- Tech News
The Bubble Porn Video: No Nudity, But Extremely NSFW
It was only a matter of time. If you’ve never heard of bubbling, the ingenious invention of a young, lonely Mormon man that lets your mind turn innocent bikini shots into porn, now’s your chance to get acquainted—this time, in video form. And yep, it’s just about as porny as you can get without actually … Continued
- io9Books
All The April Science Fiction and Books That Will Rock Your Universe!
April is the coolest month — at least, judging from the stacks of astonishing science fiction and fantasy books being published right about now. There’s tons of space opera, alternate history, crazy apocalypses, and much more. Here are 20 novels you can’t afford to miss out on in April! Peacemaker by C. J. Cherryh (DAW) … Continued
- Tech News
The Unflinching War Photography of Chris Hondros
Almost exactly three years after Getty Images photojournalist Chris Hondros was killed by a rocket-propelled grenade in Libya in April 2011, there’s a new book of his writings and photography. War is horrible. Warning: Some of these images are graphic. Spanning more than a decade of work, Testamentis a striking book, which documents Hondros’ incredible … Continued
- Tech News
A Powerful Chemistry Tool Inspired by Music Boxes Only Costs $5
Stanford University’s Manu Prakash, Ph.D., loves coming up with cheap, rugged scientific equipment, like his 50-cent microscope made of folded cardboard. Now he’s followed that up with another ingenious chemistry tool: A $5 device that uses the guts from a music box to control chemical reactions with super precision. Dr. Prakash’s hand-cranked chemistry set uses … Continued
- Tech News
The Internet Hall of Fame’s 2014 Inductees
Each year the Internet Hall of Fame recognizes people from all over the world who have each been instrumental in building and advocating for an open internet. Past inductees have included everyone from Vint Cerf to Aaron Swartz. And yes, also Al Gore. And this year’s crop is full of luminaries past and present. Among … Continued
By Matt Novak - Tech NewsSploid
I want to live in this awesome yacht and roam the world forever
I always wanted to live on a sailboat, but they can be quite uncomfortable. I don’t like motor yachts either, but I love some of the cool floating homes you can see in Sweden or Denmark. Glass—a concept by Lujac Desautel—seems like a great hybrid, with lots of space and light. Lujac Desautelworks in an … Continued
By Jesus Diaz - io9
Alcohol May Have Different Pair-Bonding Effects On Males And Females
Alcohol is often referred to as a social lubricant, but its effects on pair bonding have not been fully explored. But a new experiment performed on prairie voles — a socially monogamous mammal — suggests that alcohol may cause males to be more drawn to strangers, while the opposite holds true for females. Obviously, humans … Continued
- Tech News
These Mysterious Desert Monoliths Are Actually Richard Serra Sculptures
N25o 31.019’E050o51.948′: You need a set of GPS coordinates to visit Richard Serra’s newest work, which stretches more than a half-mile through the Qatari desert. The installation is called East-West/West-East, and it sits at the mouth of Qatar’s Brouq Nature Reserve, about 40 miles outside of Doha. Each steel monolith stands as tall as 50 … Continued
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New Implant Helps Paralyzed Patients Regain Partial Use Of Their Legs
After receiving an implant that electrically stimulates the spinal cord, four paraplegic men can now voluntarily move their previously paralyzed legs. It’s a breakthrough that’s poised to revolutionize the treatment of paralysis. Researchers working to treat damage-induced paralysis have made a number of advances over the past several years, but this latest breakthrough is one … Continued
- Tech News
Your Baby’s Klout Score Is in the 25th Percentile
As you know, we took a lot of measurements this morning—height, weight, head circumference—and in most respects, your baby is doing great. There’s just one thing, and it’s not necessarily something to be concerned about, but we do need to talk about it: Your baby’s Klout score is in the 25th percentile. I know you’re … Continued
Jeremy Blachman - McSweeney's - Tech News
Zooming-In On Satellite Calibration Targets in the Arizona Desert
These optical targets in the Arizona desert were built for calibrating the cameras of a spy satellite network called the Corona program. Similar to the huge bar codes found across the U.S. southwest, also used for testing high-altitude cameras, these targets are glyphs meant to be seen from the sky: fixed points of focus and … Continued
- Tech NewsSploid
These pterodactyls combat jets are so damn cool
I love these three concept designs for the combat jets in the sci-fi love movie Is This Heaven, directed by Bastiaan Koch. They look like pterodactyls. Are those flexible metal wings? So cool. I love how the pilot gets into them. Here’s the movie plot: Jack, a soldier in a future war, finds love in … Continued
By Jesus Diaz - io9
Herzog, 150 of the Best Movies Ever, The Desolation of Smaug [Deals]
This awesome limited edition Werner Herzog Collection releases on July 29. It features 16 of Herzog’s films all on blu-ray for the first time. The set is currently $10 cheaper on ShoutFactory than Amazon, but not so fast. Amazon offers pre-order price guarantee, so ordering from them will almost certainly net you the better deal … Continued
- Tech News
How Armor Is Evolving to Beat Tank-Smashing RPGs
Like the AK-47, the Soviet RPG-7 rocket propelled grenade has become one of the most widely-distributed infantry weapons on Earth, used by everyone from E8 nations to guerrilla insurgency groups in every major conflict since Vietnam. But their ubiquitousness nature has kicked off a global race focused on how to beat them. First developed by … Continued
- io9
How One Man Beat The Mackworth Clock
The Mackworth Clock is a famous test that was used to assess the vigilance of radar operators during World War II. Can you notice when a clock jumps one second ahead? but one man “hacked” the test, getting an unheard-of score. Years later, he explained his hack — and brought up a major flaw in … Continued
- io9
Air Force Says Drones Won’t Carry Nukes…For Now
A recently published report outlines the Air Force’s future plans for its fleet of drones, including whether they would ever be used to carry out a nuclear strike. In the coming 25 years, the Air Force hopes to have drones take over or assist with more of the types of missions that are currently being … Continued
By Mark Strauss - io9
Watch the U.S. Navy Blow Shit Up With Its Futuristic Railgun
Gamers and scifi enthusiasts are familiar with the much-vaunted railgun — an electrically powered projectile launcher capable of propelling objects at speeds reaching Mach 7. We’ve seen the Navy’s railgun in action before — but we’ve never actually seen it destroy stuff. Until now. Navy officials have been busy at work testing the railguns to … Continued
- Tech News
The ATLAS Robot Will Soon Be Walking Without a Tether
As impressive as Boston Dynamics’ humanoid robot ATLAS moves, it’s still not completely free to explore wherever it wants. Thick trunk lines keep it tethered to machinery and pumps that provide power, hyrdraulic fluids, and of course communications and data. But researchers at MIT are now working to free ATLAS of its leash-like umbilical cord … Continued
- Tech News
Mangled Umbrella Photos Put a Staple of NYC Life In the Spotlight
Navigating the streets of country’s biggest city makes for countless shared experiences. One such phenomenon is the well-known site of a corner-store umbrella lying disfigured during a rainstorm. Photographer Drew Anthony Smith decided that the discarded umbrellas were a worthy artistic subject after moving from Austin, Texas, to Brooklyn and being enthralled with what almost … Continued
- io9
Did Nathan Fillion Just Reveal His Guardians of the Galaxy Cameo?
Nathan Fillion, who has worked with Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn on both Slither and Super, was asked recently if his buddy slipped him into the next Marvel feature. His answer seemed to imply that the answer was yes. Plus watch the first GOTG clip! At the Saint Louis Comic-Con, Fillion was questioned … Continued