Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
As if we didn’t have enough with frightening planetary sounds, artist Katie Paterson has recorded the chilling crackles of three Icelandic glaciers. Nothing special there… until you learn that she did it on 45rpm records made with actual ice. https://gizmodo.com/the-bone-chilling-sound-of-the-planets-wont-let-you-sle-5419181 Katie pressed the record against re-frozen ice plates instead of vinyl. Then she played them…
In an interview with Computerworld, VMWare’s head of mobile phone virtualization has indicated that the company wants to move beyond dual-boot systems to allow phones to run a private and work operating system at the same time. They’ve already demonstrated the potential on a Nokia N800 running Windows CE and Android concurrently; now they’re looking…
Finally, a PMP for your inner Fatboy Slim. Designed by Thomas Mascall, the Touchtable features a large controller wheel that lets you mix records on the fly or scratch samples over what you’re listening to. I especially love that you can link up two of these bad boys wirelessly for the full (well, miniature) DJ…
This moment, a phone call from Chicago, marked the beginning of the cellphone era according to the New York Times. It’s just as epic as you had imagined. [NYT]
Our commenters on the Chumby hollowed-out book are right: we need a Chumby guts Photoshop competition. But in the meantime check out this “Chumbaphone,” which squeezes Chumby guts into a wooden clock, adding brass horns for that authentic Wi-Fi experience. https://gizmodo.com/chumby-guts-inserted-into-hollowed-out-book-5418958 [Abraham Book via Make]
Pixel Qi‘s ePaper-LCD hybrid screen 10-inch screens will invade the world in 2010. Or at least, some of it and parts of New Jersey. Their CEO says that the first units are going into “specialized multi-touch tablet devices.” Hmmmm… We can now announce that the first units are going into specialized tablet devices with multi-touch.…
On one hand, it’s reassuring to know that Yahoo will work with law enforcement to bust criminals, digging through their private messages to get the job done. On the other, $60 is a low price for our privacy. (Click on the chart for a bigger version.) For $20, Yahoo will give subpoena-wielding authorities your basic…
Google CEO Eric Schmidt is on Twitter. So far, he’s thanked the WSJ for printing an editorial about newspapers and online news. That’s all, really. Update: He’s claimed his actual name, which boasts a “verified account” tag from Twitter. The tweets from the previous account have been moved over as well. [Twitter via TechCrunch]
This lovely ranch-style double-wide may not have exposed brick or vaulted ceilings, but man is it delicious. And there are so, so many more. It’s the first year for Creative Room’s annual Gingerbread Competition and Charity Auction, which means that not only can you admire these modernist takes on a holiday standby, you also can…
Forget the DSi XL, Nintendo should look to the past for its next handheld console. Or, just commission the modder-maestro Zenlock for a heap of portable N64s, so we can revisit The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time in style. https://gizmodo.com/inside-nintendos-dsi-ll-5411672 Purported to be one of the world’s smallest portable N64 mods at 120 x…
OK, so the Noggin’ Net fishing hat is totally ludicrous, but am I crazy to think that the risk of horrible burning and food poisoning is totally worth waking up to fresh eggs and pancakes on my bedside table? If there’s a better, cheaper way to see your friend’s and family’s true colors on Christmas,…
The United Arab Emirates aren’t booming like they used to, which is worrying. Judging from the latest, though, the UAE was only about three major architectural undertakings away from building an actual giant penis, so maybe it’s for the best. The Yas Hotel in Dubai’s sister Emirate, Abu Dhabi, has earned the impressive (though weirdly…
We like the Bolt browser for BlackBerry, and version 1.6 isn’t just faster, but crucially, now lets you make it the default browser, so you don’t have to go back to the standard one (even if it is much improved itself in BlackBerry OS 5.0). [Bolt via CrackBerry] https://gizmodo.com/dealzmodo-hack-overhaul-your-last-gen-blackberry-5156667
In NY, AT&T’s “Mark the Spot” iPhone app is going to run constantly. It lets you pinpoint precisely where AT&T’s network sucked, and how—dropped call, bad data, crappy voice—and send it to them. Prepare for a tsunami. [iTunes]
This heat cold map signifies the total number of Wikis tied to each country. The designer learned there are literally more articles written about Antarctica and even Middle Earth than many countries in Africa. [mark graham via boingboing]
Canon has already revealed that their EOS 5D Mark II would be getting 24fps 1080P, which is handy for transfers to film. But a new industry-focused meeting revealed the company would also add 60fps 720P support to the camera, which would be great for fast motion clips or half-speed slow motion. [Planet5D]
Up until now, the unofficial Google Chrome for Macs, Chromium, has only been available in a 32-bit download, but today you can grab the ChromiumOS64 if you’re more RAMmed-up. https://gizmodo.com/google-chromium-alpha-builds-available-for-os-x-linux-5279835 Teo en Ming, the ChromiumOS64 project lead, says of the download: “The original Chromium OS project does not support 64-bit platforms. This is because the…
This clock, spotted at Design Miami, features an LCD face playing a 12-hour loop of a man erasing and redrawing the time every minute. Well, that, or some poor soul needs food and water ASAP. [Thanks Buster!]
No broken MacBook and pair of old routers, but you do have a Time Capsule gathering dust? Turn it into a gift box, adding hinges and a silk cushion. Just don’t put an engagement ring in there, trust me. [Instructables] https://gizmodo.com/what-to-do-with-all-your-broken-routers-make-a-macbook-5418147
The Korean Mint Pass is doing some pretty neat things in the MP3 player world, with this Robot Music Tank player/speaker concept tracking humans with its pyroelectric sensor, locking onto their thermal temperature and rolling after them, gleefully playing music. https://gizmodo.com/mintpass-cube-remembers-that-analog-rocks-5418848 Your cat/dog/ferret may get peeved if it detects their thermal temperature and follows it…