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This Week in Time Capsules: Retired Shuttles and Moldy Baseball Cards

This week we have a school in England that filled its new capsule with the latest in tech, a casket from the Reagan administration that for some reason includes biscuits and gravy, and a public ceremony in Florida which will show off a capsule for the retired space shuttle Atlantis. And a town that hates…

Why I Will Never Want a Smartwatch

I don’t want a smartwatch. I don’t, and will not. Because the very idea of a smartwatch, even at its platonic ideal, is damn useless. Let me explain. Basically, a smartwatch, even a great one (which does not exist) is like NFC—the “futuristic” technology that lets you pay for things by tapping your phone against…

See a lightning storm in a test tube

One exceptionally dangerous experiment is nicknamed “a lightning storm in a test tube.” Although it does look like lightning, it’s actually more like a bunch of booze-soaked explosions. Either way, it’s cool to watch. Ah, what could be more fun that mixing acid, alcohol, and potassium permanganate? What’s that you say? Shards of glass to…

This Tiny Implantable Sponge Could Help Cure Skin Cancer

It almost sounds too good to be true: Researchers have developed a tiny sponge that can reprogram immune cells to attack cancer. The treatment is less invasive than surgery and potentially more effective, too. And with human trials beginning this week, there’s a chance it will soon be available for everyone. This impressive-sounding scenario is…

Five Cities Turning Ugly Overpasses Into Vibrant Parks

It seemed like a good idea at the time, right? We’d build vast, multi-lane roads slicing through the center of our cities, bulldozing our most historic architecture and displacing tens of thousands of residents at a time, all in the name of progress. 50 years later these genius improvements have severed our neighborhoods, ruined our…

New Skyscraper Unexpectedly Generates A Solar Beam That Can Fry Cars

Oh, man — this is nuts. A skyscraper under construction in London is reflecting concentrated sunlight onto the streets. The beam is so hot that it’s “melting cars” and popping tiles right out of the ground. For passersby, it’s like standing in the glare of giant magnifying glass. Called the Walkie-Talkie building on account of…

Video: Virtual reality sex is finally getting closer to actual reality

All the virtual sex apps were unrealistic awkward crap on a computer screen until. Watch this guy using an Oculus Rift—a low cost virtual reality headset that really makes people think they’re somewhere else—to play with ultra-realistic 3D naked bodies. https://kotaku.com/watch-a-guy-stare-at-realistic-naked-bodies-thanks-vi-1264530400

Dealzmodo: AA Rechargeables, Anker Astro, GorillaPod, Madden

Pick up a 16-pack of Amazon Basics Rechargeable AA Batteries for only $25 today and save a ton of money not buying throwaways in the long run. All of our Top Deals section is Lead Deal quality today, so be sure check it out. Please join us in the latest Moneysaver Co-Op where we’re nominating…

RIP Ann Crispin, Who Fought for the Writers

You owe A.C. Crispin a huge debt, whether you know it or not. As an author, she helped carve a space for women writing science fiction. She helped prove media tie-in novels could be great books in their own right. And she fought for writers to get treated fairly, with the indispensible site Writer Beware.…

Don’t believe the hype: We haven’t cured Down Syndrome in mice

Have you heard? Scientists have discovered a drug that cures Down syndrome with a single injection! Only they haven’t. They’ve cured Down syndrome in mice with a single injection. Except… well… they haven’t really done that, either. Science has done an awful lot for mice. Cancer, Huntington’s disease, old age, HIV. You don’t worry about…

Verizon’s Galaxy Note and Gear “Bundle” Saves You Zero Dollars

The Samsung Galaxy Gear is finally on the market, and gosh darn is it ‘spensive. Verizon just started offering a bundle with the Gear and the Note 3 that is $600 on contract. But the bundle isn’t about saving money; it’s about saving suckers from buying a toy they can’t play with. https://gizmodo.com/galaxy-gear-hands-on-more-watch-than-youll-ever-need-1252470567 With the…

This App Wakes You Up at Your Stop If You Fall Asleep on the Subway

We’ve all done it. After a tough day at work or a long night of drinking, the gentle motion of the subway rocks you right to sleep, and the next thing you know, you wake up in the Bronx. It’s a frustrating problem, but one app developer thinks he has the solution: a motion-based alarm…

How Labyrinth illuminates an ancient Greek paradox

Labyrinth gave us many things. David Bowie in tights. A CGI owl. And, of course, a variation on a paradox that started in ancient Greece. Learn about the iterations of the Liar’s Paradox. Everyone remember Labyrinth? If not, let me remind you of one famous scene. Sarah, on her way to the castle at the…

Parallel Worlds: How Human History Turns on the Tilt of the Multiverse

Andy Murray’s unexpectedly strong start against Roger Federer in the Wimbledon 2012 final put the Daily Telegraph columnist Matthew Norman in a science-fiction mood. Contrasting Murray with the doubles champion Jonny Marray — who still rents a flat and drives a Ford Fiesta, despite holding a Grand Slam title — the Daily Mail opined: ‘The…

World’s Largest Lego Fleet Sails Into Philadelphia Port

This Saturday, in honor of Coast Day, the world’s largest Lego ship collection will be displayed at the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia. 120 Lego ships will be showcased, from tugboats to aircraft carriers and super tankers. The ships vary in length from 1-ft coastal vessels to 6-ft maritime monstrosities. The Lego fleet was built…

The 10 Most Unbelievable Alien Races in Science Fiction

Chances are when we meet actual extraterrestrials, they’ll be so different, our minds will be blown. But science fiction has to make do, which is why we get so many humans with wacky foreheads. Sometimes, though, we meet an alien race that could never have evolved, no matter what. Here are the 10 most unbelievable…

Nap-Anywhere Ostrich Pillow Does Away With Kids’ Napping Woes, Friends

Travel with us, if you will, back to about a year ago when something called the Ostrich Pillow was making waves across the internet with its lofty promises of a napping revolution. But the Ostrich Pillow was made for full grown sleepyheads; no kids allowed—until now, that is. Today, you can purchase for your child…

Some mad man built a full family house 25 feet under Las Vegas

Sometime in the 1960s, a nuclear-war obsessed mad person illegally built this surreal house 25 feet under The Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. A full family home complete with a swimming pool, painted landscapes and a system that crudely simulates sunlight through the day. This happy place to spend the rest of your life after…

Spire Shame: Why Today’s Tallest Buildings Are Mostly Just Spire

In theory, we’re in the midst of a “golden age” of skyscraper construction. But why, of the ten tallest buildings on Earth, is nearly 30 percent of each structure totally unusable spire? This week, the Council on Tall Buildings blew this scandal wide open with a report on the phenomenon, which they’ve christened “vanity spire.”…

Following Facebook’s lead, Yahoo just released its first ever transparency report, disclosing how it dealt with government requests for user data. Yahoo says that the report includes an accounting of “national security requests”. In the last six months, Yahoo gave up data following 92-percent of the 12,444 queries from US authorities.