Brian Barrett, Author at Gizmodo

iTunes Celebrates the Wrong Kind of Labor Day

For Halloween, the iTunes storefront highlights scary movies. For Christmas, flicks about Santa Claus. For Valentine’s Day, Valentine’s Day. And for this Labor Day? Babies! Because hey, ’tis the season. For… pregnancy? There are 24 movies in the Labor Day section of iTunes right now, all of which about making babies or having babies or…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 30 '11

Familiar Headphones, Tweeting Strangers, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. Klipsch Opens Pre-Orders for Android-Friendly Ear Buds The Klipsch S4As look awfully familiar. Where on earth have…

Social Media Brian Barrett Aug 29 '11

Courier Rising, Fox Falling, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. Microsoft Patent Shows Off Awesome Project Microsoft Killed Already Jesus, Microsoft, we were already crushed when you…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 26 '11

Amazon’s Tablet May Cost “Hundreds” Less Than the iPad

According to the New York Post, when Amazon releases its tablet in the next few months, they’re not just going to be cost competitive. They’re going to be cost kamikaze. The Posts’s source said that the Amazon tablet will cost “hundreds” less than the iPad—whose cheapest model weighs in at $500—currently does. A $300 (or…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 26 '11

Why Comic Sans Is So Darn Funny, Scientifically Speaking

If there’s one thing every last one of us can agree on, it’s that there’s no text more fun-loving that Comic Sans. And if you don’t believe me, maybe science will sort you out. Well, The Onion science, anyway. Between the video below and the now-legendary McSweeney’s monologue, I may actually be getting to a…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 26 '11

Facebook Drunks, Tweeting Gangs, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. How Your Google Algorithm Sausage Gets Made Google takes us deep inside the process of how its…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 25 '11

Self-Douching Chicks Reject Lame Cocks

Full report: [PhysOrg]

Biology Brian Barrett Aug 25 '11

The Most Tragic Way to Celebrate an Earthquake

Earlier this week, heroic Brooklynite Jonathan Berg managed to accomplish something that was simultaneously accomplished by a mere 2.5 million other Brooklynites: not get killed by a weak-sauce earthquake. And then immortalized said accomplishment with a tattoo. Oh, Jonathan. https://gizmodo.com/earthquakes-shake-entire-united-states-updated-5833640 Berg explained to the New York Daily News that he had gotten the tattoo ironically,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 25 '11

Why Steve Jobs Chose the Perfect Time to Resign

The only thing surprising about Steve Jobs’s resignation—which Apple had telegraphed several times already—was the timing. Why now? Because of health concerns, maybe. Or maybe because now, right now, is the perfect time for the company to transition. https://gizmodo.com/steve-jobs-resigns-as-apple-ceo-5834141 When I say now, I’m not talking about the dusky timing of the press release; the…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 24 '11

So an iPhone 9 Concept, Maybe?

Just to be clear: this does not purport to be anything like the iPhone 5. In fact, it almost certainly isn’t. But I can still hope in my secret heart that we’ll be seeing an iPhone like this someday, right? The only feature showcased in this CGI, just-for-kicks mockup by Aatma Studio here that may…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 24 '11

Photoshop Tutorial Rap 2: Still Surprisingly Handy!

The Photoshop Rap Tutorial is back in all its remarkably educational glory. In fact, if anything it’s less funny than the first but more instructive, and I’m pretty sure I’m happier that way: https://gizmodo.com/photoshop-tutorial-rap-still-surprisingly-instructive-5713323 If nothing else good happens in your life today, you at least can tell your diary how you learned to make…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 24 '11

Fancy Mags, Facebook Drags, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. Nook Newsstand Adds Mags Take the subsection of people who own a Nook Color. Now take the…

Social Media Brian Barrett Aug 23 '11

What If the Earthquake Had Hit Manhattan?

Today’s 5.9 magnitude earthquake was felt throughout the Mid-Atlantic, but its epicenter—a small town in Virginia—took the brunt of its wrath. What if it had started in NYC instead? We may find out sooner than you think. https://gizmodo.com/earthquakes-shake-entire-united-states-updated-5833640 The Risk Is Real New York isn’t very high on the list of places you think of…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 23 '11

Why Earthquake Tweets Reached You Before the Earthquake Did

If you live in New York and were on Twitter about an hour ago, something like this probably happened to you: you read a tweet about an earthquake from someone in DC. Then, moments later, you felt it. Here’s why. Basically, as XKCD explained some time back, the fiber signals that usher your beeps and…

Physics & Chemistry Brian Barrett Aug 23 '11

This Massive Hurricane Is Barreling Towards the East Coast

Today, Irene is a Category 2 storm moving through the northern coast of Haiti. By this weekend, it could be a Category 4 that’s ravaging the east coast from South Carolina to NYC. Gulp. Irene has already left a million people without power in Puerto Rico, and it’s expected to make a run at the…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 23 '11

Booze Bottles, iPad Grub, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. Facebook: We’re #3! We’re #3! In Video! We Think! Click-counting agency comScore has decreed Facebook the third-largest…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 22 '11

It May Be Decades Before the Fukushima Area Is Habitable Again

The two mile radius surrounding Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant may be out of commission for longer than anyone had previously thought; according to the Daily Yomiuri, land within about 3km could be kept off-limits “for several decades.” It may also, according to the NY Times, be quite some time before residents within a 12-mile radius…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 22 '11

WebOS May Have a Future, But It’s Bleak

All Things D snagged an interview with webOS honcho Stephen DeWitt, who is not surprisingly downright bullish on webOS’s future! But after TouchPad and the phones go, what exactly is left? According to DeWitt, while it’s not clear whether webOS will be licensed or find a hardware partner or what, exactly, HP does know where…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 22 '11

Why Didn’t Amazon Join the TouchPad Fire Sale?

The following post is based on pricing that was seen over the weekend directly through Amazon; the current prices on the site are reflective only of what Amazon’s retail partners are charging. There are also reports that Amazon offered the TouchPad as a GoldBox deal, although that hasn’t been confirmed at this time. After HP…

Commerce Brian Barrett Aug 22 '11

The Fake Steve Jobs Biography Sounds Pretty Special

Sure, you could wait for the official Steve Jobs biography to come out in November. Or—or!—you could pick up a copy of the best-selling (in Taiwan) Steve Jobs Gives 11 Advices To Teenager. Easy choice? Easiest choice. https://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-official-steve-jobs-biography-cover-and-it-5831528 The knock-off bio has sold over 4,000 copies at KingStone, a Taiwanese bookstore that has done right…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 19 '11

Brian Barrett

iTunes Celebrates the Wrong Kind of Labor Day

Familiar Headphones, Tweeting Strangers, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

Courier Rising, Fox Falling, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

Amazon’s Tablet May Cost “Hundreds” Less Than the iPad

Why Comic Sans Is So Darn Funny, Scientifically Speaking

Facebook Drunks, Tweeting Gangs, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

Self-Douching Chicks Reject Lame Cocks

The Most Tragic Way to Celebrate an Earthquake

Why Steve Jobs Chose the Perfect Time to Resign

So an iPhone 9 Concept, Maybe?

Photoshop Tutorial Rap 2: Still Surprisingly Handy!

Fancy Mags, Facebook Drags, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

What If the Earthquake Had Hit Manhattan?

Why Earthquake Tweets Reached You Before the Earthquake Did

This Massive Hurricane Is Barreling Towards the East Coast

Booze Bottles, iPad Grub, and Other Stories We Didn’t Post

It May Be Decades Before the Fukushima Area Is Habitable Again

WebOS May Have a Future, But It’s Bleak

Why Didn’t Amazon Join the TouchPad Fire Sale?

The Fake Steve Jobs Biography Sounds Pretty Special

Forget Prime Day, Amazon Already Cut AirPods 4 to Near Their Lowest Price Ever

Forget Traveling With Four Chargers, This Tiny 100W GaN Block Replaces All of Them for Less Than a Basic Laptop Adapter

This Solar Security Camera Runs Forever on Sunlight, Amazon Just Cut It to a New Low

Amazon Cuts the Beats Studio Pro by More Than Half, Now 3x Cheaper Than Apple’s Rival

The Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 Just Hit Its Lowest Price, Now Cheaper Than a Month at the Gym

This 15-Inch Portable Monitor Has 11,000 Five-Star Reviews and Amazon Just Cut It in Half

Bose QuietComfort Hits a New 90-Day Low on Amazon, Now Half the Price of AirPods Max

Art the Clown Will Haunt a New Holiday

Forget Apple’s Overpriced Charger, Anker’s 2-Pack With Cables Is Cheaper on Amazon

Forget the Apple Store, Amazon Sells the New MacBook Neo Cheaper with the Same Guarantee

JBL Live 780NC Review: Solid Wireless Headphones You Can Live Without

Acer’s Swift 16 AI (2026) Gets a Lot Right, But I Can’t Get Past the Trackpad

Samsung Galaxy A57 5G Review: Not Worth It at Full Price

Logitech G G512 X Review: The Tasting Menu of a Pro Gaming Keyboard

Ecovacs Deebot X12 OmniCyclone Review: AI Can’t Save This Robot Vacuum

The Best Tech Gifts for Mother’s Day 2026

Asus’ Dual-Display Gaming Laptop Will Ruin Your Single-Screen Lifestyle

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