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8 Low-Tech Weapons And Tactics Used By Both Sides In WWII

In a war that featured Blitzkriegs, V2 rockets, and nuclear weapons, it’s easy to forget about some of the more old-timey weapons and tactics used during the conflict. Here are eight that proved their worth. Top image: Over 250,000 homing pigeons were used by Allied forces during the war. (1) WW1-Style Bi-Planes No technology advanced…

A Moving Course Built on Giant Dump Trucks Finally Makes Golf Exciting

There’s no better way to make an excruciatingly boring day feel even longer than with a round of golf. Watching it being played is even worse, unless the golf course happens to be on the back of gigantic earth-moving equipment. Now you’ve got our full attention. Caterpillar has pulled this kind of stunt before, even…

MLB Teams Are Hacking Each Other’s Dumb Passwords Now, Apparently

The FBI’s Houston office is conducting an investigation into an alleged cyberattack against the Houston Astros by the St. Louis Cardinals, according to a New York Times report today. It’s the first time a pro sports team has hacked a rival (or the first time they’ve gotten caught), and involves—surprise!—a terrible, awful, embarrassing password mistake.…

Why This Adorable Squid Cuddles For Hours After Sex

Southern dumpling squids (Euprymna tasmanica) are natives of shallow, sandy Australian sea beds, and their small, squat bodies and huge eyes combine to make them one of the most frickin-adorable animals on the planet. They spend their days hiding under the sand, but at night they’re tenacious lovers. Mature adults don’t spend much time on…

A Crazy Satisfying Theory About Why You Love Swiping Right

Swipe, swipe, swipe. Hundreds of swipes every day on Tinder. I’m lonely, ok?! It turns out I’m not just desperate for love though. Tinder might be tapping into human psychology. Are we hardwired to swipe right? Do I need to explain what Tinder is? It’s a dating app: When you swipe right, you’re saying “yes”…

How An Honest Scientist Inadvertently Helped A Municipal Cover-Up

In Chicago, in 1902, an outbreak of typhoid was killing people and no one knew why. One courageous scientist waded into the middle of the epidemic and figured it out. Or so she thought. Years later, she discovered her efforts had enabled a cover-up of the real problem. The scientist was Alice Hamilton, a brilliant…

Listen To the Mechanical Melody of This Watch’s Tiny Animated Bird

Way back in 2013, Jaquet Droz first revealed its Charming Bird watch that paid tribute to the company’s namesake with a tiny animated automaton bird inside. And now, nearly two years later, we finally have a chance to hear it chirp and sing using its tiny series of mechanical bellows. aBlogtoWatch’s Ariel Adams was the…

Why I Fell In Love With The Brilliant Steven Universe, And You Will Too

What is Steven Universe? Having launched last year as Cartoon Network’s first ever female-created animated series from ex-Adventure Time writer Rebecca Sugar, Steven Universe is ostensibly a cartoon about the titular Steven discovering that he is a member of the Crystal Gems, a group of female alien superheroes who defend the Earth (and mainly Steven’s…

The NASA Playground That Takes Virtual Reality To a Whole New Level

We’ve seen how NASA recreates the vacuum of space right here on Earth, but what about the gravity of space? What about the forces of inertia? When large objects move and behave so differently, how to you train for a mission so you know what to expect when you get there? Like this. We visited…

4 Ways to Use Your Smartphone for a Good Cause

Most of us are spending an inordinate amount of time on our smartphones, those glowing devices that are always by our side, so why not use some of that time to help others and promote worthy causes? Here are four ideas you might want to consider—and you can always get back to your News Feed…

It’s Time to Enable Two-Step Authentication on Everything. Here’s How.

If you don’t already have two-step authentication enabled on your all your accounts, you really need to turn it on for anything sensitive. Here’s how. If you’re not worried about the security of your accounts, you’re ignoring a serious threat that’s confirmed by a neverending deluge of security breaches. Two-step authentication is one of the…

New Balance Teams Up With G.I. Joe and Cobra For Some Slick Sneakers

It seems that Cobra’s latest plan to take over the world involves bankrupting those with a soft-spot for nostalgia with a couple pairs of ‘80s toy-themed kicks from New Balance and BAIT. The Cobra Commanders—based on a New Balance 574—are definitely the more enviable of the two pairs featuring an all-over snake skin pattern, bright…

Gorgeous 4k footage of a volcano erupting

Whenever I see an epic volcano explosion, such as this one of Volcano Calbuco in Chile exploding for the first time in 40 years, from the comforts of my own home through a glorious time lapse video shot in 4K, I can’t help but wonder about a time without video cameras and the Internet and…

Which Place Has The Most Fascinating Historical Stories Behind It?

It’s not just people who sometimes have surprising twists and turns in their backstories. Places—whether just a location, a house, or a building—also can lead complicated lives. We want to know about the locations near you (or even a place not so near that you’ve visited) with the most interesting histories. Tell us in the…

A Smartphone App Turns a Land Rover Into a Giant RC Car

Have you ever found your car stranded in a parking lot because some neighboring (jerk) drivers have parked too close for you to even open the door? That’s one problem that Jaguar Land Rover’s new prototype remote app can solve, letting you back your vehicle out of a tight spot using your smartphone. The app…

Can’t Think of a Status Update? Facebook Has One For You

Social media is all about expressing your thoughts—but what if you don’t have any? Facebook may want to help you out with your social media writer’s block. Technology is filled with all kinds of rumors and speculation — real and fabricated. BitStream collects all those whispers into one place to deliver your morning buzz. According…

Now That The Philae Comet Lander Is Awake, What Happens Next?

This past weekend, the Philae Lander awoke from its 211-day hibernation on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. The dramatic receipt of signals from the probe triggered renewed activity among mission planners who are now trying to figure out what to do next. Here’s how things could unfold. Top image: The comet as seen on June 13, just a…

Bing finallydecided to encrypt all search traffic. Which is good news for Bing users and privacy. That said, Goggle did this almost two years ago.

Video: The art of making neon signs looks a lot like pyromancy

Meet Matt Thompson. He’s been making neon signs and blowing glass for over 30 years that he’s basically become a wizard of the bright and glowing arts. Watch him bend tubes and illuminate glass and explain the process of making neon lights in this short documentary. Making neon lights is awesome not just because it…

Just how different does the country look today than it did 141 years ago? Nathan Yau over at Flowing Data has recreated the original 1874 version of the U.S. Atlasof census information using modern data. It includes everything from maps of the road system to charts of where all the country’s money comes from. Image:…