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Beartooth Radio Turns Your Smartphone Into a Walkie-Talkie

Smartphones are becoming increasingly popular amongst backcountry types, as a decent option for communication when the shit hits the fan. However, if you just want to chat to your partner a mile away, you still need a two-way radio – or, you did. That’s the problem Beartooth Radio is trying to solve with their snazzy…

Custom Made “Acbarassing Bodies” Figure Is a Puntastic Horrorshow

What do you get when you put a memefied Star Wars character, a pirate action figure, just the head of an Action Man, and a “reality” medical show into a blender and hit the puree setting? This thing by Mick Minogue, apparently. Made by Minogue for the Plastik Schmack! show put on by Streets of…

If Phone Batteries Were Like Black Holes

…then we really would be screwed. As Randall Munroe points out in today’s xkcd, sometimes we get a little over-dramatic about our phones ‘dying’ — although yes, it would be neat if, when your phone died, it turned into a worn-out Palm Pilot. [xkcd]

The Top 100 Billboard Songs of All Time, Graphed

You might’ve thought that music is one thing that can escape the current ‘big data’ trend of mapping, charting and quantifying everything; but that’s where you’re so, so wrong — at least according to Flowing Data’s Nathan Yau. He’s put together a series of graphs that try to explain the best songs of all time…

The World Where Everything’s an Iceberg: 90% Is Under the Surface

It’s a classic camouflage technique: hiding as much as possible where it’s unlikely to be seen. And on this planet, it’s a strategy that’s been adopted by everyone: sea creatures, towns, and individuals. Simple pastoral scenes hide this world’s achievements stories below the surface. Created by artist Gediminas Pranckevicius, these are only a few of…

Dropbox Suspends Auto-Upload Feature Because iOS 8

Uh-oh: iOS 8 has only-barely-kinda-sorta rolled out, and it’s already breaking things. Dropbox has ‘temporarily suspended’ the auto-upload feature on its iOS app because of compatibility issues with iOS 8. If you’re already in the process of upgrading, Dropbox warns in a blog post that you should double-check that photos have uploaded before deleting them…

An Organization Wants to Send You to Space For Free (Maybe)

Always wanted to go to space, but put off by Richard Branson’s beard (or the hundreds of thousands of dollars he also wants)? A US not-for-profit might be able to get you there on the cheap — but better get crossing those fingers. https://gizmodo.com/virgin-galactic-is-finally-cleared-for-u-s-take-off-1583708624 Spaceship Earth Grants’s business model is very simple: fork over a…

Upgrading to iOS 8 today? Two good third-party keyboards are already available: Swype (which will run you 99 cents) and Swiftkey, which will be just as free as U2’s latest album (but hopefully a little more welcome).

Airbus Patents VR Headsets to Make Flying Suck Less

Flying coach sucks — a fact that no quantity of overpriced Wi-Fi or hilariously tiny cans of Coke can change. So Airbus, one of the biggest manufacturers of commercial aircraft, is thinking about using VR to take you out of the experience entirely. A patent filing from Airbus reveals a line of passengers wearing some…

See Lucy Lawless in Action in the First Two Minutes of Agents of SHIELD

The first two and half minutes of the season two premiere of Agents of SHIELD have been released, and we see a few old faces and are introduced to the skills of Lucy Lawless’ Agent Isabelle Hartley and Nick Blood’s Lance Hunter. Looks like there are some MacGuffins to find. [Comic Book Movie]

Tiny hamster eats tiny hot dogs faster than any human can

It’s kind of funny how our favorite tiny hamster looks exactly like Kobayashi, the famous competitive eater, while mowing down hot dogs. They’re using the same method! The hamster looks much cuter though. Much cuter. Don’t worry, the tiny hamster was fed healthy mini dogs made out of grapes, dates and carrots. Kobayashi had to…

Skateboarding through 5000 balloons looks like a whole lot of fun

If you think about it, ball pits are gross cesspools that hide violent bits of static charges and virulent diseases that smell like melting plastic. They are not fun. But that’s because adults are not fun. For kids, there are few places better. This 5000 balloon pit is like a ball pit for kids, but…

Researchers Use Drones and Lasers to Map Out Ancient Maya Sites

Most people think that archaeology technology peaked with spades and Indiana Jones’s whip; but a team of researchers has categorically disproved that idea (and, by the way, mapped out some Maya temples in the process). The team, using a few remote-controlled quadrotors, managed to get enough aerial imagery to stitch together a 3-D rendering of…

A Flash Flood In The Balkans Tears Through A Neighbourhood

The Balkans are flooding again. While flash floods are already nasty, flooding in areas with landmines have their own horrific twist, amplifying the disaster. A video is making the rounds of social media showing a flash flood in the region, although it’s unclear if it’s current or from a previous event. https://gizmodo.com/flooding-in-the-balkans-with-a-chance-of-explosives-1579149506 http://thevane.gawker.com/intense-video-shows-flash-flood-surging-through-neighbo-1635500174

The World’s Saddest Robot Looks For A Friend In Post-Apocalyptic Paris

L30 may be the only sentient robot in Paris—which is doubly sad since nearly all of the creatures in the city have vanished. But when he finally encounters a living being, it turns out that the little robot may not be ready for biological companionship. L30 was made by students at ISART Digital. What starts…

AirVR Wants to Shut Off All Human Contact With an iPad Mini Face-Holder

Would you trade quite literally all of your friends (and $49 shiny Canadian dollars) for a shot at a probably-mediocre virtual reality experience? AirVR, a Canadian company with an entire Kickstarter page all to itself, is thinking yes. Simply put, the AirVR helps you strap your iPad Mini (or iPhone 6 Plus) to your face,…

Good news for Adobe! Another half-a-million people have been converted to their Creative Cloud subscription, making the new total 2.81 million. Bad news for Adobe! This isn’t enough new customers for investors, and shares in the software giant fell 5 per cent following the announcement (sad face emoji). [Reuters]

iPhone 6 and 6 Plus Meta-Review: Bigger and Better (And Bigger)

The iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus stretch Apple’s winning formula to much greater sizes than ever before, while bringing a potentially game-changing mobile payments option alongside typical upgrades like processors and cameras. They’ve got a slick new design, and boast the latest version of iOS as well. What do critics with advance access think…

Report: Android’s Material Design Will Take a Rolling Pin to Play Store

When Google introduced its Material Design manifesto to the world at I/O, it was made clear that it was only a matter of time before flat design took over the entire Googleverse — starting, it would seem, with the Play Store. https://gizmodo.com/what-material-design-means-for-the-future-of-android-1595976211 Android Police has got an early look at the 5.0 update to the…

You’ll Never Understand Under The Dome Without My Help

The pivotal moment in last night’s episode of Under the Dome comes halfway through, when Julia Shumway comes and prays to me, the Dome. She doesn’t actually get on her knees, which displeases me. But she does beg for one last chance. And then… I look at her, and go “Nah.” Spoilers ahead… There’s a…