Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Gizmodo Australia

REGULARS

VR Workout Station Lets You Tone Your Abs While Travelling To Jupiter

Working out at a gym, with nothing but TV news or your more physically fit peers to stare at, can be a bit disheartening. But don’t despair: The future where technology allows you to stand over a volcano or fly to Mars while flexing your gluts in the confines of your basement isn’t far off.

GEEK OUT

How Patrón Uses Big-Arse Rocks To Make Delicious Tequila

BRENT ROSETODAY 10:30 AM

When Patrón invited me to their distillery in Mexico last month, I was hesitant. I didn’t think I’d see anything new. I’d heard the company talk up its centuries-old “tahona” method of production, but wrote it off as yet another brand trying to get in on the craft distilling trend. But I agreed to go anyway. Because tequila.

GEEK OUT

Make Your Own Fury Road-Style Flamethrower Ukulele

MADDIE STONETODAY 10:00 AM

The flamethrower guitar was definitely one of the coolest bits of tech in Mad Max: Fury Road. But why should Doof Warriors on post-apocalyptic car chases have all the fun? With an afternoon to spare and a good life insurance policy, you can be the proud owner of a fire-breathing instrument, too.

GEEK OUT

US Air Force Uses 'Moronic' Selfie To Bomb ISIS Headquarters

MADDIE STONETODAY 9:30 AM

Many of us know feeling of posting a regrettable pic or two online. But while your thoughtless photos might be an embarrassment, they (typically) aren’t offensive enough to merit a US Air Force strike. If you’re an terrorist, on the other hand, a wee bit more discretion is probably advised.

SCIENCE

New NASA Tool Helps You Imagine A Day On Pluto

MADDIE STONETODAY 9:00 AM

Pluto is billions of kilometres away, and it took >NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft nine years to get close. None of us will ever stand on the dwarf planet’s distance surface, but now, there’s a new NASA tool that’s bringing a little bit of Pluto back to the Blue Marble.

GEEK OUT

At The DARPA Robotics Challenge, We Saw A Lot Of Robots Fall Over

MADDIE STONETODAY 8:30 AM

Yesterday marked the first day of the DARPA Robotics Challenge Finals, in which elite robots from around the world faced off to compete for $US3.5 million in prizes. We saw some of humanity’s finest bots drive vehicles, remove rubble, cut through walls and climb up stairs.

GEEK OUT

The US Army Is Finally Releasing Its New, Old Camo Design

KELSEY CAMPBELL-DOLLAGHANYESTERDAY 11:00 PM

It’s been more than a decade since the US Army adopted its first pixelated camo pattern — it was the start of the Iraq War, and the blocky digital pattern seemed to signal a new era of futuristic warfare. One problem: It didn’t work. At all.

CARS

Google Will Now Tell You When Its Driverless Cars Crash

ALISSA WALKERYESTERDAY 10:00 PM

Last month, a vehicle rear-ended one of Google’s self-driving cars at a Mountain View intersection. No one was hurt, but Google didn’t exactly broadcast the news to the public. Now, anyone will be able to download monthly reports about where the cars are and what they’re doing, thanks to a new transparency initiative from Google.

SCIENCE

You Might Not Believe This Beautiful Satellite Image Is 50 Years Old

JAMIE CONDLIFFEYESTERDAY 9:00 PM

This stunning image of the Florida Straits and Grand Bahama Bank — with its bright blue waters, moody grey seas and fluffy white clouds — looks like the kind of image NASA may publish on any given week. In fact, it was taken on June 4, 1965.