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Making pasta by hand is a relaxing, beautiful process

I know Chef Evan Funke of Bucato is making pasta in this video—I see it and it’s absolutely beautiful—but it almost looks like he’s playing a musical instrument. There’s so much skill in his work and so much grace in his movements that I can’t help but feel like I’m watching an artist at work.…

Why short fiction is a good career move. Earlier today, we revealed why Tor.com thinks short novels are the future of publishing — but in a post on the SFWA site, John Joseph Adams and Daniel H. Wilson explain why short fiction may not pay much, but can still boost your career.

Suunto Ambit2 (HR) Review: The Smartwatch For Badasses

The Suunto Ambit2 (HR) won’t read you your email and doesn’t know Will.i.am’s phone number. But, it will tell you your precise location anywhere on earth and powerfully monitors your physical exertion. How many beers did that climb burn? https://gizmodo.com/suunto-ambit2-hr-review-the-smartwatch-for-badasses-1685440542

How Zoos Brought This Ancient Horse Back From The Edge Of Extinction

Until 1996, the ancient horse you see above was designated as extinct in the wild. By 2008, their condition had been upgraded to critically endangered, and today, the IUCN notes that Przewalski’s horse population continues to increase. Here’s how it happened — and the role zoos played in bringing them back. Today, we were joined…

Brief But Eye-Popping Video Shows Cuttlefish Getting Their Freak On

Giant cuttlefish have some unusual mating rituals. But once they find a suitable partner, the act of knocking boots (er, tentacles?) is kind of incredible to watch. https://gizmodo.com/watch-the-worlds-largest-cuttlefish-battle-for-mating-r-5919643 New Scientist reports: During mating, which takes place head-to-head, a male embraces a female then squirts sperm in her mouth with a specialized arm. To initiate sex,…

Smoking Is Even Deadlier Than We Thought

Smoking is bad for you. You know this! Now, a long-term study of close to a million people has broadened our understanding of the harmful side-effects of smoking, and the results suggest tobacco is even more dangerous than previously believed. Photo Credit: Ferran Jordà | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 “A substantial portion of the excess mortality…

A Gorgeous Ice Castle Time Lapse Makes Winter Bearable Again 

For all the cold and ice that winter dumps upon, you have to admit that ice can be beautiful—perhaps no more so than in this ethereal winter castle. Filmmakers Michael Sutton and Julian Tryba shot this time lapse in a hand-built Ice Castle in New Hampshire. We interviewed the icicle farmers who make Ice Castles…

A Paranoid Robotic Vacuum Deals With A Bug Infestation On A Spaceship

In the music video for Hundred Waters‘ “Innocent,” we watch through CC TV cameras as a robotic janitor travels through an empty spaceship, sucking up the bugs who have invaded the corridors. But gradually, we come to understand just what is going on in this strange animation. Jeremy Clapin directed and designed this creepy and…

Listen To “Cyberspace Spirit,” China’s Anthem To Internet Censorship

It would be easy to make fun of China’s new anthem glorifying internet censorship. But I don’t want to pan“Cyberspace Spirit” or mock the Cyberspace Administration of China choral group signing it, because they literally don’t know what they’re missing. The Great Firewall of China truly sucks. If you or I tried living a day…

Why Did WNYC Delete Its Podcast on the Male “Expert” on Women in Tech?

An episode of WNYC’s On the Media podcast TLDR was unceremoniously removed from the On the Media website today, and people are not at all happy. Rightly so. (UPDATED: This post was updated on 2/13, to include comments from WNYC.) The TLDR episode featured tech blogger Amelia Greenhall criticizing male “women in tech expert” Vivek…

The Best Drone’s-Eye-View Shots of The World’s Most Wonderful Cities

The world’s greatest cities look even more magical from the air — but until recently, only a few people got to have the nimble aerial viewpoint on cities that a drone gives us. Drones have reshaped aerial filming, and created a whole new way of looking at cities. Watch some stunning drone footage of the…

The Number of Asteroids We Could Visit and Explore Just Doubled

There’s a famous line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet that says “There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy,” and the same now holds true for brave new worlds for humans to explore. Above: An artist’s conception of a mission to an asteroid. Credit: NASA. This result was published…

What’s The Most Ridiculous Way Someone Took Over The U.S.S. Enterprise?

There’s one thing that’s constant, across all of Star Trek: Starfleet vessels are ridiculously easy to take over. Especially if they’re named “Enterprise”. But what’s the absolute silliest way that someone once seized control over the Enterprise? (Including in TNG, Enterprise, comics, books, other media)? Please include a picture, clip, comics panel, book cover or…

“The Dragons Aren’t Cute Anymore”: Behind The VFX Of Game Of Thrones

Dany’s dragons are all big and eating babies! We’ve got an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at how Game of Thrones aged up Daenerys Targaryen’s dragons and made them appear to be bigger than they actually are (because they are not real). The behind-the-scenes look is from the DVD and Blu-ray release of the fourth season of…

Hundreds of Inmates Are Sent To Solitary Confinement For Using Facebook

In the South Carolina prison system, accessing Facebook is an offense on par with murder, rape, rioting, escape and hostage-taking. Back in 2012, the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC) made “Creating and/or Assisting With A Social Networking Site” a Level 1 offense [PDF], a category reserved for the most violent violations of prison conduct…

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What Caused These Men to Eat Cats and Candles?

Charles Domery was a Polish man whose eating habits astounded three armies. Tarrare was a Frenchman who went from carnival act to spy to suspected murderer. What made these men so desperately hungry? Top image via Fortean Times Charles Domery Charles Domery was born Charles Domerz, in Poland, in 1778. He was a voracious eater,…

On The 100, Mount Weather Pulls Out The Big Gun—Which Is A Missile

On this week’s The 100, we’ve got two children making big decisions without their formerly powerful parents — and there are bound to be grave consequences. As Mount Weather points a missile at the alliance leadership, Clarke must decide whether to protect them and risk exposing her spy. Things are getting chaotic beneath Mount Weather.…

Go Set Up Two-Factor Authentication For iMessage and FaceTime Right Now

Two-Factor Authentication, though sometimes annoying, is one the best defenses against nefarious individuals trying to break into your private accounts. You should really have it set up on everything, but not every company has unanimously embraced the security measure on all their apps, including Apple. The company has enabled two-factor authentication for both iMessage and…

Some Guy Figured Out How to Delete Every Photo on Facebook

A security researcher recently made a seriously startling discovery. With just four lines of code, he says he could delete any photo album on Facebook. Zuck’s wedding photos? Zap. Your high school graduation album? Lost forever. Lucky for you, he decided to report the bug to Facebook, which promptly cut him a check. Let’s back…