Lauren Davis, Author at Gizmodo

This Week’s TV: A Disturbingly Sexy French Comic Book Comes To TV!

An anthology series based on tales from France’s Heavy Metal comics anthology hits out TV sets tonight—and so does the final season of Warehouse 13. Plus, Orphan Black is back this week with new secrets and new clones, and we see the debut of a new show about the history of science fiction. Check out…

Television Lauren Davis Apr 14 '14

Retro Educational Posters Reimagine The Human Body As A Factory

This 1933 Chinese health education poster analogizes the human body to an industrial factory, one in a series of images designed to help viewers better understand their own physiology. The US National Library of Medicine has a great collection of these strikingly illustrated posters, as well as a second set of posters from 1951. Even…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 11 '14

This Chart Highlights The Vast Differences Between The Sizes Of Stars

Stars are so mind-boggling large compared to our planet that it’s easy to think of them simply as universally gigantic. But just like planets, stars come in different sizes, and when you place a dwarf star beside a hypergiant, it’s clear just how immense those differences are. Designer Axel Ramos created this chart comparing the…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 11 '14

Crowdfund An Anthology Of Pornographic Comics By Lady Cartoonists!

The second volume of the genre-filled, women-created pornography anthology Smut Peddler is on its way, and you can preorder your copy. You can also help fund a space telescope, an indoor greenhouse, a kit to build your own velociraptor (out of cardboard), miniature busts of HP Lovecraft and more. Top image from Smut Peddler cover…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 11 '14

What If The Muppets Existed In The DC And Marvel Universes?

Superhero comics are filled with aliens, talking animals, and parallel dimensions, but what if they were also filled with Muppets? Various artists imagine the meeting of Muppets and superhumans. This week, the artists at Comics Should Be Good’s The Line It Is Drawn are taking on Muppet mashups, picturing the felt performers in other comic…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 11 '14

A Hilarious And Whimsical Short About A Taxidermist And His Dead Father

In this blackly comic short film, a taxidermist and his father are the best of friends—at least until dad dies. The taxidermist figures life can go on as always if he just keeps his father’s body in good shape. Written and directed by Charlotte Carden, The Taxidermist is quite sweet, a heartfelt take on its…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 11 '14

Here’s What You Would See If You Were Kicked By A Giraffe

A giraffe came across a wildlife photographer’s camera and knocked it on its back, giving us an idea of what a giraffe hoof to the head would look like. Photographer Chris Barnard took this accidental video, which lets us see not just the kick, but also the underside of the giraffe, all without the resulting…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 10 '14

Watch The New Batman Short By The Animated Series Creator Bruce Timm

Batman: The Animated Series co-creator Bruce Timm delivers a brand new Batman short in honor of the hero’s 75th anniversary. Styled as a 1930s pulp, it follows Batman to the lair of Hugo Strange. Since Batman first appeared in 1939, Timm decided to play tribute to that era with a sepia-toned adventure, and Hugo Strange,…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 10 '14

Concept Art Writing Prompt: The Astronaut Of Skull And Flowers

An astronaut experiences a moment of death and life on sunny planet. What kind of story can you write inspired by this particular juxtaposition? This week’s image is “Homecoming,” by the artist Tuomas Korpi, via r/SpecArt. As always, we invite you to come up with a story based on this image and post it in…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 10 '14

Will Amazon Do To Comic Shops What It Did To Book Stores?

Big news today in the comics publishing world: Amazon has purchased Comixology, the largest retailer of digital comics. So what does that mean for your local comic book store? Amazon is certainly already competing with brick and mortar comic book stores; they sell both physical comics (often with sizable discounts on trade paperbacks) and Kindle…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 10 '14

This Heart-Shaped Locket Is Anatomically Correct Even On The Inside

This pendant isn’t just shaped like the human heart on the outside; when you open it up, the ventricals and blood vessels line up on the inside. The chain even runs through the superior vena cava and the left pulmonary vein. This clever piece of craftsmanship was created by Peggy Skemp, whose nature-inspired jewelry designs…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 10 '14

In A Corporate Surveillance State, Rebel Drones Protest With Dubstep

In a dystopian future dominated by surveillance cameras and razor wire, rebellion comes in the form of brightly colored lights carefully choreographed to a thumping dubstep beat. It makes for a visually spectacular CG music video. Simon Russell created Dysco with its animated “synesthetic drones.” There’s also a similarly rhythmic making-of video, offering a peek…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 10 '14

Meet The Dragons Who Hoard Cheese And Stuffed Animals Instead Of Gold

Dragons are best known for hoarding gold, jewels, and ancient relics, but some dragons have more…peculiar tastes. Artist Lauren Dawson draws delightful dragons with unusual hoards. After Dawson posted her first series of Uncommon Dragon Hoards, she started receiving commission requests for more—and each one is more charming than the last. If you’re interested in…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 10 '14

In Prison For Criminally Bad Writers, Cons Try To Rewrite Their Script

When a gang of feloniously poor writers get a hold of the script to their lives, they hatch a plan to rewrite it and bust out. But can they navigate all of the various plot twists thrown their way? Tom Gran and Martin Woolley wrote and directed Writer’s Block, a funny piece of metafiction. It’s…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 9 '14

Photo Of Nikola Tesla Was The First Ever Taken By Phosphorescent Light

Nikola Tesla’s ghostly face isn’t the most significant part of this photograph. It’s the light—emitted by a fluorescent light bulb of Tesla’s own invention. It was taken in 1894, decades before fluorescent lights came into popular use. This image isn’t as famous as the photograph of Tesla with his wireless lightbulb or of Mark Twain…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 9 '14

What If Swallowing All The Helium In A Balloon Would Let You Fly?

Need a quick smile? In this charming short, young Harvey swallows a ballon’s worth of helium and becomes a high-flying, butt crack-baring blimp gliding through a beautifully animated landscape. Daniel Savage wrote, directed, and animated Helium Harvey, and it is pure fun. I’m jealous of any little boy—even a fictional one—who can use his powers…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 9 '14

Need A Scorecard For All The Game Of Thrones Characters? Here It Is

Struggling to remember the affiliations of all the different characters on Game of Thrones and whether they’re still alive? This massive chart keeps track of who is who on the show and what their current status is. Graphic designer Nigel Evan Dennis created Where have all the Wildlings gone? (spoilers for the show within), a…

Television Lauren Davis Apr 9 '14

13 Webcomics That Will Make You Smarter

While some webcomics deliver a quick joke or the latest installment in a long-form story, many comics floating around the Internet have something to teach us about the world. Here are some of our favorite comics that delve into science, history, philosophy, and more. xkcd by Randall Munroe: Probably the most famous of the science-related…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 9 '14

Know Your (Blue-Footed, Red-Footed, And Masked) Boobies

If you are going to tell jokes about the members of the Sulidae family of birds known as boobies, you should at least be able to tell them apart. After ornithological artist Jada Fitch shared her Tits of the World poster, many of you clamored for a second print featuring these diving birds. Fitch has…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 8 '14

Behind-The-Scenes Tour Of Cryonics Institute Shows Storage Of A Patient

The fascinating short documentary We Will Live Again goes inside the Cryonics Institute, where we meet the people behind the freezing process and witnesses (non-explicitly) the acceptance of its hundredth client. Filmmakers Myles Kane and Josh Koury focus much of their documentary on Cryonics Institute founder Robert Ettinger and staff members Ben Best and Andy…

io9 Lauren Davis Apr 8 '14

Lauren Davis

This Week’s TV: A Disturbingly Sexy French Comic Book Comes To TV!

Retro Educational Posters Reimagine The Human Body As A Factory

This Chart Highlights The Vast Differences Between The Sizes Of Stars

Crowdfund An Anthology Of Pornographic Comics By Lady Cartoonists!

What If The Muppets Existed In The DC And Marvel Universes?

A Hilarious And Whimsical Short About A Taxidermist And His Dead Father

Here’s What You Would See If You Were Kicked By A Giraffe

Watch The New Batman Short By The Animated Series Creator Bruce Timm

Concept Art Writing Prompt: The Astronaut Of Skull And Flowers

Will Amazon Do To Comic Shops What It Did To Book Stores?

This Heart-Shaped Locket Is Anatomically Correct Even On The Inside

In A Corporate Surveillance State, Rebel Drones Protest With Dubstep

Meet The Dragons Who Hoard Cheese And Stuffed Animals Instead Of Gold

In Prison For Criminally Bad Writers, Cons Try To Rewrite Their Script

Photo Of Nikola Tesla Was The First Ever Taken By Phosphorescent Light

What If Swallowing All The Helium In A Balloon Would Let You Fly?

Need A Scorecard For All The Game Of Thrones Characters? Here It Is

13 Webcomics That Will Make You Smarter

Know Your (Blue-Footed, Red-Footed, And Masked) Boobies

Behind-The-Scenes Tour Of Cryonics Institute Shows Storage Of A Patient

5 Reasons Why Summer Is the Worst Season of the Year

Sam Bankman-Fried Seems to Annoy Judge and Lose Latest Motion for New Trial

‘Never Talk About Goblins’: OpenAI’s Instructions to Codex Have a Weirdly Emphatic No-Creatures Policy

WWE Videos Made by a Glitching AI That Sounds Like It’s Being Strangled Are the Future of Entertainment

Scorpions Are Literally Metal, Study Reveals

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II on Why He Wanted to Make ‘Wonder Man’ One of Marvel’s Best

The Start of OpenAI’s Trial Against Elon Musk Wasn’t the Worst Thing That Happened to Sam Altman Today

One of the World’s Least Charitable Billionaires Tells Court He’s on a Mission to Save Charitable Giving

KitchenAid 4.5-Quart Stand Mixer Sees Early Price Drop to Its Lowest Price Ahead of Mother’s day

Audiences Aren’t Turning Up for ‘Daredevil: Born Again’ Season 2

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

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes

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

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