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New Super-Fast 3D Printer Builds Inch-Deep Objects in 6 Minutes

Last week, Carbon3D announced a 3D printing system that’s 25 times faster than traditional 3D printers. Now, a company called Gizmo 3D has revealed that it’s developing a system that can also achieve incredible speeds. The new system utilizes an existing technique called Direct Light Processing, which uses light to fuse liquid resin into a…

William Gibson On His Rejected X-Files Pitch

Well, now that we know that The X-Files is officially returning, he could pitch it again. It’s unlikely that not enough people would get what a “website” is these days. Gibson and co-writer Tom Maddox did write two X-Files episodes, “Kill Switch” and “First Person Shooter.” The former was pretty good the latter … was…

A New Bill Could Help Companies Share Cybersecurity Threat Information

The House of Representatives Intelligence Committee yesterday introduced a new bill that would allow businesses to share knowledge of digital security threats with the government without fears of legal of action. Reuters reports that the new bill, known as the Protecting Cyber Networks Act, “has significant bipartisan support.” Indeed, it claims that it has strong…

This Is the Ultimate in Octopus Hair Accessories

These adorable creations are from Kirstie Williams’ etsy shop CuriousCephalopods, where you can also commission ones in any color you wish. Not only are they awesome — look at those tentacle curls — I am counting on one to provide protection from nature’s most intelligent sea creatures. Here’s another available on etsy: While only these…

Mars’s Marathon Valley Sure Is Pretty

When NASA’s Opportunity rover paused to take in its surroundings earlier this month, it had quite a views. This is what it saw from the edge of the Endeavour Crater, a part of the planet that’s been dubbed Marathon Valley. The name’s no coincidence: it happens to be where the little rover clocked up 26.21…

The Porcelain Basin Hot Springs Create an Ethereal Spring In Yellowstone

Taken just a few days after the official start of spring, this photo of the Porcelain Basin Hot Springs (named after the milky white mineral deposit) almost looks like the national park is steaming off winter in favor of spring. Porcelain Basin by Jim Peaco/Yellowstone National Park/flickr/CC BY 20

It Only Took NASA 11 Years To Run A Marathon On Mars

The Mars Exploration Rover, better known as Opportunity, has been beaming back images and data from our planetary neighbour since 2004. As as of today, it has travelled 26.219, making it the first little interplanetary explorer to complete a marathon. Although that’s not exactly a barnstorming pace — about 0.006 miles per day, or two…

These Sidewalk Games Only Appear When It Rains

NeverWet is a water-repellent spray that can basically keep anything dry. It’s cool, if not the most practical thing in the world. But apply it to a sidewalk, let it rain, and magical things start to happen. https://gizmodo.com/neverwet-review-the-magical-water-repelling-spray-is-812797429 The project is the work of Seattle-based artist Peregrine Church, whose (entirely laudable) mission was to “make…

Inspector Gadget Trailer Makes Us Want to Pull a Buzzsaw Out of Our Hats

So, Netflix released the trailer for the new Inspector Gadget. And it’s … not good. In fact, it’s very, very bad. Putting aside the eldritch abomination that is Brain — and, make no mistake, the way that dog is animated will haunt your nightmares. And putting aside the how off Chief Quimby’s voice is. And…

Taylor Swift Put All Her Music On Jay-Z’s Pet Streaming Service

Taylor Swift, part-time pop star and full-time crusader for the rights of impoverished pop artists, made headlines last year when she yanked her music off Spotify. Well, streaming Swift is back — on a service you’ve probably never heard of. Tidal was a tiny Norwegian streaming service that basically no-one had heard of, until Jay-Z…

Alien Vs. Flying Worm Baby Vs. Chow Yun-Fat

This clip from 1986’s The Seventh Curse is the reason why we are all alive on this planet. A group of Chinese adventurers in a Northern Thai temple get attacked by a demon that looks like a Xenomorph from Alien. Then the Xenomorph fights a flying worm baby. But the best bit is when Chow…

See How Fast Your State’s Broadband Is With This Interactive Map

When we last checked in on the State Of The Internet in these United States, things weren’t looking so pretty: the average speed was a painful 4.8Mbps, well below the global average. Well, according to this neat graph, things are looking up. Net Index is a comprehensive breakdown of the data gathered by Speedtest.net, the…

Japanese researchers claim they can use worms to detect cancer in human urine. “In existing tests, people must have different examinations according to the type of cancer they have,” research leader Takaaki Hirotsu toldNew Scientist “Our odor-based test detected all nine types of cancer we tested.” Contact the author at [email protected].

A Classic Novel By The Strugatsky Brothers Is Out In English At Last

Most of us know Boris and Arkady Strugatsky from their novel Roadside Picnic — but their fantastic output was much greater than that. And now at last, there’s an English-language edition of their trippy book The Dead Mountaineer’s Inn, translated by Josh Billings with an introduction by Jeff VanderMeer. As NPR’s Juan Vidal explains: First…

Facebook and Google Are Locking In African Customers With Freebie Deals

Facebook and Google have grand plans to bring the internet to developing nations, paying Lisa Rinna-sized lip service to altruistic visions of global connectivity. But let’s always remember that these US tech giants are also gunning for new customers and the lucrative data that comes with them. Both companies are rolling out programs in some…

This Floating McDonalds Has Sat Empty For 28 Years

The McBarge was a floating McDonald’s restaurant constructed for Expo ’86 in Vancouver, but after the expositions ended, it never saw another bag of french fries. Today, the McBarge sits empty in British Columbia’s Burrard Inlet, although its owner hopes to someday turn it back into a working restaurant. Top photo by Taz (CC BY…

The Secret Color-Coded Language of Graffiti Abatement

More than anything else in our cities, graffiti and its removal creates a dynamic, ongoing visual conversation that plays out across pretty much every urban surface. Over at Medium’s Re:Form, Ian Besler investigates the process with Los Angeles’s graffiti abatement program, which removed one square mile of graffiti from LA’s streets in 2014. Besler visits…

How This Bicycle Bell Took Over America, And Why It Disappeared

The reverberating ring of bicycle bells ranks up there with ice cream truck music, in the pantheon of our favorite summer sounds. But is the bicycle bell that you remember still the one you hear around? Think carefully before you answer. In a discussion about on-screen sound effects, commenter q-Tzal noted that, while the standard…

RadioShack Selling Customer Data In Bankruptcy Auction

RadioShack’s recent bankruptcy filing means that it has to close nearly 2,000 stores and sell off many of its assets. Some of those assets are to be expected, like trademarks and store leases. But other assets might come as a shock to consumers — assets like personal customer information and email addresses. As Bloomberg reports,…

It Should Be Legal To Hack Your DNA

A group of geneticists has called for a moratorium on research into modifying heritable human DNA — a practice that could lead to so-called “designer babies.” But as scientists consider this drastic proposal, they should also recognize the potential benefits this technology could afford – and the risks of an outright ban. Before we begin,…