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Here’s What Happens to the Earth During Summer Solstice

One of the results of Earth having a tilted axis is, for better or worse, the seasons. On June 21st, we’ll be at one extreme point in Earth’s seasonality: the summer solstice. Here’s what that means. The axis of the earth is tipped 23.45°. This means that most of the time part of the earth…

Wolf Parade: California Dreamer

Canadian band Wolf Parade’s “California Dreamer” is one of those songs that sounds like a warning — a cautionary ballad that Los Angeles exists as a town intent on swallowing people whole. Accurate or not, it was a warning I personally didn’t heed. “This city doesn’t belong to you anymore, California dreamer,” lead singer Spencer…

Are Quantum Computers Just as Slow as Conventional Ones?

A new study claims that the D-Wave quantum computer is no faster than the PC on your desk, leading many to proclaim the technology as overhyped. Trouble is, the performance tests were too easy and not a true measure of what these machines are capable of doing. The study, which now appears in Science, claims…

In the dark recesses of video games, hiding beneath the plot and behind the art, interacting with the very hardware of your system, lurk the fundamental subroutines that determine lighting… Learn about the role of physics plays in determining dynamic lighting effects in video games.

Halt and Catch Fire Is a Huge Missed Opportunity

This Sunday, AMC will air the fourth episode of its new series, Halt and Catch Fire. It’s the most comprehensive (fictional) look at the development of the personal computer. Too bad it’s also a huge missed opportunity. Set in big-haired, high plains Dallas in 1983, Halt and Catch Fire is the story of Cardiff Electric,…

Netflix’s Daredevil TV Series Adds Rosario Dawson As… Somebody

Actress and self-professed nerd Rosario Dawson has joined the cast of Marvel and Netflix’s 2015 Daredevil TV show in an unknown role. One of Matt Murdock’s plucky fellow attorneys? A badass, take-no-shit hooker, a la her character in Sin City? Elektra? We’re good with whatever. Here’s how Marvel describes her (both the actress and her…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Hey have you heard? Summer officially starts tomorrow. That means tomorrow’s the longest day of the year, which means you’ll spend even more daylight hours staring furtively at your smartphone. At least give your app folder a breath of fresh air with these, our favorite new apps this week. Android Email by Google Gmail is…

The Electronic Frontier Foundation Wants You To Make Your Router Public

The Electronic Frontier Foundation is planning to release software that will allow you to turn a portion of your router into public wifi hotspot. The kicker is, they say it will make your router more secure. The move of OpenWireless.org campaign to make free Wi-Fi available to everyone, everywhere. The EFF will release firmware that…

The Police Surveillance Drone of 1976

1976 Associated Press: Tiny robot helicopter caused a mild sensation at the opening of the Farnborough Air Show in Hampshire, England, Sept. 5, 1976. The remote-controlled Westland Wisp spy-in-the-sky helicopter has been developed for army or police use for aerial surveillance. The plane can be equipped for transmitting television pictures back to base and is…

We Saw Syfy’s Super Weird Angel Drama Dominion, And We Kind Of Love It

Last night, Syfy premiered their wacky angel drama Dominion. We did not have high hopes, but it turned out to be way weirder than we ever anticipated. And that’s great, like a character becoming King of the MGM Grand in Vegas great. Not good like, “wow that’s really convincing character chemistry.” But it gets points…

The Florida National Forest That Gets Pummeled by 20,000 Bombs a Year

Careful if you go camping in Florida’s Ocala National Forest. One minute it’s birds chirping in a serene forest and another it might be the scream of a fighter jet followed by the boom of an explosion. Because oddly enough, in the middle of this forest is the Pinecastle Impact Range, the Navy’s only live…

Man Discovers Owl In His House, Becomes Owl Whisperer

What would you do if an owl found its way into your house? Would you panic and lose your composure, or would you steady your nerves, rise to the occasion, and attempt a daring rescue? Colin Wright did both these things, in that order. Blessedly, he recorded his encounter and uploaded the footage to YouTube.…

Holy Crap, Legend Of Korra: Book 3 Premieres Next Week!

One week — that’s all the time Nickelodeon is giving us now that they’ve announced the third season of The Legend of Korra, the excellent sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender, will premiere on June 27th, Friday, at 7:00 pm. And with three new episodes! That’s right, we’re getting an hour and a half of…

Trade In Your Boring Desk Lamp For This Glowing Optical Illusion Light

Good lighting can make or break the ambience in a room. For something truly unique that finally makes illumination fun again, check out the Bulbing Light, a really cool Kickstarter-turned-Moma Design Store product that combines simple materials with magical effects. The lamp consists of a wooden base that contains simple LED lamp, on top of…

Why Do I Keep Hate-Watching This Goddamn Show?!

You know what hate-watching is. It’s when you despise a show so much that you have to keep watching it, week after week, just to see HOW TERRIBLE IT DARES TO BE WHY IS IT SO TERRIBLE. What science fiction or fantasy show caused your most incurable case of hate-watching, and why? Of course we…

The Miracle Stick That Makes Wine Taste Better in Seconds

The tricky thing about wine—especially the fancy stuff—is that since it gets better with age, what you buy off the shelf isn’t necessarily always at its peak. A few seconds with the Clef du Vin, though, will age it to perfection. And, if you’re not careful, all the way around to bad again. The Clef…

Here’s an easy trick to make glass totally invisible

Even when you are only seeing one test tube disappear into this beaker, there are another two more inside. In fact, there’s also a beaker hidden inside, completely invisible to the eye. How is this sorcery possible? SCIENCE. It’s a clever trick to try at home for those of you who never took chemistry classes:…

Sharp Aquos Q+ HDTV Review: Not 4K But Pretty Darn Close

Those of us currently in the market for a new television are faced with a difficult choice: Pay through the nose for a 4K set or spend a fraction of that on another HD television that will be obsolete sooner than later. However, Sharp offers a third option: the Aquos Q+, an almost UltraHD TV…

Why Does This Mummy Appear To Open And Close Her Eyes?

In Siciliy, there’s a very spooky mummy of a girl who died in 1920. Occassionally, she can be seen to open and close her eyes. Italian researchers now say there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation — and it has nothing to do with her being among the undead. Recorded in time lapse photos and videos, the…

Take a Wild Ride on This 100-Foot-Tall Twisty Slide

The Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, has one of the highest concentrations of Good Design on the planet—a confluence of A+ architecture and furnishings, complete with a dedicated museum. Now, the site is also home to a 100-foot-tall twisty slide. Of course, this isn’t just a twisty slide. It’s also Art that enables…