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Skateboard suspension is an idea that sounds long overdue—modern skateboarding is a lot rougher than it was when my parents were young. Professional riders fly through the air, grind across metal rails and land on hard concrete after jumping down enormous flights of stairs. They do it all without suspension, forcing them to make hard,…
Tragedy struck the world when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Kathmandu, Nepal earlier this morning. Over a 1000 people have died in the disaster that turned buildings into rubble and leveled the city’s 200-foot tall Dharahara Tower to the ground. The quake was so strong it caused an avalanche on Mount Everest and was felt…
Researchers at the University of Washington in Seattle have just hijacked a teleoperated surgical robot, demonstrating major security weaknesses in the machines that may eventually replace a surgeon’s hands in hospitals worldwide. Yikes. When trained surgeons are a plane ride away, remotely operated surgical bots can save lives. Doctors have been performing telesurgical procedures since…
Landfills, E-waste piles, and ocean garbage patches are a part of our world we’d rather not see, but these eyesores aren’t going away. Rather than simply accept that our planet is being swallowed by garbage, one artist has started turning this discarded junk into something beautiful. The landscapes shown here are the work of Alejandro…
When programmer Higinio Ochoa wants to share some a batch of new code with his boss, he has to mail it in on paper. Why the roundabout process? Ochoa is a convicted hacker, and his punishment is that he is not allowed to use the internet. Back in 2012, Ochoa was part of an Anonymous-affiliated…
Think you’re going to pay for Starbucks with your shiny new Apple Watch this evening? Think again. Starbucks computers are down across North America, and some stores are giving out free coffee in the meanwhile. I certainly enjoyed mine! “Yes it is true,” Starbucks spokesman Jim Olson told CNNMoney. “The point of sale cash registers…
What I really want to point out this week is two original Gizmodo videos, both awesome. We time-warped to the lair of badass swordsmith and watched him forge swords. And we created a totally bizarre yet oddly soothing video of Jony Ive crooning adjectives about the Apple Watch. Speaking of Apple Watch… Why I Bought…
Getting drunk is very fun! This is a truth known to both human and island-dwelling monkey for centuries. But some nights, ALAS, are no good for chasing a Long Island Iced Tea with seven watermelon vodka shots and regret. It’s Friday afternoon, you’ve made it through the long week, and it’s time for Happy Hour,…
We could talk about the Apple Watch. We could also talk about nothing related to the damned watch. Happy Friday, Gizmodo. What’s on your mind? I’m ready for the weekend, in which my scintillating plans involve sleep, sleep, and some more sleep. In honor of Age of Ultron bowing soon, I’m also planning to read…
Here’s a really cool photo showing US Army and British paratroopers jumping out of C-130J Super Hercules airplanes in a line at Fort Bragg. It was the largest jump exercise in 20 years at Fort Bragg and there are so many paratroopers filling the sky that it looks like a floating human wall (okay, a…
The Madame Tussauds in San Francisco already has a waxy Jobs and a waxy Zuck. But now they want you to decide who they should do next. They’ve wittled the nominees down to ten. Who would you choose? You can vote here! Elon Musk, Tesla and SpaceX Getty Frank Oppenheimer, Exploratorium Exploratorium Museum Jane Metcalfe,…
This robot is so dumb and goofy but also very, very decent at its very, very simple job: it packs up bolts in such perfect alternating orientation that it would make any factory worker jealous. In fact, with the soundtrack that the video is set to, I almost wish that I will come back as…
The Apple Watch reviews are beginning to pour in. All those ratings, specs, and comparisons are way too much noise to pay attention to. A more serene, peaceful way of absorbing the essence of Apple Watch is by listening to every adjective the illustrious Jony Ive has used to describe the device. Seriously. With so…
On a day spent dodging Periscope unboxings of Apple Watches on the other side of the country, it’s difficult to believe that there’s too little information in the world. But when it comes to life-and-death predictions of agriculture in Africa, our system is woefully inadequate, and the only hope is space. Smithsonian magazine has a…
With vaping’s great popularity comes a growing competitive offshoot, complete with contests, judges, sponsors, and spectators turning out to see who can produce the most impressive plumes. The Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece on competitive vaping, which it calls an “extreme sport.” The sport is dubbed “cloud chasing.” Those who compete in cloud…
You can do everything from fly fighters jets, to steal cars, to fight wars in a video game, but there will always still be something appealing about games like this gymnastics challenge that test your timing and reflexes in real life. Plus, it just might give you the skills you need to try out for…
Gizmodo Reviews Editor Sean Hollister and I have a problem: we’re long time friends but we totally suck at communicating over email. We misunderstand each other and fight a lot. It’s terrible. Today I found a web app called “Crystal” that promises to fix that. It’s editing this post right now. According to Crystal, my…
The Alchemist’s Letter by Carlos Stevens is a beautifully animated short film about a father’s letter to his son. It’s imaginative and touching and worth the watch just for the visuals alone. The story progresses through a machine that turns memories into gold and you get to see wonderful little worlds pop up in the…
Want to see the mountains, forests and farms of the “real” Vietnam? Get away from the tourist hoards, get on a motorcycle and go. I just did that, and even got to ride an ostrich. Here’s how you can too. Vietnam’s central highlands are defined by mountains, pine forests, and farms — and the rich…
You might not know it from certain conspiracy-minded corners of the Internet or 1990s-era chain emails, but aspartame is one of the most well-studied food additives ever. And yes, it is safe. Pepsi’s decision today to replace aspartame with, oh, another chemical sweetener may be a canny PR move—but it’s really a win for widespread…
