Latest

Half Of The U.S. Is Now In A Drought

It’s now just as likely for an area of the U.S. to be in drought as not. This drought map showing which half of the country is currently in drought and by how much was put together by the U.S. National Drought Monitor, who points out that not only is the scale unusual, it’s also…

A Microsoft update for Windows 8.1 mentions that it “adds support to the Surface Pro 3 camera.” That’s either a typo, or a big hint that a new tablet is on the way…

Why You Can Never, Ever, Ever Make The Biggest Fans Happy

Or, “Why The New Power Rangers Movie Will Never Make Power Rangers Super-Fans Happy, For A Specific Example.” It’s a more accurate headline, but it was a little wordy, don’t you think? Fight the Power x84jdh: Dear Post-Apocalyptic Postmaster General, I don’t know if you noticed, but seconds before the temporal anomaly that allows you…

Why Your Armpits Smell So Bad

Why do armpits smell so bad? Well, those millions of bacteria have to live somewhere. Sweat and Odor There are two universally-accepted types of sweat glands. Eccrine Glands The most abundant of the sweat glands, eccrine are found on most of the body andsecrete a sweat that is: “A sterile, dilute electrolyte solution that contains…

Universal’s New Harry Potter Gringotts Ride Looks Amazing

Universal has been rapidly expanding the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and can now reveal the excellent new ride, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. Behold this massive undertaking, complete with gigantic guard dragon. The ride plunges into the depths of the Gringotts’ vaults, and then the run-in with the dragon (the 60-foot beauty…

Beware of Skimmers on Postal Service Stamp Kiosks

Crooks will co to many lengths to steal your details—from USB sticks to cameras on subways—but now they’re even cropping up on Postal Service stamp kiosks, too. Krebs on Security reports that the United States Postal Inspection Service is investigating a series of skimming incidents on automated stamp vending machines across the U.S., with consumers…

The World’s Heaviest-Drinking Nations, Ranked

The World Health Organisation has released a new report which reveals the heaviest drinkers in the world—and the U.S. really doesn’t get a look in. The average U.S. resident drinks 9.2 liters of pure alcohol a year, according to the Global Status Report on Alcohol and Health 2014. Compare that to the 17.5 litres drunk…

The Ultimate Proof That Keeping Orca Whales In Captivity Is Monstrous

The oldest known orca whale was spotted this past weekend off the coast of British Columbia. Named “Granny,” the grand matriarch is estimated to be 103 years-old. So given the extreme lifespan of these creatures, why do we still insist on locking them up in veritable goldfish bowls? Formally known as J2, the orca was…

Is Quicksilver the Best Part of X-Men? And Details From Arrow‘s Finale!

We may know who Adam Driver’s playing in Star Wars after all. Check out another Lucy trailer. There’s another hint that the Amazing Spider-Man sequelscould involve the Clone Saga. And season two of Sleepy Hollow is going to be much bigger. Spoilers now! Top image: Arrow Star Wars The latest plot rumor has Adam Driver…

These Mice Are Lit Up With Quantum Dots

Do not adjust your monitor: these mice are supposed to glow. The eery colors emanating from their bodies is a result of quantum dots injected into the bloodstream—in an attempt to establish how nanoparticles accumulate in mammalian bodies. While nanoparticles crop up everywhere these days—in everything from food to socks—it’s not 100 percent clear that…

This has to be one of the most revolting things I’ve ever seen

It’s sad that this praying mantis was killed—but what comes out of its body is as disgusting as it’s long. Horsehair worms ride in live invertebrates, feeding and growing up to 39 inches as they mature. Some release chemicals to make hosts seek water and drown, others can survive their host’s predation, so do not…

Six Months Later, Expedition 39 Safely Returns to Earth

Expedition 39 successfully ended last night with the safe return to Earth of Koichi Wakata, Mikhail Tyurin and Rick Mastracchio. Now Expedition 40 begins with the trio of astronauts still on the International Space Station. Soyuz TMA-11M coming in for a soft-enough landing. Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls Expedition 39 consisted of Commander Koichi Wakata of…

George R. R. Martin Explains Why He Writes Game of Thrones in DOS

Sometimes, you need the tool that’s best suited to the job in hand. And for George R. R. Martin, that means using an archaic word processor—WordStar 4.0, running on DOS, no less—to write Game of Thrones. He explained why to Conan last night. First, it means that he has a computer dedicated to writing—obviously he…

FCC Reaffirms It’s Considering Treating Cable Companies as Utilities

The FCC is changing direction more regularly than a yoyo right now: first it plans to create a fast-lane internet, then it doesn’t. Now, its senior lawyer has reaffirmed that it’s considering treating broadband providers like utilities companies. In a chat session on Twitter, Gigi Sohn—the FCC’s senior counsel for external affairs—explained that the regulator…

Anyone in the U.S. Can Buy Google Glass Now

Google has formally announced that it’s opening sales of Glass to everyone in the U.S.. If they’re in stock and you have $1,500 to spare, you can buy a pair. The move follows a one-off day in April which saw Google open its sales up to everyone in the country, and then an unofficial report…

George H.W. and George W. Bush Once Lived in Compton

Richard Nixon grew up on a Yorba Linda citrus ranch. Ronald Reagan spent his twilight years in Bel Air. And the two Bushes? Straight outta Compton, if you’ll believe it. Actually, the Bush family only called the Los Angeles County suburb home for six short months in 1949 and 1950. George H. W. Bush, the…

The OMNIS POWERGLOVE Will Turn You Into a Demented Iron Man

Throw that Pebble into a lake and punch off the Google Glass off your face, the next generation of wearable tech is finally here! The OMNIS POWERGLOVE (you gotta say it like that, copyright law and all) combines a slew of handy features like neural integration, holographic projectors, and subconscious mind control—everything the modern apathetic…

Oh my, motorcyclist just misses crashing into a horse on the road

Damn. This girl on the motorcycle just avoided one of the most ridiculously dangerous accidents you could ever imagine: hitting a horse on the road. Seriously, she’s zooming down the road when a horse starts acting up and jumps over to her lane. She quickly maneuvers around it—thankfully, for her and the horse’s sake—but is…

The future of Earth and the end of the Universe visualized

Hold on to your time machine seats and dive into this neat visualization of the future Earth and the universe—from one hundred years from now to 10^100 years, when the universe should shut down according to the theories based on the evidence gathered so far. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us…

This little kid is better at yo-yo than I am at anything

I should just give up. Call it quits. It’s over. This cute little kid is better at doing yo-yo tricks than I am at doing anything. Yeah, even things I’ve done pretty much all my life like breathing or drinking water or cutting my toenails. Even worse for me, he looks so cool (and cute!)…