Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Gizmodo Australia

REGULARS

HTC Confirms Abysmal Vive VR Price For Australia

After a little bit of confusion, HTC has cleared up the cost of the virtual reality headset it has built in collaboration with Valve. It wasUS$799, but for the privilege of buying the Vive in Australia, you’ll get slugged US$100 more.

ENTERTAINMENT

Stephen Chow's Crazy Mermaid Adventure Just Became China's All-Time Box Office Ruler

CHARLIE JANE ANDERSTODAY 5:00 AM

Sorry, Episode VII. The biggest box office smash in Chinese history is The Mermaid, the latest film from Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer). An environmentalist tale with a harsh message about humans exploiting the oceans and mistreating other life forms, The Mermaid has made an estimated $US431 million in two weeks.

ENTERTAINMENT

A Must-See Trailer For An Incredible Animated Steampunk Adventure

GERMAIN LUSSIERTODAY 4:00 AM

On March 25, one of the year’s best genre films is going to be released. It’s not live-action, it’s not American, but it’s got more life and wonder in it than 90 per cent of the films released in the States combined. It’s a French, steampunk animation called April and the Extraordinary World.

ENTERTAINMENT

The Entire Run Of IF Magazine Is Now Available Online For Free

ANDREW LIPTAKTODAY 3:00 AM

IF Magazine was a monthly science fiction magazine that was first published in 1952, and ran through 1974, before it was merged into its sister publication, Galaxy Science Fiction. Now, you can read the entire run online over on Internet Archive.

ENTERTAINMENT

This Bread Maker's Accent Is Like A Massage For Your Brain

BRYAN MENEGUSTODAY 2:00 AM

Most of the letters that chef Bruno Albouze says are vowels, and eeeeiiit souwnduhs ieencrayedaboulh.

ONLINE

The Los Angeles County Health Department Is The Latest Victim Of A Ransomware Attack

ANDREW LIPTAKTODAY 1:00 AM

Image credit: Shuttershock / Nicescene The Los Angeles County Health Department is the latest victim of a ransomware attack, just days after a Los Angeles hospital coughed up $US17,000 ($23,855) to unlock their files.

ONLINE

Bookstore Bans Tablets, Helps Demonstrate That 'Information Overload' Is All Relative

MATT NOVAKTODAY 12:00 AM

There’s a new bookstore in London that’s touting itself as a haven for those who want to get away from information overload. Libreria has no wi-fi, and all tablets and phones are banned. But, without realising it, this bookstore is demonstrating how the term “information overload” is all relative.

ENTERTAINMENT

What Porn Searches Are Most Popular In Every US State [NSFW]

BRYAN LUFKINYESTERDAY 11:00 PM

In the US, red states and blue states might not agree on much, but they do find some common ground on one topic: Porn. Americans really like porn. And apparently, according to PornHub data, Americans really like lesbian, stepmom, and stepsister porn in particular.

ENTERTAINMENT

Every Frame A Painting Explores Character Reverse Shots With Joel And Ethan Coen

ANDREW LIPTAKYESTERDAY 10:00 PM

The latest episode of Every Frame A Painting has dropped, and Tony Zhu has taken a deep dive into Joel and Ethan Coen’s work on shots and reverse shots, and how it’s used to convey the film’s story.

GADGETS

This Is How Atlas Should Deal With Those Mean Humans

CHRIS MILLSYESTERDAY 9:00 PM

Video: The original Boston Dynamics video of a bearded man bullying a robot with a hockey stick is haunting enough. But add a creepy narrator and a robot that really just loves his box, and you get a true glimpse at how the robot uprising starts.

ENTERTAINMENT

Some Arsehole Stole This Gorgeous Piece Of Batman Art Before It Reached Its New Owner

JAMES WHITBROOKYESTERDAY 8:00 PM

Well, this sucks. A fan of the legendary artist Bill Sienkiewicz — known for his work on The New Mutants, Batman, Elektra: Assassin, and countless other comic books — commissioned the artist to paint an extraordinary picture of Batman and the Joker… only for it to be stolen en route. Naturally, Sienkiewicz is pissed.