Gizmodo

In a perfect world, no one would need to decide whether they should watch HBO’s smash hit Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon or Prime Video’s lavish Lord of the Rings prequel, The Rings of Power. However, it is not a perfect world, and there’s no doubt in my mind that only one of these series is going to…Read more...

Japan, a country known for advancing some of the world’s most innovative and quirky tech, is preparing to launch an all out “war” against the humble floppy disk.Read more...

An eastern European hacktivist group claims to have hacked the passport information of every single person in Belarus, including its autocratic leader, Alexander Lukashenko, who has referred to himself as the “last dictator of Europe.” After allegedly stealing the data last summer, the gang, the Belarusian Cyber…Read more...

This is why we can’t have nice things: Security analytics firm Securonix has revealed that hackers have nefariously hidden malware code in a copy of an image from the Webb Space Telescope as part of a broader hacking campaign.

Welcome back to io9's monthly Nerd’s Watch, where we pare down the enormous lists of new films and television shows arriving on all your favorite streaming services into the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror titles we think you’ll like most.Read more...

The main end credits scene for Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness is already incredible epic. It reveals a brand new hero named Clea, played by Charlize Theron, who takes Strange on what we can only imagine is yet another multiverse adventure. But, in the film’s very early stages, there was an even bigger…Read more...

Yes, it’s still August—but Halloween is already in the air at Universal Studios Hollywood. Recently io9 was invited to a “lights-on” (not operating at full spooky capacity) tour of two of the theme park’s Halloween Horror Nights attractions: “The Horrors of Blumhouse,” featuring The Black Phone and Freaky, and “The…Read more...

Logitech has a new cloud-based gaming handheld in the works, and while the company seems to be reluctant to share details, a leaker has gotten his hands on a few images. What they show is that unlike many devices in the burgeoning handheld market, this streaming console seems like it is trying to offer users multiple…Read more...

The Food and Drug Administration has signed off on the next iteration of covid-19 booster vaccines. On Wednesday, the agency authorized updated versions of the shots developed by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, which are meant to offer better protection against the more-contagious Omicron variants of the coronavirus.…Read more...

The Taliban wants to expand high-speed internet connectivity in Afghanistan despite a history of online censorship and internet blackouts to thwart protests against the militant group.Read more...

A cabin full of Southwest Airlines passengers recently tried to recreate a scene from Snakes on a Plane IRL, except they replaced the snakes with unwanted dick pics.

“Oh bother” just got a whole new meaning. A new movie called Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey makes use of the fact the famous literary character now lives in the public domain and turns him into something not a plump, lovable yellow bear whose head gets stuck in a honey jar. No, this Pooh is a killer. And he’s coming…Read more...

As droughts continue to sweep across the United States, Texas is in a precarious position. The state’s incredibly dry conditions are taking a toll on its cotton crop—a major export for the state—and some experts are worried about what this could mean for the Texas economy.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, the first mainline Gundam series since 2016, won’t properly start until October. But if you want to know what to expect beyond the short glimpses we’ve had already, you’re in for a treat: a new prequel episode just dropped online.

Critically acclaimed adult animation Harley Quinn has been officially renewed for a fourth season, announced HBO Max. Sarah Peters, a writer who has been working with the series since its first season, has been promoted to executive producer and will act as the showrunner for the next season.Read more...

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Jackson, Mississippi is facing down a multifaceted water crisis days after severe flooding from the Pearl River this past weekend rendered much of the city without running or drinkable water.Read more...

NASA’s mission management team has made the decision to re-attempt a launch of the Artemis 1 Mission’s Space Launch System on Saturday afternoon, saying a faulty sensor was to blame for the scrub this past Monday.Read more...

What would you do if a company accidentally sent you millions in dollars you never asked for? Well, Australia-based news outlet 7News reported Tuesday that Crypto.com, one of the most high-profile crypto platforms in the world, had made an extremely expensive whoopsie last year after a woman living in Melbourne,…Read more...

Here’s the long and short of it, or Ent and Hobbit of it if you’re already packing your bags to be whisked off to Middle-earth again: The Rings of Power is The Lord of the Rings through and through. It looks incredible, it bursts with hope, and, above all, it’s very long and takes a bit of time getting going.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Doctor Strange’s Xochitl Gomez are teaming up for a new sci-fi project. The cast of Disney’s Pinocchio remake talk up the film’s legacy. The Orphan Black spinoff adds another major star. Plus, a new look at Kamen Rider: Black Sun. Spoilers, away!

The tech layoffs continue, and employees at Snap are reportedly the latest unfortunate victims.Read more...

August 2022 was an expensive month for tech companies. While the industry as a whole continues to reel from a major tech downturn, Meta, Snap, and TikTok all agreed to pay out settlements to put to rest lingering privacy lawsuits. Combined, those payouts total well over $100 million dollars.Read more...

The first thing you notice is the hideous carpet. You could probably spill a whole pot of coffee on it and no one would notice. Next you’re wondering what that weird handle on the wall is for.Read more...

Jim Cramer, the TV clown your grandpa watches when he can’t find the remote, had some horrifying news for viewers of his CNBC program Mad Money on Tuesday. Apparently, there are people on TV who are over-hyping crypto, according to Cramer. Yes, you read that correctly.

Forced to leave her young son behind in Senegal to build a better life, a woman takes a job caring for the daughter of a rich New York City family. But there’s no American dream present in The Nanny, the first horror film to win the Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Grand Jury Prize. A new trailer is here to rattle your…Read more...

Pop culture’s next journey into Middle-earth is almost upon us, in the form of Prime Video series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. At a recent press day for the series, io9 talked to showrunners JD Payne and Patrick McKay and executive producer Lindsey Weber about diving back into J.R.R. Tolkien’s world—and…Read more...

Today’s kids, more online than any generation before, are paradoxically beset by a digital world that isn’t the most kid-friendly. From creeps to depression-spurring algorithms to cyberbullying, experts often link web use to skyrocketing mental health issues in young people.Read more...

A Texas resident has died with monkeypox, local health officials reported Tuesday—seemingly the first death linked to the emerging viral disease ever documented in the U.S. The person reportedly had preexisting health issues, and officials are still investigating the extent to which the infection may have contributed…Read more...

When the first full trailer for Netflix’s anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners arrived at the beginning of the month, my colleague Linda Codega bemoaned how little the plot was revealed in the trailer. And yet, this new and NSFW trailer for the series, based on the world of the Cyberpunk 2077 video game, manages to…Read more...

A Google worker who spent nearly a decade at the company claims she’s being forced to resign for speaking critically of the company’s secretive $1.2 billion cloud project with the Israeli government.Read more...

A software engineer spent two years designing a machine learning system to log her cat’s pooping habits, and it involved sensors, an infrared camera, a Raspberry Pi, and about 50,000 pictures of cat poop. The engineer, a YouTuber who goes by Estefanni, posted a video to her channel this week detailing the process of…Read more...

Ubers are an integral part of our transportation arsenal, whether we like it or not. The ride-share company announced today the overhaul of its safety toolkit, which now includes the ability to contact an ADT operator and text 911.

Grab those Reese’s Pieces, your bicycle, and get ready to fly. This week, a brand new book diving into the making of Steven Spielberg’s beloved E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is being released. Written by Caseen Gaines, with a foreword by star Drew Barrymore and introduction by producer Kathleen Kennedy, E.T. the…Read more...

Imagine me, bright eyed like a kid on Christmas, ripping open the box to my brand new PlayStation 5 earlier this year. Out of the box, I felt its weight and thought it heavy, even then. I let it stand alone while I fiddled with the cables. In an instant, the $500 I just spent fell like a loose brick off the table I…Read more...

Over 100 black vultures were found dead on the Sussex Branch Trail in Lafayette, Sussex County, New Jersey. The deaths have apparently been occurring since early August, and avian influenza (also known as bird flu) was the confirmed cause of death.Read more...

On Monday, NASA failed in its first attempt to launch the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, with engineers struggling to resolve an engine cooling issue. It’s a wholly unsurprising result, given that NASA was unable to complete a single wet dress rehearsal, of which four were attempted earlier in the year. The space agency…Read more...

Another day, another Mighty Morphin’ merchandise push. Power Rangers will likely never escape the shadow of its very first iteration, especially when it comes to toys, but Hasbro’s latest attempts to offer fans something it’s been trying to do for a while: a classic Megazord toy that’s worthy of being the heart of a…Read more...

English actor Ben Kingsley has portrayed the bumbling, down-on-his-luck theater wannabe Trevor Slattery since 2013's Iron Man 3. He came back into the MCU recently with an appearance in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Now, it seems like he will reprise his role for the Marvel television series Wonder Man, …Read more...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a lot of us are spending a lot more time peering into webcams than we once did, as well as looking at video from other people’s webcams on our own screens. Video calling and conferencing is now an accepted norm rather than an occasional oddity, and for the sake of your…Read more...

After bombarding people’s feeds with unwanted content, Instagram has realized its mistake. The social media platform is testing out ways for users to have more control over what pops up on their Explore page and regular feed by informing the app on what they don’t want to see.Read more...

Tesla CEO and remorseful Twitter buyer Elon Musk is seizing on the explosive whistleblower complaint lodged against Twitter by its former head of security in an attempt to strengthen the case he’s making to walk away from his $44 billion deal to purchase the social media network.Read more...

Earlier this year, the Voyager 1 spacecraft—over 14 billion miles from Earth—started sending NASA some wacky data. Now, engineers with the space agency have identified and solved the issue, and no, it wasn’t aliens.Read more...

A character appears in the trailer for Nope that didn’t make it into the final cut of the film. This isn’t unusual; trailers aren’t what gets shown in theaters, and there’s always time to edit—choosing different cuts, takes, or even plotlines in between the trailer and the premiere. But eagle-eyed fans of Jordan…Read more...

A town in New Mexico is facing a triple punch of climate impacts from wildfire, drought, and intense rainfall. The city of Las Vegas, New Mexico is set to run out of drinking water in September, thanks to pollution and debris from the largest wildfire in state history.Read more...

Even though it’s been months since Truth Social went on the market, Google has still not let the hoards of Trump supporters download their favorite former president’s app off its app store. Finally, the company has revealed that Truth has so far failed to come up with a content moderation policy that will satisfy the…Read more...

Last week, California became the first state to officially announce the phase-out of gas-powered cars in order to significantly lower emissions by the middle of this century. Since then, officials in Washington state and Massachusetts have announced their own similar plans, also citing the need to lower emissions.Read more...

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Was the sight of the three cinematic Spider-Men recreating the much-beloved pointing meme from the classic 1967 Spider-Man cartoon responsible for Spider-Man: No Way Home’s massive success and $1.9 billion box office? No, absolutely not. But it was likely enough to make Iron Studios realize that people would very…Read more...

Rian Johnson, while promoting his new Knives Out movie, was asked a few questions about his divisive middle installment in the most recent Star Wars trilogy. According to Empire, Johnson isn’t bothered by the backlash or even any anger regarding 2017's The Last Jedi. “I’m even more proud of it five years on,” he said…Read more...