Gizmodo

Please Buy This Space Shuttle Food Truck and Name It the Crepe Canaveral [Desired]

Andrew Tarantola — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:20:07 EDT

Seriously, you purchase this converted DC-3 from eBay for $150,000, slap on some new lettering, maybe put a speaker on the roof that makes shuttle sounds when you leave a red light, and sell deliciously-filled thin pancakes out of the back. People will be fighting to give you their money. More »

Roll Up Blanket Chair Gets Extra Cozy If You Can Figure Out How To Use It [Furniture]

Andrew Liszewski — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:00:00 EDT

Design is often described as a perfect balance of form and function, but sometimes the former can outweigh the latter. In chair mode, the Collerette has a built-in rolled up blanket forming its arms and backrest. But how exactly you use it when the blanket is unfurled isn't immediately obvious. More »

The Nicest Micro-Cabin $10,000 Can Buy [Architecture]

Adrian Covert — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:40:00 EDT

Are you one of those people who constantly threatens to detach from society and go live out in the woods? But you're probably baffled as to how you'd go about making that a reality, right? Well for $10,000 and a little bit of elbow grease, you could finally make good on those empty threats with a super-tiny cabin. More »

What Google Could Learn from Windows 8 About User Experience [Windows 8]

Austin Carr - FastCo Design — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:20:00 EDT

Windows 8 is built on the idea that the web has great functions, but a lousy user experience—and it uses apps to pull everything into a bright, clean parallel world. FastCo Design's Austin Carr shows how Windows 8 will make using the web a better, more pleasant experience. More »

Merrell Barefoot Road Glove Lightning Review: Minimalist Foot Heaven [Fitmodo]

Brent Rose — Wed, 16 May 2012 16:00:00 EDT

So, you've heard about all of this minimalist, "barefoot-style" running, and you want in. Thing is, those toe-shoes look really weird. You don't want any padding, but you don't want your foot pierced by rocks either. Is there a balance point? Yes, there is. More »

Verizon to Kill Grandfathered Unlimited Data Plans. This Is Bullshit. [Verizon]

Kyle Wagner — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:56:35 EDT

Unlimited data on Verizon is dead. The death rattle just wheezed out during Verizon Communications CFO Fran Shammo's dream-killing presentation at the JP Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom conference. Everyone with a grandfathered unlimited data plan will be forced to switch to a tiered plan when they upgrade to LTE. It's absurd, warrantless, and sadly, typically, aggressively anti-consumer. More »

These Girls Are Wearing Nothing But Light [Fashion]

Casey Chan — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:40:00 EDT

Light painting is one of those magical photography techniques that never gets old. Batman logos! Fancy effects! And even... dresses? Mmhmm. Atton Conrad, an advertising and art photographer, used light painting to dress his beautiful models to make them look even more gorgeous. More »

Brain Tapeworms Are Real, And They're Disgusting [Health]

Leslie Horn — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:20:00 EDT

You might think of tapeworms as awful parasites that find their way into your intestine, grow as big as 50 feet long, and cause horrible gastrointestinal issues. But that's only one step of a larger infectious chain the tapeworm is a part of. The alien life-form doesn't only cause crippling stomach pain; it could also debilitate mental capacities if they find their way to the brain. More »

Anyone Using a Flip Phone Is Probably a Serial Murderer or a Drug Dealer [Video]

Michael Hession — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:12:39 EDT

Are we entering a new age when a flip-phone is the mark of either drug trafficking or hired assassination? Are we there already? Maybe we've all just been watching too many episodes of The Wire. More »

This Pistol Wall Safe Is Your International-Person-Of-Mystery Deal of the Day [Dealzmodo]

Andrew James — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:00:00 EDT

If there's one thing I can assure you about a wall safe, it's that no matter how mundane your life may be you'll automatically seem interesting with one. Who owns wall safes? Secret agents, criminals, international people of mystery, and pretty much anyone belonging to any unsavory organization. This In-Wall Pistol Cabinet is perfect for making you seem more interesting. And judging from the Sam Elliot-voiced Amazon reviews, it sounds great for storing all your cowboy essentials, too. More »

Google Knowledge Graph: Search Results Packed With Worlds of Information [Video]

Mario Aguilar — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:41:49 EDT

Google search has always been about connecting you to information. The new Google Knowledge Graph makes the process faster than ever by delivering a summary of important info on your search results page. More »

These Clutter-Saving Locks Open With Your Car Keys [Locks]

Andrew Liszewski — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:40:00 EDT

Helping to wage the war on keychains that look like medieval weaponry, these Bolt locks don't come with keys of their own. Instead, the first time you insert your ignition key they're 'programmed' to only open with it in the future. More »

Band Discovers the Stupidest Way To Avoid Ticketmaster Fees [Bad Ideas]

Mario Aguilar — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:20:00 EDT

Ticketmaster fees are horrible, and we're all about bands using clever means to combat the monolith, but The String Cheese Incident is doing it wrong. More »

Watch How Video Game Special Ops Tech Works in Real Life [Video]

Kyle Wagner — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:10:45 EDT

Video games like Ghost Recon and Modern Warfare are stuffed full of awesome future tech. But how much of it can actually be replicated in the field today, and what does it actually look like? Richard Ryan from Rated RR took thermal weapons and imagers from Ghost Recon: Future Soldier for a test drive. The results were, well, there really is nowhere to run or hide. More »

7-Year-Old Girl's Threat to Parents Is Cute In a Psychopath Kind of Way [Wtf]

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:10:00 EDT

Redditor surprisemailbox says that his friend's 7-year-old sister left this note on her parents' computer: More »

The Best Chatbot in the World Is Still Awful [Chatbots]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT

If you ever speak to Chip Vivant, you might find his conversation a little stilted. Incoherent, even. Because, despite being crowned the best chatbot in the world, frankly, he still carries a conversation like R2D2 with a head injury. More »

The Electronics Lab Hidden in a Kitchen Pantry [Where The Magic Happens]

Amanda DeMatto — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:40:00 EDT

You might not have heard of Ken Murphy, but you are probably familiar with his work. It's awesome. He hacks typical Radio Shack items to create blinking bug sculptures and analog synthesizers that sound like Atari video games. More »

This Is What Happens When Your Car GPS Blows Up [Wtf]

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:34:00 EDT

What happens when you leave your GPS in the car under a blazing sun and its batteries are not in the best of conditions? Well, it may explode and burn—like this one on the photo—melting your dashboard. More »

Shooting Challenge: Rainbow Lights [Shooting Challenge]

Mark Wilson — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:20:00 EDT

We tend to think of light as light. But light can also carry color. And for this week's Shooting Challenge, we'll be celebrating hard gels and Photoshop light filters. We want lights in every color of the rainbow. More »

This Is How You Will Connect Everything in Your Home to the Internet [Video]

Mat Honan — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:00 EDT

The guys who brought you the iPhone and Gmail now want to connect your washing machine, light switch, and just about any other electric device you can think of to the Internet. Get ready to be amazed. More »

This Insanely Talented One-Armed Juggling Robot Is the Future of Busking [Video]

Andrew Liszewski — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:40:00 EDT

In today's tough economic climate even industrial robots are having a hard time finding work. So it's nice to see that researchers at Chiba University in Japan have successfully taught a robot arm how to juggle. An important skill that will let robots continue to earn a living by busking on the streets. More »

All The World's Subways Are Converging to a Single Optimal Layout [Science]

Brandon Keim - Wired — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:20:00 EDT

After decades of urban evolution, the world's major subway systems appear to be converging on an ideal form. More »

How Common Is Your Birthday? [Chart]

Casey Chan — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:00 EDT

Your birthday! The day you feel like the most special person on the planet! The day you get to do what you want. But don't forget, other people share your birthday too. In fact, a lot of people do. What are the most common birthdays? Check out this snazzy visualization to find out. More »

The Lies Everyone Tells on Dating Sites [Dating]

Brian Moylan - Vice — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:40:00 EDT

Finding love online isn't easy. The prospect of meeting Mr. or Ms. Right seems to turn everyone into porn star used car salesmen. Luckily for you, dear dater, Vice's Brian Moylan knows exactly what everyone's lying about. More »

NASA Shot the MESSENGER—Into Orbit, Around the Iron Planet [Monster Machines]

Andrew Tarantola — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:30:00 EDT

And you thought hitting a thermal exhaust port was tough? Try shooting a 1,000-pound satellite 4.9 billion miles across the solar system into orbit around a planet less than half the size of Earth, and just 28.5 million miles from the Sun. More »

Nothing Says "I'm a Nerd and I Love You" Like a Pandora Radio Marriage Proposal [Love]

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:18:00 EDT

These are Maggie and Kyle. Look at them. They are so happy. It's not surprising. When this photo was taken, Kyle had just asked Maggie to marry him. Using Pandora no less. And she said yes. True love! More »

Report: Infamous Revenge-Porn Magnate Being Investigated By the FBI [Is Anyone Up]

Mario Aguilar — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:00:00 EDT

When Hunter Moore shut down his notorious revenge-porn website, Is Anyone Up, and sold the domain to an anti-bullying website, the whole world was surprised. Altruism? Maybe not: The Village Voice says Moore is being investigated for internet crimes by the FBI. More »

How One Man Took a Secret Super-Material to His Grave [Science]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:40:00 EDT

In 1990, an amateur inventor called Maurice Ward appeared on British TV demonstrating a super-material he'd invented without any scientific training. Called Starlite, it could withstand temperatures of 1000 °C, was hard enough to drill holes in walls, and could easily be painted on to surfaces. In 2011 Ward sadly passed away—without ever having explained to a single scientist how it worked. More »

Interactive Shoebox Dioramas Might One Day Lure You Away From Amazon [Wish You Were Here]

Andrew Liszewski — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:20:00 EDT

In an attempt to make brick and mortar stores more than just a showroom for websites like Amazon, Planar has taken the see-through LCD displays that were all the rage at CES and created enhanced display boxes providing more details on the items inside. More »

Apple's Defense of Siri in Class-Action Lawsuit Never Actually Says Siri Doesn't Suck [SIRI]

Kyle Wagner — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:10:58 EDT

Back in March, Apple was hit with a class action lawsuit over Siri being dumb and bad. Which, well—yeah, pretty much. But instead of rushing to the defense of its prized new software, Apple has run out a defense of, basically, "No, YOU ARE." More »

The Rainbow Spew Experiment: Vomit Has Never Looked So Pretty [Video]

Michael Hession — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:53:59 EDT

There's no telling whether this is the result of one bored teen's epiphany, or whether rainbow spew parties will join spin-the-bottle and pog-swaps in the lineage of teen group fads. More »

$300 RC Critter Is Your Dog's New Best Friend [Video]

Andrew Liszewski — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:20:00 EDT

How can you expect your dog to show any interest in a boring old tossed stick when you spend your time engrossed with a cutting-edge smartphone? Man's best friend deserves something a little more 21st century, and even we'd be excited to chase around this Go-Go Dog Pal RC toy. More »

Scientists Make Wi-Fi Twenty Times Faster [Science]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:26:00 EDT

If you're never content with Wi-Fi speeds, rest assured that scientists are trying to help. In fact, a team of Japanese researchers has just broken the record for wireless data transmission in the terahertz range—with a data rate 20 times higher than most current Wi-Fi connections. More »

The Most Mesmerizing Fluid Dynamics Video You'll Ever See [Video]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:35:54 EDT

Science videos can be difficult to understand, badly produced and and slow-going. Not this one, because really it's just a compilation of cool fluid dynamics phenomena, stitched together into a wonderful, mesmerizing three minute clip. More »

WSJ: The Next iPhone Will Have at Least a 4-Inch Screen [Rumors]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:49:50 EDT

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the next iPhone will have a display which measures "at least 4 inches diagonally." Quoting sources familiar with Apple's supply chain, they also suggest that production of the device is due to commence next month. More »

Why Apple's OS X Naming System Is Doomed [Humor]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:46:04 EDT

There is one big problem with themed naming schemes, and that's running out of good words. While OS X has had a good run, evolving from Cheetah, through Jaguar, Tiger, Leopards and—most recently—Lions, the future looks bleak. More »

HTC One X and Evo 4G LTE Indefinitely Delayed by Patent Issue [Htc]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:03:30 EDT

If you were looking forward to getting your hands on an HTC One X or Evo 4G LTE, you're in for a wait. Yesterday, it was announced that they'll be indefinitely delayed at US Customs for investigation of an Apple patent infringement. HTC explains: More »

The Overwhelming Android Sprawl, Visualized [Android]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:21:37 EDT

You've probably read about Android market fragmentation and wondered just how big a deal it is. This visualization spells out the problem tangentially: there are almost 4,000 unique Android devices out there running a single app available on Play. And only a very few of them run the most recent version. More »

Aaron Sorkin Officially Confirmed To Be Writing Steve Jobs Biopic [Steve Jobs]

Jamie Condliffe — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:33:33 EDT

There have been rumors floating around that Aaron Sorkin, of West Wing and Social Network fame, had been approached by Sony to write its Steve Jobs biopic. In a press release issued yesterday, it was officially announced that Sorkin will definitely be working on the project. More »