Cyriaque Lamar, Author at Gizmodo

Adorable panhandling robot will take your money (and steal your heart)

The notion of a panhandling robot may sound like pure fiction, but roboticists in South Korea have worked together with MIT Media Lab to create with DONA, a motion-sensing bot built to solicit street donations. https://gizmodo.com/this-is-why-you-never-give-money-to-a-homeless-terminat-5536501 DONA’s makers are donating the robot’s earnings to fund education in the Ivory Coast, so you won’t feel suckered…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 23

Weird 1880s cartoon imagined the Statue of Liberty would become a subway station

We’re used to seeing the Statue of Liberty get trashed in speculative fiction, but this strange cartoon from Harper’s Weekly on May 28, 1887 turned Lady Liberty into a dystopian, Castle Greyskull-style train station. https://gizmodo.com/movies-that-smash-the-statue-of-liberty-332588 As awesome as the idea of the Statue of Liberty regurgitating train after train is, it’s doubtful artist W. A.…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 23

Watch scientists torture Cadbury Creme Eggs in the name of physics

Researchers at the University of Nottingham’s Biomechanics Lab recently subjected Cadbury Creme Eggs to a series of crash tests in order to determine the confections’ physical limits. You can read more about their tests at Periodic Videos, and here are their tests from last year, which analyzed the chemical properties of Cadbury Creme Eggs. [Spotted…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 23

On Smallville, Blue Beetle’s a scary monster and Booster Gold’s a super-creep

Yesterday’s episode of Smallville, “Booster,” introduced stalwart DC heroes Booster Gold and Blue Beetle to the show’s universe. Even though this episode added doodly-squat to Smallville’s end game, Booster Gold’s celebrity superheroics and unapologetic campiness were a good fit for Smallville. “Booster” was written by DC Comics bigwig and former Booster Gold scribe Geoff Johns,…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 23

How to make your own libations-accessible Bender helmet

Reddit user KillbotJosiah has made this handy diagram explaining how to masquerade as television’s numero uno party machine, Bender Bending Rodríguez. And here’s what the finished product looks like. The great thing about a Bender costume is it gives you an excuse to act as boorishly as possible and alienate your friends and loved ones.…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 20

18 scifi comics and graphic novels worth checking out this summer

What’s heating up comic stores this summer? Big summer extravaganzas for the Flash and Thor, new Hellboy and Locke and Key miniseries, and the return of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Here’s a sampling of this summer’s comic goodies. Also remember, Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 7 this year — click here to…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 20

Animatronics reel showcases freakish Hollywood puppets

Special effects designer John Nolan’s worked on films like Hellboy 2 and the new Clash of the Titans, and now he’s created a neat reel showing off his many cinematic creations. Check out Bubo the owl and other Hollywood monstrosities. [Via Singularity Hub]

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 20

10 science fiction and fantasy characters who were stoners

Today is April 20, a day better known as International Planetarium Laser Show and Ding Dong Appreciation Day. In honor of this momentous celebration, we bring you a bevy of fantastical characters from speculative fiction who probably smell like patchouli. 10.) Breckin Meyer in Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare Freddy’s Dead was one of the…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 20

You’d have to be a Reaver to eat these übercute Firefly cupcakes

For her husband’s birthday, pastry sculptor Vivian made him cupcakes depicting the entire crew of Firefly. The little details — like Jayne’s hat and Wash’s dinosaur — make all the difference here. You can see close-ups at her blog. And for more edible Whedonverse, see the gingerbread Serenity. https://gizmodo.com/gingerbread-serenity-is-the-sweetest-ship-in-the-verse-5717576 [Via Reddit]

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 20

The strange case of the lost luchador-versus-Dracula nudie flick

Lucha libre superstar-crimefighter-detective-Renaissance man Santo defeated scads of fearsome monsters over the course of his 54-film career. Despite these harrowing battles, Santo always kept his movies family-friendly. He knew that mummy-fighting luchadores weren’t just entertainers — they were role models. https://gizmodo.com/santo-the-mexican-wrestler-who-fought-aliens-nazis-a-5521172 Given Santo’s stance, it should come as no surprise that for many years an…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 19

Siberian alien on YouTube revealed to be an edible fake made out of bread and chicken

Over the last several days, YouTube has gone absolutely bonkers over footage of an alien corpse found in the Russian village of Kamensk. Sadly, this body has more in common with a chicken nugget than ET. The fellow who supposedly stumbled upon the alien confessed when the police came a-knocking. From Russia Today: The tiny…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 19

This bug-eyed robot just wants to move like people do

This is Sarcos, a robot Carnegie Mellon grad student Ben Stephens is teaching to emulate human movements using motion capture technology. Check out this unblinking bot mimic human dancing in this clip. Stephens is specializing in teaching robots how to balance themselves, so you know who to blame when the machines start learning parkour. For…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 19

Wednesday gives us a sneak peek at Frank Miller’s 300 prequel…and Marijuanaman!

Just in time for 4/20, Ziggy Marley’s THC-themed superhero drops by comic stores to trick crooks into thinking they’re dying (so they’ll call 911 on themselves). Plus, new Peter Bagge and a metric bongload of new graphic novels! First Issues The most promising new comic this week is the return Dark Horse Presents. The latest…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 19

See the lights of Tokyo, before and after the earthquake

YouTuber Darwinfish105 (who made that stunning time-lapse video of Japan’s Gundam statue) now shows us the lights of Tokyo before and after March’s earthquake and tsunami. The metropolis’ lights have dimmed due to power shortages and energy conservation efforts. https://gizmodo.com/this-giant-gundam-time-lapse-video-makes-an-excellent-c-5607693 [Darwinfish105 via Pink Tentacle]

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 19

The Euthanasia Coaster, the last roller coaster you’ll ever ride

Royal College of Art PhD student (and former amusement park employee) Julijonas Urbonas has drafted designs for a project he calls “The Euthanasia Coaster,” a fast and fatal thrill ride designed to starve the rider’s brain of oxygen. Urbonas designed this deadly contraption to give the rider agency over their final voyage. Here’s his description…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 18

The deadliest martial art is awkward super-laughter!

In this completely out-of-context clip from 1983’s Holy Flame of the Martial World, a young kung fu practitioner attempts to destroy an elderly master using the power of forced laughter. Unfortunately, she has learned the secret of prehensile ears! And here’s a dozen or so more deranged martial art techniques. https://gizmodo.com/acid-zits-laser-peaches-and-dracula-the-most-inexpli-5766631

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 18

In this sneak peek of Kill Shakespeare, a happy dagger gets overzealous

Here’s an exclusive preview of the tenth issue of IDW Publishing’s fantasy series Kill Shakespeare, which hits stands Wednesday, April 20. In this preview, an enchanted dagger wreaks havoc on the book’s bardly denizens. And here’s the solicitation information from IDW: KILL SHAKESPEARE #10 (OF 12) Conor McCreery, Anthony Del Col (w) • Andy Belanger…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 18

Marvel superheroine pajamas are a great gift (if you want your wife to divorce you)

Do you wish that special lady in your life had the gamma-irradiated décolletage of She-Hulk? The 40-10-40 measurements of Black Widow? The willingness to traipse about in her underwear like Emma Frost? Body proportions out of a Rob Liefeld comic? Why not get her these classy Marvel pajamas from Spencer’s, which overlay the Marvel heroines’…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 18

The X-Men anime is fast-paced (and mildly ridiculous) mutant mayhem

Earlier this month, Madhouse’s X-Men anime miniseries debuted on Animax in Japan. We checked out the first three episodes and found that this show effectively balances high-octane mutant fighting with (cornball yet endearing) soap operatics. Cyclops is so emotional! Like Madhouse’s Iron Man anime, X-Men was plotted by Warren Ellis and will debut in America…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 17

The io9 Game of Thrones premiere discussion thread!

The first installment of George R.R. Martin’s acclaimed A Song of Ice and Fire series finally makes its long-awaited debut on HBO tonight! Are you jazzed about seeing Westeros on the small screen? Mildly jazzed? Screamingly ambivalent? Sound off here! And remember, the show premieres at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time and this is a…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Apr 17

Cyriaque Lamar

Adorable panhandling robot will take your money (and steal your heart)

Weird 1880s cartoon imagined the Statue of Liberty would become a subway station

Watch scientists torture Cadbury Creme Eggs in the name of physics

On Smallville, Blue Beetle’s a scary monster and Booster Gold’s a super-creep

How to make your own libations-accessible Bender helmet

18 scifi comics and graphic novels worth checking out this summer

Animatronics reel showcases freakish Hollywood puppets

10 science fiction and fantasy characters who were stoners

You’d have to be a Reaver to eat these übercute Firefly cupcakes

The strange case of the lost luchador-versus-Dracula nudie flick

Siberian alien on YouTube revealed to be an edible fake made out of bread and chicken

This bug-eyed robot just wants to move like people do

Wednesday gives us a sneak peek at Frank Miller’s 300 prequel…and Marijuanaman!

See the lights of Tokyo, before and after the earthquake

The Euthanasia Coaster, the last roller coaster you’ll ever ride

The deadliest martial art is awkward super-laughter!

In this sneak peek of Kill Shakespeare, a happy dagger gets overzealous

Marvel superheroine pajamas are a great gift (if you want your wife to divorce you)

The X-Men anime is fast-paced (and mildly ridiculous) mutant mayhem

The io9 Game of Thrones premiere discussion thread!

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