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This New Deep Learning Tool Shows You the Most Memorable Parts of Your Photos

Bummed that your latest cat pic didn’t get more traction on Instagram? Wondering how to make people remember your company’s logo first and foremost? A clever algorithm developed by MIT computer scientists may be able to help with a new online tool. Meet MemNet, a new program that uses techniques from the deep learning field…

Tom Hardy’s Really Upset About Losing All That Sweet Suicide Squad Money 

You know when you say something in a joking manner, but it’s really a mask for dropping a semi-stealthy truth bomb? Yeah, that’s what Tom Hardy did when he was asked about having to drop out of Suicide Squad. In an interview with Variety, the fact that delays on Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s The Revenant forced…

You Can Now Order an Uber From Facebook Messenger

Facebook and Uber continue their unstoppable global takeovers with a new partnership, announced today. You can now call for an Uber ride from within the Facebook Messenger app. Tap on an address in a Messenger thread, and up pops “Request a Ride” alongside the familiar “Copy,” “Open in Google Maps,” etc. Or, simply tap the…

Knit Yourself a Pair of Netflix Socks That Pause Your Show When You Fall Asleep

In the blink of an eye, episode one of a Netflix series can turn into episode 20 if you’ve fallen asleep at the remote. To help combat this, Netflix has developed a pair of knitted socks you can make yourself that automatically pause your show when they detect you’ve nodded off. The project requires both…

The Trinity Rises Up On a New Set of Gritty Batman v Superman Posters

When a big movie is released in theaters, all the other studios take advantage of the attendance bump with new trailers, posters and more. One of 2016’s biggest films, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, already has the trailer and now there are posters too. The official Batman v Superman Twitter account posted these simple,…

NASA’s Tech Was Repurposed in Some Strange Ways This Year

NASA has a long history of seeing its technology turned around after spaceflight for some more earthbound purposes. (Enjoy that scratch-resistant coating on your glasses? Well, it began life as an ‘80s-era spacecraft water filtration system.) What some people miss is that it’s still happening today. Every year, NASA puts out what it calls a…

He’ll Be Back—Terminator 2: Judgment Day Returns to Theaters Next Year, and in 3D

Next year is already scheduled to have a bunch of great blockbusters. One, however, you’ve already seen, just never like this. Terminator 2: Judgment Day is been re-released in 3D for the film’s 25th anniversary. Cameron has been working on the conversion with a company called StereoD and will release the brand new 3D version…

The Expanse‘s Second Episode Delivers on the Promise of the First

In “The Big Empty,” The Expanse is mainly concerned with introducing characters that got the short shrift in the premiere and making strong connections between our three plots. They also make a huge change from the books. Spoilers for both the show and Leviathan Wakes follow. One of the best details in “The Big Empty”…

Why Ahsoka Tano Is the Best Thing to Happen to Star Wars in 20 Years

Tomorrow, Lucasfilm will release final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Netflix*, but the season won’t include an arc centered on one of the show’s main characters, Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan Ahsoka Tano. That’s a shame, not just because Ahsoka’s growth has been one of the most compelling aspects of the series, but also…

Star Wars Merchandising Is Even More Absurd Outside the US

Human culture has reached a point of no return. The overwhelming barrage of Star Wars merchandise has pulverized the last remaining crumbs of our consumer dignity. Consider this product and cry with us: Star Wars Chicken Hot Dogs with Built-in Ketchup. And it gets worse. The following photos were taken at ten separate supermarkets in…

It Looks Like the Secretary of Defense is Bombing on Open Mic Night

It looks like Defense Secretary Ash Carter is a comedian bombing on open mic night in this photo from Adana, Turkey yesterday. Get it? I said, it looks like Carter is bombing. Do you get it? Maybe you didn’t get it. I said, it looks like Carter is bombing in Turkey. Wait, I don’t think…

Republicans Fail to Sabotage Net Neutrality in Government Spending Bill

A new $1.1 trillion budget bill has excluded Republican-backed efforts to block implementation of the FCC’s open internet rules, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported today. The government spending bill’s summary—a hefty 2,009 pages long—was posted online early this morning, but there’s zero anti-net neutrality language. That’s a a very good thing. Republicans in Washington have…

Ancient Egyptian Divinity Geoffrey Rush Explains the New Gods of Egypt Trailer

It’s not often that a trailer actually makes me snort. But once Geoffrey Rush’s Ra (yes, that is an Australian playing Ra in this thing) exhorts the “god of the air” to “protect the mortals,” that was it for me. If you did a shot at every cliché featured in this trailer—which clocks in at…

Robert Silverberg Wrote a Survey of Drugs in Science Fiction for the Federal Government

Back in the mid-1970s, the U.S. government was worried that the kids were getting too high. Drugs like marijuana and LSD were at their peak—and meanwhile, the government noticed the kids were also really into science fiction. So the National Institute on Drug Abuse hired Robert Silverberg, author of Dying Inside (pictured above), to do…

The Most Overhyped Scientific Discoveries of 2015

2015 was an amazing year for science, but it was also a year for some amazingly overhyped science. We put our hearts ahead of our data when speculating about advanced extraterrestrial civilizations. We so wanted to believe that a looming ice age would save us from global warming. And we were horrified to learn that…

Even though only the first two episodes have aired on TV, Syfy has put the first four episodes of The Expanse upon its website.

The io9 Photoshop Contest: Create the Most Bizarre Star Wars Tie-In Merchandise You Can Imagine!

Happy Star Wars eve, everyone! We might all be waiting for The Force Awakens to finally premiere, but it won’t be the movie that overwhelms us going forward— it’ll be the tie-in merchandise. There’s so much of it out there already, but we thought we’d add to the fun with some of our own—and that’s…

The 6 Best Things That Happened to the Internet This Year

Over a year ago, we offered a handy guide for explaining net neutrality to your relatives. This holiday season, that conversation is a lot more fun. In the past 12 months, the FCC has issued the strongest open internet rules this country has ever seen—and the fun doesn’t stop there. It feels like 2015 will…

Here and There Is a Thrilling Quantum Mystery that the Reader Must Solve

It’s meant to be a simple demonstration. For years, quantum cryptographer Kerek Reidier has been developing teleportation technology in his top-secret, DARPA-funded lab, and he’s already performed dozens of successful trials. Some people see teleportation as the ultimate weapon; to others, it’s the gateway to immortality. But The Reidier Test changes everything. The last thing…

This Exercise Bike Turns Cycling Into a VR Racing Game

Working out can be a drag, especially if your only means of entertainment is an awful juicer informercial on five of the 10 gym TVs. But thanks to virtual reality, you can soon exercise your way through a video game—and starting today, you can preorder a VR-ready bike that lets you do exactly that. VirZoom…