I Paid a UX Expert $100 to Get Drunk and Evaluate Gizmodo's Design

It happened late on Tuesday night. Of course I was working. "Have you seen this?" my colleague Chris Mills texted. He followed up with the link to a site where a rather devilish-looking UX professional promised to get drunk and evaluate the website of your choice. Only $75! I knew I had to do it, and that Gizmodo… » 3/27/15 12:37am 42 minutes ago

500 Days of Kristin, Day 60: The Case of the Missing Rollerskating Party

In 2006, Kristin Cavallari—whose debut book drops in 440 days—hosted a little-watched reality show called Get This Party Started on UPN. Here's a paper advertisement for it. The program ran for only two episodes during the month of February, but at least five more were taped, never to air. » 3/26/15 5:30pm Yesterday 5:30pm

Europeans Upgrading Already-Superior Weather Model Just to Rub It In

Just months after NOAA upgraded the American global weather model, the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) plans to upgrade their already-superior model so that it wipes the floor with our proud, measly little heap of computer algorithms. » 3/26/15 5:07pm Yesterday 5:07pm

Lecturer Allegedly Hits Uber Driver, Tells Him to "Go Back to Slavery"

An Atlanta-area Uber driver says a belligerent passenger hit him in the face, used racial slurs, and told him to "go back to slavery," all because the driver asked the man to get out of his car. The driver later discovered his angry fare was a business lecturer at Kennesaw State University. » 3/26/15 4:25pm Yesterday 4:25pm

Did Beyoncé Fake Her Pregnancy?

Beyoncé's 2011 pregnancy was more than just the buildup to the birth of Blue Ivy—it was also a gestation period for crazed baby-conspiracy theorists. Why did one of the world's foremost experts in self-promotion release only a few arty pictures of her stomach to document the pregnancy? How did she manage to give… » 3/26/15 4:05pm Yesterday 4:05pm

East Village Building Collapses in Flames After Apparent Explosion

A building in Manhattan's East Village has reportedly collapsed following a large explosion. Hundreds of fire firefighters are reportedly at the scene, battling what's become a seven-alarm blaze. The New York Post is reporting that as many as 30 people are missing while the New York Daily News reports that at least… » 3/26/15 3:43pm Yesterday 3:43pm

8 Things People Say In Interviews That Usually Mean A Movie Will Suck

We constantly get our hopes up for upcoming movies... and then they let us down. It's easy to get sucked into the hype cycle, as people talk up their projects — but sometimes, you can tell just from the way people talk about a film that it's probably not going to work. Here are eight key phrases that usually indicate… » 3/26/15 3:29pm Yesterday 3:29pm

Why Won't the Post Name CIA Counterterrorism Chief Michael D'Andrea?

The Washington Post reported this morning that, pursuant to CIA Director John Brennan's vaunted re-organization plans, the chief of the agency's counterterrorism center has been unceremoniously reassigned. The newspaper declined to report this name, however: Michael D'Andrea. » 3/26/15 3:18pm Yesterday 3:18pm

What We Know About the Germanwings Flight and Its Pilot, Andreas Lubitz

On Tuesday, Germanwings Flight 9525 crashed into the French Alps under mysterious circumstances, killing all 150 people on board. Two days later, French prosecutors announced that the plane had been "intentionally destroyed" by its co-pilot. Audio from the cockpit captured the sounds of passengers' screams just… » 3/26/15 2:57pm Yesterday 2:57pm

The Nine Best Hoaxes to Have Hit Wikipedia

Snappy & Friends, a short animated show sponsored by Kellog's Rice Krispies, first aired sometime in 1949. In 1968, a visionary toy scientist named Alex Cartwright created an artificially intelligent robotic arm that could play full games of Stratego, Battleship, and Candyland, to the delight and vague unsettlement of… » 3/26/15 2:05pm Yesterday 2:05pm

Is Being A Cheap Ass Slowly Killing Your Soul?

Not having cable seems like a great idea…except for all those times when you wish you had cable. Like during football season. And season premieres. And season finales. And the State of the Union. And Tuesdays.The hidden costs of not having cable can be sneaky at first. You head down to the bar to catch the game and… » 3/26/15 12:00pm Yesterday 12:00pm