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The Philips Hue smart lighting system is, by virtually all accounts, very awesome. I mean, who wouldn’t want access to all 6 million colors of the LED rainbow at their fingertips? But damn, if the stock Hue app doesn’t leave a lot to be desired. Luckily, as the Hue’s popularity grows, so too do the…
The Make-A-Wish foundation is letting the oh so cute Miles, a five-year-old boy fighting leukemia, live out every little boy’s dream: to be Batman. Or I guess, Batkid. It’s going to be awesome. Miles isn’t just dressing up though, he’s going to save people and fight bad guys too. Even better, San Francisco is going…
Microsoft is using 3D cameras to detect and translate sign language to spoken language and vice versa—in real time. Watching this makes me want to have a Star Trek universal translator. https://gizmodo.com/kinect-has-gotten-super-good-at-reading-sign-language-816161462 Sounds like a cliché, but having travelled through the world, I’m convinced that destroying language communications barriers will be one of the keys…
Like everybody and their sister in Silicon Valley, Apple is now publishing transparency reports. The Cupertino company’s first ever disclosure on the number of government information requests just hit the web, and like everybody else, the number of requests from the U.S. government is super high. https://gizmodo.com/facebook-half-of-government-requests-for-user-data-com-1207647585 We’re talking super high here. While the United…
Virtually all of the 32 American states that allow the death penalty rely on a deadly chemical cocktail to slowly and quietly kill the condemned. But America has found itself running dangerously low on sodium pentothal, the injection’s primary ingredient, after the only US supplier stopped making it. So how are we supposed to kill…
Derek Thompson over at The Atlantic has a new video about the costs of air travel in the United States. He goes through the history of deregulation in the industry and shows how air travel today is quite a bargain. While he gets a lot about the industry right, Thompson has some bizarre conclusions. “Customers…
Digg just launched Digg Video, a clearing house for the funny/weird/interesting/actually educational videos the internet bubbles up. Digg says a mobile version is coming soon, too, so you’ll never be without distraction ever again. [Digg Blog]
Passwords are obnoxious, but until desktops start coming with a fingerprint/retina/any other type of body part scanner, they’re stuck dealing with the passcode security of yesteryear—or so it would seem. The new Knock app for iPhone, though, takes a more fun approach. If you’re an iPhone owner that uses a Mac in any capacity, you’ve…
A fast food restaurant chain discovered that Japanese women don’t like to eat big burgers because they are ashamed of opening their mouths wide. So they invented this clever paper holder to hide their mouths while stuffing their face like piggy men. Surprisingly, the invention was a huge success. The company claims that consumption of…
Whether Fox News got hacked (unlikely) or their giant new iPads are causing something to go haywire, the stars seem to have aligned in our favor today. And the result, friends, is glorious. Wherever this gift from god and/or Rupert Murdoch above came from, time-wise, it’s all over the place. World Zombie Day was back…
Boosting the battery life on a mobile device is easy; they just need to get a lot thicker. But since none of us are willing to give up our svelte smartphones or tablets, we’ve bought into a life that involves bringing charging cables wherever we go. A hassle that’s now slightly less annoying with these…
The Day of the Dead celebrates, not only those who’ve passed, but our own mortality. And for this week’s Shooting Challenge, you adopted its powerful symbol: The human skull. Winner: Ciana In the spirit of Dia de Los Muertos, my friends and I did a photoshoot in an old graveyard with our faces all painted…
While we’re on the subject of ice and architecture, it’s worth taking a quick look back at the incredible body of architectural research produced at McGill University exploring how designers and engineers can build full-scale, elaborate structures using nothing but frozen water. They call this “computer assisted ice construction,” or the “robot-assisted rapid prototyping” of…
Who knew counter-cultural icon and Harvard-exiled LSD aficionado Timothy Leary was also a video game designer? Kotaku recently paid a visit to the seemingly endless, labyrinthine collections of the New York Public Library to see Leary’s lost games in action, sitting down for an interview with archivist Don Mennerich about their design history and curatorial…
We recently recommended you buy the Panasonic ST60 Plasma, because it’s the best TV. However, if that’s way out of your price range, or you don’t like Plasma, then this 50″ Smart LED, also from Panasonic, which is selling for $1300 elsewhere, is only 750 bucks today on Amazon. Ballerina not included. [Amazon] Panasonic 50″…
Most of the news coming out of robotics research has us really worried about mankind’s future, but Cornell University finally brings us a glimmer of hope. Researchers there are working on developing an algorithm through physical feedback that will teach robots to be more careful with certain objects—like say when handling a sharp knife around…
In an effort to more accurately diagnose player concussions in the middle of a football game, a Brigham Young University student has developed a nano particle-embedded foam that’s able to detect and measure impacts, providing real-time feedback about the severity of a hit or tackle. What’s particularly great about Jake Merrell’s creation is that the…
From the shop that brought you the iconic SoundSticks that are a staple of dorm rooms everywhere, come a new set of semi-transparent speakers with design reminiscent of a fan—or the cutest jet engine in the world. https://gizmodo.com/harman-kardons-iconic-soundsticks-go-wireless-5940359 The new Nova wireless speakers system comes in a $300 pair that’s ideal for your desk, or…
A clever design and ad campaign to raise money for Fondazione ANT, an Italian organization that provides free social assistance, healthcare and prevention against cancer. I kind of find La Gioconda more beautiful without the hair.
We can do a lot with Photoshop, from faking entire military operations to whatever this is. But sometimes, low-tech trickery is just more fun. Such is the case with the work of Lori Nix, a photographer who specializes in shooting urban dioramas containing scenes of complete and utter destruction. https://gizmodo.com/this-composite-photograph-from-wwi-is-better-than-most-1458519043 Given the minuscule nature of…
