Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

The 1.4-Gigapixel Camera Standing Between Us and Armageddon

First step in preventing Armageddon: Spot the asteroid before it obliterates all life on earth. The PS1 Telescope sits atop a Hawaiian mountain with a 1.4-gigapixel digital camera to ensure we get the Ben Affleck-approved ending, not Deep Impact. The PS1 telescope is the first of four Pan-STARRS (Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System),…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 25 '11

12 Brilliant Examples of Lighthouse Technology

When you’re aboard a ship barreling towards unknown shores, the last thing you want is an inconspicuous lighthouse guiding you in. Our friends at Oobject have a collection of the most extreme examples of lighthouse design from around the world. If you’re looking for more on seafaring vessels, check out these prefabricated ships, some with…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 22 '11

6 Tools to Correct Your Hydration Situation

As the Midwest and East Coast continue to swelter, staying hydrated is imperative. These 6 devices will keep your fluids topped off regardless of the temperature outside. Camelbak HAWG This is one boss HAWG. Designed to carry everything you could need on a day-long biking expedition, the Camelbak HAWG holds 3L of liquid as well…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 22 '11

How Do You Move a Space Shuttle? This Thing.

Since the Space Shuttle couldn’t very well fly itself to the launch pad, NASA had to figure out how to get $1.7 billion worth of spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building the the Launch Pad. Their solution: the 2700-ton Crawler-Transporter. Problem solved. Standing 20-26 feet high, 131 feet wide, and 114 feet long, each vehicle—nicknamed…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 22 '11

A $3,000 Bike with 4 Wheels for the Well-Heeled

It must be nice to be filthy rich— to not have to worry about making rent, to be able to shrug off $4/gal gas, and have the bankroll to purchase one of these custom quad-wheeled cruisers from Autumn Sphere. The Epitaph Cruiser is opulent, if anything. Its powder-coated steel frame is accented with aged-leather. The…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 21 '11

6 Tools to Fight A Shark and Win (Maybe)

If you find yourself in a Samuel L. Jackson movie and not surrounded by any mutha f***in’ snakes, good news! You’re about to be eaten by a hyper-intelligent shark. These 6 tools will at least give you a fighting chance. [Top art courtesy of Iggy via Flickr] Magnetic Bead Anklet A shark’s snout is packed…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola Jul 21 '11

King of the Cotton Pickers

You’re probably wearing something cotton-y right now. Cotton is fairly annoying to harvest. Mechanization was a quantum leap for the cotton industry, moving it away from archaic methods used since the days of slavery. This machine is the next step forward. Up until World War II, cotton harvesting in the South remained nearly identical to…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 21 '11

Apple Bans Many In-Store Software Boxes

Apple’s stacking its chips with the new App Store and declaring many popular boxed program families in its retail outlets “end of life,” according to a notice circulated Wednesday. AppleInsider has a full list of the affected programs here. [AppleInsider]

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 20 '11

Angina Rub Could Keep You Alive After Being Fanged by a Cobra

If you find yourself in a Samuel L. Jackson movie involving airplanes but not sharks or Royales with Cheese, good news! You’ll only really need to avoid the Pythons and Boas— so long as you have some Nitric oxide lotion on you. The rub was originally developed to help with angina, chest pains caused by…

Health Andrew Tarantola Jul 20 '11

5 Best Alternatives to Apple’s New Product Lineup

Shocking as this news may be, not everybody uses a Mac (*raises hand*). For those of us not drinking the Cupertino Koolaid, here are 5 solid alternatives to the new products from today’s Apple announcement. MacBook Air = Samsung Series 9 The Series 9 is like the MBA, just slightly bigger. Unfortunately that includes the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 20 '11

The First Successful Mars Landing Happened 35 Years Ago Today

At 8:51 UT July 20th, 1976, the Viking 1 lander separated from its orbiting counter-part. In just over two hours it would become the the first spacecraft to successfully land on Mars and carry out its mission. After 10-months of interplanetary travel, Viking 1 entered orbit around the planet Mars on June 21, 1976 and…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 20 '11

The World’s Most Gargantuan Diesel Engine

It may shock you that a lot of the stuff we buy is made in China. In order to keep up with the mammoth demand for Snuggies, Shake Weights and other trappings of modern society, the Emma Mærsk makes the trip in four fewer days than the average container ship on a China-to-California run. Oh,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 20 '11

7 Tools for Staying Frosty During Summergeddon 2011

The Midwest weather is currently slightly warmer than the surface of the sun and headed straight for New York. While cows haven’t started spontaneously combusting (YET), these seven tools will help keep you colder than Ice Cube’s acting career. KewlFlow Circulatory Cooling Vest This vest has ice water in its veins. No, seriously. Chilled water…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 19 '11

The BlueDrone R/C Racer Is Probably the Closest You’ll Ever Get to Driving a GT-R

The 2012 Nissan GT-R is a $90,000, 530Hp street rocket. The BlueDrone R/C car… not so much. But at least it’ll hurt less when you wrap it around a tree. The BlueDrone is an R/C car that pairs with any Android phone or tablet via Bluetooth. It runs a custom control app and commands are…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 19 '11

The Lithoman Can Span Arizona’s Meteor Crater with Print in One Minute

Print media is slowly becoming more like the trees they’re printed on: dead. Yet the Wall Street Journal alone commands a daily circulation of 2.1 million. That’s a lot of pulp and ink. Or about 5 hours of work for the Man Roland Lithoman. The Lithoman is a high-speed offset printing press. Offset printing exploits…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 19 '11

World’s Tallest Mobile Crane Is Also World’s Strongest

The blades of the world’s biggest wind turbine don’t just sprout from the impeller like leaves. And at 364 tons, you’ll need a pretty hefty crane— like the Liebherr LTM 11200-9.1. It’s strong enough to lift three of them simultaneously. https://gizmodo.com/650-feet-of-wind-catching-fury-5813896 The LTM 11200-9.1 is both the the strongest and tallest telescopic crane in the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 18 '11

Turn Your Cubicle Into An Undersea World with Discovery Channel’s New Live Stream

As part of the run up to this year’s Shark Week, the Discovery channel’s teamed with the Georgia Aquarium and embedded a live webcam in the world’s largest shark tank. The 9.5 Olympic pool-sized (that’s 6.3 million gallons) tank was originally built to contain Whale Sharks and is currently hosting the Ocean Voyager exhibit. Aside…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 15 '11

The Most Insane North Korean Propaganda

Haven’t you heard? North Korea is the place to be! Wide open spaces, friendly locals, quiet, technology-free living at its finest! Repressive authoritarian government? Us? Noooo. Our friends at Oobject bring us 12 more examples of North Korea’s best propaganda. After your trip, take a look at these Soviet satellites, only some of which were…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 15 '11

7 Tools For Fire Starters

Little dude here is dead serious about his lighter (note the 1000 yard stare)—too bad it’s only a Bic. Here are seven tools that’ll add some flair to your next fire. Bow and Drill One of the oldest and most effective means of fire-starting, the bow and drill method is great if you’ve got an…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 15 '11

The Largest Gun Ever Built

Like an Aryan Death Star, the Nazis’ Gustav was the largest gun ever built and didn’t leave much planet where it hit. In 1939, Adolf “Baby Dick” Hitler needed to figure out how to get past the French Maginot line, a 1500km defensive wall of fortifications, tank barriers, artillery and machine gun nests running along…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jul 15 '11

Andrew Tarantola

The 1.4-Gigapixel Camera Standing Between Us and Armageddon

12 Brilliant Examples of Lighthouse Technology

6 Tools to Correct Your Hydration Situation

How Do You Move a Space Shuttle? This Thing.

A $3,000 Bike with 4 Wheels for the Well-Heeled

6 Tools to Fight A Shark and Win (Maybe)

King of the Cotton Pickers

Apple Bans Many In-Store Software Boxes

Angina Rub Could Keep You Alive After Being Fanged by a Cobra

5 Best Alternatives to Apple’s New Product Lineup

The First Successful Mars Landing Happened 35 Years Ago Today

The World’s Most Gargantuan Diesel Engine

7 Tools for Staying Frosty During Summergeddon 2011

The BlueDrone R/C Racer Is Probably the Closest You’ll Ever Get to Driving a GT-R

The Lithoman Can Span Arizona’s Meteor Crater with Print in One Minute

World’s Tallest Mobile Crane Is Also World’s Strongest

Turn Your Cubicle Into An Undersea World with Discovery Channel’s New Live Stream

The Most Insane North Korean Propaganda

7 Tools For Fire Starters

The Largest Gun Ever Built

Apple’s Incoming CEO Makes His Earnings Call Debut

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

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