- Tech News
Sunshades Bloom to Protect These Towers from the Brutal Desert Sun
When the sun comes up, the flowers come out. Inspired by the design of Arabic windows known as mashrabiya, these 45-foot wide, flower-shaped sunshades “blossom” in minutes to cover the facades of these twin towers designed for two (anonymous!) Middle Eastern media companies. New York-based architecture firm REX drew up these plans for the conjoined … Continued
By Sarah Zhang - Tech NewsDesign
I Wish I Could Read Wikipedia Like This
I love Wikipedia, but too often the articles are just not that easy to read. It’s not that my English isn’t good enough. My English good. There is Simple English Wikipedia, but it doesn’t cover as many topics and it’s not as thorough. No, what bothers me about reading Wikipedia isn’t the language, it’s the … Continued
Assaf Lavie - io9Television
Why True Detective Is A Supernatural Show After All
Despite its heavy references to a 19th century work of horror, True Detective does not appear on its surface to be supernatural show. But the show’s controversial ending is particularly brilliant if you read the entire season as a battle between two men and a powerful supernatural entity. Spoilers below. True Detective has been a … Continued
By Lauren Davis - Tech NewsDesign
Pull This Cute Portable Radiator Around The Room Like a Warm-Bodied Pet
Okay, so it’s not quite the right season, but I’ve fallen in love with this adorable Kangeri “nomadic radiator.” Guide the little guy around the room and let him gently warm up your personal space, kind of like the puppy you can’t have because your apartment building won’t allow pets. Dutch designer Satyendra Pakhalé formed … Continued
- io9
It’s Batman vs. Terry In A Clip From Darwyn Cooke’s Batman Beyond Short
First Bruce Timm brought back The Animated Series’ version of Batman, and now Terry McGinnis is back in his cartoon Batsuit in this clip from Darwyn Cooke’s upcoming Batman Beyond animated short. In honor of Batman’s 75th anniversary, DC has declared this “Bat Month” and giving us all sorts of Bat-goodies. We can’t wait to … Continued
By Lauren Davis - ScienceAnimals
Scientists Discover the Gynosome, a New Kind of Sexual Organ
It’s a first in the animal kingdom. Among a group of cave-dwelling Brazilian insects, the females use a specialized sex organ to penetrate the males. Scientists say that their lives challenge everything we thought we knew about sexual selection. The insects are all members of the genus Neotrogla, whose four species all measure around a … Continued
- io9Comics
Q Stops By J.J. Abrams’ New Star Trek Universe To Make Trouble
No, your eyes do not deceive you — that’s Picard’s fan favorite nemesis Q, holding the new crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise in his omnipotent hands! Q takes a trip to visit the new movie-verse in IDW’s Star Trek’s comic’s next adventure, and we have the exclusive details! Besides the premiere of Star Trek #35’s … Continued
By Rob Bricken - Tech News
The Plan to Keep People From Jumping Off the Golden Gate Bridge
More people have committed suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge than on any other structure in the world—someone jumps from the bridge to their death about every two weeks. But those figures could be dramatically reduced if a proposed suicide-prevention barrier is installed later this year, as advocates hope. If you’ve walked over the bridge, … Continued
- Tech NewsGoogle
Google Clone Makes It Easy to Search for Drugs and Guns on the Dark Web
It can be hard to find good smack without leaving the comfort of your own home. At least it used to be. A new search engine for black markets is making it easier than ever to find anything from high quality heroin to assault rifles. The site even looks just like Google. It’s called Grams, … Continued
- io9
Astronomers Have Found the First Earth-Sized, Habitable Zone Planet
Scientists today announced the discovery of Kepler-186f, a faraway planet that’s perhaps the most Earth-like yet discovered. It’s the same size as our home world, and at the right distance from its parent star to have liquid water. So, have we at last discovered Earth 2? Above: An artist’s conception of Kepler-186f Credit: NASA Ames/SETI … Continued
- Tech NewsDesign
The Beautiful Radio Station Broadcasting From Nepal’s “Hidden Kingdom”
Mustang is one of the most remote parts of Nepal: Nestled on the border of Tibet, it was one of the last parts of the country to encounter Westerners. It’s been described as a “hidden kingdom” that’s been “virtually unchanged since the 15th century,” but modern technology—like radio—is coming. Radio is one of the most … Continued
- Tech News
Portland’s Draining An Entire Reservoir Because One Dude Peed In It
Urine trouble, Portland. Thirty-eight million gallons of treated, ready-to-drink water will be flushed into the Columbia River after a teenager peed in a city reservoir. The incident happened early Wednesday morning. At least one teenager was seen on a surveillance camera as he peed through the wrought-iron fence that surrounds the Mt. Tabor Reservoir, which … Continued
- io9
Highlander, Stream Your Cable Anywhere, Planet Earth, PC Games
Wield Highlander: Director’s Cut on blu-ray for just $5 today. [Amazon] There are a whole lot of great PC deals today, from Titanfall to Tomb Raider. $20 Steam Gift Card ($18) | Target | In-Store Only Bioshock Triple Pack | $13 | Promo Code EMCPFWE84 Saints Row: The Third The Full Package ($6) | Amazon … Continued
- io9Comics
Is TV Ready For An Interdimensional, Corpse-Animating Worm?
George Lopez — yes, that George Lopez — thinks it is. That’s why he’s partnered with comic publisher IDW to make an animated series based on writer/artist Ben Templesmith’s humor-horror comic Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse. Here’s the official summary, courtesy of IDW: Meet Wormwood, the English-accented, beer-drinking, sentient corpse possessing a maggot expat from the Hell … Continued
By Rob Bricken - Tech News
What We Know About the First Earth-Sized Planet In a Habitable Zone
When you’re looking for alien life, the best place to look is somewhere like Earth; the only place we know of that life exists. Kepler-186f, the first Earth-sized planet to be found in the habitable zone of a star, is the best bet we’ve ever found. We’d heard details about this find a little while … Continued
By Eric Limer - Tech News
This Rugged Outdoor Calculator Can Survive Everything But Obsolescence
You might not have had a use for a dedicated calculator after completing your final high school math course, but that doesn’t mean others don’t. In fact, despite the rise of smartphones, companies like Casio are still churning out standalone calculators. And its latest, the fx-FD10 Pro, which is designed for outdoor-types like surveyors, seems … Continued
- Tech News
This Stellar Fusion Game is Shockingly Addictive
Stars are colossal fusion reactors, burning hydrogen into helium. As the nuclei fuse lighter elements into heavier elements, massive amounts of energy are released. A new game sets you the task of nucleosynthesis, building hydrogen into iron, and it’s surprisingly fun. At first glance, this game bears none of the hallmarks of fun for me. … Continued
- io9Movies
Watch A Space Jam Live Read With Nick Kroll, Seth Green & Blake Griffin
Lately ,there have been a collection of highbrow, nostalgic live reads (The Breakfast Club with Jennifer Garner and Aaron Paul or Ghostbusters read with Seth Rogen and Mae Whitman). But now there’s finally something for the people. Behold a snippet from the Space Jam live read starring Nick Kroll, Ben Schwartz, Seth Green, Blake Griffin … Continued