Hulu Won’t Be Resurrecting Community

Hulu will not be bringing us all back to Greendale. Bummer. TV Line broke the news that all talks between Hulu and Community have now been abandoned. But there still may be hope, as one Sony source spilled that “A lot can happen in one week.” Honestly? I feel like we had a great conclusion…

One Weird Trick For Cutting Down Your Novel

Book doctors don’t want you to read this advice! They don’t want you to know about this foolproof advice for reducing the excess verbiage in your novel (or short story). But I’m going to share it with you, for free. Revising a work of fiction can be a nightmare, especially if your story has a…

Behold the Phoenix Towers, a proposed 47-hectare complex designed for the Chinese city of Wuhan. The tallest tower will reach one kilometer in height, making it the tallest structure in the world. The “blatantly iconic” towers will also purify the city’s polluted air and lakes. You may also enjoy:

The Painstaking Work That Went Into Empire Strikes Back‘s AT-AT Scenes

The legendary Joe Johnston just revealed this classic behind-the-scenes video of the making of one — one of the shots from Empire Strikes Back featuring the AT-ATs as they lumber across Hoth. It’s amazing how slow and low-tech this process was, but also how fantastically the special effects still hold up. Here’s Johnston himself commenting…

Is Second Life About to Become a Ghost World?

Second Life, one of the most hyped virtual worlds in history, is heading towards ghost town status. Intrepid tech reporter Wagner James Au broke the story over the weekend, noting that Second Life makers Linden Lab are at work on a top-secret new virtual world. It’s possible that this new virtual world is part of…

How We Deliberately Used Radiation to Eradicate a Species

Fortunately, they’re not a very pleasant species. Screw worms enjoy laying eggs in the mucus membranes of mammals, and telling their friends to do the same. A little applied radiation really helped. Perhaps. Above, a screw worm fly larvae under an electron microscope. The Unpleasant Habits of Infant Screw Worms It was in the 1950s…

Did Decorations Make This Ancient King Think He Was A Cow?

Nebuchadnezzar was not a good guy, by Biblical standards. He was also unpleasant company for a few years when he came to believe he was a cow and ate grass. What caused this madness? It might have been how he chose to decorate his palace. King Nebuchadnezzar, in history, overthrew Jerusalem, put out the reigning…

Science Fiction Does Something Way Better Than Predict The Future

People get stuck on the idea that science fiction predicts the future, and that we should look to SF books to find out what we’ll be doing 20 years from now. But actually, says Questionable Practices author Eileen Gunn, science fiction does something way more valuable: teach us that change is inevitable. Top image: Oliver…

The Most Fun Zombie Movie We’ve Seen In Ages Was Made By High Schoolers

The students at Oak Park High in Winnipeg turned their high school into ground zero for the apocalypse in this short zombie romantic comedy. What this film lacks in budget, it more than makes up for in a sense of wild fun. Zombie High was produced by Oak Park High’s Independent Film company, and for…

The 7 Deadliest Fashion Trends Of All Time

Keeping up with fashion trends can sometimes be uncomfortable and expensive. But trying a new style or two is typically not life-threatening — except in the case of these dangerous trends, that maimed (and sometimes killed) anyone brave enough to sport them. Top image: Green dress (dyed with arsenic), Mauve boots (dyed with coal tar),…

This Exquisite Timelapse Of The Natural World Is An Instant Classic

Time to get your bandwidth on, people. This is one of the most spectacular and mesmerizing high-def timelapse videos we’ve seen in a while — if not ever. This 4K video was put together by Joel Schat, and it’s his nature demo reel, if you can believe it. Shot primarily in US national parks, the…

Suburban Gothic Is Scooby Doo In The ‘Burbs, Starring Everyone You Love

The first images of Suburban Gothic, the new film from Excision director Richard Bates, came out yesterday. And this horror comedy is already showing some great sight gags, plus a cast that includes Kat Dennings, Ray Wise, Jeffrey Combs and John Waters. Check ’em out. Suburban Gothic is premiering at the 18th annual Fantasia International…

The best way to stop tornados might be to build a giant wall. At least that’s the theory of one physicist, who proposes enormous weather barriers that would be almost 1,000 feet high, stopping twisters before they start.

A History of Our Obsession with the Disease Apocalypse

The “plague plot” is a subgenre of horror that’s become as common as zombie movies . But over half a century ago, Hollywood wasn’t churning out tales of the disease apocalypse and deadly black goo viruses. Where did our love for pandemic panic come from? A look back at the history of the subgenre provides…

This Brand-New TMNT Trailer Admits Alien Turtles Are Stupid

If you were worried that a new live-action reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wouldn’t be sassy as fuck, you were wrong. The new TMNT trailer is loaded with turtle quips. And also, dare I say this is a little self aware? We love the alien dig because yes THAT IS STUPID. Then EDM…

The One Thing Video Game Characters Can’t Defeat Is Their Inner Demons

Video game characters might be able to throw barrels at their enemies, find the treasure, and rescue the princess, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy. In the webcomic Dear Inner Demons, the heroes and foes of retro games reveal their mental angst. Dear Inner Demons is the brainchild of Christopher Hemsworth, and these are just…

Could Clicking On Familiar Faces Eventually Replace Passwords?

Passwords and PINs are notoriously difficult to remember. But it just so happens that we’re exceptionally good at remembering distinct faces — a psychological quirk that security experts now say could be the next big thing in authentication. It’s called Facelock, a password alternative that plays to the strengths of human memory. Developed by researchers…

The Queen Visited The Game Of Thrones Set And Trolled The Planet

Queen Elizabeth II stopped by the Game of Thrones set in Belfast during her trip to Northern Ireland today, where cast and crew stood silently to greet the monarch. It was all very nice and polite until the Queen came up to the Iron Throne… and then refused to sit in it. COME ON, LIZ.…

The Coldest White Dwarf Ever Discovered Is An Earth-Sized Diamond

Astronomers have detected an ancient stellar remnant that’s 10 times fainter than the dimmest white dwarf ever discovered. Fortuitously orbited by a pulsar, this cold and collapsed star consists of crystallized carbon — essentially making it an Earth-sized diamond in space. Indeed, this white dwarf would have never been discovered if it hadn’t been for…

Tell Us What You’re Reading Now!

Good morning, gentle reader! Time to make your booklist into our booklist. Tell us about the books that were in your recent past, your present, and that will be coming up in the not too distant future. Both recommendations and recommendation requests are welcome!