Tech News

The Iguazú Falls overflow in flood of biblical proportions

Following massive rainfalls in Misiones, Argentina, and Santa Catarina and Paraná, Brazil, the famous Iguazú Falls are now overflowing, carrying 46,300 cubic meters per second—33 times the usual water flow rate. The images and video are unbelievable. I hope you have your arks ready, my friends. The previous record was in 1992, when the river…

Best Buy Will Deliver a Dryer for Free But the Power Cord Has a $70 Fee

What with Amazon and Google Shopping Express winning the world’s laziest misanthropes’ affections, other companies are left doing everything they can to stay in the fight. In Best Buy’s case, that means offering free shipping on major appliances—and (apparently) praying that folks don’t realize the $30 required cord ships for more than double that. Discovered…

Bic Is Trying To Make a Font Based on All the World’s Handwriting

In yet another crushing blow to Comic Sans, pen-maker Bic is currently soliciting handwriting samples from anyone on Earth who wants to participate in its Universal Typeface Experiment. The goal is to create a universal font that will presumably supplant Comic Sans as the go-to typeface for amateur designers making birthday cards, lunch room signage,…

Otherworldly Images From National Geographic Traveler’s Photo Contest

The National Geographic photography contest has so much eyecandy, I can’t get over it. I previously looked at the early entries to the outdoor scenes category, but the newest round of photos is just as stunning.

You Can Pay To Sleep Inside This Giant Robot’s Stomach

“Sir,” the bellhop says as you waltz up to the check-in counter, “we’ve upgraded you to out finest suite—no, not the honeymoon suite, even better. The robot gut suite.” This scenario could soon become a reality at London’s Beaumont Hotel, which recently installed a giant inhabitable statue on its facade. Unfortunately, it sounds like a…

The Pebble Steel—the best smartwatch out there right now—is getting (kind of) a price cut. You’ll now be able to get it (with the leather band only) for $230 instead of $250. You can pick up that model at Best Buy in person or online on Sunday June 15. Or you can wait for Google…

A Tiny Scout-Bot Helps This Four-Legged Robot Find the Safest Path

There’s no point in sugar coating it, even the most advanced autonomous walking robots straight-up suck compared to humans and animals. They’re constantly tripping and stumbling over various types of terrain, which is why researchers at UC Berkeley and ETH Zurich have come up with a clever little scout bot that teams up with larger…

​How Honda’s New Airbox Will Give The Africa Twin Dirt Bike Ergonomics

The 2016 Honda Africa Twin is the company’s full-on assault on the adventure bike market. This new airbox, revealed in a patent, will help it achieve real dirt performance. Here’s how. These patent drawings popped up on Motorcycle.com a few weeks ago. They thought the significance was that Honda has a round headlight, retro-style ADV…

The FCC Is Trying to Do Something Good For Once(?!)

In a blog post, FCC chairman Tom Wheeler recently promised the American people that his agency will intervene if more states pass laws that limit community broadband networks. It’s a nice promise. But remember: It’s just a promise. Wheeler’s blog post is an enlightening if tardy salute to Chattanooga, Tennessee, a small town that built…

Why Earth’s Most Abundant Mineral Only Just Got Its Name

It sounds weird, but the most abundant mineral on Earthfinally got a name last week, thanks to a century-old meteorite. What? How? Why did it take so long? There were a whole confluence of reasons it took bridgmanite so long to get its name. The first thing you should know is that, aside from the…

A Stylish Power Strip You Won’t Want To Hide Under a Table

When was the last time you bought a power strip based on looks? Never, because they all focus on functionality at the cost of being an eyesore. Thankfully, David Okum has applied his wonderful design sensibilities to yet another mundane household product, with a power strip called the Oon that you’ll never want to bury…

Beautiful shot of ospreys at Kennedy Space Center

It really doesn’t get more “America, fuck yeah!” than this osprey flying with his catch at the Kennedy Space Center. I know it could have been a bald eagle instead of an osprey, but whatever. Wild birds peacefully enjoying the place where the biggest birds are made and flown is a beautiful sight. SPLOID is…

Deals: Electric Shavers for Father’s Day, $6 In-Ears, Milk Frother

Whether you’re buying for yourself, or you need a good gift idea for Father’s Day, Amazon is offering solid coupons on a variety of Panasonic electric shavers. They all have solid reviews, but the Arc4 took second place in Gizmodo’s round up of best electric shavers, and it’s carrying a $25 coupon. [Panasonic Shavers, clip…

How to Build the Best PC 1991 Had to Offer

In 1991, the reliably delightfulComputer Chronicles gave us a peek into the intrepid world of custom PC builders—or as they were called back then, “homebrewers.” And looking back a solid 23 years later, the once so-called “Volkswagen of PCs” is downright adorable. Of course, the custom computing world can be intimidating, we know. So we’ve…

Keep an Eye on Rooftop Cargo With This Hood-Mounted Rear-View Mirror

Driving with anything strapped to the roof of your car—be it bikes, a kayak, or even a mattress—makes for a stressful road trip. The RoofScope promises to bring you a little more peace of mind with rooftop cargo, though, providing a constant view of how everything on top of your car is doing without having…

You Should Log Out of TweetDeck Right Now (Update: All Clear)

If you use TweetDeck for Chrome you should log out now. Turns out it has an XSS vulnerability that allows attackers to execute code remotely on your computer just by tweeting it out. So far it appears to only affect the Chrome app We’re getting reports of issues in the Chrome app, in the webapp…

What a space city would actually look like in real life

We are used to seeing space settlements in sci-fi illustrations and movies, but these are not realistic. Bryan Versteeg—from Spacehabs—uses scientific principles to develop concepts that can actually happen one day. The Kalpana One Space Settlement is one of them. Bryan has sent us new renders of this awesome place. He sent some descriptive text…

Sony SmartWatch v. Galaxy Gear 2: Which Smartwatch Screen Is Best?

The floodgates for the next major smart device revolution are opening. And unless you have been living under a rock you already know that this time it’s a smart watch, a long overdue update to what is essentially 19th century wristwatch technology. There are already a fair number of early players in this new category—in…

These Japanese Ultra-Luxury Trains Are Penthouses on Rails

The golden age of railways is steaming back into the modern era—in Japan at least. Since the island nation privatized its extensive rail network in the late 1980s, there has been an explosion of high-end designer trains all culminating in these gorgeous, luxurious rail cars from former Ferrari designer Ken Okuyama. Dubbed the “cruise train”…

This Heater Knows Where You Are and Only Warms the Space You’re Using

A heater that follows you around might sound like something out of The Jetsons, but it’s very much a reality for an MIT research group that wants to revolutionize the way we heat our buildings. They’ve invented a system called Local Warming, which tracks your location using Wi-Fi and only heats your immediate vicinity. If…