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Divergent Is A Ridiculously Fun Story Of Social Engineering Gone Mad

At first glance, Divergent sounds like a more contrived version of Hunger Games. In a dark dystopian future, everybody is required to have just one personality trait. Like Smurfs. Or the Seven Dwarfs. But the film version does a good job of revealing how this story is actually about social engineering. Plus, it’s actually fun!…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Mar 21 '14

The Android Wear Smartwatch Apps We Want the Most

The main concept of Android Wear is simple; it’s a Google Now watch, which is awesome. But the right suite of compatible apps could make it even better, so long as they don’t get in the way of the simple Google Now-ness we all want and deserve. https://gizmodo.com/android-wear-is-just-a-google-now-watch-and-thats-grea-1546476502 Of course Android Wear won’t have its…

Tech News Eric Limer Mar 21 '14

These High-Flying Drones Almost Hit Satellite Status

Low earth orbit is becoming increasingly crowded with satellite traffic and, as Gravity showed us, increasingly treacherous. So rather than try to squeeze yet another spacecraft into the mix, a French consortium has begun development on a super-high altitude, autonomous dirigible that will skim along the edge of the stratosphere. The Stratobus, which is still…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Mar 21 '14

Stephen King Art Show Puts All Your Nightmares In One Room

Check out this sneak preview of The Hero Complex’s Stephen King-inspired art show, titled “King for a Day.” It’s like being in a room with every single bad dream you’ve ever had. What fun! The Hero Complex King show debuted in California today, and it includes gobs and gobs and gobs of gorgeous King-infused art.…

Movies Meredith Woerner Mar 21 '14

NASA’s prettiest spaceship yet will take actual photos of alien worlds

PlanetQuest is NASA’s effort to search for new Earths, exoplanets like ours that would probably contain life too. They’re doing some really cool stuff, like this sunflower-telescope combo spaceship—”a cutting-edge effort to take pictures of planets orbiting stars far from the sun.” Imagine that—seeing the actual planets! It’s a simple concept: In order to be…

Sploid Jesus Diaz Mar 21 '14

How To Donate Your Voice To Someone Who Can’t Speak

Here’s a good deed you can do without parting with a single thing. Synthetic voices for people who have lost the ability to speak only come in generic types—think of Stephen Hawking’s voice—but one fascinating project wants to build custom voices for each person. To do that they need your help: specifically, a recording of…

Tech News Sarah Zhang Mar 21 '14

The Perfect Shoe Says A Lot About Humanity’s Imperfect Evolution

Hitoshi Mimura is regarded as one of the best shoe designers on Earth. Formerly of Asics, “the god of shoes” went solo some years back, and began crafting custom footwear for world-class athletes on a consultation basis. Mimura, and his shoes, are legendary. So what’s his secret? Photo via Hi. In a word: metrics. In…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Mar 21 '14

Dinner with the greatest view of Earth

NASA and some of their astronauts played along during #LiveInSpace to give a behind-the-scenes look at how the vital necessities take place in the International Space Station. Food has changed a lot over the years, with current meals on the ISS looking a lot like what we eat here on Earth. But it’s not quite…

Tech News Mika McKinnon Mar 21 '14

Why Meetings Are The Worst Possible Way To Get Things Done

Have you ever had to talk out a decision in a big meeting? Did the meeting take forever and accomplish nothing? Here’s why. The Study That Shut People Up At least one study has demonstrated the fact that talking can take away a group’s ability to make a good decision — not to mention a…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Mar 21 '14

Why Do Animals Adopt?

Is adopting a child a benevolent or a foolish act? If you were taking a cold evolutionary perspective, it would appear to be the latter. So why do many animals, including elephant seals and humans, do it all the time? For foster parents, there are huge costs involved, with no promise of passing on genes.…

Biology Jason G. Goldman Mar 21 '14

You Can Finally Buy That Flying Fire-Breathing RC Dragon (For $60,000)

Thanks to Game of Thrones, dragons are en vogue again. And Hammacher Schlemmer is capitalizing on their renewed popularity by letting you buy one of Rick Hamel’s amazing flying RC dragons. In the air it can hit a top speed of around 70 mph, and on the ground it actually breathes fire. What more could…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski Mar 21 '14

This has to be one of the coolest car pranks ever

Apart from Jeff Gordon’s insane prank on Jalopnik’s Travis Okulski, this has to be the coolest car prank ever: A car company convinces two guys that they are racing in a simulator, but they’re actually zooming through a real life obstacle course in a port. https://jalopnik.com/these-two-guys-think-theyre-in-a-simulator-theyre-1548662257

Sploid Jesus Diaz Mar 21 '14

These Eerily Accurate Mugshots Were Created From DNA Alone

Everyone knows that DNA can be invaluable when it comes to solving crimes. But now genetic analysis can be used to generate incredibly precise mugshots of criminals, too. https://gizmodo.com/controversial-dna-crime-fighting-technique-keeps-it-all-5595808 Researchers have developed a new technique which uses DNA analysis to determine how genes influence facial shape. In turn, New Scientist reports, that’s allowing them to…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Mar 21 '14

Fox Announces A “Mystery” Marvel Movie For 2018

Fox’s chunk of the Marvel universe is going to be busy. The studio just announced two new movies for 2017, including Fantastic Four 2, a sequel to The Wolverine, and a third, unknown Marvel movie in 2018. But what is it? I think there are only two real options here: Either another stand-alone film based…

Movies Rob Bricken Mar 21 '14

This Amazing 3D Render Lets You Dive Into a Heroic Battle

The Battle of Buda in 1686 was a significant victory over the Ottoman Empire, which threatened Europe, Asia, and Africa during the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1896, Gyula Benczúr painted his gorgeous masterpiece titled “The Recapture of Buda Castle in 1686,” depicting the final moments of the Holy League victory, after 78 days of…

Tech News Attila Nagy Mar 21 '14

If You’re Going to Buy a Chromebook, Today’s the Day to Do It

If you’re like me, you’ve been thinking of picking up a Chromebook as a backup laptop for awhile, but $200-$300 is just a little more than you want to spend. If that’s the case for you, then today’s the time to strike, with Amazon offering a refurb of one of the best models out there…

Tech News Shep McAllister Mar 21 '14

This is how the world’s most iconic monuments look from far away

The world’s most famous buildings and monuments never look like you think they will in real life. Photographers create iconic postcards that are burned in our brains, most often to the landmark’s advantage—like Stonehenge, the Niagara Falls or the Great Pyramids. But others times zooming out reveals an even more impressive picture, like Mount Rushmore…

Sploid Adam Clark Estes Mar 21 '14

The GIF Party Is Here

Deal with it, House Stark. Winter is over, spring is here, and we’re celebrating with a GIF party! Sure, we may still get a last minute snow storm or two, but the thaw has begun. So send out your favorite GIFs, along with a note about any news or updates you have to tell us…

io9 Ria Misra Mar 21 '14

Amazing Aerogel: Eight Looks at the Ghostly Supermaterial in Action

Aerogel must be one of the strangest supermaterials to ever exist. Ghostly and shimmering in appearance, it’s insanely light, incredibly strong, and an amazing thermal insulator. And its tricks look absolutely impossible when you see them up close. Made for Fun Aerogel material—often referred to as frozen smoke, solid smoke, solid air or blue smoke—is…

Tech News Jamie Condliffe Mar 21 '14

Samyang Introduces New Lenses For Your Wide Angle Pleasure

Adding to its slew of affordable, manual-focus glass, Samyang announced some new options for super wide-angle shooting in both DSLR and mirrorless mounts. First up is a 10mm f/2.8 lens that will come in almost any popular mount including Canon, Nikon, and most mirrorless systems. It costs $529. Super-duper wide. Then there’s a 12mm f/2.0…

Tech News Michael Hession Mar 21 '14

Divergent Is A Ridiculously Fun Story Of Social Engineering Gone Mad

The Android Wear Smartwatch Apps We Want the Most

These High-Flying Drones Almost Hit Satellite Status

Stephen King Art Show Puts All Your Nightmares In One Room

NASA’s prettiest spaceship yet will take actual photos of alien worlds

How To Donate Your Voice To Someone Who Can’t Speak

The Perfect Shoe Says A Lot About Humanity’s Imperfect Evolution

Dinner with the greatest view of Earth

Why Meetings Are The Worst Possible Way To Get Things Done

Why Do Animals Adopt?

You Can Finally Buy That Flying Fire-Breathing RC Dragon (For $60,000)

This has to be one of the coolest car pranks ever

These Eerily Accurate Mugshots Were Created From DNA Alone

Fox Announces A “Mystery” Marvel Movie For 2018

This Amazing 3D Render Lets You Dive Into a Heroic Battle

If You’re Going to Buy a Chromebook, Today’s the Day to Do It

This is how the world’s most iconic monuments look from far away

The GIF Party Is Here

Amazing Aerogel: Eight Looks at the Ghostly Supermaterial in Action

Samyang Introduces New Lenses For Your Wide Angle Pleasure

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