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On Swedish TV, Dancing Tampons Teach Kids About Menstruation

Sweden has found a way to avoid those awkward boys-in-the-gym, girls-in-the-lunchroom fifth grade lessons about menstruation and basic genital anatomy: making videos with catchy songs for children’s television. Their latest film features marionettes made of tampons and lyrics that stress that menstruation is completely normal. According to Swedish paper The Local, it will air today…

Tech News Diane Kelly Oct 16 '15

Uber Wins UK Ruling Declaring It Distinct From Traditional London Cabs

Uber bosses are on the receiving end of some good news today for once, with a UK court deciding that its app-based distance-calculating thing is different enough from the black cab taximeter that it should be allowed to continue to operate. Transport for London brought the case to the court, complaining on behalf of London’s…

Tech News Gary Cutlack - Gizmodo UK Oct 16 '15

This New Arduino 101 Uses Intel’s Tiny, Low-Power Curie Chip

This is the latest addition to Arduino’s line-up of budget-friendly development boards, and it uses Intel’s cute-as-a-button Curie chip to power itself along. In fact, the Intel chip’s not far off the size of a button, either, yet somehow it manages to squeeze Bluetooth and a six-axis sensor with gyroscope and accelerometer into its frame,…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Oct 16 '15

Our Modern Sleeping Habits Are Very Similar to Our Preindustrial Ancestors’

It’s often said that smartphones, TV and electric lighting all contribute to us sleeping worse than our ancestors. But a new study suggests that groups in rural communities in Africa and South America, with lifestyles similar to our preindustrial ancestors, sleep much like we do in the Western world. A team from the University of…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Oct 16 '15

UK Sidewalks Are Spewing Wifi Into the Street

In the sleepy British town of Chesham, the sidewalks are a little bit special. The very ground on which people walk is now providing respectably fast wifi to residents as they wander around the streets. Developed by the UK’s Virgin Media, a series of submerged access points have been installed around the centre of the…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Oct 16 '15

Microsoft Will Give You $200 For Your Aging Laptop—Or $300 If It’s a Mac

If you’re considering buying a new Windows 10 laptop, Microsoft has just announced a promotion that might push you over the edge: when you buy a new computer, it’ll give you $200 if you hand over your current Windows laptop, or $300 if it’s a MacBook. The deal, called Easy Trade Up, will see Microsoft…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Oct 16 '15

These Are the Best Microscopic Images of 2015

Every year, Nikon’s Small World Competition rounds up the best microscopic images from scientists around the world. The results are strange and beautiful — take a look at them here. The competition brings what scientists see through their microscopes on a daily to the wider world. The winning entries are always impressive, and this year’s…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Oct 16 '15

How to Protect Yourself from the NSA If You Use 1024-bit DH Encryption

In a post on Wednesday, researchers Alex Halderman and Nadia Heninger presented compelling research suggesting that the NSA has developed the capability to decrypt a large number of HTTPS, SSH, and VPN connections using an attack on common implementations of the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm with 1024-bit primes. Earlier in the year, they were part…

Privacy & Security Joseph Bonneau & Bill Budington Oct 16 '15

Let’s Have More Smartphones With Clear Backs Please

This modded Samsung Galaxy Note 5 isn’t a thing you can actually buy, sadly. But with a razor blade, a heat gun and a little perseverance, it’s a thing you can and absolutely should make. The modded version was posted to Reddit by an intrepid DIYer. The process doesn’t sound too bad: use a heat…

Gadgets Chris Mills Oct 15 '15

This Rifle Doesn’t Need Bullets to Shoot Down Drones

Hunting quadrotors with #8 buckshot might be a valid pasttime for some people, but the US Army is looking for a little more refinement. The device you can see being used to kill an unsuspecting quadrotor is a ‘cyber rifle’, built by the Army Cyber Institute and demoed at the Association of the United States…

Tech News Chris Mills Oct 15 '15

God And Satan Watch Nazi Porn On A Train Full Of Breakdancing Teenagers. Yes, Really.

A group of teenagers jams on a train, not realizing that they’re actually on the special train where God and Satan are debating theology and watching crappy short horror films. It can only be the classic Night Train To Terror. It’s hard to fathom the thought process that went into Night Train To Terror, honestly.…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 15 '15

For a Movie About a Killer Doll, Child’s Play Is Actually Pretty Terrifying

The Child’s Play series—now up to six films, with a seventh apparently underway—is now best-known for its campier entries, especially 2004’s Seed of Chucky. But the 1988 original doesn’t take that tone at all. Yes, it’s still about a killer doll. But it’s also surprisingly unsettling, for a variety of reasons. Obviously, child-sized doll Chucky…

Movies Cheryl Eddy Oct 15 '15

It’s Official: The Hulk Is Teaming Up With Thor For Ragnarok

It’s been rumored and discussed, but now it’s official. Deadline has now confirmed that Mark Ruffalo is about to close a deal to reprise his role as the Hulk in Thor: Ragnarok, which will be out July 28, 2017. Director Taika Waititi will director from a script by Christopher Yost. And by all accounts, this…

Movies Germain Lussier Oct 15 '15

Why So Many Action Movies Are So Bloody Boring, According to Neil Marshall

Neil Marshall is one of our favorite action directors. From movies like The Descent, Dog Soldiers and Doomsday to Game of Thrones, he’s brought some of the best and bloodiest action to the screen. And now, he’s got a segment in Tales of Halloween, out tomorrow. So we had to ask him the secret of…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Oct 15 '15

Woz Says Steve Jobs Will Be Known For His “Negative Personality”

The day is almost here: When America gets to witness Seth Rogen as Woz. In preparation for the Steve Jobs theatrical release on October 23, Woz himself has been doing a lot of publicity for the film, including making this featurette that juxtaposes his real-life commentary with snippets from the movie. Referring to him—as he…

Tech News Alissa Walker Oct 15 '15

The Walking Dead Supporting Character You Need To Get To Know

It’s easy to say Rick, Daryl or Michonne is your favorite character on The Walking Dead. But going into the sixth season, with a new set of tribulations on the way, another character who hasn’t gotten much screen time could become much more important: Olivia, who embodies Alexandria’s potential and peril. We talked to actress…

Television Germain Lussier Oct 15 '15

Why Was This Drone Strike “Kill Chain” Classified?

Does this Powerpoint slide damage national security? Published in a report from The Intercept about America’s drone programs, the slide shows the chain of command used to authorize attacks during Joint Special Operations Command operations in Yemen and Somalia, right up to the President of the United States. It shows whoever looks at it classified…

Tech News Kate Knibbs Oct 15 '15

Why The Hell Does This Boys’ Star Wars Shirt Replace Princess Leia With Luke?

Ah, I remember it well, those opening scenes of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. That part when, having crushed any sign of resistance about the Tantive IV, Darth Vader reprimanded Luke Skywalker and put him in Imperial custody. Wait, what the what? In the midst of the Star Wars mania we currently find…

io9 James Whitbrook Oct 15 '15

The Many, Many Times Astronomers Mistook Mundane Phenomena for Aliens

The science world is all in a tizzy this week about the supposed discovery of an alien megastructure. It’s an intriguing theory, no doubt, but one deserving hefty amounts of skepticism. As we’ve learned before, inexplicable observations are all too often confused for aliens. Here are some classic examples. A strange star located about 1,500…

Tech News George Dvorsky Oct 15 '15

Not Even The Avengers Want Deadpool To Be An Avenger

Yes, Deadpool is now an Avenger in Marvel’s “All-New, All-Different” comic book universe. He even got an ID card signed by Barack Obama and everything. But even though he’s earned the right to be one of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, not everyone on his team actually agrees with that sentiment. Spoilers ahead for this week’s release…

Books & Comics James Whitbrook Oct 15 '15

On Swedish TV, Dancing Tampons Teach Kids About Menstruation

Uber Wins UK Ruling Declaring It Distinct From Traditional London Cabs

This New Arduino 101 Uses Intel’s Tiny, Low-Power Curie Chip

Our Modern Sleeping Habits Are Very Similar to Our Preindustrial Ancestors’

UK Sidewalks Are Spewing Wifi Into the Street

Microsoft Will Give You $200 For Your Aging Laptop—Or $300 If It’s a Mac

These Are the Best Microscopic Images of 2015

How to Protect Yourself from the NSA If You Use 1024-bit DH Encryption

Let’s Have More Smartphones With Clear Backs Please

This Rifle Doesn’t Need Bullets to Shoot Down Drones

God And Satan Watch Nazi Porn On A Train Full Of Breakdancing Teenagers. Yes, Really.

For a Movie About a Killer Doll, Child’s Play Is Actually Pretty Terrifying

It’s Official: The Hulk Is Teaming Up With Thor For Ragnarok

Why So Many Action Movies Are So Bloody Boring, According to Neil Marshall

Woz Says Steve Jobs Will Be Known For His “Negative Personality”

The Walking Dead Supporting Character You Need To Get To Know

Why Was This Drone Strike “Kill Chain” Classified?

Why The Hell Does This Boys’ Star Wars Shirt Replace Princess Leia With Luke?

The Many, Many Times Astronomers Mistook Mundane Phenomena for Aliens

Not Even The Avengers Want Deadpool To Be An Avenger

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