Joel, Author at Gizmodo

Clips: T-Mobile’s Sidekick 3 Launch Party in NYC

We went. We sweated. We didn’t get a free SK3.

Tech News Joel Jul 13 '06

How Not to Get Gizmodo to Help You Do Your Job

Hi there, I’m Pheras Hilal, a journalist/writer from Venture and JO magazines. Both magazines are Jordanian publications in English, Venture Magazine is a Business Intelligence Monthly, while JO is a social monthly. I’m in charge of developing two tech support sections in both magazines. I develop a section called “The Cutting Edge” in Venture Magazine,…

Tech News Joel Jul 13 '06

Evangelical Tract Says Says ‘Ipod Guy’ Needs Jesus

We’re as inclined as anyone to believe that Steve Jobs is going to spend eternity in flames—somebody has to pay for all those DS_store files—but Rich Robinson of Jews for Jesus is really sure. So certain that he made this evangelical tract, currently being passed around (or thrown on the ground) in New York’s very…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 11 '06

Internet is Hard

I appreciate all the feedback we’ve been getting about the redesign, both positive and deleted. We’ve been knocking out bugs and making tweaks based on your suggestions all last week and will continue to do so. But do me a favor: I’ve heard tell that there are some rendering errors hanging around, especially in Internet…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 10 '06

VH1’s ‘Best Week Ever’ Parodies Apple ‘Get a Mac’ Ads

Of course, no matter how hard they try, they’ll never be as cool as John Hodge-man. (Which is why the original Apple ads ultimately fail: Hodge-man is more desirable than the Mac twerp. John’s a hug from a tweed library.)

Tech News Joel Jul 10 '06

Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader

Ray Kurzweil is going to make big money from the blind—up to $3,500 a pop for his ‘K-NFB,’ a device that scans printed text and repeats it audibly. “This has probably taken something like three years’ effort by some fairly diligent scientists,” explained Mervin Robertson, managing director of Sight & Sound Technology, who will be…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 6 '06

European iPod Filings Confirm Apple Still Swiping Ideas

Apple Insider’s lede is a bit daft: “A recent series of design filings made by Apple Computer suggests the company may have intentions of abandoning its Click-Wheel interface in future versions of its iPod digital music players.” Taken collectively, the interface designs are clearly a work of inscrutable Apple skullduggery, slapping up iPods with control…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 6 '06

ClearSounds CLC50 Freedom Phone: Loud

There’s much to be said of gadgets designed for the elderly: they’re usually simple to use, sturdy, and stand up to accidental application of Brylcreem. That’s why Mike Elgan of the forcefully-named Personal Tech Pipeline loves his ClearSounds CLC50 Freedom Phone, proclaiming it ‘the best phone ever.’ Actually, nevermind—those are qualities I am transposing to…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 6 '06

Lego Mindstorms NXT Update August 1st: More User Memory, UniBin for Mac

We’ve got it on good word that Lego will be releasing a new firmware version for their Mindstorms NXT robot kit that will “open up 60 to 80% more storage space” for user-made programs. (If you read our impressions of the Mindstorms NXT, you might remember that the low storage space and lack of expandability…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 5 '06

Two New Samsung Robot Vacuums: VC-RS60, VC-RS60H

Samsung has added two new robot vacuums to their lineup in Korea, the Zairo-designed (who?) VC-RS60 and VC-RS60H. Although the robots self-recharge like good robots do, they also can be called up when you’re out and told to clean up the place. Having had two Roombas crap out on me in the last few weeks—one…

Gadgets Joel Johnson Jul 5 '06

Transparent Screen iMac Mockup

Since we’re showing off our new images capability this morning, take a gander at this speculative iMac mockup, commissioned by MacFormat magazine. Obviously the missing tech for this idea is a screen that fades in from totally transparent to a usable opacity, something that is theoretically possible to do with today’s screens—if you didn’t backlight…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 5 '06

We Work for You (and Money)

A site like Gizmodo lives and breathes reader story tips—not just because we are too dumb to find our own stories, but because we love to post up things you’d like to discuss. So a gentle reminder: If you’ve got a story you think is a good match for Gizmodo, please hit up our editors…

Tech News Joel Jul 3 '06

Lego Mindstorms NXT Impressions

Although I received my Lego Mindstorms NXT kit in the mail early last week, it wasn’t until yesterday that I really had a chance to dig in, spending a whole day working through the included instructions. It’s difficult to completely review NXT in the entirety of its potential as it’s the first set of new…

Reviews Joel Johnson Jul 3 '06

Bronx Basement Tech School Sees No Student

A flickr blogger discovered a free technical school in the Bronx, staffed by a pleasant old man soliciting young adults on the street with the promise of education. Sadly, it sounds like few are taking the man up on his offer, leaving the gallery a quiet record of an underground lair filled with empty chairs.…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jul 3 '06

Personal Troubleshooting Moment: Macbook Pro and 10.4.7

I updated to 10.4.7 night before last. Ever since, I’ve had increasingly frequent lock-ups on my system. They aren’t hard locks, insomuch as I can still move the mouse around, but I can’t click or input any text until I reboot the machine. It’s not a specific app that’s doing it either—it’ll do it from…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jun 30 '06

Low End Theory

Sorry, brothers and only friends, but no Low End Theory this week. My girlfriend and I eloped to Salvador de Bahia, Brazil on Monday; as you read these words, us newlyweds are hopefully practicing drunken capoeira with spider monkeys. I’ll be back next week, though, with a complete scouting report on Brazilian low-end electronics. ‘Til…

Tech News Joel Jun 29 '06

Lego Mindstorms NXT Shipping

I got an email last night saying Lego has shipped my Mindstorms NXT pre-order. Looking at the tracking number, I don’t think they’ve actually been handed over to UPS yet—probably tomorrow. Nevertheless, if you, too, pre-ordered the NXT set, expect to be building your first robots as soon as this week. I’ll definitely be doing…

Gadgets Joel Johnson Jun 25 '06

The Big Lo Network: Pirate DVDs to Your Train Stop

I got this slip of paper from a friend of a friend a while back, but I’m slack so it took me a while. Apparently ‘Big Lo’ is his ‘movie dealer.’ One call—and I’ve obfuscated the number because it would be impolite to rat out someone else’s dealer—and Big Lo will meet you at your…

Tech News Joel Johnson Jun 10 '06

E3 ’06: Team Kotaku Brings Gaming Noise, Funk

Don’t miss Kotaku’s on-the-scene coverage of E3 ’06, with stories like these polished, possibly collectable gems: • Kotaku’s E306 Mini-Guide: Day 1 • Our up-to-the-minute image gallery live from the show floor! • E306: Nintendo Wii Zapper • E306 Clips: Press Conference Score Card • E306: Shiver Me Timbers, Pirates of the Caribbean Online •…

Tech News Joel May 10 '06

Thermal Greasy: Apple Sics Lawyers on Something Awful

After a Something Awful denizen took apart his MacBook Pro and discovered that Apple had slathered on far too much thermal grease, he found that using a more modest amount dropped his MacBook Pro’s temperatures by several degrees. Now the forum has recieved a threatening letter from Apple’s legal staff, requesting a link to this…

Tech News Joel May 3 '06

Joel

Clips: T-Mobile’s Sidekick 3 Launch Party in NYC

How Not to Get Gizmodo to Help You Do Your Job

Evangelical Tract Says Says ‘Ipod Guy’ Needs Jesus

Internet is Hard

VH1’s ‘Best Week Ever’ Parodies Apple ‘Get a Mac’ Ads

Kurzweil-National Federation of the Blind Reader

European iPod Filings Confirm Apple Still Swiping Ideas

ClearSounds CLC50 Freedom Phone: Loud

Lego Mindstorms NXT Update August 1st: More User Memory, UniBin for Mac

Two New Samsung Robot Vacuums: VC-RS60, VC-RS60H

Transparent Screen iMac Mockup

We Work for You (and Money)

Lego Mindstorms NXT Impressions

Bronx Basement Tech School Sees No Student

Personal Troubleshooting Moment: Macbook Pro and 10.4.7

Low End Theory

Lego Mindstorms NXT Shipping

The Big Lo Network: Pirate DVDs to Your Train Stop

E3 ’06: Team Kotaku Brings Gaming Noise, Funk

Thermal Greasy: Apple Sics Lawyers on Something Awful

Palantir Posts Very Long X Post Denouncing ‘Vacant and Hollow Pluralism’

Hollywood Has Decided ‘The Phantom’ Will Return to TV

Everyone Thinks ‘Man of Tomorrow’ Is Building the Justice League

The Harsh Glare in the Apple WWDC 26 Logo Is Teasing the Look of New Siri, Report Says

The Current Era of ‘Star Trek’ Is Ending With a Fire Sale

The ‘Brand New Day’ Legos May Tell You Something About the Movie

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Six Old Weight Loss Treatments and Why We Stopped Using Them

Salesforce Announces Huge AI Initiative and Calls It ‘Headless 360’

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

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

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

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?

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