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Why campiness succeeds — and why it fails — in Batman

What have we here? Oh, just ’60s-era Batman going surfing with the Joker, and making use of some spray-on shark repellent, like one does. But what makes this campy adaptation of Batman work, while Joel Schumacher’s Batman & Robin didn’t? After taking a look at some of the forgotten plot holes and oddities of the…

It’s been a long day, so here’s a cute baby otter to heal your ailments

This ridiculously cute little thing was spotted near the Monterey Bay Aquarium last week, just hanging out on its mama’s belly, holding hands, swimming around, snoozing, lovin’ life. We should all be so lucky. Incredibly, these pics are not the most adorable thing I’ve seen this week; that honor goes to the baby wombat and…

In sum, the ceiling seems limitless when it comes to oils potentialities. The industry has been spending some $300 million a year on research, and this is due for an increase. The result: More discoveries, more miracles. — February 15, 1960 The Republican Courier in Ohio

The scary plastic surgery transformation of a beautiful Korean reporter

Except in extreme cases, I don’t think plastic surgery is a good idea for any human being. But when someone is attractive to begin with—like this South Korean reporter—I just can’t comprehend the reasons. Look at the before and after shots. Before After She’s not an isolated case. There are more examples of this kind…

Two ways to look at the Jukes, America’s most “degenerate” family

The Jukes are not a real family. Juke is a made-up surname, assigned to a sprawling, impoverished family by a Victorian scientist. That scientist wanted the family to get a hand up. The next scientist to study the Jukes wanted them eliminated entirely. Max Juke was born in the first half of the 18th century.…

To Make Glass Stronger, Etch It With Microscopic Cracks

To anyone who has ever dropped a wine glass or broken a window, you might have a thing or two to learn from mollusks. A new technique inspired by natural materials such as mollusk shells or tooth enamel can make glass 200 times stronger. Weirdly enough, it works by weakening the glass with microscopic cracks.…

This Amazing Krang Belt Buckle Is For Serious TMNT Cosplayers Only

An oversized belt buckle seems like an obnoxious accessory, even if you raise cattle for a living. But when that belt buckle is custom sculpted to look exactly like Krang from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, suddenly dropping $190 for a functional fashion accessory seems like a steal. https://gizmodo.com/krang-apron-perfect-for-ninja-turtle-soup-prep-5994891 Hand sculpted and painted by Etsy…

North America’s Arctic Blanket compared to the rest of the continent

“Arctic air has surged into the U.S. pushing into the Southeastern states and dropping high temperatures there into the 20s with colder wind chills,” says NASA. This NOAA GOES-East satellite image shows what was happening this morning at 9:45. It’s an Arctic Blanket, says NASA: This NOAA GOES-East satellite image was captured at 1445 UTC/9:45…

io9 Book Club reminder: Meeting 2/11 to Discuss The N-Body Problem

This month, we’re reading Tony Burgess’ disturbing (and funny) post-zombie novel The N-Body Problem. We’ll meet on Feb. 11 to discuss it! We’re hoping Burgess will join us later that week to talk about the book. What is this io9 Book Club all about? We meet once a month to discuss a book we’ve all…

This Wacky Telescope Lets You Listen To What You’re Looking At

Unless you’re a synesthete, the five senses are pretty straightforward—but designers keep on coming up with cool ways to mix-up the experience for those of us who don’t have the natural ability. Which is what makes the Wassiliscope so neat: This thing transforms color frequencies into corresponding sound frequencies, allowing the user to hear what…

Great news, everyone! It’s so cold in Wisconsin right now that large portions of Lake Superior have completely iced over. This means that visitors to the National Lakeshore can walk right out and explore the otherwise inaccessible Mainland Sea Caves at Apostle Island. Image: Mary Dougherty–Nikon D700–The Cookery Maven

Humans have been controlling fire for at least 300,000 years

Archaeologists working at Qusem Cave in Israel have uncovered a 300,000 year-old hearth. It’s the earliest evidence of repeated fire building over a continuous period by humans. Anthropologists estimate that humans first discovered fire about a million years ago. What we don’t know, however, is when our ancestors first starting using it on a regular…

All hail the mutant lavender crab!

A Japanese seafood wholesaler found this lavender king crab in a shipment of regular king crabs. According to the company’s president Kenetsu Mikami, this is the first time he has seen a crab of this color in 25 years. “It could be a good omen,” he says. True. Or it can be a sign that…

Behold Tom Hiddleston’s shirtless audition for the role of Thor

Before he transformed into the greatest Marvel villain of all, Tom Hiddleston originally auditioned for Chris Hemsworth’s role as Thor. And we now have a tiny glimpse of that audition tape — and it is awesome. The gifs come from the soon-to-be released Thor: The Dark World DVD extras. One of the special features will…

What graphic novel should be required reading in high schools?

High school is when you learn a lot of the truth about being a grown up — and sometimes, the teachers will try to give you a heads-up, with reading lists that include Catcher in the Rye or whatever. But what graphic novel ought to be on every high school’s required reading list? Please include…

Gridded “Superlens” Brings Wireless Power Transmission A Step Closer

Above is a close-up of what developers call a “superlens,” a device that can focus low-energy magnetic waves over a distance. The result? Wireless power generation over nearly one foot of air between transmitter and receiver. That might not seem like a great feat, but its Duke University creators say the superlens for the first…

Graphite Razor Blades Turn Utility Knives Into Carpenter’s Pencils

When you’re working with wood, they say you should always measure twice and cut once. But there’s no mention of ensuring the pencil line you draw to make that single cut is as straight as possible. A company called Prazi believes you can actually create a straighter, truer line with a utility knife instead of…

The rumors are true: Google’s bringing Chrome apps to iOS and Android. Well, it’s providing the tools developers need in order to do so. The toolkit is only in a beta form at the moment, but it holds the promise turning Chrome apps into cross-platform suckers for your phone. If it turns out to be…

Overlords Among Us: Amazing Artwork of Clarke’s Childhood’s End

People have been trying for years to get a movie of Arthur C. Clarke’s Childhood’s End off the ground — and there has been some amazing artwork depicting Clarke’s Overlords. Including a design by creature-designer extraordinaire Wayne Barlowe, and drawings by Batman artist Neal Adams! While working on the post about “entry level” science fiction…

​Captain Mal and the Serenity finally fly again in This Week’s Comics

Yes, the fan-favorite Firefly crew are finally back in action, thanks to Dark horse’s new series, while the Dredd movie gets a comic sequel as well. Plus Snowpiercer, super-Brits, Captain Jane T. Kirk (really!) and more, all in this week’s comics! New Issues Dark Horse: • Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #1: Six months after…