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If only Howard Carter had access to satellite imagery, maybe he would have discovered more than just King Tut’s tomb. Fortunately, Google Earth means that anyone can examine the planet for lost treasures. Including Angela Micol, a satellite archaeology researcher who thinks she has uncovered previously undiscovered ancient pyramids, hiding in plain sight in Egypt.…
In a bid to improve its growing selection of local reviews, Google is buying the Frommer’s travel guide brand from publishers John Wiley & Sons for an undisclosed amount. The deal hasn’t been finalized quite yet, but it should be going through any time now. At the moment, Google hasn’t made a decision as to…
Today at 8am Pacific President Obama called the Mars Curiosity Rover team to congratulate them on the amazing feat that they accomplished on August 5. After commending their hard work and genius as a symbol of America’s space prowess and innovation, he finished his call with this: If in fact you do make contact with…
Nobody would fault you for bringing a knife to a Swiss Minigun C1ST fight. Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the smallest functional revolver on the planet, this diminutive firearm makes Derringers look like Desert Eagles. The C1ST Miniature Revolver is a small batch specialty firearm produced by the Swiss Minigun company…
Woz forwarded this great picture from his friend Ron Schnell over the weekend: a parking slot permanently reserved for a restaurant’s FourSquare mayor! The details, according to Ron: https://gizmodo.com/how-steve-wozniak-became-the-genius-who-invented-the-pe-5926688 I’m Woz’s friend who sent this to him. FYI, in case it’s not obvious, the sign is in front of the first parking spot at the…
When we think of the future—the awesome future, anyway—it always includes autonomous cleaning robots. We may still be a way’s off from The Jetsons’ Rosie, but the Vileda Virobi is one giant leap for robot maid kind. https://gizmodo.com/the-best-robot-floor-cleaners-5853095 The Vileda Virobi is a circular, spinning bot designed to give your hard floors a gentle scrub.…
Maybe we’re easily impressed, but the idea of a ruler with a handle on its face has us all infatuated. We have grand visions of measuring and marking everything in sight with extreme ease. If you’ve ever done anything around the house that requires measuring, you know that keeping a ruler in place can sometimes…
Drone surveillance isn’t just for the government any more. The Spy Hawk RC glider, with a camera that streams live footage to the 3.5″ LCD on its controller, lets you be the eye in the sky. The Spy Hawk’s built-in camera is a respectable 3.5 megapixels and not only gives you a first-person, real-time view…
In a post on The Signpost, Wikimedia Foundation Senior Designer Brandon Harris outlined a radical set of goals to improve Wikipedia over the next year. In short, the encyclopedia is a broken, disorganized mess and the whole system for creating and editing articles needs a fundamental overhaul. Here’s how he plans to fix it. Wikipedia…
Just about everyone is slashing prices on the iPhone ahead of next month’s expected release of the sixth-gen version. Sprint is selling the 4S for $50 off the regular price, while at Target, you can get the Verizon and AT&T versions for $20 less, at $179. Best Buy has also marked the 8GB iPhone 4…
If you think you’re your own person, think again. While you have the ability to make what you think seem like independent decisions, the truth is that most of the things you do—from the trains you catch to the food you eat—have been optimized by the world’s most pervasive algorithm. New Scientist takes a look…
Scientists have long spoken about the possibility of using the natural spin of electrons as digital storage—but it’s never been a reality because of the transient nature of the effect. Now, though, IBM researchers have found a way to keep the effect alive long enough for it to actually be useful. Known as spintronics, the…
Since the insane raid of his property earlier this year, Kim Dotcom has morphed into somewhat of an internet freedom fighter, garnering the support of Woz in the process. Now, he’s posted a tweet which suggests a very big Megaupload announcement is just round the corner. https://gizmodo.com/watch-the-insane-special-forces-raid-against-kim-dotcom-5932918 The Next Web interpreted the message to mean…
If you don’t follow the Curiosity rover on Twitter, you should: the feed is simultaneously fascinating and funny. Forbes has taken a peek behind the avatar, though, to find out why the feed is so good. Behind the account are three NASA employees from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: Veronica McGregor, Social Media Manager, and Stephanie…
Etsy is clamping down: drug paraphernalia, human remains and “hazardous materials” are no longer allowed. [PC Mag]
This image might look a little grainy to you, but you really should give it a chance. What you’re looking at is the output from the world’s highest resolution color printer, and it’s actually an extreme close-up of an image that measures just 50 micrometers across—the same width as a human hair. The printer, developed…
As iPhone rumors develop apace, a WeiPhone forum user—who accurately revealed the iPhone 4S’s motherboard last year—has leaked images of what he claims is the logic board of the new iPhone. Sadly, the image doesn’t answer one of the bigger questions surrounding the launch—namely, what processor the device will feature—as the chip itself isn’t attached…
When Google acquired Motorola Mobility in May for $12.5 billion, many assumed the search company was only interested in patents. Now, though, it’s slashing 20 percent of Moto’s staff—and planning to have it concentrate on fewer, better phones. https://gizmodo.com/googles-motorola-buy-is-official-now-5912261 The New York Times reports that Google’s influence saw an announcement at Motorola on Sunday which…
Shame is a dark, brooding tale of one man’s crippling addiction to sex and all things sex-related. Despite critcal acclaim, you might not have gotten a chance to see it, mainly because it’s rated NC-17. Yeah, there’s some penis. Aside from the penis (or in addition to the penis, I suppose) Shame features some unsurprisingly…
Heard Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used To Know” too many times already? Well how about just once more. “Somebodies: A YouTube Orchestra” is a mash-up of a ton of Gotye covers, masterfully put together by the man himself. You can catch a list of all the videos used in the mash-up over at his blog.…
