Tech News

Review: BOOMco’s Halo Dart Guns Aren’t All a Gamer’s Dream Come True

Yes, that’s right—this is a working Halo Needler. It shoots amazing darts that magically stick to targets, just like in the game. (No, they don’t explode.) It’s part of an entire line of new Halo dart guns produced by BOOMco. And I just tried them all. Incidentally, BOOMco is the company that now makes the…

Tech News Sean Hollister

The New Broad Museum Tries to Cement Its Place in LA’s Future

“How do you build next to this beauty?” architect Liz Diller said yesterday, pointing next door to the glinting dorsal fins of Frank Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall as she stood in front of the new Broad Museum, which she designed. It’s kind of a shame that any talk of LA’s most potentially exciting new…

Tech News Alissa Walker

The golden glittery fireworks of a grenade launcher captured in a photo

It looks more like a flamethrower or a firework shooter or a glitter dust bomb gun but it’s actually a firing M32 grenade launcher. It’s a picture of Marines training Malaysian ARmed Forces during a non-lethal weapons seminar. What perfect timing it must’ve been to capture this shot. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us…

Sploid Casey Chan

The FBI Says Retweets Are Endorsements

Remember when people put that “RTs ≠ endorsements” disclaimer in their Twitter bios, like that would offer some form of protection from the being associated with what they retweeted? Well, a retweet can be seen as an endorsement. It can also apparently be used as evidence that you’re trying to join ISIS. 22-year-old Queens resident…

Tech News Kate Knibbs

Is a Giant Academic Publisher Trying to Paywall Wikipedia?

Last week, academic publisher Elsevier announced that it would be donating 45 free ScienceDirect accounts to “top Wikipedia editors,” granting them access to thousands of paywalled scientific journals. And people are outraged. The seemingly benign move has sparked a bitter fight among academics and open access advocates, many of whom think that partnering with the…

Tech News Maddie Stone

How These Structures Were Engineered to Survive a Global Catastrophe

Whether spurred by the Cold War, climate change, or just the seemingly inevitable arrival of an asteroid strike, humans have gone to extraordinary trouble to plan—and build—for the worst. These buildings range from the underground bunker where FEMA will broadcast emergency radio alerts to the arctic vault where the Norwegian government is amassing a collection…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan

How to make a latte with regular drip coffee and no espresso or milk

Here’s a fun little trick to turn regular drip coffee into a frothy and delicious latte-esque drink that’s not a latte but totally looks and feels like a latte, courtesy of our friends from ChefSteps. It’s pretty simple, actually. Just brew your normal coffee and throw it in a blender with a bit of xanthan…

Sploid Casey Chan

Watch a Bunch of Sailors Smash Their Smartphones as Punishment

Navy cadets aren’t supposed to take their phones to training in Thailand. If they do, their superiors give them blocks of concrete and a tough order: SMASH IT! Don’t believe me? Watch the below video of officers-in-training smashing their phones with blocks of concrete. It was filmed—ironically enough with a phone—at the Thai navy’s Communications…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes

Syrian Refugees Are Finding Safe Haven Using Apps

When Hungary violently closed its border this week to refugees streaming in from Syria, people took to social media to find another way out. Using their phones, refugees charted a course to Croatia, whose leaders have pledged to welcome them. William Booth, writing in the Washington Post, captures the scene: “We hit a stone and…

Tech News Annalee Newitz

A Reader Horror Story About Carly Fiorina’s Old Company, Hewlett-Packard

Republican Presidential Candidate Carly Fiorina was fired as CEO of Hewlett-Packard in 2005, after stock prices plummeted by half and she laid off 30,000 workers. Now HP is back in the news with more mass layoffs, and a Gizmodo reader wrote in with how bad it really is. The media is having a field day…

Tech News Kaila Hale-Stern

The TSA’s Response to Its Master Key Scandal Is Priceless

“Scandal” might be too strong a word. But you’d think the TSA would have been ashamed when hackers released 3D-printer files for its master keys, which can open any any TSA-recommended luggage lock. Does the TSA feel ashamed? Not even close. In fact, the TSA seemingly gives zero fucks that anybody can now 3D-print master…

Privacy & Security Adam Clark Estes

Parasitic Wasps Genetically Enslave Butterflies

It’s official: Parasitic wasps are the slave drivers of the insect kingdom. But if you’re thinking whips and chains, you’re not giving evolution nearly enough credit. Wasps enslave with biological warfare, genetically programming caterpillars to be the perfect hosts. Tens of thousands of parasitic wasp species, called braconids, lay their eggs inside the caterpillars of…

Tech News Maddie Stone

Youth Lagoon: Savage Hills Ballroom

Trevor Powers, the musician behind the dulcet tones of Youth Lagoon, has accomplished more in his 26 years than most. Coming off two wonderfully trippy albums The Year of Hibernation and Wondrous Bughouse, he’s ready with his tertiary title called Savage Hills Ballroom. And like the albums before, it offers up another side of Powers…

Tech News Darren Orf

Here Are the Facebook Buttons We All Really Need

A couple days ago Mark Zuckerberg admitted that Facebook was finally building a ‘Dislike’ button allowing the social network’s members to express their non-approval of other’s posts. But as Conan O’Brien revealed on his show last night, there are far more useful buttons that Facebook needs to add first. New parents aren’t going to be…

Social Media Andrew Liszewski

Today In Worst-Case Scenarios: Irate Landlord Tries to Set Tardy Tenant on Fire

In most cases, if you’re lagging on the rent, your landlord will serve you with a legal notice that basically says “pay up or get out.” This past weekend in Jersey City, New Jersey, a mad-as-hell building owner decided lighter fluid and a match would be much more convincing. Reports the New York Daily News:…

Tech News Cheryl Eddy

Kids Will Love These Bandages That Make Cuts Look Far Worse

Has anyone ever put on a bandage and had it perfectly match their skin color? No, not even close. That’s why printing bandages with fun or stylish designs makes a lot more sense. Or, if you’re feeling macabre, you can toss a few bucks at this Indiegogo campaign that wants to create a line of…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Why Apple Decided to Block Ads on the Same Day It Started Pushing a News App

Well that’s quite a coincidence. The very same day Apple turned its News app into a mandatory blob on your home screen, it also rolled out ad blocking capabilities in iOS 9. The day after iOS 9’s release, over ten percent of iOS users have already downloaded iOS 9, according to Paddle Analytics. That means…

Tech News Annalee Newitz

Turn on “OK Google” in Chrome OS to start talking to your Chromebook

In recent weeks you might’ve heard all about Cortana’s integration with Windows 10, enabling you to run web searches, check your diary and toggle system settings by chatting to your computer. A similar kind of functionality is available on Chrome OS, with more comprehensive features on the way. From the Chrome menu, enable the “OK…

Gadgets David Nield

This Company Wants to Start a New Sports League with Giant Fighting Robots

It wasn’t the sound that was so shocking. It was the air itself that hit me as I stood mere feet from the polycarbonate resin wall that separated people from the 220-pound remotely controlled battling robots inside the combat arena. The air hit me with a thump and passed on, attenuating as shock waves do…

Tech News Dr. Kiki Sanford

Sunset on Pluto is Beyond Gorgeous in Latest Photos from New Horizons

New Horizons released a fresh batch of photographs from its collection today, and I’m in love all over again. Bask in the glory of a hazy dusk, then join me to dive into the awesome new science of weather on Pluto. This gorgeous oblique panorama was captured by the New Horizons spacecraft from 18,000 kilometers…

Tech News Mika McKinnon

Review: BOOMco’s Halo Dart Guns Aren’t All a Gamer’s Dream Come True

The New Broad Museum Tries to Cement Its Place in LA’s Future

The golden glittery fireworks of a grenade launcher captured in a photo

The FBI Says Retweets Are Endorsements

Is a Giant Academic Publisher Trying to Paywall Wikipedia?

How These Structures Were Engineered to Survive a Global Catastrophe

How to make a latte with regular drip coffee and no espresso or milk

Watch a Bunch of Sailors Smash Their Smartphones as Punishment

Syrian Refugees Are Finding Safe Haven Using Apps

A Reader Horror Story About Carly Fiorina’s Old Company, Hewlett-Packard

The TSA’s Response to Its Master Key Scandal Is Priceless

Parasitic Wasps Genetically Enslave Butterflies

Youth Lagoon: Savage Hills Ballroom

Here Are the Facebook Buttons We All Really Need

Today In Worst-Case Scenarios: Irate Landlord Tries to Set Tardy Tenant on Fire

Kids Will Love These Bandages That Make Cuts Look Far Worse

Why Apple Decided to Block Ads on the Same Day It Started Pushing a News App

Turn on “OK Google” in Chrome OS to start talking to your Chromebook

This Company Wants to Start a New Sports League with Giant Fighting Robots

Sunset on Pluto is Beyond Gorgeous in Latest Photos from New Horizons

Tesla Goes Ahead and Admits Its Robotaxis Are Sometimes Fully Human-Controlled

School Forced to Replace Toilets After Kids Flush Vapes

‘Scream 7’ Just Won’t Stop Making Money as ‘Scream 8’ Gets Started

The Curtain Has Closed on Meta’s Movie Rating-Inspired Content Filters

Good News! You Can Finally Change That Ridiculous Gmail Address

ExpressVPN Just Launched ExpressAI: Your Prompts Are Now Invisible

VR Just Took Another Massive Body Blow

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

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

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