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Watch this German village get trounced by a freak hail storm

Whoa, this is definitely not a storm you’d want to get caught in. This past weekend, a German town in Lower Saxony was absolutely pummelled by hail stones the size of tennis balls. Damage is estimated to be in the millions. The storm, which hit on July 28, struck the German village of Wassel. Eyewitness…

io9 George Dvorsky Jul 31 '13

Today in nightmare fuel: fleshy geometric heads get glitchy

So… I think I’ll sleep with the light on tonight. “Parametric Expression” is the work of Amsterdam-based artist Mike Pelletier. Described as “a series of ambient video loops exploring quantified emotion,” it’s a little under three minutes of captivating – if a little unsettling – audio/visual stimulation. Three parts uncanny valley, two parts pink slime,…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Jul 31 '13

Volcanoes can “recharge” with new magma just days after an eruption

A new paper out today in Nature offers some good news and bad news about volcanic eruptions. First, the bad news. The researchers found that certain kinds of volcanoes can unleash a bunch of lava, then “recharge” with new magma from deep in the Earth within a matter of days or weeks. Previously, scientists believed…

io9 Annalee Newitz Jul 31 '13

We can’t believe there’s a Hobbit deleted scene! But here it is.

No lie, there was footage from Peter Jackson’s 3-part Hobbit film that didn’t make it on screen. And what we missed out on was a cute scene between Bilbo and Elrond. Check it out. The clip is from The Hobbit DVD release, which promises BUCKETS of behind-the-scenes stuff. And if you’ve seen Peter Jackson’s vlog,…

Movies Meredith Woerner Jul 31 '13

Incredible Soviet Rip-offs of Western Technologies

Nothing says “Cold War glamour” like a Soviet knock-off of a Western technology — especially when it’s been reverse-engineered to perfection. Here are some of the greatest and most stylish examples of Soviet techno-piracy. Original: Boeing B-29 Superfortress (produced between 1943 and 1946) – Rip-off: Tupolev Tu-4 (produced between 1949 and 1952) B-29 Superfortress The…

io9 Vincze Miklós Jul 31 '13

How Horrified Are You by Your Facebook Search History?

If you’ll recall way back in September, Facebook started keeping track of every single time you compulsively searched for that one (or two, or three, or eight) special person you just can’t get off your mind. But almost as quickly as Facebook search history emerged from the darkest recesses of hell to remind us all…

Social Media Ashley Feinberg Jul 31 '13

Hilarious new About Time trailer explains the rules of time travel

Time travel lets you have do-overs, like in those instances where you’ve just blurted something about oral sex in front of your girlfriend’s parents. That’s the novel spin on time-travel in About Time, the new movie from Richard Curtis (Blackadder, Doctor Who). Check out a new trailer! This was already one of the most intriguing…

Trailers Charlie Jane Anders Jul 31 '13

Commercial Break for iOS: Skip Commercials Without Missing the Good Stuff

No one likes commercials—that’s why god made DVR. But sometimes (like with sports games, specifically) you just can’t wait for it to record before diving in. You need to know RIGHT THEN. But if you get up and wander away, you might wander for too long. What’s a TV junkie to do? Commercial Break has…

Tech News Ashley Feinberg Jul 31 '13

Tokyo Will Retrofit Its Skyscrapers To Prep For the Next Big Quake

Mass dampers—the gigantic weights designed to counteract swaying in skyscrapers—are usually installed during the construction process. But today, a Japanese real estate company announced plans to install six of the devices atop a 39-year-old building in downtown Tokyo. If all goes well, they could pop up on tall buildings all over the world. The Shinjuku…

Tech News Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan Jul 31 '13

New JOBS Behind-the-Scenes Clip: Ashton Can Definitely Be Steve

Waiting for the new JOBS flick has been a rollercoaster of managed expectations for Apple fans. Is it going to suck? How can actor-bro Ashton Kutcher possibly play a legend? This latest clip has got me feeling more excited than ever about this tribute piece.

Tech News Mario Aguilar Jul 31 '13

Amazing Venom short banishes our horrible memories of Spider-Man 3

Adi Shankar and Phil Joanou are the makers of the phenomenal (and unofficial) Punisher short “Laundry Day,” which starred Thomas Jane himself. Now they’re back with True Blood star Ryan Kwanten as Eddie Brock in a fantastic 17-minute short better than the entirety of Spider-Man 3, titled “Truth in Advertising.” The short’s conceit, that a…

io9 Rob Bricken Jul 31 '13

Are you the kind of exploited sucker who never gets a vacation?

Work is great, if you need the money and also managed to find a job somehow. But there are evil forces dedicated to keeping you at that desk or checkout stand or salt mine forever, with no vacation. And one day you’ll be dead, having never seen where they filmed Twilight in Italy or whatever…

Sploid Ken Layne Jul 31 '13

Better than Mario? This new video game finally gives purpose to life

Almost every American loves the video games involving classic characters such as Mario and “the other Mario,” called Wario, and also the female character Zelda. Now the creator of these perfect amusements—Shigeru Miyamoto, the Walt Disney of video games—has made his first new game in years. It’s pretty good! https://kotaku.com/pikmin-3-the-kotaku-review-s-977868068

Sploid Ken Layne Jul 31 '13

Warlow explains how his sex powers will change True Blood

We got three of our favorite cast members from True Blood to spill the v-juice about what’s happening on the last few episodes of this season. Plus watch the actor who plays Warlow making funny noises, defending Sookie’s honor and being generally adorable in answering our Fairy Vampire sex questions. Robert Kazinsky (Warlow) How do…

Television Meredith Woerner Jul 31 '13

In the latest Temeraire novel, only Chinese dragons can save Europe

Naomi Novik’s beloved Temeraire series is about to come to an end. Her penultimate novel of the alternate history series, Blood of Tyrants, comes out August 15. In it, we witness some of the last battles of the Napoleonic Wars — from the backs of dragons who aren’t just weapons anymore. They’re generals. Spoilers for…

Books & Comics Annalee Newitz Jul 31 '13

NASA’s Spaceship Factory Is Unfathomably Huge

Now that the Space Shuttle program is over, NASA is remodeling the Vehicle Assembly Building where they were built. It’s a huge building, one of the largest in the world. How huge? Here’s some info to (maybe) help put it into perspective: https://gizmodo.com/nasa-dismantles-the-last-traces-of-the-space-shuttle-pr-5958924 The VAB has the volume of three and a half Empire State…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich Jul 31 '13

This image isn’t a 3D game but America’s newest stealth machine

It’s so futuristic and perfect that it seems unreal, but this is a photo of the first production model of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II—America’s newest stealth machine of destruction—with its weapons bay open. Shiny death on two wings. https://gizmodo.com/this-intense-real-life-f-35-picture-looks-like-an-iron-979321874

Sploid Jesus Diaz Jul 31 '13

From Shock Chairs to Smell-O-Vision: The Movie Gimmicks of Yesteryear

Have you ever been to a movie so shocking that the theater management offered you a life insurance policy just in case you died of fright? Filmmaker William Castle devised a scheme that did just that for the release of his 1958 suspense/horror film Macabre. Thankfully, they never had to pay out. Hunter Oatman-Stanford over…

Tech News Matt Novak Jul 31 '13

What’s the most contrived twist ending in a science fiction story?

One major reason we love science fiction is for its ability to surprise us — and a great twist ending makes the whole preceding story feel better. But when a final twist feels random or silly, then there’s nothing worse. What’s your least favorite twist ending from science fiction or fantasy? https://gizmodo.com/most-mind-blowing-surprise-endings-from-science-fiction-5911265 Please include a…

Movies Charlie Jane Anders Jul 31 '13

This Burger-Shaped Flipper Is Perfect For Literalist Grillmasters

We’re nearing the end of the summer, but that doesn’t mean you need to hang up your apron. In fact, now’s the perfect time to stock up on accessories that prolong the magic. For example, is there any better way to flip your burgers than this burger-shaped spatula? The stainless steel spatula is $20 from…

Tech News Leslie Horn Jul 31 '13

Watch this German village get trounced by a freak hail storm

Today in nightmare fuel: fleshy geometric heads get glitchy

Volcanoes can “recharge” with new magma just days after an eruption

We can’t believe there’s a Hobbit deleted scene! But here it is.

Incredible Soviet Rip-offs of Western Technologies

How Horrified Are You by Your Facebook Search History?

Hilarious new About Time trailer explains the rules of time travel

Commercial Break for iOS: Skip Commercials Without Missing the Good Stuff

Tokyo Will Retrofit Its Skyscrapers To Prep For the Next Big Quake

New JOBS Behind-the-Scenes Clip: Ashton Can Definitely Be Steve

Amazing Venom short banishes our horrible memories of Spider-Man 3

Are you the kind of exploited sucker who never gets a vacation?

Better than Mario? This new video game finally gives purpose to life

Warlow explains how his sex powers will change True Blood

In the latest Temeraire novel, only Chinese dragons can save Europe

NASA’s Spaceship Factory Is Unfathomably Huge

This image isn’t a 3D game but America’s newest stealth machine

From Shock Chairs to Smell-O-Vision: The Movie Gimmicks of Yesteryear

What’s the most contrived twist ending in a science fiction story?

This Burger-Shaped Flipper Is Perfect For Literalist Grillmasters

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