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This video explains why everything is going to hell in Iraq right now

It seems that, after hundreds of thousands of deaths, Iraq is in a worse state than before the 2003 invasion? How the hell did this happen? Who are these crazy ISIS killers terrorizing everyone and taking over the country? You’ll understand it all after watching this easy-to-follow video explainer. SPLOID is a new blog about…

When Would Disney Princesses Bite It If They Lived In Westeros?

Most Disney movies project a world that is far different from Game of Thrones’ Westeros. Still, there is royalty in both, and it’s interesting to think about what would happen if these young women were dropped into a grittier world. Would they rise to the ranks as master-manipulators, or would they be murdered through rebellion…

The Most WTF Scenes From True Blood, A Show For Adults

This is it, the very last season of True Blood. And in order to give this series a fond farewell, we thought we’d highlight the things that made it stand out above all the rest: the really, really weird (and awesome) scenes that could only exist in True Blood. So here they are, the greatest…

Write Way Outside the Lines With This Trippy Ruled Notebook

Most ruled journals out there are printed with lines that run from left to right, straight across the page. Pretty standard. Very straightforward. Somewhat sober. Then there’s this Inspiration Pad, a composition book on an acid trip. Lines akimbo. This thing is high as hell. Each spread offers a completely different pattern—from perfect geometries to…

Fish-Eating Spiders Are Everywhere

Well, this is terrifying. According to new research published today, dozens of spider species from around the world can capture and eat fish as much as twice as big as they are. Fish provide some 7% of the protein eaten by humans around the globe. Fish are also a favorite snack for a variety of…

Magic Budapest trams jumping into hyperspace

Budapest trams don’t travel through the space-time fabric like the starship Entreprise, but in these long-exposure photos they look like they do. They were taken by Viktor Varga (top) and Krisztian Birinyi (middle and bottom) last Christmas. Here’s a video of the trams in action: SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us…

Quantum Computers Are Still No Faster Than Your Average PC

The D-Wave 2 is a much-hyped quantum computer, but, as scientists now report, it’s not actually any faster than a regular old PC. Wait, didn’t we say it was 3,600 times faster just a few months ago? Yes, and both are right. Whether one computer is faster than another is actually a mighty complicated question.…

Leica T Review: A Camera Should Not Be a Luxury Object

When Leica, the German company synonymous with design and quality, announces a new camera, people pay attention. The announcement of the Leica T, its new mirrorless camera system, was no exception. But when you’re paying this kind of money, substance should be right there with style. What Is It? A $1850 16 megapixel mirrorless camera…

This Flyover Shows What Apple’s New HQ Will Look Like From the Air

We have a pretty good idea of what Apple’s forthcoming headquarters might look like, thanks to all the glimmering renderings. But the 3D visualization company Technology Integration Services Inc. just published a video of what the office will look like as you’re flying over it—and it’s even cooler in motion. What can we learn from…

Try Your Hand At This Ridiculously Addictive Geometry Game [UPDATED]

“Euclid: The Game” is, as its name suggests, a game inspired by the constructive principles of Euclidean Geometry. It is also, as its name might not suggest, highly addictive, even for non-mathy types. The game, which you can play here, was created with java in the open-source geometry package GeoGebra by Kasper Peulen. (Update: Peulen…

How To Turn Your Android Phone Into The Ultimate GPS Navigator

Ever wanted to use your phone as a GPS navigator in the outdoors? Here’s a step by step guide to finding the maps, creating trails and waypoints and then using them on your Android phone. Editor’s Note: This guide might look impossible at first glance, but Henry walks you through the steps so thoroughly that…

For The First Time Since WWII, Global Peace Is On The Decline

It what should be a surprise to nobody, a new report by the Institute for Economics and Peace shows that world peace is on the decline — a reversal of six decades of steady improvement. Top image: ISIS execution of Shia militants. The annual report, called the Global Peace Index, cites militant attacks and growing…

Photos of L.A.’s Most Famous Streets When They Were Dirt Roads

Like some of the very people who drive on them, a few Los Angeles streets have achieved the height of fame. Sunset Boulevard lent its evocative name to Billy Wilder’s classic film noir. Pasadena’s Colorado Boulevard appears on millions of television screens each New Year’s Day as the route of the Rose Parade. And to…

Report: A 2.5-Inch Display Apple Smartwatch Is Coming Soon

If rumors are to be believed, Apple’s entry into the smartwatch world is coming soon: Reuters says production will start in July, with an expected launch date sometime in October. And it’s going to be (literally) big. Admittedly, this is still speculation, and we’re hesitant to call this definitive reporting. But unnamed sources at Taiwan’s…

​DARPA Needs Your Help Creating An Instant Wall In A Can

The folks over at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have announced they’re looking for someone to construct a compact, cylinder-shaped delivery device that can instantly expand into a large structure (web, wall, blockade or barrier) without human intervention. In other words, no assembly required. The project is called “Block Access to Deny Entry”…

Earthquake Early Warning Systems Save Lives. So Why Don’t We Have One?

Here’s something you might not know about the 6.4 earthquake epicentered near the Pacific Coast of Mexico on May 8: By the time it hit Mexico City, 170 miles away, people there already knew it was coming. Even before the shaking started, they had time to move to safety. They were ready—thanks to their advanced…

Garmin’s Approach S6 Is Like Wearing a Golf Coach On Your Wrist

Slowly but steadily, Garmin has been updating its golf-specific Approach watches every year, taking them from a simple method of finding your way around a course to serving as a personal assistant while you’re away from work. Now, the new S6 can even help you improve your swing and your handicap. Its most obvious improvement…

Migaloo, The All-White Humpback, Makes A Rare Appearance

Migaloo, one of the only white humpback whales in the world who isn’t albino, has been spotted for the first time this year off the coast of Australia. According to The Telegraph, Migaloo was photographed with a camera phone Tuesday morning off Green Cape in New South Wales. Oskar Peterson, founder of the White Whale…

As genetic profiling makes exonerations more prevalent, many states have adopted laws to compensate the wrongly convicted. Texas leads the nation by paying such persons $80,000 per year they were incarcerated. But 21 states have no such statutes yet, leaving them wide open for lawsuits and possibly higher payouts.

Why Anesthesia Is One of the Greatest Medical Mysteries of Our Time

Anesthesia was a major medical breakthrough, allowing us to lose consciousness during surgery and other painful procedures. Trouble is, we’re not entirely sure how it works. But now we’re getting closer to solving its mystery — and with it, the mystery of consciousness itself. When someone goes under, their cognition and brain activity continue, but…