Lauren Davis, Author at Gizmodo

The Best View In The Solar System

Whenever Lim visited the smaller of his planet’s rocky moons, his friends always commented that it was a wasteland. “What do you even see when you go up there?” they would ask. Lim would always shrug and reply, “Everything else.” “Tranquility” is by Tobias Roetsch, and you can see more of his stunning work at…

io9 Lauren Davis

A Homeless Astronaut Tries To Reach The Moon In Absurd Ways

Armed only with a spacesuit, a suitcase, and a map, this would-be astronaut tries to get to the moon. But in this melancholy short film, he’s largely ignored by the world around him. Shoot for the Moon was directed by Chris Wickett as a plea for us to support the aspiring space travelers in the…

io9 Lauren Davis

Creepily Cute Skull-Shaped Clock Rolls Its Eyes To Tell Time

Clockmaker Fritz Oswald made novelty clocks with rotating eyeballs, with one eye displaying the hours and the other displaying the minutes. They can look cute or completely deranged depending on what time it is. Medical historian Lindsey Fitzharris shared this image of one of Oswald’s clocks with its ticking eyeballs. The J. Oswald Company patented…

io9 Lauren Davis

The First Human-Sized Teaser For Marvel’s Ant-Man Has Arrived!

Earlier this week, Marvel released a (cute but rather annoying) “ant-sized” trailer for the movie Ant-Man. Now we get a very short, but human-sized teaser, giving us a very tiny taste of what’s ahead. Instead of a trailer for ants, we now get a trailer for people who love to pause each frame and study…

Trailers Lauren Davis

This Jaws-Inspired Nautical Poster Is Just Brilliant

Artist Anthony Petrie makes charts and maps that pay tribute to classic movies, and we’re particularly in love with his incredibly clever Jaws “Chum Chart,” an imaginary nautical chart featuring the fictional Amity Island. Petrie’s solo show Charts opens at Gallery 1988 West in Los Angeles on January 9th, when many of his posters will…

io9 Lauren Davis

Who Wins This Fan-Made Batman V. Superman Battle? Wait Until The End

With Batman V. Superman on its way, BrickFlix did its own LEGO take on the classic battle from The Dark Knight Returns — with a somewhat different ending. [via Comic Book Movie]

io9 Lauren Davis

Why Ms Marvel Is One Of Comics’ Most Interesting Discourses On Violence

Superheroes fight. They punch. They zap supervillains and toss them around. Sometimes they kill people and sometimes they die. But, as a recent essay points out, the current Ms. Marvel does an excellent job of asking the question: does a superhero really have to hurt other people? Over at Comic Book Resources, Noah Berlatsky (who…

io9 Lauren Davis

A Mind-Bending Short Film About A Man Who Just Can’t Escape His Office

You may feel like you’re trapped in your work routine, but you’ve got nothing on Cubert, who spends his days in endless monotony at his desk. It’s only when he is plucked out of his regular workflow that he begins to understand the horror of his situation. Lost Cubert was written and directed by Felix…

io9 Lauren Davis

These Adorable Doodles Could Help You Learn The Sign Language Alphabet

Artist Alex Solis adds cartoon mnemonic devices to the American Sign Language alphabet with his Signs & Doodles series. Little cartoon characters interact with each sign in the alphabet to help you remember the correct position of your fingers. You can check out the rest of Solis’ series on Instagram, and he also has a…

io9 Lauren Davis

Which Dwarf Is Which In The Hobbit Movies? This Cheat Sheet Can Help

The Hobbit movies expanded the personalities of the Dwarven characters from J.R.R. Tolkien’s original book, but sometimes it feels like you need a chart to keep track of who is who under all that beard hair. Fortunately, the Lord of the Rings Project has made just such a chart. Emil Johansson, who has been obsessively…

io9 Lauren Davis

Watch Man Solve World’s Largest Rubik’s Cube—And Try Not To Get Dizzy

If watching the rapid flip of the colors doesn’t make you queasy, take a gander at this astounding timelapse video, which shows Kenneth Brandon tackling a 17x17x17 Rubik’s Cube-type puzzle. He speeds the whole thing up, so that the puzzle goes from scrambled to solved in just six minutes. The Over the Top cube was…

io9 Lauren Davis

Holy Crap, This “Realistic” Popeye Figurine Is Terrifying

What if we took Popeye’s unusual proportions, giant forearms and all, and gave him human-like muscle tone? If this toy is any indication, it would result in a wee bit of body horror. If you want those arms to haunt your nightmares, Tenacious Toys is taking preorders for Headplay Toys’ 12-inch tall limited edition Popeye…

io9 Lauren Davis

10 Comics That Shut Down Terrible Internet Arguments

Is there a persistent Internet argument that you’re just sick of responding to? Don’t have the energy to explain the problem with the argument for the billionth time? These comics can help, countering those troublesome arguments with a few words and pictures. Image from someecards, likely inspired by this xkcd comic. 1. The Terrible Argument:…

io9 Lauren Davis

52 Years Of Spider-Man’s Mask On A Single Poster

When we think of Spider-Man, we usually think of that classic red and blue costume with the webbing motif. But Spidey’s outfit has gone through some changes over the years — some more drastic than others. Artist Salvador Anguiano (who also made the poster featuring 75 years of Batman’s cowl) put together this chart taking…

io9 Lauren Davis

10 Futurama Jokes That Will Make You Smarter

When your TV show’s writing staff includes folks with PhDs in maths and sciences, you’re bound to end up with some spectacularly nerdy jokes. And if you dig a little deeper into some of the jokes in Futurama, you won’t just laugh — you may actually learn something. The Futurama writers had a rule that…

Television Lauren Davis

A Noir Webcomic About A Bioweapon Unleashed During China’s Civil War

The webcomic Moth City is set in a small Chinese island town that is manufacturing a deadly biological weapon for the Nationalist China army in the 1930s. But when the weapon gets loose, the town’s yankee governor and a Nationalist major fight for the island’s future while its people scramble to stay alive. While the…

io9 Lauren Davis

Projected Lights Turn An Ordinary Forest Into Avatar‘s Pandora

The organisms in this forest aren’t bioluminescent, but they look that way thanks to the lights projected onto plants, fungi, and animals. It evokes the glowing world of James Cameron’s Avatar for a fraction of the budget. Inspired by actual bioluminescent organisms, artists Friedrich van Schoor and Tarek Mawad created this faux bioluminescent forest using…

io9 Lauren Davis

Parasitology Student Once Tried To Kill His Roommates With His Research

Roommate disputes can have some pretty gruesome consequences, but there is one case from 1970 in which one man was accused of using his research against his hated roomies. His weapon: Ascaris suum, the parasite that he was studying in school and which he allegedly used to make his roommates very ill. Discover Magazine points…

io9 Lauren Davis

What Piece Of Entertainment Are You Most Looking Forward To In 2015?

As we prepare to bid farewell to 2014, it’s time to look forward to 2015 and all of the books, movies, comics, television, and video games on the horizon. What piece of media are you most excited about devouring in the coming year? Obviously, one of the big things we’re looking forward to is the…

io9 Lauren Davis

Bitch Planet: The Feminist Exploitation Comic You Desperately Need

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro’s new comic series Bitch Planet is billed as “Margaret Atwood meets Inglourious Basterds.” And after just one issue, we’re incredibly excited about the story of women on a prison planet — many for the crime of non-compliance. NSFW images below. Bitch Planet #1 came out earlier this month…

io9 Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis

The Best View In The Solar System

A Homeless Astronaut Tries To Reach The Moon In Absurd Ways

Creepily Cute Skull-Shaped Clock Rolls Its Eyes To Tell Time

The First Human-Sized Teaser For Marvel’s Ant-Man Has Arrived!

This Jaws-Inspired Nautical Poster Is Just Brilliant

Who Wins This Fan-Made Batman V. Superman Battle? Wait Until The End

Why Ms Marvel Is One Of Comics’ Most Interesting Discourses On Violence

A Mind-Bending Short Film About A Man Who Just Can’t Escape His Office

These Adorable Doodles Could Help You Learn The Sign Language Alphabet

Which Dwarf Is Which In The Hobbit Movies? This Cheat Sheet Can Help

Watch Man Solve World’s Largest Rubik’s Cube—And Try Not To Get Dizzy

Holy Crap, This “Realistic” Popeye Figurine Is Terrifying

10 Comics That Shut Down Terrible Internet Arguments

52 Years Of Spider-Man’s Mask On A Single Poster

10 Futurama Jokes That Will Make You Smarter

A Noir Webcomic About A Bioweapon Unleashed During China’s Civil War

Projected Lights Turn An Ordinary Forest Into Avatar‘s Pandora

Parasitology Student Once Tried To Kill His Roommates With His Research

What Piece Of Entertainment Are You Most Looking Forward To In 2015?

Bitch Planet: The Feminist Exploitation Comic You Desperately Need

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Trump’s New White House App Is Mildly Concerning and Weird for a Lot of Reasons

Bloodsucking Ticks Can Survive Inside Your Home Longer Than You Might Think

The Best New Toys of March 2026

Judge Denies Liking LinkedIn Post Critical of Elon Musk But Reassigns His Cases Anyway

Amazon Slashes 50% Off Keurig K-Cup Pod Coffee Maker, Now a Budget Alternative to Breville and Nespresso Espresso Machines

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?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets