Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

How Chicago Purifies One Million Gallons of Water Every Minute

How do you slake the thirst of 5.5 million Chicagoans spread throughout the country’s third largest city and 118 surrounding suburbs? You treat one billion gallons of water a day at the world’s largest water treatment plant. Opened in 1968, the James W. Jardine Water Purification Plant provides virtually all of Chicago’s potable water, though…

Health Andrew Tarantola Sep 23 '11

The B-52’s: Rock Lobster

Who said good music has to make sense? Good art doesn’t have to—did Picasso’s art make any sense, did Jackson Pollack’s? No, because their genius creations trasncended the thinking of the time. And that’s exactly what the B-52’s did with Rock Lobster. In 1979, the punk scene was beginning to split. It had outgrown its…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 22 '11

7 Tools to Keep Summer Going All Year Long

Tomorrow is fall. Already. But don’t simply resign yourself to four months of shitty weather and no baseball—these seven tool can help keep your summer going indefinitely. Valkee Earbuds Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is, supposedly, a very real thing with a, supposedly, very real solution—the Valkee Earbuds. This device beams light through your ear canals…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 22 '11

Western Digital’s New Passport Drives Pack Big Space in a Little Place

Lugging around an external drive that weighs more than your MBA kind of defeats the purpose of buying a lightweight laptop. Luckily, Western Digital’s latest My Passport drives can hold a terabyte of data but tip the scales at less than a pound. The Studio connects with FireWire800 for lightning-fast (though not Thunderbolt-fast) data transfers…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 22 '11

The World’s Largest Cider Press Is a Civil War Relic

During the Civil War, apple cider was a valuable commodity. Not just because it was delicious, but because it made for a handy alcoholic disinfectant. (You do know what medicine was like back then, right?) So a press able to churn out over one hundred gallons of the stuff a day must’ve been the 19th…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 22 '11

Whaddya Mean Ford’s Not Actually Gonna Sell This Wicked E-Bike?!

Ford recently unveiled the world’s first front-wheel-drive electric bicycle at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Huzzah! Then they promptly explained that this concept will never make it to the showroom floor. Oh Ford, you’re such a tease. The E-bike concept uses a trapezoidal frame profile made from a carbon-aluminum alloy that weighs just 2.5 kg. It’s…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 21 '11

Roboto Is a USB-Powering Rampage Machine

All hail the mighty Roboto, come to conquer our desks and lay siege to our peripherals! Bow before his diminutive wrath! Standing a towering four inches tall, it really does wind up and stomp about your work space when it isn’t commanding your accessories with its four USB slots or controlling your mind with its…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 21 '11

Ka-Bar ZK-Pestilence Chopper Knife Lightning Review: Murders Plants and Zombies

Honestly, I was expecting a blade marketed for use in zombie killing—seriously, that’s what the ZK stands for—to be just a flimsy toy built more for show than for actual work. Boy, was I wrong. Like It’s got solid heft, for only weighing about a pound. The blade is front-weighted, heavier at the tip than…

Reviews Andrew Tarantola Sep 21 '11

Night Surfing With LEDs Is Even Cooler Than It Sounds

Surfing is difficult enough during the day when you can actually see the waves (and sharks) coming. To do it at night, you need a big brass pair like professional surfer Aritz Aranburu. And a self-illuminating surfboard doesn’t hurt. Shot at Mundaka in Northern Spain, this Pukas board is one of only four currently in…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 21 '11

Why Does the World’s Smallest Camera Need to Exist?

For snooping, of course. You think you can silently hop fences and climb fire escapes chasing after that cheating wife of yours with a huge D-SLR swinging around your neck? No, but it’d probably be a bit easier with this diminutive camera in your pocket instead. The tiny device measures a little over 1 inch…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 20 '11

8 Tools to Keep You from Being Eaten While on Safari

Forget the tigers and bears, I don’t want one of these big cats nomming on my skull. These eight tools will help you stay alive—and possibly even let you enjoy—your trip to Africa. [view as one page] https://gizmodo.com/8-tools-to-keep-you-from-being-eaten-while-on-safari-5841985 Pith Helmet Unless you naturally tan a golden bronze like I do, the sun in Africa is…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola Sep 20 '11

Jetboil Sumo Ti and Sol Cooking System Lightning Review

The last camping stove I owned was a 15-pound ’70s-era Coleman behemoth that took longer to light than actually cook a meal on. So to now use the 1.5-pound Sol cooking system and the Sumo Ti mug is nothing short of magical. Like I brought two cups of water to a rolling boil in three…

Reviews Andrew Tarantola Sep 20 '11

This Mobile Command Center Communicates Every Which Way But Smoke Signal

There’s alot that can go wrong on California’s 15,181 miles of highway. When major catastrophes strike and an immediate, large-scale, coordinated response from multiple agencies is needed, the California Highway Patrol calls on its fleet of Incident Command Vehicles—the mobile hive-minds of public safety. Prompted by the communications failures that hampered rescue efforts after the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 20 '11

How To Raise Four Million Pounds of Fish a Year—in Virginia

The demand for seafood in America is booming, to be sure—unfortunately, the ocean’s fish stocks aren’t exactly doing the same. So how does one meet this overwhelming demand for meat? Farming fish, obviously. Lots of them. Recirculating Aquaculture, How Does It Work? Recirculating Aquaculture is a four-step system, starting in the grow-out tanks that house…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 19 '11

NASA’s Not Sure Where in the World This Satellite Will Crash

The 20-year-old UARS satellite has dropped out of orbit—as old satellites are wont to do—and is reentering the atmosphere. Too bad NASA can’t pinpoint where—or when—exactly it will land. Could be the middle of the Pacific, could be the middle of Paris—it’s a surprise! If you have to leave your house on or around September…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola Sep 16 '11

The Share-A-Watt Is a Travel Power Strip for Cafe Cassanovas

You’re at the cafe and you battery is toast but, as usual, every last power outlet is filled. Why beg for time on an outlet like a schmuck when you can ask that cute redhead in the corner if you two can double up using the Share-A-Watt? The Share-A-Watt mini-power strip incorporates two grounded AC…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 16 '11

This 40-Foot-Tall Industrial Shredder Eats Refrigerators

Back in the day, your old refrigerator wasn’t thrown away after a new one was purchased. It was refurbished and resold, again and again, until the doors fell off (then it was sold again). Now? Now they get shredded. As of late, most refrigerators are no longer repaired after their first service run and are…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 16 '11

Some Nigerians Think That a Phone Call Can Kill

For a country technologically advanced enough to clog my inbox with offers of untold wealth as long as I reply with my Social Security number, a surprising number of Nigerians actually think that they can receive a demonic phone call that will kill them instantly upon answering. According to the BBC, a series of widely-circulating…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 15 '11

If You Can’t Follow the Conversation on a Jabra Supreme, You Might Want to Get Your Hearing Checked

Active Noise Cancellation technology is a wonderful thing—assuming you could afford the high-end stereo headphones they’re normally found on. But now, that same crystal-clear sound is coming to Bluetooth headsets with the Jabra Supreme. Active Noise Cancellation counteracts an incoming sound wave with a phase-inverted version of itself to create an interference wave, thereby mitigating…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola Sep 15 '11

Why Google Needs to Peep at the World’s Most Efficient Data Center

114. That’s how many HP EcoPOD server systems it would take to power all of Google. https://gizmodo.com/google-uses-more-power-than-salt-lake-city-5838458 The problem with traditional, brick-and-mortar data centers is that they require a huge up-front investment of both time and money; they’re often under-utilized; and generally cost more money and energy in terms of overhead than actual computing. All…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Sep 15 '11

Andrew Tarantola

How Chicago Purifies One Million Gallons of Water Every Minute

The B-52’s: Rock Lobster

7 Tools to Keep Summer Going All Year Long

Western Digital’s New Passport Drives Pack Big Space in a Little Place

The World’s Largest Cider Press Is a Civil War Relic

Whaddya Mean Ford’s Not Actually Gonna Sell This Wicked E-Bike?!

Roboto Is a USB-Powering Rampage Machine

Ka-Bar ZK-Pestilence Chopper Knife Lightning Review: Murders Plants and Zombies

Night Surfing With LEDs Is Even Cooler Than It Sounds

Why Does the World’s Smallest Camera Need to Exist?

8 Tools to Keep You from Being Eaten While on Safari

Jetboil Sumo Ti and Sol Cooking System Lightning Review

This Mobile Command Center Communicates Every Which Way But Smoke Signal

How To Raise Four Million Pounds of Fish a Year—in Virginia

NASA’s Not Sure Where in the World This Satellite Will Crash

The Share-A-Watt Is a Travel Power Strip for Cafe Cassanovas

This 40-Foot-Tall Industrial Shredder Eats Refrigerators

Some Nigerians Think That a Phone Call Can Kill

If You Can’t Follow the Conversation on a Jabra Supreme, You Might Want to Get Your Hearing Checked

Why Google Needs to Peep at the World’s Most Efficient Data Center

Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Hits Near Used Prices After Major Price Cut Since Last Black Friday

The Best Tech Gifts for Mother’s Day 2026

The Latest Apple Smart Glasses Rumor Sounds Like a Long Shot

23 Years After the SP, This Handheld May Finally Improve the Game Boy

This Is the Weekend Wizards of the Coast Needs to Not Put a Foot in It

Philips WiFi Smart Door Lock Is Back to All-Time Low, Secure Access With Passcode, Fingerprint, Voice Control, and More

Maryland Just Banned Surveillance Pricing on Groceries. Critics Say It’s Basically Toothless

Jackery Slashes Explorer 1000 v2 Power Station by Nearly 50%, Time to Gear Up for Camping and Summer While It’s Cheap

79 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Arriving in May

Forget DJI Osmo, GoPro Clears Out HERO12 Black Action Camera at Below Black Friday Price on Amazon

Asus ROG Zephyrus Duo Review: Your Gaming Lifestyle Deserves Two Screens

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