- EartherClimate Change
The Alluring Dream of Carbon Capture
Our addiction to fossil fuels is unrelenting, which means that the skies will continue to fill with carbon dioxide for the foreseeable future. Efforts to scale back coal and oil consumption are underway, but once the trigger has been pulled, it’s hard to put the bullet back into the chamber: conventional wisdom states that the … Continued
Robin George Andrews - Tech News
Librarian Wins $600 in Symbolic Lawsuit Against Those Equifax Asshats
If your personal data gets hacked, then why not file a lawsuit? That’s what Vermont librarian Jessamyn West did by successfully suing Equifax over its 2017 hack, which exposed the personal data over 140 million people. A Vermont judge awarded West $690 for her claim—$90 of which covered the court papers she submitted. West’s lawsuit … Continued
By David Turner - Tech NewsNews
Sheriff Says Campers Burning Poop in a Hole Started 500-Plus Acre Fire
Two campers are to blame for a fire that has consumed more than 500 acres in Nevada’s Voltaire Canyon as of Wednesday night, according to Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong. Furlong said the campers were burning poop in a hole, reports the Reno Gazette Journal. They have been detained by the sheriff’s deputies. The sheriff’s … Continued
- Tech NewsNews
Steve Bannon, Please, Please Put All Your Money Into Making a ‘Deplorables Coin’
Steve Bannon has been keeping a relatively low profile since he was excommunicated from the warm glow of Donald Trump’s love. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been busy. He’s reportedly been working to make cryptocurrencies great again and is even considering launching his own token: The “Deplorables Coin.” It’s been 10 months since Bannon … Continued
By Rhett Jones - EartherConservation
Five New Snail-Slurping Snakes Discovered in Ecuador
Ecuador has five new species of snake, described by science for the first time. But these critters aren’t just any rainforest snakes: the new species have a diet that’s exceptionally weird, eating almost nothing but soft, gooey prey like snails and slugs. The researchers who found them also took the unusual step of auctioning the … Continued
By Jake Buehler - io9
Hawkman’s Return Focuses on the Best Parts of DC Comics’ High-Flying Hero
The character nicknamed the Winged Wonder sits in a weird place in the DC Comics pantheon. Hawkman’s made the big-deal jump from comics to cartoons (not to mention live-action) and has an instantly recognizable look. But all that look tells you is that he can fly and bust heads. Hawkman’s always been more than that. … Continued
- How To
Android P Beta vs iOS 12 Beta: Which Looks Most Promising?
Both Google and Apple have started the long tease ahead of new software updates in the fall, with Android P and iOS 12 now available to users who are brave enough to take the plunge (and have a developer account, in Apple’s case). So which beta software looks most promising and gets us most excited? … Continued
By David Nield - io9
This Week’s Expanse Will Fry Your Brain in the Best Way Possible
The Expanse’s alien protomolecule has always been a game-changer. It’s unpredictable, it makes people do weird things, and it reshapes reality and logic according to its own strange agenda. But this week, on “Dandelion Sky,” it didn’t just change the game—it rewrote all the rules. Before Holden slipped off the Rocinante and blasted himself toward … Continued
By Cheryl Eddy - Tech NewsMicrosoft
Microsoft Reportedly in Talks With Walmart to Build Checkout-Free Stores Like Amazon Go
Even though there’s only one Amazon Go location so far, it seems the existence of Amazon’s cashier-less, checkout-free convenience store has left some of the company’s biggest competitors wondering how they, too, can get in on futuristic retail. According to Reuters, Microsoft is now working on tech that would allow retailers to build checkout-free stores. … Continued
- Tech NewsSploid
Just Watching Video of Six Flags’ Dizzying New Spinning Ride Is Making Me Want to Puke
Every summer, amusement parks across the country compete to lure visitors with bigger, faster, and more terrifying thrill rides. This year, Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey is hoping that people will actually line up to ride its new Cyborg Cyber Spin that churns stomachs along three different axes. The ride is reminiscent of those … Continued
- io9
New Wonder Woman 1984 Set Photos Give Us Our Best Look Yet at Diana’s Return
James Wan reveals the wonderfully simple way people will talk under water in Aquaman. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly can never escape questions about where they were during the events of Infinity War. Plus, our best look yet at the new Predator design, and more footage from Preacher’s return. Spoilers get! Wonder Woman 1984 Just … Continued
- ScienceAnimals
These Are the Most Ancient Frogs Ever Found Preserved in Amber
The extraordinary discovery of four small frogs preserved in amber is providing the earliest evidence of these now-prolific amphibians living in tropical rainforests. New research published today Scientific Reports shows that frogs—an animal that first emerged some 200 million years ago—were occupying soggy forested regions at least 100 million years ago. This discovery is a … Continued
- Tech NewsNews
Elon Musk’s Boring Company Wins Bid to Build High-Speed Underground Rail in Chicago
Elon Musk’s underground transportation business, The Boring Company, has won a bid to create an underground high-speed rail line from downtown Chicago to O’Hare International Airport. The company beat out at least four other developers for the project, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is expected to make an official announcement this afternoon. “We’re really excited … Continued
By Matt Novak - Tech NewsNews
FCC Reportedly Planning to Change Rules to Save Sinclair’s Takeover of Local News Before Court Can Kill It
Fresh off finally completing the goal of killing net neutrality protections, Ajit Pai’s Federal Communications Commission is onto its next attempt to destroy longstanding rules that have protected American consumers. According to Bloomberg, the FCC is planning on sneaking in a vote to change limits on how many television stations a single company can own … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - ScienceHealth
Massachusetts Sues Purdue Pharma, 16 Company Officials for Allegedly Lying About OxyContin
The state of Massachusetts has filed a lawsuit against Purdue Pharma LP, the company that developed the semisynthetic opioid OxyContin in 1995 and aggressively marketed it while downplaying the risk of addiction. It’s part of a growing backlash to Purdue, a pharmaceutical giant the New Yorker characterized as an “Empire of Pain,” and whose business … Continued
By Tom McKay - Tech NewsGoogle
Google Is Maybe Kinda Trying to Get the Pixelbook Windows 10 Certified
Google’s laptop-tablet hybrid Pixelbook has been given high praise by critics and users for its functionality and design, but the device suffers from one critical flaw: It runs Chrome OS, Google’s own, underpowered operating system. New reports suggest that may change soon, as Google is supposedly exploring the possibility of getting the Pixelbook certified to … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - io9
You Can Build This Cardboard Darth Vader Costume in Less Time Than It Takes to Watch Star Wars
When October 30th rolls around, you don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a memorable, last-minute Halloween costume that will just end up hanging in the back of your closet the rest of the year. A Japanese stationery brand has created a cheap, build-it-yourself cardboard alternative that still looks like you spent a lot … Continued
- Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Cops Are Predictably Pissed About Apple’s Plan to Turn Off USB Data Access on iPhones
Tech giant Apple is reportedly planning to prevent anyone who wants to gain access to a encrypted iOS device via techniques like Cellebrite’s GrayKey phone-hacking box by introducing an option to lock USB data access an hour after it’s locked, essentially turning iPhones, iPads, and iPods into sealed black boxes. Officials in the law enforcement … Continued
By Tom McKay - Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
China to Make RFID Chips Mandatory in Cars So the Government Can Track Citizens on the Road
The Chinese government, in its ongoing pursuit to create the dystopian police state dreamed up in many a science fiction tale, is reportedly readying a new vehicle identification system that will be capable of monitoring the movement of citizens. The Wall Street Journal reported on the system, which will begin rolling out on July 1st … Continued
By AJ Dellinger - io9
Mister Miracle Might Have Just Found a Trap Even He Can’t Get Out of
Scott Free is an escape artist. And a superhero. And the owner of the DC universe’s best T-shirt collection. But those are beside the point, which is that he’s known for escaping things. You could say he gets out of them, well… scott free. But this week’s Mister Miracle #9 might have given him, at … Continued