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Visitors to Volkswagen’s Autostadt, the museum adjacent to its Wolfsburg factory in Germany, will now find themselves confronted with these grey, blobby forms in the lobby. Is it a sculpture? An ode to Fahrvergnügen? Nope, it’s a playground. For kids. German architect J. Mayer H. has created this “interactive playscape” in collaboration with Renate Zimmer,…
If you and a friend or family member are both due for a phone upgrade, Verizon is offering a buy one, get one free deal on the brand new HTC One (M8). This is almost certainly the best looking Android phone on the planet, and Gizmodo gave it high marks all around. https://gizmodo.com/htc-one-2014-review-faster-stronger-better-1550841872 Added bonus:…
After years of sci-fi-inspired fantasies about the technique, a team of doctors in Pittsburgh are finally ready to start testing out a procedure that involves putting patients in a state of “suspended animation” while they repair their injuries. Put bluntly, they’re going to kill people and bring them back to life. If you haven’t heard…
On March 22nd, a massive landslide buried a town in the state of Washington. It is the most deadly landslide within the United States in a decade, and we knew it could happen. Living in the path of impending catastrophe is a choice we all make daily, but that doesn’t make it easy. The Steelhead…
A sailor’s life in the early 1800s wasn’t easy. If you weren’t getting blown to smithereens or developing scurvy, you were probably drinking grog to dull the boredom of life at sea. Coming into New York harbor to find a wooden church floating in the East River probably felt like actual salvation—or at least a…
This prank is genius. Thanks to the wonders of optics and a simple Photoshop technique you can easily make a jar with a pickled human head inside. This will make anyone scream in the office or at home as soon as they open the fridge—such a great effect. You only need to make a continuous…
Thin crust pizzas are all the rage now, both for health reasons and probably because they’re a lot easier to slice. But if you prefer a more traditional crust, one that requires some real elbow grease to hack through, you’ll be happy to have this ax-shaped pizza cutter in your kitchen. For $13 it will…
The Aviationist’s David Cenciotti argues that F-16 pilots take the most amazing selfies because of the fighter’s bubble canopy. Looking at the evidence, it’s impossible to debate his argument. That rounded glass gives the very best view of any of the modern jets—perhaps even better than good old P-51 Mustang. https://gizmodo.com/awesome-animated-gif-of-that-f-16-pilot-selfie-firing-a-1537750009 This is a Royal…
You probably know a few people who use email in a way that drives you stark raving mad. But just be glad those annoying habits are relegated to the digital world. Because translated into real life, our email quirks are downright unbearable—and absolutely hilarious. https://gizmodo.com/yes-this-is-exactly-why-writing-emails-is-so-horrible-1269255095 It may just be an ad for an email management…
$100 million apartments aren’t the norm in NYC, but with “vertical mansions” bubbling up all over, it’s only a matter of time. This triplex, which the Wall Street Journal describes as “the city’s most expensive apartment,” is the latest contender. The three-level penthouse will sit at the crown of a luxury tower on Park Avenue…
As the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 comes to a frustrating and unsuccessful close, the likelihood of locating the plane’s final resting place are astronomically small. However, where an international fleet of search vessels and scanning satellites have failed, this autonomous submarine from Bluefin Robotics could very well succeed. The Bluefin-21 is a…
More cities are making their data available, both in the name of political transparency and to allow residents to help chip away at civic problems. This lovely-looking chart measures 36 cities by how many civic datasets—from crime to transit to zoning—they’ve released to the public. Not surprisingly, San Francisco is the most “open” city, with…
If you close your eyes, you can probably feel the rush of jumping into a pool for the first time this spring. We are so, so close. Your gadgets, however, will not enjoy this jump in the pool. Unless they are waterproof gadgets. We love rugged, durable things, and waterproofness in general. Everything should be…
Bombogenesis is a delightfully fun word to say, but is substantially less fun to experience. This evocative word marks a sudden intensification of a storm after a rapid drop in atmospheric pressure, and an all-too-common phenomena this winter. The NOAA image is average global wind speeds in January and February of this year. White is…
With revelations that the NSA pretty much has complete access to our online lives, there’s been a recent spike in public concern over surveillance. However, in the real world it’s hard to be upset about security cameras always staring down at you when they look like adorable woodland and jungle creatures. Awwww, there goes my…
It’s not news that we can 3D print bones or even successfully implant 3D-printed skull fragments. But a team of Dutch brain surgeons has taken things to the next level by replacing the bulk of a woman’s skull with a 3D-printed dome. It’s a little bit gnarly to watch. https://gizmodo.com/how-doctors-are-printing-bones-eyes-noses-and-blood-1474983505 Nevertheless, it was a life-saving…
For decades, hobbyist and high priests controlled computing and the internet. The rise of the iPhone and the iPad—and those that followed—made computers’ incredible power available to everyone, destroying entry barriers and causing an explosion of apps. Facebook buying the amazing Oculus may have the same effect, bringing virtual reality into everyone’s living rooms. And…
Remember the Million Dollar Homepage? Eight years later, it’s still alive, but as with all things internet, it’s not quite as healthy as it once was. In fact, 22 percent of the links it contains are now dead. Originally conceived by Alex Tew as a means of financing his college education, each 10-by-10 pixel chunk…
On Monday a Blue Line subway train at Chicago’s O’Hare airport jumped the rails and then proceeded to plow its way up a set of stairs and escalators. And just a few days later security footage of the incident has finally been released. Not surprisingly, it looks like a real life action movie—minus the Hollywood-style…
V-Moda, the decade-old veteran of the new-wave of headphones is just launching a fresh set of impressively over-engineered cans. They fit you snug like a tailored suit and last as long as a tank. What is it? Portable on-ear headphones with 40mm drivers that cost $200 on Amazon. You can also buy them directly from…
