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SharkNATO is real!

Remember when Thunder Levin, the writer of Sharknado, said that when he was approached to write the film he misheard and thought they were pitching a movie called SharkNATO? About a daring international treaty organization battling a shark army? NOW IT IS A THING. https://gizmodo.com/we-asked-the-writer-of-sharknado-some-very-serious-ques-736131336 To be more specific, Jennell (AKA @mixmediologist on Twitter) has…

Comment of the Day: Walter White is secretly Tywin Lannister!

Today’s comment of the day came from the shadowy region that lies between the twin lands of Westeros and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Different empires, afflicted with very different kinds of monsters. Or so we thought. Commenter (and sometime io9 contributor) Jason Shankel, in response to a post on Walter White sending George R.R. Martin to…

The 30+ Best Tweets About iOS 7’s Shaky Launch

iOS 7 came out today, and obviously Twitter was there as always give insightful/snarky commentary. Here are the best thing people had to say about the software update in 140-character form: https://gizmodo.com/go-download-ios-7-right-now-1340946172

We’d be willing to wage a Time War to get this TARDIS door sticker

There are various contraptions out there that will turn a random door in your house into the TARDIS door — but judging from Amazon reviews and photos, this vinyl door sticker is the best. Created by Ukraine-based art studio Pulaton, it has a really nice level of detail. Almost all the Amazon reviews for this…

Burningly awesome Norwegian metal video channels Dune

Norwegian metal band Kvelertak has just released this fantastic animated video for their single “Evig Vandrar.” What is happening? I don’t know, but it’s full of evil laser robots on a desert planet, fighting Fremen-esque soldiers. Just watch it! The video was directed by Torjus Førre Erfjord, and the song comes from the band’s 2013…

Staples and Radio Shack have decided to remove Amazon Lockers from their stores because they’ve realized that helping customers shop elsewhere isn’t a good idea. [Bloomberg]

This map shows the regions of Earth most vulnerable to climate change

Scientists from Stanford University and the Wildlife Conservation Society in Australia have produced a map illustrating the global distribution of climate instability. Above image: Regions with both high climate and vegetation stability are shown in dark grey. Those regions with high climate stability but low levels of vegetation intactness are shown in dark orange. And…

The United States of Horror Road Trip

If you are a fan of horror movies, maybe this could be your next vacation: Roadtrippers’ guide to the United States of Horror, a tour around the the scenarios of the America’s most famous terror movies, starting with Stephen King’s Christine. https://roadtrippers.kinja.com/a-well-oiled-machine-and-the-cult-of-christine-1336727243

I Can’t Stop Laughing at These Dubbed Stock Videos

The Getty stock video used by producers to fill your screen with topical imagery is impossibly weird on its own. Seeing anything without sound is spooky and off-putting. But I’m laughing like I’m high as a kite at this compilation of stock videos that has been dubbed with sound. I can’t be the only one…

Joss Whedon was brought onto Thor 2 as the fixer

Joss Whedon doesn’t just deliver Marvel blockbuster ensemble action pieces, he’s also been sticking around and cleaning up everybody else’s messes on various Marvel sets too. Is your Marvel movie broken? Better call Joss! Alan Taylor, Thor 2’s director, revealed to SFX Magazine that Whedon was brought in to help out on troubling script areas.…

Scientists Have Found the Gene That Helps Us Forget

You know that scene in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind when they’re scanning through Jim Carrey’s playdoh-faced head, looking for bad memories to erase? A bunch of eggheads from MIT just figured out how to do that for real! Sort of. In all seriousness, though, the discovery is poised to do a lot of…

The time Walter Cronkite was zapped into the digital world of Tron

Back in 1982, famed broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite visited the set of Tron to learn about this crazy new world of “computer-generated effects” and managed to get himself zapped inside The Grid himself. Hey, did you know that computer graphics can be changed… with a mere phone call!?! Also, check out Kronkite’s quote about the…

Designs for Great Architectural Landmarks that Were Never Built

If you’re writing an alternate history, these would be the buildings you’d want to include. They’re the discarded designs for famous landmarks. Imagine if the Lincoln Memorial were a pyramid! It almost was . . . and these other buildings were almost dramatically different too. Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. as a pyramid. Proposal by John…

Looks like Apple has doubled the size limit for downloading apps over cellular connections alongside today’s iOS 7 rollout. Users can now download apps up to 100MB before the system forces you to connect to Wi-Fi. [Macrumors]

The First Full-Size Helicopter That Takes Off and Lands All By Itself

As if there were any doubts that the future of aviation doesn’t involve humans at the controls, Boeing’s Unmanned Little Bird is the first helicopter to take off and land autonomously, choosing a safe landing site using an on-board laser LIDAR—a combination of light and radar—scanner. Companies like Lockheed Martin have been developing autonomous choppers…

Some of the Year’s Most Startling Science Images

This is an electron micrograph of a leafcutter ant holding a gear that’s just 0.1 mm wide. This astonishing image was created by Manfred Page, and it’s just one of 100 great science images featured in a brand new exhibition by the Royal Photographic Society. The RPS’ International Images for Science Exhibition 2013 is going…

How Do You Like iOS 7 So Far?

iOS is out. Provided you made it through updating purgatory, your iPhone is up and running on the new software. How do you like it so far? https://gizmodo.com/go-download-ios-7-right-now-1340946172 iOS 7 is beautiful and colorful, and everything looks different—like your apps. But a new operating system takes some getting used to. There are going to be…

Someone wants to sell this horrendous car for $100,000

Nobody knows what the hell is this ill-conceived “futuristic” car, but the owner says it gets more looks than any Ferrari. And that’s reason enough to sink $100,000 on this retrofitted abortion designed by someone while watching Blade Runner on LSD. https://oppositelock.kinja.com/ebay-find-for-100k-what-the-hell-is-this-1342763844

Great, the effects of toxoplasma are harder to fix than we thought

Toxoplasma gondii is a brain parasite that makes mice lose their instinctive fear of cats and may lead to schizophrenia in humans. Scientists think that the parasite works by inflaming the brain or by creating cysts. But it now appears that Toxoplasma is doing something far more insidious — and permanent — to the brains…

This Cool Camping Gadget Pours Like A Kettle But Cooks Like a Pot

The team at Biolite, who brought you the ingenious Camp Stove that also charges gadgets, have returned with a new way to heat your outdoorsy eats and drinks. This month, the company is introducing the KettlePot, which is—you guessed it!—a kettle and a pot combined into one very convenient vessel. https://gizmodo.com/charge-your-iphone-with-burning-pine-cones-5926174 There’s 1.5 liters of…