A Map of Internet Freedom Around the World

Here in the US, it's easy to slip into the comfortable idea that the internet is unrestricted, a home for free speech and exploration, whether it's meaningful and important, or dumb hashtags. It's not that way everywhere though, and Freedom House has mapped out the current state of affairs across the globe.

What Happens When Cities Fall Apart?

Military strategist David Kilcullen was in New York City earlier this week to talk about the future of urban warfare at the World Policy Institute here in Manhattan. Gizmodo tagged along to learn more about "future conflicts and future cities," as Kilcullen describes it, and to see what really happens when urban environments fail—when cities fall apart or disintegrate into ungovernable canyons of semi-derelict buildings ruled by cartels, terrorist groups, and paramilitary gangs.

The Lake that Turns Animals to Stone, iPhone 5S Sensor Snafu, and More

You've had a busy week, so why not just sit back, kick up your feet and take in our best posts of the week? Dive in!

What's Your Favorite App That No One Knows About

Groups like the RIAA are putting in millions of DMCA requests to pull "pirate" links off Google, and even though it doesn't seem to help, the landslide's not letting up. As of last month, Google was taking down nine pirate links every single second of every single day.

Google Is Now Deleting Nine "Pirate" Links Every Second

Groups like the RIAA are putting in millions of DMCA requests to pull "pirate" links off Google, and even though it doesn't seem to help, the landslide's not letting up. As of last month, Google was taking down nine pirate links every single second of every single day.

Why You Can't Blame Bitcoin for Silk Road Shadiness

The man alleged to be "Dread Pirate Roberts," the founder and operator of the Silk Road—an online marketplace where bitcoins were traded for a range of goods and services, including drugs—was arrested by the FBI in San Francisco Wednesday. The criminal complaint, released today, provides many details about how the site and its users relied on widespread anonymity technology, including Tor and Bitcoin.

Google Is Sneaking Chrome OS Into Windows 8's "Metro" Mode

It was one thing when Google's Chrome apps managed to break out of the browser and become real, offline apps, but clearly that is not Google's real long-term play. A recent update to the developer version of Google Chrome basically runs Chrome OS inside of Windows 8.