It Takes a Small Artistic Army to Bring a Pixar Film To Life

Monsters Inc blew more than a few minds when it premiered in 2001. Sully’s coat comprised a million rendered hairs, and Boo’s oversized pink shirt moved with such a natural flow it appeared nearly life-like to audiences. And while advances in technology during the twelve years between the original film and the prequel—premiering in June—will provide another jaw-dropping visual experience, Monsters University was no less challenging to make. More »

An Introduction To Complications: The Tourbillon

Editor’s note: This is part three in a series of introductory pieces on watches from our friends at Hodinkee. You can read part one here and part two here. More »

Samsung Galaxy S4 Review: Better, But Not Best

Since it arrived last year, the Galaxy S III has been the world’s best-selling smartphone that wasn’t born in Cupertino. An impressive feat, but one that—along with Samsung’s Megatron-sized hype-machine—has made for sky-high expectations for the sequel. More »

9 Incredible Objects That Prove 3D Printers Are Totally Worth it

If you’ve got a 3D printer and a little bit of imagination, you can make pretty much anything. While these machines are still too expensive to be completely ubiquitous, early adopters are making some really amazing things. We got a look at a few of these objects at the 3D Printing Expo in New York this week. Here are the most unbelievable items we saw. More »

How the US Built Its Super-Secret Spy Satellite Program

Ethics aside, espionage is an indispensable part of statecraft. The ISR [Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance] information gathered helps steer national policy decisions for everything from mundane trade negotiations to the blackest of ops. And nowhere is this more evident than in the development of the US spy satellite fleet during the Cold War. These orbital telescopes granted an unprecedented peek over the Iron Curtain—revealing Soviet military capabilities, supply reserves, industrial sites, and more—that no ground-based spook could hope to provide. More »

10 Terrible Tech Frustrations My Toddler Will Never Have

When I was growing up, my parents would tell me about all the ancient technologies they had to use in their youth. Whether it was a car with a manual choke, a phone that required you to ask an operator to connect you, or a record player with a hand crank, mom and dad experienced a ton of tech frustrations I would never know. More »

Charging Gadgets While You Bike Is About to Get a Lot Simpler

Ever gone for a long bike ride in unfamiliar territory? Probably used your phone’s GPS to help navigate, right? Convenient. However, that also makes running out of juice more than just a small annoyance. Siva Cycle’s Atom might just solve that, and a host of other battery issues for the tech-bound biker. More »

An Introduction To Complications: The Chronograph

Editor’s note: This is part two of a series of introductory pieces on watches from our friends at Hodinkee. You can read part one here. More »

The Only Thing Apple Really Sells

A recent Wall Street Journal article posits an interesting question: Is Apple a hardware company or a software company? Does it sell iPhones or iClouds? The answer has deep meaning for the analysts who evaluate the company’s worth. It’s framed as an identity crisis, one with dangerous implications for the most dominant consumer electronics company in the world. There is much gnashing of teeth. More »

Five Simple Ways to Keep Your Android Malware-Free

While it’s true that Android is a little more susceptible to malware attacks than iOS, the situation isn’t nearly as bad as Apple would have you believe. With a little knowledge and a sprinkling of common sense, you can make your device impervious to even the most dastardly of digital assaults. Here’s how. More »