Robbie Gonzalez, Author at Gizmodo

How well did NYC’s flood analysis predict the reality of Hurricane Sandy?

On October 29th, 2012, Hurricane Sandy’s storm surge advanced mercilessly on New York City. Subway lines we inundated. City streets turned fluvial. Gawker’s server host did its best impression of Niagara Falls. Shit got — as they say — real. Here’s the thing: risk analysts had accounted for a hurricane like Sandy (to the best…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 5 '13

In the future everything will hover and YOU WILL LOVE IT

You will be especially fond of hover Robert-Downey-Jr.-clad-in-nothing-but-an-Iron-Man-mask. Because what’s not to love about RDJ in nothing but an Iron Man mask? This short (suitably titled “The Future”) was created by London-based filmmaker and animator Alex Goddard. We like where this guy’s head’s at. More of his work here. H/T Jason Bittle

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 5 '13

An interactive map of what New Yorkers complain about, by borough

If somebody went and made kvetching an organized sport, New Yorkers would no doubt be among the game’s most preternaturally gifted bellyachers. But what, exactly, would they complain about? Driven by a desire to visualize NYC’s grievances on a city-wide scale, media artist Dietmar Offenhuber — an alumnus of MIT’s thoroughly awesome Media Lab —…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 4 '13

The sticky truth about Spider-Man’s “web”

Spiders make their webs from silk extruded by special organs known as spinneret glands. But spinnerets are located at the tip of a spider’s abdomen, not its limbs. So is Peter Parker anatomically incorrect? Well… not exactly. We had the pleasure of hanging out with the entomologist known online as Bug Girl this weekend, during…

Books & Comics Robbie Gonzalez Feb 4 '13

How to induce fear in “fearless” people

The amygdala is popularly referred to as the brain’s “fear center,” due to the central role it plays in regulating the body’s fear response. So pivotal is this small, almond-shaped structure’s involvement, that S.M. (a woman whose amygdala has been ravaged by a rare condition known as Urbach–Wiethe disease), has been said not to suffer…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 4 '13

Remembering the Crew of Space Shuttle Columbia

Ten years ago today, we lost Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew. Here, Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin salutes as NASA Administrator Charles Bolden looks on, during a wreath laying ceremony held in the crew’s memory today at Arlington National Cemetery. A public memorial service was also held at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Today…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 1 '13

Wow. So Google Street View is now available for the Grand Canyon.

Google strapped backpack-mounted cameras onto members of their team and sent them trekking through the Grand Canyon. The end result? Google Street View for Arizona’s great gorge, though a more accurate description would probably be “Trail View”; according to the official Google Blog, the company’s newly released interactive panoramas cover more than 75 miles of…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 1 '13

NASA will launch the largest solar sail in history as soon as next year

Solar sails are all about “propellantless” propulsion — using photons from the Sun (as opposed to an onboard fuel supply) to push a spacecraft through space. Building on the lessons learned from smaller solar sail missions, like NASA’s NanoSail-D and JAXA’s IKAROS, NASA is gearing up to to launch the biggest solar sail in history…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Feb 1 '13

The Year’s Best Visualizations of Scientific Concepts

Every year for the last decade, the National Science Foundation has teamed up with the journal Science to co-sponsor the International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge. The competition recognizes scientists and artists who use visual media to communicate, and promote the understanding of, scientific research. The winners were just announced, and this year’s top visualizations…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 31 '13

On Twitter, @TheAverageShark follows just one person

One person and one person only. The more I get of you, The stranger it feeeeeeeeels, yeah. My power, my pleasure, MY PAIN! All together, now. H/T Craig McClain [@TheAverageShark via Deep Sea News]

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 31 '13

This is where Chicago gets its guns

Gun laws are strict in Chicago. In fact, until 2010, there was an outright ban on handguns. But you wouldn’t know it from the number of firearms seized in crimes and unpermitted uses in 2012 (7,400 to New York City’s 3,285), to say nothing of the city’s staggering gun violence. “Not a single gun shop…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 31 '13

A Moonrise Unlike Any You’ve Ever Seen

This is not a time lapse. This moonrise, recorded just two days ago and presented here in real time, was shot in Wellington, New Zealand — and it is positively spellbinding. Seriously. Just watch. The moon illusion is working overtime here, thanks to some clever camera placement by astrophotographer Mark Gee, who set up shop…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 30 '13

Why You Always Wake Up Early After a Night of Drinking

Lots of people have a little booze before bed to help them get to sleep — but while a night cap may help in the dozing-off department, too much alcohol can actually do a number on the overall quality of your shuteye. Let’s take a look at some of the important differences between drunk sleep…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 30 '13

Pluto just got denied planetary status AGAIN

Way over yonder in Berlin, Germany, the annual festival of media art and digital culture known as “transmediale” is just getting underway. This year’s theme: BWPWAP (Back When Pluto Was a Planet). Mike Brown, the astronomer who killed Pluto, was invited to speak at the festival’s opening ceremony, which included a debate over Pluto’s demotion…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 29 '13

“Lost” tortoise found alive in storeroom after 30 years, immediately crowned hide-and-seek champion of the world

Manuela the red-footed tortoise was believed to have made her grand escape back in 1982. Her owners, the Almeida family of Rio de Janeiro, had been preoccupied with a home renovation at the time; Manuela, they surmised, had slipped unnoticed through a door left open by some careless workers. They thought Manueala had escaped. They…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 29 '13

Why Gay Men May Be Less Anxious Than Straight Ones

There’s no question that being closeted is emotionally and psychologically taxing. Now, newly-published research demonstrates that gay, lesbian and bi people who are out have lower stress hormone levels and fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression than those who hide their identities. The findings suggest that while coming out of the closet can be incredibly…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 29 '13

NFL fans by U.S. county, according to Facebook

On the surface Facebook is a social network, but those in the know recognize that it’s actually one of the largest datasets of human trends, preferences and activity ever catalogued. One way to appreciate the vast potential of this dataset is to use the company’s new Graph Search to find people who like “shitting their…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 29 '13

It’s Okay to be Smart is now on YouTube!

Joe Hanson, creator of the fantastic science tumblr It’s Okay to be Smart, has a new YouTube science show by the very same name. He’s teamed up with PBS to make it happen, and it sounds like they’ve got big things in store. Via his Hanson’s tumblr: I can’t tell you how excited I am…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 28 '13

This is what happens when you open a can of mixed nuts in space

This video comes to you courtesy of Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield — the first Canuck to walk in space, and easily one of the country’s greatest exports since Kids in the Hall. Or Keanu Reeves. Or maybe William Shatner. Whatever, you get the idea. Dude rules. Fun Canada/space/awesome-collision-of-scifi-and-science fact: Shatner recently opened a hailing frequency…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 28 '13

Can you learn to taste numbers, smell words, or hear colors?

Do you know anybody who experiences synesthesia? Also known as “synesthetes,” they’re people whose cognitive pathways have become jumbled, such that they associate seemingly unrelated senses or mental states with other senses or experiences — hearing colors, for example, or tasting sounds. Scientists still aren’t sure what gives rise to this strange phenomenon and its…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jan 28 '13

Robbie Gonzalez

How well did NYC’s flood analysis predict the reality of Hurricane Sandy?

In the future everything will hover and YOU WILL LOVE IT

An interactive map of what New Yorkers complain about, by borough

The sticky truth about Spider-Man’s “web”

How to induce fear in “fearless” people

Remembering the Crew of Space Shuttle Columbia

Wow. So Google Street View is now available for the Grand Canyon.

NASA will launch the largest solar sail in history as soon as next year

The Year’s Best Visualizations of Scientific Concepts

On Twitter, @TheAverageShark follows just one person

This is where Chicago gets its guns

A Moonrise Unlike Any You’ve Ever Seen

Why You Always Wake Up Early After a Night of Drinking

Pluto just got denied planetary status AGAIN

“Lost” tortoise found alive in storeroom after 30 years, immediately crowned hide-and-seek champion of the world

Why Gay Men May Be Less Anxious Than Straight Ones

NFL fans by U.S. county, according to Facebook

It’s Okay to be Smart is now on YouTube!

This is what happens when you open a can of mixed nuts in space

Can you learn to taste numbers, smell words, or hear colors?

What Footage Could Possibly Be Added to ‘Endgame’ to Make it ‘Critical’ for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’?

Spirit Airlines Wants a Trump Bailout as Jet Fuel Prices Skyrocket

California Accuses Amazon of Price Fixing

Even Team Avatar Wants ‘Legend of Aang’ Back in Theaters, Leaks Be Damned

Egyptian Archaeologists Find Perfectly Circular Temple Tied to Ancient Water Cult

House Candidate Unveils Plan to Pay Americans Who Face AI Job Displacement

NASA Shut Down Voyager 1 Science Instrument After Unexpected Power Drop

Tim Cook Is Done as CEO of Apple

You Have to Watch This Trailer for What Is Basically ‘Hungry Hungry Hippos’ Made Horror

On ‘Maul: Shadow Lord’, the Old Ways Aren’t as Over as They Seem

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

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go