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The Best Secret Gmail Feature Is Hiding In Plain Sight

There’s a Google Mail feature you have to use. Seriously. You must. Because copying an entire chain of messages after your reply doesn’t make any sense when people can scroll down to see all the messages, chained one after the other. What makes sense is to only provide the snippet that you are actually replying…

A Robot That You Can Train to Do Almost Anything

We’re still a fair ways off from having domestic robots that can fold our laundry, or empty the dishwasher. Part of the problem, aside from the mechanical challenges, is developing a robot that’s smart enough and adaptable enough to learn simple tasks — a cognitive skill that’s called artificial general intelligence. But as a new…

This Stackable Angled Shelf Just Made Bookends Obsolete

It’s a sad day for the once thriving bookend industry. Already reeling from the fact that consumers are buying less and less printed books every year, suddenly this brilliant angled shelf comes along and does away with the need for bookends altogether. The Lean bookshelf’s symmetrical design angles downwards on both sides so it’s virtually…

Ultimate Collection of Hobbit Pics, Including a Closer Look at Some Brand New Monsters

Peter Jackson’s Hobbit is slowly approaching — and to celebrate, we’re getting tons of new character reveals. Get nose to nose with (what we’re assuming) is the Goblin King. Get so close to the trolls, a passing breeze would give you a troll upskirt shot. https://gizmodo.com/the-most-sensational-sights-and-best-things-to-buy-on-5925329 This is the biggest collection of high-res Hobbit pictures…

College application fees are a barrier to getting an education

This is the time of the year when senior high school students are furiously applying for college — a process that will decide where they will spend the next several years of their life, and shape their futures. And a lot of them will face a common problem: They have the grades to get into…

Instant Google Street View Autocompletes Map Searches On the Fly

This is so totally epic. Go to QSView.com and start typing in an address, place name, or location. The site will automagically go to the address it predicts you’re thinking of, complete with Google Street View images. Amazing, right? I just lost myself on this site typing in random places. And then as it autocompleted,…

The best part of Breaking Dawn: Part 2 is online right now

If you’ve seen Breaking Dawn: Part 2, you already know what we’re talking about. Yes — the shrill vampire scream laugh from Michael Sheen eclipses any other startling event that could pop out of the conclusion of the Twilight franchise. It’s magical, so enjoy. If you want to find out even more information behind the…

Make Your Mac Keyboard Better With Wood

Whether you’re sick of looking at the same silver letters on your keyboard every day or you’re just a fan of an all-natural look, Lazerwood’s keys for your Mac are pretty awesome. They’re a typing makeover for the Mac keyboard in walnut or cherry for $40-$45, and they’re going to make your keys slightly taller.…

Why Smug Atheists Should Read More Science Fiction

You can’t be on Twitter these days without being bombarded with atheistic smugness. You know what I mean. People who can’t just profess that they don’t believe in God — they have to taunt religious people for believing in “fairy tales.” Or the Tooth Fairy. Most of the time, these are geeks who have immense…

Could an Explosion Really Knock You Over Like in the Movies?

Sure, explosions in cinema are great—they propel cars over otherwise impassable chasms and give heroes something to resolutely walk away from. In real life, explosions of any appreciable size are terrifyingly deadly. This is what really happens when you’re too close to the blast. High explosives like pipe bombs and artillery shells operate on a…

Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen Officially Cast in X-Men: Days of Future Past

Fantastic news! We’ve long known that James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender would be returning for the sequel to X-Men First Class — but now we know that we’ll also be seeing the older versions of Professor X and Magneto! Director Bryan Singer has confirmed on his on his twitter account that he is, “Thrilled to…

Watch this now. We bet you’ve never seen a more stunning video of a cheetah in your life.

This is the first ever high-definition, super-slow-motion video footage of sprinting cheetahs, which — I think we can all agree — are basically the reason high-frame-rate video cameras were invented. So stop it. Stop what you’re doing and watch this. Because this is more important. Says cinematographer Greg Wilson: Combining the resources of National Geographic…

Microsoft has sold 40 million copies of Windows 8 so far—faster than Windows 7 did out of the gate. [Microsoft]

Auto-Return Indoor Basketball Hoop Apparently Doubles as a Civil War Cannon

Nerf’s miniature basketball hoop changed indoor sports forever when it was introduced in the 1970s. But Franklin is revolutionizing lazy athletics once again with the Shoot Again Hoop that automatically returns a shot, apparently at cannonball speeds, so you never even have to get out of bed. The product shot makes it look like the…

Darrell Issa Wants a Dumb Two-Year Ban on New Internet Laws

Today in things that will never happen, Republican Representative Darrell Issa has proposed a new bill called the Internet American Moratorium Act (IAMA) that would put a stop to any internet-related lawmaking for the next two years. By the way, the bill was proposed on Reddit. And by the way, this is never going to…

The Autobots thwart Megatron’s diabolical lunch plans in adorable new Kre-O Transformers short

I love the Transformers Kre-O line specifically for the animated shorts Hasbro created to market ’em. If you haven’t seen any before, they mostly involve the adorable Decepticons committing mild acts of evil – such as, say, stealing a bit of Energon – and then the Autobots being total dicks to them. In no video…

Why sales people love the slippery psychology of the anchoring effect

You’re in a new situation, with no idea what to expect. Naturally, you look around for context that will help you figure out how to act. Mostly, that’s a good way of getting through the situation. Occasionally, though, it’ll get you in trouble. Why? That’s where the anchoring effect comes in. The anchoring effect is…

The iPhone 5 Damage Report: Two Months Later

The iPhone 5 isn’t the biggest or fastest, but it’s held up to physical standards of perfection that make the immaculate womb of Mary look like amateur hour. The phone is supposed to be a consummate beauty. But after two months of constant use, it’s already showing wear and tear. Scratch-phobes, beware. https://gizmodo.com/the-iphone-5s-impossible-design-comes-at-a-very-real-pr-5949429 Below are…

There’s now an official Outlook.com app for Android 2.x and up devices.

Contrary to common belief, female porn stars have great self esteem

Pornographic actresses are probably having more sex than you. No surprise there. But a newly published study suggests there’s a good chance many of them have better self esteem, to boot — not to mention more enjoyable sex lives, better body images, and more positive outlooks on life. As for the widely held belief that…