Ed Grabianowski, Author at Gizmodo

What if H.P. Lovecraft Wrote Young Adult Fiction, Then Made an RPG Out of It?

Being a kid is tough. Being a kid with an extra-dimensional shambling gibbering drooling non-Euclidean monster for a pet? That’s something else entirely. Welcome to Monsters and Other Childish Things. Monsters and Other Childish Things is a role-playing game in which all of the player characters are children. They have to deal with many of…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Jan 21

Advanced Imaging Reveals a Computer 1,500 Years Ahead of Its Time

X-rays and advanced photography have uncovered the true complexity of the mysterious Antikythera mechanism, a device so astonishing that its discovery is like finding a functional Buick in medieval Europe. In 1900, some divers found the wreck of a Roman vessel off the Greek island of Antikythera. Among the other treasures remanded to the Greek…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Jan 8

Star Wars Miniatures Preview — Boushh, Ubese Hunter

Boushh’s reputation as brutal, calculating bounty hunter with a psychotic streak wasn’t the least bit diminished by the fact that he was successfully impersonated by a princess. Honest. The Imperial Entanglements expansion for Star Wars Miniatures gave us Leia, Bounty Hunter – the damsel-creating-distress (for Jabba, that is) was wearing Boushh’s old armor, but not…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Dec 24

How Close Are We To Colonizing Space?

How close are we to long-term human habitation beyond low-Earth orbit? Colonies on the moon or Mars are still many years off, but the good news is there are several serious efforts underway to make it happen. The ISS. The closest thing we currently have to a space colony is the International Space Station. While…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Dec 18

Blue Whales Are Changing Their Tunes, But Why?

The songs blue whales use to communicate and attract mates have been dropping in pitch worldwide for decades, and researchers think it might actually be a sign that an endangered population is recovering. No one is completely sure what whale songs are used for – theories include mating calls, other forms of communication, and possibly…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Dec 11

There Could Be an Ice Age Two Months from Now

Everyone knows disaster movies are totally unrealistic — massive climate change doesn’t just happen in a few months, right? Wrong. Some Canadian scientists have figured out that it did once, and very easily could again. Earth’s climate has shifted drastically many times in its history, but barring massive asteroid impacts, climate change tends to play…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Dec 2

How To Make Yourself Apocalypse-Ready

We often talk about fictional apocalypses here at io9, but what if the collapse of civilization actually happens in your lifetime? Here are some things you can start doing right now to make sure you’re ready to ride it out. Learn To Make Fire. In a post-apocalyptic scenario, you have to account for both short…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 26

Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World

You can’t wander into the speculative future (or alternative past) blindly – you need a guide to show you the way. These five game manuals are the best at explaining aliens, mutants, angry robots and even non-sparkly vampires. Call of Cthulhu RPG: Malleus Monstrorum. With the subtitle, “Lore of Things Beyond,” you know this book…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 18

The Best Sub-Light Propulsion System This Side of Luyten 726-8B

Today, we use ion thrusters to correct satellite orbits and visit asteroids. In 100 years, we might be using them to propel massive generation ships that send colonists to a different part of the galaxy. Your typical space craft is propelled by chemical rockets. It is basically riding a continuous explosion to get from point…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 11

Superconductors Make Life (and Science Fiction) Awesome

If you’ve ever had an MRI scan or accelerated a sub-atomic particle to near light speed, then you’ve experienced the wonders of superconductors. Here’s how they work, what they do, and how they can be used in science fiction. The basic idea of a superconductor is simple: it’s a material that conducts electric current with…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Aug 17

The Memory of Feeling is Not Feeling: “Memory Sticks” Explores Human Computers

At what point does the use of technology dimish your humanity? Wood Ingham gets deep into the human-computer interface in his new novella Memory Sticks. A few months ago, Wood Ingham joined with authors Will Hindmarch and Chuck Wendig, to form an on-line writer’s collective known as Jet-Pack. Although initially connected by their work for…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Jul 30

The Best Way To Break Into Science Fiction Writing Is Online Publishing

The only way forward for new writers is digital publishing, says game and novel writer Michael Stackpole. If you want to write for a living, learn to love this post-paper age. Stackpole gave a seminar titled, “Writing in the post-paper era,” at the Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH a week ago. His feelings on…

Books & Comics Ed Grabianowski Jul 6

Mechwarriors, Starships, Martians and More at the Origins Game Fair

The Origins Game Fair, devoted to tabletop gaming, was held in Columbus, OH this past weekend. Along with all the dragons and elves, there were a lot of sci-fi themed games. I’ve got the lowdown for you. Virtual Worlds was on hand with a dozen MechWarrior simulator pods. These surprisingly sophisticated sims let players climb…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Jul 2

The Rise (and Fall) of the Apocalypsemobile at the Enduro Smashup Race

On New Year’s Day, while you were complaining about the Gregorian calendar or nursing a wicked hangover, I was hurtling around a snow-covered racetrack, en route to destroying a perfectly good Saturn station wagon. After all the months of preparation, we finally hit the track with the io9 Apocalypsemobile, running in the 4-cylinder class of…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Jan 5

Apocalypsemobile Update: Nuclear Winter at the Enduro

New Year’s Day approaches, when brave warriors at an enduro destructo-race will don protective helmets and strap themselves to mighty vehicles of destruction, destined to wage war on the frozen fields of a wreckage-strewn wasteland. A few things have changed since we last saw the Apocalypsemobile. It runs now, which is nice (though the “door…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Dec 23

The Alien Killing Video Game That Makes You Long for the 80s

The year: 1987. The place: a local bowling alley’s arcade room. The target: an oddly shaped cabinet in the far corner of the smoky, strobing game area, where three surly teenagers were hunched over the control panel, forearms twitching as they blasted their way through room after room of slimy aliens. I nervously waited my…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 26

Bachelor Pads of the International Space Station

You’re stuck for months inside a cramped tin can with a bunch of total strangers, with no gravity, fresh food or World of Warcraft. And yeah, you’re forced to drink the recycled sweat of your fellow astronauts (or your own urine). But that doesn’t mean you can’t have your own stylin’ bachelor (or bachelorette) pad…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 25

We All Live in a Flying Submarine

For some military operations, you need a submarine. For others, you need a plane. But what if you need both? DARPA has a plan for that – a submarine that flies. Or a plane that submerges, depending on your point of view.Currently, the flying sub only exists as a set of design objectives issued by…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 24

Kill Mickey Mouse in a Strange Game of Corporate Brand Slavery

You’re a hard-working Rep for AwesomeTech Solutions (ATS), a global corporation that values creativity, the future, and nostalgia. Except it doesn’t value any of those things, only profit. And they want you to assassinate Mickey Mouse. The skills to pull it off have been uploaded into your brain, but are you really willing to sell…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 21

A Step-By-Step Guide to Resurrecting the Woolly Mammoth

As our grasp of genetics and cloning grows, the one question everyone asks is, “When can we recreate an extinct species from old DNA?” It just so happens that scientists have quite a bit of woolly mammoth DNA lying around, and now science journal Nature has got the resurrection process all figured out.Mammoths lived and…

io9 Ed Grabianowski Nov 20

Ed Grabianowski

What if H.P. Lovecraft Wrote Young Adult Fiction, Then Made an RPG Out of It?

Advanced Imaging Reveals a Computer 1,500 Years Ahead of Its Time

Star Wars Miniatures Preview — Boushh, Ubese Hunter

How Close Are We To Colonizing Space?

Blue Whales Are Changing Their Tunes, But Why?

There Could Be an Ice Age Two Months from Now

How To Make Yourself Apocalypse-Ready

Gaming Manuals That Will Prepare You For An Alternate World

The Best Sub-Light Propulsion System This Side of Luyten 726-8B

Superconductors Make Life (and Science Fiction) Awesome

The Memory of Feeling is Not Feeling: “Memory Sticks” Explores Human Computers

The Best Way To Break Into Science Fiction Writing Is Online Publishing

Mechwarriors, Starships, Martians and More at the Origins Game Fair

The Rise (and Fall) of the Apocalypsemobile at the Enduro Smashup Race

Apocalypsemobile Update: Nuclear Winter at the Enduro

The Alien Killing Video Game That Makes You Long for the 80s

Bachelor Pads of the International Space Station

We All Live in a Flying Submarine

Kill Mickey Mouse in a Strange Game of Corporate Brand Slavery

A Step-By-Step Guide to Resurrecting the Woolly Mammoth

Scientists Think They’ve Finally Discovered Why Your Cat Never Finishes Its Meal

Artemis 2 Day 7: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

5 Things We Noticed During NASA’s Historic Lunar Flyby

Trump’s War on American Cybersecurity Ramps Up With Planned $700 Million Cuts to CISA

10 Years Ago Today, ‘Star Wars’ Changed Its Future With the First Look at ‘Rogue One’

Mysterious VHS Tapes May Herald the Release of a New Boards of Canada Project

‘Exit 8’ Is a Satisfying, Scary Twitch Stream Come to Life

Sam Altman Says It’ll Take Another Year Before ChatGPT Can Start a Timer

SpaceX Starship V3 Engine Goes Up in Flames at Texas Site

Rise and Shine and Grab the Breakfast Drugs: the ‘Rick and Morty’ Season 9 Trailer Is Here

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

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

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