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Beware: Those Instagrams of Fruit Want to Hijack Your Account

Heads up: Instagram is weathering a bit of a spam attack right now, and as you may have noticed, it’s drowning in fruit. This rather large wave of juicy spam seems to be pushing some sort of “miracle fruit diet” and it could mess up your account if you fall for it. Initially spotted by…

Continuum takes superhero tropes out back and shoots them in the head

Back when the second season of Continuum began, we wondered if this show was trying to turn Keira into a superhero. That hasn’t panned out so much — but last night’s episode, “Second Skin,” gave us the start of a big superhero origin story, then turned it on its head. Spoilers ahead… https://gizmodo.com/continuum-turns-its-time-traveling-cop-into-a-superh-512024856 Continuum is…

What’s Your Pick for a Google Reader Replacement?

The day we RSS fans have been dreading for months is almost here. On Monday, Google Reader dies. Forever. There’s no going back. Everybody’s been hawking their replacements, and we’ve brought you a little sampling, but now it’s decision time. Who you goin’ with? https://gizmodo.com/10-google-reader-alternatives-that-will-ease-your-rss-p-5990540

Concept Art Writing Prompt: The Monsters Wore Terrible Disguises

So creatures try to infiltrate humanity with sophisticated costumes that make them indistinguishable from humans. Others…not so much. Let’s hear your stories about these poorly disguised creatures. Artist Michael Dziekan created “Disguise” for an exhibition on child slavery (via reddit). Post your stories inspired by this piece here in the comments. (My piece is posted…

Japan’s abandoned Battleship Island is now on Google Street View

Located off the coast of Nagasaki, the long-abandoned Hashima Island (also known as “Gunkanjima” or “Battleship Island”) was the inspiration for Raoul Silva’s lair in Skyfall. Now, thanks to Google Maps, you can visit the island on Street View. Mitsubishi used Hashima Island as a coal mining facility; the inhabitants of the large concrete apartment…

25 Low-Budget Movies More Thrilling Than Most Summer’s Blockbusters

Instead of watching the terrible World War Z, the disappointing Man of Steel, or the downright dumb White House Down, treat yourself to Europa Report, Byzantium or any of these 25 low-budget sci-fi and fantasy movies. They are better than most summer blockbusters.

Video: Lava Pouring Over Ice Looks Deliciously Bubbly

Scientists from the Syracuse University Lava Project melt 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of lava and poured it over a giant block of ice because 1) they wanted to see how it behaves—it’s hard to watch this phenomenon in nature—and 2) it’s fun. Obviously.

Prog rock fantasy artist Roger Dean suing James Cameron over Avatar

Did the floating mountains and otherworldly landscapes in James Cameron’s Avatar remind you of artist Roger Dean’s fantastical paintings? Dean certainly thinks there’s more than a passing resemblance. He’s suing the director and 20th Century Fox, claiming Cameron based Pandora on Dean’s artwork. Deadline has posted Dean’s full complaint, in which the artist alleges that…

What iOS 7 Says About the Next iPhone, All Things Windows 8.1, and More

This week, we finally got a look at what the next version of Windows 8 has to offer, up to and including that long-awaited smart button. And on top of all that, we’ve got a slew of hidden passageways, a look into the iFuture through the iLens of iOS 7, some Google Reader alternatives for…

How to Extend the Life of Your Phone’s Battery

If you want your its battery to keep your phone working for as long as possible and have a longer life in general, here are two good tips: don’t expose it to heat and never let it discharge completely. Learn more about other battery magicks here.

Game of Thrones has cast its Red Viper of Dorne

Game of Thrones Season Four still has a good bit of story from A Storm of Swords to tell. Part of that story involves Oberyn Martell, the Prince of Dorne also known as the Red Viper. Now the snake has a face. EW reports that Chilean actor Pedro Pascal has been cast as Oberyn Martell,…

We deem the Michelangelo-spoofing Creation of Lemongrab “Acceptable”

Lemongrab might be cranky about Melanie Herring‘s Adventure Time-themed reimagining of Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam, but we can’t argue with those lemony abs. Herring (who also goes by purplekecleon) has prints of this parody available in her store, and you can also follow her on Tumblr. The Creation of Lemon [purplekecleon via Neatorama]

All the Hidden Chemicals That Are Lurking In Your Coffee

Caffeine. For most of us, that’s the only chemical compound in coffee that’s worth a damn. But that’s far from the only thing that’s hiding in that simmering cup of black (or light brownish) glory that you suck down every morning. Cockroach pheromones? Rotting meat-smell? Check and check. Drink up! [Wired via Neatorama]

Get pumped to battle kaiju with the entire Pacific Rim soundtrack

Ramin Djawadi composed the theme song for Game of Thrones, and now we get to hear his mighty war music for Pacific Rim. The entire soundtrack is online, giving us a preview of the mood music for those kaiju vs. giant robot battles. Djawadi was nominated for a Grammy for his Iron Man score, and…

A Mobius Strip Track Makes Magnet Hovercrafts Even Cooler

Superconducting magnets are freakin’ awesome. You should know this already. But the folks at the Royal Institution took it a step further with their futuristic upside-down, Möbius strip track that’s fit for a racing game set in 21xx. Hopefully this is what the Hot Wheels of the future are like. Err, “Hot Superconducting Magnets,” I…

What lava looks like when poured over ice

It’s difficult for geologists to witness the flow of lava on snow- and ice-covered volcanos, so researchers with the Syracuse University Lava Project decided to create their own simulation, melting 300 kg of lava and pouring it over ice to watch the effects. Sculptor Bob Wysocki and geologist Jeff Karson collaborate on the Lava Project,…

Want Vine on your Kindle Fire? Well now you can have it. Enjoy!

This webcomic reminds us that high fantasy can be both smart and silly

Well written high fantasy can sometimes be a bit on the grim side. It can be hard not to look at Game of Thrones and think that serious worldbuilding comes with a seriously high body count. And there is certainly death in Phil Kahn and T Campbell’s webcomic Guilded Age, along with racism, existential crises,…

Colorful Monsters University concept art deserves its own TV show

It’s no secret that every Pixar film comes with loads and loads of production artwork, as artists tinker with the character designs. Chris Sasaki’s character designs would look great in a hand-drawn Monsters University cartoon. Although some of Sasaki’s designs were eventually realized in 3D, his bubbly style is fantastic all on its own. And…

After 14 years, Ian McKellen has filmed his final scene as Gandalf

Sir Ian McKellen has made his final trip to Middle Earth. Peter Jackson posted this photo after shooting Gandalf’s last Hobbit scene. Yesterday, Jackson posted the photo on his Facebook page along with this caption: Seconds ago we finished our last shot with Gandalf. The end of an incredible adventure that began in 1999. I’m…