Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
As he gets ready to rape Indiana Jones again with the fifth part of the series, George Lucas keeps milking the merchandise tits of the most famous archeologist by releasing all kinds of products. Fortunately, this Giant RC Ant is worth it, and probably one of the few good things to come out of that…
For this week’s Photoshop Contest, we focused on new Friend of Giz Jeffrey Toobin, brilliant CNN legal analyst and fellow work-avoider. After busting him not once, but twice surfing the internet on his laptop while on-air during a presidential debate, we decided to give him some more fun stuff to read on the internet when…
Who is Adam Parker Smith? Well, he happens to be the artist behind “Sunset Now,” an interactive installation made from colored plexi-glass, fiberfill, and lights that allow the user control the rising and setting of a simulated sun using a simple dimmer switch. Outside of that, there isn’t much information on the device—but I do…
Creative marketing minds have developed a plan to use GPS to deliver neighborhood-specific digital advertising on the side of buses in NYC. Apparently, the ads run like TV commercials and they have begun airing on a single Manhattan route with expansion to 200 buses planned for Q1 of next year. Obviously, targeted advertising is the…
If you simply can’t go anywhere without listening to your iPod, H2O Audio’s new iDive 300 system will ensure that the tunes keep coming even as your lifeless body sinks into Davy Jones’ locker. Features include a polycarbonate casing that uses a locking cam knob to ensure a watertight seal up to a 300 foot…
Good ol’ Frank Whittle: he dreamed up a device that can both deafen and thrill you at the same time. And you don’t even have to be an aircraft fanatic to enjoy these jet engine test videos put together by OObject…the engineering, the noise and general “but what if it blows up?” bonkersness of running…
This week at TreeHugger: A nice little touch in the EPEAT Gold certified Apple Macbook and Macbook Pros: The Energy Saver icon has changed. Google has a message for other data center operators: Raise the thermostat. And finally, something you don’t see everyday: Girls in bikinis swimming with tigers. Apparently the big cats love to…
You know, I spew a massive amount of trashtalk when online. I can’t help it. It just flows out, like oral diarrhea or something. So Sony’s new PS3 terms of service for the PlayStation network is kind of frightening. I mean, I’m sure you’ve said some regrettable things to the snotty 12-year-old bastards running around…
Although it’s as big as some of the apartments I’m looking now in Manhattan, the Walking House is not really a house, but a “modular dwelling system that enables persons to live a peaceful nomadic life, moving slowly through the landscape or cityscape”. “Slowly” meaning “glacial-speed,” and “peaceful nomadic life” meaning “trying to desperately escape…
The Intec Nintendo Wii Race & Recharge Accessory Kit didn’t look so hot at its $70 retail price. Even with a dual Wiimote charger (including batteries, we assume) and two racing wheels, that seemed like a lot. But now Buy.com has the pack listed for just $33. And as everyone knows, $33 is less than…
You’ve seen the patent, and now it’s becoming a reality: yes, taser-proof vests are coming. The “Thor Shield” was designed for police officers but sure to be more popular amongst protesters and other people who piss off police officers. It uses a layer of foil in the vest to draw the current of the taser,…
Toshiba just updated their monstrous—in more ways than one—Qosmio X305 gaming notebook with the latest quad-core Intel Core 2 Extreme processors, full-on Nvidia SLI with 1GB GeForce 9800M GTS graphics cards, 4GB DDR3 RAM, and a delicious combo of 128GB SSD and 320GB 7200pm hard drive. And it’ll just run you $4200—the tacky is a…
Love it or hate it, you have to respect Motorola for loosening the reins of design and announcing the premium Aura handset. (UPDATE: we knew it created déjà vu for some reason!) Inspired by high end watches, the phone’s switch blade design alone is driven by over 200 parts—130 of them ball bearings used to…
The Mac mini may be pronounced dead as soon as today’s Apple earnings conference call, as two major retailers in Europe have confirmed to me that they can’t order any more of the little computers. While this could signal an updated model coming in, they have been told by Apple to expect no more of…
Get this for tech-overload: the SH Stompin’Bass from Shadow Electronics is made of chosen rosewood, comes with a velcro-attached extender block for comfort during long sets, has a high-quality NanoMAG humbucker pickup and a shielded case with low-impedance output to reduce hum. All of which basically disguises the fact it’s a wooden block designed to…
The Samsung Epix—the BlackJack III in another dimension where BlackBerry doesn’t exist and the acronym BJ doesn’t make people snicker—actually seems like a solid successor to the BlackJack II, adding the major things it needs to not get laughed at by every other smartphone today, “world’s first optical mouse in a smartphone” gimmick aside: namely,…
Official word from Google on the mysterious disappearance of many apps from the supposedly intervention-free Android Market yesterday: The demo devices give an early version of the Market since it hasn’t been launched yet. We needed to be sure that a few of the 3rd party apps are final for consumer use in the Android…
To the Storm MK V watch, time is something fragile to be hidden away and guarded in secret. Because instead of just displaying the hour, the MK V tucks the face away behind tiny steel panels, shielding it from the harsh world outside. To check the time, one needs to open the mechanical iris a…
Thanks to the germ eliminating knife block, the next time you stab someone you will have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your blade is 99.99% germ-free (we wouldn’t want an infection to set in now would we?). The block relies on UV-C light to eliminate bacteria—and if you are a serious germaphobe…
Sure, there was a bunch of fuss about pre-order sales of the G1 Android phone, but the wait is over now and the cellphone hits the shops today in an event in San Francisco. T-Mobile’s running a special pre-sale at its store at 3rd and Market, starting at 6pm PT…which is a whole 11 hours…