- SciencePhysics
This Trick Will Let You See Anything Without Glasses
If you’re ever in a fix without glasses but need to see, this trick lets you see the world again—however blurry you vision is. Minute Physics explains the science behind the trick, which just requires you to make a tiny little hole with your hand to peer through. Somehow, magically, it brings a blurry world … Continued
- Tech News
This Week’s Top Comedy Video: Bald Earth
Earth’s climate is changing, and the evidence is clear—with the loss of the polar ice caps, earth is obviously going bald. But the debate rages on: does a bald earth need help, or can our planet’s chrome dome be downright sexy? For the rest of this week’s top comedy videos, head on over to SplitSider. … Continued
SplitSider - io9
Fabulous New Illustrations for a Steampunk Homage to Jules Verne
Mahendra Singh is an illustrator best known for work that is meticulously researched, intelligent to the point of phosphorescence and executed with obsessive craftsmanship. It should go without saying, then, that his illustrations for steampunk Jules Verne tribute 20 Trillion Leagues Under the Sea are nothing short of fantastic. I first met Mahendra—a self-described “ink-stained … Continued
By Ron Miller - io9Television
At Last, Continuum Gives Us The Meeting We’ve Been Waiting For
You have to give it to Continuum. Most shows would have made us wait a whole season for the meeting that takes place in the clip above. But the Canadian time-travel show just jumps straight ahead… although the meeting doesn’t play out the way we’d have expected. Spoilers ahead… So yeah, the two Alecs have … Continued
- Tech News
Witness the Tragedy of the World’s Last Reader With The Twilight Zone
Old troves and the newly-discovered intrigue around them was sort of our theme today, what with the discovery of decades-old Atari game cartridges in a New Mexico landfill. It’s a theme that always gets me thinking of one of The Twilight Zone’s most influential episodes: “Time Enough at Last.” Henry Bemis is a beleaguered bookworm … Continued
- Tech NewsSploid
This little alien monster is fundamental to cancer research
Cool scanning electron microscope image taken by Annie Cavanagh and David McCarthy: A zebra fish larva 32 hours after hatching from its egg. Zebra fish are one of the fundamental cornerstones of cancer, cardiovascular, immune system, infectious diseases and drugs research in laboratories all over the world. It looks like an alien monster at this … Continued
By Jesus Diaz - Tech News
Does Digital Media Make Physical Artifacts Obsolete?
Today, diggers unearthed a cache of Atari 2600 game cartridges in a New Mexico landfill. Game aficionados have told the urban legend around the buried games for decades. Now I’m wondering: in a world of digital-only media, will this sort of discovery cease to exist? What do you think? I’m sort of torn about it. … Continued
- Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
This Mystery Bike Lock’s Hidden Keyhole Makes it Un-Pickable
Picking a lock is surprisingly easy with practice. So the makers of this mystery bike lock came up with a brilliant and novel solution: bury the keyhole deep inside the lock mechanism. It’s unpickable, because you simply can’t get your picks into the lock. And it’s got lock picking hobbyists stumped. We’re not sure where … Continued
- Tech News
This week in Tech Reads: how data from Apollo 12 debunked the “skydiver meteorite,” facial recognition software that performs better than the human brain, a literary easter egg on Amazon’s Kindle, and more, more, more! Philip Metzger explains how Apollo 12 discoveries proved that the “meteorite” caught on video whizzing by a Norwegian skydiver was … Continued
- io9
What’s Your Risk Of Being Murdered? Find Out With A Game Of Darts.
The Economist brought interactive datavisualization to its print edition this week with an unsettling infographic on Honduran murder rates. The graphical component of the feature compares the annual risk of murder in Honduras to that of South Africa, Brazil, the United States and Singapore. The odds for each country are represented by red area bars … Continued
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- io9
The Most Sensational Cosplay From Calgary Expo… So Far
Turns out Canadian cosplayers have some pretty great chops. This totally makes sense — half the science fiction TV shows, and a lot of the movies, are made in Canada these days. So it’s no surprise that the Calgary Comic and Entertainment Expo has featured some jaw-dropping cosplay so far. Last weekend, we brought you … Continued
- Tech News
Watch a Pro Golfer Knock a Drone From the Sky With One Golf Ball
Shooting down a flying drone is challenging even for machine gun-wielding sharpshooters. But professional golfer Keegan Bradley just made it look easy, swatting a DJI Phantom out of the sky with just a well-aimed golf ball. Thankfully, the quadcopter was carrying a GoPro, so we could see the whole thing unfold. Poor drone. The story, … Continued
- Tech News
Harsh Reality Break: 234 Girls Kidnapped from Physics Test (Updated)
Warning: this is a horrible story. 234 young women were abducted from a physics test in Nigeria, specifically to keep them from getting an education. Nothing is being done to find them. Collective public outrage is the only tool that can possibly get a search started. Updates at the bottom. Over 200 students were abducted … Continued
- Tech News
Balloons, E-Cigs, Powdered Alcohol, Poop, and More
What a week! We looked back at the time Cleveland unleashed 1.5 million balloons into the sky, looked at the 7 best-designed objects (supposedly) of the past year, and examined what your poop might be trying to tell you. Yes, you read that correctly. Your poop. And so much more! That Time Cleveland Released 1.5 … Continued
- io9
A New Grimm Named Trubel Makes Trouble On A Troubling Grimm
Oh, Grimm. Only you could provide such a game-changing new character and then absolutely refuse to let her change the game until next episode. Our gamechanger is Ms. Theresa Riubel, and if I may paraphrase Agents of SHIELD, “Someone really wanted her name to spell T.Rubel.” Theresa is a young Grimm who doesn’t know she’s … Continued
By Rob Bricken - Tech News
How to Enjoy Nature Without Getting Yourself Eaten
Ah, the great outdoors, how I loathe thee. What with all that sunshine, fresh air, and hordes of ravenous apex predators lurking around every trail bend. But if you do insist on communing with Mother Nature, here’s what you need to know to keep from becoming a part of the food chain. Surviving a Cougar … Continued
- io9
A Strange New Mineral Has Been Discovered in Australia
It’s purple, translucent and goes by “putnisite.” Discovered in Western Australia, putnisite contains the unusual elemental combination of strontium, calcium, chromium, sulphur, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen and is notable for its dissimilarity from other, known families of minerals. Photo Credit: P. Elliott et al via PopSci PopSci’s Douglas Main has the details: While dozens of … Continued
- Tech News
Paparazzi, Tourists, Marathoners: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week
L.A. is being overrun by photographers trying to snap photos of celebrity spawn. Tourists are making a mess out of Barcelona. And four runners cast a cheatery vibe over what should have been a triumphant day in Boston. Let’s investigate What’s Ruining Our Cites. Paparazzi are ruining Los Angeles The horribleness of TMZ is nothing … Continued
- Tech News
Epic Astronomy Hang-Out
CosmoQuest, the citizen science project to map craters, is hosting an epic hang-out marathon fundraiser this weekend. Their objective is to raise $295,200 to develop more citizen science software, and they’ve recruited some astronomy-celebrities to help them out. Why does a research project at a university need your money? As they say in the fundraising … Continued