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Emergence: The scientific concept that explains slime, friction, and Brooklyn neighborhoods

Emergence is the word used to describe what happens when a system becomes more than the combination of its pieces. A set of rules, group of animals, or collection of objects can develop special properties that none of the single pieces possess. The exact cause of this transformation is impossible to pin down, and yet…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Sep 28 '11

This Is the New Amazon Kindle Fire Color Tablet—and It’s Only $199! (Updated with Impressions)

This is incredible. The new Amazon Kindle Fire will cost only $199! This is a killer price for a color tablet. Even while it doesn’t match the iPad’s features, there’s going to be some fierce competition this year. Check out our up close and personal video to see it in action and keep reading for…

Commerce Jesus diaz & sam biddle Sep 28 '11

The Most Frequently Banned or Challenged Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2010

It’s Banned Books Week, and the American Library Association has a list of the most frequently “banned or challenged” books of each year, from 2001 to 2010. And the list is pretty interesting reading — the Harry Potter books were on top of the list in 2001 and 2002, then dropped to number two in…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Sep 28 '11

The DIY Headphone Kit That All the Audio Nerds Are Freaking Out About

The online audio nerd community can be enthusiastic, but they’re going bananas for these DIY headphones. Thunderpants are made in Seattle by forum regular Smeggy, who turns a $75 pair of cans into some of the finest in the world. Smeggy’s Thunderpants are modified versions of Fostex T50RPs—a popular model audiophile hackers like to go…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Sep 28 '11

We’re Live at the Amazon Tablet Event

The nerd world is all atwitter about today’s Amazon event, eagerly anticipating a tablet or two. Will Bezos & Co crash the iPad’s party with a color Kindle Powerhouse? Will the black-and-white e-reader sink below $100? Keep it dialed in to live.gizmodo.com/amazon to find out. Our crew is ready to pounce on any news that…

Commerce Joe Brown Sep 28 '11

Watch Out! Cantaloupes Are Killing People

Cantaloupes, quite possibly might least favorite fruit ever, is being suspected of mass murder. I’m not kidding, 13 people have died after eating the contaminated fruit with 72 more people becoming ill because of it. Just what the hell is going on with cantaloupes? The icky, light orange fruit is assumed to be tainted with…

Tech News Casey Chan Sep 28 '11

How to find a long-lost sunken battleship — using psychology

NPR’s Alix Spiegel has written a must-read article about how a team of cognitive psychologists solved a WWII shipwreck mystery. Spiegel writes: In November 1941, two ships crossed paths off the coast of Australia. One was the German raider HSK Kormoran. The other: an Australian warship called the HMAS Sydney [pictured up top]. Guns were…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Sep 28 '11

Hugh Jackman reveals the future of The Wolverine. Plus tons more intriguing hints for the Doctor Who finale!

Ridley Scott’s new Blade Runner movie finds a writer. Michael Shannon praises the Man of Steel script. Director Shawn Levy explains his proposed Frankenstein update. Plus set photos for The Dark Knight Rises, Doctor Who, and Snow White and the Huntsman! Spoilers await… Top image from Dark Shadows. Man of Steel New General Zod actor…

Television Alasdair Wilkins Sep 28 '11

Wee Tripods Cling To Your Camera Bottom

I always forget my tripod, so I have a collection of stupid MySpace-style shots from all over the world. These new Joby tripods collapse down nearly flat beneath your camera so you can keep them connected all the time. The new Joby Gorillapod Micro 800 and 250 fold themselves up kind of ingeniously to hug…

Tech News Mat Honan Sep 28 '11

Wi-Fi Signals May Be Used To Track Your Movement Inside Your House

Neal Patwari of the University of Utah discovered that breathing affects Wi-Fi signal strength. Chest expansion during a breath bends the wireless signals and they lose some power. This slight drop can be measured and used to calculate your breathing rate. Measuring someone’s breathing rate is helpful, but the use of this technology as a…

Tech News Kelly Sep 28 '11

Wilson Greatbatch, The Man Who Accidentally Invented The Pacemaker, Has Died

Wilson Greatbatch has died at the age of 92. He was a lifelong inventor. And like many inventors, his most notable creation, the implantable cardiac pacemaker, was discovered accidentally. In the 1950s, Greatbatch had left the Navy and was working as medical researcher. He was building an oscillator to record heart sounds when he pulled…

Tech News Kelly Sep 28 '11

Seventy-Five-Year-Old Chair Is Turned Into Steampunk Nerf Gun

Etsy seller faustus70 had a Nerf N-Strike Barricade gun, an old chair and some aluminum lying around. But he didn’t take this stuff to the dump like most people, he used it to build a “Big Daddy” style steampunk gun. Faustus70 carved up the antique wooden chair and used it to cover the NerfF gun.…

Tech News Kelly Sep 28 '11

Watch Hundreds Of New Yorkers Battle Like Darth Maul

New York City’s Washington Square Park was the host to a giant Lightsaber Battle. Almost a thousand people showed up to battle it out in epic Star Wars style. According to organizer Kevin Bracken, people went all out at the nighttime event, dressing up as Jedi Masters and Sith Lords. There was even a zombie…

Tech News Kelly Sep 28 '11

On the season finale of Alphas, the US government becomes its own worst enemy

The season finale of Alphas — “Original Sin” — was appropriately whiz-bang. The shadowy mastermind of Red Flag finally got a face, there was a cliffhanger that will change the status quo for next season, and the American government may have alienated its biggest asset. Spoilers on. “Original Sin” went for the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach. For…

Television Cyriaque Lamar Sep 28 '11

Sesame Street Wants To Make Math and Science Fun Again

Admit it, most of us learned the letter C from the Cookie Monster’s iconic “C is for Cookie” song. But today’s kids – they have it better. They’re getting some Mythbusters along with their daily dose of Big Bird. https://gizmodo.com/have-no-fear-mythbusters-renewed-for-seven-more-years-5600941 Starting this season, Sesame Street will make Jamie and Adam proud by teaching math, science…

Tech News Kelly Sep 27 '11

Here’s A Map Showing The Devastating Power Of The Japanese Tsunami

Japanese researchers have spent the past few months surveying Tsunami damage at 5,300 coastal locations. This information has created the largest Tsunami survey dataset in the world and the first map to visualize the crushing impact of the wave. In the above damage map, the blue coloring shows how far the destructive wave traveled inward…

Tech News Kelly Sep 27 '11

Are Cable Companies Secretly Planning An “A La Carte” Option?

According to Reuters, cable companies are secretly discussing plans that’ll let customers choose what channels they want. Content providers won’t like this “a la carte” arrangement, but who cares. This is something customers wanted like yesterday. [Reuters via Tech Crunch; Image from IKO/Shutterstock]

Television Kelly Sep 27 '11

Mr. Muthafu*kin’ eXquire: The Last Huzzah

If you wanted to catch up on the last 10 years of hip-hop championed by the internet, Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire’s “The Last Huzzah” is a pretty decent place to start. Featuring the likes of El-P, Das Racist, Danny Brown and Despot, this is a heavy hitting posse cut that takes you on a six minute…

Tech News Adrian Covert Sep 27 '11

Why is Rainn Wilson pretending to be a pissed-off fantasy author?

Viral marketing can be pretty obnoxious, but Rainn Wilson yelling nonsense about the Dragonsingers and hungry forests is a case study in how to do it right. Superstar commenter 99TelepodProblems has brought this to our attention. Searching for “Xanthony O’Harbinger” brings up a solitary photo on Wilson’s Facebook page, and William Gibson seems to like…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Sep 27 '11

Daily Desired: This Badass Throwing Axe Hits the Spot

An axe used to be a tool fundamental to human survival. Today, I’m just as likely to be felling trees as felling zombies. I’ve decided to turn to sport to tap my inner woodsman with this vicious throwing axe. As its name implies, the the Base Camp X Airborne is designed to sail true through…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Sep 27 '11

Emergence: The scientific concept that explains slime, friction, and Brooklyn neighborhoods

This Is the New Amazon Kindle Fire Color Tablet—and It’s Only $199! (Updated with Impressions)

The Most Frequently Banned or Challenged Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2010

The DIY Headphone Kit That All the Audio Nerds Are Freaking Out About

We’re Live at the Amazon Tablet Event

Watch Out! Cantaloupes Are Killing People

How to find a long-lost sunken battleship — using psychology

Hugh Jackman reveals the future of The Wolverine. Plus tons more intriguing hints for the Doctor Who finale!

Wee Tripods Cling To Your Camera Bottom

Wi-Fi Signals May Be Used To Track Your Movement Inside Your House

Wilson Greatbatch, The Man Who Accidentally Invented The Pacemaker, Has Died

Seventy-Five-Year-Old Chair Is Turned Into Steampunk Nerf Gun

Watch Hundreds Of New Yorkers Battle Like Darth Maul

On the season finale of Alphas, the US government becomes its own worst enemy

Sesame Street Wants To Make Math and Science Fun Again

Here’s A Map Showing The Devastating Power Of The Japanese Tsunami

Are Cable Companies Secretly Planning An “A La Carte” Option?

Mr. Muthafu*kin’ eXquire: The Last Huzzah

Why is Rainn Wilson pretending to be a pissed-off fantasy author?

Daily Desired: This Badass Throwing Axe Hits the Spot

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