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Those JFK conspiracy theories now include Magneto, apparently

X-Men: Days of Future Past is getting its viral video on with this video detailing how a young Magneto was tried and convicted (and also possibly framed) for the murder of President Kennedy. Huh. It’s a pretty smart idea, given that last Friday was the 50th anniversary of his assassination, although it’s more than a…

Scientists Have Figured Out How to 3D Print Batteries

Guns? Sure. Airplane engines? Why not! But 3D printing batteries has caused some headaches among researchers—until now. Because new inks and tools are making 3D-printed lithium ion cells a very real possibility. https://gizmodo.com/100-000-people-have-already-downloaded-3d-printed-gun-p-498755006 Technology Review has taken a look at the work of Harvard materials scientist Jennifer Lewis and reports that, though in its early…

Vizio’s Latest Bigass Sound Bar Is Also Super Cheap

Vizio’s new monstrous (in the best way) new sound bar packs some smart new features including center channel vocal boost and different levels of surround virtualization, but the best thing about it? It’s super cheap. For just $300 you get a 54-inch sound bar—the right size for TVs that are 55 inches or larger—that pumps…

Deer Stand and Deliver: The Hunting Blinds of the Midwest

If you’ve ever spent time in the far reaches of the U.S., you’re probably familiar with the deer stand—a uniquely improvised, homemade shelter that gives hunters refuge, warmth, and a clear view. Though they’re designed to be inconspicuous, photographer Jason Vaughn seeks them out, finding and photographing dozens of the structures across rural Wisconsin. Vaughn…

Is a fan favorite character being recast for the new Star Wars?

Steven Moffat tells how much of Doctor Who will revolve around the Doctor’s new quest, Francis Lawrence says some controversial moments from Mockingjay are in the movies, and someone’s in mortal peril in Teen Wolf. Plus, casting news from the Doctor Who Christmas special and The Walking Dead. Spoilers now! Top image: The Walking Dead…

This Is Why Imperial Units Suck

Imperial units suck. They suck really, really hard. They’re archaic, irrelevant, difficult to work with, and, perhaps most stupidly, based on incredibly arbitrary reasoning. As this wonderful video explains. Guys: it’s time we all went metric. [Head Squeeze] https://gizmodo.com/its-time-for-the-us-to-go-metric-5972438

The Whole of US Public Radio, Visualized

If you’ve ever wondered how far and wide public radio stations spread in the US, this map is for you: it shows them all, as well as how far they spread. Put together by Andrew Filer, it uses data from Wikipedia and the station search from the Federal Communications Commission. Each circle represents a station;…

If you’re unlucky enough to have a new Xbox One with an optical drive that makes a lot of grinding noises and doesn’t read games properly, Microsoft will give you a free game—as well as fixing the problem!

How Braille Was Invented

Braille was invented by a nineteenth century man named Louis Braille, who was completely blind. Braille’s story starts when he was three years old. He was playing in his father’s shop in Coupvray, France, and somehow managed to injure his eye. Though he was offered the best medical attention available at the time, it wasn’t…

The NSA May Have Penetrated Internet Cables to Spy on Google and Yahoo

It recently came to light that the NSA snooped on the communications of Google and Yahoo users without ever breaking into a data center. Now, the New York Times is reporting, it appears that could be because it penetrated fiber optic cables. The newspaper cites “people knowledgeable about Google and Yahoo’s infrastructure” who believe that…

Swathes of PSN users are having the passwords changed—which is, according to Sony, a “purely a precautionary measure” for “routine protection.” Which sounds slightly suspicious.

Debunking Eight Common Excuses for NSA Mass Surveillance

We’ve heard from lots of folks whoare passionately concerned about the NSA’s mass spying, but are struggling to get their friends and family to understand the problem and join the over a half-million people who have demanded change through stopwatching.us and elsewhere. Of course, you can show them the Stop Watching Us video and this…

The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One Google Play editions are both scoring an Android 4.4 KitKat update today.

Google Confirms Its Android Camera App Is About to Get Way Better

Earlier this month, a batch of comments in Android source code hinted that the camera app was about to get a shot in the arm. Now, Google has confirmed that’s the case. https://gizmodo.com/shelved-android-code-hints-that-way-better-camera-apps-1466697190 Speaking to CNET, Google spokeswoman Gina Scigliano confirmed that some important new features were already present in the version of Android that…

Awesome natural wonders may make you more likely to believe in God

A new study published in the journal Psychological Science says that humans exposed to awesome natural phenomenon—like the aurora borealis or stunning landscapes like the Grand Canyon—may be more likely to believe in God and the supernatural. The researches exposed one group of participants to some awesome scenes from Planet Earth, the epic nature documentaries…

TWTIT: ETHAKROTOS TETRAGRAMATARION

Damned drunken space wizards. Why do they have to ruin everything?

Los Angeles Was Once a Forest of Oil Derricks

Oil extraction is still big business in the Southland, but today locating signs of the industry can require a careful eye. Wells hide in plain sight as office buildings or masquerade offshore as tropical islands. In the back of the Beverly Center shopping mall, one quietly sips from the earth behind a nondescript wall. But…

The WTC’s Security Center Will be Topped By an Elevated Park

As the NYPD and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey iron out the final plans for the World Trade Center site, new details are emerging—including this week’s news that the roof of the site’s vehicle security checkpoint at the WTC will be occupied by a lovely elevated park. The big reveal wasn’t…

100 Fantastic Toy Cars Made By Fun-Loving Modern Designers

Aw, these are wonderful. One hundred different architects and designers have each put their own creative spin on a small wooden car for 100% ToBeUs, a traveling exhibition of super minimal mini-roadsters. Architect Matteo Ragni rounded up a who’s-who of big names to contribute, from the Campana brothers to BarberOsgerby to Matali Crasset to Marcel…

Sweet candy bars can really be fucking offensive

Cursing Candy—this ingenious stop-motion video by Lee Hardcastle shows how to curse using traditional candy bars like Sneakers, Mars or KitKat. It’s a lot of fun—unless you get easily offended by this kind of language.