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Before he was a kingmaker at TechCrunch, Mike Arrington was a lawyer at Silicon Valley firm Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, where he worked on the deal that brought NeXT Software—and Steve Jobs—to Apple. It almost didn’t happen. Apple’s decision to buy the ousted Jobs’ NeXT Software was a last minute one. They were in…
In this week’s tentatively materialistic app roundup: Deals, scrutinized! Barcodes, scanned! Movies, thriftily rented! Magazines, digitized! Pac-Man, terrifyingly adapted to the road! The iPhone’s camera, made less terrible! Turn-by-turn, discounted! Home screens, organized! And more… https://gizmodo.com/mind-your-wallet-5413982 To view the following gallery as a single page, click here https://gizmodo.com/this-weeks-best-iphone-apps-5414060 The Apps This Weeks’ iPhone News on…
Waze: This free, crowd-sourced turn-by-turn app is still a bit rough around the edges, and it’s not going to replace Telenav or Navigos for cross-country journeys. But Waze is working on it: The new version places treasures in areas where their map data is weakest, which you collect like a 3000lb Pac-Man, helping them fill…
Microsoft’s posted the clips from Family Guy’s killed hackathon that would’ve shilled for Windows 7, and they’re even more brain-liquefyingly stupid than I thought. Just watch, but when your brains leak out your ears, don’t say I didn’t warn you. https://gizmodo.com/family-guys-seth-macfarlane-and-microsoft-team-up-for-h-5381164 Okay, actually, I kind of like this one. [YouTube via NeoWin]
There are worse things to worry about in the Middle East than a robotic vacuum cleaner, but to the viper who thought it’d be a cozy place to sleep, it proved to be the end of his violent, snakey existence. The vipera palaestinae, as his parent snake gods christened him, had wound himself so tightly…
Last year we ran a simple guide to TV calibration, and THX is still a good way to make your new TV easier on the eyes. Here are updates on getting the Optimizer disc and glasses: https://gizmodo.com/how-to-calibrate-your-new-hdtv-and-not-lose-your-mind-5098917 THX says that any THX-certified DVD will have the Optimizer in the bonus features, but when there are…
A happy Black Friday present from Dell: They’ve compiled a version of Chrome OS that works on the Mini 10v—our favorite Hackintosh netbook—with no voodoo required on your part, just an 8GB flash drive. https://gizmodo.com/how-to-hackintosh-a-dell-mini-10v-into-the-ultimate-sn-5389166 Wi-Fi is a little wonky, but otherwise, it should be totally fine. Just plug the flash drive with the image…
Star Wars: 1,000 Collectibles is one of the best Star Wars coffee-table books in recent memory. It catalogs authorized Star Wars merchandise from around the globe. Some you’ve seen (and maybe owned), some will just blow your mind. Written and compiled by Stephen J. Sansweet—who, as head of fan relations for Lucasfilm and curator of…
C-3PO Ceramic Tape Dispenser USA, 1981-1982 I wish I had been in the meeting when this baby was being discussed. It’s almost… erotic. Clone Wars-Themed Fun Casting Combo USA, 2009 Surprisingly out there for a brand-new product tie-in, I suppose there is a link between lightsaber handling and fly casting. Just don’t confuse a bass…
80 percent of female primary console players—the main person who plays the console—do their gaming on a Wii. just 11 percent use an Xbox 360 and 9 percent play a PS3. Does that say more about girls, the Wii or Xbox 360 and PS3? [Kotaku] https://kotaku.com/nintendo-boasts-9-million-player-advantage-among-female-5411707
Today’s a pretty good day for buying things on sale I hear. Just remember, as time marches, things will get even cheaper, anyhow. And this year, you may already have the perfect gadgets in your hands. I like the “last year’s model” and “buy nothing” ideologies. I like knowing that buying less gear means less…
A friendly reminder, about the monsters. Though I do feel that crabs are being unnecessarily victimized here; the only crime they are guilty of is occasional deliciousness. [A Life Well Wasted via Geek Tyrant via io9] https://gizmodo.com/in-case-of-monster-attack-know-your-enemies-weaknesses-5412447
Oyule Light Bulbs are filled with paraffin and use a wick instead of a filament, so basically they become what the light bulb replaced: A paraffin lamp. To ensure they stay upright, there’s a magnet placed in the base of the bulb that corresponds to one in the acrylic base. But if you’re stylish and…
Forget looking at the mood ring on someone’s hand to know how she feels. Now it’s the chair under her cute bum that’ll reveal all. And the LEDs and embedded micro-chips on it are way cooler than bubblegum machine trinkets. The Mood Chair is designed by a company called Aether & Hemera and while it…
It’s Black Friday. Avoid the stampede at the mall and guarantee a smile on your loved ones’ faces by bestowing the gift of an iPod touch. They will love you forever, and forgive everything you put them through this year. iPod touch lets you play games, tap into your music, watch movies, run apps, and…
A tipster sent along this spectacular photo of the Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest, most absurdly ostentatious building, getting struck by lightning. While checking for newness, I noticed something amazing: This happens all the time. Well, not all the time, since storms aren’t exactly a daily occurrence in Dubai. In a way, though, that makes…
Oh, it’s on. [Apple]
James Bach, a legend in the software-testing field, just published Secrets of a Buccaneer-Scholar, the tale of how he dropped out of school, became a self-taught games programmer, and scored a sweet gig at Apple—all before turning 21. The book’s main purpose, as illustrated by the excerpt James has kindly permitted us to publish, is…
I go through the world marveling at the objects around us—from lamp posts to toothbrushes to buildings to sailboats—looking for details, craftsmanship, function, beauty, and purpose. If you know someone nutters like that, here are some gift ideas: Click here to see all the gifts in a single page. https://gizmodo.com/gifts-for-design-lovers-and-jon-ive-wannabees-5412408 Objectified: This documentary has its…
Click to viewSext. Sending pictures of your naughty bits through MMS. Oh, don’t play coy. You already knew what it is, so let’s just watch this educational video and learn about safer sext practices from some singing, underwear-clad people. All joking aside, there really is a lesson to take away from the clip. Those silly…
