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Tech NewsSploid
All the asteroids found to date in one cool animated visualization
Here’s a cool visualization that, even knowing how much empty space is out there, still freaks the hell out of me: All the ~600,000 asteroids discovered in the Solar System since 1980 to 2014, animated through time by Scott Manley. Amazing video. Bonus: How Jupiter shepherds them away from us. Bonus: Jupiter the shepherd of … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech NewsSploid
Man/wizard balances objects on seemingly impossible positions
Rocks, cellphones, chairs, people on chairs, bicycles, motorbikes, washing machines—it doesn’t matter. If it has mass and it’s hard, Rocky Byun will make it balance on any point, miraculously making it stand still in seemingly impossible positions. Even with his eyes closed. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
By Jesus Diaz -
Tech News
Watch Following To See the Legendary Christopher Nolan’s Beginnings
If you want to know what a filmmaker is really like at their core, watch their first movie. Thanks to tiny budgets and a lack of experience, these movies tend to be very direct in style, and a lot more honest. Following is exactly that. It’s a boiled down collection of what went on to … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Seeing machines build cars always makes me think we’re in the future
I forget how cool the technology around us is sometimes. And then I get reminded when I see these giant machine robot arms make a car. It reminds of those futuristic scenes of sci-fi movies that make me wonder how come we’re not advancing fast enough. Truth is, we really are. Here’s footage of a … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsGoogle
Why I’d Let Google Put My Genome in the Cloud
For the past 18 months, according to the Tech Review, Google has been quietly rolling out a cloud computing service for DNA. Google Genomics could one day have millions of genomes on its servers, available at a click of a button to researchers. Are there legitimate privacy concerns here? Definitely, but it’s not Google’s grubby … Continued
By Sarah Zhang -
Tech NewsSploid
Cyclists spin around in light suits
It’s like a trippy and visually spectacular 3D kaleidoscope or something. The cyclists are wearing a LED light suit that can change colors and the flash-rate and the luminosity so that they can look completely different while they spin around in carefully choreographed moves. Called Ghost Peloton, it was created by NVA and the Phoenix … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
T-Pain: Stoicville
T-Pain premiered this song over at the Fader yesterday. He says its one of 127 songs he already has recorded off his forthcoming album, and it’s an autotune-free, heartfelt beauty. If you’re not convinced by Teddy Bend Her Ass Down’s ability without autotune, check out his NPR Tiny Desk concert. It’s excellent. After a few … Continued
By Leslie Horn -
Tech NewsSploid
Pilot lands airplane in the middle of a forest way up in the mountains
That’s some serious skill. Not only is the plane landing in the mountains, it’s also in the middle of the forest. Not only is it in the middle of the forest but the runway is incredibly narrow. Not only is the runway narrow but it’s a bumpy ass strip of dirt too. So yeah. That … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsDesign
A Closer Look at Some of the Most Familiar Logos Ever Designed
The modern logo is actually surprisingly old: The first trademarked logo dates all the way back to the 18th century. But it wasn’t until the 20th—the era of instant and ubiquitous communication—that identity design really bloomed. A few moths ago we wrote about Manuals 1, a book of great corporate logo design, from NASA to … Continued
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Tech News
This Rocket Raccoon is 3 Feet tall, made of Foam and yours for $350
First came the action figures. Then the plushies, and the T-Shirts, and all the other paraphernalia – but this might just laud over them all as a testament to absolutely absurd Rocket Raccoon merchandise. Well, actually it is going to laud over them all, it’s three feet tall. NECA announced this full-sized Rocket Raccoon earlier … Continued
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Tech News
Walmart’s Chromecast Knockoff Looks Like How They Stream in Hell
I suspect the Germans have a word for taking something great and then stripping it of everything remotely joyful until it’s a cold hollow shell not fit for existence. Now I do too! Well, two words, I guess: Vudu Spark. The Vudu Spark is not a thing you can purchase yet; as first reported by … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Broke Ex-Apple Sapphire Supplier Says Apple Pulled a Bait-and-Switch
When Apple and GT Technologies first struck a deal for GT to produce sapphire for Apple’s products, GT announced the deal with excitement. Now that GT has filed for bankruptcy, the company is painting the deal in very a different light. GT COO David Squiller condemned Apple for pulling a “bait and switch” resulting in … Continued
By Kate Knibbs -
Tech NewsFacebook
Reader’s Digest Will Pay to Retweet You in Print
You there! Hooligan! How much to retweet that tweet about butts in our weekly print periodical? Twenty-five dollars, you say? Sold! At least, that’s how we’d like to imagine it went down. Because as more and more traditional newspapers are being forced to shutter their doors in favor of their internet-based brethren, the ones that … Continued
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Tech News
The Best Reason to See Interstellar: It’s Part of a Dying Breed of Film
There’s something exceptional about Interstellar that everyone should experience—it is a moviemaking “alignment of stars” akin to the perfect storm in music that lead to Woodstock. It’s a film so extravagant in nature, it was projected in 70mm, a format equal to the scale of its fantastic story, and shot on IMAX 65mm. Shooting in … Continued
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Tech News
This Robot Can Tap People Until They Hallucinate
Ever get that tingly creeping feeling that someone is behind you, only to turn around and discover there’s nothing there? That’s called “Feeling of Presence,” and it doesn’t mean you’re getting trailed by a ghoul. It can be a symptom of many neurological conditions, which is why scientists custom-built a robot to induce that very … Continued
By Kate Knibbs -
Tech NewsSploid
Here’s the couch gag from the Simpsons Futurama crossover episode
As the tagline for the upcoming Simpsorama episode states, this crossover episode is very clearly a show out of ideas teaming up with a show out of episodes. And yet, I can’t get enough! Here’s the couch gag for the Simpsorama where Homer finds much enjoyment in the company of robots. SPLOID is delicious brain … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
The Blessing and Curse of Nostalgia
I ruffled a few feathers earlier this week with a post on how Doctor Who needs to stop mining its past so much – and there were a lot of great counter arguments. One repeated point of defense was that we all love the warmth of nostalgia, and it interested me. Can our Nostalgia be … Continued
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Tech News
The Lick Observatory Lives On With A Fresh Infusion Of Funding
Earlier this year, the world’s oldest mountaintop observatory was teetering on dying off. Not due to technology obsolescence, or even creeping light pollution, but because the overseeing university decided it wasn’t worth funding any more. Now, thanks to public outrage, they’ve got the cash to keep doing science. Top image: The Lick Observatory on a … Continued
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Tech News
Why We Say “O’Clock”
The practice of saying “o’clock” is simply a remnant of simpler times when clocks weren’t very prevalent and people told time by a variety of means, depending on where they were and what references were available. Generally, of course, the Sun was used as a reference point, with solar time being slightly different than clock … Continued
Daven Hinskey - Today I Found Out -
Tech News
Check out this tail happy Lego Lancia Stratos
Robert Sorokanich shared this excellent Lancia Stratos built by Technic expert Piterx. Not unlike the actual car, this Stratos is a completely overpowered, slide happy machine. The twin motor, twin power supply Technic stuff channels my best Jeremy Clarkson “SPEEEEED!” and “POWAAAA!” You’re reading Leg Godt, the blog with the latest Lego news and the … Continued