Tech News

The World’s Largest (and Probably Only) Tripod Christmas Tree

The easiest way to set a world record is to think of something so grandiose and obscure that no one could have ever possibly thought of attempting it before. And for the folks over at Custom SLR, that involved building the world’s largest Christmas tree made entirely of tripods—plus the requisite festive decor. All-in-all the…

Houston struggles to save the Astrodome, London vows to make biking safer, L.A. sees light rail successes, and San Francisco mounts a shitty campaign for its sewers. It’s Christmastime in the city for this week’s urban reads. The blind Vancouver artist Carmen Papalia leads “Blind Field Shuttle” walking tours through cities so residents can discover…

Our Best Fitness Articles of 2013

Listen to me now and believe me later, 2013 was no year to just sit around eating buffalo-wing-flavored-pretzels-flavored-biscuits. Or maybe it was. But it was also the year we got down to the nitty gritty of of health and fitness. From bionic knees to six-pack science, here are our favorite Fitmodos of 2013. An Injury…

Beautiful Light Fixtures Folded From A Single Sheet Of Tyvek

So you can fashion a piece of loose leaf into a paper crane? Snore. Behold the skills of Jiangmei Wu, who turns single sheets of Tyvek into incredibly intricate sculptures that glow from within. Wu’s Folded Light Art is the result of an impressive mix of old and new techniques; she designs patterns using Illustrator…

This Fun Leica Puzzle Started Life as a Flat Plastic Poster

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of its classic camera, the Leica store in Sao Paulo, Brazil commissioned this wonderful puzzle that would be given to important clients throughout the year. The non-functional camera, designed by ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi in Brazil, would be distributed as a full-sized poster with pre-cut parts that could be…

Merry Christmas, Son. I Trampled a Man To Death To Buy You This LeapPad Ultra Tablet

I bought this for you weeks ago. Santa Claus got most of your presents, but this one is special from your mom and me. It was very hard keeping it a secret from you. Partly because you’re so curious, always getting into everything, and partly because after Daddy bought this present it was the top…

Watch This Mistletoe Drone Launch Surprise Kiss Attacks

Nothing says holiday cheer like an unmanned aerial vehicle! In San Francisco’s Union Square, a drone decked out in tinsel and armed with mistletoe did some low-flying rounds over the heads of jolly folks, who were positively delighted at the excuse to engage in a little festive PDA. Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s tough not to…

How To Set Up All Your Kickass New Gear

Someone out there must think you’re pretty special if you got such great gadgety goodness for Christmas. Now all you have to do get it up and running. Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered. Everything You Need to Master Your New Smartphone Welcome to our annual New Smartphone Set Up Guide. Someone thought enough of…

Here Is a Video of Tiny Mice Decorating a Tiny Christmas Tree

Cancel your Christmas photoshoot because nothing is going to beat this video of little tiny mice decorating a little tiny tree with their little tiny mice hands. Your baby niece can’t string lights on a Balsam Fir. Your dog dressed in a holiday bandana has done nothing to fill you with holiday cheer. But these…

How to Make the Switch from iOS to Android

You’ve been hanging back, waffling back and forth. Android or iPhone? But it’s decision time, and you’ve made the call: it’s time to trade in the Cupertino Kool-Aid for some Kit Kats. Here’s how to do it right. Contacts and Calendars Migrating your contacts and calendar dates from iPhone to Android is as simple as…

How to Make the Switch from Android to iOS

Android is a fine OS, but the lure of a new iPhone may be too much to resist. If you’re going to make the switch, you won’t want to leave any scrap of your precious mobile identity in Android’s cold robotic embrace. Here’s how to pack up everything you’ll need to bring to your new…

Windows 8 Survival Guide: All the Tips, Tricks, and Workarounds

Windows 8 is out, and Microsoft’s army of touchscreen devices has made its way into many people’s hands. It’s a huge change from what you’re used to. And we’re here to get you through it. If you’ve got any tips specific to Windows 8, put them in the comments below. We’ll feature the best of…

Everything You Need to Master Your New Smartphone

Welcome to our annual New Smartphone Set Up Guide. Someone thought enough of you to help replace that dumb ol’ brick you’ve been lugging around these past few years. Now what? Getting Started Out of the box, most smartphones aren’t all that smart. In fact, many can be downright idiotic. Prepping your new pocket ‘puter…

Meow Part Quintet

This children’s music toy handles the 5 major instruments.

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Oh Santa!

Merry Christmas you filthy animals. No seriously, happy holidays everybody. Thanks for reading Gizmodo.

Who needs Christmas lights when you have glowing mammalian cells? This wreath, assembled from cells with proteins and structured stained different colors, was made by Dr. Donna Beer Stolz at the University of Pittsburgh. It won 19th place in the 2011 Nikon Photomicrography Competition—but top honors for holiday cheer. [Nikon]

9 Delightful New Takes on the Traditional Yule Log Video

Ah, the crackling wood. The dancing flame. You can almost feel the warmth radiating from your screen. On Christmas Eve, here’s a celebration of the yule log film, and a peek at how nine artists reinterpreted the holiday television tradition. The original yule log video was filmed in 1966 by Fred M. Thrower, an enterprising…

Why Do These Trippy Reindeer Eyes Change Color With The Seasons?

Dogs and cats are adorable creatures by day, but under the cover of night their eyes seem to shine like demon spawn. That’s the work of the light-reflecting tapetum lucidum, a layer of tissue that sits right behind the retina. As it turns out, that same tapetum lucidum just might be responsible for turning reindeer…

Can You Tell the Difference Between These Film and Digital Animations?

The eternal debate of film versus digital. In a sense, arguing between the two for any practical purpose is pretty much a moot point, since digital has become the go-to in the world of photography. But that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to compare the two every so often. This series of animations asks you…

Sophisticated Star Wars Fans Dress in TIE Fighter Argyle

It’s rare to come across a piece of Star Wars clothing that one would ever consider classy, so kudos to the folks at Ian Leino who created this argyle pattern t-shirt that’s made up of perfectly arranged TIE fighters and their hexagonal panels. This pattern would work just as well on a pair of dress…