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​The 16 Most Useless Star Wars Figures in the Galaxy

A truly preposterous amount of Star Wars toys have been made over the last 35 years; during that time, Hasbro (and Kenner before them) obviously couldn’t just keep churning out Luke, Han and Leia figures, so they’ve made toys of almost everybody who ever appeared in a single frame of the six movies. Here are…

This Fake Poop Is Helping Designers Test the Toilet of the Future

Toilet tech is no longer the oft-overlooked subject it once was, and much of that is thanks to the Gates Foundation, which has made helping the 3.5 billion people lacking access to clean toilets one of its main missions. But how does one test the durability of potential cost-effective commodes? By using fake poop, of…

Which Lab Alcohols Can You Safely Consume Without Going Blind?

Ever found yourself eyeing stock lab alcohols and wondering if any of them would be good for a quick buzz without, you know, potentially killing you? Josh Velson, a chemical engineering consultant who works with bio and petrochemicals, has your answer. The short answer is many—if blindness is the only thing you have to worry…

Le Guin on Lessing: Read Ursula Le Guin’s somewhat disparaging 1979 review of Doris Lessing’s first straight-up science fiction novel, Shikasta, here.

Starting today, Google will begin to roll out Android 4.4 KitKat to Verizon versions of the Moto X.

What I Bought With the Last $5 I’ll Ever Give Blockbuster

Last night I walked into my local Blockbuster and bought their “Next Register Please” sign. They were selling it for $5. The whole process felt like buying a corpse. Or, at the very least, a corpse’s cufflinks. As my wife and I stood in line to pay for the thing, we could overhear one of…

Can You Spot The 70-Year-Old Homesteader’s Shack Hiding In The Desert?

At first glance, it’s easy to mistake this clapboard box in the middle of Joshua Tree for a mirage or digital illusion. Artist Philip K. Smith III added mirrored panels to the shack’s exterior, making Lucid Stead seem to hover in the landscape like a processing glitch. At night, when the sun goes down, it…

Phone Carriers Reject Anti-Theft Plan So They Can Sell More Insurance

Remember the idea to prevent cell phone theft with a so-called kill switch that would disable the device remotely after it had been stolen? Well, lawmakers are having the darnedest time getting a policy in place, in part due to carriers. Let me rephrase that: due to greedy carriers. George Gascón, San Francisco’s District Attorney,…

The time anti-vaxxers argued that vaccines would turn kids into cows

Those who have had to argue with anti-vaxxers will know that the argument shifts. If it’s not mercury in the vaccines that’s causing problems, it’s dead fetus parts, and if it’s not dead fetus parts, it’s unspecified “toxins.” But did you know the free-form argument has been going on longer than you imagined? . It…

Breaking Bad’s final gag reel will make you laugh, and maybe cry

This is it, the very last bit of “new” Breaking Bad footage you’ll ever see. Behold the Breaking Bad season 5 gag reel, and begin to laugh through the tears. Taken from the Breaking Bad: The Complete Series DVD box set, which is stored in a barrel. It was taken down! You can watch it…

Disney’s new rendering technique could usher in a new era of animation

An animation studio can spend days rendering a scene that features water, smoke and other substances that affect light (and its simulation) in complex ways. Now, a team led by Disney Research Zürich has developed a computational algorithm that can reduce rendering times for such scenes by a factor of up to 1,000. Animators call…

Can Saying “People on Bikes” Instead of “Cyclists” Make Biking Safer?

A few years ago, I bought a bright orange city bike, which I chose because it allowed me to sit up as I rode. A few times a week, I wear my regular clothes—mostly dresses—to go to meetings, run errands or ride on the bike path by my house. I don’t own any padded shorts.…

The actual probability of Earth going to hell in the next few decades

We know that climate change is already affecting Earth’s weather in a major way, but we don’t exactly know how bad things are going to get. However, scientists have a pretty good idea of the probabilities of Earth going to hell in the next few decades. This video shows them. “We wanted to find a…

The US Is Sending an Armada of Aid to Typhoon-Ravaged Philippines

Typhoon Haiyan, the most powerful storm on record, bludgeoned the Philippines last week with 235 mph gusting winds and 50 foot tall waves. By current estimates, the storm’s fury has impacted 6.9 million people in 41 provinces, taken countless lives, and razed more that 150,000 homes, entire towns simply washed away by the tides. Despite…

Watch in real time as scientists discover ancient human fossils

A team of scientists who are excavating an ancient human cave in South Africa have joined forces with National Geographic to bring you live updates of their incredible finds. Called the Rising Star Expedition, the excavation is focused on a cave that that is filled with the bones of multiple ancient humans. Members of the…

James Woods explains why robots should eventually get to vote

Starting tonight, the Science Channel will air a six-part series called Futurescape, a slick documentary-style show hosted by James Woods about the world of tomorrow. We recently caught up with the oscar-nominated actor to learn more. One of the more interesting aspects of Futurescape is that, in addition to heralding the technologies of the future,…

A Lightup Stegosaurus Is Just What Your Lawn Nativity Scene Needed

When you’re trying to one-up your neighbor’s holiday decor, an authentic nativity scene on your front lawn is the least of your priorities. You want decorations that will have people driving for miles to see your home. Besides, who’s to say there wasn’t a glowing animated stegosaurus outside the stable that night in Bethlehem? This…

A Canon-Friendly Cage to Fix Your GoPro’s Sad Battery Life

As people find more creative uses for GoPro cameras, the device’s biggest drawback—paltry battery life—becomes more and more glaring. Thankfully, there is now a device that lets you use Canon DSLR batteries to give your GoPro a whole lot of extra juice. The $180 Tehkton CagePro works with the GoPro HERO 3 or 3+ to…

​Mystery Science Theater Thanksgiving Day Marathon Returns!

A long lost Thanksgiving tradition is resurrecting from the grave. The annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 marathon will return this year. It’s a holiday miracle! Taking in hours of MST3K after gorging yourself on turkey and family hostility is tradition, but unfortunately the long day of laugh/napping was cancelled when Comedy Central pulled the plug…

Walmart Will Match Competing Black Friday Prices A Week Early

Beginning this Friday, November 22nd, Walmart will be matching select competitor Black Friday deals online and in-store. Announced discounts include a 50″ LG HDTV for $448 and new release video games like Call of Duty: Ghosts for $49. [Walmart] We will of course be covering the best of these deals on Friday and through the…