Latest

Ground Deformation from the Napa Valley Earthquake

The European Space Agency’s Earth-monitoring Sentinels collected radar interferometry of the Napa Valley before and after the recent earthquake, highlighting ground deformation. Ground-truthing of surface ruptures is drawing a surprisingly complex picture of valley faults. For more uses of radar interferometry, check out these unstable slopes in South America.

Finally, a Drill You Can Charge From a USB Port

It only requires assembling a single piece of Ikea furniture to realize why an electric screwdriver is a worthwhile investment. So if you’re in the market for one, Black+Decker’s new 4V MAX Lithium Pivot Screwdriver could be a great choice for the sole reason that you can charge it from the same USB adapters you…

Uber Is Currently Fighting the Battle That Jitneys Lost 100 Years Ago

The mid-1910s saw an explosion of people driving unlicensed cabs. They were called jitneys (slang for a nickel, which was also what they typically cost) and cities across the U.S. scrambled to regulate them. Today, cities around the world are struggling to regulate modern-day jitney coordination companies—ride-sharing apps like Uber and Lyft. But unlike the…

Scientists Engineer E. Coli to Make Propane

E. coli is an exceedingly common bacteria that lives in many places including your very own gut. It’s also a favorite organism for synthetic biologists looking to engineer useful microbes. By inserting just a few genes in E. coli, scientists have found they can coax the bacterium intomaking ready-to-use propane. You might know propane best…

Destiny’s new Planet Map is like Google Streetview for the solar system

Ahead of release next week, Bungie have launched a new promotional site for their Sci-Fi rpg-shooter Destiny, offering a on-the-ground look at humanity’s lost space empire. There’s a lot of cool things to see about the 3 non-earth locations coming to the game – the Moon, Mars and Venus – as well as the aliens…

A Tiny Battery-Powered Beater That Mixes Better Than a Spatula

Prepara has managed to miniaturize the handheld electric mixer your parents used by eliminating one of the spinning metal whisks and swapping the power cord for a set of four AAA batteries. Not only is it lighter and easier to use, it will also free up a bunch of drawer space. Using the compact blender,…

Cat Vs. Deer Run-In Translated By British Comic, We All Win

Popular internet animal video Cat Vs. Deer has been translated thanks to British comedian Chris Cohen.What follows is visual proof that every single animal video should—and must—be translated for our comical benefit. It’s brilliant. [via Tastefully Offensive]

New Batman Roller Coaster Is Clearly The Joker’s Diabolical Vomit Trap

Six Flags theme parks have had plenty of Batman coasters, but the new one opening in San Antonio, Texas, in summer of 2015 claims to be “4D.” More importantly, as this promotional video for the ride clearly indicates, this thing is obviously one of the Joker’s nefarious plans, designed to induce mass vomiting. Ignoring the…

How Frankenstein Helped Transform The Word “Awful”

Words have complicated lives, with enough births, deaths, and transformations to make even the most complicated zombie story seem tame by comparison. Here’s the story of how the classic terrifying tale of a dead creature brought to life also helped to give a word its own new lease on life. After reading this piece on…

Our iPhone 6 Liveblog Starts Right Here Right Now

Welcome friends! Today, Apple’s going to take the wrapping off of the iPhone 6, possibly a larger iPhone 6L, and even more possibly the fabled iWatch. We’ll be covering it all live, right here. Join us! The keynote kicks off at 1PM EDT/10AM PDT, but we’ll be firing up the ol’ liveblog machine as early…

The Science Fiction And Fantasy Books You Must Not Miss In September

September 2014 might just be the craziest month for new science fiction and fantasy books we’ve ever seen. We had a nearly impossible time whittling down our list of the month’s most essential new titles. But here are 23 books that you absolutely cannot afford to miss this month. Consumed by David Cronenberg (Scribner) What…

So You Want To Be A TV Writer? Showrunners Share Their Writing Secrets!

The “writers’ room” of a television show isa magical place , where creativity flows and awesome ideas are generated. But how do you keep “the room” happy and focused? Some of the top showrunners, including Joss Whedon, share their secrets in this exclusive excerpt from the book Showrunners. The book Showrunners: The Art of Running…

Ask a Sewer Expert Your Burning Questions About Where Your Poop Goes

During my tour of LA’s sewers, I was consistently amazed by how little I knew about what went on in the drains and pipes beneath my feet. I asked Kent Carlson, the city’s sewer and stormwater field operations manager, to stop by and shoot the shit. After working as a machinist in the Navy, Carlson…

What If Game Of Thrones Came Out In The 1960s?

What if Game of Thrones came out in the ’60s and legendary graphic designer Saul Bass (the mind behind the title sequences for Psycho, Ocean’s 11, and North by Northwest) created the opening titles? It would probably look a lot like this. German designer Milan Vuckovic re-created the movie stylings of Saul Bass (along with…

Have you ever been caught in a “phantom traffic jam,” where cars have slowed down and even stopped for no reason at all? These are a real phenomenon, and they can be hotspots for accidents. In Nautilus, Benjamin Seibold reports on some possible reasons for these mysterious events.

What If Disney Villains Received Heartfelt Obituaries?

Sure, we watch Disney villains commit some terrible atrocities over the course of their films, but we tend to be a bit more forgiving when we remember the dead. These obituaries recall the lives of villains from a more sympathetic perspective. Shea Strauss at CollegeHumor came up with these faux obits and proved that while…

This Tron-like World Trade Center Is My Everything

I’ll be perfectly honest with you. I didn’t really like the design of the new World Trade Center, when it first won approval. It seemed basic. But I watched it rise, and I saw it start to shine, catching reflections of the surrounding downtown skyscrapers. I realized I’d missed something early on. French illustrator Romain…

Work in the Big City From the Comfort of Home With This Skyscraper Desk

When it comes to fancy designer desks, apparently storage space and drawers are completely passé. After all, do you really need a place to stash a stapler when your work surface appears to magically float over a pair of cities full of towering skyscraper? No, you don’t. That being said, it might be hard to…

Doctor Who Cutlery is a Sonic Device too far

Who looks at a fork and says “Oooh, this could be a little more sonic!”? Someone at the BBC, unfortunately. Header Image Credit: The Doctor Who Site This new range of Doctor Who kitchenware is coming from Underground Toys this November. $30 of your hard-earned dollars could go towards this set containing a fork, knife…

Terrifying Images Of Whirling Firenadoes From All Over The World

Fire whirls, commonly known as “fire tornadoes” and “firenadoes,” can make destructive fires even more horrifying as the flames are swept up into a swirling column of fire. These images show this frightening phenomenon during various fires. A wildfire-induced whirl of hot ash dances across a ridge top as the sun sets on May 14,…