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An Urban Fantasy Novel That Shows Cities In A Way You’ve Never Seen

The urban fantasy genre isn’t just set in cities — it’s one of the main places that genre fiction engages with our urbanized existence, picking up the baton dropped by cyberpunk. But you don’t often see cities depicted the way Daniel José Older does in his new novel Half-Resurrection Blues. https://gizmodo.com/why-do-so-many-former-cyberpunk-authors-now-write-dark-5795217 Image via Daniel José…

There’s a Real Robotics Company Called Cyberdyne And Now I’m Scared

Remember the company from the Terminator franchise called Cyberdyne Systems? The same company that builds lethal robots and develops Skynet, the network of computers that eventually tries to destroy all of humanity? Well, there’s a real company called Cyberdyne. And they make robotic exoskeletons. Should we be worried? The company is based in Japan and…

Here’s How Close SpaceX Came To Landing A Rocket On A Barge In The Ocean

On Saturday, SpaceX tried to land its reusable Falcon 9 rocket on an autonomous spaceport drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. But the rocket came in a little too hot, and the touchdown was more impact than landing. Now, SpaceX has released footage of the landing attempt, as shot from the landing barge. Read our…

There’s Millions of Dollars Worth of Gold and Silver in Sewage  

There’s gold in them thar sewers—and silver and platinum and copper, too. A study by Arizona State University (ASU) researchers estimates there is $13 million worth of precious elements in the sewage produced by a million-person city every year. Never think of sewage as stinky worthless waste again. The ASU study looked at sewage samples…

Yep, 2014 Was The Hottest Year In Recorded History

Two independent analyses by NASA and NOAA have both concluded 2014 was the warmest year ever recorded on Earth – hotter, even, than 2010, the previous record-holder in a field of contenders stretching all the way back to 1880. “This is the latest in a series of warm years, in a series of warm decades.…

Neil DeGrasse Tyson Knows The Meaning Of Life

There aren’t many people I would trust to have a valid answer to the question “What is the meaning of life?” but astrophysicst Neil deGrasse Tyson would have to be on top of the list. Which is why it should surprise no one that, when asked this question by an inquisitive six-year-old, he had the…

So Many CG Films Look Alike—But This Will Transport You To A Dream World

Small Garden is just a beauty of a short film, one that feels like a surreal painting mated with an indie video game and had a strange and lovely baby. Let it pick you up and sweep you away to an alien world filled with moving plants and luminous landscapes. Shunsuke Saito used hand-drawn animation…

Republican Bills Would Strip the FCC of Its Power to Regulate the Web

Republicans in the House and Senate have introduced net neutrality bills that would strip the Federal Communications Commission of its ability to effectively regulate the internet. The new legislation is, at its root, a way to deregulate the telecom industry by curbing the FCC’s powers. And unsurprisingly, this kind of legislation is being championed by…

NYC’s Newest Skyscraper Won’t Stop Raining Down Hunks of Metal and Rock

432 Park Avenue, the tallest residential building in the Western Hemisphere, is many things: A billionaire magnet; a vessel for the world’s fanciest bathroom; a dormitory for “maids.” Oh, and a serious hazard for anyone walking near it. Earlier today, we took a look at the very rational reasons that pieces of metal keep falling…

Artist Paints On Old Photographs And Turns Victorians Into Monsters

Old-fashioned cabinet cards get a second life in the hands of artist Colin Batty. He paints onto the old photographs, turning their unsmiling subjects into vampires, aliens, sharkmen, and all other manner of bizarre monster. Vampire Girl Blazin’ Groom Bug Ladies Hooded Killer Mr. Dorsal The Root of Evil Snake Boy I’m Your Puppet CentiPatty…

These Circular Runways Were Designed To Catapult Planes Skyward

The January 10, 1960 edition of Arthur Radebaugh’s Sunday comic “Closer Than We Think” includes a curious invention that was supposed to literally catapult us into the Jet Age: The circular runway. From the Chicago Tribune: The heart of tomorrow’s airfield may be a circular catapult-like mechanism for sending planes into the air. It would…

This Chart Shows The Worst Diseases That Don’t Get Enough Research Money

Do the diseases that claim the most years of our lives really get the most research funding? This chart takes on that question — and reveals which diseases we may need to focus more on. The chart is the work of Catherine Richards a staff scientist at the Hutchinson Institute for Cancer Outcomes Research on…

On This Week’s Archer, Sterling Meets An Old Foe, Becomes A Verb

The second Archer episode of its sixth season is even better than the first, and it hints at what’s to come in its title: “Three to Tango.” A trip to Argentina perhaps? Spoilers ahead! https://gizmodo.com/archer-is-back-and-were-cautiously-optimistic-about-it-1678561812 At the behest of the CIA and Christian Slater (playing a version of himself that enjoys sports metaphors and insists…

The Weirdest Alcohol Laws in America

Growing up in New England, I got used to seeing the supermarket beer aisle shrouded in white plastic every Sunday, lest the alcohol tempt us at a sacred time (thanks Puritans!). The region certainly has some pretty restrictive alcohol laws, but they’re hardly the oddest. For that, let’s take a tour around the country to…

io9 Newsstand: Favorite Podcasts for January 1 – 16

Happy New Year! A little belatedly, I know. The first of the year is busy busy busy, and not just for me. I hear tell of changes in editorial staff at at least two major SFF magazines. And award season is upon us! More on that next week. This week it’s all about the podcasts.…

And Now, A Fully Functioning R/C SHIELD Helicarrier

Why yes, that is an R/C plane launching off a working, flying R/C Helicarrier. What a marvellous world we live in. This incredible feat of R/C vehicle-stroke-comic-book madness comes from the fine folks at FliteTest, who have been working on their Helicarrier build for a while now – but judging by their latest youtube video,…

This Toaster Turns Tortillas Into Tasty Taco Shells

As far as kitchen unitaskers go, Alton Brown would be horrified at this toaster that’s actually only able to turn fresh home-made flour or corn tortillas into hard-shelled tacos. You cram a piece of bread in there and you’ll probably be getting a (much appreciated) visit from your local fire department. But since soft tortillas…

This 3D-Printed Vase Shows Different People’s Faces As You Turn It

You may be familiar with the “vase or two faces” images (known as Rubin’s vase), where a single image looks like both a vase and two faces in profile. This oddly shaped vase goes much farther than that. It shows two profiles at a time, but those profiles change as the vase spins around. Gif…

Oculus Rift Could Make Music Software Way Easier to Use

Design student Bryon Mallett might be onto something with this impressive virtual realty rig for playing and composing music. Finally somebody’s building something actually useful for Oculus Rift that’s not just a damn advertisement. Music production software can be really complicated to use, which is why most people attach all kinds of external control surfaces.…

What did we do to deserve this? Whatever it is, we’re really, really sorry. We swear we won’t do it again. But our remorse is as naught, for lo — they are making a sequelto the shittastic Ouija movie.