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For a second, it seems like the tennis ball might have a shot in surviving the molten copper because it seems like a force field surrounds the ball. But then, that make believe invisible layer gets destroyed and the tennis ball bursts into glorious flames. It gets even better when the fireball gets squished to…
You might think that an invisible business card is a terrible idea; how could anyone see your contact details? But artist Ghizlan el Glaoui’s card is a one-of-a-kind design that reveals all her important details with a glowing LED integrated into one corner. Designed by a creative agency called The Big A, the acrylic card…
The FCC announced today that Verizon Wireless will pay $1.35 million in fines relating to its use of “supercookies,” the scary trackers that transmit targeted ads to cellphone users. The telecom giant can still use supercookies but must now get consent. Contact the author at [email protected].
Sixty-six million years ago, planet Earth had a shit day when a six-mile-wide asteroid smashed into the Yucatán Peninsula, triggering a series of events that killed off the dinosaurs. Later this month, a scientific expedition will drill into the heart of Chicxulub crater for the very first time, seeking to learn more about the nature…
Ray Tomlinson, widely credited as the inventor of email, died this past weekend. He was 74. By all accounts, Tomlinson was a brilliant man. And he’s being mourned around the world as the person who brought us the @ in our inboxes. The format novak@gizmodo didn’t just invent itself. Tomlinson did that. But the fascinating…
Marine archaeologists have discovered a large iron-hulled steamer near North Carolina’s Oak Island. The decaying wreck has yet to be identified, but it’s the first Civil War-era vessel to be discovered in the region in decades. It doesn’t look like much, but this ship has been lying at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean for…
Everyone always wants to know what Apple is up to, and Apple is always trying to hide what they’re up to. Luckily, we have the internet, which is chock full of rumors and obsessive analysis from Apple fanboys. We already know Apple is probably planning a March event where it will reveal updates to many…
This summer, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Apple violated federal antitrust law by conspiring to fix the price of ebooks. The court called Apple’s price fixing the “supreme evil of antitrust.” Today, the Supreme Court has rejected Apple’s appeal. Apple owes $450 million to consumers who took part in a conditional…
Technology has made many aspects of our lives easier, but at the same time incredibly chaotic with non-stop emails, social media posts, and electronic alerts. If you’ve ever thought about walking away from it all, disconnecting, and living a simpler life, watching this guy build his family a log cabin from scratch will be your…
Dremel’s aren’t terribly expensive, but nothing beats the price of free, since chances are you already have all of this stuff laying around in a junk drawer. This simple build uses a small motor, a 9 volt battery, a switch, and some hot glue to form the bulk of the tool. The cutting wheel is…
Cyrus Vance, Manhattan’s District Attorney, thinks that encryption is a murderer’s tool. He hastestified before Congress about how encryption hurts law enforcement. At the same time, his office is running a biased survey for law enforcement agencies on encryption, a survey that uses obviously leading questions and has an obvious security flaw. Though it’s only…
Think all your secrets are safely tucked away on your smartphone just because only your fingerprint can unlock it? Watch researchers from Michigan State University compromise a biometric fingerprint sensor with nothing more than a scanner, an off-the-shelf inkjet printer, and readily available conductive ink. The hack is, of course, dependent on someone digitizing a…
Did I mention it’s illegal too? Because it’s super illegal. While everything about this video screams “Russian prank!” charging a phone off the rails seem scientifically legit. Many lines run a low voltage through their tracks so that stations can determine the location of individual trains—which is also why this is so dangerous. Not only…
Watch where you put your card. The ATM security organization EAST has published a new report pointing out that the use of s0-called Throat Inlay Skimming devices—which are hidden within the card slot—is rising. These kinds of devices, pictured above, are “placed inside the card reader throat in front of the shutter,” according to EAST.…
A is of Accelerator, B is for Black hole, C is for Cryostat! Those are just a few of the particle physics lessons your kids will get from Symmetry Magazine’s new lovely, animated alphabet book that gives them an early start on science. Heck, you might learn a little something too. The 26-page book—Symmetry’s ABCs…
Every year, the Wellcome Trust rounds up the best biomedical images of the last twelve months as part of its Image Awards. This year, the pictures are a reminder of just how beautiful biology can be. There are20 winning images in the awards this year and we’ve chosen a handful to show you here. Our…
Who wouldn’t want to receive a small and realistic replica of you without your clothes on? Our British counterparts at Gizmodo UK report that you can order one of these terrifying Nudee models from Firebox right now. All you have to supply is a pair of pictures of the head you’d like immortalized—one from the…
The Aurora Borealis may be a common site in some parts of the world, but England rarely gets to witness it in its full, saturated glory. Last night, however, the country was treated to an impressive multicolor light show. The BBC reports that the Northern Lights could be seen strongly as far west as Anglesey…
If you want to fly under the radar, you could do with a sheet of this material. Using a series of liquid-metal absorbers, the new film can soak up radar in order to cloak whatever it happens to be covering. Developed by researchers from Iowa State University, the material is made up of a series…
The fight between Apple and the FBI over unlocking an iPhone continues. Now, Apple’s VP for software engineering, Craig Federighi, has spoken out, warning that legal arguments overlook the fact that criminals—as well as tech companies—continue to innovate. In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, he writes that his “team must work tirelessly to…
