Latest

What Is High-Resolution Audio?

This week, Sony unleashed a battery of expensive audio gear that claims to support “high-resolution audio” which, like “ultra high-definition” in the video world, sounds pretty snazzy. But what does high-resolution audio mean? And will HRA really make the music sound better? High-resolution audio is a new industry marketing term… On Tuesday, the Consumer Electronic…

Why losing helium might mean losing our history

Our helium supply is running out. When it goes, it won’t just take our future technology, it could take all of our historical documents with it. https://gizmodo.com/now-is-the-time-to-start-mining-helium-on-the-moon-5766927 Helium is generally found around stashes of uranium. When uranium decays it ejects an alpha particle, which consists of two protons and two neutrons. As soon as the…

Oh hey, NASA launched its official Instagram account today. So far it’s all moon-related, anticipating tonight’s launch of the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer, but it’s definitely worth a follow. [NASA]

Stargate is getting rebooted into a new movie trilogy

Good news, Stargate fans! Original movie director Roland Emmerich wants to make more! The bad news? He doesn’t want to continue the massive original universe as seen in SG-1, Atlantis, Universe, Infinity, and The Legend of Curly’s Gold, but will reboot the franchise with a new movie trilogy. Right now, this trilogy is merely in…

The Cold War Bunker That Offered Subterranean Suburbia Below Las Vegas

The real estate listing for 3970 Spencer St. shows a foreclosed two-bedroom on a suburban street east of the Las Vegas Strip. That’s nothing remarkable in Vegas, which has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country, but this house is special: It’s 25 feet unground. A high-end fallout shelter built in secret, it’s…

Watch a Virgin Galactic Test Flight from Onboard the Engine

This is what a Virgin Galactic supersonic flight with the SpaceShipTwo looks like, up close and personal. It’s not quite space, but it’s still damn gorgeous to watch. Virgin Galactic conducted its second supersonic test flight over the Mojave desert. After being released from the WhiteKnightTwo mothership at 42,000 feet, SpaceShipTwo fired a column of…

This weird and wonderful iridescent cloud is not a special effect

It’s hard to believe that the sky in this photo is not a frame from a sci-fi movie. The weird ball on top of a mountain, the antennas, and a sky that seems to belong to an alien world… it’s a sky that you can only see in one place in the world. That place…

A Simple Leather Loop That Outperforms Most Smartphone Accessories

Most leather accessories for your smartphone take the form of unflattering cases that add unnecessary bulk to your device and detract from its sleek design. And that’s why we love Alain Berteau’s lovely leather keyring accessory—because it does neither of those things. Instead, besides making your keys easy to retrieve from your pocket, the recycled…

Letters from Whitechapel is a ripping good board game

In Letters from Whitechapel, a team of detectives scour the streets of Victorian London, searching desperately for the depraved murderer known as Jack the Ripper. It’s a lot like the classic ’80s board game Scotland Yard, but with more bloody murder. Scotland Yard was my favorite board game to play with my cousins when we…

Virgin Galactic says it’s on track to begin tours of space in 2014

Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo underwent its second successful rocket-powered test flight yesterday, demonstrating its “wing-feathering” capabilities for the first time. In a video announcement released soon thereafter, Virgin CEO Richard Branson stated the company is “on track for a 2014 start of commercial service.” Rich space-enthusiasts, rejoice! Above: SpaceShipTwo during yesterday’s rocket-powered test flight // Credit:…

This Ship Makes Its Own Waves Inside to Remain Stable in Rough Seas

It can take a land lubber quite a while to get their sea legs, so MARINTEK (the Norwegian Marine Technology Research Institute), working with Norway’s Salt Ship Design, have created a boat that can actively cancel out the rolling motion of the ocean’s waves. Designed for use alongside oil platforms under construction as a temporary…

Police arrests man who broke the drive-around-Manhattan speed record

His name, according to the New York Police Department, is Christopher Adam Tang. He claimed he drove around Manhattan in just 24 minutes and seven seconds using a BMW Z4. The man was arrested following the publication of his video and an interview in Jalopnik. https://jalopnik.com/source-says-police-have-arrested-manhattan-speeder-afro-1253640248

Here’s the Gigantic Nokia Windows Phone We Might Never See

There’s a new leaked image of Lumia’s gigantic phone-tablet, the Lumia 1520, and it looks pretty nice. It comes from @evleaks, a historically reliable source for advance shots of phones. It looks pretty nice—if it ever comes out. Evleaks posted the image as “Nokia Lumia 1520, 2013”, but it’s unclear what’s happening to all of…

7 Surprising Structures That Would Have Transformed San Francisco

When you live in a city for a while, it begins to feel—for better or for worse—like every block is completely familiar. But there’s a heck of a lot of invisible history inherent in even the most recognizable sites. This month, San Francisco is celebrating its own unrealized gems; Unbuilt is the theme of the…

Jennifer Lawrence explains why Mystique is “naked” in the new X-Men

The latest Star Wars casting rumor will thrill Lost Girl fans. Could Will Smith be in Independence Day 2? There’s a new Mad Max photo. Find out what Tyrion’s doing in Winds of Winter. See new pictures of Daniel Radcliffe in Horns. Plus Agents of SHIELD, Thor and Outlander. Spoilers ahead! Top image: X-Men: Days…

According to 9to5Mac, we may have to wait until the end of October for the final release of OS X Mavericks. The update—which features a lot of small improvements that add up—is reportedly taking extra time to mourn the tragic loss of Goose.

Even Behind-the-Scenes That Chest Bursting Alien Is Terrifying

A lot of people try and avoid behind-the-scenes looks at their favorite movies for fear it could ruin the mystique of what they’re seeing on-screen. But surprisingly, seeing the inner workings of the infamous chest bursting alien from Aliens is just about as terrifying as the actual scene in the movie, if not more so.…

Qualcomm Toq Hands-On: This Is Tonnes Better Than the Galaxy Gear

Disregarding my opinion that smartwatches (unless they’re the Pebble, or something as intuitive and elegantly-executed) can all be tossed in a skip and set on fire, I’m actually really impressed after a brief play with the Qualcomm Toq (pronounced “talk,” not “toc.” Dubbed “the anti-Galaxy Gear” (by us), such is the stripped-down nature of what’s…

LG’s 77-Inch Curved OLED Ultra HD TV Is a Monstrous Beauty

Currently, the biggest curved curved ultra-high resolution OLED TV tops out at a mere 55 inches—but LG is shaking things up with this monstrous 77-inch creature. Being shown off at IFA 2013, it’s not clear why anyone would really need a 77-inch curved TV like this. But that’s OK, because it’s currently just a concept…

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Craig From Craigslist

Craig Newmark is the Craig of Craigslist whose estimated net worth as of 2010 was around $400 million. This is in direct contrast to his financial wealth during childhood, where his mother struggled to support Craig and his brother, Jeff, after the death of their father. Craig Alexander Newmark was born on December 6, 1952,…