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Maps Show Where And When UFO Sightings Occur, From 1925 To 2014

Where in the U.S. are UFO sightings most common? What shapes do these unidentified objects usually take? What time of day do we typically notice them? Datavisualization expert John Nelson combined census data with nearly 90 years of statistics, compiled by the National UFO Reporting Center, to find out. “Of course, as is the case…

I Can’t Wait To Ride In These Autonomous Drone Taxis

We keep hearing how technology will eventually solve the problem of vehicular traffic for good. Self-driving cars will only get us halfway to that future—they’re still cars, clogging up our roads, speeding down our freeways. The personal mobility future that I’m waiting for includes autonomous drone taxis that can sail high over the city, delivering…

This Alternative to the Selfie Stick Actually Sounds Amazing 

Pretty cool idea right! [A Better Kind of Selfie Stick]

Even Robotic Construction Workers Take A Break For Lunch

Artist Fredy Wenzel gives the classic photo “Lunch atop a Skyscraper” a futuristic makeover, imagining a city that rises into the sky thanks to android construction workers. Even though they’re robots, we still worry that these workers could fall off that girder. “We Built This City – 2015 Remake” is featured with the artist’s permission…

Robert Krulwich is blogging again! You probably know Krulwich as the co-host of Radiolab, but for many years he also wrote excellent posts for NPR. Last year, they pulled the plug on his blog, but it was recently given a new home—and a new name—by National Geographic. Go check out “Curiously Krulwich,” at once! Contact…

Your Instagram Just Got a Major Design Overhaul On The Web

Instagram is almost aggressively mobile-focused — browsing Instagram.com often feels like being punished for not using the app. Today, Instagram announced a redesigned Instagram website that feels a little less like a half-abandoned hellscape afterthought. Beginning today—and rolling out over the course of the week, as an Instagram rep told me today—your feed and your…

The First BOOMco Halo Blasters Will Be San Diego Comic-Con Exclusives

We got our first hands-on with Mattel’s new BOOMco Halo-themed blasters back at Toy Fair, but it looks like the first official opportunity for everyone to get their hands on the new additions to the line will be at the San Diego Comic-Con next month. The UNSC M6 Blaster and Covenant Plasma Overcharge Blaster will…

Construction begins today on Washington state’s highly anticipated wildlife overpass. Measuring 150-feet long (45 meters), the bridge will allow bears, cougars, elk, and lizards to cross over the busy I-90 highway. It’s a “critical connective link” that’s expected to dramatically reduce collisions between vehicles and animals.

Knives Are A Fashion Statement And The New York Times Is On It

The men’s style section of the New York Times just ran an article about city slickers carrying pocketknives. It’s a trend, apparently. Which knives do they feature and how do they perform? Let’s analyze it. Yes, that’s me up top. They sent a photographer over who asked me do some stuff with a knife and…

Sketchy Israeli Company Uses Copyright Law As an Intimidation Tactic 

An Israeli company called Flash Network is fighting dirty against people who called it out for sneaky javascript injections. It’s a prime example how companies use copyright laws to threaten and intimidate anyone who criticizes them. When an Indian blogger named Thejesh GN noticed some suspicious javascript injected into the browsing sessions of popular telecom…

This 45-Minute Blade Runner Cut Is Made Of Footage Not In The Final Film [Updated]

There are already multiple official versions of Ridley Scott’s classic film Blade Runner, but Charles de Lauzirika and his production team managed to make a completely different cut using just the B-roll from the film and takes that ended up on the cutting room floor. Check out their 45-minute version of Rick Deckard’s journey. No,…

A Super Mario Bros. Watch Reminds You It’s Always a Good Time To Play

It’s impossible to count how many artists, designers, and Nintendo fans have been inspired by Shigeru Miyamoto’s work, but you can add the folks at Mr. Jones Watches to that list. Their latest timepiece is this Super Mario Bros.-inspired creation featuring the side-scrolling landscape from the original NES game. Appropriately called the Sun and Moon…

Meanwhile in the Future: When Antibiotics Stop Working

This week’s episode of Meanwhile in the Future gets very scary, very quickly. And we’re not going all that far into the future, either. We’re already starting to see the beginnings of an age without antibiotics. So what does a world without these drugs look like? Listen to find out. Over the past 85 years,…

Got a 2015 Samsung Smart TV? Enjoy PlayStation games? Sony’s PS Now service—which streams PS3 games over the internet—is now available on most of Samsung’s 4K sets and a few cheaper screens. There’s a free trial, then $20 monthly. It’s also coming to last year’s TVs. [Sony]

Far From Sterile, Some Hybrids May Start New Species

Your schoolteachers probably told you most species wouldn’t (or maybe couldn’t) successfully interbreed with one another. If some did, their hybrid offspring, like mules, couldn’t have babies of their own. That explanation was a bit oversimplified. Hybridization happens, and it may be one way new species arise. In an article at Ensia, Greg Breining examines…

This $25 Stick Connects Xbox One Gamepads To Your Windows PC

The Xbox 360 Wireless Gaming Receiver is one of the hidden gems of PC gaming—it lets you play loads of Windows PC games from the couch with controllers you already own. This fall, a $25 dongle will let you do the same with your Xbox One gamepads, too! Sure, you could already use Xbox One…

“Meat Glue” And Other Icky Stuff In The Imitation Food Items You Eat

You already knew that the crab in your lunch roll wasn’t really crab — but you probably didn’t know about all the other kinds of imitation foods you eat all the time. From faux wasabi to milk and olive oil that’s partly made up of additives, these are the weird ingredients in the fake foods…

A Complete Guide to the Mythical History Of Westeros

Long before the events of Game of Thrones and George R. R. Martin’s fantasy books, Westeros was home to magic and strange, sinister creatures. We’ve only just started to glimpse this backstory on the show, but the books contain lots of hints. Here’s our complete guide to the fantastical past of this grim world. A…

Why This Strange-Looking Animal Has A Nose Like A Penguin’s Foot

This weird-looking thing is a Sichuan takin. It’s what happens when you let a bunch of sheep loose on the mountain ranges of Tibet for a few thousand years. It has a huge schnoz for the same reason the penguin has a unique set of feet. Find out what these unique animals have in common.…

This Should Be The Dominant Image of Texas’ Police Brutality Pool Party

It’s difficult to watch the footage of an out-of-control police officer losing his shit while breaking up a pool party of adolescents in McKinney, Texas. It’s impossible to forget the moment he kneels on top of a young girl in a swimsuit while she cries for help. Artist @markusprimelives responded by flipping the incident on…