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Bitcoin Exchange Mt. Gox Disappears, Not Getting Help From Authorities

After concerns arose yesterday, it now appears that the bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has gone offline entirely—taking the bitcoin in its possession with it. http://valleywag.gawker.com/if-you-have-bitcoin-in-mt-gox-you-are-probably-fucked-1529946212 After halting customer withdrawals on February 7th, a number out outages yesterday, and the deletion of its entire Twitter feed, it now looks like Mt. Gox has gone properly dark.…

The Science of Sriracha

Lollipops, popcorn, hell, even lip balm—there is very little that isn’t made better with a shake of Sriracha. In this video, though, the American Chemical Society explains the science behind why the sauce is just so damn good. https://gizmodo.com/sriracha-lollipops-are-a-wonderful-invention-5904741 From the capsaicinoids that provides its fiery kick to the compounds that maintain its vibrant red…

Ever since Microsoft bought Nokia, there’s been speculation about what role Stephen Elop would assume in Seattle. And now we know: he’ll replace Julie Larson-Green as Head of Devices & Studio. Gadgets and games, then.

The shocking contrast between the two Koreas as seen from space

No propaganda can hide the stark contrast between South Korea and North Korea as seen from orbit. A buzzing megalopolis and a bright constellation of cities versus a sea of nothingness and a capital that looks miserable despite the fact that it houses 3.26 million people. According to NASA, “the light emission from Pyongyang is…

The plot to destroy education in Louisiana, on True Detective

Just when you think you know where True Detective is going, it punches your face and takes you down a new road. Last week we explored the horrors of fatalistic philosophy, but this week we got surprisingly political. Turns out that the root of all evil may be Christian voucher schools. Spoilers ahead! One of…

What military food ration packs look like around the world

Different cultures, different food. Different folks, different strokes. Different armies, same soul evaporating packaged foods for army rations. Okay, that’s not exactly fair. Some countries obviously have it better than others (I’m looking at you France) but at the end of the day, most armies around the world are eating out of pouches and cans…

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: StormJumper

As a truly monumental storm rumbles across the alien plateaus, one resident must take drastic measures to save himself, quite literally, from the oncoming destruction. Malcolm Sutherland directed and animated this action-packed, introspective animation.

Nikon D4S: An Epic Pro DSLR in a Familiar, Jumbo Package

At the professional level, the ultra-powerful DSLR is still mighty important, and with that in mind, Nikon is upgrading its beastly D4, with the D4s, a faster flagship shooter that’s better than low-light than its older namesake. There’s a lot to love about this camera. Here are the highlights. https://gizmodo.com/the-inside-story-of-how-olympic-photographers-capture-s-1521746623 Like its predecessor the Nikon…

I wish stars really left these mesmerizing star trails in the night sky

It’s not fair. Time lapses and fancy cameras get these fantastic images of star trails that paint a starry night onto the sky and yet when we look up, we see nothing. Even when the stars are glistening, we don’t get to see the mesmerizing hook of its trail spinning around us. Wouldn’t it be…

This is how Batman would look in real life

A team of weaponry gurus and researchers (including a LOTR and Hobbit armor specialist) has designed what can only be described as Batman’s perfect Batsuit. Behold the majesty. For four years, a team of folks have been trying to create the ultimate armor. A suit that can protect, but is also flexible. Australian News site…

Holy crap, seeing World War II air combat footage in color is just nuts

Wow. This incredible video of aerial combat in World War II has it all. And all of it is terrifying. From dog fights and kamikaze attacks to flak fire and carpet bombing to explosions and aerial combat, it captures the frantic frenzy of aerial warfare during WWII. It’s better than any movie because it actually…

A Virginia Tech biologist has proposed a revolutionary new way of classifying all living organisms. The new system would automatically classify and name organisms according to genetic similarities. The goal is to create a universal language that biologists can use to communicate about all life on Earth with unprecedented detail.

Watch a huge asteroid crash into the Moon

Of course, rocks and asteroids crash into the moon all the time (there’s a reason it’s so cratered.) But there’s something about seeing it in action — and at this size — that’s pretty amazing. So how big was the crash? So big that researchers say the flash it created was very, very briefly was…

Scientists trapped on a Medieval Hellworld, in Hard to be a God trailer

Before Hard to be a God was a hit video game, it was a novel by the indispensible Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, adapted into a 1989 film starring Werner Herzog. And now it’s been adapted into a new, black-and-white film that looks incredibly grueling and intense. In Hard to be a God, scientists from Earth…

New Paper-Based Urine Tests Could Detect Cancer and Heart Disease

Diagnosing cancer and heart disease generally requires extensively trained personnel and expensive instruments. But one MIT research group that wants to solve that problem has designed a single injection and paper-based detection system they’re hoping to ship them everywhere a letter can travel. Sangee Bhatia’s team developed a molecular detection system that brings a bunch…

Thinking positively could undermine your ability to succeed

It’s become a truism to say that thinking good thoughts can lead to good things. Self-help gurus tell us to visualize success, and psychologists tout the “power of positive thinking.” But some scientist have found that positive fantasies lead to bad things. Adam Alter has a great article in the New Yorker about what really…

Zappos Isn’t a Cult? All Tony Hsieh’s Friends Got Matching Tattoos

Online retailer Zappos is known for its zany, zealous corporate culture. But one stunt seems to bridge the gap from “culture” to “cult”: For CEO Tony Hsieh’s 40th birthday party, his inner circle of friends—apparently calling themselves “Zapponians”—all got the same tattoo. The story of the tattoo party opens a long feature in the Las…

Scary punk magically transforms into posh girl—but what’s better?

Well that was unexpected. Meet Mel. She’s an intimidating punk rocker who has a hot pink mohawk, more piercings than she can count and has never found a studded leather jacket she’s never worn before. And then meet Mel again after her made for TV makeover. Who is the better Mel? The makeover was done…

Does The Scream depict a real-life volcano explosion?

The explosion from the Krakatau volcano in 1883 was so strong that it unleashed a 130-foot tsunami and turned the skies red for months. But is it also responsible for this famous painting by Edvard Munch? Munch painted The Scream in 1893, ten years after the volcano erupted in Indonesia. Researchers in Sky & Telescope…

A scientific explanation of why Sriracha tastes so damn good

If you put sriracha on over 50% of your foodstuffs like me, you know what makes the Thai chili sauce so good — magical pepper elves. But it turns out there’s also several scientific reasons why our taste buds recognize sriracha as one of the best condiments on Earth, and this videos breaks ’em down.…