Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

Trolling Could Get You 25 Years in Jail in Arizona

One of the Internet’s basic tenets—the right to be as much of a myopic, infantile asshat as humanly possible—is currently under attack in Arizona. A sweeping update to the state’s telecommunications harrasment bill could make naughty, angry words a Class 1 misdemeanor. Or worse. It’s a dangerous precedent, yet another bill written and supported by…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

MPAA Fears MegaUpload Will Take Its Servers and Run

The MegaUpload legal circus is beginning to reach WikiLeaks proportions of spectacle. The MPAA petitioned the court yesterday to block MegaUpload’s efforts to purchase its servers back from the cash-strapped hosting company, Carpathia on fears that the file sharing service would restart off-shore. As we reported two weeks ago, server host Carpathia is losing about…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Moroccan Hash, Car Rolling, and That Time the CIA Gave People LSD (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. Help reader Moosehose name this 70/30 Purple Obama / Lemon…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Handle Bar-Mounted Tallboys Are the Best Thing Since Fixed Gears

Look, it doesn’t matter how tight your pants are or how ironic your mustache is—you simply can’t be crowned King of the Hipsters sporting a frame-mounted wine rack. To carry the King’s 22 oz scepter, your ride needs a Bicycle Can Cage. https://gizmodo.com/wine-racks-on-bicycles-are-great-ideas-5797320 Etsy studio WalnutStudiolo hand-sews each cage from rigid leather. The cage holds…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Million-Year-Old Campfire Could Be One of Humanity’s First

Harnessing fire is up there with language and an upright stance in terms of “important milestones in early human development.” And if the findings from a recent excavation are verified, hominids may have been playing with fire for far longer than we previously suspected. A team led by Francesco Berna, an archaeologist at Boston University,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

New Flashback Trojan Variant Doesn’t Need A Password to Infect Your Mac

The Flashback Trojan is proving to be a very agile bit of code. It’s mutated several times since it was initially discovered last year, and its newest iteration will let itself onto your system with or without your permission. https://gizmodo.com/this-new-trojan-disables-your-macs-auto-updates-5851532 The newest iteration, dubbed OSX/Flashback.K, exploits a known weakness in Java SE6. The Trojan is…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

World’s Biggest Spacecraft Is Like a Flying Fresh Direct Truck

The International Space Station (ISS) is far from self-sufficient. To shuttle food and equipment resupplies up to the station, the European Space Agency (ESA) relies on a fleet of disposable Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs) like the recently launched Edoardo Amaldi. The ISS needs restocking roughly every 17 months. It typically requires about 6.6 tons of…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola

Is This Open Source Paintball Sentry the Future of Home Security? I Hope So

The future is here but apparently didn’t bring any of the cool shit it promised—no flying cars, no hover boards, no sexbots. But at least we can be thankful that haven’t been screwed out of auto-turrets. https://gizmodo.com/pre-order-the-back-to-the-future-hoverboard-right-now-f-5889674 Project Sentry Gun is responsible for bringing this technology to the masses. The site provides details on how…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

People Going Splat, One Really Large Cat, and Plasma Bongs—Because It’s Friday (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 Dutch Passion comes from reader Cho Click here for…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Beached Firefly Squid Light Up the Japanese Coast

The Firefly Squid (Watasenia scintillans) inhabits the Western Pacific and is famously found in Toyama Bay, Japan. The 3-inch long creatures employ bioluminescent glands in each tentacle to attract and hunt prey. Surprisingly, this is the only species of of cephalopod that is suspected of having color vision. [Sparkling Enope Wiki via Buzzfeed – Composite…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

A Lumia 900 Will Cost New AT&T Customers Zero Dollars

And you thought Nokia’s new Windows Phone was dirt cheap at $99 to begin with. https://gizmodo.com/holy-crap-nokias-hot-new-windows-phone-will-only-be-9-5896374 Ahead of the Lumia 900’s impending launch April 8th, AT&T is allowing pre-orders on the phone with a two-year contract, while Walmart is offering the cyan-colored model (above) for $49. And if you’re willing to jump ship from your…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

This Chinese Deep Sea Sub Will Plunder the Ocean Floor for Mineral Riches

While it may not be able to reach the same seven-mile mark as James Cameron’s deep-sea vessel, the Jiaolong manned submersible could provide so much more. https://gizmodo.com/james-cameron-successfully-reaches-the-deepest-spot-on-5896326 The Jiaolong is an 8.2-meter long, 22-ton scientific research vessel and the result of years of stealth development by the Chinese government. It was initially devised as part…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

New Trojans Use Old Tricks to Infiltrate Macs

The adage that Apples don’t get viruses might soon prove to be false. Security analysts have identified a pair of Trojans aboard the computers of multiple Pro-Tibetan NGOs that appear to infiltrate Macs using the same exploit that’s worked on Windows systems for years. Security analysts at Alien Vault have identified a pair of Trojans…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

China’s Urine-Boiled Eggs Are a Cultural Delicacy I Will Not Try

If there’s one thing the city of Dongyang is famous for, it’s the town’s local delicacy—Virgin Boy Eggs. No, they aren’t the the testicles of children as one might guess, just regular chicken eggs…that have been boiled and steeped in the urine of elementary school students. The recipe for Virgin Boy Eggs is quite simple…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Pocket Predators, WeGrow Opens Shop, and That Time NIN Played Dance Party USA (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 nearly ripe nug of Purple Bubba comes from an…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

You Better Watch Where You’re Walking in Utah

Utah’s Transportation Authority is tired of scraping pedestrians off the sides of its trains, deposited there on account of the person’s “distracted walking.” So, the UTA is taking the only logical step—imposing fines! The UTA voted 11-3 today to ban “distracted walking” near train tracks. This includes activities such as talking on a cell, using…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Google Finally Puts Captchas to Good Use

Captchas are the Internet’s speed bump. They perform little function beyond slowing users down—not bots, mind you, just people. But now Google’s found a way to employ the oddly-fonted phrases for a different kind of verification. https://gizmodo.com/stanford-boffins-on-the-brink-of-breaking-captcha-codes-5855069 ReCAPTCHAs are the second generation of Completely Automated Public Turing Test To Tell Computers and Humans Apart, designed…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Obama Administration Plans to Drop $200 Million on “Big Data” Research

The White House announced today plans to better utilize the torrent of data produced by agencies like the departments of Energy and Defense. The administration intends to invest $200 million in developing systems to better share and dissect large bodies of information. The Big Data Research and Development Initiative encompasses six federal agencies including DARPA,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

These Seven Tablets Just Became Hulu-Capable

Up until now, unless you owned an HTC Flyer or a Vizio 8-inch tablet (and who doesn’t, right?) the only place your android-based Hulu viewing was happening was on your phone. Today, however, the streaming service has announced support for seven new tablets. Hulu now plays on the Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime, Asus Eee…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Google Might Be Getting into the Tablet Business Later This Year

Normally an unmitigated disaster on the scale of the Nexus One would normally give a company pause, but not Google. The search giant is jumping back into competition with Apple and Amazon with potential plans to hock Android tablets on its website. https://gizmodo.com/the-nexus-one-is-a-total-sales-flop-5494406 According to unnamed WSJ sources within Google, the company is currently constructing…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Andrew Tarantola

Trolling Could Get You 25 Years in Jail in Arizona

MPAA Fears MegaUpload Will Take Its Servers and Run

Moroccan Hash, Car Rolling, and That Time the CIA Gave People LSD (NSFW)

Handle Bar-Mounted Tallboys Are the Best Thing Since Fixed Gears

Million-Year-Old Campfire Could Be One of Humanity’s First

New Flashback Trojan Variant Doesn’t Need A Password to Infect Your Mac

World’s Biggest Spacecraft Is Like a Flying Fresh Direct Truck

Is This Open Source Paintball Sentry the Future of Home Security? I Hope So

People Going Splat, One Really Large Cat, and Plasma Bongs—Because It’s Friday (NSFW)

Beached Firefly Squid Light Up the Japanese Coast

A Lumia 900 Will Cost New AT&T Customers Zero Dollars

This Chinese Deep Sea Sub Will Plunder the Ocean Floor for Mineral Riches

New Trojans Use Old Tricks to Infiltrate Macs

China’s Urine-Boiled Eggs Are a Cultural Delicacy I Will Not Try

Pocket Predators, WeGrow Opens Shop, and That Time NIN Played Dance Party USA (NSFW)

You Better Watch Where You’re Walking in Utah

Google Finally Puts Captchas to Good Use

Obama Administration Plans to Drop $200 Million on “Big Data” Research

These Seven Tablets Just Became Hulu-Capable

Google Might Be Getting into the Tablet Business Later This Year

Roku’s 2025 Streaming Stick HD Is 40% Off to Compete With Amazon Fire TV Stick During Spring Sale

Epstein Victims Sue Google, Claim AI Mode Exposed Personal Information

‘Wicked Spot’ Is a Fun, Sapphic Rom-Com That Yeets a Witch Into the Magical World of Influencer Culture

Anthropic and OpenAI Just Gave Us a Glimpse Into the Future of Model Pricing

Amazon Slashes 63% Off Acer Aspire Desktop for a Limited-Time Spring Sale, With Keyboard and Mouse Included

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

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