Latest

No Hex Wrench Needed: Ikea Designs a Smarter Flatpack Refugee Shelter

If there’s any company on earth with an expertise in designing things that are easy to transport and assemble, it’s Ikea. So it makes perfect sense that the Swedish furniture manufacturer would team up with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees—or the UNCHR for short—to redesign the temporary shelters that millions of refugees around…

These Screwed-Up iOS 3D Map Images Are Eerily Beautiful

When Apple replaced built-in Google Maps on iPhones and iPads, people were justifiably livid. What had worked so well was suddenly a useless mess. Millions of people who depended on Google Maps for subway and bus schedules were abandoned. At least the incorrectly rendered 3D imagery is kind of pretty! A Stockholm-based project called MapGlitch…

The Omnipotent Engineers at Google Have Banished Clouds From Earth

Google Earth may give us a real, live view of what our blue marble actually looks like, but even reality could stand to be improved a bit now and then. So to make sure you get the beautiful summer you deserve—while you’re sitting inside a dark room hunched over your computer screen—Google has taken steps…

9 Deadly Vacations (That We’d Still Like to Take)

It’s summer time, which means we’re going on vacation! Too bad all the places we want to visit are fictional… and would probably kill us. But who cares? We’d rather die in the claws of a T-Rex, or listening to an alien Diva sing, than in Florida (sorry, Florida). Here are the nine deadliest vacation…

Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Edition Hands-On: The Best Got Better

For years, one of Android’s biggest problems has been Android skins that weigh down the best hardware the platform has to offer. But now the two best Android phones in the world—the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S4—come in pure, stock Google Editions. And after spending some time with both, we can confirm that…

Why “Networked Matter” Is One Futurist Concept You Need to Know

Just as there are political think tanks, there are also futurist ones — they offer wisdom about emerging trends to companies and other organizations who make long-term plans. And top futurist think tank Institute for the Future wants you to know about one trend that could change the very structure of reality. They call this…

iOS Maps Atrocities? Nah, These Are Works of Art

We’re all familiar with the, uh, pitfalls of Apple’s iOS Maps app. But Peder Norrby, the founder of a Stockholm-based tech company called Trapcode, has managed to capture some of the most bizarre 3D mapping glitches in high definition—turning them into lovely, surreal vignettes. Norrby’s project is called Mapglitch, and it’s exactly what it sounds…

Xbox Music For Windows 8.1 Now Has Free, Ad-Supported Radio

No word yet on whether or not Xbox Music is breaking out of its Windows 8 prison and turning into a web-app, but it now has a free, ad-supported radio feature where you can start a station based on a specific artist. You know, like Pandora. https://gizmodo.com/according-to-the-verge-microsofts-xbox-music-service-w-573329884 You’ll also be able to take any website…

Windows developers itching to get their hands on Xbox One’s new Kinect are in luck. Pre-orders for the new Kinect’s development kits—going at $399 a pop—have just opened up.

Windows 8 WIll Get “Official” Facebook and Flipboard Apps

Today we learned that Facebook and Flipboard will be getting “official” apps for Windows 8. Indeed, Flipboard has confirmed that an app will come out this year. Yes! But all its got to show so far is an 8 second prototype animation. More official apps for Windows 8 is important because developers have been hesitant…

Here’s everything the World War Z movie has in common with the book

Courtesy of The Oatmeal. I’d say he’s forgotten one very important similarity, though: Both were made by carbon-based lifeforms.

New evidence that humans developed big brains to cope with society

For the past several decades, scientists have been fascinated by the “social brain theory” — the idea that certain animals evolved big, powerful brains to cope with the complexities of social life. A new computer simulation has now shown that this assertion is likely correct. Our bulbous brains require a lot of energy to function.…

Lilly the Deer Allowed To Continue Living With Humans Who Saved Her

An online uproar and a 10,000-signature petition forced Michigan wildlife authorities to let a family keep their beloved Lilly the Deer, who sleeps on a futon and wears party hats. Lilly was born moments after her mother was struck dead on a road, and the family raised her as a pet.

Motorola: A Google Joint

What you’re looking at above is Motorola’s new logo, which apparently drifted into the wild ahead of a major rebranding effort. In case you didn’t already know, Google owns Moto and dictates much of its company policy. Oh you didn’t know? Here’s a reminder for the rest of eternity. [The Verge]

Here’s How to Get the Windows 8.1 Preview for Free Right Now

The preview version of Windows 8.1 is available to download and try out right now. Here’s how to get it. The update is available through the Windows Store, so you’re going to need Windows 8 to try 8.1. Duh. Now, just go here and download the .exe from Microsoft (it should be live now), which…

Windows 8.1: Everything You Need to Know

Microsoft rolls out the next version of windows, 8.1, at its annual Build developers conference today. It’s a big deal. Windows 8 was a crazy ambitious step, what follows is just as important. This is what Microsoft’s taken from your months of feedback (or just, yelling). Almost everything coming in 8.1 seems like a genuine…

Fired Paula Deen Finally Appears On “Today” To Apologize For Racism

Modern-day slavery fan Paula Deen finally went on the Today show to cry and beg for forgiveness. Still, she wonders if the black people really get offended by the N-word. After all, she has heard the blacks in her kitchen use this word!

What Isn’t a Keychain-Sized Crowbar Useful For?

Prying the lids off tiny shipping crates, opening incredibly small rusted doors, fending off hordes of action figure-sized zombies: the uses for this keychain-sized crowbar are endless. And for around $15 you can add it to your pocket toolbox and never find yourself struggling to pry open a tiny coffin again. Available from Shapeways, the…

Watch Microsoft Unveil the New Windows 8.1 Here

It’s flown under the radar a little bit, but today’s the day we see the new Windows. We’ll be covering it in depth, but you can watch Microsoft’s streamed live here. The keynote begins at 9AM PDT, noon Eastern.

A Guide to the Fascinating Secret Language of Cattle Branding

The concept of cattle branding may make some people squeamish, but the ancient practice is one of the main factors keeping the world’s cattle trade from falling into chaos. Of course, cattle rustlers snatching your steers was more of a problem in the mid-1800’s, but there’s still no better way of keeping your stock in…