WEEKLY ROUNDUP: 7/10 – 7/16 – A SPACESHIP SHIPPED THROUGH REYKJAVIK | A piece of distinctly H.R. Gigeresque spaceship is delivered to the set of Prometheus in Iceland. (Photo via AVPGalaxy via Tachicore.)
This is not the end of Harry Potter
https://gizmodo.com/this-is-not-the-end-of-harry-potter-5821576
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, out today, is the final movie in the Harry Potter series, and for many it marks the end of an era in pop culture. More »
Will 2011 put the “Comic” back in Comic-Con?
https://gizmodo.com/will-2011-put-the-comic-back-in-comic-con-5821758
It’s an old chestnut among comic book fans that the San Diego Comic-Con has paradoxically ceased to be about comics. Hollywood juggernauts like Twilight, Avatar, and The Avengers have eclipsed the funny books in years past, leading some comic fans to grouse that they’ve become strangers at their own party. More »
How Harry Potter Changed Publishing
https://gizmodo.com/how-harry-potter-changed-publishing-5821271
The Boy Who Lived also helped breathe new life into the struggling publishing industry. Even before Harry Potter became one of the most successful movie heroes of all time, the Potter books were turning countless people into readers. More »
This is the first real video of a comet crashing into the Sun
https://gizmodo.com/this-is-the-first-real-video-of-a-comet-crashing-into-t-5821131
Comets will occasionally come a little too close to the Sun and crash into a fiery oblivion, but until now we had never been able to see it as it happened. More »
Sitting is destroying your body
https://gizmodo.com/sitting-is-destroying-your-body-5820571
The war on sitting has begun. The view that we’re really not designed to stay seated for the entire day has been gathering steam this year. More »
Why astronauts can’t whistle in space
https://gizmodo.com/why-astronauts-cant-whistle-in-space-5820564
Astronauts on a spacewalk cannot whistle. This was discovered on the fly by intrepid astronaut Dan Barry in 1999. Fortunately, it did not affect the mission, but should any astronaut have to call a dog in space, the results would be disastrous. More »
Triceratops horn suggests a meteor really did kill off all the dinosaurs
https://gizmodo.com/triceratops-horn-suggests-a-meteor-really-did-kill-off-5820264
We’re almost certain that a giant meteor hit Earth 65 million years ago. But a mysterious “three-meter gap” in the fossil record might mean dinosaurs were already dying off. More »
Computer teaches itself English so that it can play Civilization
https://gizmodo.com/computer-teaches-itself-english-so-that-it-can-play-civ-5820624
Computers may be naturally fluent in binary, but how might they fare with learning human languages? Computers were tested by playing the game Civilization. More »
This lost continent off the coast of Scotland disappeared beneath the ocean 55 million years ago
https://gizmodo.com/this-lost-continent-off-the-coast-of-scotland-disappear-5820246
This week, a group of geologists report that they’ve found a lost continent off the coast of Scotland. 55 million years ago, about 10 million years after dinosaurs died out, a chunk of the seafloor erupted from beneath the water. More »
What if Harry Potter took place in America?
https://gizmodo.com/what-if-harry-potter-took-place-in-america-5819927
This morning, the io9 offices received a mysterious box that smelled faintly of owl spoor. More »
Everything You Need to Know about Disney’s John Carter Movie
https://gizmodo.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-disneys-john-carter-m-5819836
Can Wall-E director Andrew Stanton capture the pulpy greatness of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ A Princess of Mars, in his first live-action movie? More »
Synthpop legend Thomas Dolby takes us to a dieselpunk dystopia for his first studio album in 20 years
https://gizmodo.com/synthpop-legend-thomas-dolby-takes-us-to-a-dieselpunk-d-5819806
After becoming famous for such hits as 1982’s “She Blinded Me With Science,” synthesizer maestro Thomas Dolby spent 20+ years in the private sector inventing new digital music technologies. More »
Stigler’s Law: Why nothing in science is ever named after its actual discoverer
https://gizmodo.com/stiglers-law-why-nothing-in-science-is-ever-named-afte-5820736
Do you want your share of scientific immortality? You can devote your life to mastering your field, examining the mysteries of the universe, and then finally arriving at one great discovery…but according to Stigler’s Law, you won’t get the credit. More »
