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Captain Kirk is Right When it Comes to Diplomacy

Many people have made light of Captain James “Alien Banger” Kirk, and his crotch-first approach to diplomacy. It turns out that he might have the right idea. Attraction very often helps us come to a peaceful solution during conflicts. Driving the Other Guy Out The early Star Trek series has occasionally been made the object…

Batman Battles The Suicide Squad In The New Assault On Arkham Movie

Batman’s next straight-to-DVD animated adventure is set in the Arkham Asylum videogame universe, although you’d be hard-pressed to tell from this trailer. Still, watching the Suicide Squad get caught between Batman and the Joker seems like a good time no matter what. Obviously, it has a hard time living up to the amazing 75th anniversary…

This beautiful music video should be turned into a video game asap

I didn’t know French band Equateur until I saw their Another-World-ish video for their EP Lava, which should be turned in to a video game ASAP. The video was created by Kadavre Exquis. Beautiful. The song reminds me of the most atmospheric Depeche Mode—and that’s a high compliment. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome…

A Pair Of Batteries Keep This Cordless Vac Running For Almost An Hour

No one likes having to deal with cords, and they’re a particular pain when connected to a device that’s able to suck them up and destroy them. So Hoover’s new Air Cordless vacuum manages to finally make a cordless vac that’s actually useful with a pair of rechargeable batteries that keep it running for almost…

Lost Treasure Hunt Wants To Make Learning History Fun

Not everyone was a big fan of history class growing up, and frankly most grade-school classrooms teach the material rather dryly. But history has shown that if there’s one thing that captures a kid’s attention, it’s cartoons. And that’s why the animators behind Lost Treasure Hunt want you to help them make their ambitious and…

No, Tech Adoption Is Not Speeding Up

Yesterday the folks over at Vox published an article arguing that generations should be defined by the technology they use, rather than by age. They included a graph that purported to show how American society is “adopting new technology more quickly than ever before.” The graph is garbage. And here’s why. [Update: It looks like…

HBO has renewed Mike Judge’s Silicon Valley comedy series for a second season. If you aren’t already watching this show, you definitely should be.

Grave of the Fireflies, Game of Thrones, Avatar, David Attenborough

Grave of the Fireflies is among the best anime and best war movies ever made. Powerful and essential. Get the Blu-ray today for $13. [Best Buy] We had a great deal on the Avatar graphic novels recently, and today you can complete your collection with great prices on the show. I finally got around to…

9 Transportation-Related Jobs That Only Exist In Certain Cultures

Would you get paid to act as a third passenger in a vehicle so the car could drive into a congestion-restricted area? How about signing up to pack people into crowded subway cars? Dress up as a zebra and walk the streets, preventing cars from running red lights? These are actual gigs which you could…

Hundreds Of Fans Are Re-Animating An Entire Episode Of Sailor Moon

We’ve seen fan filmmaker remakes of Star Wars and RoboCop, and now a huge group of animators are doing the same thing for Sailor Moon. They are pooling their talents to remake every shot of a single episode of the show in a variety of styles. Moon Animate, Make Up! is a fan project helmed…

New Video Goes Inside the Painstaking Design of Apple’s HQ

New details about architect Norman Foster’s design for Apple’s Cupertino HQ have been slow to leak, but this video gives us the most detailed look so far. This building is going to have everything: Native trees! Solar panels! Crazy circular desk spaces! The video contains plenty of awesome footage of the models being made by…

That Time Scientists Tested Sulfuric Acid on Prisoners for No Reason

In 1907, food manufacturers used sulfuric acid to control the pH of molasses and fermented drinks derived from molasses. As food regulation got tougher, these manufacturers had to prove that their additives were not dangerous. In order to test whether or not the food additive was harmless, the state of Louisiana decided to feed some…

Crazy people change two wheels while driving the car

Why stop to change your tires when you can keep driving on two wheels and have your passengers go out the car to change them as you keep driving? Sploid reader Officer Mike posted a video similar to this on the comments. Apparently, this is something common in arab countries: It’s called hagwalah. SPLOID is…

Can Eating Poppy Seeds Really Cause You to Fail a Drug Test?

When Elaine on Seinfeld failed a drug test after eating a poppy seed muffin back in the 1996 episode “The Shower Head,” the idea that you could fail a drug test after eating poppy seeds took off. Turns out, this wasn’tyet another Hollywood writer invention—you really can potentially fail a drug test if you eat…

The GMO Mass Suicides Are a Myth

Of the many horror stories we hear about GMOs, few are as heart-rending as the one about how nearly 300,000 Indian farmers have killed themselves over failed cotton crops. What’s also horrible is that the story is a complete fabrication. Typical of the tales told by anti-GMO activists, the chief villain here is Monsanto— the…

A Taxonomy Of Creepy Dead Kids In Horror Fiction

M.R. Carey’s new novel The Girl With All The Gifts comes to the United States in June — but it’s already gotten massive acclaim in the U.K., and it’s one of our favorite books this year. In a special essay, Carey explains why there are so many creepy dead children in horror, and what they…

The 4K Monitor You’ve Been Waiting For, iTunes Credit, Pocket Jamboxes

In the past, you might have needed two monitors to have enough computing real estate, but the coming wave of 4K displays promises to change that. Gamers might want to take note as well. Samsung’s forthcoming 28″ 4K display is listed at $700, which is already a steal, but you can grab yours on Amazon…

Scientifically Accurate Spongebob Characters All Eat Each Other

Animation Domination High-Def has been brought us a number of scientifically accurate versions of our favorite childhood shows, but no other has featured so much mutual snacking. Because as it turns out, sea stars like Patrick eat sea sponges like Spongebob. And a real Squidward would happily devour his boss Mr. Krabs if he got…

Turkey’s New Eco City Could Be Heated with Leftover Pistachio Shells

As one of the world’s largest producer of pistachios, Turkey has plenty of pistachio shells to go around. So, in the tradition of turning food waste into energy, officials are proposing to burn pistachio shells for heat in Turkey’s first ever eco city—and it’s not a totally nutty idea. The environmentally friendly city is planned…

Stealing A Battery Charge From A Giant Robot Is Risky Business

When a robot finds himself low on battery life, he decides to “borrow” a little juice from a much larger mech. But the massive mechanical creature is none too pleased about being used as a charging station. Bat.tutty.ry was directed by François Heysen and made over the course of six months at Supinfocom. It’s a…