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Watch as Grasshopper sets a new record by ‘hopping’ over 1,000 feet

SpaceX’s Grasshopper reusable rocket established a new standard a few weeks ago by climbing to an altitude of 1,066 feet (325 meters) — and then descending back down to Earth for its most accurate landing yet. The previous record, which was set back in April, saw the Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing (VTVL) rocket reach a…

The HTC One Finally Got Its Android 4.2.2 Upgrade

After promising for ages, then delaying it and killing it off on other phones like the One S, HTC’s finally come through with an Android 4.2.2 update for the much-loved HTC One. What a cracking point update it is too, because HTC’s finally fixed one of the One’s biggest gripes. The free update is available…

Primates shows us what it takes to make it as a scientist

Whether you’re looking for a graphic novel about the early breakthroughs in primate research, an account of the rigors of fieldwork, or just a scientific version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Louis Leakey as a slightly horny Willy Wonka, this is the book for you. The book is called Primates: The Fearless Science…

Could the Lone Ranger still play Batman in the Justice League movie?

There’s a Wolverine poster, the Rock shows off the Hercules set, and James Cameron and Alfonso Cuarón talk Battle Angel and Gravity. Ryan Reynolds talks about the Deadpool movie. Could Russell Crowe star in a Krypton prequel? Plus Ming-Na Wen describes her character on Agents of SHIELD. Spoilers now! The Wolverine Here’s a new image…

This Eternal Flame Burns as a Result of Natural Fracking

This is a light that never goes out: an eternal flame, hidden behind a waterfall in Erie county, New York, which is a result of natural gas seeping out from underground rocks. While gas seeps are extremely common, if the flow concentrates into a “macroseep”—a strong concentrated stream of gas—it can ignite and perhaps never…

This Plywood Chair Is Super-Stylish–and Affordable

This stylish chair may look super-classy—but don’t be fooled: it’s actually made from humble plywood. It comes flat-pack style, its panels made from CNC-cut birch plywood all held together by hex screws. Named Jari—which literally means a place for a person or a thing—the design is apparently inspired by the growing number of single dwellings…

We’re All Photographers Now

That smartphone in your pocket has changed you. You’re not just able to stay in contact with your friends and family now—you’re also a photographer. But what good has really come of it? A lot of pictures of food. And feet. And cats. But not many ghosts. So at least that settles one silly question.…

The Ultimate Lego Fan Tribute to David Beckham

As you may or may not know, David Beckham is a massive self-professed Lego lover. So what better way to showcase his most memorable moments, than with a Lego film homage. Highlights include “his red card against Argentina, the 1999 Champions League final, and THAT free kick against Greece.” This fan film was created by…

Young Adult: You Can Go Home Again (But Maybe You Shouldn’t?)

When a ghost writer of a failing young adult book series heads back to her hometown, things go… poorly. Very, very poorly. If you thought Charlize Theron was a monster in Monster, you should see her in Young Adult. Don’t let the name fool you; Young Adult is a dark comedy of the highest order,…

The Lumineers (Feat. Harry Caray): Ho Hey

You’ve heard Ho Hey on enough radio stations and in enough commercials by now to be thoroughly sick of it, and you’d be forgiven for never wanting to listen to it again. But maybe, just maybe, the addition of Will Ferrell’s Harry Caray impersonation will be enough to convince you to give it another shot.…

How a Design Trend Is Helping Prevent Wildfires in the American West

As wildfires escalate year by year, fire prevention is becoming even more important. And prevention doesn’t always mean Smokey Bear PSAs. In fact, the lumber industry has developed a symbiotic relationship with the very material feeding many of the fires. It’s called Beetle Kill Wood, and you’ve probably seen it, even if you don’t recognize…

The Army’s Insurgent Tracking Software Is Now Being Used to Track Gangs

We all know that social media is the criminal’s worst enemy. But this summer, a group of researchers are collaborating with police to test software that can reliably predict whether a person is part of a gang based on their social networks, building on similar software used to track insurgents in Afghanistan. For the past…

A Dramatic Tribute to Moebius

Nicolas Delort‘s black-and-white airship roars onto the page in this piece inspired by the legendary artist Moebius. Delort created this homage for a contest for the Moebius-themed blog The Airtight Garage. Delort has other equally striking ink illustrations on his blog, notably his Harry Potter pieces. [Nicolas Delort via The Art of Animation]

The Largest Building Ever Constructed Has Opened in China

At what point does a building become a city? At 1.7 million square meters, the New Century Global Center lands somewhere between the two. New Century, which has been under construction since spring of 2012 (which isn’t long, for a building of this size), opened officially on July 1. The 18-story, glass-and-steel frame structure sits…

The Sunday schedule for Comic-Con is now up, making the schedule complete! Also check out the map of the convention floor to finish planning your Comic-Con week.

Artist Turns His Hyundai Into Art-on-Wheels With Chalkboard Paint

A 2004 Hyundai Elantra is worth about $5,000 cash today, according to Cars.com. Philip Romano’s model is probably worth a bit less than that, since it’s coated headlight to bumper in gritty black chalkboard paint. The 20-year-old Romano is majoring in psychology at SUNY-Geneseo but describes himself as an artist (been there!). Over the past…

Original Doctor Who theme song slowed into 20 minutes of alien music

YouTube user telegenicx slows songs down and stretches them out into long and languid sonic experiences. Ron Grainer’s original 1963 Doctor Who theme song is particularly well suited to this time stretching, transforming into 20 minutes of otherworldly mood music. [via Dangerous Minds]

A charming and absurd black comedy about a family’s killer curse

Michael Duignan’s short film Ten Thousand Days has a definite Quentin Tarantino flavor with a frothy topping of macabre absurdity. Every male member of the Duncan clan dies on his 10,000th day of life, and Darby Duncan is convinced that he’s next. But what happens when death doesn’t go according to plan? Benedict Wall plays…

10 Years Ago, Opportunity Rover Began a 90-Day Mission That Never Ended

When NASA’s Opportunity rover launched on July 7th, 2003, expectations were modest. It would spend 90 Martian days exploring soil and rock samples and taking panoramas of the Red Planet; anything else would be a bonus. Nearly ten years after its initial shift was up, Opportunity is still going strong. Not that it’s been an…

The Slingshot Madman Has Perfected the Zombie Capture Kit

Some people devote their lives to science, some to religion, some to high finance. And then there’s Joerg Sprave, who spends his day-to-day creating zombie-killing slingshot insanity. Or in this case, zombie-capturing slingshot insanity, for when you need to to take them in alive undead. You might laugh now, but when we do battle with…