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During the Civil War, apple cider was a valuable commodity. Not just because it was delicious, but because it made for a handy alcoholic disinfectant. (You do know what medicine was like back then, right?) So a press able to churn out over one hundred gallons of the stuff a day must’ve been the 19th…
There are many companies and individuals opposed to AT&T’s proposed takeover of T-Mobile, but Verizon isn’t among them. CEO Lowell McAdam voiced support for AT&T, saying mergers like this should be allowed if they government can’t provide the spectrum telcos need. Here’s the direct quote McAdam delivered at an investors conference, (and reported by BGR):…
Today’s the last official day of summer. And it’s the last summer you’ll enjoy before next year’s inevitable apocalypse. So we hope you enjoyed it! Here are some of our favorite water-, beer-, and explosives-based gadgets and happenings from the summer that was. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-take-a-gorgeous-photo-like-this-on-a-perfect-sum-5828280 How to Take a Gorgeous Photo Like This on a Perfect…
Yes, the world’s helium supply is slowly running out, and as sad as it will be to see thousands of tear-stained cheeks of balloonless birthday boys and girls, the military is already feeling the sting. https://gizmodo.com/the-world-is-running-out-of-helium-balloons-will-event-5618561 The military has been on a blimp bender lately. They can stay in the air longer than any drone…
Just when I stopped having nightmares about BigDog, the freaky quadruped robot that will become a soldier’s best friend one day. Boston Dynamics’ founder Marc Raibert just sent me this music video showing the best moments of its evolution. Great. https://gizmodo.com/new-video-of-bigdog-quadruped-robot-is-so-stunning-its-368651 Raibert was the MIT professor who founded the MIT Leg Lab and then Boston…
You’re you. You have your two hands and two feet and a camera. That’s it. Can you climb up a freaking skyscraper without any protective gear, safety net, rope, and whatever else sane people use when they climb? This guy did. The video does a really good job at capturing the squeamish fear cum adrenaline…
Remember that Google TV thing we all cared so much about? When was that? Last year I think? I feel so old. Well if you want to dust yours off, now might be the time: TNT and TBS channels unlocked. You’ll need to be a paying cable subscriber to get the goods, but once your…
Sam Weller, from The Royal College of Art, got an idea: create a device that would allow every object around us to become an instrument, amplifying their natural resonance. He worked with Yamaha and got these beautiful results. [Thanks Alejandra!]
Is the pain more flat or sharp? Is it a five, or more like a seven? Questions like these make you want to punch doctor’s face as you’re gritting your teeth trying not to involuntarily poop. Now there’s a machine to answer for you. Pain communication is actually a pretty big stumbling block in medicine.…
Yesterday I argued that HP’s board would be rash to fire embattled CEO Léo Apotheker at this point in the game, since surely they knew what they were getting when they hired him. Oops! Joke’s on me. Most of them had never even met him. https://gizmodo.com/really-hp-youre-going-to-fire-your-ceo-now-5842516 As James Stewart reveals in this morning’s New York…
Sprint’s about to make its first step to distance itself from unlimited data. Starting October 2nd, mobile hotspot customers will have a 5GB cap, with a 5 cent per MB charge after that. The cap only applies to Sprint’s $30/month mobile hotspot data plan, so your unlimited handset data is safe—for now. Still, it’s a…
Everyone mark your calendar as NASA’s Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite may crash back to earth at the end of this week. The exact date and time is still TBD, but early estimates suggest Friday will be the big day. Most of the satellite will burn up in the earth’s atmosphere, but approximately 26 pieces may…
Before you start complaining about a force closed app on Android or a missing feature on iOS, give yourself a huge reality check by looking at the above image snagged from a September 1996 Best Buy flyer. Those monstrosities were the “modern” cell phones that weighted down our belts and burst our pockets. Unless of…
Scientists at Nanjing University made a startling discovery about the food we eat. Not only do we ingest the nutrients from our food, we incorporate some of the genetic material as well. The research team discovered abundant levels of rice microRNA in the bloodstream of Chinese test subjects. And this miRNA isn’t just sitting there…
So much news passes before our collective eyes every day that we couldn’t possibly cover it all. Mostly because much of it isn’t worth covering! But here are a some borderline tidbits we passed on, just in case. New RED Scarlet Announcement Coming November 3rd Announcements about announcements are the like a pile of mylar…
RainCatch is more than just a jacket. And It’s more than a water purifier. It’s a piece of a future that only exists in movies and comics, except that it’s in the here and now. Looking like something that would have made sense in Blade Runner or Trigun, RainCatch is as much an exercise in…
A Facebook employee accidentally spilled the beans on an upcoming “Listen With Your Friend” feature that could launch as part of Facebook’s new music service. According to the now deleted tweet, when a friend is listening to a music track, you’ll be able to join them and listen to the same song at the same…
The Yale lock company has developed a household lock equipped with NFC technology. Just place your phone by the lock and wait for it to respond by locking or unlocking the door. It’s that easy, says Yale. According to Yale, the NFC lock is developed using electronic Mobile Key technology that passes information from the…
Ford recently unveiled the world’s first front-wheel-drive electric bicycle at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Huzzah! Then they promptly explained that this concept will never make it to the showroom floor. Oh Ford, you’re such a tease. The E-bike concept uses a trapezoidal frame profile made from a carbon-aluminum alloy that weighs just 2.5 kg. It’s…
“You’re going to be a Dad” is probably the last thing this unsuspecting husband expected to discover when he fired up his wife’s iPad to play Angry Birds. And if that isn’t shocking enough, he now faces the most difficult task of his married life. No, it’s not becoming a father, it’s telling his wife…