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Curiosity Finds A Weird “Ball” On Mars

If there’s one thing to be said for Curiosity’s mission on Mars so far, it certainly hasn’t been boring. From supposed Martian squirrels to strange flashes of light on the surface, the rover has kept us entertained. And now there’s this rather odd… ball. https://gizmodo.com/nasa-totally-found-a-squirrel-on-mars-and-didnt-tell-a-510490870 https://gizmodo.com/whats-that-strange-light-emanating-from-the-martian-su-1560934135 Although the six-wheeled rover has taken thousands of photographs…

7 Gadgets Rosetta Is Sending To the Surface of the Comet

Last week, the European Space Agency announced a final date—November 11—for when it will release its Rosetta lander, a tiny pod called Philae, down to the surface of the comet. Like a cosmic hobo carrying a stick and bindle, it will travel laden with only the essentials. Thanks to Universe Today, ESA, and NASA, we…

The British Museum wants to rebuild itself in Minecraft

The British Museum is one of the world’s most iconic collections of artefacts and art from thousands of years of human history – and now it wants to recreate itself in Minecraft as part of a debate on the relationship between the public and art collections in the Digital Age. The plan is to have…

Which DC Comics Characters Are Next In Line To Get Their Own TV Shows?

William Shatner and Roberto Orci respond to that Star Trek cameo rumor. Jeremy Renner hints once again that he could be headed to Captain America 3. Elsa and Emma will be good friends in Once Upon a Time. And the creators of SHIELD explain last Tuesday’s big surprise. Spoilers now! Top image: Avengers: Age of…

The Seek Gives Your Smartphone Predator-Vision on the Cheap

Through apps and accessories our smartphones can be almost any digital tool we could ever need, including a thermal camera as FLIR showed us earlier this year. Not surprisingly, competing products to the FLIR ONE have started to appear, including the Seek thermal camera which promises a considerably smaller form factor and a cheaper price…

I want this chili con queso burrito in my mouth right now

One of the things I hate the most from tex-mex food is burritos. Maybe it’s because I’m from Spain and mixing rice with a flour tortilla is not in my culinary DNA. But this chili con queso burrito made me so hungry that I’m willing to give up my nationality for one bite.* *Not really.…

This kaleidoscopic video will either hypnotize you or give you a seizure

I’m a sucker for kaleidoscopic videos. Their trippy geometrical shapes, the colors, and how they perfectly blend with the music often hypnotize me. If I were a doctor, I would always prescribe this along with every box of Ambien pills. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

Watch the Synthetic Leaf Creator Explain How We Could Colonize Space

Royal College of Art graduate Julian Melchiorri has developed a “man-made biological leaf,” made from chloroplasts and a silk product, that produces oxygen the same way a real plant does. As Melchiorri explains in the video, that could be a boon for space exploration. There are a number of things that we can do get…

Calgary’s New Library Is a Towering Glass Creation

City libraries are an embodiment of the spirit of higher learning that governments are supposed to be all about, and nowhere is that more true than Calgary’s about-to-be-built Central Library. The mock-ups show a towering glass library that’s loosely inspired by the foothills that surround Calgary, giving it a sense of wilderness often lacking from…

Now That Liam Neeson’s in Ted 2, Everyone Is Officially In This Movie

When did this happen? When did every week bring news that another actor was appearing in Ted 2? By the end of the year, dead people are going to announce their cameos. I swear, this’ll be the only 2015 release to feature Marlon Brando, the original Lassie, and the ruby slippers from The Wizard of…

WEDG: An Alternative to Cloud Computing That’ll Keep Your Privates Safe

After the recent spate of celeb nude leaks, and the years-long Snowden saga, privacy is becoming an ever-hotter topic in the tech realm. That’s where WEDG, a personal cloud that aims to keep your data safe — and out of the reach of the government — comes in. WEDG is basically a personal server, that…

Report: China’s Tech Factories Are Abusing Poor Interns

Think that you have it hard, with your internship forcing you to work 8-hour days making coffee for no pay? Well, a WSJ report might make you feel a little better: Chinese factories are relying on cheap intern labour to keep the manufacturing dream alive. Chinese tech factories have long been under fire for atrocious…

Scientists Are Using Anthrax to Cure Cancer

“You need some anthrax” is probably not the diagnosis you’d like to hear from your family doctor; but if one MIT team has their way, that’s exactly what’s going to happen. A MIT research team were apparently just sitting around one evening, and wondered what would happen if you used the anthrax bacteria to deliver…

These Avengers Cereals Are Part of a Marvelous Breakfast

These cereals should be included in every breakfast from here until eternity. Also, there is some level seven punning going on here. These confections aren’t available in reality (reality loses to fantasy yet again), but shirts are available here and here. The designs are by Bamboota and Elliot Fernandez. http://sharkrobot.com/collections/bamboota

Japan Tests Its New 500kph Maglev Train

Maglev trains have been promised as the future of public transport since about forever, but high-speed magnetic levitation systems are rapidly gaining a serious reputation — something Japan’s public demonstration of its high-speed maglev system is only going to help. The test was carried out by the Central Japan Railway Company, and was the first…

Apple has posted an ‘official’ workaround to the iOS 8 screwing-over-your-cell-connection update, and it’s similar to all the versions that’ve been floating around today: backup your phone, then restore to the earlier version of iOS 8, using iTunes. And no, they still haven’t said sorry. [Apple]

I can’t believe this underwater film was made without special effects

This underwater video is impossibly surreal but the makers of the video, Francisco and Armando del Rosario and Armiche Ramos, say that no computer special effects were used in the video, just some camera tricks to make it look like the ocean world can be sideways and water can be walked upside down on. It’s…

Short film: A zombie apocalypse might actually be pretty fun

TV shows like The Walking Dead make the zombie apocalypse look like a soul evaporating place because the characters enjoy making dumb decisions. Zombie movies like 28 Days Later make it look terrifying because of the constant state of panic. But what if the zombie apocalypse was actually… fun? Don’t get me wrong, the zombie…

Forever Is Exactly What a Sherlock/Highlander Crossover Would Look Like

This week, ABC aired the first two episodes of its new immortal detective show Forever. And it was perfectly fine! In fact, it’s a more-than-serviceable supernatural procedural. That I happened to fall asleep in the middle of. Let me be clear: I’m pretty sure the reason I missed half of Forever’s second episode was because…

Developer: iOS In-App Browsers Might Be Stealing Your Information

More (slightly) bad security news for Apple, on what’s already been a pretty bad day for iOS: Craig Hockenberry, one of the devs behind Twitterific, has revealed in a blog post that in-app browsers are capable of logging your keyboard. The point is that anything you enter into an in-app browser — even your password,…