Lauren Davis, Author at Gizmodo

Watch a radio-controlled plane’s breathtaking journey into the stratosphere and back

While most weather balloon videos take objects into Earth’s upper atmosphere and film them plummeting down to Earth, David Windestål armed a radio-controlled plane with a camera, giving us a first-person view of the plane’s controlled (if chaotic) return trip. Windestål’s FunJet reached a height of 33,103 meters above sea level before his weather balloon…

io9 Lauren Davis

What if corporations sponsored superheroes?

Many of our favorite superheroes are wealthy, sponsored by the government, or otherwise manage to scrape together the funds to keep up their crime-fighting lifestyles. But what if superheroes instead took on corporate sponsorships, bearing the colors and logo of whichever company paid their way? Would city-shattering battles turn into scenes of corporate warfare? That’s…

io9 Lauren Davis

Massive sandcastle Minas Tirith awaits the approaching onslaught of waves

Artist Joseph Alvernaz created this 10-foot-tall by 12-foot-wide replica of Gondor’s capital city without adhesives, using only sand, water, and a single brace to reinforce the top tower. (Birds kept hitting it.) He says this was his first major sand sculpture, but it’s impressive enough that we can almost believe it’s real at sunset: He…

io9 Lauren Davis

“The Trouble with Tribbles” retold to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Josh Millard wrote and performed this musical retelling of the classic Star Trek episode “The Trouble with Tribbles,” with a little help from Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” Let “I Knew You Were Tribbles” serve as a warning to anyone who brings furry little breeders home without getting their full backstory. [via Neatorama]

io9 Lauren Davis

Check out the astonishing artwork from Mondo’s Game of Thrones gallery show

Earlier this week, we showed you the two posters Mondo released as part of their SXSW Game of Thrones gallery show. Now Mondo has opened the show to the public, giving us a peek at how their favorite artists interpret Game of Thrones. https://gizmodo.com/mondos-first-two-game-of-thrones-posters-are-brilliant-5989535 Jason Edmiston‘s holy “Mother of Dragons” seems to be the scene-stealer…

io9 Lauren Davis

Octopus chandeliers add the right touch of tentacle to any decor

Cephalopod aficionados looking to spice up their lighting should look to Adam Wallacavage’s Octopus Chandeliers. His unusual light fixtures hold up their bulbs with sucker-bearing tentacles that come in a variety of colors and levels of kitsch. What’s especially interesting about looking through Wallacavage’s collection of chandeliers is how he achieves such different effects by…

io9 Lauren Davis

Crowdfund an energy-harnessing soccer ball and a series based on the fantasy short The Reward

We went gaga for the short fantasy buddy film The Reward, and now the creators are looking to turn it into a full series, with a little crowdfunding help. You can also help fund a soccer ball generator that’s helping bring light to people in resource-poor regions, and a fantasy adventure comic about adventurers searching…

io9 Lauren Davis

Joss Whedon explains why he brought Agent Coulson back to life for S.H.I.E.L.D.

We’re amped that Clark Gregg will be reprising his role as Agent Phil Coulson on Joss Whedon’s S.H.I.E.L.D.. But why, after the events of The Avengers, did Whedon decide to bring back a character who was busy being dead? It’s because Whedon felt Gregg was the perfect guy to represent the Marvel Universe’s non-superpowered heroes.…

Television Lauren Davis

Striking paintings combine Japanese watercolor with the structures of the brain

After receiving his Phd in neuroscience at University of Pennsylvania, Greg Dunn decided to explore the structures of the brain and the rest of the nervous system through the medium of paint. Informed by Japanese sumi-e ink wash painting, Dunn paints meditative scenes of neurons the way many artists have painted twisting trees. Dunn’s paintings…

io9 Lauren Davis

In this comedic short, the ultimate music fan travels back in time to meet his favorite rock star

Benjamin Hewson is a wealthy genius who wants just one thing in life: to meet his idol, rock god Jonny Murtagh. So he travels back from the year 2330 to meet Jonny before he was famous and witness his meteoric rise. But the past—and Jonny—aren’t quite what Benjamin expected, and he wonders, could his presence…

io9 Lauren Davis

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar has a release date

We still don’t know much about Christopher Nolan’s wormhole traveling film Interstellar, but the movie already has a release date. According to a press releas from Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, which are co-producing and jointly distributing the film, Interstellar will hit theaters and IMAX on November 7, 2014. The press release adds, “The…

io9 Lauren Davis

Watch the incredible evolution of Jurassic Park‘s spitting animatronic Dilophosaurus

The videos that Stan Winston Studio has been releasing about their special effects work on various movies are nothing short of astounding, and show off just how detailed their practical effects are. In this video, mechanical effects designer Rick Galinson takes us through the development of that great Dilophosaurus animatronic, from studying the movements of…

io9 Lauren Davis

Get ready for Season 3 with this 14-minute recap of Game of Thrones Season 2

Need a quick refresher on Game of Thrones in advance of the March 31st premiere of Season Three? Never fear, HBO has cut together this handy guide to the highlights of the Second Season, so you’ll be up on your Starks, Greyjoys, Lannisters, Freys, and wildlings by the time we hear that glorious theme music…

io9 Lauren Davis

Mighty mouse attacks venomous snake to free its fellow mouse

Just because you’re prey, that doesn’t mean that you have to take being eaten lying down. At Hangzhou Zoo in Zhejiang province, eastern China, zookeepers witnessed an unusual sight after two live mice were placed in a snake’s enclosure for supper. As the snake started to eat one of the mice, the other began biting…

io9 Lauren Davis

Bullet casings and shotgun shells are the perfect media for Deadpool’s portrait

Mike Oncley created a portrait of Deadpool that truly pays tribute to the character’s talent for violence. Oncley pasted shotgun shells and bullet casings to a background to form a Deadpool who manages to be wry even in this unusual mixed media. This piece, titled “You Missed” is on display as part of the MINTcondition:…

io9 Lauren Davis

Zombie-scented perfumes make you smell less attractive to the undead

Usually a person dabs on a bit of perfume in hopes of attracting someone else’s attention, but could a zombie-scented perfume repel the affections of the flesh-craving dead? Demeter Fragrance Library, purveyors of all sorts of offbeat scents, have come up with a pair of undead-themed perfumes that could come in handy during the zombie…

io9 Lauren Davis

First Evil Dead reviews paint remake as a psychotic gorefest that will make fans of the original laugh

Last night, Fede Alvarez’s remake of Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead premiered at South by Southwest, and now that the critics have recovered from the haze of fake blood, they are furiously typing up their reviews. The verdict so far? Alvarez may not hit the glorious highs of Raimi’s comedy-horror franchise, but he pays loving tribute…

io9 Lauren Davis

NASA’s Guide to Viewing the Comet PANSTARRS this Month

Yesterday, the comet 2011 L4 (called PANSTARRS after the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System) became visible in the Northern Hemisphere for the first time, meaning some of us north of the equator will have a chance to view a comet before ISON’s passage in the fall. But you’ll need the right conditions and…

io9 Lauren Davis

Concept Art Writing Prompt: Shadows Inside an Abandoned Coal Mine

This week’s concept art writing prompt takes us to a real location, inside the creepy bathroom of an abandoned coal mine. It could be the setting for a spooky story—or some other kind of tale entirely. What do you imagine takes place inside this unnerving room? This photograph, titled “Imprisoned II” is by Abandoned Zone…

io9 Lauren Davis

Flesh out your fictional characters by having Redditors interview them

Need a little help adding depth to your fictional characters and the world they inhabit? Reddit’s new IAmAFiction subreddit offers writers an intriguing way to explore new angles of their stories. These work much like reddit’s ever-popular “Ask Me Anything” Q&As—except that in this case, the fictional characters are upfront about being fictional. You introduce…

io9 Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis

Watch a radio-controlled plane’s breathtaking journey into the stratosphere and back

What if corporations sponsored superheroes?

Massive sandcastle Minas Tirith awaits the approaching onslaught of waves

“The Trouble with Tribbles” retold to the tune of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble”

Check out the astonishing artwork from Mondo’s Game of Thrones gallery show

Octopus chandeliers add the right touch of tentacle to any decor

Crowdfund an energy-harnessing soccer ball and a series based on the fantasy short The Reward

Joss Whedon explains why he brought Agent Coulson back to life for S.H.I.E.L.D.

Striking paintings combine Japanese watercolor with the structures of the brain

In this comedic short, the ultimate music fan travels back in time to meet his favorite rock star

Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar has a release date

Watch the incredible evolution of Jurassic Park‘s spitting animatronic Dilophosaurus

Get ready for Season 3 with this 14-minute recap of Game of Thrones Season 2

Mighty mouse attacks venomous snake to free its fellow mouse

Bullet casings and shotgun shells are the perfect media for Deadpool’s portrait

Zombie-scented perfumes make you smell less attractive to the undead

First Evil Dead reviews paint remake as a psychotic gorefest that will make fans of the original laugh

NASA’s Guide to Viewing the Comet PANSTARRS this Month

Concept Art Writing Prompt: Shadows Inside an Abandoned Coal Mine

Flesh out your fictional characters by having Redditors interview them

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Countdown to the Moon 🔴

Samsung Slashes $350 Off 49″ Odyssey Curved Gaming Monitor to Clear Out Stock on Amazon

How the Artemis 2 Moon Mission Could Go Dangerously Wrong

Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum Holds Its Lowest Price Even After Amazon’s Spring Sale Ends, Likely a Clearance Move

Lego Is Bringing Bionicle Back, But Not in the Way You’d Want

Richard Branson Is Still Trying to Make Space Tourism Happen, Selling Tickets at $750,000

Beats Powerbeats Fit Drops Below Black Friday Pricing Across All Colorways as Amazon Continues to Cut Prices on the Earbuds

Google Pixel 9a Hits a Record Low on Clearance, With Trade-In Making It Nearly Half the Price of Pixel Buds Pro 2

James Cameron Could Remake ‘Fantastic Voyage’ Before He Works on ‘Avatar 4’

Forget Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, Samsung B-Series Soundbar With Built-In Subwoofer Still Under $100 for Post-Spring Sale

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

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?