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How Fat the World Is, Visualized

Obesity has hit the United States hard in recent years—but how do American waistlines compare to those around the world? This map, put together from recent obesity data obtained by the CIA, shows that the U.S. is not alone. https://gizmodo.com/fat-maps-show-where-the-obesity-epidemic-has-hit-the-5934298 The map, put together by Clinic Compare, shows that the percentage of the population that…

A limited edition of Red Velvet Cake Oreo will arrive on February 2

We are all doomed! The new Red Velvet Oreo is here. A limited edition of the new flavor will be released on February 2. If you can’t wait 12 days you can go to oreoredvelvetrope.com over the next three days and win the chance to get a free package. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow…

This is the amazing town of Epecuén. Once a booming resort city, it was drowned in 10 metres of water for 25 years after the dam protecting the town was destroyed. Only recently dried up, you can read more about the place in our photo essay from last year. [AP viaNew Scientist]

Conan O’Brien gets animated to fight Russian mob with Archer

Conan O’Brien joins international secret agent Archer in his battle against the Russian mafia. The neat animated sketch shows Conan shooting a gun, throwing a grenade, and getting really excited in his new role as a badass spy. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Acer’s Tough New Chromebooks Are Built to Survive Your Children

Chromebooks are popular among families and schools because they’re… well, cheap. Now, Acer’s line of Chromebooks adds another feature that will appeal to anyone handing a computer to a child: durability. Two new laptops, the 15.6-inch C910 (above) and 11.6-inch C740 (below), have shells designed to withstand 132 pounds of force. Their corners are specially…

The Walking Dead Spinoff Is a Prequel Where the Threat of Zombies Looms

Bleeding Cool has a copy of what looks like a September 2014 version of the pilot script for the Walking Dead spinoff, and it’s full of people refusing to believe that the end we all know is coming is actually coming. Take a look at the brand new trailer for the flagship show’s February return…

HealthCare.gov Sends Personal Data to Dozens of Tracking Websites

EFF researchers have independently confirmed that healthcare.gov is sending personal health information to at least 14 third party domains, even if the user has enabled Do Not Track. The information is sent via the referrer header, which contains the URL of the page requesting a third party resource. The referrer header is an essential part…

Bloomberg: Samsung Is Dropping Qualcomm Chips for the Galaxy S6

Samsung has long used Qualcomm chips to powers it flagship phones. But now a report from Bloomberg suggests that the company is to drop Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips in its new Galaxy S6 due to overheating issues. The report from Bloomberg explains that Samsung will be “dropping its use of a Qualcomm Inc. chip that overheated…

The Solar Dynamics Observatory Has Captured 100 Million Sun Images

On January 19th, NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) released its 100 millionth image of the sun. This image is a processed multiwavelength blend made from the images taken on the 19th to honor the milestone. Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO You can see more of the SDO’s images — which takes eight images of the sun every twelve…

Star Wars Could Be Genius, Might Cast Tatiana Maslany Or Rooney Mara

Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany is testing for the female lead in the Gareth Edwards Star Wars spinoff. Come on, Lucasfilm, this one’s easy. Joining her is Rooney Mara and a few others. It’s kind of unclear in the original report if they’re all testing for the same role,…

Obama Dreams of Space, But Where’s the Money for a Mars Expedition?

During the State of the Union address, President Obama said stirring things about human spaceflight and the future. But these are the same dreams we’ve been talking about for years, and without more funding for NASA these dreams will fizzle instead of coming true. Top Image: Who will be the first human to join our…

The Originals Wields Irony Like A F–ing Straight Razor

To most people, The Originals is a wacky spinoff of the “vampire love triangle” show The Vampire Diaries — in which the ancient vamps from TVD go to New Orleans, have a magic baby, and get caught up in endless power struggles. But to devotees, The Originals is a reliable supplier of hilariously bitter irony.…

What Obama Gets Wrong About Cybersecurity

So there’s good news, and there’s bad news. The good news is that Obama mentioned a sprawling set of cybersecurity initiatives at the State of the Union tonight. The bad news is that they suck. Improving the country’s cybersecurity is important. However, the president’s new proposals could act to erode Americans’ civil liberties and further…

New amazing metal is so hydrophobic it makes water bounce like magic

Scientists at the University of Rochester have created a metal that is so extremely hydrophobic that the water bounces on it as if it were repelled by a magic force field. Instead of using chemical coatings they used lasers to etch a nanostructure on the metal itself. It will not wear off, like current less…

This Snail Makes A Venom So Toxic, It Disables Fish Swimming Near It

Cone snails are known for their venom. Upwards of fifteen people have died of it. One snail, Conus geographus, doesn’t even have to sting to kill its prey. And scientists have found out why. To fill someone with poison you’d need a claw, a fang, or stinger, right? Not if you’re Conus geographus, the geography…

Only The Greatest Airship Pilots Could Reach The Forest Sanctuary

It took a great deal of skill to navigate through the trees, and a woodsman’s memory of the forest to remember the exact location of the sanctuary. But any who found their way to the dock could expect comfort, food, and wisdom that couldn’t be obtained anywhere on the ground. “Arrival at Svetoslav Sanctuary” is…

NBC Might Make A Live TV Presentation of The Wiz, We Have Thoughts

After Peter Pan Live! and The Sound of Music Live, NBC is moving onward and upward, picking up the rights to The Wiz. This is a much more complicated musical than Peter Pan, so NBC, if you’re going to do it, do it right. Cast Janelle Monáe. We totally agree with Slate’s earlier suggestion that…

The Greatest Inventions That Everybody Forgets Exist

Quick, what are the most important technologies in the world right now? If your first thought was something like the computer or cellphone, we get it. But the fact is that a lot of the most important inventions, the ones that underpin our lives, are largely invisible. Here are some of the most life-changing ones.…

A Closer Look at the Retractable Roof of Atlanta’s Bonkers New Stadium

Remember when the Atlanta Falcons announced they’d be building a new stadium—using a boatload of public money—that would be crowned with a retractable roof? The architects of the $1.2 billion project recently passed along a new fly-through of the design. And while it’s our best look yet at the structure, it also brings up plenty…

Notorious British Serial Killer Still Alive But Probably Going Blind

The serial killer known as the “Yorkshire Ripper” can add “is probably going blind” to his list of health ailments. The Daily Mail reports: Peter Sutcliffe has been told he could lose what remains of his sight within a year. The murderer, who is already blind in one eye after a prison attack, was said…