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Tech News
Scientists Made LEDs 60 Percent Brighter By Copying Firefly Lanterns
A team of researchers has managed to boost the amount of light an LED emits by 60 percent simply by shaping its outer surface to resemble the outside of a firefly’s lantern. Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology have created the new organic LED by creating a nano-structured lens that sits … Continued
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Tech NewsSamsung
Samsung Is Trying Really Hard Not to Call These Phones ‘Rose Gold’
Samsung has released a new, pinker version of the flagship Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge. But don’t call them Rose Gold—that’s Apple’s color! Instead, they are something totally different called “Pink Gold.” In case you’re wondering what makes Pink Gold different from Rose Gold, or indeed, just regular pink, Samsung has taken two paragraphs to … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech NewsGadgets
This Thermal Imaging Helmet Gives Firefighters Predator Vision
Thermal vision might have been made popular by Predator, but infrared imaging is useful for humans as well as mutant aliens. Specifically, giving firefighters hands-free thermal vision could save lives, as well as making Hollywood jealous. Scott Sight is an thermal imaging headset designed to make firefighters’ lives easier. It integrates a thermal camera into … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech NewsMicrosoft
This Keyboard-Mouse Combo Is Ideal For Lazy Couch Gamers Like Me
I love gaming, but I also hate sitting up straight in chairs when I don’t absolutely have to. You’d think a console would be the solution, but really, this dumb-looking keyboard-mouse combo from Razer is the missing link. The aggresively-named Razer Turret is simple: it’s a wireless keyboard and mouse, but the keyboard has a … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech News
Would You Ride a Bus from SF to LA If You Had Your Own Bed?
In much of the US, people love cheap transit options like Megabus and Bolt Bus that ferry people between major cities. But in the western US, the distance between cities can be hundreds of miles, and sitting in a cramped seat for seven hours is no fun. That’s why the just-launched startup Sleepbus wants to … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Why Time Is One of Humanity’s Greatest and Most Important Inventions
Without the pendulum clock, the Industrial Revolution doesn’t happen. Without the quartz clock, the technology in the digital revolution doesn’t happen. It’s time, weirdly enough, that advanced our world. How? The pendulum clock (conceived by Galileo, made by Christiaan Huygens) was useful for accurate timekeeping because the time it takes for a pendulum to swing … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Can You Guess How Much NYC Paid the Architect of the Most Expensive Train Station on Earth?
The World Trade Center Transit Hub—aka The (other) Oculus—has already gone down in history as the most expensive train station, ever. The grand total was $4 billion, about twice what it was supposed to cost, and more than the skyscraper adjacent to it. But there might be another record-breaking figure associated with this project. I … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Seeing These Card Tricks Up Close Almost Makes You Believe in Magic
Magician Patrick Kun isn’t breaking the wheel when it comes to these magic tricks but the way he packages them: short and sweet and right in front of the camera with little to no explanation, it makes watching magic sso much more fun. There’s no long build up, there’s no need to weave a senseless … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
The Number of GMOs Worldwide Just Dropped For the First Time in Two Decades
For the past two decades, the number of genetically-modified crops has been steadily skyrocketing around the globe. Until 2015, when the number saw its first recorded drop. What’s going on? The numbers come from a report by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications looking at the span of data for worldwide biotech … Continued
By Ria Misra -
Tech News
How to Fake the Northern Lights in Photoshop For Amazing Vacation Photos
There are few natural phenomena as captivating as the northern lights. But you need to be in the right place at the right time if you hope to snap a memorable of them. Unless you’re marginally comfortable with Photoshop, and don’t have any moral conflicts about just faking them. If you’re a Photoshop novice, you’re … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle
These Shitty Memes Are More Embarrassing Than Anything Nest Has Done
Earlier today, Recode obtained some exclusive memes that offered insight into how Google’s employees really feel about Nest’s many, many problems. But while these disgruntled tech workers are busy lamenting the damage Nest has done to the Google name, they’re hurting themselves—and everyone they’ve ever loved—far more severely. With their embarrassing, shitty-ass memes. Putting aside … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Words That Were Invented Because We Actually Just Got Them Wrong
The lesson, as always, is that we’re dumb. All of us. Even the smartest among us can never save us because we’re all so dumb. Why? Because when we hear the wrong words, we don’t bother to fix ourselves but instead adopt those wrong words into our language even though they’re clearly wrong. It’s great! … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Why Is the TSA at Trump Rallies?
It’s a strange sight: TSA agents with their distinctive blue uniforms and blue latex gloves searching through the clothes and bags of attendees at Trump rallies. But it’s not Trump’s idea. And it’s not just for Trump events. The TSA’s presence is a result of requests made by the Secret Service for assistance at presidential … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech News
Life Rafts Made Entirely From Ants Are Surprisingly Sophisticated
Ants are amazing at co-operation, using their bodies to form parts of chains, ladders, walls, and even rafts. A new study shows that the rafts built by ants are surprisingly well organized, the product of specialized skills and complex memorization tasks. More than perhaps any other species, ants are dependent on each other to achieve … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Recreating Food Emojis in Real Life Is a Lot of Fun
Here are picture perfect recreations of the food emojis we all love to drop in our text messages. You know the ones: the pizza slice, the taco, the foamy beer, the donut. Bon Appetit used a food stylist to recreate these popular emojis and it’s crazy how exacting their methods can be. To get the … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsGoogle
Google Warns Users About a Dangerous Website Called Google.com
You’ve got to admire Google’s honesty. Right now, the company’s own safe browsing tool is flagging “google.com” as partially dangerous. Does that mean your computer is doomed if you need to Google search for “that funny video you saw that one time about a cat or something?” Likely no, Google—like lots of websites—is just unsafe … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech News
We Fucked Up Some ‘Rugged’ Storage Drives With a Machete
The price of solid state drives has been on a steady decline for the last year, and they’re already a top pick for easily improving the performance of your laptop, desktop, or even your PS4. But they also make really fantastic external drives—if more expensive than a traditional hard drive. The reason? SSDs have zero … Continued
By Alex Cranz -
Tech News
You Can Finally Pilot the Millennium Falcon With These Giant Star Wars Kites
As the weather gets nicer, it’s time to finally pause The Force Awakens and head outside for some fresh air and sunshine. That doesn’t mean you have to abandon Star Wars altogether. Not when ThinkGeek’s just revealed a wonderful kite collection full of X-Wings, Death Stars, and Droids. These aren’t your dollar store plastic kites, … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Pumping Electricity Through a Drill Bit Makes It Melt into a Fiery Mess
Electricity is powerful and astonishingly noisy. But why does electricity make this steel drill bit go up in flames? As YouTuber Lets Melt This explains, there are about 800 amperes running through the copper wires on either side of the bit. Copper conducts electricity very well. Steel, less so. That excess energy that can’t easily … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
YouTube Star Makes Money Bullying People With Learning Disabilities [Updated]
YouTuber LeafyIsHere mocked a man with a learning disability, describing him as “looking like he went through five different strokes” among other things, in an almost 11-minute rant that begins with Hitler jokes. Sadly, this is far from the first time he’s punched down at small-time creators. Leafy, who has amassed a following of over … Continued
By Avery Ellis