Emergencies

Last-Minute Stockpiling Only Makes Disasters Worse

When a hurricane takes aim at the coast or a blizzard looms in the forecast, something strange comes over us. We swarm into grocery stores, stripping the shelves bare of canned goods and staple foods. Lines stretch all the way around the supermarket, and it’s like Black Friday on the produce aisle, with people arguing…

Tech News Kiona Smith-Strickland Sep 30

Why Do People Take Selfies In Emergencies?

When a United Airlines flight made an emergency landing this summer due to medical situations on board, as the oxygen masks fell down, some passengers’ phone cameras went up. But psychologists say the instinct to snap a selfie in a near-death experience isn’t all narcissism—it’s also about survival and self-preservation. The ‘Survival Selfie’ Our friends…

Tech News Bryan Lufkin Sep 16

Japan Uses Cameras on Train Platforms to Spot (and Save) Drunk People

Here in New York City, subway security is on the prowl for crooks, would-be terrorists, and other unsavory characters. But in Japan, security cameras are used to detect a totally different type of passenger: Wasted people. And it’s for their own good. Last week, West Japan Railways announced plans to install security cameras on the…

Privacy & Security Bryan Lufkin Aug 19

Earthquake Kits Selling Like Hotcakes After Terrifying New Yorker Story

It’s been more than a week since The New Yorker published a story called The Really Big One, describing how much of the Pacific Northwest will be destroyed by a massive earthquake and tsunami and scaring the crap out of Americans nationwide. Now, emergency kits are “flying off the shelves.” That’s no huge surprise to…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Jul 24

“Stroke Ambulances” Could Save Lives Before Ever Reaching the Hospital

The last year or so has seen the arrival of super ambulances, emergency vehicles equipped with life-saving CT scanners that can treat stroke victims without waiting to arrive at the hospital. Earlier this week, the University of Alberta debuted Canada’s first “stroke ambulance,” a souped-up vehicle that carries a CT scanner and clot-busting drugs onboard.…

Health Bryan Lufkin Jul 10

Hobby Drones Derailed Firefighters’ Attempt to Put Out a Wildfire

Drought-stricken California has seen a wildfire rage on this week, but when planes carrying flame retardant attempted to contain the fire Wednesday, someone’s hobby drone hovering over the scene got in the way. Fearing a collision, the planes turned back, the fire got worse, and the failed mission cost some $15,000, the LA Times reported.…

Tech News Bryan Lufkin Jun 26

The Pentagon Wants to Turn Our Phones Into a Giant Mesh Network

Imagine what would happen if every cell phone tower in the country spontaneously combusted. We’d be in big trouble, which is why the Pentagon is exploring other ways to communicate in the event of an emergency. Chief among them is the idea toconnect every cell phone in America with mesh networking technology. Actually, the technology…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes May 8

How To Call For Help Without A Cell Phone

You’ve fallen and you can’t get up. But you’re also out of cell range. How do you call for help? It’s easier and more effective than you might think. Audible Signals: In most places, three repetitions of any loud sound is recognized as a distress signal. In the Alps, mountaineers use six repetitions, with rescuers…

Tech News Wes Siler Nov 5

Detroit’s Under-Funded Fire Departments Use a Soda Can For a Fire Alarm

Where absent money leaves gaps, ingenuity fills in. Nowhere is that more true than in Detroit’s fire departments, where, as Detroit Free Press reporter Tresa Baldas shows us, a soda can full of jangling coins and screws alerts the Motor City’s long-suffering heroes when there’s an emergency. The system is brilliantly simple: A soda can…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich Sep 6

An Always Charging Flashlight That Could Serve As a Centerpiece

The only thing worse than the power outage that has you reaching for a flashlight in the middle of the night is finding that it too is out of power. But the Trioh is a flashlight you don’t have to hide away in a drawer, it’s designed to be as aesthetically pleasing as it is…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Aug 13

The Rise and Fall of the Fireman’s Pole

Imagine this: it’s 3:30 in the morning, and you’re deep in some pillowy dreamscape. All is calm; all is serene. Then, a piercing alarm whiplashes your senses: you’re awake now, scrambling in the darkness with ten equally frazzled men. In a flurry, boots are pulled on, helmets are snatched off shelves, and you’re flying down…

Tech News Zachary Crocket- Priceonomics Aug 11

Phone Company Routed 911 Calls to a Recording Suggesting You Call 911

According to a recent FCC notice, anyone dialing 911 in the small township of Caddo County, Oklahoma was greeted by an automated recording telling them to “hang up and dial 911.” A ghoulish game of merry-go-round that went on for months. While the period of gross misconduct took place in the first few months of…

Tech News Ashley Feinberg Aug 5

This Fanny Pack Could Save You From Drowning

Fanny packs fell out of fashion sometime in the mid-1990s, but would you still wear one if it could possibly help save your life? Or, if it meant that when boating or kayaking you didn’t have to wear an awkward and uncomfortable vest-style life jacket? Dakine is betting you will with its new unobtrusive waist…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Aug 5

How New York City Simulates an Anthrax Attack

Today, New York City is mounting a large-scale simulation of an anthrax attack, the biggest emergency simulation the city has ever staged. So how exactly does the largest city in the United States respond to biological warfare? The drill is called RAMPEx (Rapid Activation for Mass Prophylaxis Exercise), and it’s co-sponsored by the Department of…

Tech News Leslie Horn Aug 1

A Better First Aid Kit That Makes Suggestions and Knows What’s Missing

Even a well-stocked first-aid kit is all but useless if you crack it open but have no idea what’s actually needed for a particular emergency. So these aptly-named Clever Medkits feature a series of buttons and LED lighting that only illuminates the medical supplies needed for a specific injury, and it will even remind you…

Health Andrew Liszewski Jul 30

This Tiny MacGyver Emergency Toolkit Will Get You Out of Any Situation

iFixit, the folks responsible for tearing down all of our favorite gear, also sell kits that include all the tools they use. But none will ever be as useful as this tiny $6 ‘Action Hero Toolkit’ inspired by TV’s most resourceful hero: MacGyver. https://gizmodo.com/mac-pro-teardown-an-apple-rig-you-can-actually-tinker-1492168534 It turns out that yesterday, March 23, was actually MacGyver’s birthday.…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Mar 24

A 100-Year-Old Emergency Water Supply Put Out A Fire In SF This Week

The five-alarm fire that destroyed a San Francisco apartment building this week put the city’s municipal water supply to the test: When water pressure began to dwindle, firefighters tapped an emergency system that was built below the city—all the way back in 1913. The six-story building under construction in the city’s Mission Bay neighborhood caught…

Tech News Alissa Walker Mar 13

Wireless Emergency Lights Can Brighten Up Your Next Power Outage

Public places are equipped with emergency backup lights so that in the event of a power outage people can find their way to safety. So why shouldn’t your home have that too? The ReadyBright system from Mr. Beams lets you easily install emergency backup lights all around home—which is probably a minefield of toys if…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Mar 7

It’s Not the Snow, It’s Not the Politics: Blame the Car-Dependent City

There’s been plenty written about why the South suffered so much from this week’s surprise snowstorm. But there’s really only one thing to blame: those cold lumps of steel that are still abandoned on the side of the highway. What happened in Atlanta could happen any time, any place where people rely so heavily on…

Tech News Alissa Walker Jan 30

$14,500 Cabinet Contains Everything You Need To Survive the Apocalypse

For some of us, a couple of inches of snow makes for a lovely summer day. But for others who aren’t used to the white stuff, it can wreak havoc on motorways and cause endless headaches. No matter what the emergency it’s good to be prepared, and for the price of a small car, you…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jan 29

Last-Minute Stockpiling Only Makes Disasters Worse

Why Do People Take Selfies In Emergencies?

Japan Uses Cameras on Train Platforms to Spot (and Save) Drunk People

Earthquake Kits Selling Like Hotcakes After Terrifying New Yorker Story

“Stroke Ambulances” Could Save Lives Before Ever Reaching the Hospital

Hobby Drones Derailed Firefighters’ Attempt to Put Out a Wildfire

The Pentagon Wants to Turn Our Phones Into a Giant Mesh Network

How To Call For Help Without A Cell Phone

Detroit’s Under-Funded Fire Departments Use a Soda Can For a Fire Alarm

An Always Charging Flashlight That Could Serve As a Centerpiece

The Rise and Fall of the Fireman’s Pole

Phone Company Routed 911 Calls to a Recording Suggesting You Call 911

This Fanny Pack Could Save You From Drowning

How New York City Simulates an Anthrax Attack

A Better First Aid Kit That Makes Suggestions and Knows What’s Missing

This Tiny MacGyver Emergency Toolkit Will Get You Out of Any Situation

A 100-Year-Old Emergency Water Supply Put Out A Fire In SF This Week

Wireless Emergency Lights Can Brighten Up Your Next Power Outage

It’s Not the Snow, It’s Not the Politics: Blame the Car-Dependent City

$14,500 Cabinet Contains Everything You Need To Survive the Apocalypse

Artemis 2 Day 6: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Anonymous Sources Detail Sam Altman’s Alleged Untrustworthiness in New Report

Steven Spielberg Still Wants to Make a Horror Film ‘Someday’

Waymo Has Stopped Testing Its Robotaxis in New York City and No One Knows What Happens Next

Samsung Pushes Monitor Deals Further, the 34″ ViewFinity Hits a Record Low at Nearly 40% Off

The Best Anti-Meta Smart Glasses Are About to Have Tough Competition

The Artemis 2 Mission Is Leaning in on the ‘Project Hail Mary’ Love

Here’s How Many Americans Have Ever Thought About Shooting Someone Else

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Let us help find what you are looking for...

Emergencies

Last-Minute Stockpiling Only Makes Disasters Worse

Why Do People Take Selfies In Emergencies?

Japan Uses Cameras on Train Platforms to Spot (and Save) Drunk People

Earthquake Kits Selling Like Hotcakes After Terrifying New Yorker Story

“Stroke Ambulances” Could Save Lives Before Ever Reaching the Hospital

Hobby Drones Derailed Firefighters’ Attempt to Put Out a Wildfire

The Pentagon Wants to Turn Our Phones Into a Giant Mesh Network

​How To Call For Help Without A Cell Phone

Detroit’s Under-Funded Fire Departments Use a Soda Can For a Fire Alarm

An Always Charging Flashlight That Could Serve As a Centerpiece

The Rise and Fall of the Fireman’s Pole

Phone Company Routed 911 Calls to a Recording Suggesting You Call 911

This Fanny Pack Could Save You From Drowning

How New York City Simulates an Anthrax Attack

A Better First Aid Kit That Makes Suggestions and Knows What’s Missing

This Tiny MacGyver Emergency Toolkit Will Get You Out of Any Situation

A 100-Year-Old Emergency Water Supply Put Out A Fire In SF This Week

Wireless Emergency Lights Can Brighten Up Your Next Power Outage

It’s Not the Snow, It’s Not the Politics: Blame the Car-Dependent City

$14,500 Cabinet Contains Everything You Need To Survive the Apocalypse

Artemis 2 Day 6: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Anonymous Sources Detail Sam Altman’s Alleged Untrustworthiness in New Report

Steven Spielberg Still Wants to Make a Horror Film ‘Someday’

Waymo Has Stopped Testing Its Robotaxis in New York City and No One Knows What Happens Next

Samsung Pushes Monitor Deals Further, the 34″ ViewFinity Hits a Record Low at Nearly 40% Off

The Best Anti-Meta Smart Glasses Are About to Have Tough Competition

The Artemis 2 Mission Is Leaning in on the ‘Project Hail Mary’ Love

Here’s How Many Americans Have Ever Thought About Shooting Someone Else

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Let us help find what you are looking for...

How To Call For Help Without A Cell Phone