Brian Barrett

Gmail Is Down, Everybody Freak Out (Update: Okay We’re Cool)

It’s not just you; Gmail appears to be down. Usually when this sort of thing happens it gets resolved quickly, but for now you might be stuck chatting with a real human person in your physical presence. In the meantime, please feel free to make a Gmail-is-down joke of any of the following varieties: Internet…

The Perfect Valentine’s Day Card for Our Times

You haven’t made Valentine’s Day plans yet. That’s okay! Who needs ’em? Manufactured holiday, singlehood empowerment, overpriced prix fixe menus. But if you must make a romantic gesture next month, let it be this card. It sums up modern relationships pretty much perfectly. From the inspired mind of Emily McDowell, the $4.50 greeting crams more…

Oh Look, the Navy’s Got Itself an Oculus Rift

The above is not bonus footage from Battleship. Nor is it promotional material for a fancy video game. What it is, though, is definitive proof that the U.S. Navy will always have way cooler toys than you. That’s right; not only does Uncle Sam have an Oculus Rift, he’s found maybe the most futuristic-fantasatic purpose…

It’s a Perfect Day For a Snow-Conquering SuperTruck Monster

As snow continues to clutter up the Eastern Seaboard, you’d be hard-pressed not to long for a ride in RaptorTRAX. It is, gently put, an unstoppable snow-chewing behemoth. More details from our friends at Jalopnik below. https://jalopnik.com/ford-reveals-ken-blocks-snow-munching-tracked-raptor-e-1505832991 https://jalopnik.com/ford-reveals-ken-blocks-snow-munching-tracked-raptor-e-1505832991

A Map of Each State’s Deepest Desires, According to Google

What do states want, deep down inside? What to they yearn for in the dead of night? According to this delightful map from Mashable—with a little help from Google autocomplete—the answer is mostly secession. But also some pretty freaky stuff! A whopping 11 states—including Maryland?—would like to break off from the Union, while Hawaii wants…

Emoji in Real Life Are Terrifying (But Could Save a Kid’s Life)

What do you get when you apply the kindly, whimsical emoji you know and love to actual human faces? Nightmare fuel for days. But also very clever ad campaign that aims to stop sexual predators from occupying your child’s open tabs. The offputing images come from ad agency Rosapark for a group called Innocence en…

How to Get 50GB Free Storage Right Now on iOS

As it’s done in the past with Android, Box is offering 50GB of free storage for new iPhone and iPad users following its latest iOS redesign. That’s an ample increase over its already generous 10GB free space, and could be enough to lure you away from that Dropbox account you’ve been clinging to. The deal…

Why Nest Is Worth Every Penny

The news today that Google is buying smart thermostat-maker Nest for $3.5 billion seemed slightly unhinged; why overbid for what’s still, at present, a niche product? The answer is so simple it’s barely worth a shrug: because it can, because it needs to, and because if it didn’t, someone else would have. https://gizmodo.com/google-just-bought-nest-for-3-2-billion-1500503899 From a…

WWE Figured Out the Future of TV Last Night

It’s tempting, if you’re not a fan of grown men grappling, to dismiss last night’s announcement of WWE’s new digital streaming network. Don’t. Because it’s our best glimpse yet at what the future of television should look like. To try to get across just how big—and how good—a deal the WWE Network is, here’s a…

WWE Has Its Own Network Now, And It’s an All You Can Suplex Buffet

At an event at CES, WWE Chairman and frequent in-ring bad guy Vince McMahon announced that his cadre of professional wrestlers were getting their very own digital network. And it’s only (no really, only) 10 bucks a month. The network will feature exclusive content and the usual expected range of live options, but it’ll also…

Oh, Right, That’s Why You Should Never Trust Kickstarter

On the left, a promotional image from WobbleWorks!* LLC, creators of the 3Doodler, a pen that lets you print 3D creations as magical as your imagination allows. On the right, an actual 3Doodler creation. Whoooo, boy. It is no doubt possible to make a convincing Eiffel Tower out of thin air with the 3Doodler, but…

Audi Has an In-Car Tablet For Some Reason

One might think that if you wanted a tablet in your car, you would bring the tablet you already had and… bring it into your car. Not so, Audi, which today announced its Smart Display tablet, giving you control over your car’s infotainment from the back seat but also able to join you in a…

At Intel’s CES opening keynote, the company announced that in 2014, every microprocessor it ships will be free of conflict minerals. It’s a wonderful and welcome step forward, and makes you look a little side-eyed at the PC you bought, uh, before now.

Intel Dual OS: Stuffing Android and Windows Into the Same PC

Anyone who’s tried it can tell you that cohabitation is hard. But Intel’s hoping that those Odd Couple hiccups can be overcome with its Dual OS project, which puts Android and Windows in the same, dual-booting PC. Felix, meet Oscar. Here’s what Intel is promising: the ability, with the push of a button, to switch…

Intel’s Future: Being Inside… Everything

Intel’s known as a manufacturer of chips that power your laptop. Simple enough. But it wants—it needs—to be more if it wants to come along for the mobile, wearable, hybrid-fueled world. Tonight, it gave a look at its ambitions. They’re huge. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich broke the items of interest down into three categories; live,…

RealSense: How Intel Will Turn the Whole World Into a Holodeck

Displays that can read your mood. Chips implanted in our brains. More than just wearable technology; technology that’s in everything we wear. Almost quaint in a sci-fi novella. But in Intel’s real-life vision? Thrilling. And RealSense is what’s going to get us there. RealSense isn’t a specific piece of technology, but rather Intel’s name for…

Panasonic’s Latest Toughpad Almost Looks Downright Dainty

Panasonic’s Toughpad line-up has always been durable, but not exactly full of lookers. The 7-inch FZ-M1 may not be winning any beauty pageants, but it’s at least a little more sleek than what you’re used to. Details right now are scarce on the FZ-M1, but Panny’s claiming that it’s the thinnest, lightest rugged tablet on…

AT&T’s Going to Let Companies Pay for The Data You Use on Their Sites

Zippy 4G data speeds have made gobbling down data a cinch, but they’ve made bumping up against your mobile plan’s data caps even easier. AT&T might have found a way to provide some relief—by letting the companies whose sites you’re visiting foot the bill. The “Sponsored Data” program—so-called because it’s data that is sponsored and…

Vizio’s New Ultrabook: The Prettiest PC Just Got Power to Match

Ever since affordable-TV-mainstay Vizio entered the PC market two years ago, it’s been the proud producer of some of the best-looking laptops and all-in-ones this side of Cupertino. With its latest refresh, it may have finally found the function to match its form. Both the 15.6-inch Vizio Thin and Light and its 24-inch all-in-one cousin…

4.6 Million Snapchat User Names and Phone Numbers Leaked (Check Yours)

Oh dear. In an inauspicious start to 2014 for both Snapchat and its users, a website appears to have published user name and phone number information for 4.6 million accounts. The leaked user info from SnapchatDB matches phone numbers to user names, and was in retrospect probably inevitable. Just a week ago, a group of…