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This Is A Temperature Map Of The Small Magellanic Cloud

ESA’s Herschel space observatory and NASA’s Spitzer space telescope joined forces to map out the temperatures of the Small Magellanic Cloud from a chilly -260°C to a relatively-warm -150°C. The Small Magellanic Cloud. Image credit:ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI From NASA’s image release: This new image shows the Small Magellanic Cloud galaxy in infrared light from the Herschel Space…

America Is Getting Its First Offshore Wind Farm

Offshore wind energy is popular in many parts of the world, but it’s never gained traction in the U.S.. Now, a company called Deepwater Wind has announced that it’s secured full funding to build America’s first offshore wind farm. The project will see five floating 6 megawatt offshore wind turbines built just off the coast…

NBC’s Magic and Martial Arts Show Warrior Has Leads

Holt McCallany (Lights Out) has been tapped to play a former prize fighter and gym owner in Warrior, a show that mixes martial arts and magic in the hunt for an international crime lord. This show’s description does not really explain the “magic” part, but we have some guesses. McCallany will play Andriv Vorobin —…

Ice Cracks Outline The Collapse Of A Drained Subglacial Lake

A subglacial lake in Greenland drained out from under the ice in 2011, leading to this mitten-shaped collapsed. Now Operation Icebridge scientists report the lake is slowly refilling. Ice collapsed over a now-empty subglacial lake, photographed on April 26, 2013. Image credit: NASA

The Latest Weird Use Of CGI: Adding Pubic Hair to Fifty Shades of Grey

CGI appears even in the most unlikely of places. The latest is in hiding a cover-up on star Dakota Johnson with digital pubic hair. There are huge space battles and fully digital characters and this. The news comes from a story in theNew York Times about the trials and tribulations of filming sex scenes. Seamus…

This melted wheel of cheese looks like the best way to eat cheese

Because I’m an uncultured American whose definition of cheese is Velveeta and whose idea of bread begins and ends with wonderment, I could never dream up the magic that is a Raclette. I would never be so bold to melt a wheel of cheese and be so daring to spread that gooey goodness onto toast.…

This photo of a soldier suspended in midair is so badass it looks fake

Unreal photo by U.S. Army Visual Information Specialist Jason Johnston: The soldier looks so casual doing his salute that, instead of jumping outside of the airplane, it looks like he is walking on air towards the bay of the C-130 Hercules—like a real world superhero. A U.S. Soldier assigned to 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces…

FREAK Attack: A Dangerous Security Flaw Caused by US Government Policy

A group of computer scientists have revealed a dangerous security flaw that could open up many phones and other machines to attack. The worst part is that the problem has its roots in a misguided U.S. government effort to prevent consumers from having access to strong encryption. The flaw itself comes from poor implementation of…

Nvidia Shield Console Hands-On: Yep, That’s One Sleek Set Top Box

The first Nvidia Shield was a gaming handheld. The second was a powerful Android tablet. Now, Nvidia’s going full game console. The new Nvidia Shield is a $200 set-top-box running Android TV, but it’s more than that. It’s a game console poweful enough to play a port of Crysis 3. And at first blush, it…

It Took 3 Instruments To Create This Image Of The Small Magellanic Cloud

When we see photos of space, the data doesn’t always come from one place. This photo of the Small Magellanic Cloud comes from the European Space Agency’s Herschel’s Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver (SPIRE), Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS), and NASA’s Spitzer’s Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS). Image Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL-Caltech/STScI From theEuropean Space Agency: The…

The process of making an entire skateboard looks like a lot of fun

Skateboarding is fun but George Powell of Powell Peralta skateboard makes building skateboards look even more fun. It’s always cool to see hands and machines and people transform wood into something completely different but especially neat to see how the whole skateboard—trucks and bearings and wheels—comes together. Stacy Peralta filmed this fun and upbeat documentary…

Nvidia Just Announced Its Own Android TV Game Console

Remember the NVIDIA Shield, the gaming handheld? How about the NVIDIA Shield, the Android gaming tablet? Soon you’ll be able to replace them both with the NVIDIA Shield—the Android TV Console. Okay, maybe not replace them, but maybe outclass them: NVIDIA’s first dedicated TV device is also, according to CEO Jen-Hsun Huang, the world’s first…

Enter the Mysterious World of the Ocean’s Most Important Creatures

Plankton are incredibly tiny creatures who sometimes look like microscopic glass snowflakes, drifting through the ocean’s water column. But they are actually among the most important life forms in the ocean. This short video introduces you to them, and gives you a look at their mysterious life cycles. This video is part of KQED’s Deep…

Hands On: Sony’s New Morpheus Is The Best VR Headset Yet

I just survived a shark attack. I just stole a priceless diamond in an upscale London heist. I did it with Sony’s new Project Morpheus headset. It’s the best I’ve ever tried. I’ve used a lot of VR headsets. Each one’s a tiny bit better than the last. The picture’s always a little clearer, the…

Yet Another Attempt To Turn Moon Is A Harsh Mistress Into A Movie

No sooner did the rights to The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress reverted back to Robert A. Heinlein’s estate than another studio has come along to snatch them up. This time, Fox is bringing some A-List names to the project. Fox has brought Bryan Singer on board — he’s listed as a producer along with…

Valve’s First Steam Machine Is $50 and It’s Coming This Fall

Been waiting for an officially endorsed Steam Machine? Well, here it is, sort of—the Valve Steam Link. It’s a tiny, $50 micro-PC that seems to do absolutely nothing but pipe PC games in over a local network via Steam-in-home-streaming. Want a Steam Controller? You can get that too, but it’ll cost you an extra $50.…

Drone footage soaring through Angkor Wat shows off the beautiful ruins

Angkor Wat is one of those unbelievable places in the world where you can’t really fathom the history of the ruins around you. I thought it—and all of Northern Cambodia—looked fantastic from the ground but this drone footage shows me that the view is—as it always is—better from the top. The drone footage is stunning.…

How To Prepare Your Motorcycle For Adventure

Ready to take your big, heavy motorcycle off-road? Not so fast! Even a simple, low-speed crash is capably of damaging it irrevocably. Luckily, there’s an abundance of effective crash protection available in the aftermarket. Here’s the parts you need and how to fit them. Adventure riding is a fantastic way to be on two wheels.…

Filming Atomic Blasts Requires This Massive, Complicated Camera

There’s a truly monstrous camera at the “Churchill’s Scientists” exhibition at London’s Science Museum right now. The C4 Rotating Mirror High Speed Camera was developed at the end of World War II to study explosive reactions. Later, in the 50s, the camera was upgraded the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment (AWRE) in order to study the…

When was the last time you were flabbergasted by the real world? What about the first time – do you remember that? Science writer Ann Finkbeiner does, and her account the experience is probably the loveliest thing you’ll ever read involving disemboweled chickens.