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Google’s iOS App Just Got a Material Design Makeover And Much More

Google Search now has a completely new look for iOS, though it’s one many Android users will be familiar with. The Search team is bringing Android Lollipop’s Material Design language to the Search app along with lots of other features and optimization for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The app gets three major upgrades:…

Why Ducati’s Slowest Bike Is Also Its Best

Ducati’s latest superbike, the 1299, makes 205bhp. This new Scrambler makes 75. But, it’s also the better bike for most people, most of the time. We spent yesterday riding it through the mountains so we can tell you why. I rode the Scrambler alongside Jalopnik’s Damon Lavrinc, who wrote an in-depth review. Consider this here…

We’ve Been Incorrectly Predicting Peak Oil For Over a Century

When the residents of Tulsa, Oklahoma buried a car in 1957 as part of an enormous time capsule, they included containers of gasoline. The good people of Tulsa reasoned that the folks of 2007 might not have any gas left to fill up the Plymouth Belvedere that they were interring for a fifty year journey…

The Nexus 5 Isn’t Dead, It’s Just On Hiatus

Despite rumors suggesting that Google’s wonderful $350 Nexus 5 had met its untimely demise, we’ve confirmed with Google that the Nexus 5 isn’t gone for good. At least not yet. According to a Google spokesperson, the “Nexus 5 will continue to be available for sale on Google Play and through select retailers in Q1 2015.”…

Watch physics in motion with this cool Lego build

How about some applied physics and engineering being added to the Lego line of products? This kit featuring a dynamic marble run and a bunch of dominoes by Christian Bechinie would be fun to build, looks amazing in motion and has hundreds of elements that could be reused in other machines. With Lego Ideas, the…

The Saucepan You Want, the Coolest USB Charger, and More Deals

Chances are, your most-used kitchen instrument is a small saucepan, and The Sweethome’s new favorite is on sale today for an all-time low price. [Cuisinart MCP19-18N MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 2-Quart Saucepan with Cover, $37] Audio-Technica’s ATH-M50 headphones need no introduction; they’re your overwhelming favorites, and a common sight around the Gawker office. $119 is…

In case you missed it, we’re having a New York meetup with our sister site Lifehacker tonight at the Magician on the Lower East Side, starting at 7 PM. Come have a drink with us!

Shooting Challenge: Christmas Cookies

It’s that time of year. Sugar, flour, butter, and a festive dose of red and green food colorings combine to create bite-sized Christmas magic. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, show us your baking and photography skills. Show us the cookies! The Challenge Take a photo of your holiday baked goods—cookies, gingerbread men, gingerbread houses, whatever!…

Sauron’s Plans To Gaze Over Moscow Fall Foul Of The Orthodox Church

Good news/Bad news, everyone – Sauron’s eye will not descend upon Moscow City. Plans to install a giant light-up version of the Dark Lord of Mordor’s burning eyeball have been scuppered, thanks to complaints from the Russian Orthodox Church. Originally, an art group named Svechenie planned to install a giant orb done up to look…

This lovely little chicken coop has some oddities

I really like this poultry farmer build by Brother Steven. Some might say that the way he attached the foliage to the tree was fowl, but I think it’s brilliant! I also enjoy some of the nice touches with the turkeys and geese, utilizing minifigure hands as the beaks is pretty clever, though I feel…

There Are a Thousand Pieces and a Thousand Colors In this Cruel Puzzle

What limited entertainment there is to be had from a puzzle is directly correlated to how challenging it is. Five hundred pieces forming a bowl of fruit still life makes for a pleasant afternoon challenge, but a thousand pieces tinted a thousand different colors that assemble to create a CMYK color spectrum is just cruel…

A Big Round of Applause to Google for Shaming Spain Worldwide

There are strange moments when you feel ashamed not as an individual, but as a member of a collective, of something bigger. In my case, today, it’s of being Spanish. And what I feel right now is a deep, profound sense of ridiculousness. The first rumours began to swirl late last night, and today in…

The Meteorological Phenomenon That’s Flooding California 

After a long drought, California is suddenly getting pounded with its biggest storm in a decade. Whoa, what’s happening? It’s all the work of an atmospheric river, a particular weather event that can be devastating when it hits land. The particular atmospheric river responsible for today’s storm is called the Pineapple Express because it runs…

How do you diagnose a malfunctioning spacesuit? Easy, with a CT scan. NASA has sent one of their space suitsover to Houston Methodist Hospital to be run through the hospital’s scanner to figure out the source of the leak in the suit model that almost drowned astronaut Luca Parmitano during a spacewalk this summer.

Google Earth’s New Imagery Is So Much Better

Remember how we told you that the resolution of Google Maps’ satellite images would soon be improving? Well, it’s not the night and day double the resolution just yet, but today Google has begun rolling out much-improved 3D images to Google Earth. New York and San Francisco are the first to get the high-res treatment,…

Comets May Not Have Brought Water To Earth, After All

The Rosetta spacecraft has detected some strange water vapor streaming from Comet 67P — water that’s significantly different to what we have here on Earth. The startling discovery challenges the popular assumption that much of our water was delivered here by comets. By ‘weird’ water we’re talking about major differences in the deuterium-to-hydrogen ratio (D/H).…

Iowa Is Going To Let You Use a Smartphone As Your Driver’s License

Some time in 2015, Iowa will become the first state to offer an official app from the state’s Department of Transportation that can serve as your driver’s license and ID. That’s pretty incredible. It’s also getting us much closer to a more convenient, wallet-free future. Smartphones won’t be replacing driver’s licenses in Iowa. (That would…

Google is rolling out an update for its Chromecast app that will allow owners of the $35 dongle to easily share the device with friends. Without having to connect to Wi-Fi, friends can share content on your Chromecast as long as they have an Android smartphone. You can get a step-by-step set up explainer via…

Review: Lego Friends, City, Star Wars advent calendars–day 11

Day 11 of the 2014 Lego advent calendars gives us a mildly sexist stove, a policeman that also isn’t getting indicted and a pilot that can’t possibly fit in his ship! See images and a review of the 11th day of mini builds after the jump! Friends Advent Calendar (41040) I guess given the theme…

These Science Fiction And Fantasy Books Make Absolutely Perfect Gifts

As Emily Dickinson famously said, there is nothing as frigging awesome as a book. And there’s no better present than a cool-looking book, that can adorn someone’s coffee table but also provide hours of mind-expanding entertainment. Here are 23 science fiction book gifts your friends will love. The Art of John Harris – Beyond the…