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Why NASA is sending a spacecraft to an asteroid to bring a piece back

Not to be outdone by their ESA colleagues, NASA is sending a spacecraft to an asteroid to bring a piece of it back. Her name is OSIRIS-REx, and she will be visiting Bennu—great name for an outpost in a sci-fi movie—one of the primordial asteroids that have been orbiting the Sun for millions of years.…

It’s Finally Safe to Watch Porn on Your Kindle Fire

Kindle Fires can be great tablets, but Fire OS has always lagged a little behind the Android framework it’s based on. Now, Amazon’s built-in Silk browser is finally getting a private-mode update that will make it way easier and safer to watch porn. Chrome and Safari have had their private browsing modes for ages, but…

How The Search For Aliens Could Save Us From Environmental Collapse

It’s hard to assess the sustainability of our civilization when climate scientists and ecologists have nothing to compare ourselves to. Which is why we need to learn from the success — and potential failures — of distant alien civilizations. It’s an open question as to whether or not climate change poses an existential risk to…

The World’s Most Futuristic Cruise Ship Made Me Miss the Past

I woke up in a strange place. The bed felt plush, and when I rolled over onto my side, there was water, an ocean full of it. I felt slightly sick. I’d just spent my first night on the world’s most advanced cruise ship, but a billion dollars worth of technology is no match for…

Cool ultra-HD photo of the first F-35C carrier night test

Impressive photo of the F-35C, the US Navy variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, about to take off from the USS Nimitz supercarrier at night for the first time ever. The aircraft launched at 6:01 p.m. (PST) and conducted a series of planned touch-and-go landings before making an arrested landing at 6:40 pm. Nimitz is…

The World’s Fastest Train Is Ready to Ride

The world’s fastest mag-lev train, the 311 mph Series Lo prototype from JR Tokai, made its first public run on Saturday. One hundred lucky passengers took part in a 27-mile trip between Uenohara and Fuefuki…which took just five minutes to complete once the train got up to speed. This, of course, is just the first…

In The Dracula Dossier, Stoker’s Novel is a Redacted Coverup

Bram Stoker’s novel about a vampire lord coming to London was really the redacted case notes about a British Intelligence plan to recruit him. You can battle Dracula as a post-Cold War spy in a months-long RPG campaign with The Dracula Dossier. The Dracula Dossier is a really a pair of books. First, it’s a…

Outdoor Sleeping Pad Comparison Data

Here’s the hard data and size comparison pictures to accompany the outdoor sleeping pad comparison. Hopefully this gives you a substantial ability to compare the pads and draw your own conclusions. https://gizmodo.com/the-best-outdoor-sleeping-pads-for-every-camper-1659697249 From top to bottom (thinnest to thickest): Klymit Inertia O-Zone, Therm-A-Rest Trail Lite, Sea to Summit Ultralight, Sea to Summit Comfort Plus, Klymit…

Use Microsoft Sway to Make Building Presentations Easy

The younger you are, the less affection you’re likely to have for Microsoft PowerPoint, which maybe why the Redmond firm has brought out a new, super-simple, mobile-friendly alternative called Sway. Here’s how it changes the process of putting together a slideshow. First of all, you’re going to need access—Sway is currently invite-only, although the signs…

The Saga Of The Infamous Spider-Woman Ass Comic Comes To An End

Hey, remember that comic where Spider-Woman has her ass thrust up in the air, which some people claimed made her look like she was presenting like a mandrill? Well, the issue of Spider-Woman #1 bearing the infamous variant cover arrives tomorrow, and Marvel has made one significant change… Well, that fixes everything. No more issues…

This 302 neuron Lego robot might be alive

Kate Knibbs over at our parent site shared this original article, which describes the way that artificial intelligence researchers at the OpenWorm project have recreated the way the brain of the nematode worm C. elegans works. They loaded software, which simulates firing neurons, to a Lego Mindstorms EV3 robot. Here are the results. You’re reading…

Disney Is Building A Gigantic Toy Story Hotel And It Looks Totally Rad

Now this is a great idea. We have absolutely no idea what Disney’s Toy Story-themed Shanghai hotel will look like on the inside, but we’re seriously hoping for a toy’s-eye view experience. The Disney Insider Blog has revealed the official concept art from a Toy Story Hotel that will be built in the new Disney…

Google’s barebones note-taking service Keep is getting note sharing and real-time collaboration. It’s live on the web, and it’ll start rolling out to the Google Keep Android app today.

F-Stop Guru: An Adventuresome Camera Bag That Gets a Lot Right

Finding the right camera bag is as difficult as buying the right pair of shoes. They don’t fit comfortably, hold your equipment well, and they’re never cheap. Yet, they’re necessary. Though there are ways to circumvent the disaster that is the state of camera bags these days, the F-Stop Guru does a near-perfect job of…

Cosplay while you sleep with these petrifying 10th Doctor Jammies

I did not think we could get worse after the Wesley Hoodie. Turns out we can. Is Think Geek taking the Human Race down a path it should not follow? All signs point to yes. Yes, now you can cosplay as David Tennant’s 10th Doctor in this new set of onesie PJs (or Pyjamas, or…

This Real Physics Phenomenon Would Make The Perfect Fictional Bomb

Ever heard of Wigner energy? It caused the worst nuclear disaster in British history. That’s because it works much better in fiction than in reality. Nuclear fission can cause energy to store up in ordinary material, until it suddenly explodes. This is what happened in 1957, when one of the piles at the Windscale nuclear…

5 Awesomely Terrible Hacks From the World’s Stupidest Hackathon

Most hackathons are where brilliant minds come together to try and invent something amazing that can maybe change the world. This is not one of those hackathons. This is the Stupid Shit No One Needs and Terrible Ideas Hackathon. Organized by Sam Lavigne and Amelia Winger-Bearskin, the dumb event went down in New York City…

First CG Peanuts Trailer Feels Wrong, But Gets A Few Things Right

We don’t know where to stand on this CG animated Peanuts movie trailer. True, they got the Snoopy laugh down as well as the adorable Red Baron action. But then the clip breaks for a rockin’ music moment and we broke out into anxiety hives. This newly CG styled Peanuts movie (which is weird enough…

WhatsApp Now Provides End-to-End Encryption For Your Messages

Encryption is a vital tool in helping keep your messages tucked away from prying eyes. Trying to stay safe while texting, though, meant also being siloed into effective-yet-niche chat platforms such as Silent Circle. But today, WhatsApp will start bringing end-to-end encryption to its 600 million users. The new security feature is a default setting…

This Robot Thinks It’s a Tiny Little Worm

Artificial intelligence researchers have started looking to some of the simplest creatures for inspiration. Cyborgs who think like humans are still just a sci-fi dream, but scientists have had success recreating a less complicated brain. They’ve already created LEGO robot with the artificial mind of a worm. The OpenWorm project (which kind of sounds like…