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An alternate history of Michael Jackson and the black space age

In 1985, Ebony ran this hopeful image of Michael Jackson, projecting what he would look like at the age of 40. Today it’s like a wistful imagining of what might have been, if Jackson’s career had taken a different turn. These pictures are just one part of a fascinating article on black retro-futurism by Rebecca…

io9 Annalee Newitz Aug 29 '13

I Can’t Stop Staring at These Mesmerizing Robot Arms

Forget playing with toy cars; I just want to watch robots do it. In this GIF. For the rest of my life. What you see here—other than an impeccably looped GIF of infinite watchability—are two of DENSO Robotics VS-Series 6-axis articulated robot arms that use a proprietary system called b-CAP to watch their surroundings and…

Tech News Eric Limer Aug 29 '13

Why You Shouldn’t Be Using iTunes

iTunes is bad. Even if you’ve never consciously thought it, you’ve known it deep down inside of you, the same way you’ve always known that fire burns and that Josh Lucas will never make the A list. But if you’re looking for the specific reasons iTunes is bad, Lifehacker lays the case out out nicely…

Tech News Brian Barrett Aug 29 '13

Everything You Need to Know About Robotech

Robotech consumed our childhoods. In a lot of ways, it created the American anime industry as we know it. But some people find the show’s complex origins baffling, as well as what makes it so unique and important. So here’s everything you should know about Robotech — and why. It’s made up of three different…

Anime Rob Bricken Aug 29 '13

Dealzmodo: 60″ Plasma, 40″ LED, Macbook Air, Chromebook, NOOK HD+

Why wait until Black Friday to upgrade your aging television? 60 inches of smart plasma from a trusted brand for $800 is a killer deal, and that’s exactly what you get with this LG set. [eBay] Want to spend less or just need something smaller? Grab a 40″ Sharp LED for only $330. [Best Buy]…

Tech News Shane Roberts Aug 29 '13

Curiosity Just Took the Sharpest Photos of a Solar Eclipse on Mars Yet

Thanks to Curiosity’s lonely existence, we just got the clearest, most detailed images of a solar eclipse that’s ever been taken from the surface of Mars—at least, the clearest images ever taken by humans. The moon pictured in the photos above (which were each taken three seconds apart on August 17) is Mars’ largest moon,…

Space & Spaceflight Ashley Feinberg Aug 29 '13

Why Did China Stop Work on the New World’s Tallest Building?

Remember Sky City, the ambitious plan to build the world’s tallest building in 90 day (out of prefab parts)? Construction began in July as planned, but Chinese officials have halted the project indefinitely—and some are wondering whether Sky City may signal a looming bust for the country’s skyscraper boom. Workers had just finished laying down…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Aug 29 '13

How science killed some great science fiction dreams

Science is awesome—until it crushes our dreams of planets full of incredible civilizations and turns fantastic inventions into impossible dreams. Here are nine examples on how nine scientific breakthroughs destroyed nine classic sci-fi themes. https://gizmodo.com/9-scientific-breakthroughs-that-killed-science-fiction-1222342077

Sploid Jesus Diaz Aug 29 '13

Why is ebola deadlier than other viruses?

Ebola is the nightmare virus. It kills ninety percent of people infected, and was for some time feared as the second coming of the plagues of the 1400s. Why is this one virus so much more deadly than other viruses? Ask people to pick a virus that might, under the right circumstances, end the world,…

io9 Esther Inglis-Arkell Aug 29 '13

We now have brain-to-brain interfaces that work between two humans

You may never become Xavier from the X-Men, able to read and control people’s minds. But one day, using a computer interface, you could control somebody else’s behavior and possibly even communicate using thought. The technology you see demonstrated in this video is the first step. Two researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Rajesh…

io9 Annalee Newitz Aug 29 '13

This Munich Museum Moved Into a Building Made Entirely of Scaffolding

Renovations are tricky for museums: You have to protect your permanent collection while keeping ticket sales up, which explains why so many museums close completely or move to new locations rather than repair an existing building. Not so at Munich’s largest art museum, where workers simply built a gigantic scaffolding reconstruction next door. Pinakotek is…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Aug 29 '13

The Obstacle Course Where DARPA Will Test a New Breed of Robot Heroes

As the Chernobyl and Daiichi Fukushima nuclear disasters illustrated in unnerving clarity, mankind commands technology capable wreaking destruction we can’t clean up without putting people’s lives at risk. That’s why DARPA is hosting the DARPA Robotics Challenge, in hopes of jump starting development of tomorrow’s mechanical first responders. But in order to win the ultimate…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Aug 29 '13

Why the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray is going to rip you off

Despite its mixed reviews, surely some of you were looking forward to the DVD and Blu-ray release of Star Trek Into Darkness. You were probably looking forward to checking out all the extras, too. Well, I have news for you, and that news is Paramount is about to screw you like Kirk in an Orion…

io9 Rob Bricken Aug 29 '13

Are you a racist for saying “twerk”? A guide to black slang for whites

If you’re white—and you watched Miley Cyrus last Sunday—perhaps you’re wondering “can I say twerk without being offensive to black people?” Perhaps. But can you say “That”? What about “It”? It’s complicated, but Gawker’s Caity Weaver will save you from racist hell with her guide. http://gawker.com/can-i-say-twerk-a-miley-cyrus-glossary-for-whites-1209010504

Sploid Jesus Diaz Aug 29 '13

9 Scientific Breakthroughs That Killed Science Fiction Subgenres

Science fiction looks to the future — but sometimes the future catches up to you. Sometimes, an idea generates tons of great science fiction stories — until science reveals the truth, and kills it dead. Or technology surpasses it. Here are nine scientific breakthroughs that destroyed science fiction subgenres. Top image: Barsoom Art by Michael…

io9 Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders Aug 29 '13

Facebook Wants to Use Your Profile Pic to Help Automatic Photo Tagging

Today, Facebook is proposing a series of changes to its terms if service. There’s a lot of legal mumbo jumbo, but the most interesting piece is that Facebook wants to start using your profile photo as the basis for suggesting that you be tagged in your friends’ photos. What Facebook’s really saying here is that…

Social Media Mario Aguilar Aug 29 '13

An Intelligent Indoor Grill That Knows Well-Done From Rare

The end of summer usually means the end of grilling and scorched steaks for dinner. But T-fal has come up with a solution to both those problems. Its new OptiGrill can not only be used indoors, all year round, it’s also smart enough to let you know when a steak is perfectly done—whether rare, medium,…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski Aug 29 '13

Cool simple invention lets you control your phone with a single button

That little black thing on the image is a button that plugs into your Android phone’s headphone jack. It’s called Pressy and with it you can make your phone do really useful things by clicking it in a certain sequence. Watch it in action—it’s such a cool idea. https://gizmodo.com/add-a-button-to-any-android-phone-with-this-genius-head-1221431712

Sploid Jesus Diaz Aug 29 '13

NASA’s New Martian Explorer Will Explain Where All the Water Went

We know that Mars once had an Earth-like atmosphere dense enough to support liquid water on the surface of the planet, we’ve found the dry riverbeds and the presence of minerals only formed in water to prove it. We’re also pretty sure that the planet slowly lost that atmosphere into the depths of space on…

Space & Spaceflight Andrew Tarantola Aug 29 '13

The Morbid Art of Making Dead Bodies Beautiful

Here’s a look at the delicate process of preparing a dead body for a funeral. Warning: Watching this video will force you to confront your own mortality. But at least it shows that while death may not be pretty, what you leave behind can be. Produced by by producer Patrick Abboud from Australia’s tech news…

Tech News Mario Aguilar Aug 29 '13

An alternate history of Michael Jackson and the black space age

I Can’t Stop Staring at These Mesmerizing Robot Arms

Why You Shouldn’t Be Using iTunes

Everything You Need to Know About Robotech

Dealzmodo: 60″ Plasma, 40″ LED, Macbook Air, Chromebook, NOOK HD+

Curiosity Just Took the Sharpest Photos of a Solar Eclipse on Mars Yet

Why Did China Stop Work on the New World’s Tallest Building?

How science killed some great science fiction dreams

Why is ebola deadlier than other viruses?

We now have brain-to-brain interfaces that work between two humans

This Munich Museum Moved Into a Building Made Entirely of Scaffolding

The Obstacle Course Where DARPA Will Test a New Breed of Robot Heroes

Why the Star Trek Into Darkness Blu-ray is going to rip you off

Are you a racist for saying “twerk”? A guide to black slang for whites

9 Scientific Breakthroughs That Killed Science Fiction Subgenres

Facebook Wants to Use Your Profile Pic to Help Automatic Photo Tagging

An Intelligent Indoor Grill That Knows Well-Done From Rare

Cool simple invention lets you control your phone with a single button

NASA’s New Martian Explorer Will Explain Where All the Water Went

The Morbid Art of Making Dead Bodies Beautiful

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