Latest

Chinese science fiction is influenced by SF from Japan… and the USSR

People often tend to think of science fiction authors outside of Europe and the United States primarily being influenced by English-language authors like H.G. Wells or Isaac Asimov. And those authors did have an impact — but the rich history of global science fiction also includes lots of cultural interchange among writers in different non-Western…

100,000 People Already Downloaded 3D-Printed Gun Plans. So What?

In just two days, blueprints for the world’s first (almost) entirely 3D printed gun have made their way onto the hard drives of over 100,000 potential quick-draws around the world. And the idea of this many people gaining non-regulated access to lethal weapons this quickly should be sending us into a mass, hysterical moral panic,…

Turn Any Empty Bottle Into a USB-Powered LED Touch Lamp

Got $25, a desperate desire to re-use garbage, and questionable taste? With Satechi’s new Touch USB LED lamp you can transform an empty soda bottle, wine bottle, even a water bottle into a warm desktop companion free of pesky switches. That’s right, all you need to conjure its illumination is a gentle tap. That, and…

The Mystery of How Identical Twins Develop Different Personalities

Despite having the same genetic makeup, identical twins have their own distinctive personalities. Just how their individuality emerges has remained a bit of a mystery. But now, researchers have found that life experiences affect brain development — and this may help us understand how personalities form. Who we are behaviorally and physically depends on a…

WSJ: Amazon’s Working on a Smartphone With a Crazy 3D Display

The WSJ reports that Amazon is devloping a battery of new devices, including a smartphone that would use a crazy-sounding glasses-free 3D technology. If it’s true…what in heavens? This better not be just another HTC Evo 3D. We’re worried because that’s what this sounds like. If there was a lesson from that catastrophe, it’s that…

The entire bat shit history of the Venture Bros. in 8 minutes

The Venture Bros. season 5 has a premiere date! Adult Swim announced that The Venture Bros. will return on Sunday June 2nd. The 5th season promises to pick up right after the big climax that season 4 ended on, and will welcome the guest voices of Aziz Ansari, Paget Brewster, Wyatt Cenac, Kevin Conroy, Bill…

Struggling to understand depression? Read this.

For those seeking hope and understanding in the hopeless meaninglessness of their – or someone else’s – depression. Allie Brosh (the cartoonist/blogger/awesome-lady behind the much-loved webcomic/blog/awesome-place Hyperbole and a Half) has been struggling with depression publicly for some time now, and privately for even longer. Back in October 2011, Brosh posted her funny/sad/poignant “Adventures in…

The updated Netflix app for iOS lets Apple’s mobile users into the binge-watching party: it auto-plays the next episode in a series and gives you three movie suggestions when you finish what you’re watching.

Arrow brings physical comedy to a new level

This episode, “The Darkness on the Edge of Town,” is jam-packed full of plot, and most of that plot is heavy stuff. Fortunately, to lighten the load, there are some moments of pure physical comedy in there, and they see us through. We start the episode with a massacre of scientists at Unidac, the company…

10 Completely Annoying Anime Cliches

Anime probably doesn’t rely on its particular tropes and clichés more than any other media or genre, but man, it feels like it. It seems like every show, movie or OVA are the same, and the people making them are just following a pre-ordained checklist. Here are 10 of the most prevalent anime clichés out…

A Motorized Kayak For When You’re Too Pooped To Paddle

Kayaking and canoeing are supposed to be all about just you and the water. No distractions, no risk of crashing, and definitely no motors. But why limit your range of exploration to your stamina when the Mokai ES-Kape kayak features a hidden electric motor propelling you as far and as long as the battery holds…

Now Is a Horrible Time To Buy a Laptop

So your trusty laptop is starting to show its age. No one can blame you for wanting a new one, but we’ve got just one piece of advice: WAIT. This is a horrible, horrible time to get a new rig. If you can hold out for just a few months, you’re going to do a…

Google’s new “Save to Drive” feature is a script you can embed into your webpage that allows readers to instantly save a file—PDFs, images, what have you—to Google Drive with the click of a button. You can go check it out on Google’s blog.

This Beautiful Footbridge Is Inspired by Japanese Hand Fans

Normally, the fact that a city approved a new pedestrian footbridge for construction would be rather, let’s say, pedestrian. But when the bridge in question is also a “kinetic sculpture,” things get more interesting. The Merchant Square Footbridge, a sculptural bridge designed by Knight Architects, is slated to open next year—and judging from the concept…

First look at Disney’s first animated Marvel movie Big Hero 6

Behold the future city of San Fransokyo! Back in July, Disney Animation Studios greenlit the movie adaptation of the lesser known Japanese superhero team Big Hero 6. Don Hall (Winnie the Pooh) is attached to direct. The CG-animated movie follows a robotics prodigy named Hiro Hamada and his robot companion Baymax, who join a team…

Win These Bids And Build Your Own Historic Spacecraft

Space auctions are awesome events where you’re sure to find a few rare gems from the American or Soviet space programs. The recent “Space & Aviation Auction” at RR Auction is going to start on May 16 and end on May 23 and you can bid on 858 items. These lots cover a large portion…

Here’s What Happens When You 3D Scan Mist, Ice, and Smoke

3D scanners can clone architecture, objects, and even your own face. But what about the natural world? What would happen if you trained a scanner on a misty night or a dense forest? https://gizmodo.com/how-3d-printing-gave-this-man-his-life-and-face-back-5993147 Matthew Shaw and William Trossell, a pair of British architects who specialize in generating 3D data, are finding out. Shaw and…

Did NASA send the Curiosity Rover to the wrong place?

A new study suggests that Mars’s 3.5-mile high Mount Sharp formed as strong winds carried dust and sand into the crater in which it rests. If true, Gale Crater probably never contained a lake, which would totally suck, because that’s one of the main reasons why NASA sent Curiosity there in the first place. Gale…

Disposable Trashbag Tents Are the Cleverest Way To Keep Camping Clean

Music festivals generate a lot of litter. Tons of it. Litterally. It’s been a problem for ages, but Glad has come up with a clever design solution that solves at least part of the problem: a trashbag tent. Your average concert-goer probably isn’t going to be too stoked at the prospect of a free trashbag,…

AT&T’s jumping on the no-contract bandwagon with its new BYOD, pre-paid AIO brand. For $40 a month you can get unlimited talk and text and 250MB of data. 2GB is $55 and 7GB is $70. No LTE though. Welcome to the party, guys.