creepy

Soft-bodied robot moves like a squid

I'm officially convinced scientists are competing to make the creepiest, most skin-crawling robots on Earth.

The latest designer robot is the creepiest and crawliest of them all. It looks like a modern-day Gumby, but it moves like a mechanized earthworm that's out to steal your soul while you sleep. Aside from that, it's amazing in its simplicity and potential usefulness. … Read more

10 creepy video games for Halloween

It's that time of the year again. A time to turn off the lights and snuggle up with a game that's guaranteed to scare you silly. We've compiled a list of titles that are sure to keep you awake at night and a few that will be haunting you early next year.

But consider yourself warned; these games are not for trick-or-treaters.

Have a favorite scary game you'd like to share? Be sure to comment below. You can also check out which games made last year's list or watch our CNET TV feature that covers what we think are the seven scariest video games of all time!… Read more

Secret Service nabs Apple Store spy camera artist

Steve Jobs believes in art.

But there seem to have been some at Apple who are slightly less inclined toward it after discovering that an artist had installed software on around 100 Apple Store computers.

The software was set up simply to capture shots of people's faces every minute as they stared into the laptops of their dreams. As 25-year-old Brooklyn artist Kyle McDonald explained to Mashable, we all have very particular expressions when we are in the throes of Mac hypnosis.

"I thought maybe we could see ourselves doing this we would think more about our computers … Read more

This Day in Tech: Twitter acquires TweetDeck, Google to offer mobile payments?

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Wednesday, May 25.

Twitter acquires popular client TweetDeck Twitter says it will use the desktop service to help commercial users track conversations across the social network, in a deal reportedly valued at about $40 million. More

Piper Jaffray: Now's a good time to own Apple stock A new analyst report says that despite Apple's "lagged" stock gains this year, now is a good time to pick up shares based on the company's estimated growth over … Read more

The iPhone app that detects monsters

Do you lie awake at night and see large, hairy beings, their eyes the size of the moon, leaping out of the wardrobe and looming over you?

Do you walk into dark spaces and feel the presence of ghostly apparitions ready to make deep-throated noises before they turn your epiglottis into carpaccio?

Do I sound like I am talking to a 6-year-old? This is because many children endure such fears. However, perhaps you too, still suffer from such traumas.

Might I offer you the potential of a remedy? Please begin by clutching your iPhone and availing yourself of a Monster Meter.… Read more

GameCrush: Pay to play--with girls

Let's make sure we've got the concept behind GameCrush right. The Web site pays girls to play video games and live-chat with gamers (presumably somewhat lonely gamer boys), who pay for the privilege. This isn't a joke. This is GameCrush's business model.

GameCrush is set to launch at 6 p.m. PDT Tuesday, and its premise, in theory, is simple. It's the gaming equivalent of buying a girl a drink to chat her up, the developers say.

A Player (yes, they're called "Players") buys points--500 cost $8.25--and uses them to buy &… Read more

Miruko eyeball bot: For games and freaking everyone out

Miruko is a camera robot in the shape of an eyeball capable of tracking objects and faces. According to its creators, it can be used for augmented-reality games. According to me, it sucks people's souls.

In this particular game captured in the video, Miruko--which has a wireless CMOS camera embedded in its iris--scans the real world for virtual monsters (ooook), fixing its aim when it finds one. Then the player can capture the monster using the iPhone camera, which is connected via Wi-Fi to the wearable robot.

We're still trying to track down more information on Miruko's … Read more

Indulge your narcissism with a Mini-Me bot

Oh come on, admit it: you've always craved a tiny robot duplicate of yourself. That's not at all creepy.

Fortunately, a Japanese company, Little Island, is ready to accommodate your narcissistic tendencies. And while you can't use it as an evil robot minion, you can order it around and use it to read your RSS feeds and make VoIP calls.

Yep, not only does it respond to voice commands (something my kids aren't all that great at), it will talk to you in a synthesized version of your voice.

Should you decide to order one, your … Read more

Camera disguised as book exposes 10-year-old girl in all of us

Inside all of us, there lives an inner creep just itching to get out and secretly take photos of unsuspecting members of the opposite sex. The secret book camera, offered here by Keith Carollo and Chris Bick of Fred Flare, definitely confirms that theory. The camera uses inexpensive 110 film and is the perfect size to stick in your backpack or Miley Cyrus-approved clutch purse.

You know what this camera reminds me of? That one scene in Troop Beverly Hills where shevillain Velda Plendor hides a camera inside the Girl Scouts book so Herman can spy on the tragically affluent Girl Scouts of Beverly Hills. Wait, what? You're not as self-deprecating as I am? OK, well I loved TBH and now I can finally live out my cinematic fantasies. Never mind that it's seafoam green and made to look like an antique toy for children--I just so happen to have $55 burning a hole in my apron. Patches?! We don't need no stinkin' patches!

Check out more pictures of the camera after the jump.… Read more