Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
I bought a case of flavored “wild berry” bottled water this week. It was an accident, I thought it was just regular old water, but no, it’s some foul mix of whatever the dentist gives you right before he gives you the water cup to spit that crap out and tin foil. But it’s what…
Ashley’s out this week, so you’re stuck with me for your apps coverage. Did you know that I use a Windows Phone? There’s a newish Domino’s app for Windows Phone that is pretty good but also it tricked me into ordering a Domino’s pizza when it came out, so I’m sort of holding a grudge.…
Once upon a time, you could draw a map of the known Internet. Here’s what the world of networked computers looked like in 1977 when ARPANET was still just a huge government-funded science project. It’s actually incredible that the network proliferated this much in the eight years after the first four-node network was established back…
Engineering the perfect sand castle is tricky even in ideal conditions. If you don’t get the sand to water ratio just right, your majestic creation will collapse and wash away. Unless you’re cool with cheating. In that case all you need is a jar of Brookstone’s magical Sand that’s always the perfect consistency. Remember that…
We are officially in the dog days of summer. Here in New York it’s brutally hot, and the air has the consistency of bath water. You need something refreshing. The Greenhound is that something. It’s Friday afternoon, you’ve made it through the long week, and it’s time for Happy Hour, Gizmodo’s weekly booze column. A…
The 2001 earthquake that brought down a length of State Route 99 running through downtown Seattle was a measly 6.8 on the Richter scale. But rather than rebuild the Alaska Viaduct, as the double-decker section was known, city officials instead decided to take the freeway underground in their very own Big Dig. To do so,…
If you’re a college student or a young professional in your first apartment, you’re probably well versed in assembling Ikea furniture. But soon after, those vital hex wrenches always seem to go missing, and when it’s time to move your bedroom set, it’s off to the hardware store to try and find a replacement. So…
It’s the fifth of July, and in most parts of the country, it’s a gorgeous summer Friday that many of us, sadistically, have to spend indoors, in front of computers. Or do we? This is a story about a friend of mine. This friend always forgets to turn off auto-capitalization on his phone when he…
Combination planting—where certain crops are planted together to stave off pests or enhance taste—is as old as farming itself. But up until recently, it’s been difficult to be precise about where and how different crops can benefit from each other. Benedikt Groß, a UK-based interaction designer, is using algorithmic processing to improve on a practice…
We’ve seen super high resolution monitors become far more affordable recently, especially from the likes of Monoprice, but this QNIX LED is sitting at an especially compelling price point. $289 gets you 27 inches of 2560×1440, and while you’ve probably never heard of QNIX, this is a Samsung Panel, which is what matters. Free shipping.…
Nicotine, the reason why people smoke, chew or snort tobacco, is hard to quit. The American Heart Association says nicotine is about as addictive as heroin or cocaine, which explains why your cig-sucking coworkers get so grumpy and antsy leading up to a smoke break. Since quitting is so difficult and relapsing is so easy,…
If you’ve tried and failed to build your own starship to explore the universe, it’s maybe because you just didn’t have a thorough understanding of how a craft like the U.S.S. Enterprise works. So if you’ve got it in you to try one more time, this cutaway model of Kirk’s pride and joy should give…
In what has to be one of the most brilliant self-defense mechanisms ever developed, several species of tropical moths are able to rasp their genitals against their bodies to produce ultrasonic signals that confuse an attacking bat’s acoustical targeting system. Several species of Tiger Moth and Hawk Moth have been found to use this technique,…
Most solar-powered vehicles are so tiny and light that they can only carry one environmentally cautious driver. But not any more. The big-boned Stella, designed by Solar Team Eindhoven, is the first solar-powered car with enough room to fit your whole four-person family. Made of lightweight carbon and aluminum, Stella is no slouch; it has…
Over 300 hours of hard work went into creating this Lego Acropolis. Starting tomorrow, builder Ryan McNaught—AKA TheBrickMan—will be displaying his creation at Sydney’s Nicholson Museum. The classical build comes complete with a minifig Oedipus stabbing his eyes out, with blood spilling over the stage. This build is a bit tongue-in-cheek, as it features a…
This week was a big one for capsule aficionados. Time capsules are as much a Fourth of July tradition as hot dogs, boating, and getting your fingers blown off with homemade fireworks. So, needless to say, a lot of time capsules were plunged into American soil yesterday. But for some people — like Oceanside, California…
Well this is a first. No, really, a man going by the name of PH is the first known diagnosis of a deeply odd and presumably infuriating condition: He hears voices out of sync, as though he’s watching a movie with out-of-sync dubbing. PH first noticed his condition after heart surgery to repair an inflammatory…
You can avoid for it as long as possible, re-wearing outfits again and again, but eventually the awfulness that is laundry day will come. It’s even worse if a clothesline is involved, requiring you to painstakingly hang garments instead of just cramming them all in the dryer, but this adorable cable car clothespin holder should…
Ever wonder what happens when you nuke a highlighter? Neither have we, but Redditor opticreason has us all covered with an incredible mid-splosion shot that’ll make you want to go ruin your microwave. You probably shouldn’t try this at home, but if you do, some video would be appreciated. Thanks. [Reddit via Buzzfeed]
The easiest joke to make about IKEA is that few of its products—from shelves to meatballs—are made from what they seem. But even particleboard still requires wood—and a lot of it, when you’re selling 100 million products every year. According to Pacific Standard, IKEA uses almost one percent of the world’s commercial wood supply. That’s…
