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The Galactic Empire Takes Control of Wall Street

It looks like Wall Street is getting a little boost from the Dark Side of the Force. Darth Vader and a team of Clone Troopers arrived at the New York Stock Exchange this morning to ring the opening bell. [via The Hollywood Reporter]

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 22 '09

Gadget Deals of the Day

Do you hear those sleigh bells jing-a-ling, ring-ting-ting-a-ling too? Is your guilt over gift-buying procrastination growing like a snowball rolling down a mountainside? Check out today’s Dealz to find stuff for all the geeks and gamers in your life. Top Deals: • 14″ Lenovo G450 Dual Core Laptop with 3GB RAM for $404.10 plus free…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Dec 22 '09

Luke Wilson Helps Clear Up 3G Confusion

AT&T offers what Verizon doesn’t: The most popular smartphones, the ability to talk and surf the Web at the same time, and access to over 100,000 apps* – all on the nation’s fastest 3G network.** When you compare, there really is no comparison. AT&T offers a better 3G experience. To help clear up some confusion,…

Tech News Chrissie Lamond Dec 22 '09

Mom Calls Cops For Help With Son’s Gaming Addiction

A 14-year-old boy’s mother had enough with her son’s gaming over the weekend. After turning off the console hoping he would stop gaming, she called police to ask for their help in solving her son’s “addiction.” According to the story first reported in the Boston Herald, Angela Mejia had enough with her son’s gaming when…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert Dec 22 '09

Samurai Sword Chopsticks Let You Seppuku Your Sashimi

If you love sushi but hate sharing, these chopsticks should help fend off any potential unagi poachers. There are three sets of chopsticks and holders, in all, named after actual 17th century samurai. Those who can’t wait until May can pre-order here. Don’t be fooled: they may call it a toy, but you and I…

Tech News Brian Barrett Dec 22 '09

20 Science Fiction Characters Who Got Their Legs Back

In Avatar, Jake Sully’s in a wheelchair, until a magical brain tech turns him into a running, jumping, soaring blue dude. The disabled character who regains the use of his legs is a science fiction mainstay. Here are 20 examples. Chances are, you’ve come across lots of SF stories where a disabled person regains the…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Dec 22 '09

You Mess With Nature, Nature Will Mess With You Right Back

Here is a photo of a videographer getting taken down by an eagle. This is basically the plot of Avatar completely summed up, made for considerably less than $250 million. [Reddit via The Daily What] https://gizmodo.com/avatar-review-yes-it-changed-everything-after-all-5429424

Biology Adam Frucci Dec 22 '09

14 Christmas Wishes Left Unspoken for Obvious Reasons

There’s a reason that people ask for realistic stuff like the Star Trek Blu-ray for Christmas instead of what they really want in their heart of hearts. Because their heart of hearts are fucking crazy.

Tech News Adam Frucci Dec 22 '09

Doctor Who Saves The Day, Wins Over New Fans

The American premiere of Doctor Who‘s “The Waters of Mars” helped BBC America hit an all-time ratings high this weekend, building anticipation for next week’s final episodes. Click through for ratings and videos. Over a million viewers tuned into the American premiere of “The Waters of Mars,” giving BBC America its highest ever primetime rating.…

Television Graeme McMillan Dec 22 '09

The Galactic Empire Has Taken Over Wall Street

It seems that Wall Street is finally an official part of a dark empire. Or at least that’s the impression I’m getting from seeing Darth Vader himself ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange earlier. Wonder if that long awkward silence is because everyone’s trying to think of a non-obvious joke about…

Tech News Rosa Golijan Dec 22 '09

Why Even Clumsy People Like You Would Have Trouble Breaking The Display On a Motorola Droid

If you were cursed with buttery fingers, you might want to consider what kind of display glass your gadgets are sporting. Devices like the Motorola Droid, Dell Adamo laptop and Cowon S9 PMP have added strength because of Gorilla Glass. Apparently, Gorilla Glass differs from the product you might find in a typical smartphone because…

Tech News Sean Fallon Dec 22 '09

What “Open” Means to Google

This treatise was an email sent to Googlers about the meaning of “open” for Google. It’s long, but if you use Google products (meaning they know a lot of stuff about you), you probably wanna know how they’re thinking, right? The short version: open standards and open information, whatever that means. [Google]

Tech News Matt Buchanan Dec 22 '09

iPhone, Meet Razr: The Ten Most Popular Phones in the Country

I have to admit I was surprised at the iPhone and BlackBerry 8300 series did so well here—the two most popular handsets in the country, going into 2010, are full-fledged smartphones. Also surprising: people still buy Razrs. Razrs! Motorola’s fall from grace started when they couldn’t come up with a serious successor to the megapopular…

Tech News John Herrman Dec 22 '09

Ping Pong Robot Hides in the Ceiling Until the Moment Is Right

There are office pranks and then there are office pranks. This ceiling-mounted, ping-pong-ball-firing robot is distinctly in the latter category. Built by someone from the CKBot group at UPenn’s Modlab, this terrifying little device hides in the ceiling above a cubicle. When activated, it pops up a ceiling tile and unleashes a hot fury of…

Tech News Adam Frucci Dec 22 '09

Blotto, a column

CRAFTING is the sort of activity that anyone thinks they can do until they do it. We may have a genetic propensity for making tools, but it is easier to make another meat human than to whittle one from wood. CRAFT IN AMERICA is a 3-part television series from PBS, which is like NPR but…

Tech News Joel Johnson Dec 22 '09

If The Punisher Had a Mac, He’d Wear This Shirt

Joshua Kemble’s incredibly badass pinwheel of death t-shirt is just $9, and available today only. Here’s what the shirt looks like from a distance: I would love a sticker with this design on it. [Tee Fury via Super Punch]

Tech News Matt Buchanan Dec 22 '09

Connie Willis Explains How Science Fiction Came Back From Its Near-Death Experience

Connie Willis talks to Publishers Weekly about her forthcoming time-travel duology, Blackout/All-Clear. And she explains that when she started writing SF, 30 years ago, she was warned she’d come too late to a dying genre. Says Willis: At my very first writer’s conference, George R.R. Martin said to me, “It’s a pity you’re getting into…

Books & Comics Charlie Jane Anders Dec 22 '09

MagicPrefs Is Like Pixie Dust for the Magic Mouse (A Must Download)

If you have a Magic Mouse, you need to download MagicPrefs—it lets you fully customize gestures, swipes, touch sensitivity and, crucially if you’ve got a 27-inch iMac, double the tracking speed. It’s free. [Apple]

Tech News Matt Buchanan Dec 22 '09

Despicable Me’s Disturbing Minions Are The Antithesis Of Pixar

This talking twinkie people clip from the new supervillain film Despicable Me isolate exactly what gives us chills about this film: the minions. Their upsetting cackles and strange hair make us uncomfortable. The film Despicable Me is about the supervillain Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, and his attempt to remain the baddest evildoer in the…

io9 Meredith Woerner Dec 22 '09

Play Us a Holiday Diddy on the HTC Mobile of Mobiles

Using 50 HTC Touch handsets connected to computers with custom programming, James Theophane created a musical art installation that you can actually play via internet magic. Just head on over to the live stream and use the virtual keyboard to play a song, something resembling a song or a random and hideous mashup of notes…

Tech News Sean Fallon Dec 22 '09

The Galactic Empire Takes Control of Wall Street

Gadget Deals of the Day

Luke Wilson Helps Clear Up 3G Confusion

Mom Calls Cops For Help With Son’s Gaming Addiction

Samurai Sword Chopsticks Let You Seppuku Your Sashimi

20 Science Fiction Characters Who Got Their Legs Back

You Mess With Nature, Nature Will Mess With You Right Back

14 Christmas Wishes Left Unspoken for Obvious Reasons

Doctor Who Saves The Day, Wins Over New Fans

The Galactic Empire Has Taken Over Wall Street

Why Even Clumsy People Like You Would Have Trouble Breaking The Display On a Motorola Droid

What “Open” Means to Google

iPhone, Meet Razr: The Ten Most Popular Phones in the Country

Ping Pong Robot Hides in the Ceiling Until the Moment Is Right

Blotto, a column

If The Punisher Had a Mac, He’d Wear This Shirt

Connie Willis Explains How Science Fiction Came Back From Its Near-Death Experience

MagicPrefs Is Like Pixie Dust for the Magic Mouse (A Must Download)

Despicable Me’s Disturbing Minions Are The Antithesis Of Pixar

Play Us a Holiday Diddy on the HTC Mobile of Mobiles

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