Tech News

Flickr’s new iOS 7 app now offers automatic uploading at full resolution, with sharing set to private by default. Neat.

Macro Photographs of Electronic Components Are the Best Geek Porn

Johngineer from Adafruit has a deliciously geeky hobby: he takes amazing macro-focus photographs of electronic components. As geek porn goes, these images tick all the boxes. Close-up circuit shots? Check. Mysterious glowing objects? You bet. Coins in frame to provide sense of scale? Oh, of course. Below are a few of our favorites, but check…

How The NSA Deploys Malware

We’ve long suspected that the NSA, the world’s premiere spy agency, was pretty good at breaking into computers. But now, thanks to an article by security expert Bruce Schneier—who is working with the Guardian to go through the Snowden documents—we have a much more detailed view of how the NSA uses exploits in order to…

Skype for Android has had an overhaul, so now the video quality’s actually, y’know, good. Oh, and the UI is massively improved, too.

Michael Jackson’s Thriller Epically Performed with Stop-Motion Lego

If you don’t care about the Mileys and the Biebers like most sane humans of this world, one of the most iconic music videos to you is probably Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Or maybe Billie Jean. Or is it Smooth Criminal? Beat It? Actually, it can be five more MJ creations. But Thriller is somethin’. And…

Pat Robertson says you and your gluten-free diet are going to hell!

Pat Robertson, theologian and age-defying protein shake drinker, delivered a rousing sermon to his 700 Club of shut-ins, warning them against gluten-free and carb-free diets. He argues that these fads will send you straight to the fiery gates of hell! Personally, I’d rather be skinny in hell, than fat in heaven.

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Monsters

Sometimes, it’s your own head where the wild things are. Monsters follows a young woman as she slips in and out of a private, demon-filled nightmare. But can figments of your own imagination become a threat to your sanity? Monsters is a new music video from German Indie Rockers, Abby from their debut album Friends…

That Curved Screen Samsung Galaxy Round Is a Real Thing

If you’re looking to get weird with your phone, the curved screen of the official Samsung Galaxy Round is a good start. Well, sort of. The curved 5.7-inch screen—same as the uncurved Note 3—is a real thing that Samsung is actually making but it’s only launching on SK Telecom in South Korea. There doesn’t seem…

Exploding Giant Bubbles Will Never Get Old

Though we can never be in awe of bubbles like we once were, we can still have fun with them. Lots of fun! And the easiest way to have more fun with bubbles is to go bigger and add in slow motion to capture the exploding bubbles. When you see these giant bubbles get popped…

Presidents of the United States of America: Peaches

“Peaches” is one of those songs from the 90s that you always forget to remember. You loved it—everyone did. But for some reason, this masterpiece of post-grunge alt rock rarely shows up on any 90s playlists. That needs to stop. Let’s start with the video. For the entire first half, the band is playing in…

NYC’s Taxi of Tomorrow Won’t Be Your Only Choice of Cab

New York’s State Supreme Court just put the brakes on the Taxi of Tomorrow, ruling that the Taxi and Limousine Commission doesn’t have the power to make Nissan’s NV200 the universal yellow cab. But how could NYC riders have benefited from it? Unlike the current fleet of consumer cars converted for taxi duty, the Nissan…

This 3D-Printed Web of Plastic Caps Turns Water Bottles Into a Vase

If your recycling bin overfloweth with empty plastic water bottles and you’re just too lazy to take them to the curb, why not turn them from an eyesore into a lovely centerpiece with this 3D-printed web of bottlecaps? All you need to do is scrounge up twelve similarly sized bottles and you’ve got yourself a…

This Air Travel Map From 1929 Is Absolutely Stunning

The 1920s was a thrilling decade for aviation. Daredevils were just beginning to hop across the Atlantic, and at least one airline was even experimenting with in-flight entertainment. But if you wanted to tour the United States by air it was a pretty involved process. And this beautiful map from 1929 showed you how it…

Soar Through the Alps With This Interactive Video of a Wingsuit Flight

Taking flight with a wingsuit is probably the scariest thing I can think of doing. And that’s part of the reason why this interactive video of German crazy person Beni Kälin jumping off a Swiss mountaintop is so cool. It feels like you’re flying—except without the risk of dying part. The peak in question is…

A Sleek Ping Pong Table You Won’t Want To Hide in the Basement

Billiard tables have become bonafide works of art that some people furnish entire rooms around—but ping pong tables are only just catching up. But the hideous green folding contraptions of yesteryear are quickly being replaced with sleek pieces like this gorgeous Bola Service Table designed by Barcelona-based studio A.P.O. It’s a regulation-sized ping pong table…

Report: Apple Is Holding an iPad Event October 22

AllThingsD is reporting that Apple is holding an iPad event on Tuesday, October 22. Apparently, the focus of the event will be not only iPads, but also new Mac Pros and OS X Mavericks. AllThingsD has a pretty good track record with these things—it correctly predicted the date of the iPhone event last month, so…

This Mesmerizing Ai Weiwei Installation Is Made From 3,144 Bicycles

Last night in Toronto, Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei presented a new version of his incredible Forever Bicycles installation. As the centerpiece of this year’s Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, the all-night contemporary art event that takes over city streets, 3,144 bicycles, the most Weiwei has used of this work to date, were stacked 100 feet…

Is This Samsung’s New Curved Screen Phone?

We’ve seen rumors that Samsung is bringing a curved screen phone to market, thanks to new bendy screen tech. Now @evleaks, a leaker with a pretty solid record, has dug up this supposed press shot. Man, if this is real, it’s real weird. What would be the purpose of this kind of rounded screen? Who…

This iPhone Prank Tricks People Into Thinking They’re Getting a Text

You know the feeling. You and a friend are having a conversation via text and the little bubble with the blinking dots shows up indicating that she’s typing. So much anticipation! You’d stare at those dots for hours waiting for a text, wouldn’t you? Wouldn’t it be funny if the dots just kept blinking? Well,…

How Salt and Pepper Became the Yin and Yang of Condiments

They’re staples on every American dining table and the requisite ingredients in virtually every European cuisine, so inseparable that polite society dictates they always be passed together. Salt and pepper are the undisputed champions of condiments—but how did they get so popular? Everybody Loves Salt Table salt—aka sodium chloride or NaCl—has been a preferred seasoning…