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The ancestor of all life on Earth might have been a gigantic planetary super-organism

All life on Earth is related, which means we all must share a single common evolutionary ancestor. And now it appears that this ancestor might have been a single, planet-spanning organism that lived in a time that predates the development of survival of the fittest. That’s the idea put forward by researchers at the University…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Nov 28

America’s Water Pipes Are Failing and We Need to Fix Them…Fast

By and large, America’s water infrastructure is on the cusp of disrepair. Environmentalists and public health officials have been chattering about this for years, but now the problem has become more urgent and we need to overhaul much of it in a hurry. According to David Lepeska, rotting pipes are responsible for floods, illness affecting…

Health Adrian Covert Nov 28

Lionsgate comes to its senses about this hideous Hunger Games nail polish

There has been some truly awful Twilight merchandise, but this Hunger Games nail polish — with seizure inducing names like “Baker’s Son,” “Rebel,” “Cinna-Mon,” and “Coal-Hearted” — would have rivaled the worst of the Twi-shwag. Luckily, Lionsgate came to its senses and put the kibosh on these products — and now they’re facing a $10…

io9 Meredith Woerner Nov 28

Glass Keyboard and Mouse Shrug Off Crumbs and Spills

Using the same technology as biometric systems that capture fingerprints, Jason Giddings has created a drool-worthy glass keyboard and mouse with multitouch functionality. But he’s turned to Kickstarter to fund the prototypes and software needed to make it all work. The technology is known as FTIR, or Frustrated Total Internal Reflection, and it uses a…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Nov 28

How to Use Photoshop to Make Your Loved Ones Look Pretty These Holidays

This is a very simple, quick method to make everyone have beautiful skin in these holidays family photos, even if your family is on meth. I’ve used a variant of this method in the past years and it works perfectly. It does work great because it will soften the skin but would leave enough texture…

Tech News Jesus Diaz Nov 28

Have you seen this unearthly figure in the mist?

The Spectre of the Brocken (or Broken) is sometimes seen in just the right combination of fog, sun, and position. It looks like the outline of a human being, shadowy in the mist, with a pale rainbow as a halo. It’s not supernatural, though — it’s just physics. Find out how this happens below. The…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Nov 28

Has Best Buy Abandoned the PlayBook? (UPDATED x2)

Best Buy launches a big sale on BlackBerry PlayBooks. “Everything’s fine guys!” says BlackBerry. Best Buy dumps its PlayBook stash and doesn’t seem interested in replacing them. “Um, guys? Is this what death feels like?” The folks at Electronista have put together an interesting report: After slashing $300 off the price of a PlayBook, Best…

Tech News Brent Rose Nov 28

CT scanners can perfectly recreate the legendary Stradivarius violins

Antonio Stradivari made over a thousand violins in his long lifetime. They’re considered the most perfect violins ever made, and the 650 surviving instruments are incredibly valuable. Now, thanks to modern technology, every budding violinist could soon own an authentic Stradivarius. More or less. Like all musical instruments, no two violins are exactly alike, which…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Nov 28

Kinect 2: So Accurate It Can Read Lips?

Since its launch in 2010, the Kinect has changed gaming and inspired a whole new genre of hacking. But Kinect 2 might blow it out of the water, if rumors are to be believed. According to Eurogamer, Microsoft plans to release a second-generation Kinect device that will offer improved motion sensing and even voice recognition.…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

Tom Hardy and Christopher Nolan reveal why Bane is the ultimate villain for Batman

The Dark Knight Rises will complete Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale’s Batman trilogy, and Bane actor Tom Hardy explains why his character is the most brutal and violent foe Batman has ever faced. Bane is all about results… horrible, horrible results. Plus Christian Bale explains why Anne Hathaway has the toughest role in the movie.…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Nov 28

Amazon Hypes Its Kindle Success Without Actually Naming Any Numbers. Again.

Unsurprisingly, Black Friday was pretty successful for Amazon, which is shipping out Kindles at a staggering rate. As usual, though, we have no idea what that rate is. You dark horse, Amazon. Speaking to Business Wire, Dave Limp, Vice President of Amazon Kindle said: “Even before the busy holiday shopping weekend, we’d already sold millions…

Commerce Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

The Gizmodo Winter Survival Guide Wants to Keep You Warm

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Winter frost bites, we know. But unless you’re some sort of cold-impervious superhuman like red-blooded man-icicle Wim Hof (featured above), or willing to be an ex-pat in a hippy-filled, sub-tropic border town (ew), it’s a thing you’re going to have to deal with from time to time. Hence the Gizmodo Winter Survival…

Tech News Sponsored post Nov 28

The Droid 4 Looks Like a Big RAZR and Will Be Here Soon

We’ve been expecting Motorola’s Droid 4 for a while, but now official images and specs have leaked into the wild. And it looks a lot like a bigger version of the recent RAZR. https://gizmodo.com/motorola-droid-razr-lightning-review-faster-thinner-5856947 In terms of specs, Droid Life report that we can expect: a 4-inch screen (though it’s not clear if it’s LCD…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

Apple Store Employees Can See You Coming, If You Order From Your Phone

Apple have been trialling a new system which alerts store employees when you arrive, if you pre-ordred goods using your phone. But is that the end of queuing, or a a step too far? If you own an iPhone, you can download the Apple Store app and shop before you head into the store. When…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

Philippines Phone Scam Adds to AT&T’s Woes

A team of four hackers based in Manila have been arrested over a premium-line phone scam that targeted customers of AT&T, costing the telecoms company almost $2million. The team were paid to break into the phone systems of AT&T customers in order to make calls to international premium-rate services whose payments would be diverted, reports…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

One-Second Film Festival Proves How Beautiful a Single Second Can Be

How much can you say in a single second? Not a lot, sure. But the One-Second Film Festival proves video can convey a whole slew of emotions in that length of time. And it damn-near made me blubber. The competition has been set up by Mont Blanc to celebrate the invention of the chronograph 190…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

Who Needs Keys When Siri Has Been Hacked to Start Cars?

Last week we showed you how a developer had hacked Siri to operate his internet-connected thermostat. But that’s not cool. Starting your car using Siri, now that’s cool. https://gizmodo.com/siri-hacked-to-control-your-thermostat-or-almost-anythi-5861403 Actually, that’s a bit unfair. Because the thermostat hack by @plamoni last week was more a proof of concept than anything else: it demonstrated the power…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Nov 28

The mid-season finale of The Walking Dead was a Tears For Fears song (with zombies)

Well, that was cathartic. After an entire half-season of meandering around the barnyard, The Walking Dead closed out with a few dozen bangs…and a few euphemistic bangs deferred. By the time the episode ended, we saw that everyone wants to rule the world. Or at least those hectares Hershel’s farm sits on. Spoilers! As I…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Nov 28

What if Dr. Seuss wrote The Call of Cthulhu? (UPDATED)

Sanity-destroying cosmic horror can be hard to wrap your head around, so Deviant Artist DrFaustusAu has begun rejiggering H.P. Lovecraft’s classic short story as Dr. Seuss book. Now, children of all ages can learn about he who slumbers in his house at R’lyeh. It’s kookily impressive, and we’re jazzed to see the artist’s further work…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Nov 27

Help bring this post-apocalyptic Monkey King movie to life!

The Monkey King is one of the oldest legends in all the land and is the main character in the epic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Even though his tales were penned in the 16th century, the Monkey King remains beloved by many. And now, a fellow io9er needs your help getting his new…

Trailers Meredith Woerner Nov 27

The ancestor of all life on Earth might have been a gigantic planetary super-organism

America’s Water Pipes Are Failing and We Need to Fix Them…Fast

Lionsgate comes to its senses about this hideous Hunger Games nail polish

Glass Keyboard and Mouse Shrug Off Crumbs and Spills

How to Use Photoshop to Make Your Loved Ones Look Pretty These Holidays

Have you seen this unearthly figure in the mist?

Has Best Buy Abandoned the PlayBook? (UPDATED x2)

CT scanners can perfectly recreate the legendary Stradivarius violins

Kinect 2: So Accurate It Can Read Lips?

Tom Hardy and Christopher Nolan reveal why Bane is the ultimate villain for Batman

Amazon Hypes Its Kindle Success Without Actually Naming Any Numbers. Again.

The Gizmodo Winter Survival Guide Wants to Keep You Warm

The Droid 4 Looks Like a Big RAZR and Will Be Here Soon

Apple Store Employees Can See You Coming, If You Order From Your Phone

Philippines Phone Scam Adds to AT&T’s Woes

One-Second Film Festival Proves How Beautiful a Single Second Can Be

Who Needs Keys When Siri Has Been Hacked to Start Cars?

The mid-season finale of The Walking Dead was a Tears For Fears song (with zombies)

What if Dr. Seuss wrote The Call of Cthulhu? (UPDATED)

Help bring this post-apocalyptic Monkey King movie to life!

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