These Toys Make Batman and Superman’s New 52 Suits Actually Look Good

When the New 52 revamped the DC comics universe in 2011, one sticking point with fans was some of the new looks for the companies most popular characters, especially the overdesigned suits. But Medicom might have actually made Batman and Superman look pretty great with these new figures! Medicom’s 12-inch Real Action Heroes line has…

Can “Facial Coding” Really Predict A Pro Athlete’s Performance?

The new owners of the Milwaukee Bucks have deep pockets and big ambitions — a combination that’s led them to one-up the Moneyball teambuilding strategy and hire “a facial coding expert who reads the faces of college prospects and NBA players to determine if they have the right emotional attributes to help the Bucks.” Reports…

The Weirdest Questions People Asked Librarians Before The Internet

Before we had Google for all of our embarrassing questions, Pinterest for craft inspiration, and Craigslist for all of the odds and ends of life, more people relied on public librarians to field all manner of questions. And the New York Public Library still has records of some pretty odd ones. If you’re not already…

Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings has been banned in Egypt and Morocco, “after the country’s head of censorship objected to a number of ‘historical inaccuracies’ in the epic Biblical tale,” Deadline reports. Egypt also banned Darren Aronofsky’s Noah earlier this year, at the behest of religious authorities.

It’s Hard To Believe This “Ancient Rome Vs. China” Movie Is Real

Here we have it: a strong early contender for 2015’s guiltiest pleasure. Jackie Chan, John Cusack, Adrien Brody and Peng Lin star in Dragon Blade, an alt-history in which Rome fights Han Dynasty China for control over the Silk Road. You’ve never seen Brody chewing scenery like this before. According to Slashfilm, this is the…

How Do Jackson’s Lord of the Rings Characters Compare To Tolkien’s?

When it comes to personality traits, how does J.R.R. Tolkien’s Gandalf compare to Peter Jackson’s movie version? An IBM researcher used the company’s artificially intelligent Watson computer system to crunch the data and find out. Watson is probably best known for wiping the floor with former Jeopardy! champions Brad Rutter and Ken Jennings during a…

This Latte Art Stop-Motion Film Was Made With 1,000 Cups Of Coffee

This adorable short film may be a commercial for a food product, but it’s also a rather cleverly executed piece of animation. The characters were carefully placed on 1,000 individual cups of coffee, turning food and beverage into a love story. The commercial is for Ajinomoto General Foods’ Maxim Stick drink flavoring. And there’s a…

Stop What You’re Doing And Watch This Insane Fireworks Display

The 2014 Bamboo Rocket Festival in Thailand (one of many such traditional events held annually prior to the rainy season) yielded the absolutely jaw-dropping fireworks display below. No more words even necessary, really … watch and prepare to have your face melted clean off by sheer force of awesome. Image via 9news.

How To Start Your Own Micronation

Have you ever wanted to be king of your own nation? Do you want to test out a political experiment with a few dozen of your closest friends? Consider setting up your own micronation for fun, social experiments, and profit. Photograph: His Excellency President Kevin Baugh of the Republic of Molossia. Photo by J. Stephen…

A Guide To The Most Nutritious Post-Apocalypse Cuisine

If a global catastrophe strikes, chances are that efforts to store food will keep most people fed for only a year. But, before everyone loses their heads and begins reenacting the Donner Party, here are some tips from two researchers who have come up with ways to live off what’s left of the land. Image:…

io9 Newsstand: What Are Your 5 Favorite Stories of 2014?

Every week since the beginning of July I’ve highlighted my favorite stories and authors, and here at the end of the year I have some solid contenders for Best of the Year. And since it’s time to start thinking about what should go on award ballots and in anthologies. So what are your favorite stories…

The Very Best Toys And Collectibles Released In 2014

They used to say that whoever dies with the most toys win — but that was before we had a toy industry cranking out so much insane quantity that you could fill several buildings with crap in one lifetime. Now, it’s all about quality, not quantity. And here are the most brilliant toys and collectibles…

This Rare Bird Is Half-Male And Half-Female

This bi-colored northern cardinal has female plumage on its right, and male plumage on its left. Called a “gynandromorph,” these animals are rare in nature. Rarer still is the chance to study one for extended periods of time — but researchers recently had such a chance with the bird you see here. Photo Credit: Brian…

The Eternal Champion rises again: Titan Books has created sometotally gorgeous reissues of Michael Moorcock’s Corum book series, with some striking cover images. [via SFSignal]

The 10 Most Notorious Paranormal Hoaxes in History

Some might argue that everything that passes for “paranormal” is a hoax. (There’s no fun in that, but insist if you must.) But even the biggest unexplained-phenomenon junkies have to admit when a fraud’s a fraud … as the 10 cases below will attest. 1) The Amityville Horror The big daddy of paranormal hoaxes, Jay…

Google’s New Self-Driving Cars Will Hit Roads In January

Google’s self-driving cars are getting an upgrade. The latest model trades in the kludgy, rack-mounted, rooftop LIDAR system for a marginally sleeker form factor – a thimble-shaped peduncle that looks like a police siren crossed with a Mac Pro. It’s also getting real headlights! As with the previous model, Google’s newest self-driving car is designed…

Why Wonder Woman Has Trouble Understanding Mortal Holidays

Religious celebrations on Themyscira must be a lot more interesting. The always delightful Texts from Superheroes has brought us another round of holiday goofiness as superheroes deal with their culture and personality clashes. Head over to Texts from Superheroes to find out what Superman gave his fellow Justice League members and relive some of the…

Watch As A Kangaroo Punches A Drone

Animals are definitely sending us a message that they value their privacy. First we had a hawk smack a drone out of the sky. And now a kangaroo has delivered a knockout punch against a hovering intruder. https://gizmodo.com/watch-as-a-hawk-knocks-a-drone-out-of-the-sky-1644813211 While the footage was rescued, the drone is beyond repair. As The Dodo notes: This laying down…

This Weird Side Effect Nearly Torpedoed The Practice Of Anesthesia 

It’s 1844, and surgeries are brutal, agonizing, and necessary slapdash. One man promises he can make it so patients feel no pain. He proves it with a patient who screams hysterically throughout a short procedure. Here’s how a side effect of laughing gas nearly strangled anesthesiology in its cradle. The Fiasco of 1844 Medical students…

If You’re Planning To Invade The US, 2028 Will Be The Optimum Year

Timing is everything in warfare, so here’s a helpful tip for any up-and-coming global superpowers, evil masterminds or future corporate nation-states. The best year to stage your very own version of Red Dawn could be in 2028, when the U.S. Navy, the main protector of America’s sovereignty, will be at its weakest. More specifically, the…