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The World’s Simplest Speaker Is Silkscreened On a Piece of Paper

From afar, designer Coralie Gourguechon’s work looks a little bit like macaroni art—or at least a very abstract collage. Up close, though, each piece is an extremely simplistic but entirely functional electronic device. Even this paper-cone speaker. Gourguechon pares down all of the extraneous stuff that covers the average gadget, until all that’s left is…

​The secret origins of nerd, dork, and other things you’ve been called

No longer are the terms “nerd” and “geek” used as insults. We have taken them back from those who would mock us, and now wear them with pride. But those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it, and thus it is helpful to know what these terms originally meant, and where they…

How the Cavefish Lost Its Eyes

Pictured above is a very peculiar fish that lives in a few North American caves. It looks very much like other fish, except in one respect: it has no eyes. The story of its adaptation to life in pitch blackness is one of the weirdest stories in evolutionary history. Mutations vs. Cryptic Variation When people…

Thermos Designed a Mug For the Slowest Sipping Tea Drinkers

It’s supposed to be a beverage that you slowly slip and savor, but once you’ve brewed a cup of tea it’s a race against the clock—and thermodynamics—to enjoy it while it’s hot. A thick ceramic mug helps with that problem, but even better is the double-walled insulated engineering that went into Thermos’ new tea tumblers.…

Can you guess the subject of this photo?

Schlieren photography, a technique used to visualize shockwaves, is used to great effect in this image of a [YOUR GUESS HERE], captured by researchers Kim Vandiver and Harold Edgerton. (Hit the jump for the answer, as well as the full image.) Answer: It’s a .22 caliber bullet, piercing a soap bubble. Did you guess right?…

Concept art of the blazing mutant you didn’t see in ​X-Men: First Class

X-Men: First Class director Matthew Vaughn revealed back in 2011 that Roberto “Sunspot” Da Costa, the Brazilian mutant with the ability to absorb solar energy was a “pain in the ass” to film and too expensive. So he had to be cut. But this newly released concept art shows the mutant that could have been.…

This Entire Awesome Star Wars Poster Was Illustrated From Memory

Let’s do a little experiment. Grab a pen and a piece of paper and, without doing an internet search, draw C-3PO and R2-D2. We all know what those droids look like, but how close can you get without peeking at a pic? John Hendrix has been sketching the Star Wars universe since he was a…

Field Test: The Nikon Coolpix A Is a Perfect Photojournalism Compact

I’ve been using the Coolpix A on every assignment I’ve done for the past two weeks, like this one, and I think it’s the best pocket camera available for a professional photographer. https://gizmodo.com/photo-essay-nycs-incredible-christmas-tree-seller-subc-1477360202 To be fair, the Ricoh GR is still the best for what it costs at $680, but if you’re simply looking for…

In the year 2076, the world will be far ahead in space travel and modern technalogy. There will be space flights to other planets. Machines will take over, modern man will become a living blobb. —Texas high school student Pat Bentley writing in 1976

Pouring hot aluminum into an ant hill reveals its secret hidden beauty

Though probably insensitive to the fire ants who called this ant hill home, pouring molten aluminum into the ant hill reveals the intricate labyrinth of tunnels and passageways hidden underneath the ground. It’s incredible and beautiful and almost looks like a Christmas tree. Anthill Art basically casted the ant colony to create the aluminum sculpture.…

A Vespa Had to Die For the Segway to Look Cool

If the only thing stopping you from riding around town on a Segway is, well, looking like someone riding around town on a Segway, this enhanced version might make you a little less hesitant about being seen in public on one. And it’s all thanks to a handful of Vespa scooters that had to sacrifice…

Meet Valkyrie, NASA’s “Superhero” Robot With a Glowing Blue Heart

NASA’s entrant in this year’s DARPA Robotics Challenge is a 1.9-meter tall, 125 kilogram, 44-degree-of-freedom battery-powered humanoid robot named Valkyrie (or “Val” for short). And yeah, she’s pretty badass. Officially designated “R5” by NASA, Val was designed to be a high-powered rescue robot, and is capable of traversing uneven terrain, climbing ladders and using tools.…

Two New Apollo Program Books Celebrate Human Exploration of the Moon

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo program, Zenith Books has published two books that are perfect for space enthusiasts. The first, a re-release of 2002’s Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon covers the complete Apollo program from its inception in 1963 to its final mission in 1972 as well as a…

Oh Magical Piano, You Fill My Heart With So Much Joy

Imagine you’re waiting around in a train station, munching on some Cinnabon, when all of a sudden the ornamental baby grand piano just starts playing music all by itself. Magic? Not quite, but definitely pure whimsy. See for yourself. Man, I love watching people interact with this magical piano in Chicago’s Union Station. The little…

What Holiday Gift From Your Childhood Felt Like the Future?

Believe it or not, these four MP3 players used to represent the future of music. It was the Christmas shopping season of 2000 and there was no iPod, there was no Spotify, and if you were downloading music, it was probably by way of something known as “Napster.” (I hope I’m spelling that right.) The…

Keep Flyin’: An Exclusive First Look at Firefly Online

Browncoats rejoice! Joss Whedon’s space Western Firefly may never return to television, but the ‘verse goes on. And soon, you’ll be able to have a ship and crew of your own, when Firefly Online launches for the PC and Mac. We’ve got an exclusive first look at the ships, the guns, the characters and more.…

Chemists discover a greenhouse gas that’s 7,100 times worse than CO2

Scientists from the University of Toronto have discovered a human-made chemical lurking in the atmosphere that’s an exceptionally long-lived greenhouse gas. Called perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), it’s a record-setting molecule that if left unchecked could have a profound impact on climate. Perfluorotributylamine, which has been in use by the electrical industry since the mid-2oth century, is the…

Charles Stross has canceled the third book in his Halting State trilogy because reality has caught up to his near-future visions. Specifically, the NSA spying in Warcraft.

This Gigantic German Gun Can Ruin Your Week from 30 Miles Away

The Germans know a thing or two about building big guns. Incredibly, while this self-governing Howitzer is only a fraction the size of the Gustav of WWII, it’s just as deadly—with the ability to strike targets up to 30 miles away. Don’t bother running. https://gizmodo.com/the-largest-gun-ever-built-5821389 The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (or just PzH 2000) is a 155mm…

iPhone 5S, Nexus 7 with Extras, Fallout for Free [Deals]

If you’ve been holding out for a new iPhone, this is about as good a deal as you’ll ever see on the flagship model. Best Buy is offering the 16GB iPhone 5S for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint for just $125 with a new contract, a mere $25 more than the lower-end 5c. Get it while…