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People Think Their Dogs Are A Lot Smarter Than They Really Are

We love to brag about the intelligence of our canine companions. But a recent survey suggests that many of us are grossly overestimating the cognitive capacities of our dogs — and that our emotional attachment to them has a lot to do with it. Realizing that few studies have examined people’s perceptions of specific cognitive…

Stunning New Close-Ups Of The Largest Crater On Mars

The European Space Agency has released new images of the Hellas basin, which formed around four billion years ago when a small asteroid crashed into the Red Planet, creating an impact crater 1,400 miles wide and 26,465 feet deep. The images, taken by the high-resolution stereo camera on the ESA’s Mars Express, feature a portion…

What Is An Ionocraft And How Dangerous Is It To Make One?

You may have heard about “lifters” or “ionocrafts,” in science fiction stories discussing fake worlds, or on message boards discussing the real world. They exist in both worlds, but they’re only really practical in one. How An Ionocraft Works Electrons are slippery little things, but most of the time the atoms in the air have…

Is A Burrito A Sandwich?

Sure, a burrito is delicious and filling — but is it a sandwich? NPR’s All Tech Considered is asking the tough questions today about just where on the food spectrum the burrito falls and, it turns out, it’s not simply a question of taste. If a burrito is a sandwich, it’s subject to the rules…

Chinese Hackers Targeting Top-Secret Federal Employee Records

Earlier this year, Chinese hackers broke into U.S. government computer networks in order to gain access to the personal information of thousands of employees with top-secret security clearances. The New York Times reports that the hackers gained access to databases of the Office of Personnel Management in March. Federal authorities identified the intrusion and blocked…

The D&D Starter Set is a Great Way to Introduce Newbies to RPGs

The relaunch of Dungeons & Dragons begins this week with the release of the D&D Starter Set, a $20 box designed to be the perfect introduction to tabletop fantasy role-playing games. I tested it out with a group of neophyte gamers, and we had a blast. Wizards of the Coast has been steadily demolishing my…

Gus Van Sant May Direct The American Death Note Movie

While it hasn’t been confirmed, The Tracking Board is reporting that Gus Van Sant has been chosen to direct the live-action U.S. adaptation of the hit anime/manga Death Note, stepping in after previously named director Shane Black left for the new Predator movie. Beyond the surprising news that someone is still trying to make a…

Iraq Rebels Have Seized 88 Pounds of Uranium

According to Reuters, Iraq rebels have stolen 88 pounds of uranium compounds that were being used for scientific research at a university in the city of Mosul. Reuters has seen a letterwritten by Iraq’s envoy to the UN, Ambassador Mohamed Ali Alhakim, in which he explained that “these nuclear materials, despite the limited amounts mentioned,…

Is Star Wars Revisiting Another Original Trilogy Location?

Kevin Smith shoots down those fake Batman v. Superman script rumors. More news from the Daredevil series, including some possible dialogue. Guillermo del Toro addresses The Strain poster controversy. Powers gets a director. Plus, a Once Upon Time character returns! Top image: Gotham Star Wars A Bad Robot tweet shows a) what looks like Tatooine…

A brief history of Hollywood and how it adapts

From patent trolls to online media, this potted history of Hollywood tells a tale of adaptation, profiteering and survival in the face of relentless threats—social, legal, financial and technological. Fascinating stuff. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

This Flexible 18-Inch Screen Rolls Into a Tube One Inch Across

The idea oftruly flexible displays never gets boring, and now LG has created its biggest bendable screen to date: an 18-inch OLED panel that has enough flexibility to roll into a tube that’s an inch across. The prototype display uses a new polyamide film at the back instead of the usual plastic to make it…

Why Is Some Ice Clear and Some Cloudy?

Unless you happen to have a specialized ice machine in your home, it is practically guaranteed that the ice your freezer makes is of the cloudy variety. A popular and well known trick to making clear(er) ice is to either boil the water first or use distilled water. However, even doing this won’t guarantee the…

Katniss is poised to be among the most popular name for babies born in 2014. According to Nameberry, which has kept track of the most viewed names so far this year, Katniss is at 14, with The Fault In Our Stars’ Hazel in 13th place, and Khaleesi at 18. We’ll see if searches correspond to…

Washington, D.C. Uber User “Held Against Will in High Speed Chase”

When poor old Ryan Simonetti booked a ride on Uber on Tuesday, he was hoping for a quiet journey from the Verizon Center to his company’s new offices in Tysons Corner. But instead, he got rather more than he bargained for. Tweeting about his Uber experience, the CEO of New York-based company Convene, explained: According…

High Quality Images of the iPhone 6’s Supposed Rear Shell

We’ve started seeing some leaks of iPhone 6 components recently, and now there are high quality images and videoof what purports to be the rear casing of a forthcoming 4.7-inch iPhone 6. The images—supplied by a Moscow-based company selling modified luxury versions of the iPhone called Feld & Volk to MacRumors—certainly look good. Feld &…

Discworld Covers From France Are Breathtaking

While Paul Kidby’s work has (rightly) been synonymous with Discworld for years, these new French covers by Marc Simonetti makes you reconsider.

Flashback Wigs: The Best And Worst Of “This Is The Past” Hair

When TV shows and movies do flashbacks, they face a dilemma: They can cast a younger actor that looks like their star, sacrificing easy recognition, OR they can just slap a wig on their actor. They usually go with the latter, with… mixed results. Here are the best and worst of flashback wigs. Seriously, using…

Watching this video makes you hallucinate without any drugs

The Illusion Lab created a fun illusion video that can cause some serious hallucinogenic effects just from watching the video. It only lasts for a little while but you’ll definitely feel as if the world around you is alive like you’ve never seen it before. All you have to do is watch the video (full…

Debunking 20 common misconceptions about sex

Maybe you consider yourself a maestro in the bedroom or a lion in the sheets or think that you don’t need no stinking advice about sex. But do you really know what you’re doing? Do you really have all your info right? Mental Floss decides to debunk 20 common misconceptions about sex in the video…

This Japanese Doctor Who Video Is Surreal, Perfect

Some nights, you just want to watch the Doctor and a dalek wrestle in the woods until he pulls out his Sonic Screw Sword and plays it like a flute. No, that’s not a euphemism. According to Dave Hill’s blog entry on this video, the explanation is that it’s a “modern parody of both “Doctor…