Annalee Newitz, Author at Gizmodo

Just By Visiting This Website, You Reveal Who You Are

Need another reason to be paranoid about companies and governments watching what you’re doing online? A technology researcher has created a web tool that shows just how easy it is to identify you based on nothing more than a click. Called Panopticlick, the tool comes from Electronic Frontier Foundation staff technologist Peter Eckersley. He wanted…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 27

Take A Peek At The Next-Generation Spacesuit That Will Be Used On Mars

Technology Review has a great article on a new generation of spacesuits – more flexible than previous ones – that will be used on the International Space Station and, later, for trips to Mars. Read the article or watchthis vid!

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 27

“The Eclipse” Is A Gorgeous, Contemporary Irish Ghost Story

The latest film from Irish playwright Conor McPherson, The Eclipse now has a sumptuous trailer that will suck you into this tragic, literary ghost story. Featuring moody but subtle acting from leads Ciarán Hinds, Aidan Quinn, and Iben Hjejle, The Eclipse is the story of three people whose lives collide during a literary festival in…

Movies Annalee Newitz Jan 27

Digital Maps Reveal Hidden Geographies Of Sex And Religion

When you create a marker on Google Maps, you could be revealing the most popular religious and sexual habits in your local region. At least, that’s what a group of social geographers demonstrated with their “sex and religion” map. A group of three geographers who research internet map data did an exhaustive study of user-generated…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 27

When Hippies and Satanists Have Blood Orgies [NSFW]

Sometimes a freewheeling group of hippies gets hopped up on acid and booze, and runs across a group of Satanic monks dressed in black hoods. Then of course the Satanists drug them with blood and get out the Satanic dildo. How I love the movie Werewolves On Wheels. Let me count the ways. It was…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 26

Mathematician Uses SETI Formula To Determine He Has A 0.00034% Chance Of Getting Laid

An economics graduate student in the UK has used the well-known Drake Equation – used to figure out how many advanced civilizations might reside in our galaxy – to determine why he hasn’t had a girlfriend in three years. The Drake Equation was created by astronomer Frank Drake at the first SETI conference in the…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 26

Name That Syfy Original Movie

You know the Syfy movie formula by now. Scientists and/or knights and/or smart rural sheriffs discover a giant monster/magic item/ancient whatsit. Now you can make your mark on one of these flicks forever by entering Syfy’s “name that movie” contest. Having met several of the producers over at Syfy Channel, I can attest that they…

Movies Annalee Newitz Jan 26

Februrary’s io9 Book Club Pick: Paolo Bacigalupi’s “Windup Girl”

Every month, the io9 book club meets to discuss a book we’ve read, often with the author joining in too. This month we’re reading Windup Girl – and you can get a free electronic copy from the publisher! This month’s io9 book club meeting begins Feb. 23. Here’s what we said about Windup Girl when…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Jan 26

Reminder: Apply Now For io9 Spring Internships

io9 is looking for interns who are obsessed with science fiction, science, and futurism. This internship is for spring, and lasts from February until June. Applications are due tomorrow at midnight! An intern works 10 hours per week doing research, fact-checking, and contacting sources in the science and entertainment industries for story ideas and information.…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 26

Alien Planets Made of Sugar, Chili Powder, Parsley, And Fur

What terrifying swirl of chemicals created this dark tornado over an alien plain? Cotton and steel wool, mixed with parsley and moss. If those ingredients can make a storm, imagine what’s required to recreate the plains of Mars. Matthew Albanese builds model landscapes out of ordinary materials, from spices to cotton, and then photographs (and…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 26

Non-Erotic Mind Control Stories On Heroes

It’s another night of watching Heroes and blogging at the same time. Can things get any worse than they were last week? No they can’t – because I have reefer, port, and chocolate chip cookies. Also, lesbians!!! The episode is called “The Art of Deception.” I wonder how emo Sylar will be this week? Who…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 26

5 Reasons Caprica Is The Season’s Most Promising New SF Series

This Friday brings the first episode of Battlestar Galactica spinoff Caprica, a noir-scifi drama set on the planet Caprica 58 years before the cylons nuke it into oblivion. Based on the pilot, we think this series could become a classic. Of course there are many reasons Caprica might fail, not the least of which would…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 25

Urban Mars

Over at WebUrbanist, there’s a great post about building cities on Mars, looking at the history of the idea and images of those cities as they might look in the future. [via WebUrbanist, image via Tim Landry]

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 25

“Repo Chick” Trailer Is Even Weirder Than You Thought

The strange glut of movies with "repo" in their titles can end now. Alex Cox, director of the original 1980s weirdo aliens epic Repo Man, rules them all with Repo Chick. The newly-released trailer looks hilarious and awesome. Cox, who also directed brilliant 80s cult fave Sid and Nancy, as well as 2008 Western satire…

Trailers Annalee Newitz Jan 25

When Swans Get Divorced

Swans are a species that mates for life – supposedly. British naturalists were stunned recently to discover that two mated swans at a Gloucestershire wildfowl sanctuary had gotten divorced, and returned to the sanctuary with new mates. According to BBC News: [Wildlife research officer Julia] Newth said the old pair had not acknowledged each other…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 25

Kenyan Short “Pumzi” Explores Life After The Water Wars

One of the standout science fiction films at this year’s Sundance Festival is Wanuri Kahiu’s short Pumzi, set in Kenya of the future, after water wars have decimated humanity. With its African futurist look, this could be another District 9. Pumzi was produced by Simon Hansen, who also produced the short film Alive in Joburg…

Movies Annalee Newitz Jan 25

Is California Headed For a Super Storm?

A group of scientists met at the California Institute of Technology last week to discuss what would happen if recent storms in California – pictured here – were to continue for weeks instead of days. It’s happened before. The group was meeting to explore ways the state could respond in a flood emergency caused by…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jan 25

Cool New Caprica Season 1 Trailer

Aired right after last night’s Caprica pilot, here is a new trailer for season 1 that gives us a tantalizing look Caprica City’s futuristic world of tech and paganism. Plus a glimpse of James Marsters’ stunt casting moment!

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 24

On Fringe, Confirmation Of A Dark Secret We Suspected All Along

On Thursday night’s Fringe, called “What Lies Below,” we were introduced to an ancient supervirus – and learned Walter’s darkest secret. This episode was clearly a tip of the hat to X-Files. It was about an ancient virus discovered in oil, and oil infection imagery was everywhere. (For those who missed out, one of the…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 23

After Caprica’s Official Debut, What Did You Think?

The pilot for Battlestar Galactica prequel/spinoff Caprica aired last night on Syfy, with a few extras that weren’t on the DVD. What did you think? Previously, we talked about the pilot and gave you a spoiler-free response to the first few episodes. We also talked to former showrunner Jane Espenson (here) and creator David Eick…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 23

Annalee Newitz

Just By Visiting This Website, You Reveal Who You Are

Take A Peek At The Next-Generation Spacesuit That Will Be Used On Mars

“The Eclipse” Is A Gorgeous, Contemporary Irish Ghost Story

Digital Maps Reveal Hidden Geographies Of Sex And Religion

When Hippies and Satanists Have Blood Orgies [NSFW]

Mathematician Uses SETI Formula To Determine He Has A 0.00034% Chance Of Getting Laid

Name That Syfy Original Movie

Februrary’s io9 Book Club Pick: Paolo Bacigalupi’s “Windup Girl”

Reminder: Apply Now For io9 Spring Internships

Alien Planets Made of Sugar, Chili Powder, Parsley, And Fur

Non-Erotic Mind Control Stories On Heroes

5 Reasons Caprica Is The Season’s Most Promising New SF Series

Urban Mars

“Repo Chick” Trailer Is Even Weirder Than You Thought

When Swans Get Divorced

Kenyan Short “Pumzi” Explores Life After The Water Wars

Is California Headed For a Super Storm?

Cool New Caprica Season 1 Trailer

On Fringe, Confirmation Of A Dark Secret We Suspected All Along

After Caprica’s Official Debut, What Did You Think?

‘Good Omens’ Season 3 Is Still Just One Episode, Despite Being Called That

Steam Gaming Has Arrived on Apple Vision Pro, and It’s Unexpectedly Glorious

RFK Jr. Will Take on Joe Rogan for Podcaster Supremacy

The Spymaster’s Guide to the Secret Agencies of ‘Star Trek’

Uber Is Testing Driverless Volkswagen ID. Buzz Vans in Los Angeles

Cast Adrift, Meta Employees Have No Idea Who the ‘Token Legend’ Is Anymore

Microsoft Office 2024 and Windows 11 Pro Bundle Hits 76% Off, a Complete PC Setup for Less

You Can Add ‘Lamp That Folds Your Laundry’ to the List of Doomed Startups

Logitech MX Vertical Wireless Mouse Is Back at Almost 40% Off, Save Your Wrists with Ergonomic Comfort for Less

The First Big ‘Alien: Earth’ Season 2 Addition Is Peter Dinklage

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

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