Gizmodo

Welcome to the first Lifehacker tech-advice column of 2019! This week’s question from Lifehacker reader Mike is something that many of us have had to deal with at one point in our lives: the irritating balance between technology, one’s personal life, and the demands of one’s professional life.Read more...

At $23 (with promo code 1549VL86), this smart power strip costs about as much as a standard smart plug, but it includes four smart AC outlets that you can control individually with your smartphone or Alexa, plus four USB ports too (though you can only control them as a set).

This time of year, it’s probably dark already by the time you get home from work. But without any wiring to futz with, Mpow’s solar-powered, motion-sensing spotlights are the easiest way to illuminate your front porch or lawn, and you can get four of them for just $25 today with promo code XOSQRKS2. That could be one…Read more...

Science fiction writers are professional future-dreamers, imagining worlds far beyond their own. With technology advancing at astronomical rates, real life feels more and more like sci-fi every day (for better or worse). So it’s fun to look back at those writers who, decades and even centuries ago, imagined what life…Read more...

Unless you spent 2018 living in a cave (which would be 100 percent justified given the political climate) you’ve undoubtedly heard the buzz around the new 5G wireless networks coming online. They not only promise faster internet speeds for mobile devices but wireless internet that’s actually fast enough to completely…Read more...

The war against Brazil’s indigenous people has begun. Far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro wasted no time his first two days in office, signing a decree Wednesday that hands over power to designate indigenous lands to the Ministry of Agriculture, a move that could have repercussions for the country’s 690…Read more...

Chinese technology company Huawei sent out a tweet over the New Year’s holiday wishing everyone a happy 2019. But many social media users noticed that the tweet had been sent from an iPhone. Why does that matter? The iPhone is made by Huawei’s American competitor Apple, and now there are reports that the employees who…Read more...

The World Bank has released its annual World Development Report, and the headline news this go round, as relayed by Bloomberg and others, is basically that “Robots Aren’t Killing Jobs.” Which, good news, if true.

A method a pair of hackers used this week to hijack thousands of Google Chromecast devices is now, for those who hadn’t figured it out already, plain as day.

Medical crowdfunding has become a billion-dollar industry practically overnight, led by sites like GoFundMe. But yet another new study shows a dark side of the trend: Millions of dollars funneled to ludicrous, unscientific treatments for life-threatening diseases like cancer. Tragically, the study also found that many…Read more...

The president today wandered into a surprise White House press briefing already attended by border security suits to restate that he is, among other things, an expert on drone technology.Read more...

Phones with bendable screens are coming whether you like it or not.

The deserts of the southwestern United States have a spare, ethereal beauty, and it turns out a light dusting of snow only cranks up the enchantment.

Introducing Hyloscirtus hillisi, a species of treefrog recently discovered in the eastern Andes of Ecuador. Among its many distinguishing features is an enlarged claw, the purpose of which isn’t immediately clear.Read more...

We see a lot of deals around the web over on Kinja Deals, but these were our ten favorites today.Read more...

Online harassment has existed for as long as online has existed, and as access speeds up and expands, it’s only getting worse and more nuanced. A newly released report from the Digital Rights Foundation, a feminist nonprofit in Pakistan focused on digital freedom, spotlights timely data collected on harassment in the…Read more...

If you suddenly find yourself in need of extra Switch controllers for your Super Smash Bros. parties, PowerA’s enhanced wireless controller is down to $40 on Amazon right now, an all-time low.

Scientists genetically modified plants in order to give a huge boost to photosynthesis, hoping to one day improve the yield of food crops like rice and wheat, according to a new paper.Read more...

In the not-too-distant future, it will be possible to get a complete readout of a person’s genetics with ease, even right after they’re born. A new study published Thursday offers a glimpse of what that future could look, suggesting many children are born with genetic conditions that can’t be found with current…Read more...

Star Trek: Short Treks has so far been the perfect way to while away the time until Discovery’s return in a few weeks. Tonight, “The Escape Artist,” the fourth and final minisode in the series, shines a spotlight on the infamous Harcourt Fenton Mudd—and to learn more, we spoke to Mudd himself, Rainn Wilson.

With its high price, outdated specs, lackluster holographic screen, and absent mod support, Red’s Hydrogen One may have been the biggest smartphone flop of 2018. However, on the last day of the year, Red teased that something could be coming in 2019 that could potentially redeem the over-hyped handset.Read more...

Vivid new satellite photos of Anak Krakatau are providing our first cloud-free glimpse of the island volcano that triggered a devastating tsunami in Indonesia late last month. As the photos show, a gaping lagoon now appears where a 1,115-foot-high volcanic mountain once stood.

On Wednesday, Tim Cook issued a dire, surprising, and historic warning to his company’s investors. Apple, the world’s first trillion dollar company, would be lowering its revenue forecast for the first time since 2002, thanks in part to bad iPhone sales and China (basically). But wait, you’re thinking, what the hell…Read more...

The day after Christmas, Amazon celebrated its own annual holiday tradition: announcing record-breaking sales in a very long press release that affirms its status as the largest retailer in the known universe. As such, Jeff Bezos’s Big Store said that in 2018, it surpassed its own sales records with “More Items…Read more...

While performing its 17th flyby of Jupiter, NASA’s Juno spacecraft witnessed a volcanic plume erupting from the surface of Io, the most geologically active of the gas giant’s 79 known moons.Read more...

Apple incorporated 42 years ago today, and it’s celebrating with a flash crash.Read more...

Riders of Dublin’s tram system Luas will have to navigate their commute without the aid of the service’s website on Thursday. The site is down following a hack by someone who mostly appears to be worried about calling attention to security holes.Read more...

In the 1940s, as the Italian Jesuit priest Father Roberto Busa studied “the verbal system” of Thomas Aquinas, he wondered if, perhaps, there was “any gadget” that could help him develop a concordance—an alphabetical listing of all words written by the 13th century philosopher saint, complete with conjunctions,…Read more...

Thieves in Italy managed to get away with over $2 million after orchestrating an absurd, Fast and Furious-esque heist involving burning semi-trucks and backhoes ripping the roof off an armored van, Reuters and a number of Italian news sites write. Here’s a look at what reportedly happened in this wild Italian Job.

ESSEX, NEW YORK—I’m standing with John Davis in front of his grave. It was the very first grave he dug three years ago in the firm soil of the Adirondacks in a place known as Spirit Sanctuary. He had planned to be buried on his land, but he became so enamored with this exact spot, tucked among willows and behind a…Read more...

Many hardcore Walt Disney World fans were heartbroken over the holiday season as reports spread about the theft of a retired audio-animatronic character who once brought joy to millions as a part of an Epcot attraction.

The Jacob’s Ladder remake has lost its release date. Alex Kurtzman talks the psyche of Spock. Robin Lord Taylor hopes for a monstrous end with Gotham’s Penguin. Plus, new stills from Captain Marvel, what’s to come on Riverdale and The Flash, and new footage from The Kid Who Would Be King. Spoilers now!

Need more space to backup your photos or store console games? This 2TB portable drive from WD is just $60 today, which is the best price we’ve seen on this drive since last summer.

The Wound Man (or Man of Wounds, depending on how you translate Fasciculus medicinae, the 1491 medical treatise in which his image first appears) is one of the most well-known medieval surgical diagrams going. It’s up there with da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (né 1490) but is far less aesthetically pleasing than what…Read more...

Apple’s AirPods paved the way for decent wireless earbuds, but the lump of white plastic that serves as their charging case leaves something to be aesthetically desired. Limited battery life means you’ll have to carry some way to recharge wireless earbuds, though, and Klipsch is seriously wooing me with a battery case…Read more...

An account posing as PayPal used a paid promotion on Twitter to bait users into sharing their personal information under the guise that they were entering an end-of-year contest, The Next Web reported this week.

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) has landed the Chang’e 4 lunar probe on the far side of the Moon, Chinese media reported on Wednesday night (Eastern Time)—marking the first time that any known spacecraft has made a soft landing on the Moon’s more distant half.

As data breaches and privacy concerns become a frighteningly common feature of our digital world, it’s increasingly important that we think critically about the kinds of apps with which we share our information. A new report from the Wall Street Journal finds that a popular weather app has been asking users for an…Read more...

The newly elected House of Representatives will meet for the first time later this week. When they do, it seems North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District seat will be empty. The state’s 9th District election remains undecided, with allegations of election fraud marring the close race between Republican Mark Harris…Read more...

Hackers have discovered a bug that allows attackers to seize control of Google’s Chromecast media streaming player, making it possible to force the device into “playing any YouTube video they want—including videos that are custom-made,” TechCrunch reported on Wednesday.

In the latest enforcement of a recently adopted policy against the distribution of hacked materials, Twitter has moved to vanquish the account of a hacking group believed to have pilfered thousands of documents from an American law firm that litigated insurance claims stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist…Read more...

A little boy obsessed with space travel suddenly sees exactly what he requires to make that longed-for journey: a coin-operated rocket ship ride sitting in front of a grocery store. Of course, those rickety things can’t really fly—or can they?Read more...

The FBI now has a not-at-all-dystopian unit to combat “media leak threats,” according to new documents obtained by The Young Turks. The documents were partially declassified thanks to a FOIA request.

Remember when we first saw images of the Millennium Falcon in Solo: A Star Wars Story? Everyone freaked out because it looked so different from the Falcon of the past. But, of course, there was a plan in place for how that Falcon, owned by Lando Calrissian, would turn into the one we knew from when it was owned by Han…Read more...

The Root Man Attacks Black Female McDonald’s Worker, Receives Large Surprise Order of ‘That Smoke’ | The A.V. Club Pete Davidson speaks on “Thank U, Next,” slams Louis C.K. in first stand-up show since suicide scare | The Concourse That Is Definitely Not How You Pronounce That Name | Splinter Trump’s First Cabinet…Read more...

Tim Cook just issued a very curious warning: Apple is lowering its revenue guidance for the first quarter of 2019. In other words, Apple is not going to make as much money as it had previously anticipated, and it’s kind of China’s fault. How bad is the damage, you wonder? Apple now expects to earn just $84 billion in…Read more...

With their elongated bills and specially adapted tongues, hummingbirds are built to extract nectar from flowers. As new research shows, however, some hummingbirds from South America have evolved beaks designed to poke, prod, and pinch—at the expense of feeding proficiency.

I’ve lost count of how many times net neutrality has “died” in the last year, but the last long-shot effort to override the FCC’s 2017 decision is now officially dead in the water. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai knows that this milestone is huge, and he’s using the opportunity to dance on the internet’s grave.Read more...

The excitement around NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft arriving at its latest target, an oddly shaped object called (486958) 2014 MU69, has dredged up a fact that often goes unstated—the object’s nickname, “Ultima Thule,” carries links to Nazism.Read more...

The New Horizons team has released the first high-resolution images of (486958) 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule, the furthest object ever explored by a spacecraft.