Latest

Pentagon Scolds Air Force for Wasting Nearly $9 Billion on Drones

Drones are expensive. Aircraft like General Atomics’s MQ-1 Predator or MQ-9 Reaper cost millions of dollars piece, while the cost of maintaining the fleet stretches into the high tens of billions dollars over their lifespans. The Pentagon’s internal watchdog is aware of this, and recently lambasted the Air Force for not justifying the purchase of…

You Can Watch The Wire Remastered in HD on Amazon BUT SHOULD YOU

Like The Wire, but wish it was NOT filmed in standard definition with a 4:3 ratio? Enjoy streaming things on Amazon? Today is your day and no one can take that away from you, not even David Simon, creator of The Wire, who is decidedly ambivalent about the remastered HD version of The Wire that…

You Can 3D-Print This Green Bay Packers Version of Catan’s Robber

After it was revealed that the Green Bay Packers were big fans of playing Settlers of Catan (which they now have lots of time to enjoy in the off-season), Jim Rodda of Zheng Labs created a replacement robber piece sporting pads and an unofficial Packers helmet. If you’ve got access to a 3D printer at…

What’s The Greatest Fictional Game Ever?

Fictional characters have given us plenty to be envious of: They travel to places we can’t, and do things we never could. But one of the things we’re most jealous of is all those amazing games we’ll never get to play. Today we want to know what fictional game you most wish was real. Tell…

Use Android’s Priority Mode So Notifications Don’t Wake You Up at Night

Among the features rolled out by Google in Android 5.0 Lollipop was a new Priority Mode that lets you set ‘do not disturb’ times, times when only the most important apps and people can get in touch with you. It can come in useful in meetings, on dates, and when you’re asleep. We’ll show you…

This Is The Most Optimistic Walking Dead Trailer I’ve Ever Seen

The second half of season five of The Walking Dead begins on February 8th, and I had expected that things were going to stay miserable for Rick and the gang. But this new trailer is all about hope, chances, living and surviving — could the group finally be about to find peace and safety? Ha…

Polar bears can communicate via footprints

Polar bears are solitary creatures. They roam around their (increasingly less) snowy habitats, looking for food and love. Food is simple enough. But they have to sniff out love. No, literally, polar bears smell other polar bears’ footprints to know if they can follow them to a suitable mate. How romantic! Scientists have long suspected…

King Tut’s Burial Mask Has Been “Irreversibly Damaged”

The most famous archaeological relic in the world has been damaged during a botched cleaning attempt. After being knocked off, the blue and gold braided beard on King Tut’s burial mask was “hastily” glued back on with an inappropriate adhesive, damaging the item even further. Above: King Tut’s burial mask before the incident. (Egyptian Museum…

The Eerie Ruins of 11 Abandoned Hotels

Tourism is a funny thing. Sometimes hot spots are hot, prompting opportunistic developers to build. And sometimes they’re not. (The outbreak of a civil war is a great way to shut down a tourist destination.) Photographer Dietmar Eckell has spent the past several years visiting the hotels and resorts that got left behind. The resultant…

London Toy Fair Gives A First Look At Thunderbirds‘ Sweet New Rides

We’ve not seen much of the reboot of the cult British show Thunderbirds outside of a small teaser and the soulless void that is the new look International Rescue – but what about the Thunderbirds themselves, the actual vehicles? Here’s our first good look at them in Toy form, thanks to London Toy fair. There…

Even If Jurassic World Sucks, At Least We Get More T-Rex Toys

The first official trailer for Jurassic World has us cautiously optimistic about the upcoming blockbuster, but even if the movie stinks, we still get a pretty great consolation prize: mountains of new dinosaur toys. And courtesy of the London Toy Fair we now have our first look at Jurassic World’s T-Rex, or at least the…

Which Major Villain Will The Justice League Need Two Movies to Defeat?

Oscar Isaac talks Apocalypse’s powers in the next X-Men film. David Duchovny says he’s on board for the X-Files revival… with one condition. Sources claim Sinister Six is filming soon. Game of Thrones finally casts a character for a pivotal flashback scene. And Ray Palmer will visit The Flash. Spoilers now! Top image: Batman v.…

Nvidia GTX 960: Maxwell Power For a Reasonable Price

Nvidia’s new(ish) Maxwell architecture has come out in a few new cards already, from the budget 750Ti to the beefy GTX 980. The GTX 960 holds down the middle ground, with solid but not mind-blowing power for $200. Nvidia is pushing this a card for MOBA players, partially because those games somewhat lower requirements of…

This Destructive 3D Printer Is the Closest We’ve Come to Teleportation

Many equate the 3D printer as being the earliest form of a real-life teleporter—or transporter, if you prefer to get your science from Star Trek. The only problem is that you’re not actually moving an object from point A to point B, you’re just creating a duplicate somewhere else. So “Scotty” might actually be the…

An Illustrated Guide to Why Windows 10 Actually Impressed Me

Here is a tablet. A Surface Pro 3, to be exact. I’ve never really wanted a Surface Pro 3, but Windows 10 is making me reconsider. Let me show you why. Right now, this Surface Pro 3 has a pretty messy desktop. Those apps are just strewn all over the place. Not terrible if you’re…

Why Snow Is White Even Though Snowflakes Are Clear

When you look at pictures of individual snowflakes, the snowflakes are clear. So why is snow white and not clear? First, it’s important to understand what’s going on when we see certain colors. Visible light from the Sun or other light source comes in a variety of wavelengths that human eyes interpret as colors. When…

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, the visual effects supervisor and second unit director on Snow White and the Huntsman, will direct the prequel, The Huntsman. Nicolas-Troyan replaces Frank Darabont, who left the project earlier this week. [The Hollywood Reporter]

Scientists Have Worked Out What the Mysterious White Mist On Coffee Is

If you’ve noticed a thin white mist clinging to the surface of your coffee—not the crema, northe steam, but a ghostly white layer just on the surface—you’re not alone. Now, Japanese scientists are beginning to understand where it comes from. It’s long been a mystery. First identified in the 1920s, it’s also been shown to…

This foam can raise and remove complete concrete slabs from sidewalks

Watch this high-density polyurethane foam raise concrete slabs thanks to the magic of physics. The foam, called PolyLEVEL, is applied through a hole drilled in the concrete, expanding under the concrete and pushing it up. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Mega Just Launched End-to-End Encrypted Audio and Video Chat

Kim Dotcom & Co. has launched a new audio and video chat service, which it hopes will provide stiff competition for Skype. It certainly has one major selling point up its sleeve: it offers end-to-end encryption for all communications. The new service is in beta, but any registered Mega user can try it for free…