Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
A new generation of meta-materials are emerging from a 17th century source. That’s the gist of a new paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, where a trio of engineers describe an entirely new form of origami that they say turns a simple piece of paper into a structure more than two…
Sure, here in the West we had Force Friday for the new The Force Awakens merchandise, and got some cool action figures of the movie’s bad guys. But Bandai are knocking it out of the park with their Star Wars Figuarts, and the First Order has never looked better! Figuarts have been doing all kinds…
When you mix molten aluminum with a watermelon, you get something truly awesome. So what about other melons? Here the Backyard Scientist tries pouring molten aluminum into honey dew and cantaloupes to see what happens. Cantaloupes don’t really offer much but honey dews capture the liquid metal and turn it into a hand grenade-looking sculpture.…
It was an endearing symbol of the ‘60s, but the iconic Volkswagen Van has since becomes a sought-after and expensive collectible. And while you can’t quit your job and drive across the country in this VW Van cooler, it’s a slightly cheaper way to dodge grown-up responsibilities—at least for a weekend. A two-feet long telescoping…
Apple is shutting down HopStop in October, even though the transit mapping app provides more international coverage and features than Apple Maps’ range. It is a loss to users who still rely on HopStop daily, like me. Apple acquired HopStop in 2013. The mapping service was founded in 2005, and in the early days seemed…
Superman used to be really, really careful and considerate about the people he killed. In fact, you could probably count all the kills of Christopher Reeves-era Superman on one hand. He’s not like that anymore. Once you get to Man of Steel, you pretty much need every hand of every citizen in Metropolis to count…
The Compact Disc (CD) is a physical music distribution format that many people believe is declining in popularity. But Jay Z’s streaming music service, Tidal, thinks that selling compact discs is part of its future. Last month, Prince announced that his new album HITNRUN would be a streaming exclusive on Tidal. Now for the first…
In 1960, it seemed like the perfect crime, and the best solution to a pressing financial dilemma: snatch a wealthy,middle-aged beer-company heir; demand $500,000 ransom (equivalent to nearly four million dollars today); collect the money; and fade back into obscurity. As often goes with so-called perfect crimes, however, the kidnapping of Adolph Coors III did…
You know you worry about it sometimes. What if there were a massive earthquake, or a huge storm … or you just got lost in the wilderness, with nothing more than your wits and a few gadgets in your pockets? This week on io9 and Gizmodo, we’ll tell you how to survive. Or not. All…
It turns out there’s no reason to drop $20,000 on an expensive Swiss watch if you happen to have a box full of Technics lying about, because someone has built a working split-seconds chronograph using nothing but Lego. A split-seconds chronograph functions like an analog stopwatch, except with an additional seconds hand that can be…
Yeast is an incredible organism—you can thank it for booze!—and thanks to the marvels of modern genetics, we’ve made it incredibly versatile. Just a month after announcing a method for hacking yeast to produce narcotics, researchers just announced that the creation of yeast that produces THC and cannabidiols. You’re probably thinking this will yield a…
The world almost lost an internet miracle this year. About a month ago, Blingee announced plans to close, but the users wouldn’t let it. The news made one middle-aged Russian grandma, the unofficial queen of Blingee, very happy. Irina Vladimirovna Kuleshova, a divorced orthodontist, turns 50 in a couple of months. She’s one of the…
It’s been a fantastic year for Alien fans when it comes to toys. NECA have been churning out awesome figures, most notably the first ever Jones the Cat Ripley figure to use Sigourney Weaver’s likeness, and a coll figure based on her Aliens look. Now Aliens Ripley is getting a rad toy to play with:…
Philips Sonicare, the brand behind popular electronic toothbrushes, recently released a device that accomplished the inconceivable: It made oral hygiene so fun that kids want to stay on top of it. The new toothbrush proved a little addictive, though. The new Sonicare for Kids toothbrush hit retail at the end of August, and its key…
If he can repair an intergalactic spaceship while it’s blasting through the cosmos, it only makes sense that turning water into steam would be child’s play for the world’s most multi-talented astromech droid. Although, if cartoons have taught us anything, steam blasting out of his head means that R2-D2 could also be absolutely furious at…
Tim Wu is one of the world’s most outspoken and influential advocates for an open internet. And now, the Columbia Law professor will help shape the future of technology and politics as a watchdog with the New York State Attorney General’s office. This is great news. “If I have a life mission, it is to…
The launch of Windows 10 came and went in late August with little to no mention of new Microsoft devices that would run that new beautiful software. Nearly a month and a half later, that mention is finally here. Microsoft just sent out invites to the media for a Windows 10 event on October 6…
Google just hired a man who’s worked in the automotive industry for 25 years, John Krafcik, to lead the company’s self-driving vehicle project as Google Auto’s CEO. This hire is big. Why? Because it’s the first major hire from the automaker side of the road. Picking Krafcik to lead Google Auto is a sign that…
Launching a shitty crowdfunding campaign just got riskier. For the first time, a Kickstarter campaign has been ordered to pay for failing to fulfill promises to its backers. A Washington court just fined a company called Altius Management for never delivering its promised goods. The company raised $25,000 to produce a series of playing cards.…
Motorcycle jackets with built-in airbags are far from being a new life-saving innovation, but Dainese’s new Misano 1000 works completely independent of the bike being ridden, increasing the odds of it inflating when it’s needed most. Typically these types of jackets rely on sensors that have been installed on the motorcycle to know exactly when…
