Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Got a beard and want to see how you compare to the ZZ Tops of the world? Then you must get your hands on this beard measuring t-shirt from The Beardly. Yes, you could use a ruler and record your beard length on a piece of paper, but that’s no fun. Wouldn’t you rather earn…
Found dead in the road, this unusual white creature captured the hearts and mind of Alexandria, Minnesota. Everyone had a theory about the origins of this mysterious animal. https://gizmodo.com/chupacabra-like-roadkill-flummoxes-minnesota-town-5828505 Unfortunately, the puzzling story has come to a predictable end. Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources examined images of the roadkill and pegged the animal as a…
If you live in Manhattan and want to see a sight you’ll never forget, then travel to West Broadway and Grand Street. Look up and you’ll see the disturbing 3D face of the Jell-O pudding man. The countenance is part of a promotion by Jell-O and ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky. The agency designed…
Monsanto, the oft-vilified company known for hawking genetically modified seeds and suing farmers, is putting genetically modified sweet corn on supermarket shelves this fall. Monsanto’s corn will look like any regular corn on the shelf, but it will be genetically altered to carry Bt toxin, which messes with insect’s digestive systems and kills them, allowing…
A desperate Israeli family won a court decision that lets them extract and freeze the eggs from their dead daughter. The teenage girl died unexpectedly after a recent car crash. The parents wanted her eggs to be fertilized before storage, but that request was denied by the court. If the parents prove their daughter expressed…
Stocks took a huge hit today. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 5.5 percent. The Dow Jones U.S. Technology Index went a little further than that, sliding 5.8. But overall, the tech sector was, well, not completely horrifying. There were a few bright spots. Or at least, less dim. Apple, which had more cash on…
Computer-generated animations have come a long way in a relatively short time span. Starting as a series of rudimentary renders in the late ’70s, it’s amusing to think these animations left people in awe. But they probably did. The earliest traces of CG Animation can be traced back to the film Westworld and its sequel…
Researchers from Taiwan have developed an eco-friendly type of electronic paper. The rewritable i2R e-paper uses heat to store images, isn’t backlit and does not consume electricity. The e-paper can be used up to 260 times and can be erased by passing it through a thermal writing device. It’s a perfect replacement for notebooks or…
Slate has an in-depth and comprehensive history of autofellatio, which means, um, giving one’s self a blowjob. If you haven’t tried, know that only two or three males out of a 1,000 can do such a thing. It’s a rare feat to accomplish because of our ribcage and spine—most of us just aren’t equipped to…
Yes, Facebook has its problems, but you may want to reconsider turning your back on the social network. Facebook’s not just a place companies go to dredge up embarrassing information, it can be used to your advantage. https://gizmodo.com/top-ten-reasons-you-should-quit-facebook-5530178 Here are five reasons why you should become more active on Facebook, not less. You never know,…
Bad things are happening in England. Angry kids are smashing, burning, and bottle-throwin’ their way through London and its suburbs. Right now. Are you in London? Are you near London? Are you worried about London? See where the trouble’s percolating. This special edition Google Map is being updated live with reports of looting, rioting, arrests,…
Level 3 Communications, a major ISP, has a serious beef with squirrels. It turns out the little rodents have a penchant for chewing through their fiber optic lines. They actually account for 17% of the damages to their 84,000 mile network this year. And they don’t even know why! In a blog post, company VP…
Many took issue with Lion being download-only. Apple responded by offering to sell overpriced USB drives. Now they’ve released a utility that lets you make your own. Set one up and clean install to your heart’s content. [Apple via MacRumors] https://gizmodo.com/apple-will-sell-you-paranoid-bastards-lion-on-a-usb-thu-5823002
Talented photographer and Gizmodo reader Appuru Pai took these truly beautiful photographs of the New Transit Yurikamome. Her images look sometimes impressionistic and painterly, sometimes like computer rendered scenes from a sci-fi movie, but always truly beautiful. The New Transit Yurikamome is an automated guideway train that connects the artificial island of Odaiba—located in Tokyo…
London is burning right now as a result of riots. Someday, by some twist of fate, you might find yourself heading towards, or trying to escape from, a riot. Either way, here are 6 tools to help you survive. Image via Shutterstock LED Lenser X21 Flashlight Fighting violence with violence is probably not the best…
When I was young I associated graffiti with gangs and crime. Now that I’m older, it’s probably my favorite form of art. I don’t know my way around a can but I do know my iPhone. And with Street Tag, I can use my iPhone as a can of spray paint. SO FUN. What’s it…
Starting today, tethering your Verizon iPhone using MyWi, or another Jailbreak app, will land you on a webpage prompting you to sign up for the official $20/month tethering package. As with all things iPhone, Verizon’s many months behind AT&T’s.[Forbes] https://gizmodo.com/at-t-tells-jailbroken-iphone-tetherers-to-pay-up-5783386
On June 2009, an Air France Airbus 330 crashed in the Atlantic Ocean killing 228 people. According to an investigation, it was a pilot’s mistake. This is a recording of the conversation between the Captain and the Junior Pilot, just before crashing. https://gizmodo.com/air-france-flight-recorders-point-at-crew-error-says-a-5802709 The conversation corresponds to the last minutes just before impact. It has…
Now THIS is an iPhone game. Free Fall High Score is a self-described “antagonistic” app where the whole point is to drop your iPhone off the tallest building you can find. The higher, the better. I’m really hoping that this can become a thing. Just watch the video. The guys tossed their iPhone off the…
Heyyyyyyyyy. Whatsss up?? Are U still awake? D ccc What’s goin on???? U THERE? hHehHEyyyy. Yooo. R U there?? r u doIng anything OTnight??? Yo! Heyyyy. Hey. Heyy. Heyyy! What do these texts mean? If you need any help deciphering the above on a particularly bibulous night, consult this handy diagram. There’s no art to…
