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Let’s talk about the dark side of private space programs

As government funding for space programs dwindles, our greatest hope seems to lie with space entrepreneurs like SpaceX’s Elon Musk, who wants to put a city on Mars — or Robert Bigelow, who wants to build the first space hotel. But should corporations really be controlling the future of space travel? https://gizmodo.com/spacex-founder-unveils-plan-to-send-80-000-people-to-ma-5963349 Certainly we need…

A Structural Dish Rack Makes You Forget You’re Doing Dishes

Your drying dishes look like crap sitting there on the counter waiting to be put away. Why don’t you do something about that? Too lazy? At least now you can dress them up, with Black+Blum’s lime green High & Dry dish rack. The rack’s form is certainly more inspired than your regular old dish drainer,…

Volkswagen’s New Car Makes 261 Miles Per Gallon and Drives Like a Dream

Jalopnik’s Máté Petrány has tested Volkswagen’s new prototype, the XL1. It’s an extraordinary vehicle that can travel for an outstanding 261 miles on just one gallon of gasoline. ‘It looks like a spacepod, it’s built like a supercar, and driving it feels like the future,’ he says.

A fun 30-minute look behind the scenes of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer

Looking for about 30 minutes of unadulterated happiness? Than look no further than this video posted earlier today by stunt coordinator Jeff Pruitt, which is a magnificent collection of behind-the-scenes looks at Buffy: TVS season 2, including stunts, costumes, and a great deal of goofiness. If you’d like to see werewolf Oz off-screen and Sarah…

With Facebook Ready to Go, Windows 8 Finally Gets Some App Respect

Today, Microsoft announced that Facebook, Flipboard, and NFL Fantasy Football would all soon have official apps. That may not be an earth-shaking revelation, but it’s a sign that some big names are ready to step up and give Windows 8 the old Metro try. https://gizmodo.com/official-facebook-and-flipboard-apps-are-coming-to-wind-586541741 It’s no secret that Microsoft has had trouble getting big…

Street View is now available on both iOS and Android‘s Google Earth app. Yay! There are even step-by-step transit, biking and walking directions in 3D. Double yay! [Google]

Huff Your Medicine With the Inhaler-Shaped PuFFiT Vaporizer

Yeah, no, fumbling with a small wooden box and exposed electrical connections is real subtle. If you really want want to get high on the down low, you need to conceal your vaporizer as something that doesn’t look like a vaporizer but also doesn’t look like an IED. Something like an asthma inhaler, for instance.…

“With six feet of sea-level rise, South Florida is toast.”

Throughout Earth’s history, the shape of the continents has changed dramatically. With the planet’s temperatures rising, we can expect to see some of these geological changes in our lifetimes — especially when it comes to low-lying areas like Florida. Here’s what might be in store for that state. Jeff Goodell has a fascinating article over…

Boston Fans Buried Their Stanley Cup Sorrows in a Porn Avalanche

After the Boston Bruins lost the NHL championship to the Chicago Blackhawks Monday night, fans consoled themselves with porn, according to stats from PornHub. You might not have a Stanley Cup win, but you always have amateur adult films! PornHub monitored traffic during the final game, from the hours of 8-11pm EST Monday night. Surprise,…

Scientists Confirm Three Habitable Super-Earths Around the Same Star

European astronomers have confirmed the existence of three habitable planets orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 667C. These super-Earths—first spotted by Canadian astronomer Philip Gregory—are relatively around the corner from our home planet: only 22.1 light years.

Komodo Dragon Surprise: Beast’s Bite Not Full of Lethal Bacteria

It can still easily kill a person or a water buffalo just because it’s a huge biting dragon, but the famed Komodo Dragon does not have a mouth full of lethal bacteria just waiting to get inside a victim. Just the usual bite. So, you’ll still die, but not from bacteria. https://io9.gizmodo.com/https-www-youtube-com-watch-v-idwsmqsvrse-this-scene-587686702

This Ugly Thing Is the Top Car In Most of the United States

Jalopnik has a U.S. map showing the most popular car in each of the 50 states. The pickup truck in the photo is the winner by a far margin: 22 states prefer the Ford F-150. It’s only logical that giant square states prefer giant square cars.

Starting today, you can pre-order Recon Instrument’s Jet for only $499. That’s a lot cheaper than Glass! [Recon]

Mind-blowing Man of Steel concept art shows Krypton’s civil war

We keep seeing more amazing concept art visions from Man of Steel, showing how the designers reconceived all of Superman’s universe from top to bottom. And this art by Christian Lorenz Scheurer showing the final battle on Krypton is probably the best yet. Including tons of images of H’Raka the War Kite, and other Kryptonian…

“Who Cares?” Nancy Pelosi’s Awesome Comeback To Bigot Bachmann

House minority leader Nancy Pelosi had a great response when she was told about bigoted weirdo Michele Bachmann’s rambling nonsense about God and the Supreme Court today. Bachmann, a Tea Party congresswoman, is very upset that the Supreme Court didn’t interpret the centuries-old U.S. Constitution as being against gay marriage. “No man, not even a…

Twitter DVR Sounds Like an Awesome Idea

Twitter CEO Dick Costolo was hanging out at a panel this morning at the Center for Technology Information, and while he was there he let an interesting little tidbit drop: Twitter is toying with a rewindable, DVR-type feature. It sounds awesome. During a big, live event is when Twitter gets it’s chance to really shine,…

Wear This LED Tetris Tie To Any Job Interview and You’re Hired

Navy robotics engineer Bill Porter designed and built this fantastic Tetris-playing LED tie in a mere four hours to impress a roomful of eighth graders. But the wonderful LED light show that automatically plays Tetris on its own should impress anyone who’s ever had to kill time at work, and didn’t have access to Solitaire.…

Solving the Mystery of Legionnaire’s Disease

In 1976, the Stratford Hotel in Pennsylvania held a convention for the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Legion. Just after the convention, 221 of the attendees got sick with a strange case of pneumonia. Seventy-two of them died. Photo via 36th Infantry Division They provided the name for a culprit that had been killing for…

The Nvidia Shield’s release date just got pushed back to some time in July. Nvidia found a minor mechanical problem and is addressing that before shipping anything. We’ll let you know when there’s a new firm date.

Black and Red Headphones for Vampires Are Your Deal of the Day

True Blood, HBO’s softcore vampire epic, doesn’t have anything to do with consumer audio, but that didn’t stop V-Moda from releasing a pair of their popular M-80 headphones with True Blood branding. As a result of this ill-fated crossover, you can cop a pair of nice cans for $70 off the normal price. These True…