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Elon Musk Wants To Make A Flying Car

“Maybe we’ll make a flying car, just for fun,” Elon Musk told The Independent yesterday. Explaining that he’d “thought about it quite a lot,” the only thing stopping him appears to be every single thing that’s kept the flying car from becoming a mainstream reality in the past 100 years. “We could definitely make a…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 9 '14

The Scientist Who Inspired the Count of Monte Cristo

Alexandre Dumas’ famous story, The Count of Monte Cristo, was a fictional story based on real events. One of its characters, a mad-genius of a scientist who writes his greatest work in prison, was based on a real person. Learn of the imprisonment of Déodat de Dolomieu. As adventure stories go, The Count of Monte…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Jun 9 '14

Dear Diary: Penny Dreadful Pens TV’s Most Victorian Letter

Last night, Penny Dreadful made a play for being the most Victorian thing ever on TV with an epistolary flashback episode. It didn’t progress the plot much, but it did Penny Dreadful-ize everything that happened, so we’re still unsure of specifics but definitely creeped out by whatever it is. Spoilers ahead! “Demimonde,” an episode titled…

io9 Genevieve Valentine Jun 9 '14

How To Brand A Cow Like A Cowboy

Ever wondered where your food comes from? Well, before they get turned into prime rib and burgers, cows have to be raised and handled by real men and women — cowboys. Yes, they really do still exist and this is what they do. Branding isn’t just a necessary task, it’s a social event. Friends, family…

Tech News Tybrookhart Jun 9 '14

The Chinese Tea Study that the Tea Party Wants to Suppress

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) just cut funding to a science program that he says “didn’t pass the laugh test” — a long-term study on how climate change is affecting Chinese tea crops. But this study isn’t funny. Instead, it offers the darkest picture yet of how our crops will change in the years ahead. The…

io9 Mark Strauss Jun 9 '14

Scientists Are Making Condoms Out of the Same Material As Your Contacts

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation recently awarded a grant to an Australian research team trying to build a better condom. They’re hardly the first to win such an award, but they have a novel approach. These polymer scientists are making condoms out of hydrogels, the same materials used in contact lenses. It’s actually a…

Tech News Adam Clark Estes Jun 9 '14

This Depression-Era Hollywood Robot Was Built to Write Screenplays

Today moviegoers complain about films being too formulaic. But in 1931, one Hollywood writer of now largely forgotten movies thought that turning screenwriting into a formula was a pretty good idea. So he invented the Plot Robot. From the March 1931 issue of Modern Mechanix magazine: Formerly robots were merely mechanical devices that could perform…

Tech News Matt Novak Jun 9 '14

NASA’s Prototype ISS Habitat Is an Inflatable Grow House

There are two things that come at a premium when living aboard the International Space Station: personal space and fresh vegetables. But thanks to an ingenious new inflatable habitat that’s currently being tested, our space-faring scientists will soon have more of both. Built by private space company Bigelow Aerospace, the BEAM (or Bigelow Expandable Activity…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Jun 9 '14

I Don’t Think The Leprechaun Reboot Has Any Idea What A Leprechaun Is

The first trailer for the WWE-produced Leprechaun: Origins has dropped. You’ll first notice that the movie appears to be taking itself very seriously. Then you’ll probably notice that it also seemingly has nothing to do with leprechauns. Turning the classic Irish faerie into a monster was always kind of a stretch in the first place,…

io9 Rob Bricken Jun 9 '14

Aging Veterans Are Using Oculus Rift To Fly War Planes Again

Flying days don’t have to be over for elderly vets. Thanks to Reddit user Jwsimmons, who’s been visiting assisted living homes with Oculus Rift for the past year, these former pilots get to experience the planes from their glory days all over again. To bring the experience to life, Jwsimmons tweaked the massively multiplayer flight…

Tech News Leslie Horn Jun 9 '14

This Clever Site Tells You If Your Favorite Bar Patio Is Sunny or Shady

Everyone has a favorite local patio they like to escape to during the summer, but if your timing isn’t right, you might find yourself sipping a cold one in the shade. To ensure that never happens, some enterprising folks have whipped up a handy website that shows you exactly when your preferred summer spot is…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jun 9 '14

How artisans in Hong Kong make their beautiful neon signs

One of the coolest things about Hong Kong is walking around its streets packed with colorful neon sings. This short documentary shows how they make them, from the first sketches to the final piece, it’s all done manually by these skillful artisans. Sadly, their wonderful work is fading thanks to progress—neon signs might disappear soon,…

Sploid Omar Kardoudi Jun 9 '14

Why The Turing Test Is Bullshit

As many reported yesterday, a chatbot has passed the Turing Test, though under some very convenient conditions. The announcement has led some to declare that the age of AI is finally here, but that’s nonsense. Here’s why the Turing Test is a very poor way of measuring machine intelligence. A quick recap of yesterday’s announcement:…

io9 George Dvorsky Jun 9 '14

The io9 Book Club Is in Session! Let’s Talk About Leviathan Wakes!

Welcome to the monthly meeting of the io9 Book Club. In May, we read Leviathan Wakes, by James S.E. Corey. Jump into comments to get started talking about it! For those unfamiliar with the io9 book club, here’s how it works: You read the book. We create a special book club post on io9 when…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jun 9 '14

The Time Luke Skywalker Met The Joker, Narrated By Mark Hamill

The once and future Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill, is also a crazy talented voice actor best known as the Joker in many Batman cartoons. At a recent Star Wars Weekend, some brave, wonderful person asked Mr. Hamill to narrate a meeting between the Jedi Knight and the Clown Prince of Crime. In related news, watching…

io9 Rob Bricken Jun 9 '14

An Origami Razor Uses the Power of Paper Cuts To Shave

Half of what makes a paper cut so annoying and awful is that it comes from a seemingly safe and innocuous material. But designer Nadeem Haidary wants to change your opinion on the much hated accidental paper cut by harnessing it for good through an origami razor that can purportedly shave faces. Made from waterproof…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Jun 9 '14

A Lunar Discovery Reveals The Secret To Building Deflector Shields

Radiation in space is one of the major obstacles to human exploration of the solar system. Astronauts on a round-trip to Mars could be exposed to radiation doses 66,000 times higher than on Earth. But recent research into magnetic fields on the Moon could help us design effective radiation shields. A new study written by…

io9 Mark Strauss Jun 9 '14

A Hidden Feature in iOS 8 Will Stop Marketers From Spying On You

Mobile marketing companies slurp up your info during moments of desperation: When you’re scanning for a free Wi-Fi network, whether at the mall, airport, or ballgame. A small detail in iOS 8 is going to make that a whole lot harder—but Apple may have an ulterior motive. When your phone scans for networks, it sends…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Jun 9 '14

The 10 Cutest Animal Flash Mobs in the World

Come with me to a world where huge swarms of animals don’t have to be terrifying! Some animals get exponentially cuter as they get together in bigger and bigger groups. Here’s the science behind the most adorable animal flash mobs you could ever hope to be caught in. Top Image: Hagerty Ryan, U.S. Fish and…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Jun 9 '14

How Big a Deal Is Passing the Turing Test?

Yesterday, a computer program successfully passed the Turing test for the first time. As is not uncommon for breakthroughs, it was a controversial victory, with plenty of detractors pointing out the various reasons that this wasn’t that big a deal after all. What is one to think! Let’s talk it out. What’s everyone so worked…

Tech News Brian Barrett Jun 9 '14

Elon Musk Wants To Make A Flying Car

The Scientist Who Inspired the Count of Monte Cristo

Dear Diary: Penny Dreadful Pens TV’s Most Victorian Letter

How To Brand A Cow Like A Cowboy

The Chinese Tea Study that the Tea Party Wants to Suppress

Scientists Are Making Condoms Out of the Same Material As Your Contacts

This Depression-Era Hollywood Robot Was Built to Write Screenplays

NASA’s Prototype ISS Habitat Is an Inflatable Grow House

I Don’t Think The Leprechaun Reboot Has Any Idea What A Leprechaun Is

Aging Veterans Are Using Oculus Rift To Fly War Planes Again

This Clever Site Tells You If Your Favorite Bar Patio Is Sunny or Shady

How artisans in Hong Kong make their beautiful neon signs

Why The Turing Test Is Bullshit

The io9 Book Club Is in Session! Let’s Talk About Leviathan Wakes!

The Time Luke Skywalker Met The Joker, Narrated By Mark Hamill

An Origami Razor Uses the Power of Paper Cuts To Shave

A Lunar Discovery Reveals The Secret To Building Deflector Shields

A Hidden Feature in iOS 8 Will Stop Marketers From Spying On You

The 10 Cutest Animal Flash Mobs in the World

How Big a Deal Is Passing the Turing Test?

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