Leslie Horn, Author at Gizmodo

Historical Cathedral Renovation Takes Choose Your Own Adventure Route

New Zealand’s ChristChurch Cathedral was seriously damaged in a 2011 earthquake. The historic place of worship is going to be remade soon, but how? The city’s Anglican diocese, the property trustees, and the cathedral project group have come up with three different options the remodel, and anyone can vote. Check out the three choices above.…

Tech News Leslie Horn

This 300-Year-Old Farmhouse Hides Its Age

Casa Olivi is 300 years old, but after a massive renovation project at the hands of Swiss architects Markus Wespi and Jérôme de Meuron, it doesn’t look a day over 100. Located near the town of Treia in the Marche region of Italy, the house sits high up on a hill where it offers incredible…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Spin This Desk Lamp All the Way Around

The LIM360 lamp has eyes in the back of its head. Well, not really. But its arm rotates a full 360 degrees. The slim, compact LED desk lamp comes in silver, orange, black, and white for $300. It also has a USB port to charge your phone or tablet. And the bulb should last you…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Listen to All 45 Now That’s What I Call Music Albums in One Glorious Playlist

Believe it or not, we’re on the 45th album of the Now That’s What I Call Music canon. Allow us to inject some nostalgia into your day—here’s a Spotify playlist of every song in the Now library in order. That’s 856 tracks, starting with Janet Jackson, ending with Florida Georgia Line, with a smattering of…

Tech News Leslie Horn

HTC First: Pure Facebook Phone (Update: Hands On)

The HTC First is a new smartphone that’s deeply integrated with Facebook Home. The AT&T phone runs on a modified version of Jelly Bean and it’s the only phone to come pre-loaded with Facebook Home. Facebook Home is the rumored Facebook phone we’ve been hearing about for what seems like forever now. It basically replaces…

Social Media Leslie Horn and Andrew Tarantola

The Shade Is Also the Dimmer on the Ascent Lamp

When you move the shade on the Ascent lamp, you control the intensity of the light. Sure, that’ll confuse your friends when they try to flip it off. But that might even make us like it even more. [Daniel Rybakken via MocoLoco]

Tech News Leslie Horn

You Can Sit in This Pond Without Getting Wet

This picture was taken in a park in Vöcklabruck, Austria that you might want to go to right now. You can actually sit in the middle of the pond, thanks to a sunken spot where you can hang out without getting soaked. It’s like the inverse of an infinity pool. A ramp with raised concrete…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Apple Highlights App Age Ratings to Clear Up Just How Ruined Your Children Will Be

Not sure if an app is appropriate for your kid to use? Now you’ll know for certain because Apple has added age ratings to descriptions to the App Store. Under the title and developer name, you’ll see a number with a plus sign. Obviously this is very self-explanatory, but now it’s perfectly clear whether or…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Take These Tropical Legless Rocking Chairs to the Beach

Doesn’t the Dedon Floor Rocker make you want to be on the beach right now? It has two skids on the bottom that let it rock back and forth, even on the ground. With bright woven textiles, the seats are pretty easy on the eyes too. And the patterns—Flamingo, Colibri, and Quetzal—are inspired by Latin…

Tech News Leslie Horn

This Infinitely Configurable Table Was Made for Flip Floppers

If you’re super wishy washy, we have the ideal piece of furniture for you—D*Haus’s D*Table can be configured anyway you like. The table actually works based on the mathematical principle discovered by Henry Ernest Dudeney that a perfect square can become a perfect equilateral triangle when you carve it up into four different shapes and…

Tech News Leslie Horn

The Prefabbed Lustron House Is a Peep at Post-WWII America

Transitioning back to normal life after WWII had its fair share of challenges for soldiers, one of which was a housing shortage. Lustron houses—prefabricated enamel steel homes—were a direct response to the dearth. This is a 1949 picture of all of the components of one of the cookie cutter abodes laid out like puzzle pieces.…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Wash Your Hands in the Streets of London

The pattern in the wooden basin of this sink prototype is no abstract design. It’s a 3D model of the streets of central London. The designer—Julia Kononenko— said she deliberately chose London for the wooden basin because England is the place where industrial products first appeared back in the 18th century. And that thematic choice…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Courtney Love Is in an eCig Commercial So Maybe Don’t Smoke eCigs?

Perennial hot mess Courtney Love is a shill for NJOY eCigs now, because she’s Courtney Love and who else would you expect? In this commercial she demonstrates that electronic cigarettes are totally socially acceptable anywhere, with the most Courtney Love attitude ever. Smoking is gross no matter what Courtney Love says. But as far as…

Tech News Leslie Horn

We’d All Be Fat If Every McDonald’s Looked This Inviting

When you’re on a long road trip, you generally eat what you can, where you can. That can mean many meals at a combination Exxon/KFC/Taco Bell/Tiger Mart. But have you ever seen a rest stop as amazing as this hybrid gas station/McDonald’s in Batumi, Georgia? (The country, not the state.) The landmark was conceived by…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Foldable Rain Boots Are Perfect For Finicky Spring Weather

You wear your rain boots to work, but when you get there, you want to stash them somewhere else. And you know what’s good for that? These foldable Japanese wellies ($130). They were originally designed with Japanese rice farmers in mind, so they can handle a lot of muck and general nastiness. And that’s exactly…

Tech News Leslie Horn

You Can Access Dropbox From Inside Yahoo Mail Now

If you’re using Yahoo Mail, you don’t have to worry about attachment size limits anymore—you can now access your Dropbox from right within your email account. You can add files from your own Dropbox to any message, and you can save stuff people send you back to Dropbox as well. And the integration does away…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Don’t Mistake This Ski Resort For the Actual Mountain

The Slow Horse is a hotel in a tiny ski town, which is fitting. It mimics its mountainous Northern Italy setting so closely, it wouldn’t belong anywhere else. The striking top structure—a new addition to the original first story—is raised above the ground by various concrete supports, creating a visual separation between the new and…

Tech News Leslie Horn

These Architectural Playhouses Make You Want To Be a Kid Again

Don’t these SmartPlayhouses make you want to go back in time? The pint-sized abodes will give you an appreciation for architecture at a very young age, provided you have parents rich enough to buy you one. They come in four different styles. Above is the mid-century modern Illinois House—a tiny copy of the Farnsworth House,…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Piet Mondrian Inspired This Three-Piece Vase

A Piet Mondrian painting is unmistakable for its big blocks of primary colors set in grids of horizontal and vertical black lines on a white background. The Mondri 3 in 1 vase is very clearly inspired by the late De Stijl movement artist, and it breaks apart into three pieces so you can create your…

Tech News Leslie Horn

14 Ridiculously Retro Novelty Phones

So we used to have these things called landlines, which were phones that you didn’t take with you everywhere and that you actually used to talk to people. Some of them didn’t even look like phones. Here are some of our favorite incognito novelty handsets of yore. Warning: will cause extreme nostalgia. Garfield: Hates Mondays,…

Tech News Leslie Horn

Leslie Horn

Historical Cathedral Renovation Takes Choose Your Own Adventure Route

This 300-Year-Old Farmhouse Hides Its Age

Spin This Desk Lamp All the Way Around

Listen to All 45 Now That’s What I Call Music Albums in One Glorious Playlist

HTC First: Pure Facebook Phone (Update: Hands On)

The Shade Is Also the Dimmer on the Ascent Lamp

You Can Sit in This Pond Without Getting Wet

Apple Highlights App Age Ratings to Clear Up Just How Ruined Your Children Will Be

Take These Tropical Legless Rocking Chairs to the Beach

This Infinitely Configurable Table Was Made for Flip Floppers

The Prefabbed Lustron House Is a Peep at Post-WWII America

Wash Your Hands in the Streets of London

Courtney Love Is in an eCig Commercial So Maybe Don’t Smoke eCigs?

We’d All Be Fat If Every McDonald’s Looked This Inviting

Foldable Rain Boots Are Perfect For Finicky Spring Weather

You Can Access Dropbox From Inside Yahoo Mail Now

Don’t Mistake This Ski Resort For the Actual Mountain

These Architectural Playhouses Make You Want To Be a Kid Again

Piet Mondrian Inspired This Three-Piece Vase

14 Ridiculously Retro Novelty Phones

INIU Portable Power Bank Is Small in Size and Smaller in Price for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (45W, 10,000mAh)

Humans Were Already Dog People 16,000 Years Ago, DNA Suggests

California Regulator Says Tesla’s ‘Robotaxis’ Are More Like a Limo in the Eyes of the Law

Dyson Airwrap Falls to an All-Time Low in Amazon’s Spring Sale, Lowering the Barrier for This Premium Multi-Styler

The ‘Tales from ’85’ Trailer Wants You Back in ‘Stranger Things’ Already

Forget Ray-Ban Meta, XREAL 1S AR/XR Virtual Screen Smart Glasses Drop to Record Low on Amazon

Pixel Buds Pro 2 Hit Record Low as Google Continues Its Clearance-Like Price Cuts Following Smartphone Deals

DJI Now Has a Cheaper 360 Drone Than Insta360, but the U.S. Won’t Get It

Amazon Clears Out Apple Watch Series 9 With Silver Stainless Steel Case at 48% Off During Spring Sale

What Do You Mean Fox McCloud Is in the ‘Super Mario Galaxy’ Movie

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

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees