Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Most people type in relative silence, but there’s always a few noisemakers—those people who type not by simply pressing keys but by smashing their fingers down on them like little ball-peen hammers. Buy them Thanko’s Keyboard Quiet Cover. The cover comes from the ever-ludicrous Thanko and reduces noise from keyboard clatter. A nobile aim! A…
Please ignore the fact that this game is Coke Zero-branded. The most important thing is that it’s a location-based game for Tron: Legacy, which uses the iPhone’s GPS for LightCycle battles on your daily travels. The game revolves around the virtual Tron map, which is based on your own location. Gamers create light trails based…
When I use my BlackBerry Bold, Ubertwitter is my Twitter app of choice. The official BlackBerry Twitter app may be better-designed, but UberTwitter’s just got too many features to ignore—and it’s stable, too. iPhone users can now download it for free, and view links within tweets thanks to the new UberView preview feature, which doesn’t…
Some people install monitors in their walls for kitchen-computing, but usually stop at Windows or OS X for the OS. Not Dutchman Pascal, though—who created a Windows XP skin inspired by Star Trek’s LCARS interface. His sleek, modern pad suits the futuristic LCARS UI well, as you cans see in the video above. He uses…
Angry Birds hasn’t even turned one yet, but already its makers Rovio are planning a console version. While the iPad helped make it a family-friendly game rather than solitary hair-puller, slingshotting feathered friends on the Wii would be even better. Rovio’s CEO Peter Vesterbacka said that they’re working on a version for the PS3, Wii…
Barcode-scanner apps are one of those novelties you download for your iPhone or Android, but never use past that first day. Integrating the tech into eBay’s iPhone app is probably the smartest use I can think for it. The 2.0.0 update to the app has brought many new features, but it’s that RedLaser barcode scanning…
Most times, I don’t mind Colorware’s spray-painted gadgets. Sure, they’re pricey, but I’m all for a premium gloss over otherwise identikit products. But the MacBook Air? No. Just no. Prices start at $1,850 for Air + paint-job. [Colorware]
A loaded gun magazine was found in the seat-back pocket of a Southwest Airlines plane. By a kid. Don’t sweat it, though. It was only left behind by a federal law enforcement agent! The magazine got kicked out of the pocket and on to the floor by some (terrorist?) kid crawling around on the seats…
French scientists seem to have an idea for locating secret nuclear reactors, which involves loading a supertanker ship with 138,000 tons worth of protons, and sinking it off the coast of any troublemaker nation, like, say, North Korea. https://gizmodo.com/could-stuxnet-infect-north-korea-s-new-uranium-plant-5697147 The science behind their idea is nothing new. Antineutrino detection as a form of far-field nuclear…
Let’s face it: No one really likes Comic Sans and most would love to see the font die. Here’s how we could kill it—letter by letter. https://gizmodo.com/typeface-terrorism-5592503 I think I’m going to purchase a shirt with this image in hopes that its designer will use the funds to hire someone to slaughter that pesky font.…
I’m sure many are impressed by this UAE inventor who’s about to travel 200 miles across the desert in a solar-powered wheelchair. Me? Nah. When he straps a 1000 MPH rocket on the back of that, then I’ll be impressed. https://gizmodo.com/this-car-will-run-at-1-000mph-5411815 OK, OK. Fine. Travelling at 12 MPH across all seven emirates and breaking obscure…
This image was lost some time after publication. Your fourth most favorite retro-futurist blogger was on the teevee box last night rambling about robots* and stuff. The clip is embedded below or you can watch it on KTLA‘s website. We hit most of the major topics and I somehow manage to keep my shirt on.…
I thought drowning in a washing machine was impossible in the 21st Century. I thought all machines had safety measures to avoid accidents, like kids falling inside. Apparently, I was mistaken. That’s what happened to a 10-year-old kid in São Paulo, Brazil. She grabbed a stool, put it next to a top-loading washing machine, looked…
This 500 gigabyte Back To The Future Hard Drive is already geekbait on its own, with its 1:18 scale stylings and all. But the thought of combining it with this could potentially cause a spontaneous nerdgasm. [Everything USB via Gearlog]
How much do you love Street View? How much do you hate privacy? Enough to get riled up and smash some eggs against the homes of those who asked for their houses to be blurred? Book a flight to Deutschland! Deutsche Welle claims egg-armed vandals are terrorizing privacy-minded homeowners who requested that their property be…
BlackBerry users may have noticed that they can neither download the Kik Messenger app nor receive push notifications through it if they already have it on their devices. Here’s Research in Motion’s vague excuse and pathetic explanation for the whole mess: https://gizmodo.com/kik-messenger-a-simple-no-frills-way-to-keep-in-touch-5685873 RIM became aware of a number of issues and customer concerns regarding the…
Click to viewThis hilarious animated sketch has the final word: it never pays to be a late adopter. Not ten thousand years ago, and not ten thousand years from now. From the mind and art of Dan Meth, this single-handedly validates every regrettable ahead-of-the-curve purchase I’ve ever made. At least that’s what I’m going to…
Since being hacked a few weeks back, there’s nearly been a notable re-appropriation of Microsoft’s gesture-based Kinect hardware every day. Today is no exception: a robotics firm called Willow Garage can now control a humanoid robot using Kinect. Fast Company says that the Kinect hardware is combined with Willow Garage’s own PR2 Robot, which is…
Facebook’s been trying to register the word “face” as a trademark for a while, but now the US Patent Office has finally decided to grant the social network’s application. Here are the details of what happened. https://gizmodo.com/facebook-is-trying-to-register-the-word-face-as-a-tra-5623151 A short time ago, Facebook took over the trademark application for “Face” from a company who operated a…
Most boats are confined to boring old water. Most boats are pretty lame. This boat is not. The Sealegs boat has a retractable all wheel drive steering system—yes, with wheels—and will blast its way onto dry land. The 23-foot inflatable beast tops out at 48 mph at sea, and 6 mph on the ground with…
