Tech News

Rating Obama’s NSA Reform Plan: EFF Scorecard Explained

Yesterday, President Obama announced a series of reforms to address abuses by the National Security Agency. We were heartened to see Obama recognized that the NSA has gone too far in trampling the privacy rights of people worldwide. In his speech, the President ensured that National Security Letters would not come with perpetual gag orders,…

Tech News CINDY COHN AND PARKER HIGGINS -- EFF

Give Your Browser Some Serious Nostalgia With These Emulator Websites

Want to stroll down virtual memory lane? You could futz around with classic software on a virtual machine or rummage through yard sales for a working model of your first computer. Or, you could cruise the classic Windows and Mac OS emulator sites found by Ars Technica. Which sounds a hell of a lot easier.…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich

The Sony SRF-39FP: The Audio Player of Choice in Prison

It might not look much, but the Sony SRF-39FP pocket AM/FM radio is regarded as the audio player of choice in prisons across the U.S. The New Yorker has an excellent feature about the use of the radio in prison. Unlike many consumer electronic devices you’ll see these days, the SRF-39FP has a transparent plastic…

Gadgets Jamie Condliffe

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Waiter

A hardworking barrista drinks himself sideways, on mescalin apparently, in this surreal animated short film by Ryoji Yamada.

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Lightning struck Rio’s Jesus Christ statue and broke off his fingers

Rio de Janeiro, which has been getting lit up with lightning storms this week, just got hit with another one—and this one struck the city’s famous 125-foot tall Christ the Redeemer statue on top of the Corcovado mountain. A lightning bolt broke off a few fingers on his right hand. According to the National Institute…

Sploid Casey Chan

How ILM created Hong Kong with special effects just to destroy it

Probably the most insane fight sequence of Pacific Rim was when a Jaeger fought a Kaiju in the streets of Hong Kong. The entire city was destroyed, glass shards flew everywhere, neon lights were exploding, streets were being crushed, shipping containers somehow were involved and the whole battle was just beyond epic. Here’s how ILM…

Sploid Casey Chan

Bird steals camera hidden in an egg and films entire penguin colony

From BBC’s Penguin – Sky in the Huddle, comes this adorable footage taken by John Dowder of a bird of prey, the Striated Caracara, stealing a hidden camera inside a Penguin egg and taking it for a fly to film an entire Penguin colony. The bird made sure to get the camera angle just right…

Sploid Casey Chan

A simple chart shows how the dogs we love today evolved from a wolf

How did we get from wolves to dogs of all sizes? How do pugs and chihuahuas and pit bulls and English bulldogs and German shepherds and so forth all come from the big Grey Wolf? Evolution! We domesticated wolves by adopting cubs and feeding them and slowly changing their habits. Over generations, the wolves changed…

Sploid Casey Chan

Gestural Sound, Gestural Drawing

Warren Craghead is a master of the casual artistic action. There are the field recordings (as housed at his soundcloud.com/craghead account), such as those of a playdate, an ice storm, a shirt being ironed, and an office. And there are the gestural drawings that comprise his primary activity. He lives a life of seeming constant…

Tech News Marc Weidenbaum

Starchitects, Bridges, Drought: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week

Starchitects don’t build ’em like they used to—and now one’s getting sued for it. Chris Christie remains in troubled waters over a bridge. And if you thought the Polar Vortex was bad, how about the looming Emergency Drought? It’s all this week in What’s Ruining Our Cities. Starchitecture is ruining Valencia, Spain The City of…

Tech News Alissa Walker

Stretchy New Sensors Can Be Woven into Clothes That ‘Feel’

Imagine if your sweater was actually one big computer that responded to being stretched, pressed, or adjusted. That cyborg-inspired future could now be a reality thanks to a team of scientists that has used nanowires to create a new wearable, multifunctional sensor. The sensor uses some of the same technology that’s at work in smartphone…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes

The amazing life of a travel photographer

Half the fun of being a travel photographer—in fact make that 100% of the fun—is the crazy adventures I often get to do as part of my job. Such as this rappel into the “Lost World” in New Zealand’s famous Waitomo Caves. Before capturing this image I had to abseil down that very line myself,…

Sploid Chris McLennan

You Can Now Buy a Life-Size, 3D-Printed Replica of Your Unborn Fetus

“Imagine holding your baby before he or she is born.” It might sound like a morbid thought, but the idea behind the line is actually pretty sentimental. Of course, that’s assuming you’d call 3D printing a life-size replica of your unborn fetus sentimental. For $600, though, you can hold a keepsake from that very special…

Tech News Ashley Feinberg

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Remember as a kid, when you’d go to weddings or plays or concerts or whatever, the adult sitting next to you would give you a piece of candy to keep you quiet? Apps are smartphone candy. Pass a few to your phone so it doesn’t start blabbing in the middle of the vows. Android Vizilife…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich

Your Right to Record Movies Off TV Came 30 Years Ago Today

Today, DRM fears inspire a lot of jokes that reference George Orwell’s 1984. But it was in that titular year, three decades ago today, that the U.S. Supreme Court reached a decision that defined and protected our right to record copyrighted material: Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., or the Betamax case.…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich

Terrifying video of fearless kids hanging from buildings with one hand

I’ve seen plenty of Russian kids risking their lives walking on top of buildings or hanging from bridges, cranes and buildings. I get nervous just by looking at the photos, but this video compilation actually raised my blood pressure— I felt physically dizzy half-way through it. I may be a wimp, but what the bloody…

Sploid Jesus Diaz

This Brilliant Magnetic Scrubber Cleans Glassware Inside and Out

Oh, sure, that fancy glass decanter and that decorative vase look great on the dinner table. But when it comes time to clean them out, it’s all about soaking and hoping those stains magically dissolve on their own. The $9 Cuisipro, though, lets you take a more active approach to cleaning awkwardly-shaped containers—by using a…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

The 20 Weirdest, Coolest Liquor Bottles in the World

Generally speaking, it’s what’s inside a bottle that counts. It could come out of a yak udder just as long as it still tastes like a fine, single-malt Scotch. Still, there’s nothing wrong with a little creative packaging. And booze bottles come in some of the most creative, decadent, and just plain bizarre designs you…

Tech News Brent Rose

RIP The Professor of Gilligan’s Island and His Jetpack Fuel

Actor Russell Johnson died yesterday at the age of 89. He was best known for his role as The Professor on the hit TV show Gilligan’s Island from 1964 until 1967. In honor of the actor, Mental Floss has compiled a list of the good Professor’s greatest inventions —greatest inventions that never were. From a…

Tech News Matt Novak

Intel Used Another Company’s Chips to Show Off Some of Its Wearables

Last week at CES, Intel showed off some impressive concepts for wearable tech that might someday change the world into a sci-fi dream. The catch? PCMag reports that the ambitious designs weren’t entirely Intel tech. https://gizmodo.com/a-glimpse-at-intels-future-being-inside-everything-1495996101 According to PCMag, they received an insider tip that Intel’s Jarvis smart headset actually used and ARM-based chip inside,…

Tech News Mario Aguilar

Rating Obama’s NSA Reform Plan: EFF Scorecard Explained

Give Your Browser Some Serious Nostalgia With These Emulator Websites

The Sony SRF-39FP: The Audio Player of Choice in Prison

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Waiter

Lightning struck Rio’s Jesus Christ statue and broke off his fingers

How ILM created Hong Kong with special effects just to destroy it

Bird steals camera hidden in an egg and films entire penguin colony

A simple chart shows how the dogs we love today evolved from a wolf

Gestural Sound, Gestural Drawing

Starchitects, Bridges, Drought: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week

Stretchy New Sensors Can Be Woven into Clothes That ‘Feel’

The amazing life of a travel photographer

You Can Now Buy a Life-Size, 3D-Printed Replica of Your Unborn Fetus

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Your Right to Record Movies Off TV Came 30 Years Ago Today

Terrifying video of fearless kids hanging from buildings with one hand

This Brilliant Magnetic Scrubber Cleans Glassware Inside and Out

The 20 Weirdest, Coolest Liquor Bottles in the World

RIP The Professor of Gilligan’s Island and His Jetpack Fuel

Intel Used Another Company’s Chips to Show Off Some of Its Wearables

Forget Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, Samsung B-Series Soundbar With Built-In Subwoofer Still Under $100 for Post-Spring Sale

Apple M4 MacBook Air Is Still at Its Spring Sale Low as Amazon Moves Into Clearance Mode, No Need to Wait for Prime Day

They’re Already Trying to Baby Yoda Rocky From ‘Project Hail Mary’

ASUS ROG Xbox Ally Just Got Cheaper Again After Spring Sale, With 3 Months of Game Pass Included at No Extra Cost

Protect Your Car Without Overpaying, Batteries Plus Makes Finding the Right Battery Size Easy and Affordable

WD 5TB Portable External Hard Drive for Mac Drops to $0.03 per GB Even After Amazon’s Spring Sale

Apple Offers Rare Olive Branch to Liquid Glass Haters

Mamdani Lifts NYC TikTok Ban for City Employees, but with Some Unusual Restrictions

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

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