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Buying a PC can come along with some unwanted preinstalls. And now with Microsoft mandating that third party hardware manufacturers bundle Vista (not XP), that unwanted preinstall can include an entire OS. Given that a portion of any commercial PC’s purchase price includes funds allotted to software, XP users may find themselves forced into buying…
As part of a unique promotional campaign, Right Guard has deployed “Pitvertisers”—a crew of people on the street armed with LCD televisions sewn into the deepest pits of their shirts. So the next you’re on the train and wonder who is emanating that awful advertisement, you’ll see that, oh, it’s that douchebag playing commercials with…
The oceans already absorb megatons of atmospheric carbon, but scientists say that there’s a way to boost this so that CO2 levels could drop to pre-industrial age levels. The answer sounds like a cocktail recipe: add lime. Limed seawater has boosted alkalinity, which lets it absorb more CO2 and stops it from releasing it back…
Microsoft just made available the Power Pack 1 update for Windows Home Server, which fixes the data corruption issues users have been reporting since Home Server went live. In addition, it adds 64-bit Vista support, shared folder backup features, and improved remote accessibility. You can download it here. [Windows Home Server Blog via All About…
How did Sen. Barack Obama fit all you guys and gals on his plane ride to Afghanistan? I ask because it’s the only reason I could think of as to why you missed out on the best weekend gadget news on the internet. No worries, welcome home. Here’s what you missed: • Normal knives just…
The first Wii Disc Dumper required a PC and 50 hours of backup time. The latest v1.2 by nitrotux requires only a Wii loaded with an SD card to make backups of single and dual layer Wii titles as well as GameCube games. The only catch is that the Wii needs to be rebooted during…
This video shows something that very few people have had the opportunity to witness: the inside of the Lego factory, with no barriers or secrets. I filmed every step in the creation of the brick. From the raw granulate stored in massive silos to the moulding machines to the gigantic storage cathedrals to the decoration…
While Tiger is out for knee rehabilitation, all sorts of competitors are stepping up to take his place. The most notable (and by notable we mean adorable) challenger may be the Putter Bot. Falling just short of Pixar-level anthropomorphism, we’d still feel absolutely horrible to watch the little guy lose a shoot-out against the Phil…
In what sounds like the result of the lamest Truth or Dare party ever, scientists have calculated how many nanotubes it would take to support the weight of one human. The discovery unto itself isn’t that impressive-a nanotube rope that’s one centimeter in diameter could do the trick. But when you realize that the rope…
Last night in Santa Monica, CA, from 7pm to about 7am, Glow 08 took over the piers. It was an art and music festival with a bunch of cool events and attractions, but the coolest looks to have been the “Primal Source,” a gigantic fountain with projections on it built by Usman Haque. As the…
Panasonic’s new high-end LX3 point-and-shoot totally bows out of the megapixel war, keeping the same 10-megapixel resolution as its LX2 predecessor for a 40 percent bump in sensitivity and 35 percent greater saturation, plus it can shoot up to 3200 ISO in full res, or 6400 at a reduced one. As a semi-pro point-and-shoot, it…
Panasonic has a nice set of digital camera summer sequels to last year’s lineup. Here’s the rundown, with full releases below: •Panasonic’s FZ28 updates its original 18x super-zoomer FZ18 with a higher res, and some new software features, autofocus tracking and more robust face detection, plus it shoots HD video, like every new Panasonic camera.…
We gave the Nahamer T450 toaster concept design a big thumbs-up for its simplicity… but it turns out that there’s actually a real toast-dropping versus toast-popping machine. The Trapdoor Toaster does exactly what it sounds like it does. It’s a 1400W device, with auto-adjusting guide racks so it can do toast, bagels or pop-tart-style food.…
Those Photoshoppers over at Worth 1000 decided to mash up Star Wars with some of the world’s most famous pieces of art (and we’re like 99% certain that it was meant as a joke). This remix of M.C. Escher’s famous Hand with Reflecting Sphere has to be the most brilliant, with traces of the Death…
Constructed of 3500 parts, connected by 4,900 bolts and standing 112 feet in the air, this sculpture commissioned by Land Rover is certainly an idolatrous addition to the Festival of Speed. But, uhh, does anyone else see the piece as less a triumph and more an indicator of our inevitable future-one where SUVs are good…
Faber’s Imago+ cooker hood seems like a glimpse into the near future where every available gizmo in your household is some kind of electronics-packed entertainment system. It’s first and foremost an extractor fan/filtration system that inhales the fumes from your cooking so you don’t have to (at 870 cubic meters per hour). But it’s actually…
However exciting the rubber robot snake wave power generator sounds, a real seagoing power station is way more interesting. And over in the UK, they’ve just turned on the world’s first commercial tidal power generator station. SeaGen is situated in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland, and it has twin turbines that spin as the tide rushes…
According to reporter Nobuyuki Hayashi, the camera of the iPhone 3G sold in Japan will make a shutter sound every time you take a photo, even if you put the telephone in silent mode. The reason: all those pervs taking photos up the skirts of unsuspected women in public places. According to Hayahi, the problem…
If you had trouble jailbreaking and unlocking your iPhone 2.0 with Pwnage 2.0, there’s a new version out there that will make it even easier to free your iPhone, fixing some of the problems which were found in the previous version: https://gizmodo.com/iphone-os-2-0-unlocked-5023971 – It auto-finds the bl39 and bl46 files better, if they’re on your…
We mentioned that there were rumors that Verizon was going to be bringing its own version of visual voicemail out sometime, and now there are further rumblings that this will include visual voicemail on the BlackBerry Storm. This makes the touchscreen, haptic-feedback smartphone sound even more like a real iPhone competitor, wouldn’t you say? [Electric…
