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How To Put Your Photos on Your TV with Chromecast

Google had promised us it was coming, and how its here: Chromecast has been updated with a new Backdrop feature that lets you display your own photos when you’re not busy streaming something. You can also display popular photos from elsewhere, and news and weather snippets. Here’s how to get the new feature set up.…

When Ultralight Isn’t Right: How To Slow Down And Enjoy Backpacking

Shorter toothbrushes, lighter weights and longer distances. Ultralight backpacking and its subsequent bragging rights are all the rage right now, but are its goals-based proponents missing the entire point? At dinner on Thursday night, an old buddy told me of his plan to set a through-hike record on the John Muir Trail next summer. He’s…

Using iOS 8’s QuickType on Tinder Will Not Get You Laid

Among the worst features of Apple’s iOS 8 is QuickType, a feature that believes it can figure out what you’re going to text someone before you even think of it. It could be magical, instead it’s only good for writing nonsense sentences and mangling famous movie quotes. But maybe, just maybe you can use it…

Finally, a Lithium Battery That Warns You Before It Bursts Into Flames

Lithium ion batteries are wonderful things, but they’re unfortunately given to short circuiting and bursting into flames every now and then. It’s extraordinarily rare, but it happens. A Stanford research team thinks they’ve solved this little big problem by building an early warning system into an existing battery. They say it could save lives, which…

Has America Been Installing Its Solar Panels Sideways For Years?

There’s a structure to installing solar panels. The size, the shape, and the configuration are all pretty rigidly prescribed. There’s also a direction they face: South. The trouble? They might actually be facing the wrong way. The rationale behind rooftop southern-facing panels seems solid. By having them face south — which almost all the rooftop…

The Genius Who Thought The Greek Hell Was Located in Sweden

It’s always entertaining when really smart people get carried away. Olof Rudbeck was really smart. He could do pretty much everything. Unfortunately, “everything” included convincing himself that Hades, the Greek land of the dead, was located in Sweden. Olof Rudbeck had a lot of brains, and he made good use of them. There were very…

Canada Ushers in Clean Coal With a Carbon-Capturing Power Plant

Saskatchewan has been a coal-powered province for years, its Boundary Dam power plant burning the most polluting forms of lignite since 1959. But thanks to a modern retrofit, Boundary Dam now serves as the demarcation line between dirty and clean Canadian coal power. “Natural gas prices rise and fall unpredictably, while coal is abundant and…

Gigantic 7.5 x 9-foot Greek Legopolis took 10 months to build

Builder Lasse Vestergård was inspired by his holiday in Athens and built this awesome Ancient Greek themed diorama. Dubbed Legopolis, it measures 7.5 x 9 feet and is full of some really intricate details including a theater, some slaves and even an animal sacrifice! You’re reading Leg Godt, the blog with the latest Lego news…

You Can Finally Buy This Brilliant, Removable Battery-Equipped Power Bar

Last year, we lusted after Pickup Power, a Quirky-approved power strip with a built-in portable battery that could charge gadgets. And now that versatile little power pack is finally for sale. You can buy the 4,000 mAh Power Pack in black or white for $80 and the 6,000 mAh for $100 at Quirky’s store. The…

10 Science Fiction Authors Whose Books Just Kept Getting Stranger

A lot of authors tend to become more conventional over time. They get more mainstream cred, mellow out, and sand the rough edges off their work. But some of science fiction’s most famous authors have just kept pushing the limits of storytelling. Here are 10 science fiction and fantasy authors whose books only got weirder.…

Deals: Select Lego BOGO 50% off at Barnes & Noble Online

Until October 14th, Barnes and Noble is running a buy one get one 50% off promotion on select educational toys & games in their online store. There are several Lego sets covered under this sale, most of them now making their best seller list. City Arctic Outpost (60035) and Creator Tree House (31010) to name…

The dark, creepy side of The Simpsons’ home town at night

Peaceful and lovely Springfield turns into a creepy place at night in this collection of drawings by Tim Doyle. Tim Doyle is an illustrator and print-maker working out of Austin, Texas. Growing up in the suburban sprawl of the Dallas area, he turned inward and sullen, only finding joy in comic-books and television and video…

These rompers just made your Female Ghostbusters cosplay a lot easier

We’re hitting the half-way point for October soon, which means it’s time to start thinking about your Halloween costume (or rather, panicking that you’ve not started thinking about your costume yet!) – but never fear, ladies: your Female Ghostbusters outfit just got a lot easier to pull off with these new rompers. The outfits, made…

How Computer Chips Work

A modern microprocessor is a tremendously complicated entity, and it has taken decades of work by thousands of people to get it where it is today. It’s nearly impossible to cover all the bases, but I’m going to try anyway. And get a bucket of popcorn ready—because this is going to be long. Any modern…

How Private Donors Dodge Regulations and Supply Spy Gear to Cops

In 2007, as it pushed to build a state-of-the-art surveillance facility, the Los Angeles Police Department cast an acquisitive eye on software being developed by Palantir, a startup funded in part by the Central Intelligence Agency’s venture capital arm. Originally designed for spy agencies, Palantir’s technology allowed users to track individuals with unprecedented reach, connecting…

Source of Leaked Snapchats Says Only 500MB of Data Affected

Over the weekend, third-party Snapchat service Snapsaved confirmed it was hacked. The good news is that it claims only 500MB of data were compromised. The bad news is that it could still be a ton of snaps. It seems the Snapchat hack—The Snappening—isn’t as bad as initially reported. Though we heard that as many as…

Jerry Greenfield, the co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s, traveled to Portland where he unveiled a new flavor—“Food Fight Fudge Brownie”— to support Oregon’s ballot measure to impose mandatory GMO labeling. Ironic, given that Greenfield’s state, Vermont, has exempted dairy products from GMO labels.

Short film: The mind-blowing feast of a three Michelin-star restaurant

DiverXO—a three Michelin-star restaurant in Madrid, Spain—is known for its radical flavors and textures. Eating there is not just about the food. It’s an experience for the senses that might not blow your brains off literally, as they show in this short film, but in some ways it certainly does. NSFW. SPLOID is a new…

You Can Finally (For Real) Buy an Xperia Z3 Compact in the U.S.

The availability of Sony’s Xperia Z3 Compact smartphone in the U.S. has been a point of confusion. Sony has yet to make any official mention of the small flagship, despite bringing its bigger brother to Verizon and T-Mobile. Today, though, the small wonder has silently appeared in the U.S. online store, unlocked and available for…

GT Advanced Court Filing Reveals Apple’s $50 Million Penalty for Leaks

Apple is ordinarily hush hush about its deals with suppliers. But a court filing with GT Advanced, the company that was supposed to supply the Apple Watch’s sapphire screens, reveals that Apple would inflict a $50 million penalty for any leak of clandestine product info. Ouch. These documents were released ahead of a hearing for…