An Incredible Way of Visualizing Music

Electronic Musicians George & Johnathan III have created a series of beautiful visualizations, each of them representing their latest songs in some very innovative ways — including a dream-like 3D journey that lets you fly through the dots and dashes that represent notes. [ h/t FlowingData ]

The Hobbit Would Look Amazing As A Papercraft Animation

This digital animation of The Hobbit’s Smaug is styled to look like a series of animated papercraft sculptures. It feels like it popped right out of a storybook. Kieran Duncan directed this short for an animation class project. Given the bedtime story feel of The Hobbit, this would be an excellent way to adapt at…

These Upside Down Pyramid Buildings Seem to Defy Gravity

Ancient Egyptian pyramids and modern pyramid-shaped structures are awesome, but what could be better than walking into an upside-down pyramid? The Katimavik (means “Gathering Place” in Inuit) of the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal, Canada, designed by Rod Robbie, opened in 1967 (via Musée québécois de Culture populaire, Encyclopedia of French Cultural Heritage…

So it Turns Out Bears Are Surprisingly Good Rock Climbers

Trees? Sure. Trees are nature’s ladders, to a bear. A craggy rock face, on the other hand, seems a taller – and more dangerous – order. But these two black bears handle a cliffside ascent with ease. Via Stephanie Latimer, the nature enthusiast who captured the pair on video: Endangered Mexican Black Bears (momma and…

All Of Spider-Man’s Costumes In One Perfect Infographic

Plenty of sites cover all the costume changes various Spider-Men have gone through over time (i.e., Peter Parker, Ben Reilly, Miles Morales), but none have ever quite looked so good or been as informative as this one from Mashable. It even has his ridiculous 1602 outfit! Behold the infographic in all its glory: [Via HuffPo]

The One Cognitive Bias That’s Holding Back Genetic Research

Scientists may be awesome, but they’re still human beings — and they fall prey to the same cognitive biases as everyone else. Now, a group of researchers say they’ve discovered that the bias known as anthropocentrism is holding back genetic research and severely limiting our discoveries. Image of the protist Nassula by Gerd A. Guenther…

We’ve Glimpsed Syfy’s “Mad Men In Space” Show Ascension And 12 Monkeys!

Last night, Syfy unveiled their new lineup of television shows at their Upfront presentation. And we caught our first glimpses of two shows already in production: the space show Ascension, and the Terry Gilliam adaptation 12 Monkeys. Here’s what we saw. Ascension: Here’s what we officially know (from the press release): In 1963, the U.S.…

Which Mythos Do You Obsess About So Hard, You Even Dream About It?

The best science fiction and fantasy universes have rich, complex backstories, including a lot of mysteries and complicated legends. And it’s easy to get sucked into obsessively wondering about the rich details, and trying to answer all the questions in your head. But which mythos do you obsess about so much, you dream about it?…

Concept Art Writing Prompt: Zombie Dinosaur!

This week’s writing prompt is simple: write about a zombie dinosaur or dinosaurs. Is it a prehistoric apocalypse? A new Jurassic Park gone wrong? You decide. This zombie T-Rex is the work of B.R.Guthrie, via r/ImaginaryDinosaurs. Guthrie has written his own bit of prose related to this image, and you can read it over on…

With Great Military Power Comes the Need for Great Energy Efficiency

Two Democratic lawmakers have introduced new legislation to push military operations to be more energy efficient and rely less on fossil fuels. Their goal, they say, is not only to save money for spending elsewhere in the Pentagon’s budget, but to reduce the need for fuel convoys and reduce troops’ exposure to harm. The bill,…

So THIS Is What It Feels Like To Stand On Mars

We never see pictures of Curiosity without feeling a little jealous of the view. But this zoomable, movable Martian panorama might be as close as you can get to seeing it for yourself, without leaving Earth’s atmosphere. The panorama was made by Andrew Bodrov using 138 individual shots that he stitched together in a process…

New Clip Explains How Professor X Is Walking Around In X-Men: DOFP

If you’re like me, you’ve been cautiously excited about all the new X-Men: Days of Future Past footage, but with one caveat: How the hell is young Charles Xavier walking around when a bullet severed his spine at the end of First Class? We finally have the answer. As this new clip reveals, Chuck is…

The Funniest Star Wars Tributes This Side Of The Galaxy

Tonight, The Big Bang Theory celebrates Star Wars Day with a Star Wars-themed episode. But can it begin to measure up to the wealth of funny Star Wars tributes in television, movies, and comics? Here are our picks for best Star Wars parodies and funny tributes. Post yours in the comments! TROOPS: Kevin Rubio wrote…

Everybody Chill With Our 2014 Summer Convention Guide

There’s only one way to beat the summer heat — air conditioning, obviously. But do you know what places have air conditioning? Conventions! And they have so many celebrities to meet, things to see, stuff to do, and merchandise to buy as well! Check out our summer guide for the “coolest” cons near you (pun…

Tonight: Erotic Hitchhiker’s Guide Fanfic Read By a Shakespearean Actor

If you’re in San Francisco and you love Douglas Adams as much as we do, then you have absolutely no excuse for not being at The Booksmith, where Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is being tarnished forever. Six writers create erotic fanfic, and the results are read by a Shakespearean actor. This event is described…

Neuroscientists Are Developing an Entirely New Way of Shooting Movies

One of the delights of watching Gravity is director Alfonso Cuorón’s habit of shooting important scenes in one, long take with no cuts. Now, a scientist believes that we can create an entire cinema of no cuts, using radically new methods borrowed from neuroscience. Over at Scientific American, Jennifer Oullette delves into the work of…

Criterion Mega Sale, 24, Star Trek, Arrow, Watch Dogs, Mario Kart

We hate to make you dig, but this list of 150+ discounted movies is mostly great, mostly Criterion, and definitely worth your time to peruse. Criterion and more sale, 150+ items Some good choices: Godzilla | $20 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas | $20 Dazed and Confused | $20 Rushmore | $20 Repo Man…

It’s A Zombie Train Attack In First Clip From In The Flesh Season Two

The first season of In the Flesh focused on rehabilitated zombies settling in their former homes amidst prejudice from the living. But what happens when the zombies decide to lash out? It’s clear that the second season is going to continue to tug at our heartstrings, though perhaps in a different way than the first…

The Coming Antibiotic Crisis, Revealed in Maps

A new WHO report takes the widest look yet at the problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and the news is not good. The report goes into detail about some of the problems facing us with increasingly treatment-resistant strains of contagious bacteria. It also includes a number of maps showing how widespread — both in terms of…

Elvis Presley’s porcelain tooth is touring Great Britain to raise awareness of mouth cancer, which kills 5 people a day in the UK. The tooth is on loan from a Canadian dentist who bought it at an auction for $11,000. An entourage of Elvis impersonators is accompanying the tooth, while dentists provide free oral exams.