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What Do You Think of Arrested Development Season 4 So Far?

If you’re like us, you probably spent a good part of your weekend plowing through at least some of Arrested Development season 4 on Netflix. Were you able to restrain yourself, or did you binge and watch all 15 episodes? What do you think so far? We’re also interested to know how many folks signed…

A Drone That Follows You Around Is Way Less Messy Than Puppy

After leaving his uninspiring job at a bank, Sameer Parekh started his own company called Falkor Systems to further develop the concept of autonomous flying drones that don’t require a pilot. His first creation is a modified Parrot AR.Drone designed to follow someone around a room like an incredibly loyal—but noisy—puppy, but he also has…

An algorithm that finds face-like structures on the Earth’s surface

A new software program called GoogleFaces uses Google Maps and facial recognition software to isolate geographic structures that look like human faces. It’s far from perfect, but the program has uncovered some remarkably face-like surface features. Humans are good at picking out faces from everyday objects and structures — a characteristic known as pareidolia; we…

22 Breathtaking Views From the World’s Tallest Buildings

Skycrapers, TV towers, and observation towers are among the most emergent objects of human engineering. If you want to look around as far as possible without climbing a mountain or getting on a plane, you just have to buy a ticket to the observation deck of the nearest supertall structure. Here are the views from…

John C. Reilly could be the Agent Coulson of Guardians of the Galaxy!

And he’s not the only awesome actor who might be joining Marvel’s space opera. Check out set photos for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Gwendoline Christie discusses Brienne’s journey on Game of Thrones. Stand by for spoilers! Top image from Guardians of the Galaxy. Guardians of the Galaxy…

Samsung has published a listing for the as-yet unannounced Galaxy S4 Mini on the changelog of one of its apps. That as near as dammit confirms the impending arrival of the phone, which will probably possibly be announced at Sammy’s June 20th London event. [SammyHub via Phandroid]

This Insane Homemade Lightsaber Burns Straight Through Things

OK, so this should be labelled with extreme hazard warnings or something. A crazy laser enthusiast actually built his own lightsaber capable of burning straight through things. The monster 3W laser, made from a diode taken out of a DLP projector bolted to two high-power lithium ion laptop batteries, is capable of burning straight through…

This Proximity-Sensitive Volume Adjuster Needs to Exist

Apple has just scored a patent with the the US Patent and Trademark Office that’s one of the most simple yet ingenious ideas we’ve seen in a while: a proximity-sensitive volume adjuster on a phone. The patent, “Adjustment of acoustic properties based on proximity detection”, describes how a number of phone sensors could be used…

This Is LG’s White Nexus 4–But It Won’t Make Another Google Phone

LG has finally confirmed that it’s making a white version of the Nexus 4—but it’s also admitted that it’s not interested in manufacturing another Google phone. The white Nexus 4 is in every way identical to the black version. Except it’s white. So, really quite a boring product announcement. It’s not clear yet whether or…

Would You Take a Flight Which Only Had One Pilot?

Over in Europe, a new research scheme is looking into the possibility of creating cockpits that require just a single pilot to fly airplanes—but would you take such a flight? The project, called ACROSS—Advanced Cockpit for Reduction of StreSs and workload—brings together collaborators like Thales, Airbus and Boeing to design control systems that need only…

BuzzFeed, CNN and YouTube are apparently joining forces to create an online video channel, that will combine CNN’s content with BuzzFeed’s social media skill.

Report: Chinese Hackers Have Stolen Sensitive US Weapon Design Files

According to a confidential report that’s been prepared for the Pentagon, Chinese hackers have stolen blueprints for some of the country’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems. Citing the report and sources within the defense industry, the Washington Post explains that hackers have stolen designs for “more than two dozen major weapons systems”. The files were…

This Color-Changing LED Chameleon Scarf Perfectly Matches Any Outfit

Why spend hours digging through your closet trying to color-match the perfect outfit when with a little technology your clothing can match itself automatically? If you’re not afraid of tackling a little electronics, including wiring and programming (plus a little sewing) you can turn a ruffled scarf into a glowing accent piece that’s always the…

We’re Leaving Earth at Last

It seemed like summer vacation would never come. But at last we’d gotten our bags packed into the space elevator car, and made it to our ship at the port 60,000 miles above Earth. As the clouds and seas streamed away below us, all we wanted to do was look away from home, into the…

A Pendant-Locked Secret Diary For a Generation Raised on Tablets

Long gone are the days when kids would keep their innermost thoughts and secrets hidden away in a diary. For the most part they’re happy to share everything on Facebook and Twitter these days, and in the rare event they’d actually want to keep something secret, there’s now an iPad app that protects their private…

The Transhumanist Wager and the terrifying struggle for the future

Zoltan Istvan’s The Transhumanist Wager is an epic story of radical libertarianism, its enemies, and the violent global conflict that ensues. It’s a story that Istvan has painted in strong saturated colors, and with little room for intermediate shades and character development. After reading it from cover to cover, and then reading it more carefully,…

The Mysteries Beneath New York City’s Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal is a small village in one of the largest cities in the world. But this village has secret features that don’t appear on any map. A hidden track Through the decades of construction and renovation of Grand Central Terminal, one track remains a mystery. The secret track, Track 61, links Grand Central…

The iPad Cleverly Detects This Connected Picture Book’s Page Turns

The arrival of the iPad had many predicting the device would wipe out books, magazine, and newspapers once and for all. But their doomsday predictions were a little premature, and as the folks at engageLab demonstrate with this fantastic conceptual app, tablets and books can live in perfect harmony. The Bridging Book isn’t commercially available,…

Aliens are invading, annoying and abducting women in This Week’s DVDs!

So many aliens, you guys. Extra-terrestrials are dominating this week’s DVD and Blu-ray releases, and they’re not all good. Honestly, the only nice one is the Doctor, and since he mostly abducts hot young Earth women, even that’s arguable. • Doctor Who: Series 7 Part 2 Clara joins the Doctor for his most recent adventures,…

Freeze Your Target In Its Tracks With a Liquid Nitrogen Gun

Wired had a chance to play with what looks like one of the most entertaining but dangerous-looking contraptions you can easily get your hands on. Designed for use by responsible professionals like doctors, researchers, and even avant-garde chefs, the Brymill Cry-Ac 3 is capable of firing a blast of liquid nitrogen that instantly freezes its…