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The Real-Life Scientist Who Inspired Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle

Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut’s satirical novel about politics, religion, and the end of the world, focuses on the legacy of a character named Felix Hoenikker. Many of us have read the book — but few of us know that Felix was based on a real scientist. In Vonnegut’s novel, Hoenikker invents ice-nine, a substance that…

I can’t believe this gigantic ball of fur with a nose is an animal

This giant ball of fluff is not an anime character or an alien being for the next Star Trek. It’s a real animal—an Angora bunny. I’ve seen other Angora bunnies in my life, but never anything like this. That beast can’t be comfortable, but it must be so comfortable to use it as a pillow.…

A Blanket With a Built-in Dining Table Will Revolutionize Picnics

The romanticized image of a picnic in a beautiful park on a sunny afternoon never seems to come to fruition once you actually have to deal with the logistics of dining on an uneven blanket. But all hope’s not lost; a creation awkwardly called the Tablanket—a compact folding table with a blanket built-in—could potentially save…

Apple’s recalling certain MacBook Air models over flash drive failure. If you purchased one between June 2012 and June 2013, a firmware update will see if your 64GB or 128GB drive needs replacing. [Apple via GigaOM]

How many beloved characters will die of The Walking Dead‘s new menace?

Learn some details about Stevie Nicks’ role on American Horror Story, what new and returning characters we’ll soon meet on Arrow, and a longtime Christopher Nolan collaborator may not be involved with Man of Steel 2. Plus, there’s a ton of Ender’s Game video. Spoilers now! Ender’s Game There’s a lot of new Ender’s Game…

One Photographer’s Three Year Tour of NYC’s Best Rooftops

Even if you’ve lived in New York for decades, gaining access to a rooftop you’ve never explored can still be surprisingly fun: The burst of wind, the sound of traffic, and an entirely new vantage point on a city you’d think you’d be sick of after so many years. That’s the basic concept behind Stories…

What If Famous Books Had Ridiculous Linkbait Titles?

The thing about literature is that it takes itself so damn seriously. What if, for a change, instead of pretentious and opaque titles, famous books came with ridiculous linkbait titles instead? College Humor has done a real good job with this series of great book covers reworked to cast them as clickable internet stories. There…

A Brief Social and Scientific History of Perverts

can be weird. Changes in societal norms and human psychology can mean that some things that once seemed perfectly normal suddenly become taboo—so unpicking the murky world of perversion can be both interesting and difficult. Once upon a time, having sex with your wife was perverted but having sex with a 7-year old wasn’t. That’s,…

How To Opt Out of Google’s Shared Endorsements

Google recently announced an update to its Terms of Service, focused on displaying your profile name and photo next to advertisements and reviews. The new feature, which goes into effect on November 11, is called Shared Endorsements and will allow you to share your recommendations (whether a +1 on Google Play or a restaurant rating…

Samsung Smart Media Player: An Expensive Roku Alternative

Samsung has just announced its Smart Media Player, a Roku or Apple TV alternative that runs the company’s Smart TV interface to provide all the streaming you need. Sadly, though, it seems to have priced itself outta the market. Samsung’s software allows the set-top box to run apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus abd HBO Go,…

What Happens When You Drop a Red Hot Nickel Ball Onto Aerogel

Red hot nickel ball of fire meet your toughest opponent yet: aerogel. In fact, aerogel is such an amazing material and excellent insulator that the eternal flame of the nickel ball does absolutely nothing to it. Like, seriously. It affects the aerogel as much as the normal air around it (or in it too?). But…

Apple Patent Could Bring TouchID to iPads and Macs

The next generation of MacBook laptops and iPad tablets could be opened with a scan of a fingerprint (or nipple-print, or toe-print , or sausage-print), as Apple’s TouchID patent looks ready to cover a wider range of the Cupertino firm’s products. Patently Apple has uncovered the filing with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which…

Impressive image shows America’s newest aircraft carrier about to float

The first time you see an American nuclear super-carrier in person, you can’t believe the size. It’s simply astonishing. It must be even more impressive if you see it like this, fully naked in a dry dock about to be flooded. Expand it to see it at full resolution. https://gizmodo.com/the-bow-size-of-the-navys-new-nuclear-supercarrier-defi-5913348 It happened on October 11,…

Fujifilm XQ1: Fuji’s New Tiny Cam Packs Tons of Power in Your Pocket

When Fujifilm announced its beautiful pocket camera, the XF1, last year we were genuinely psyched, which made the camera’s disappointing handling even more of a bummer. With the XQ1, Fuji has fixed some of the XF1’s annoyances and packed in the same hot image sensor that’s on the badass X20. Now we’re talking. https://gizmodo.com/fujifilm-xf1-review-clever-design-that-will-drive-you-5965614 Fujifilm…

The Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: The Baron

Sometimes, even the most earnest attempts at positive self realization don’t work out quite the way we hope. Like when you are trying to impress your co-workers but end up crab walking in a leather uni-suit and fright wig while screaming, “I waltz through the valley of death, swatting wankers as I go!”

Stan Lee Explains Why 3D Movies Suck

It’s not that 3D movies aren’t worth watching because some totally are (see: Gravity). It’s that Hollywood loves to shove it down our throat as something new and fancy and some sort of advanced technology and trendy and bullcrap like that. It’s not! Most of the times, 3D movies are made just to squeeze more…

This Next Generation Conveyor Belt Sushi Restaurant Is the Future

Conveyor belt sushi restaurants are usually only worth going to once in your life. The sushi is hardly ever amazing since it spins on the belt over and over again while the dishes you actually want might be snatched ahead of you so you never get to eat it. Not to mention plates stacking on…

The Nexus 5 Accidentally Pops Up Early on Google Play for $350

Google’s worst kept secret and possibly best upcoming Android phone has just unofficially revealed itself in the most official way possible… inside the actual Google Play Store. https://gizmodo.com/did-google-accidentally-leak-the-next-nexus-phone-1247836161 That’s right, the Nexus 5 is listed as “starting at $349” for the 16GB version and looks exactly like how we expected it to look like. One…

This skull may have just rewritten the book on human evolution

It’s a discovery that could change our understanding of early humans. An incredibly well-preserved, 1.8-million-year-old skull from Dmanisi, Georgia suggests the evolutionary tree of the genus Homo may have fewer branches than previously believed. A detailed analysis of the skull (above, in situ, and at left, fully excavated), appears in the latest issue of Science.…

Watch People Freak Out When They See Ghosts Inside an iPhone Camera

This prank is such pure evil genius that you can’t help but laugh. And feel bad because you’d get freaked out too. Funny man Jack Vale scared the creepy crawly goosebumps out of people by asking strangers to take his picture with his iPhone. Why’s that scary? Because Vale had pre-recorded a fake ‘ghost’ (or…