Stories about science, the future, and weird true things.

Dwarf Galaxy On Our Doorstep Pulsates With Fascinating Beauty

Here’s our best view ever of Barnard’s Galaxy, a dwarf galaxy just 1.6 million light years away, courtesy of the European Southern Observatory’s Chilean telescope. Those red bubbles are areas of intense star formation, marked by hot hydrogen. [via BadAstronomer]

You Can See Why New York’s Real-Life Spider-Man Makes People Throw Up

Rickshaw driver Shaun Emerson thought dressing up as Spider-Man and doing weird acrobatic stunts would make him an overnight sensation — instead, it’s made at least one passenger vomit. Watching this video, you can see why. [NY Times, via NYMag]

You Know It’s An Indie Horror Movie When . . .

Paranormal Activity has everybody talking about indie horror, especially shoestring budget flicks like Blair Witch Project. What do DiY scare movies really have in common, other than nausea-inducing steadycam? Allow us to enlighten you. With slick horror movies hitting theaters this horror-tastic season, it’s important that you know how to recognize true, authentic made-in-my-basement chills.…

Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 Plays Like A Novel

We didn’t really know what we had in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles until it was cancelled — just as an apocalypse makes you realize what a fantastic world we’ve lost. Luckily, the season-two DVDs give you one more chance. (Sorry, I know this DVD box set came out a couple weeks ago — I…

What Science Fiction Characters Wear for Halloween

Still stumped on a Halloween costume idea? Maybe you can take your cue from these Halloween-loving characters from science fiction and fantasy. Check out what these folks wear to celebrate the season of horror.

What Science Fiction Characters Wear for Halloween

Still stumped on a Halloween costume idea? Maybe you can take your cue from these Halloween-loving characters from science fiction and fantasy. Check out what these folks wear to celebrate the season of horror. Jen and Ted: Vulcanish Characters (Defying Gravity “Fear”): In lieu of Mr. Spock, the crew of Defying Gravity grew up watching…

Karl Schroeder Talks About Futurism vs. Science Fiction

Science fiction writer Karl Schroeder, author of The Sunless Countries (reviewed here), is earning his masters degree in “strategic foresight,” or futurism, at the Ontario College of Art and Design. He told us about how futurism is influencing his work. https://gizmodo.com/crowdsourcing-leads-to-madness-in-the-sunless-countrie-5376577 io9: Tell us about how you got into futurism. Karl Schroeder: Around 2005 the…

Balloon Boy Found Alive

Wonderful news! Falcon Heene has been found alive and at home. He was never in the balloon. We are overjoyed. But urge everyone with experimental science projects PLEASE — safety first. [MSNBC]

Michael Chabon: Star Wars Legos Prove Kids Are Still Remixing The Force

Adults attempt to control children’s imaginative worlds, and unsupervised, free-form play is harder to come by than ever, warns author Michael Chabon. But even the most corporate-branded, marketing-controlled playthings can become wild and untrammeled, as Star Wars lego prove. Discussing his new book, Manhood for Amateurs: the Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father and…

The Family Behind The Balloon Boy

While authorities still search for Colorado’s Falcon Heene, and we dearly hope he turns up unharmed, we wondered why the Heenes constructed this contraption in the first place — and uncovered Mr. Heene’s attempt to prove there’s life on Mars. https://gizmodo.com/6-year-old-stuck-in-giant-ufo-balloon-2-500-feet-over-c-5382649 According to the Denver Post, the father, Richard Heene, is an amateur scientist, and…

I Would Love For Dyson To Make a Spoon That Propelled Food Into My Mouth

This cartoon by Lunchbreath illustrates additional opportunities for Dyson to profit mightily off the the technology that went into his new Air Multiplier fan. https://gizmodo.com/10-of-your-funniest-nerdiest-comic-strips-5375407/ I mean yeah, the prices are a joke, but how many of you would actually consider spending $400 on a spoon that eliminated one step in the eating process while…

The Spine-Tingling Glamour of Hammer Pinup Girls

Just in time for Halloween, Titan Books has released Hammer Glamour, a luscious coffee table book that collects pinup images of beauties featured in iconic Hammer Studios movies of the 1960s and 70s. These ladies helped redefine the horror genre. Hammer was a UK studio whose mid-twentieth century reimaginings of popular monsters like Dracula reinvigorated…

Cool events in the world of science and science fiction.

6-Year-Old Stuck In Giant UFO Balloon 2,500 Feet Over Colorado UPDATE

Police in Fort Collins, Colorado are desperately attempting to save a 6-year-old boy who floated away in a 20-foot homemade balloon. Officials are figuring out how to remove the boy, stranded in the sky, without “ripping the balloon to shreds.” The child reportedly crawled into his parent’s experimental balloon, untied it, and took off earlier…

What’s The Difference Between Denouement And Picking At A Scab?

So your space-wizard novel has resolved its epic storyline: Your hero has defeated your villain, or your central mystery’s been solved. But unlike your hero, your work isn’t done: there’s still the denouement, where we find out what happens afterwards. It’s another outing of Free Advice for Struggling Writers, our semi-regular writing advice column, in…

Even the Dollhouse Has Been Hit by the Recession

You would think that there would always be a market for pretty, programmable people, but it appears that even the ultra-rich need to curb their spending in tough times. A pair of leaked memos suggest Dollhouse LA needs new clients. A “leaked” memo from Adelle DeWitt appeared the other day, telling the Dollhouse sales staff…

Dollhouse Memos

Dollhouse Memos

6 Clips from “Fantastic Mr. Fox” Pit Badger Bill Murray Against Foxy George Clooney

It’s about time Wes Anderson put his whimsical outlook on the world into animation. It fits like an awkward yellow-hued glove. Check out these clip of Anderson’s usual suspects — Owen Wilson, Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman — going furry. Cussing Badger Bill Murray Who Am I? We Look Good, Personal Fav Clip! Whack Bat…

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