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We’ve seen a lot of frivolous applications for robotic arms: Artisanal cocktail making. Slow pit stops. Whatever’s going on here. Meanwhile, in Finland, a precociously-named company called ZenRobotics has figured out how use them to solve one of the biggest problems with recycling: automatic sorting. https://gizmodo.com/watch-darpas-robot-arms-perform-the-worlds-slowest-pit-5993293 You see, a big problem with recycling—and in particular,…
If you’ve been spending too much time in bars lately—and we certainly hope you have been—you’ve likely noticed the rise of barrel-aged cocktails. The technique takes some of your favorite mixed drinks, mellows them out, and adds some layers of complexity. There is, however, a barrier to entry for most at-home barkeeps: Patience. Unless you…
Many people argue that, since they have nothing to hide, they don’t care about the NSA capturing all their emails, messages, calls, photos, videos and documents. This Gizmodo post is a good example of that. These arguments are horribly wrong. https://gizmodo.com/why-i-just-dont-give-a-shit-about-prism-or-any-other-s-511941519 Yes, the world doesn’t give a shit about you and your antics, your Instagrams…
Everyone wants to be cool, but no one wants to admit it. In spite of that, since the beginning of the internet, people have been formulating an ever-evolving script for achieving coolness. It’s confusing, and often contradictory. We’ve certainly told you what to do and what not to do plenty of times. But maybe it’s…
After more than a decade of research and negotiation with local authorities, Disney recently got the greenlight for its plans to renovate the Grand Central Air Terminal. Located just north of Los Angeles in Glendale, California, the rundown terminal is a relic of the region’s oldest commercial airport, and the departure point for the country’s…
Everybody from Tea Party patriots to left wing weirdos are up in arms over PRISM, the government’s ultra secret surveillance program that’s been reading Americans’ emails, listening to their phone calls and raking through their Internet data—among other things—since 2007. Details of the program exploded onto the public stage this week just hours after news…
National Security Agency: Attorney ( #FortMeade , MD) http://t.co/iV394rwWTB #Legal #Job #Jobs #TweetMyJobs — NSA (@NSACareers) June 7, 2013 Oh look! Everyone’s favorite secretive spy agency employment twitter feed, @NSACareers, has posted a new listing. Anyone know a good lawyer? It sounds like a fun gig! From the NSA’s job description: NSA OGC has several…
Yesterday marked the 69th anniversary of D-day, the largest amphibious invasion in history and the beginning of the end for the Axis Powers. After 160,000 US, British, and Canadian troops stormed the beaches of Normandy and secured a foothold for the Allies, war photographer Frank Scherschel surveyed the French town’s nearly complete destruction. Only a…
The most expensive and complex effort to rebuild after Hurricane Sandy didn’t concern floodgates, transit, or even buildings. It concerned the beach: 14 miles of gritty—and beautiful—shoreline that are reopening after only nine months. Last week, the city’s Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction described the reconstruction effort as “one of the most…
Last night, the world found out about the NSA’s pervasive, encompassing PRISM surveillance program. We learned that we are all being monitored, in a literal sense, and that the largest tech companies on the planet are involved. There is no way to avoid it. And I just can’t find any reason to care. https://gizmodo.com/what-is-prism-511875267 To…
Routers are boring. Most people set them up and forget they even have one. But this Asus router is so notorious that it has a cool nickname: “The Dark Knight.” And Newegg’s selling them for $100 shipped. https://lifehacker.com/the-asus-rt-n66u-dark-knight-router-delivers-stellar-5932516 These Asus RT-N66 routers are refurbished, which explains the $50 savings over a new one from Amazon.…
The premier of Man of Steel is only a week away, and true to form, the internet has been plastered with everything even mildly related to Krypton’s finest. But this infographic—made by the industrious people over at HalloweenCostumes.com—is definitely one of the greatest things we’ve seen so far. https://gizmodo.com/the-final-man-of-steel-trailer-is-pretty-epic-511697003 Ranging from all the way back…
A tapering mummy-style sleeping bag is easier to travel with since they can be compressed extremely compact. But if you suffer from even a smidgen of claustrophobia, spending a night in one can be like sleeping in a straitjacket. To make them more comfortable and compatible with those of us who toss and turn, Nemo…
If you’re feeling like the U.S. government is only picking on American humans this week, consider the wolves hunted very nearly to extinction until federal endangered species protection brought them back from the brink. As of today, wolves are on their own again. The Obama Administration is bowing to pressure from Western ranchers and hunting…
There’s an ludicrous amount of video being pirated around the world, all the time—even as you read this very post. It travels from peer to peer, bit by bit, in little garbled jumps. This installation, called “Pirate Cinema,” shows exactly what’s being pirated, and where. All in real time. Made up of three screens, and…
Before the age of the internet, you likely never noticed some of the keyboard symbols that you now use all the time. Most of us still don’t know the actual history behind these now-ubiquitous symbols, the reasons they exist, or how they ended up in your email addresses and URLs. It’s actually fascinating once you…
Microsoft has never been cool and its product have never looked cool. The 38-year-old company was founded on 1s and 0s. Design was never in the company’s DNA. It was never about aesthetics and it didn’t have to be. But its plain to see that the Microsoft of today is a little bit hipper, a…
Wouldn’t you be shocked if you were waiting for the bus, and you saw yourself magically appear in that Gap ad at your stop? Yup. And so were the victims of this delightful Photoshop prank by artist Erik Johansson and Adobe. A few hidden cameras, some amazing Photoshop savvy, and several unsuspecting bus-riders were all…
Back in 1985, Larry Hunter was a grad student studying artificial intelligence at Yale. He had access to the kinds of computers and networking tools that few Americans even knew existed at the time. And for that reason, he saw into the future. Specifically, the future of online privacy. So how did his predictions hold…
A Kansas City Royals’ fan thought that ball was coming straight to her hands, but a crafty kid with quick reflexes hopped in front of her and took home the souvenir baseball. Watch how sad she looks in the video!
