Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
When I saw the headline “Snow has fallen? Time to lay asphalt!” in English Russia today I though it some translation problem. But it was literal. It may appear that Russians make new roads on top of snowed roads instead of cleaning them. Just look at the crazy pictures. This seems so crazy that not…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year—a magical period filled with talking snow men, flying elk, and uncannily long-lasting oil lamps. While these holiday tales may not have been invented directly by stoners, after pulling a few tubes, even the 5 billionth airing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas can be just as wondrous…
From afar, designer Coralie Gourguechon’s work looks a little bit like macaroni art—or at least a very abstract collage. Up close, though, each piece is an extremely simplistic but entirely functional electronic device. Even this paper-cone speaker. Gourguechon pares down all of the extraneous stuff that covers the average gadget, until all that’s left is…
It’s supposed to be a beverage that you slowly slip and savor, but once you’ve brewed a cup of tea it’s a race against the clock—and thermodynamics—to enjoy it while it’s hot. A thick ceramic mug helps with that problem, but even better is the double-walled insulated engineering that went into Thermos’ new tea tumblers.…
Let’s do a little experiment. Grab a pen and a piece of paper and, without doing an internet search, draw C-3PO and R2-D2. We all know what those droids look like, but how close can you get without peeking at a pic? John Hendrix has been sketching the Star Wars universe since he was a…
I’ve been using the Coolpix A on every assignment I’ve done for the past two weeks, like this one, and I think it’s the best pocket camera available for a professional photographer. https://gizmodo.com/photo-essay-nycs-incredible-christmas-tree-seller-subc-1477360202 To be fair, the Ricoh GR is still the best for what it costs at $680, but if you’re simply looking for…
In the year 2076, the world will be far ahead in space travel and modern technalogy. There will be space flights to other planets. Machines will take over, modern man will become a living blobb. —Texas high school student Pat Bentley writing in 1976
Though probably insensitive to the fire ants who called this ant hill home, pouring molten aluminum into the ant hill reveals the intricate labyrinth of tunnels and passageways hidden underneath the ground. It’s incredible and beautiful and almost looks like a Christmas tree. Anthill Art basically casted the ant colony to create the aluminum sculpture.…
If the only thing stopping you from riding around town on a Segway is, well, looking like someone riding around town on a Segway, this enhanced version might make you a little less hesitant about being seen in public on one. And it’s all thanks to a handful of Vespa scooters that had to sacrifice…
Imagine you’re waiting around in a train station, munching on some Cinnabon, when all of a sudden the ornamental baby grand piano just starts playing music all by itself. Magic? Not quite, but definitely pure whimsy. See for yourself. Man, I love watching people interact with this magical piano in Chicago’s Union Station. The little…
Believe it or not, these four MP3 players used to represent the future of music. It was the Christmas shopping season of 2000 and there was no iPod, there was no Spotify, and if you were downloading music, it was probably by way of something known as “Napster.” (I hope I’m spelling that right.) The…
The Germans know a thing or two about building big guns. Incredibly, while this self-governing Howitzer is only a fraction the size of the Gustav of WWII, it’s just as deadly—with the ability to strike targets up to 30 miles away. Don’t bother running. https://gizmodo.com/the-largest-gun-ever-built-5821389 The Panzerhaubitze 2000 (or just PzH 2000) is a 155mm…
If you’ve been holding out for a new iPhone, this is about as good a deal as you’ll ever see on the flagship model. Best Buy is offering the 16GB iPhone 5S for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint for just $125 with a new contract, a mere $25 more than the lower-end 5c. Get it while…
Having decided the city needs more public art, Baltimore is currently installing whimsical crosswalks around the city. This giant zipper by artist Paul Bertholet and a hopscotch-inspired piece by Graham Coreil-Allen are already up, and two more creative crosswalks are on the way. Any interesting crosswalks in your town? Drop some pics in the comments.…
It’s okay to be fooled by these ‘animated’ optical illusions. They totally look like they’re moving. Hell, the cat watching them was fooled too. But the truth is, they’re all just a masterful visual trick. The image isn’t actually moving, the special sheet in front of it just makes it seem that way. It’s pretty…
When mushroom clouds exploded in the sky during Cold War-era nuclear bombs testing, they also created an unexpected boon for science. The nuclear explosions caused a massive uptick in Carbon-14 that eventually settled in all living tissue—everything from tree rings to elephant tusks to human brain cells. As such, this spike in Carbon-14 has helped…
You’re looking at every single second in Star Wars IV: A New Hope arranged according to their luminosity by Jason Salavon. It reminds me of a really cool book that I got a couple weeks ago—Star Wars: Frames. We are giving a copy of the book away, plus an original sketch by Star Wars’ artistic…
Your young nieces and nephews: you love the guts out of them, but you’re glad they’re not yours. No matter what, you’re going to spoil them to pieces, especially on Christmas. These gifts will ensure you will secure favorite aunt status for the umpteenth year running. I’ll get things started with a few of my…
Coffee is a fickle mistress. Take a sip too soon and you risk searing your tongue, wait too long and it becomes undrinkably tepid. But with this ingenious phase-change mug prototype, your coffee will cool to a perfectly drinkable 140 degrees and stay there for hours. “Our goal was to create a coffee mug that…
This 30 second time lapse video of a Lego original Macintosh being built captures all that is fun about playing with Lego. You see a pile of bricks slowly morph into an object that is instantly recognizable. It’s like seeing the pieces of your imagination come together into something just so freaking fun. The video…
