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The vehicles and robots from Elysium are really awesome

Director Neill Blomkamp is about to release Elysium, his futuristic version of Occupy Wall Street starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. He got incredible artists, including Syd Mead—the guy who designed Blade Runner—and the company behind the Lord of the Rings. Here’s an exclusive look into their creative process. https://gizmodo.com/designing-elysium-all-the-secrets-of-neill-blomkamps-1069787673

The Futuristic Automated Warehouse of 1956 Was All Smiles

Is this the wonder warehouse of 1962? And if so, why is everyone so… happy? That was the question in 1956 when this ad for New Departure ball bearings proclaimed, “TOMORROW: Use no hands! For in this magic warehouse, orders fill themselves in seconds — electronically.” This vision of the completely automated warehouse is floating…

KeyMe for iOS: Keep Your Spare Set of Keys in the Cloud

How many have you found yourself locked out, stuck with a visiting friend who has to wait on the curb cause you aren’t able to get them a key yet, left out in the cold with a lost key and locksmith, or any number of other unfortunately common circumstances? As long as people use physical…

What’s the most obviously fake bluff or ruse of all time?

Science fiction and fantasy are full of heroes (and villains) who come up with bluffs that any five-year-old child could see through. Yes, we’re looking at you, Captain Kirk. But what’s the most obviously untrue bluff in science fiction or fantasy? Please include a picture of your chosen bluffer, so we can appreciate his or…

Old Mickey Mouse cartoons blamed for women’s new terrible situation

What’s causing the current problems with women trying to be “sexy and cute,” like some kind of horrible baby troll doll that is also “sexy” to some subset of humanity? One expert with a Ph.D says the blame can be squarely laid at the large feet of cartoon character Mickey Mouse, popular during the Great…

Are Brainscans a Better Way To Do Job Interviews?

An article by Tim Lahey suggests that medical schools could change the admissions process to make sure the most deserving students get in by replacing the traditional student interview with, of all things, an MRI brain scan. Never gonna happen, for every reason you’ve already thought of. But even so… is it maybe a good…

This short time travel movie packs insane visuals, and a clever twist

Keep watching this four-minute time-travel movie until the end — it’s not just cool visuals of spaceships zooming around and flying into a time bubble. There’s a pretty neat twist in the final moments. Initium was created by students at the French studio school ArtFX, and here’s the synopsis: “An accident threatens Earth. John Carson,…

Groundbreaking New Particle Could Make Hard Drives 20 Times Smaller

There are many reasons why we still have size limitations on technology, but when it comes to data storage, one thing really stands out. You can only squeeze particles so close together before they start bumping into each other and screwing up the data. That’s all about to change. Scientists have finally created a long-theorized…

The Sun’s polarity is about to flip (and here’s what that means)

The Sun’s magnetic field is poised to reverse its polarity in the coming months. NASA’s not sure exactly when – something in the next few months or so – but when it does, it’ll mark the midpoint (aka “solar max”) of this, the 24th Solar Cycle. As this video explains, that won’t mean much for…

The Intersection of Comic Books and Infographics in One Glorious Book

Many comics aren’t worth reading. Many infographics don’t say anything at all. But when one of the keenest visual minds targets one of the most expansive visual mediums, wonderful things happen. Tim Leong’s Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe is the perfect collision. And I want it. Leong has done art…

The Most Overused Animal Stereotypes in Pop Culture

When it comes to fiction, an animal is never just animal. Animals always symbolize things — and they usually symbolize the same thing over and over. For example, a crow isn’t just a common bird who happens to be nearby, it’s a dark portent of bad things to come. Here are the most overused animal…

The Kindle Fire HD Is Cheaper Than It’s Ever Been

In case you haven’t noticed yet, Amazon’s been hitting its Kindle Fire HD 7-inch with sale after sale, and right now, you can pick one up for the lowest price ever in its relatively short history—a cool $160 compared to the usual $200. The sale’s being offered for a limited time only, so if you’ve…

How Back to the Future II‘s “old” make-up compares to actual aging

We still have two years before 2015, the year Back to the Future II revealed to us — including how stars Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson and Thomas Wilson might age. How did the movie do in portraying their older selves? Turns out not too bad! Certainly more accurate than the public fax machines the…

This could be the transport of the future—or the coolest fantasy ever

Elon Musk—the man who invented the dreadful PayPal and then went to make electric cars and space rockets—will unveil his crazy new plan on Monday: The Hyperloop will take people from LA to San Francisco in 30 minutes using a completely new and magical technology. Here’s a graphic explaining all the details so far. https://jalopnik.com/all-that-we-know-about-musks-hyperoop-the-infographic-1066973247

Wanna buy a medieval castle? Now’s your chance.

Okay, sure — this run down castle in France doesn’t look like much. But just think, for a mere $680,000 it could be all yours! ALL YOURS! Located in Normandy, France, it’s an Anglo-Norman castle that was on the front lines in the wars between England and France during the Middle Ages. And now it’s…

A (Toy) Shark With a Frickin’ Laser (Pointer) Attached To Its Head

As lasers go, this pointer won’t do much damage outside of maybe burning a few retinas if pointed in the wrong direction. However, if you’re a supervillain presenting your plans for world domination to a panel of evil venture capitalists (redundant, we know) this shark with a frickin’ laser pointer is the only way to…

At long last, we’ll finally get to read some of Girl With the Dragon Tattoo author Stieg Larsson’s early science fiction. One story he wrote at age 17 will be in an anthology of Swedish crime stories called A Darker Shade of Sweden.

How Upvote/Downvote Sites like Reddit Breed Irrational Herd Behavior

Are you a think-for-yourselfer? Do you weigh positive and negative Yelp reviews with a cold, dispassionate sagacity? Do you fancy yourself immune to the influence of others when you browse Reddit? That’s cute. Newly published research says you’re wrong. A study that appears in the latest issue of Science reveals that users on social news…

This angry bald-headed green space monster is the new Han Solo

George Lucas worked for a long time on his various early versions of The Star Wars, and the movie that was eventually released in 1977 had a lot of crucial help from his film editor wife and producer pals and director friends. But now his old drafts are being turned into a pricey comic book.…

Edward Snowden’s Email Provider Shut Down Rather Than Comply With Feds

Users of the extra secure and private email provider Lavabit are out of luck after the owner shut down the service on Thursday offering only a cryptic message as an explanation. Lavabit is the preferred email service provider of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, and yes, this matters. In a note posted on lavabit.com, Ladar Levison…