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Is Almost Human set in the retro future?

Every time period has its own vision of the future, whether that future consists of unlimited plenty and moon colonies or zombies and ruthless ape overlords. But do retro visions of the future sometimes cycle back into our current movies and TV? In response to this week’s recap of Almost Human, commenter Briareosdx advances an…

This Vine compilation video of magic tricks and sorcery is so much fun

Here is a tummy tickling compilation video of Vines from Zach King, the magic wizard of Vine. He’ll snatch cats out of computer screens, turn Rubik’s Cubes into candy, fly through beds and doors, jump out of his clothes, magically change colors of any object and more. It’s the most entertaining use of the 6…

Mattel’s Ghostbusters Neutrino Wand Prop Makes Us Wish Ghosts Were Real

Despite being a comedy, Ghostbusters packed a lot of convincing pseudo-science into its story, and the movie was chock full of wonderful—and incredibly desirable—props. And in the same way we don’t believe that a toy lightsaber will ever suddenly arc to life, we don’t believe this faithful reproduction of Egon’s Neutrino Wand will ever snag…

Which scientific ideas do we need to get rid of?

It’s the start of the new year, and that means it’s time for the Edge’s annual Big Question — and as always, it’s a provocative one. Nearly 170 prominent thinkers were asked: “What scientific idea is ready for retirement?” Here’s what they said. “Science advances by a series of funerals,” writes Edge.org editor John Brockman.…

1928: A ‘money-in-the-slot’ automatic fruit and nut vending machine attached to a car, on display in Britain for the first time. [Getty Images]

The trippy light created by ice from the arctic vortex in Toronto

Sunchaser Pictures’ Gavin Heffernan is back with another incandescent timelapse, this time of the city of Toronto covered in glistening ice after the arctic vortex passed through. Writes Heffernan: I was home over the holidays in Toronto during the epic ice storm of 2013 and I managed to bundle up and face the insanely cold…

Gorgeous Shadow Art Emerges From These Mundane Metal Boxes

With the lights off, Italian artist Fabrizio Corneli‘s work looks like pretty but unspectacular—just metal boxes and scraps. But with the flip of a switch, a whole new world of light emerges. His sculptures are cut with a mathematical precision so that light spills out in beautiful, unexpected forms. In this piece below called Iperboreo—Italian…

The Huygens Principle explains why waves turn corners

No matter where you are in a room, you can hear sound that emanates from a single hole. You can see light that spills through a small crack. You are picking up on waves, even though they’re getting through spaces that aren’t anywhere near you. Christian Huygens figured out why. If you’ve seen a wave…

These Machines Just Broke the Sound Barrier of Human Genome Sequencing

Ever since the first human genome was decoded at a cost of $3 billion, scientists have been pushing for a moonshot goal: a system that can process thousands of genomes at a cost of $1,000 each. Today, Illumina unveiled a set of machines that do just that. For geneticists and medical researchers, this is a…

Intelligence ended a major mystery from the pilot in the 2nd episode

We’re only two episodes in and Intelligence’s approach to plot arcs is already crystal clear: why take a whole season (or more) to delve into something when it can be dispatched right at the beginning? The pilot mentioned Gabriel’s wife so much, you’d think the writers would spend the whole season slowly moving the search…

A Drum Machine In a Guitar Pedal Is a Genius Idea

Drummers are the worst, but for guitar players, the options are limited. You either get a drummer or deal with a bunch of extra gear to replace a drummer. Which is why Beat Buddy, despite its really unfortunate name, is a totally intriguing. It could be the simple hands-free drum machine guitar players have been…

Incredibly Strange Railway Systems

During the heyday of railway travel, people believed trains would be with us for centuries. Engineers floated many futuristic train ideas, and some were even realized, before automobiles took over. Here are some of the craziest trains ever conceived. The Vitznau-Rigi Railway, Switzerland, had standard gauge rack fitted vertical boilered locomotives. The system was patented…

When Sleepy Hollow Exorcises Demons, Everybody Wins

With “The Vessel,” Sleepy Hollow’s back from the long winter of Ichabod’s convoluted backstory for an episode of madcap supernatural shenanigans featuring the Mills and campy demons, and reminding us why we love the show in the first place. Sleepy Hollow is back! And I don’t mean from hiatus. After several weeks that waded dutifully…

What killed off the world’s largest apes?

At 10 feet tall and up to 1,200 pounds, the aptly-named Gigantopithecus blacki were the largest apes the world has ever seen. These beasts went extinct some 100,000 years ago, and surprisingly, they may have been taken down by a diet that was too rich in fruit. No doubt, these animals were huge. Paleontologists aren’t…

It’s Crazy How Much of The Wolf of Wall Street Is Actually CGI

Thor? CGI all over the place. Pacific Rim? Ditto. The Wolf of Wall Street? Surprisingly, also yes. You might not have thunk it, but there’s CGI slathered all over that thing. https://gizmodo.com/watch-the-visual-effects-reel-of-thor-the-dark-worlds-1485422347 Unlike sci-fi movies where it’s CGI or nothing, there’s not much in The Wolf of Wall Street that can’t exist in the real…

This clever painting combines two paintings without Photoshop

When you first look at this painting, you imagine it as two women set against one scene. But then you notice the frames in the picture are a little off and wonder if there’s some Photoshopping or digital manipulation going on but nope, there’s none of that either. It’s just clever use of double exposure…

What is the most unhappy ending in a science fiction or fantasy movie?

The bad guys have won. The zombies have eaten everyone’s brains. Your hero is dead. What is the most unhappy ending you’ve ever seen in a science fiction or fantasy movie? Please include a picture or video with your answer, just to really make us feel utterly awful about these endings. And yes, there will…

Young Who fan dresses up as all 11 Doctors without his parents’ help

Meet Shaw. He’s a better Doctor Who fan than you… or at least more industrious. The first-grader took it upon himself to use his own (not insignificant) wardrobe to cosplay as all eleven Doctors, and the results are as impressive as they are adorable, and they are preposterously adorable. Here’s Shaw as the First Doctor:…

Tin Foil Hats Just Got a Major Hardware (and Fashion) Upgrade

They’ve been a mainstay of the hyper-paranoid for decades—at least when it comes to comic depictions. But now, the classic, beloved tin foil hat has left the world of hyperbole to become an actual, honest-to-god mind-reading-deflection machine. And it looks fancy, to boot. Designed by Lisa Kori and Caitlin Morris of the Italian communications center…

Punctuality Isn’t a Priority With This Hazy, Hard-To-Read Clock

Tired of your boss busting your chops for getting back a few minutes late from lunch? Just hang this Hazy wall clock in your office and let it serve as the perfect alibi. Is it eight after one, ten after one, twelve after one? It’s impossible to say, because designer Ivan Kasner has given the…