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This Dongle Lets You Use Your Laptop’s Keyboard With Your Phone

There are almost as many wireless Bluetooth keyboards on the market as there are Bluetooth speakers. But why spend money on yet another keyboard for your mobile devices when there’s probably already a perfectly good one on your laptop? With this Bluetooth USB transmitter dongle from Buffalo, the keyboards you already have can also work…

China Accidentally Built a Housing Complex in the Middle of a Highway

There’s no denying that China doesn’t have the best record when it comes to urban planning and development, particularly in regards to real estate—and their most recent blunder is a doozy. Thanks to some poor planning and (presumably poor) communication, China accidentally built a brand new set of modern apartments right in the middle of…

Exclusive look into Last Days of Mars hints at a bloody space battle

We’ve got a collection of exclusive stills from The Last Days on Mars. A film about the first manned mission to Mars, and all the things that go horribly wrong on the last days on the big, red planet. Starring Liev Schreiber, Dollhouse’s Olivia Williams, Elias Koteas and Romola Garai, and directed by Ruairi Robinson’s…

Are pain and itchiness the same thing?

If you’d asked that question a few years ago, neuroscientists might have scratched their heads (heh) and shrugged. The sensation of pain and what scientists call “itchy” are so closely linked in your brain that it’s almost impossible to tell where one begins and the other ends. But a new study has changed all that.…

Avalanche Sharks makes Sharknado look like Citizen Kane*

The legacy of the cinematic masterpiece called Sharknado has taken an unfortunate turn with the arrival of Avalanche Sharks, a cheap knock-off which 1) features sharks that swim in the snow, 2) is missing the star power of Tara Reid and Ian Ziering, and 3) is oddly light on avalanches. On the other hand, it…

Mountain View Is Installing Wi-Fi Because Google’s Free Service Stinks

The frustrated residents of Mountain View are fed up with the poor performance of the free Wi-Fi network that Google set up a few years ago that they’re spending taxpayer dollars to build their own. New routers will soon go up at City Hall and the library, where service has been particularly bad. It’s tough…

YouTube’s offline viewing option, coming to the mobile app next month, will hang on to videos for 48 hours — any longer, you’ll have to reconnect to watch. [YouTube FAQ via iMore]

E-Hell on Earth: Where the West’s Electronics Go to Die

While American consumers clamor for the latest and greatest in consumer electronics, our older digital devices are inundating and poisoning a generation of children in Ghana. Colorado Springs Gazette photographer Michael Ciaglo recently visited the largest e-waste processing site in the African nation and returned with some very damning images. That new iPhone of yours…

Behold the Giant Centipede that terrified Pixar and inspired a Monster

Check out an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Pixar’s Monster University — and the real life creature that inspired the many-legged monster Dean Hardscrabble (voiced by Helen Mirren). And while it’s great to watch the Pixar artists get inspired, it’s even more fun to watch them cower in fear over the majesty that is the Giant…

Oops! Unannounced Sonos Play:1 Speaker Shows Up in Target

Last month, we learned via FCC filing that Sonos was brewing up the Play:1, a new, smaller wireless speaker. Sonos still hasn’t said anything official about it, but that hasn’t stopped it from showing up on Target shelves. As a tipster told The Verge, the speakers appeared at Target with a $200 price tag, but…

With Video Walls This Huge, You’ll Forget You’re on a Cruise Ship

Luxury liners are getting bigger and more grandiose every year. Royal Caribbean’s newest cruise ships, for example, are the size of a small town. And, rather than simply stare out at the ocean, revelers aboard these boats will be treated to a visual experience like none before thanks to an array of cutting-edge robotic displays.…

Author Max Barry is here today to answer your questions!

In September, the io9 book club read Max Barry’s Lexicon. Today from 2:00-3:00 PDT, Barry is here all the way from Australia to chat with you! Ask him about Lexicon, or about self-publishing his novel Machine Man, or why Jennifer Government is the greatest government shutdown novel ever. Photo by dejathoris Just jump into comments…

Comcast Is Going To Let You Watch Shows Directly From a Tweet

Later this fall, Comcast customers will be able to watch and record their favorite NBC shows directly from Twitter, thanks to a smart new partnership. Tweets about Comcast-owned NBCUniversal shows will start carrying a “see it” button. So when you select a tweet about The Voice, you’ll also see this button at the bottom of…

Watch Steven Spielberg geek out over Gizmo in lost Gremlins Footage

The B-Movie classic Gremlins may have a lot of pop culture references in it, but the monsters themselves are timeless. And now a new discovered featurette shows us how the sausage was made, with a behind-the-scene look at the very first shot, and monster-happy producer Steven Spielberg popping up on set. The vintage featurette is…

Here’s How You’ll Make and Save Money in the Future

The way we deal with money is constantly changing — as is the nature of money itself. You can absolutely expect your money to change over the coming decades. In fact, the world of finance is on the cusp of revolutionary change. To learn more about the future of money, I spoke to Heather Schlegel,…

Harrison Ford is “chatting” with Ridley Scott about Blade Runner 2

During promotion for Ender’s Game in the U.K., Harrison Ford told IGN that 1) he’s “chatted” with director Ridley Scott about a follow-up to the 1981 scifi classic Blade Runner and 2) he would be willing to return to the role. This is probably a bad thing. You seriously don’t need to watch the interview;…

You Can Control This Blinding Green Laser Pointer With Your Smartphone

There’s really no practical reason anyone needs to own a high-powered green laser pointer (sorry stargazers, not buying it) but that doesn’t make them any less desirable. Especially now that Wicked Lasers has just revealed the Evo which can be customized and controlled via an app on your Android or iOS smartphone. Boasting around 100mW…

Windows Phone 8.1 Might Be Getting Ready to Take on Tablets

We’ve seen our fair share of Windows Phone leaks, in large part thanks to a random Craigslist phone. But there are some under the hood updates coming to WP8.1, and according to Paul Thurrott, they include 10 inch screens. WP8 GDR3 (Windows Phone 8 General Distribution Release 3), a still unreleased update, is expected to…

Kindle Paperwhite (2013) Review: Faster, Prettier, Still the Best

When Amazon first trotted out the Kindle Paperwhite, it was the first two-tone ereader in a long time (possibly ever) to have wow factor. And that front-lit screen turned out to be just as beautiful as promised. A year later, the new Amazon Paperwhite is just a tad better than its predecessor. Yes, that means…

Agents of SHIELD is all about Skye’s journey… and that’s a problem

Last night’s Agents of SHIELD focused on the newest member of the team. Skye is the Gwen Cooper to this show’s Torchwood, having joined the organization in the very first episode, and last night’s episode was all about whether she was SHIELD material. Sadly, the episode served to highlight some of this show’s pitfalls. Spoilers…