Lauren Davis, Author at Gizmodo

A Computer Program That is Pure Evil

A group of scientists is building the world’s most evil computer program. This isn’t a B-movie setup: A team at Rensselaer Institute’s AI & Reasoning Lab is bringing personified evil to virtual life in the hope that they’ll unlock the secrets of human morality. The researchers have given their creation a face and a name,…

io9 Lauren Davis

The Future Belongs to the Marketing Department

In science fiction, humanity usually embraces new technologies because those technologies are innovative, improve our lives, and let us do things we only dreamed of before. But if Amazon’s futuristic Kindle becomes this holiday season’s hot gift, it will have less to do with the e-book reader’s features than with Oprah’s enthusiastic endorsement of the…

io9 Lauren Davis

Science Fiction Writers Reach Out From Beyond the Grave

Science fiction writers have fantastical powers. They can peer into the future, invent strange new gadgets and alien races, and make us lose hours between their pages. And some writers can even speak to us from beyond the grave, publishing new works months — and even years — after they’ve died. Here are just some…

io9 Lauren Davis

Texting Thumb Sore? Adapt Your Body to Fit Your Technology

Technology and design don’t always mesh well with the human body. You get earbuds that fall out of your ears, glasses that slip down the bridge of your nose, and keypads that leave our thumbs worn ragged. While designers try to create designs that better fit our bodies, photographer Marcia Nolte imagines a world where…

io9 Lauren Davis

Phobos Will Be the Next Victim of Moon-Killing Mars

Martian moons Phobos and Deimos may have once had a lunar sibling. The discovery of a pair of elliptical craters on Mars’ surface have led astronomers to speculate that a small moon may have held an unsteady orbit around the planet, only to be dragged down by Mars’ gravity and destroyed. And one thing is…

io9 Lauren Davis

Fred Einaudi’s Unexpected Visions of the Apocalypse

Fred Einaudi’s portraits take the iconic visual language of their subjects – the can-do attitude of women in wartime propaganda posters, the innocence and curiosity displayed in paintings of children, the elegance and drama of Victorian and Edwardian era portraiture – and juxtaposes it with unexpected images of death and destruction. The results are some…

io9 Lauren Davis

The Dueling Dystopias of Political Campaign Ads

John McCain and Barack Obama may seem as different as night and day, but there are a good number of folks still on the fence as to who will get their vote. Where debates, stump speeches, and lectures on voting records have failed, maybe science fiction will save the day. Supporters on both sides of…

io9 Lauren Davis

Fan-Made Batmobile is Ready for the Gotham Streets

When Batman Begins introduced the movie-going world to the Tumbler Batmobile, many an auto aficionado lusted after Batman’s ride. One fan, though, decided lusting wasn’t enough, and has been building his very own working Batmobile, complete with a V8 engine and Batcessories, in his garage. More pictures after the jump.Posting on the SuperHeroHype forums as…

io9 Lauren Davis

Stan Lee Sees Posh and Becks in Spandex

Now that Stan Lee is working on his superhero makeover of Paris Hilton, he’s looking for other celebrities to render in superhuman form. The next duo on his wishlist is power couple David and Victoria Beckham, whose good looks and charm make them, in his mind, a natural for costumed crimefighting. So, what would a…

io9 Lauren Davis

Aldrin Says First Manned Mission to Mars Should be a One Way Trip

Buzz Aldrin has stepped from his pedestal once again to talk about the space program. No longer content to bash science fiction for destroying interest in real space exploration, Aldrin has turned his attention to a crewed mission to Mars, saying that if we do send humans to the Red Planet, we shouldn’t bother bringing…

io9 Lauren Davis

Doctor Who Director Promises His Superhero Show Won’t Be “Heroes”

With the increasingly bloated cast of NBC’s Heroes and a pub full of powers in No Heroics, it might seem like there’s hardly room for another set of caped characters on TV. But BBC1 has given Joe Ahearne the go-ahead to pen Superpowers, a show inspired by his love of Marvel comics. And the one-time…

io9 Lauren Davis

Kafka’s Killing Machine Performs Its Torture Ballet

As if reading In the Penal Colony wasn’t enough to give you Terry Gilliam-flavored nightmares, artists Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller have brought the story’s gruesome execution device to life. Now visitors to Modern Art Oxford can watch the mechanical monstrosity rehearse its chilling dance of death while violins play ominously in the background.The…

io9 Lauren Davis

William Shakespeare, Science Fiction Author of the Forbidden Tomorrow Zone

David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, and Avery Brooks have all performed Shakespeare, proving that the Bard can benefit from actors who’ve cruised through space and time. And science fiction has had more than its share of Shakespearean influence: not just lines used here and there, but futuristic adaptations of his plays and mind-bending scenarios with the…

io9 Lauren Davis

Marty McFly’s Sneakers Take You Back to the Future

If Robert Zemeckis has anything to say about it, by 2015, we should all be riding around on hoverboards in our self-lacing Nikes. But just in case industry lags behind science fiction, The Movie Shop is offering replicas of Marty’s famous shoes, as well as other products from 2015. The may not be the most…

io9 Lauren Davis

Nanofarm Your Body for Fun and Profit

If you’ve ever thought that selling your kidney, ova, or sperm sounded like a handy way to make some cash, it’s time to consider body farming. Michael Burton’s photographs show how advances in biotech will change the way humans treat and relate to their bodies. After all, if we can sell our organs, gametes, and…

io9 Lauren Davis

Mass Extinctions Rise Among Plant Species

Entire species of plants are dying off in droves, just like mammals. And there’s no way to save them all, say scientists. How do you decide which plant species to preserve at all costs, and which ones to consign to oblivion forever? Answering that question may mean the difference between selective extinction for some —…

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Hyperhabitats Turn Your Home Into a Digital Ecosystem

It may not be S.A.R.A.H., but Vincente Guallart hopes his smart homes will change the world. The objects in his model Hyperhabitats glow when they are in use, while an embedded microprocessor communicates that use to the rest of the building’s network. The ultimate goal is to give the physical world a structure similar to…

io9 Lauren Davis

The Father of Parallel Worlds, Commemorated by Indie Rock

Hugh Everett is the father of the Many Worlds Interpretation of quantum mechanics, the first physicist to propose that we exist in a potentially infinite series of parallel dimensions. He’s also the father of Eels frontman Mark Oliver Everett, who was just 18 when his father died. Tonight, PBS airs “Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives,” Mark…

io9 Lauren Davis

The Creatures Who Eat Your Fear for Breakfast

Feel that tingling on the back of your neck? That could be a killer parasite sucking on your fear. And that spooky clown at your cousin’s birthday party? A creature from another dimension who thinks humans taste better when we’re afraid. For some science fiction characters, fear is a five-course meal. From terror-inducing toxins to…

io9 Lauren Davis

Volunteers Let Their Genomes All Hang Out

The idea of making personal genetic information public evokes images of genomic Google searches and gene-testing job interviews straight out of Gattaca. But there are many who believe genetic openness could go a long way toward advancing disease research. Tomorrow, ten volunteers will take the first steps away from genetic privacy, allowing their personal genetic…

io9 Lauren Davis

Lauren Davis

A Computer Program That is Pure Evil

The Future Belongs to the Marketing Department

Science Fiction Writers Reach Out From Beyond the Grave

Texting Thumb Sore? Adapt Your Body to Fit Your Technology

Phobos Will Be the Next Victim of Moon-Killing Mars

Fred Einaudi’s Unexpected Visions of the Apocalypse

The Dueling Dystopias of Political Campaign Ads

Fan-Made Batmobile is Ready for the Gotham Streets

Stan Lee Sees Posh and Becks in Spandex

Aldrin Says First Manned Mission to Mars Should be a One Way Trip

Doctor Who Director Promises His Superhero Show Won’t Be “Heroes”

Kafka’s Killing Machine Performs Its Torture Ballet

William Shakespeare, Science Fiction Author of the Forbidden Tomorrow Zone

Marty McFly’s Sneakers Take You Back to the Future

Nanofarm Your Body for Fun and Profit

Mass Extinctions Rise Among Plant Species

Hyperhabitats Turn Your Home Into a Digital Ecosystem

The Father of Parallel Worlds, Commemorated by Indie Rock

The Creatures Who Eat Your Fear for Breakfast

Volunteers Let Their Genomes All Hang Out

Artemis 2 by the Numbers: Breaking Down NASA’s Big Return to the Moon

Apple Removes iPhone Vibe Coding App from App Store

China’s Biggest Social Media Celebrity Is… Kris Jenner?

Up to $1,550 Off on pCloud: Pay Once, Protect Data Forever for World Backup Day

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

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