Robbie Gonzalez

These Are The Most Polluted Cities In America

Did yours make the list? Photo Credit: Ben Amstutz | CC BY 2.0 If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, or California’s Central Valley, the answer is a hacking, hawking “yes.” The greater basin, and California’s major, midland valley, still have the worst air quality in the country, according to the American Lung…

Watch Curious Alice, Perhaps the Worst (Best?) Anti-Drug Film Ever Made

Released in 1971 by the National Institute of Mental Health, “Curious Alice” was supposed to educate children on the perils of drug abuse. Instead, through a series of creative missteps, it managed to equate a drug trip with a phantasmagoria of whimsy and discovery, missing its intended mark in truly spectacular fashion. Media Matters’ Audrey…

In 1995, artist Ralph Steadman lent his iconic style to a special edition of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Over onBrain Pickings, Maria Popova has curated a selection of the book’s illustrations. It’s almost uncanny, how exquisitely Steadman’s freewheeling genius dovetails with Orwell’s controversial masterpiece. You really must see for yourself.

Ain’t No Poodle Skirt Like a K-9 Poodle Skirt

‘Cuz a K-9 Poodle Skirt’s got a ROBOTIC DOG ON IT. When Sabrina (above) needed a poodle skirt for an upcoming sock hop dance, her parents (and fellow Whovians), Denise and James, decided to surprise her with a twist on the classic, wide-swing attire. “We found an image of K-9 on the internet that we…

What’s Your Risk Of Being Murdered? Find Out With A Game Of Darts.

The Economist brought interactive datavisualization to its print edition this week with an unsettling infographic on Honduran murder rates. The graphical component of the feature compares the annual risk of murder in Honduras to that of South Africa, Brazil, the United States and Singapore. The odds for each country are represented by red area bars…

A Strange New Mineral Has Been Discovered in Australia

It’s purple, translucent and goes by “putnisite.” Discovered in Western Australia, putnisite contains the unusual elemental combination of strontium, calcium, chromium, sulphur, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen and is notable for its dissimilarity from other, known families of minerals. Photo Credit: P. Elliott et al via PopSci PopSci’s Douglas Main has the details: While dozens of…

More People Need To Know About Carolyn Porco

We didn’t think it was possible to love Carolyn Porco – team lead of NASA’s Cassini Mission – any more than we already did. We were wrong. This interview – in which Porco discusses her fascination with astronomy and planets, and how that fascination led her down her remarkable career path – was conducted by…

Science writer Mara Grunbaum, the “weird animalologist” behind the dementedly hilarious science tumblr WTF Evolution?, is publishing a book of the same name. It’s due out this fall, but you can pre-order a copy at Amazon right now.

Watch What This Man Creates with Some Sand and a Rake

It was while working as a computer tech that Andres Amador fell in love with fractals – mathematical sets of patterns out of which beautiful geometric designs emerge. He applied his fascination to the creation of what can only be described as land art. His canvas? A vast swath of open beach. His paintbrush? A…

Why Are There 60 Minutes In An Hour? 60 seconds in a minute? The sectioning off of time may seem arbitrary (and has only been used, practically, for about 400 years), but it was actually hugely important to the advent of modern science, as Robert Coolman explains in an engrossing piece over at LiveScience.

Everything You Need to Know to Catch This Week’s Lyrid Meteor Shower

This year’s Lyrid meteor shower is expected to peak between midnight and dawn on Tuesday, April 22 (and possibly Wednesday, April 23d). Here’s what you need to know to spot as many meteors as possible. Above: The 2012 Lyrid meteor shower, as seen from aboard the International Space Station. The flashes of white light are…

Feast Your Eyes On This Never-Before-Seen Star Wars: Rebels Concept Art

The Star Wars: Rebels panel at WonderCon this weekend unveiled not only the first footage from the show, but a stockpile of previously unreleased concept art. All images © 2014 Lucasfilm Ltd. Executive producer Dave Filoni has said that the show’s look and feel will rely heavily on the legendary vision of Ralph McQuarrie, whose…

The Farscape Movie is Officially Happening

Back in February we brought you news that a Farscape movie was supposedly in the works. Now Rockne O’Bannon, creator and showrunner of the original series, has confirmed that the movie is, in fact, happening. Confirmation comes by way of TV.com: Just a little bit of, maybe interesting, information to report. ;-p Texting me from…

Prepare to Have Your Mind Blown by a Balloon and a Minivan

If you don’t already know why a helium balloon tethered to the floor of a minivan has the power to make your jaw drop, you’re going to want to see this. Seriously – set aside five minutes of your time, have a seat and watch. You won’t regret it. In this, the latest installment of…

Pure Auditory Nostalgia: Over 40 Minutes of Cartoon Sound Effects

Here now for your aural pleasure are 42 minutes and 29 seconds of sound effects from vintage Warner Bros. cartoons. This is highly concentrated auditory nostalgia, delivered right to your ear-holes. It’s surprising how many of the screeches, bleats, booms, bangs, clatters, whooshes, whizzes and instrumental clangs in this SFX reel are instantly recognizable. Like…

What Happens When You Expose a Peep to a Vacuum?

Trap a peep under a bell jar and suck out all the air with a vacuum pump. What do you think happens to the peep? (Hint: It doesn’t end well for our marshmallowy friend.) Photo Credit: Kate Ter Haar CC BY 2.0 Bad Astronomer-cum-peep-slayer Phil Plait recently had a chance to answer this question at…

Watch the Brand New Batman Beyond Short, Featuring Kevin Conroy

We showed you the preview earlier this week, now watch the full version of Darwyn Cooke’s Batman Beyond animated short, featuring Kevin Conroy and Will Friedle. DC’s been rolling out all manner of awesome material this month in honor of Batman’s 75th anniversary. Can’t wait to see what the rest of April holds.

Our First Look at Christina Hendricks in Ryan Gosling’s Monster Movie

Ryan Gosling’s Lost River (formerly How to Catch a Monster) is being publicized as a dark fantasy movie with some pretty big-name stars, including Christina Hendricks and Matt Smith. Here are the first two images from the film, including one of a woman (presumably Hendricks) standing before a rather ominous-looking door. The other image features……

Check Out The First Clip From Star Wars: Rebels!

Here it is, folks – fresh from its WonderCon debut, our very first glimpse of actual footage from Star Wars: Rebels! Executive Producer Dave Filoni and Vanessa Marshall, who voices Hera in the video above, debuted the clip earlier this afternoon: Hera, captain of the Ghost, pilots her starship during a battle with two TIE…

Announcing the 2014 Hugo Award Nominees

The nominees for the 2014 Hugo Awards have been announced! This year’s nominating ballot saw a record-shattering 1,923 valid nominations. The winners will be announced on Sunday, August 17, during the Hugo Awards Ceremony at Loncon 3. Hit the jump for the full list! Today’s shortlist announcement was streamed live from the UK to various…