Hasta La Gadget!

Halloween: there’s no such thing as taking it too seriously. And to prove that, Etsy seller jkantiques is selling a 35′ Michael Myers inflatable yard decoration, perfect for letting all the neighborhood kids know you’re giving out full size candy bars. At least you better be, or your house is definitely getting egged.

The giant inflatable costs around $3,000 and is made-to-order, with about a two-week lead time (make sure to order now to ensure October delivery!). Need something smaller? They also sell 12-foot Michaels for $995, and will custom make any size in between. I want a 100-foot version! Granted, I want a lot of things I can’t afford.

Talk about being the talk of the neighborhood! And, knowing my neighbors, probably the biggest complaint of the neighborhood. Did you know I got a letter from the homeowner’s association last Halloween because my decorations where too gruesome? I didn’t have to pay a fine though, so wait till they see what I have in store this year!

[via DudeIWantThat]

Modeled after Han Solo’s infamous flying bucket of bolts, the Geeknet Star Wars Millennium Falcon Wireless Charger (on sale for $26 at GameStop) is a wireless fast charger capable of juicing up any device with wireless charging capabilities (including Samsung and Apple phones). But can it do it in less than 12 parsecs? It better, or I’m demanding my money back.

The charger has a nice 3D look to it and measures approximately 11″ x 6.5″ x 1.5″, so it isn’t just a boring flat pad. Plus, the Falcon’s thrusters glow blue when your device is fully charged. Obviously, I’m only going to put already-charged devices on it, so it always glows blue because I’m much more into form than actual function.

I have a wireless charger on my bedside table so my phone charges while I sleep, but I always miss getting it on the pad before bed, so I wake up to a phone that’s guaranteed to die sometime during the day. Probably at the worst time possible. If there’s a logical solution to this problem, I sure don’t see it.

A group of researchers at the University of California Berkeley have trained a dog to walk on various terrain in under twenty minutes using machine learning. Using a ‘deep reinforcement’ form of artificial intelligence, the robot can quickly acclimate to traversing almost any ground cover it finds itself on. Obviously, there’s never been a better time to build a treehouse.

Using a Q-learning algorithm, the robot doesn’t require any prior knowledge of the terrain; it just immediately starts the learning process from the ground up, being rewarded for successful actions. Wait – what are they giving it, digital dog treats? How do you reward a robotic dog? I’m so confused right now. Granted, I’m confused most of the time, but right now included.

For reference, it took me a solid three years to learn how to walk. Before that, I could only crawl in reverse and get stuck under the sofa. You never heard my parents complaining, though; apparently, it made me incredibly easy to babysit.

[via TechEBlog]

Security researchers have detailed the discovery of a sneaky new variety of malicious software that evades antivirus apps and, notably, uses a JWST image.

“What they did was try and criminalize Donald Trump as they always do,” she said.