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Disney Has Developed An Algorithm That Can Turn Any Object Into A Top

Researchers with Disney Research Zurich have developed a method for turning any three-dimensional object into an optimized (i.e. ideally weighted) object that can spin uniformly about a vertically oriented axis. It’s very, very cool to see in action, as the following video clearly shows. https://observationdeck.kinja.com/disney-researchers-create-impossible-spinning-tops-1618693732

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Y’all must’ve been good little smartphone users, because Appaclaus brought a giant bag of new Android, iOS, and Windows Phone apps for you this week. Why is there an app-focused Santa, and why does he visit randomly in the middle of August? Nobody knows. Quit asking and start downloading! Multi-Platform Updates Simple Simple is a…

Microsoft DeLorean Kills Streaming Game Lag By Predicting Your Next Move

Streaming video games could be so clutch, if it wasn’t for maddening lag time. Microsoft researchers have a solution in DeLorean, a “speculative execution system” that predicts what you’ll do next and shows you the most likely result—before you’ve even mashed a single button. In a research paper published this week, the Microsoft Research team…

In The Book 3 Season Finale, Korra Finally Becomes Legendary

The Book 3 finale of The Legend of Korra didn’t just cap off the strongest season of the series; it was also one of the best episodes of Korra yet. It made us fall in love with our villains all over again while giving our main characters a chance to level up. Confession time: while…

Ferguson, Facebook, Failed Smartwatches, and More

It may be mid-August, the time of year when there’s usually nothing to talk about. But this past week bucked that trend in a big way. Here’s the best stuff we wrote this week, including a deep look at Twitter trolls, a peek back at a little-known fact about the first atom bomb, and more.…

How The Zebra Got Its Stripes, With Alan Turing

Where do a zebra’s stripes, a leopard’s spots and our fingers come from? The key was found years ago – by the man who cracked the Enigma code. Photo Credit: tambako via flickr | CC BY-ND 2.0 In 1952 a mathematician published a set of equations that tried to explain the patterns we see in…

Why Iceland’s Volcano (Probably) Won’t Be a Travel Headache

Update: Icelandic experts later revised their opinion on whether the volcano was actually already erupting. An eruption may still be eminent, and the information about aviation and volcanic ash still stand. This morning, the closely watched Bárðarbunga volcano in Iceland officially went from rumbling to erupting under the ice. The Icelandic Met Office has already…

Roadside Lightsaber Draws Attention of Bomb Disposal Operator

An unidentified object spotted on the side of a road in Mendenhall Valley, Alaska was reported to police as a suspicious device earlier this week. Things escalated pretty quickly from there. Above: A sketch of a Sith lightsaber, via The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force Here’s Emily Russo Miller, reporting for…

The First Official Dancing Groot Toy Has Arrived!

It’s here! Well, almost – the official price and release information won’t be announced until next week, but the first Marvel-approved dancing Groot toy will be available for pre-order “real soon,” according to Ryan Penagos, Executive Editorial Director of Marvel Digital Media. And, according to Penagos, the baby Groot bobblehead isn’t the only surprise on…

FXX’s Wrong Aspect Ratio Is Ruining the Fantastic Simpsons Marathon

FXX network’s gargantuan marathon of every Simpsons episode ever made the internet swoon. That sweet Simpsons nectar has turned a little sour, though: Some of the greatest sight gags from the show’s golden era are being ruined by braindead HD cropping. Won’t someone think of the ratios? Yes, instead of running early Simpsons episodes in…

This Batman Branding Iron Is The Worst Great Idea We’ve Seen All Week

The Batman Branding Iron is a BIC-mounted, stainless steel branding iron 3D-printed in the shape of the bat symbol from Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. It is $30.60, and “intended for branding Batmannish trade-dress on your school stuff, clothes, books, furniture, etc (Note: not pets or people).” Speaking as someone who can scarcely be trusted…

Looks like Twitter’s plan for an in-tweet “Buy” button is moving forward: Re/code says mobile payment company Stripe is signing up businesses interested in Twitter sales. [Re/code]

Take Control of Your Connection With These Wi-Fi Management Apps

Between your home and corporate networks, from MiFis to Open Access Points and everything in between, keeping track of which network your mobile device is using and managing access to all these connectivity options is getting really tough these days. It doesn’t have to be. With these WiFi utilities at your disposal, you’ll be able…

Icelandic Scientists Mobilize Monitoring For Uneasy Volcano

After rumbling ominously for days, Bárðarbunga is finally erupting. Maybe. A small subglacial eruption started on Saturday. Scientists rapidly deployed additional sensors in the region, monitoring the ongoing earthquake swarm, surface deformation, and subglacial eruption. https://gizmodo.com/another-volcano-is-rumbling-under-the-ice-in-iceland-1624326524 The Icelandic volcano started erupting on Saturday afternoon, local time. At least, that’s what the best-guess is based on…

Swimming Manta Rays Look Like Sci-Fi Underwater Space Ships

Manta rays are just amazingly cool. This GoPro footage of a school of giant oceanic manta rays off the coast of Maui proves that in mesmerizing detail. There’s something soothing about watching these amazing creatures glide by. Enjoy. [GoPro]

Another Great Way to Prove Moon Hoax Conspiracy Theorists Wrong

Humans have landed on the moon six times, but conspiracy theorists still insist the actual number is zero. They cite bad science, misunderstandings of physics, and outright lies to try to convince you that American astronauts never set foot on our moon. Here’s one more way to prove those wackos wrong. Space historian Amy Shira…

Watching this guy draw a dragon makes my brain go into trance mode

One stroke painting is such an impressive skill that it’s unbelievable even when you see it happen. These artists from Kousyuuya in Nikko, Japan have been mastering their craft for over four generations. The amount of detail they can put out with one stroke is just unreal. The GIF above sums it up but if…

A SpaceX Rocket Test Just Went Explosively Awry

A rocket exploded during a test flight at the SpaceX Rocket Development and Test Facility in McGregor, Texas. An anomaly crept during the flight, triggering the rocket to self-detonate. No injuries are reported, and rumours are rampant. While an unintentionally explosive test flight is a shocking thing to our risk-adverse society, it’s actually an indicator…

Here’s a 4K time lapse of a spaceship burning up in the atmosphere

We saw the stunning crystal clear photo, so now here’s a 4K time lapse of Orbital’s Cygnus cargo ship burning up in a beautiful fiery streak as it re-enters our atmosphere. The footage was shot from the ISS by German astronaut Alexander Gerst. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

These Are the Silliest Star Trek Reenactments We’ve Seen in Ages

We love these photographs and gifs created by Ken Lin and his friends, who posed for them in many of the same kinds of California landscapes that provided the “alien world” backdrops for the original Star Trek series. The results are crazy and adorable. These pictures are taken from Lin’s “Into California” and “Red is…