Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
I’m as surprised as you are that this is the second video-game-themed Tesla coil post I’m doing in as many days, but this is too cool to pass up. These two Tesla coils are playing the original Mario Bros theme song – and there are no speakers involved. https://gizmodo.com/awesome-red-alert-tesla-coil-makes-quick-work-of-allied-318822 Twin Solid State Musical Tesla coils…
French artist Pierre Matter has a steampunk sensibility when he pounds out these copper sculptures, exploring Gothic themes while mixing up man and machine in a postmodern maelstrom. He’s been creating these crazy sculptures for the past couple of decades out of copper, aluminum, resin and other metals, and the suckers are big—some weighing more…
According to AppleInsider, Apple is already passing around the first builds of the Mac OS X 10.5.1 update. More extensive software testing will begin next week. While we don’t have any specifics on the fixes involved, there are a slew of minor problems you can see on message boards that could be addressed…probably only to…
Jesus told you that a MacBook touch might be coming and Matt Buchanan just showed you a new mock-up. Now CNet Crave UK has an inside scoop that Eee PC maker—and MacBook contract manufacturer—Asus will one day deliver an Apple tablet. https://gizmodo.com/apple-macbook-touch-concept-and-thoughts-on-the-newton-303927 According to the story: Apple Tablet will not be based on existing Asus…
Turns out, it’s a dumb idea to post “I just killed two cops” on your MySpace page. That’s what some idiot did, and learned the hard way that cops are rediscovering their home computers, and hitting MySpace, Facebook and even Second Life in search of clues. Sure, there have always been the badge-wearing nerds at…
Sanyo has just announced a new model in their Diply Talk recorder line (the ICR-PS390RM) that happens to be the world’s highest capacity voice recorder. Because while 8GB may be standard fare for MP3 players, it’s a big deal in the MP3 recorder industry. At lowest quality, users can record up to 1,000 hours of…
We showed you a few sneak shots last weekend of Sony Ericsson’s rumored lineup of phones to be supposedly rolled out today, but now here’s another one, and this P5i has a full touchscreen. The slider is said to be due for an intro announcement next week, and might ship in May or June of…
Taking a cue from the Batmobile, some particularly fast-to-the-scene firefighters (or just some crazy gearheads) have stuck a 27-foot Russian MiiG fighter jet engine into a firetruck. To accomplish this feat, the (water and gas?) tanks had to be completely removed. So yeah, ironically the firetruck may get to a scene faster, but at the…
Just as we expected, iTunes 7.5 was released to the masses today, but you can stop your mind from wandering because there’s not a whole lot of excitement surrounding the release. The headliner is an interactive music game called Phase for iPod nano (third generation), iPod classic, and iPod (fifth generation). But the meat of…
Nokia has been working on a very promising technology, called Haptikos, and it is now coming to fruition after 10 years in the making. The new technology promises a true tactile response for touchscreen text input methods. Though basic vibration methods are currently in place to provide a form of haptic response, Nokia’s efforts will…
Recycling is brilliant, especially when you are Ann Smith and have the talents of the creative arts at your fingertips. Ms. Smith is a creative recycler; she takes all manner of junk and works her magic. The result? An impressive collection of mechanized/steampunkish looking animal robots. The metal pets are used to create cool stop-motion…
Despite rumors the new, internally powered PS2 would run just $99, in Japan it’s selling for the same price as the old model: ¥16,000 (US $140). Even though it’s no lighter on your wallet and isn’t any more svelte than the current model, it does in fact weigh less, and comes in black, white and…
If statistics concerning the operating wattage, temperature and fan speed of your PC’s power supply gets you excited, Gigabyte’s Visuals USB gauge shall be right up your street. The device is capable of measuring all three, while simultaneously making your desktop look like your dashboard, and if that is not the very pinnacle of being…
The limited edition Deep Red PSP you’re gawking at launches in Japan next month in two flavors—one with the 1seg digital TV tuner, one without. The 1seg bundle also comes with a 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo and a stand, while the standard box has a 32MB stick and is standless. No word on whether…
Rumors of the long-expected parental timer embedded in the Xbox 360’s impending fall update have been picking up steam in the last week or so, with the latest sort-of confirmation supposedly coming from a Guitar Hero III keychain. The included pamphlet reportedly describes the timer thusly: http://kotaku.com/gaming/notag/xbox-360-fall-update-to-bring-parental-timer-296340.php A simple tool that lets you manage how…
Following the Open Handset Alliance getting official, we noted the conspicuous absence of the US’s two biggest wireless carriers, and dissected some of the reasons T-Mobile and Sprint were onboard but they weren’t. According to the WSJ, Verizon’s still mulling joining up, while AT&T “in part because it exclusively carries the iPhone in the U.S.,…
Aesthetically, Factory Joe’s “iPad Touch” tablet mock-up doesn’t wholly differ from the pretty slick one our own Jesus Diaz conjured with his magic Photoshop fingers, but it does ratchet up the iPhone design elements. Oh, and MacBook Touch is a much better, if less reflective, name in our book. Another shot after the jump or…
16-year-old Cory Ryder is awaiting trial for hiring a hitman to whack his parents because they took away his PlayStation. But the man paid to do the job wasn’t a hitman, but an undercover cop…hired by the kid’s mother. Ryder caught a ride from his mom’s friend to go meet the “hitman,” and offered up…
The Opera Sonora speaker line is perfect for those who argue with their significant other over why they can’t install a 27.4 mega system in their 900 sq. ft. apartment. Beneath the art house appearance of these contraptions, however, are fully functioning speakers that can connect to any audio source (radio, TV, DVD, and so…
Oakely seems bound and determined to push this whole MP3 player sunglasses thing, and their latest release, The Split Thump, combines a really bad name with extremely expensive sunglasses that are only marginally better looking than some of the fashion disasters of years past (you know, the kind of designs that someone in the ’80s…