Gizmodo

Have a plan to track and predict the behavior of ex-cons using artificial intelligence? The U.S. Department of Justice is all ears.

A real-world experiment in Berkeley, California might help settle the debate over whether taxing sugary soft drinks can make people healthier. A new study found that the drinking habits of Berkeley residents got better and stayed better over the three years after a 2014 soda tax was passed. Residents not only drank…Read more...

Yes, 5G is coming, but it’s definitely not here yet. Brazilian carrier Claro seems to by trying to get around that pesky fact with a sneaky “4.5G” marketing campaign that could result in fines for misleading advertising.Read more...

A team of particle physicists wanted “to unveil the deepest secrets of the Universe—and of Swedish cuisine.” So, naturally, they built a Swedish meatball collider.Read more...

Facebook’s Onavo VPN app has been dying a slow death since it was exposed as a clandestine data collection monster last year. The app was pulled from the iOS app store for violating Apple’s rules and now Facebook has voluntarily decided to remove it from Google Play. At the very least, the move seems to signal that…Read more...

You’re probably spending more than you think on monthly subscription services—music streaming, cloud storage, video libraries, software packages... the list goes on and on. Add them all up and you might be talking about a substantial chunk of money going out on a regular basis. Here’s how to start cutting back.

Israel has taken an important first step to the Moon following the launch of its privately-built Beresheet lunar lander, which entered space late yesterday aboard a SpaceX rocket.

Yesterday morning, news went viral that PepsiCo was spending $2.5 billion on a plan to restructure the company that involved laying off an untold number of its workers. It was probably the phrase “relentlessly automating,” which Business Insider threw in the headline, that did the trick. Pepsi’s new CEO, Ramon…Read more...

Another of Greg Rucka’s comic books is getting the adaptation treatment. Lindsay Lohan is a werewolf or something. Arrow’s Birds of Prey-inspired episode gets a familiar guest star and a behind-the-scenes look at Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene. Plus what’s coming up on The Flash, Supernatural, and more. Spoilers…Read more...

Despite the less than subtle messages in the Lego movies, sometimes it’s totally okay to follow your highly-sophisticated interlocking brick system’s building instructions. Case in point: Lego’s new Creator Expert series 1960s-era Ford Mustang model which does a remarkably good job at recreating the curves of a…Read more...

If you own a modern laptop with USB-C ports—like, say, one of these MacBooks—you’re probably going to need an adapter like this one to plug stuff in, at least for awhile. Clip the 5% coupon and use promo code KINJAXLD at checkout to get it for just $28, which is a stellar price for one of these.

Apple’s HomePod is a lot more attractive now that AirPlay 2 is out, and you can get a refurb from Woot for $235 today, a big down drop from the usual $349. This is one of the cheapest we’ve seen this particular unit, about $5 off the lowest we’ve ever seen. (There’s a 90-day Woot Limited Warranty, too.)Read more...

Amid reports that a pervasive network of pedophiles is operating in the comments of YouTube videos of children, several major companies have paused their ad campaigns. AT&T and toy maker Hasbro have now become the latest advertisers to follow suit, CNBC reported Thursday.

Despite the fallout earlier this month over alleged “tip theft” on the part of Instacart, DoorDash is defending its own policy of using worker tips to supplement their base wage. If this sounds slimy, it is. It’s also a good reason to always tip in cash.

Star Trek might be the ultimate nerdy franchise not because it’s about space exploration, spaceships, and science, but because really, it’s a TV series about a group of people who really love rules. And they love them because those rules bring with them a bountiful, idealistic utopian society. But lately, no one a…Read more...

After all, it does surround us and penetrate us. It binds the galaxy together. So it stands to reason that if you took every Star Wars live-action film’s namedrop of the mystical energy field and put it in one video, you’d hear “The Force” so often it loses any and all meaning.

The Japanese Hayabusa2 spacecraft has completed one of its most exciting challenges yet: On Thursday evening, it touched down on the asteroid Ryugu, fired a tantalum bullet into the rocky surface, and ascended back into orbit around the tiny world, according to updates from the mission’s English-language Twitter…Read more...

We’ll now get a chance to see China’s science fiction smash, The Wandering Earth, based on a short story by Hugo-winning author Liu Cixin. Netflix has announced it’s acquired the film, bringing the country’s first sci-fi blockbuster to audiences around the world.Read more...

What if I told you Facebook allowed advertisers to target users who were interested in Nazis?Read more...

The U.S. is in the middle of a devastating drug overdose crisis, one led by opioid-related deaths. But new research out of the University of Southern California highlights just how historically awful the situation really is. It found that the drug overdose mortality in America has shot clear past any similarly wealthy…Read more...

Last January, Hawaiians got the scare of a lifetime when they woke up to emergency alerts on their phones advising them to seek shelter due to an imminent ballistic missile threat. Thirty-eight minutes later it was revealed to be a goof. Now, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a report…Read more...

Accepting medical help in this country is often no easy task, especially given rising health care costs. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that plenty of people in need of emergency care first turn to Dr. Google for advice, according to a new study out Thursday.Read more...

The Ricoh GR II is a cult favorite—A tiny pocketable point-and-shoot camera with a big APS-C crop sensor and a fine 18.3mm f/2.8 fixed lens. While Sony dominates the point-and-shoot field with its versatile RX100 series, the GR II has been a minimalist alternative built for photographers who want to take a step back…Read more...

I don’t remember when or where I was first stung by a bee. What I remember is the pain.

After months of backlash, Google has agreed to end arbitration agreements in its employee contracts beginning March 21.Read more...

“This is just the beginning of what I’m sure will be somewhat of a long fight,” New York State Senator Jessica Ramos said addressing a small press gaggle on Thursday morning. Until recently that statement might have been a reference to the ugly and highly public fight to renegotiate Amazon’s disastrous HQ2 deal.…Read more...

Dramatic dried-up river channels over a mile wide and 650 feet deep have been detected on Mars, showcasing how the Red Planet once hosted liquid water at its surface.

Reggie Fils-Aimé, the President of Nintendo for the past 13 years, has officially announced his retirement. He’s being replaced by the most perfectly-named man for the job: Doug Bowser. Times are hard in the Koopa Kingdom, I guess!Read more...

In a deal that made few ripples outside the energy industry, two very large but relatively obscure companies, Rockwell Automation and Schlumberger Limited, announced a joint venture called Sensia. The new company will “sell equipment and services to advance digital technology and automation in the oilfield,” according…Read more...

Solidified lava from ancient volcanoes, over a mile thick, covers a portion of west-central India nearly the size of Texas. Contained in the dramatic and craggy striped rock are secrets scientists are only beginning to uncover—secrets that could partially rewrite the story of the dinosaur mass extinction 66 million…Read more...

Smartphones have been boring for years. They’re just glass rectangles that connect to the internet and take photos. When you rub on the screen, you can do other stuff like text your friends or play music. New smartphones are increasingly bigger and slicker than their predecessors, but really, they all do the same…Read more...

I don’t know how to live in a world where RoboCop is selling fried chicken.

Millions of records that the FCC’s top lawyer once fought to hold back from state law enforcement officials now serve as key evidence in a year-long probe into cases of Americans being impersonated during the agency’s latest net neutrality proceeding. Analysis of the data would lead investigators last fall to…Read more...

A species of large tortoise not seen since 1906 has been rediscovered on a remote part of the Galápagos Islands, kindling efforts to conserve the critically endangered animal.Read more...

Almost a year ago, UK members of parliament asked Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to testify in person about how Facebook handles data privacy and online misinformation. And like Neo dodging bullets in The Matrix, Zuckerberg has repeatedly wriggled his way out of it, opting to send lackeys in his place. But it seems like…Read more...

A black, thumb-sized missile sails through the jungle air, a thunderous buzzing announcing its arrival. The massive insect lands heavily on a tree-bound termite nest, taking a moment to fold its brassy wings and stretch its humongous, curved jaws. This is Wallace’s giant bee, the beefiest and bumbliest bee on Earth.…Read more...

Sometimes a leader comes along who inspires us to push harder, go farther, and dream big. On Thursday, President Donald J. Trump tried to become that kind of leader, calling on Americans to develop “6G” technology. We think. The message wasn’t particularly clear. We’re all working through it.Read more...

On a sunny morning in early 2000, Joseph Matheny woke up to find conspiracy theorists camped out on his lawn again. He was making coffee when he noticed a face peering in a ground-floor window of the small, three-story building he rented in Santa Cruz. Past the peeper, there were three other men in their early 20s…Read more...

Happy Death Day writer Scott Lobdell’s next project is both a movie and a comic book. One of the new Alien TV shows in the works could be an animated series. The American adaptation of Utopia casts a Star Trek: Discovery star. Plus, a return to Oz is heading to TV, and what’s to come on Doom Patrol. Spoilers, away!Read more...

Let me be up front about this: Neither of these FireTV sets should be your main TV. These 32" Toshiba and Insignia models should be a secondary, or more appropriately, a tertiary set.Read more...

Listen up, Edifier makes some of the best audio equipment on the market. And right now, Amazon is discounting the R2000DB Bookshelf Speaker to just $200.Read more...

Wow, technology. Papal apps. Speculative e-currency that sucks up as much energy as a small country. Shopping carts that spy on you. And now, a pair of $350, motor-and-gear-train-packed Nikes that link up with an app to control their fit... and that you can reportedly “brick” by connecting them to an Android.

Donald Trump’s administration is assembling a panel to determine whether climate change—which scientific experts broadly agree poses an existential threat to the safety and well-being of the world’s population and is caused by human emissions of greenhouse gases—is really a threat to national security. According to…Read more...

Just a day after its launch, a Kickstarter to painstakingly edit the infamous rat out of a 35mm cut of Martin Scorsese’s 2006 Oscar-winning crime drama The Departed exceeded its crowdfunding goal of $4,000. But if you’d like to see what this might look like prior to the debut of the 35mm revision, Twitter has…Read more...

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is fond of suggesting that all the criticism of his globe-spanning social media empire comes from either the misinformed or the malicious. In fact, Facebook is really all about protecting the privacy of its users! That’s the line he took in a Wednesday interview with Harvard Law Professor…Read more...

Companies are pulling their advertising campaigns from YouTube amid reports that a network of pedophiles is openly operating in the comments sections of videos of young children, Bloomberg reported Wednesday. Disney and Nestlé are among those who have reportedly yanked spending after a YouTube video surfaced the…Read more...

Those of us who have them know that pets are basically like best friends who are guaranteed to never desert you, and will always do their best to make you feel better when times are rough. That’s a big part of what makes it difficult to see people who abuse animals.Read more...

Last week, Captain Marvel’s official site went live in all of its ’90s glory, but one of the most interesting things about the page is something you might have missed.Read more...

On Tuesday, a lawsuit seeking class-action status was filed on behalf of prisoners who accuse the Florida Department of Corrections of ripping off inmates by selling them digital media players and MP3s that they were assured they’d be able to keep for life. When the FDOC ended its contract with the device providers,…Read more...

After months of waiting, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is official. Is its fatal flaw already apparent?