You know, there’s probably a historical precedent for a leader who overreaches and over-promises, while hypocritically protecting his own family from the consequences of their actions. Napoelon, maybe? In any case, last night’s Falling Skies finally showed Tom Mason falling short. Thank goodness. Spoilers ahead… One constant rule about Falling Skies has always seemed to…
Last year, a federal judge ruled that Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson are no longer covered by U.S. copyright law. But, the Conan Doyle Estate continued its litigation — and today, another federal judge issued a blistering statement, saying that the estate might also be violating anti-trust laws. “The Case of the Greedy Estate” is…
Ben Affleck is supposedly playing an older, wiser Batman in Batman V. Superman, but how will the mature Bruce Wayne look onscreen? According to these photos from the film’s set, mature means a touch of gray hair at the temples. Samuel Otten snagged these pictures and a bit of video from the Batman V. Superman…
With the arrival of a beta 4 update this morning, Apple TV finally got a little a UI makeover. It looks like Apple TV is finally catching up with iOS 7. The redesign is not totally dramatic—and for now it’s for developers only—but there’s a new emphasis on colors a la iOS 7, and apps…
“What for example could be staler than to-morrow morning’s newspaper account of a prize-fight or political convention one has already received over the radio?” wrote one commentator in 1928. Radio was overtaking print as the news medium of the day and some people insisted that newspapers were going to disappear completely. And with that, “serious”…
While typos are usually harmless little annoyances, sometimes they can completely change the meaning of a religious edict, embarrass a nation, or cause an engineering project to end in disaster. Here are some particular doozies from the history of typos. Printers Bible, 1612 In some copies, Psalm 119:161 reads “Printers have persecuted me without a…
Guillaume Néry is a champion freediver, and his sport exposes practitioners to carbon dioxide narcosis, which can lead to, among other symptoms, powerful hallucinations. This short film is inspired by Néry’s experiences and the things he thinks he sees during a deep water dive. Director Julie Gautier filmed Néry and translated his experiences onto film…
It seems like most of the architectural zeitgeist in the U.S. is dominated by news of supertalls sprouting in Manhattan. But that has not been the case in many American cities. Even with widespread housing shortages and proof that density is better for residents, most American cities have had a fear of heights—until now. Thanks…
This month’s books really do have something for everyone. There are new books by John Scalzi, Haruki Murakami, Robin Hobb and Lev Grossman. There’s magical realism, far-future adventure, and high fantasy. Here are the 22 brand new science fiction and fantasy books you absolutely must not miss. Lock In by John Scalzi (Tor Books) A…
Pornburger calls this A Fish Called Hitachi Wand but I don’t care about deciphering its burgers names anymore. I just want this “lightly fried, smoked trout patty, dressed in an Old Bay, bacon potato salad, and a spicy dollop of Gordy’s Cherry Pepper Spread” going down my throat right now. SPLOID is a new blog…
The Cuban Crocodile is a critically endangered species. What’s threatening it? A history of hunting, habitat destruction, and, increasingly, the rise of a new group of crocodile hybrids, resulting from interbreeding with another crocodile species. The full story is after the jump.
In a scenario straight out of “Enhance, enhance!,” MIT scientists have figured out that the tiny vibrations on ordinary objects like a potato chip bag or a glass of water or even a plant can be reconstructed into intelligible speech. All it takes is a camera and a snappy algorithm. Take a listen. Sound waves,…
Best-known as the other books written by The Hitchhiker’s Guide’s Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and its sequel The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul have been optioned for an American comic book series and a TV adaptation. IDW and Ideate Media have nabbed the rights, and IDW has hired Chronicle’s Max Landis…
Marie Curie made some of the most significant contributions to science in the 20th century. And as most people already know, she did so at a great cost to her own health. What most people probably don’t know, however, is that the radiation levels she was exposed to were so powerful that her notebooks must…
A few weeks ago,the Comcast call heard ’round the world sent the internet into a cable-call-center-hating frenzy—and for good reason! But customers aren’t the only victims here; even Comcast itself said the so-called “rep from hell” was just following orders. And now,thanks to a copy secured by The Verge, we know exactly what those orders…
What creepy place, tale, bit of folklore, or haunted happening scared the bejeezus out of you? One place that scared the living crap out of me was Maryknoll College/Seminary located in my hometown of Glen Ellyn, IL. The gigantic campus was built was built in 1949 for young Catholic seminary students, but it was eventually…
Nigerian authorities have just confirmed a second case of Ebola, prompting the government to announce that it is increasing health screenings at airports to contain the disease. Unfortunately, the likelihood of detecting whether someone is infected is quite small. [Image: United Nations] When you hear about screenings being conducted, you might imagine a brief medical…
Earlier today, we asked you to tell us about all your favorite Chrome extensions. And while the ultimate winners will be revealed at a later date, Kinja user pacguy has introduced us to one sparkling diamond of an extension that, frankly, would be an injustice to keep hidden. Because friends, you need to install Cloud…
Amazon’s Fire TV is getting a streaming upgrade with five new apps: MLB.tv, Watch Disney, Watch Disney Jr, Animal Planet L!ve, and the WWE Network, according to Gigaom. That’s wrestling, cute animals, baseball, and Mickey Mouse all at once.
Last week, we got a look at the easter eggs in the Marvel Cinematic Universe up through Thor: The Dark World, but Guardians of the Galaxy is particularly packed with references to Marvel’s comics, and this video lays out a bunch of them. Naturally, this video by Mr Sunday Movies is packed with spoilers, so…
