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The Weirdest Spy Action Novels Ever Published

The “Men’s Adventure” novel is a strange thing. At the height of its popularity, in the late 60s and 70s, it was being written by dozens of peculiar and reclusive authors. But the influence of this weird genre is still felt today. Here’s the strange history of Mack Bolan and his many imitators. This whole…

These Adorable Interstellar Robot Figures Are Made Out Of Wood

It’s maybe not so weird that there’s not been any merchandise for Interstellar yet. I mean, it’s not really the sort of film that craves action figures. But if there were toys of the weird robots from the film, I’d buy them in an instant – or, as Redditor Espiffany did, build some! These awesome…

Time Itself Is The Newest Frontier In Mark Millar’s Chrononauts

Humanity has done a reasonably solid job investigating the land, the oceans, and the sky, but in Mark Millar’s new comic Chrononauts, two fun-loving geniuses begin exploring the time-stream with a few people looking over their shoulder — namely, a live television audience. With art by The Wake’s Sean Gordon Murphy, Image Comics’ Chrononauts tells…

Will.i.am’s Puls Smartwatch: So Bad I’m Actually Kind of Impressed

“Call Will.i.am,” you yell at your wrist cuff as you leave your trendy apartment. “Play Get This Party Started,” you shriek into your other wrist cuff as you step out of a black car. A thin, tinny melody leaks out of the shackle—just as your ankle cuff buzzes. It’s a text from Fergie. She’s already…

How to Keep Your Android Device’s Screen From Ever Going to Sleep

There are times when you don’t want your smartphone’s screen to automatically dim after a few seconds—working from a recipe, showing off photos, studying your social media strategy—but there’s no way to do this natively on stock Android (the most you can extend the delay to is 30 minutes). If you need your display on…

The Secret To Overcoming Procrastination: It’s Not About Willpower

Procrastination is a universal problem. Even the most irritatingly well-organized people know the agony of putting something off until the last … possible … minute. Why do we put ourselves through this misery, knowing the consequences? And how can we overcome the urge? Unsurprisingly, there’s some deep-rooted psychology behind procrastination. “I believe that it has…

How Dangerous Is Natural Asbestos When It’s Blowing in the Wind? 

Most of us, when we think of asbestos, think of the insulation in old buildings up for demolition. But asbestos fibers are naturally occurring minerals, and their natural habitats are deposits that meander all over the U.S., concentrated especially in the West. When wind blows asbestos off the hills, exactly how dangerous is it? That’s…

Just in time for spy week: CIA veteran Lynn Boughey and International Spy Museum executive director Peter Earnest’s book Harry Potter and the Art of Spying, which analyzes the spy techniques in J.K. Rowling’s fantasy novels, is free today on Kindle.

Watch A Time-Lapse Of Rio De Janeiro Shot At 10K Resolution

Even if you don’t have an ultra-HD display, you’re going to want to watch this. “10328×7760 – A 10K Timelapse Demo” is a straightforwardly titled demo reel created by Los Angeles based photographer Joe Capra. You may be wondering why you would even watch a video shot at 10K resolution. A lot of people have…

This Timelapse Shot in 10K Resolution Is Fantastically Bonkers 

4K? That’s so last year. 8K? Yesterday’s news. This timelapse video was shot in an astonishing 10K resolution using an 80 megapixel camera. The level of detail in these gorgeous shots is mind-boggling. Joe Capra of Scientifantastic shot this video to test out the PhaseOne IQ180 digital medium format still camera. Its 80 megapixel resolution…

What Happens When An Astronaut Falls In Love Right Before Hibernation?

In the short film Hibernation, Joseph is about to embark on a remarkable journey — entering hibernation so that he can explore parts of the universe where no human has ventured. But he can’t shake the feeling that things have been left unfinished between him and his instructor, Claire. Hibernation was written by Eric Navarro…

Break Out The Heat Puns, Because Firestorm Just Set The Flash On Fire

If I told you that the Flash was the least interesting part of last night’s Flash episode, you might be a bit concerned — it doesn’t sound like a good thing. But it is when the DC hero Firestorm finally takes center stage, and almost all the other characters — even Cisco and Caitlin —…

An Exclusive Look At Warpo’s Gloriously Retro 12″ Cthulhu Figure

Following their big success on Kickstarter last year, Warpo’s old-school style series of Lovecraftian action figures Legends of Cthulhu are getting a wider release as of today. But soon, their Cthulhu figure is getting a bumper-sized version — and io9 has an exclusive first look! First off, the four 3.75″ originally part of the kickstarter…

10 Villains Who Were Supposed To Come Back… And Never Did

Every villain always threatens to return and wreak vengeance. No baddie worth their salt ever gets beaten and then announces they’re going to retire. But some villains make an especially big noise about how they’ll be back… and then, crickets. Here are 10 villains who made a big splash, and were never seen again. Some…

Saudi Arabia Is Building a 600-Mile Wall Along the Iraq Border

Saudi Arabia is building great wall — or rather, a great chainlink fence with razor wire — to “protect against ISIS” in Iraq. And it’s not the only country investing in very expensive walls right now, even though they probably won’t work. Why? Because walls aren’t just about security. They’re also powerful symbols. The Great…

Carriers Now Have to Agree to Unlock Your Phone Once the Contract’s Paid

In the past, one of the most obnoxious things about buying a phone on contract was how carriers could allow or deny requests to unlock it, even after you paid it off. But starting today, once you’ve paid off your contract or owned a pre-paid phone for a year, all major US carriers have to…

Researchers Finally Solve The Mystery Of Exactly How Popcorn Pops

Popcorn: it’s equally fun to make and to eat. But just what makes each kernel pop the way it does and what is the ideal temperature for popcorn to pop at? A new study answers all these questions. “Popcorn is the funniest corn to cook, because it jumps and makes a ‘pop’ sound in our…

Magnets Let You Rearrange These Modular LED Lights on the Fly

Conventional lighting systems suffer from a serious but seemingly unavoidable limitation: sockets. Along with wires, plugs, and fixtures, this basic infrastructure dictates where lights can go and what they could look like. How would a designer get around that? Magnets, of course! That’s what the quirky visionaries at Choi+Shine Architects have done with the BIT…

The most iconic race cars in history captured in beautiful paintings

Tom Havlasek is a painter who is obsessed with motorsports. His large format pieces, all made using acrylic, capture the perfect angles of some of the most iconic race cars in history. I would love to have the Gulf Porsche and any of the cars with Marlboro livery. See if you can identify all of…

Why The Rare Substance These Frogs Produce Is Named After The Smurfs

Ranasmurfin often decorates trees in Malaysia. This pigment is rare, one of the few proteins in nature to be blue instead of orange, red, or yellow. Why do you see it in trees? And how is it made? The Malaysian tree frog, Polypedates leucomystax, has a rather involved mating ritual. A male and a female…