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Microsoft’s ‘smart elevator’ knows where you’re going

In a recent Bloomberg Television interview, Head of Microsoft Research Peter Lee described his company’s latest achievement: An elevator that uses AI to figure out which floor you’re going to. Microsoft is currently working on a suite of applications and ‘smart devices‘ that, instead of being operated directly, intuitively work on a user’s behalf. https://gizmodo.com/hacked-fridge-sends-out-malicious-emails-in-unprecedent-1503472917…

io9 George Dvorsky

Why what you do makes sense and what other people do is dumb

Why, oh why, do people do all those stupid things? The answer, according to psychologists, depends on whether you are the person doing the things — or the person watching and reeling at their idiocy. For instance, remember how you woke up this morning. What did you do, and why did you do it? Maybe…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Behind-the-scenes featurette reveals more Game of Thrones s4 goodness

It’s officially that point in the year where I start salivating for any and all tidbits of information regarding the new season of Game of Thrones; if you’re like me, than you’ll appreciate even the brief glimpses this new behind-the-scenes featurette gives us of the next round of the game. Besides all the talking heads…

Television Rob Bricken

New species of Antarctic sea anemone could hint at alien life

A research robot out on a routine test inadvertently stumbled upon a never-before-seen species of sea anemone living upside down in Antarctic ice. It’s a remarkable discovery that could hint at the kind of life that might be found in the subsurface oceans of Europa. https://gizmodo.com/massive-plumes-of-water-are-erupting-from-europas-icy-1481376874 The tiny sea anemones were discovered by a cylindrical…

io9 George Dvorsky

What are you reading?

What’s on your reading list next — and what did you just cross off? Make a reading recommendation (or request one) now! Tell us about the books you’re reading, the ones you just finished or the ones you want to start. Or perhaps you need a recommendation? If so, tell us a couple recent or…

Books & Comics Ria Misra

2014 Oscar Nominees Chose Arri Over RED, But Don’t Read Into It

It’s always fun seeing how huge-budget Hollywood films were shot, and what equipment they use. SetLife magazine created a list of just what cameras and lenses were used on each film nominated for 2014 Best Picture and Best Cinematography nominees. It’s not without some surprises. The most glaring revelation is that every single film listed…

Movies Michael Hession

Why the clock seems to stand still the second you look at it

When you glance at an analog clock, have you ever noticed that the second hand seems to pause right as you started looking? Either your face is ugly enough to stop a clock, as the old saying goes, or it’s the work of the Stopped Clock Illusion. When you glance at a clock, in a…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Maleficent is not the creepiest thing in this new Maleficent trailer

I’m going to give those honors to the Polar Express-esque, all-CG, tiny fairy godmothers who flit around to give Princess Aurora her birthdays gifts. I’m going to assume their fairy kingdom is located directly in the uncanny valley, because… eesh. Also: It’s been a looooong time since I last saw Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, but what’s…

Trailers Rob Bricken

Is Star Wars‘ Boba Fett movie going to be about a whole new character?

And what’s the truth about Episode VII’s Kenobi connection? Plus, a closer look at Guardians of the Galaxy’s character design, the social message Mark Ruffalo wants a Hulk movie to have, and a new rumor about who Donal Logue could play in Gotham. And check out a promo for Halle Berry’s show Extant. Spoilers now!…

Television Katharine Trendacosta

So CT scanners look pretty badass when they’re not covered in casing

“Supposedly this is a picture of a CT scanner sans casing,” writes io9-reader Monica, “but it looks more to me like a first-generation Stargate.” We heartily agree – and just wait until you see what this beastly contraption looks like in motion. Here’s another look: Absolutely epic. [A brand new HD750, GE CT Scanner ~…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

The most important alarm in the solar system is set to go off tomorrow

Tomorrow, Monday, January 20, at 10:00 GMT (that’s 5:00 am ET) a wake-up call will ring on ESA’s Rosetta spacecraft. The alarm will bring Rosetta out of hibernation after over two and a half years in preparation for its highly-anticipated rendezvous with a comet. The wake-up will incite the warming of Rosetta’s star trackers, which…

io9 Jason Major – Universe Today

Why Expanded Universes Are Important

Ever since word got out that Disney had decided to determine the canon-status of everything in the Star Wars Expanded Universe, there’s been fierce debate. About whether it’s a good idea. About what should be kept or not. But to people unfamiliar with the EU, this announcement has brought the question: Who cares? Why is…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta

“Every Major’s Terrible,” as Performed by an Actual University Chorus

Readers of XKCD may already be familiar with “Every Major’s Terrible,” Randall Munroe’s cynical ode to undergraduate indecision, but there’s a good chance you’ve never seen or heard it performed by an actual person – let alone an entire chorus. That’s where the Simon Fraser University Choir comes in. For those who’ve never seen it,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

How to start a fire with a drop of water

Don’t worry, it’s not that tedious one that forces you to sculpt ice into a lens and then ignite some dry twigs. This one takes a handwarmer pack, and some table salt, and some zinc, and makes the entire thing go up in a ball of flame. It’s time for another explosion! This one might…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell

Ball lightning has been captured on video for the first time ever

Reports of ball lightning have existed for hundreds of years, but footage of the rare phenomenon, which appears transiently in the form of a glowing sphere of electrical activity, has never been acquired outside the lab. Now, a team of Chinese researchers claims it has obtained the first recorded scientific video of ball lightning in…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

A Fantastic Collection of Science Demonstration Videos

In need of a good science demonstration for your classroom, study session or friday night bar-argument? Check out ScienceDemo.org, where you’ll find a top notch collection of videos and other resources created by science teachers Alom Shaha and Jonathan Sanderson. In the above video, Shaha runs us through a technique for demonstrating the effects of…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Humans Become Unwilling Test Subjects in West Virginia Chemical Spill

Last week, thousands of gallons of a poorly understood compound called 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM) spilled from Freedom Industries chemical complex into West Virginia’s Elk River before quickly spreading to the water supplies of hundreds of thousands of people. Sound scary? It gets worse. Above: Freedom Industries Chemical Complex, via AP In the days following the…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Researchers Find the Proteins in Your Body are Vibrating Constantly

The proteins in your body are positively abuzz with energy. Now, physicists claim they have the measurements to prove it. The millions of proteins in humans and other living things vibrate in different patterns like the strings on a violin or the pipes of an organ, according to a new study in Nature Communications. Scientists…

io9 Jennifer Viegas – Discovery News

Dinosaurs face new challenges in these beautiful watercolors

Morgan O’Brien‘s water color and coloring pencil dinosaur pieces are not only gorgeous, they show the beasts in interesting confrontations. There are whole stories to be read into each one. Some of the pieces show dinosaurs faced with dilemmas that are easy to imagine them actually having: waiting for eggs to hatch, dealing with young,…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta

The Sciences Sing a Lullaby

Via It’s Okay to Be Smart comes this lovely trio of scientific stanzas by American poet Albert Goldbarth. (Who says science and art can’t get along?) https://gizmodo.com/the-makers-of-the-sagan-series-bring-you-the-feynman-se-5845923 https://gizmodo.com/these-science-poems-are-just-the-best-1488415900

io9 Robbie Gonzalez

Microsoft’s ‘smart elevator’ knows where you’re going

Why what you do makes sense and what other people do is dumb

Behind-the-scenes featurette reveals more Game of Thrones s4 goodness

New species of Antarctic sea anemone could hint at alien life

What are you reading?

2014 Oscar Nominees Chose Arri Over RED, But Don’t Read Into It

Why the clock seems to stand still the second you look at it

Maleficent is not the creepiest thing in this new Maleficent trailer

Is Star Wars‘ Boba Fett movie going to be about a whole new character?

So CT scanners look pretty badass when they’re not covered in casing

The most important alarm in the solar system is set to go off tomorrow

Why Expanded Universes Are Important

“Every Major’s Terrible,” as Performed by an Actual University Chorus

How to start a fire with a drop of water

Ball lightning has been captured on video for the first time ever

A Fantastic Collection of Science Demonstration Videos

Humans Become Unwilling Test Subjects in West Virginia Chemical Spill

Researchers Find the Proteins in Your Body are Vibrating Constantly

Dinosaurs face new challenges in these beautiful watercolors

The Sciences Sing a Lullaby

Trump Posts Concept Art of His Presidential Library, and It’s AI Slop

Forget Tower Desktop, GMKtec Mini PC Drops to a Record Low as Amazon Clears Out Final Spring Sale Stock

‘Fallout’ Season 2 Was a Hit Despite That Unsatisfying Release Strategy Change

JBL Authentics 500 Retro-Style Home Speaker Hits 40% Off, Now at Its Lowest Price as Amazon’s Spring Sale Clearance Begins

ExpressVPN Spring Sale Special: Up to 73% Off + Free eSIM and Password Manager

You Too Will Learn to Fear the XenoFrog

Amazon Echo Dot Sees Its Last Price Drop in the Spring Sale, Final Hours Tick Down Ahead of an Uncertain Prime Day

Artemis 2 by the Numbers: Breaking Down NASA’s Big Return to the Moon

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

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