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“Most Useless Machine” Duels Mankind and Is Metaphor for All Interactions with Technology

The Most Useless Machine is a box with a switch. You flick the switch, and the box opens, flipping back the switch to close itself. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Over, and over again. That is, until the box flips out. The back and forth struggle between man and machine is consummated by the machine’s conniption fit.…

Tech News Sam Biddle May 11 '11

The End of the Road for BeamItDown and iFlowReader App

BeamItDown, the makers of iFlowReader, one of the App Store’s most popular e-reading apps, are pretty mad at Apple over their new policy to take 30% for any e-book sold. Mad enough that they’re shutting down on May 31st: https://gizmodo.com/apples-new-subscription-model-is-evil-5761383 The crux of the matter is that Apple is now requiring us, as well as…

Tech News Max Behrman May 11 '11

Quite possibly the most squirm-inducing paper on diamond heists ever published

Some of you are undoubtedly considering a sexy, lucrative career in the rarified world of cat burglary. For all you would-be dapper scoundrels, here’s a recent medical paper that’ll be of interest. It’s about the dangers of swallowing your prizes. In “An Unusual Digestive Foreign Body” (which deserves some sort of academic prize for pithy…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar May 11 '11

The Best Deal of the Day

I’m not much of a TV junkie, though I do love my Monday through Thursday nights with Jon Stewart. But I do stream Netflix movies like there’s no tomorrow. And so the deal on this 46-inch Sony Bravia definitely strikes my fancy. I’m pretty sure the ideal weekend for me would be vegging out in…

Tech News Gizmodo Deals May 11 '11

Bug Fixes on io9: Now It’s Easier To Share Stories, and Our Blog View Looks Rad

Yesterday our awesome tech team fixed several bugs on the site that will make things easeir for readers who like sharing links on sites like Facebook and who prefer old the blog layout. We’ve tweaked our URL structure by eliminating the “hashbang” (#!). This means that thumbs and excerpts will now show up when you’ve…

io9 Annalee Newitz May 11 '11

Will Viagra Condoms Convince Men to Use Rubbers?

Some men—and women too—dislike condoms so much that they can’t fully enjoy sex because rubbers affect them psychologically and physically. This may change soon with a new condom designed to maintain long-lasting, stronger erections. Why? According to Dr. Debby Herbenick—associate director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, one of the lead…

Tech News Jesus Diaz May 11 '11

Shooting Challenge: Macro

It’s been a long time coming. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, we’re celebrating the tiny – that which is captured through macro photography. And even if you don’t own a macro lens, don’t fret, there are ways. The Challenge Get super up close and personal with something tiny through macro photography. The Technique So, first…

Tech News Mark Wilson May 11 '11

Want to stay healthy and cancer-free? Have some coffee, chocolate, and wine.

It seems like many of our vices are turning out to have healthy side effects. We already know that chocolate is helpful for circulation, reduces the risk of heart disease, is a cough suppressant, and can keep your brain working as you age (and may be a treatment for HPV). Red wine is one of…

io9 Tim Barribeau May 11 '11

Watch Gizmodo’s Joe Brown Talk Gadgets That Will Be Dead in 5 Years on MSNBC

Joe Brown joined MSNBC’s Contessa Brewer to talk about the gadgets that will be dead in 5 years.

Tech News Brian Barrett May 11 '11

How do you put a scale model of the TARDIS on top of a building? CalTech pranksters reveal all!

After successfully putting a scale model TARDIS (with lights!) on top of a building at MIT, the CalTech pranksters behind the caper took their show on the road. In this video, they reveal how they set up the giant structure on top of a UC Berkeley building (it’s hard to tell for sure, but I…

io9 Annalee Newitz May 11 '11

What (and Why) Is Google’s Chromebox?

Google just gave a sly mention of a desktop version of Chrome OS plugged into a Samsung computer, seen above. And then they didn’t say anything else, other than the fact that it’s coming… sometime later. It looks small. Does putting a Cloud-centric, mobile-purposed OS in a desktop box make a lot of sense? In…

Tech News Sam Biddle May 11 '11

Play Angry Birds Online, Right Now, for Free

Google isn’t above killing a little productivity to prove the power of its web browser. The search engine king has released a special free browser-based version of Rovio’s avian-flinging sensation Angry Birds on the Chrome Web Store, just to prove… [Kotaku]

Tech News Kotaku May 11 '11

Chrome OS Gets More Computer-y Features

Google’s cloudtastic Chrome OS got a little shot in the butt today, with the addition of some features you’d expect from any non-Chromebook system. The updates aren’t the most stunning, but they’ll make Chrome feel more like a real computer. Now included in Chrome OS is a new file manager, which looks like a pretty…

Tech News Sam Biddle May 11 '11

The 10 most absurd superhero drug freakouts

Cyborgs, aliens, and highfalutin space gods aren’t the only perils superheroes face. No, sometimes they battle sentient cocaine or mind-control methamphetamines. Here are 10 (mostly ridiculous) stories in which our favorite do-gooders got dosed. 10.) The Flash does angel dust and beats up the Justice League In 1979’s Flash #275-276, DC Comics decided that it…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar May 11 '11

Google Chrome OS Lands on Chromebooks and Chromeboxes You Can Actually Buy

We’ve already seen Google’s Chrome OS. Now, it plays nice with USB storage and devices. And finally, there’s hardware you can get your hands on. When Google announced the OS, all they had to demonstrate the truest form of Chrome OS on was their CR-48 reference prototype, which was never intended for sale. It was…

Tech News Adrian Covert May 11 '11

David Tennant gives great Criss Angel in new Fright Night stills

New shots from vampire remake Fright Night show David Tennant channeling magical Vegas douche-nozzle Criss Angel so hard, we kind of want to punch him in his guylinered face. According to online chatter, DreamWorks is getting ready to push out a lot of Fright Night buzz. They’ve already set up the facebook page, Twitter account,…

io9 Meredith Woerner May 11 '11

Has the Empire taken over the New York Times?

It seems that the New York Times has finally sold out to the Dark Lord. I guess it was only a matter of time. At least they’re still going for the hard-hitting stories, though – they’ve got the exclusive scoop on Vader’s triumphant announcement that notorious terrorist Obi Wan Kenobi is dead. Check out the…

io9 Annalee Newitz May 11 '11

On Sale Later This Year, Luna the Robot Can Walk Dogs and Do Other Wink Things

Human-sized with soft curves and silky skin, Luna the robot runs on Linux and even has her very own app store. With a touchscreen and cameras and microphones, she can react and respond, and take commands over Wi-Fi if needed. I’m hoping that means she can be told to switch the oven on for when…

Tech News Kat Hannaford May 11 '11

Live From Google IO: Keynote II, Chrome

This was an absolutely packed keynote! Check out what Google has in store for it’s users. 10:22 — Chrome OS Gets More Computer-y Features Google’s cloudtastic Chrome OS got a little shot in the butt today, with the addition of some features you’d expect from any non-Chromebook system. The updates aren’t the most stunning, but…

Tech News Mat Honan May 11 '11

Walk Through the 2011 Smart Home with Joe Brown

Gizmodo’s Joe Brown gave Discovery Canada’s Daily Planet a tour of the 2011 Smart Home on May 11, 2011. Watch the clip above! For media requests contact Kevin Prince at [email protected].

Tech News Scott Kidder May 11 '11

“Most Useless Machine” Duels Mankind and Is Metaphor for All Interactions with Technology

The End of the Road for BeamItDown and iFlowReader App