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And now, here’s Benedict Cumberbatch as the Joker

He’s managed to play just about everyone else — so why not have Benedict Cumberbatch play the Joker? He’d probably be pretty amazing, and a worthy successor to Ledger, Nicholson and Hamill. This fan art comes from concept artist Alex Tuis, whose work on various movies we’ve featured before. (Via Comic Book Movie.) And here’s…

Snuggle Up To a Cozy Yule Log and the Science of Fire This Evening

Those few precious days off you have during the holidays are best spent taxing your brain as little as possible. But who says you can’t learn something even when away from work or school? If you’re lacking a fireplace to curl up next to, this wonderful video from AsapSCIENCE will keep you cozy while educating…

Who would win in a fight: Alexander the Great, or Genghis Khan?

If you built a time machine and forced Alexander the Great’s army to fight Genghis Khan’s, who would win? The answer: It’s not even close. A thousand years separate those two forces, and they include a few striking technological achievements. Image via Ethically Challenged. Over at Slate’s Quora blog, they break down the bloodshed, and…

What’s the most pointless self-sacrifice of all time?

Sometimes, a hero has to give his or her life for a greater cause. And sometimes, a hero’s sacrifice is utterly pointless and in vain. What’s the most utterly pointless self-sacrifice of all time? Please include a picture or clip of this needless moment of self-abnegation. And let us know the title of the movie,…

The World’s Largest (and Probably Only) Tripod Christmas Tree

The easiest way to set a world record is to think of something so grandiose and obscure that no one could have ever possibly thought of attempting it before. And for the folks over at Custom SLR, that involved building the world’s largest Christmas tree made entirely of tripods—plus the requisite festive decor. All-in-all the…

To boldly lie: Howard Leventhal pled guilty to fraud chargesafter he snookered people into investing into a nonexistent “McCoy Home Health Tablet,” a version of Dr. McCoy’s medical tricorder from Star Trek.

Houston struggles to save the Astrodome, London vows to make biking safer, L.A. sees light rail successes, and San Francisco mounts a shitty campaign for its sewers. It’s Christmastime in the city for this week’s urban reads. The blind Vancouver artist Carmen Papalia leads “Blind Field Shuttle” walking tours through cities so residents can discover…

Meet the eight astounding finalists of DARPA’s Robotics Challenge

This past weekend, eight robots distinguished themselves from the rest at the DARPA Robotics Challenge, earning them a place at the 2014 Grand Challenge. Here’s what you need to know about these great eight. DARPA launched the challenge as a way to encourage the development of robots that can work with people as they respond…

Our Best Fitness Articles of 2013

Listen to me now and believe me later, 2013 was no year to just sit around eating buffalo-wing-flavored-pretzels-flavored-biscuits. Or maybe it was. But it was also the year we got down to the nitty gritty of of health and fitness. From bionic knees to six-pack science, here are our favorite Fitmodos of 2013. An Injury…

Beautiful Light Fixtures Folded From A Single Sheet Of Tyvek

So you can fashion a piece of loose leaf into a paper crane? Snore. Behold the skills of Jiangmei Wu, who turns single sheets of Tyvek into incredibly intricate sculptures that glow from within. Wu’s Folded Light Art is the result of an impressive mix of old and new techniques; she designs patterns using Illustrator…

7 Foods and Beverages Made Using Ingredients from the Human Body

While eating human flesh may be the ultimate taboo, human microbes, saliva, and even hair have been integral to the making of certain food and beverages. From traditional brews to culinary concept art, here are seven edibles that started, in part, inside the human body. Top image from the microbe-themed anime Moyashimon. Kuchikami Sake: The…

This Fun Leica Puzzle Started Life as a Flat Plastic Poster

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of its classic camera, the Leica store in Sao Paulo, Brazil commissioned this wonderful puzzle that would be given to important clients throughout the year. The non-functional camera, designed by ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi in Brazil, would be distributed as a full-sized poster with pre-cut parts that could be…

Explore Pathfinder’s Distant Worlds with aliens and starships

If you love the fantasy adventure of the Pathfinder RPG but really wish you could take your characters into space, then rejoice. A new setting, Distant Worlds, gives you an entire solar system to explore in your next campaign. One thing you have to give Paizo credit for, they’re willing to take chances. Distant Worlds…

Keanu Reeves’ new movie has 47 problems, but the Ronin ain’t one

Nobody was expecting the new 47 Ronin movie to be good — its long delays and problems have become legend — but it’s bad in a particularly depressing way. This is a film that’s not only boring and campy, but also kind of nonsensical, turning a classic story of revenge and loyalty into a stew…

Merry Christmas, Son. I Trampled a Man To Death To Buy You This LeapPad Ultra Tablet

I bought this for you weeks ago. Santa Claus got most of your presents, but this one is special from your mom and me. It was very hard keeping it a secret from you. Partly because you’re so curious, always getting into everything, and partly because after Daddy bought this present it was the top…

Antarctic Expedition Ship is Trapped in Sea Ice

Scientists taking part in the 2013-2014 Australasian Antarctic Expedition have issued a distress call after their ship, the MV Akademik Shokalskiy, became trapped in heavy Antarctic ice. The crew is retracing the footsteps taken by Sir Douglas Mawson in 1911 — a journey that nearly ended in disaster. The captain issued the distress call to…

How to conquer Magic the Gathering‘s new Duels of the Planeswalkers

You’ll need a brand new strategy for Duels of the Planeswalkers, the casual “video game” version of the Magic the Gathering card game. Luckily, our ultimate Planeswalkers guide will tell you when to counterspell, when to summon a massive elder thing, when to reanimate a demon corpse, and how to lay waste to your opponent.…

Watch This Mistletoe Drone Launch Surprise Kiss Attacks

Nothing says holiday cheer like an unmanned aerial vehicle! In San Francisco’s Union Square, a drone decked out in tinsel and armed with mistletoe did some low-flying rounds over the heads of jolly folks, who were positively delighted at the excuse to engage in a little festive PDA. Ho! Ho! Ho! It’s tough not to…

How can an argument make no sense, but still be valid?

Ah, nothing like a little logical paradox for Christmas. Today we will look at how to make a valid argument—that disagrees with itself and makes no sense. Dive in to the paradox of entailment. When the sun is in the sky it is day. When the sun is in the sky it is not day.…

How To Set Up All Your Kickass New Gear

Someone out there must think you’re pretty special if you got such great gadgety goodness for Christmas. Now all you have to do get it up and running. Don’t worry: we’ve got you covered. Everything You Need to Master Your New Smartphone Welcome to our annual New Smartphone Set Up Guide. Someone thought enough of…