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You have horrible taste in television. It’s OK, we’re not judging. Everyone has horrible taste in television—it’s a prerequisite to hitting the power button. But there’s a cure. No, don’t you dare read. Just buy a $1000 TV easel. https://gizmodo.com/hackmodo-making-a-stand-5331665/?selectedImage=9 Once balanced at a 70-degree angle upon reclaimed oak, your LCD will gleam with a…
Wired Science has picked the best science visualization videos of 2009. And from there, I’ve picked my three favorite ones. Note to self: Don’t go to Los Angeles or anywhere near the San Andreas fault. Above you can see a simulation of the Big One, a 7.8 earthquake on Southern California. It starts south of…
Mary Jo Foley says that the real news about the rumor Windows Mobile 6.5 and Windows Mobile 7 will co-exist—which she doesn’t find surprising—is that it means Windows Mobile 7 has in fact been pushed back by several months. It was originally supposed to be released to manufacturers by the end of this year to…
Say you’ve bought a legit copy of Windows 7, but you don’t want to enter that activation code. A common situation! Well, there’s a simple trick for extending that free limbo period for four months. All you’ve got to do is enter “slmgr -rearm” into the command prompt at the end of every 30 day…
Here’s a cool trick: the new Sonar Ruler app uses the iPhone’s speaker to send out a short click and then measures how long it takes for the sound to bounce off a surface. It then tells you the distance. It’s not perfectly accurate, however. It works best on large, flat surfaces that are perpendicular…
Sony pretty much implied that backward compatibility was dead when they released the PS3 Slim (without PS2 support), but just in case, Sony’s John Koller put a few nails in that coffin during two recent interviews. Koller said, “It’s not coming back, so let me put that on the table,” before later adding “won’t be…
Android phones: Still expensive! At least, until the Click, HTC’s rumored first budget Android phone, hits the market. Here, a member of Tinhte gives the Click a timid whirl, and to be honest, Android’s cut-rate future doesn’t look so bad. https://gizmodo.com/htc-click-budget-android-rumors-start-to-congeal-with-n-5321122 The Click’s most distinctive difference from the G1 and MyTouch, besides its old-style HTC…
Here’s a simulation of the Big One, a 7.8 earthquake on Southern California. It starts south of Palm Springs and ends obliterating Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara. 12 terabytes of simulation data was used in this. This is a Type Ia supernova, which in theory is a exploding white dwarf star in a binary…
The PS3 Slim only just got announced, but its full abilities are starting to emerge. The latest: Apparently it actually can bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio directly to your receiver. Can I get a w00t from the audiophiles? https://gizmodo.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-ps3-slim-5341207 Audio nerds had suspected (or at least hoped) the PS3 Slim would offer such…
Finally, a unicycle that even I could ride! Designer, Aleksander Polutnik, says it takes only minutes to learn how to ride the eniCycle, because it uses mini-gyroscopes and an embedded processor to keep you balanced. Watch it in action: The eniCycle’s electric-powered 1000 watt motor kicks into gear as you lean forward—similar to riding a…
You know, being part of Circuit City‘s Northstar customer service team wasn’t so different from climbing a mountain to 80s-infused melodies, if you really think about it. Anyone who’s been employed by any big retailer has probably been locked in a room for a few days and forced to watch videos like these. There’s just…
Fraunhofer Institute scientists have invented The Perfect Coffee Mug: One that absorbs the heat from your beverage, making it go down to a perfect temperature, and then releasing it slowly to keep it at that exact temperature for 30 minutes. The key for this magic trick is physics and PCM—phase change material—an extraordinary substance used…
The recall comes after 12 complaints of overheating, including five cases that caused fire and property damage. The $29 Chinese-made cheapies were sold from January 2006 to July 2009, exclusively at Wal-Mart (U.S) and ASDA supermarkets (U.K). https://gizmodo.com/dvd-player-faceoff-18-durabrand-vs-20-000-meridian-231684 Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the product and return it to the nearest Wal-Mart for a…
In the latest twist of the Eee Keyboard‘s delay, DigiTimes reports the entertainment-PC-in-a-keyboard should be ready “as early as October”. It also says the 20-inch Eee Top AIO, and two new ultra-thin U/UX series notebooks will arrive in September. https://gizmodo.com/asus-eee-keyboard-pc-should-arrive-in-may-or-june-for-5163636 Though it cites unnamed “industry sources” (which could mean anything), DigiTimes gets specific for the…
American supercars, relaxing soda, and wine by the barrel – gear up for football season with the latest and greatest from Uncrate. This week at Uncrate: We put the petal to the metal in the Devon GTX, get back into shape before the warm weather ends on Livestrong Fitness Equipment, and keep our guests well…
Remember that Pirate Bay user who archived the site’s entire torrent index earlier this week? It’s available for all to download, but he’s now used it to create a full replica site. You can check it out at BTArena.net. [TorrentFreak] https://gizmodo.com/get-the-pirate-bays-torrent-archive-with-one-massive-21-5338840 According to the site: “tracker.btarena.org” can be used to track new torrents. The torrents…
Based on the T-600 skin job from Terminator 4, this 2GB USB drive has eyes made of swanky Swarovski rhinestones. And like the USB Skull Rings (also from Solid Alliance), it’ll be a limited edition run. https://gizmodo.com/i-met-a-terminator-and-lived-to-tell-the-story-5242895 Given the $160 asking price, no kidding. Hardcore fans can pick one up from GeekStuff4U in September, and…
What’s more unsettling than Tamara Hope’s Palm Pre ads? Just how similar Bell Canada’s Pre ad looks to the iPhone spots we’ve seen for years. Everything from upbeat music to the disembodied hand is there. Watch them side-by-side: https://gizmodo.com/dialed-down-tamara-hope-palm-pre-ads-still-unsettling-5338413 I guess there are only so many ways you can sell a phone, but that’s pretty…
With the PS3 Slim hogging the limelight, you may have missed Sony’s update on its motion sensing controller. This reel from GamesCon shows it waving about as a wand, flashlight, and yep, even a hair brush. https://gizmodo.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-ps3-slim-5341207 Still only mini game demos though, and we won’t hear much more until the Tokyo Game Show on…
The Canon Powershot D10 will never, ever fit into a pocket unless you are MC Hammer, circa 1990. That’s because it houses a telescoping lens in a bulging case, making it look like a sub. Still, shots are pretty. The Price: $329 The Waterproof-ness: Good down to 10 meters, making it suitable for light diving…
