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Remember that spacecraft that stole your lunch money? The team trying to contact ISEE made their funding target, and used (some of the) funds head south and test their hardware on the Arecibo antenna. They’ve successfully made first-contact, getting a nice data-stream from the ISEE. https://gizmodo.com/can-this-1970s-spacecraft-explore-again-1563432452 The signal is weaker than anticipated and fades out…
Riding through New York City’s subway can be a surprisingly solitary pursuit. Waiting on the platform is even worse. That’s why creative technologist William Lindmeier built Tunnel Vision, an augmented reality app that uses the subway map as a canvas for displaying public data about the city’s residents. It’s beautiful, both for its simplicity and…
The rest of the world may think of the US as a nation full of oversized people living in oversized houses, but the AIA Chicago wants to change the perception that American architecture is always too big. Its Small Projects Award (tagline: Not Everyone Needs a Skyscraper) focuses on something most other award programs neglect:…
This video released today shows director J.J. Abrams on the set of Star Wars VII in Abu Dhabi, where he has just announced a competition to win a chance to travel to London and appear in the new film. Look out for the new characters lurking around as well. SPLOID is a new blog about…
The new Batman v. Superman movie is called Dawn of Justice and here is the official logo. The title is obviously playing upon the announced Justice League movie follow-up, so we can assume that the initial brawl between the two characters will end (fairly) well. Principal photography is already underway. It’s interesting to see where…
A giant radioactive monster terrorizing a city inherently relies on a certain flexibility to the laws of physics and the nature of science. Even so, the science content between the 1954 original Godzilla and the 2014 remake contrast as starkly as the special effects. No spoilers. Bikini Atoll atom bomb tests. Image credit: US Navy…
There’s been an explosion in the number of colorized photos lately. People find old black-and-white photos online, and meticulously add color to give us a new perspective on history. But recently one colorized image caught my eye after it was tweeted by the notoriously inaccurate HistoryInPics. It’s a stunningly colorful view of the Golden Gate…
As far as large corporations go, Ikea genuinely strives to be as environmentally responsible as it can. It stopped selling incandescent bulbs in its stores ages ago, there’s not a plastic bag to be found, it’s wholeheartedly embraced solar power for its buildings and many products, and soon it will be officially selling an Ikea-branded…
I’m not a fan of the ramen burger because the flavors don’t combine as well as you imagine and it’s way too dry. But this grilled ramen grilled cheese sandwich… this one has potential, my friends. It’s like eating mac-n-cheese with your hands. The crusty golden skin should combine perfectly with the gooey interior. Gimme.…
Commercially available first aid kits suck. But, it’s cheap and easy to build your own, creating something that might just save your life. Here’s how. According to the Center for Disease Control, around 213,000 people are treated in emergency rooms each year for injuries that result from outdoor recreation. The most common injuries (27.4 percent…
The Xbox One has seen its fair share of deals, but here’s one of your first chances to get a PS4 on sale. We don’t expect this one to last long. [PlayStation 4 Console, $370] http://www.ebay.com/itm/201094385441?afsrc=1 If you still haven’t picked up a wake-up light, Amazon has the tried-and-true HF3500 for $60 after clipping the…
We take GPS so much for granted on land that it’s easy to forget where GPS doesn’t work—like deep underwater, where only strange sea creatures and submarines roam. Enter the bizarre new world of quantum positioning, where supercooled atoms could be the future of navigation. The UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL) is leading…
This incredible Russian dash cam footage shows a car driving through a forest fire while the drivers wonder if they are going to die or not. Around the minute 1 mark it looks like they are crossing hell itself. Fortunately they managed to escape alive from this mayhem. The music that comes from the radio…
In a rare gesture of transparency, the Department of Homeland Security just announced that hackers recently targeted and compromised a public utility’s control system. They didn’t say exactly where, but it happened inside United States borders. And it doesn’t sound like it was even that hard. Specific details about the breach are scant. However, DHS…
By now you’ve heard a lot about the gadgets and tools at Gizmodo’s Home of the Future—but here’s one more that knocked our future-socks off: Coravin’s Wine Access System 1000, which uses argon gas to extract wine out of a bottle without actually popping the cork. Here’s how the system, which was being used to…
A bear saves her cub from a sure dead under an automobile. It is cute—but also a depressing reminder on how humans keep screwing animals up, whether they are wild or domestic. Even when we’re trying to protect them by crewing National Parks. Driving through British Columbia’s Kootenay National Park we stopped to capture a…
After losing four fingers on his right hand in an accident, carpenter Richard Van As and prop-maker Ivan Owen designed and built a cheap prosthetic replacement hand that would end up becoming a sort of poster child for the 3D printing industry. Now, Robohand’s creators have designed a cheaper prosthetic leg as well. First revealed…
Now, we may be closing down our Home of the Future this afternoon, but we just added another fresh product to our catalog: a brand, spanking new Microsoft Surface Pro 3. And Home of the Future is the only place you can come see it. https://gizmodo.com/the-surface-pro-3-has-a-big-beautiful-12-inch-screen-1578974248 Microsoft literally just unveiled its new, larger 12-inch tablet/computer…
Caleb Charland has been merging science with photography for years, creating images that challenge you to figure out just what the heck is going on. His most recent work is a collection of disparate materials and methods, each one with their own wondrous flavor. https://gizmodo.com/when-apple-orchards-become-personal-power-plants-5873443 The titles of each image give you an idea of…
Last week, in collaboration with Disquiet, we turned our ears to the future of the domestic environment, tuning into the speculative sounds of the appliances of the future. The results, here on our last day of the Home of the Future, are worth a listen as you tour the home either virtually or in person.…
