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Nobody Pronounced “Voldemort” Correctly, in Eight Movies

If this tweet by J.K. Rowling doesn’t prove that authorial intent is irrelevant, then nothing will.

Go Download the NASA Graphics Standards Manual Right Now—For Free

One nice thing about government agencies is that many neat things they produce are ultimately free to the citizens. Keeping with that tradition, NASA just released the graphics standards manual behind the iconic “worm” logo as a PDF. You can now download the 90-page document for free. As soon as you do that, you should…

Most Holidays Are Fake, and Here’s Why

Do you celebrate National Onion Rings Day? What about Be Kind to Animals Week? Do you know what you’re buying your significant other for Talk Like a Pirate Day? Time is running out! ThARRRRs just 9 shopping days left! It’s not just your imagination — there really are more unofficial holidays than ever before. And…

Bruce Campbell May Host a Horror-Themed Reality Series, and Here’s Why That’s Terrifying

If the idea of another nerdy reality competition TV series fills you with dread… well, that’s kind of what the upcoming series Bruce Campbell’s Horrified is going for. The good news is, obviously, that the impossibly charismatic Bruce Campbell will be involved. The bad news is everything else. The show comes from King of the…

Which Actor Would You Most Like to See Make a Successful Comeback?

There are some actors who used to get juicy roles all the time in amazing movies, but lately, they’ve seemed to either be relegated to tiny parts or below-the-radar films or dropped completely out of sight. Which talented performer would you most like to see get a second chance in Hollywood? We’ll start: if Michael…

Tell Us Your Nightmare Tales of Working For a Giant Tech Company

We loved your chilling startup stories—but if there’s anything worse than startup culture, it’s a big, lumbering corporation. Come, lay down your burdens. https://gizmodo.com/31-flavors-of-bullshit-your-horror-stories-of-working-1714986653 While startup woes are often marked by improbable business models, lack of structure, clueless management and, in the stories you shared, sex workers, drugs, and more drugs, huge companies usually have…

It took over four years, but the FDA has finalized sets of rules for both human and animal foods, requiring manufacturers to have plans in place to prevent contamination before it happens, rather than dealing with it after the fact. The two rules are just the first of an anticipated seven.

Not Even the Zombie Apocalypse Can Stop George R. R. Martin From Releasing Books

Whenever George R.R. Martin does anything that isn’t releasing the next A Song of Ice and Fire novel, some (typically crass) people tend to cry “he’ll be dead before he finishes!” But apparently Syfy’s Z Nation is going to show that not even a little thing like zombification can stop Martin from writing. Wait, what?…

Turns Out Ashley Madison’s Uncrackable Passwords Are Actually Very Crackable

It was little solace to victims of the Ashley Madison hack that the company had kept their passwords extra secure. Some even said the hashing algorithm was bulletproof. But—oops!—it turns out Ashley Madison made a programming error. And now, hobbyists have already deciphered over 11 million passwords from the leaked accounts. A team calling themselves…

Hilarious video about handmade firewood skewers every artisanal video

We’re as guilty as anybody for propping up the process of making handmade goods and artisanal products but the truth is, they’re really fascinating to watch. But of course, being totally obsessed and narrowly focused with something can come with a lack of self awareness which makes the whole artisanal movement an easy target to…

A Lava Ocean on Io Could Mean Better Prospects for Alien Life

Jupiter’s moon Io is an eruptive mystery. Based on scientific models, the tiny Jovian moon’s volcanoes flare up in the “wrong” places. How could that be? Well apparently, our models didn’t account for a massive subsurface ocean of lava. That’s right: According to a new NASA study, Io may be hiding an ocean of molten…

Zack Snyder Admits Superhero Movies Could Be Heading For A Crash

A few weeks back, Steven Spielberg made headlines saying he thought superhero movies would eventually “go the way of the Western.” And now, the architect of DC, one of the biggest superhero movie worlds, says he pretty much agrees. That person is Zack Snyder, director of Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice…

We Took Apart the American Horror Story: Hotel Trailer So You Wouldn’t Have To

We now have the first American Horror Story: Hotel trailer actually showing its characters. And all of it is stylized with cuts and zooms to the point where you’re going to have to go through it frame by frame to see everything. The reoccurring motif of this trailer are definitely the Addams Family-style children that…

Watch This Guy Open a Hotel Room Safe With a Pocketknife and Paperclip

Did you pay extra for a deluxe hotel room that came with a safe? It doesn’t matter how complex you think you four-digit code is, it turns out the safe’s keypad can probably be over-ridden using a secret keyhole that’s surprisingly easy to hack. In this video Jim Stickley demonstrates that the fancy metal nameplate…

Elected Queens and Princess Senators: How the Politics of Star Wars Work

Greetings, my magnificent mail-minions! I’ve got a swell—dare I say it, keen group of questions in this week’s mailbags, but I want to try something. If you have a question for the postman, you can email me, but you can also leave it in the comments of this article, and I’ll try to round them…

These Erasers Turn Pens and Pencils Into Swords

The sword is mighty, but they say the pen is even mightier. So by our calculations, whoever wields these adorable PenSwords will be utterly invincible, right? At least no mistake will ever stand in their way. Sold as just a handle that’s actually a rubber eraser, you can choose any pen or pencil to serve…

John McAfee’s “Campaign Video” Is Batshit 

Would you like to see anti-virus tycoon, Central America murder-adventure enthusiast and occasional fugitive John McAfee giving you crazed Vigo the Carpathian eyes as he recites excerpts from the Gettysburg Address? That is a rhetorical question. McAfee is running for president, and he recently performed an Ayahuasca-influenced low-budget slam poem for a campaign video that…

NASA Just Released This Amazing New Set of Up-Close Pluto Pictures

NASA released a new (and gorgeous) set of Pluto pictures from its recent New Horizons fly-by—and they’re our best look yet at some of the strange terrain of the erstwhile planet. Top image: Pluto overlook / NASA Here’s the full set of Pluto pictures—plus one bonus planetary portrait of Charon, included at the very bottom.…

Rose Gold? That’s Not Pink. RIP iPhone 5c, The Best Pink Phone Apple Ever Made

Almost exactly two years ago today I let out a squeal of joy during an Apple event. There was an iPhone onstage made by Apple. But it wasn’t black or white. It was coated in a colorful, hard candy shell. More than that: It was PINK. Actually it was neon coral. Which was even better.…

Watch Bear Grylls Feed President Obama A Nasty Old Piece Of Salmon He Found By A River

“This has got to be one of the best days of my Presidency,” Obama tells the camera shortly before Bear Grylls feeds him a nasty old piece of bear-ravaged salmon he found beside a river in Alaska. While on last week’s big Alaskan adventure, the President took a day to film an episode of Running…