Sam Biddle, Author at Gizmodo

More Great News: Common Plastics Are Killing Your Sperm

Bisphenol A, or BPA, as its close friends call it, is a chemical used to create plastics. It’s included in a ton of great stuff—water bottles, tooth fillings, sports equipment—because it’s cheap and shatterproof. It also kills sperm. A new report by Kaiser Permanente only scares us shitless about BPA even more, saying that elevated…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Virus Strike Borrows Flight Control’s Mojo for Puzzle Gaming

The “connect colored blocks” subgenre isn’t exactly fresh—which is what makes Virus Strike so interesting. It has managed to put some new life into an ancient puzzler type, letting you guide each falling brick with lines you draw. The format isn’t totally novel—you’re still just trying to line up spheres with other spheres of the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Apple’s New Gaming Patent Would Allow iPhone Laser Tag

“Interactive Gaming with Co-Located, Networked Direction and Location Aware Devices,” sounds dull, but Apple’s latest patent is anything but. The tech described would use augmented reality tricks to open up whole new forms of portable gameplay—iPhone guns, anyone? The gist of the patent is its ability to take advantage of the phone’s position-sensing guts—gyroscope, accelerometer,…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Forget Dull White Coats: Laboratory Life Is Fascinating

If you don’t work inside one, you might expect laboratory work to be humdrum. But throughout history, some spectacular scenes have occurred in labs across the world. LIFE brings us a gallery of these moments-from the impressive to the strange. This shot, of endless specimens in a 1950 cancer lab, is simply dizzying—though it’s not…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Build a Lego Ornament with Powerpig

Glass balls, tacky sequined stars, little trains—most ornaments suck. But these custom Lego designs from Giz illustrator emeritus Powerpig, do not suck. They are the coolest tree-adornment we’ve seen in some time. Here’s how to make you own. Powerpig’s site offers more than one way to piece together some plastic cheer. You might think November…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Ominous Abandoned Six Flags Is a Few Zombie Hordes Short of the Apocalypse

A video adventurer was daring enough to infiltrate this abandoned Six Flags outside New Orleans—derelict since Hurricane Katrina—and record footage. The environs are haunting, to say the least—and we watched with the expectation of some zombie cameos. The footage is, beyond being the picture perfect backdrop for a post-apocalyptic flick, an eery reminder of the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Mega-Video Chatting Skype 5 Beta Is Now on Your Mac

Skype Beta 5 OS X is now up for download—bringing you a host of tweaks, interfaces changes, and most importantly—awesome group video chatting. We can’t promise your Mac Skype vid conferences will feature Jason Chen clones, however. [Skype] https://gizmodo.com/skype-5-0-windows-beta-has-10-way-video-calling-5628892

Tech News Sam Biddle

Firesheep Vigilante Warns Exposed Users by Messaging Them With Their Own Facebook Accounts

You might question his methods, but New York software engineer Gary LosHuertos wanted to warn his fellow Starbucks customers that their browsing data was open to the world, thanks to Firesheep. So he hijacked their accounts to prove it. Gary sat, idling with a cup of coffee, until he had collected around 40 Facebook logins…

Social Media Sam Biddle

Giz Rides the Cash Cab: You Totally Would Have Won $200 Yesterday

There’s nothing more rewarding to us than you, our readers. Well, that, and starring on yesterday’s episode of Cash Cab. This mysterious gadget blog (rumored to be Steve Jobs’ favorite) netted a couple $200. It could have been you! The bearded gent in the peacoat had no problem identifying us as the website in question…

Tech News Sam Biddle

TSA Employee Was Busy Pranking Passengers With Fake Bags of Coke Instead of Testing New Security Equipment

Ah, the old “planting a fake bag of cocaine on a stressed traveler” trick—a classic! A recently released document reveals an idiotic TSA screener who, earlier this year, joked around with fake cocaine instead of doing his job. The man, whose name has been redacted from the disclosed reports acquired by The Smoking Gun, was…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

This Adorable Pocket Synth Will Make You an 8-Bit Legend

If I had one of these Pocket Piano synthesizers, I would just roam the streets playing it, without a care—much like the dudes in this video. It’s quite beautiful (those wooden buttons!), sounds great, and is hand-made. You play the Pocket Piano with its cute (and yet, so strong and awesomely retro—like Princess Leia) buttons.…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Echolocation Forces Poor Bats to Nosedive Into Metal

It ain’t easy being a bat, what with hanging upside down, and extinction threats. But fascinating research shows they’re also helpless against their innate echolocation sense, which makes them attempt to drink from metallic sheets they detect as still water. The above video from Nature illustrates new findings about the navigational capabilities of the little…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Is Capital One Offering Different Loans Based on Your Browser?

A fellow named Devin was looking to grab a car loan from Capital One to pay off his new ride. Normal stuff. Not normal? The bank’s website apparently offering different interest rates based on which browser he used. Algorithm discrimination! Devin found that when using Firefox, he was offered a 3.5% rate. But when using…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Touch Dirk the Daring With Dragon’s Lair HD for iPad

It isn’t easy being an adventure gamer these days—especially one who gets off on the vintage and oft-forgotten stuff. Lucky for you, Dragon’s Lair—the hilarious, laserdisc classic, has a new home on the iPad. The $5 touch-enabled title stays true to the original, using visuals adapted from the same beautiful, hand drawn artwork of the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

TIE Fighters Invade Your City

Manhattan is a kinda interesting place, I guess. What would really liven it up would be the opportunity to defend it from the Imperial Fleet. A new augmented reality iOS game will let you—or protect your own hometown. Star Wars Arcade: Falcon Gunner, developed by Vertigore Games and published by THQ Wireless, takes your surroundings…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Buy a Movie on Amazon and Get a Online Copy Free With Disc+

Amazon is now offering a complimentary Video on Demand copy of over 10,000 of the DVDs and Blu-rays it—for free. You’ll only have VoD access for 30 days, but that should last you until the disc arrives. [Amazon]

Commerce Sam Biddle

Buying an Empty Bottle of Kitchen Cleaner Actually Isn’t a Scam

Replenish knows something that you might not—almost all (they claim 95%) of cleaning agents are water. The rest is the chemical concentrate that gets things done. So why pay for water? Replenish sells empty bottles and concentrate. Simple. When the bottle arrives, you just fill it up with your own tap water and pop on…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Caress Your Touchscreen in the Cold With Agloves

We’ve hit November, which means that for many of you, it’s starting to get really, really cold. So how are we supposed to multitouch with mittens on? Agloves has a pair of $18 capacitive screen-capable gloves, knitted with silver. They aren’t the chicest and probably not the warmest—though Agloves does claim the silver threading will…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Serial Port Connection for iPhone Is the King of All Retro Hacks

Making your iPhone play nice with an ancient serial connection is a feat in itself—but a group of IT workers didn’t just do it to impress. Turns out, it’s incredibly useful to have access to the dinosaur port. A jailbroken iPhone hacked into last decade works wonders with server racks, allowing technicians to carry around…

Tech News Sam Biddle

A Look at the Tech Inside Printer Cartridge Bombs

Terrorists are running out of places to put their bombs—even shoes are off limits now. So where do you stick explosives these days? Here’s a look inside the deviously clever design of printer bombs that made recent headlines. Officials aren’t certain what group is behind the improvised bombs that found their way onto cargo planes…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Sam Biddle

More Great News: Common Plastics Are Killing Your Sperm

Virus Strike Borrows Flight Control’s Mojo for Puzzle Gaming

Apple’s New Gaming Patent Would Allow iPhone Laser Tag

Forget Dull White Coats: Laboratory Life Is Fascinating

Build a Lego Ornament with Powerpig

Ominous Abandoned Six Flags Is a Few Zombie Hordes Short of the Apocalypse

Mega-Video Chatting Skype 5 Beta Is Now on Your Mac

Firesheep Vigilante Warns Exposed Users by Messaging Them With Their Own Facebook Accounts

Giz Rides the Cash Cab: You Totally Would Have Won $200 Yesterday

TSA Employee Was Busy Pranking Passengers With Fake Bags of Coke Instead of Testing New Security Equipment

This Adorable Pocket Synth Will Make You an 8-Bit Legend

Echolocation Forces Poor Bats to Nosedive Into Metal

Is Capital One Offering Different Loans Based on Your Browser?

Touch Dirk the Daring With Dragon’s Lair HD for iPad

TIE Fighters Invade Your City

Buy a Movie on Amazon and Get a Online Copy Free With Disc+

Buying an Empty Bottle of Kitchen Cleaner Actually Isn’t a Scam

Caress Your Touchscreen in the Cold With Agloves

Serial Port Connection for iPhone Is the King of All Retro Hacks

A Look at the Tech Inside Printer Cartridge Bombs

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Humanity’s Epic Return to the Moon 🔴

NASA’s Artemis 2 Mission Blasts Off

Disney’s Robot Olaf Dying Is the Funniest Thing to Happen in 2026

Kia’s EV3 Is Headed to the US This Year With Up to 320 Miles of Range

This Is the Way to Lego’s April Releases

Group Pushing Age Verification Requirements for AI Turns Out to Be Sneakily Backed by OpenAI

Amazon Facilities in Bahrain Hit Again as Iran Follows Through on Threat, Report Says

Why the PS6 Handheld Will Matter More Than the PS6

DNA Study Casts Even More Doubt on Shroud of Turin’s True Origin

Sam Witwer Is Ready for Maul’s Moment

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

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

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?