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18 Google Chrome Extensions That Make the Internet a Better Place

Earlier this week, we asked you toshare with us that one, special Chrome extension that you just can’t bear to live without. As it turns out, for most of you, that one is actually more like eight. So to help, we’ve pared it down to the absolute cream of the Chrome extension crop. Here are…

New Li-On Material Survives 30 Times the Charges of Current Batteries

Aside from capacity, the worst thing about batteries is that they degrade with time, holding less power with every charge. But now scientists have developed a lithium ion material that can endure 30 times as many charge cycles as current cells. Part of a collaboration between Sharp and Kyoto University, the new material—made of a…

Timex’s New Ironman Smartwatch Lets You Leave Your Phone At Home

For those times when a rigorous run or other extreme outdoor activity has you leaving your smartphone at home, Timex has created a new fitness-oriented smartwatch that doesn’t need a constant connection to your phone. The Ironman One GPS+ comes with its own 3G connection for uploading fitness data or your current location, or reach…

More Than Two Million People Still Pay AOL For Internet Access

Humans of a certain age will remember the brief period when accessing the internet meant shelling out a monthly fee to AOL. For most of us, this gave way to better business models well over a decade ago. But as Recode points out today, 2.3 million souls never got the memo. Not only that; their…

Choose The “Best” And “Worst” Faces For This Old Personality Test

Ever heard of the Szondi Test? If you’ve taken it, fire your psychiatrist. It’s a test that’s meant to diagnose people by having them pick the faces of mental patients from sets of cards. Find out what you’re like if you pick out “the hysteric” and “the homosexual.” Léopold Szondi was, in the 1930s and…

Ask An Entomologist Anything You Want About The Disappearance Of Bees

Entomologist May Berenbaum is here today to take our questions about bees, their recent decline, and what we can expect from our pollinators in the future. Berenbaum heads the Entomology department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she is both a professor and a chair of entomology. In addition to looking at our…

6 Inspiring Websites That Teach You To Code

If you’ve always had a desire to build your own apps or create your own websites, then you can begin your coding education with nothing more than a browser, an internet connection, and some spare time. Here we’ve picked out six of the best resources currently available online. 1. Udacity Udacity is one of the…

When a Climate Scientist Publicly States “We’re F**ked” Things Are Bad

It’s one thing to note the unusually hot weather we’ve been having and then slather on some suncream. But when a climate expert unceremoniously concedes that the planet is “f**ked”, it’s probably time to get seriously worried. Scientists at the Stockholm University recently discovered that vast methane plumes were escaping the Arctic Ocean seafloor. And…

Hot NYC subway station transformed into spa

Anyone who has used the NYC subway in summer knows that train stations can get as hot as the hottest sauna. The guys at Improv Everywhere decided to help commuters embrace the heat by transforming one of the hottest subway platforms in NYC into a spa for a few hours. SPLOID is a new blog…

A Bonkers Webcomic About A Pregnant Nun—And A Convent Full Of Secrets

Weird things keep happening around the young nun Sister Claire. The blue-skinned angel Gabrielle just told her she’s pregnant with a savior. Her mentor seems to be under a powerful curse. And she’s going to have to unlock the secrets of Nun-Fu in order to make it to childbirth. Elena “Yamino” Barbarich’s Sister Claire is…

How Captain America 2 Should Have Ended

Yes. Yes. Yes. I agree with “How It Should Have Ended’s” assessment of Captain America: The Winter Soldier 100%. Why were they holding back on that awesome “I can be anyone disguise?” Too many bullets, not enough make-up trickery. Plus I kind of love that it calls out Marvel for not actually being able to…

What Piece Of Technology Most Changed Your Day-To-Day Life?

There’s new tech that you use for a few months and then forget about, and then there’s the stuff that quickly becomes a go-to tool. Today, we want to know about the technological innovation created within your life time that most changed your daily life. Tell us in the comments what it was, how it…

The Chinese Government Has Banned Employees From Using Apple Devices (Updated)

Following concerns that Apple products represent a security threat, China’s government has chosen toban its employees from using iPads and MacBooks. Update 2: Yep, Bloombergtotally got this wrong. Update: A translation of a Chinese language report by Caixin reveals that this may not be accurate: “[S]ome media outlets reported that the Chinese government procurement list…

Why Civilization: Beyond Earth Is The Hottest New Space Strategy Game

Strategy game fans who look to the stars are giddy about the upcoming release of Civilization: Beyond Earth. We talked to one of the game’s co-designers to learn about the game’s classic science-fiction inspirations. Civilization: Beyond Earth is sort of a sequel to the highly successful Civilization 5. It isn’t Civ 6, but it shares…

Sony has announced that it will no longer support PlayStation Mobile on Android. The service will continue to operate, but from Android 4.4.3 and up, Sony won’t guarantee that games will work properly.

A Second Windows 8.1 Update Is Coming (But Don’t Expect Much)

Microsoft released a big update for Windows 8.1 at the start of the year, and it was thought that another would arrive soon. Now, though, it appears that the second update is going to be rather trivial. Microsoft has published a blog post explaining that the new update—which won’t even be called Windows 8.1 Update…

Benedict Cumberbatch’s Jar Jar Binks Impression Will Haunt Your Soul

If there was a way to stop the tidal wave of Cumberbatchamania, this might be it. The ‘Batch pulled out a depressingly accurate impression of the Gungan in this MTV interview, and it’s unsettling to say the least. It is kind of adorable the way Benedict thinks Jar Jar has “fans,” though. [Via The Mary…

Updates On Captain America 3, Conan 3, Jurassic World And Terminator 5!

How much is Marvel changing Star-Lord’s backstory in Guardians of the Galaxy 2? The new Conan movie is on schedule, while Jurassic World reveals another dinosaur glimpse. The Sleepy Hollow showrunner teases a new supernatural character for the end of season 2. Spoilers now! Top image: Captain America: The Winter Soldier Guardians of the Galaxy…

Commuters tilt and lift train car to free trapped man

A group of commuters freed a man trapped between the platform and a train car in Australia by pushing the train car and lifting the carriage enough for his leg to get out. Thankfully, the train’s shock absorbers where flexible enough to allow it as the chassis and wheels stayed on the tracks. Transperth spokesman…

Rosetta Is Now the First Ever Satellite to Start Orbiting a Comet

After a ten year journey through space, the European Space Agency’s satellite Rosetta has finally rendezvoused with Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko—making it the first satellite to ever begin orbiting a comet. Referred to by ESA scientists as “the sexiest, most fantastic mission ever,” Rosetta spent the early hours of this morning conducting a series of maneuvers and…