Well, this is neat. For years, we’ve seen OBD-II scanners that can read Check Engine light codes from your car at home, but Automatic goes much further by working this into a smartphone app. Automatic constantly monitors your fuel consumption, speed, and trip data while you drive and offers up tips to improve your driving style and use less fuel. If it detects an accident, it can even call the authorities for you.

Source: Automatic – Your Smart Driving Assistant via Wired
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UPDATE: Did you know? I actually appear in Did You Know Gaming’s Mario Glitches video at 2:17 with footage from Fun with the Orb Glitch. I’m glad they cite their sources too, but I liked them more when they posted images like this.

Every fandom needs its useless trivia. For video games, you can find tons of useless trivia at DidYouKnowGaming? Their RSS feed is perfect for this sort of thing, and it all shows up on their Facebook page too. You too can find out how in the new Zelda game on 3DS, every character and object is doing a constant Michael Jackson lean because it looks better than looking at the tops of their heads all the time. Smart stuff!

Source: Did You Know Gaming? — The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. …, which sources Iwata Asks. This one sources the Verge, this one sources Bulbapedia, and this one sources noctalis. Finally, YouTube.
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Let’s try an audio post again. WayForward’s music composer Jake “virt” Kaufman has a series of great chiptune albums. FX4 plays like an adventure movie soundtrack with orchestral stylings and guitar riffs, but in authentic NES sound. If you can’t see the Bandcamp player, there’s a YouTube player below that should work for everyone, even Facebook.

And now, the blog’s first block quote! From the source:

INTO THE RIFT
Despite the hazards of deep-sea exploration and growing diplomatic unease, the salvage operation begins. The surface team is protected by a small fleet of hired mercenaries. Hours into the dive, they are suddenly attacked by an unknown military force, far better equipped than any provincial warlord. The attackers suddenly retreat, however, as soon as the news breaks that the wreckage has been secured.

Source: Journey into the Rift | Jake Kaufman
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Most Tetris games made since 2001 let you twist blocks into gaps that seem impossible. Some of these setups can be used to help correct mistakes, and others are just for fun. Even if you only learn the T-Spins, you’ll be able to send garbage faster than just back-to-back Tetrises all day. If you want to play around with twists, try King of Stackers, a turn-based Tetris battle sim where you can use every trick in the book to make the most of your seven pieces per turn.

Source: Chopin's Twist Guide – YouTube
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I like a good half-baked design every now and then, and this modular cell phone caught my eye. Each of my past few cell phones have met their end from just one component failing. With a Phonebloks phone, you could simply replace the bad component and be good as new. Motorola’s on board with this now, and I hope the project continues to gain traction. How about blocks for buttons and a D-pad?

Source: Phonebloks – YouTube via WebUrbanist
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