. The brightest X-ray…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Slaying Dragons, Cleaning Bongs, and Riding Things You Probably Shouldn’t (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. Tonight, we’ve got some smashing Incredible Hulk from reader Simon…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Major Publishing Consortium Ready to Launch “Hulu for Magazines”

It’s been two years since Next Issue Media was first announced but the subscription-swapping, all-you-can-read digital news-stand is set to launch tomorrow. https://gizmodo.com/hulu-for-magazines-coming-early-2011-only-for-android-5687327 Next Issue Media is a digitial subscription service proposed by five of the world’s largest publishers (Conde Nast, Time Inc, Hearst, Meredith, News Corp). Users would receive as many digital magazines as…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

1970’s Study Predictions Are Still on Target for 2030’s Decline of Humanity

In 1972, The Limits to Growth modeled the effects of unlimited human expansion on the planet’s finite resources. Now, 40 years later, the predicted models are still a near match with reality. The Limits to Growth was written by MIT researchers Donella H. Meadows, Dennis L. Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III on…

Books & Comics Andrew Tarantola

Do Crowbars Really Need Hinges?

The Hultafors 209 adjustable wrecking bar features a nine-point articulated claw, a rubberized grip, and claims to optimize the everyman’s nail-pulling experience. But does the crowbar design require improvement? The 209’s curved claw is set on a hinge and locked in place with a screw gear, which reportedly allows it to withstand the same forces…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola

This Football-Sized Robot Sub Handles Law Enforcement’s Underwater Beat

From inspecting cargo ships in NYC Harbor to searching for missing persons in South Texas, law enforcement is increasingly supplementing its human divers with these football-sized remote submersibles. The VideoRay Pro 3 GTO is a tethered, remotely-controlled micro-submersible. The eight-pound machine can dive as far as 500 feet and move at up to 4.1 knots,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Andrew Tarantola

This Minifig Surfer Carves a Righteous Inky Wave

All of YouTube’s 1080p Videos Are Going 3D

Twitter Declares War on Spambots, Takes Tool Developers to Court

Remixing Monsters, Hydroponic LEGOS, and Everybody Wants to Be James Bond (NSFW)

LEGO Grow Lab

Early Football Helmets Were Super Effective Against Brick Walls

The Erickson S-64 Aircrane Is a Flying Swiss Army Knife

How Much Porn Does the Internet Hold?

Farming Sulfur on the Edge of an Acid-Spewing Volcano Is Just as Miserable as It Sounds

3M’s Silicon Anodes Could Boost Gadget Battery Life by 40 Percent

Hunting Weed, Inventing Love, and Snoop Dogg Has The Single Best Idea of All Time (NSFW)

How To Make a Book Into an Incognito Stash Box

High-Flying Turbine Blimps Could Cut Wind Electricity Costs By 65 Percent

Google Street View Takes a Virtual Tour of the White House

Take a (Really) Quick Tour of the World’s Most Powerful X-Ray Laser

Slaying Dragons, Cleaning Bongs, and Riding Things You Probably Shouldn’t (NSFW)

Major Publishing Consortium Ready to Launch “Hulu for Magazines”

1970’s Study Predictions Are Still on Target for 2030’s Decline of Humanity

Do Crowbars Really Need Hinges?

This Football-Sized Robot Sub Handles Law Enforcement’s Underwater Beat

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