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Peter Straub’s Shadowland is being developed as an “event series” for NBC by David S. Goyer. In addition producing the project, Goyer will also co-write it with BAFTA-winner Jack Thorne, who is currently adapting The Sandman. Shadowland follows two boys who spend a summer with a magician who may be a sorcerer. [Deadline]

Canon Patent Describes Tech to Choose Between JPEG and RAW For You

RAW or JPEG? JPEG or RAW? Too. Many. Decisions. Fortunately, a new Canon patent suggests technology that could make that choice for you. Discovered by Egami, the patent explains a feature for DSLRs that could, if you wanted it to, automate the choice between JPEG and RAW file types. The idea is simple: when acquiring…

A mission to Mars should have an all-female crew, says Kate Green, who participated in a simulated expedition. Over 5 weeks, the female crew members expended less than half the calories of the men and at mealtimes, the women ate smaller portions. Less food would mean a lighter spacecraft payload and reduced fuel.

Spotify Is Getting a Family Deal to Save You Money

If you and your partner both use separate Spotify accounts—or, worse, your entire family—then some good news: the streaming service is launching a family deal so you can all run separate accounts but save money in the process. The new plan, called Spotify Family, lets up to five people all share a single billing account.…

Resurrection’s Most Awkward Family Dinner Has 3 Generations of the Dead

Take a back seat, mystery of why people are returning, we have got to sit through a dinner that is the exact opposite of getting “closure.” Plus, Grandma? Knows a lot and reveals it in the scariest possible way. Spoilers… Things to know: Rachael’s pregnancy is proceeding at twice the normal rate. And Pastor Tom’s…

Malware Attacks on ATMs Are Here to Stay

Earlier this month it came to light that ATM malware was being used to extort large quantities of cash from banks. Now, Krebs on Security reports that such techniques are on the rise—and here to stay, too. https://gizmodo.com/crooks-have-started-rooting-atms-to-steal-cash-1643725015 Krebs has spoken to Owen Wild, an expert at ATM producer NCR, to work out what the…

Why the FBI Director Is Wrong About Encryption

FBI Director James Comey gave a speech reiterating the FBI’s nearly twenty-year-old talking points about why it wants to reduce the security in your devices, rather than help you increase it. Here’s the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s response. The FBI should not be in the business of trying to convince companies to offer less security to…

The Advice on the Avengers’ Motivational Posters Is a Little Warped

This the most useful advice about getting a man’s heart I’ve ever seen. I imagine Tony Stark thinks these are brilliant PR. And he’s right. These come from Kehinki, and there are alternate versions of the one on top here. I think that series could also double as Valentine’s Day cards. You can see more…

You Can’t Upgrade the RAM in the New Mac Mini

Good news: the Mac Mini is back! Bad news: ain’t no way you’re going to be upgrading the RAM yourself. https://gizmodo.com/the-mac-mini-is-back-with-all-new-guts-1647212364 It’s been confirmed by a number of people over the weekend that the RAM in Apple’s little desktop isn’t upgradable. You can upgrade the hard drive—but in doing so you will void the warranty.…

Facebook: The DEA Can’t Use Fake Profiles to Chase Suspects

Remember how the Justice Department decided it was just fine for a Drug Enforcement Administration agent to steal a woman’s identity and set up a fake Facebook account to chase subjects? Well, Facebook’s not OK with that. https://gizmodo.com/doj-it-was-ok-for-a-dea-agent-to-impersonate-this-woma-1643235818 In a letter sent to the Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday, Zuckerberg & Co. have made their…

20 Years Too Late, Ridley Scott’s Finally Adapting The Hot Zone

Ridley Scott and Lynda Obst have had the rights to adapt Richard Preston’s nonfiction best-seller The Hot Zone for two decades. And now that it’s a timely property again, it’ll be a miniseries for Fox. That’s actually a major departure from the original idea, which was a movie starring Jodie Foster. The new iteration has…

The Nopest Cat Is Here for All Your Gif Needs

This is Momotaro, a cat whose documented response to unwanted food is a universal expression of “No. No. No. No. No.” This cat has ruined my allegiance to the Nope Octopus. Here are the video source of the gif above and a much longer one with many more priceless nope moment for you to choose…

Dyson’s Humidifier Uses UV Light To Kill Germs in Its Water Reservoir

The slow but steady approach of winter means that it’s almost time for many of us to fire up our heaters—also heralding the return of of chapped lips and dry skin. Dyson’s new humidifier is one solution to the problem, but it doesn’t only prevent dry air. It also ensures your home isn’t being filled…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Welcome to another week of apps. We had some big additions to our smartphones from Skype and Microsoft recently, but iOS, Android, and Windows Phone once again has some new additions worth taking a look. Android Brainwave Brainwave is an Android app that lets you perform Jedi powers on your smartphone. This app empowers your…

Celebrate 25 Seasons of Treehouse of Horror By Watching The Simpsons

Quick! Stop what you’re doing (including reading this), and go watch television history. The Simpsons will be airing the 25 installment of a now national Halloween tradition known as Treehouse of Horror at 8pm ET on Fox. Beginning with the second season in 1990, Treehouse of Horror is a spooky annual episode showing three short…

What Are Tech’s Biggest Blunders?

With great reward comes risk, and tech companies are probably pretty familiar with that sentiment. Each product, service, or device is a gamble on whether it will resonate, successfully separating us from our discretionary income, or languish on stockroom shelves, untouched. All companies, even the biggest ones, are built upon a mixture of successes and…

The Sun Is Beautiful When Its Magnetic Field Is Angry

These huge coronal loops reach out more than fifteen times the diameter of the Earth, tracing out disruptions in the sun’s magnetic field. Whoa. The coronal loops were captured by the Solar Dynamics Observatory on October 14th and 15th, 2014. The loops are particles spiraling along magnetic field lines after a long-lasting M-class flare erupted,…

Here’s The Easiest Way To Move Furniture Into A 12th Floor Apartment

In South Korea, moving companies rely on what looks like a pretty ingenious technique for moving furniture into high-rise apartments. YouTuber Travel With Jerry shot this video while visiting his sister’s apartment in Korea. To be fair (much as we’d all love to believe that Seoul is the cyberpunk city of the future), South Koreans…

Report: Fitbit Surge Is a $250 Fitness-Focused Smartwatch

We got an exclusive look last week at Fitbit’s refresh of the Fitbit Force fitness tracker with the Fitbit Charge and Fitbit Charge HR, but that appears to have been only part of what the company has in store. The Verge reports that Fitbit will also be launching its own smartwatch, known as the Fitbit…

Back of the Box – 10/19/2014

What a week, what a week. Let’s have a chat, and take a look back at the highs and lows of the past 7 days on Toybox. This week’s been a tough one, but a crazy one, and one with big highs and lows – let’s kick off with the low though. Tuesday was the…