Latest

How Felix Baumgartner Will Set the New Skydive Record — and Break the Speed of Sound

Everything is set for this coming Monday’s skydive stunt spectacular, in which Felix Baumgartner will attempt to set a new world record for the highest, longest, and fastest freefall in history. Once he leaps from a helium balloon positioned 23 miles (37 km) above New Mexico, Baumgartner expects to go supersonic a mere 40 seconds…

io9 George Dvorsky Oct 5 '12

Ballistic Gas Clouds Could Sweep Away Space Junk

Gassy outbursts from a suborbital rocket may be the cleanest way to get rid of hazardous space debris, suggests a new US patent application filed on 27 September by aerospace giant Boeing of Chicago. Space junk – derelict rocket bodies, broken or used-up satellites and debris generated by their endless collisions – is becoming the…

Space & Spaceflight Joana Carver - New Scientist Oct 5 '12

The Strange Story of Klaus Fuchs, the Red Spy in the Manhattan Project

Klaus Fuchs was just one of the many eccentrics chosen to work on the Manhattan Project. People remembered him as being serious, quiet, and earnest. He was also a spy — whose eventual capture lead to both the Red Scare and the arrest of the Rosenbergs. Learn the strange history of the atomic spy –…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Oct 5 '12

Why Does the United States Air Force Have the Weirdest Twitter on Earth?

The US Air Force has spent over $60 billion on the F-22, a fighter that doesn’t really work and sometimes chokes people. How much is it spending on Twitter? Judging by the output, negative $50,000. It’s hard to figure out exactly what the taxpayer-funded @usairforce is there for. It’s a mix of historical blips, links…

Tech News Sam Biddle Oct 5 '12

Georgia Republican: Big Bang Theory, Evolution and Embryology are “Lies Straight from the Pit of Hell”

Okay, I sort of get hating the Big Bang Theory and evolution, because they contradict the Biblical account of creation… but embryology? Really? In this video of a recent speech, obtained by Talking Points Memo, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) explains: All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory,…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 5 '12

Report: There’s a New Nexus Phone Coming Later This Month

LG is about to get into the Google Nexus game with a new phone to be released later this month, according to CNET. The as-yet-unnamed phone will bear some similarities to LG’s recent Optimus G, but will also pick up some tweaks in order to earn the Nexus name. https://gizmodo.com/lg-optimus-g-hands-on-like-megan-fox-wrapped-in-burlap-5949144 According to Modaco, the rumored…

Tech News Eric Limer Oct 5 '12

The First Time the Public Ever Saw a Polaroid

Polaroid, that thing that happened before Instagram happened, is one of the fascinating untold tech stories of our time. In the recently released Instant: The Story of Polaroid, Christopher Bonanos recounts the stunning day the inventors of Polaroid first unveiled their new technology. Excerpt from Chapter 3: Seeing It Now An ad executive once said…

Books & Comics Sam Biddle Oct 5 '12

Kim Dotcom Suspected Government Snooping Because of a 150 Millisecond Connection Delay in Modern Warfare 3

According to the New Zealand Herald, Kim Dotcom suspected he was being spied because of a 150 millisecond connection delay while playing his favorite game—Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Kim wanted to be the king of MW3 so hard that he had a dedicated internet connection that linked his Coatesville mansion directly to the…

Privacy & Security Jesus Diaz Oct 5 '12

10 Most Inexplicably Tiny Outfits in Science Fiction History

When you boldly venture into the unknown, you have to show some skin to prove your total bravery. So skimpy, ultra-revealing outfits are a major part of science fiction in film and television, and the genre world would be nothing without these inexplicably tiny outfits. So here are the 10 most amazingly teeny costumes that…

io9 Meredith Woerner Oct 5 '12

A Friendly Wave Is All You Need To Navigate This GPS Device

To make it easier for drivers to navigate its in-car navigation units while still concentrating on the road, Pioneer is introducing a new touch-free sensor that recognizes broad gestures made with the hand. The driver will still need to reach for the display on their dashboard, but instead of tapping the screen they can simply…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Oct 5 '12

Fall TV Smackdown: Our Verdict on All the New Shows

This week on the io9 show, we look at the fall’s television offerings. Will Arrow be the show you’re going to love, or love to make fun of? Why isn’t the beast more beastly in Beauty and the Beast? And has Revolution failed to turn your crank? Plus, Esther teaches us a fun, easy experiment…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Oct 5 '12

What’s the All-Time Worst Gadget Ad?

Yesterday’s Facebook-is-a-chair ad was bad. But it wasn’t the worst tech ad by a long shot. Gadget ads have a long history of being awkward and disconnected from reality. https://gizmodo.com/facebooks-first-ad-is-facebooks-worst-ad-5948904 So what’s the worst one you’ve seen? Be sure to upload it in the discussion, and we’ll determine which one is the most cringe-worthy.

Social Media Leslie Horn Oct 5 '12

CSS Mona Lisa Turns Your Browser Into the Louvre

Using over 7,500 lines of code, hacker/artist Jay Salvat created this surprisingly detailed reproduction of da Vinci’s Mona Lisa with nothing but cascading style sheets. It’s about as modern as modern art can get. There are no details on just how he went about recreating the famous piece, but looking at the code there aren’t…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Oct 5 '12

Ask John Scalzi anything you want about Redshirts

In September, the io9 Book Club read John Scalzi’s Redshirts. Now Scalzi is coming to answer your questions about the book today, Friday, October 5, from 12-1 PM PST. Ask him whatever you want about the book! https://gizmodo.com/the-io9-book-club-is-in-session-lets-talk-about-john-s-5948293 Scalzi will be joining us in the comment thread on this very post starting at 12:00. Start…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Oct 5 '12

Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie: All Spark, No Bite

The opening few minutes of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie are magical. The little kid, Victor, makes a home monster movie, with his pet dog Sparky dressed up as a Godzilla-style giant monster in a model town. The celebration of DIY B-movie film-making feels very personal, and probably autobiographical. And then the rest of Frankenweenie feels lacking…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Oct 5 '12

Ask One of the World’s Top Headphone Engineers Whatever You Want

Sennheiser makes some of the best headphones in the world regardless of whether you want to pay $70 or $1500. Today, we’re lucky enough to have Sennheiser Senior Acoustic Engineer Axel Grell here to answer your questions starting at 1PM. https://gizmodo.com/the-best-lightweight-portable-headphones-5912946 Amongst Grell’s many accomplishments are the designs for Sennheiser’s super high-end HD 800 over-ear…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Oct 5 '12

Should we worry about the internet becoming self-aware?

In the classic anime film, Ghost in the Shell, human civilization comes face-to-face with a government-bred intelligence called The Puppet Master that achieves sentience and escapes to the Internet. While it certainly makes for great science ficiton, the idea of a self-aware agent in cyberspace has also been bantered about by futurists who wonder about…

io9 George Dvorsky Oct 5 '12

It’s Official: Special K Makes You Feel Good

Researchers at Yale have clinically demonstrated that ketamine can very rapidly reverse synaptic dysfunction tied to depression and stress. In other words, science just proved what zillions of kids in the K hole have known for decades: Ketamine is a very effective way to make yourself feel good. According to the study published in Science,…

Health Mario Aguilar Oct 5 '12

How To Talk About the Election Online Without Pissing Everyone Off

Barack Bin Laden Obama is a socialist who wants to tax this country into oblivion and pay lazy people not to work. Mittens Mormon Romney is a stale snake who only cares about rich white people. The election is near, and we’re going to want to talk about these things online. But there’s a way…

Tech News Sam Biddle Oct 5 '12

Classic iPod in Your Browser: The Best Way to Waste Your Friday

The iPod Classic might have one foot in the grave, but it still lives. On your computer. A clever designer made this fully playable iPod for your browser. And it really works, just like your old mp3 player. How awesome is that? Go ahead and drag the clickwheel round and round to pick a song…

Tech News Leslie Horn Oct 5 '12

How Felix Baumgartner Will Set the New Skydive Record — and Break the Speed of Sound

Ballistic Gas Clouds Could Sweep Away Space Junk

The Strange Story of Klaus Fuchs, the Red Spy in the Manhattan Project

Why Does the United States Air Force Have the Weirdest Twitter on Earth?

Georgia Republican: Big Bang Theory, Evolution and Embryology are “Lies Straight from the Pit of Hell”

Report: There’s a New Nexus Phone Coming Later This Month

The First Time the Public Ever Saw a Polaroid

Kim Dotcom Suspected Government Snooping Because of a 150 Millisecond Connection Delay in Modern Warfare 3

10 Most Inexplicably Tiny Outfits in Science Fiction History

A Friendly Wave Is All You Need To Navigate This GPS Device

Fall TV Smackdown: Our Verdict on All the New Shows

What’s the All-Time Worst Gadget Ad?

CSS Mona Lisa Turns Your Browser Into the Louvre

Ask John Scalzi anything you want about Redshirts

Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie: All Spark, No Bite

Ask One of the World’s Top Headphone Engineers Whatever You Want

Should we worry about the internet becoming self-aware?

It’s Official: Special K Makes You Feel Good

How To Talk About the Election Online Without Pissing Everyone Off

Classic iPod in Your Browser: The Best Way to Waste Your Friday

Latest news

Why Is Fusion Energy Always ’10 Years Away’?

Meta’s Latest App Looks Like Reddit

Neptune’s Moon Nereid May Be Lone Survivor of an Ancient Cosmic Massacre

Here’s the Executive Order on AI That Gave Trump Cold Feet

‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Is Missing 2 Major Characters—Jon Favreau Explains Why

Somehow, the ‘Stranger Things’ Folks Are Still Being Asked About ‘Conformity Gate’

That Dreaded Air Leak on the ISS’s Russian Segment Is Back

‘Lost the Plot’: Mark Cuban Reveals Why He Sold Most of His Bitcoin

Latest Reviews

Anker Solix E10 Review: No Power? No Problem

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Speaker Review: Sonos Can Start Sweating Now

Bose Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar Review: A Boisterous Stab at Dominating Home Theater

Dell’s XPS 16 (2026) Is Almost Everything I Could Have Asked for… Almost

Smart Glasses With Subscriptions Are As Bad as They Sound

iBuyPower’s Trace X Gaming PC Is the Fishbowl You Want to Swim In

Govee Ceiling Light Ultra Review: AI Art Ain’t It

JBL Live 780NC Review: Solid Wireless Headphones You Can Live Without

Let us help you find what you’re looking for...