Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Though this prank video is an obvious attempt at force inducing viral-ity by Pepsi Max, it’s still a pretty fun watch. The magician Dynamo tricks people into thinking he can levitate by ‘magically’ following a bus around as it moves across London. Watch people freak out when they see him float. It’s always fun to…
The repulsive concoction of chemicals and corn syrup called “Twinkie” will return to stores on July 15, now that all the Hostess unionized workers have lost their jobs and a new non-union Hostess begins shipping the indigestible grease sops. http://gawker.com/5990555/who-should-be-the-new-face-of-twinkies
Lightning strikes aren’t that random after all. A new study shows that 82% of those killed by lightening are men, and most lightning strikes kill people who were doing some kind of “leisure activity.” Stay at work and be a woman, and you should be safe.
When you’re painting, drips are usually bad. But if you’re clever enough, you can put ’em to good use. That’s what artist Ben Dehaan did with his project “Uncured,” by using a print loaded with some ultraviolet cured ink to create face-melting portraits worthy of Raiders of the Lost Ark. The process relies on the…
Staring at another person’s clothing is generally considered rude—in fact, the mere concept of gaze has its own history and critical literature. But in this particular case, it’s recommended: These two dresses, by Montreal designer Ying Gao, aren’t really complete unless someone is staring at them. Gao works with extreme materials—including things like light-sensitive textiles…
Especially with the upcoming demise of Google Reader, RSS alternatives abound. But how do you pick the one that’s right for you from all the riff raff? Well, if you’re someone who’s feed tends to stick to the more image oriented, Highly Visual 2.0 may be exactly what you’re looking for—at least in a mobile…
As you may or may not remember, a few years ago we posted photos of these incredible, half-scale sports cars that—despite being called “children’s cars”—are more badass than any car any adult could ever hope to own. And although the junior cars’ visionary, Nathan Redfearn, was getting ready to shut down production, the beautiful, tiny,…
Adidas has another new running shoe, this one even more divergent than its Boost shoe and its new foam. It’s a bunch of springs, basically, strapped to your foot. And it sort of makes a lot of sense. https://gizmodo.com/adidas-energy-boost-running-shoes-review-for-once-new-5992580 They also look like hell to clean. The Springblade’s 16 blades are made form a propietary…
I can’t stop watching this informercial for NeverWet, a superhydrophobic spray that will coat anything—clothes, furniture, even your cellphone—to protect it against any liquid imaginable. I don’t know what kind of nanotechnology magic it uses, but Gizmodo says you can now buy it at Home Depot. https://gizmodo.com/watch-this-superhydrophobic-coating-repel-chocolate-syr-5858920
What did famous thinkers think about the future way back in 1987? Some thought computers would be more powerful, others thought about food and disease and transportation. Author Barbara Ehrenreich thought about sex and figured we’d be having more of it, for fun. But what kind of sex?
We first heard about Rust-Oleum’s liquid-repelling product, NeverWet almost two years ago. It looked absolutely magical, and now you can finally buy it. https://gizmodo.com/watch-this-superhydrophobic-coating-repel-chocolate-syr-5858920 Home Depot is carrying NeverWet for $20 a can. Spray the silicone-based coating on electronics, clothing, or almost any surface and it’ll become almost completely impervious to moisture. Of course, we’re…
Gawker Media is hiring a tech writer to be Gizmodo’s new Dealzmaster (or commerce specialist). That means we’re looking for someone to write and curate Dealzmodo. As Dealzmaster, your beat is buying things. That means you should be a strong writer who is also an amazing shopper, and you can differentiate between what’s a solid…
Forget bulging muscles or a toned set of abs. If you really want to impress everyone on the beach this summer, a stunning sand castle is the way to go. And if your sculpting skills max out at Play-Doh snakes, these architectural sand castle molds will let you re-build the most stunning structures from past…
The January 1987 issue of the legendary (and sadly, now defunct) Omni magazine included predictions from 14 “great minds” about what the world might look like in twenty years. By the year 2007, musician David Byrne believed that computers would do little for future musicians outside of their bookkeeping. Noted rich guy Bill Gates wondered…
According to the Airports Council International, the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic is Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport with a whopping 95,462,867 passengers passing through in 2012. Which makes sense considering it’s the home of Delta, the world’s largest airline. So one can only imagine what the flight paths of all those planes must look…
Actress and Kinja user Spkheller tells a very personal story about how a man harassed her at an acting studio during an audition—and how a group of “many awesome men” stepped in to solve the situation the instant they learned about the creepster’s behavior. Image by Shutterstock
Sometimes parents have to explain things to their kids in more child-friendly terms. During World War II, that meant outfitting a child with a weird Mickey Mouse gas mask. It was 1942, just about a month after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Fearing imminent chemical attack on American soil, the government issued thousands of gas…
The only thing worse than getting on a full subway car where there’s no place to sit, is getting on an even fuller subway car where there’s no place to brace yourself. But here’s a brilliant hack that not only guarantees you’ve always got something secure to hold onto, but also something no one else…
There’s plenty of precedent for echolocation in the natural world: bats can navigate based on the echo of their chirrups; and blind humans, at least anecdotally, sometimes develop remarkable sound-based spatial skills. But using sound to accurately map a space in three dimensions? That’s new. This week, scientists at the École Polytechnique Fédérale, in Lausanne,…
Gross? Perhaps. But you know you want to try this grilled cheese chocolate chip cookie sandwich from hell. A hell populated with heart attack victims.