Katharine Trendacosta

Let’s Do Some Cosmic Navel-Gazing

This composite shot of the Cosmic Navel, in Utah’s Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is almost 200 feet wide, with the rock in the middle rising 33 feet above the indentation. Image credit: Cosmic Navel by John Fowler/flickr/CC BY 2.0 Photographer John Fowler, who took this shot, lists its other monikers: Cosmic Ashtray, Red Breaks Volcano,…

Unluckiest Fish Has Two Near-Death Experiences For the Price of One

This fish was already having a bad day when a young boy managed to catch him. Then, a snake grabs him from the boys hand and takes him on a harrowing trip through the grass before the kid is able to release him back in the water. Worst. Day. Ever. [via Tastefully Offensive] Contact the…

Another Indecent Proposal For Claire on This Week’s Outlander

This was not a good episode. “The Search” was aptly named, since the first forty-five minutes were all about finding Jamie, but it just spun its wheels. The only good thing about it was the the fact that I’ve been singing the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” ever since it aired. “The Search” is a complete…

First Jem and the Holograms Photos Are a Bit Too Somber-Looking

The first full shots of the new Jem and the Holograms movie give us a good look at the characters’ new costumes. There’s a lot of studs and rhinestones, but are they really bright enough? We’ve been a little worried that this project was lacking the full-on eighties camp we really want, and these new…

Scott K. Johnson at Ars Technica examines the history of the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the many different theories about how the mountains came to be and whether they’ve been growing or shrinking over time. It’s a more complicated issue than you’d think .

Man Gets What He Deserves When He Interrupts the Ninja Anonymous Meeting

I don’t know what he expected would happen, but it’s exactly what he deserves. [via Laughing Squid] Contact the author at [email protected].

Concept Art Gives Us the First Glimpse of Universal’s New King Kong Ride

If you happen to be visiting the Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure in Summer 2016, you can take a trip to Skull Island. And the 1930s. It very much sounds like Skull Island: Reign of Kong is a ride taking inspiration from Peter Jackson’s take on the giant gorilla story and will have less to…

These Star Wars Cosplayers Want You to Adopt Pets From a Shelter

The members of the 501st Legion: Capital City Garrison donated their time and costumes to a cuddly cause: the Ottawa Humane Society. It looks like cats, rabbits, dogs, and guinea pigs are on the side of the Empire and the Sand People. These are the pets you’re looking for. Image Credits: Rohit Saxena / flickr/…

Agent Carter Renewed, Peggy’s Adventures Will Continue

ABC has done the right thing and renewed Agent Carter for a second season. This is all we really wanted from the giant pile of renewal announcements we’ve gotten so far. This means that next year’s schedule could have Agents of SHIELD, Agent Carter, the Agents of SHIELD spinoff (featuring Mockingbird and Lance Hunter), and…

Novel About an Exorcism Reality Show Will Be a Movie 

We’re once again entering the world of movie studios buying rights to a book before it even comes out. In this case, it’s Focus Features getting ahold of Paul Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts, due out June 2nd. The premise is not only interesting, but seems well-suited for adaptation to a visual medium: a…

Why do horses need hooves? Here’s a short video from the BBC which shows how hooves play into the speed and efficiency of a horse’s run.

Stick Figures Go On Amazing Adventures In a Series of Photographs

Paris-based artist Yacine Ait Kaci has an alter-ego: Elyx, a stick figure who “lives in a little notebook” but “totally shares our reality.” On Instagram, Elyx can be seen reinventing mundane parts of our world into something amazing. Yacine told theInstagram Blog: “He has the vision of a child, discovering everything as if it was…

iZombie Will Continue to Be Undead In a Second Season

The CW’s delightful iZombie has gotten a second season order! This is really great news for everyone who loves this offbeat dramedy. It’s not a huge surprise, since the show’s been doing decently well and the CW probably wants to keep Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas close. Thomas and co. have done a really great…

This Animated Short Envisions Fears As Adorable Life Savers

Nata Metlukh’s graduation project takes a lovely turn, following a man whose phone reveals fears as black dots living on everyone’s shoulders. As you encounter the thing you fear, they grow in size and power. But then the short takes a twist, explaining why we should embrace our fears and why the man with no…

This Table Doubles As an Interactive Maze Game

The Labyrinth Table is a design by Benjamin Nordsmark. Underneath a piece of glass is a maze with three figures that can be controlled handles on the bottom of the table. It’s made of maple and steel, the handles are strong magnets and can be moved to anywhere on the surface. Here it is in…

Wear This Amazing Doctor Who/Beauty and the Beast Art on Your Feet

These shoes are printed with the work of Karen Hallion — whose art we heartily recommend — and are $69.99 from Shoe Fury. This particular print, showing a team-up we’d love to see, is called “Adventure Awaits.” [via Blogtor Who] Contact the author at [email protected].

Martin Freeman Joins the Already Huge Captain America: Civil War Cast

Captain America: Civil War just got even more crowded. Martin Freeman (The Hobbit, Sherlock) has just joined the Marvel universe in an unnamed role. Could he be Spider-Man? Of course not, although that would be hilarious. Freeman will debut his character in Civil War, which is slated for May 6, 2016 — and the next…

Wondering how many times Matt Murdock falls over and how much alcohol is drunk in Netflix’s Daredevil? The best fan video ever has your answer. And Chumbawamba.

There Are Stars Being Born At the Center of This Photo

This Hubble Telescope image has several galaxies floating through it, but at the center is UGC 5797, which is currently making stars to populate itself. The blue glow indicates prolific star formation, and, in this image, you can even pick out large blue stars that result. Image credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA Contact the author at…

Bill Nye Explains How Holograms Work

Any time Bill Nye explains anything like this, I’m immediately back in elementary school science class. He does use Princess Leia’s “Help me Obi-Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope” hologram as an example of things we can’t do yet, but not Star Trek’s holodeck. And the latter is much more important, I think. Contact the…