Tech News

Wasps In Super Slow Motion Are 4,700 FPS of Freaky

It’s a general rule that everything is better in slow motion, but at 4,700 frames a second, wasps just go from “creepy” to “still creepy.” The footage you see above is actually a .8 second clip by Cinematographer Alan Teitel that’s been slowed down over 100 times to show the individual flapping of each insectoid…

TomTom’s New GPS Watches Are Easily Controlled With a Large Cyclops-Like Button

A couple of years ago TomTom partnered with Nike for what was one of the first GPS sport watches that didn’t look like some monstrous fitness accessory strapped to your wrist. But now the company is parting ways with the swoosh and releasing a set of TomTom-branded watches called the Runner and Multi-Sport for those…

Every Library Should Come With This Built-In Slide

It’s no secret how the recently built Panorama House, which stretches along the hilltop like a beautiful, stone accordion, got its name. But while the outside is lovely to behold, it’s what’s hiding within that really caught our attention: an awesome library-slide crossbreed in a stadium seating body. Moon Hoon, the South Korean architect who…

Google has just announced that Provo, Utah, will become its third “Google Fiber City.”

Pinch To Zoom Is Literal On This Elastic Touchscreen Display

We spend a lot of our time running our greasy little fingers over all kinds of touchscreens, but they just sit there unmoving as untouchable blocks of colors dart around beneath the surface. The Obake display isn’t quite so lifeless, and it’s just begging to be poked and prodded. Designed by MIT Media Lab’s Dhairya…

10 Visions of the Los Angeles That Could Have Been

Los Angeles isn’t generally famous for its innovative urban design. But there have been many attempts to transform the city into a modern metropolis through visionary architecture and transportation projects. In their exhibition Never Built: Los Angeles, the Architecture and Design Museum is showing off the coolest of what LA could have become. Frank Lloyd…

The iPad Keyboard Case You Want Is Your Deal of the Day

The iPad is not designed to be used with a keyboard. But that hasn’t stopped moms, businesspeople, and tactile enthusiasts from using one anyway. If you know someone who likes their iPad big and bulky, don’t try to convince them that the touchscreen is good enough. They’ve already made up their mind. What you can…

Burn It Down (Then Take a Seat)

Most people who set fire to their work tend to be pretty much, uh, over it. For Kaspar Hamacher, it’s just the start of a new piece. Hamacher, a 32-year-old Belgian furniture maker, describes his process of design-by-conflagration as “sculpting with the elements.” In 2010, after finding Brussels way too cosmopolitan for his tastes, Hamacher…

Toshiba KiraBook Hands On: Is an Amazing Screen Enough to Make a Computer Great?

Toshiba is taking aim at the MacBook Air. We know this not because its new KiraBook ultraportable, with its 13-inch 2560×1440 display, resembles an MBA—it doesn’t, really—but because, over and over, Toshiba referenced ways it’s better than or on par with a MacBook Air, as reps explained how the company’s focus with the Kira revolves…

How Carnival Is Upgrading Its Fleet to Not Be Floating Shit Barges

Carnival has had a pretty crappy couple of months after fires and massive systems failures in two of its ships turned things into scenes from Lord of the Flies. So the cruise company has planned a $300 million upgrade for its 24-ship fleet to make sure it’s prepared for the worst. Here are the highlights.…

Krang Apron: Perfect for Ninja Turtle Soup Prep

Spending $150 on an apron that’s bound to get splattered with grease and covered in stains sounds a little ridiculous, doesn’t it? Not when it makes you look like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles supervillain Krang. Even those desperate for world domination can use the occasional R&R, and who knows, maybe grilled turtle is actually…

How to Make an iOS App Icon That Works

I’ve made my fair share of apps, and to me the one question that still bounces around my head is: When taking an app-first approach to designing a product, how should a designer decide on the look and feel of the icon? There are many different icon types I’ve considered, but I wanted to explore…

Photoshop’s Genius Shake Reduction Tool Fixes Blurry Shots Like Magic

Everyone who is not a good photographer is a bad photographer—a condition that’s only made worse because we insist on documenting our lives with abysmal smartphone cameras. And of all of the terrible things that ruin photos, blur from shooting at slow shutter speeds is amongst the most common ailments. Photoshop to the rescue! In…

How Much Is Your House Worth In Bitcoins?

We’ve already explained everything there is to know about Bitcoins and Bitcoin mining, except the most important question that homeowners across the country are asking: how many Bitcoins can I get for my house? https://gizmodo.com/what-is-bitcoin-5803124 This handy converter provides an up-to-the-minute calculation of your home’s worth—or any dollar amount—in Bitcoins based on the current conversion…

These Sleek Rocking Horses Are As Good an Excuse As Any To Have Kids

There’s nothing wrong with being a kid at heart. You just have to get used to people looking at you suspiciously as you wander through toy stores. And while this gorgeous set of curvaceous rocking horses designed by Next of Kin Creatives are far too small for adults, they’re the perfect justification for finally starting…

Shooting Challenge: Anything Goes

Every week, I tell you what to do. And you obey because I type so powerfully. But just this once (OK, it’s kind of an annual thing), we’re going to change the rules. For this week’s challenge, photograph anything. The Challenge Photograph anything you’d like. You know what? Even use Photoshop so long as there’s…

Seven Shipping Containers Make Up This Colorful Library

These seven colorful shipping containers traveled the world before settling down in Batu, Indonesia as the Amin Library. Home to 6,000 books, it’s a story in and of itself. Imagine you’re a child. You’d be begging your mother to visit this magical place. Built upon stilts to overlook surrounding trees and houses, the eye-popping building…

Microsoft Will Finally Offer Two-Step Verification For Your Entire Account

Over the next few days Microsoft will begin rolling out an overhaul to accounts, which will include a crucial security upgrade: Two-step verification. This will go a long way to preventing hackers from getting into your account and causing all sorts of damage. So if you have a Microsoft Account, you should definitely set the…

This Cutting Board Colander Is a Multi-Tasking Champ

Joseph Joseph has updated its popular folding cutting board funnel with the addition of a perforated colander on the other end that lets you rinse your ingredients before sliding them into a pot. The non-slip $23 Rinse & Chop Plus folds flat so you can hack away on its knife-friendly surface, and the hole that…

The Bomb-Proof Miracle Materials That Will Make the Future Safer

When a bomb explodes, you can’t outmaneuver it; you probably can’t even take cover quickly enough to protect yourself. Instead, you have to hope that there’s something—anything—already in the way that can shield you from the blast. Here are five of the best future bomb-proof materials that could end up saving lives in our increasingly…