Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

10 devious new ways that computer hackers can control your machines (or fix them)

In late December I attended Berlin’s Chaos Communication Congress, an annual hacker conference where speakers reveal the latest in high-tech deviousness. Straight from CCC, here are ten ways hackers will subvert your computer, phone, bank card, and life in 2011. Photo by v2px I’ve broken these hacks down into two sections. The first focuses on…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 13

Yellow dwarf sunrise on human colony 73, city zone

In orange morning light, even the shanties crusted to the old colony walls were beautiful. Most settlers had abandoned the atmosphere domes long ago. Now their broken purifiers and terraformer units were shelter for those who could afford nothing better. See more incredible ships, robots, and otherworldly landscapes on concept designer Dream Lu’s blog. (Spotted…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 13

Cop turned corporate spy took his inspiration from Stargate and Babylon 5

A British undercover police officer who infiltrated environmental groups was moonlighting as a corporate spy. And his semi-legal espionage companies were full of science fiction references. The story of Mark Kennedy, which has grown into an enormous scandal over the past few weeks, is a tangle that reveals strange links between covert police work and…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 12

Book Club Reminder: Read Connie Willis’ “Blackout” and “All Clear” for 1/25

We took a hiatus for the holidays, so we’re doing a mega-read for late January: We’ll be tackling Connie Willis’ Blackout and All Clear (her two-book time travel novel). What is this io9 book club, you ask? For those unfamiliar with the io9 book club, here’s how it works: You read the book. We create…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Jan 12

Read the first three chapters from Paul McAuley’s new novel “Cowboy Angels”

We’re big fans of hard scifi author Paul McAuley – we even chose his novel The Quiet War to be io9’s first-ever book club choice. His new book, Cowboy Angels, looks amazing. Now you can read the first three chapters! Thanks to Pyr Books for giving io9 the chance to run these chapters from the…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Jan 12

Cowboy Angels excerpt, Chapter Three

Continued from here. CHAPTER THREE https://gizmodo.com/read-the-first-three-chapters-from-paul-mcauleys-new-no-5732034 “Welch put you up to this, didn’t he?” Stone said. “The slick son of a bitch brought you through the mirror because he thought you might ﬂush out your father.” “It isn’t like that at all,” Linda Waverly said, and started the taxi and pulled away from the curb.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 12

Designers unveil plans to build a second city on top of Toronto

A group of artists and designers, including 50 Cyborgs project organizer Tim Maly, have proposed a radical idea to solve Toronto’s city planning problems. Scrap the old city, and just build a new one on top. Call it Upper Toronto. Image by Brett Lamb from the Torontoist. Maly and collaborator Jacob Zimmer, who runs performance…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 12

V explains why the human soul is located in your mother’s cleavage

Last night’s episode of V had it all: multi-generational cleavage baring, rat eating, and Israeli-backed terrorists who operate out of a clothing factory in New York. Plus, everybody prays! Spoilers ahead. Before we discuss really important things, like the terrorist plot and where human emotions come from, I would like to point out that Anna…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 12

Your nose reveals when you’re going to die

Have you stopped being able to identify familiar smells? Then you may be about to die, according to a new study. A group of scientists studied a group of over 1,000 older people who weren’t sick or suffering dementia. They gave each person a test to see how well they could identify 12 familiar odors.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 11

A vibrator that could help you find alien life

When SETI trains their radio telescopes on the sky, it’s a way of seeking out strange new life. It’s also kind of hot. That’s why Babeland has created this special “SETI blue” vibrator that looks like a mini radio telescope. It’s also waterproof, just in case you need to make contact in the tub. Damn…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 11

Winners of io9’s Environmental Writing Contest

In November 2010, we offered two prizes of $2000 each to writers who could show us the effects of environmental disaster, whether caused by random asteroid impacts or oil drilling accidents. Now, we have our winners. We received over 250 entries to the contest, which includes a first prize for nonfiction and a first prize…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 11

An ancient hill where you can touch thousands of dinosaur footprints

In Sucre, Bolivia, a limestone wall rises at an angle above the ground, its surface criss-crossed with thousands of dinosaur tracks. It’s the biggest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world. How did these 68 million-year-old prints wind up here? Photo by Leslie Middlemass The truly strange thing is that the wall wasn’t discovered until…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 11

Sex with a giantess at the end of the world – what could go wrong?

I am confused and intrigued by indie flick Apocalypse, CA, about a group of friends trying to enjoy life in the final days before Earth is due to be destroyed by incoming asteroids. Apparently, this enjoyment includes really giant women. Here’s the synopsis: Mysterious radio personality and apparent part-time genie, ‘Sassy Boots’ (Elizabeth Sandy) takes…

Trailers Annalee Newitz Jan 10

Of course you want Darth Vader’s head molded onto the front of your Adidas

Adidas has a new Star Wars shoe out in its “Originals” line, and this one will remind you that your toes’ lack of faith is disturbing. The Freshness blog explains the subtle hip hop reference on these shoes, called the Ultrastar: With the exception of the toe guard in the form of Darth Vader, the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 10

Why the coming decade marks a new stage in human evolution

On New Year’s Day, the giant population bump known as the baby boom started turning 65. By the decade’s end, more humans will be over 65 than under 5. Homo sapiens is entering uncharted territory. What will happen? Over at the health research site Tracker, there’s a terrific roundup of news and research about what…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 10

Concert posters for scientist rock stars

What if we lived in a universe where scientists were neo-psychedelic rock stars and played gigs in college towns? The University of North Carolina’s biology department has the answer. We posted about University of North Carolina‘s biology rock posters a couple of years ago, and we’re pleased to say that this latest round of posters…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 10

The 15 Best Speculative Fiction Books of 2010

We couldn’t narrow it down to just ten, so here are our fifteen favorite books of 2010, including everything from the fantastical and epic, to the horrifying and futuristic. All these books are equally great, so we’ve listed them in alphabetical order by the author’s last name. Paolo Bacigalupi, The Windup Girl (Nightshade Books) Bacigalupi…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Jan 7

In “Harmony,” perfect health is the ultimate horror

Japanese novel Harmony is a believable, satiric tale of a false Utopia ruled by “benevolent” health organizations devoted to disease-free life. Until a rash of suicides reveal a conspiracy to exploit this supposedly-perfect system. Published in Japan in 2009, Harmony was released for the first time in English this year from Haikasoru. It’s the last…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 31

25 of the Scariest Science Experiments Ever Conducted

While science has the power to improve our lives and cure disease, it can also be used to torture, murder, and brainwash. Here are 25 scary experiments that destroyed lives, or have the potential to unleash doomsday. Creepy animal experiments Pig Powder From the University of Pittsburgh’s McGowan Institute of Regenerative Medicine, comes regenerative powder.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 31

The island where dinosaur birds never died out

In the rainforests of Papua, New Guinea, there have been reports for decades of giant birds resembling the prehistoric Pterosaur – they’ve been seen by locals and by visiting scientists. According to Environmental Graffiti: Information regarding this pterosaur arose at the British Association’s Science Festival in Dublin. It was the first animal with a backbone…

io9 Annalee Newitz Dec 24

Annalee Newitz

10 devious new ways that computer hackers can control your machines (or fix them)

Yellow dwarf sunrise on human colony 73, city zone

Cop turned corporate spy took his inspiration from Stargate and Babylon 5

Book Club Reminder: Read Connie Willis’ “Blackout” and “All Clear” for 1/25

Read the first three chapters from Paul McAuley’s new novel “Cowboy Angels”

Cowboy Angels excerpt, Chapter Three

Designers unveil plans to build a second city on top of Toronto

V explains why the human soul is located in your mother’s cleavage

Your nose reveals when you’re going to die

A vibrator that could help you find alien life

Winners of io9’s Environmental Writing Contest

An ancient hill where you can touch thousands of dinosaur footprints

Sex with a giantess at the end of the world – what could go wrong?

Of course you want Darth Vader’s head molded onto the front of your Adidas

Why the coming decade marks a new stage in human evolution

Concert posters for scientist rock stars

The 15 Best Speculative Fiction Books of 2010

In “Harmony,” perfect health is the ultimate horror

25 of the Scariest Science Experiments Ever Conducted

The island where dinosaur birds never died out

Dropbox Is a Joke: Get pCloud Family at $1,550 Off With Free Password Manager

Someone Finally Took a Good iPhone Photo of the Moon. Good Luck Copying Their Trick

In Letter, OpenAI Reportedly Says Elon Musk and Meta Are Coordinating ‘Attacks’ Against It

Artemis 2 Day 6: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Anonymous Sources Detail Sam Altman’s Alleged Untrustworthiness in New Report

Steven Spielberg Still Wants to Make a Horror Film ‘Someday’

Waymo Has Stopped Testing Its Robotaxis in New York City and No One Knows What Happens Next

Samsung Pushes Monitor Deals Further, the 34″ ViewFinity Hits a Record Low at Nearly 40% Off

The Best Anti-Meta Smart Glasses Are About to Have Tough Competition

The Artemis 2 Mission Is Leaning in on the ‘Project Hail Mary’ Love

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound