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When the Doppler Effect gets twisted

We know the Doppler Effect as the reason why horns and sirens drop in tone as they rush by us. But the Doppler Effect works on objects that are twisting around, too. We’ll tell you how the Doppler Effect gets in a tangle. The Doppler Effect and Sound The basic Doppler Effect is well-known to…

Alleged Android KitKat Screens Hint at Tiny Little Upgrades

Android 4.4 Key Lime Pie Kit Kat is on the horizon, so it’s no surprise that (possible) screenshots are (allegedly) leaking out. We’ve seen a few that boast a new, flat design, but now we’re seeing hints that there’s actually no big visual change in store. A series of maybe real screenshots from Gadget Helpline…

Shameless Republican bullies park ranger for his own wrongdoing

Randy Neugebauer—a GOP Congressman from Texas—should be fired. This disgraceful individual had the balls to publicly bully and shame a park ranger just for a photo opportunity, asking her to apologize for the shutdown of the Washington DC’s World War II Memorial. The shutdown that he and his cronies provoked. is one of the people…

Did Amazon Just Trademark a Name For a TV Product?

9to5Google reports that Amazon has just trademarked the name Firetube in the U.S. and Canada. Is it a TV product? Seems to make the most sense. It’s not out of the realm of possibility; we’ve heard rumors of an Amazon streaming box before. Plus, Amazon already has plenty of content on Amazon Instant Video, and…

35 Bizarre and Uncomfortable Reasons Jeff Bezos Is Smiling

Last week, we asked you to show us why Jeff Bezos was smiling. And boy does he have a lot to smile about. Surprisingly, almost all of you kept things pretty PG! Didn’t even know you had it in ya. Of course, some of the entries were a tad—er, disturbing. But true art is supposed…

The io9 Calendar: October’s Can’t-Miss Science Fiction and Fantasy!

What does October have in store for science fiction and fantasy lovers? There are new books by Catherynne M. Valente, Paul Pope and Dan Simmons. Tons of new TV shows make their debuts. And there are loads of author appearances, conventions and new movies. Here’s the io9 calendar! Top image: The Lost Stars by Jack…

Sweet 90s Nostalgia: ReBoot is being rebooted for TV!

Remember ReBoot, the wacky CG animated series set inside a computer, starring a collection of green sprites who spend their days fighting Hexadecimal, Megabyte and playing the users’ games? Well it’s bAAAaaaaack! Rainmaker Entertainment has just announced the re-birth of Mainframe Entertainment, the folks responsible for ReBoot. And with this newly revamped division of television…

The Hidden History of the MLB Playoff Team Logos

This afternoon, postseason baseball will commence as the Cardinals take the mound against the Pirates. But in a different time, it would have been the Brown Stockings versus the Alleghenys. Here’s how they—and the other six playoff teams—got where they are today, as told by their ever-evolving logos. In the early days, a team’s logo…

These Are the Most Extreme Migrations in the Animal Kingdom

Migrations occur in every major branch of the animal kingdom, from birds and crustaceans to insects and whales. But some of these journeys are amazing feats of endurance, spanning thousands of miles and deadly terrain without rest. Here’s what science can tell us about the most extreme migrations, and how animals survive them. Gif by…

Who Needs AAA When You’ve Got R2-D2 On Your Car?

If that spunky little astromech droid can help whiny Luke Skywalker lead the Rebellion to defeating the Empire, surely R2-D2 can help you when your radiator’s on the fritz, or you’ve got a flat tire. In fact, who needs to pay for AAA when you’ve got what is arguably the real hero of the Star…

The robot uprising has never looked more beautiful than in this short

You may have once seen a trailer for a short film called K3loid, but now it’s finished and you must watch it. It’s got robot armies. rampaging mecha, soldiers in power armor, creepy mannequins, an enigmatic AI and it is unbelievably gorgeous. It’s so awesome that two Hollywood production companies have already partnered with director…

Could technology be used to control your mind?

As our brains become increasingly intertwined with our technologies, we run the risk of exposing our minds to hackers. As this new video from AsapScience shows, the possibility is very real.

Autumn Yardwork’s a Breeze With This Leaf Smooshing Rake

You might think the cheap plastic rake you grabbed at the hardware store is more than adequate given you really only use it for about one month out of the year. But that’s only because you haven’t been introduced to Quirky’s wonderful new Rake ‘n’ Tamp which not only wrangles leaves, it also tamps them…

Actually, the Alleged Silk Road Kingpin Hired a Hitman TWICE

There was already a lot of evidence that alleged Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht (a.k.a. Dread Pirate Roberts) was not the world’s greatest guy, and the condemning information just keeps rolling in. Newly surfaced legal documents say that the 29-year-old ordered not one but two hits on former associates. The new court documents come from…

Sinéad O’Connor Begs Miley Cyrus to Stop “Prostituting” Herself

Sinéad O’Connor recently wrote Miley Cyrus begging the ex-Disney star to stop allowing herself to be pimped out by the music industry. Cyrus recently said that her Wrecking Ball video was inspired by the Irish songstress’s Nothing Compares 2 U. So, Sinéad’s basically your Jameson-chugging, slut-shaming, older sister.

The Next Revolution In Farming Is a Decent Internet Connection

The beeps and clicks of dial-up web service are (mercifully) a long-gone memory for most city-dwellers, but for many rural residents that aural static is still a regular part of the ritual of logging on. The service remains incredibly slow—and that tedious pace is becoming a major problem for farmers bringing their businesses into the…

If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out the Berkeley Ideas Festival on October 25-26! There will be a ton of interesting people talking about science, the future, and more. And io9 has a special discount code (if you want the discount, click here).

This number proves that nothing in the world is solid

One branch of science, rheology, has invented a dimensionless number. It’s called the Deborah Number, and it is meant to quantify the motto of the science: “Everything flows.” Put another way, everything in the world has liquid properties. Even mountains. Rheology was created in 1928, the collaboration of an engineer, a chemist, and a professor…

It’s Amazing These Perfectly Synced Gears Don’t Shred Each Other

If you’ve ever shuddered at the sound of the gears grinding on your car’s manual transmission, you might have a hard time watching this video. But don’t dismay, as these three gears spinning at 4,500 RPM come in and out of sync with each other, at no point do they ever interfere or grind against…

Samsung Shape M7 Wireless Speaker: A Sonos by Any Other Name…

This is the Samsung Shape M7 wireless speaker, a $400 streaming device that lets you play music all over your home or office. It looks like a Sonos, smells like a Sonos, is priced like a Sonos. All that’s left is to find out if it sounds like one, too. The Shape—which features a foam-core…