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These Geeky Theme Songs Become Electric When Played On Tesla Coils

Audio and visual merge when music is played on a Tesla coil, which create lightning-like displays that dance along with the tune. Hear and see how television theme songs, movie soundtracks, and video game music are transformed by Tesla coils. Ghostbusters theme song The dialogue between the earthlings and the alien Mothership from Close Encounters…

Check Out Android L in Action on a Samsung Galaxy S5

It’s been months since Google first gave us a glimpse of Android L and the Material Design manifesto. But now, the slick-looking operating system is finally getting close to primetime. At least that’s how this new video from SamMobile of a Samsung Galaxy S5 running Android L makes it seem. This is hardly the first…

Yes, science fiction can save the world. That’s the subtext (or just the plain old text) of this new collection of articles at Slateabout why we need science fiction to spur our creative efforts and next great scientific collaborations as a species. Spend the afternoon reading them all!

What Die Hard Teaches Us About How To Make A Sequel

There are a lot of different methods of putting together a sequel (or three), with results ranging from the better-than-the-original to the eye-meltingly terrible. But does Die Hard, and its seemingly unending series of sequels, have a lesson to teach us about how to plan a sequel? In response to the news that the I…

A Tour of the Futuristic Roof on California’s High-Speed Rail Station

As the landmark signifying an entirely new way to travel throughout the state, California’s first high-speed rail station needs to look firmly towards the future. Thanks to a material called ETFE that turns its roof into a giant plastic balloon, this Anaheim station showcases groundbreaking design and engineering as part of its progressive transit mission.…

All the best selling books covers since 2000 reveal interesting trend

James R A Davenport grabbed all the book covers of the top 10 best selling books from 2000 to 2012, according to USA Today. Then he put all of them together (1,300 books) in one giant graphic. What he discovered is quite interesting: There is a TON of fascinating structure within this visualization. Early on,…

You can get these special Mini-modulars sets for free at Toys”R”Us

Starting the first Sunday in October, Toys”R”Us will be giving away an exclusive and limited set with each $75 Lego purchase. Each successive week, another model in the series will be released. October 5 – October 11: Theater October 12 – October 18: Pizza Place October 19 – October 25: Fire Station October 26 –…

New Comic About 17th Century Slave Trade Brings a Samurai to Mexico

Cimarronin is about silver, sword-fighting and slavery in 17th-century Mexico. The comic grew out of an all-star collaboration between scifi writers Neal Stephenson and Mark Teppo, science writer Charles C. Mann (1491), and artist Robert Sammelin. We’ve got a sumptuous preview. What’s truly great about this detective adventure following a samurai in Mexico is that…

This Viral DNA Infects Cells by Changing From a Solid to a Liquid

Two new studies are showing that viral infections are possible owing to a remarkable biological phase transition. The research shows that viral DNA transforms from a glassy solid to a fluid-like state when the conditions for infection are just right. The new insight could result in new antiviral therapies. Above: A fluorescence image of viral…

See Shaun Of The Dead’s Triumphant Return In This Phineas & Ferb Clip

If its Marvel Super Heroes, Star Wars or Lost-themed episodes haven’t drawn you in, maybe this will: this week’s Phineas & Ferb takes on the zombie genre with a guest appearance from none other than Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, recreating their characters from Shaun of the Dead. And you can watch it here! This…

Casey Neistat Riffs on How Snapchat Is Murdering Facebook With Youths

To us olds, it might not immediately be apparent why Snapchat is good for anything other than sending people NSFW photos and videos. But to the kids, it’s the only way to communicate. Casey Neistat explains in his latest video. The filmmaker has a wonderful knack for turning everything into a fun video, and this…

A Must-Watch Mystery About A Man Trapped In A Probability Experiment

Anyone who likes twisting, turning narratives, science fiction thought experiments, or films that explore the nature of identity absolutely must take 15 minutes out of their day for this short film. A man wakes to find he’s a lab rat in a bizarre experiment—and he’s not the only one of him there. Justin Tagg directed…

My Day on a Gas-Powered Drift Trike: Like Being a Kid Again, But Better

No grown-up vehicle can match the thrill you felt as a kid on your Big Wheel. Cars and motorcycles are fun, but at day’s end they’re serious machines. Recapturing that unbridled euphoria requires a dedicated device. And the SFD Industries Drift Trike is the three-wheeled, gas-powered tool for the job. What Is It? A Big…

Some Amazing Cartoonists Give Pointers On Writing Characters of Color

We all want to see more characters of color in books and stories — but for a white writer, getting these characters right can feel like an impossible challenge. You want to avoid stereotypes, but you don’t want these characters to feel like white people with non-European names. So what do you do? Over at…

​Your Next Sleeping Bag Might Not Have A Zipper, Or Be A Bag At All

Next generation sleeping bags are attempting to boost comfort while shedding weight by ditching the traditional mummy design for something more akin to your bed at home. What’s The Matter With Mummies? Well, nothing really. They’re an effective, efficient solution for packing you into as much insulation as possible with minimal weight and volume. But,…

Rocket Raccoon in stunning detail looks absolutely amazing

The CG work on Rocket Raccoon in Guardians of the Galaxy is hands-down some of the best of 2014 – but now you can get up close and personal with the abrasive bounty hunter thanks to these incredible images by digital Artist Daren Horley. Horley, who was the lead texture painter for the team working…

The president was afraid of the first White House light switches in 1891

The first president to install electric lighting at the White House was Benjamin Harrison in 1891, but he never touched the light switches himself, for fear of being electrocuted. This was a reasonable fear, given how crude household electric wiring could be at the time. Some sources contend that he and his wife would sometimes…

It’s Hard to Believe This Isn’t a Real Person

The subject of this video is not real. It is a hyper-realistic, digital human head created by Australian designer Chris Jones, who calls his creation Mr. Head – or “Ed,” for short. Here’s the full sequence, featuring a special appearance by Mr. Hand (also animated): Jones has been working on rendering a complete human body…

See Young Stephen Hawking in Love in New Theory of Everything Trailer

You know Stephen Hawking as one of the smartest living people on the planet, but you may not know the story of his life before he was famous. Here’s the second trailer from the upcoming movie The Theory of Everything, which tells his tale. In it, you see the young Cambridge PhD student fall in…

Twilight Is Coming Back, But This Time It Might Not Be So Awful

Yes, the Twilight saga is coming back, and — okay, just hear me out. Rather than continue the saga of everyone’s favorite shirt-challenged werewolf and sparkly stalker of mopey underage girls, it’s going to be five short films and they actually sound kind of promising! Yes, really. This is because the series — titled The…