Gizmodo

The cutely designed microsite Reichenbergerstr 121 simulates office noise—handy if you’re working from home and you miss the sounds of working in an office, or coffee shop, or anywhere where other humans work alongside you.

Nearly 1,000 years ago, a megadrought ravaged the southwestern U.S., swiftly wiping out a thriving indigenous culture and rendering once-arid land unusable. Scientists have long warned that the climate crisis may trigger another megadrought. And according to a new study, that megadrought isn’t just on its way—it’s…Read more...

I don’t normally go for gaming keyboards with fancy shapes, but there’s something sleek and dangerous about Kaliber Gaming’s HVER Pro X optical-mechanical gaming keyboard. It’s probably the jagged sheet of aluminum screwed atop its otherwise unassuming plastic frame.Read more...

I am a freak.

For years, a dedicated team of experts has manually sifted through troves of rejected Kepler data in hopes of finding something the computers had missed—an exercise that has resulted in the discovery of what is now arguably the most Earth-like planet known to astronomers.

If there was any piece of entertainment that no one expected to be a foreteller of the future, it was Demolition Man. However, the 1993 sci-fi action comedy predicted everything from corporate conglomerates to smoking bans—and now, social distancing. In a new interview, writer Daniel Waters said he’s just as surprised…Read more...

The U.S. is already facing a flooding crisis as sea-level rise pushes tides ever higher. But it’s only going to get worse with flood risk doubling every five years in the coming decades, according to a new study. That means floods that used to happen once in a person’s lifetime occur every year or even every day.Read more...

We’d be excited for the return of What We Do in the Shadows no matter what. But given the bleak state of the world, getting reacquainted with the show’s awkwardly hilarious vampire roommates felt like an especially welcome distraction. Last night’s two-episode season two premiere reminded us of everything we love…Read more...

While the Galaxy S20 Ultra that’s on sale in the U.S. uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chip, overseas in regions where the Galaxy S20 Ultra features an Exynos chip, users are complaining that they’ve encountered a number of big problems with Samsung’s $1,400 super-premium flagship phone.Read more...

This is Sick Days, a series documenting how jobs are changing during the coronavirus pandemic, as told by workers themselves. This week, we hear from healthcare workers, film industry professionals, a caterer, and more. If you’d like to submit a story, use this Google form and provide as much detail as you’re able;…Read more...

On Thursday, Shell released a pledge and rough plan to shrink its carbon footprint to net-zero by 2050 in an attempt to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.Read more...

Beats Solo 3 Headphones | $170 | Daily StealsRead more...

Apple’s no stranger to the audio space, but it would appear the company is now gearing up to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Bose and Sony. The next headphones from the company, according to a Bloomberg report, might be some fancy over-ear wireless headphones featuring swappable parts.Read more...

Apple’s efforts to reposition the iPad as a laptop alternative continue with its new Magic Keyboard accessory that includes a touchpad. Yet it’s only designed to work with the pricey iPad Pro models. However, iPadOS cursor support extends to cheaper tablets so Logitech has stepped up with its own trackpad-equipped…Read more...

This morning Lenovo announced a hefty overhaul to its gaming lineup. Which isn’t surprising. Everyone is refreshing their gaming laptops after new CPUs and GPUs were announced recently by Intel and Nvidia respectively. However, with a starting price of $730 Lenovo seems to be offering some of the most affordable…Read more...

These are strange times we’re living through—times when many of us are spending more time at home, and that includes the kids. If you’ve got younger children stuck indoors for longer than would normally be the case, we’ve picked out a bunch of online resources for you to point them towards. All you need is a web…Read more...

Anker Powerwave 7.5 Wireless Car Charger | $30 | Amazon | USe code AKA25512

Police in New Jersey found 17 corpses at a nursing home in the town of Andover on Monday, according to a new report from the New York Times. The bleak news serves as a devastating reminder that the coronavirus pandemic is still wreaking havoc on the country’s most vulnerable people, despite calls from many Republicans…Read more...

Amazon will temporarily shut down in France after a court there ruled it had to stop delivering all products outside of food, medicine, and hygienic categories because of poor safety conditions at its warehouses during the coronavirus pandemic, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.

A small light in these peculiar times, for Doctor Who fans at least, has been the outpouring of fiction from writers from across the series’ recent history, detailing bite-sized adventures to distract us from the realities of our own wanderings in the fourth dimension. But this week’s story feels a little bit too real.

Archaeologists in central Norway have uncovered evidence of a heavily traveled mountain passageway that was used during the Viking Age. Hundreds of beautifully preserved items were found atop a melting glacier, in a discovery that was, sadly, made possible by global warming.

White House officials rushed to secure for themselves 3,600 surgical masks from Taiwan even as the administration advised there was no reason for the general public to wear them during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Wednesday report in the Washington Post.

Despite surging traffic and readership as coronavirus keeps people in their homes and on the internet, the media layoffs and pay cuts just keep coming. Now, here to save journalism in its hour of need, Google has launched the Journalism Emergency Relief Fund to “deliver urgent aid to thousands of small, medium and…Read more...

Republicans and Democrats disagree on much when it comes to the federal government’s handling of the coronavirus, from how soon the country should “reopen” to how elections should be conducted amid the public health crisis. But on one topic at least they are perfectly in sync: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) should…Read more...

We don’t need to tell you that things are skewing shitty right now. Thanks to the current pandemic, Americans are losing long-loved relatives, losing their jobs, and losing the freedom to do most things outside their four walls. Understandably, plenty of folks are undeniably more bummed than they’ve been in recent…Read more...

One of the biggest joys—well, beyond “More Star Wars than any reasonable person would know what to do with, for better or worse”—since Disney’s acquisition of Star Wars has been watching Lucasfilm’s publishing initiatives thrive in a rebooted world of interconnected stories. Some of the best Star Wars in years is…Read more...

Oakland city officials kicked off a program Saturday to limit 74 miles of streets to only pedestrians and cyclists. That’s right: No cars, baby.Read more...

The damaging effects of covid-19 will extend beyond the lungs to our brains and minds, scientists are warning. The viral disease may directly affect the nervous systems of some patients both during and post-infection, and the stress of the pandemic and its economic fallout is likely already leading to spikes in…Read more...

Yesterday evening, internet service provider Frontier Communications announced it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a move in which it said it expects to “reduce the Company’s debt by more than $10 billion and provide significant financial flexibility to support continued investment in its long-term growth.”

Particle physicists have released the results of a decade-long search, taking us a crucial step closer toward understanding where all of the universe’s antimatter has gone.

The world may be in chaos, but since weed dispensaries have been deemed essential businesses in many states, your 4/20 celebration has a chance of not being totally ruined. In honor of that high holy day, we present this round-up of our favorite stoner characters from sci-fi, fantasy, and horror movies.

I’d nearly missed it, as it lay half-swallowed by a storm drain, but the familiar shade of cornflower blue was enough to make me stop. I crouched down, snapped a photo of a single latex glove with my ancient iPhone, and moved down the block hunting for more. Forty-five minutes, 1.76 miles, and four city blocks later,…Read more...

After months of rumors and leaks, the new iPhone SE has finally arrived with a starting price of $400. It’s a great deal. But deep down inside, I can’t help but feel like Apple could have done more with its affordable new iPhone.

Dune’s not out until December—and hopefully, that’ll hold firm, despite all the turmoil in the entertainment industry and the rest of the world—but this week has brought several new glimpses at the highly anticipated film. Now, star Zendaya (Spider-Man: Far From Home) shared a fresh look at herself in character.

Every movie you’ve been looking forward to has been postponed; (nearly) every convention you wanted to attend has been canceled. Even some of the TV shows you’ve already been watching have gotten the bump. But a blessed few series are still on their way! Here are 10 genre shows you can still watch as intended.

Right on cue, Comcast’s Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex customers are getting early access to the premium tier NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock roughly three months before it’s set to officially launch. While these customers won’t see much of the service’s originals right away, they will get access to thousands of…Read more...

It looks like the Death Star’s laser cannon, but this proposed lunar telescope—built inside a natural crater on the Moon’s far side—could be used to peer back into the earliest days of the cosmos.Read more...

Washing your hands is a basic front-line defense against not only the novel coronavirus, but you know, a whole host of germs and general nastiness. And apparently, a disturbing number of people don’t do it as often as they should. To help the crustiest among us to wash their damn hands in this dire time, Google has…Read more...

It’s 2020, and millions of Americans—now bound to their homes—still don’t have reliable internet access. In a pandemic, that’s a public health crisis.

Until Nintendo ramps up production and shipments again, finding a Switch for a reasonable price is going to be near-impossible. You can patiently wait it out, or you can take the route this guy claims to have and build your own Switch for about $200 using replacement and repair parts bought from China and online…Read more...

McAfee Total Protection | $80 | McAfee

You’re probably spending a lot more time at home than you’re used to, doing your part to follow social distancing rules and slow the ongoing spread of covid-19. But only humans need to follow these rules—birds don’t. It’s the perfect time to start paying attention to them.Read more...

Indonesia’s Anak Krakatoa volcano began erupting this past weekend. On Saturday, it spewed a stream of thick, white vapor 1,640 feet into the sky. As of Tuesday, it was still shooting out plumes. No casualties or damages have been reported so far.

I love tiny gaming PCs. They’re great conversation starters, not to mention space savers, and you can get close to or the same amount of performance out of them compared to a larger build, depending on the specs. Airflow does become more of a concern, not to mention it’s harder to squeeze your hands into the small…Read more...

There’s been a Jay Inslee-sized hole in the presidential race politics ever since the Washington governor dropped out the race last August. He’s got his hands full now with effectively managing the coronavirus outbreak, but the people behind his climate plan are back at it.Read more...

Tile Mate Mother’s Day Limited Edition | $25 | TileRead more...

Valence Media, the corporate owner of the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard magazine, laid off several writers, editors, and its entire IT staff on Tuesday. But some workers apparently still had access to the company’s websites on Tuesday night. Billboard magazine’s website was vandalized with an image from the movie …Read more...

Donald Trump announced the White House would implement an immediate hold on U.S. funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday, making good on threats earlier this month to punish the UN health organization in the middle of the novel coronavirus pandemic. News of the freeze comes as confirmed cases of the…Read more...

Cartoon Network’s ThunderCats Roar is real good, but actually real good. If you’re a person of taste, you read that hearing the original ThunderCats theme song playing in your mind because, silly as it was, the tune was an absolute banger. Though ThunderCats Roar’s journey to the small screen was fraught, what Cartoon…Read more...

At the start of this month, Zoom announced that it would be halting any new feature rollouts for the next 90 days to address the myriad security and privacy concerns currently facing the multi-billion dollar company. Evidently though, that feature freeze has been cut short: According to a blog post put out by the…Read more...