Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

Tomorrow’s Rechargeable Batteries Might Never Wear Out

The problem with lithium ion batteries is that the more discharge cycles you put them through, the less efficient the negative electrode becomes at holding electrons. This just won’t do in our mobile future, so researchers at Stanford University have developed a battery that actually heals itself. It’s nearly alive. Researchers have been working to…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Go Get A Job

Worst. Batman. Ever.

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Guy Builds a Bomb Just With Stuff You Can Buy After Airport Security

Just in case you were still being fooled into thinking that the TSA is good for, well, anything, follow along with You Tube contributor Terminal Cornucopia as he constructs a home-made “FRAGGuccino” from stuff you can buy from airport terminal kiosks—you know the ones you can enter after passing through security. With just a stainless…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Geordi La Forge Explains NASA’s MAVEN Mission to Mars

After narrowly avoiding the chopping block during the recent government shutdown, NASA’s upcoming MAVEN mission is finally a go for launch on Monday, barring any technical or weather setbacks. Before then, take a moment as Reading Rainbow host and Star Trek: TNG staple LeVar Burton explains exactly what the interplanetary orbiter is in for. https://gizmodo.com/nasas-maven-mission-spared-cancellation-despite-govern-1441062739…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola

The Super-Secret “Research” Sub That Helped Win the Cold War

Quests for scientific knowledge and military superiority often go hand-in-hand. And nowhere is that more exemplified than in the nuclear-powered NR-1 research vessel. When it wasn’t busy exploring the wonders of the deep ocean, its crew engaged the Soviet Union in a dangerous cat-and-mouse game of sub-sea espionage—much of which is veiled in secrecy even…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Are You Confused?

I know I am.

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Student Finds Way to Boost Conductivity 400x Totally by Accident

Like a modern Henri Becquerel, Washington State University doctoral student Marianne Tarun’s discovery came quite by accident. Her simple lab error has uncovered a new way to boost electrical conductivity of a crystal by 40,000 percent, simply by exposing it to light. Tarun had accidentally left a sample of strontium titanate out on a counter…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

How a Superconducting Camera Could Revolutionize Astrophysics

Over the past four decades, the field of astrophysics has enjoyed a pair of massive technological advances. First, we jumped from archaic photographic plates that relied on chemical emulsions to charge couple devices (CCDs). Now, the transition from CCDs to hyperspectral imaging devices that utilize exotic superconducting materials could change how we see the stars…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: The Fairlady Project

That time a swarm of sentient inter-dimensional goo blobs warped to Earth (wormhole, obviously) and were so impressed by the scenery that they Voltroned themselves into a CryNet Nanosuit. https://kotaku.com/the-real-life-science-behind-crysis-nanosuit-5985111

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Businesses Are Getting a Big Boost from Dropbox

With more than 200 million users, Dropbox remains one of the dominant cloud storage services available. In a bid to stave off competitors like Box, iCloud and Google Drive, Dropbox has just announced a host of upgrades and new features designed to make its business service even more powerful. In 2012, some 2 million businesses…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

These Autonomous Dump Trucks Let Mines Operate Around the Clock

As the pace of robotic integration into the modern workforce continues to increase, automatons are finding their way into an ever wider variety of industries. Already making an impact in the agricultural sector, automatons are now poised to perform the task of driving massive, house-sized mining trucks—a job once held only by highly-skilled and highly-paid…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Smithsonian Is Uploading Its Lost Treasures to the Internet

With over 137 million artifacts, works of art, and specimens in its collections, the Smithsonian can’t display even one percent of that at any given time. Many historically significant pieces won’t go on display in our lifetimes and other likely won’t ever see the light of day again. But their replicants will. Thanks to the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Somewhere (2013)

A marooned space explorer says his final goodbye to the woman he loves in this visually-arresting animated short by Nicolas Ménard.

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The U.S. Military’s Mortar Launchers Are Getting a 21st Century Upgrade

Despite continued efforts to modernize and improve handheld mortars, like the 60-mm M224 carried by American soldiers, soldiers today still aim it as their forefathers did in WWII: by looking over the barrel at a fixed analog sight. But thanks to the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) rapid prototyping program, these venerable artillery launchers are…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Jun67yp3n P0w3r!

And then there was that time when this happened. We are still attempting to discover exactly what it was that we just watched and have assigned a crack team of laser kittens to help expedite the process but at this point, your guess is as good as ours.

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Civil Wars: 20 Years

CGI may be the wave of the future, capable of crossing the uncanny valley and generating photo-real imagery, but it’s a cold visual medium. For as closely as digital drawing tablets dutifully replicate the action of drawing, it cannot match the effect of physically crafting—it’s an inherent technological disconnect between the artist and the art,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

This Technicolor Dream Cloth Is Woven From Optical Fibers

We live in a magical age filled with robot maids, flying cars (sorta), and mechanical guard dogs. And now, finally, that list includes color-changing home furnishings, like this fiber optic throw pillow. This is the 21st Century for crying out loud. https://gizmodo.com/17-better-ways-to-waste-your-money-than-this-crowdfunde-1458308873 Developed by a team of researchers at Japan’s Meiji University and called the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

The Best Apps to Get the Most Out of Your Hue Lighting

The Philips Hue lighting system is pretty darn awesome save for one minor detail: its finicky and feature-poor stock control app. Third-party, souped-up control apps, can fix that though. Here are the ones you need to really kick your home lighting into high gear. https://gizmodo.com/philips-hue-lightning-review-your-lamps-not-worthy-up-5994183 For People That Just Want It to Work Right Now…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

This Posh Mini-Sub Explores the Ocean for the Rich and Famous

So what if your super-yacht has a laser shield, heliport, and discotheques? Today’s mobile island for the .01-percent isn’t complete without it’s own deep-diving C-Explorer 5 mini-sub. Seriously, even Vladimir Putin thinks this “subsea limousine” is awesome, and that guy hates almost anything that requires a shirt. https://gizmodo.com/of-course-the-worlds-most-expensive-private-yacht-has-i-5879806 At 17 feet long, 12 feet wide,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

How to Protect Your Phone From the Police

Police forces around the country have developed the nasty habit of confiscating the phones of citizens who choose to film them, unilaterally deleting images and video of their actions. Whether that’s a Fourth Amendment violation is still being decided by the courts; until that happens, here’s how to protect your phone from the prying eyes…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Andrew Tarantola

Tomorrow’s Rechargeable Batteries Might Never Wear Out

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Go Get A Job

Guy Builds a Bomb Just With Stuff You Can Buy After Airport Security

​Geordi La Forge Explains NASA’s MAVEN Mission to Mars

The Super-Secret “Research” Sub That Helped Win the Cold War

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Are You Confused?

Student Finds Way to Boost Conductivity 400x Totally by Accident

How a Superconducting Camera Could Revolutionize Astrophysics

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: The Fairlady Project

Businesses Are Getting a Big Boost from Dropbox

These Autonomous Dump Trucks Let Mines Operate Around the Clock

The Smithsonian Is Uploading Its Lost Treasures to the Internet

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Somewhere (2013)

The U.S. Military’s Mortar Launchers Are Getting a 21st Century Upgrade

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Jun67yp3n P0w3r!

The Civil Wars: 20 Years

This Technicolor Dream Cloth Is Woven From Optical Fibers

The Best Apps to Get the Most Out of Your Hue Lighting

This Posh Mini-Sub Explores the Ocean for the Rich and Famous

How to Protect Your Phone From the Police

‘Butt Birth’-ing Rhinoceros from Ace Ventura Sequel Sold at Auction for a Whopping $60,000

The Ryan Gosling Sci-Fi Streak Will Continue Until Morale Improves

Study Challenges Popular Theory on Why Primordial Bugs Were So Darn Huge

Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s Mystery’s Sci-Fi Film Has Its First Trailer

Scientists Just Found the Salt Limit That Pushes Your Heart to the Breaking Point

White House Social Media Just Had Its Covfefe Moment

Roborock F25 Ultra Steam Wet Dry Vacuum Is Now at Its Lowest Price, but Only During the Spring Sale Window

This $450 Semi-Dumb Phone Is Barely Even a Phone

Startup Successfully Ignites World’s First Fusion Rocket

Shokz OpenDots One Earbuds Hit Their Lowest Price Yet Across All Color Options, Including the New Ones

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

Geordi La Forge Explains NASA’s MAVEN Mission to Mars