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Almost Human finally zooms in on one of its female characters

Detective Valerie Stahl has been hanging around in the background of Almost Human, offering support and a flirty smile to John Kennex. In this episode, we finally get some hints of Stahl’s background—although the episode is still all about Kennex. Once this season is over, I am going to go back and watch all the…

The Real Reason Why You Pass Judgment on Other People’s Taste in Books

Of course, your own taste in reading material is beyond reproach — but those Twilight fans, they’re just stuffing their brains with garbage. And meanwhile, those literary snobs are judging you for liking military science fiction, without even having read any. If this is you or someone you know, then you ought to read Laura…

A Double Chamber Bike Tire Helps Prevent Flats When You Ride Off-Road

Those big chunky tires used on mountain bikes don’t just help plow through rough terrain and absorb shocks. When under-inflated, they also have a much larger footprint for extra grip on uneven surfaces—but there’s a tradeoff. When an impact compresses the inner tube too far it can cause what’s known as snake bite punctures, an…

Watch a couple break up using only movie titles in their conversation

If you love movies or wordplay or smart things by funny people, try and keep up with this amusing video of a couple breaking up using only movie titles as the words of their conversation. That’s right, any time they talk in the video, they’re using one of 154 different movie titles to communicate with…

These official exoplanet artworks are the next best thing to visiting

Chances are, none of us will live long enough to travel to a planet in another star system. But at least, we can gaze upon dozens of exoplanets right now — thanks to official artworks created by NASA and some of the world’s greatest high-tech observatories. Check out our favorite official exoplanet art below. We…

Have you ever gotten high on Derbisol?

If you have, you are either living in South Korea, or lying, or possibly both. Derbisol is rarely discussed now, but at one point it was supposed to be the drug that caught out the kind of people who lie about taking drugs. Derbisol is a debatable urban legend. Exactly what it is, and how…

A 1986 World Future Society report predicted a shortfall of 50 million jobs in the U.S. by the year 2010, thanks to increased automation. The report even had a name for the millions of unemployed. They were called MADMUPS: Middle Aged Downwardly Mobile Underemployed Professionals.

A Mario Coin Doorbell Grants Infinite Annoyance

How do you spice up your apartment’s doorbell without resorting to some over-obnoxious chime? If you happen to be programmer and Super Mario fan Joseph Thai, you hack the button outside your door to let visitors collect coins every time they push the button, triggering authentic sound effects from the game. Every time the button…

Transcendence trailer is a lot more violent than we expected!

Finally, a trailer for Transcendence that explains what this artificial intelligence thriller is all about. And apparently the machines are mad! Wally Pfister (long-time cinematographer for Chris Nolan) is launching his directorial debut with a whole lotta blood. This first real look at the movie Transcendence, starring Johnny Depp, explains what happened to get Depp’s…

The “Circle Jerk of Doom” and a Deadly Dance-Off, on Lost Girl

Lost Girl indulged in some world building this week, rearranging the characters and setting up some fun light-versus-dark conflict. We got plenty of Vex, and a high-stakes fae dance-off. The plot picks up just as Bo learns from the Una Mens that she involuntarily “chose” the dark side. Bo talks like a Mafia don (“This…

All the Completely Insane Ideas Hollywood dreamed up for I Am Legend 2

Hollywood really wanted to make I Am Legend 2, starring Will Smith. Even though he died in the first one. Fortunately, this never happened — but producer and writer Akiva Goldsman was happy to share the many failed ideas they had for an I Am Legend prequel and/or sequel. Warning: These ideas are all totally…

This Anti-Snooping App Catches People Who Spy on Your iPhone

Have you ever wondered if people are spying on you? Not to be paranoid or anything, but we all leave our phones unattended sometimes. It’s not hard for a friend—or foe—to take a quick look at your text messages. But don’t fret. Catchr ($2) does one thing, and it does it pretty well. Once you…

​How do you make World War II worse? Add royalty with superpowers

That’s the premise of Rob Williams and Simon Coleby’s new Vertigo comic Royals: Masters of War. In this alt-history, royal blood bestows superpowers, but these kings and queens have an agreement to never join their respective wars — that is, until World War II forces England’s Prince Harry to take action. All that and more,…

Who’s the coolest group of friends who save the world together?

There’s nothing wrong with a dynamic duo, or a hero who goes it alone. But sometimes, you want to see a group of friends, who all hang out together, saving the world. This was something 80s movies did really well. But who’s the greatest crew of friends who get together to explore or do heroics?…

Mars Curiosity having fun driving on dunes

This is fun. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover driving over dunes in Mars. Check out the view from the back, after going through all that sand. SPLOID is a new blog about awesome stuff. Join us on Facebook

Be sure to watch this creepy stop-motion horror film in the dark

Turn off the lights and enjoy a quick shiver with Harrison Browning’s Pluto and the Vessel, an animated short about a man who enters a mysterious structure and encounters something malevolent in the darkness. [via The Animation Blog]

Coasters That Stick To Glasses Protect Every Surface in Your Home

A coaster is only effective if your dinner guests are willing to use them. Once you’ve left the room to check on dinner, it’s all but guaranteed there will be glasses, cans, and bottles placed directly onto every piece of furniture you own. Unless, of course, those coasters were stuck to the bottom of every…

How a Rogue Developer Got Apple to Approve a Drone Strike App

After nearly two years and a ton of media attention, you can now download an iPhone app that alerts you every time a drone strike kills someone abroad. It only took the app developer six tries and several different names to get Apple to approve it. The app is called Metadata+ and, officially, it provides…

New Jedi Kind of Looks Like A Guy We Bought Weed from in Hawaii

Meet Kanan, the brand new Jedi character from Star Wars Rebels. They call him the “Jedi Cowboy,” and he likes to party. Voiced by 90s dreamboat-turned-silver fox Freddie Prinze Jr. Kanan is one of the new characters from Star Wars Rebels. And thanks to USA Today, we have a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of…

Totally Radical: A Microhistory of 1980s Science Fiction

In the 1980s, science fiction ruled over everything. Most of the biggest movies and books of the decade were scifi, and cyberpunk became the era’s pop aesthetic. Here’s how the 1980s changed the genre forever. Image above is from the 80s film Liquid Sky. Cyberpunk When people look back on science fiction aesthetics from the…