Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
No, Google is not trying to corner the market on undersea searches. Actually, the “Neptune” internet network is designed to make it easier for researchers to communicate with robots and submarines. https://gizmodo.com/are-you-comfortable-with-googles-level-of-control-over-5419155 Many attribute the technical difficulties involved with communicating under large bodies of water as being one of the major reasons why our knowledge…
The futuristic mafia movie Looper stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt. Set thirty years in the future, Gordon-Levitt plays a mafia hit man who realizes that one of his targets is actually himself from another thirty years in the future. Watch this trailer and get a taste of the time-traveling sci-fi action with…
Ransacked by the internet and teetering on the edge of the real ebook revolution, the publishing world is understandably afraid of what’s next. But their skittish plans to shoehorn digital books into the old publishing cycle are stupid. And doomed. Simon & Schuster sees what’s happening: Real people are buying ebooks now, and the market,…
The human body is a majestic and unsettling thing, isn’t it? Just look at these absolutely insane animations of mouths as they talk. They make me feel all… funny. [Hundertmark via BoingBoing]
We’re always intrigued when a gadget tries to execute its function while simultaneously looking like it doesn’t. This Walnut Pause Heater, which uses IR to heat your body, also has built-in speakers. It’s unclear how the IR heating works. Does it heat everything around the unit? Just bodies? Just water-filled bodies? How about a glass…
The Monitor Monster, a “prototype,” is a bent/cut piece of cardboard that “docks” your iPhone on top of your monitor. That unto itself is amusing, but what’s even funnier is the 12-minute instructional video explaining how to build it. But while we can chuckle at these detailed "second screen" iPhone mods, trust me, when that…
People are freaking out all over Norway because of what you are seeing here. According to Norwegian news outlets, the spooky giant spiral was seen, photographed, and recorded on video from all over the country. Updated. Confirmed: It was a failed Russian missile launch. Click here for the full explanation. https://gizmodo.com/this-is-how-the-mysterious-giant-spiral-happened-5422792 Could it all be…
If you’ve ever been sidetracked by a documentary about modern Romanian chimney sweeps or come down with Facebook/Twitter Infinite Loop Syndrome, Achewood’s got you pegged, my friend. [Achewood via bookofjoe]
Foxit has created the eSlick Store to accompany its adorably inexpensive eSlick reader. But why? https://gizmodo.com/260-foxit-eslick-ebook-reader-makes-its-way-to-cheapsk-5190118 It’s great and all that eSlick now supports ePub and eReader in addition to PDF and TXT. But why a separate store that hosts 60,000 available titles when you can browse Barnes & Noble’s million-plus eBook inventory instead? Especially…
Hey, do you ever wish you had an extra inch of screen real estate, for a clock or a tiny picture or a single tweet? Yeah, me either. But this is $30 if you change your mind. [GadgetDisplay via SlashGear]
It’s winter, so everyone’s turning up the heater at night to keep from catching cold-itis (I’m a doctor). But that, in turn, gives everyone dry-ass throats, which then necessitates a humidifier. So why not use this humidifier? The Stadler Form Fred looks simple, yet fancy, like many of the humidifiers I saw when I visited…
Since 2008, Japan’s subways have kindly asked that you do certain things at home, the beach or in your yard—anywhere but the train. But without reading the text, these images leave a lot of room for my misinterpretation… Do not share food or love in front of a sad, injured man. He’s in enough pain…
One modder just couldn’t wait for Microsoft’s Courier, so he took his Dell mini 9 and added on a USB touchscreen display. And surprisingly enough, it works. https://gizmodo.com/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet-5365299 Nicknamed Harlequin, the device allows you to type and write on the right (the touchscreen) and read on the left (the original mini 9 display). Thanks to…
Love that Skyfire can play any Flash videos, and optimize websites to load incredibly fast, but hate that it kind of looks like ass in the process? So does Skyfire! Which is why they’ve released version 1.5 for Windows Mobile. https://gizmodo.com/skyfire-leaves-beta-steals-windows-mobile-browsing-cro-5271209 In some ways, Skyfire had gotten a little ahead of itself. It was based…
Here’s one rumor I really want to see happening: Apple’s Think Different campaign may be coming back. At least, according to a December 8 trademark application, and the whispering coming from TBWAChiatDay, Apple’s advertising agency. The new trademark covers the iPod and “portable and handheld digital electronic devices.” Of course, this trademark renewal could just…
I find gaudy Christmas decorations to be a bit of an eyesore. But if they were amusing rather than irritatingly earnest? Then maybe I’d be down.
If an iPhone app designed solely to report crappy coverage doesn’t say it loudly enough, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega admitted today that AT&T sucks in NY and SF, saying they’re “performing at levels below our standards.” https://gizmodo.com/mark-the-spot-iphone-app-tells-at-t-where-they-suck-5420524 But! It’s “going to get fixed.” He promises. (As AT&T has for over a year.)…
The internet is, like, big. So’s this infographic showing just how crazy huge it is, and what 210 billion emails, 3 million Flickr images, 43 million gigabytes (on phones) sent on an average day really means. It hurts. [Online Education]
Citing his investigation into Apple’s supply chain, analyst Yair Reiner claims that Apple will ramp up production of the wonderdevice in February 2010. His date for the Second Coming of the JesusTablet: March or April. And apparently, it’ll kill Kindle. https://gizmodo.com/apple-tablet-the-wet-dream-concept-5336204 He says that Apple is offering 30/70 revenue split to book publishers. That’s 30%…
Get $150 off of a ASUS Eee PC 1005HA Netbook on TigerDirect.com, courtesy of AMEX Daily Wish. Deal starts today. There are only 400 available, so grab one now! It is your wish come true…
