Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Hold me, I feel like puking after watching this video from the top of the Burj Dubai, the tallest man-made point on earth. The shaking? That’s because the tower’s wobbling. Vertigo, uggghhhhh. [YouTube via Skyscraper Forums via Mahoney’s Playground]
Clearly, there is a mutual respect and admiration between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Both have been complementary of each other in the past, but Gates had this to say about Jobs on CNBC last night. Here is the full quote in context from the program Warren Buffett and Bill Gates: Keeping America Great. “Well,…
Having known lots of computer science people who interviewed at Google, we know exactly what kind of questions they’re likely to ask potential applicants. Crazy ones. But we didn’t know they would ask these questions for marketing positions too. The first person account over at Business Insider is an interesting one, because it shows that…
As if direct-to-YouTube uploading didn’t have enough potential for embarrassment, now Eye-Fi cards add the ability to send pictures directly to local FTP/FTPS server. [Crunchgear] https://gizmodo.com/eye-fi-sd-cards-offering-direct-to-youtube-uploading-5125400
I mean, I know this is funny—I get the joke, and it’s clever!—but every time I try to laugh, it comes out as a sob. What gives? [XKCD]
It’s Friday the 13th, and do you know what would be the worst luck of all? Missing out on all of today’s deals. At the very least, go rent a scary movie for free at a Blockbuster Express kiosk. Top Deals: • HP Pavilion Elite e9210t Desktop PC $574.99 with free shipping (normally $849.99 –…
For today’s data dump: the iPhone now accounts for nearly a fifth of new smartphones, and BlackBerrys are on a surprisingly serious tear, passing a 20% in world market share. So, uh, who’s losing? Well, for one, Nokia, whose smartphones have failed to penetrate at all in the US, despite massive popularity overseas, and whose…
We are at a biological turning point: We can invent organisms to make our drugs and fuel, even recode our DNA. It’s easy to run away screaming, but author Michael Specter says we have to quit whining and face it. Specter, who covers the science beat for The New Yorker, is pissed off. Forces on…
Here’s the official word from Sony, who is not even playing coy here—they’re just flat-out calling the so-called leak a fake: https://gizmodo.com/sonys-updated-flagship-xbr-series-hdtvs-leaked-5403964 The information posted regarding Sony television models is incorrect. Any specifications, model names, photographs or other details were not issued by Sony and do not represent the company’s current or future product line.
To be honest, at first they looked like humping paper beasts and I thought: “Hmmm, nice.” Then I learnt they were paper shoes and I thought: “Hmmm, nice.” Either way, these are funky and pretty. [Le Creative Sweatshop via Mocoloco]
One of the most exciting things about Android was the idea that it could be ported back to older handsets. This turned out to be harder than expected, except or a few HTCs and, amazingly, a Palm Treo from 2004. The 650, which runs old-school Palm OS, must be straining to boot Google’s mobile OS,…
Dear NASA, I love you, but come on… Monkey radiation tests? What is this? The 50s? Are you going to resuscitate J. Edgar Hoover next? Didn’t you guys see Matthew Broderick and Helen Hunt saving the monkeys in Project X? That’s what NASA is planing to do: Use squirrel monkeys to test the possible effect…
Next year, BlackBerry App World‘s getting carrier billing, meaning app purchases will show up on your phone bill, so it’ll be a little easier to buy apps since you don’t have to jump through using PayPal. Which is good for App World, since the easier it is to spend your money, the more likely you’ll…
Whoa whoa whoa. Wait a second. You’re telling me there’s no liquid cooling? [Source Unknown]
It’s a decidedly case-by-case question, and you shouldn’t let silly things like “data” and “value judgments” get in the way of an enthusiastic impulse purchase. But for the more prudent types, Consumer Reports has compiled handy a repair-or-replace guide. The magazine drew together reader survey results with their own internal data to evaluate peoples’ experiences…
A new order page reveals some surprising new info on the netbook-like xpPhone. Looks like 4.3-, 4.8- and tablet-style 7-inch touchscreen versions will be available, and you’ll be able to add a 5-megapixel camera, Windows 7, and dual GSM/CDMA support. https://gizmodo.com/windows-xp-phone-a-first-look-at-its-touchscreen-inter-5393584 As you can see in the screen grab above, customized orders also include the…
I rarely get truly impressed by gadgets. They may be beautiful. They may do nice tricks. But very rarely they make me smile out of pure wonderment. That’s exactly what happened when I watched the Fiat Lux Lamp in action. At first sight, the Fiat Lux Lamp is just a lamp: One plain orb with…
Here you have the first Nook stand at a Barnes & Noble in NYC. The $259 Double-screen Gadget That Stole All The Crappy Kindle Thunder will arrive in November 30. If you are in Manhattan, here are the addresses: https://gizmodo.com/live-from-barnes-nobles-nook-event-5386053 The Nook stand is located at the Barnes & Noble at 86th and Third Avenue.…
Sure, I could go into how NASA’s Ares Rockets and Project Natal ranked high amongst Time’s top 50 inventions, but when it comes to end-of-year lists, I get a kick out of what’s deemed the worst. A drum roll please… No ridiculous TwitterPeek in their worst 5, but it’d sure be on mine. What would…
I’m touching a wet slab of protein, what feels like a paper-thin slice of bologna. It’s supple, slimy, but unlike meat, if you were to slice it down the center today, tomorrow the wound would heal. It’s factory-grown living tissue. The company behind the living, petri-dish-grown substance known as Apligraf hates my new name for…
