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Here’s a new weight loss tool that uses public humiliation to force you to lose weight. Available from Hammacher Schlemmer, the projection scale will display your current weight on the wall … where everyone can see it. You can adjust the projection from 2 to 6-inches high if you want to conceal your weight, but…
Stanford University’s Jure Leskovec knows more about than you think. With the right tools and information, the computer scientist can predict the next person you will friend on Facebook. Leskovec picks this lucky person by compiling and analyzing all your online social activity. Tweets, retweets, friends and likes, he looks at them all. With about…
This cement truck driver in China must have been confused when he tried to pull away and couldn’t because his back tire had sunk into the roadbed. Local officials discovered three large pits under the road that resulted from erosion or unauthorized work activity. Cars could drive over these gaping underground holes, but the weight…
Lee Allison had the brilliant idea of hosting a cooking class using Google+. He invited participants to video chat using Hangouts while he walked them through a recipe. His Google+ Cooking School was so successful that he’s launching a dedicated cooking school known as The Social Skillet. From technology consultant to venture start-up, he’s a…
A post on the Full Disclosure mailing list claims both CDMA and 4G WiMAX wireless networks were compromised using a man-in-the middle attack at Defcon earlier this week. Coderman, who posted the information, was a witness to the attack which gained access to Android smartphones and PCs on the local CDMA and 4G cellular network.…
Busting out a shaving cream pie to make a point is downright unwieldy, but Instructables has plans up for a toy pneumatic gun that can shoot cartridges filled with tar and feathers. Now that just makes good sense. http://gawker.com/5822627/rupert-murdoch-attacked-at-hearing The Portable Pneumatic Variable Payload Delivery Device is made of cheap materials (PVC pipe, a lot…
A new and simple blood test can predict the gender of a fetus after just seven weeks of pregnancy. It’s great for predicting gender-related diseases, but the specter of sex selection looms large. The funny thing is that while sex selection in favor of boys has historically been controversial in countries including India and China,…
Mac developer Phillip Ryu has written a compelling post on Google + describing his experience with software piracy as a young high school student. Ryu doesn’t tell everyone to go out and steal software (he calls himself “a rare reformed past-offender”), but he does point out how access to a cornucopia of pirated software as…
Nothing sucks more when you’re on a long trek than hauling around unnecessary weight and heft. Sea to Summit’s ridiculously light Specialist tents aim to dominate the ultralight category and not be uncomfortable pieces of crap in the process. They weigh just 625 grams (about 22oz.) for the Solo, and 846 grams (29oz.) for the…
This is all hypothetical, but what would happen to the iPhone 4 if Apple’s vigorous legal campaign against Samsung caused an irreparable rift between the two companies? https://gizmodo.com/apple-sues-samsung-over-galaxy-s-and-galaxy-tab-5793228 Several key components of the iPhone 4 including the Flash Memory, DRAM memory and applications processor come from Samsung. Together, these account for $45.68 in parts which…
Decompression sickness, also known as the bends, is a bit of a mystery to doctors because it’s not easy to study what’s happening to human cells at super high pressures far below the sea surface. Scientists at the Office of Naval Research and the Navy Experimental Diving Unit are especially interested in the bends because…
HTC may announce Thursday it’s going to spend $500M to acquire a 51% stake in Beats Electronics, the company behind Beats By Dr. Dre. Beats will operate independently and its audio technology will land in HTC’s handsets. [CNET and AllThingsD] http://gizmodo.com/5794310/beats-by-dr-dre-get-a-chrome-paintjob-and-1000-price-tag Update: And here’s HTC’s press release confirming the partnership and new phones coming this…
If you’re unfamiliar with American Psycho in its literary or cinematic incarnations, I’m sorry you’ve been deprived. For those in the know, consult this map compiled by NYT’s Dealbook of all the locales homicidal protagonist Patrick Bateman frequented whilst rampaging. Click to view View Patrick Bateman’s New York City in a larger map Dealbook took…
The guy recording this video of an impending storm says it best: Holy freak! Usually you KINDA see shapes in clouds, and you have to convince your friend that it totally looks like a bunny. Or an elephant. Or your grandma with her big glasses. But there’s no convincing necessary with this one. Abraham Lincoln…
At the close of trading today, Apple’s total market cap sits at an impressive $337.17 billion versus Exxon Mobil’s $330.77 billion. That being said your money is probably still safer in oil futures. [MacRumors] https://gizmodo.com/could-apple-be-the-worlds-most-valuable-company-without-5829284
Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner has the best airplane windows ever. It ditches that small window with a pull-down plastic shade and replaces it with a larger, dimming window that can be adjusted to let in various amounts of light. The windows are a dreamy 19 inches tall and 65% larger than the standard airplane windows…
A two-year study at the University of Pennsylvania showed the way federal law enforcement agencies communicate is decidedly not secure. How not secure? You can jam them with this ridiculous pink pager. It’s like The Wire, only the exact opposite. The group was able to spy on “every Federal law enforcement agency in the Department…
How horrible it is to be a 911 operator? You have to answer calls from screaming/injured/angry/crazy/dying people all day. Their job is about to get worse, as soon they’ll be able to receive texts, photos, and video of that misery. The FCC just announced a plan to catch 9-1-1 emergency services up with current technology.…
The best feature on Twitter is one you probably don’t use. I’m talking about Favoriting, the act of adding a star to a tweet that you like. It’s going to be huge. Twitter added two new features today, an @usernames tab and an activity tab. The @username tab will show you all the activity centered…
What do you do when your little island nation is under the constant implied threat of military annihilation from China, and China launches its first ever aircraft carrier? Debut your fancy new aircraft carrier-destroying missile. Complete with scary artwork! https://gizmodo.com/chinas-first-aircraft-carrier-is-sailing-5829480 Taiwan, completely coincidentally of course, revealed their Hsiung Feng III “aircraft carrier killer” missile to…
