Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Google CEO Larry Page took the stand in federal court today to answer questions from über-lawyer David Boies—he of U.S. v. Microsoft, Bush v. Gore and a bajillion other high profile cases—in a case that pits Oracle against Google. So how did it go? Er. Well it’s not quite noon here on the West Coast,…
In a publicity stunt to demonstrate just how quickly an electric car can accelerate, Smart created this unique test drive where a couple of electric Fortwos were used as controllers in a giant game of Pong. Although rapidly accelerating forwards and back isn’t exactly the most ideal way to take a car for a test…
Sometimes a sneak attack is the best way to fight off a would-be assailant. Pulling an obvious can of pepper spray out of your pocket or purse immediately tips them off that they’re about to be blasted. But they’ll be none-the-wiser if you pulled out this innocuous-looking lighter. For just under $4 it’s not going…
The best camera is the one you have on you…especially if it has all the addictive, contrasty, soon-to-be-parodied nostalgia of Instagram. Here are your best shots from this week’s Instagram Shooting Challenge. https://gizmodo.com/shooting-challenge-give-us-your-best-instagram-5901070 Winner: Boots at Golden Gate Bridge A few friends and I came up to San Francisco and I thought I’d show them…
Candys in a Hungarian Tesco shot by an SGS2. 🙂 – Zsolt Brunáry Took this on an HTC Inspire. 8 MP camera on normal settings. Stopped while running for the shot. – Caddy93 The Yearning Pooch Using Instagram on my iphone 4s, I decided to use circle blur and earlybird effects to compose this photo.…
I’m a volunteer docent at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville OR. On Friday afternoon I saw the dramatic clouds outside. Recalling this contest, I dashed outside with my Motorola Bionic Android phone and stood where the 1943 Consolidated PBY Catalina was in front of the clouds. I’m glad that I recently installed…
Although I have way to many artsy fartsy pictures in my instagram stream, i decided to submit a picture that means more to me. This is a picture of my husband, Gerald Barnes and myself on our wedding day, on the way to the court house. He is a United States Marine, war veteran and…
I took this with Instagram on my iPhone 4S and applied one of their filters. This was at the end of my street around 6:40 am on my way to work, I literally rolled down the window, stopped and snapped this shot. I got lucky, it came out really cool. — Nicholas Lin Taken with…
Shot using my Motorola Xoom. Hey it’s instagram, not a large level of detail here. A shot of my lil old koi pond. – Marvin Franco Ms. Harley is the subject of most of my Instagrams and she never complains. She is a southern belle who loves to get her picture taken. This photo was…
Hi, this was taken with an iPhone 4S using the Valencia filter. It is in my studio with a new maquette I just finished on the right and some clay polyhedrons to the left in the background. I hope to make the little paper maquette (it’s about 6 inches across), into an outdoor sculpture (materials…
“Office Terrarium” Shot on an iPhone 3G Shot Time 2:45pm Shot Location Chelsea Market I’ve had this little desktop terrarium for couple months, and it’s slowly kicking the bucket even thought there is sufficient light. Before it completely dies I thought I’d snap a picture and let it live on forever on the internets and…
We already knew that the Tupac Hologram wasn’t really a hologram but actually just a modern regurgitation of the old mid-19th century trick known as “Pepper’s Ghost”. If you were confused on how that illusion worked, be confused no more! Here it is. https://gizmodo.com/tupac-hologram-wasnt-a-hologram-5902625 Roxanne Palmer at the International Business TImes made this infographic that…
It’s been a mighty year for Nikon DSLR refreshes between the D4 and the D800. Now there are rumors that Nikon will update its budget DSLR, the D3100, with the D3200. Is this supposedly leaked partial shot from DSLR Maniac in Japan our first look at the camera? https://gizmodo.com/nikon-d4-hands-on-the-photographers-newest-deadly-weap-5875819 In addition to the partial shot,…
There are plenty of human abilities that we take for granted, but which are actually insanely complex. Like picking out a single voice buried amongst the noise of a crowded environment, a problem which has troubled scientists for decades. But now they’ve worked out how we do it—and it could revolutionize speech recognition technology. The…
Off-road vehicles have had tire auto-inflation systems for years now, because a soft tire can provide a better grip on a rocky surface. And the same functionality can also benefit mountain bikes too, which led to the development of the Adaptrac tire inflation system for bikes. Bikers tackling rough terrain are already able to adjust…
Talking to yourself is the preserve of mad men, right? Not according to a new study, which reveals that the seemingly irrational act of chatting to oneself actually improves cognitive function. The research, carried out by Gary Lupyan and Daniel Swingley, was inspired the pair’s experiences of seeing people audibly muttering to themselves when trying…
Here’s the thing with Siri: She’s actually kind of dumb sometimes. It can be infuriating. But I don’t think anyone gets angrier than Samuel L. Jackson in this hilarious Pulp Fiction/Siri mashup. https://gizmodo.com/siri-is-apples-broken-promise-5864293 Have you seen this foolish Samuel L. Jackson Apple ad? It’s from Apple’s delightful, twee new ad campaign that also featured an…
We first got our hands on the beautiful HTC One X a few months ago, but we were missing a few details, namely, when the hell we were going to actually be able to buy one and how much it would cost. Now we know. The new AT&T Android phone will be available for pre-order…
To protest what he feels is harassment from the TSA, John Brennan dropped trou as he went through airport security in the Portland airport last night. I mean, he got ass naked. There’s got to be a better way to practice social disobedience. You’d think Brennan might be going through some kind of mental snap…
Superfund cleanup sites are not places you really want to hang around. So how does one survey a radioactive fuel storage pond without taking a dip? Send in a radiation-resistant ROV, of course. The First Generation Magnox Storage and De-canning Facility (MSDF) is one such radioactive location. It was constructed in the 1950s at Sellafield…
