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How chefs turn giant blobs of frosting into perfect cakes

I don’t know how many cakes you have to make before having the skills to turn a giant mass of shapeless frosting into these symmetric sculptures, but I would guess between 100 to 2 billion. I just know that I like to watch these videos of Asian chefs making them to perfection. So relaxing. The…

These Interstellar Cannons Actually Hunt Exoplanets

The ESO’s new exoplanet-hunting telescopes on Paranal looks absolutely stunning in this long-exposure night time shot. It shows the Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) telescopes during testing. The Moon appears as the brightest streak among the star trails, the VISTA and VLT domes can also be seen on the horizon. The ESO explains in more detail…

The CIA Has Cleared Its Own Spies of Snooping on Senate Computers

Remember how the CIA was forced to admit that it had “improperly penetrated” Senate Intelligence Committee computers? Well, perhaps unsurprisingly, a CIA-led investigation has cleared the agency of misdemeanour, calling the incident a ‘mistake’ and certainly not ‘malfeasance’ The CIA’s accountability board has cleared the organization of any wrongdoing over the fact that officials sifted…

Neat comercial shows how life would be if we had two mouths

This cool comercial for Madrid Fusión—an international gastronomic summit held annually in Madrid, Spain—shows the complicated life of a man who bears the burden of having two mouths. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

3D Printer, Strobe Light: All You Need to Create Zoetrope Sculptures

Oh, and a Lazy Susan. Designer John Edmark has created a bunch of designs for sculptures which “bloom” when spun and lit by a strobe light or are filmed with a short shutter speed. Gif via Colossal Edmark has a ton of videos of his designs up at both youtube and Vimeo. Here’s one: He’s…

Technology marches on: The Smithsonian is working to digitize proofs used to print money from 1863-1930. What used to take 15 minutes and $10 dollars a sheet now costs less than a dollar per sheet for the 3,5000 sheets they digitize a day. [Smithsonian Magazine]

Adobe Lightroom Is Now Available on Android (But Only Phones)

Months after it became available for iOS, Adobe has announced that its Lightroom photo-editing software is now available for Android phones, too. The new software requires a handset running Android 4.1 Jelly Bean or later, a minimum 1.7GHz quad-core CPU, and Adobe recommends you have at least 8GB of free space on your device if…

Fujifilm X-A2: An Updated Entry-Level Mirrorless For Selfie Lovers

Fujifilm has updated its affordable, entry-level mirrorless camera, the X-A2. The interchangeable lens camera now features an LCD screen that pivots 175 degrees—so, yes, it’ll be useful for seflies. But there’s more, too. Inside, there’s a 16.3 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor, wireless image transfer and an improved autofocus. The bundled Fujifilm optically stabilized 16-50mm (24-76mm-equivalent)…

Xiaomi Mi Note: A Sleek iPhone 6 Plus Alternative?

Yoy may not know much about Xiaomi, the Chinese hardware manufacturer. But it’s on a swift upward trajectory in China and the rest of the world—and its new flagship, the Mi Note, may explain why. The iPhone 6 Plus-sized handset is sleek, high-specced and not too expensive, either. The 6.95mm-thick smartphone features a 5.7-inch 1080p…

A Man Tired By Space Exploration Finds an Outlet in This Animated Short

“Planètes après planètes / Planets after planets” by Titouan Bordeau feels so much like a short from childhood that I’m almost convinced I did see it then. Watch as a terminally bored by exploring astronaut has his life shaken up by a pack of ducks. Space ducks. [via Vimeo Staff Picks]

Person of Interest Shows Us Why Stephen Hawking Is Worried About AI

In real life, many of the world’s most respected scientists are signing onto an open letter urging technologists to be careful about inventing AI. And on Person of Interest, we’re getting a good look at why they might be right. This was the final episode in a three-episode arc devoted to escalating conflict between the…

Are There Any Michael Crichton Books Left To Turn Into Movies Or TV?

Michael Crichton is one of the authors with the best track records of being adapted successfully to movies and television, from Andromeda Strain to Jurassic World. So it makes sense that super-agency ICM has signed a deal to develop his work, especially previously unfilmed works. But what’s left to adapt? Image via Maverik Education According…

Prominent Scientists Sign Letter of Warning About AI Risks 

Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and many other prominent figures have signed an open letter pushing for responsible AI oversight in order to mitigate risks and ensure the “societal benefit” of the technology. The open letter was put together by the Future of Life Institute, a group mobilized by Skype co-founder Jaan Tallinn, MIT’s Max Tegmark,…

Realistic version of Reddit alien mascot is neat and creepy as hell

Kudos to redditor ChristopherDesign for this cool version of a three-eyed Reddit alien mascot, rendered in Cinema 4D and finished in Photoshop. He says it took him 30 to 40 hours to make: I’d say the actual amount of time to create what you see is about 30-40 hours, but I worked on it pretty…

Jock Unveils Sleek, Dreamy Concept Art For Ex Machina  

Ahead of the artificial intelligence thriller Ex Machina’s release (January 21 in the UK; April 10 in the US), artist Jock shared some of his early concept art on Twitter, highlighting the film’s sophisticated artificial intelligence, Ava (portrayed by Alicia Vikander). Machina is the directorial debut of novelist (The Beach) and screenwriter (28 Days Later,…

The Dragon Mother Always Carries Her Young Atop Her Snout

“From me to you Little one, know that I will always watch over you, I will always protect you and I will always love you. Carry my example on to your children and you will make me proud.” Story and art by Lamin Martin. Over email, Martin told us a little bit about the inspiration…

Danny Boyle Having “Serious” Conversations About 28 Months Later

We’ve been dreaming of Danny Boyle’s much talked-about return to the 28 Days Later zombie franchise for years. But maybe now he’s finally ready? In an interview with IGN, Alex Garland (director of Ex Machina and 28 Days Later screenwriter) revealed that, at the very least, Boyle is having conversations about the project, and he…

How To Prove A Geometric Formula With A Clementine And A Piece of Paper

Here’s a fun demonstration from Cornell maths professor Steven Strogatz. Take a clementine (or any spherical, peelable fruit) and trace around its widest part four times. Then peel it. Flatten out the peelings as best you can and divvy them up evenly among the circles. Voilà! Tangible proof that the the surface area of a…

Cookie-Based Research Suggests Powerful People Are Sloppier Eaters

This week’s video in the University of California system’s Fig. 1 YouTube series (tag line: “Get inside the mind of a researcher!”) offers a bite-sized lesson in why, exactly, powerful people tend to be so selfish. Turns out when people feel more powerful, it has a curious effect on the “empathy network” in the brain’s…

The only way this guy could get closer to liquid lava is showering in it

I have seen some crazy closeup volcano photography before, but this is madness. Kawika Singson has gone closer to liquid lava than I have ever seen. Watch this footage of hot magma spilling right into the ocean while he’s on the water just a few feet away. Even if he used a stick, it is…