How to Make a DIY Gorillapod [DIY]

If you're in need of a sturdy-yet-bendy mini-tripod and aren't willing to buy one, then this DIY Gorillapod project might be the ideal solution for you. The tripod is simple to make, looks good, and will do its job well.

You'll need some basic tools, Loc-Line modular hose, some connectors, and a little chunk of wood to complete the project and you can find the precise list of parts along with detailed project instructions over at Instructables.[Instructables via Unplggd via CrunchGear]

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If You'd Like to Read More About This Choose Your Own Adventure Movie, Click Here [Film]

It's no secret that we here at Gizmodo love the Choose Your Own Adventure series of books. This is why we got excited when we heard about, Turbulence, an interactive, feature-length film designed for touchscreen devices, like tablets or smartphones.

Turbulence, which just won an award at the Berkeley Film Festival, is about three friends who cross paths in NYC after 20 years of not seeing one another. According to Gizmag, as the film progresses, you have the chance to affect its outcome. Specific items or people will glow on the screen when it's possible to choose their next action. If you touch it/them, they'll carry out an action. If you do nothing, they'll make another decision.

The movie runs 83 minutes if you let it play on its own. But when your finger gets involved and starts choosing what happens next in the plot, the film can run anywhere between 1-2 hours. And while it would technically work with devices using a mouse or remote, it's not what director Nitzan Ben Shaul had in mind. No mention was made about widespread release, but hopefully it sees the light of day soon. [Tel Aviv University via Gizmag]

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Facebook Adding Facial Recognition to its List of Frightening Features [Facebook]

Facebook has announced its latest plans to assimilate our lives—facial recognition. In a few weeks, the social network will scan pics you upload and attempt to identify your friends—then tag them. It's OK, you can turn it off.

The feature will attempt to "suggest the name of the friend" in your photos if it can find a suitable match, or, if not, pop up a window so you can name and shame them manually. [Facebook blog]

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The highway robbery gets worse - shame on you Facebook: 5 display ads per page (pics) - http://bit.ly/cXpcO3

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LG Optimus 2X: first dual-core smartphone launches with Android, 4-inch display, 1080p video recording

That's right, it's official. Needless to say, that LG Star we recently got our paws on is very real, though it won't go by that name at retail -- just as LG's own release materials had suggested, this monster has picked up the Optimus 2X name as it morphs from a prototype into brutally fast, overpowered reality. At the phone's heart beats a dual-core Tegra 2 processor running at 1GHz, the first such configuration to be officially announced by any smartphone manufacturer (though we're expecting others any day now). In case you're wondering how such power might be used, well, for starters, you've got both full 1080p TV-out via HDMI and video capture through an 8 megapixel primary camera paired with a 1.3 megapixel cam up front for face-to-face calling.

A 4-inch WVGA display is along for the ride along with 8GB of on-board storage (expandable with up to 32GB of microSD) and a 1,500mAh battery -- no larger than most single-core smartphones these days, so it'll be interesting to see if the final retail units hold up through a day of typical use. Unfortunately, the Optimus 2X is launching out of the gate with Android 2.2, but LG's already committing to releasing Gingerbread updates "in due course." It hits first in LG's home market of Korea next month, followed by Europe and other Asian locales in the coming weeks; we're sure you can hardly wait, so why don't you check out some eye candy from our preview while you pass the time? Follow the break for the press release.

Gallery: LG Star hands-on

Continue reading LG Optimus 2X: first dual-core smartphone launches with Android, 4-inch display, 1080p video recording

LG Optimus 2X: first dual-core smartphone launches with Android, 4-inch display, 1080p video recording originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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