A Programming Languages Alphabet Book Could Spark an Interest in Coding

You have no idea what your kids will grow up to be while they’re still toddlers, but that doesn’t mean you can’t gently nudge them towards one vocation or another. And since those fancy computers aren’t going away anytime soon, perhaps a career in coding might be worthwhile, inspired by this alphabet book featuring popular…

15 Actors Who Tried To Become Action Stars And Failed Miserably

For every Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger or Daniel Craig, there are a dozen would-be action stars who tried to get their movie careers off the ground, but couldn’t quite manage it. Here are 15 actors who thought they could punch, shoot and leap into stardom, but reality had other plans. 1) Shaquile O’Neal, Steel Shaquille…

Action Heroes We Love: Jack Ryan? But He’s Just An Analyst!

Hands down, my favorite action hero is Jack Ryan — stockbroker, CIA agent, president, and subject of many failed reboots. He’s the action hero who is at his best when he’s not actioning at all. And having Sean Connery in his film doesn’t hurt. Jack Ryan has had a long career in Hollywood, and spent…

New Timelapse Shows The Neptune System As Never Before

Dwarf planets, comets, and asteroids are all the rage these days, but we shouldn’t neglect our Solar System’s outer gas planets and their moons. In this new NASA video, 70 days of Neptunian activity was compressed down to 34 seconds — and the effect is pretty damned cool. The video, which was compiled from 101,580…

Author Ian Tregillis Is Here To Talk To You About The Mechanical

In May, the io9 book club read The Mechanical by Ian Tregillis. Today, from 12:30 – 1:30 pm (Pacific time), he’ll be here to answer your questions about mixing technology and magic in fiction, alternate histories, and anything else you want to know. Start asking your questions in the comments section right now and he’ll…

A New Book Looks At the Packaging Design of the Original Star Wars Toys

George Lucas isn’t rich beyond a Hutt’s dreams because he was a great director or writer. His vast fortune is a result of his shrewd decision to hold onto the merchandising rights to his space opera many years ago. A new book called A New Proof takes a look at what was involved in bringing…

Check Out Jesse And Arseface In The First Preacher TV Series Photo

The first-ever look at Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s TV adaptation of Garth Ennis’ Preacher comic comes courtesy of this set photo! It’s not official, really, but it does show 1) Arseface’s modern band posters, so we’re clearly set in present-day and 2) Dominic Cooper’s Jesse Custer hair, which is something to behold. Admittedly, Arseface’s…

Mad Max: Fury Road Is An Astonishing Work Of Art

You don’t realize just how crappy most action movies are, until you see something like Mad Max: Fury Road — a movie in which there are no “action scenes” because the action pretty much never stops. And the film’s constant sense of violent motion is in the service of incredible imagery and transcendant moments. No…

What Was In This Mysterious “Cure” For Alcoholism?

The most famous medical man dedicated to treating alcoholism was Leslie Keeley, who operated the Keeley Institute and sold Keeley’s Gold Cure. When patients got the facility they were given a nice room, encouragement, and four shots of “gold bichloride” a day. There’s no such thing as gold bichloride. It’s natural that the rest of…

This GIF Party Is Here To Dance

Don’t just hang out there on the sidelines, because the GIF Party is waiting on you. You know what to do: Put your interpretive GIFs, digital mingling, and life updates into the comments, because the party starts now!

Deceptive Photo Makes This Eel Look Taller Than A Double Decker Bus

Fishermen working off the coast of Plymouth in Britain snagged a 7-foot-long (2.1 meters) conger eel by mistake after it got tangled in their nets. Weighing in at just over 133 pounds (59 kg), it’s a near-record catch — but this clever optical illusion makes it look much longer than it really is. As reported…

DC Heroes Mixed With Thomas The Tank Engine Is A Most Delightful Horror

DC’s cadre of heroes and villains have been mashed up with a lot of things over the years. But transforming them into the wide-eyed, slightly creepy locomotives of Thomas the Tank Engine makes for a toy that is equal parts laden with animated nostalgia and sheer, nightmarish terror. Mattel’s latest exclusive merchandise for San Diego…

Could Michael Fassbender Stay On As Magneto After X-Men Apocalypse?

Marvel narrows down its new Spider-Man cast list, and the next Planet of the Apes has a title. Get another great look at Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool outfit. There’s still a chance the next season of Person of Interest may not be its last. Plus, Arrow teases a new villain, and clips from Tomorrowland. To me,…

Many have attempted to illustrate Middle Earth, Barnes and Noble’s blog asked artist Grant Lindahl to imagine seven more. Head over to see his take on how Al Hirschfeld, Dr. Seuss, Edward Gorey, and others would draw Tolkien’s characters.

Close Up Photos of Bird Plumage Look Like Alien Worlds

Photographer Thomas Lore, who is known for his fashion shoots, has a new project: close-up, abstract photos of birds. He’s gathered them all into a new book. What we see when we look at these? The topography of alien worlds. Lore’s put some “outtake” bird shots on Instagram. The above one looks like a a…

A World Run By Cable Television Logic Is the Worst World

Funny or Die has tackled the insanity of cable television bundling — where you end up paying for a bunch of channels you never use — by showing us a whole world that uses the same principle. It’s a horrible, horrible world. Contact the author at [email protected].

Kate Beckinsale Will Catsuit Up For a Fifth Underworld Movie

Underworld, that movie franchise that flies under the radar but somehow is on its fifth movie, is returning with Kate Beckinsale as Selene. They’ve also tapped Anna Foerster to direct. For awhile, rumor had it that Beckinsale was done with Underworld and that the fifth film would focus on Theo James’ character, David. It sounds…

Concept Art Writing Prompt: Not Alone

In this week’s Concept Art Writing Prompt by artist Francesco Corvino, a solitary figure has plenty of company overhead. Is this a surprise? Or just a routine night out on the water? You come up with a story and tell us. Each week, we share an interesting piece of artwork to get your creative juices…

New True Detective Trailer Contains Fire, Scars, And Knives

The first True Detective season two trailer dropped over a month ago, revealing the new cast and hinting at what’s to come when the show returns June 21. Now, we’ve got another sneak peek… including some Rust Cohle-esque philosophizing and WHOA NICE KNIFE SKILLS RACHEL MCADAMS! https://gizmodo.com/first-true-detective-season-2-trailer-reveals-the-entir-1696778570 “Sometimes your best self is your worst self,”…

Watch A Diamond Burn In Pure Oxygen

It takes a lot to make a diamond burn — but it can be done. Watch these people prank a Nobel Prize winner, while demonstrating that diamonds are made of carbon and can burn like carbon. You can’t get a diamond to burn under normal conditions, but scientists aren’t limited to normal conditions. And what’s…