Music

Samsung’s New Vacuum Tube Dock Plays with Your iPhone and Your Galaxy

The new Samsung DA-E750 speaker dock does two things that other docks don’t. First, it plays with both your iOS devices or your Galaxy S. The dock has also been outfitted with a hybrid vacuum tube system that Samsung says will put some audiophile muster behind your tunes. This new shiny 2.1 channel Samsung dock…

Gadgets Mario Aguilar Jan 3

What if Buffy, Dr. Horrible, and Caprica Six composed 1960s folk albums?

You may remember Joe “Joebot” Spiotto’s mod remake of the Firefly gang as a group of children’s troubadours. Since then, he’s been busy giving other science fiction and fantasy icons their own (vinyl) record deals. You can find prints of these at Joebot’s Etsy store. [Via Popped Culture]

Television Cyriaque Lamar Jan 2

Turn Any Surface Into a Touch-Sensitive Instrument With a $20 Microphone

My desk is boring. My walls are boring. My windows are boring. I need to liven them up by turning them into musical instruments that detect and recognise my touch. Fortunately, that’s cheaper and easier than it sounds. This video shows off Mogees, an interactive gestural-based way of turning any surface into a real-time, wacky…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Jan 2

A virtual Morrissey is on the loose in Google Earth

If you use Google Earth to look up the Salfords Lads Club in Manchester, England, you’ll find a famously coiffed squatter in this virtual world. Punch in “St Ignatius Walk, M5 3RX” on 3D Buildings mode and you’ll see a pixelated incarnation of Morrissey, The Smiths’ loud-mouthed pontificator, forever standing smugly. The building was featured…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Jan 2

Robots Suck At Scratching Vinyl

The DJs of the world can breathe a sigh of relief, because if this video is any indication, it’s going to be a long time before they’re in jeopardy of losing gigs to robots. Watch in horror as this artificial turntablist lays down some of the worst beats I’ve ever heard from the wheels of…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Dec 31

This Nerdy Instrument is Part Atari Console Part Guitar

The gAtari is a “musical instrument” that basically consists of an Atari 2600 playing pre-programmed tunes, which has been hacked together with a few guitar effects processors. It’s kind of like an Atari keytar. The resulting music is scatterbrained weirdness that’s impossible to describe. Old gaming consoles like the Atari 2600 had a pretty limited…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Dec 28

A Christmas carol played on (not in) a cave

Virginia’s Luray Caves are a mix between a geological feature, an organ, and an electric guitar. In Luray Caves, there is the body of an organ set against a far wall. It looks more like a piano, as it’s missing one of the defining parts of a pipe organ: the pipes. Instead, this organ has…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Dec 24

Can snakes really be charmed by music?

No. The charm has nothing to do with the music and everything to do with the charmer waving a pungi, a reed instrument carved out of a gourd, in the snake’s face. Snakes don’t have external ears and can perceive little more than low-frequency rumbles. But when they see something threatening, they rise up in…

io9 Ryan Bradley - Popular Science Dec 24

Taylor Swift’s Hunger Games song doesn’t have nearly enough teen murder

Check out this sweet little lullaby from Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars straight off the Hunger Games soundtrack. While we like the twang, the more tween pop they push into this movie, the more nervous we get. But who knows — this could be the after-credits tune, for all we know. Take a listen,…

Movies Meredith Woerner Dec 23

Santa’s Trusty Robot Reindeer

When I was a kid I would’ve given just about anything to see a hoverboard under the family Christmas tree. Back to the Future II came out in 1989 (when I was six years old) and the movie promised kids like me a world of hoverboards and ubiquitous product placement by the year 2015. I…

Tech News Matt Novak Dec 23

Listen to The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend’s angry Venture Bros. Christmas song

The annual Venture Bros. X-Mas track is here, courtesy of the mellifluous voices of Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer. Listen to supervillainy’s premier couple argue their way through a rendition of the creepy holiday staple “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” The henchmen learned to play jazz! You can download the MP3 with but a right-click here.…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Dec 22

Are your corporate overlords controlling you with light and sound?

Many corporate work environments are designed to encourage optimum efficiency. Managers want to encourage productivity with the amount of light and music, or discourage socializing by erecting walls. Do any of these tactics work at all? And if they do, how is your work environment influencing you? Top image by 79Silver on Deviant Art. Soothing…

io9 Keith Veronese Dec 22

The Beautiful Guitar Amp I Won’t Have to Hide

Guitar amps are heavy and bulky and my wife really doesn’t want to see one just hanging out in the living room. But, she hasn’t seen the stylish Yamaha THR10 practice amp. Living in an apartment means that the only time I get to use my tube amp is at a practice space. Turning the…

Tech News Roberto Baldwin Dec 21

What is the greatest J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired song of them all?

The best part of the new Hobbit trailer was easily the chill-inducing dwarf sing-a-long. Not only did it transplant us right back into Middle Earth, but it’s quite lovely. But which J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired song (from the Tolkien movies) is the greatest of them all? Take the poll now. Here are the lyrics for the song…

Movies Meredith Woerner Dec 21

How to Create Synthetic Symphonies on Your Android

The number of noteworthy music apps in Google’s Android ecosystem is on the rise, but it’s still weak in certain sub-categories – in particular, music-making apps. Until recently, Android showed a real dearth of high-powered music-making apps. This was a real buzzkill for musicians (myself included) who wanted to make music on our Androids in…

Tech News Eliot Van Buskirk - Evolver.fm Dec 20

Feeling Down? Dial the Hall and Oates Hotline

The holidays can be tough. The stress of strained finances. Getting felt up at the airport on your way to be ridiculed by your family. Fortunately, there’s someone you can call. Actually two people you can call, Hall and Oates. Dial “Callin’ Oates” 719-26-OATES (719-266-2837) to be given the option of listening to one of…

Tech News Roberto Baldwin Dec 20

Go Check Out the Huge Google Music Sale Right Now

For a limited time Google Music is selling more than half a million records for under $4.99 as well as 10 million tracks for just $.49. That’s really cheap. What’s the catch? There doesn’t appear to be one. The Google Music Blowout sale isn’t just serving up bargain bin crap—there’s some really good stuff. So…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Dec 20

If You Like Lady Gaga, You Deserve To Be Phished

The poker-faced popstar Lady Gaga had her Twitter and Facebook accounts hacked yesterday — and then malicious links were sent to all her friends and followers. Serves them right for liking her music. Whoever sent out the messages tried their best to be convincing, by using the same language that Gaga herself uses. But the…

Privacy & Security Jamie Condliffe Dec 20

The Most Futuristic Music of 2011

Put away your grandpa-style indie rock sweaters and salute the year’s most futuristic music. By that I don’t just mean music that sounds like it comes from the future (though there’s quite a bit of that); I also mean music that is indicative of larger future trends. Shall we begin? Vektor, “Outer Isolation” Sometimes the…

io9 Phil Freeman Dec 19

It’s scientifically possible to predict the next pop music hit

Generally, the future is so chaotic that there’s no way of guessing what will come next. But one area is so obvious, so repetitive, so completely and utterly predictable that it’s a breeze to guess what’s coming next: pop music. Scientists have been trying for a while now to come up with a way to…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Dec 18

Samsung’s New Vacuum Tube Dock Plays with Your iPhone and Your Galaxy

What if Buffy, Dr. Horrible, and Caprica Six composed 1960s folk albums?

Turn Any Surface Into a Touch-Sensitive Instrument With a $20 Microphone

A virtual Morrissey is on the loose in Google Earth

Robots Suck At Scratching Vinyl

This Nerdy Instrument is Part Atari Console Part Guitar

A Christmas carol played on (not in) a cave

Can snakes really be charmed by music?

Taylor Swift’s Hunger Games song doesn’t have nearly enough teen murder

Santa’s Trusty Robot Reindeer

Listen to The Monarch and Dr. Girlfriend’s angry Venture Bros. Christmas song

Are your corporate overlords controlling you with light and sound?

The Beautiful Guitar Amp I Won’t Have to Hide

What is the greatest J.R.R. Tolkien-inspired song of them all?

How to Create Synthetic Symphonies on Your Android

Feeling Down? Dial the Hall and Oates Hotline

Go Check Out the Huge Google Music Sale Right Now

If You Like Lady Gaga, You Deserve To Be Phished

The Most Futuristic Music of 2011

It’s scientifically possible to predict the next pop music hit

Two Songs We Really Wish Were the Anime Outros for ‘Steel Ball Run’

AI Training Data Giant Mercor Is Reportedly Looking to Buy the Work You Did at Your Old Job

Utah Is Giving Dr. AI the Power to Renew Drug Prescriptions

Here’s the Perfect Excuse to See ‘Project Hail Mary’ Again

US Airlines Are Hiking Bag Fees Amid Iran War Oil Crisis

This Ridiculously Simple Trick Might Stop Gulls From Nabbing Your Lunch

‘Starfleet Academy’ Season 3 Could Have Done the ‘Voyager’ Sequel Episode of Robert Picardo’s Dreams

Judge Kills Lawsuit Against Infamous Study That Might Have Increased Teen Suicides

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

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

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