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Good to know: Etsy retailers can sell human teeth, but not bones

Oh, Etsy, you wonderfully weird online bazaar. One can find almost anything beneath your digital marquee — from made-to-order Jayne Cobb beanies to dog toys in the shape of a penis, to bar soap carved in the likeness of a baby’s face — but there’s one thing you won’t find for sale at Etsy: human…

Why Wikipedia Needs a “Kick In the Head”

In a post on The Signpost, Wikimedia Foundation Senior Designer Brandon Harris outlined a radical set of goals to improve Wikipedia over the next year. In short, the encyclopedia is a broken, disorganized mess and the whole system for creating and editing articles needs a fundamental overhaul. Here’s how he plans to fix it. Wikipedia…

iPhone Prices Drop Everywhere Before New iPhone Launch

Just about everyone is slashing prices on the iPhone ahead of next month’s expected release of the sixth-gen version. Sprint is selling the 4S for $50 off the regular price, while at Target, you can get the Verizon and AT&T versions for $20 less, at $179. Best Buy has also marked the 8GB iPhone 4…

Has Matt Smith confirmed that he’s staying with Doctor Who through 2014?

A Torchwood star joins Game of Thrones. Ender’s Game and Oblivion are going IMAX. Catching Fire adds another tribute. David Duchovny wants X-Files 3 to happen, possibly even to kick off a whole new X-Files franchise. Plus Kick-Ass 2 and World’s End updates! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Doctor Who. Catching Fire…

The Algorithm That Controls Your Life

If you think you’re your own person, think again. While you have the ability to make what you think seem like independent decisions, the truth is that most of the things you do—from the trains you catch to the food you eat—have been optimized by the world’s most pervasive algorithm. New Scientist takes a look…

Spintronic Breakthrough Promises Better Flash Memory

Scientists have long spoken about the possibility of using the natural spin of electrons as digital storage—but it’s never been a reality because of the transient nature of the effect. Now, though, IBM researchers have found a way to keep the effect alive long enough for it to actually be useful. Known as spintronics, the…

Is Megaupload Relaunching This Year?

Since the insane raid of his property earlier this year, Kim Dotcom has morphed into somewhat of an internet freedom fighter, garnering the support of Woz in the process. Now, he’s posted a tweet which suggests a very big Megaupload announcement is just round the corner. https://gizmodo.com/watch-the-insane-special-forces-raid-against-kim-dotcom-5932918 The Next Web interpreted the message to mean…

The NASA Employees That Make Curiosity’s Twitter Stream So Good

If you don’t follow the Curiosity rover on Twitter, you should: the feed is simultaneously fascinating and funny. Forbes has taken a peek behind the avatar, though, to find out why the feed is so good. Behind the account are three NASA employees from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Veronica McGregor, Social Media Manager, and Stephanie…

Etsy is clamping down: drug paraphernalia, human remains and “hazardous materials” are no longer allowed. [PC Mag]

Highest-Res Color Printer Ever Fits Images on a Human Hair

This image might look a little grainy to you, but you really should give it a chance. What you’re looking at is the output from the world’s highest resolution color printer, and it’s actually an extreme close-up of an image that measures just 50 micrometers across—the same width as a human hair. The printer, developed…

Alleged New iPhone Logic Board Hints at Antenna and Battery Tweaks

As iPhone rumors develop apace, a WeiPhone forum user—who accurately revealed the iPhone 4S’s motherboard last year—has leaked images of what he claims is the logic board of the new iPhone. Sadly, the image doesn’t answer one of the bigger questions surrounding the launch—namely, what processor the device will feature—as the chip itself isn’t attached…

Google Cutting Motorola Staff, Concentrating on a Few Good Phones

When Google acquired Motorola Mobility in May for $12.5 billion, many assumed the search company was only interested in patents. Now, though, it’s slashing 20 percent of Moto’s staff—and planning to have it concentrate on fewer, better phones. https://gizmodo.com/googles-motorola-buy-is-official-now-5912261 The New York Times reports that Google’s influence saw an announcement at Motorola on Sunday which…

A naval officer calls this “the weirdest thing I’ve seen in 18 years at sea”

The Royal New Zealand Navy has discovered 7500 square miles of the lightweight stone pumice floating in the South Pacific. New Zealand’s Scoop reports that Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Tim Oscar called it “the weirdest thing I’ve seen in 18 years at sea.” Oscar went on to tell Scoop: The lookout reported a shadow on…

Best of the Week: August 4-10, 2012

AND AWAY WE GO | Phil Saunders concept art for Jon Favreau’s unmade version of John Carter of Mars, from 2006. https://gizmodo.com/phil-saunders-john-carter-concept-art-5933706 100 Wonderful and Terrible Movies That Never Existed https://gizmodo.com/100-wonderful-and-terrible-movies-that-never-existed-5932803 For every movie that makes it to your local cineplex, there are dozens that never come into existence. In another universe, Mel Gibson directed…

Shame: A Harrowing Tale of Addiction, Also Sex

Shame is a dark, brooding tale of one man’s crippling addiction to sex and all things sex-related. Despite critcal acclaim, you might not have gotten a chance to see it, mainly because it’s rated NC-17. Yeah, there’s some penis. Aside from the penis (or in addition to the penis, I suppose) Shame features some unsurprisingly…

1.8-million-Lego map of Japan will make you feel like Godzilla

Lego sure has been partying hard these past few months. Last weekend, it celebrated Brickfair in Chantilly, Virginia, and Friday marked the 80th birthday of the original Lego wooden toy company. This past spring, Lego marked another milestone — 50 years in Japan — and celebrated by encouraging children to build a giant Lego map…

Somebodies: A Fan-Sourced Mash-Up of Gotye Covers

Heard Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” too many times already? Well how about just once more. “Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra” is a mash-up of a ton of Gotye covers, masterfully put together by the man himself. You can catch a list of all the videos used in the mash-up over at his blog.…

Judge in Apple vs. Samsung Case Gets Fed Up and Orders Attorneys To Shut Up and Get Things Done Already

After endless back and forth between Apple and Samsung attorneys over what the jury should and shouldn’t be told, U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh has gotten fed up and ordered them to meet face to face and start hashing things out. For real. Up until now, each company has been blaming the other for impeding…

These sex-crazy birds don’t have time to sleep

It might be a little irritating when people tell you to fit more sleep into your already overloaded schedule, but they’re not wrong — all across the animal kingdom, less sleep means worse performance. With one rather large, sex-mad exception. The pectoral sandpiper spends most of its time far down in the Southern Hemisphere, then…

How a three-fingered hand “regrew” its digits after amputation

A woman was born with what’s known as a phocomelic hand, meaning she was missing a finger and thumb on one of her hands. But when that hand was amputated after a car accident, she developed a five-fingered phantom hand. We’re still not 100% sure what causes the sensation of phantom limbs, even though the…