Tech News

NASA Will Stream the Perseid Meteor Shower Live Until 3AM Tonight

Everyone’s favorite meteor shower, the Perseids, are expected to hit their dazzling peak over North America within the next two or three days. And even if you’re surrounded by city lights, you’ll have a front row seat. Tonight, NASA is streaming its first Perseid webcast, replete with cosmic debris, sky fireballs, and meteor experts. Beginning…

See NYC From a New Angle With These Awesomely Nerdy Maps

On July 25, data fans rejoiced when New York City government opened up a gigantic amount geospatial data to the public. The dataset, PLUTO, is “a real-world version of SIm City” based on tax lot data (it sounds less interesting than it is). Now, maps based on PLUTP are hitting the web—and these are some…

The story of the world’s most popular phone sound—and the rejected ones

There are hundreds of phones out there, but the iPhone’s Tri-Tone is, without a doubt, the most iconic phone sound in the world. As its creator Kelly Jacklin says, it shows up in every TV show and movie—”it became international short-hand for you have a text message.” In 1999, Jacklin sold Tri-Tone to the makers…

Nobody knew how the clitoris really worked until four years ago

The clitoris. For thousands of years, humans (some of them, anyway) have known that you can give pleasure to its owner if you play with it in the right way. But it wasn’t until 2009 that science understood how it actually worked. Discover… the Mystery of the Clit! https://gizmodo.com/until-2009-the-human-clitoris-was-an-absolute-mystery-5876335

The Creator of the iPhone’s Text Message Noise Explains Its Origins

You hear it every time you get a text message or alert. It’s arguably the most iconic noise associated with the iPhone: The default “Boo-Dah-Ling” that plays when you get a text message or alert. But who designed it? A fascinating post from the audio designer behind the legendary tone explains all. According to Kelly…

Do China’s New Skyscrapers Really Signal an Economic Downturn?

Skyscrapers have been symbols of economic plentitude since Daniel Burnham, the architect behind some of the earliest tall buildings, said “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.” But is it possible that tall buildings also precipitate crashes? According to one analyst, yes—and China, in particular, is heading for a bust.…

This morning Apple announced the full return of the Developer Center, which had been shuttered for three weeks after a July 18 security breach. By way of apology for the long delay, developer memberships are being extended an extra month.

Dinosaur CAT Scan Shows 3 Different Species Are Actually The Same

Cutting edge imaging technology isn’t just helping us tiny humans — it’s helping solve a dinosaur identity crisis. Researchers have developed a brand-new imaging technique that builds a 3D image of a dinosaur skull, creating a CAT scan-style readout. They say this technique proves that what we thought were three separate species of dinosaur are…

The Pirate Bay Celebrates 10 Years With a New Blockade-Busting Browser

File sharing site The Pirate Bay set sail ten years ago. While the site and its founders have had plenty of legal trouble along the way, like Keith Richards, they refuse to abandon ship. They’re marking a decade of file plundering with a typically typo-laden decree and a new way to circumnavigate torrent blockades. https://gizmodo.com/pirate-bay-co-founder-charged-with-hacking-and-fraud-in-5994854…

Why the Hell Doesn’t McDonald’s Serve Breakfast All Day? (Updated)

Look, say what you will about McDonald’s — they know how to do breakfast. The Egg McMuffin is such a perfect packet of good-morning deliciousness, I swear Ronald McDonald must’ve cut his burger-flippin’ teeth in the kitchen of a roadhouse diner. But unlike my favorite diners, where breakfast is a Constitutional right 24 hours a…

These Gorgeous Black And White Photos Turn Truckstops Into Art

Sometimes it feels like the romance of the road is lost at truck stops. Those oases of diesel fuel and stale coffee seem too industrial, too pragmatic to fit into a Kerouac-style vision of road tripping. Photographer Michael Massaia lends some highbrow class to the truck stop with his series Seeing the Black Dog. Suddenly,…

What It Would Be Like If You Were Trapped Inside a Mirror Sphere

There’s not a single soul in the world who doesn’t love it when they get to see the endless world that appears when you’re in a room of mirrors. I remember trying to count as a kid how many versions of myself I could see. But what would happen if you were in a perfect…

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet: SUPER SAYAN KUSH

Remember stoners, it’s one thing to think, “This is the best weed ever, Imma go punch somebody’s grandma in half.” It’s another thing entirely to go balls-out, “I am a Golden God” Super Saiyan and actually knock her into next Tuesday.

The NSA Monitors 1.6% of the World’s Internet Traffic

To be slightly more transparent and/or spew numbers to confuse the common citizen, the Obama administration released two documents to show the scope of the NSA’s data collection program. Those documents reveal that the NSA monitors 1.6% of the world’s Internet traffic and reviews .00004% of all traffic. Sounds so little, right? Just what the…

This Week’s Top Comedy Video: Disney’s Vehicle Movies

If you’re over the age of 12, you probably wondered why the hell Pixar ever made Cars 2. And then when you heard about Planes, you probably wondered who in the world would go see a Pixar-less Disney movie that sounds like the direct to DVD cousin of Cars. Merchandising is not an excuse for…

The next Xbox 360 update will finally officially kill Microsoft Points dead. All your points will be converted over to an amount of currency equal to or greater than your points. Any Microsoft Points Cards will still be valid too (and transferred to real dollars). [Microsoft]

How Technology Has Innovated Loneliness

It’s simple, as the world has gotten easier because technology has gotten better since touch screens have gotten touchier and social networks have filled every social void in our empty soul, we’re still searching for substance. Too often social networks can result in the technological equivalent of empty calories—sure it feels good to get liked…

Ecstasy of Order: Remember How Good You Wanted to Be at Tetris?

Tetris and I were born just a month apart. And what Cold War kids we were. Tetris was the brainchild of a young Soviet computer engineer with a knack for building addicting games. I was the actual child of a couple of former hippies with a bit of a disco hangover. I knew Tetris and…

The Snapshot Game Has Changed, According to Collector of Thousands

No one can say that the snapshot is dead. If judged by sheer quantity, our culture is no doubt taking more photographs than ever before. Robert Jackson collects vintage snapshots, and points out that even though the practice is alive and well, it is not what it once was. There have been entire shows devoted…

High-Profile Silicon Valley Exec GUILTY of Mass Lego Theft

It’s a sordid tale of greed, power and Lego. Last Monday, Thomas Langenbach, a successful tech executive (and Lego fanboy) struck a deal with prosecutors and pled no contest to burgling tens of thousands of dollars worth of bricks and hiding them in his $2 million dollar home. Langenbach’s road to thievery is a cautionary…