Brian Barrett, Author at Gizmodo

How To Make These Adorable Heart-Shaped Eggs

It’s a little too late for a Valentine’s breakfast in bed, but making hard-boiled eggs that look like hearts easy and adorable enough to merit near-daily execution. You can follow this step-by-step photo progression to make your own, or check out more detailed instructions from bento master Anna the Red here: [annathered via Reddit via…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 22

Netflix Watch Instantly Beams Up the Entire Star Trek Universe

As part of a mondo two-year content deal that Netflix has signed with CBS, episodes from every generation of Star Trek will arrive on the Watch Instantly wunderservice starting in April. It’s unclear exactly how many episodes or seasons are included in the offering, but if they decide to leave some of Voyager off the…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 22

Square Drops Transaction Fee From Mobile Payments (Updated)

Vendors, rejoice! That extra $0.15 fee Square tacks on to every transaction is going away. While you’ll still owe the mobile payment company 2.5% of the transaction, getting rid of the fixed cost is a nice little perk for retailers, who I’m sure will pass the savings onto you. Update: Actually, looks as though Square…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 22

How Hacking Facebook Got This Man Hired… By Facebook

Back in 2005, Chris Putnam needed a hobby. The one he settled on, a series of Facebook hacks and pranks—including one that made your profile page look like MySpace—ended up scoring him a job at the very company he targeted. So maybe GeoHot‘s just been after Sony’s generous benefits package? Check out his full story…

Social Media Brian Barrett Feb 22

Your iTunes Might Sound Almost Twice as Nice Soon

According to CNN, Apple and other digital download services are in talks with record labels to up music files from 16-bit to pristine, high-fidelity 24-bit. But while Macs can handle 24-bit music already, iPods and iPhones would need to be retooled to accommodate the sweet sounds. Soon please! [CNN]

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 22

Does This Secret Apple Store Employee Meeting Mean iPad 2 Is Looming?

According to Apple Insider, Apple’s scheduled a meeting later this week with all of its retail employees, asking each of them to sign non-disclosure agreements in advance. That’s standard operating procedure when there’s a major product announcement ahead. So what’s on the horizon? There’s been a ton of heat lately around a MacBook Pro refresh,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 22

What Is Amazon Instant Video?

Amazon’s long-rumored video streaming service has finally arrived. But what is it, exactly? https://gizmodo.com/amazon-wants-to-fight-netflix-with-unlimited-streaming-5626823 It’s a streaming video service… You know the drill by now, right? You see something you want to watch, you click on it, it streams directly to your PC or set-top box or TV. Amazon’s got over 5,000 (commercial-free) movies and…

Commerce Brian Barrett Feb 22

Playing Chicken With Wind Turbines

What’s the point of owning an RC airplane if you’re not going to do something totally irresponsible with it? Like, say, playing chicken with a few wind turbines, coming so close that you clip your antenna in the process. [Litter Box via Neatorama]

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 21

Your First WP7 Update Isn’t What You Think

If you’re a Windows Phone 7 devotee, you may start seeing a software update notification in the coming days. But! Before you get your hopes up, know that WP7 still won’t get its big copy and paste update for some time yet. Instead, Microsoft’s tweaking the platform’s infrastructure to get it ready for the big…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 21

Report: Sony’s Got More Crazy Tablets Up Its Sleeve

According to Engadget, the hunchbacked S1 isn’t the only funky form factor Sony’s bringing to the tablet race this year. Above is a rough sketch of the clamshell S2, a Tegra 2-powered cylindrical tablet with front and rear-facing cameras. The tablet will run Honeycomb, but with tweaks that take advantage of the two screens: in…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 21

Last Call For Chrome’s URL Bar?

One of the Chrome browser’s most prominent features may also be one of its most short-lived: according to Conceivably Tech, the search giant is looking into four different layouts, each with its own type of navigation. One of the lead contenders, the Compact style, ditches the URL bar in favor of just one line to…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 21

How That Impossible Escher Waterfall May Have Been Built

Remember this? Still pretty crazy! But maybe a little less so after taking a look at David Goldman’s theory of how exactly this contraption was put together: https://gizmodo.com/watch-eschers-impossible-perpetual-motion-waterfall-bro-5762030 It’s amazing what a little forced perspective and careful editing can do. Remember, though, that this is pure speculation. There’s still a distinct possibility that the real…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 18

Why This Man Could Spend 20 Years In Jail For a YouTube Video

This is Evan Emory. This past Monday, he posted a video on YouTube that showed (through some simple editing) him singing a sexually explicit song to a classroom full of elementary school students. He didn’t actually sing anything offensive in front of the kids. But he’s still facing 20 years in prison, on a felony…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 18

A Guide to Fox’s Guide To Sexting

Have you heard about this hot new sexting craze? All the kids are doing it, according to Fox News. And they’re here to help you navigate the potential sociological minefield that is SMS flirtation. Let’s take a walk through some of Fox’s more salient sextiquette tips, shall we? The embarrassment factor is removed because you…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 18

This Is What the Dying Music Industry Looks Like

Instead of eulogies for a music industry too slow to adapt to the digital age, its mourners should just print up this chart on huge poster boards. And while digital sales are helping staunch the bleeding, as you can see here it’s not nearly enough. Then again, apparently the new Radiohead album is pretty good?…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 18

Wasting Time Online Is Strong In This One

Sometimes you switch the targeting off of your computer because you trust in the force. But most of the time it’s to make yourself stop lurking on Reddit, already. [XKCD]

Social Media Brian Barrett Feb 18

You Can Score 5GB of Free Cloud Storage On LiveKive

What’s a cloud storage company gotta do to get your attention these days? LiveKive, a new offering from anti-virus mainstay AVG, is handing out 5GB of free storage (compared to the 2GB Dropbox Basic currently allots you). Available in beta next week. AVG Technologies Announces “AVG LiveKive” Free Cloud-Based Storage Solution for Archiving and Sharing…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 17

Apple’s Next Big Move Might Be Supercharged Batteries

A new patent unearthed by Apple Insider titled “Increasing Energy Density in Rechargeable Lithium Battery Cells” shows that Apple’s got its sites set on your iProduct’s longevity: The CC-CV charging technique would allow the thickness of the anode active material inside a battery cell to be increased in both “volumetric and gravimetric energy density.” But…

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 17

The Troubling Rise In Teen Uranium Enrichment

Kids these days. Take your eye off ’em for half a second, and they’re back in the lab enriching uranium to sell to rogue states. The Onion takes a hard look at the gateway science that’s ruining our children’s future. [Splitsider]

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 17

This Map Shows You Just How Good (Or Bad) Your Area’s Internet Is

An important first step in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan has been taken. After lots of testing and research, they’ve released a map that shows you just how connected the internet is in your zip code, city, county—even your own personal address. Go see just how pokey your browsing is here: [National Broadband Map] https://gizmodo.com/fcc-submits-ambitious-national-broadband-plan-100mbps-5493878

Tech News Brian Barrett Feb 17

Brian Barrett

How To Make These Adorable Heart-Shaped Eggs

Netflix Watch Instantly Beams Up the Entire Star Trek Universe

Square Drops Transaction Fee From Mobile Payments (Updated)

How Hacking Facebook Got This Man Hired… By Facebook

Your iTunes Might Sound Almost Twice as Nice Soon

Does This Secret Apple Store Employee Meeting Mean iPad 2 Is Looming?

What Is Amazon Instant Video?

Playing Chicken With Wind Turbines

Your First WP7 Update Isn’t What You Think

Report: Sony’s Got More Crazy Tablets Up Its Sleeve

Last Call For Chrome’s URL Bar?

How That Impossible Escher Waterfall May Have Been Built

Why This Man Could Spend 20 Years In Jail For a YouTube Video

A Guide to Fox’s Guide To Sexting

This Is What the Dying Music Industry Looks Like

Wasting Time Online Is Strong In This One

You Can Score 5GB of Free Cloud Storage On LiveKive

Apple’s Next Big Move Might Be Supercharged Batteries

The Troubling Rise In Teen Uranium Enrichment

This Map Shows You Just How Good (Or Bad) Your Area’s Internet Is

Some Good News About the Upcoming Atlantic Hurricane Season

Scientists Discover Potential Path to Treating Down Syndrome

Astronomers Just Nailed Down the Universe’s Expansion Rate… and Now They Have More Questions

This BLUETTI Power Station Drops 51%, All-in-One Solution for Camping, Road Trips, Outages, and Home Backup for Less

Of Course That ‘Leaked’ 2026 ‘Winds of Winter’ Release Date Is Fake

On ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’, Not Everyone’s Willing to Learn a Lesson

PhD Student Uses Turntable to Create the Most Impractical Drum Machine Ever

A Diarrhea-Causing Superbug Is on the Rise, Health Officials Warn

Mark Zuckerberg Is Officially a Bot

Hollywood’s Stars Are Beginning to Turn Against the Paramount-Warner Deal

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF

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