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The Physical Effect that Creates Tiny Electrical Storms in Your Body

Did you know that you can charge up a piece of ice like a battery? How about making tiny electric storms when a drop of water turns into a puff of steam? We’ll tell you about the little-known Thermodielectric Effect, and why it’s present everywhere, including your body. The Basics of Dielectrics To get this…

Facebook’s Rose-Colored News Feed

Pope Francis. Haim. An inspirational Little League coach. You’ve likely seen these stories on Facebook today, along with ice buckets and your friends’ babies. I know that because they’re sitting atop the social network’s “trending” list. What’s not there at all? Ferguson. Welcome to Facebookworld, where everything’s wonderful all of the time. There’s been no…

Benedict Cumberbatch Will Voice Shere Khan In Andy Serkis’ Jungle Book

Benedict Cumberbatch has already played one iconic Khan; now he’s playing another. He has been cast in the Andy Serkis-directed adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book as the malevolent tiger Shere Khan. THR reports that Cumberbatch has been announced as the first cast member in Serkis’ adaptation, which will also be Serkis’ directorial debut.…

How the World’s Largest Solar Plant Wants To Fix Its Fried Bird Problem

The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System has a problem. The myriad mirrors that reflect the sun’s searing rays onto towers that generate electricity also create a death ray that fries anything in its path, namely poor innocent birds flying through the desert. But don’t worry. They’re working on it. Following a rather alarming Associated Press…

This Is Some Of The Most Wonderful Ghost-Story Writing I’ve Ever Seen

“Something Amazing” by Elizabeth McCracken may or may not actually be a ghost story — she seems to be dwelling in ambiguous territory, and veers away from the supernatural by the end — but it has some of the best ghostly imagery I’ve ever seen on the page. Top image: V.H. Hammer. In “Something Amazing,”…

​Seven Tips for Adapting Anne Rice’s Vampire Novels for Film (Again)

Last week, Universal broke the news that it had bought rights to the fourteen novels in Anne Rice’s vampire series and was planning a movie franchise. Here are seven rules for what should happen next. Perhaps this decision came in the wake of the unbearable vampire vacuum that loomed after the end of True Blood.…

Ditch Your Headphone Cable, SONOS PLAY:1, Endangered Plasma [Deals]

If you’re pining for a new set of headphones, these GOgroove Bluetooth on-ears have 14 hours of battery live, a folding design, and solid reviews. They have consistently sold for $80 all year, but a promo code today knocks them all the way down to $30. Get them before they’re gone. [GOgroove BlueVIBE Bluetooth Headphones,…

Desolation of Smaug Extended, Young Frankenstein [Deals]

Preorder the extended edition of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on Blu-ray for just $20 today. Get these deals and more, and earlier on Deals.Kinja. Connect with us on Twitter and Facebook to never miss a deal, check out our Gaming and Movie/TV release calendars to plan your upcoming free time, and join us…

Nutella consumes 25 percent of the world’s hazelnut crop

Bad news, dudes. After unwelcome spring frost in decimated nearly a quarter of Turkey’s hazelnut crop, there is real fear that we’re now facing a Nutella shortage. That’s because the production of Nutella consumes 25 percent of the world’s hazelnut crop. And naturally, less crop means less Nutella. Don’t freak out just yet. Since Turkey…

Mailbox for Mac Arrives In Beta Today To Redeem Your Email

Back in April, Mailbox promised it would be bring a beta version of its popular mobile email client to Mac. Today, it delivered on that promise. Users who’ve signed up for the public beta as well as select Mailbox users will be given access to the beta in a rollout process. The team hasn’t announced…

The Lifespan Of A CD Is Shorter Than We Thought

It probably seemed like a good idea at the time: Instead of fragile paper or clunky disks, why not save your data to a shiny, secure CD? Fast forward a few decades and those CDs (and the data they hold) are suffering from something called “CD rot” — and researchers aren’t quite sure why. Laura…

Sharp’s Gloriously Thin-Bezeled Aquos Smartphone Is Coming to Sprint

Yesterday we first got a look at Sharp’s surprisingly beautiful smartphone, and today we’re learning that, huzzah, it is coming to America on Sprint. The phone will cost $240 when it’s available at an unannounced date in the future. https://gizmodo.com/sharps-new-phones-have-so-little-bezel-its-ridiculous-1623239389

The “Satanic Law Firm” Movie Devil’s Advocate Is Becoming A TV Show

Remember when Keanu Reeves played a lawyer who went to work at a hot law firm — only to find that his new company actually was as hot as Hell? The movie Devil’s Advocate (originally based on a novel by Andrew Neiderman) is getting a TV adaptation. But who can replace Al Pacino? According to…

In California, we are bracing ourselves for the water wars. An investigative article from the Washington Post explains why the current drought, the worst in recorded history, could change the state forever.

The Beef Jerky-Potato Chip Hybrid Is Real, and We Taste-Tested It

When we first wrote about Cherkees—the beef jerky potato chip hybrid—we called it “the pinnacle of human innovation.” Granted, we may have gotten slightly carried away, but the concept of getting our required daily dose of jerky and chip simultaneously? What an amazing time-saver! Unfortunately, delays plagued these intrepid pioneers of snack, but now, three…

D​id Harry Potter Influence The Political Views of Millennials?

Kids who grew up reading the Harry Potter books are voting in U.S. elections. And now a new study says the adventures of the young wizard might have cast an enduring spell on its fans, subtly shaping their values and political views. The Millennial Generation is actually the Muggle Generation. Anthony Gierzynski, a political scientist…

Behold, The First Picture Of Paul Rudd As Ant-Man

He’s not in his super suit, but here is our first look at Paul Rudd, unshaven and a little roughed-up, as Ant-Man’s Scott Lang. USA Today snagged the first photo of Rudd as Scott Lang in San Francisco, where Ant-Man just started filming. It looks like Rudd’s ex-con character has just gotten into a bit…

Google’s Awesome 360-Panorama Photo Sphere App Comes to iOS

Since making its debut on Android a little over a year ago, Photo Sphere has been one of those “Hey, look what my phone can do!” things that Android users have lorded over their non-Android friends. Today, though, Google is opening the doors to iPhone users with the Photo Sphere Camera app of iOS. This…

The U.S. uses ankle monitors to track immigrant mothers

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has a high-tech way to track people who enter the country illegally: Instead of putting them in jail as they move through the court system, officials outfit them with ankle bracelets. And most of the people who are currently wearing the devices in the U.S. are moms. Since 2004…

What If Deadpool And Harley Quinn Had Children?

Artist Marco D’Alfonso imagines a Marvel/DC crossover that would make for an insane sitcom. We love D’Alfonso’s Deadpool fanart, and this play on Married with Children is no exception. D’Alfonso made this piece a while back for one of Comics Should Be Good’s The Line It Is Drawn art challenges. The theme that week was…