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Why Does BBM For Android Have a Ton of Horribly Fake Reviews?

So BBM for Android and iOS finally made it out after some delays. And how is it? “Really great user friendly and smooth” apparently. At least, according the legion of bots that’s leaving positive reviews on Google Play. https://gizmodo.com/bbm-for-ios-and-android-hands-on-the-best-blackberry-t-1352052992 Max Baxter-Reynolds spotted the abnormality, and so far as fake reviews go, these are baaaaad. If…

Japan Just Successfully Tested Its Asteroid-Shattering Space Cannon

You have to crawl before you can walk—be you a baby or an asteroid-blasting space cannon. Now, after a successful test-fire here on Earth, Japan’s specially made cannon for its Hayabusa 2 spacecraft is ready to take its first, real steps in outer space. https://gizmodo.com/hayabusa-probe-has-successfully-brought-back-first-aste-5691545 Built by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the space…

Life imitates anime as Japan starts making its first space cannon

What do the Space Battle Yamato, the Super-Dimensional Fortress Macross and the Hayabusa-2 space module in common? They all have giant space cannons, or at least all they will shortly. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has tested a weapon which they will add to the module and launch next year. This cannon won’t be…

The best lines from last night’s Arrow

The last episode of Arrow left me mostly cold. This one, “Broken Dolls,” kicks it up considerably. Not only do we get a ton of twists — and hints of twists — we get a lot of priceless lines. Find out who said what. “We shouldn’t split up.” – Oliver Queen Who knew that Ollie…

Samsung Just Got Fined $340,000 for Paying People to Bash HTC Online

Sometimes companies do stupid things to market their products. A silly commercial here. A ridiculous junket there. That’s all fine and good, but sometimes companies overdo it, companies like Samsung who just got slapped with a $340,000 fine in Taiwan for illegally paying people to trash talk HTC in forums. https://gizmodo.com/kohler-spent-1-500-for-me-to-take-a-bath-in-wisconsin-5904836 The fine comes after…

Where in Space Should We Go Next?

With the Mars-based Rover having taken one giant roll forward for robots everywhere, we’re closer than ever to landing a person there or even beyond. (Or being barred by our robot overlords from their amazing new Mars robo-colony. One or the other.) Today, we want to know where in space we should go next. Is…

Scientists discover why beer bottles overflow after a sudden impact

Using high speed cameras and lots of complex physics, scientists have uncovered one of the greatest mysteries of modern civilization: why the hell beer turns to foam and overflows from a bottle when you hit it hard at the top? Unsolved mystery: why people who do this “prank” are such jerks? https://gizmodo.com/the-fascinating-science-behind-why-a-tapped-beer-foams-1451022759

We’ve Finally Figured Out Why Kettles Whistle

This might shock you, but for over a century scientists have been pondering why kettles whistle—and completely failed to find an answer. That’s all changed now, though, thanks to two scientists from the University of Cambridge who have worked out how it happens. The whistle in a kettle is created when steam passes through two…

NECROPANTS NECROPANTS OMG NECROPANTS

In the 17th Century, Icelandic mystics believed an endless supply of money could be had by flaying a corpse from the waist down and wearing its skin like pants. They called the skin-slacks nábrók, or “necropants.” Pictured above: not necropants. Actual NSFW dead-person leggings (& penis) appear below. Via Strandagaldur, The Museum of Icelandic Sorcery…

Drivers In Sierra Leone Have To Play a Board Game To Get Their License

Remember how boring and unbearable driver’s ed was in high school? It turns out that learning to drive in other countries isn’t so bad. In Sierra Leone, on Africa’s west coast, wannabe motorists have to commit to playing a custom board game for several months that makes learning the rules of the road far less…

Do we finally know which Marvel hero will be the next to get a movie?

Reviewers mostly agree on Thor: The Dark World’s weak point… and everyone wonders, will Joss Whedon be back for Avengers 3? There are a lot of fanboy characters on Arrow. Plus, Paul McGann believes the eighth Doctor could return, even though he’s going to be missing from the anniversary special. Spoilers now! Thor: The Dark…

9 Visions of the Future Described by Kids and Drawn by Adults

Ask the average four-year-old a question, and you’ll probably get a wild, winding explanation in return. Case in point: Last month, little visitors to the V&A Museum of Childhood were invited to share their visions of what the future holds. The predictably weird and wonderful results—Invisible owners of the world! Butterfly people! Three-eyed, Cheerio-loving aliens!—were…

The Fascinating Science Behind Why a Tapped Beer Foams Over

Scientists have figured out how flying insects fly. They’ve created real-life lightsabers. But they’re at their best when they’re tackling the mysteries of beer. Now, thanks to a research team studying fluid mechanics, we finally know why bottled beer foams over after a tap on the mouth — with slow-mo footage and everything. https://gizmodo.com/the-secret-science-in-a-pint-of-beer-5968567 A…

TiVo has announced that its Roamio Pro and Roamio Plus DVRs will now offer out-of-home streaming, allowing subscribers to watch live and recorded TV remotely over Wi-Fi. It’ll first roll out in the next weeks via an iOS app update, then an Android app and 4G streaming are planned for early next year.

Mac App Store Bug Is Upgrading Illegal and Trial Software For Free

As well as giving away OS X 10.9 Mavericks for free, Apple has also promised to update iWork and iLife gratis, too, for anyone that bought a Mac after October 1st. But there’s a glitch in the system that means people with illegal or trial copies of the software are being given free updates too.…

The Globe and Mailreports that ex-Apple CEO John Sculley is looking into taking control of BlackBerry in order to turn it round. Good luck with that, John.

Amazon’s Gigantic Biodomes Have Been Endorsed By Seattle

Amazon has somehow gained initial approval to build a huge series of greenhouses slap-bang in the middle of Seattle so it’s employees need never leave work. https://gizmodo.com/amazon-is-planning-a-massive-biodome-hq-so-no-one-ever-509289653 The 65,000 square-foot, 95-feet tall, five-floor biodome structure—set to contain offices, dining areas, and retail stores—will be nestled within the company’s giant new campus, which will also include…

How LED Lighting Is Being Used to Comfort Patients in Intensive Care

If you’ve ever stepped foot in an intensive care unit, you’ll know that they can be pretty grim environments. That’s all changing, though, thanks to LED lighting systems that can actually be used to improve patient care. Philips is no stranger to LED lighting, and it’s already developed it for use in hospitals. Now, though,…

Why Can People Live in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Now, But Not Chernobyl?

On August 6 and 9, 1945, U.S. airmen dropped the nuclear bombs Little Boy and Fat Man on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On April 26, 1986, the number four reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine exploded. Today, over 1.6 million people live and seem to be thriving in…

Microsoft has slashed another $100 off the price of its original Surface Pro, so now you can get one for $700 compared to $900 for the new Surface Pro 2.