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The Best And Geekiest Holiday Gifts That You Can Wear

Some people say the best gift is love. NO WAY. The best gifts are things you can wear on your person. That way everyone knows that you are special, and that you got a special gift. Here’s our list of the best geeky gifts that you can actually wear. Hubble Scarves Gorgeous images from NASA’s…

A Smart Watch You Don’t Have to Charge Every Day, iTunes Credit, More

If you want a cross-platform smart watch, or one that lasts for more than a day on a single charge, the Pebble is still your best option. [Pebble Smart Watch, $80] If you missed out on Black Friday’s iTunes deal, here’s another chance to stock up on discounted credit. [ $100 iTunes Gift Card, $80]…

Those weird bone eating worms just got weirder. A newly discovered species of Osedax worms — those incredibly cool and strange creatures that feed off whale bones — appears to be evolving in reverse. Males of the species have reverted to an earlier form, which is surprising because these genes should have deteriorated by now.…

I’m Obsessed With These Three-Dimensional Wooden Maps

We already published our gift guide for people who love science, but these wooden maps from Below the Boat – which depict in three dimensions the underwater features of coastal regions and interior lakes around United States – are so cool, I had to include them as a late entry. Up top is a closeup…

Samsung Gear VR Review: Hell Yes I Will Strap This Phone to My Face

The Oculus Rift is an awesome virtual reality headset. Google Cardboard is an awesome one too. But what if you could have the best of both? Simple and high-tech all at once. That’s Samsung’s Gear VR. You can probably do the math for how cool that is. (It’s awesome.) What Is It? An official Oculus-branded…

Watch the Latest Trailer For New Hacker Thriller Blackhat

1995 had Hackers, and 2015 will have Blackhat: An upcoming cyber thriller in which actor Chris Hemsworth trades brawn for brains to save the world.In the latest trailer, we learn a little bit more about his character (which thankfully hasn’t actually fully shed the brawn of the hammer of Thor). In the Michael Mann-directed film…

The Most Amazing Dark Horse Star Wars Comics To Buy Before They’re Gone

There’s just two weeks left before all of Dark Horse’s Star Wars comics are no longer sold via digital services. So which comics do you absolutely need to own? We’ve got some suggestions right here.

Review: Lego Friends, City, Star Wars advent calendars–day 12

Day 12 of the 2014 Lego advent calendars gives us some soup, a remote controlled duck and a way to get to Tosche Station! See images and a review of the 12th day of mini builds after the jump! Friends Advent Calendar (41040) The build today was sort of weird. I’m guessing this is supposed…

Edit Your Photos with Third-Party Extensions in iOS 8

It’s the keyboard replacement apps you can now install in iOS 8 that have grabbed the most attention, but Apple has also opened the door for third-party image editors to integrate directly with the Photos app. Here’s how to get the feature set up, and some of the best apps you might want to try.…

27 Photos Of Barenaked Trees

Our leaves may be gone, but the craggy silhouettes of the trees remain. For last week’s Shooting Challenge, you celebrated the tree without the leaves. Here are the photos: Winner: The Face Drive by this tree everyday on the way home. Taken with Canon Eos-M and 22mm. ISO-100, f/4, 1/1000sec. Eric Taylor Reach For The…

The Army’s Grenade Launchers Are About to Become Twice as Deadly

Soldier with a rifle-mounted M203 grenade launcher (as opposed to the M320) American forces in Afghanistan have long complained of a significant drawback in their M203 rifle-mounted grenade launchers: enemies positioned behind the low, mud brick walls ubiquitous to the region’s architecture could easily avoid incoming 40mm grenade rounds simply by ducking. You’d need a…

The New Out of the Dark Trailer Is Bursting With Tropical Terror

“Move to Colombia,” they said. “Start a whole new life with your curious young daughter in this probably-haunted mansion,” they said. “Don’t worry toooo much when Stephen Rea starts spouting off about ancient legends and burning children alive,” they said. As the new, ultra-spooky international trailer for Out of the Dark — the debut film…

10 Toys For Grown-ups Who Are Still Kids At Heart

There’s no shortage of gift ideas for kids when the holidays roll around, but what if you’ve got a couple of adults on your Christmas shopping list who still have an affinity for toys? They’ve probably outgrown a stocking full of Hot Wheels vehicles, so here are some more grown-up suggestions for adults who never…

This Two-Headed Israeli Salamander Is Kind Of Freaking People Out

A University of Haifa ecology lab that collected wild specimens of an endangered salamander got more than it expected, when one of the salamanders gave birth to an offspring with two heads. The lab also got some unwelcome publicity, when the media began referring to it as the “radioactive” salamander. The Near Eastern fire salamander…

The Exodus Mystery: How Can a Movie Be So Wrong in So Many Ways?

This is one of those moments when a movie comes along that is so repugnant, and so bland, and so pretentious, that it’s almost impossible to believe. And yet, like a voice from a burning bush, Exodus is an unbelievable event that will nevertheless lead thousands of people on a terrifying quest — to movie…

This Defective Nintendo Toy Just Sold For $25,000

It’s no surprise that rare toys can go for big money, but it’s all the more surprising when it’s a defective one that brings in the big bucks – especially from such a recently released toy like this Princess Peach Amiibo, which recently sold on eBay for just over twenty-five grand. For those unaware, Nintendo…

Everything You Need To Know To Catch Saturday’s Geminid Meteor Shower

The Geminid meteor shower is one of the most consistently impressive celestial light shows of the year. And this year’s display hits its peak this weekend. Here’s what you need to know to spot as many meteors as possible. Pictured above: A massive Geminid fireball from 2009’s shower, one of the brightest ever recorded. The…

Airport Shitstorm: Computer Error Stops All Flights From London

London’s Heathrow Airport is always a stressful place, but travelers today are having a shittier time than usual. London airspace is restricted after a power outage spurred what the BBC describes as a computer error at an air traffic control center, meaning there will be plenty of delays, re-routes, and cancellations. Update: It’s fixed now!…

This Ball Machine Fakes Perpetual Motion As Long As the Sun Is Shining

Why is watching a marble snake its way around a twisty maze so mesmerizing? Maybe it’s an allegory on the human condition as we all try to make our way through the world? What’s for certain is that they make for great desk toys, and as long as your office gets a bit of sun…

io9 Newsstand: Best Stories of the Week for December 8 – 14

This week’s stories are about characters that feel trapped — metaphorically, metaphysically, physically, and phorically. This week’s stories are also about ghosts — of the dead, and of the past. This week’s stories are intense and memorable enough, that there are only two of them. Image: detail of illustration, Shimmer Magazine A Whisper in the…