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io9 Book Club Reminder: Meet 4/14 To Discuss A Darker Shade Of Magic!

This month, the io9 Book Club is reading A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Scwhab. We’ll meet on Tuesday, April 14 to discuss it. Join us! What is this io9 Book Club all about? We meet once a month to discuss a book we’ve all read together, and then we have an online chat…

Samsung Galaxy S6 Review: Not The Next Big Thing, Just a Fantastic Phone

Remember the good old Samsung Galaxy S III? It was a fantastic little trooper, but we’ve come a long way since plastic phones were king. Today, the Galaxy S6 goes on sale—and it’s finally, finally catching up with the iPhone, Nexii, and other glass-and-metal devices that have been catching your eye for years. It’s stylish,…

Today isn’t just the day you can pre-order an Apple Watch or MacBook — it’s also the day three new flagship Android smartphones are going on sale. Read our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge and HTC One M9. Then weep for your wallet.

HTC One M9 Review: A Great Phone That Can’t Keep Up

Everyone loves an underdog. They’re new, exciting, and upset expectations. In 2013, the HTC One M7 brought that incredible disruptive energy to smartphones, and the following year’s M8 ran neck and neck with the best you could buy. Today, the HTC M9 goes on sale, and it’s no longer an underdog—but it’s not exactly leading…

The “Heroic Translators” Who Reinvented Classic Science Fiction In China

When early science fiction novels were first translated into Chinese, the translators took a lot of liberties with the material, reinventing Jules Verne for Chinese readers. Author Ken Liu (The Grace of Kings) explains how this helped inspire him, in turn, to reinvent Chinese traditions for Western fantasy readers. Top image: Le Voyage dans la…

The science behind the perfect espresso

This interesting video by the guys at ChefSteps explains in detail the process of making the perfect espresso and what happens inside the espresso machine that gives the drink such a creamy and unique taste. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Use Google Bookmarks to Share a Ton of Links at Once

If you’ve got a bunch of links you need to share with someone else, you could paste them one-by-one into an IM window or email… or you could use Google’s newly revamped bookmarks system to do the job for you. Here’s how to collect your links and make the list public. Creating a bookmark in…

We Might Have Reached Peak Retro Figure Nonsense

Old school action figures are in the middle of a renaissance. You’ve got Funko’s Reaction line emulating the old style for new properties, or Jumbo-sized recreations of classic superhero figures. The next logical step? Apparently, it’s unarticulated, plus sized statues of said retro figures. Kotobukiya have long put out lovely statues of comic heroes, but…

You Can Already Pre-order That Flapping, Flying, RC Pterodactyl

Just over a month after we first stumbled across PaulG Toys’ flying pterodactyl at Toy Fair 2015, the unique remote control toy is available for pre-order via a Kickstarter campaign. And early backers can get the pterodactyl and a wireless controller with a donation of just $250 if they’re confident the crowdfunding campaign will be…

Enormous Paintings Sliced From Their Frames Return Home To Bolivia

The long saga of two giant, colonial-era paintings — stolen from a Bolivian church in 2002 and unwittingly purchased in 2003 by New York collectors, who discovered they were stolen after loaning them for a 2013 exhibit — came full circle yesterday when they were unveiled at the government palace in La Paz. The works,…

Even Below Ground, Winter Temperatures Are Rising

The temperatures have been steadily rising here on the surface, but what about below ground? Temperatures are going up there as well, as you can see in this map of changes over the last several decades in ground conditions. And it has something troubling to tell us about our water. NOAA took a look at…

This Lamp Opens Like a Blossoming Flower to Cast More Light

Mother Nature has had a lot more time to perfect her designs than we have. And since she hasn’t bothered patenting a single one, we’re free to not only use her creations as inspiration—but to straight up steal them. So if you’re trying to create a pendant light with an adjustable beam, there’s no reason…

Syfy’s Dark Matter Is Lost In Space But With Deadly Amnesiacs

The first trailer for Stargate TV veterans Joseph Mallozzi and Paul Mullie’s Dark Matter, based on their Dark Horse comic of the same name, is here and we’re cautiously optimistic. Meet the enigmatic, dangerous, memory-deprived passengers in a mysterious spaceship drifting through the cosmos. Here’s Syfy’s synopsis for the show: In Dark Matter, the crew…

Ex Machina Proves Science Fiction Movies Can Be Smart AND Kick Your Ass

Ex Machina is one of the smartest, most thought-provoking science fiction movies in ages. And that probably conjures images of a slow, introspective Sundance-y film — but actually, Ex Machina moves at a ruthless pace, and kicks your ass up one all and down the other. Minor spoilers ahead… (And here, “minor spoilers” means that…

ICYMI: Learning Klingon Is About to Become Way Easier

Apple Watch hits shipping delays (naturally) and so does the OnePlus Two. But at least we have Klingon on Duolingo to look forward to. This is Bitstream, all the bits of news and rumors you missed yesterday. The app Duolingo is a modern-day Rosetta stone. Its gameification of language-learning is much, much more helpful than…

The First Ever Sketch Of Wonder Woman Is Going On Sale (UPDATED)

So many of comics most iconic heroes are so old at this point, items from their genesis are hard to come by. So when H.G. Peter’s first sketch for William Marston’s new female superheroine Wonder Woman goes to auction, it’s a rare glimpse into the history of one of the most iconic female superheroes ever.…

This Exclusive Helix Finale Clip Features An Immortal Baby In A Jar 

Get a sneak peak into tonight’s finale of the second season of Helix with this clip featuring zombies, tears and an immortal baby that lives in a jar. Spoilers! The clip reveals the prisoners of Steven Weber’s secret baby-making factory — or at least that’s what we’re guessing, because they look like they’ve been kept…

Amazon Is Starting to Sue Sellers of Fake Five-Star Reviews

Amazon is looking to end the practice of shady sellers paying money to receive positive four or five star reviews beneath their product listings, with the commerce giant aiming to smash some prolific review-sellers out of business using its immense legal cannons. A court filing has revealed that Amazon’s going after four separate review sale…

The Writers For The Avengers: Infinity War Movies Are Awesome, Too

We know that the Russo brothers the guys who brought us the fantastic Captain America: The Winter Soldier, will be directing Infinity War Parts I and II, and that this is a good thing. But now the screenwriters may have chosen, and we should be equally excited about them. According to Badass Digest, Christopher Markus…

This Asteroid Has Been Named In Honor Of Malala Yousafzai

As the discoverer of Asteroid 316201, NASA’s Amy Mainzer had the right to name the object under the rules established by the International Astronomical Union. So her choice to name the asteroid after Nobel Peace Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai is a truly generous and beautiful gesture. 316201 Malala (2010 ML48), as it’s now formally called, is…