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Tech NewsHundreds of Genes Spring Back to Life in the Days After Death
We assume that all biological processes come to an end when we die, but new research shows that many genes remain active for up to four days following clinical death. These zombie genes can’t bring a person back to life, but this discovery has serious implications for forensics and organ donor recipients. A pair of … Continued
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Tech News
Fiat Chrysler Starts Scheduling Jeep Fixes As Probe Continues into Yelchin Death
Fiat Chrysler will begin sending final notices to customers affected by the recall of 1.1 million vehicles with confusing gear shifters tomorrow, the company said Wednesday. The news comes on the heels of the death of Star Trek actor Anton Yelchin, who was crushed by his 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, one of the models affected … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogle
Android Apps Turn Chromebooks Into Macbook Killers
When Chromebooks launched in the summer of 2011, they seemed destined to fail, much like the underpowered, internet-dependent netbooks that came before them. But in the five years since, Chromebooks have defied expectations, becoming the most used device in US classrooms and even outselling Macs for the first time this year. Still, people complain about … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech NewsAppleYou Can Wrap SanDisk’s New Flash Drives Around Your iPhone
It doesn’t matter how much storage Apple stuffs into the latest iPhone, your ever-growing music, photo, video, and app collections will max it out in no time. Instead of constantly having to delete files so you have room to keep adding new media, SanDisk’s new iXpand Memory Case will simply boost your iPhone’s storage capacity. … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidCarving Milk on a Lathe Nearly Gives This Craftsman a Nervous Breakdown [Update]
No one thinks to use milk as a building material, but it’s possible. It’s also a huge pain in the ass. So much so that trying to carve the stuff nearly drove craftsman Peter Brown insane. Brown’s inspiration to build stuff out of milk came from a Household Hacker tutorial. In that video, it was … Continued
By Avery Ellis -
Tech News
Should Cops Be Allowed to Call 911 From a Locked Phone to Track Someone Down?
Here’s a conundrum: A kidnapper forgets his phone at the scene of a crime. Police find it, use it to call 911 and gather information to track him down. Now his lawyer argues that all evidence should be tossed because calling 911 from an abandoned phone is illegal. Matthew Muller is charged with the March … Continued
By Angela Chen -
Tech NewsDesign
Penn Station Would Be So Much More Fun As a Roller Coaster
Many New Yorkers have schlepped to Penn Station to take a train out. We’ve sat in the waiting room, bored, and said to ourselves, I know what would improve my experience. If only I could go on a 1,200 foot amusement-park ride before my train arrived. One group—Brooklyn-based design studio AE Superlab—had the bravery to … Continued
By Angela Chen -
Tech NewsSploid5 Beyond Brilliant Action Scenes in Movies
Action movies are fun to watch but there’s a smart way to do action scenes and an epically dumb way to do it. The smart way focuses in on the details, tells a story within a story, and makes sure we know just what the hell is going on amidst all the crazy. The dumb … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsSploidThese Are the Tricks Political Campaign Ads Use to Brainwash Us
Vote for whoever the hell you want to vote for. But don’t make your decision after watching an emotionally prying, stupid-person-targeting, specifically edited campaign ad. Now You See It explains how all political ads, no matter which side they’re on, use the same methods to trick voters into believing the worst in the opposing candidates … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsWatch This Apocalyptic Timelapse of the DC Metro Flood
Last night, a DC subway station turned into a surprise water park ride. It wasn’t a huge deal—the station was closed for a few hours, the water drained, and service went back to normal—but it certainly looked like it. Seeing a timelapse of the whole thing from the station’s entrance shows how this happened. The … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
A Snake Got Trapped Inside an Endless Circle of Its Own Shedding Skin
Poor snake. This slithery Stimson’s Python somehow managed to shed its skin completely within itself. The tail, oddly enough, finished shedding inside the mouth of the snake, forming a perfect circle that unfortunately trapped the snake inside of its old skin. According to the Alice Springs Reptile Centre in Australia, the non-venomous snake was just … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
C-SPAN Is Using Periscope to Broadcast Because the GOP Killed Its Camera Feed
This morning, House Democrats, led by Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), staged a sit-in to force a vote on gun control. Almost immediately after, the cameras and microphones of C-SPAN—which typically broadcasts the action happening on the Senate and House floors—went off. But the network found a workaround: Periscope. After viewers noticed that C-SPAN’s cameras went … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
The Best and Worst Encrypted Messaging Apps
There’s never been a better time to start encrypting your texts and phone calls. Hackers are breaking into more personal devices than ever before, and massive government surveillance dragnets are indiscriminately sweeping up people’s digital communications. Encryption can protect you. By encrypting your messages, you can make sure only you and the intended recipient are … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidReal-Life Superhero Holds an Explosion in his Bare Hands
If you’ve ever built your own potato gun, you probably don’t think twice about the explosions that launch the projectile—mostly because they’re hidden within it. But SmarterEveryDay’s Destin built his potato cannon out of clear plastic so when filmed with a high-speed camera at 20,000 frames per second, the explosions are revealed. And they’re terrifying. … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidBizarre Video Makes It Look Like People and Cars Can Shapeshift
No matter how much we secretly still want to believe it, we’re not snowflakes. We all walk on the same sidewalks and drive on the same roads. Conner Griffith’s short, Auto, shows us how easy it is to merge different people and different cars together to make it look like we’re all on the same … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
The $6M Rebate This Infomercial Hack Doesn’t Want You to Know About
Kevin Trudeau spent the past decade publishing books that promise to tell you the health secrets that mainstream science won’t. But he peddles bullshit. And the courts have repeatedly said as much, ordering him to pay over $37 million for misrepresenting what’s in his books. Now some consumers who got ripped off by his “weight … Continued
By Matt Novak -
Tech NewsHow the American Kennel Club Decides New Breeds
Described as “energetic, lively, and ready to work,” the Hungarian Pumi has just become the 190th breed recognized by the American Kennel Club. It’s been a long road for the Pumi to get to this point—a showcase for how hard it is for dogs to enter into this exclusive club. Pumis may be headed to … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidThe Most Cringeworthy Liquid Nitrogen Destruction Video You’ll Ever See
We’ve seen everything from Jell-O to raw eggs get completely destroyed after being frozen with liquid nitrogen. But nothing comes close to being as cringeworthy to watch as Brent Rose taking a baseball bat to a 15-inch silicone dildo turned into a frozen rock. Despite some interesting science at work here, some of you might … Continued
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Tech NewsSploidA Flock of 61 Wingsuiters in Flight Looks Like an Airborne Invasion
Is this a look at the future of war, or an attempt to set a new world record? These 61 wingsuiters flying in formation, led by Matthew Barrientos, are a little bit of both if Tony Stark and Elon Musk have their way. We don’t have Iron Man suits in real life just yet, but … Continued
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Tech News
Pirate Bay Founder Will Sue the Recording Industry For a Change
Last week the Helsinki District Court decided that Peter Sunde, one of the co-founders of file-sharing portal The Pirate Bay, owes quite a bit of money to the music industry. Specifically, he owes a coalition of Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, Universal Music, and Warner Music $400,000, as reported by Torrent Freak. His response? No, fuck … Continued
By Avery Ellis