- ScienceSpace
Well, This Japanese Private Rocket Launch Certainly Could Have Gone Better
Saturday’s test of the MOMO-2 unmanned rocket, which was scheduled to be the first privately funded Japanese rocket to reach space, went very poorly for Interstellar Technologies’ Takafumi Horie, a convicted securities fraudster who a 2014 Financial Times profile dubbed “Japan’s enfant terrible.” Footage of the event showed the one-and-a-quarter-ton rocket disastrously failing mere seconds … Continued
By Tom McKay - io9Television
This Animated Short Puts Some Samurai Jack in The Witcher
Geralt and Jack aren’t incredibly alike, but this mashup really works. Directed by Jason Dewey and Liam KcKeown, with animation by Liam McKeown, “SAMURAI WITCHER: Geralt vs. The Griffin” is a combination of the violent drama of The Witcher and the deliberate artistry of Genddy Tartakovsky. In it, the Witcher Geralt prepares for, and fights, … Continued
By Julie Muncy - Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Smart Home Security Camera Sends Footage to Wrong Person, Is Maybe Not So Smart After All
Internet-connected devices are known for having their fair share of security issues—especially when it comes to cameras. But here’s a new one: the BBC reported this week that a smart home security camera started sending video clips to the wrong person. The BBC first caught wind of the problem shortly after one of its employees … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - io9Movies
This Mission: Impossible—Fallout Featurette is Full of Footage of Tom Cruise Doing Inadvisable Things
I love Tom Cruise. Every Tom Cruise action movie is a joyful montage of Cruise running from setpiece to setpiece, doing a series of immensely inadvisable acrobatic feats that somehow, improbably, all work out in the end. This new behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming Mission: Impossible film is, naturally, full of exactly that, with lovely … Continued
By Julie Muncy - Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Capital Gazette Shooting Suspect Was IDed Using Controversial Facial Recognition Database
Law enforcement officers in Maryland used facial recognition technology to identify the suspected shooter believed to be responsible for killing five staff members and injuring at least two others in the offices of newspaper company Capital Gazette on Thursday. Authorities were able to ID the apparent shooter by taking a photo of the suspect in … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - io9
If Wakanda Had World Cup Uniforms, They’d Look Like This
With Wakanda getting more involved in the affairs of the world after the events of Black Panther, one has to imagine major sports events are on the agenda, right after sharing advanced technology and helping the planet survive alien cataclysms. Which means it’s probably time they put together some soccer teams. Artist Mark Yesilevskiy, an … Continued
By Julie Muncy - Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Authorities Arrest Man for Allegedly Threatening to Murder Ajit Pai’s Children
Authorities arrested a California man on Friday who had allegedly sent several death threats to Ajit Pai, the Donald Trump-appointed chair of the Federal Communications Commission behind the death of net neutrality rules. According to a Department of Justice press release, the individual in question is 33-year-old Norwalk resident Markara Man, who the DOJ wrote … Continued
By Tom McKay - io9Television
The Strange Mystery of the Squiggles in the Disney Logo
So, what’s the deal with the ‘D” in the Walt Disney logo, anyway? It’s got this odd squiggly flair to it that’s kind of hard to read. That’s just Walt’s signature, right? Well, actually, it’s a bit weirder than that. As it turns out, no, it’s not his signature. At least, it’s not representative of … Continued
By Julie Muncy - Tech NewsNews
Why Adult Content Creators Are Mad at Patreon
Patreon, the service of choice for independent artists and creators, has once again cracked down on adult content makers. This week, a slew of Patreon creators who make suggestive material received notification that their pages were suspended or shut down. According to a report from Motherboard, the primary reason given to those hit by the … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - Tech NewsNews
Your Tinder Photos Are Finally Encrypted Thanks to a 69-Year-Old Senator
Tinder may be known primarily as a millennial hookup app but thanks to a little pressure from a 69-year-old, married Baby Boomer senator, the dating service is more secure. Tinder parent company Match Group announced this week in a letter to Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden that it will finally encrypt photos uploaded by its users. … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - io9
The Animated Justice League Assembles, and More of the World’s Finest Toys of the Week
Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular round up of the coolest toys we’ve seen on this here internet lately. This week: Comic-Con exclusive mania continues, Fantastic Beasts finds itself an extremely clever Lego set, and the best incarnation of the Justice League assembles on your toy shelf. Check it out! Lego Batman Mech vs. … Continued
- ScienceHealth
Juul Raising $1.2 Billion to Get More Teens Hooked on Vaping
Juul Labs, the makers of the Juul e-cigarette that is popular among teens for its discreet design and addictive flavors of nicotine juice, is raising $1.2 billion to hopes of hooking a new generation to a maybe kinda slightly healthier version of smoking. The fundraising effort, reported by Bloomberg, would value the company at $15 … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - io9
It’s Friday, So Here’s Ms. Marvel Punching Out What Is Basically a Chocobo From Final Fantasy
Looks like someone’s not getting any Gysahl Greens. Marvel’s delightful Rising spinoff property—which is bringing Ms. Marvel alongside Squirrel Girl, America Chavez, Quake, Patriot, Spider-Gwen, Inferno, and Captain Marvel into a superteam spanning across comics and animation—has already given us some very cute moments between these disparate heroes. But its latest issue, set to focus … Continued
- io9
Sonic the Hedgehog May Face His Greatest Foe Yet: Jim Carrey
Sonic the Hedgehog, a live-action/CG hybrid based on the popular video game series, is racing its way to theaters everywhere, especially now that it has a villain. Deadline reports none other than Jim Carrey is in talks to play the evil Robotnik in the film, which will be distributed by Paramount Pictures. Carrey will join … Continued
- io9
Harlan Ellison Wrote One of the Best Daredevil Stories Ever
The first place I fell in love with the late, beloved science fiction author Harlan Ellison was in comics. Specifically, it was in Daredevil #208, a comic I obsessively read over and over again when I was a kid. After re-reading it last night, I can definitely state that it holds up extremely well. I … Continued
- io9Comics
In This Week’s Best Magical New Comics, the Kids Are All Right, but the Adults Are Definitely Not
Even though the culture has bought into the idea that a person’s teenage years are some of the most tumultuous of their lives, sometimes one of the weirdest parts of transitioning into adulthood is realizing that you were actually way more together (relatively speaking) when you were younger. It’s one of the strange facts of … Continued
- Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Please Listen to Trump Get Prank Called on Air Force One
Getting a phone call connected to Air Force One, even if you’re someone without any sort of prestige or military or diplomatic rank whatsoever, is apparently about as challenging as using sleight of hand on a dog—a really gullible dog who swallows car keys and constantly runs into the same glass door. John Melendez, aka … Continued
By Dell Cameron - io9
Luke Cage’s Focus on Families Gives Season Two a Big Upgrade
In the first season of Luke Cage, the nigh-indestructible man was, essentially, an island. He was a stranger living on Harlem’s fringes, butting up against enemies with strong ties to the historic neighborhood. Season two tells us more about the families that spawned Luke, Mariah, and new villain Bushmaster, and does so in ways that … Continued
- Tech NewsNews
Millions in Cryptocurrencies Seized in Biggest LSD Bust in European History
With the price boom of 2017 and the constant chatter about the blockchain revolution, it feels like people have forgotten the one thing bitcoin is proven to be good for: buying drugs. On Thursday, law enforcement gave everyone a reminder of cryptocurrencies roots when it took down an LSD ring and seized millions of dollars … Continued
By Rhett Jones - Tech NewsMicrosoft
Here’s Even More Evidence of Microsoft’s Rumored Dual-Screen Surface
For almost a decade, there have been rumors that Microsoft was developing a dual-screen device that would radically alter they we think about modern computing. In 2009, it was the Microsoft Courier, while more recently, patents showed something that looked more like a folding Surface allegedly codenamed Andromeda. Then, less than a month ago, Thurrot.com … Continued