Jamie Condliffe, Author at Gizmodo

This Is NASA’s First 3D-Printed Full-Scale Copper Rocket Engine Part

It may look like some kind of ancient urn, but you’re looking at something rather more advanced. In fact this is the first full-scale copper rocket engine part made by NASA using 3D printing techniques. The component is a combustion chamber liner—a part that operates at extreme temperatures and pressures. In fact, its function means…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe Apr 22 '15

Solar Impulse Safely Lands in East China—But the Hardest Leg’s to Come

Yesterday, the solar-powered airplane Solar Impulse successfully touched down in Nanjing, China, completing the Asian leg of its global trip. Next, though, comes one of the toughest parts of the journey: crossing the Pacific Ocean. The round-the-world trip has been facing some delays since it started in March. In fact it was forced to wait…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 22 '15

These Are the Facebook Buttons We Really Need

Because, man, it sucks being positive about a lot of things. [Truth Facts]

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 22 '15

FBI and TSA Warn Airlines to Watch Out For Wi-Fi Hacks

Following concerns about the plausibility and dangers of passengers hacking airplane Wi-Fi networks, the FBI and TSA have issued a joint alert warning airlines to be increasingly vigilant about monitoring for such attacks. The warning, issued as a private industry notification and first reported by Wired, is a response to last week’s news about Chris…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe Apr 22 '15

This Is What 170-Year-Old Champagne From a Shipwreck Tasted Like

In 2010, divers rescued some amazingly old alcohol from a shipwreck off the coast of Finland. They’ve already published some detailed tasting notes about the beer—but now they’ve carried out an in-depth analysis of the champagne they found, too. The bottles of champagne found aboard the ship were actually eminently traceable. Markings on the corks…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 21 '15

Even a Simple Reflection Looks Amazing in Space

Living in space provides an overwhelming series of aesthetic joys, from whether it’s the view of Earth from above the aurora borealis—but even a simple reflection can look amazing, too. This image shows the reflection of astronauts Scott Kelly and Samantha Cristoforetti when SapceX’s Dragon cargo craft arrived at the International Space Station last Friday.…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe Apr 21 '15

7 Silly Techniques That Will Help You Take Fun Photographs

If you’re bored of the photographs you’re taking, perhaps it’s time to be a bit less serious. So forget about ISO settings, shutter speed or lens choice—and be a bit silly instead. These tips from the Co-Opeative of Photography aren’t at all complex, serious or expensive, but they are fun. Light painting! Smashed mirrors! Free…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 21 '15

These 3D Printed Organs Beat Just Like Your Heart

The rhythmic beating of these clumps is mesmeric—but it could be life-saving, too. These are tiny 3D printed versions of hearts and lungs, which work just like the real thing. Created by researchers from the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the pale gray objects mimic the heart and the dark…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 21 '15

Thor’s Helmet Nebula Glows With Intense X-Rays

This bright cloud of neon colors, a result of the X-ray emissions within, has a strangely distinctive shape—which landed it the name Thor’s Helmet among astronomers. In fact its formal name is NGC 2359, but the central bulge and—squint your eyes now—wing shapes to the left and right got it its name. The bright blue…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe Apr 20 '15

Your Monday Morning Motivation, Graphed

Last night, the world seemed exciting and you felt like you could achieve anything. This morning, all you want to do is go back to bed. Unless you’re at the right end of that error bar. [PHD Comics]

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 20 '15

Color—Not Just Light—May Affect Our Body Clock

It’s well-known that our body responds to light and dark to help set its circadian rhythms. But new research suggests that our bodies may also respond to color in order to keep internal time. A new study by researchers from the University of California, Santa Cruz,demonstrates that mice, at least, use the color of light…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 20 '15

Ring-Tab Beer Cans Now Count as Historic Artifacts

Today’s junk can be tomorrow’s history. Now, fifty years after it was first introduced, the ring-tab beer can can already considered an historic artifact. Archaeology site Western Digs explains that the humble ring-tab design has passed the 50-year threshold after which it is eligible to be recorded as an archaeological find. “This means that even…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 20 '15

John Oliver Explains How Crazy Patent Trolls Really Are

Patent trolls can stymie innovation and bring otherwise successful companies to their knees. They’re also crazy, as John Oliver points out in this clip from Last Week Tonight. Patents remain a vital means for inventors to protect their ideas—but trolling can be lucrative, especially in software. Sat on enough of the things, a troll can…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 20 '15

New Geo-Inference Attack Uses Browser Cache to Identify Your Location

Who knows where you are? According to a team of researchers from the National University of Singapore many websites could—using what they call a “geo-inference attack” to identify your location In what the researchers describe as a “new attack” with a “big impact” to the Daily Dot, such attacks can mine your browser cache to…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe Apr 17 '15

This Little Device Turns Your Thumb Nail Into a Track Pad

Sometimes your hands are completely tied up when you need to use a device the most—so even gesture recognition is no use, let alone a touchscreen. MIT’s latest input device though, which turns your thumbnail into a track pad, could help. NailO is inspired, apparently, by decorative nail stickers—but it seems a little more useful…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 17 '15

This Is Ceres’ North Pole

NASA’s Dawn spacecraft has spent a month in the shadow of Ceres. But now, the highest resolution images of the dwarf planet to date reveal its north pole. The images, acquired by NASA on April 10th, were captured from a distance of 21,000 miles above the surface of the planet. While future images will show…

Space & Spaceflight Jamie Condliffe Apr 17 '15

How Cell Phones Work (By a Non-Engineer)

“Once your voice is translated, the zeroes and ones literally fly through the air until they reach a cell tower… Now, the code gets translated into electric charges which run from one cell tower to another in tubes filled with stuff that does that kind of thing.” All sounds pretty plausible, right? [Doghouse Diaries]

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 17 '15

US Navy Secretary Wants to Stop Using Fighter Pilots in Favor of Drones

Manned fighter jets may have a limited future. The secretary of the US Navy has announced that the new F-35 Lightning II “should be, and almost certainly will be, the last manned strike fighter aircraft the Department of the Navy will ever buy or fly.” The Register reports that the Navy’s secretary Ray Mabus made…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 17 '15

This Mesh Stops Oil But Lets Water Right Through

This looks like a fairly normal piece of stainless steel mesh—but it’s coated with a special substance which allows it to block oil while allowing water through. Developed by researchers at Ohio State, the coating is apparently inspired by lotus leaves, which do the opposite—repelling water but not oil. The team attempted to replicate the…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 16 '15

This Is How Robots Are Mapping Radiation at Fukushima

Deep within the abandoned shell of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, it’s too dangerous for humans to investigate—so it’s being inspected by robots instead. New Scientist reports that two new robots, called Rosemary and Sakura, are exploring the depths of the site. It hasn’t all gone smoothly: one robot sent in earlier this month got…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Apr 16 '15

Jamie Condliffe

This Is NASA’s First 3D-Printed Full-Scale Copper Rocket Engine Part

Solar Impulse Safely Lands in East China—But the Hardest Leg’s to Come

These Are the Facebook Buttons We Really Need

FBI and TSA Warn Airlines to Watch Out For Wi-Fi Hacks

This Is What 170-Year-Old Champagne From a Shipwreck Tasted Like

Even a Simple Reflection Looks Amazing in Space

7 Silly Techniques That Will Help You Take Fun Photographs

These 3D Printed Organs Beat Just Like Your Heart

Thor’s Helmet Nebula Glows With Intense X-Rays

Your Monday Morning Motivation, Graphed

Color—Not Just Light—May Affect Our Body Clock

Ring-Tab Beer Cans Now Count as Historic Artifacts

John Oliver Explains How Crazy Patent Trolls Really Are

New Geo-Inference Attack Uses Browser Cache to Identify Your Location

This Little Device Turns Your Thumb Nail Into a Track Pad

This Is Ceres’ North Pole

How Cell Phones Work (By a Non-Engineer)

US Navy Secretary Wants to Stop Using Fighter Pilots in Favor of Drones

This Mesh Stops Oil But Lets Water Right Through

This Is How Robots Are Mapping Radiation at Fukushima

This Anker Power Station Powers 10 Devices at Once and Amazon Just Cut It by Nearly 50%

Apple Doesn’t Tax Beats, the Iconic Pill Speaker Is 5X Cheaper Than AirPods Max

HP Dumps Its Pavilion Laptop at 50% Off and Throws in Lifetime Office 365 and a 500GB External Drive for Free

Skip Apple’s Website, Amazon Has the Same Anker MagSafe Battery for Almost Half the Price

Forget Sonos, Amazon Sells This Fire TV Soundbar for the Price of a No-Name Speaker

Dyson Clears Spring Stock on Its Iconic V8, Now Priced Like a No-Name Vacuum on Amazon

Forget Paying iPhone Prices, the Google Pixel 10a Does Everything for Half the Cost

‘The Boys’ Got Even More Meta With Its ‘Supernatural’ Reunion

The ‘Sekiro’ Anime Will Hit Theaters…in Japan

Europe May Soon Get a Non-U.S. Alternative to Unreal Engine

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