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As if there aren’t enough tech security threats to worry about, you also need to be on your guard against so-called ‘stalkerware’—invasive programs installed by suspicious spouses, jealous exes or controlling parents without your knowledge. Here are the warning signs (on your computer) to look out for, and what you can do about them. Stalkerware…
The fidget spinner is a global phenomenon that has inspired thinkpieces about cultural anxiety, the changing retail landscape, and above all, whether or not it should be allowed in the classroom. Many teachers have embraced the toy as a tool for kids with attention problems but we have some bad news: They’re evolving. https://gizmodo.com/tsa-reminds-passengers-that-ninja-stars-are-not-fidget-1796177251 Some…
Amazon is perfecting a different kind of business model than we’ve traditionally known. First, crush an industry by focusing on growth instead of profit. Then, swoop in to “fix” the industry that was destroyed. Now that the online retailer is moving into the brick and mortar world, it’s trying to prevent the in-store price comparisons…
About a week ago, a mysterious website appeared that offered a glimpse of what appeared to be a new console by Atari. The site offered nothing more than a short video and appears to have been made with a free website builder. On Friday, Atari’s CEO confirmed that the company is indeed building a new…
To hide you’ve got a few tools at your disposal and all of which add up to a largely anonymous browsing experience.
Animating anything by hand using stop-motion techniques, one frame at a time, is a time-consuming and mind-numbing process. But in order to create the surreal organic images for his WoodSwimmer video, Brett Foxwell had to slowly slice away at a log, sliver by sliver, while photographing the entire process. It sounds like a nightmarish, sliver-filled…
The more data, the better, right? When it comes to genetics, it turns out that might not be the case. As both genetic sequencing has gotten cheaper and computerized data analysis has gotten better, more and more researchers have turned to what are known as genome-wide association studies in hopes of sussing out which individual…
What is a “weapon?” Technically, you can inflict harm on another person with just about anything, be it a projectile, blade, stone, or even just your own human hand. So where do you draw the line? The TSA’s verdict: Fidget spinners are toys and ninja stars are weapons. Ninja star fidget spinner? Weapon. The (actually…
Thanks to an exterior clad in what look like reflective metal bars, Alain Robert, a professional urban climber, simply walked up to the Meliá Barcelona Sky hotel and started climbing, eventually scaling the 29-story structure in just 22 minutes, without the use of any safety gear. Robert is well known for his climbing stunts like…
Professor S. Jay Olshansky once told Gizmodo, “In the world of aging sciences, if you want to live a long life, choose long-lived parents.” So genetic markers linked to longevity are interesting as hell. But if you’ve got the wrong genes, then the wrong moves might do you in. A team of researchers from universities…
Some day in the far future, it’s possible our descendants will kick it up a notch and wrap the entire Sun in a massive solar-collecting shell known as a Dyson Sphere. It’s also possible that some advanced alien civilizations have already gone this route, which is why some SETI folks are on the lookout for…
Wave a high-powered laser around fast enough, and the human eye will perceive an image in the light trail left behind. That’s how laser projectors that cost thousands of dollars work, but it’s also how this cheap, 3D-printed plastic contraption turns a simple laser pointer into a full-on light show. All the files needed to…
The CIA has had the ability to turn routers and network access points into surveillance devices for years, according to secret documents published by WikiLeaks on Thursday. In the latest installment of its Vault 7 series of leaks, WikiLeaks has disclosed an alleged CIA program known as CherryBlossom. The purpose of the initiative is to…
Yesterday, Facebook posted a detailed explanation of its counter-terrorism program, defending itself from criticism by European leaders in the wake of recent terror attacks in Britain and France and stating there is “no place on Facebook for terrorism.” But any goodwill earned by that post seems to have lasted less than a day, as a…
When Inc. magazine’s Jeff Bercovici reported last August that billionaire Trump-supporter Peter Thiel had repeatedly expressed interest in the idea of harvesting the blood of young people to maintain his own youth, it left an indelible mark on Thiel’s public persona, as captured by headlines like “Peter Thiel Wants to Inject Himself with Young People’s…
Last fall, John Zhang made headlines after his fertility clinic announced that for the first time a baby had been born using a new technique requiring three genetic parents. The baby’s mother carried the genes for a fatal nervous system disorder called Leigh syndrome, but Zhang had been able to keep the disease from being…
Bloomberg News and others report that Amazon will buy Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in cash. In cash! That breaks down to Jeff Bezos and company paying $42 per share for a chain of health food and lifestyle stores. In cash! Here’s a funny Twitter joke about that: Amazon confirmed the Bloomberg report just minutes after…
I’d like to say that I’ve never given Uber money, but that wouldn’t be true. Not exactly. I did give Uber money once, years ago, when I had no other option. The company promptly ripped me off, and I wasn’t surprised. Why not? I worked in the same office as Uber in its early days.…
Those who live vicariously through Indiana Jones will be glad to know that a team of Israeli archaeologists has uncovered a cryptic message left on a 3,000-year-old pottery shard. The ink-on-clay piece of pottery—called an ostracon—was originally discovered in the 1960s, in a city west of the Dead Sea called Tel Arad. Now, using new…
If you’re not a programmer, you’re probably not going to know this, but there’s a vicious rivalry lurking in the code of every app you use. If code isn’t written consistently—using either the tab or the space button to create indentations—the format can get all wonky, making it difficult for multiple authors to contribute to…
