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Gizmodo

Gizmodo, the gadget guide. So much in love with shiny new toys, it's unnatural.

Notes: Labor Day Changes [Notes]Today

Hey all. Labor day's always signaled the true end of summer to me, and this year, it marks many changes and breaks for the Giz team. Jason's taking a last minute vacation to some tropical destination, and I spent the day finding a ski cabin and getting ready for the upcoming snowboarding season. Jesús is leaving Berlin and getting back home before moving; Mark and Wilson are settling into new homes in new cities; Adam is in Cape Cod; John Herrman is ending his internship and returning to Scotland in a few days; CES prep starts to warm up. We rest so that we can brace ourselves and resist the rush of new gadgets the companies want to shove down our gullets. So, we're taking the holiday weekend to post a little less and relax a little more. If you end up missing us more than you can bear, here's a link to our most recenttop stories and features. Otherwise, we'll see you on Tuesday.

Condom Gun Is Perfect Weapon for Sure Shooters, Hippies [Gadgets]Yesterday

Bang bang, she shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down.

Jump the gun to get a shiny close-up and obligatory NSFW money shot.

Ah, if only all weapons were like this! A world with no violence, STDs, or overpopulation! Too bad it's only a concept, but I don't care. Someone give Masayuki Takahashi, the designer, a Nobel Peace Prize now. [Nerdapproved]

10 Scary Zombie Killing Weapons [Thank Giz It's Friday]Yesterday

I've been seeing the trailer for the upcoming [REC] remake zombie flick Quarantine quite a bit recently and, naturally, it has got me thinking about zombie killing. The basic must-have weapons have always been a shotgun, pistol, chainsaw, baseball bat and a crowbar—but if you want to go the extra mile when preparing for Armageddon, the following weapons and tools will let the undead horde know that you really mean business.

Quarantine Trailer:

Four-Foot SNES Controller Actually Works (For Shaquille O'Neal) [Modding]Yesterday

Taking inspiration as well as construction cues from the massive NES controller table built in May, SCAD Inc., which I will charitably call a garage-based novelty enlargement collective, set out to build a giant-sized SNES controller, complete with functioning buttons. A few months later the build is complete, and it looks, well, huge.

The angular, simply-shaped NES controller lent itself well to humongonization, but the rounded sides and shoulder buttons made the SNES a formidable challenge to accurately build at such a large scale. The SCAD guys sure as hell pulled it off though, getting everything from the curvature of the L and R buttons to the fonts used on the control labels almost perfectly right. The body of the controller is cut from wood, and the buttons are connected directly to the guts of a standard SNES controller, preserving the now hilariously small-looking cable and connector. Matt LaBoone, the primary builder of the project, says that videos (hopefully including some gameplay action) are forthcoming. For now check out the full log of the building process at the SCAD Inc. site. [SCAD Inc.]

The Week in iPhone Apps: Let's Get Drunk and Talk About Politics [IPhone Apps]Yesterday

Always a microcosm of the greater world, the App Store this week focused on two things us Americans have been thinking about a lot recently—the upcoming election, and tossing back a few this Labor Day weekend. And with this week's apps, there's no reason for your iPhone to be left out.

The political applications, sadly, tend to swing pretty far to the side of app absurdity:

Obama/McCain Inauguration Countdown: Tick down the days to January 20 for the candidate of your choice, complete with rotating quotations and photos. Also useful for reminding yourself that the one and a half years of inane campaign coverage on TV will soon be over. Sadly, they're a buck.

BAC Calc: Ahh, but here's some utility for the weekend. A blood-alcohol-level calculator to quantify exactly how hammered you've gotten while getting riled up by McCain and Obama quotes with your buddies. Just enter your consumption, alochol volume of your booze, your weight and your gender. But remember kids, the law won't care if your iPhone says you're under the limit once you find yourself in the drunk tank. Free

Beer Bounce: And once all your friends go home on Monday night, there's no sense in stopping the party when you've got Beer Bounce, the first virtual quarters game for the iPhone. As you progress through the rounds, difficulty is increased by adding blurriness and staggering to the game. Nice touch! $3

Blofeld: While it has nothing to do with anything, really, Bond fans will have to love the concept behind Blofeld. It places an image of a feline pelt on your phone, and purrs when you stroke it, evil genius style. I can't believe this costs a dollar, but again, hats off to the concept, especially the icon.