Man In The High Castle Is Wildly Different From The Book But Still Great

Amazon Prime has premiered its pilot of The Man In the High Castle. And good lord, we hope they make more, because it’s great. Here’s everything you need to know about the new series along with how it’s different from Philip K. Dick’s novel. Briefly and spoiler-free, I can honestly say I loved this pilot.…

The Iron Maiden Was History’s Most Brutal Imaginary Torture Device

The iron maiden was a horrible medieval torture device, a casket with spikes on the inside which could be closed slowly, impaling the living person inside. It was awful. It was also not real. It was a fake concept popularized by two men in the 19th century, an era not known for impaling people to…

Paddington‘s Journey To The 21st Century Shows How Cynical We’ve Gotten

The original Paddington stories have a certain fairytale quality. This bear just shows up in a London train station, with a tag that says “Please look after this bear,” and a kindly family instantly takes him in. We apparently can no longer believe in such a simple story of generosity, judging from the new film.…

Two Or More Undiscovered Planets Could Be Hiding In Our Solar System

Could there be another Pluto-like object out in the far reaches of the Solar System? How about two or more? Above: Artist’s concept of Eris. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech. Earlier this week, we discussed a recent paper from planet-hunter Mike Brown, who said that while there aren’t likely to be any bright, easy-to-find objects, there could…

You’ll Never Guess The Setting For The King Kong Sequel

Go ahead, guess. I can wait here all day for you to try to randomly determine the very bizarre time and place Kong: Skull Island, the sequel to Peter Jackson’s King Kong remake, takes place. You won’t guess it, though. Hit the jump whenever you’ve tired yourself out. The answer is: “1971 Detroit.” Did you…

It’s A GIF Party, And We’re All Invited!

What’s the news on your end, folks? Do you have major life changes, updates on ongoing projects, or weekend plans that you need to let the rest of us in on? Commence your cordial party chit-chat in the comments now. And — as always — say it with GIFs.

Japanese Office Attacked By Full-Size Gundam In Insane Prank

Japan is known for pulling off some insane — and pants-wettingly terrifying — pranks, but this may take the cake. Someone went through an elaborate amount of trouble (and cost!) to have a 1:1-scale Zaku, the enemy mobile suits from the original Gundam anime, stop by an upper-floor Tokyo office. See for yourself! https://gizmodo.com/this-terrifying-raptor-chase-is-the-most-traumatic-pran-1210483692 This…

Why We Use Meaningless Expressions Like “Huh” And “Really?”

A “phatic expression” is a word or phrase that has no intrinsic meaning, but still conveys intent. It can be anything from the sympathetic grunts and “oh nos” that people let out, to whole phrases like, “I hear that.” They seem useless, but they actually serve an important function. Phatic expressions are often called “grooming…

The One Vital Element The New Ghostbusters Will Keep From The Original

Another Avenger is confirmed to be in Captain America 3. There’s a possible candidate to replace Tom Hardy in Suicide Squad. Warwick Davis shares selfies from the set of The Force Awakens, one of which could reveal a shocking character’s appearance. And what’s Howard Stark’s deal on Agent Carter? Spoilers now! Top image: Captain America:…

Get a Sneak Peek at The Librarians Finale With Actor John Kim

As you can see from this exclusive clip from the first part of Sunday’s two-part finale, The Librarians is already one of the most charming shows on television. In advance of the epic finale, we talked to star John Kim (Ezekiel Jones) about what’s next for the crew, Ezekiel’s superpower, and the ad-libbing prowess of…

At Least the Critics’ Choice Awards Got a Bunch of Things Right

There were a fair number of disappointments in this year’s Oscar nominations, but they were followed by some pretty stellar wins at the Critics’ Choice Awards. Use them to salve your wounds. https://gizmodo.com/the-biggest-oscar-snubs-of-2015-1679721226 You can see all the nominations and winners here, but here are the ones that we’re pretty happy with: BEST ACTOR Michael…

Why Star Trek: Voyager Meant The World To Me

Twenty years ago today, Star Trek: Voyager premiered. Of the five live-action Star Trek series, Voyager is not the best. If you were ranking them, Voyager and Enterprise would probably duke it out for last place. But none of that matters, because Star Trek: Voyager meant everything to me as a child. I didn’t actually…

Get a First Look at The Returned, The Other Back-From-the-Dead Show

On March 9th, A&E will premiere The Returned, their entry in the increasingly popular “people return from the dead years later in a small town” genre. Quick question: Does this look a lot like the original French show it’s based on, or is it just me? Seriously, though, the bus, the bathroom scene, the veil……

Ian McKellen Voices A Short About A Man Who Wants To Love God…Sexually

Well, this is one of the weirder stop-motion films we’ve seen (and that’s saying something). Above a Christian bookstore nestled among porn shops lives a man who wants to know God — in the thoroughly biblical sense. And hey — it features the voices of Steve Coogan and Sir Ian McKellen! The video is, as…

A study published this week in the journalNature concludes that sea-levels rose more slowly during the 20thcentury than previously believed. That being said, if the revision is corroborated, it will mean that the recent acceleration in sea level rise has been “significantly larger than previously supposed.”

This Short Video Explains How “Animal Chatter” Relates To Human Language

When your dog barks, is it actually communicating with language, or is it just making a sound to convey “Feed me!” (to you) or “Back off!” (to another canine)? A new animated short from New Scientist investigates “animal chatter,” and how it relates to human language. Most intriguing is the idea that a deeper understanding…

High-Speed Video Reveals The Source Of That Incredible After-Rain Smell

That smell has a name. It’s called petrichor. For decades, scientists have speculated on where this smell comes from, but the mechanism behind the phenomenon has remained elusive. Now, researchers at MIT studying high-speed video of raindrops think they’ve found the answer: The smell is released in tiny aerosol clouds that raindrops emit upon impact.…

Concept Art Writing Prompt: Somewhere Beneath The Sea

A couple of explorers trudge through the remains of an underwater building that looks like it might not be much longer for this world. What story can you spin about the expedition? “Somewhere beyond the sea” is by artist Chris Karbach, whose work we discovered via r/ImaginaryWastelands. Can you come up with a story inspired…

A “Bullet” Galaxy Is Piercing Through Other Galaxies At Ludicrous Speed

European astronomers using using the XMM-Newton X-ray space telescope have captured a glimpse of an unprecedented rogue galaxy that’s smashing through other galaxies at a rate of 814 miles (1,310 km) per second. Top image: A cool and compact galaxy can be seen piercing through a cluster of galaxies known as Abell 4067. (ESA/XMM-Newton/G. Chon)…

Troubling: Poltergeist Remake Is In 3D And “More Of A Kids’ Movie”

Good news: the Poltergeist remake probably won’t be rated R, it’s definitely going do be in 3D and it’s being retold from the perspective of the kid. So actually, no, that’s bad news. Bad news all around. In an interview with Collider, Sam Rockwell (who is easily the greatest actor of our generation, please do…