Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
The Harry Potter books were originally issued with beautiful hardcover dust jackets featuring the warm and delightful illustrations of Mary GrandPré, who gave most readers their first idea of what the wizarding world looked like. Now, newly discovered unpublished pictures show much more of GrandPré’s vision. Her now-iconic images are now being replaced by new…
Cancer surgery is invariably difficult, in part, because doctors have always had a hard time determining exactly where the healthy tissue ends and the tumor begins. Not anymore. A new “intelligent knife” can actually sniff out the cancer cells during an operation and keep the doctor on track. On a basic level, this new scalpel…
Oh man oh man oh man oh man. This is the nerdiest, awesomest, best-best way to use Instagram. Some nerd has taken it upon himself to film the entirety of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope 15 seconds at a time, on Instagram Video. Not only is this dear nerd—a Gizmodo commenter, apparently!—doing the…
Have you ever found a great article on the web, and wanted to share it, but couldn’t figure out the wittiest/snarkiest/ironic-est way to Facebook or tweet about it? Potluck promises to take the anxiety out of sharing links, by creating conversations between friends and friends of friends who enjoyed the same article. Now they’re offering…
Mechanically-powered flashlights — be they shake, crank or squeeze varieties — are one of those must-have items for every emergency kit. When a tornado knocks out power, or the Big One hits, it’s nice to know that you won’t be fumbling around in the dark looking for batteries. But you might be surprised to learn…
Ever heard of Goldman Sachs Structured Products Limited? How about GS Holdings L.L.C. II.? No? Both are nodes on a web of more than 4,000 holding companies, woven by the Goldman Sachs Group to evade taxes on its—let’s see here—$8.61 billion in profits for Q2. It’s an incredibly complex operation, and thanks to this interactive…
Plugging your phone into the main is for suckers. What you really need is one of a new breed of microbial fuel cells to drive your phone—so you can power it with pee. A team of researchers from the University of the West of England, UK, have developed the new, small microbial fuel cell (MFC)…
Have you ever thought about the possibilities of bendable, stretchable electronics? They’re amazing. From a circuit attached to your brain to a pacemaker that sticks to your heart, these are the stuff that medical sci-fi dreams are made of. There’s only one problem: Stretchable electronics are notoriously impossible to make. At least until now they…
Kids love to help out in the kitchen when the end product is cakes, pies, or cookies. Though even the simplest of assigned tasks can turn into a kitchen disaster in the blink of an eye, cutting cookies has always been a pretty reliable assignment. Now, it’s even easier for young’ns with this adorable rocking…
A report emerged late Tuesday that Google is working on building its own cable TV service. The move would bring Google up from being the owner of a mere streaming video site to competing with telecom giants like Comcast. That means Google would have an entirely new—if related—industry to disrupt and, potentially, dominate. Which leaves…
Florida has its oranges, Georgia has its peaches, and California has its lettuce. These leafy greens are the Golden State’s biggest vegetable crop, bringing in $1.6 billion annually. Problem is, they require a lot of attention to raise properly. Historically, California has relied of its abundant, affordable work force. But with that labor pool shrinking…
Reading sign language has always been in the cards for Kinect, ever since that showed up as a feature in some of the early patents. A while ago, it managed to read two of the most sweeping, exaggerated arm-based gestures. But since then, it’s gotten good. Like, really, really good. A joint project between Microsoft…
Taking the geeky fanboy t-shirt to a whole new level, ThinkGeek’s just added this wonderful Spiderman tee to its collection that actually gives the wearer a Spidey-sense for when danger approaches from behind. But instead of a radioactive spider bite, a proximity sensor clipped to the back of the shirt provides the superpowers. After all,…
The 2020 Olympics will be held in either Istanbul, Madrid, or Tokyo, but no matter where they’re held, the logo will be boring. There’s a 66-percent chance the logo is going to be some stupid flower crap. How did this happen? Indecision and fear. Brand New describes the arduous bidding process, which results in countries…
At $50, the Nook Simple Touch is a steal for a high quality e-reader. Yes, there’s no light and it’s not a Kindle, but this price more than makes up for those shortcomings. If you’re in the market for a way to keep all your books in your pocket then grab this while you can…
Everyone’s favorite iOS web browser alternative, Google Chrome, is getting updated today with the following improvements: Improved interoperability with many other Google Apps Voice Search enhancements Fullscreen for iPad Data usage savings (rolling out over time) Access to browser history Lots of stability improvements and other bug fixes Google has also made it even easier…
It can’t be easy to build a car, but the factory where Teslas are born makes it looks like a piece of cake. The folks over at Wired took a look behind the scenes to watch rolls of aluminum transform into fully functional electric cars, and it’s a sight to behold. Even though the process…
The jetpack would emerge in popular American science fiction of the 1920s, and later become cemented into the popular imagination after World War II. But the idea of single-flyer personal transportation tech didn’t start with the jetpack. In the late 19th century, people were obsessed with flight. And they imagined a future where strapping a…
My mother always told me, if you’re going to pick a fight, do it in water. Winner: Hatted Hurricane 5D Marklll ISO 200 f5/6 1/400 100mm This was one of the most fun challenges I have participated in. This weekend at my annual back yard tent party I brought up the shooting challenge with my…
The official Lego Minecraft set has been such an amazing success that Lego and Swedish game developer Mojang have decided to expand the line with two new official sets: the Village and the Nether. The Village (pictured above) “fans can create and customize their own Minecraft village with Lego bricks.” It seems to be an…
