A lot went down this past week, the last of the year and the decade. People always start looking back this time of year, and we were no exception. But there was plenty of crazy in the here and now.
Yes, there were recaps.
Brian recounted his love of gadgets in the aughts and explained how that love changed throughout the decade.
We waxed nostalgic on gadgets in the year 2000. Jason wrote about MP3 players. Mark wrote about laptops. John wrote about Windows CE and the digital cameras.
We looked at the year's essential iPhone apps.
Sean warned us of 7 gadgets to beware in 2010.
In case you were trying to remember what you liked, we counted down the 10 most popular posts of 2009.
We took the FBI Cybersquad, and their Matrix screensaver, very seriously.
Don showed off some head-scratchers with a What Is It? recap, and we thought that our Image Cache shots deserved the same treatment.
The history of the New Year's Eve ball extends back 102 years. We made a timeline.
We couldn't resist posting these bird-watching apps, and, in turn, John evaluated the state of porn apps in the App Store.
Guest blogger Anna Jane Grossman remembered the Internet delivery service Kozmo as part of our Y2K+10 series.
Adam, working with illustrator Dan Meth, presented the socially acceptable geek subgenre scale. Everyone laughed and waited until they got home to see where they ended up.
Jesus made an incredible infographic on the true odds of airborne terror. It should make you feel a little bit better about flying.
He also posted the TSA's leaked security rules, though as far as I know he wasn't visited by any government agents.
Theirs wasn't the only leaky faucet this week; we also looked at the Chrome OS netbook's leaked specifications.
Speaking of leaks, this video of The Making of the Bootleg of Avatar was the most visible look at the craft since Jerry's masterful recordings of Death Blow and Cry Cry Again.
We leaked documents with the Nexus One price tag that bummed everyone out a bit, because we had sort of hoped it was just going to be free for the taking. This ten minute video of the phone still made our mouths water.
Friend of Giz, Kate Greene, hunted for the perfect screen.
Some buildings were demolished. It didn't go quite as planned.
Another friend, Will Smith, showed us how cheap is too cheap when you're building your own PC.
Google China's ex-president spilled some beans on the Apple tablet.
We had some laughs at this cartoon about what it would be like if the "I'm a Mac" ads were more accurate.
For everyone who has ever watched Steve Jobs announce the iPodWhatever, featuring x-ray vision, bulletproof plating, and a bigger hard drive the week after buying the old one, our guide of When to Buy Apple Products was mighty helpful.
This incredible photo of Saturn got Jesus all hot and bothered.
We watched this video of Half-Life 2 being played on Project Natal.
Mark's second 27" iMac was busted, just like his first one. He's not going down quietly.
He also kicked off our Lifechanger section—posts on common objects that make life better—with as poignant a blog post as ever has been written about vintage pyrex pots.
To put our iSlate speculation in perspective, Matt wrote up a recap of wacky iPhone rumors from the years before that gadget's arrival. One was oddly prescient.
If your resolution was to prank more often, this Skype trick is a good place to start.
David Quinlan told the awesome story of how he created Stuck, his decision-enabling iPhone app.
Joel told President Obama that it is time to fire the Transportation Security Administration. Some people agreed with him, others did not.
John posted an old home video of himself water-skiing.
First Time Warner said, "no more Fox channels." Then, they said, "just use the Internet." In the end, everyone got along.
Just when you thought taser stories couldn't get more outrageous, a cop tasered an unconscious diabetic 11 times.
Also outrageous: the girl who couldn't get her stolen iPhone back from Apple.
Matt wondered what's going to be inside the next generation of MacBooks.
A guy constructed a really nice handmade telescope for his wife, and suddenly all the presents we gave this year seemed pretty trite.
Another guy constructed a really useless machine, but at least took the time to share with us how he did it.
We showed the view from the top of the Moscow Bridge, and somewhere, somebody puked on their keyboard.
We learned that Google is just an elaborate front for a club of intense ping-pong players.
Some nerds picked up microphones (that is, rapped awkwardly into the keyboards of their MacBooks) and recorded I'm On A Phone, a parody of a parody (of a parody, if you count DJ Khaled himself as a joke). One set of them was declared the winner.
Some weird shit went down at a Walmart.
A man stayed true to his copy of shareware WinZip for five years; we admired his perseverance.
Now that Avatar has made a bajillion dollars, 3D is here to stay (even though Wilson's screening sort of sucked.) We took a look at the Battle of the 3D Glasses.
Speaking of Avatar, remember how your friend was like, "why don't they put those tendrils together when they're having sex?!" Well, they do. And we might get to see it.
We previewed Blio, the tablet-friendly ebook format Ray Kurzweil rescued from the future to bring back to 2009.
Rosa showed off one expensive ass robot hummingbird.
But all bots aren't good ones—we also found this fist-pumping story of how three dudes disabled one of the world's most powerful botnets.
That Apophis asteroid that has a 1 in 250,000 chance of hitting Earth? Yeah, Russia's gonna deflect that just to be safe.
Kim Peek, the original Rain Main, passed away and we remembered him as well as his amazing abilities.
It's probably not a good idea to pull up Star Trek stuff when you're surfing the web at work, but it's definitely not a good idea to pull up this Star Trek-related shot at work. Hint: it's also wiener-related.
Speaking of things you shouldn't look at at work, Chauvon, an actress from MTV's Real World, showed us how to expose fake boobs using only a flashlight. Parenthetically, one of hers popped during the last Real World / Road Rules challenge.
We put out the call for your Genius Bar horror stories. There's still time to submit yours and win some pizza.
We learned that the Coast Guard got mean with pirates and cuddly with kittens in 2009.
Lastly, It turns out that there's a ton of Weekly World News issues scanned into Google Books, which someday will help someone get out of a sticky fact checking situation.
- The G-Bound RC Car Drives On Water [Rc] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Nanoparticles Can Rip Your DNA Apart Without Ever Touching It [Nanoparticles] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- My Favorite Top 10 List Today: The Dumbest Evil Geniuses Of All Time [Evil Geniuses] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- 5,000 Volts Is More Than Enough Power To Crush a Soda Can [DIY] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Computers Are Scary, But Steve Allen Is Here to Help [Retromodo] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Pangolin Backpack [Bags] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- New For iPhone: 2 Balls 1 Cup [IPhone Apps] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Office Building Or Home To A Super Heroine? [Architecture] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- This Inflating Bra Commercial Left Me Confused Yet Reaching For My Wallet [Nsfw] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- 10 Terrible Tips for Longer Battery Life [Humor] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Dealzmodo: $100 Xbox 360 at Amazon, More Electronics Deals All Day Long [Dealzmodo] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Gigabyte BIOS Update Fixes iPhone Syncing Issues [IPhone] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Hello Facebook User, I'm a Nigerian Prince in Need of Assistance... [Facebook] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Zune HD Update 4.3: Speedier Browser, Predictive Text and More [Zune Hd] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- 8-Bit Wedding Invitation Acknowledges the Marital Bickering to Come [8-Bit Wedding] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- The iPhone Nano Rumor Strikes Again: Coming to Verizon in 2010? [Rumor] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Building a NAS? Skip the Performance Drives [Nas] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Microsoft COFEE, Some of the Most Illegal Software You Can Pirate [Hacking] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Robot Cow Rectum: For Educational, not Recreational, Purposes [Robots] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Watch Jonathan Ive's Segment in Objectified [Apple] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- BlueBeat’s Innovative Defense That Will Never Hold Up in Court [Music] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Nokia Booklet 3G Landing November 15 at Best Buy [Nokia] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- Latest Snow Leopard Developer Build Breaks Hackintosh Support... Again [Hackintosh] [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2009]
- The Cité du Design Certainly Lives Up to Its Name [Architecture] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- 64% of Men Don’t RTFM Before Calling Tech Support [Tech Support] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- MIT Media Lab: Electronic Wallpaper, Conductive Threads and More [Fashion] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Famous Paintings Reproduced In Coffee [Art] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- How Far Can 'Medical Tourism' Go? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Actuarial Escape Velocity [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- A Rebuttal to 'Peak Oil' Doomsday Predictions [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Reverend Jeremiah White,...I mean, Wright [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Energy vs. Financials, A Divergence of Historical Extremes [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- US Ideological Distribution, 2008 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Ten Biotechnology Breakthroughs Soon to be Available [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Nanohealing Material Heads to Market [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Solar Revolution is Near [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Why the US Will Still be the Only Superpower in 2030, v2.0 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Culture of Happiness [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Surfaces : The Next Killer Ap in Computing [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- More on the Economics of Medical Tourism [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Ten Myths in America [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Can Buildings be 'Printed'? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Pre-Singularity Abundance Milestones [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Futurist's Stock Portfolio for 2009 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- A Future Timeline for Economics [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- A History of Stock Market Bottoms [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- A Few Electoral Statistics [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- It's Official : The Recession Began in December 2007 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- How We Decisively WON in Iraq in 2008 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- 2008 Technology Breakthrough Roundup [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Futurist's Stock Portfolio for 2008 - RESULTS [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Why Government is Set to Extinguish Silicon Valley [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Solar Power's Next 5 Game-Changing Technologies [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The End of Rabbit Ears, a Billion more Broadband Users - Part II [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Guantanamo Meets Geneva Convention Rules [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Nanotechnology : Bubble, Bust, ....Boom? [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Form of Economic Recovery [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Impact of Computing : 78% More per Year, v2.0 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Wolfram Alpha : The Birth of Web 3.0 [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Energy vs. Financials, RESULTS [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- SETI and the Singularity [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Eight Ways to Supercharge the US Economy [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Next Big Thing in Entertainment, A Half-Time Update [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Video Conferencing : A Cascade of Disruptions [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Timing the Singularity [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Mobile Broadband Surge : A Prediction Follow Up [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Next Two US Recessions [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Google Promotes Droid Day With Rare Homepage Ad [Google] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Microsoft Confirms Improved Xbox 360 Warranty Seal [Blockquote] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- OpenOfficeMouse Is An 18 Button Freak, But I Want It [Mouse] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- 10 Classic Analog Games Defiled By Digital [Tgif] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Wire Your House With Ethernet Cable For Better Home Networking [DIY] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Next Room Eavesdropping Device Is Way Better Than a Drinking Glass [Surveillance] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Steve Jobs and Sarah Jessica Parker Sittin' In A Courthouse B-E-I-N-G S-U-E-D [Lawsuits] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Folding Titanium Spork Is the Ultimate Portable Eating Utensil [Spork] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- The Queen of Google: "I Do Code All Night!" [Google] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- This Week's Best iPhone Apps [IPhone Apps] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- DIY Star Trek Bluetooth Communicator Almost Makes Regular Bluetooth Headsets Look Stylish [DIY] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- Intel Swears That It's Gonna Stop Its Firmware From Bricking Any More SSDs [Intel] [Last Updated On: November 8th, 2009] [Originally Added On: November 8th, 2009]
- H20 Audio's Waterproof iPod Nano Case Is Built for Surfer-Videographers [Accessories] [Last Updated On: December 12th, 2009] [Originally Added On: December 12th, 2009]