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NeuroTribes Is the Best Book You Can Read to Understand Autism

An epidemic. A vaccine-induced scourge. A curse. Or: The reason Steve Jobs was so focused. The thing Bill Gates had that helped him get rich. Autism is a misunderstood condition. Steve Silberman makes it understood in his new book NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity. I’m a fan of Silberman’s work…

Making ballet shoes is a delicate form of art

Ballet shoes are dainty and thin and totally unique. Jack Flynn and Nick David filmed this short documentary of the Freed of London ballet shoe factory in Hackney, London to give us a look at how they’re made and the history behind the shoe factory and the people that have worked there for years. It’s…

9 Reasons Why Ashley Madison’s CEO Just Resigned

It’s kind of cute that Avid Life Media still thinks they have a company in light of current events. Regardless, Noel Biderman will not be running it. Here are nine reasons why—although it’s really just one reason. (It’s the hack.) Ashley Madison’s parent company just announced the news on its blog. “Steadfast” and “adjusting” are…

Flash Takes One Step Closer To Complete Annihilation on September 1

The death of Flash has been slow and agonizing, but the Chrome team taking another shot at the woozy fighter. Following up on a promise made in June to phase out Flash ads in Chrome, the world’s favorite browser will be pulling the plug on all Flash elements “not central to the webpage.” What does…

New Vine Feature Helps You Create Audio That Loops Seamlessly Into Infinity 

You’re used to uploading six-second Vine clips of your dog on the treadmill. Well, starting today, you can also add a seamless six-second clip from your favorite song, giving you more control of how your Vines sound. With a new feature called Snap to Beat, it’ll be easier for you to loop music clips seamlessly—meaning,…

Only Metal Gear Solid Could Give Us An Action Figure Of A Dog This Crazy

If you’re familiar with the frequently ridiculous batshit insanity that is the Metal Gear Solid franchise, you’ll look at the above picture of a dog, in a sneaking suit, with an eye patch, and holding a knife it its mouth, and treat it as perfectly normal. The rest of us, meanwhile, will go “buh-whaaaaa???” Yes,…

Girl Scouts Cookie Oven Review: Get Your Thin Mints Fix Anytime, Anywhere

For years the only way to get your hands on authentic Girl Scouts Cookies was to find a troop perched outside a mall, or hope they came knocking at your door. But that’s all about to change now that the Scouts have licensed their brand, and addictive cookies, to a tiny oven that lets you…

Jessica Lange Isn’t Done With American Horror Story 

Even though it’s been said for ages that Freak Show was going to be Jessica Lange’s final season of American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy’s now saying that they’re finding a way of bringing her back. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Murphy was pretty definitive: I’ve been talking to her. It’s always possible. I’m trying to deal…

This Man Is About to Put a Robot in Your Pocket

What will it take for robots to become as common in our homes and daily lives as smartphones, TVs, and computers? Ask roboticist Tomotaka Takahashi. The famous Tokyo professor aims to be “the Steve Jobs of robotics,” by moving away from technical specs and emphasizing design, as well as pure bot charisma. How? In a…

Buzz Aldrin Has a Plan to Get Humans to Mars

Everybody’s talking about heading to Mars these days. But Buzz Aldrin, legendary figure from a space long past, might actually get to the job done. That’s right: Aldrin, the Apollo astronaut best known for his 1969 moonwalk, wants to send humans to Mars too. He’s got a plan for doing so, and now, a university…

These DIY Illusions Will Leave Your Friends Dumbstruck

This YouTube channel proves the art of the parlor trick is alive and well. Brusspup has reeled in almost two million subscribers with optical illusion how-to’s and science experiments. Here are a few you can try this weekend. Tonic water contains an alkaloid called quinine that glows under a black light. But your friends will…

This Is a Very Strange Cure for Cyanide Poisoning

Cyanide poisoning is not a nice way to go. Essentially it’s open-air suffocation. Cyanide ions in the body interact with an enzyme called cytochrome oxidase. This enzyme works with hemoglobin in the blood. It preferentially picks up cyanide when it should be picking up oxygen, meaning the body slowly dies for lack of “air.” Doctors…

4 Tips for a More Secure Lock Screen

The lock screen on your phone and tablet is all that stands in the way of an unwanted visitor and everything in your digital life, so best be sure there are as few chinks in the armor as possible. Here are the settings on the latest versions of Android and iOS to be aware of…

Only Magic Could Make This Hermione Granger Figure So Lifelike

The level of detail and realism in action figures has improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade, but it’s still hard not to be flabbergasted by this sixth-scale Hermione Granger. Has anyone seen Emma Watson lately? Because there’s a good chance there’s a curse trapping her inside this figure. Based on the character…

Is Gotham Seriously Introducing Yet Another Major Batman Villain?

Jeremy Renner confirms the accuracy of that new Civil War promo art. Mads Mikklesen talks up his Rogue One role, and may be joining the cast of Doctor Strange. Another crazy Doctor Who rumor involves a connection to past Doctors. Plus, our first look at Doctor Light on The Flash, and more. Spoilers get! Captain…

These Are the BOOMco Halo Blasters Master Chief Would Choose

We caught our first glimpse of BOOMco’s new Halo line back at Toy Fair 2015, followed by a couple of smaller blasters later in the year at Comic-Con. But now we’ve finally got a pair of Halo BOOMco blasters that even Master Chief would be proud to carry into battle. The Halo Covenant Carbine Blaster…

I’m Getting Completely Lost in Discovery’s Beautiful VR Projects

The Discovery Channel, home of sharks and professional pyromaniacs, has a lot of cool stuff to show off. So it makes complete sense to cherry-pick some of the best moments, and package them into bite-size VR experiences. At the moment, there’s nine videos on the Discovery VR site you can view: a couple Mythbusters clips…

New Orleans’ Marshes are Still Recovering From Katrina

Hurricane Katrina’s damage wasn’t all to man-made objects: the storm also hit the marshes and swamps surrounding New Orleans. The city has done a good job of regrowing over the last decade, but the landscape is still showing scars. NASA has published a three images captured by its Landsat satellites. The first shows the marsh…

Apple Pay will now work with PayAnywhere, a card reader that attaches to mobile devices to accept NFC and magnetic stripe payments. That means Apple’s contactless payment solution will now work in 300,000 more places in the US, and we’re one step closer to the walletless utopia. [9to5Mac] Contact the author at [email protected].

Logitech’s New Gaming Headphones Might Actually Sound Good

Most gaming headphones I’ve ever used have sacrificed actual sound quality for aggressive styling that lets everyone else know you call your computer desk a battlestation. Logitech’s latest headphones for gamers aren’t exactly discreet, but the company is promising sound quality that lives up to the visual hype. There’s two new pairs: the G633, and…