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Facebook’s Internet Drone Looks Like an Angry Boomerang

After years of teasing, Facebook has finally revealed an air-ready, solar-powered drone designed to beam internet to Earth’s surface. It looks like a really expensive and sort of pissed off boomerang. All it lacks is the data-delivering laser that will deliver websites to remote African villages. Facebook says that part’s almost ready. [Facebook] Image via…

A murder mystery unravels as the camera zooms out and changes angles

Since we’re limited by our own perspective, every story can always be told differently. People see things differently. People remember different things. People tell stories differently. Because, well, people are different. We only remember what we can, we need the full picture to see it all. The Pavement was directed by Taylor Engel. It’s a…

Cops Pose as Road Workers to Catch Drivers Checking Their Phones

Be careful the next time you’re at a stoplight and want to get a quick peek at your phone. That friendly construction worker beside your car might actually be a cop playing dress-up. Yes, police in Marietta, Georgia have recently begun handing out $150 tickets for “distracted driving” by posing as road workers. Despite the…

Has Jena Malone’s Real Role in Batman v Superman Finally Been Revealed?

We supposedly know who Jena Malone will play in Batman v Superman: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, and it’s a rather well-known DC hero. But it’s either a rumor or a major spoiler, so you should either take a grain of salt or stop reading. Maybe both! Although previously rumored to be playing…

Windows 10, On a Mac

Tentatively wondering whether it’s worth setting up Windows 10 as an alternate boot option on your Mac? I’ve taken the plunge for you—here’s what I found. To give you an idea of where I’m coming from and how easy or otherwise this is, I’m an occasional Mac OS X user and a first-time Boot Camp…

Is Earth’s Closest Cousin a Dying Planet?

Last week, the human race met its very first Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star in the habitable zone. Kepler-452b’s discovery was met with resounding excitement, but the news was bittersweet. Because life on this distant world — if it exists at all — could be facing imminent extinction. Earth’s new cousin has spent the…

Google’s Distributing a New Clip-On Glass Product for Workplaces

Remember how useless Google Glass seemed when the search giant launched the geeky and invasive product? Turns out, some workplaces actually think they’re useful. And now, Google is now distributing a new version of Glass to select businesses. Several news outlets are reporting that Google’s been quietly distributing new Glass hardware to workplaces. The Wall…

Shooting Challenge: The Cat Days Of Summer

Fair is fair. We had you photograph all of your dogs. And now, canine karma has come around. For this week’s Shooting Challenge, photograph your cats. The Challenge Photograph a cat. The Method As I mentioned in our dog tutorial, pets are a pain to photograph. And cats are an even bigger pain, because cats—and…

A New Documentary Shows How Gene Roddenberry Almost Killed Star Trek TNG

Former Star Trek star William Shatner has made a slew of Trek documentaries in recent years, so when I saw he had a new one about the first few years of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I wasn’t sure if it was worth watching. But it totally was. Shatner’s new film, Chaos on the Bridge,…

These Baboons Eat Shark Eggs

These are Chacma baboons. For the most part, they scavenge on land, but once every two weeks in the spring, they head out to the edge of the ocean to eat the babies of the sea’s alpha predator. Papio ursinus, or Chacma baboons, live around the southern tip of Africa. They’re notable for their size—males…

A sword made of fire is the coolest thing

There are swords that are on fire, swords made in fire and now, swords that are made of fire. The Backyard Scientist created this “fire saber” which is basically a seltzer bottle that spits out a stream of butane which lights on fire with a lighter. The look of the fire stream resembles a light…

Why Did NASA End The Space Shuttle Program?

At the time the space shuttle program ended, the three remaining shuttles had flown 25, 33, and 39 times respectively. They were designed for a lifetime of 100 flights each. Though troubled with parts obsolescence throughout the program, it would have been possible to continue to adapt and fly the vehicles for many more years,…

Today is the 40th anniversary of Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance, a case that’s become one of America’s biggest unsolved mysteries, and CNN has a piece about property owners who’ve become an unwitting part of the search over the years—and the insane publicity circus that inevitably follows. Top image: Jimmy Hoffa on July 26, 1959, in Washington.…

Incredible Robotic Water Strider Jumps Like the Real Thing

Researchers from South Korea have created a robotic insect that’s capable of jumping and landing on an aquatic surface, a unique mode of transportation found only in specialized animals. To reproduce this jumping ability in a robot, Je-Sung Koh and colleagues from Seoul National University studied the way water striders do it. The resulting bio-inspired…

Does the Indictment of a Killer Cop Mean That Body Cams Work?

University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing has been indicted for murder in the shooting of Samuel Dubose, an unarmed black man. According to prosecutor Joseph Deters, video captured by Tensing’s body camera was the critical piece of evidence in the decision to pursue charges. Does this mean that cameras work? Tensing shot Dubose during…

I Love This Study On Activated Charcoal’s Effect on Farts

Every day you learn something new, and that’s great. But some days are extra special. Some days, you learn things about the “fecal liberation of intestinal gases.” Those days are the best. I knew that activated charcoal water filters existed. These filters, alternately known as granular activated carbon filters, are made of grains of charcoal…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

This week is all about Windows 10 (as it should be), but that doesn’t mean mobile operating systems decided to take a weeklong vacation. We’ve got a new launcher from Microsoft, ways to finally get down to business and learn code, and Yahoo’s zombified resurrection of Yahoo Messenger. Should be fun. Let’s get to it.…

Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars Is Still The Best, Silliest Marvel Tribute

Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars might just be the best thing to come from Marvel’s ongoing Secret Wars event. It’s not only filled with brilliant deep cuts for the classic ‘80s comic crossover, but it’s irreverently funny—and this week, it takes on the most iconic moment from the original event. https://gizmodo.com/the-oddest-goofiest-marvel-meta-joke-in-deadpools-secr-1712062488 Minor spoilers ahead for Deadpool’s…

This Video of Protestors Trashing Uber Cars Makes Me Feel Bad for Uber 

I don’t like Uber. It’s an apparently evil company that overcharges people and eschews accountability as often as possible. However, seeing an angry mob of cabbies descend upon and destroy a number of Uber cars in Mexico City actually made me feel bad for Uber drivers. At this point it’s a common tale. Taxi cab…

This ejector bed that launches you to wake up is a real funny nightmare

Waking up is hard. Anybody who can just get straight up in the morning cannot be trusted. For the rest of us, we make do with phones and alarm clocks and snoozing and coffee and showers and jobs that pay us to not be late. Perhaps we’re going to easy on ourselves. Maybe we need…