Tech News

I Have Seen the Future and It’s a One-Handed Magnetic Zipper

Under Armour is making the bold claim that it’s finally “fixed zippers.” And while its innovative new Magzip feature probably isn’t going to change the entire world, it’s still a vast improvement to clothing technology that hasn’t evolved in in almost 100 years. It’s also voodoo magic. If you’ve ever fumbled trying to connect the…

Your Yahoo Fantasy Sports App Is Ready for the Y3K Apocalypse

Have you updated your Yahoo Fantasy Sports Football app yet? No? Then you better get your ass on over to the App Store. Because as Yahoo so kindly reminded us, Y3K is just around the (thousand-year-long) corner, and it’s never too early to start preparing for the end. This particular update was only for iOS…

This Huge Solar Thermal Plant Makes Electricity Even in the Dark

The primary complaint against solar power—that it, you know, requires the sun—is perfectly valid. But Arizona’s new Solana Generating Station, the largest capacity solar thermal plant on the face of the Earth, has just provided a $1.4 billion counterpoint. Thanks to its massive molten salt reserves, this plant keeps producing power even after lights out.…

A Lightweight Backpack Made From Fabric That’s 10X Stronger Than Steel

If you’re not the type to take care of your belongings, you might want to check out Outlier’s new Minimal Backpack when you’re on the hunt for a new bag. You can think of it as the Tonka truck of carry-alls, except that instead of metal it’s actually made from a lightweight fabric called Dyneema…

The NSA’s Elite Hacker Squad Is Suffering in the Post-Snowden Era

Over the past couple of decades, the NSA has gone to crazy lengths to tap into computer networks of friends and enemies, alike. Backdoors, shell companies, repurposed hacktivists—they’ve tried everything, and to great success. That is, until Edward Snowden blew the lid off it all. https://gizmodo.com/the-cia-warned-about-edward-snowden-all-the-way-back-in-1443953370 Foreign Policy just published a deep dive into the…

Are jellyfish taking over the world?

“Jellyfish are taking over the seas,” says Gwynn Guilford at Quartz, “and it may be too late to stop them.” But the fact is that scientists can’t say if this is an unprecedented full scale invasion or just part of a larger unknown cycle. What we know, however, is that human activity is colliding with…

You Can Use Square to Give Cash to Friends Now

Friend buy you a coffee when you had no cash? Now you can pay her back on the spot with Square’s new mobile payment system, Square Cash. You can already do this with a lot of services like Venmo or PayPal, but now Square—one of the most popular and easy to use services for merchants—is…

Flexible Solar Panel Wings Could One Day Let Robot Birds Fly Forever

Hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey have been known to stay aloft for hours on end using a strategic mix of flapping and gliding. Robotic birds can do the same, except that they can’t replenish their batteries by snatching a mid-flight snack. However, researchers at the University of Maryland are perfecting a set of…

Signifyd Checks Your Tweets to Make Sure Your Spending Spree’s Legit

When it works right, fraudulent charge detection is great. But sometimes businesses mistakenly freeze your legit purchases — usually when you’re traveling somewhere far-flung and can’t easily straighten things out. Signifyd, launched today, hopes to fix that by watching your social media to see when you’re really on a Caribbean shopping spree. Signifyd says it…

Ride Faster and Smarter With This Self-Charging Electric Bike Wheel

Riding bikes is awesome. The wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the city in the distance—it’s a fun thing to do. But don’t you sometimes think, “This would be a lot more fun if I had a robot’s help.” Some spoke-savvy Brooklynites think that too—and now they’ve built a solution. Meet the…

Three people will burn in the next season of Game of Thrones

This new Game of Thrones scene was recently filmed in Ballintoy Harbor, Ireland. Who the hell is getting burned here? https://gizmodo.com/what-is-going-on-in-these-horrifying-game-of-thrones-se-1446030760

How a Lost Boy Used Google Earth to Find His Way Home After 25 Years

Last year, we heard the amazing story of Saroo Brierley, the Indian “lost child” who used Google Earth to find his way home after 25 years. This stirring video produced by Google features Brierley telling the story in his own words. It’s pretty crushing. https://gizmodo.com/lost-boy-uses-google-earth-to-find-his-way-home-after-2-5893194 In the video, Brierly recounts how 1987, after a day…

How cats see the world compared to humans

These images—created in collaboration with animal ophthalmologists—show how cats see the world compared to humans. Cats have a wider view angle, focus the scene from a farther distance, see at night, and detect fast movement easily. All they need to hunt you down. https://gizmodo.com/these-images-show-just-how-differently-cats-and-humans-1445728239

North Korea Used Camo Paint to Pass Off Civilian Planes as Military

Having been burned when it used Photoshop to make its military seem more mighty, North Korea has apparently gone the analog route. That “military cargo plane” from a few weeks back? Nothing more than a short loan from Air Koryo and a cheap coat of camo. https://gizmodo.com/north-korea-photoshopped-its-hovercraft-fleet-to-make-i-5992609 Photographs originally published at RussianPlanes.net, a site that…

Electronic Make-Up Lets You Activate Gadgets By Blinking

A cheeky wink can say an awful lot—but now it can do an awful lot, too. A new range of conducting cosmetics means that you could soon be activating electronics with the blink of an eye. Developed by Katia Vega and shown off recently at the Interactive Tabletops and Surfaces conference at the University of…

The 11 Weirdest Fried Foods at the State Fair of Texas

The State Fair of Texas is one of the biggest, longest-running state fairs of the country. It’s steeped in tradition, from its livestock competitions to its architecturally significant Art Deco grounds. But perhaps the most important part of the Texas State Fair? Its role as America’s fried food mecca. The fair’s iconic fried item is…

Clever iOS Game Helps iPhone 5C Case Fulfill Its Connect Four Destiny

Much has been said about the perforated plastic case Apple designed for the iPhone 5C, and very little of it has been positive. But an iOS developer has found the plastic cheese grater’s silver lining with an iOS game that turns it into a fairly authentic recreation of Connect Four. https://gizmodo.com/apples-iphone-5c-case-looks-like-a-cheese-grater-made-1285565207 Flipcase does require you…

Verizon is trying out a scheme where it’ll offer same-day delivery for phones ordered online—first in Philadelphia, then hopefully in NYC, Dallas, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. Just in case you really, really need that new handset right now.

Report: Next-Gen Google Glass Planned For 2014 and Will Be ‘Cool’

Google Glass — it’s Robocop, it’s The Terminator, it’s every sci-fi dream we’ve ever had, right? At least it should be: Glass may be causing nerdgasms all over Google Campus, but to the guy on the street it’s the dorkiest looking gadget ever. Thankfully, Google is working on it. With the first-generation still only available…

This Year’s Best Wildlife Photograph Required Serious Balls to Take

Have ever sat mere yards from a herd of elephants as they drank at a watering hole? What about had one brush by just inches from you? Or then tried to photograph the whole thing? No? Well, it’s a good job Greg du Toit did, then. In fact, doing so has just snagged him the…