Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

Why Can’t We Protect Commercial Planes From Attacks?

Last week’s downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 over the disputed territory of Eastern Ukraine has set off worldwide outcries against the conflict, and calls to better defend commercial airlines from missile attack. But is it even possible to defend civilian jets against military-grade weapons? To understand why it’s so difficult to defend civilian planes,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 24 '14

America’s Next Big Space Launch Rocket Is a Total Beast

With its forthcoming Space Launch System, NASA hopes to send astronauts farther into space than it ever has ever before—to Mars and beyond. And when the first crew does leave to make interplanetary history, they’ll do so aboard these rocket engines. First developed nearly 30 years ago, the RS-25 rocket engine has been hailed as…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola Jul 23 '14

NASA’s Moon-Bound Geology Lab that Never Quite Got Off the Ground

The rigor of operating outside the atmosphere has often led to rather outlandish NASA vehicle designs, but few have been more alien than this mobile lunar field laboratory from the heyday of the Space Age. Shame it never actually made it past New Mexico. We had such big plans for the moon. After the crew…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola Jul 22 '14

Humans Could Achieve Digital Immortality Within 30 Years

The Internet isn’t just a repository of humanity’s information (and porn), it could soon serve as a final resting place for the mind after our bodies wear out. Johnny Depp attempts to do just that—but with disastrous results—in Transcendence. But how close are we to accomplishing the same in real life? Quite close, according to…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 21 '14

Robots with Digital Eyes Could Pick Your Next Peck of Peppers

The days of hand-picked fruits and vegetables—at least those picked by human hands—are quickly coming to a close as robotic farming technology continues its rapid advancement. A team of roboticists from the EU, for example, have just debuted an automated fruit and vegetable harvester that can spot ripe produce just by looking at it. The…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 21 '14

How to Save Water (And Not Get Fined) In This Drought

Sprinkling scofflaws in the drought-stricken state of California are about to get an expensive wake up call. As water consumption rates climb despite Governor Brown’s call for a voluntary 20 percent per household reduction, the State Water Board has voted to impose fines up to $500 for a variety of wasteful outdoor watering practices. Here’s…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 19 '14

LG UB9800 UltraHD TV Review: This Picture’s Not Worth the Price

The march of progress moves to the beat of early adopters patting their wallets and chanting, “shut up and take my money.” Unfortunately, LG’s latest high-end offering can’t seem to keep up with its price tag. What Is It? LG’s 2014 flagship UltraHD Smart TV. This LED series comes in 65, 79, and 85-inch varieties,…

Reviews Andrew Tarantola Jul 18 '14

The Fighter Jet We Could Have Built Instead of the F-35

The mid-1990s found the U.S. military in need of a low-cost, supersonic stealth fighter jet that all three armed services branches could field. Easy, right? The subsequent—and highly contentious—design competition between Boeing and Lockheed saw the winner take home a $200 billion defense contract, which in turn became the debacle we know as the F-35.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 18 '14

B-2 Spirit: America’s Best Airplane Since the SR-71

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the B-2 Spirit’s inaugural flight. Through its quarter-century of service, the original Stealth Bomber has earned its place among the most elite warbirds in the USAF fleet and remains a vital weapon of the US arsenal to this day. It’s a plane that could start—or stop—WWIII single-handedly. With the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 17 '14

America’s Littlest Black Ops Whirlybird Is Armed to the Teeth

Operation Eagle Claw was supposed to free 52 diplomats held during the Iran Hostage Crisis. Its failure not only shamed President Carter’s administration and paved the way for Reagan’s successful 1980 presidential run, it also instigated the formation of the Army’s Special Operations Command, and the development of this petite powerhouse: the MH-6 Little Bird.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 16 '14

Why Potholes Happen (And How to Get Them Fixed)

They’re the bane of modern interstates and countryside roads alike: Potholes cost American drivers nearly $6.5 billion dollars in flat tires, blown shocks, and cracked rims in 2013, according to AAA. Save your car this beating by learning to recognize the early warning signs of developing potholes and how to get them fixed before they…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 15 '14

Russia’s Military Is Getting Killer Wall-E Robot Soldiers in 2018

Russia’s newest line of robotic soldiers took part in their first wargames recently. They may look suspiciously like Wall-E, but Russia’s Platform-M isn’t nearly as benevolent. The robotic combat platform has been developed the Progress Scientific Research Technological Institute of Izhevsk, which describes it as such: Platform-M is a universal combat platform. It is used…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 15 '14

The U.S.A.’s Floating Special Forces Base Sure Doesn’t Look Like One

The US military, facing a distinct shortage of allies willing to let them build forward operating bases on their land, has developed an ingenious solution: build the base on a boat and moor it in international waters. All of the shock and awe, none of the messy legal entanglements. These “sea bases” offer a host…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 14 '14

How to Get the Best Sleep of Your Life on an Airplane

Navigating your way through clueless tourists, grabby TSA guards, and disinterested ticket counter clerks is only half the battle. Once you make it to your seat, you’ve still got an entire flight to endure. Your best airplane strategy is almost always to sleep through the entire ordeal, but how does one sleep effectively while fully…

Health Andrew Tarantola Jul 12 '14

A Solar-Powered Ladybug That Might Just Save Global Agriculture

It’s getting increasingly difficult to feed humanity’s seven billion-plus mouths, especially as climate change begins to wreak havoc on the world’s staple crop supplies. While efforts are being made to find hardier alternatives, a research team from the University of Sydney has developed a tool to better manage the crops we’ve already got. Industrial agriculture…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 11 '14

The World’s Largest LED Hydroponic Farm Used to Be a Sony Factory

As climate change begins posing new challenges to conventional outdoor food production methods, hydroponic farming has made quick gains in popularity thanks to its space- and energy-saving design. This enormous indoor lettuce farm for example—the largest of its kind in the world—produces 10,000 heads a day in less space than a single American football field…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 10 '14

Watch a Researcher Zip Line Over the Door to Hell For Science

The more biologists look, the stranger the places they find life. Whether it’s in the boiling mud ponds of Yellowstone or in radioactive seams miles beneath the surface of the Earth, microbes seem capable of surviving just about anywhere. That’s why one team is heading to the deep desert of Turkmenistan to see if life…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola Jul 10 '14

This Green Monster Was Once the Fastest Car on Earth

The Green Monster isn’t just a wall in Boston. That title was also once carried by a series of land speed record-breaking jet cars. For a few glorious years in the mid-1960s, these vehicles showed the world what six wheels and the engine from an F-104 Starfighter could do. The early 60s were an exciting…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 10 '14

How Thumbsticks Came to Control the Modern World

It’s no small feat translating a user’s wishes into computer commands. Controlling massive robots in chaotic, fast-paced action of modern console games like Titanfall—and yet even children are able to intuitively tear through AI fodder in their digital mechs. How? Using dual analog thumbstick controllers. And they’re not just for games. Any wizened gamer knows…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 9 '14

You Can Finally Send Anything on Your Android’s Screen to Chromecast

The “Cast Screen” function for Google’s Chromecast dongle that we reported on during last month’s Google I/O developers conference has finally made it out of the keynote and into our mobile devices. Now, anything that plays on your Android device also plays on your TV. Yes, even your porn. The feature began rolling out today…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 9 '14

Andrew Tarantola

Why Can’t We Protect Commercial Planes From Attacks?

America’s Next Big Space Launch Rocket Is a Total Beast

NASA’s Moon-Bound Geology Lab that Never Quite Got Off the Ground

Humans Could Achieve Digital Immortality Within 30 Years

Robots with Digital Eyes Could Pick Your Next Peck of Peppers

How to Save Water (And Not Get Fined) In This Drought

LG UB9800 UltraHD TV Review: This Picture’s Not Worth the Price

The Fighter Jet We Could Have Built Instead of the F-35

B-2 Spirit: America’s Best Airplane Since the SR-71

America’s Littlest Black Ops Whirlybird Is Armed to the Teeth

Why Potholes Happen (And How to Get Them Fixed)

Russia’s Military Is Getting Killer Wall-E Robot Soldiers in 2018

The U.S.A.’s Floating Special Forces Base Sure Doesn’t Look Like One

How to Get the Best Sleep of Your Life on an Airplane

A Solar-Powered Ladybug That Might Just Save Global Agriculture

The World’s Largest LED Hydroponic Farm Used to Be a Sony Factory

Watch a Researcher Zip Line Over the Door to Hell For Science

This Green Monster Was Once the Fastest Car on Earth

How Thumbsticks Came to Control the Modern World

You Can Finally Send Anything on Your Android’s Screen to Chromecast

Spotify Will Now Verify Non-AI Artists

‘Macross Plus’ Is an Ultra-Romantic Classic That Refuses to Age

Stick It to Jeff Bezos by Turning Your Defunct Kindle Into the World’s Worst Typewriter

‘De-extinction’ Startup Wants to Revive Antelope Killed Off by South African Colonists

The Best Toys of April 2026

Dreame L60 Ultra Robot Vacuum and Mop With 35,000Pa Suction Is Now Over $400 Off as a Launch Exclusive Deal

Under-Oath Elon Musk Seems to Run a Different Company Than Public-Figure Elon Musk

Ambitious Experiment Aims to Test Tiny Nuclear Reactors for AI Data Centers

Here’s the Very Normal Reason the ‘Lanterns’ Trailer Disappeared

California Cops Can Finally Give Robotaxis Tickets

Steam Controller Review: Trackpads Change Everything for PC Gaming

Soundcore Space 2 Review: A Shockingly Stellar Value for Budget ANC Wireless Headphones

Anker’s UV Printer Can Handle Almost Anything… If You Know What You’re Doing

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages