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Verizon Serves Up Cheaper Prepaid Plans for Smartphones (Update)

Verizon just launched two cheaper prepaid plans with unlimited talk and text messaging. The $70 plan offers 2GB of 3G data and for $60 you get 500MB. Previously, Verizon only had an $80 prepaid plan, that offered unlimited talk and text and 1GB of data. More data for cheaper? Good! The only thing is that…

A compact mecha-suit for battling pocket-sized xenomorphs

Several years ago we told you about ActiveLink’s Power Loader, a mecha-like exoskeleton that looked like something right out of Aliens. Now, following the disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, ActiveLink has started work on Power Loader Light — a more compact version that would allow for increased physical strength, but not at the…

Edgar Wright takes you to The World’s End. Plus a metric ton of Jack the Giant Slayer details!

Check out new images from Iron Man 3 and The Wolverine. The brains behind Young Justice discuss the show’s de-facto endgame. Plus Once Upon a Time, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries, and more! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Iron Man 3. Iron Man 3 Here’s the latest, rather dramatic poster. [Comic Book Resources] The…

Fireworks Truck Explodes, Destroys Massive Bridge

A horrible thing has happened today in China’s Henan Province. A truck loaded to the gills with fireworks—intended for the country’s upcoming Lunar New Year celebration—fired off its wares on a busy highway, leading to six minutes of the most brightly lit, celebratory destruction in recent memory. How bad was it? According to the AP,…

First-Ever Incredible Footage of a Thought Being Formed

A team of Japanese researchers has achieved something incredible: they’ve captured, for the first time ever, a movie which shows how thoughts form in the brain. OK, so it’s a thought forming in the brain of a zebrafish. And OK, its the fish’s reaction to seeing food, so it’s probably along the lines of “HUNGRY!”.…

The Best Scientific Visualizations of 2012

Every year, the International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge seeks to find the most visually striking scientific art and design. It’s just announced the 2012 winners—and there are some amazing sights to be seen. The first prize for an illustration went to Emmett McQuinn et al from IBM research, for the image above. It shows—though…

Motorola Job Listing Hints at Moto-Google X-Phone

It looks like Motorola’s finally about to prove its worth to Google, with the existence of the previously rumoured Android “X-Phone” confirmed by a job listing. Motorola’s hiring someone to manage this “Next Generation Smartphone Platform.” The job ad, which appeared on social site LinkedIn, is full of stacks of the usual meaningless puffery, so…

This Is What 5 Meters Too Much Water Looks Like

After heavy rains, the Limpopo river in southern Mozambique has burst its banks, causing floods that have driven more than 150,000 people from their homes and killed at least 38, according to a UN official on Tuesday. The inundation’s devastating sprawl is clear in these false-colour images of the town of Chokwé taken by NASA’s…

Sony: MiniDisc Is (Finally) Dead

While rumors have suggested it in the past, it’s now official: after years of complete and utter redundancy, Sony is finally killing off the MiniDisc. https://gizmodo.com/whats-most-surprising-about-sony-killing-the-minidisc-w-5819314 Sony has announced that it will ship its last MiniDisc player in March of 2013. The biggest question it raises, of course, is: who the hell is still buying…

Reuters claims that Dell buyout is coming real soon—and that a deal could be struck as soon as Monday. [Reuters] https://gizmodo.com/bloomberg-dell-founder-seeks-majority-share-using-pers-5980102

GIFs Are Actually Declining in Popularity (Updated)

It feels like the GIF has had a huge resurgence of recent time. People are making more wonderful animations than ever, GIF was officially the Word of 2012, and in December there was even a GIF Fest in Miami. But it turns out GIF use is actually in decline. https://gizmodo.com/the-very-best-gifs-of-2012-5967899 Web Technology Services has been…

That Mega indexer and search engine? Already taken down by Kim Dotcom et al, in under 24 hours. How secretive.

Long Exposure Photographs Reveal How Lovers Sleep

I’m such a wild sleeper that sometimes I wake up in the most awkward of positions. Face planted, facing the wrong direction, diagonal, on the completely other side—you name it, I’ve woken up in it. I was always wanted to know my movement patterns. Photographer Paul Schneggenburger created a photography series that showed long exposure…

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Cattle Call

Livestock and art auctions share little in common beyond a name. While even the most ferocious bidding war at Christie’s or Sotheby’s will remain stately and reserved, cattle auctions devolve into frantic, rapid-fire calls the moment the steer enter their pen. But as Werner Herzog once quipped, these steer sellers speak “the last poetry possible,…

This Emergency Condom Delivery App Is the Reason Smartphones Were Invented

When you look down at your smartphone and think about how much it’s made your life easier and better, you’ll probably think about how the Internet is at your fingertips or how you can share filtered photos with friends or send texts without ever having to speak to anyone. You’ll probably think that’s why the…

WSJ: Yes, Sony Will Announce the PlayStation 4 on February 20th

The WSJ is confirming what we all saw in Sony’s slick video teaser for its upcoming February 20th event: Sony will be announcing the PlayStation 4. Citing the ol’ reliable ‘people familiar with the matter’, the WSJ says that the PS4 will be announced on February 20th and be released later this year. https://gizmodo.com/is-the-playstation-4-arriving-on-february-20th-5980721 The…

Holy Crap, This Giant Sinkhole Swallowed an Entire Building

Imagine standing on the road one day and have a sinkhole swallow you whole. Or imagine sitting in your house and having a giant sinkhole vaporized your entire building. That’s what happened in China. Two buildings in Guangzhou, China tumbled straight into a giant sinkhole as the ground below them disappeared. Luckily, no one was…

World War Z‘s Super Bowl trailer makes no mention of zombies

The Super Bowl spot for Brad Pitt’s World War Z trailer is out, and we’re not sure what the casual observer is supposed to make out of this hyper-cut crazy. It feels like Pitt is starring in some sort of termite-human pile National Treasure spinoff. Was that the Constitution? At what point are they going…

This Is How Your Brain Works

Some days, after a good night’s rest and a protein rich breakfast, my brain works wonderfully. It’s well wrinkled, filled to the brim with answers and snapping synapses. Other days, after an epic night and a regurgitated breakfast, my brain just doesn’t want to be bothered. It’s smooth and thoughtless. How does that damn brain…

Hey hey, Aleister Crowley is the Winchester brothers’ grandpa on Supernatural!

Last night’s episode of Supernatural had a lot to offer: a hot lady in a great 1950s dress, several Aleister Crowley references, and at least one trip to the coolest comic book store in the world. Unfortunately, there was just a little too much self-congratulatory Winchester bonding in this episode to put it over the…