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The io9 Book Club is in session! Let’s discuss “Zero History.”

Welcome to the monthly meeting of the io9 Book Club. This month we read William Gibson’s new novel, Zero History. Jump into comments to get started talking about it! For those unfamiliar with the io9 book club, here’s how it works: You read the book. We create a special book club post on io9 when…

What Happens When You Fossilize a Pheasant In Four Months

Whether in the name of science, art, or sheer morbidity, Austin Houldsworth’s determination to fossilize a pheasant and a pineapple got results. Although if Houldsworth’s goal is eventually to fossilize humans, I hope we turn out better than the bird: The project, called 2 Million & 1AD, involved placing the bird and the fruit in…

Is astronomy the first post-Singularity science?

Nobody knows when (or if) The Singularity will arrive, bringing super-smart artificial intelligences — but within twenty years, astronomy could become the first discipline where discoveries outpace scientists’ ability to keep up with them, says the Technology Review. Within a couple decades, astronomers won’t ever need to go near a cutting-edge telescope, says a new…

How Robert A. Heinlein became one of science fiction’s giants

It’s hard to imagine a generation of science-fiction readers growing up without the looming presence of Robert A. Heinlein. William H. Patterson’s long-awaited biography of Heinlein sheds light on how he rose to prominence. From his earliest published story in 1939 to his death in 1988 (and, in many ways beyond), Heinlein reshaped sci-fi from…

158 Sinuous Silhouette Wallpapers

You’d think that a figure of pure darkness would look like the essence of evil. But the 158 silhouettes from this week’s Shooting Challenge are active, earnest, understated, funny, friendly, sexy…and yes…occasionally a little bit evil, too. Lead Shot Taken with a Nikon D80 in manual mode with an ISO of 100 and a 28-105…

Shooting Challenge Silhouettes Gallery 1

Taken with Nikon Coolpix S610 F 5.8 1/800 ISO 100 I got up early to exercise at a park down the street from my apartment. It had been an unusually hot week in Southern California, but this day was cooler and humid. I live in a beach community outside of Los Angeles and we’re used…

Shooting Challenge Silhouettes Gallery 2

Some friends and I went hiking up to Kennedy’s Peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. The overlook platform at the top offers the best view of the valley I’ve ever seen, well worth the hour and a half hike up. Picture taken un-posed with a Casio EX-FH25 on auto settings. -Alec Sparks Camera:D300s…

Shooting Challenge Silhouettes Gallery 3

Camera: Canon Model: Canon EOS 7D Lens: EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM ISO: 100 Exposure: 1/4000 sec Aperture: 10.0 Focal Length: 70mm I am currently in Jacksonville Florida for work, and decided to go to the beach and get some shots of the sunrise. The long grass created an amazing Silhouette with the Sun…

Who wants to see a lil’ crocodile dressed up as Iron Man?

Youtube videographer MorRokko dressed up her dwarf caiman in an itty-bitty suit of Tony Stark’s armor. Ergo, Iron Croc! Reptiles in power suits are right up there with four-eared kittens on the Scifi Cuteness Scale.

For Almost $3k These Ultrasone Edition 10 Headphones Better Turn You Into a Zebra

We know the downfalls of cheap headphones, but is $2,749 for a pair of Ultrasones going to give you the best-possible audio experience known to man? That I can’t tell you, but my god would you look at them?! They’re a thing of beauty, I’m sure you’ll agree. But then, Ultrasone has always been known…

Every Type of Photo You Will Ever Find On Facebook

Are you a stable person? A little crazy perhaps? Fun-loving? A risk? Dangerously volatile? How do your friends see you? It’s all in your Facebook profile photos. This visual guide dissects everything that there is to know about Facebook portraiture. The flowchart seems quite complete, although I’m missing the Drunk > Half-naked > Biting >…

Future explorers could reach the Earthlike planet Zarmina in just 6.1 years

Using our current technology, it would take 180,000 years to reach Zarmina. But our resident physicist Dave Goldberg has a more optimistic estimate – thanks to antimatter and time dilation, astronauts could get there in just a few years. Dave calculates that, if we could build a stellar drive that gets its fuel from matter-antimatter…

New Tron Legacy footage shows the digital drama inside Tron City

Last night, we watched a collection of new Tron Legacy clips, which showcased Daft Punk’s cameo and disc wars — but most importantly, the drama between programs and humans. Can the new Tron’s characters compete with its bright neon visuals? Let’s get one thing straight before we continue — Tron Legacy is sexy as hell.…

Frito-Lay Cancels Louder-Than-Combat-Jet Snack Bags

Frito-Lay is pulling their Sun Chips 100% Compostable bags after receiving “consumers’ feedback about the bag’s noise level.” Well, since they are louder than a combat jet, I’m not surprised. Here’s why: Hi, Heidi, Thank you for contacting Frito-Lay to share your thoughts about the SunChips compostable package. Frito-Lay is taking steps to improve the…

Hungarian toxic sludge kills 4, injures at least 120 — and it may be headed for the Danube

The horrifying, heartbreaking pictures of Ajka, Hungary, look like a natural disaster, like Hurricane Katrina. But they’re not. This flooding is the result of a deadly spill from an alumina plant whose reservoir burst open. Warning: dreadfully upsetting photos below. According to AP, Hungary declared a state of emergency in three counties, after the toxic…

Ultrasone Edition 10 Gallery

US and Europe divided on NATO’s role in future cyberwars

With the Stuxnet virus wreaking havoc on Iranian nuclear plants, NATO is divided on how to prevent and respond to future cyberattacks. Americans advocating a more proactive stance on combating cyber-ne’er-do-wells, an approach America’s NATO allies are skeptical of. The debate stems over provisions in NATO’s new Strategic Concept, or the doctrine outlining NATO’s function,…

I Just Retweeted a Kidney

The last place I imagined being was in an operating room following the minute-by-minute highlights of the significant kidney surgery being performed on Brian’s dad. I’ve never met Brian’s dad. And that’s not much of a surprise. Brian lives in another state and is a private person. At times in his life, I’ve described him…

Time-Traveling Historians and Resurrected Concubines in October’s books!

October brings several long-awaited treats to your bookshelf, including a new Culture novel, the sequel to Connie Willis’ Blackout, and Scott Westerfeld’s Behemoth. Plus spying Victorian streetwalkers and Miles Vorkosigan! Here are the October releases you can’t skip. Behemoth, Scott Westerfeld (Simon Pulse) The sequel to Leviathan follows Deryn (a girl pretending to be a…

Get Anyone Naked With the Pic Bubbler iPhone App

Perverts rejoice, for someone has released an iPhone bubbling app. Its name is Pic Bubbler, and it allows you to see anyone naked by using an optical trick and your twisted brain. I tried it. It works. Pic Bubbler is very easy to use. First, you load an image of someone in their swimsuit—woman or…