Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Earlier today, a California judge overturned Prop 8, a referendum banning same sex marriage, deeming it unconstitutional. Great news! Here’s a quick rundown of the tech companies that contributed to bringing about this historic ruling. http://gawker.com/5604649/california-proposition-8-ruled-unconstitutional-overturned Back in October of 2008, with voting on the hotly contested Prop 8 imminent, Apple contributed $100,000 to fighting…
If you’re bummed that SETI@home hasn’t quite succeeded in pinpointing our friendly extraterrestrial neighbors, National Geographic is offering up another ambitious project you can get involved in at home: surveying the Mongolian region that holds Genghis Khan’s tomb. NatGeo’s Valley of the Khans project allows armchair archaeologists to sift through satellite imagery of the region—multispectral…
We know that Clearwire can ditch WiMAX pretty soon, but the company appears to be intent on keeping the technology in its current plans as it announces 4G LTE trials which include tests of “coexistence scenarios between LTE and WiMAX.” https://gizmodo.com/clearwire-could-ditch-wimax-for-lte-before-even-giving-5532036 Clearwire Announces New 4G LTE Technology Trials Expected to Yield Unmatched Wireless Speeds in…
You could already use Instapaper on your Kindle, but now Amazon’s released two games. Games! A Kindle app store’s been inevitable ever since Amazon opened the device to developers in January, but now we know what’ll be on the shelves. https://gizmodo.com/instapaper-for-kindle-updated-makes-reading-long-form-5454381 The two games, Every Word and Shuffled Row, are both text-based, which makes sense…
Industrial design student Richard Wilson of the University of Leeds has transformed the ubiquitous Braun Aromaster KF20 with a captivating sci-fi style. No longer a coffee pot so unobtrusively formed that it stands to be ignored, Wilson’s robo version pops. [Appliancist]
While I know that it was useful during manhunts and that Lifehacker loves it, I still don’t really understand Google Wave. But no more worrying about this particular lack of knowledge though, because Google appears to be abandoning the project: https://gizmodo.com/first-made-for-google-manhunt-in-progress-updating-liv-5415608 Wave has not seen the user adoption we would have liked. We don’t plan…
Bad news for the sanctity of your junk! While federal agencies have defended body scanning that looks under your clothes by saying the images are disposed of immediately, that turns out to not be the case at all. https://gizmodo.com/airport-employee-abused-body-scanner-to-get-a-naughty-l-5501485 It turns out the the US Marshals Service has surreptitiously saved tens of thousands of body…
Oh, the mysteries of the App Store approval process. MiTube, a jailbreak favorite for downloading YouTube videos directly to your iPhone, is currently available in the App Store for free. With a nice AdMob ad. How strange. Update: Poof! https://gizmodo.com/how-apples-app-store-censoring-process-works-5603174 Of course, it’ll probably be gone before long, just like that handy flashlight app, so…
We usually take pictures of people, places and things. But sometimes there’s value beyond the subject itself, found in the aesthetics of the photo alone. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, I want you to shoot an abstract photo. The Challenge Take a photo using the visual language of abstraction. What does that mean? More below:…
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The Dark Knight has been on DVD and Blu-ray for a while now, but it finally just hit iTunes. The best part? The 31 minutes of previously Blu-ray only bonuses can be had anywhere. If you still haven’t gotten the Blu-ray yet—because you don’t own a Blu-ray player—this is an easy way to watch the…
Rejoice, Facebook users with Android smartphones, because there’s a new Facebook app looks good at last. It also comes with a handful of useful new features: • There’s a notifications bar. • There’s a new photos drawer on the home page, for easy access to photos and videos from your news feed. • Events support.…
Sometimes, great things come in small packages. Today we are featuring some great deals on the little things that every gadget geek needs. Check out the 1.5TB external hard drive, Klipsch earbuds, and then grab yourself a free pedometer. Top Deals: • 1.5TB Western Digital Elements External Hard Drive for $79.99 plus free shipping (normally…
JoliCloud has been a long time coming, but you can finally download it today. It’s a touchscreen-compatible, Linux-based operating system that promises that simplifies your netbook experience. It looks neat, boasts a 700-app directory—and it’s totally free. https://gizmodo.com/joliclouds-beautifully-designed-netbook-linux-os-5137894 While the creep of “social” into every aspect of my sometimes leaves me clammy, JoliCloud seems like…
Our favorite charity-worker Bill Gates has successfully signed up 38 billionaires to give away half of their wealth to those less fortunate, in what could be the largest-scale philanthropic work ever. Together with Warren Buffett, their “The Giving Pledge” project nabbed Larry Ellison (founder of Oracle), George Lucas, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Barry…
For this week’s Photoshop Contest, I asked you to stick some of today’s gadgets into the glorious days of the early 90’s. And you delivered! If only my 11-year-old self could see this stuff, he’d totally flip out. Third Place—Daniel Reid Second Place—Rob Shapiro First Place—Bobo the Teddy
GoPro, known for its stellar line of helmet-attached HD cameras, is planning to release an even more affordable model, set at $180. Engadget speculates the extreme sports cam will offer 960p recording, based on its model name, the HD Hero 960. [Engagdet] https://gizmodo.com/gopro-hero-hd-camera-review-5396576
MintyBoost was a terrifically handy DIY USB charger, housed in an Altoids gum tin. It worked great, until Apple changed the way it charged devices, gimping third-party chargers. But have no fear! The MintyBoost team is on the case. https://gizmodo.com/mintyboost-diy-aa-usb-charger-177527 What they found, and what’s enumerated in detail in the video below, is that Apple…
Cross-platform digital newsstand Zinio just released an interactive version of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, so, while you’re reading about them, you can hear all those classics you’ve heard of but never gotten around to listening to. Once you buy the special Rolling Stone issue (for a kinda steep 10 bones), you…
When you stop to think about it, it’s crazy that the brake and accelerator pedals are so close together, with an accidental command being the difference between getting from A to Z, and wrapping your car around a tree. This new pedal, invented by 74-year-old Japanese factory-owner Masuyuki Naruse, only accelerates when the side of…
