-
Tech NewsSamsungVerizon Signs Deal to Place the Saddest, Most Pathetic Bloatware on Samsung Devices [Updated]
In the latest chapter of Yahoo’s fall from grace, the once-prominent internet company has been relegated to the role of bloatware on millions of Android phones, thanks to a new advertising agreement between Verizon and Samsung. According to Reuters, the deal will load up Verizon Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ devices with a number of … Continued
By AJ Dellinger -
Tech NewsNews
Oakland Passes Nation’s Strongest Surveillance Technology Ordinance Yet
On Tuesday, Oakland passed a new ordinance regulating the use of surveillance devices by the city. While it’s not the first municipality in the nation to do so, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) are saying Oakland’s ordinance is the strongest one yet. The bill is scheduled for a … Continued
-
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Facebook’s New Tool Outs Phishing Sites Posing as ‘Secure’
Phishing attacks, which sucker unsuspecting users into clicking malicious links or giving up their login credentials, often rely on domain names that appear similar to a site they’re trying to imitate. For example, an attacker might register a domain like faceb00k[.]com and use it to steal users’ Facebook credentials. Unless a user is carefully examining … Continued
By Kate Conger -
Tech News
This Is the Longest Straight Path You Could Travel on Water Without Hitting Land
Back in 2012, a Reddit user posted a map claiming to show the longest straight line that could be traversed across the ocean without hitting land. Intrigued, a pair of computer scientists have developed an algorithm that corroborates the route, while also demonstrating the longest straight line that can be taken on land. The researchers, … Continued
-
Tech NewsNews
Ancient Artifacts Smuggled to the U.S. for Hobby Lobby Are Finally Returned to Iraq
Last year, it was revealed that thousands of ancient artifacts had been illegally smuggled out of Iraq for Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts store. It was one of the strangest stories of all time, but it now has a happy ending. Today, U.S. officials finally returned roughly 3,800 artifacts back to Iraq. The bizarre … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Toshiba Has a Plan to Extend Quantum Security to Record-Breaking Distances
Toshiba has devised a feasible new way to use the laws of quantum mechanics to send secure messages using present-day technology. Now it just has to build it. There are plenty of ways that companies and scientists are attempting to integrate the weird effects of quantum mechanics into everyday technology. One potential use is a … Continued
-
Tech News
Air National Guard C-130 Crashes in Georgia, Killing Five
An Air National Guard c-130 cargo plane on Wednesday crashed near Savannah, Georgia, killing at least five on board, authorities said. The plane was on a training mission when the accident occurred at roughly 11:30am local time. The Associated Press reported that between five and nine passengers were on board, reportedly National Guard members from … Continued
By Dell Cameron -
Tech NewsDesign
Kernit Is the Jim Henson-Inspired Typeface Muppet Fans Deserve
Why are there so many songs about rainbows, but so few typefaces that evoke the iconic pupils of Kermit the Frog? Thankfully for Muppet fans, we now have at least one: Kernit. Kernit is a loveably bizarre, psychedelic typeface available for free in two styles: bold and outline. According to its creators, the designers at … Continued
By Harri Weber -
Tech NewsNews
Cambridge Analytica Is Shutting Down [Updated]
On Wednesday, Cambridge Analytica employees learned that its parent company, the SCL Group, was shuttering the business, with American-based workers directed to return their keycards immediately, according to documentation reviewed by Gizmodo. The news was announced during a conference call led by Julian Wheatland, the current chairman of the SCL Group who was reportedly tapped … Continued
-
Tech NewsNews
Southwest Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Cleveland Due to Cracked Window
A Southwest Airlines flight traveling from Chicago to Newark, New Jersey, was forced to make an emergency landing in Cleveland today. The cause was reportedly a cracked window, an eerie reminder of the emergency landing last month when a Southwest engine exploded, breaking a window and killing a passenger. Photos posted to social media show … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech News
Stunning Discovery Shows Early Humans Were Hunting Rhinos in the Philippines Over 700,000 Years Ago
Our species, Homo sapiens, weren’t the first humans to leave Africa—not by a long shot. The remarkable discovery of a 709,000-year-old butchered rhino fossil in the Philippines shows that so-called archaic humans were romping around the islands of southeast Asia a full 400,000 years before our species even existed. That premodern humans had made their … Continued
-
Tech NewsNewsRiders Spent Two Hours Trapped On This Hanging Roller Coaster’s Tallest Hill
The only thing more terrifying than being stuck on a roller coaster, is being stuck at the highest part of the ride. And the only thing more terrifying than that is if it happens to be one of those coasters where you’re hanging upside down from a harness, leaving nothing but 98-feet of free-fall space between … Continued
-
Tech News
Major Bank Loses 12 Million Customers’ Data in the Most Embarrassing Way Possible
Just when you thought all data breaches amounted to hacker shenanigans, the largest bank in Australia has belatedly confirmed a different sort of breach story. BuzzFeed reports that the Commonwealth Bank lost 12 million customers’ data after magnetic tape backups containing their personal financial history from 2004 to 2014 went missing. It just lost them. … Continued
-
Tech NewsFacebook
Facebook Brings in Fake News Huckster to Conduct Conservative Bias Probe
Facebook’s consistent lack of transparency has helped fuel the pernicious notion that the company deliberately censors conservative views, and the problem has reached a boiling point. Now, the company is reportedly launching an internal probe of potential conservative bias and it will be led by a man who’s spread fake news that just won’t die. … Continued
By Rhett Jones -
Tech NewsNews
Facebook Fired the Security Engineer Accused of Abusing Their Access to Stalk Women Online
On Monday, Facebook said that it was investigating claims that one if its security engineers was using their data access privileges to stalk women online. Facebook confirmed to Gizmodo that the employee has been fired. “We are investigating this as a matter of urgency,” Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos told NBC News on Tuesday. … Continued
-
Tech NewsGadgetsThis Cheap Painting Technique Turns Walls Into Giant Touch Sensors
The walls of your house keep the roof up, give your family some privacy, and maybe provide a place to hang some art. But researchers at Disney and Carnegie Mellon University have come up with a way for walls to do more. A cheap paint treatment turns them into giant sensors, creating new ways to … Continued
-
Tech NewsNews
Hulu Is Finally Going to Let You Download Shows to Watch Offline
Hulu subscribers are soon going to be able to watch their favorite shows offline. On Wednesday Hulu announced that the streaming service has plans to offer a new, “ad-supported downloadable content experience” sometime “during the 2018-19 upfront season.” Subscribers will finally be able to watch programming without being tied to an internet connection, but Hulu … Continued
By David Turner -
Tech NewsGadgets
Nokia Screws Up Again, Sells Withings Back to Its Co-founder
Another day, another company snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This time it’s Nokia, as the company has decided to sell its health division— formerly known as Withings—which it purchased for $191 million in 2016. The sale itself seemed inevitable, and its price undisclosed, but its buyer is a huge surprise: the original co-founder … Continued
-
Tech NewsSploid
How Can This Spinning Arrow That Always Points Right Actually Exist?
Mathematician Kokichi Sugihara, of Meiji University in Japan, once again proves he’s the greatest illusion inventor of our time. Instead of just creating mind-melting images, he creates real-life 3D objects that appear to ignore the laws of our universe. How can this arrow, that perpetually points right, no matter how you turn it, actually exist? … Continued
-
Tech NewsGadgetsLG’s G7 ThinQ Challenges the Best Android Phones With a Bag of Clever Tricks
LG Mobile is in a rut. Over the last two and a half years, its smartphone division has posted losses totaling over $1.5 billion, and a big reason for the company’s struggles has been poor sales of its flagship phones. When you look back to 2016, the LG G5 was doomed from the start. It … Continued