Tech News

The NSA Patented Tech That Will Catch You Swapping Sim Cards

Now that it’s been over a year since the Snowden leaks, you might’ve thought that all of the insane NSA revelations had been revealed. Not so! Foreign Policy just published a fascinating and exhaustive list of every patent ever awarded to the spy agency. And one of its latest inventions is all about your SIM…

​Boy Scouts: Gays Aren’t Pedophiles, But We Still Won’t Let Them Lead

On January 1 of this year, the Boy Scouts of America opened its doors to openly gay scouts. But, it still bars gay adult leaders. We talked about this issue with the organization’s National Commissioner and asked him if Scouting considers gays pedophiles. IndefinitelyWild: Does the Boy Scouts consider gay adults predators or pedophiles? Tico…

Mysterious Sinkholes Are Forming Near the Site of This Rising Supertall

When it’s finished in 2016, the Lotte World Tower will reach more than 1,800 feet. But unfortunately, crews are encountering some problems as they near the top: Small sinkholes are forming in the neighborhood, and a nearby lake is mysteriously emptying into… hopefully not the base of the world’s sixth tallest building. The tower, which…

Looks Like Samsung’s Working on a Round Smartwatch Too

What with Android watches, other Android watches, Tizen watches, and fitness-tracker watches, Samsung has tried pretty much everything watch-y. But it’s not over yet. Newly found patents make it look like Samsung is also keen on that round style. The round watch patents were dug up by MobileGeeks, and while patents don’t mean a consumer…

Deals: 7200RPM External, Gadget Chargers, Vacuum Wine Saver, Fire Safepow

The HGST Touro is one of the only 7200 RPM external hard drives out there, and the 1TB model is only $60 today, which is as cheap as we’ve ever seen it. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822145919 If you own an Xbox One, this drive can seriously cut your games’ load times vs. the internal hard drive, but any…

Ask Ford’s Top Automotive Interior Designer Anything You Want

Amko Leenarts has been the head of interior design at Ford Motor Co. since 2012. He’s the one guiding the look of Ford’s car interiors worldwide. And he’s here in Gizmodo’s comment section to answer your questions about car design, dashboard tech, and the future of the automobile. Come ask away. https://gizmodo.com/how-fords-top-interior-designer-puts-the-future-in-the-1613239744 Amko will be…

Three Uses For Spotify That Don’t Involve Music

Spotify is the world’s best-known music streaming service, but music isn’t the only content you can find on the platform if you’re prepared to do some digging around. There’s a ton more available, if you know where to find it. Unfortunately, Spotify doesn’t make this alternative material very easy to find (with the possible exception…

Shooting Challenge: Farmer’s Market

That’s right. We’re about to get all local-seasonal up in here. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, go to your local farmers market and capture the produce, the culture, or the general scene as you see fit. The Challenge Take a photo at your local farmer’s market. But, you know, make it interesting. The Technique There…

Scientist invents math trick to slice bagel into two entangled halves

Bagels are delicious literally no matter which way you slice them—but are they more delicious when cut into a “mathematically perfect” shape? Stony Brook University’s engineering professor George W. Hart thinks he has found the magic formula. Hart created a way to cut bagels into interlocking chains. He thinks it’s the most mathematically correct way…

Like video chats but hate Google+? Good news: You no longer need to have Google+ to use Hangouts. Starting today, you can use Hangouts with your regular Google account on desktop. You still need Google+ for mobile Hangouts, though Google says that’s temporary. You can’t use Hangouts On Air to broadcast your video chats without…

The Weird, Eerie World of China’s Knockoff Cities

The best knock-offs in the world are in China. There are plenty of fake designer handbags and Rolexes but China’s knock-offs go way beyond fashion. There are knock-off Apple stores that look so much like the real thing, some employees believe they are working in real Apple stores. And then there are entire knock-off cities.…

​It’s a Miracle WWI US Naval Destroyers Managed to Hit Anything at All

When you’re on a destroyer steaming full speed through the North Atlantic firing at an enemy ship 15,000 meters away that’s trying its best to sink you, you’d better make well sure your shot hits first. To ensure our sailors stood a fighting chance during WWI’s intense naval engagements, the DoW built and outfitted America’s…

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Has One of the Best Displays Yet

The key element for a great tablet has always been a truly innovative and top performing display, and the best leading edge tablets have always flaunted their beautiful high tech displays. With its third-generation Surface Pro 3, Microsoft has produced an excellent professional-grade high-performance display for Windows. In fact, based on our extensive lab tests…

A Nest of Copper Foam Lets This Tiny PC Run Silently Without Fans

You eventually tune it out, but the constant whir of a desktop computer’s cooling fans can take a toll on your psyche. It’s like a buzzing mosquito that never strikes, and never stops. So the folks at a German company called Silent Power have created a compact desktop PC that trades noisy fans for a…

How Ford’s Top Interior Designer Puts the Future in the Front Seat

Amko Leenarts is the Director of Interior Design for Ford Motor Company, creating the interior look for Ford’s products worldwide. He spoke with Gizmodo about the design influences, technology, and safety considerations that go into future designs, and later today he’ll be in Gizmodo’s comments section answering your questions. Amko has been with Ford since…

Talking Motorcycles With The Checkered Flag

John, from The Checkered Flag reached out to ask me some questions about motorcycling. You can read the interview here. https://checkeredflagblog.kinja.com/interview-with-wes-siler-of-indefinitelywild-part-1-1611408939 https://checkeredflagblog.kinja.com/interview-with-wes-siler-of-indefinitelywild-part-2-1611839629

Animated GIFs Have Finally Invaded Street Art

If you had to pinpoint one single reason the internet became such an integral part of our day-to-day lives, the obvious answer would be animated GIFs. They’re what make staring at a screen all day long completely worth your morning commute. But now, a couple of artists have finally found a way to put animated…

Every Martha Stewart Tweet About Drones

Sprint’s New Facebook-Only Data Plan Is a Sad Internet Future

Do you love experiencing the internet only through the foggy, noisy lens of Facebook? How about only reading things on Twitter or peeping links on Pinterest or stalking friends on Instagram? Then you’re going to love Sprint’s new hyper-focused data plans. For $12 a month, you can use one of the services as much as…

These Maniacs Cooked Steak With Molten Lava and Lightning

What have you grilled on this summer? A propane burner? A charcoal fire? Maybe even a fire pit? How about A RIVER OF LAVA? That’s exactly how the gastronomical adventurers at Bompas & Parr recently cooked up two huge steaks—and then they used lightning. Bompas & Parr, you may recall, make their living doing crazy…