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Beautiful calligraphy video may cause pleasure overdrive

Last Friday I published a video that caused many to discover autonomous sensory meridian response, a perceptual phenomenon that gives a pleasing tingling sensation. Some said they got it watching people writing. Well, put your headphones on, because this is the mother of all calligraphy ASMR videos. It’s a demonstration of a fountain pen—a Namiki…

The Painstaking Work That Went Into Empire Strikes Back‘s AT-AT Scenes

The legendary Joe Johnston just revealed this classic behind-the-scenes video of the making of one — one of the shots from Empire Strikes Back featuring the AT-ATs as they lumber across Hoth. It’s amazing how slow and low-tech this process was, but also how fantastically the special effects still hold up. Here’s Johnston himself commenting…

Is Second Life About to Become a Ghost World?

Second Life, one of the most hyped virtual worlds in history, is heading towards ghost town status. Intrepid tech reporter Wagner James Au broke the story over the weekend, noting that Second Life makers Linden Lab are at work on a top-secret new virtual world. It’s possible that this new virtual world is part of…

I want to eat the Bill Murray burger every day for the rest of eternity

It doesn’t have anything to do with Bill Murray, but I want to eat it anyway: The patty is “seared on the outside, medium rare on the inside, with a molten core of melted cheese and creamy sous vide egg yolk.” I want to get sucked into a Groundhog Day time warp hole and eat…

Adventure Tested: Argo 8×8 ATV

Need to haul a 1,300lbs bull moose off the Alaskan tundra? You’re going to need an Argo. The world’s only eight-wheel-drive, amphibious ATV can literally go anywhere. What’re they supposed to do? Where a typical ATV or other wheeled vehicle would get bogged down, an Argo is designed to get you through tough situations while…

It’s Freakishly Easy To Steal Phone PINs With Google Glass

Not feeling paranoid enough today? Here you go: Your phone lock screen might actually make it easier for nefarious cyber bandits to steal your passwords. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell recently conducted a study illustrating how easy it is to steal phone PINS, even from across the room. They used cameras on Google…

The Washington Post and Twitter users are reporting a massive outage of Microsoft Outlook, Office 365, and other services. Are you experiencing problems? Share them here! [WP]

How We Deliberately Used Radiation to Eradicate a Species

Fortunately, they’re not a very pleasant species. Screw worms enjoy laying eggs in the mucus membranes of mammals, and telling their friends to do the same. A little applied radiation really helped. Perhaps. Above, a screw worm fly larvae under an electron microscope. The Unpleasant Habits of Infant Screw Worms It was in the 1950s…

How Dolby Vision Works, and How It Could Revolutionize TVs Forever

There are three ways that television displays can be improved, two of which you’re probably already familiar with: you can up the density of the pixels, or increase the refresh rate. But Dolby has taken to improving the third factor: They’re building a better and brighter pixel. What Is Dolby Vision? There’s currently a disconnect…

Android’s Next Named Release (Lollipop?) Will Be Announced at Google I/O

Going into Google’s big developer conference, one of the biggest questions was whether or not we would see a whole new version—the “L” version—of Android. The answer is yes, and it comes from Android frontman Sundar Pichai via Bloomberg Businessweek. From Businessweek: This year, Pichai will preview the next release (Lollipop? Lemonhead?) for the first…

Did Decorations Make This Ancient King Think He Was A Cow?

Nebuchadnezzar was not a good guy, by Biblical standards. He was also unpleasant company for a few years when he came to believe he was a cow and ate grass. What caused this madness? It might have been how he chose to decorate his palace. King Nebuchadnezzar, in history, overthrew Jerusalem, put out the reigning…

Science Fiction Does Something Way Better Than Predict The Future

People get stuck on the idea that science fiction predicts the future, and that we should look to SF books to find out what we’ll be doing 20 years from now. But actually, says Questionable Practices author Eileen Gunn, science fiction does something way more valuable: teach us that change is inevitable. Top image: Oliver…

The Most Fun Zombie Movie We’ve Seen In Ages Was Made By High Schoolers

The students at Oak Park High in Winnipeg turned their high school into ground zero for the apocalypse in this short zombie romantic comedy. What this film lacks in budget, it more than makes up for in a sense of wild fun. Zombie High was produced by Oak Park High’s Independent Film company, and for…

A Real-Time Look At How Much We Spend on Stuff

If there was any lingering doubt that we are a nation of consumers, this real-time infographic should all but eliminate it. Retale.com has illustrated the staggering amount of money being spent every second in retail and online stores, as well as on various products, in a chart that makes you wonder why anyone would ever…

The 7 Deadliest Fashion Trends Of All Time

Keeping up with fashion trends can sometimes be uncomfortable and expensive. But trying a new style or two is typically not life-threatening — except in the case of these dangerous trends, that maimed (and sometimes killed) anyone brave enough to sport them. Top image: Green dress (dyed with arsenic), Mauve boots (dyed with coal tar),…

The Biggest Misunderstanding in the Net Neutrality Debate

Pending public rage, the FCC’s flawed net neutrality rules will kick in later this summer. And yet, despite the impassioned coverage in the media, it’s obvious that most people are still missing the point. As Wired points out today, a type of internet fast lane already exists, and nobody’s talking about how to shut them…

You Can Now Chat Between iOS and Android Even Without Reception

FireChat, the elegant mesh networking app that lets you talk to you friends without an internet connection, just got even better. While you’ve been able to use the app on iOS and Android devices separately for months, a new version of the app lets you cross the platforms. It sounds pretty neat! The update, FireChat…

Aerial Photos of Coal Mining Pits Are Sublime and Terrifying

For some, coal mining conjures images of quaint Appalachian towns. In parts of Germany, where some of the world’s largest open-pit coal mines exist, the resemblance is more of an apocalyptic wasteland. Photographer Bernhard Lang’s stunning overhead documentation of the Hambach Mine depicts the massive scale of the mining operation. The pit is 961 feet…

Win Six(!) FOURSEVENS LED Flashlights

Need or want a new flashlight? Here’s a chance to win one of six (or all six) FOURSEVENS portable illumination devices. Each is one of the nicest lights on the market. https://gizmodo.com/how-led-flashlights-are-designed-and-manufactured-1594909789 Enter as many of these giveaways as you want. The winner of each will be randomly chosen and contacted by email, so make…

Zombies, Livestream, and Shazam: Meet Google Glass’ Newest Apps

With Google Glass still being in its Explorer phase, there hasn’t been a whole lot of diversity as far as its app (or “Glassware”) selection is concerned. But to kick off I/O, Google has just announced a whole slew of new apps you can slap onto your face computer. The most notable (and mildly disconcerting)…