On The Ethics of Vampire Slaying in Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I was recently re-watching “Becoming, Parts 1 and 2,” those Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes where geeky witch Willow does a spell to give the vampire Angel his soul back. And suddenly I had a burning ethical question. Spoiler alert, for people who haven’t watched “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” but plan to. Why don’t they…

NASA has received new confirmation that the Voyager 1 spacecraft is in interstellar space. The probe recently experienced a “tsunami shock wave” from the Sun, which caused the plasma surrounding the craft to “sing.” Voyager 1 may be beyond the heliosphere, but it hasn’t yet left the solar system, which lies beyond the distant Oort…

The Posters For Ridley Scott’s Exodus Are Astoundingly Not Good

The more we see of Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods and Kings, the more excited we get. But maaaaybe not for the same reasons we’re excited for other things. This movie looks ridiculous in all the best ways, and the posters are not helping. Thankfully the character posters appear to be slightly better. Then again, it’s…

Superhero Girl Faces Her Most Dastardly Foe: Canadian Stereotypes

Faith Erin Hicks’ webcomic The Adventures of Superhero Girl focuses on the adventures of a Halifax-based superhero just starting out in the crimefighting business. In a more recent story, our hero must prove herself not just as a superhero, but as a Canadian superhero. Hicks drew Superhero Girl vs. Canadian-ness for the Canadian superhero-themed True…

Study the Fonts in the Movie Moon, To Discover Something Wonderful

There are a million reasons to love Duncan Jones’ incredible indie flick Moon, starring Sam Rockwell as an abused Lunar Industries worker who discovers his life is not what it seems. Still, you’ll be surprised how amazing the movie looks when you read Dave Addy’s essay about fonts in the movie, which reveals a lot…

That Feeling When You Walk Down a Dark Street and Meet a Jellyfish

Every night, at 10 pm, something mystical happens at a derelict building in Liverpool. The storefront shutter opens, revealing a massive, ethereal water tank filled with live jellyfish. The installation, created by the artistic duo Walter Hugo & Zoniel, is called “The Physical Possibility of Inspiring Imagination in the Mind of Someone Living.” Although it’s…

Drool In Envy Over Some of the World’s Largest Books

If you love books as a physical object, just imagine burying your nose between the pages of these beauties, massive atlases, photobooks, and tributes to the written word. The Klencke Atlas, presented by a group of Dutch sugar merchants, led by Johannes Klencke, to King Charles of England II in 1660. It is 5 ft…

Sailor Moon Uniform Socks Let Your Feet Cosplay As The Sailor Scouts

Donning these socks may fill you with an irresistible urge to shout, “Moon Prism Power, Make Up!” Small Planet is selling these little cosplay outfits for your feet, as well as socks featuring the old anime faces of the Sailor Scouts. Right now, they’re planning to ship the socks in September, but they’re only taking…

You Have a Painkiller Six Times Stronger Than Morphine In Your Saliva

Right now, you are walking around with a mouth full of extremely powerful, untested pharmaceuticals. Your saliva contains opiorphin, a painkiller that’s about six times more powerful than morphine. After so many decades spent prodding lab rats, one would think that there is nothing more to be discovered about the horrid little things, or how…

Celebrate 50 Years Of The American Version Of Doctor Who

Remember that great list of American actors who could have played the Doctor during the last half-century? Sam Vestey was so inspired he cut footage from the actors’ various works to make an American Doctor Who highlight reel, if you will, and the results are a fascinating what-if. The video’s a bit old, but it’s…

What’s The Most Perfect Superhero Uniform Of All Time?

It’s hard to make skintight spandex and padding look good. Especially in live-action, but even in four-color comics, it can look just silly or weird. Last week, we surveyed the worst superhero costumes. But what’s the best superhero costume of all time? Please include a picture, comic-book cover or movie clip for your chosen costume.…

New Website Can Tell Whether That War Footage Is Fake or Not

We often get news about conflict zones directly from video uploaded by onlookers who aren’t journalists. But are those images real scenes or faked propaganda? Amnesty International now has a site to help viewers do the detective work to find out. The ongoing civil war in Syria is the latest example of how frequently—and convincingly—fake…

Dubai To Build The World’s First Climate-Controlled City

The United Arab Emirates has announced its plan to build a “pedestrian city” — a gargantuan mall that will take up over 48 million square feet. Remarkably, the facility will feature a temperature-controlled domed retail street network that will extend for 4.3 miles (7 km). Called the “Mall of the World,” the Dubai-based facility will…

Dumbo Is Getting A Live-Action Remake

Just think of the emotional pain and damage the mother scene is going to inflict on the new masses of children who will line up to see this! THR just broke the news that Transformers writer Ehren Kruger will pen a live-action Dumbo remake and Oblivion producer Justin Springer will produce. For those of you…

These Dazzling Astronomy Photographs Are Among The Year’s Best

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich has released its final set of images for this year’s Astronomy’s Photographer of the Year contest. Ranging from star trails and dust clouds to auroras and meteor streaks, this year’s best photos are guaranteed to instill a sense of wonder. Top image: Justin Ng. A bright meteor streaks across the…

Hand-Embroidered Calvin and Hobbes Scene Is Just Phenomenal

Stitcher Laura Hartrich captures the joy of Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes artwork not with pen and ink, but with needle and thread. She has rendered one of the pair’s flights of prehistoric fancy entirely in embroidery. Hartrich doesn’t have this particular piece up for sale at her Etsy shop (it was a personal piece…

McFarlane Toys Is Making Awesome But Baffling Walking Dead Lego Sets

Why are they awesome? Because they look incredible — check out the Daryl Dixon Lego-style construction set above, complete with Walkers, zombie pieces, and incredibly detailed grass and roadway! The other sets are even cooler. And yet, upon closer inspection, these things make no damn sense at all. As Topless Robot point outs, no matter…

Pressure on the Testicle Creates Bizarre Phenomenon of “Referred Pain”

In 1933, two doctors got together and decided to stack weights on one of their genitals. Precisely which one is never mentioned. What is mentioned is the little-known phenomenon as “referred pain.” We have, in the past, talked before about a little body quirk known as “referred itch.” Sometimes, when you scratch or pinch one…

You Can’t Blame Fracking for Every Natural Disaster

I’m seeing a lot of stories about the link between injection wells and induced earthquakes in Oklahoma, but most of them make the same error. This study had nothing to do with fracking. The injection wells in Oklahoma causing the swarms of small-magnitude earthquakes are actually used for getting rid of wastewater. Photo by Ed…

A Young Girl Is Trapped By A Monster, In This Ultra-Creepy Horror Tale

Even if you’re sick to death of vampires, you owe it to yourself to check out “The Food in the Basement” by Laura Davy, in the latest issue of Apex Magazine. It doesn’t just make vampires scary again — it makes them alien. In “The Food in the Basement,” a young girl named Sondra is…