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Even I Would Read the Bible If It Were This Pretty

Despite having grown up in the Bible Belt, I’m not terribly religious. Sure, I still go to our quaint little Episcopal church with my mom on holidays but, if you asked me what happens in the Book of Revelation, I’d be dumbfounded. Unless I had an app like this. A British design studio called Family…

Most Amazon bestselling authors aren’t making minimum wage

Yesterday we posted a chart from Hugh Howey’s new report on author earnings, showing indie and self-published authors pulling ahead of people published by the “big five” in terms of total unit sales. Now here’s another chart from an e-book publishing expert who’s calling some of Howey’s conclusions into question. https://gizmodo.com/this-chart-ought-to-make-the-publishing-industry-very-n-1521586768 Writing in Digital Book…

Using Subterranean Acoustics to Explore Ancient Cave Art

You don’t even need a flashlight to look for cave paintings in the dark: you just need the sound of your own voice. By listening to echoes as they walk through Spanish caves, acoustic archaeologists are unlocking the secrets of underground soundscapes. Prehistoric cave paintings, as it happens, aren’t scattered at random underground. Archaeologists at…

A Treasury of Rare and Weird Star Wars Posters From Around the World

Nothing could be more familiar than the original Star Wars poster, featuring Darth’s head looming over our light saber-wielding heroes. But that poster has gone through a lot of mutations in its lifetime, as the movie journeyed across the globe. Here are some of the weirdest and most obscure Star Wars posters in existence. The…

This dramatic fossil shows an ancient marine reptile giving birth

This 248 million-year-old fossil is incredible for two reasons. First, it shows the tragic moment an Ichthyosaur died giving birth. Second, it’s the oldest evidence of a live reptilian birth — about 10 million years older than previous samples. The fossil is that of a Chaohusaurus, a giant marine reptile that looked like a cross…

Guardians of the Galaxy toys show the softer side of Rocket Raccoon

Hasbro has revealed their next set of Marvel movie toys — giving us a nice close look at the heroes of Marvel’s upcoming movie Guardians of the Galaxy. You’ve seen the test footage of Rocket Raccoon and Groot, now take a look at the toy line, which actually looks pretty bananas detailed. Even Gamora’s pink…

These Autonomous Bots Build Structures With a Hive Mind of Their Own

These tiny construction robots look like they’re doing a well-choreographed dance, working together to build a structure. Who’s driving? Nobody—these micro machines cooperate autonomously, using the same concept that guides termites and bees to build huge structures without a supervisor or blueprint. Look at them go! These bots are part of a research project from…

7 NSA Patents: Cyber Manholes, Super-Shredders and More

The National Security Agency has access to the world’s most incredibly sophisticated spy technology. But did you know that the NSA sometimes patents its own creations? The NSA has been granted patents for everything from advanced paper shredders to specific methods of location tracking on the internet. There’s even a super-secure manhole designed to protect…

December 21, 1936: People dressed as robots at a Toronto children’s festival. Photo by Arthur Goss via the City of Toronto Archives.

Who Wouldn’t Want this Victorian Mansion With a Spaceship in the Attic?

The owners of this 8-bedroom Victorian mansion in South London apparently had a knack for juxtaposing classic architecture and high tech goodies. Case and point: this meticulously detailed cockpit for would be astronauts in the attic. Of course, it’s not really a spaceship cockpit. It’s a playroom that was custom-built for what I can only…

Batman is terrible at ad libbing in the LEGO Movie blooper reel

Still haven’t gotten enough of Will Arnett’s LEGO Movie Batman? He has even more goofy one-liners in this “blooper” reel, and even bonds a bit with Emmet. [via Blastr]

WHOA. A giant lightning bolt just struck the world’s tallest building

A massive bolt of lightning just struck the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa — and a photographer was there to catch it the precise moment when it all happened. To get the shot, photographer Michael Shainblum said that he spent more than four hours lying in the rain, until capturing just the moment that lightning…

This video of a honeybee swarm reveals why humans can’t form consensus

Every so often, a honeybee queen leaves the hive where she was born to found a new colony. Along with thousands of workers, she has to figure out a good place to live. But how does this huge group decide where to locate their new home? This video reveals their process — and sheds light…

Somebody Hacked Into Silk Road 2 and Stole All the Bitcoins

Bad news, you lovers of liberty and cryptocurrency. Somebody just hacked into the resurrected version of the Silk Road (a.k.a. Silk Road 2) and stole everybody’s money. And since that money was all in the form of Bitcoin, there’s no way to get it back. https://gizmodo.com/i-pity-the-fool-who-resurrected-silk-road-1459570609 The anonymous administrator who goes by Defcon of the…

You Can Roll These Cabins-on-Wheels to Somewhere Warm

There are houses and then there are RVs. But a Wyoming company called Wheelhaus sells something that’s somewhere between the two: Fully built-out cabins that are easily hitched to a trailer and dragged to new locations. Wheelhaus was founded by Jackson Hole native Jamie Mackay, whose carpenter dad gave him a background in building. His…

The Single Best Reason To Put a Magnet in Your Finger

Two years ago, we were fortunate enough to have a man with a magnet implanted in his fingertip explain at length the manifold benefits—and occasional drawbacks—of his minor superpower. What he failed to mention, somehow, was the single best thing about it. https://gizmodo.com/i-have-a-magnet-implant-in-my-finger-5895555 The image above (well, half an image, the full thing is below)…

This $20,000 30-foot tapestry tells the entire Star Wars saga

This is some Jedi-level Star Wars tribute art: the Coruscant Tapestry is 30 feet of cross-stitchery chronicling every character, plot point, and detail from Episodes One through Six, framed with quotes in freaking Aurebesh. The Force is strong with Aled Lewis. The London-based designer and illustrator enlisted the help of pals who were up for…

The Best Places To Find Hot Singles (According to Facebook)

So it’s Valentine’s Day (again) and you’re single (again). Even though you’ve been right-swiping your heart out on Tinder, you’ve failed to find love nearby. So what can you do? Try a new activity? Maybe meet some new people? Nah. Just move to another city where your chances are better. Facebook wants to help. The…

Climb Higher Than Mt. Everest, Without Leaving Manhattan

Who knew such extraordinary altitudes could be found, hidden inside the towers of Manhattan’s Flatiron District? But, behind the nondescript door of a 5th-floor office on 21st Street, heights as great as the Himalayas are waiting to be scaled. Gizmodo took a deep breath and visited the atmospheric wizardry of Hypoxico, makers of high-altitude training…

Who’s your favorite bumbling hero of all time?

James Bond and Batman do everything perfectly the first time. But sometimes, the best hero is the one who bumbles and screws everything up — right until he or she suddenly saves the day with a brilliant maneuver. Who’s the greatest accident-prone hero ever? Please include a picture or clip or book cover for this…